BLM Trails and Arizona Sunriders

How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners and instant cameras teach patience to its young?

Saturday was another perfect day in the weather department.  It was pretty good in other areas too.  Saturday is the day that breakfast is served in the clubhouse.  What a breakfast it was!!  For $3.00 we were served a very large and delicious breakfast.  It started with two cooked-to-order eggs, hash browns, a huge piece of ham, biscuits (gravy if wanted), orange juice and coffee.  Now that was one heck of a deal!

 

Check out this  ATV loaded on top of the truck.  I had to ask how he did that.  He winched it up.  They do have ramps but winching is safer going up.  Sometimes he drives it down.  Ugh!   That looks like an accident just waiting to happen but I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.  At least I hope he does.

This was also the day that the park was having a yard sale.  Those folks who had items to sell put up a table with their goods.  So, after breakfast we walked through the park and checked out everything for sale.  Nothing really jumped out at us so all we took back to our RV was the breakfast we’d eaten in the clubhouse.  Well, we did walk some of it off.

It was such a nice day that after the yard sale we decided to take a ride.  We were going to check out some more trails around the Kofa National Wildlife Area south of “Q”.   Even Duchess went with us.

We stopped about 30 miles down the road for a little snack --- corn dog and fried mushrooms.  Corn dog was good but we had to toss the mushrooms out.

Later in the day we made another trip to see if any new vendors had shown up on the main drag.  There were a few.  We also saw a few interesting sights.  The thing in “Q” is that you never know what to expect or what you might see.  Check out the donkey and the bull in the picture below.  Evidently, it’s a show (Cutler’s Donkey and Bull Show). The show can be seen in Blythe.  The donkey and bull are driven around in a van as advertising.  It worked because everyone gawked.  Look what’s hanging out each window …. a miniature bull on one side and a miniature donkey on the other – Rowdy and Barney.

Then, we saw this.

The sign next to the tub indicates they are proctologists and are offering their service to the RV crowd.  Do you know what that is?  Well, according to Wikipedia proctologists ….” deal with disorders of rectum, anus and colon.”  I know … this is absolutely everything you didn’t need to know.  However, the proctologists around “Q” (and there are several) deal with cleaning and flushing out the black water tanks in RVs.  I’m not sure why they used the guy in the tub as their symbol unless it was just to get attention.  Attention gets business but not sure about what qualifications are required to use that title.  Is a degree offered in RV proctology? 

In the evening we walked back to the clubhouse to listen to the Skyhawks.  They had been at the music jam we attended on Monday but not as a group.  We really enjoyed them on Monday.  Thus, we thought we’d go listen again. This is a very small clubhouse.  Without really thinking we sat right in front of the drums. It was my fault.  They have a fantastic drummer but in a room this size where all the music flows into one sound system, it wasn’t a good place to sit.  All we could really hear were the drums.  After a few songs, we moved across the room.  We still had trouble hearing the vocals over the drum as did the others.  The mike was adjusted a little but not enough to make it really happen.  Oh well, we used their break to really make a break.   That’s about the time we noticed that they were collecting a fee ---- $6 each.  We didn’t know that and didn't have any money with us.  Oops … I wonder if it was a donation.  Nothing was listed on the calendar about a fee.

Since we were only there for half of it, should our fee be half or $3?  Then, since we only heard half of them, should our fee be half of the half or $1.50?  Either way, I guess we owe something.  Maybe we’ll square up at the office today … maybe we’ll ask.

Fantastic musicians but poor acoustics.  We would definitely listen again if they were located in another setting or if only the vocals had mikes. 

There really is a lot going on at this park.  What a difference it is compared to the Arizonian we stayed at for a month in Gold Canyon.   Monday another meeting was scheduled in the club house that we wanted to attend.  This one was by the Arizona SunRiders ATV Club.  Since we were here and the meeting was here, why not attend?

