Peace in the Desert...Anza Borrego SP

It is late afternoon when we arrive at the Visitor Center in Borrego Springs.  Our trip from Yuma is uneventful except for seeing boon docking places, Ogilby Road and Salton Sea, frequently mentioned by a famous blogger.

As it is late, we are concerned about finding a spot to land for the night.  The volunteer at the Center is helpful and directs us to one of her favorite areas, but on the way we spot a huge expanse of land between two mountains with RVs sitting spaciously from each other.  And there is a cell signal!

That's us, the red dot in the middle!

Turning the camper door away from the setting sun, we think this spot is perfect for the night, not realizing that it will be perfect for the next four nights!

It's difficult to see from the photo, but there is no one close to us!  I can yell at Sylvester, David can yell at me, and no one can hear!

We want to see the pictographs that LuAnn  (http://paintyourlandscape.com/2015/01/25/natures-history-lesson-anza-borrego-desert-state-park-ca/) recently wrote about in her blog.

To find the trail we must take the truck for miles on sand roads...our little baby really got a work out, but it was worth it!

The photo is morteros.... holes made by the native people, Kumeyaay, used for grinding pinon nuts, mesquite beans and desert agave into meal.

There is a stunning view on past the markings where a wall of rocks opens up to this panorama.

The Palm Canyon hike is also recommended by a friend.  This time I set off alone as the hubby declines the exertion two days in a row.
This will be my 3rd hike into a palm canyon...one two years ago and another, recently, in Kofa. But this is different!

I am able to go right up into the trees!

Our time at Anza Borrego is special....relaxing with nature surrounding us.  Coyotes serenading us at night after the light shows are over.

All is well in my world....no cares, no frustrations, nothing that must be accomplished!  Each night I enjoy the solitude, sitting alone,  watching the clouds float over the moon while hubby spends his time inside reading.

Little did I know that my world would turn upside down, temporarily, a few miles down the road.

The call came as we were on our way to Joshua Tree NP.  My friend, staying at our house, called to let us know that sewage was coming up in the sink downstairs!!!

She is rightfully traumatized and so am I!  I tell her I cannot talk...must get off the road!

After 24 hours of stress, the situation is resolved.  My dear 87 year old mom met the septic contractor who pumped the tank..and she paid him!  Very important as he did not like dealing with his customer being in California.  

And there is always a lesson to be learned!  So ready to get rid of the house!!!

While on the road, we feel alive and happy!  Not so much at home.

Currently posting from the library at Quartzsite....not sure were we will be tomorrow.  But all is well, again!

The Rest of the Story...Q and Yuma

YUMA...Yearly Unorganized Migration of the Aged!  

This was printed on one of our pamphlets from the Kofa Ko-Op.

Don't know why I could not add more photos to the last post!  I'm not accustom to using the Blogger format....normally use Windows Live Writer but also been having problems with Live Writer.

Sylvester in his new harness.

Our spot just off Dome Rock Road.

David and Duke.

These are the same sunset..about 30 seconds apart! Dome Rock

David just informed me the refrigerator's off!  I must have washed too vigorously around the vent...fingers crossed I can get it going again!!

Boondocking at "Q", Clean in Yuma

It's Tuesday afternoon and we are in Yuma, AZ, hanging out at an Escapees park, Kofa Ko-op.  Not really hanging out....should have said "working our buns off".  Since our arrival on Sunday afternoon we have washed 3 loads of clothes, bathed the Casita and the truck, bought groceries, found a lab and got David's INR level checked.  Also cleaned our bodies and walked several miles doing loops of the park.

This is a first for us...the Escapees thing!  (Just joined but more about that later.)  Got a chance to see inside  our neighbors' park model.  This is probably boring stuff for those who live in the west or Florida, but we were fascinated with the tiny houses that dot many of the RV parks here in the southwest.

Our lovely neighbors have had their winter home for 20 years.  It has two bedrooms and felt much larger than 800 sq ft.  They explained that a lot in the park would cost $6,000 to $10,000 and one of these tiny houses would be another $10,000 or so.  Considering that winter residents stay here at least 6 months of the year, it did not sound too extravagant.

But there is a waiting list for spots and one might need to wait two years.  Providing this information as we are thinking of our dear New England friends who are currently dealing with the Blizzard of 2015.

Need to back up.....

We arrive in Quartzsite, AZ Tuesday, after spending one night on the road at a PA park in Tonopah, Saddle Mountain.  Its palm trees are lovely.

