The day brought clear skies and no wind and it got almost warm.  See all of you who ran off right before or after the bad weather are now missing out on the best that Q has to offer. And it will only get better as February and March moves in on us. 

So what could we do (after Terry filled our fresh water tank) but go to the second coming of the big tent show... that is their Rock and Roll Classic Car show and more trinket venders, I mean hobbyists showcasing their wares.  If you get my drift. If there was a vender or two with original handmade items I hope they showed out among the returning pots and pans booths. We didn't search them out so might have missed them. Overall it was a good after the main show, show.

They really did a good job of redefining the show tent to show the cars on both ends inside and have the venders in the middle. We went mid afternoon and there still were lots of people. Me thinks they did well planning the after main show event. 

I was looking for new outdoor seating, we have these heavy duty Cabelas fold up chairs 
which have served us well. We have three of these and they are holding up well. 
They did fade some in the sun but still looking good and they are built strong, without any structural problems. You can grab the arms and push off to get out of them and they hold up. 

But like the looks of those director chairs with the pockets on one side and attached table on the other.

Not my color but you get the idea.

Kind of pricey for the heavy duty ones. Ya after all, it has to hold my fat ass. Our current fold ups are still doing well, and also heavy duty. The new ones would take up much more storage... so we shall see. This place didn't have the director chairs but loved the huge chair they had on top. 

Now check out this bench fold up. Tell your friends to sit down and shut up, drinks will be served shortly. Don't worry about bandwidth this is only 15 seconds.

 

There are so many choices for outdoor camping chairs anymore. Just do a Google search for director camping chairs and stand back or should I say sid down. 

Last night we had this to view.  No picture can do justice to the sunsets here in Q. 

Saturday was again a classic day for weather very warm and just the best you could ask for. 
 

Thursday night Jan. 28

Time to reflect back on the week that was and some shots of the RV Sport and Vacation Show event last week. We got caught up in the stroms and didn't get our big tent visit posted. 

The Big Tent fired up again on Wednesday as they now call it a Hobby, Craft, and Gem Show. This weekend it includes a Rock and Roll Classic Car Show. 

Now back to the big tent show. 
In case you have never been there a file photo from their web site.

We try not to attend the RV Vacation Sports show till later in the week to avoid the crush of people. This is more like it.

I don't understand why people want to take up good space in an RV and haul around these flag poles. I know they slide dwon but why not just wear a flag pin on their T-shirt and get over it. To each their own. If you want go forward fly your flag and enjoy. 

Find out how to peel your veggies right here. 

Next pots and pans pushers.  Terry claims he overheard one telling the people watching (Me thinks they found a chair and sat down to gain strength so they could continue walking the rest of the show) they could buy a set for the same amount of about $4 a day for a year. Lets see 365 X 4 = $1460 Did he hear correctly and if so did any of you buy a set. He was also exposing the evils of Teflon cookware.  I did a Google search on Kitchen Craft cookware. You might want to do the same. 
By just sitting there for a few (I needed a rest also) I could see he was scaring people into buying his product. 

I just noticed if you look close at the shot I'm in it... How could that happen. TERRY! 
See what happens when I let him carry the camera. 

Escapees RV Club was here as usual. Now as much as I like to find fault with everything, this is one I can't. Escapees is one of those that is a friend of us RVers. They pretty much started the RV movement when Joe and Kay Peterson who had been full-timing for eight years before when they started the Escapees RV Club on July 4, 1978. Go to About Escapees to learn more of this RV treasure. They advanced even more when they brought  Mark Nemeth on board a couple of years ago. They know talent when they see it. See his orig. web site.
Mark was/is an institution sort of like Tioga George is today

But My Oh My I see with this one below, I can get back on track. Me thinks these so called high count sheets are about as good as dish towels (Terry suggests I insert burlap) to sleep on. Perhaps if you live in Q year round, and your skin is more like leather anything would feel soft. Your sensations may very so if you like em go for it. I noticed they didn't have lots of sheets open for you to feel. Just how sensitive are your finger tips.  I know when we go to a dept. store looking the prices for quality sheets are very high, so what makes us think sheets in a tent show would be so wonderful at low prices. Nothing else in the tent show has bargain prices. 

