Barb,Bill, and Buddy

The weather is very nice now here in the desert even though the temperatures start out at 38-40 degrees. Just as soon as the sun comes up though it warms right up.

Yesterday we left about noon on our quads to see some friends who just got here from Oregon but ended up going on a neat neat ride. Barb and Bill were on their way to town with their motorhome for some inverter service so we headed to the mountains in search of a geocache. Well! The search took us above Quartzsite and up a very exciting trail. We actually parked the quads 1/4 mile from the coordinates of the cache and hiked up another 1500 feet, sometimes straight up, or so it seemed! But the view was worth the trip. We got HOT with all that exercise! We are looking forward to more rides like that one.

Today, we didn't ride because I had to go to my new 'job'. I have been volunteering at the Quartzsite Chamber of Commerce and today was my day to work. I actually like working there and meeting and greeting all the people that come in. I especially like seeing the first timers to Quartzsite. I get excited all over again as I feel their excitement to be here. Many of them are parked in the desert but lots are parked in the many RV parks here. I love sharing not only the local info they are seeking but also my and Terry's experiences here.

So we will ride another day. This entire week is supposed to be nice. And even when it is 60 degrees here in the desert it is much warmer than when it is 60 degrees in Indiana with the higher humidity.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Quartzsite,AZ!

And what a nice Christmas it was. The temperature was 65 degrees and the sun was out a lot. We drove 30 miles north to Parker,AZ to the BlueWater resort and Casino for Christmas dinner. It was a very nice meal and the place was packed. We didn't gamble, just ate and then took a nice peaceful drive along the Colorado river. I really love the area and always enjoy going there.

In the morning we got and made phone calls to friends and family located EVERY WHERE. We wish all those we did not get to talk to a Merry Christmas.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Well, it is not 75 degrees here in Quartzsite but it is not 16 degrees either like it is in Coffeyville, KS. We hope to hit 60 degrees today and that is okay for now. We won't let that stop us from enjoying ourselves. I mean, we're not cold for Pete's sake, we are just not hot!

We will probably jump on the quads and take up where we left off last Spring, searching for one of the many geocaches hid around Quartzsite and surrounding areas. We rode last week with some new friends and neighbors who showed us some interesting places we didn't know about. We found what was left of an old WW II camp and some interesting intaglios. Although it was cloudy and overcast it was still fun just to be out in the desert once again.

Quartzsite isn't too busy yet. There are a few vendors and of course the big tent is not up yet. Businesses tell us that business is down from last year but they hope it will pick up after Christmas. There is still plenty to do though. It just depends on what you like to do. They still play a lot of Desert Golf, there is a music jam everyday at one RV park or another(sometimes two a day), ATV riding, and activities and dances in town. And if you are a rockhound, there's that. So, it is not boring!

Better go. More later.

Sunshine update

Since I have blogged we have spent some time near Algodones, Mexico and Yuma. We are now in Quartzsite at Pyramid Lane RV Park where we will stay until April. We are enjoying the wonderful sunshine and the desert view from our front windshield.

Near Yuma we were parked in the BLM 14 day area and saw that the downturn in the economy had affected the number of RVs visiting this area. This parking area is probably 5-6 acres in size and during the 3 days we were there there were never more than 6 rigs parked there. It is usually much busier than that at this time of year.

While we were there we did our Yuma shopping and also went to Algodones, MX. In Mexico we went to our favorite outside resturant and ate fish tacos... yum yum!! We also visited our friend and Terry's General Surgeon, Luis. We have known Luis for 4 years now and always enjoy visiting with him. Instead of Doctor on our first office visit with him he told us to call him Luis. We have met his entire family and they all treat us like family. We were sorry to hear that he and his family are moving to Sonora Mexico in February. I guess we will just have to go there to see him! I wonder how their fish tacos are !?

We're not in Kansas anymore!

We are back on the road again and it feels great! It took us two days to find warm weather!

We are in New Mexico at Dream Catcher RV, an Escapees park that we always enjoy visiting. While we are still at 4,000 feet elevation it isn't 75 degrees but it is still very nice. We came in yesterday and are leaving today chasing those 75 degree temps!

The first thing I wanted to do when we got here was laundry and what a fun laundry trip it was! Ted and Donna Walin are here on their way to Arizona and and came up to the laundry room to visit with us and we had a great 'social' all our own! Not only Ted and Donna but Andrea and Peter came too after seeing our bus in the park! It was so much fun running into these people again. All of us are going the same direction so we look forward to seeing them again in Quartzsite. We last ran into these two couples in Ohio at the Gypsy Journal rally. Ah, that is what we like about this lifestyle. Seeing old and new friends where ever we stop!

The fuel prices that we are seeing on the interstate just blow our minds! $2.16 for diesel !! Terry says "we can almost afford to drive again"!! I am pretty sure the further west we go the prices will increase but it is still a lot less than when we left Indiana in October.

More later. We are outta here!