It's All About the Motorhome

Well, our next stops do revolve around the Motor home. We spent one night at Organ Pipe after our Mexico adventure and then headed to Casa Grande, AZ. We stayed the night at the Escapees SKP Park where we were having two more solar panels installed. Our original solar installation that included 4 panels was done at AM Solar in Oregon. Joe found out that there was an authorized installer in Casa Grande and so we ordered two panels before we went to Mexico. The installation went pretty fast and so we headed back to Lake Havasu to have the MCD shades we ordered, again before the Mexico trip, installed. Wednesday we checked into Lake Havasu State Park and on Thursday had the shades installed Everything looks great with shades throughout A nice clean look. While there they mentioned they had a fix for our slide toppers that are getting old and coming apart a little. So the next day we went back to 3 T's RV Products to have them take care of that issue. Oh, we did have a little excitement while there. One of the guys was getting set to move the MH a little to do the repair and Savannah and I were sitting on the coach when we spotted something flying around inside the MH. The repair person screamed like a little boy. It was a bat. I wanted to go to Carlsbad Caverns to see the bats come out of the caves which they do at dusk during the summer months but didn't expect to see a bat in my own RV.
Up Close and Personal!!!
With that work done, we had a few days to relax at Lake Havasu State Park, one of my favorite state parks.

The park is full starting on Sunday as there is a Blue Grass festival next week and so we stopped at a Casino Sunday night and then onto Fontana to have J&L RV Repair take a look at our slide problem.  Hopefully we will then be done for awhile for RV work, though at least this time some of the work was something that we were excited to have done. The shades are a great upgrade and the solar panels will be a great help as we continue to boondock more and more.                                                                     

Oysters and Auction and Goodbye to Mexico

Alan and Ellie and us decided to go look for the oyster farms we had heard about and so headed out on our search. We had been told in what direction they were and to just follow the signs. Well, we turned off when we saw a sign and found an outdoor area set up but no one there. We went down another road and saw a small house with an oyster set up in front. We saw someone sitting in front of his house and Ellie yelled out the window "abierto" (open) and he answered si and put on his  shoes and walked down to the water and pulled up a tray of oysters. We split a dozen oysters and added lime and different hot sauces. They were good sized and tasty but really salty due to coming straight from the sea and rinsed in the same salty water. No complaints though.

                                                            

We continued on and this time, we found a place with a small restaurant where we ordered another dozen oysters and Ellie and I ordered ceviche which was very good.

      Well another interesting adventure.

Before we came, we all were asked to bring items for an auction to be held here where the money raised would go to various charities in the area We donated a good bottle of wine and a gift certificate from Harvest Hosts that they had given us in Quartzsize when we asked to buy a gift certificate for their program  for the charity  auction. We also had an almost new portable dvd player we never use that we gave. There were small silly items like hats that have what looks like hair on top(great for those follicle challenged) and fancy underwear modeled by Ed, a past president of the group(very professional job, Ed) to wines and rv products like a nice patio mat, cookbooks and art work. The auction was after a catered dinner and margaritas were flowing, increasing the fun and helping out the bidding.                                                     
Almost the whole group went on a sunset cruise on Saturday afternoon/evening More margaritas and snacks. And dancing was going on. Lots of fun.Some of us  went out to dinner at another restaurant in town.

Puppy Love

Savannah has had to stay in her crate while we have been out and about. However, she has had a great time with her new best friend, Reggie. It took a few days but they started playing around, wrestling and chasing each other while off lease. Savannah will miss Reggie when we leave.
There was another catered dinner on Sunday night and Monday morning we said adios to Mexico. We followed Alan and Ellie and Reggie over the easy border crossing and said our good byes. We are spending a night at Organ Pipe and then onto Casta Grande to get two more solar panels and then to Lake Havasu to get more MCD shades put in No more curtains. Hooray!!                                           

More Fun in Mexico

We didn't do a lot on Monday. We went into town to do some shopping. Really good pricing. The cash registers first show pesos but if you want to pay in US dollars, it converts for you. You don't really need pesos as the people there are glad to take our dollars. We took some walks on the beach and went down to the beach for a little happy hour and to watch the sunset

              Tuesday was Valentine's Day and we went out to dinner at the Lighthouse  Restaurant and Bar, which is at a top of a hill overlooking the old Port. Good food and a great view

         Ellie and Alan, who we have become friends with, have friends, Frank and Margaret, who have a house here in Puerto Penasco. Along with Penny and Loretta, Frank and Margaret gave us a tour of the area including a few other nice RV Parks that had more beach front property than where we are staying If we didn't have commitments right after this trip, we would have liked to stay at one of them.We stopped at JJ Cantina in Cholla Bay but ended up going to a restaurant on Malacon Ave, which is a nice area full of shops and restaurants,  for some drinks with another great view of the sea. Another time, Frank and Margaret invited us all to their beautiful house. They have a great view of the ocean and have what is called a Margarita Patio which is up some outside stairs and a great . Sorry I didn't get some pictures of their house and views as they are just lovely. They had margaritas and appetizers and we all brought some as well. A really nice couple of afternoons.

Restaurant right by one of the Campgrounds

Frank and Margaret

A Giraffe, which is used to haul boats to the water

One of main grocery stores in town

Ellie and Alan

Penny and Loretta, nurses who are from Irvine, our old home town

Yes, Nikki and Joe

Margaret and Frank

A little music

                                              

                                                                                      

A day at Sea

On sunday we took a boat ride to San Jorge Island, or what is known as Bird Island. It was an all day affair as the ride one way was 2 !/2 hours. Bird Island is a very important biological sanctuary for  birds, mammals and sealife. It is classified as a federal zone, and in 1978 was decreed a Reserved Area of Shelter for migratory birds and wild fauna.
 There are many  tropic birds, marine swallow, blue footed boobies,  seagulls and more. Also there are great herds of sea lions, one of the biggest colonies of sea lions in the Gulf of California.We saw some dolphins on the way.

                                                                               
 As we approached the island, we could see why it was called Bird Island. However, it also could have been called Seal Island, as there are hundreds of seals and sea lions in this area. It is one of the largest colony in the Gulf of California.

                                                                

                                                                                      


We had lunch while we were there and some engaged in some other activites other than watching the seals play around.

     Below are some pictures of the marina. This area has been a fishing area for many, many years. It only became a tourist area in the 90's. Unfortunately the last few years have not been good to this town. With the bad economy in the US and the Drug Wars that have kept many Americans away, it has had a bad effect on their economy We saw many businesses closed down and unfinished hotels. We feel this area is very safe and hope business will pick up again soon.