Sunday, January 19, 2014

STROLLING THROUGH A COUPLE OLD PIONEER CEMETERIES THIS MORNING & SOME THOUGHTS ON QUARTZSITE…….

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THE OLD CONGRESS PIONEER CEMETERY AT THE END OF GHOST TOWN ROAD

These gorgeous Arizona weather days just seem to keep going on forever this year.  What a pleasure to be in what I feel are perfect day time temperatures of low to mid 70’s.  Fingers doubly crossed that it will continue.

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Peter & Leslie expressed an interest in seeing the 2 old cemeteries at the end of our Ghost Town Road so it was off we went for the long drive of less than a mile.  The oldest of the 2 cemeteries dates back into the late 1800’s & is located where the mining town of Congress once stood right next to one of the largest Gold producing mines in Arizona.  CONGRESS GOLD MINE  The town is long gone now but the old mine, a mere shadow of it’s former self still remains & tailings are at present being worked by a few determined individuals.

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Always interesting walking through cemeteries.  Names, dates, & inscriptions, on the stones often give one a historical idea of the area.  Often surprising findings as well.  Came across Confederate Soldiers buried in the Pearce Arizona cemetery as well as one of Abraham Lincolns body guards.  One of Wyatt Erp’s brothers in the Wilcox cemetery are a few that I remember.  Walking around cemeteries may not be everybody’s cup of tea but we always find it interesting.

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LESLIE RIGHTS A FALLEN ANGEL WHILE PETER READS AN INSCRIPTIONDSC_0257

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The annual largest gathering of RV’s & RV folks in the world is well underway again over there in that Quartzsite Arizona place.  Our first visit to Q was back in January of 07.  We have been back many times since.  We have experienced the serenity of the desert there & fought our way through the crushing crowds in the big tent on opening day.  We’ve walked all the vendors rows picking up needed & uneeded items.  One time we took all the standard uncomfortable furniture (couch, chair, dinette) out of our Class A & sold it to the Gambler down on vendors row.  Drove to Ikea a few days later in Mesa & refurnished the rig.  Another time we had to pack up & move 3 times because of other RV’ers crowding in too close to us.  We’ve endured wind storms there as well as rain & cold.  Tried out different eating places & found a place that sold 25 cent hamburgers after 4 p.m.  Walked around Angela’s Garden & other areas of interest in Quartzsite itself.  Even bought an RV there last January.  Quartzsite is a must see experience for every RV’er.  It’s Mecca for RV folks.  Anything you need for your RV can be found there & just about anything you don’t need can be dragged home as well.

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I think we endured the Q about 4 or 5 times during it’s frenzied January blast.  I wrote posts for all those visits & of course complained roundly about the crush of the crowds, RV’s practically stacked one on top of the others, the noise, the crowding, the inconsideration's, the traffic chaos, & the list goes on.  But there’s a good side to all that mayhem at the Q as well.  It was a great experience for us at the time.  We had a new awning installed out in the desert as well as our blue flame heater system.  We went right in there & went toe to toe with the aggressive crowds.  We became an active part of the Quartzsite melee & came away much the wiser for our experience.  Picked up some bargains & things for the rig.  Not likely we will ever be a part of those crushing crowds again but I do come away with the feelings of ‘I’m glad we experienced the times there we did’.  Both good & bad.  Now if there is anything we need or want in the Q we know enough to just wait until most everyone has left before making the hour & a half drive over there.  Most of the stuff is still around, most of the people are gone, & most of all it is a much pleasanter experience for people like us.  I much prefer the quiet little Quartzsite we have come to know & not the big January Circus we have been to so many times.  That was then & this is now & that’s my thoughts today on Quartzsite:))

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Ever had a funky smell in your rig you just couldn’t figure out?   Checked all the cupboards & bins for dead mice.  Looked under the sofa or behind the couch in case a bird had flown in & died.  What about the bathroom.  That’s always a likely place for nefarious odors.  After weeks of ‘funky air’ Merikay of MERIKAY'S DREAMS finally figured it out.  A common problem but one that folks just might not think about.  Slip on over & she will tell you where the big stink was coming from & why.  And no it does not have anything to do with husbands……….

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Marteen, our fence builder rolled in today about noon with a couple helpers & dug 3 fence post holes for our new south gate.  Imagine he may be back Monday to cement in the corner posts.  Brought the 14’ gate with him today.

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I THINK MARTEEN’S HELPERS MIGHT BE HIS SON & DAUGHTER…GATE & HOLES AT RIGHT  

We had originally planned on going to Ike’s Cook Shack for supper in Wickenburg but as the day wore on & energy levels drained a bit we opted for a yummy pizza from the CONGRESS DEPOT right here in Congress.

