Monday, February 12, 2018 (La Posa South LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ)

A couple of weeks ago, Larry from our ATV club back on Vancouver Island posted a ride on the Cowichan Valley ATV club site for anyone in the Quartzsite area. He and Judi would drive up from Yuma, stay in a hotel for the night...and we'd have 2 days of riding. He asked Steve to lead the rides.

Today was day 1! Everyone gathered at our place at 10:00. It was going to be a cooler, cloudy day...and fairly breezy...but good for riding.

Larry and Judi arrived from Yuma and off-loaded their 2-up...

There would be 11 on our ride today...Jim and Cecile; Bill and Janet; and Steve (B) and Sue...all in their side-by-sides; Larry and Judi on their 2-up; and Ken, Steve and I on our quads...

First stop was at the mine cave at French Creek...

I'm the tail gunner down below heading up to join up at the next stop...

Steve and Sue with me down below...

Jim and Cec...

Checking out the Indian grinding mortar holes

Time to head off to our next stop...

Gold Eye Mine...

With the parade of toilets all lined up with plastic flower arrangements...

We met the current owner of the mine last year and he gave us some interesting history about the miner Larry Erdman. Apparently he and another miner used to have gun fights, never really intending to kill each other. There is an escape tunnel in the floor of the cabin and an upside down horse shoe above the door. If you were a man and crossed into the cabin your luck ran out, unless you were a women, then he would answer the door naked! There are miles of underground mining tunnels with enough well preserved stored lumber to build two homes. Too many stories to remember...

A few miles down the road is an old dynamite storage bunker...

The only Go Pro pictures taken on this trip were of this next mountain pass as Steve thought he had the camera on on our previous trip and it wasn't. To check out that previous ride click here...

The road continues through the mountain pass in the distance...

It's quite the climb...

At the top...

Steve B and Sue arriving at the summit...

Ken...

 Bill and Janet...

Larry and Judi...

Jim and Cec...

Me...

Looks like some others beat us to Deere Run Resort for lunch...

Group photo at Deere Run Resort...Bill and Janet, Judi and Larry, Steve B and Sue behind, Ken, Dianne, Cec and Jim...

Steve B and Jim watching Larry tee off...

Now on our way towards the I-10 freeway...

We've now crossed under the I-10 freeway and are on our way to Diablo Pass...

Arriving at the Diablo Pass summit...

Arriving at Dome Basin Mine...

Larry checking out one of the mine shafts...

Time to head back, it's almost beer time at Beer Belly's Adult Day Care!

We arrived at Beer Belly's at 4:00...time to wash down some of that dust! Bill and Janet...

Judi and Larry...

Ken...

Jim and Cec...

Sue and Steve B...

After a couple of beers, we decided to ride our 4-wheelers to Silly Al's for dinner. It was quite busy with several large groups...nothing quite like it was during the RV show, though!
Judi, Larry, Steve B, Sue, Jim, Cec, Janet, Bill and Steve (we're just missing Ken, who had to move his camp at La Posa South...if you are not camping in a self-contained unit, you must camp within 500 ft of a pit toilet)...

Time to dig into some pizza...very serious stuff!

We were back home just before 8:00...after a very interesting ride home in the dark. No problem finding our way, though...Steve found the right trail out of Tyson Wash and he led us safely back to La Posa South.

It was a great day...although, a little long of a ride for some. Poor Judi was pretty sore...she and Larry headed to Ehrenberg to their hotel for the night (where I'm sure her plan was to soak in a nice hot tub!). See you all tomorrow for day 2!