The meeting was really interesting.  The "discussion" with the head of the Western Arizona BLM region really got hammered with questions and concerns.  We have not been involved with what has happened in the past. We weren’t even aware of it.   From the meeting it seems that some of the BLM has been closed to motorcycle riders, ATV riders, geocachers and boondockers with more areas on the chopping block in the future.  Thousands of people in numerous clubs have come together to try to  convince the BLM to keep the areas open for public use.   The decision to open or close BLM areas is not just for the Arizona area but for BLMs all over the country.  You can imagine that at times the meeting got a little heated.

See our new yellow and green ATV hats.  It's not that we wear ball caps but we liked them.  They matched our green and yellow ATVs.

'Tis life on the road.

New Discoveries

Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else get your way.

It’s still a little cool for us to be outside running around.  It looks as though this storm that California has been sending our way is going to last through about Thursday.  It’s not that it’s a bad storm in this location.  It's chilly at night and the winds are a bit breezy.  We’ll be glad when it’s over.  However, by that time we’ll actually be thinking more of watching the weather over the Siskiyous than caring what it is like in Arizona.  After all, we don't want snow or ice to get in our way when we head north for the holidays.

We did discover a few new things around Quartzsite we hadn’t discovered on our previous three trips.  First, we finally found the Mountain Quail Café.  It’s not on the main drag and kind of tucked down a side road.  You might guess that since we found it, we also had to try it.  We had nothing to complain about and enjoyed the lunch.  While in the area we also discovered quite a few different RV parks that we didn’t know existed either.  Some of them were quite nice and quite cheap.  Some of them not so much.

Not far from the Café we saw a couple State Trust Land signs.  The sign said, “No Trespassing”.  It wasn’t BLM property.  It belonged to the State and not the Government.  However, regardless that the sign indicated no trespassing  there were about a dozen RVs parked there.  We had to stop and talk to the folks staying there.  After all, they were boondocking almost in the center of town.  We wanted to know the details.  According to the person we talked to all that is needed is a pass for parking on Trust Land.  We already have one!  We bought it before we arrived in Arizona.  However, we bought it for our ATVs and didn't know it was good for boondocking on State Land too.  The fee?  I think we paid $20 for the annual pass.

I’m sure if more people knew about the pass, this is where they would be parked instead of miles down the road in the 14-day parking area.  Since I'm posting the information here I certainly hope the RVers know what they were talking about or I'd get the blame.

Ever see one of these Outback Loft trailers? I guess this turns a one bedroom unit into an extra bedroom for kids or guests.

On Monday it was still chilly so instead of exploring on our ATVs we took another drive around the area.  Guess what?  We found another new restaurant.  They just seem to be popping up all over the place.  Well, some have closed down from last year including the Texas BBQ, Janet’s Kitchen and Best Mexican.  The new one is next to the Pilot Station.  It’s name is Three Times.  Obviously there must be some significance to that name but we couldn’t figure out what it was.  Our only thought was that maybe this was the third time the owners had owned a restaurant. Let's hope this one makes it.

Can you believe a home like this being built right inside the city limits of Quartzsite?  The home looks like it had just been finished.  No one was living in it. Well, they aren’t living in it yet.

Many music jams are held around “Q” during this time of year.  When we checked into our RV park we were given a list of them.  Monday night we went to our first since this one was held in the club house here at the park.  We were surprised to see so many guitars and strummers.  It was fantastic.  Saturday night another one is being held in the club house.  We plan on making it to that one too.  I guess I’m going to have to get out my Reba shirt and wear it to fit in though.

‘Tis life on the road.

Quartzsite BLM

A woman is like a teabag...You don't know how strong she is until you put her in hot water.

It’s still a bit nippy in the Quartzsite area.  I certainly wish it would warm up.  The only thing the cold weather is good for is staying inside and working on projects that should have been finished weeks ago when my sewing machine was in the shop.  However, I've finally realized these projects aren't going to get done anytime soon.  It's just not going to happen.

<<   We looked for the trash bins at the park.  This is what we found behind the office building.  The trailer is the bin.  Behind the trailer is a clothesline.  Now that was surprising.  Having a clothesline at your own site is a big NO-NO.

