Parked at Roadrunner BLM, A Visit to Kingman to See Friends, Moved to Shady Lane RV Park (I am in Real Time)

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Today was a slow day. After coffee and breakfast Tom went in to the laundry mat in Quartzsite to do jeans. I spent part of the morning cooking up vegetables and bacon to freeze so when we want a quick breakfast all we have to do is add eggs and cheese. The only thing we had planned for today was 4 o'clock Mass at Queen of Peace Catholic Church here in Quartzsite. This is a small simple mission church and the priest comes from Sacred Heart in Parker to say Mass. The pictures below I actually took today, February 20th.

This is Queen of Peace Catholic Church.
The gazebo is out front to the left when you are walking in.
The statue on the bottom left is against the church out front.

,

They also have a "Prayer Garden" next to the church.
A quiet place to sit, relax ,and reflect.
There are some Bible quotes around the area.

Yes , this picture was taken through a very dirty windshield.
I just wanted to capture the dust against the mountains in  the sunlight.

After Mass we went to Carl's Jr. for dinner.
Looking out the window we saw the sun setting and lighting up the sky.

As we left this was our view in the parking lot.

Crossing over I-10 we see the last of the suns light.

Monday, February 18, 2019

Today I kept my feet up. I worked on a catch up post for our blog. I drank tea and watched the sun play hide and seek with the clouds through the windows of the Stinger "B". The desert floor would light up then be in shade and then the light would creep toward us as the sun found blue sky again. At the start of the day I could only see a few fluffy white clouds and as the day progressed more and more fluffy clouds joined in the game. Creating beautiful shadows in the crevices of the mountains around us and as the clouds moved in the wind the shadows danced across to a new destination. A couple of times I found myself thinking I should get my jacket and shoes on to go outside and take pictures. Then I would put my feet back up, sip my tea, do a little more typing in between watching the beautiful show nature was putting on outside our window. It was a day to make some cheesy broccoli soup, well mine also includes cauliflower, a little bit of carrots and onions. The vegetables Tom roasted out on the grill making them even more delicious, At one point the clouds in the distance reminded me of how the clouds look when they come across Little Bay de Noc at home bringing rain with them.

It was a day to sit back and just enjoy the show it was not a day to take pictures. I know in the future I will remember this day just by reading the words I have written here and I will be glad to have kept my feet up, sipped my tea and just watched. (I wrote this throughout the day as I watched the clouds outside the window by our table.)

Then the sun started to set and I could not help myself I had to go out and take some pictures.

Tonight's sunset.

Now that I am outside taking pictures...
The mountains and the clouds towards the east were beautiful
in the setting sun.

The clouds towards the north were beautiful, also.

The views towards the south were beautiful, too.

Another words no matter

which way I turned the sky was beautiful to look at.

One last picture of the sunset and I went back in the Stinger "B" put
my feet back up and finished my cup a tea.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Today was a day we had looked forward to since we set the date to drive up to have lunch with friends up in Kingman. They got snow yesterday and it looks like they may get more on Thursday but today it was just cold. Getting to spend time with Jill and Rick along with Trish and Pat plus a nice surprise addition Jill's sister, Juhl (I am not sure I am spelling that correct and if not I apologize.) made braving the cold worth it. We had lunch together at a restaurant called Calico's the food was good and the company better. It was a nice visit, though short, and the time flew as it always does when you are enjoying the company you are with. The one thing none of us thought to do was take a picture. When I did remember we were on our way home.

Leaving Roadrunner this morning there is very little traffic on AZ-95.
Just us and the shadow stretching across the highway.

Not the best picture of  these pretty purple wildflowers
we saw along the way this morning.

We have passed through Parker

and then we got our first glimpse of the Colorado River.

We have driven this route several times over the years.
We never get tired of the wonderful views along here.

