FEBRUARY 5
SUPER SUNDAY
Posted by Terry
On Saturday we went
on an adventure, a voyage of discovery and exploration if you will.
Our destination was to be the
Cibloa
National Wildlife Refuge. We had seen the location
of refuge in the AZ Gazetteer
and and having seen the sign in Ehrenberg, Az (Exit 1 off of I0)
just east of the Flying J Truck
Stop had decided we would take the day, pack a picnic lunch and
go off into the desert to explore
a remote corner of the state. From our map it looked like it
be about a 30 mile drive in
and out on gravel roads.
We had explored this road a
few weeks earlier, going several miles before turning around and
heading out. Today we
were prepared to make the effort to get to the refuge and explore.
Just after leaving the pavement
at Flying J there is a small pocket of irrigated farm land, and
yesterday they were harvesting
cauliflower.
After leaving the Irrigated
area we then followed the Colorado River South. The road is
graveled
and well maintained, but can
be rough. We noticed a number of the trees and bushes growing on
the side of the road
that were decorate with bits of cotton that had scraped from the side of
the
trucks hauling the bales of
cotton from the fields in the south out to the cotton gin.
About twenty miles into our
journey the road takes a definite turn to the SW, and we began to see a
lot of campers along the river.
The area is quite nice, a bit on the dusty side, located on BLM Ground
(read Free Boondocking) and
we thought very very remote. We found out around the next turn
that we were in error on the
remote part, when we drove up to a stop sign and a paved secondary
road, with a bridge across
the river. From here it would be a straight shot north to Blythe,
Ca.
Needless to say as navigator,
that my map reading skills were questioned. We could have driven
into
Blythe on the Interstate, then
taken Hwy 78 south and had paved roads the entire way, but we had to
bounce along 20 miles of desert
road to get to a paved hwy.
We were still about fifteen
miles from the Reserve and we turned south on the pavement and headed
for the reserve.
We reached the reserve a Cibola
Lake about 1:30 pm. The lake is an old ox bow of the Colorado
River, and grown up with a
lot of rushes and cattails. There were a few ducks and herons in
the area
but we did not get to see much
else. There are suppose to be large flocks of geese and sand hill
cranes
that winter at the refuge,
but they were probably in the nearby farm fields foraging for the afternoon.
While at the refuge we stopped
at one of the informational signs, had lunch and collected literature
to help with this article.
The map we picked up also showed
a second bridge across the river, and a
link to hwy 78, and more grief
for the navigator.
On the CA side of the river
the Fish and Wildlife Service had an access point for the river,
and there
were a number of campers in
the area. It is a fee area, $10.00 per day, with a 14 day limit.
From here
it is about a mile to hwy 78
and from there a short drive back to Blythe.
We ended the outing with a stop
at the grocery store in Blythe for a few items we could not get in
Quartzsite. Seventy six
dollars and a 1/4 tank of diesel fuel later we were back on the interstate
heading back to Quartzsite.
Had to get back and water the
TOMATO
PLANT We are finding we need to water it SEVERAL
times a day or
it just wilts. It is in a 5
gal bucket and now is nothing but roots, so no water holding capacity.
It has been fun
and we are now getting cherry
tomatoes from it. We will not do this next year. It is getting heavy and
have had
to bring it in at night since
the desert does get cold at night. So you may have your pets, but we have
got this
huge plant we have to care
for. But we have had fun greating people who stop by to see it.
FEBRUARY 6
THE MONDAY AFTER SUPER SUNDAY
Monday and real life... the
real life of being retired and NOT working.
(following has been re-written)
We have been in Q since Nov.
1 and have seen many come and go and it gets us to thinking.
We saw thousands
of
rigs, many high end MH's, C's, and many 5ers stay just for a few days to
see the big show and move on. It was like a HUGE wave, move in and move
out with the tide. They looked like fulltimers not weekenders.
Many come to the big show and
not spend a season here, but to just meet old friends and then move on.
Many of the long time vendors
are saying this year was only a two week thing, unlike in the past where
there was a much longer selling season. Are things changing. RV sales lots
are taking over where it used to be all about the rocks and gems which
started it all.