Actually, California is responsible for all this cold weather.  They shouldn’t have let the Santa Ana winds come through and carry that cold air behind them.  The only good news about that is that it will soon pass and the temperatures will warm up.  At least we’re hoping it’s sooner than later.  The problem is with all this cool weather, I'm beginning to think I need a beach instead of a desert.  Maybe it has something to do with the movie I watched last night.  In the movie everyone was running around on the sand in their swimsuits.  This definitely is not swimsuit weather here.

Check this setting out.  They've even put up a garage for their ATVs!!

We’ve met some pretty nice people in this park.  We were even invited to take a 60 mile ATV trip  ... isn't that a long ways for an ATV over rocks and riverbeds?  However, we still prefer the Thousand Trails and other parks where folks come for a few weeks but not a season.  Maybe that's because those are the parks we've stayed at most.  Or, maybe we just haven't found a place in the south we like so much we're ready to make it a winter homebase.  Maybe we need to find that beach after all.

One tidbit of gossip we heard was that some of the BLM land is no longer open for RV parking.  I have no idea what BLM land but thought we were told it was north of town. 


After a few months of having your little town overrun by people especially slower older folks, it probably gets a little annoying.  However, can you imagine the economy of a town this size without the extra revenue?  The RV parks in the area right now have lots of empty spots.  Right after the holidays these spots will fill up.  Just like anywhere else.  There are some great parks here with great hosts and managers.  We also heard there are also some parks to be avoided.  We heard lots of stories at breakfast.  However, we also know ... stories can be just stories.  With all the free spaces to park and all the parks in the area, you would think there would be a big push on to have the biggest and best park in the area.  Some RVers actually spend all winter here and not just during the month of January when most of the activities take  place.

Prices are low at the parks but few amenities are offered.  The entertainment is Quartzsite itself with all the vendors, jams and events.

I love driving around and checking out the personal RV sites people have chosen on BLM land.  It’s great entertainment to see how they have personalized their areas.  

On Sunday morning a church service is held at the South Posa LTVA.  I didn’t know about it until I went with friends, Paul and Marsha, Where's Weaver, a couple years ago.  A table is put out front inviting people who have extra food or items they don’t want to drop them off.  The sign says, leave what you don’t need and take what you do need.  There are people who visit Quartzsite during the winter who don’t have much.  This is a great place to drop off a few items knowing others will certainly appreciate what you leave.

BLM church

We became more aware of the circumstance of some of the folks in the area last year through Johnny.  Many of you may remember our story about Johnny.  He spent a couple of weeks here last year in a tent.  Thus, we became a little familiar with some of the people pitching tents close to the little outhouse buildings.  The tents or small trailers that are not self-contained must be within so many feet of a bathroom.  Since the BLM land is patrolled and monitored by Arizona Park Rangers, this is pretty much enforced.

Some folks pitching a tent do so because they want to.  Other folks pitching the tents do so because that’s all they have and they have no choice.  While there several of the RVers invited Johnny to join them for meals.  Others brought hot food to him.  Some folks are nice and some folks are just nicer.  Maybe this year some of us can be just nicer yet.

‘Tis life on the road.

Checking in at Quartzsite

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.

The big wind storm passed through Quartzsite on Thursday.   With the winds taking a break on Friday, the 136 mile drive was an easy one especially after we got out of the Phoenix area.  We actually didn’t get on our way until close to noon but we weren’t in any hurry.  The only plans we had were just to get settled.

Quartzsite hasn’t started to rock and roll yet with the big influx of RVs and people.  It will though in about four more weeks.  There are a few vendors and more and more keep coming in. The traffic isn’t bad yet but it will be.  The lines aren’t too bad either but they also will be soon.  It’s not that the town is empty.  It certainly is not.  It’s just not bulging at the seams yet.

Price of unleaded fuel in the Phoenix area averaged between $3.19 and about $3.24 a gallon. Gas isn’t that cheap in “Q”.  After all, it’s their high season and they want to pull in all the cash they can. The  price on Main Street in “Q”?  Well, two stations are selling it for $3.35.  Just down the street there is a Pilot Station at $3.23.  Obviously, that’s the place to stop.  A Love's is just around the corner but we haven’t checked that out yet.