This is our third trip to "Q"so easily found our fiberglass buddies on Dome Rock Road.

Set up camp just across a service road close to Glenda and Jeff of CasitaEscapes.

Glenda and David staring at the mtns.

This is called boondocking.....camping without any hookups or other amenities, totally dependent on your rv to provide for all your needs.  We love it!  But it does get tiresome after awhile... when the holding tanks get full!

And it's mixed pleasure and pain....camping with so many dear people.  Love them and want to spend lots of time visiting but just getting so worn out from the massive amount of visiting.  Still trying to find ways to tweak the social and the alone time...do not want to give up either!

We spend 5 days boondocking here.  Brief highlights of the week include:

An RVillage social gathering at the Quartzsite Yacht Club where  Cherie and Chris of Techomadia and Jim and Chris of Geeks on Tour were in attendance.  Also met many who were SKPs... leading to us joining.

Spending a morning at the big tent...always an exciting event.

Hiking around the Dome Rock area, hiking down in Kofa Wildlife area.

Attending the first annual blogger fest and meeting so many others...specially Kim....another snowbird from the South!

Random desert photos.....

Blogger is beginning to get hateful with me.  I just want to put in a few more photos before I quit! 

But it will not let me!!!!

So Sylvester's new harness photo will have to wait.

We plan to head out tomorrow for Anza Borrego State Park in CA!

  

Another Week of Sun and Fun

The Salt River in Tonto National Forest

Our time in Scottsdale starts with rain!  This is a first for us!  We remember a light mist falling on Valentine's Day in 2012, but this is an outright gully washer.  And we are taking our morning constitutional...coming in soaked and throwing everything in the dryer.  Happy to be in the back yard at hubby's daughter's home in this unusual Arizona weather.

We decide to explore a regional park, McDowell, that's much closer to town.  Circling the campground and the overflow area, we find the fees to be a bit higher than we care to pay....$30 per night.  But the desert is beautiful and we take a short walk enjoying the calm emanating from the landscape.

Nearby is the town of Fountain Hills with a huge fountain that  gushes hourly into the desert sky.  We play tourist and stroll the park.

After another day of being spoiled with good food and lots of family time, it's time to head back to the boonies.  Our refrigerator has been on the blink with no cooling while using propane.  There's no problem on the electric setting.  We have an appointment early Thursday morning in Apache Junction with Apache RV Supplies and Service.  

On a previous scouting trip, we find Phon D Sutton Recreation Area in the Tonto National Forest. We stop at the local Chevron to dump and buy three $3 passes for the Tonto.  It's a big parking lot with several pit toilets and a few picnic tables.  While setting up, we notice fly fisherman unloading their gear. Huh?  Must be a river around here!

The recreation area is located where the Verde River rushes into the calm Salt River.  There are numerous birds including eagles coming to fish in the early morning...(we did not see the eagles).
Also there are horse droppings around the riverbank and in the parking lot.  The camp host, a very friendly guy, tells us there are wild horses who come down from the hills to drink from the river each evening.

Needing the exercise, we decide to climb the hill next to the parking lot.  Not really expecting to find wild horses, we scan the vistas.  And this guy, with his two mares, appears a few hundred feet away!

He must have told the mares to vamoose as we barely get a glimpse of them.  Having never been around a wild horse, we are a bit intimidated as he begins to walk straight to us.  But he's only checking out the threat level and stops to continue to graze.  (I had already located the tallest palo verde...where I was heading if he got any closer!)

The photos above have the Four Peaks Wilderness in the background.

Need to wind this up!!  Our refrigerator is working, finally, after two days of dragging the camper down the mountain for service in town. Needed more pressure.  

We are currently back in Scottsdale for a final visit before heading west to Quartzsite and other boonie places.  This is the end of our third week...time is flying!   

Arizona Mountains, Medicine and Friends

Sunday, January 4th, we stop at Sunrise RV in Deming, NM, picking this park at random from the All Stays Camp and RV app.  Calling from 30 miles away on I-10, we learn the price is $17.  As the forecast is 21 degrees, the little ceramic heater needs an electric hookup.  

We have good friends just 30 plus miles south in Pancho Villa State Park but it seems too far away after the long drive.  I text Glenda    and make some tentative plans to meet later at "Q".  We winterize the windows and snuggle down for what we hope is our last frigid night.