You would think people would
be staying longer in one spot, due to fuel cost, like in the BLM or the
65 RV parks in the area for the season. But the long term visitor
areas are less crowded than in years past. People used to come here in
much larger numbers and stay longer. Might be the dust they all complain
about.
Me wonders if they just don't
want to boondock and can't live without the big city box stores.
We are in Q because we love
the Quartzsite Gem and Mineral Club (or at least Terry does) (I like the
local city library, not the nudist one) and boondocking in the BLM and
not in a cramped RV park. It costs big bucks to
outfit a unit to boondock in
style. We could stay in RV resorts for many years for what we paid to get
set up this way.
I guess I need to go back
to my HitchItch site and read a few more Travel Journals to get my questions
answered as to why people
travel the way they do. I knew I started that site for a reason.
Now here I go again...
I just get so worried about
people who write in the forums and say "We just sold our house and spent
ALL the money on a RV and are going fulltime" (no pension or income) will
have to work on the road and ask "Now where do we find health insurance."
I just hope they didn't get the idea from reading the travel journals on
HitchItch.
FEBRUARY 8
WEDNESDAY
We had
to try Ms Tiog's Meat Loaf last night.
Here
is the recipe for MsTioga's Meat Loaf!
This one is a
two pounder
We also have been eating cherry
tomatoes.
Remembered to take a picture
after I had started to eat my salad.
Ww get the best romaine lettuce
right up the road at Lamn's produce.
A huge head for 99 cents.
Tonight it will be leftover
meat loaf.
The weather has been warming
up a bit and we even left the tomato plant outside last night.
It is just too heavy to be
moving around. The BLM Long Term Visitor lands are almost back
to the way we found them in
November. The big tent came down yesterday and things are returning to
a
lazy no rush pace. The FRS
and GMRS personal radio traffic has died off. My scanner had been busy
listening to all these people calling to each other trying to find the
bargains and helping each other get lost in the crowds. Now just ATVers
using them to communicated back and forth. I do notice on the police scanner
their are a lot of ATV accidents that the police, and medics have to respond
to, and many are far out in the desert on the back trails. They are calling
in helicopters all the time for rescues. And your not going to find a hospital
in Quartzsite.
Update...
Later this afternoon the call
came in for a rescue 250 ft up in a canyon and after much radio talk, came
back they had NO MORE teams to help. They called the Park Service for a
big time fly in team and it would be 45 min. for it to respond. Now we
are talking dark here.
Now at dusk we got this picture
while watching the Grammy awards. It is still warm and we still have all
the windows open. Now this is desert living. Still have lots of firewood
and with it getting warmer may have to do
more outside living.
The little rise on the right
is Q hill.
We felt connected in sprit
with the thousands of RVers still here in the desert, for the season, to
witness these sunsets. It justs gets better in Feb. and as much as we hate
to see friends we have met leave.
Now is a great time to be here.
Staying warmer in the evening like camping should be.
We have been talking about if
this is the palce we would like to continue spending our winters.
Well, on a day like this we
think it is not too bad, and close to Great. As (the drug labels say)
your experience may very. Dry mouth, cough, upset stomach, nausea, dreams
of beaches, green grass, snow, and clear blue water.
Overall we like it, and for
$140 a season, the price is right. Now you have to find that just perfect
camping spot or you won't like it. Just ask the Class of '05 about the
Dust...
Terry and I are still looking
at what we want from this fulltiming lifestyle, and where we can do the
most boondocking possible. We do just dislike spending time in RV parks
(parking spaces). We drive through the parks every chance we get, just
to look around, hoping to see what others see in them, and what we are
missing. They are full, so we can't deny their appeal. But so far we have
not seen why we want to do that. OK! you do your thing... That's
great but we just don't see it. Many offer a great social life. Now I can't
knock that.
My mother loved the activities
in Weslaco, TX in "Country Sunshine RV Resort" for RV winter
Texans, and with park model units which she bought and lived in for several
years. With the dancing, pot lucks, cards, pool, crafts, etc.
She tried a condo for a few
years right on the beach at New Smyrna Beach, FL. Just south of Daytona
Beach. That was fun for me to visit. Play on the beach and I remember
floating on my back in the pool late at night looking up at the stars.