After moving into our site and setting up, we drove the two short miles into the center of town. We were off to the Best Mexican Restaurant.  We had eaten at this restaurant several times in the past. However, the Mexican restaurant was no longer in business. In it’s place was Q-Town Café. The parking lot was packed and the people just kept coming. Menu prices were reasonable, service top notch and my barbecued ribs were some of the best I’d ever had.

Shopping with the vendors in town can be a fun experience.  You can find just about everything for sale.  However, the local stores start marking their products up about this time of year.  High season is short lived here..  Many of the businesses and even the RV parks close down during the summer months.  This is it.  They’ve got to make a profit.  That profit hopefully will see them through until the RVers start coming back again in the fall.

On the first Saturday of each month there is a huge craft fair in Quartzsite.  We wanted to check it out.  However, we also wanted to check out the breakfast offered at the park first.  You’ve got to admit that $3.00 is a great price for breakfast.  The park volunteers were cooking and it appeared as though everyone in the park was eating there.  The menu consisted of french toast, bacon, strawberries, orange jucie and coffee.  Not a bad deal for $3.00, huh?

Then, it was off to check out the craft fair.  We had seen lots of  spinners made from soda and beer cans but nothing like these.  I guess each year new ideas come out and some of the trinkets get better.  These were double spinners for $20 each or you could buy a quad one for $30.

We escaped the craft fair without bags of stuff.  Matter of fact, no purchases were made by us.

Here’s a new item to Quartzsite.  It’s the RV Caddy.  This little caddy has a dual purpose.  It can be used as an RV dump and also fill your fresh water tank.  There are two separate compartments in the caddy.  You can rent it from the vendor in town and do it yourself for $35 or you can have the vendor empty your tanks and fill you up with fresh water.  The price for that is $35 also.  It takes about a half hour to completely empty and fill your rig so the reason for the price appearing to be the same is that they figure you could do two RVs in that rental hour.

Saturday the winds started blowing again. It seems the storm that brought the big winds also had other winds behind it plus much cooler weather. We had planned on doing a few things but all we got in was a short ATV ride and a few vendor stalls. It was downright chilly!! 

Bring on the sun!!

'Tis just life on the road.

This is Quartzsite

A closed mouth gathers no foot.
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Even though a few hundred RVs have already moved into Quartzsite for the winter, it’s not going to be long until thousands more start showing up.   After all, this is definitely the place to be in January.  This is Retirement City USA.   Everyone else is there!   Well, almost everyone else.  We’re not there yet.

Saturday rolled around and that was the day we had written in ink that we were going to take a scouting trip to Quartzsite. The ink only dried, of course,  when we were actually in the Jeep and on our way there.  We figured it’d be about a 2 1/2 hour drive each way …. give or take another hour or two depending on the number of red lights we hit getting out of "Dodge" and traffic through Phoenix.
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The little town of Quartzsite comes alive and expands at the seams when all the snowbirds start heading south  in their little house on wheels.  During January there is no vacancy at the RV parks in town and the BLM land around it overflows with boondockers.  I'm certain by now you know what boondocking at the BLM is.  It's staying on public land without hookups.  Most RVers are pretty well set up for this before they decide to commit for any long term stay without hookups.  They have generators, batteries and an inverter.  Some RVers have even installed solar panels or wind generators to charge their batteries.  Folks have gone to great extremes to be able to stay for months at places just like this without having to move into a full hookup park.  If you drive around the BLM area, you will also notice that many places look like plots of land.  Rocks have been collected and positioned just like ranchers do with a fence.  PFC pipe and tarps are used to expand the size of the patio and provide protection from the wind.  It's definitely quite a place to be.
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We had driven through this desert oasis many times. Our first stop in an RV was January 2009, then in 2010 and again in 2011. There’s just something exciting about being where all this activity is. However, come February, we’re usually more than ready to pull out and go someplace else but it always feels good to spend a little time in Quartzsite where everything and everybody is at.
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The first year we visited Quartzsite we had never boondocked before but had made plans to meet a group of about 15 other RVs in the BLM. We weren’t really equipped for this.  We had two 12-volt batteries, a very noisy portable generator and no inverter.  Every time we wanted “electricity” we had to go outside and start the generator.  What did we do?  We booked a park in Quartzsite for the month of January with the idea that we could go back and forth.  Once we met the group, we discovered it was much more fun to be in the BLM with them than stay in the park by ourselves.  We learned a lot.  By the following year we had changed rigs, had an on-board generator plus a smaller Honda 2000, four 6-volt batteries and an inverter.   We’re still way behind lots of folks but this probably is the extent we need to be.  Oh, we do have a blue boy for the dump and now even a water bladder.  So, are we ready or what?
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After the holidays more and more vendors will start putting up temporary storefronts.  We also discovered that some merchants raise their prices during this time.  At one local grocery, we noticed two price stickers on canned goods.  You might imagine that your price is not the lower of the two.   It’s definitely the place to be but you might consider stocking up with groceries and other necessities before you head that way. The necessities are expensive but the toys are pretty cheap.

