A BETTER DAY JEEPING, HIKING, & JUST HANGING OUT IN THE DESERT:))

As I stepped out into the inky blackness of a moonless Arizona night I was once again bowled over by a ka-zillion stars overhead.  And, three visible Planets to boot.  It was about 8:30 Arizona time when I saw Venus low on the western horizon with Jupiter a bit higher.  Swinging around to the eastern horizon, Mars is now easily discernable from the whitish stars around it because of it’s slightly reddish color.  How nice to be back out in the peace & quiet of an Arizona desert where we feel comfortable.  Maybe not the coziest site we have ever had here but the Verizon signal is strong so we are staying put for a few days.

NEW DIGS FOR A FEW DAYS

‘Brrrrrrr’, we had us a cold one going on when we stepped out of the rig this morning. Warm Friday night, but a cold front slipped in during the night dropping our temps into the low 40’s this morning. A high thin cloud cover impedes the sun’s warmth as well.

As is generally normal in these here parts the temps had come up & by 10 a.m. we were basking in warm sunshine.  Loaded up the Pheebs & Jeeped ourselves back in further to the mountains.  ATV & Jeep roads crisscross the rolling terrain in all directions & one could literally end up forever driving the countless miles of meandering dirt roads.

 

Fellow RVing Bloggers JANNA & MIKE, JB, IVAN & others have hiked this particular area & Ivan just had a post a few weeks ago about the old tumble down TV towers on the mountain.  Today, we drove in as far as we could, then hiked up a loose gravel & rock strewn old roadway to what is left of the towers & antennae's.  We understand these were TV repeater stations.

 

KELLY CHECKS OUT A CURIOUS LITTLE TIN SHACK WITH STONES PILED AROUND IT

 

KELLY CHECKS OUT A SECOND SHACK THE WINDS MAY HAVE TORN ASUNDER

 

THE WHITE SHACK IS THE ONE WHICH CAN BE SEEN FROM MILES AWAY

As always, just the greatest scenic views all around & just another fine example day of why we come to the Southwest every winter. 

BOUSE IN THE BACKGROUND WITH OUR RIG RIGHT OF CENTER…WE ARE NOT THAT CLOSE TO BOUSE BECAUSE THE 300mm TELEPHOTO LENS HAS COMPACTED THE DISTANCE

SO MANY GREAT JEEP ROADS CRISSCROSS THE LAND

Like I have said before, it is the complete change of topography & lifestyle that attracts us.  We live in one of the prettier parts of Southwestern Ontario back home & for 6 or 7 months of the year have lots of big green trees, crops of many colors, picturesque rural farms & endless country roads leading to all areas of scenic countryside.  We also live about a mile from the 5th largest fresh water lake in the world with it’s sparkling waters looking every bit like a vast ocean.  Miles upon miles of sandy beaches & our Autumn colors are second to none.  Unfortunately, all of the above is only temporary every year & only lasts for 6 or 7 months.  The rest of the year the place can look every bit like forlorn & wind blown Siberia.  And, feel like too!!

 

We could take the shorter route each year & spend our winters straight south of Ontario in Georgia or Florida.  But, for me, it still looks too much like back home for the most part.  Kinda flat like nuts!!  The Southwest is a complete 100% change where nothing is the same, unless your hanging out in a big city of course.  Might be warmer but a big city is still a big city no matter where you go.  It is that complete change from rural farmlands to desert mountains that I enjoy so much & keeps me coming back year after year to the great American West.   

Today was quite a contrast with our trip to supposed civilization yesterday.

 

           FRIDAY:((                              SATURDAY:))

 

 

PHEEBS NEEDED A LITTLE HELP TO GET OUT SOME NASTY STICKERS

Figure we used up enough gas between our two vehicles Friday to move a big American Aircraft Carrier about  two & a half inches.

 

GET IT TURNED AROUND FIRST DAD

 

OK GIVE ER SOME GAS

  

COME ON DAD YOU CAN DO IT……YAAAAAY:)) 

To clear up a bit of confusion about the iPad & GPS, reader John W sent us the following explanation…."There are two iPad models, one with wi-fi only and the other with wi-fi and 3G service. The wi-fi only model has no GPS and the 3G model does. The wi-fi and 3G model requires a data plan, the wi-fi only model doesn't.”  Thanks John:))  Actually, Wandering Willy had explained this to us as well but of course my memory didn’t retain it.  Seems anything that happens after my morning coffee is information overload for me these days:((

 

IT WAS A PERFECT 72F FOR THE BAYFIELD BUMS TODAY

Had a question today from reader John R wondering why we pull our slides in on heavy wind days.  Several reasons actually.  First one is noise.  I’m betting the folks with Airstream trailers are not bothered as much by wind noise because of their smoother round design.  Every square corner or an edge on an RV is a potential wind noise source.  The awnings over the slides make the most noise however with their flapping.  And, they are susceptible to ripping & tearing off in high winds.  Third reason is slide damage by twisting.  Last March while in a campground at Canyon De Chelly in Northeastern Arizona we were hit with some particularly brutal wind gusts on our passenger slide.  The gusts really rocked the coach before we got the rear bedroom slide in & ever since then that slide makes nasty noises when retracting.  I feel the wind slightly shifted that slide.  Still works fine but makes bad groaning & grinding noises & I can see a long slight gouge mark underneath on one side.

