Cold and Rain, Our Neighborhood Decreased By One & Last Pictures of Friday's Ride

(Clicking on the pictures should open them larger in a new window.)

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

An English proverb describes typical March weather: 

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. 

February flew by and I think most of the country would agree that March has arrived like a Lion. I do not know about the rest of you but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the other half of the proverb comes true and March leaves as a Lamb. Happily looking ahead it does look like the weather in our little corner of the world is going to be turning warmer by this weekend. Today on the other hand started under blue skies but cold with the wind still with us and before 11 o'clock it was raining. There was on quick moment this morning I thought I saw some snow coming down though I am thinking it was a few small pieces of hail.   

This is the picture of the sunrise I took by standing on our
top step and reaching around the door with my phone. 

Looking West and Northwest the sun was lighting up the desert
floor but the clouds and the rain were coming our way. 

We had an appointment this morning at Discount Solar to have our solar system checked out. First stop was at La Posa South LTVA to dump tanks and fill our fresh water tank. 

Looking West just after we left Roadrunner.

Parked by the water stations waiting for Tom to finish the stars
and stripes was the view out the front window of the Jeep. 

Parked to have a quick breakfast looking out I could 
still see some blue sky.

Looking out the front dirty window of the Stinger "B" we 
could see a full rainbow. It is hard to see in the picture but\
the rainbow was in front of the mountains on the left.

Heading back to our spot in the desert after our appointment it was raining. Our solar system checked out as working just fine. Though the tech did make one adjustment and gave Tom some advice and suggested we give it a week to see how things are running. Nothing major we just felt we were losing our battery power quicker then we thought we should be. 

Back home Deb braved the cold and rain to came over for Happy Hour. After a couple of hours again through the rain she headed back to the Igloo. Even inside today it felt damp and cool but we still had a good couple of hours visiting.

Puddles in the desert.

Tom braved the raindrops and found washes,
tiny little rivers, in the desert.

 No visible sunset this evening as the rain continued.
I noticed this light on the mountains towards the Northwest.

It was a cold, rainy, sometimes windy day and looking at the overnight weather there will be more of the same. There is a prediction of sunny skies tomorrow and though it will still be on the cooler side sunshine will be really, really nice.

As you continue reading our blog you will notice there is no Tuesday, February 28th, included. We, Deb, Riley, Tom and I took a wonderful ride in the "Little Black Limo" down King Valley Road. Deb has already posted about the ride and has some great pictures on her blog, On a long and lonesome highway... If you are interested I will be posting pictures that both Tom and I took in the next couple of blogs. 

Monday, February 27, 2023

We did wake up to sunny blue skies this morning and we did bring our coffee outside for a Coffee Hour. While the rest of us sat and chatted Doug finished packing up to head out. He and Yuma did join us for awhile then, all to soon, it was time to start up the White Lion. He had a plan and if you read his blog you know how it went. If you have not read it check it out here, Miss Adventure Travels. 

After hugs all around it was time to say see you down the road.
The White Lion with Doug and Yuma inside is off.

It is strange after two weeks to open the door and be
 looking at the mountains in the distance and not the WL.

The sun going down on our smaller but still special neighborhood.

Doug, which if you read his blog you know did not have his best day as he only made it to the RV Pit Spot before the WL quit. Deb and I went in to see how he was doing and he did have a tow truck coming to move him. I am behind in writing but he has a plan which he talks about in his blog and he is keeping in contact. 

Here in our neighborhood we ended our day with Happy Hour. It was a chilly one and we soon headed inside to the warmth of our homes. 

Friday, February 24, 2023  

In my last post I talked about the ride we took over near the Harquahala Mountains on Eagle Eye Road. This is the rest of the pictures of that ride. It was a beautiful day for taking pictures with all the clouds in the sky adding shadows to the mountains and the desert floor. 

Driving along the remnants of an abandoned mine could be
seen up a hill. A definite stop for this group.

These first four pictures Tom took.

Harquahala Mountains

Yuma was the first one to reach the mine.

Two more of 

Tom's pictures.

Doug and Deb were next up.

Then I could see Riley with Tom close behind.

Riley headed down towards the left

and Tom went right.

Meanwhile Deb and Yuma headed up

and then Doug joined them. 

Tom took this of Riley and I in the distance.

When Deb got back down to the Jeep she mentioned there was a road that would bring us up to the top so up we went. The views up there were fantastic.  

The shadows on the mountains never stopped changing.

The purple one on the left is blurry but it was so tiny in 
among the rocks.

We saw so many beautiful Saguaros today.

Soon it was time to head back towards Salome Road and then North to Salome, Arizona where we stopped for lunch at Don's Cactus Bar and Restaurant. The food was excellent and so was the service. We would definitely stop again if we are in the area.

After lunch we continued West on Highway 60 until we connected to I-10 then a turn South on to US-95 and we were soon home just in time for Happy Hour.

The sun was still making its way down towards the
Dome Rock Mountains when I took this last picture 
then headed inside. 

We have had so many memory making days this Adventure and today was one of them. Beautiful scenery, special friends, and good food it is a wonderful life.

We are glad you stopped by!