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The reason for this trip was not to stay but to actually look around and try to figure out what we want to do and where we want to go.  Well, we also wanted to say "hello" to Dave and Millie who had already arrived for the winter.
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The place isn’t overflowing yet with vendors. It will be very soon.  We did hear that more vendors have signed up this year than last.  That's good news. What we are trying to decide is whether we should stay in Gold Canyon or go ahead and move to Quartzsite.  Then, we have another decision if we do.  Should we go out to the BLM  or move into an RV park there.  Decisions, decisions and there are pros and cons with each one.  You might guess that one of the major considerations is about the ATVs. There is one park in town that has an active ATV club. If we move there, we might be able to eavesdrop on some of the conversations regarding great places to ride.  Even though we wouldn’t be there in January, we might just learn a thing or two.  However, there are also many, many ATVs in the BLM.  Well, at least we don’t have to make the decision on where to go today.  Thank goodness.
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There are several different places people can pull into on the BLM land around Quartzsite.  Some places parking is totally free as long as the boondockers move 25 miles down the road after a 14 day stay.  There are other areas where there is a fee. However, who can really complain about the fee?  You can stay 14 days for $40 or purchase a 6 month pass for $180.  This 6 month pass is good at many other BLM areas and not just around Quartzsite.  It can be used in the Yuma area, Lake Havasu and even at the ever so popular Hot Springs LTVA .... remember that one? It even has hot springs right on the BLM!

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Hot Springs LTVA  -  Our 2011 trip

 Boondocking at LaPosa South is especially popular because large trash bins, fresh water and an RV dump is available.  The line at these facilities can get mighty long in January if your timing isn’t right.  Last year we had a perfect spot.  It was close enough to the facilities that we could watch the line.  Being close to those facilities certainly has an advantage. 

Even though most vendors hadn’t set up yet, there were still quite a few ready to make some sales. We always enjoy checking out the local consignment shop. You just never know what might be in there. We weren't disappointed on Saturday either. The shop was already set up and it appeared that business was booming. We even contributed to the daily sales total by purchasing a 45 gallon water bladder. It was the same one we had already planned on purchasing from Camping World within the next few days. Evidently someone bought it, didn’t use it and wanted some cash for it. We snatched it up and saved about $35 on the purchase! Aren't bargains fun?
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This is the famous Millie!

Dave and Millie were just where they said they would be. Well, it actually wasn’t that easy. We had to hunt them down and then they had to find us. Do you get the picture? After a few hours eating a late lunch at the Palo Verde Restaurant together in town, we solved all the world’s problems. The meal was fantastic but not as great as the company we got to enjoy. It was certainly nice visiting again. I have a feeling we’ll be doing a bit more of that over the next few weeks or should I say couple of months? In January we expect a whole gang of people we know to start showing up. It'll definitely be a fun, fun month. Maybe, I shouldn't have used the word "gang" but again, maybe that's a good description after all.

Last year --- our dinner with Dave and IYQ (aka Lee) in Quartzsite

We arrived back at our own little home on wheels well after dark.  It was a long day but a fun day.  Now we have to think about those decisions we still need to make.  We're leaning both ways.

‘Tis life on the road.

Wickenburg and SKP North Ranch

 

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in the fruit salad.