The road ahead.
It was about here we realized this is the first time we have traveled
between Quartzsite and Lake Havasu City in the Jeep.
In the past Tom was either pulling our 5th Wheel, the Crusader,
or driving the Stinger "B" towing the Jeep.
He said, it was kind of nice to be able to glance at the views.

Coming into Lake Havasu City

The hand was waving as we went by, Patsy.

Merging onto I-40 heading east.

We can see snow on the Mountains in the distance.

A Winter Storm Warning just before we reached Kingman.

I think I take this same picture every time we head up this hill.

I took this on the road to Jill and Ricks.
Just liked the look of the rocks.

They have some spectacular views where they live.

Their lovely home is just ahead.
Jill had said if we were going to get there before lunch to come out and visit
for a bit. We took her up on the offer and spent some time catching up.
We also had the opportunity to "tour" her sister's new house, you
cannot see it in this picture but it is beyond theirs on the other side.
What  nice homes they both have.

Looking out their gate, again the views are wonderful.

Following them back into Kingman to the restaurant where we would
join Trish and Pat we get to see more fantastic views.

We are back out on I-40 heading west after a wonderful visit with friends.

We could really see the snow on this one.

The hand is still waving.

It is hard to tell in this picture but this trailer is wedged into the side
of this hill with barely any space around it.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Today we left Roadrunner BLM and checked into the Shady Lane RV Park in Quartzsite. Tomorrow we will be picking up my sister who is flying into Phoenix. She is coming for a short visit to see where we have been spending our winters. I am so excited she is coming, plus, it will be fun to show her around.

Our spot in Roadrunner

Tom heading in to fill up our propane tank and then get us settled in the park.

While Tom did that I stopped and took some pictures of the church we sometime attend when we are here. Then I had a couple of errands to run. The rest of the day I did wash and cleaned. Always nice to have full hookups and get rid of some of the accumulated dust.

With this last sentence I am caught up, for now. My sister will be here until the 26th and I have a feeling I will again be catching up after she leaves. In the meantime we will be having fun and hopefully remembering to take pictures.

We are glad you stopped by.

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Mexico, Valentine's Day, We Have Moved to Roadrunner BLM, VFW Fish Fry with Friends (catch up post)

We are parked out in the desert near Quartzsite on BLM  land. 


Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Today we are off to Los Algodones, Mexico. We both have appointments to get our teeth cleaned and I am looking for new glasses. Plus it is always fun to stop and look around at all the things for sale.

The courtyard at the dentist's office.
Dr. Eva Urena

Our teeth are clean, my glasses are ordered and it is time for lunch and
a Margarita or two.  We both ordered  Shrimp Tacos which we enjoyed.
The Margaritas what can I say, we did enjoy them.

The food was good, the drinks strong, and we enjoyed
the music while we ate. We even enjoyed the people
who stopped by trying to sell us various things.

After a while it was time to leave, pick up my glasses, and head home. Leaving later we knew there would be a line and a long wait. As we started to walk towards the end of the line I found a place to sit and wait while Tom proceeded to the end. Did I mention the drinks were strong? I did enjoy talking with the others sitting next to me and we also enjoyed talking with the people in line as they went by. I was a little worried about the time thing when the lady next to me said she had been sitting there for 45 minutes and still could not see her husband but he eventually showed up and not long after I could see Tom coming our way. By this time my phone had died and shut itself off so no pictures. 

The ride home did not take long and just as we merged onto I-8 a few rain drops came down.  As we drove towards the Stinger "B" we could see a truck we did not recognize and I was pretty sure it belonged to Shirley's friend and her husband. When we walked around to our patio area we were happy to see I had guessed right. Tom put out the awning to protect us from the light rain coming down, we said we would leave the keys next time...lol. Then we moved our chairs in to sit and meet their friends.Okay...okay Tom also grabbed us each an adult beverage. Shirley introduced us and we were soon all sitting and chatting like old friends. What a nice couple Elva and Jerry are and we are so glad we got back in time to meet them. (Side note: there is just something about this lifestyle that makes meeting new people seem natural and the conversations always seem to flow. A nice side benefit.)

