The Stormy Day

This is the day we stayed here for. It came in as predicted with wind, rain, then a few thunder cracks, a couple of lightning bolts and by dinner time it's pretty much over. Not even enough rain to make Bob happy about cleaning the dust off the solar panels.

We have had enough of buffet dinners, so decided to try the In 'N Out burger drive-in about which we had heard good reviews but never tried. Fresh made deluxe cheeseburgers and fries for less than $10 for us both.

We are done with all things Laughlin and tomorrow we pack up, shower and dump again ready to leave first thing Sunday morning. We will stay hooked up over night so we can be moving early. I made phone calls today so our Canadian cel phone will be activated and Shaw Direct ready for our return. Everything is now in reverse. We need new SIM cards for our iPads, insurance for my car and then up the Island Highway to Union Bay. But in between these home things is another 1500 miles of travel. Because we are going home almost a month earlier than usual from the desert we feel the safest route is up the I5 through California. Not our favourite route but weather dictates it.

I am quite excited to be on the road as we have spent the last two weeks thinking about it, talking about alternatives and giving this 36 hour rain storm it's due.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sooooo.....

As usual we change our minds again. A rainy day on Friday all across Southern California has helped us decide that sitting in the sunshine is a better option. So at this point we are not leaving until Sunday. It gives us a better weather window and a few more days for Bob's recovery to continue. If things don't change we may even be able to go Highway 395, our favourite route up the east side of the Sierras. It would mean a stay-over in Bishop which to my mind still has the best Texas Smoke BBQ over anything we have tasted this winter. It also has a very well stocked and well priced art supply store.
Another buffet dinner. It's a cheap and easy way to have dinner when it's so hot until dark. For $20 we can eat a good variety of food.
Doodling this afternoon I started to just draw things on the table. Our reed bird we have in the RV was bought years ago from a little town along Lake Patzcuaro in Mexico. It has started discussions of maybe a different journey next year. Maybe giving the desert a rest for a winter? We always have plans.

There's just something magnetic about us that attracts other rv'ers to camp on top of us. This little rig is right outside looking at us....as you can see there is a lot!!! of room in the parking area. We don't understand this mentality. It happens everywhere, the desert, casinos, Walmart parking lots.....maybe we need a big sign posted on the side of the RV saying "quarantine" that we put out every time we stop. And this guy is way closer than it looks in the picture! If it was crowded here it would be understandable but when there is this much room...go figure:)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Winding Down

Each year we are always loathe to leave the warmth and the sunshine. But this year we are really ready to go home. It has been an exceptionally long time away, getting close to seven months by the time we do get home.

Once the decision has been made to turn north we are only putting in time. We are no longer interested in the places we now travel through. We are tired of the dust and the wind and now the Casino camping in Laughlin. Tomorrow we shower, do laundry, dump our tanks and be ready to head out Wednesday morning.

We will hopefully enjoy decent weather until at least Northern California. After that we will go as the weather allows day by day.

My needle felting desert scene is almost finished and I can always continue it at home. I don't need the desert in front of me to remember all the beautiful colours. But it is still missing an Ocotillo and it's bright orange flowers.

As the decision has been made to leave I am remembering all the different segments of our trip.....the Canadian prairies, the Mississippi River, the Delta Blues music, The Ozarks, Louisiana and it's gulf coast, the Coastal Bend of Texas and then the last six weeks back in the desert .....it is hard to believe this has been one continuous journey. We will remember this trip forever, all the good, the bad and the in between.

We will have the time to ponder it all as we wait for spring to arrive on the west coast. Maybe we will bring it with us...time will tell. We are prepared for the worst but hoping for the best for these last fifteen hundred miles.

The last night scene of Casino Row in Laughlin. The two pictures represent both ends of the desert spectrum.

Posted with Blogsy

Windy!!!

Our plans were to do laundry this morning but it was so windy and also the Women's Gold Medal hockey game is on so we have put off chores for another day. We went into the casino to our quiet bar for the second period start ....a bit of a scary game until late in the third period. Tie game and OT and we have a thrilling Gold Medal win. Also a Gold Medal for Women's Curling....good day for our women for sure.

Our very accommodating bartender also had some advice for Bob and his sinusitis. Apple cider vinegar. Swears by it. So we will get some next trip into town and see how it works.

A quiet afternoon and a simple dinner at home. The temperatures have cooled today and as of 5:00 the wind has died down too. A pretty evening.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Life in Laughlin

Not being gamblers and not crazy about the hotel buffets, we have been keeping a pretty low profile at the RV. It has been very warm, in the mid 80's, but true to desert conditions it cools down quickly as soon as the sun sets. We enjoy sitting outside in the late afternoon watching the day change into night.