 

Wednesday we took yet another drive.  This time we were in the Jeep and headed north.  The problem with our location and every place we want to go is that we’re on the wrong side of the city of Phoenix.  Getting through it adds about 70 miles to any trip we think we might want to take.  Needless to say, it took us a while to get through the traffic and through the city.

Wickenburg is a little town (population about 6500) with a very colorful past.  The town itself looks like it’s right out of the Wild, Wild West.  Well, maybe that’s because it really is.  There were constant conflicts between the the settlers in the area and the hostile Indian bands.  Gold brought the settlers here and gold kept them coming for many years.  There are many mines in the area as well as ghost towns. . 

The streets of the town even remind you of that era.  You’d think you were in cowboy-ville and we’d certainly like to check the town out a little bit more.  However, this day we didn’t have time to do a lot of that.  It was just a trip to scope the area out.

We also made a stop at the SKP North Ranch RV Park.  We’ve visited quite a few of the SKP parks but this was our first time here.  We were a little amazed to discover that many of the “homes” at the back end of this Escapee park were on deeded property.  There were a few for sale signs and we checked out the price.  They weren’t cheap.  We were thinking that perhaps the folks didn’t realize  Arizona had just gone through a major slump in real estate prices.

Terry stopped by the office to pick up some information.  Normally the SKP parks and their volunteers are just about the friendliest ever.  Not so in this case.  She was professional and cool but friendly is not a word that Terry used.  We were told she was ”having a bad day.”

There were also RV lots and an area for short term stays.  We stopped and talked to several who were parked on the rental lots.  Parks like this are so unlike the parks where snowbirds return year after year after year. The neighborhood changes constantly. Every newcomer to a SKP park is looked at like a future potential friend.

Another thing about this park we liked is that it borders BLM land and has a gate at the back of the park for ATVs to enter and exit.  One fella even gave us a trail map of interesting things to see on the trails.  He encouraged us to spend a while at the park riding the ATVs and especially to the old ghost town of Stanton.  However, he did indicate that one would have to go up Suicide Hill on their ATV to get there.  Now do you think I was excited about doing that?  NOT!!  The name certainly didn’t make that trip sound inviting.  I’d like to do the ghost town but not if Suicide Hill is the only way to get there.  He said it wasn’t that bad but bad to him and bad to me probably are two different things!!  The park has Verizon and ATT service.  We always check that out because cell service is important to us.

We had originally planned on meeting Sandie and Jim at Superstition Skies for another evening  of entertainment with Brant and Kerry.  Jim was fishing at Canyon Lake and he didn’t quite make it back in time.  We’re letting Jim take the blame for none of us being able to go.  However, secretly we were happy (but don’t tell him that ‘cuz we want him to feel guilty).  After our drive of the day we were pretty zonked so we were a little relieved our outing had been delayed for one more night.

<<----- Sunning on a picnic table – hadn’t seen this before and would NEVER do it.

Another little outing in our future is – Quartzsite!  Okay, we’ve been there before and actually done quite a bit of boondocking in the area.  We’ve also stayed at one of the local parks.  In January this little hole-in-the-wall town bursts at the seams with thousands of RVs for the annual RV show.  People congregate in groups there from all over and it’s quite an exciting adventure.

We already planned on meeting a group in January at Quartzsite.  However, we’re in search of a secure place to park over the holidays.  We had originally thought we would just fly to Washington over the Christmas holiday but now we’re thinking we might just drive.  Flying would be cheaper, of course, but if we drive, we have our car and we can come and go as we please. By moving down the road a bit, we save a couple hundred miles each way by traveling from “Q” over traveling from “G”.  We’re thinking why not just park there in December. Who knows what we’ll do until we do it.  Anyway …. in a few days we might make this little trip to check it out. 

In the meantime on Thursday …. we’re going to relax and ride the quads – perhaps.

‘Tis life on the road.

Hanging Out Around Apache Junction

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.

 

We’ve been a little busy the last few days.  We weren’t really doing a heck of a lot but it always seems we’ve got something going on or something that needs to be done. 

