Quartzsite 2010

We traveled from Indio to Quartzsite, Arizona for the big RV get together in the desert. This is the third year we have been here. We camped out in the same general area we camped in last year. There were eight coaches together in our group and we enjoyed our time at the campfire and at the RV supply tent. Note our GREAT campfire ring we all built....A masterpiece!

Some of the best sights were in the early evening when the sun was settling on the mountains and the hills had changed color to a red hue. In the desert you can always find some interesting vistas.

We had the chance to visit friends Ken and Joanne Parsons who were parked several miles away from us. We did find them and had a nice visit one afternoon. They just purchased a house in Arizona City and was looking forward to getting back to their new property.

We did an interview with Dan Covington of Truck System Technologies near the RV tent. The interview is online for American RVer show number 45. Dan sells tire pressure monitoring systems. We have one of his units in our coach and it works great.

Glad we had a chance to dry camp with some of our friends in the desert again this year. Lew and Dottie Anderson were missed as Lew had some surgery which prevented them from participating this year. There is always next year!!

Peg's Infamous Hikes in Indio

Peg decided to do some hiking with some of the folks here at Indian Waters. She took two trips. One to LaQuinta Cove and the other to Pushawalia Palms.

LaQuinta Cove was a four mile hike that traversed both level ground and some hilly climbs. Another woman on the hike, Jeannette, was not in very good shape and lagged behind the group. Peg chose to stay behind and walk with her. She stopped about half way into the hike and Peg continued with the rest. They saw some desert flowers in bloom and some cactus. At the stopping point of the hike was a beautiful golf course. What a little water can do in the desert!

Pushawalia Palms is on the top of a ridge and runs along near the San Andreas Fault. This area was mined for low-grade uranium during WWII. On the south side of the ridge are palm trees that follow the Fault line. They walked to the palm trees and found a stream of fast moving water there. You could also see calcium deposits and red iron deposits. There was even a 1940's truck, or what was left of it. After the palms the climb up a wash filled with boulders began! They saw arrow weed (used by Indians to make arrows), barrel cactus and cow scrapers. Some of the cow scrapers were starting to turn green from the rain we had a few days before.

A short distance from the truck they arrived in, Peg miss-stepped and took a tumble. She yelled "I'm going down" and down she went. She hit her left knee then rolled onto her right cheek and scratched her sunglasses. Everyone came running over to help, but she was okay...except for her ego! Her right eye had a shiner for over a week and she had several bruises! Glad she did not stumble on the ridge. This could have had a different ending!!

Lunch at the Jackalope Ranch

Apparently one of the renowned spots in Palm Springs is the Jackalope Ranch. It is a beautiful oasis in the desert where many famous actors, musicians and the rich and famous crowd, in general, has visited. Not wanting to be outdone, Peg and I met Sandy, Luther and Bill and Lillian there for lunch. Unfortunately Lillian was not feeling well so they were delayed in getting to the restaurant. No problem...A late lunch it is!

While we were waiting, Peg and I walked the grounds of the ranch and also looked at all the interesting "exhibits" the Jackalope Ranch had on display. One of the first things you see when you come through the front entrance is this unique fountain. Double click on the photo and pay particular attention to the dog! This is hysterical.

Another item you will see in the lobby is this full size replica of a Harley Davidson motorcycle made entirely out of wood. I can not imagine how much time it took to build this! Even the chain drive is made entirely out of carved wood...Amazing!

One other cool thing I will point out is the cascading water in the backyard. We were seated on the patio in the back overlooking the water and it was really pleasant there. They also have several stand-up heaters placed strategically on the outside deck to keep the customers warm and happy.

Sandy, Luther, Bill and Lillian did arrive and we had a great time talking about where we came from in North Carolina as well as how Bill and Lillian liked the southwest. I gathered from their excitement, they liked it a lot and will return at some later date. Before our meal, we had the waitress take a group photo of us in the beautiful backyard.

The delay I mentioned earlier actually worked to our advantage because, we found out later, everything is half price when happy hour starts and we happen to be finished after happy hour had started. So our waitress gave us the discount. This made the afternoon even more enjoyable. The food was really good too! It was nice getting together and I hope we can visit Sandy and Luther the next time we are in the Palm Springs area...

