January, 2007 Desert Camping

Sat. Feb. 9

We enjoyed being back in the warmer weather while getting over our colds. Seeing friends we made over Christmas especially dart night, We did not play because of our colds. On saturday we went to see Spud and Suzie's new home, and enjoy a campfire. They purchased a beautiful park model home so they could stay there as much as they wanted and put their Rv in the storage area until they got the urge to travel a bit in the summer when it's too warm here. (as warm as 40 to 50 c). Sunday morning we left Picacho Peak heading east 1 & 1/2 hrs to stay at Benson Arizona for a week the make our way towards Georgia for an RV Rally March 13th.

Picacho Pics

Wed. Feb. 6th

We had stayed over in Toronto to catch a flight in the morning, and a good thing we did, there was about 10 inches of snow over night making driving treacherous and many flights were canceled. Our Flight was delayed about 1 hour while our plane was de-iced and prepared for takeoff. 2 & 1/2 hours to Atlanta Georgia where we had a 3 hour layover, then a 4 hour flight to Phoenix Arizona arriving on time. Back at Picacho Peak we were greeted by friends Steve & Barb. They had home made chicken soup for us (great for the colds we caught while in Ontario) and had taken our RV out of storage and put on a site. The weather here much warmer 22c during the day and sunny. Next day a nice meal cooked by them of " City Chicken" ( beef and pork on a stick) awesome.

Wed. Jan. 30

We arrived at Toronto airport at 8.15pm and were met by Suzie's Mother, Father and sister in law Sandy, They drove us farm to the Farm in New Hamburg battling very strong winds on the highway for 1 & 1/2 hours. It was very cold. For the next week we prepared for the funeral Thanks for my sister Louise making the arrangements and many relatives pitching in and helping. We visited almost all of our Relatives while here, especially enjoyed seeing our 4 Grandsons. The weather was cold with blowing snow etc.

Pic's of Ontario

Tue. Jan. 29

We received a phone call at 6.00am informing us that our Aunt Beryl, 84 yrs young (my father's sister) had passed away. We were in Quartzsite, with heavy hearts we packed up arranged storage at Picacho Peak Resort for our Rv and grabbed a plane from Phoenix Arizona to Toronto Via Houston Texas wed. morning. Here is a quote out of an email from my brother Chris about our Aunt, lovingly know as " 'puterpest ".

"Aunt Beryl passed away this morning at 3:00 am. She was someone who lived life through a child' s eyes. Her sense of humour was second to none. She will now be with now be with Uncle Al, the man who loved her unconditionally for 43 plus years. She will no longer suffer, but be at peace. I send this to you today to remember her life & the things she meant to you, stuffed animals, funny e-mails, Snoopy & Woodstock, Winnie the Pooh & her wicked sense of humour. I could go on & on but you all have your own special memories of her."

Fri. Jan. 25

For our final free lunch at Beaudry’s BBQ Chicken, Macaroni Salad, Beans, cookies and Juice. Guess we have to cook now or go to La Mesa RV for free lunch. Walked some more vendors and saw more sights, lotsa traffic. Back to home dirt and enjoy the sun and shell some more pecans.

Thurs. Jan. 24

Back to Beaudry’s again for free lunch BBQ Pork on a bun, Beans, Potato Salad, cookies and iced tea. Then picked up a picture of Algonquin Park we ordered for back of RV and installed it. Later back to Beaudry’s for a very informative free seminar on RVing in Mexico. Home made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for supper.

Wed. Jan. 23

Walked over to Beaudry RV Dealer for a free buffet lunch, Chicken Burrito, refried beans, rice, juice and cookies, then Suzie purchased more books 4 for $5.00 (good deal) at a vendor on the way back. I made and installed some missing mudflaps on the rv from a piece I found on the side of the highway from a large truck. BBQ baby back ribs for supper then invited 6 people ( 2 couples from Ontario and 1 couple from Nova Scotia) over for a campfire on this mild evening. And discussed various places we have each travelled to.

Tues. Jan 22

Nice sunny day again we walked to more vendors at rice Ranch and found a small piece of Amethyst to decorate the dash in the car. After lunch we took a drive to Dome Rock ( free desert camping) about 3 miles, to visit with some people we met last year, 2 couples from Kenora, 2 from Dryden, 1 from Winnipeg and 1 from Australia. It was a great visit, nice to run into people again after a year or more.

Dome Rock

More pics

Mon. Jan. 21st

Chatted with a few neighbours then went for a drive to find 2 couples from Northern Ontario, camped at Dome Rock (free camping) but they were not home. Then we stopped in to visit a couple from Galvin Bay Resort in Ontario, Ron & Bev. There seems to be a lot of familiar faces around here.