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

The Sun Setting on Our Neighborhood and A Ride With the Harquahala Mountains in the Distance

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Up after the sunrise this morning we really did not have anything planned beyond our coffee. There was a beautiful blue sky and Tom stepped out to set up our chairs so they could dry out after last night's rain. Coming in he said he thought it was a little to chilly to sit out this morning. As we sat drinking our coffee inside I mentioned we had several batches of wash that need to be taken care of so what to do today was decided. After a late breakfast we headed into Quartzsite to do laundry. Not my favorite thing to do I would much rather be using the combination washer/dryer in our home. The thing is when we are boondocking it really is not practical to use it and truthfully I like boondocking in the desert more then I dislike using a laundromat. 

Back home after putting our clothes away it was time for Happy Hour. With very little wind, finally, and the sun shining down it was by no means hot but warm enough to sit out and enjoy a couple of hours of talking about this and that. I say this and that because honestly for the most part I would not be able to tell you everything we talked about. What I do remember is the conversation flowed, we enjoyed the company of friends, and more then once laughter filled the air around us. Then as the sun began to make its way down towards the Dome Rock Mountains the coolness set in and it was time to say Good Night and head inside.

The sun had already slipped behind the Dome Rock Mountains
when I took this picture. It left behind a golden glow which
filled the sky above our neighborhood.

Top to Bottom
The sunlight could still be seen touching the mountains to 
the North, South, and East of us.

That was our day nothing to exciting just normal every day stuff. The special part is we spent it parked in the beautiful Sonoran Desert near Quartzsite, Arizona.

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Today's Coffee Hour started with a calm breeze in front of the Stinger "B" and then the wind was upon us. We persevered and moved our chairs to the other side and continued our Coffee Hour or maybe it was two. During that time the wind found us but we continued to persevere for a time. Then we all agreed the wind had won for now and we headed inside to the calm of our homes. (When I say we I mean mostly Deb and I. Doug came and went. Tom went for fresh water and spent time with us while he pumped it in to our tank. Then he went and dumped our blue boy after we went inside.)

Looking at the weather for the day it looked like the wind would be with us until later in the day and just as it was predicted to calm down it looked like the rain would be starting. Decision was no Happy Hour this evening. Tom and I decided to head over to Parker for Saturday Vigil Mass.

Heading North on AZ-95 we could see dust in the air. 
I believe those are the Mesquite Mountains.

When I saw these clouds my first thought was there
is a mustache in the sky..😊. 

At this point we can usually see mountains ahead of us.
Today we could mostly see dust.

It is hard to tell in the picture but all we could 
see was brown dust ahead.

The Altar at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Parker, AZ.

After Mass, since we were in Parker, we headed over to Walmart to pick up some groceries. 

Then we went out to dinner at one of the Mexican Restaurants. I will only say one thing about where we ate, the service was excellent.

After finishing dinner we walked out the door to pouring rain and that is what we pretty much drove the 41 miles home in. Though it did slow to a sprinkle a couple of times when we turned into Roadrunner it was pouring down. It is always some what of a challenge finding your home in the inky black darkness of the desert and rain well that just adds another layer of fun. The good news we had not bought anything that needed to be refrigerated so we only needed to get ourselves inside for tonight. Yes, we did succeed in finding our way home once again. There have been a couple of times over the years when for more then a few moments we thought we would be sleeping in our vehicle...lol

Friday, February 24, 2023

Looking for a new place to boondock in the future we decided to head east to an area near the Harquahala Mountains. At around 9:30AM Deb, Riley, Tom and I headed out in the Little Black Limo followed by Doug and Yuma in the Little Silver Streak. Merging on to I-10 we were headed East towards Salome Road. It was a good day for a ride blue skies with big white clouds. We did find a couple of places with wonderful views but the cell service was spotty at best and that was just for texting if you were standing in the right spot. None of us were able to connect to the internet or make a phone call. It would be a nice for a couple of days if you do not mind the lack of cell service. It is on our list of possible spots.

Never the less it was a beautiful ride down Eagle Eye Road. The sun, the clouds. the shadows on the mountains, and on the desert floor all came together to put on a wonderful show of light and dark throughout our time in the area.

Interesting side note for Tom and I: the last time we took a ride down this road was to drive up to the Harquahala Smithsonian Solar Observatory which we did on Saturday, February 25, 2017. The ride was a once in a lifetime one we would not attempt it again. Yet after all is said and done we are glad we took the ride. The views at the top were breathtaking. Click Here for those pictures if you are interested. Doug and Yuma also took that ride a few days later in 2017. Click Here for the great pictures Doug took. 

Most of the pictures I took on this day were of the mountains. I just love how the sunlight lights up all the "nooks and crannies" and the shadows of the clouds brings a dark contrast that is constantly changing. I often describe it as a dance across the mountains because that is what I see a beautiful dance of light and shadows. 

This is one of the places 

we saw that would be a 

beautiful spot to park.

With views  

that seem

to go on forever.

There is so much beauty to be seen

we just need to be willing to look

with "open eyes".

It is beautiful how the sunlight hits one area of the desert floor

while the clouds keep the rest of the area in the shadows.

I have more pictures of this ride, and I am pretty sure Tom has some, that I will share in the next couple of blogs. I am going to stop here for now before I have to much of a picture overload. 

When Tom and I look back and talk about this day we will be remember a good day spent with special friends with beautiful views in every direction.

We are glad you stopped by!

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