Thursday, January 29, 2015 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

As forecast, we woke to clouds this morning...and although the sun tried to break through on a couple of occasions, it didn't succeed. Shortly after 9:00 Steve got on his quad and took a ride down to the picnic shelter area where a bunch of us RV-Dreamers will be gathering for a little reunion this afternoon. He just wanted to take a look before we headed down later to get set up.

Once back, he loaded a bunch of stuff into the back of the truck...things we'd need for this afternoon. There, we're all set and ready to go...just the cooler that we'll pack later.

Since we had time to spare, we relaxed for a bit...went for a walk...and then relaxed a bit more. Shortly after 12, we loaded the cooler onto the truck and headed down to the picnic area and set up the barbecue, table and chairs. A few minutes later, Allen and Donna arrived. There wasn't really a fire pit available at the picnic area because nearby campers were using it, so Alan drove back home to get their portable metal fire pit. Apparently the fire pit and firewood they brought was originally from the RV-Dreams Rally they attended back east earlier in the year...so Howard and Linda (RV-Dreams) are with us in spirit!

Others started arriving and soon we had tables full of food...and chairs circled around the campfire! (left to right...Loretta, Allen (standing), Donna, Cheryl, Bonnie and Diane)

Steve grilling the hot dogs...

Loretta, Donna and Cheryl sitting chatting...Dave, Tom and Allen behind...with Steve at the barbecue...

Allen , Tom, Dave, Steve and Doug...

Time to eat!

Steve, Diane and Dave...

Allen , Donna, Cheryl, Tom, Doug and Bonnie...

Les, Sue, Loretta, Allen , Donna and Cheryl...

Steve, Dave, Les, Diane and Gina...

Showing off our RV-Dreams Rally T-shirts...Cheryl and Tom (2011 rally), Dave, me and Steve (2012 fall rally)...

Jim and Doug...

Loretta, Gina and Melba...

Me, Dave and Diane...

Sue and Les (sitting) with Gina, Melba and Loretta behind them...

The dueling trucks! Big Boomer (Les and Sue's) beside Buster...

And finally, a group picture!
Front row...Steve, Loretta, Diane, Dave and Jim;
Middle row...Me and Melba;
Back row...Les, Sue, Allen , Donna, Gina, Bonnie, Doug, Tom and Cheryl

Also known as:
Les and Sue (bigboomer), Allen and Donna (Fergizmo), Jim and Melba (Beauty and the Beast)
Dave and Diane (Hdrider)

There were 16 of us enjoying the afternoon together...we missed Red and Pam (el Rojo and Pam); Dale and Ruth (NWescapee); and Kyra (Trix) who were not able to join us. It was so very good seeing everyone, particularly Loretta, who drove out from Phoenix to join us. Unfortunately, she lost her husband, Bill, last month after a very short illness...so good to see that she is wanting to continue this lifestyle! All the best, Loretta...know that you have the love and support of your RV-Dreams family!

Unfortunately we in the west are not able to attend the rallies in the east this year but we are all with you in spirit! As bigboomer said so well..."this is a testament to what Howard and Linda started that keeps on building"!

Safe travels to all...may our paths continue to cross!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

There was lots of dew and a little fog out there when we opened the blinds this morning, but not nearly as thick as it had been yesterday. It didn't take long to burn off and we had a nice sunny day...until late afternoon when a high cloud covering rolled in. Another rainstorm is forecast to roll in Friday...tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy with a high of 70F. It would be nice to have sunshine for the RV-Dreams mini reunion but as long as it doesn't rain....

It was going on noon by the time I had showered...but I had actually accomplished a lot before then. After our resistance exercises, I managed to get out for a 40 minute powerwalk (something I haven't been doing enough of lately!), then I had breakfast, colored my hair and made banana muffins! While I was doing my thing, Steve was outside cleaning the barbecue.

We had a phone call from Larry, a fellow who fixes day/night shades (we had picked up his business card while at Gamblers getting the grommets for our stovetop)...he is going to be in La Posa South this afternoon and would have time to come by and take a look at our broken back window blind. My brother, Dennis, had tried to convince us that we could easily re-string them ourselves but after having trouble finding the cord locally...and wanting to get it done asap, we decided to just go ahead and have Larry do it for us.