The pool was just a few steps from her sliding door. I don't kow how she
found this place right on the beach condo. As she didn't have big bucks.
But she wasn't happy there. Salt spray and let us say the east coast populous
(non RVers) who went to FL to these condos, just didn't mix well with her
midwest lifestyle. She studied where she wanted to go next. And she didn't
have the internet to search. She wrote letters and used snail mail. She
could have just held up in a samll apartment in Iowa, but not this woman.
She had outlived a harsh farm life, polio, and (let us say, she kept it
together for her kids). I was lucky to be able to travel, drive her
back and forth to IA for the summers from FL and later TX. When I
helped her get to TX (she rented a trailer in Country Sunshine sight unsean.
We pulled in to she what she gotten herself into. She liked it so much
she just stayed... She knew how to pick them as this place was a 5 * alll
the way. Traveling we took the back roads, we were not in a hurry, now
they call them "blue roads" and loved our trips together. I treasure the
memories of our travel adventures together, as she has passed. She showed
me how to expand my horizons, by example, by showing me how she wanted
to live. After a hard farm life, but living to expand her life, to travel
and do things, at the time others back home couldn't comprehend her lifestyle.
She did it anyway and showed me I could do it to.
She had polio after I was born,
(I was the last born of three boys) and in later in her life, just when
you think things are going great, she came down with Post
Polio Syndrome. Polio was bad enough but many of the survivors,
later in life, came down with this syndrome and the setback was huge, physically
and mentally to people who had worked so hard and thought they had beaten
this evil scourge.
You don't hear much about that
anymore as most of the original polio patients have passed. She was one
of the brave, (others were also strong, but many didn't make it)
and she refused to let it get to her. She was told she would never walk,
and as a very young child I didn't know the difference. She even
drove a tractor on the farm, did large gardens, canned food for winter
and raised us with love. A remarkable women, if I do say so myself.
Aren't they all wonderful,
yours, mine, and all of them. If yours is still with us give her
a HUGE hug!
We have lots to learn from the
travel journals and life stories on www.hitchitch.com
Guess the Adventures
of Tioga and George has us convinced boondocking is the how we
want to go.
See what a Great Sunset can
do to you. Reflection.. Looking Back.. and Forward..
Sometimes we need to reflect...
so we can move forward with grace....
Peace...
FEBRUARY 10
FRIDAY
Spent
a bit of time re-reading (and smoothing) the above post. Didn't want to
get to far off track and too personal. After all this is to be a travel
story, but after read it again I liked what I had written. Even a day later
and without the happy hour intake and sunset that helped me write it. Ya...
just never know what you'll read on this blog.
Life
is a day to day ever changing, even if we don't move on down the
road everyday right now.
It gives
us time to reflect. Read other travel adventures, and adjust our thinking.
Terry
had a couple from Belgium in his silver casting class today at the rock
club. They are here touring the southwest, and spending a week in Q before
heading to Sedona and points east. There was a video on Quartzsite that
was played on European television and they flew into Phoenix and rented
an RV and are exploring Arizona.
They
have tried several classes of lapidary, at the club and love it, and hope
to find similar opportunities when they return home.
Another
great day of warm temps. light to no breeze, and NO dust.
Temp
70 at 7:45 PM and a low tonight of about 50.
Maybe
they should have the big show in Feb when it's warmer.
We talked
about it, here it is: Quartzsite Masters Golf Tournament
Feb.25
Terry might have to get out
of the way.
The Class of '05 brought their
clubs but I guess they left a little early.
Or did they have their own
round when they were here.
Events for us
"Still here RVers"
Rice
Ranch Annual Blugrass Festival at
Rice ranch Feb 23-26
The Chili
in Q Cook-Off & State Salsa Championship
Feb. 25 th. 3rd
annual cookoff
and The
Q Fair with a Mardi Gras Fair
March 3-5 th.
Town park on Plymouth Ave.
Vendors, Games, Parade
10- 5 PM each day
Q doesn't
dry up after the Big Tent show, just sort of...