Sun. Jan 20^th

Back to the show for a bit then walked to La Mesa Rv for a free lunch of hamburg casserole, salad , pop and popcorn. We picked up more free samples and checked out the new products. Then we walked again thru Tyson Wells to check out the new vendors . Then we ran into another couple we met last year from Nova Scotia,. After 5 hours of walking we returned to home dirt to relax in the sun and have supper.

More Pics

Sat. Jan. 19^th

On Sat the big tent opened with the RV show. We went there for 9.00am and walked thru the crowds to check out all the vendors until about 1.00pm. We ran into another couple from Ontario that we have camped with at Rock Glen. They dropped over for a visit later that day and checked out our solar panel setup and chatted for a bit. We purchased a jumbo smoked turkey leg for supper and made some fries. The 2 of us could not finish this awesome turkey. Another awesome day of desert camping.

Wed. Jan. 16

In Quartzsite enjoying the different sites and shopping experiences here, Again we have run into more people we have met last year, some from Ontario and various different states. The big Rv show is set to Start on the 19^th which we are waiting for. We will probably stay here in Quartzsite until the end of January then??? Lots of activities here, the weather is good ( most days about 20+c and sunny) and only $20.00 a week.

Quartzsite pics

Fri. Jan 11

On the road again thru the dunes, there was a bit of construction so we were able to drive slowly and enjoy the magnificent sites. We stopped for a short break at a rest area near Palo Verde beside the Colorado River nice scenery. From there into Blythe California to a free dump station in town the Flying J to fuel up before arriving at Quartzsite 17 miles down the road. Home dirt here was West Laposa very close to where we parked last year, still walking distance to the Big Tent and hundreds of vendors.

Dunes pics

Thurs. Jan 10

Three days enjoying the Hot Springs and surrounding area. Again we ran into a couple we met last year from Kenora Ont. The town of Holtville is nice with a Library and free wifi 24/7 only 7 miles away. We took a drive to Calexico to check out the Swap meets ( Flea Markets) lots of stuff for sale mostly clothes, was a nice day for a walk about looking for hidden treasures.

Hot Springs pics

Mon. Jan 7

We went back to Algodones Mexico for a Hand painted Vase for Suzie’s wooden Roses and look about a bit and another yummy shrimp Taco for lunch. In the line for customs we ran into a couple from BC that we met last year at Quartzsite and chatted for a bit. Back to Pilot Knob we hooked up the cars and off west thru the dunes to the Hot Springs about 35 minutes away. After a quick setup we enjoyed the warm sunshine 24c very nice.

MORE PICS

Sun. Jan 6

A nice sunny day so off the Huge indoor Flea Market in Yuma, only 20 minutes away. About 3 hours of walking we covered most of this very clean market. We purchased a few treasures and a hot dog for lunch at the food court. From there a quick stop at Walmart for some groceries and back to home dirt. While enjoying the sun and avoiding the wind, Laverne dropped by. He is 83 yrs old from Walkerton Ontario we met him last year. Catching up on news he gave us directions to a free dump station ( to dump our sewer water and refill with fresh water) in the town of Blythe California. We will be going thru there in a few days. After supper we played a dice game with Steve & Barb for a bit.

Sat. Jan. 5

A cooler morning (15c), it was a little breezy and overcast, but still nice. We went to Algodones Mexico at 9.00am only 10 minutes away. Here we checked out the sights and sounds and had a delicious lunch of Shrimp Tacos and Fish Tacos only $1.00 each includes the trimmings. Taco stands everywhere as well as Dentists, Opticians, and Pharmacies, all very competitive and quite inexpensive. We purchased a few items and returned early (12.00 noon) to avoid the line up at customs. A relaxing afternoon (22c) then BBQ some pork chops for supper. Then some cards with Steve & Barb.

Fri.Jan. 4

Another nice day and on the road again at 8.30am to Pilot Knob California BLM ( Bureau Of Land Management) for some dry camping in the desert, $20.00 per week. Or first stop was to fuel up, gas and propane at the Flying J near Casa Grande. We have to travel 200 miles today (about 3 ½ hrs) and all went well until the traffic stopped on I-8 due to a bad single vehicle accident. We sat stopped there in the desert for about 2 hrs while 4 helicopters came in to take the injured victims to the hospital. We arrived at 2.30pm and set up camp while it was sunny and warm, had supper and enjoyed a nice campfire in the quiet desert with a clear star filled desert sky with Steve and Barb. They decided to tag along with us to experience some of our travels with us.

Pics