The town was very busy over the weekend with 150 youth soccer teams.

Probably half of the rvs in the parking area are staying in the hotel. We've been told they are being 'comped' through their gambling playing/winnings. Seems a risky and possible a costly way to stay in a hotel when you can sleep in your own bed just outside. But that's just us :)...

We decided we found the perfect rig for us and all our hobbies. This wee unit is probably over 75 feet long. Even the cargo trailer has an awning. What a great studio/workshop! Have no idea what they carry in it as they weren't here too long and didn't see much activity other than walking a dog or two.

I've seen a lot of different vending machines over the years but this was a new one. 'Best Buy' filled with cel phone accessories, head phones, and ear buds of every colour. Some people just never leave the hotel. Not too much you can't get on the inside.

Trying to capture the vista of the sun on all the hotel windows. Need a lot more practice but that is what I am enjoying while having this quiet time before we head for home. This will be our last warm stop. Much further north and the nights are down to freezing so we won't be dawdling after we leave here.

Just watched Canada squeak out a win over Latvia...big, big game on Friday!!

Posted with Blogsy

Goodbye to the Desert

We're awake early and have an easy getaway as we hadn't unhooked. We turn "a sharp right" according to Ivy, our GPS voice, onto Highway 62 to Vidal Junction. This is the intersection of the highways that is always the turning point that tells us we have finally arrived in the desert. On the other hand it is the "goodbye" corner going north. Agriculture (Ag Checks) and Border Patrol checkpoints are a way of life between Arizona, California and Mexico. As we go through our last one, the kayak draws attention. They are concerned about plant and mussel contaminations from the lakes and rivers being transported into California. We explain the boat hasn't been in the water since Manitoba and it's all OK and we are given our inspection certificate.

We climb up over 2000 feet through a rugged little 'desert mountain range' and coast down into another part of the Colorado River valley and the rather ugly town of Needles, Ca. Thirty miles later we pull into Laughlin, Nevada. This is a distant cousin to the gambling meccas of Las Vegas and Reno. It is where the three states converge in one corner. One road, Casino Drive, running parallel to the Colorado River with maybe 8 to 10 Casino Hotels. All the hotels provide some kind of RV parking. We have stayed in 3 or 4 over the years. Those that don't charge anything are usually the busiest and also include the most desert rat clientele which also includes the most generators. The Tropicana Hotel charges $7 a night or $35 a week, maximum 2 weeks, for dry camping. We set up with reasonable space between us and other rvs and go into the hotel to register. It is a busy weekend, being Valentines and Presidents Day holiday but will quiet down by Monday afternoon. Enquiries as to where we might watch Olympic coverage leads us to the Carnegie Bar. The bartender tries to find the Canada/Finland hockey game for us but doesn't have any luck. We head out to go back to our RV when the bartender tracks us down to tell us he found the game.....love it!!...there are 3 minutes left in regulation time and the game is tied. Halfway through OT Canada's defenceman Drew Doughty gets the winning goal!! What a great few moments for us to see with the perfect outcome.

Bob's cold is wearing him down and it's time to find a doctor. The opinion is sinusitis. He needs antibiotics to clear it all up and hopefully it will address his breathing difficulties and the ringing in his ears. The doctor feels the medication will help it all. Fingers crossed.

After getting the prescriptions filled we picked up a Papa Johns pizza with Ham, aka,"Canadian" bacon, pineapple and mushrooms, a large for $9.99. It is our lunch and dinner for a busy, fractured day...tasted fantastic!!

We are looking forward to our time here and Bob feeling better before we have to make serious miles for home. We have pleasant neighbours, warm daytime temperatures and cooling nights.

Our back yard trees on an asphalt camp sight. Sometimes we have pure desert beauty and other times it's the neon lights of a desert gambling town. It's all good and we enjoy the diversity of our life style.

Goodnight from our first night in Nevada....the 14th state we have travelled through this winter....2 left to go before home.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Moving on up the Highway....

In the style in which we do a lot of things, that is, spur of the moment, yesterday morning we made the decision to start the slow march north. Approximately 100 miles and we're at Earp BLM camp. A few familiar faces but no Tim or Magees. All the spots along the back road are taken by the true desert rats. It is a community we are sometimes comfortable with and others not so much. We are settled pretty much in the middle, both socially and physically.