Looks
like Feb. 23 - 25 has a few events to get the BLM campers
to come
in off the range or others from the 65RV
resort parks in town.
This
is a little scary ...
The latest
Desert
Messenger Shopper shows a full pge ad with pictures of a 7story
York
Tower Condominum and apartments with pool, gym, rec hall, game room,
squash court, and conference room, amphitheatre.INQuartzsite.
And also
in the same ad a York Village with shops and condos or apts above
each. Takes a whole new thought to vendors who may want to live above their
shops. (They better have great sales).
A long
way from when vendors just pulled up and sold out of the back of their
pickups.
On the
same realtors site they were also offering storage bays (you know the ones)
garage doors that go on forever and you rent them to store stuff. BUT
get
this... they want $30 K
and
above to buy a 12x22 storage unit. Yes for (one) storage unit.
So you
can say Q is a changing... We shall see if, for the better or worse.
And if
people will want to come back to see the outcome.
Thinking...
Tioga
George sez there is room down in Mexico where he spends his winters...
It might
be the place for people to live in the winter season.
It is
getting NUTS
up here...
Your
thoughts may vary from ours...
Set upyour
site or blog and a tell us how it is on the road with YOUR
travel stories and observations?
Just think
Saturday is another day...
FEBRUARY 11
SATURDAY
Today
was dump day and using our macerator and tank
process.
I checked
our dump schedule on a word doc we keep track of such things, like when
we had last dumped and it has been only 10 days, ( we had been 14 days)
but it felt right and after all we have been taking longer showers.
You know
the the routine, when boondocking, wet down, lather up with shampoo and
body soap. Make sure to get to the all the 1000 body parts, like the old
Lever Soap commercial. You remember that one. Then turn the shower back
on and rinse the crud down the drain. That's great but when you want
to feel a little more what a shower was like before you skip the turn it
off stage, and leave the water running. Oh.. WOW it does feel great. So
we dump a day or two less then our two week schedule. Who wants to be on
a schedule anyway. With a low flow shower head, not much is wasted, and
it is worth it. And since it is not a big deal to dump, who cares! And
since Terry is the sanitation engineer, who does the pump and dump
thing. I think a longer shower is a new standard in this fulltiming thing,
unless we are in a very remote area, where dumping is a problem. When we
are in a free 14 day BLM location, we will go back to the wet and drip
thing.
Went
to Blythe, CA this afternoon mainly since we just wanted something to do.
Got a new computer keyboard (some letters had worn off the original HP
one) (think we were posting too much to forums we follow) and a new TV
remote control (the enter button gave up the cause). Found boneless pork
ribs for $1.99 and got two packages. We have tried these and with
slow cooking and a good sauce they are great. Not going to stop at a vendor
in Q and spend $5 for just one sandwich.
Got back
and it is Saturday afternoon and Garrison Keilor's "Prairie Home Companion"
radio show is on again.
Streaming
on the net... life is good, sunset and great weather, what can I say.
Hear
the northeast is having a big storm... About time.. all we have been hearing
is how warm it has been back up north. Suffer, just a little bit,
you know you love it... I can see I could be in trouble for that
statement.
Hey you'll
forget about me while you are digging out, I trust...
Now if
I can just this uploaded I can get some of that BBQ pork and homemade potato
salad, and cole slaw Terry has fixed. And a fresh loaf of French bread.
FEBRUARY 12 SUNDAY
Went for
a ride in the desert up off Dome Rock road west of Q. Many back roads
and mines to explore.
We will
have to think about a couple of ATV's, not this year, but in the future.
Not sure I'm ready to spend $30 K to store it. (see above)
Discovered you have
to be careful out here.
REST
IN PEACE... PARDNER.
(I know it's not real...is
it?)
There are vast streaches of
desert to explore, and many back roads up to old and current claims.
It just goes on and on, once
you get back into it.
Here is a picture we took last
year with the wet weather and how the deset was so green.
Terry the great prospector.
.jpg)
We stopped and the Q General
Store (no lines at the two checkouts) and bought a chuck roast and it is
now in the oven for a pot roast. Next was to Lamm's produce for the veggies.