He arrived around 2:00 and after giving us an estimate of $60.00 on our 6' blind, got to work. Steve helped him take the valance down so the blinds could be removed. He set up a table outside the back of his truck and got to work. He re-strings blinds a different (better?) way and also replaced the bushings that were apparently installed backwards. Larry is an awfully nice fellow that appears to really know blinds. Although fairly chatty (good thing he doesn't charge by the hour, LOL!), he explained what and how he was doing it differently than the factory install as Steve watched. He also replaced a couple of plastic pieces the string ties to that were pulling out of the wall so that he could adjust another blind that was left too tight after being restrung previously. That was another $15.00.

It was going on 4:00 by the time he left...I don't say "finished" because he stayed chatting for quite awhile. He spends his summers up in New York State in an RV park on Lake Ontario (looking across to the Toronto area) and winters down here. If you are ever in the Quartzsite area and need day/night shades repaired, let me know...I have his business card.

After he left, we relaxed outside with a drink for a bit...but with the cloud covering and the breeze, it had really cooled down. So inside, we went!

We spent another evening in front of the TV watching our favorite shows until it was time to go to bed. We're looking forward to our little RV-Dreams gathering tomorrow afternoon...too bad the forecast isn't for sunshine! Oh well...it will be good seeing everyone again!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

We opened the window blinds this morning to find the area blanketed with a thick layer of fog...

The fog actually got thicker a little later but the pictures Steve took ended up being deleted... I formatted the camera thinking that all of the pictures had been downloaded...oops!

We had a work morning today...Steve spent a couple of hours emptying the holding tanks and then filling the fresh water tank. The line up at the sani-dump was long (17 rigs) so he had to ride all of the way down to the 'blue-boy' dump near the entrance.

While he was doing that, I cleaned up inside, did a little banking (recorded expenses and paid a couple of bills) and then cleaned our two leather recliners...something I had been meaning to do for some time! I wiped them down with a clean damp cloth and then used a leather conditioner on them. They look great!

Just after 12 noon, we headed into town to run a few errands. There were a couple of parcels waiting for pickup at Quiet Times. Steve ordered a new gas pump and a replacement monitor for our 507 tire pressure monitoring system we bought in 2012. Last year when we were here our original monitor battery wasn't holding a charge so Steve inquired about battery replacement with one of the TST vendors. They gave him a reconditioned replacement even though ours was out of warranty. Last November that monitor started dropping out sensors so Steve called TST. Surprisingly they sent us a free new replacement! We then needed to pick up a few things for the RV-Dreams mini reunion we're having Thursday. Steve also filled the drinking water containers.

Back home, we had a quick bite to eat for lunch and then Steve called his Dad back in Victoria. When Dennis and Suzanne were here, they suggested we try "Magic Jack", so I installed the app on my android phone. We tried it out by calling Chris and then Steve used it today to call his Dad...it works great...way better than our TracFone!

After the phone call, Steve headed outside to "fix" the feet on our anti-gravity chairs. The ends have worn down, leaving sharp metal exposed and tearing a hole in our new mat. So he wrapped gorilla and electrical tape around them...hopefully that provides enough protection.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our chairs...reading...until it got a little chilly and we retreated inside...and that was it...another relatively quiet day....

Monday, January 26, 2015 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

It ended up being an inside kind of day today. Rain was in the forecast to start "after 11 a.m." and it was 11:15 when we heard the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof
.
Steve called Midway Chev in Phoenix to find out if the parts had arrived yet to fix our squealing exhaust brake. They arrived last Friday so we have an appointment next Monday. Steve has also been dealing with Trailer Tires and Wheels where we purchased new tires and wheels after our Alaska trip. All the wheels have been developing blemishes under the clear coat and we finally got warranty replacement approval today, so he contacted a local tire dealer in town for shipping and installation. Then he got busy editing all of the pictures he took on our ride yesterday. I did dishes and cleaned up and finally did some baking, something I've been wanting to do for the last week.

