Full-timing in our 24-foot 2006 Forest River Sunseeker 2200 as of June 1, 2011, I've added solar panels and a catalytic heater so that we can camp off-grid comfortably. My dog, Katie, is great company. We traveled a bit in the Western States our first year, and visited the deserts of Arizona and most of the New Mexico State Parks the next four. This year - 2016 - I'm hoping to find a park model to buy so we will have a home base, but we'll continue to travel, too. What a life! :)
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Quartzsite landscapes and sunsets
I wore my MP3 player yesterday during our afternoon and evening walks and we walked at least twice as long as we usually do. What a difference it makes. I'm listening to The Silver Linings Playbook. So far its really good, kind of sad, kind of funny. It's the type of book that makes you wonder, as you go through it, what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. I'm only on Part 3, so I have a lot to listen to still and maybe those questions will be answered.
This is where we go on our walks - unless we take the road in the other direction.
Here is a photo at sunset the other evening when we had a cloudy day. The sun came out as it was setting, and lit up the mountains in the east. I remember this from last year. Sometimes the east is prettier than the west when the sun is setting.
I had forgotten about the pink sky we get during Quartzsite's sunsets. The other evening, I swear, even the air around me felt pink. All over the desert as far as the eye could see it was pink. Look at these colors looking eastward!
I added this one below to my desktop slide show photos. I think it looks like a watercolor painting.
Here's another beautiful evening sunset with a waxing crescent moon:
And one more - look at all the colors.
Little Katie has again discovered the lizards. We call them "critters." Now that she knows the critters run to the bushes and fire pit rocks, she always wants to stop at every one on our walks. Do you know how many bushes and fire pits there are in Quartzsite? I read somewhere that "Leave It!" is a good general command when you want your dog to leave something alone. We're working on that and she's doing pretty well.
I have a quick question: Katie has started hesitating when trying to jump from the couch seat to the top of the seat back when she wants to lie up there in the sun and often just gives up without trying. Also occasionally just jumping on the couch or dinette seat from the floor. She's only 6 years old, which seems too young for arthritis, and she just had her yearly exam and the vet said she was doing fine. This has been going on for three or four weeks now. Any ideas or suggestions?
And one more: What do you guys do with your garbage when you're staying in the 14-day BLM campgrounds here in Quartzsite???? Katie and I always take a daily walk to the campground dumpster to get rid of our garbage, but there aren't any here. I've been accumulating my little Wal-Mart garbage bags and putting them in a large black trash bag, but it started smelling, so now it's sitting on top of the hood on my entry rug. I'm going to town soon for water and some supplies and can't exactly drive up to someones dumpster and throw in my large black plastic bag. What's your trash removal routine? Help!
Welcome to our newest Follower, Anne Henderson! Hey Anne, do you have a blog? If so let me know so I can check it out. Thanks for following along with me and Katie, and Welcome Aboard!
From me and Katie, have a great Saturday, everyone! :)
This is where we go on our walks - unless we take the road in the other direction.
Here is a photo at sunset the other evening when we had a cloudy day. The sun came out as it was setting, and lit up the mountains in the east. I remember this from last year. Sometimes the east is prettier than the west when the sun is setting.
I had forgotten about the pink sky we get during Quartzsite's sunsets. The other evening, I swear, even the air around me felt pink. All over the desert as far as the eye could see it was pink. Look at these colors looking eastward!
I added this one below to my desktop slide show photos. I think it looks like a watercolor painting.
Here's another beautiful evening sunset with a waxing crescent moon:
And one more - look at all the colors.
Little Katie has again discovered the lizards. We call them "critters." Now that she knows the critters run to the bushes and fire pit rocks, she always wants to stop at every one on our walks. Do you know how many bushes and fire pits there are in Quartzsite? I read somewhere that "Leave It!" is a good general command when you want your dog to leave something alone. We're working on that and she's doing pretty well.
 |
| I know, I know, rattlesnakes. That's why I don't let her do this anymore. |
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| This was a huge fire pit that a lizard ran into. |
I have a quick question: Katie has started hesitating when trying to jump from the couch seat to the top of the seat back when she wants to lie up there in the sun and often just gives up without trying. Also occasionally just jumping on the couch or dinette seat from the floor. She's only 6 years old, which seems too young for arthritis, and she just had her yearly exam and the vet said she was doing fine. This has been going on for three or four weeks now. Any ideas or suggestions?
And one more: What do you guys do with your garbage when you're staying in the 14-day BLM campgrounds here in Quartzsite???? Katie and I always take a daily walk to the campground dumpster to get rid of our garbage, but there aren't any here. I've been accumulating my little Wal-Mart garbage bags and putting them in a large black trash bag, but it started smelling, so now it's sitting on top of the hood on my entry rug. I'm going to town soon for water and some supplies and can't exactly drive up to someones dumpster and throw in my large black plastic bag. What's your trash removal routine? Help!