One thing we wanted to do on one of those busy days was return to the huge Mesa Swap Meet but it’s only open on the weekends. I bought some material there a week ago and wanted more of it before they ran out.  Since this place is so big and we really didn’t want to stroll all the way through it again, we decided just to walk the outside loop.  That’s where the quilt shop was and that’s where we also found little flags for our quads.  Why is it that all the really cute flags are taller than wider?  We needed the wider ones for the ATV poles.  They were only $3 each so we bought a few.  Of course, once we got them back to the RV, we discovered they needed to be adjusted so the pole could slide through and my sewing machine is still in the shop.  We also bought our first Christmas present.  Or, was it our second or third?  Ugh!

Another stop was made so we could get a license plate for our ATV.  We figured if we didn’t do it soon, our luck might run out and we’d get stopped.  It didn’t take long.  The hard part was finding a place open on Saturday to get the title transferred and the plates.  We had made a stop at the DMV on Friday but then realized it was a holiday and no one was working.  One thing about licensing the Arctic Cat in Arizona is that there is no sales tax if purchased from a private party and Arizona licensed the quad for road use.  There are so many snowbirds in the area that they are used to out-of-staters using the address of their RV parks for the title.  However, the title is just printed at the time of transfer.  Actually two stickers are required.  One is for OHV (off highway use) and the other is for normal travel on the road.  No matter what state the quad is licensed in an OHV sticker is required on it.

Bass Pro Shop is located in Tempe.  One more stop just because we had to.  That’s such a fun store to walk around.  You find all these neat little toys you didn’t know you had to have.  Terry found a few.  We also looked at trail GPS units that might be good for finding our way back.  I’ve watched too many of the “I shouldn’t be alive” shows where the problem was in getting back where they came from, I guess.  Even though we already have two GPS units, they aren’t the ones that are good for trails or atvs.  It’s not that we know much about the waypoints on a trail one because we don’t. 

On the way back to the RV we made a stop at the Arizona Casino.  It wasn't really on the way but kind of it was.   We didn’t go to gamble.  We went to donate a few bucks and that’s just what we did.  There’s no gamble about it at all. 

Later in the day when we got back to the corral, we saddled up our horses and hit the trail again.  This time I wanted to try my little video camera on the front of it to see if I could get videos of our rides.  I had ordered a tripod mount and used it on my other quad but it never seemed to tighten up.  These bars were a tad bigger.  I figured it might work.  It did!!  The camera didn’t tip over.  The only problem you have with using a video camera on a trail is that the pictures bounce all over.  There’s absolutely no way to get a nice smooth ride let alone a nice even video.  At least I have no clue how to do it with a tripod mounted on the machine.

We weren’t through yet.  We had been wanting to go back to de la Cruz, a Mexican restaurant in Gold Canyon since we had been here.  We visited in October when we flew down to check out the RV park and liked it then.  Saturday night was no exception.  It’s a great little Mexican restaurant.

Sunday morning we found  an eTrex Legend CX GPS unit on Craigslist.  The unit was in nearly new condition. We walked away with it for $80. I thought it was quite a deal.  Figuring out and following waypoints is a lot different than following roads and highways.  Now we need to figure out how to use it.  There are maps online we can load on it.  However, most of them aren't places we intend to be.

In the afternoon we ended up going back to the Mesa Swap Meet to get a bid for some welding work.  We were loaded with pictures of our trailer since it now needs to be enlarged by about 3 inches to fit the Arctic Cat.  When we bought the trailer we had the smaller Suzuki.  This last ATV is just a few inches too long to fit.  Now to wait for his cost estimate.  Ugh!

Then, of course, we again met Sandie and Jim for a late lunch in Apache Junction.  We also got to stop by and check out their new 5th wheel.  Since Jim is a fisherman (what a fisherman he is!!) their whole place is fishy.  Well, it’s not that it smells fishy.  It’s decorated to make Jim really feel at home.  The theme is fishing.  Really cute ….

One of the downsides we discovered of being this far out in our RV is  ….. it’s a long ways out!  The nearest grocery store is nearly 7 miles.  If we need to go anyplace for anything else, it’s a good 15 miles at least.  We’re not liking that part of being so far from every place.  However, only time will tell what we do about it. 