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Immediately following the Pizza furniture was re-arranged for the crew to watch DOWNTON ABBEY.  Not my cup of tea so Pheebs & I headed out to the rig to work on tonight’s post…………………

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DOWNTON ABBEY FANS

Sure am enjoying my time in the rig.  Haven’t snapped on the TV once.  Peaceful & quiet in here.  Just my ambient music all day long on Sirius XM.  I leave the door open for Pheebs to come & go.  This sure could become a habit…..

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GROANER’S CORNER:))  You might be a Farmer if......

-Your dog rides in the truck more than your wife.
-You've never thrown away a 5 gallon bucket. 
-You have used a chainsaw to remodel your house.
-You have used baling wire to attach a license plate.
-You've been stopped by the deputy sheriff for a cluttered dashboard.
-You have used a tractor with a loader as scaffolding for painting or roof repairs.
-You've used the same knife to make bull calves into steers and peel apples.
-You know cow pies aren't made of beef.
-You can eat an ear of sweet corn with no teeth or utensils in under 20 seconds.
-When you were little, you "beat-up" another kid on the school bus arguing over the color of tractors.

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

18 comments:

  1. When I got into genealogy I learned to love walking through cemeteries.

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  2. I do love old cemeteries...
    Pizza sure looked good!
    I don't think we will ever experience the Q...

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  3. Know what you mean about Q like to go there, but not a chance we'd go when the big show is on. Pizza looks good.

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  4. I have heard of Downtown Abbey but have no idea what it's all about. Guess it's popular with those in the know.

    Nice that you're seeing some progress on the new gate. That should work out well for you.

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  5. As usual Al,we are on the same wavelength about Q,as again my plan is to hit Q in early Feb. as usual,and enjoy peaceful browsing.
    BTW,after exercising a pre dawn raid on Ivan's camp just off Ogilby Rd,I'm holed up with him for a few days.

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  6. We always enjoy the Q, not so much the crowds but usually come at least a week before the Big tent and stay a week after. Get a few things done that we like and maybe even pick up a few deals, and every year seem to meet a few more people here too.

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  7. Surprisingly, it isn't very crowded at all in Quartzsite this year. Browsed the Big Tent and some of the outside vendors yesterday. Maybe lots of people were home watching football instead of shopping.

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  8. We enjoyed seeing Quartzite when we drove through there several years ago, in the Fall if I remember right. Always wondered about all of the different areas there, and could just imagine what it must be like full of rigs. Never have been back that way again, since it's a bit of a drive from Oregon. Would enjoy the weather during the Winter there, that's for sure. Someday we might even figure out how to find some of that Winter sunshine.

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  9. That pizza looked great! We will definitly be stopping in Congress some day and would like to see that cementary too. In genera I don't have much interest in the dead, but really old places like that give me an appreication for the here and now. Life was so much shorter. So many children and young mothers.

    Re: Stink, I have learned a lot about RVs and about life from reading blogs. I doubt I would have gone around telling people about figuring out the source of the smell, but in blogland, someone might read it and remember it sometime in the future.

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  10. Visiting old cemeteries has become a regular part of our travels. This one looks very interesting.

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  11. Leaving the door open is a big NO NO here in Lake Corpus Christi...the mosquitos would take over the Hiker!!

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  12. Tarrytown, New York, which is the model for Sleepy Hollow, has a really old Dutch cemetery that we visited back in the early 1990's. And, if you ever get over to Fort Apache, up about 1/4 mile from the fort, is their old cemetery, which I found very interesting!
    ~~Cheryl Ann~~

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  13. mid 70's is absolutely perfect... thanks for insight on Q. another blogger made it seem like it is a circus tent all time which I found strange as so many bloggers talk about the solitude and quiet.

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  14. We have been converted into a Downton Abby fan. Kind of mindless and a good study of human emotions and behavior.

    Love the idea of your stay in your Winnie! Sounds relaxing.

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  15. Good grief! I think I am going senile. The main thing I wanted to say is that your take on Q is right on....and so well said.

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  16. I think Dolly and I are Q`d out. Agree it can be a little overwhelming. Enjoy your driveway boondocking.

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  17. We haven't done Q (yet) but I suppose we should even just once. We did stop by the town on our way through, but everything was done as it was late March or early April I think. But we did pick up a spare propane heater at the little RV shop in town... our catalytic one's pad became "contaminated" and needed replacing. We had run our propane out to the end and got gunk in the lines that ruined our Wave 8 ... the shop in Quartzite had a nice smaller direct vent unit we used the meantime and later sold after we got home.

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    Karen and Steve
    (Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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  18. Pizza looks delicious.

    I would definite enjoy the quiet and solitude in your RV.

    I know nothing about Downton Abbey...what is it?

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