Our Two Weeks in Indio

There was a lot going on throughout our two weeks in Indio, California. The FMCA Indio Rally was in full swing. FMCA stands for Family Motor Coach Association, of which we are members. We did not stay at the rally but attended for one day with a day pass. We saw quite a few vendors, mostly used motorhomes for sale and the normal activities associated with these type of events.

Lew and Dottie organized a gathering of about 25 fellow RVers at the Lamp Post Restaurant near Palm Springs. We had pizza and met some old friends we have not seen for a while and got to know some new folks. The pizza was pretty good, but it must have been made of gold because it was pricey! I suppose it was worth the price for the fellowship we got to enjoy.

On Sunday, January 10th, Rod & Jean, Bob and Marlene and Peg and I attended the College of the Desert's craft fair. This is held each weekend on the college grounds. There was a lot to look at and they had entertainment as well as FOOD! As you can see, we all can always agree on one thing...Lets get some food! So, we did! This is the second time we have been to this craft fair and it seems to get bigger each year. They do have some hard to find items though.

At the College of the Desert, we heard talk of a new RV park that was having an open house. Rod and Jean were riding with us so we hijacked them and went over to the Desert Shores Resort. What a find we made. They had free food, entertainment, tours of the various RV home sites and a custom car show. Who could ask for anything more! We partook of it all.

I must say that this resort is not for the faint of heart (or those of us lacking in funds). The house I have pictured here was listed for $675,000, but it did have a place to put your RV along side the house. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and we did enjoy walking through it and taking pictures. This resort has its own golf course, clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts and a lot of green grass! We called Bob and Marlene to come over and check this place out and they arrived in short order. We had a good time spending our afternoon here.

On Monday, January 11th our friends Ron and Wanda arrived at Indian Waters. They are going to Quartzsite with us, as is Bob and Marlene. Gene and Darlene were also staying at the park and we were all parked in the same row. They too were going to Quartzsite. Here is our happy hour with Ron and Wanda included in the festivities.

Thursday, January 14th Ron and Wanda and Peg and I decided to go to the Palm Springs Street Fair they hold every Thursday evening. We went to this last year. It is a BIG event and the main street in Palm Springs is closed off to traffic and the vendors line the street. We saw some cool and unusual things at this street fair. Plus some unusual musicians as well (see photo)!!

As we were wandering along, Peg saw friends of ours from North Carolina. We knew Sandy and Luther Bell were now living in this area. We also knew one of my website clients, Bill Bright and his wife Lillian, were here visiting, but we did not expect to see them at the fair, especially with so many people around. Bill and Lillian were buying up southwestern items to furnish their home with in Ocean Isle Beach. We set a lunch date for a couple of days before Bill and Lillian went back to the east coast. More on this later! Pretty cool seeing them in this neck of the woods!

Arrival at Indian Waters

We got to Indian Waters at 10:00am, a good time to arrive since a few folks had left already and we were in line to get their spot. At Indian Waters, they have a grass filled side to the park and a rock filled side. Typically, Western Horizons members are suppose to get the grass side, if available. All three of us got spots on the grass and were fairly close to one another. Rod and Jean played their handicapped card and got the large site Peg and I got last year. Fair is fair. Remember Rod, next year is our turn!

We assembled our bicycles and drove around the park. We knew Lew and Dottie Anderson were there in the gravel side, so we sought them out. We found them and had a nice chat. Lew was looking pretty good after having some brain surgery just a couple of months before.

Later that afternoon, Peg spotted a hot air balloon flying over the park. She ran to get the camera and snapped a photo of the balloon in the evening sun. I remember the days we used to fly in hot air balloons. This picture brought back memories.

We had happy hour at Rod and Jeans site (that's what you get for having the bigger site :-). Lew and Dottie, Bob and Marlene, Rod and Jean (of course) and Peg and I shared some good memories and conversation.

California or Bust...

Today we left Desert Shadows bound for Indio, California. Three coaches (Bob & Marlene, Rod and Jean and us) headed out at about 10am. We got fuel in Ehrenburg and then stayed over for the night at the Western Horizon's park, Colorado River Oasis. We all parked fairly close together.

This is the first time Peg and I had been here. We all decided to take a walk and check out our surroundings. We walked along the Colorado River and enjoyed looking at the water flowing by. We found a picnic table along the river and sat and talked for a while.

That night, the Peg's and Joker's board came out and we had a good time playing. The sunset was pretty intense this evening as you can see by the photo.

Tomorrow we get to one of my favorite places, Indio, and Indian Waters RV Park.