A trip to the Liberry

Charlie and I headed out on a morning walk as usual today.  Difference was we walked down the wash from our site and the sides were cliffs so we had to walk all the way to the other end to get out.  We didn't know it yet, but we had a neat experience awaiting us in the middle of our walk.

Kayak day

With the cool weather behind us we are kicking into high gear when it comes to things to do.  We got out the kayaks today and headed across the Senators Wash Dam to Squaw Lake.  Its like a little oasis in the desert and has Palm Trees and all.

Quartzsite in the Rear View Mirror

Now that Blogger Fest and the RV show are wrapped up in Quartzsite it was time to move on down the road.  A 70 mile move is a walk in the park for us.  We are used to longer moves.

Blogger Fest was a Great day

The Naked Book Store guy

As forecast today was a miserable day with winds gusting up to 40 mph and the temperatures staying in the low 50s all day.  I spent most of the morning doing more chores and topping up our water supply.  After lunch the girls headed to town to check out the Readers Oasis Book Store.  This is the home of Quartzsites naked book store owner. Use the link to check out a review of his establishment.  The store itself is a normal book store with a quaint flavour to it.   Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't there, but only repeating what I have heard.

Fixit day.

Today was one of those days where you just finish up more and more of the honey do list.  I had to modify the TV antenna, fix the electric stairs, finish a couple things on the solar, put a door on the dog food cupboard and deal with some grey water.  While I was on the roof I did take a picture of the mini golf course that Missy had constructed in the wash next to our site.

Blogger Fest is coming

Todays blog is going to provide a nudge to everyone concerning BLOGGER FEST 2017.  Remember it is this Saturday from 1 to 5 at the Pavilion at South La Posa.  If you get to the gate we will have it marked from there on.  The GPS coordinates are 33.62478   114.2115.  You don't have to write a blog to come.  Even if you just read blogs of the RVers, come down and meet them in person.  There is such a wide variety of people doing blogs and they all will share their time with you.  Can I ask any of you bloggers out there to post the following on their blogs to let everyone know it is happening.  Thank you and see you there.

A Desert Tour

Charlie and I went for a little walk in the desert this morning.  We haven't been heading out east across the wash much lately so we decided to explore there this morning.  The old trail is still there and there are lots of rock monuments erected.  I think it is a neat way to mark your presence here.

More Solar installation

Today I worked more on the solar installation.  I am glad I am doing myself because I am learning a lot.  Solar is such a neat way to provide power for our unit.  Most of the components are fitted under the bed in back of the Ponderosa in close proximity to the batteries.

Another day in the desert

As if the opening day of the Big Tent wasn't enough, we went back again on the second day.  Once again we snuck in the back way which saved us a lot of time and stress.  On the way we saw a couple of Tiny houses out there.  Sue and I are interested in this for our future needs back in Canada.  We want to have a look in one at some point.

A Dog watching day

Today started out quite cool.  I checked out the window and Missy was out and about.  I had to shake my head to make sure I wasn't in Manitoba.

Game day

It seems that as the number of people in the area increases in anticipation of the big RV show, the access to good internet slows down to a crawl.  I have been having great difficulty with the blog and downloading pictures so have gotten quite a bit behind.  Because we write this blog as a journal for us and our family and friends, rather than for economic gain, I refuse to stress myself out over getting it done when the internet is so sketchy.  Sorry for that but I will catch up whenever I can do it without a lot of hassle.

There's a storm brewing

We have been running back and forth to town getting all of our solar supplies as they are shipped to Quiet Times here in Quartzsite.  Quiet times is a wonderful spot to get stuff shipped to and they hold it for quite a while if you are not here to pick it up.  I even had my solar panels shipped there.

Fixit and Fire

Today was a fix it day around our camp.  First off Harold and Rowdy patched some spots on Harold's roof because there is rain in the forecast.

Starting solar

It was COLD this morning. 4C on my thermometer.  I know your going to say that I am a Canadian and should be used to these temperatures and way worse, but the fact is that I paid a lot of money to come down  here so I wouldn't have to.  So because I paid, I think I have the right to complain.  So there!!!  At least my coffee was hot this morning.  You can see the steam rising from it.

Quartzsite RV Show

Today was a really slow day around the Ponderosa.  Most of the day was just sitting and enjoying the sun shine.  Part of the day was spent looking over all of my solar parts that have arrived so far.  We have all the stuff we need to start the installation.

