Hi Jolly

Quartzsite had their annual Hi Jolly Parade, their 21st, actually and it was a big success. The parade actually kicks off the tourist season here. There were 24 assorted entries and locals and winter visitors alike had a good time. Ah, life in a small town.

Hi Jolly, a camel driver whose real name was Hadji Ali was part of a failed military experiment here in the desert in 1857. President Lincoln knew horses weren't holding up very well in the arid southwest and authorized the purchase of camels from Arabia. They were to transport military and large quantities of freight to the frontier. Long story short- it didn't work! The camels and mules were not compatible and the Civil War halted the experiment when all military and human resources headed back east to fight the war.So anyway, Hi Jolly stayed in Quartzsite until he died in 1902.A local celebrity, of sorts! There is a monument in his honor here in town.

Right after the parade we broke camp and headed to Yuma to be with friends who had had an accident with their RV on their way to Yuma. A driver driving behind our friends Janet and Clark apparently fell asleep and rammed into the back of their towed car traveling at a high rate of speed. The impact snapped the tow bar off, their car traveled(as they watched,horified)across both west bound lanes of the interstate, across the median, and across both east bound lanes and into the field through a barbed wire fence. It became airborn a couple of times before it stopped. Luckily and miraculously no one was hurt.The car was totaled. So now here they are a long way from Ohio with no car. Their nerves were shot, to say the least. We went down to lend moral support and any help we could provide in helping them get all the arrangements for another tow car, and any other needs they had. We stayed in the Escapees RV park just down a few sites from them.

We left the Escapees park after a few days but stayed in the area for me to have some dental work done in Mexico. I had an abscess situation going on and needed treatment. I looked a whole lot like a chipmunk! And I felt like a train wreck!

So! That is why I haven't blogged for a while but am feeling much better and back on track. The weather is gorgeous with 70 degree temps and sunshine.

Gotta go. Sunshine awaits!