Quiet Time in the Desert- American Girl Mine Rd, Yuma

Before we left the huge crowds of Quartsize for a quieter less populated spot in Yuma, we took a drive to Lake Havasu. We had made an appointment for Savannah for a vaccination needed and a health certificate for our Mexico trip which is coming up soon. We had made it very early as we had planned to kayak after. Of course the weather changed sooner than we thought and rain was due so those plans were dropped. We got up when still dark ): and took the drive north on the 95 which includes the lovely drive from Parker to Lake Havasu. Savannah was a good patient at the doctor's and now is up to date on shots and has her papers in order for the trip. We drove back partly on the California side. We stopped at the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge which now has a visitor center. We kayaked from here down the Bill Williams River that starts from the lake on one of our previous trips.

 

 

We saw some wild burros walking down the highway.

Friday night was a rainy one but we had no problem leaving our boondocking spot at Dome Rock and drove a few hours to our next destination in Yuma. We had read about a few BLM boondocking spots off Ogilby Road, in Wheeling It's blog, that sounded nice and found a great spot on American Girl Mine Road. What a difference from Quartzsize. There were only a few other motorhomes in the area and we have unobstructed views out all our windows. Very lovely and very quiet.

View from window

 

 

One morning we walked down the wash below us. There are remains of the mines around this area. We saw a bunch of old tin cans that must have been from mining days in the past. I am not sure why they were in this one spot. There is also gold in these hills. This was a booming mining area in the 1880's. Sadly we haven't found any and are not now part of the 1%ers :)

Savannah is enjoying being off leash to do her exploring.

 

 

 

 

I never get over the awesome sunsets. Oh, the beauty of nature.

I love the way the light changes the coloring on the hills near sunset.

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Put up a Tent and RV'ers Will Come

We said good bye and see ya later to Borrego Springs and Anza Borrego and made our way out of California to Arizona. We decided to go on Hwy 78 which we don't remember ever traveling on before. It was a nice scenic drive. We passed through the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area and Glamis. This is a major area for sand toys. such as ATVs and other off road vehicles.

 

 

 

This might be a place to spend some time at in the future. We only had a few hours drive to reach Quartzsize. We actually found a spot at Dome Rock, about 5 miles outside of town. We were here a few times last winter, including spending some time during the big show, which is now going on. Quartzsize is a small desert town with a population of around 3,000, a town you would normally barely glance at on your way through. Once a year for several weeks, though, it turns into a major gathering of hundreds and thousands of RVers. A huge tent is erected and filled with vendors with all types of rv items. Outside is a swap meet/flea market where artwork, jewelry, and knick knacks galore are sold. It is a crazy scene, but all rvers should do it at least once. There are also many social gatherings, such as the escapees rv group who have several different get togethers. One we went to last year was the Escapees Chapter 8 Mexican Connection, which is the same group we are going to San Felipe at the beginning of February. We thought they would have one this year but didn't after all. We went to the show a couple of times and got a few things, such as more led lights which are almost done buying as replacements for the less energy friendly light bulbs that came with the motorhome. We also got some shelf organizers for the kitchen area cabinets. Always trying to find ways to make our home more organized.

Quartzsize Swap Meet

 

Thousands of Boondockers

More Boondockers

Below is Dome Rock, which we can see from our site. We are parked on a upper level off of Dome Rock Road with nice views of the hills and lights of the city at night.

Dome Rock

Below is a picture of our backyard.

 

Love the desert sunsets.

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Jurassic Park of Borrego Springs

Galleta Meadows Estates was the property of Dennis Avery, who envisioned adding free standing art to that property. He commissioned Ricardo Breceda to create the metal sculptures that dot the landscape throughout Borrego Springs. Sadly, Mr. Avery died last July at the age of 71 but everyone who comes to Borrego Springs will be able to see enjoy these wonderful sculptures because of him. We saw some of the artwork last year when we were here but only on the north side. This time we checked out the south side, which is a trip back to prehistoric times. We had driven on Borrego Springs Road for a few miles and all of a sudden there were giant beasts everywhere you looked. We had gone back in time.

 

 

 

 

 

We're not in Kansas anymore, Savannah

 

"Wild Horses, couldn't drag me away" Rolling Stones

 

 

 

We really enjoyed the Sky Art of Borrego Springs.

Saturday was a great day, HOCKEY is back!!!!! Even better, our Ducks beat Vancouver 7 to 3. What a great first game of the shorten season. And the old man :) Teemu got four points. Nothing slows Selanne down. He is still the Finnish Flash and we love him.

Monday morning we watched the Inauguration and then packed up for our next journey from the quiet Borrego Springs desert to the zoo that is Quartzsize.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy