We were up and on the road early this morning. There wasn't much in the way of packing up, so Steve quickly disassembled the satellite dish and put it away, then we hitched up...and were on our way.
We made our way over to I-10 west and about 14 miles later, took the exit into Buckeye...and Walmart. We had a quick breakfast at McDonald's and then I went on my way grocery shopping while Steve looked for some things he wanted to pick up.
A couple of hours later we were all stocked up and back on I-10 heading west. I took a few pictures as we neared Quartzsite. Guadeloupe Mountain on the left where we have ridden to the top many times. (Well not me but Steve has :-) ....Quartzsite is just on the other side, here we come!
Quartzsite in the distance...
We took the exit into Quartzsite...
...and then turned south on hwy 95. It's busy already...lots of vendors set up! The "big tent" should be going up soon!
Kuehn Road looking west where all the vendors are...
Lots of RV's gathering in La Posa West...
As we pulled into La Posa South, I took a picture but it didn't turn out...I think I have taken the same picture each time we have arrived, so no big deal :)
We filled up with fresh water and then headed in the direction of the area we usually camp in. Rather than drive all the way, we decide to pull over and walk in the final way...it was looking pretty darned busy! As we walked in, all of the sites that we usually camp in were taken. We stopped in at Art and Jan's for a brief hello and then headed back west along the wash area where it looked like there were empty spots. Sure enough, the spot Jim and Barb had last year was empty (Ray and Deb had also had the site the year before)...so I stood "guard" while Steve walked back to get the rig.
We got the fifth-wheel positioned east-west for the best solar and started with our set up....ahh...so nice to be back! It feels like we just came "home"!
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Wednesday, January 3, 2018 (Travel to Estrella Mountain Regional Park, Goodyear, AZ)
After two weeks at High Chaparral RV Park, it's time to move on. We had a wonderful time here and met some great folks...a lot even asked if we will be back next year. Our answer...we'll definitely be back...sometime!
As we were finishing up our pack up, several folks stopped to say goodbye...and as we pulled out of our site, Karen was out waving and yelling one final goodbye. We made our way over to I-10 and then decided to take I-8, the bypass route around Phoenix. It added about 40 minutes or so to our drive to Estrella, but we wouldn't have to deal with the traffic through Phoenix...well worth it!
We took highway 85 north through Gila Bend...
Entrance to Gila Bend Municipal Airport...
Crop dusters...
Gila River...
We pulled into Estrella Mountain Regional Park around 12:30 and were directed by the fellow manning the gatehouse to carry-on up to the Nature Center where they will "take care of us". Well, there is no way we could pull into the parking lot...however Steve was able to pull over on the side of the road so I could run inside. We wanted to dry camp up near the horse arena (as per Alan and Cec's recommendation), so after paying the $12 camping fee, we were told to just continue along the road..."you can't miss the arena". The primitive camping area is a huge gravel parking lot. We found a spot along the edge, levelled off and unhitched. Other than putting the slides out and clearing the stuff off the bed, we did not do any other setup inside. Mind you, Steve did want to put up the satellite dish so he could PVR some new programs starting tonight.
There are about a half dozen full hook-up sites but I understand are mostly used by the park workers/hosts. If available, they rent for $30/night.
Since we were in the area, I wanted to stock up at Costco before heading to Quartzsite. So we headed right there, had a bite to eat, did our shopping and were back to the trailer shortly after 3:00.
Alan and Cec came by to pick us up and take us to their new home. You may recall we met them on our trip to Alaska in 2013 and have been fast friends ever since. They sold their spot in Yuma last year and bought a place in the Pebble Creek development in Goodyear...and what a fabulous spot it is!
View from their back patio...
We had a wonderful steak dinner...
...And a great time catching up! So good to see you both! Thanks so much for picking us up. Safe travels as you hit the road for some winter travels of your own!
As we were finishing up our pack up, several folks stopped to say goodbye...and as we pulled out of our site, Karen was out waving and yelling one final goodbye. We made our way over to I-10 and then decided to take I-8, the bypass route around Phoenix. It added about 40 minutes or so to our drive to Estrella, but we wouldn't have to deal with the traffic through Phoenix...well worth it!
We took highway 85 north through Gila Bend...
Entrance to Gila Bend Municipal Airport...
Crop dusters...
Gila River...
We pulled into Estrella Mountain Regional Park around 12:30 and were directed by the fellow manning the gatehouse to carry-on up to the Nature Center where they will "take care of us". Well, there is no way we could pull into the parking lot...however Steve was able to pull over on the side of the road so I could run inside. We wanted to dry camp up near the horse arena (as per Alan and Cec's recommendation), so after paying the $12 camping fee, we were told to just continue along the road..."you can't miss the arena". The primitive camping area is a huge gravel parking lot. We found a spot along the edge, levelled off and unhitched. Other than putting the slides out and clearing the stuff off the bed, we did not do any other setup inside. Mind you, Steve did want to put up the satellite dish so he could PVR some new programs starting tonight.
There are about a half dozen full hook-up sites but I understand are mostly used by the park workers/hosts. If available, they rent for $30/night.
Since we were in the area, I wanted to stock up at Costco before heading to Quartzsite. So we headed right there, had a bite to eat, did our shopping and were back to the trailer shortly after 3:00.
View from their back patio...
We had a wonderful steak dinner...
...And a great time catching up! So good to see you both! Thanks so much for picking us up. Safe travels as you hit the road for some winter travels of your own!
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