Still in Quartzsite

Still in Quartzsite

We’re still in Quartzsite, AZ …we’ve been boondocking for a while now, almost 2 solid months!   It’s been very enjoyable but I think we will be ready to hook up to water/power/sewer when we leave here in a couple weeks.

The big Quartzsite show is going now and this place is hopping.  Lots of RV’s, lots of people!  The parks here are full and the BLM areas are as busy as I’ve ever seen them.  We went in to the big tent this morning and looked around.  Lots of fun stuff.   The big tent has a little higher end items than what you often find in Quartzsite, but the outside booths have some good things too.

We really haven’t been doing anything too noteworthy…walks, reading, surfing the net…just livin’ life and having a nice time out in the desert.

The big tent

Inside the big tent

Pretty Quartzsite sunset

Out on a walk in the desert

Interesting cactus

Little tiny flower (that my finger to show how small the flower is)

It amazes me how many different colors the rocks are out in the desert

Big moon over Quartzsite

Moon slipping behind the hills

Big cactus in the early morning light, next to where we are parked

Pretty sunrise in Quartzsite, AZ

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all!   I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and fabulous New Year!

We arrived in Quartzsite, AZ  on the 14th,  coming from Borrego Springs, CA.  It’s was a wonderful 2 + weeks at Borrego.  Mike and Joan joined us a few days before we took off, it was fun to have some company.  Oh…we did have friends Gary and Janice stop by for a few hours one day also.  Besides that it was just us 3, Dave, Cheyenne and me.  Another beautiful, relaxing boondocking stay.

A little snow in the hills near Borrego Springs

A pretty Borrego sunrise

Our silly, sweet girl

The moon coming over the hills

Our plan is to be in the Quartzsite area through the big show.  We’ve never been but understand it gets a bit insane around here, so we thought we’d arrive early!  The show isn’t until the end of January, I imagine it will be hopping around here but it should be fun.  So far it’s pretty quiet…but more people arrive daily.

Out in the desert by Quartzsite, AZ

See the sticks up in the arms of the cactus?  Maybe a nest?

Don't get too close :o)

"Our" firepit and view where we are camping near Quartzsite

Looking for lizards

A nice sunny day!

Palm Desert Thanksgiving

We've been at Thousand Trails Palm Springs for a couple weeks now.  As I mentioned in my last post, we met up with a group of friends here for Thanksgiving and have had a great time visiting.  I posted one Thanksgiving pic, but thought I'd add a couple others I took plus a group shot our friend Sissy took...it turned out better than mine.

filling our plates

more filling our plates

The group at the table!  18 of us at Thanksgiving this year

Friday after Thanksgiving we drove our friends, Dave & Anne, to Borrego Springs to show them where we like to boondock in that area.  They then showed us where to find these metal sculptures in Borrego Springs…

Prospector and mule metal sculpture

Dave and Dave by the sculpture...you can see how big it is

More metal sculptures

I had seen the metal sculptures mentioned on the internet but had never actually seen them…amazing!  There are many more that I didn't photograph, all of them are great.

Tomorrow we take off for some more boondocking…always nice to get away from everything and just enjoy nature!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  I'm thankful for so many things; health, family, friends and fulltime RVing!  We are currently at Thousand Trails Palm Springs.  It's been a busy time, we met up with a group of friends here so we could all have Thanksgiving dinner together.  We ladies came up with a menu and divided the cooking between us...I was in charge of pies...and we had quite a feast at 2:00 p.m. today.  It was really fun... a lovely Thanksgiving meal with friends.  Hope you that celebrate Thanksgiving have a fabulous holiday!

Everyone chowing down on Thanksgiving dinner!

                             

Long time

 Yep, it’s been a very long time since my last post…I almost decided to just quit blogging, but here I am at it again!  We are back down south, currently at Thousand Trails Palm Springs.  A bunch of friends are meeting here for Thanksgiving again this year.

