Friday and Saturday, February 24 and 25, 2017 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

We are back into some chilly overnight temperatures again...the forecast low for last night was 37F/3C. It was 42F/5C on our thermometer when we got up this morning. The high for today was only 61F/16C but the sky was blue, the sun was shining and there was only a slight breeze.

We ran out of propane on one of the tanks today...and it wasn't in the middle of the night as it had been the last couple of times. So after breakfast, Steve loaded the empty propane tank into the truck while I gathered and sorted the dirty laundry...then we were off into town. He got propane and gas while I put 4 loads of laundry on. About 40 minutes later, we were on our way back home.

I got on with the chore of hanging wet clothes on the line to dry while Steve got started on a few of his own chores...therefore knocking off a few more things off his "to do" list. We also managed to get another blog update done.

Just after 4:30 Harry and Vicki joined us for one last happy hour...they head off to the Phoenix area tomorrow. Great spending time with you again this season...safe travels and we'll see you next year!

Saturday we woke up to another very chilly morning...39F/4C outside. Today we are going to take the quads out and do some more geocaching...but we weren't in any hurry; let's wait for it to warm up! So we took our time, exercises, breakfast, dishes and clean-up...and by the time we were ready to go, it was after 10:30 and much warmer out.

It turned out to be a beautiful day...not overly warm, but nice and sunny. Look at all that green grass!
 Found it!
Onto the next one...
The cache was on the back of this sign and was the end of this string of caches...
 So we had our lunch here...
We couldn't go any further so had to back track...
Just love the views of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge mountains...

We tried to take a shortcut through a wash over to another string of caches along hwy 95...




 But had to turn around when we came upon another US Government "No Trespassing" sign.



We found a road that eventually took us over to hwy 95...
...so we could pick up a few more that were hidden along the highway. Riding for miles next to the highway was our least favourite ride...why would you plant caches along a highway?!
This one was very cool...we just couldn't figure out where the log was to sign in. Turns out, you blow into the bottom opening and it launches a bison tube into the air and it "bonks" you on the head....thus the name of the cache "Bonkers". Too funny! This type of cache was a first for us and can't help but think how unhygienic...
We also picked up a couple of other geocaches that we had been unable to find a couple of years ago. One was in this scraggly old Saguaro...
We were back home just before 4:30, having bagged 29 geocaches and ridden 45 miles. Steve gassed up the quads and generator while I put everything away and plugged the GPS's and radios in to recharge. Then we sat outside in the late afternoon sun and had a toast to a great day out on the quads!



Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, February 21, 22 and 23, 2017 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

Tuesday morning we were just cleaning up the morning dishes when Doug and Candice, friends from the Cowichan Valley ATV Club "back home", stopped by for a visit. We had a nice chat with them and then they headed off and we did some final preparations while we waited for the phone to ring.
Dave and Leslie are arriving this morning. Last summer while visiting family in Edmonton Alberta we got an email from Dave. He said that he had been following our blog and that they lived a couple of hours away in Bonneyville and would love to meet us and take us quadding. We had a fabulous time with them and their friends.

At 11:00 Dave called...they had just arrived at La Posa South, so Steve went out to meet them at the garbage bins and escort them to our spot. After big hugs, we sat and chatted for a bit and then decided to go into town...time for lunch and a tour of Q.

This old vehicle was parked outside of K and B Tools...
The "Big Chair" was back out in front of Beer Belly's Adult Day Care, so of course, Leslie and Dave had to have their picture taken in it!
We enjoyed a brew, and a bite to eat...
...and then it was time for a little sightseeing. Hi Jolly Monument and Cemetery.
The Hi Jolly Memorial at the cemetery in Quartzsite pays tribute to Hadji Ali, one of several camel drivers brought over by the U.S. Army in a failed attempt to introduce camels to the American Southwest. After the experiment was abandoned, Ali was the only driver to remain in Arizona. He took up prospecting, and became known to locals as “Hi Jolly”
(Click to enlarge photo)
Next was Celia's Rainbow Garden...
A community working together to make a child's dream come true. Celia's Rainbow Gardens, located in the Quartzsite Town Park encompasses 8 acres of the 40 acre park. The gardens were inspired by the dreams of Celia Winer, an 8-year old girl whose goal in life was to make the world a better place. Her love of nature, her desire to save the environment, and dreams of people working together have been taken to heart by this little desert community.

All plants, trees, cacti etc. will eventually have identification markers, and educational displays will also be included along the trails...

While the Garden is still a work in progress, you may go out there at any time to look around and see what is happening. Visitors who have been there before will notice a lot of changes, and there will be much more done by the end of this season. If you have never been there before, please feel free to come out and see what can be done with many helping hands and hearts....
Click to read more...Celia's Story

Adamsville....


A miniature sawmill...