Will go back tomorrow for more artichokes at 2 for $1.40. Terry has found
a great recipe in his Classic Italian Cook book. It's just water and fresh
lemon juice, etc. and they are cut back to the hearts. I was used to just
dipping the leaves in butter and scraping them with your teeth.
Not anymore these are great
fixed this way. Have been following our friends Bob and Linda at www.becausewecan.net
They do know how to eat well and discribe the menu on their web site. Not
sure about turkey wraps everyday. Would like to know just how they make
their wraps. Terry is a great cook. Midwest down home cookin. He keeps
a sour dough starter so he can bake and get his pancakes
before he heads off to the
rock club.
FEBRUARY 13 MONDAY
Went to
the Q post office today. Had delivery confirmation on this mail drop as
it would have all my tax stuff in it. Got It! Lucky! They opened a new
branch just for general delivery mail, on the east side of town. Confirmed
they only hold mail for 15 days after receipt. The person in front of me
was depressed as he had been to the window for several days and they still
couldn't find his big mail drop envelope. The tribulation of getting mail
at Q.
On ... Tuesday may go one a
Rock Club day trip. for Geodes about 20 miles west of Blythe, CA. Blythe
is 20 miles west of Q on I 10. Trip starts at 8:30 AM (you have got to
be kidding) you are to bring a sack lunch for a big day of digging for
rocks, I mean gems. I'm taking a book and comfy lawn chair.. to let
Terry dig. Pics on late breaking news at 5.
Bob and Linda emailed
how they do their turkey wraps They follow Tioga also don't ya see.
Turkey Wraps (by
Bob & Linda)
A whole wheat wrap, a little
mustard, a few slices of smoked turkey, 2 or three slivers of green or
red pepper, a couple of rings of onion and some very thin sliced cabbage.
Roll it up and, as George says, man-o-man, is that ever good tasty or what,
plus it is really good for you also. Sometimes we leave out the cabbage
or use more turkey, change to a specialty mustard or kick it up with a
spicy mexican chili. The meal of a thousand variations!
We have all the fixins and just
need to get the wraps, the rock club road trip might just work out..
Otherwise turkey and stuff
on 7 grain or french, may have to do.
We have tried to stay away
from store tortillas as when we look at the label, the sodium and fat content
is out of sight. I know don't eat the whole bag, but still. But they look
Soooo good. So where can we find low salt and fat flour ones? Terry makes
a corn flour one, but they are not as thin or as large. Rolls them out
and bakes them in a cast iron skillet. We like them for soft shelled tacos.
Kind of messy but dump the toppings on chow down. Will have to experiment.
Thanks, Bob and Linda for getting us thinking about this lunch taste treat.
FEBRUARY 14
TUESDAY
Yes, life
does start at 7:30 AM to get ready for a rock club field trip to go dig
for Geodes.
We formed
a caravan in Q (30-40 vehicles) and left town at 9 AM
(Terry
told me it left at 8:30, so of course we were there at 8:20 and waited).
We were
third in line.
I could
have gotten an egg McMuffin at the big M. had I known.
But I
suppose a piece of toasted 7 grain bread was better.
It did
have turkey on top. And a small fat free cup of milk.
We drove
into CA on I 10 to the Willey Wells road exit 15 miles west of Blythe,
CA and headed southwest...
and headed
southwest forever, on some real back jeep trails, can I say it again, forever.
But just
when I had given up hope, there we were.
See below
the group pulled in and for the most part everyone ran to the hills.
They
just took off, and away they went.
You would
have thought it was Christmas and the presents were just a few inches underground.
 
Just might be a big one in
here.
And look at this one...
They faned out to prospect
for geodes with their
picks, shovels, bags and buckets to carry home the loot.
Now these people were intense
and were having a great time.
It was a fun day and good drive
way
back into the desert country.
As they were breaking for lunch,
about 1 PM we started back,
knowing they would be soon
back soon hitting the slopes hoping for that big find.
One our way back we stopped
at Blythe, CA for staples. Got the proper fixins for turkey wrapes. Found
some 98% fat free flour tortillas. But for tonight we are having a roast
chicken stuffed with a lemon. I wanted to say where we stuffed the lemon,
but Terry said not too.
