Desert Bliss

It's been three fun-filled weeks since the last post! 

After a weekend at the relatives we join our Mississippi friends, Jerry and Wanda of EggRollings, at Lost Dutchman State Park.  This week is filled with visiting with Apache Junction friends, Mesa friends, and North Carolina friends! Lots of talk and lots of food!

John and BJ of Just Finding Our Way provide a wonderful pot roast that we will never forget!

The following Monday we arrive at Dome Rock BLM to join a crowd of fiberglass friends who are there for the Quartzsite Big Tent Show. It's another week of reunions, visiting, shopping.  Every day is filled with activities.....visiting Tyson Wells booths, hiking, soaking up the sun.  There are many Oliver trailers there, 13 someone told me, including friends from Florida and Mississippi.  We are kind of proud as the Oliver is made in our home state of Tennessee.

Terri and Jona, former winners of the Q rally contest, invite us to play ladderball.  Who knows...maybe we will compete!

Rest time!

After the big show shuts down, we move over to California.  There's an Escapee park, Jojoba Hills, that is supposed to be beautiful.

But first we must drive over a mountain range....no photos available as all my energy is expended in the navigation!  And I won't do it again!
But we are glad to make the trip as the landscape changes dramatically on the other side of the mountains.  Lots of green, beautiful trees, round rocks!

The park does not disappoint!  Absolutely gorgeous! But we, unfortunately do not get a chance to enjoy it.  Our big blue Tundra fails us the first day there when it refuses to start.  Eventually Good Sam`s send a big truck to carry it to Temecula Toyota.  We are stranded back at the campground but wonderful angels arrive and offer to take us to town the next day.  Toyota repairs our baby and we are so ready to get out of the very congested city!

Boondocking at Jojoba Hills

Sylvester not cooperating for a photo!

Cell phone shot of the moon eclipse....

We are back in the desert boonies where I hope to publish this update. Boondocking in a BLM area off I-10.

Next week is the big fiberglass rally at Dome Rock.  Looking forward to seeing more old friends!

Forty Days in the Desert

 

Four Peaks

The travel blog is behind 40 days! So sad!

On the positive side, we have had so much fun with friends, it was impossible to create the time (and get the mindset) to write.

Lost Dutchman State Park is our destination after leaving the Benson SKP Park.  The Superstition Mountains are our emotional home while in the Southwest. Four nights just is not long enough to get our fix.

Fish Creek Overlook, Apache Trail

We call some friends who live nearby who are entertaining friends who are also our friends! A trip to Tortilla Flat is planned.

We say a temporary good-bye to the friends knowing we will all be together again in February at the Quartzsite fiberglass trailer rally.

After a visit with the family we head for Quartzsite as the Big RV tent show starts soon.

Unfortunately winter is in full swing at Q with rain, clouds and a cold wind. We stay a week boondocking at Dome Rock but after two semi-sleepless nights due to high winds, we head back to civilization and comforts including electricity and warmth.

Found FL and KY friends also boondocking at Dome Rock.

Notice the wind sock flying horizontally! One night my Clam (outdoor room) is blown over….Jerry C teaches me to stake it down with rebar.

It’s time to switch hats and change out of the desert rat mode.

David’s son lives in San Francisco and we are FLYING there for a visit!

We are excited like children.  It has been years since we were on a plane!

I use my phone, on airplane mode, to see where we are.  I see the Salton Sea! (It’s in the middle of the photo).

 We are gifted with 3 glorious days of sunshine, lots of great food, good companionship and a ferry ride to Sausalito.

Another day we hike to Corona Heights Park, enjoying panoramic views of San Francisco.

After four nights in the big city, it’s time to return to Apache Junction, pick Sylvester up from the boarding center and get back into the trailer.

Again we find more fiberglass friends at Lost Dutchman. Amazing how all our paths constantly cross!

Good friends and beautiful sunsets!

Superstition Mountain

It is goodbye to Lost Dutchman.  Time to head west, back to western AZ and a superbowl party at a RV park in Ehrenberg, AZ.

No photos are available!  I twist my ankle, severely, one hour after our arrival, falling at the door of the trailer. One of our buddies, a retired RN, performs first aid. The next few days are spent babying the injury.