At about 2:00 we had a phone call from a fellow that wrote an article on our truck for RV Times back in 2012. It was published in the July/August 2012 edition...click here to see the digital edition (Unique RV's, Page 36). Apparently Janos has been following our blog and since he and his wife, Maggie, are here in Quartzsite for a few days before continuing onto Mexico, thought he'd look us up and stop by for coffee.

Steve gave him directions and about 20 minutes later they arrived and we enjoyed an hour chatting over coffee. It was really nice seeing them again.

After they left, I worked on our blog and Steve settled in to watch some PVR'd programs on TV...and that was pretty much our day!

We could still hear the pitter-patter of rain on roof when we headed to bed...

Sunday, January 25, 2015 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

Well, another year has flown by! Conner, our grandson, and a very special little guy in our lives turned 2 years old today! We don't see him in person nearly as much as we would like but we do cherish our Skype calls...to see his smiling face lights up our hearts with such joy! Happy Birthday, Conner!

Alan and Cec arrived at our place at 10:00 and after downloading some geocaches into their GPS, we were off. Steve led the way, I was behind him and Alan and Cec, in their jeep, brought up the rear.

Alan and Cec are just getting into geocaching and learning how to use their Garmin Montana.  Here they are with one of their finds...

Today's trip is a duplicate of Steve's last ride with the addition of one more stone cabin...

Up we go...

...on top of a hill...with a great view!

We had found one of Earl and Alison's geocaches here a couple of years ago...but it's not there anymore. Sorry Cec and Alan...nothing to find here...

 And down we go on the other side....

We're going through the canyon on our way to Dripping Spring...

Lots of rocks to climb through the canyon!

A bit tight here...

Dianne watching as they climb the first rock ledge...

This one is a little higher...

No sweat!

The final climb to Dripping Spring....

We made it to our first destination!

Watching the quads go up the steep trail in the distance...we'll be going up that...

A close-up...Steve and I will be taking the left trail to the top...while Alan...









...decided to take the steeper trail on the right...

 We have never noticed this ruined stone structure on the way into Apache Chief Cabin before...

Second destination...Apache Chief Cabin....

Third destination...Gold Nugget Mine....

Our next destination was Guadalupe Mountain...we're on our way up...and up. That's me above and Alan and Cec below... lots of switchbacks...

Just past the fourth switchback the road narrowed and that's when something clicked in my brain that said nope...can't do this! My fear of heights hit me like a ton of bricks and totally immobilized me. I was hugging the side of the mountain so close that Alan had no problem passing me...go on ahead, I'll wait here!

So that's where I sat while the others went up to the top to admire the fabulous view...

And back down they come. Alan has a tilt meter in his jeep that indicated 30 degrees of slope at the steepest part!

We stopped at a lower switchback for lunch...our plan had been to have lunch up top, but I had our lunch in my quad cargo box...and it didn't make it up there!

Time to carry on...

Another geocache find!

Our final destination was at a cabin at the end of Mitchell Mine Road...unfortunately, I can't figure out what the name of it is. Steve and I have been here before, but if we were ever told the name of it, we can't remember and I couldn't find it on any of the maps. There was a geocache here, though, and it didn't take Alan and Cec long to find it.

We took a ride up the hill above the cabin...a great view!

Then it was time to head home...

We got home just after 4:00...a great day...a great ride! A little dusty but for the most part it wasn't bad because the wind was blowing it off the trail.

After getting quickly cleaned up, I got things ready for dinner...Cec and Alan were coming over for dinner and Rummikub. We sat outside with a cocktail while dinner was in the oven....

Dinner time!

After dinner, we played a game of Rummikub...then had dessert (thanks, Cec!)...and then played a few more games. We actually had "a first" in this game...Alan couldn't get down and we ran out of tiles to play with!  We really didn't know what to do...I was reading the instructions while Steve went on-line to see if he could find out anything...nope. So we just called it a draw and started the game over.

At about 9:00 we called it a night and after big hugs and handshakes, Alan and Cec headed home. They are leaving tomorrow...it was wonderful seeing and spending time with them again! Bye for now...