Now were are dreaming again, as I asked Terry to gather up Alaska info. Wouldn't it be great going to Alaska this summer. I'm ready, but may have to just follow our friends Linda and Bob of  www.because-we-can.net fame who are planning an Alaska trip this year. Not sure we want to pull a 1 year old 5er to Alaska. Have said in the past the way to go for us might be to get a used truck camper, put it on our dually diesel and use it for the trip and store the 5er. I'm spoiled with our 5er so don't know. But it would get us back into a real camping mode. Dream on me thinks.  Dreams do come true, we are living them every day.  We have more of Idaho and the northwest in this country to explore maybe this summer instead. 

Get your light bulbs changed NOW.  I lost count of the number of venders who were selling replacement lights. They looked nice but at high prices we walked on buy for now. They all seemed to have the same prices. Haven't  they heard about competition.  We have robust solar and generator power so not a must buy at this time. Helps to have a big bank of AGM batts. me thinks. 

Now for a parting shot from the other day. What is wrong with this. Me thinks this husky would rather be out walking along side. Does he bark when he sees a fire hydrant so they can stop so he can get out and take a pit stop. 

Monday night Jan. 25 

Terry surprised me and didn't go to the rock club today... He was taking the day off.  He did corn beef hash from scratch just using a can of corn beef from Family Dollar. Later... today was chore day... Dump, get fresh water, and change oil in the Honda gen.  Here I go again, want to know how we take care of the dump deal. Read more about how we do it.   Oh and later we had a family outing as I even went with Terry to do a massive mess of laundry. We didn't get back till after 4:30 PM. To think we should do laundry on a Monday. Seems that is a natural day for way to many retired housewives, now snowbirds or fulltimers who just have to do this each Monday. The big laundry on East Main was way to busy so we headed over to the one just up on North Central. 

Now back home I know I'm screwed as I told Terry I would on Tuesday put away laundry and reorganize the bedroom. Over a year ago Terry put the bedroom together when we moved into our new 5er as in drawers and closet. I still have not been able to find my stuff. So it's my turn to redo it so I know where my clothes are at and let him have to ask ME where his stuff went. This should be fun me thinks. 

In this picture I see he had already put away a couple of baskets. Guess I'll just have to take it all out  and start over. What fun. 

Flashback... (You have to pay attention... this is not a normal blog) 
On Sunday afternoon we did go to the Main Event to search out the Big Hole BBQ from Teton Valley, Idaho as I had posted about others who said this was great BBQ. So we had to see for ourselves. 

Let me tell you we had a great meal of Beef Brisket and the best slaw I have ever had. 
They had raised their prices 50 cents but still a bargain at $7 which includes one side. Drink $1. The BBQ sauce was a winner.
Their flyer... Awards: 
2009 Reservse Grand Champions, Idaho 
2009 & 9 State champions Pulled Pork, Idaho
2009 2nd place Beef Brisket Idaho and Wyoming
2008 Best BBQ sauce, Woyoming. 

Huge pile of brisket on the bun. 
Sign sez open for lunch and dinner till the end of January.

Talking to them they are located over the pass from Jackson Hole in Idaho. 

(found this on the web)
Big Hole BBQ Roadside Stand Driggs, Idaho 

Posts on our big tent outings and other trips around town still upcoming. 
 

Sunday night Jan. 24 

We are still kicking... I'm gathering stuff (pictures) for new posts and more about what we find around Q but tonight we are going to at last watch a DirecTV PPV movie Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. Terry is a huge Harry Poter fan and we have not seen this last one. He has been working hard so he needs a treat me thinks. And looking at the TV schedule there is nothing on, even more so tonight so it's movie night. Sunday is normally a good TV night but not this time. 
Monday when Terry is off to the rock club I will have time to work on my web sites and our blog. 
Kind of reminds me of Monday and the work week starting and that some of us don't have to do that anymore. It still feels strange not to have to go off to a job (its been 6 years) so this way I can sort of feel I'm being productive. 
That is after I read what my favorite blogs on www.hitchitch.com have posted.  And if they haven't posted I'm like you... those slugs didn't post today... I want to read what they've been up to. 
(I'm so bad plugging my main site which I consider a service to share with others the RV lifestyle and those living it.) At least I don't have to plug my latest RV rally or some such.  That's just so not us. Terry has joked we should do a Hitch Ithch Rally and to that I give him a look that could kill. I don't even like the thought of gathering in a circle at someone elses rally. That's OK if that's their thing.  I'm more of a people watcher than a schmoozer. The urbandictionary.com has a cool defination of the word schmoozer word if you want to read more about it. 
The urbandictionary.com is a fun site.  Check it out. You can add your own words. 
I added hitchitch  look it up on the urbandictionary site. 
Now back on topic...  I next check email etc. Then read the USAToday newspaper online, I get it online and it looks just like the printed version for about 25 cents a day. Unlike the 75 cents for a paper version if you can find one. Look at me saving a tree. I tend to have problems mid morning with eyelids closing from time to time while reading the online newspaper so a nap from all that online reading is sometimes needed.
Terry was so busy playing carpenter at the club building he didn't get a chance to dump our tanks or change oil in our Honda 3000. That is now in store for Monday afternoon. He even went in today to work. A couple of pictures of what they have built so far for the opal room at the rock club. 
See the pile of plywood they still have to deal with. 