   

 

Golden Retrievers Sam & Monty over at HOW SAM SEES IT hopped aboard the Bayfield Bunch rig today as our latest Blog Followers.  Woof-woof guys & welcome aboard.  And, a last minute check tonight tells me Anne from the THE BAY HAMMOCK COMPANY has joined us as our latest Blog Follower.  Welcome aboard Anne & say Hello to Nova Scotia for me.  Spent a bit of Navy time there in the mid 60’s.

AND, WE WERE BACK TO THE RIG BY NOON

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in
Sunday School. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind
enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon
bridge, and all the people walked across safely. He used his
walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent
in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."

"Now, Joey, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?" his mother
asked.

"Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never
believe it!"

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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

A FRUSTRATING DAY & WE EXITED THE AREA:((

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.

CAUGHT THIS GLIMPSE OF A UNIQUE LOOKING GOLF COURSE
 
Found our first boon docking area around mile marker 165 but it was packed with RV’s.  Not good!!

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.

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.

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.
      
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!!

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!!

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:))

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:))
 
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

TONIGHT WE ARE……‘ALMOST IN ARIZONA’

A CHUCKWALLA VALLEY SUNRISE OVER THE PALEN MOUNTAINS
Bit of a nasty weather night.  Wind, rain, & cooler temps pretty well sums it up.  The stormy skies offered up a nice sunrise though & by 6 a.m. the rain had stopped.  I had been expecting a windy gray day but to our surprise the storm front moved out & left us with blue skies, big white puffy clouds, a moderate breeze & warmer temps.  On our morning walk we marveled at our good fortune.

A COUPLE PICS FROM ALONG HIGHWAY 177
Jeeped ourselves over to the big Kaiser mine area about 15 miles away up on Eagle Mountain this morning.  It has been closed for a fair few years now but the whole infrastructure is still there, but gated off to the public.  This was a large mine in it’s day.  There is a large water aqueduct running all the way to Los Angeles from here as well.  There is also a Mega huge solar facility being built about half way between the mine & Desert Center.

 
A GATE BLOCKS ENTRANCE TO A NOW SILENT COMMUNITY & KAISER STEEL MINE…OLD RAIL LINES ONCE CARRIED IRON ORE FROM THE MINE IN THE EAGLE MOUNTAINS TO SMELTERS IN INDIO
On the way back to the rig we swung through Lake Tamarisk & I cracked off a few more pics of the place.  I sometimes do this for a reason.  All RV’ers are in various stages of their traveling lives.  Sooner or later decisions have to be made regarding coming in off the road.  Folks usually don’t want to sink a pile of money into a house again & apartment living may not be too appealing.  Places like this Lake Tamarisk strike me as a perfect place for many folks.  Centered around a golf course we could see there were a lot of RV folks here.  Not my cup of tea living so close to folks but I do know most people prefer that.  Anyway, just in case somebody happens to be reading our blog who is looking for a quiet little California getaway….this just might be it:))

    
LAKE TAMARISK RESORT ABOUT A MILE NORTH OF DESERT CENTER
We were down to a quarter tank of gas as we rolled up to a stop sign on the way back to the rig.  It was 11 a.m.  Closest gas station is 20 miles west of Desert Center on I-10.  Kelly mentioned about the long week-end coming up & by the time we pulled away from that stop sign we had decided to pull up stakes & head on down the road.  Less than an hour later we had the big wheels rolling.  I love when a plan comes together like that & of course how great to be back on the road with all brand new scenery going by the window again.

HIGHWAY 177 HEADING NORTH EAST BETWEEN DESERT CENTER CALIFORNIA & PARKER ARIZONA
Highway 177 turned out to be a great two lane highway running across the desert floor for miles & miles.  Lite traffic & great views across the sweeping desert floor to the distant mountains on the horizon.  I took a liking to this highway but for anyone traveling it just be aware there are no gas stations for about a hundred miles.  No towns, no eating stops & not many places to pull over for any reason.  The shoulders are a soft sand.

PHEEBS PLAYS WITH HER TEDDY BEAR
Our destination was somewhere in the Parker, Lake Havasu City area.  This is basically unfamiliar territory for us & sure enough it didn’t take us long to get ourselves turned around & a bit confoozled.  For whatever reason we stayed on the road heading for Parker Dam instead of making a right turn across the Colorado River into Parker itself.  For some uneducated reason we thought maybe we could cross the Colorado River at Parker Dam.  About 6 miles short of the dam we figured we had better stop & ask a few questions as to our whereabouts.  And, this is where a big coincidence happened.

