We Are in Quartzsite, AZ

We packed up and left windy and rainy Palm Springs on Wednesday to travel east to Quartzsite, AZ.  We got here a little after noon......except that with the time change, it was around 1:20 pm.  Here's the view as we approached Q.                         
I'm always amazed by the number of RVs out on BLM land, dry camping.
 We got checked in and walked the dogs before we began setting up.  It was cold and windy here, oh joy, but we got to work setting things up.  Our very dear friends, Ray & Carol got back from roaming around Q around 2 o'clock.  It was great to see them.  I can't remember just when we last got together, but I know it's been too long!  We chatted a while, then finished setting up.  Later Carol came back and we snacked on crackers and strawberry cream cheese.  Yummy.  They had dinner plans with family, so we invited them to join us for dinner on Thursday night. 

We are "dry camping" which means we have no hook ups for electricity, water or sewer dump, so we are using only disposable paper plates & cups, plastic silverware, and using bottled water to make coffee and other drinks.  We are only allowed to run the generator until 10 pm, so after that we have to shut down most everything, and go to bed early or sit in the dark!  Thursday morning we woke up to find that the furnace, which runs on propane but needs electricity (from the house batteries to start it up and run the fan) was not working and it was only 46 degrees inside..........much too cold for me!  We tried to fire up the generator, but it couldn't start either, since the batteries were DEAD.  Jim turned on the engine, and we were able to start the generator and then everything worked.  We turned on both the furnace and the electric space heaters and it still took over an hour before my toes thawed out!  After a quick breakfast, we left for the big tent with Ray & Carol for sight seeing and shopping.  We had our list of what we hoped to get.  We found some of the stuff we wanted, but not all.  We went to Silly Al's for a lunch of delicious pizza then came back here to find that the house batteries had not held any charge, as we had hoped they would after running the generator for that long.  So we drove over to RV Lifestyles and bought two new Interstate deep cycle batteries, and Jim & Ray got them installed correctly  so we now have good, strong batteries to run our furnace and refrigerator when we have to turn off the generator.  The sunsets out here are really beautiful.

 

 It really is amazing all the colors you can see in a sunset if you take the time to enjoy it.  I have always admired and loved the beauty of the desert here in Arizona, but I'm not sure I could stay here during the heat of the summer. Someday we will have to figure out where to settle when we decide we can't or don't want to travel anymore, but so far, we enjoy the traveling and have not decided where we will land.

Yesterday we drove out to a place our friend Fred had taken us to several years ago.  It was called the Broken Bolt Ranch and was run by a guy named Red.  It was an old collection of travel trailers that had been re-configured to be other kinds of buildings.  He had a very interesting collection of antique dolls of significant value.  There was a "country store" and a blacksmith shop and a building where they did rock tumbling and made pretty nice jewelry too.  We had to ask directions before we found the place. but we never got to go in because it is not open to the public.  One could tell by the sign which said "Prayer is a good way to get to heaven, but trespassing will get you there faster."  
 
 We saw this sign inside the fenced area that was the ranch.  Sadly, it's just a junkyard now.
 We asked a woman who lived in a mobile home next to the property, and she told us that Red had died 5 years ago.  She also told us that the owners were not happy when they found out Red had been giving unauthorized tours, and collecting donations, which he had pocketed for himself.  You just never know about people!  
Nearby we saw this, but it's not really a skeleton.  It looks like it was made of some kind of plastic or such, but it reminded me of what they say about Arizona, "it is hot, but it's a dry heat!!!

Last night Carol & Ray came over for burgers and fries for dinner.  It was so nice to have all our equipment working the way it usually does!  Today they headed back to their home in California.  They will be coming back out here for the FMCA Rally in Chandler, AZ.  We thought about going to that event too, but didn't book it.  There is still time if we decide we want to.  It would change ALL of our dates we have planned, but life's an adventure and we want to live it!!!!!  Today we are heading out to browse and shop at Tyson Wells.  
I sincerely hope each and everyone of you makes the most of each day you have.  Life is short, and today is a gift, that's why it's called the present.  I don't know who to credit that statement to, but I admit I do not take credit for it, but I do agree with it.  Enjoy the present, don't waste time over what is past, and I hope you will look forward to the future for all it holds.