We went to the big tent a couple of more times and the other vender areas. This is the time to do it as the weather is great now after the storms and Sunday, today was the last day for the Big Tent Sports and Vacation show.  Oh I know they have a craft show and later a car show but that's me thinks just to keep the tent up and lure the last RVers to come to town for the next couple weeks. The big rock and gem dealers were late today packing up big time and heading off to the big shows in Tuscon. No that's an even bigger deal.
 

Thursday night Jan. 21    Storm report

What a day makes... yesterday was not great but we were able to go to the tent show. Today we woke up to rain and more rain. And then wind. I called Terry back from the club in a panic as I had to go outside and hold on to the canopy for dear life to keep it from being blown into our 5er. It's just a few feet from our big window.  He got here and we got the tarp removed. 

He went back to working at the club, building cabinets (see below post) but as the afternoon wore on the weather just kept getting worse. By the time he got home I already had the slides on the trailer retracted and had things ready for us to abandon our home and take shelter in Q in the cement block rock club building. Why, I saw on the NWS radar a huge storm, that ran from Parker to almost Yuma on a front just to the west of us at Blythe which had a red NWS service tornado warning box around it. 
With my police radio scanner telling of dire reports coming from west of us. It was time to take shelter... OMG we're in Arizona this should not be happening. This is a midwest thing me thinks. 

(Now later more on the tornado warning as it was real... from this report.)
Tornado hits Calif. desert highways
Posted on January 21, 2010 at 9:00 PM
******
BLYTHE, Calif. (AP) — A California Department of Transportation spokeswoman says a tornado near the Arizona state line has toppled big-rigs and downed high-voltage power poles atop a car with a person inside.
Agency spokeswoman Terri Kasinga says the condition of the motorist is not known because the transmission lines along State Route 78 remained electrified Thursday night and couldn't be approached.
The incident occurred 10 miles south of Blythe in the remote desert of southeastern California.
Kasinga says the tornado also toppled three big-rigs and trees on Interstate 10 and more power poles on U.S. 95 before moving into Arizona. Interstate 10 has reopened but the other highways remain blocked.
 

HW 95 south to Yuma was closed due to washes flooding across the road and our friend Tad said he just got through to Parker from Q due to water running across the highway in the washes. 

In AZ in the southwest they are not into putting colverts or bridges on their highways. Just signs saying Do Not Enter When Water Is Present... A lame excuse for building real roads. Don't think that will change anytime soon as most of their rest areas are now closed and just this week saying most of their state parks are to close also. Is this country going to hell or what?  Don't answer that... I may have to write a Bad Nick blog post...

 There are no weather service radio alert channels in this part of AZ so no way to warn the thousands of RVers in the LTVAs. Guess trhey think they never have severe weather in AZ. But as we have found out they do. Most RVers have satellite tv dishes and are not receiving local channels (east and west network feeds) so for the most part they are off line and not being warned. 

After we come out of hiding we did get a couple of shots as we tried to get back to our little home in the desert. The QIA Gem show with about 500 venders was not a pretty sight.

Things blow around in the food vender area across from Pilot on West main. 

They were trying to keep the Big Auction tent up on West Main. See the men struggling with the support ropes. 

Desert Gardens Gem and Mineral  show (runs all month) took a big hit affecting several hundred more venders. We are sure they have never seen the likes of this before. Police were sent as they were getting reports were of extensive damage. We had to take this picture as we rushed by on the interstate as Kuhen street that goes by there was closed.  Not a bridge across Tyson Wash on it. 

A look at the big tent which stayed up through it all. The tonado like winds were from the west so it hit the tent on the end and not from the side. They did shut down the show late morning and got people out of there. That caused a traffic jam like not seen in years.  We say heavy equipment parked with cables to help secure the tent this year. Last year the tent did fall in the wind right after the big show was over. So they had it beefed up big thime this year me thinks. It worked. 
See the water in Tyson Wash. They normally park cars in that area for the tent show. The police did respond to rescue some cars that got caught in the washes. The call went out that those people were in big trouble for a time.