Dog Park outing

We took Charlie out for a rare treat today.  Quartzsite has a lovely dog park where a lot of the snowbirds take their dogs for exercise.  Charlie is in need of some interaction with other dogs because he loves being around them, but doesn't get much of a chance on the road.  This park segregates the big dogs from the little dogs so they can run around without anyone getting hurt or trampled.  We hope to take him here lots in the next while.  The park is on the Northeast corner of town.

Hi Jolly Daze Parade

Today we attended the Hi Jolly Daze Parade in Quartzsite.  It is a parade that involves groups of interest as well as just people who want to be in a parade.  It had about 50 entries and was very entertaining.  As with every parade the local police made a showing.

Quartzsite at last

Today was move day.  We love to sit and look at Superstition Mountain here at Apache Junction, but after a while we get what RVers call Hitch Itch.  Thats when its time to move on.  We are looking forward to spending some time at Quartzsite so today we headed that way.

Fixing and Bonfire

Today we helped get P&H set up.  Their 5er is a new one to them as they just bought it last fall and never really had time to try it out.  We had a great breakfast at their trailer and made a plan to head into Mesa to do some shopping.

Trip to Tortilla Flats

Today started with coffee on the deck.  We had to spend a couple hours catching up on the local gossip with our friends Pat and Harold from Rivers Manitoba.  They arrived last evening after a 3000 km drive over 4 days.

Canadian Snowbird friends arrive

We spent much of the day today doing a lot of odd jobs around the Ponderosa like dishes and a good clean job.  We tend to get so busy enjoying ourselves that those things get a little behind.  Also our friends who are traveling from Canada will be arriving later today so we need to be presentable.  Sue got out the paint brush and finished up painting some of the cupboards in the front of the MH.

Laundry Tale

Today we did even less than we did yesterday.  The highlight of our day was a trip to Superstition Laundry.  This is a great place if you are in a hurry to get done.  There is someone on staff at all times to help you.

Mesa Market and Swap Meet

We are enjoying our time at Superstition Mountain near Apache Junction AZ.  Because it is so nice here we are not doing much of any interest other than relaxing.  This afternoon we did head over to the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet.

Superstition Mountain

We headed from Snyder Hill, just outside Tucson AZ, up the back way to our favorite spot across from Superstition Mountain near Apache Junction AZ.

This is the same place we stayed for about 3 weeks last winter and is a a great spot to be.  It is a rough road for about half a mile but is worth it as the spot amongst the cactus is second to none.

Solar and Sun ahead

It's official.  We are going solar.  We ordered 4 - 165 watt solar panels and a solar charge controller and all the switches and things that we need for the install.  We are getting it all shipped to Quartzsite where I am going to do the install.  I have asked Brian Boone of RV Boondocking with Solar to be my consultant.  He is currently doing installs at Quartzsite for a number of his customers.  So far he has been real helpful in confiming what will work best for me.  I would recommend him for your solar needs.  I'm hoping he will come and look at my RV before I start, and go over my plan and pick holes in it, and when I have finished the install, look at it to make sure it is right before I turn on the switch.  We are excited to get started.  Heres what we ordered.

The Aircraft Boneyard

Today is the birthday of a special guy from back home.  RJ is part of our family, and he likes to read our blog to see what we are up to.  RJ is 10 years old today.  Happy Birthday Buddy.  The reason I mention him, is because I bet he likes airplanes so he might be interested with our travels today, as we checked off another item on my bucket list.

Hike up Snyder Hill

Today was a toes up day around the Ponderosa.  Charlie and I did some walking up Snyder Hill and exploring.  You can see for miles from up there.  There are some beautiful mountain ranges all around us.

Snyder Hill AZ

We decided to move out to Snyder Hill which is a 14 day free camping area on BLM land just outside Tucson.  We don't mind RV parks but short term stays are really expensive.  It was costing us over $50.00 a night, so it was time to move on.

Colossal Caves and a new game

Spent the morning fixing some things around the Ponderosa.  We extended our stay in the KOA by one day so we could hang with Rowdy and Missy today.  We decided to do an afternoon tour today because the sun promised to shine for a while.

2016 recap

Well another year has come and gone.  Lots has happened to us in 2016.  We took the Ponderosa south for January, February, and March and then spent some time in Alberta with Sheri, Donovan, and Dani on our way back to Manitoba.  We met a lot of real interesting people in our travels and look forward to meeting up with them lots of times as we continue to travel.