 

Our site at Likely Place RV

To catch you up:  we left Bend Sept. 13, our destination was Thousand Trails Cottonwood.  We stopped at; Likely Place RV and Golf  Resort in Likely, CA, Bordertown RV near Reno, The Station in Tonopah Nevada, Sam’s Town in Vegas and Don Laughlin’s RV Park in Laughlin.  Except for Likely, CA all of the parks were places we have stayed before.   Likely was really nice, we’d stay there again.   The weather was rather warm but nice and sunny the entire trip.

Bell Rock Sedona, AZ

Cottonwood was fun.  We knew our friends John & Sissy and Dave & Anne were already at the park, but to our great surprise Ron & Marilyn had come up from Phoenix!  We had no idea they were going to be there, we were really pleased to see them.  Later other friends, Bill & Phyllis, also arrived plus Ron & Marilyn’s friends Alan & Kristine came up from Phoenix, so we had quite a bunch for our happy hour get-togethers.  A group of us went on a little day excursion to Sedona to enjoy the beautiful red rock and have lunch.  Such an amazingly beautiful area!

We left Cottonwood Oct 12 and thought we’d go boondocking in Quartzsite, but it ended up getting way too hot to live without air conditioning (high 90’s - low 100’s).  We can't run the air without being plugged in to shore power so after 3 days of roasting we headed to Thousand Trails Palm Springs.  On Nov 3rd we went down to our favorite boondocking area near Borrego Springs, CA.  What a lovely week, so quiet and except for a couple days we had wonderful weather.

That’s about it for the last couple months.   Been having a terrific time, meeting up with good friends and just enjoying RV life!

Likely Place RV

Group shot at Sedona

View at Sedona, AZ

Another view of the red rock in Sedona

By our camp site in Quartzsite, AZ

The mountains just before sunset in Quartzsite, AZ

Another amazing Quartzsite sunset

Our site near Borrego Springs, CA

Rainbow near Borrego Springs, CA

Sunset at Borrego Springs

Cheye in the left foreground, our trailer in the right background!

A visitor Cheye found at Borrego Springs

More outings in the Bend area

Our stay at Thousand Trails Bend is just about over.  John and Sissy left a week ago but before they left we had a couple more outings…we rented canoes here at Thousand Trails and paddled the Little Deschutes river to the Deschutes river.  We had gone on this canoe trip before, but it was definitely more fun to go with friends.  The trip is organized by Thousand Trails, you paddle along to a designated point and then a staff member picks everyone up and drives everyone back to the campground.  A total of 6 couples signed up for the trip (including the 4 of us) so we had lots of company.

On the Little Deschutes  (Sissy's photo)

Took this by pointing the camera over my shoulder...not too bad!  :o)

John and Sissy

John and Sissy about to crash into some brush

Sleepy spectators (good pic Sissy!)

That's Dave and me on the left (again...Sissy's photo)

Pretty scenery along the way

A couple days after the canoe trip we drove up Lava Butte.  Quite a view from up there!

At the base of Lava Butte

That's the highway way down there

Mt. Bachelor and some of the Three Sisters

After taking in the views at Lava Butte John suggested we go to Paulina Lake and drive up a dirt road to Pauline Peak, so we did.  Not a drive for the faint of heart!  The road was very washboard and there are no guard rails along the steep narrow road. ..however the view is fabulous!

Paulina Lake

Paulina Lake on the left, East Lake on the right, see the lava flow just above the green shrubs on the right?

Family photo

Paulina Falls

Since John and Sissy left the only outings we’ve had were to LaPine to grocery shop and then Saturday we went back to LaPine to visit with our friends Steve and Elaine.  We met them up in Randle, WA this summer and found out we’d be in the area about the same time.  We had a nice visit and a yummy dinner at a restaurant in the campground they are staying at (Cascade Meadows).   All-in-all a great visit to the Bend, OR area.