A look at the Tyson Wash from B 10. They drive ATV's up and down this most days. 

We went to the east overpass to get back to the BLM south of town and ran into this. Not this way tonight. We had to go back to HW 95 and the I-10 overpass to go south. You can see the water had already gone down by half in this picture. See the brush on the lower left. 

It's still windy as I type and my take the satellite down when this is uploaded. We hope tomorrow
will be a better day. 
Terry has made goulash and we watching DirecTV.  Had to go and reposition the dish a couple of times to stay on signal. And we do have it secured big time. 

When the weather clams down I'll get back to reporting on our day at the Big Tent Show. 
 
 

Wednesday Jan. 20

Terry went to the first day of the QIA Gem and Mineral Show as the rest of the week he will and others be working at the club shops building cabinets for the opal room. About 25 feet of them along three walls in the new annex. He wrote up the plans and ordered the materials and will direct the work. A huge project but he loves woodworking and doing this for the club. This will save the club about $10 K if they went and got cheap pre built cabinets. The shops are closed during the QIA Show so they can get in and do projects each year when the shops are closed. 

He took a picture of the QIA show this morning. 500 booths and the word on the street is people are buying this year. Last years sales were slow. 

While he was at the QIA  I got a call from Bill Adams from Internet Anywhere. 

click on the graphic 
I had been having minor problems with our DataStorm Internet dish for some time. 

It was catching at times as it was turning on its axis rotating to find the satellite. It always made it past its stalling problems to find the satellite, but I knew it needed to be looked at. Bill and his wife stopped by to take a look. They found a center pivit shaft was working loose. They tore the dish base apart and tightened it up and made sure all was in calabration again.  This DataStorm dish is over six years old and this is the first service it has ever needed. Two years ago we had Bill upgrade us to a D3 controller and HN7000s modem.  All has worked as advertised. When done Bill checked my diagnostics and my old transmitter is still hanging in there with good results. You know this thing has to talk to a satellite 22K miles up in the sky.
Some people have in the last few years moved over to cellular internet service as it is less hardware. Just plug it into yur USB slot. Don't have to raise the dish up etc. But in the forums I am hearing many are becoming less and less happy with that service. As smart phones and netbooks grow in popularity the cell networks have become congested and have not been able to keep up with the data load. So me thinks our old DataStorm is working just great and with better download speeds than many who have to now put up with slow cell data service. And I get service anywhere with a clear view of the southern sky. So me thinks I am happy with satellite internet service. Costs about the same as cell internet (after the hardware costs) and I get more bandwith.  Cell 3 G a month and I get 375 M a day. And unlimited usage to download big files for several hours each night. 

Later when Terry got back we went to the Big Tent show... 

Now inside... This is only the center aisle, there are aisles on both sides to the left and right. 

I'm working on those pictures for a later post. But as you can see this is the way to do the show without the wall to wall mass of people unless you like that sort of thing. 
 
 

Tuesday Jan. 19

8 PM UPDATE   It stormed for a time and rained and blew but didn't last to cause problems, me thinks. Doubt the washes are running tonight. You can click on the below radar screen to see the latest radar update. It is still breezy as while I'm typing the 5er is a rocking from time to time. 
We want to go the the big tent show tomorrow. Weather Watcher shows sunny in the AM and changing to partly cloudy till about 7 PM when it could rain again. Who would know.  So we shall see. 

If you're in Q and have had enough of the on and off rain, Beer Belly's might help to improve your attitude after you are done walking your legs off in the big tent. 

Little noticed is this little fellow above the bar who might just be the reason they named this place. 
BEER BELLY'S   Glad they added the brief under his belly as some things need to be covered. 

After all the mileage I have gotten out of this vender for this blog I think I owe that I stop by and down a brew or two to repay them.

I have been listening to my scanner listening to the FRS/GMRS/MURS channels and all the action and it's like a party line following all the action going on. 
 

4 PM UPDATE   Water is back on at La Posa South. Pump has been replaced.  Thousands of LTVA BLM campers now a little more happy. Water in their tanks, but not so happy it is also falling from the sky.

Local Radar   Note tornado warning over San Diego.

Click on radar map to update.

9 AM UPDATE  Strange... Weather Watcher sez it should be raining but outside it is clear and sunny.
What gives.  Guess Q has its own weather.
 
 
 

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