Monday, arriving at Picacho Peak SP just north of Tucson, we feel warm...actually hot....for the first time in months!
It is like heaven to see the green desert foliage, the mountains and the beautiful sunset.  I-10 runs beneath us, endless points of light moving through the desert. Rocks around us glow red during the sunset.

Now we are only 60 miles or so from our favorite Arizona place, Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction!  If we time it right, we will be able to get into the overflow loop where no reservations are necessary.  No reservations and no electricity...we arrive at noon....check out time!
  
Quickly we claim a primo spot at the top of the loop, just a few feet from the mountain bike trail.  The mountain, Superstition Mountain, looms over us and I am feeling that it will heal me from this ### trip!
I take a few photos!!!

All I want to do is sit in the sun and stare at the mountain....but, life gets in the way.  We must find a place for David to get his blood tested and medications renewed.  And there are other chores....our refrigerator that worked perfectly in Deming and Picacho..now refuses to cool and we need ice. The truck is filthy from a muddy dirt road in San Antonio and we have no groceries.  At the end of the day all is accomplished, thanks to a Walgreen's that has a lab, and ice store and grocery all in the same parking lot.

Warning!  Wednesday is Seniors' Day at Fry's Supermarket!  (For you southeasterners...think about the grocery when snow is forecast....it was a nightmare!!)

The next day our Arizona friends, John and BJ, invite us for a drive through the Tonto National Forest.   Traveling over rough dirt roads in his wonderful little Tacoma, we explore potential boondocking spots while enjoying the Four Peaks area. No photos..guess I was enjoying the ride too much!

Decide to stay another day at Lost Dutchman to get some much needed exercise.  It feels great to get back on our bikes after almost 10 days of inactivity.  Now it's time to pack up and head for the Scottsdale backyard to visit with David's family.

Which takes us up to the present!  
Took a few photos on a walk around the neighborhood this morning.  This pm is all about the blog... playing on the computer while all the rest of the family is watching some very important football game...

The plan is to stay around this area until we can get the fridge into a shop and David's blood tested again.   Then we are westward bound.

We Made It!

 

The trip that took forever (8 days) has finally come to an end!  We are in Arizona at a beautiful state park, Picacho Peak, and only had 250 mile driving day.  We had time for a short walk before sunset but those photos are still in the camera.  Relying on the new phone’s photos……

Interrupting the story to tell you that I got a S5 on Black Friday…it was free…kind of free…with another 2 year commitment to Verizon.  Now I am like a teenager…can’t do anything without it!!!  I’m constantly asking Google…”Ok, Google” everything from “what time does the sunset in Deming, NM” to “where is the closest McDonalds” , “what is the elevation of Picacho Peak” And love the camera!

So back to the story!  It has been a hell of a trip!!  Thought that we would never, ever get here!  From our very slow start…our Garmin issues and the rain, the never ending clouds and mist, damp and cold to the nightmare of the western Texas freezing rain.  Can close my eyes and still see that weather radar map so full of pink..indicating the freezing mix that was falling over Texas off and on for days.

We have only taken I-10 through west Texas one other time and it was a miserable trip.  This time we were better prepared and knew we needed to know where we were sleeping and where we would be buying gas before we passed our only opportunity.  Still totally unprepared for what we found in Fort Stockton!  Due to the prolonged ice and snow, the gas deliveries had not been made.  The few stations with gas were over run….our exit ramp was backed up to the interstate with everyone waiting in line for gas.  We waited over an hour for our 8 or 9 gallons of gas.  And if you are thinking “why did they not go on down the road?”, there is no down the road…well maybe 60 or 70 miles away!

Another thing on this drive…(last Saturday…our first day of sunshine).. was seeing the totaled tractor trailers in the median.  Terrifying to think what might have happened….hoped most of them made it out alive.  Most of the autos on the side of the road or in the median did not look demolished like the big trucks!

The ice and snow is now behind us!  Temps in the 70’s with the famous abundant Arizona sunshine!  Sitting in the camper with bare feet and a short sleeve tee shirt, rejoicing that it will not be in the low 20’s tonight.    (In Van Horn, Texas, and Deming, NM we woke to temps in the low 20’s.)

It feels good to be back in the desert!

 

Forgot to mention that we relied on our Passport America app and the All Stays Camp and RV app to find our overnight stops.  Prices ranged from $27 (Comfort, Texas) to $13.50 in Van Horn Texas.  It was too cold for us to be without hookups and the weather was too bad for us to care what was outside the trailer.  Most nights we even had cable tv…..amazing for us!