It is the worst ankle injury I have ever experienced but recovery is fast and there is no pain after the first day, just left with a black and blue foot.

This catches us up to two weeks ago.

Our week at the rally and time in Nevada will be coming soon, I hope!

twenty sixteen was not too bad…..

 

Dome Rock boon docking…January 2016

2016 was not too shabby!  A review of last year’s Google photos shows a couple of oldsters having lots of fun!

It is the first year we are able to have two western get aways……two winter months in the desert and a couple of summer months in the Colorado mountains!

We leave Chattanooga later than usual, 1/8/16, due to family medical issues. Six nights later we are at Gilbert Ray campground just outside of Tucson. Then it’s on to Phoenix after a brief stay at Lost Dutchman SP near Apache Junction.

After a visit with David’s family and a trip to Dr. Su, a heart doctor recommended by another blogger, we head to Quartzsite just in time to celebrate the wedding of dear friends.

Then it’s time to race back to Phoenix to get David’s heart arrhythmia fixed. Success!!

Procedure is 1/26/2016.  (Today David’s heart is still beating normally.)

After the procedure we spend a week at his daughter’s home, another week at Santa Fe RV Park in Apache Junction before heading to the fiberglass rally at Dome Rock, Quartzsite.

That’s Dome Rock on the right.

A fraction of the 183 fiberglass trailers attending!

Buckskin Mountain State Park at Parker, AZ  is our next destination….camping next to the Colorado River.

We drove up to see London Bridge at Lake Havasu City.

Buckskin MTN State Park

We think about heading north up into Nevada but it was getting a little warm. Decide to go east and check out Congress, AZ and Escapees North Ranch RV Park. We camp there without hookups for five bucks a night, a privilege of membership.

Our time in the desert is running out….it is getting warmer.  Can’t leave without spending a week at Lost Dutchman SP at Apache Junction, AZ.

Superstition Mountains at Lost Dutchman

Our trip back home is plagued with rain and floods.  West Texas is a totally different experience in the rain. And the flooding is lapping at I-10 as we drive back through Louisiana. 

But we arrive safely at the Green Eggs and Ham fiberglass rally near Montgomery, AL.

 

And more rain.

We are back to Chattanooga on 3/20/2016 after a 72 night trip. Total on camping fees is $730.00….the $30 and $35 a night for 7 nights at Buckskin runs up the average.  We spend 31 nights camping for $0.00 by using BLM land, family, friends and Walmart. Average nightly paid fee for 41 nights is $17.80.

In April we attend the Townsend rally, its first year without a designated rally leader.

Middle Prong Trail near Tremont, GSMNP

In May David complains of chest pain, the ambulance arrives and takes him to the ER. His diagnosis is a “baby” heart attack!  Three days of tests and he is back home.  Six weeks later his diagnosis changes to stress myopathy and several months later the doctors say his heart is back to normal! We are so thankful…..  And now he has some excellent physicians caring for him…..a result of the hospital stay.

In July we get the medical OK for us to go to Colorado, a brand new camping experience for us.  It is a hot and miserable trip across I-40 in 100 degree temperatures! We stay in the cab of the truck with the A/C blasting. I constantly fret over David and Sylvester, the cat, getting too hot.

But the reward is beautiful scenery and cool temperatures!

 

We attend a Rocky Mountain rally in July and the Kansas rally in September, arriving back home mid September.

Boon docking in the Pagosa Springs, CO area.

The Land Between the Lakes rally in October, just northwest of Nashville, Tennessee, is one event we always enjoy.

 

At the LBL rally, our last trip of 2016….

We get home mid October, the tenants in our duplex move out November 1, and it has been all about updating the rental property for the past 6 weeks.

It is a pretty fall but there’s lots of smoke from the numerous wildfires.

It’s finally started raining, actually sleeting for awhile yesterday. 

The repairs on the bath next door just finished this morning and more painting and cleaning are necessary. Hope to be done in a few days ……cause it’s time to pack for Arizona!

Desert sun, here we come!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Sending much love and hopes for peace in 2017!