Friday, February 17, 2012

A FRUSTRATING DAY & WE EXITED THE AREA:((

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LAKE HAVASU CITY:((
The winds picked up last night & by the time we went to bed were howling so bad we had to pull both of our slides in.  Not a good night atop the bluff overlooking Parker.  We were awake early, or did we ever really get to sleep.  But, then our day got betterer, but then it got worser, but then it got more betterer again.  Yay Parker:))  Nay Lake Havasu City:((
Because it was the start of a long week-end & this being a touristy area, we figured we had better get an early start to the day & avoid the crush.  Had the big wheels rolling by 8:23 & we were in Parker by 8:30 for groceries & gas for both vehicles.  We also knew we needed an early start to find out where the best & quietest boon dockings spots were in the area.  It started out to be a day of discovery but turned out to be a day of frustration:((
Because we figured on finding a boon docking area between Parker & Lake Havasu City we didn’t bother hooking up the Jeep.  Headed north out of Parker up busy highway 95 with Kelly acting as tail gunner in the Jeep. 
I was very impressed with the great scenery along the Colorado River.  The landscape was rugged & the road winding.  Had it not been for heavy traffic the drive could have been pleasantly relaxing & most enjoyable.
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CAUGHT THIS GLIMPSE OF A UNIQUE LOOKING GOLF COURSE
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Found our first boon docking area around mile marker 165 but it was packed with RV’s.  Not good!!
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NOT OUR KIND OF BOON DOCKING!!
Back onto the highway for a few more miles & saw another spot but it too was full.  Getting worse!!  It was about here that the topography of the land began to change & the great scenery we had enjoyed back north of Parker was gone.  The land flattened out more & the scenic ruggedness was behind us.
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By the time we reached a couple more boon docking areas & found them full we knew the writing was on the wall.  But, it was too late.  We were already all the way up to Lake Havasu City.
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STOPPED AT A REST AREA TO GIVE THE DOGGIES A BREAK
Ok, the following opinions belong to both Kelly & I & as we are not your normal RVing folks there will be many who disagree with our thoughts.  We did not like Lake Havasu City.  Not even a little bit.  We stayed on highway 95 & struggled our way through the countless traffic lights & congestion.  Did not like the surrounding scenery & it took us the best part of half an hour in traffic, traffic, traffic to get through it & out the other end to the north.
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A lot of RV’ers would love Lake Havasu City with all it’s shop till you drop big box stores, shopping malls, eateries, & probable craft like stores, etc.  I’m guessing every touristy thing one could imagine.  Caught a glimpse of the London Bridge as we went by but neither Kelly or I had any interest in seeing it or driving across it.  All’s we wanted to do was just get the hell out of the place!!
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THIS IS ALL I SAW OF THE LONDON BRIDGE
When we finally found a place to pull over north of the Airport, Kelly’s first words to me when she walked back to the Motor Home was, “what a nightmare that was.”  I couldn’t agree with her more.  But, within 20 minutes we were right back in the soup again……..heading south!!
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MAKING OUR WAY THROUGH LAKE HAVASU CITY
Our original plan was to boondock somewhere south of Lake Havasu City & do day trips for awhile next week.  Plan was then to eventually move northwards towards I-40 & head northeast from there up though Monument Valley.  That all changed within a few minutes alongside highway 95 today when we decided to change our plans, reverse our journey, & retrace our tracks all the way back to Parker.  We wanted no part of Lake Havasu City today & it is unlikely we will return. 
Gritted our teeth, bit the bullet & headed back down highway 95 through all the same traffic lights we had just endured on our way north just a half hour before.  Kelly led the charge this time with me, Pheebs & the Motor following in the rig.  Soooooo glad to put Lake Havasu City in my rear view mirror & get us guys back to Parker……10-4:))
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Figured maybe we would park in the Casino parking lot at Parker’s north end for the night but of course that parking lot was full of people & RV’s as well.  Not acceptable!!  By this time we had had enough & decided to high tail it right back out of this so called civilization to the peace & quiet of the sane desert. 
Tonight we are parked a few miles west of Bouse Arizona.   Last night from my chair I could see the lights of Parker & tonight from my chair I am looking at twinkling lights in the tiny little community of Bouse.  Awwwwww, how sweet it is to be back out in the desert again, far from the maddening crowds.
We were not without further frustration finding a suitable site though.  We first stopped at an area near Bouse but remembered some of the nice cozy sites over on Plomosa Road where we boondocked with Wandering Willy & Ivan just a few weeks ago.  Problem was, we could not find a suitable Verizon signal over in that neck of the woods so it was back to an area closer to Bouse where we knew we would find a stronger Verizon signal.
All & all it was a frustrating day but looking on the positive side we did get to see new things & travel through a region we had never been before.  It’s unlikely we will return to the Lake Havasu area but we did get to know Parker a little better.  For a town having a big Walmart, Safeway, McDonalds & all the fast food places Parker still has a small town feel to it & that appeals to us.  Couple that with the quiet area around Bouse to the southeast with it’s thousands of boon docking acres & you have a pretty nice area to relax away your winter days.  
Where will we go from here??  No idea but we have lots of time to kick back, enjoy the peace & solitude of the desert for awhile & work on some new travel plans. 
Now, a couple things to fix up from last night’s post.  Tamarisk Lake is in California, not Arizona, & cars can drive across the Parker Dam but not larger vehicles like our Motor Home.  And, it’s Joshua TREE National Park not Joshua Park.  I stand corrected.  Boy oh Boy, it seems a daily occurrence for me now to get things screwed up.  Thanks to readers for keeping me on the straight & narrow:))
The Last Paragraph: Today, after seeing the crowded conditions many of our fellow RV’ers prefer I am just so thankful Kelly & I are so totally alike in our likes & dislikes about our particular type of RV lifestyle:))
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WASN’T THE MOST FUNNEST DAY FOR MOTOR & PHEEBS
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Bumper Stickers
- Honk If You Are An Idiot
- Horn Broken….Watch For Finger
- Fathers Against Radical Teenagers          (F.A.R.T.)
- I Might Look Smart But I Tend To Drive Stupid
- Politicians Are People Too
- Honk If You Fall Asleep And Hit Your Head On The Steering Wheel
- I’m Armed And I’m Ornery
- Stop Global Whining
- Honk If You Want Your Car Stolen
- My Other Car Is A Toilet Seat
- Will Whine For Food
- Honk If You Are An Illegal Alien
- Just Because I Drive A Small Car Doesn’t Mean I Can’t Be A Jerk
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