Welcome to our newest Follower, Anne Henderson! Hey Anne, do you have a blog? If so let me know so I can check it out. Thanks for following along with me and Katie, and Welcome Aboard!
From me and Katie, have a great Saturday, everyone! :)
Friday, October 11, 2013
Final photos
I have a few final photos from Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico that I wanted to post - here they are, and then we're done with New Mexico until the Spring of 2014. That sounds so far away, doesn't it?
The first one is a double rainbow that was the prettiest I've seen. Really bright, you could see the whole range of colors. I had to use a program to bring out the colors because the untouched photo didn't POP the colors like Nature did:
Here's Katie walking in a field of flowers. She really liked walking in the fields.
These horses were running along the lake, just having fun. They would run, stop and stand there a while, then turn around and run again. There aren't many things more beautiful or fun to watch than horses running. The white horse is so cute.
This fuzzy white butterfly was different than most of the others, which were yellow. When I left the park there were lots of butterflies flitting from place to place. Look at his body underneath - very fuzzy. (Click on the photo to enlarge it, then click on it again to make it really BIG.)
This is one of the yellow butterflies. Maybe a moth? He's small, and was very fast. I have this picture as one of my desktop slide show photos and the colors are so pretty. (Click on this one, too.)
And finally, I took this photo thinking there was something wrong with this bird. Turns out he is a Yellow Rumped Warbler. Yup, that's a yellow patch on his rump, very aptly named.
Traveling from Northwestern New Mexico to Quartzsite Arizona was not only a long drive, but it also brought us into warmer weather, drier air, and a much lower altitude. Katie and I are walking a lot more. When I take her out to go potty, we end up walking down the road and just keep going. Not super long walks because I tend to get bored just walking, but I'd bet we've tripled our steps.
I'm thinking I'm going to start wearing my MP3 player, which is full of audio books. I want to get more exercise and since I find it easier to walk more in this lower altitude, getting involved in an audio book should help me walk further.
WELCOME to three new followers:
Trainman, who is traveling full time after retiring. As he says in his profile, "I do this minus an RV. I have a Haulmark 6 X 12 Cargo Trailer and a Kodiak 9 X 12 Cabin Tent." I went through most of his blog posts, and found it very interesting. Thanks for following along with us, Trainman, Welcome Aboard! :)
Tony in Vegas, who doesn't have a blog or an RV yet, but he's thinking about RVing when he retires and is doing all the pre-planning now. He joined as a Follower and is also following other blogs to get as much information as he can. That's what I did when I first decided I wanted to have an RV and maybe be a full-timer. I hope it works out for you, Tony in Vegas, and that you love full-timing as much as I do. Katie and I are glad to have you along with us.
Welcome also to pandachickenmama, who doesn't show any information. That's quite a name - wonder where it came from.... If you have a blog, pandachickenmama, let me know so I can check it out! Welcome to you!
From me and Katie, have a great Friday, everyone! :)
The first one is a double rainbow that was the prettiest I've seen. Really bright, you could see the whole range of colors. I had to use a program to bring out the colors because the untouched photo didn't POP the colors like Nature did:
Here's Katie walking in a field of flowers. She really liked walking in the fields.
These horses were running along the lake, just having fun. They would run, stop and stand there a while, then turn around and run again. There aren't many things more beautiful or fun to watch than horses running. The white horse is so cute.
This fuzzy white butterfly was different than most of the others, which were yellow. When I left the park there were lots of butterflies flitting from place to place. Look at his body underneath - very fuzzy. (Click on the photo to enlarge it, then click on it again to make it really BIG.)
This is one of the yellow butterflies. Maybe a moth? He's small, and was very fast. I have this picture as one of my desktop slide show photos and the colors are so pretty. (Click on this one, too.)
And finally, I took this photo thinking there was something wrong with this bird. Turns out he is a Yellow Rumped Warbler. Yup, that's a yellow patch on his rump, very aptly named.
Traveling from Northwestern New Mexico to Quartzsite Arizona was not only a long drive, but it also brought us into warmer weather, drier air, and a much lower altitude. Katie and I are walking a lot more. When I take her out to go potty, we end up walking down the road and just keep going. Not super long walks because I tend to get bored just walking, but I'd bet we've tripled our steps.
I'm thinking I'm going to start wearing my MP3 player, which is full of audio books. I want to get more exercise and since I find it easier to walk more in this lower altitude, getting involved in an audio book should help me walk further.