FEBRUARY 23 THURSDAY
Getting
a little lax in posting but wanted to share another field trip we took.
Not much
going on.. Saw this in a book I'm reading...
"When
you are doing nothing ... it's hard to tell when you're done."
Road Trip to Earp, Califiornia (west of Parker,
AZ) on Tuesday the 21
See we did do something...
Purple
Jasper
Agate day trip.
This
road trip was repeated as last month over 85 vehicles trooped out to hunt
for purple jasper here.
We
had only about 20 vehicles on this day. We met on the north side
of Quartzsite and formed the caravan for
the
trip north to Parker and on into California. Below they come pulling in
to park at the site after a few miles of back road off of the main hiway.
Part
of the desert road follows the Cailfornia water project pipeline then veers
of north to the site.
Off they go on a hike of about
1/4 mile up the wash and to climb the ridge where the good stuff is deposited.
Covering every inch to make
that great find. But here that was not diffecult,
as many lugged back large buckets
of treasure.
Lunch break and then back at
it for many for that second load of goodies.
They will be cutting and polishing
for weeks and months to come.
Alva, the new Quartzsite Gem
and Mineral Club President, and filed trip leader,
examines the booty that Terry
(on the right) found. Here discussing the quiltiy of the rock,
and how to cut and polish the
jasper. Each piece is different with purple, red, and white intermixed.
So the trick is to determine
how to handle each piece to make it into a cabochon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today is Thursday and Terry
has been busy dumping the black and gray, getting fresh water and now off
to do laundry. That's right I'm spoiled rotten. He wanted to know
if he should take the camera and get pics of him in the laundromat?
Thinking about taking some time
and heading over into California to San Diego or somewhere. Terry wants
to go to Palm Springs. I told him too rich for my blood. Still in the early
stages of thinking about where. Don't want to rush the thought process.
Will have to spend some time on the net and do a little research. May just
leave the 5er here and go on over and go to the zoo, etc. and stay in a
motel. Did I say stay in a motel? Wash out this boondockers mouth with
one of those small courtesy motel soaps! Off to research southern CA on
the net... later.
FEBRUARY 26 SUNDAY
Chili
in Q Cook-Off & State Salsa Championship
Feb. 25 th. 3rd
annual cookoff
was held yesterday. and Terry
got a few pictures. Here we go.
Now on Sunday it is still
warm 75 at 7 PM and with some clouds late in the day, sunset is looking
good.
See I told you, clouds make
all the difference.
MARCH 5 SUNDAY
OK OK it's March...
I'll get the pages fixed in due order...
but for now it is
Feb. and Mar. all in one.
We went for a drive today after
reading the Sunday paper. North out of Q on Hwy 95 their is a scenic road
that goes over to Bouse and just before the pass is a 4wd road up to mine
that is a few miles in back in desert.
We thought this is where we
have to stop as we do have a 1 ton dully after all.
The more we do this, we talk
about we have to get a ATV or two. "So much to explore and so little time."
That was a line from some movie,
wasn't it. Oh, sure we are watching the Oscars! right now.
A fun road, but read on...
this wasn't worth it. COSTLY!
Don't
look at the next pic... I try not to...
So when we pulled back onto
the blacktop road headed back to Quartszite, I herd a thump... thump...
thump.
Now we have not had a flat,
up till now, but knew something was wrong, big time.
I yelled, we have a flat. Pulled
over and we pried a rock out between our drivers side dully.
So off we go again... more
thumping. Now enough is enough.
Now on the right side is another
rock wedged in-between the two rear tires.
BUT this time when we tried
to pry it out we heard a hissing sound... OH SHIT!!
The rock had punctured the
sidewall. We tried to pry it, but the rock wouldn't come loose.
Sure I have 'Allstate RV RoadHelp'
but who wants to sit here for a day or two in the desert (we are after
all just north of Q) for them to respond. So we got out the jacks
and stuff under the back seat, and found that the tire wrench was too short
to reach the dully tire lugs. OF, course Terry has a big tool box, but
low and behold his socket wrench extension was missing.