19 comments:

  1. I am smiling Al, because we did the same thing when we left Yuma, tried Parker..too busy, thought about Lake Havasu, heard it was really crowded, went to Bouse area couldn't get a signal moved farther down Plamosa Rd stayed two days and moved to Joshua Tree.

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  2. I share your thoughts completely on Havasu City. I can't believe you drove through it twice!

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  3. Same feelings on Havasu, but I went there with my mom and daughter who insisted on going to the bridge and doing some shopping. We weren't RVing, just on a road trip down from Colorado to look at the country. I HATED that place, but I'm like you guys, not much of one for places that don't have any logic or sense or sanity to them. :)

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  4. Feeling for you both! We went thru Lake Havasu last February on our cross country trip...not our cup of tea either! We too ended up in the Bouse area for the night, where the space and the "quiet" were oh so welcome!
    (Since I have bid google adieu...I am now an anonymous commenter!
    However...I am still... Renee from SSIsland!)

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  5. Thanks for removing those terrible words to type in at the bottom of your comments...much better.
    I think your happier down around tombstone and Sierra Vista,,,,,
    But just once come to wickenburg and go south of the safeway store on Vulture mine road,,,go several miles to Vulture Peak. Very pretty area,,,,in fact you can go all the way to I-10 on that road... Plenty of spots to boondock
    Right now the big Gold Rush days are on in Wickenburg and the place is hopping, so wait a few days. You will love this little town,,,,No Walmart tho....but a nice safeway and a Basha's...plus two hardware stores,,,and a nice museum.... Hope you try it....

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  6. Maybe someone will correct me if I'm wrong but you turned around at the airport in Havasu.....to my knowledge that's where you turn in to the right and travel back to the boondocking spot that Ivan and I were telling you about.
    I believe it's called Craggy Wash and is supposed to go back quite a way where even on a long weekend you should find solitude.
    The other spot to the south is a favorite of ATV'ers and should be avoided.
    On the other side of I-40 toward Oatman is more boondocking.
    I know long weekends are frustrating,that's why I'm still hunkered down here on Darby Wells Rd....Then on Tues. will hit the road again.

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  7. Uh,oh, we should have warned the Bayfield Bunch about Lake Havasu--we hate it there! Ellie and Janna used to run over for Weight Watcher meetings but even stopped doing that. Mike says don't get too comfortable in Bouse, it took Janna two months to get him moving from around there!

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  8. Hey Al, it doesn't help any that this weekend is the Fireworks display in LH/City.. One of the largest display's of Fireworks in the WORLD.......All the fireworks manufacturers come and present all their new inventions,,,,My son Patrick lives there,,,,,,

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  9. "Momma said there would be days like that"..glad you are back where you belong!!

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  10. Wow looks like you really got caught up in the long weekend traffic and the Winter Blast festivities and a huge Pyrotechnic Convention In Lake Havasu.
    We always make sure we are settled in and off the roads for this weekend. glad you finally found a spot.

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  11. For those folks looking for a spot with a good signal I suggest getting the Coverage app for iPhone/iPad. Hopefully you have one of these devices since that's all it's available for now. This app will tell you ahead of time what kind of cell signal you'll have.

    The app is built by fellow full-time RV people, http://www.technomadia.com.

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  12. Love the header picture. And it looks like Pheebs was doing her best to take on the role of navigator while Kelly was driving the jeep. Some days are just like that. Glad you found a spot you liked.

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  13. Thought you were going to Oatman, AZ, looks like your kind of place, old mining ghost town with old western feel. Sorry to hear of the traffic madness of LH you endured. Well, thanks for the warning in case I am ever in that neck of woods. Virginia

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  14. Hi Al.....

    I have a question. Why do you pull your slides in when it gets windy

    John

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  15. Alamo State Park is in the middle of nowhere, but it is pretty pricey...I was hoping you would get to visit Oatman...

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  16. There is plenty of BLM land out at Alamo Lake. Forget the park, it is only good for dumping. The Wayside Oasis is close by for water and a burger.

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  17. Sorry about your adventure in crowded land... we aren't big city lovers either but we are not by ourself type either... middle of the road I guess you could say. Glad your happy once again!
    Have fun & Travel safe
    Donna

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  18. I can't speak for Al, but I can speak for myself, I pull in my slide when it's overly windy because the awning over my slide takes a beating in high winds. I have a Damon Daybreak.

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  19. So glad you found your way through that mess. Whew! I hear ya on the peace and quiet stuff.

    We enjoy such quiet that we can't hear a single neighbor or highway or train etc. Sooo quiet the ears ring the first day or so with the peacefulness. From then on you can hear the tiny things.

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