Company, and company, and company

FIRST:

Jeanne and Riley arrived last Tuesday, and are visiting with us for a week here in Imperial Dam LTVA before heading to Quartzsite for a while.  It's so great to see them both.  Here they are, coming into the campground with Jeanne's new toad:

I have a nice big site that was roomy enough for two rigs with space to spare.   I snagged the whole thing, knowing Jeanne would soon be here for a week or so.  I was lucky to get the "ocean view" as they call it here, with room for two campsites.  Jeanne unhooked her car and backed up into one side of the site.

The next morning, we decided to drive up to the main camping "Mesa" area in Jeanne's new car (a beautiful toad) and also check out Northwest Territory campground where she has camped before.

When Katie and I were getting ready to leave, I put her princess dress on her so she wouldn't shed in the new car.  Jeanne has blankets down for Riley, so it wasn't really an issue, but you know, just in case.  Here she is - "Really, Mom?  Why do I have to wear this dress?"

We drove past the Northwest Territory campground and continued on, deciding to check out Ferguson Lake which was on that road, but further on.

Well - we figured it was a mile or so down the road, but according to Google Maps, it's 11 miles each way, for a 22 mile round trip drive from our campsite, much of it on dirt, rocky, washboardy roads.  In a brand new car with a six-inch clearance to the road.  With rocks bouncing off the underside of the car, and flipping up on the sides.  We kept thinking that it must be right about the next bend, or over the next hill or down the road and to the left, etc.

 It was beautiful...  On and On.  And then, THERE IT IS!

So we knew it was finally coming up, somewhere down that road, it really WAS there! We almost turned around many times, but you know how it is, "What if it's just around that bend?"

We finally ended up at Ferguson Lake. It was right there - we could see it, but the road forked again and the fork to the right - well, this is what we saw.  I wasn't sure if it kept going or if we'd drive over the edge into the water.  I got out and walked down, and yes, there was a road, ending in a nice campsite, and there was a good turnaround on the side of the road.

We could also have taken the left fork - it was unclear which way we should turn after looking at the sign next to the road:

This is basically a LAKE with nothing else there.  I thought it was a "destination" place that would have RVers camped around the lake.  Nope.

We talked to a man who was camped there with a friend at the end of the right fork. They both had trucks and fishing gear and I saw a tent.  (And BTW, a truck or jeep or 4-wheeler is better than a car to get there.  And MUCH better than an RV.  I'd never take The Palms down those roads, but I suppose some people probably do from time to time.  Beautiful, secluded romantic area.  If you're sleeping in a tent.

The next day we went to Yuma for shopping, visiting and checking things out.  Jeanne has been to Fortuna Pond, which I've tried in the past to find, but couldn't. It turns out, I was on the right road, I just didn't go far enough.  We drove around the pond and then headed home.  It looked very small and crowded, and didn't have a lot of driving room around the rigs parked bumper to bumper next to the pond.  If it wasn't so crowded, it would be beautiful, but I wouldn't want to be parked there in The Palms with that many RVs already there.

SECOND:

Our next company consisted of a mom and young burro, who came up into the campground and hung out under a tree near us.  Then the young burro started heading toward Jeanne and me.  We were standing outside our rigs watching them and taking pictures, and when he started walking our way, I kept my eye on the mom, I sure didn't want her running over and attacking us for being too close to her baby!

He really wanted some attention, and probably some treats, too, but they ask that we don't feed them, so I don't.  I loved petting him, but kept my eye on Mom, just in case.

Then he walked away, back toward his mom, and halfway there he got himself settled on the desert floor, and took a nap:

They spent the entire morning here, and were still by our campsites when Jeanne and I took off to find Ferguson Lake early in the afternoon.

Here he is nursing:

Then it was nap time.

The mom laid down and rested, too.  I was surprised there was no male burro in the area.  Last time I was here with all the burros, the fathers were in the area, and would step up when the moms and babies had their naps, and would be close by to protect them.

THIRD:

Then yesterday Denise and Bennie came to visit for an overnight.  When Jeanne and I returned to camp after a Yuma trip, they were here.  We hooked Katie's and Riley's pens together and had room for all three dogs to hang out without their leashes while their moms visited.  We got our drinks and some treats and had a nice chat.  Fun!

Bennie was funny when Denise first lifted him into the pen.  He took three or four walk-arounds along the side of the pen looking for the way out, but of course, there wasn't one.  Then we put Katie and Riley in and he settled down.  He's such a cutie-pie!

The weather has been really nice.  We had a short unexpected rain early this morning and I climbed out of bed, threw on jeans and a sweatshirt and went outside to get the stroller.  I wasn't cold at all, and I think it was 4:30 am.  We're definitely warming up and hopefully will stay this way for a while.

Denise and Bennie left late this morning, heading up to Quartsite.  Jeanne's leaving early next week, and I'll drive up that way late next week, or as soon as my packages arrive at the postal service here.

Today - just hanging out and enjoying life.

From me and Katie, have a great weekend, everyone!  :)