Short story we did pry the
rock out. Since we have dullys we can still drive the truck so off we went
back to Q. That's why we have dullys! We stopped at JB tools, a vender
still open (closes at 5) we got there as they were closing. They had a
tire wrench with a longer reach.
Now back at camp we find Chevy
did give us an extension for the wrench, just didn't see it.
So now I'm researching on the
web where to get a new tire and at the best price. I have emailed the GM
dealer in Parker and faxed others. So we shall see.
I lied
to you... The above picture is a fake.
As we
were driving back to Q after the event I said to Terry why didn't we get
a picture of our frustration as it happened. A voice recorder would have
been interesting also.
So
now back at camp, I say just stuff a rock between the tires and take a
picture for the web site.
Truth
in pics is not that big, it's what happened that counts. The original rock
(boulder) was ugly and vlocanic sharp.
A few
chips came off while Terry was hitting it with a hammer, without much success,
but I told him he could make a rock club item out of it and hang it around
his neck. That went over big.
MARCH 6 MONDAY
Emailed
and faxed and called tires places and GM dealers. Do you think they would
have our tire... NO. Found out this tire has been discontinued. Now we
have a 2003 Chevy dully and the tires by Goodyear are discontinued. Nice
deal that is. Still waiting for the Goodyear dealer in Blythe CA to call
back with when they can get us a tire. Walmart can get one for a
good price in 5-7 days in Yuma, AZ. or I can online order with 3
day shipping from www.tirerack.com
for $133 plus $22 shipping and IN Stock and shipped form Reno, NV.
All this
for a little drive in the desert!
While
this comes to a head... tomorrow (Tuesday March 7 we are going on another
field trip with the rock club.
Close
to Q and just behind Q mountain at Dome Rock with Cookout of Hamburgers
& Hot Hogs, and members bring a side dish . And in-between look
for "Alunite" whatever rock that is. Terry will know.
So later
with some pics of the outing... I hope...
MARCH 8 TUESDAY
Rock Club Road Trip to Dome Rock
The trip was billed as looking for Alunite
but it really was a day of great food.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, creamed turkey on a
bun and covered dishs from the members.
Just a sampling of the side
dishes
Let me tell you the hamburgers
were done to perfection with toasted buns.
And the creamed turkey... was
great and would have been enough without the dogs and burgers.
Chow time... watch them dig
in to great eats as the food channel would say.
Some people actually went rock
hunting.
Another great outing with great people sharing
the good times with each other.
The rock club site we do is
http://quartzsitegemandmineralclub.org
Remember our... Why did we do that drive in
the desert?
Where we ruined a tire on our dully truck.
Got a call from the Goodyear
dealer in Blyhte CA . He can get us a tire for $188 plus tax and mounting
fee. We could get one from www.tirerack.com for less but I told him
to get it and call us when it is in.
Cost will be higher but we
will be supporting a local bussiness.
Too bad we couldn't support
a dealer in Q but he only did Uniroyal tires.
MARCH 16 THURSDAY
Just so
there is not doubt it can rain in Quartzsite.
Not dusty today
Well we went on another
Rock Club field trip to Brenda
looking for Jasp/Agate
this past Tuesday.
Well
we tried to at least. But the word LOST kept coming to mind.
Several
times...
As we
drove I could just see us getting another flat.
We would
stop and check the tires to make sure no rocks were stuck between the dullys.
The above
pic was a good section. Here was a spot where the braches would scrape
all the way down the side.
OK time
to turn us all around again and head back the way we came.
Quite
a sight to watch 20 vehicles trying to turn around all at once on 4X4 back
roads.
We had
a few meetings to decide which way to go next.
I think
I heard a "Beam me up Scotty "comment.
I felt
sorry for the wagonmaster of this outing.
And the
poor guy had just been out here on Sunday to make sure he knew where to
go.
All were
having fun as it was great day, and what else did we have to do.
Lunch
was good as we had fresh California strawberries packed in our cooler.
We didn't post much the last half of March.
Just took it easy and enjopyed the weather and sunsets and I read serveral
more books, while Terry stayied busy at the rock club.
Go forward to see our final tooughts on Quartzsite
and how things are changing here.
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