RV Park Update – Memory Bank Overflow

Memory is a net: one that finds it full of fish when he takes it from the brook, but a dozen miles of water have run through it without sticking.

 

I’m not sure where to start.  My mind is stuffed with lots of new knowledge and the memory bank is even overflowing. 

It’s amazing what you learn from people doing laundry.  We had lots of loads of laundry and normally that hasn’t been an issue in the past.  We either stuck it in the kids’ machines or inserted quarters.  However, this place has these little cards you have to buy.  The machine only takes $5 bills and you can only do one transaction at a time.  First you have to buy it, then you have to fill it with $$$.  Figuring out how to buy the thing, then adding money to it was a chore in itself.  However, the hardest thing was getting the machines to turn on using this card.  Now I’m a techie person but this was way beyond me without help or some little info sheet to read.  Thank goodness, my new friend, Mary, came to the rescue.

It’s also amazing how many people you meet walking their dogs. The normal thing is to greet and exchange names and site numbers.  Once they walk past I’d already forgotten their names because someone new was approaching.  I wonder if a “hey you” works around here.

 

Next we decided to do the potluck thing that was scheduled Halloween night.  I had lots of things I wanted to find out about quad rides.  I figured that would be the place to track some of the riders down.  Everyone likes to eat.  Remember we still had one to buy since we sold the Ozark in Washington.  Another fella I met in the laundry (pretty popular place, you know) told me not to buy a little one.   I forgot to ask what he meant by “little one” but just knew I didn’t want a BIG one.  So, it was off to the potluck to get some answers to questions. 

One thing we did discover is that the trail riding is usually finalized  when the MEN have coffee at 6:30 AM to 7:00 AM each morning!  You think that’s early?  Have you ever noticed how many people are out walking in these parks even way before that time?  Now you all know I’m out of bed before then but the tricky part is getting ready to get outside.  What is the chance Terry will ever make one of these coffee get togethers to find out where the event of the day is?  That’s an easy answer -- almost zero.  However, we did discover he’s not the only one in that group who doesn’t make them. Why don’t they organize these better and post them?  I bet it’s because they don’t like the commitment thing any better than we do.

We met SO MANY people who had so many different names.  I’ll never remember their names.  Except I remembered Mary and Beverly.  I’m good with association.  Mary rhymes with Jeri so that one was easy.  Beverly?  Well, I called her the dog lady.  She does a lot of pet sitting for people in the park.  I had already heard about her and wanted to chat a bit.  We knew we still needed to figure out if we were driving to Washington over Christmas or flying?  Duchess doesn’t fly.  However, Beverly just might be the answer to leaving her here while we fly.  That would certainly be the easy way.  We like easy ways.

We still had a lot to learn on this quad thing.  Before heading south we tried out the Trail Boss, I really liked it and thought that might be what I wanted.  However, we put the skids on when we got here.  What I really thought I wanted was different from what I learned I should want.  So, now the search is on for a 4x4 and a utility.  I’m not so sure I’m real thrilled with this.  The utility ones are bulkier and heavier. I know I’ll stress when it comes time to pulling the heavy ones north but maybe I can just cross that bridge in a few months.

Another problem I have is that some of these are so ugly.  They look like hunters should own them … ugh!   And, I just can’t buy one that isn’t “pretty”.  Unless I can find another red quad, I’m going to have to buy a different helmet.  Remember my helmet is red.  I certainly can’t wear it on a green or blue quad!

Other than that I also discovered a big calendar on the wall in the North Hall.  The activities are planned out for ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE.  There were even sign up sheets for these activities.  I knew I was in real trouble when I saw that --- commitments beyond 24 hours.  Oh boy … I’m not sure the chalk and eraser work here as well as they do on my own calendar.

Like I said … my memory bank is overflowing with all the recent stuff I’ve had to add to it.  This is a whole new thing to me being on the road  -- staying in an RV park for more than a couple weeks or so. You can tell the trouble I’m in when I've added all these different thought patterns in one little blog.  Yep ….I think I’m definitely in trouble here.