Good Old Truckstops

We're out in the back lot of Petro in Eloy for 2 nights. This is a huge place. We went to see Nadine and Clint in their manufactured home, 10 minutes away in Arizona City. Nice visit. Another neighbour in the truck stop tonight was this propeller for the wind farms. It hung off the back of the 2 flatbeds about 20'. Massive. You will see its size if you double click the picture.

Casa Grande, AZ

I went to the Casa Grande Ruins (Big “House) National Monument today. Built by the prehistoric people called Hohokam , prior to 1350 A.D., this site has been excavated showing the first pit houses, later above ground houses and the impressive Big House. This ancient 4 story structure still commands respect. It is 4 stories tall, 60 feet long, constructed of 3000 tons of caliche (a concrete-like mix of sand, clay and calcium carbonate (limestone). Hundreds of pine, juniper and fir trees were floated 60 miles down the Gila River for ceiling or floor supports with saguaro spines laid across the beams. This was constructed about 1350 AD, and represents the height of their architecture. The remains of a walled village surround the main buildings. There is also a prehistoric ball court. These Indians lived here many centuries before building Casa Grande but it was abandoned about 1450 AD for unknown reasons. A circular hole in the west wall aligns with the setting sun on the summer solstice. It is thought that these people used a primitive calendar using the celestial objects to know times for planting, harvest and celebration. They diverted the river for irrigating their crops.

Refused Reservations

When we arrived at Casa Grande (Western Horizons Resort ) today we were told we were not allowed in as we'd just stayed at their Colorado River Adventure Resort in Ehrenberg and must be out of their system for a week. How are we to know their stupid rules when we were coming in under Coast to Coast? Well, we dragged ourselves around town, towing car and bikes. WalMart had huge signs, No Overnight Camping, we asked at Lowes, definitely not allowed, Home Depot said the same until finally we parked in the huge lot of the Room Store (used to be the old WalMart). We spent 2 nights there until we got into Las Colinas, a delightful Park with a heated swimming pool and hot tub in nearby Eloy about 6 miles east along I 10. This area is truly desert but versatile - gourd, cotton, hay, pecan and turf farms with a stockyard of cows with, get this - 4' fans above their pens. There are large bales of cotton about the size of a boxcar by the roadside. Seeing lots of huge saguaro cacti here.

Quartzsite - World's Largeset Rock and Gem Show

Myrna and R came up today. The boys went RV looking while we girls checked out all the Vendors over near the Big Tent. We met for lunch at the Quartzsite Yacht Club. The story is that some fellow always wanted to own a Yacht Club so started this one here - no water in sight. They say that if you are a member, it is courtesy that all other Yacht Clubs must let you in.
When I walked down by the river, here was a fellow gold panning. He's filled 2 buckets with dirt from the Dome Rock area 2 miles away where there used to be a goldmine. Beautiful sunsets as usual
Tomorrow's our last day here and then we head down to Casa Grande where we've never stayed before.

Ehrenburg, AR

On my walk, I went through the Ehrenberg Cemetery, established in the 1800's. It seemed the Daniels and Edwards were the first families in this area. This little town must have started as a fort or trading post for prospectors.

Friends in the Desert

Yesterday we came down the 95, one of those roads that is so wavy, you could get seasick. We're at the Colorado River Adventures in Ehrenberg on this river for 6 days. We drive up to Quartzsite, 13 miles away. We did yesterday and then went to visit Paulette and D and Joy and R who've been boondocking out in the desert for the last week. Millions of people spend their winter doing this.

Movie Week

There are 2 movie theaters here so I see everything interesting. Trust me, my $6.00 lasts a lot longer at a movie than at a slot machine. We went to The Tourist and really enjoyed it. We’d never seen Angeline Jolie or Johnny Depp so that was interesting. The scenes of Venice with the water and buildings were great. We’d recommend this movie and it has a cool twist at the end. I went to Burlesque and loved it. Christina Auiglera has the most amazing voice as does Cher. We saw True Grit and weren’t impressed, it just seemed drawn out. Next for me was Black Swan. It is very well acted but a dark story and the ballerinas were all scrawny and looked anorexic. The dancing was amazing but the mental illness portrayed was disturbing. Last night I saw Country Strong. the music was fantastic. I'm now well prepared for the Oscars. Next I'm going to see The King's Speech, which very good.

It's been fun here, win a little, lose a little but we've got enough to pay both our campground dues. It's nice to walk along the River Walk to different Casinos where the boats transfer you along the way. The Riverside is our favourite, always something to do.

Laughlin, Nevada

Driving here today, we could see the salt fiats in the distance.We are staying in Ridgeview RV Resort, which is really in Bullhead City across the Colorado River in Arizona, a nice park but their swimming pool is not heated. For the first time in years we decided to go down Casino Drive - mistake - total construction with 2 narrow lanes and large pipes lying in the street.

This weekend is the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge race. This 5 race event starts here with this as the first major off- road race. One of the highlights is the Laughlin Leap, where drivers speed off a high dirt ramp and try to soar airborne for the longest distance, attempting to break the 2009 record of 161.6’. There are over 1000 drivers in 20 different classes so lots of cars in town.

We enjoyed the Friday Seafood Buffet at the Riverside, always a nice treat.

FMCA Rally

One thing we always enjoy here is the Family Motor Coach Assn Rally held at the Riverside fairgrounds here in Indio. All sorts of vendors, equipment and seminars. Today's bonus was running into Gail and Hank from home. We had lunch together and then went to see their new motorhome. He took out the couch and put in a large console with fireplace and retractable TV. It looks fantastic.
We're off to Laughlin tomorrow.

Smart Phone School

It was time to upgrade our old Verizon phone, so we got a 'Smart' Phone. I believe it does everything but cook dinner. Today we were at Smart Phone school at 8 a.m. and learned an amazing amount of stuff. I can get all my email on it and Ron loves that we can speak to it and it writes the email itself. I love it.
We rewarded ourselves with lunch at the Souplantation, a fresh food and soup restaurant with everything made from scratch, fresh from the farm. The doors are cute with big spoons as the handles.

A Birthday

We saw Ken and Joan come in yesterday and invited them for happy hour just in time for Joan's birthday today. It was fun to be together again.

Off We Go

Well, we've been stationary 5 weeks, except for Disneyland and San Diego so it's time to move. We had a wonderful swim tonight with the girls under the stars and I will miss that.

here's where we'll be.

Jan 4 - 13 - Indian Waters - Indio
Jan 13 - 20 Laughlin
Jan 20 - 26 Ehrenberg

Jan 25 - Feb 1 - Casa Grande

Feb 1 - 14 Tuscon
Feb 15 - 25 - Yuma
Feb 25 back to Cat Spa

March 8 - 15 Hemet when Ric and Chayla are there,

then back to Cat Spa and starting home on March 29.
If you're anywhere near, give us a shout.

New Years Resolution

We started the year right with our Sunday Ice Cream Social. The guy hiding on the left, had one too.

Happy New Year

We had a great time at Joy and Roman's last night, some of us even saw the ball drop in Times Square. We watched the 122nd Rose Bowl Parade as we do every year. Every single thing used in decorating has to be plant material. The floats are amazing. This one was a carnival with a 24' Ferris wheel which had to be partially collapsed to go under an overpass.
We celebrated the New Year at Paulette and Dennis' today. Shirley and Chuck have arrived so it was catch up time.