 

It is Presidents Day weekend here along with Valentines Day today. Always a preferred time for us to stay off the roads. I had my first walk in almost a week because of my cold and it felt good. Really have to try for an earlier start due to the heat now. I did my clothes jettisoning.....getting rid of all the sun bleached, laundromat worn items rather than carry them home. Many are not in really bad shape so will try to drop them off at a local Goodwill spot. There are definitely people here that would appreciate them.

It has been very quiet today. You can hear the traffic in the distance, about two miles away on Highway 62 going east to Parker and west towards 29 Palms and the Palm Springs area. Also right now there are two unidentified birds singing in a mesquite tree nearby. It is such a pretty song especially when there is nothing competing with them in our ears.

Thirty degrees and we are sitting in the shade having our wine. A warm breeze makes the temperature pleasant.

We talk about our plans for the next week and even the next year. Somehow I think maybe our needs, wants and abilities to continue this winter lifestyle may be changing. Time will tell. Maybe we are just ready to be home for this year. It is hard to complain about life here......it really is very beautiful but it also takes it's toll on a person.

The desert is in my soul more than anyplace I've ever been before. The colours, the smells, the stillness and the vast open vistas that I love the best. Being able to see for miles, mountains that are all colours and no trees and sunsets and sunrises that are unsurpassed in my experience. A place that I wish I could paint well enough to express the beauty I see.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Paint Your Food

One of the Urban Sketcher's blog that I follow says if you arent inspired to paint you can always draw your food. Then you have at least three subjects a day to keep you drawing.

Spent the morning building my pasta salad, and have recorded the ingredients I used. Didn't have any "radiator" noodles so had to use bow ties.....not as good as they don't absorb the sauce as well. With a hot week ahead a pasta salad in the fridge makes dinners easier. We sat outside in the shade and enjoyed the breeze until dinner time. BBQ ribs to go with the salad and dinner is done.

I'm sketching while I sit outside. My now infamous creosote bush with last years ribbons. Still trying to be happy with ink lines and less paint but I'm not able to stop myself adding paint. Practice, practice....:)

Canadian Women's hockey!!! 3-2 over the US.....yayyyyy......looking forward to the hockey ahead, both men's and women's. Not sure how much we will be able to watch on TV but we can follow all the results on our iPads.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Desert observations

With no moon it is so dark you can't see your hand in front of you. With a 3/4 moon, going to full on Valentines Day, the desert floor is lit up and you could walk safely in its light. Yesterday I sat outside in the late afternoon and for a period of time I did not hear a sound. Not a vehicle, a train, a plane, a voice. It is a rare occasion to experience such absolute quiet.

Boondockers are mostly responsible campers. They respect the desert and always try to leave it in as good or better condition than they found it. As Boondockers ourselves we appreciate the ability to live off the grid with our solar power in an environment of peace, and to our eyes, beauty in our adopted winter home.

Things don't deteriorate very quickly in the desert as I discovered yesterday. Last year I found an interesting branch from a mesquite tree that I decorated with some of my colourful ribbons. I set it in a container and filled it up with quartz and pretty rocks. It sat outside on my table until a windy day sent it flying while we were in town shopping. Today I saw a glint of colour in a small creosote bush and there, stuck in the bush, is my branch and ribbons. They are somewhat bleached of colour but still recognizable as mine.

 

I love the mountains...I wish I could do them better justice. I will keep practicing.

I think we may have turned the corner and are starting to feel some relief from these awful colds. A few more days of sunshine and warmth and hopefully we will be healed.

Tonight's colours on my favourite mountains as we watch the shadows lengthen before the sun sets on another day.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Out, Out Damn Colds

We have managed to do our chores today and are resettled and good for another two weeks. Very tired of "the cold"....giving in to our low levels of energy and enjoying the daytime coverage of the Olympics. We had a good dinner, enjoyed the sunset and cooler temperatures. Now inside for more Olympic coverage and probably early to bed. There is nothing more to say....Goodnight...

 

Posted with Blogsy

My Desert

When we first arrived here there was probably 7 or 8 rvs near us (relatively speaking) . Today there is only 1 small unit further towards the hills than we are. There are very few places that provide the peace and quiet that we enjoy here. As Bob has been dealing with a bad cold I have been doing my walks alone. At home I would never feel comfortable walking in the woods by myself but here I never worry about people or animals. It's still too cold at night for the snakes to be out and I think coyotes would be more afraid of me than visa versa. I can walk for an hour and Bob can usually keep an eye on me in all directions, especially if I wear a bright top :)...who is this woman, I do not know her, but I do love her boots....lol...