I did not take any pictures so I had to borrow these from Shirley's blog.

From left to right: Jerry's hand, Deb, Elva, Ken, and Tom

Left to right: the back of Elva's head, Shirley's spot, Ken, Tom, Jerry, and Deb

A picture of Jerry, Elva, Shirley, and Ken
I am so glad they were able to connect. I knew Shirley was so
looking forward to it. 

A few more minutes of chatting, after taking the above picture, Elva and Jerry took off to head back to their home on wheels. They are parked in the Pilot Knob LTVA just east of us. Since, it was getting cold Shirley, Ken, Tom and I decided to finish Happy Hour inside where it was warmer.


Thursday, February 14, 2019 (Valentine's Day)

My Valentine Roses!
.

Not long after we finished our coffee Tom said he needed to go in to Yuma to run some errands. After 49 years I was pretty sure where he was going. A little while later he showed up with the beautiful roses pictured above. If I count the year we were engaged, and it does count, in 50 years he has not missed buying me flowers for Valentine's Day. What is hard to believe is that it has been 50 years.
The years between the first bouquet of roses delivered to the door, he was in the Navy and the ship he was on was in Alameda, CA  at the time, and these have flown by all to quickly.

Ken had seen a road that would take us back to the area we have been looking out at sitting at Happy Hour. So after Tom returned, he did put gas in the Jeep, we were off on a ride to explore. We were looking to get closer to the wall we could see in the distance. It was a wonderful ride on a road through the sand dunes behind us. Plus we did eventually see "the wall" just not the part we could see in the distance from our spot at Pilot Knob.

The sand dunes we road through.

As you can see in the pictures it was a cloudy day.
We all said it would be even better to do this ride on a sunny day.
Maybe next year we will have that opportunity.

Even with the clouds the views were great. 

Then after back tracking and turning left instead of right we found 

"the wall".

We could see it and a road on our side of the border across what I believe
is the All American Canal. This canal I read is the principal route for the
Colorado River water to reach the ranches and farms in the Imperial Valley.

Los Algodones in the distance.

The road ended at what looked to be a mining operation at one time.

Another view of Los Algodones in the distance.

We then drove out to I-8 and took the exit for 186 which would bring us to the border crossing. We took a road on the right, just past the casino, that brought us to several areas were people were dry camping. Many of them looked like they were parked for the season.

Could not resist taking a picture of this sign. Tom had just been explaining to
Shirley and Ken at Happy Hour that we are "Yoopers" we live in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan above the Mackinaw Bridge. The people in the Lower
Peninsula live below the bridge and are "trolls". No trolls were seen..

We did come across this Pet Cemetery tucked a ways back.

We could see the final resting place for many four legged family members

that had been well loved.

It looked like it went back quite a ways.

After several twists and turns we ended up at the parking lot we have parked in when we have made the visit into Los Algodones. At this point we turned and headed home.

Arriving back it seemed warm enough to sit out and enjoy our last Happy
Hour together this year. I do not even think Ken was even here yet when
we decided inside was a much better choice.
We all agreed it had been a good day and a good couple of weeks and
I know Tom and I are so glad we got the chance to spend this time together.

The clouds as I looked out from out spot parked in the Pilot Knob BLM
on our last night here.

Friday, February 15, 2019


This morning we were all up and moving early as it was time to pack up and move on. The sky is a beautiful blue this morning but the wind is definitely with us. Shirley was busy and brought over these muffins she had baked for Tom and I to try. They were delicious. Tom and I both agreed it was hard to believe they did not have any flour in them. Thank you again Shirley and for the muffins, the cookies, and the recipes. These will make for a nice breakfast when we are on the move.

I had to borrow another picture from Shirley.
Tom and I were to busy eating them to take a picture.