WELCOME to three new followers:
Trainman, who is traveling full time after retiring. As he says in his profile, "I do this minus an RV. I have a Haulmark 6 X 12 Cargo Trailer and a Kodiak 9 X 12 Cabin Tent." I went through most of his blog posts, and found it very interesting. Thanks for following along with us, Trainman, Welcome Aboard! :)
Tony in Vegas, who doesn't have a blog or an RV yet, but he's thinking about RVing when he retires and is doing all the pre-planning now. He joined as a Follower and is also following other blogs to get as much information as he can. That's what I did when I first decided I wanted to have an RV and maybe be a full-timer. I hope it works out for you, Tony in Vegas, and that you love full-timing as much as I do. Katie and I are glad to have you along with us.
Welcome also to pandachickenmama, who doesn't show any information. That's quite a name - wonder where it came from.... If you have a blog, pandachickenmama, let me know so I can check it out! Welcome to you!
From me and Katie, have a great Friday, everyone! :)
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wordless Wednesday...Just SO darn cute!
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| Photograph by naturen-ar-fantastisk.blogspot.com |
Baby Common Goldeneye Ducks leaving the nest - flying for the first time.
From me and Katie, have a great Wednesday, everyone! :)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Quartzsite LTVAs and the government shutdown
Early Saturday morning, we drove the rest of the way into town. I checked out two of the LTVA areas. They looked open and there were camp hosts stationed at each of the four LTVAs (Long Term Visitor Areas - $180 for the season, September 15 through April 15, with water and dump provided free).
I drove in, past the little brown camp host office buildings, and then I saw the sign in the middle of the road that barred passage. It stated the area was CLOSED. There were a few RVs in the LTVA areas that I could see, but found out later that those were people who got there and purchased their permits before the shutdown, and so they were allowed to stay. They are truly few and far between.
I then drove to one of the 14-day limit BLM campground areas. I was happy to see some RVs parked there, drove in and got a campsite for me and Katie. We'll be in the 14-day BLM camping areas for the duration of the shutdown. I'm going to use this time to check out some of the 14-day areas.
The situation, as of today, is that the BLM 14-day areas are OPEN. At the end of this post is a map showing which are the LTVAs and which areas are BLM 14-day limit areas, since you probably won't be able to find one on our government's BLM websites.
For now the camp hosts at the 14-day areas are here, but not working. They are not giving out slips to campers with their in/out dates. There are no American flags flying at the entrance of the camping areas. I was told that when the flags are flying again, normalcy has returned and Quartzsite LTVA areas are again open for business.
But for now, the 14-days areas are OPEN and you can come-on-down! Water and dumping is available in town.
The weather is perfect. Monday and Tuesday the temps will be around 92 degrees F and next Sunday and Monday will be low 90's. From then on, we'll have 80's and 70's. Perfect. It's dry here, so yesterday, even though it was 93 inside The Palms, we were very comfortable. I turned on a fan, opened the Fantastic Fan on the ceiling and my kitchen ceiling vent, put on cooler clothes, and didn't notice the heat for the rest of the day.
It's really empty here - this is the beginning of the busy time for Quartzsite and the town needs the business. They will really be hurt if the shutdown continues and people stay away, so don't let the government hurt more people.
Here's where we are now:
You can see how empty the area is.
We picked a site a ways in, away from the road, and have a nice site near a wash, with a beautiful, large rock campfire pit.
I've got all my solar lights laid out by the front tire - charging them up with the free solar. It looks like I might be here a little while, so I might as well put out the lights and my American Flag. I only seem to do that at Quartzsite, I guess because I can stay longer than two weeks. Otherwise it's not worth the effort to me.
Below is the first critter I saw. He was on this rock in our campsite. I saw a few lizards yesterday, but nothing else. I put out my hummer feeder and a plate of seed for the squirrels and Gambel's Quail, so hopefully we'll have some company today looking for a meal.
On our way here, this truck was in front of us on the highway. I don't know if this sheep was tied up in the back of the truck, but you'd think the driver would at least have the tailgate attached.
What is it with Dinosaurs in Arizona? Huge fake dinosaurs are all over the place, my Grandkids would love it. I finally broke down and took a photo of these two:
I always get a picture of the state entrance signs if I see them soon enough.
As promised, below is a map of the BLM and LTVA areas in Quartzsite. I tried to copy the map from the government website for you, but it appears, in an effort to deter American Citizens from accessing the websites that we pay for with our tax dollars, that the Quartzsite LTVA maps are not accessible during the shutdown. @$%&$**#! and also *%#@^**($%! (Real words deleted to protect the blog author.) Aren't you happy that our government doesn't own Google? Or Wal-Mart?!?
I've gotten permission from Mello Mike to use his LTVA map from his website.
Thanks, Mello Mike, great map! It's from his recent post, "Quartzsite Boondocking primer." Check it out. :)
And here is our first, beautiful sunset in Quartzsite, AZ last night - I'm sure it's a familiar sight to many of you:
Don't let the shutdown keep you away. I know it's early in the season, I've never been here this early before, but there are lots of fabulous campsites ready for the taking.
From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone! :)
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