I so enjoy my mornIng walks. We are here earlier than last year and from the looks of the desert flowers and cactus it has been a dry year. No desert Lilys so far and only one beaver tail cactus with three small blooms.

We are licking the wounds of our colds enjoying watching the Olympics. Unfortunately we have to watch a very American slant to all the events. I know we are lucky to be able to watch them at all sitting out here in the desert. We have our solar power and digital local TV that broadcasts NBC's coverage. Tomorrow is "dump" day so we will pack up and go to a Shell station about 11/12 miles away to dump our tanks and fill up our water. Then we are good for another two weeks. We will probably stay in this area til the end of the month and then re evaluate the weather window for our trip north and home.

Too busy BBQing and watching TV to check out our sunset tonight....mustn't have been too exciting or I would have noticed.

Go Canada!!

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Resigned

We have decided it's no use fighting this cold or blaming it on the desert dust and possible airborn bacteria. We could just as easy have colds at home. Actually the probability is greater. At least here we can sit in comfort inside or out. The heat from the sun has a healing effect like a hot cup of herbal tea. After five days we headed into town for propane, a few fresh groceries and some kind of cold medication. Bob seems to have got it the worst and is trying to knock the cough out of his chest.

Three hours in and around Yuma has pretty much finished us. Chores done, we head home to rest for the afternoon. It's never fun being sick but when you are you might as well just settle in and relax, letting nature take it's course. The old adage of rest and liquids is still pretty sound advice. We did add a few somewhat "natural" ingredients, except for the Robitussin.

Chilled Chardonney is a natural ingredient in my books. I guess I'm just not that sick because it sure feels and tastes good. (Salute! Marilyn :) and Sherry :)....Also our appetite hasn't diminished either. Pasta, prawns and coleslaw for dinner. Only thing missing is some ice cream but it is too far from the store to keep it in solid condition. Maybe a Valentines DQ Blizzard next time we go to town, hmmmm.....

Some Olympic coverage on TV and an early night.

I just can't stop taking pictures of this beautiful area. No matter what the conditions.....sunny, cloudy, combinations of both, the evening light on the Cargo Muchachos is always breathtaking.

I love my desert, dessert?? Both I think, lol....?

 

Posted with Blogsy

Fighting colds

Statistics for the day. Fighting the cold goes on. No energy even to go for my walk. We have showers around doing the minimal amount of chores, feeding ourselves and having rests. This mornings sky was colourful but all in clouds of blues and greys.

I have a new Faber Castell pen that I practiced with this afternoon. Trying to do pen drawings without using pencil and erasing and correcting. People are the hardest, so must practice more, not shying away from attempting them. I loved the picture of Stella with her great Grandma so gave it a try. Also my favourite pile of rocks near our camp. It's always interesting to wonder how they arrive where they are. They don't seem to fit in with their surroundings.

 

Amazingly enough there wasn't a sunset worthy of recording tonight. Darkness comes quickly after sunset so we are inside and the door is closed before 7:00pm. Hoping tomorrow sees us both feeling better. Looking forward to watching the opening ceremonies of the Sochi Olympics.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Laying Low

We have now realized that our journey this winter to get to Arizona by the "long route" is really over. All the adventures we experienced, the new people we met, the music we discovered and the food we enjoyed are now almost a distant memory. I think this is why I'm having some difficulty continuing to write my blog. It's just like being at home.

The need to keep moving, looking for new horizons and experiences has just kind of seeped out of us. I don't know if we were prepared for the journey to be over, but it is.

We are decompressing, fighting colds and generally doing the things we normally do in the desert. Just living a quiet life and enjoying the lovely warm temperatures and peaceful existence.

We have our chores to do, like shopping, laundry, getting water, dumping our tanks and even a few sights to see that we have not seen previous years. We will fill the next month with whatever we are able and willing to do.

Come March we will be turning north and hoping for a weather window that will make the trip enjoyable at least until we get to the Northwest where we have no great expectations and accept the rain that we usually experience by Washington State.

Bob has been organizing his fly tying supplies and I have been doing whatever I feel like, working on a few different projects...the felted desert scene continues, still a lot of work left. It is so different from watercolours because I can keep adding and working it without ruining it like I feel I do so often when painting. Watercolours and over painting just don't go together.

 

The family painting is happening from Melaque, Mexico, through Arizona all the way to Quesnel. Can you tell whose is whose?... Stella has had a good day today too. Haven't got any pictures from Campbell River but I'm sure they are doing something artistic too:)

It is the desert's way to end each day with glorious colour. Some are more spectacular than others but each one is appreciated for its uniqueness. Tonight's contribution.

 

Posted with Blogsy