While we were getting ready to leave George stopped by for a moment to say Hi and so long. It was nice to cross paths one more time this year even for a brief visit.

Again, Shirley took this great picture of George waving
goodbye. She already posted it on her blog,
Seeing America with Ken and Shirley
so I felt safe borrowing it.

One last picture of this special couple we happily call friends.
They are hooked up and ready to leave.

I could see several Ocotillos across from us and after we hooked up the
Jeep I walked across to take its picture. Love the red that
is mixed in with the green.

Walking back I took this picture. We are all hooked up and ready to leave.
With a couple more hugs and see you "later's"  

we watched Shirley and Ken pull out and with one look back we followed
them down the road and out to I-8  heading east.
They are headed home and we are headed to Roadrunner BLM
for a few nights.

As we  passed by the back of the Pilot Knob RV Park Tom honked our air
horn and he was pretty sure he could see George waving. Kim and Ken
are also parked in the here and sent a messenger wave.
See you down the road Suzie, George, Kim, and Ken.

Through the screen on my window.
Elva and Jerry are parked out here at the Pilot Knob LTVA.
Hope to cross paths with you both again in the future.

We are on AZ-95 and this and the next picture are of our views out the front
window. We followed the Airstream  for quite awhile.

The bushes,the Ocotillo, the mountains, the wildflowers are all so beautiful.
I always enjoy this ride. Middle picture is the Stone Cabin and the bottom
right the Border Patrol Checkpoint which we were waved right through.

Once we got into Roadrunner we found a fairly level spot and got ourselves ready to meet Kathy and Rick, It's about time, for a Fish Fry at the VFW in Quartzsite. This is our third straight year doing this with them so I believe we have a tradition going. After dinner with some wonderful conversation they invited us back to their home where we continued our conversation. Rick and Tom stayed outside for a few minutes so Rick could show him the wind generator he is working on setting up to supplement their solar. Kathy and I went inside where is was much warmer and with less wind. The guys soon joined us and then they shared some pictures of the cakes they have made together. They called it a hobby. We could tell from what they were saying it was a hobby they both really loved. Though, also, from the pictures there is no doubt a lot of work went into what they did. Very creative and beautiful cakes.

On the way from the VFW to Kathy and Ricks

I caught a couple of pictures of tonight's sunset.

Time flew as it always does when you are enjoying good conversation with friends; before we knew it, it was after 8 o'clock and time to head home.With hugs all around we said our good nights.
I am sure we will see them at least one more time before we all leave this area. In fact we will make a point of doing so.

It was a somewhat sad day as we said goodbye to Shirley and Ken this morning but we take lots of good memories with us. We look forward to the next time.


Saturday, February 16, 2019

The sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful blue this morning; I just wish the temperature would match so I could sit out and enjoy the sunrise. After enjoying our coffee we pulled the bedroom slide in and took the Jeep for a ride to find a place to park for the next couple of days. Last night we just pulled in and parked and now we could see a place across the wash that looked way more level and we can position ourselves to face the wash and have the sun out the door most of the day. After a quick ride we both agreed just across the wash was our best choice. We are moving.

Now this is a Happy Hour flag.
Tom said, Ken needs to see this. What do you thing Shirley?

Some views from our place

out here in this quiet spot.

Looking out to where we were parked.

Walking around our site and taking

pictures later in the afternoon

no matter what the direction our views are pretty darn good.

The sun has slipped behind the mountains

sharing a last bit of light with the mountains behind us.

One last picture and the light was gone.

What can I say except we have had some really good days. A fun trip into Mexico, a ride through some small sand dunes with friends, fun Happy Hours, a nice dinner out with friends. Life is good and we are trying to enjoy each and every day. I am not saying they are all perfect every minute of every day we do have some moments but in the end we are living our dream and know how lucky we are to be doing so.

Tom and I are glad you stopped by for a visit.

If you would like to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.