By this time it was going on 3:30 and time to go home and get ready to go to an "RV-Dreamers" happy hour...being hosted by Les and Sue (Bigboomer) at 4:00. Great timing...we were able to introduce Dave and Leslie to some fellow RV-Dreamers (even though a number had already moved on). Bottom left, going around the circle...Sue, Les, Harry, Vicki, Donna, Allen, Leslie, Steve and Dave...

We enjoyed just over an hour with the group and then had to head off...to Silly Al's for dinner....
After dinner, we returned home...time to sit outside and continue our visit. A beautiful evening!
We had a gorgeous sunrise Wednesday morning...a beautiful start to the day! See what you missed Dave and Leslie!
Even the mountains to the west were beautiful...
After coffee and breakfast, we headed off to show Dave and Leslie a few more of the local sights. We started at Erdman Mine. The date above the door is 1947
Our timing was perfect! In all of the years that we have been stopping here to take a look, we have never had Steve, the current mine claim owner, come over. He encouraged everyone to signed the guest book in the cabin...I guess the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) wants to close the area from the public and tear it down saying it's a dangerous area, so he is gathering signatures to show how many people come here and enjoy a little bit of the local history. Speaking of history, Steve is quite the historian and told us all sorts of stories about Larry Erdman...he also gives tours of the area. If the RV Dreams reunion is in Q next year this could be a must do for the group.

Larry Eardman and another miner didn't get along and used to have shootouts. There is a tunnel in the cabin that allowed Larry to escape the cabin and come up behind it. In the above photo above Leslie is a horseshoe facing down instead of up. Apparently if you were a man and went beyond his door your luck ran out as you might get shot! If you were a woman he would answer the door naked! There are 6 1/2 miles of tunnels and enough well preserved stored lumber left in them to build 2 houses. Too many more stories to remember but there is a book available on this area that Steve said might be available at the museum so we're going to look for it. We spent quite a bit of time there listening to him...very interesting!

There are metal rods sticking out of the hilltop that used to have lights on them to attract UFO's that were apparently common back in the day...

Our next stop was at the Quartzsite Museum next to Silly Al's on Main Street.

We were in for another history lesson...the fellow at the museum took us through, explaining about all of the exhibits, along with stories about the area. Oh yeah, they had what we thought might be the book but it wasn't just about Erdman and at $35, we thought it was a little pricey...especially if we weren't even sure is was the right one.

The exterior of the museum was built around the original adobe building to protect it from the elements. Our guide said the Yuma Prison and this building are the oldest in Arizona.


This side room, above and below was the original post office...

This miniature bar scene was originally on display at a McDonald's but was removed because there were a couple of ladies of the evening seated at the bar and they were afraid it would corrupt young minds...

By the time we finished at the museum it was going on 2:00 so we decided a little lunch was in order. We went to The Grubstake today...a "so-so" spot this year but with not many choices, it seems to be the next popular one from Silly Al's. We've been here twice this season and the service is very slow.

With our tummies full, we headed home and sat visiting a little longer...until it was time for Dave and Leslie to head back to Phoenix. Although it was a short visit, we managed to pack quite a bit in and had such a fun time with them! Great seeing you both! Look forward to the next time our paths cross...and you're full-timers too in 2018!

After they left, we chilled for a bit and then at 5:00 we walked down to Harry and Vicki's place. They invited us over for a goodbye dinner...they are leaving Saturday.
As we walked by Jim and Barb's old spot, Steve took this picture...it's still empty you guys, we're here until March 13...come on back for one final visit!

We sat outside chatting while Harry grilled a Tri-Tip on the barbecue...then we headed inside and sat down to a delicious dinner.
Thanks very much Harry and Vicki...it has been great spending time with you both!

We were home before 8:00...exhausted! Just can't take those late nights anymore...it was after 11:30 before we got to bed last night!

Thursday morning Steve went out to work on the boat loader on the truck. He had started the other day but had to get new bolts at the hardware store and with company coming, ran out of time. Every time the truck is serviced the boat loader has to be unbolted and pulled forward so the truck cab can be tilted forward. Over the years the various dealers I guess misplace our original bolts and substitute whatever they have kicking around. Time and time again these bolts have come loose and fallen off even though Steve's learned to check them. In the photo the bolt on the angle bracket is that bolt. Now this was a first...the bolt you see in the slot is the one that wore through and pulled out making it unusable. Steve had to drill a hole through the whole assembly and used  a 3" bolt to connect the angle bracket.

While he was finishing up with that, I deflated the air bed inside the box and put it away. Oh...and I also found 15 cents on the floor. Thanks for the tip Dave! :-)

Once Steve had put everything back in the box (that he had taken out to make room for the airbed), we had lunch and then headed off to Parker. Amazing how green everything is!

It was after 5:00 by the time we got home. I was glad that I had picked up a roasted chicken from Safeway...made for a quick, easy dinner!