OUR FIRST VIEW OF THE COLORADO RIVER FROM THE WEST SIDE
Saw a sign that said Big Bend Resorts & it looked like a good place to pull in with enough turn around room for us to pull out again.  I managed to get swung around & parked the rig.  Kelly slipped into the Resort Office to ask some questions.  I stepped out of the rig to check the tow cables, etc when a red pick-up truck pulled in off the road & approached slowly with with people looking at me.  Oh Oh!!  Kelly was back by then so I had back up.  The truck stopped & someone from the truck asked, “are you from Bayfield Ontario, Canada”.  They had seen our logo on the front of the rig.  “Yes”, we said.  “Well”, they said, “we’re from Clinton”.  Clinton Ontario is only 8 or 9 miles from our place back home.  Turns out we know some of the same people too.  Just in case you are reading this Katherine & Gerald Horton….Bert Evans says Hello from somewhere near the Parker Dam on the California side of the Colorado River:))  And wouldn’t you know, it was this chance meeting with fellow Canadians that got us straightened out on our directions.  They said ‘no, 'Motor Homes' do not drive over the Parker Dam’.  Thanks for the info folks or we might have ended up paddling down the Colorado River.  Nice talkin to ya:))

HEADING NORTH ON PARKER DAM ROAD
Rechecking our ‘Days End’ book for boon docking sites in the area we doubled back on our tracks & found an OK site about 4 miles southwest of Parker just off highway 62.  We are overlooking the town & can see all the lights shining now on the East side of the river.  Groovy:))
Unhooked the Jeep & tomorrow we’ll do a grocery run & scout out some more BLM land somewhere between Parker & Lake Havasu City.  Maybe even a tad north of Lake Havasu.  We’ll grab us up some tourist brochures & see what’s all happening around here & what to see.  A day trip to the old western town of Oatman is in the offing too.

Sure was nice seeing something different today as we drove along the Parker Dam road.  The Colorado River looked sooooo greeny blue & all the posh river front homes & resorts looked so nice with all their southwest architecture & colors.  Pretty swanky area around here I’d say.  Dam, looks like I’m a gonna have to mind my manners some.  The landscape is rugged & I especially like all the different colors visible in the surrounding rocks & mountains.  This truly is a nice looking region & it is easy to understand why so many Snow Birds flock here.  We sure saw some jammed together RV parks too.  Yikes!!     
  
OUR DIGS FOR THE NIGHT SOMEWHERE SOUTHWEST OF PARKER
Ok, time for a few corrections….apparently iPad’s ‘can come with GPS’.  It’s Joshua National Park, not State Park & yes, IVAN says ‘there is a carwash in Borrego Springs’.  Not being a shiny shiny car fanatic any more the only time I am ever in a car wash these days is when Kelly drags me there & hoses me down….without my cowboy hat on of course:))

PARKER IS ABOUT 4 MILES TO OUR NORTHEAST ACROSS THE COLORADO RIVER IN ARIZONA….WE ARE STILL IN CALIFORNIA
By the way, Desert Center is on the north side of I-10 half way between Blyth & Indio California.  We were about 12 miles north on highway 177 at a great little boon docking area called, Desert Lily Sanctuary.  There are signs leading there & it’s on the east side of the highway.  Nice hard packed surface & lots of room to turn any size rig around.  Maybe even do a doughnut or two.  One can even get squirreled away quite nicely amongst the Mesquite trees & Creosote bushes in this area.  McGoo’s store is just a few miles south for groceries, etc.  I would definitely recommend this spot for overnighters or anyone wanting to stay for longer periods of time.  Bit of a small bump at the entrance so don’t come ripping in on two wheels.

MIKE left a comment saying he had a difficult time with the word verification in our comments section this morning.  I’m sure we removed that quite awhile ago but when Kelly checked it on her XP laptop it had reverted back to the ‘yes’ feature.  She has changed it again so let us know if our blog is still asking for word verification.  Nowhere on my Windows 7 could I find out how to cancel that feature!!

Want to thank everybody once again for all the great emails we receive about the blog.  And my personal thanks to all you readers for taking the time to look in on us day after day.  I no longer write my blog as a simple form of record keeping.  Started out that way but the blog has evolved over the years & I write it not only because I enjoy doing it, but mainly because readers have made it clear to me they enjoy reading it.  My blog gives me a daily purpose.  So, I thank you, Kelly thanks you, Motormouse thanks you & Pheebs thanks you all for reading & leaving all your kind comments, shouts, & emails:))

Standing outside under the stars with a howling wind at my back tonight I was enthralled with the site before me.  Miles away a string of twinkling lights stretched across the horizon from 80 degrees east on my compass to 220 degrees southeast.  Half those lights were Parker on the left to center & the rest must have been from the agricultural farmlands stretching down the valley in the direction of Quartzsite Arizona & Blyth California.  Noted that most of the lights were amber.  Reminded me a bit of one night in Nevada long ago when Kelly & I were returning to Las Vegas from a day trip & broke over a hill seeing the whole valley floor ahead lit with the glowing embers of an awesome Las Vegas night………………………  

PARKER AT DUSK
GROANER’S CORNER:((    A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill.
"Mommy," she said, "can we leave now?"
"No" her mother replied.
"Well, I think I'm gonna be sick, Momma!"
"Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and then behind a bush." After about 60 seconds the little girl returned to her seat.
"Were you sick?" her mom asked.
"Yes."
"How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?"
"I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, 'For the Sick'."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-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