02-28-13

My computer has got some problems so I am using Patti’s computer to do this blog. I had to down load a new copy of “Windows Live Writer.
I think this will fix the problem that I have been having with the pictures. Once again you will be able to click on the pictures to enlarge them. “I hope”

The Wednesday ride was a little different than previous rides.
This time we met at the Carl’s Junior on the west side of town at 9:00.
Patti decided to skip this ride and go to Parker with Shirley and Bill to the Blue Water casino and to Wal-Mart to get a few things. Therefore Bob rode with me on the jeep ride. 
When everyone who was going on the ride arrived at Carl’s we took off west to Blythe, CA. We exited I-10 at Lovekin Blvd in Blythe and headed south. We zig-zag’d through the agricultural area until we came to the little town of Palo Verde, CA. From there, we headed west on a dirt road toward some small mountains.

After a while the road became a trail.
We continued west on the trail.

Eventually the trail became more interesting.

The trail wound around the hills until we came to the Opal Hill mine.

For a fee one can dig for opals and Fire Agate. We just wandered around and watched others dig.

 

After a short time we left the Opal Hill mine and continued along the trail.

Eventually we came to a wide dirt road and followed it south.

We eventually turned off this road and followed a smaller trail

until we found a wash out of the wind where we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we continued across the flats.

 

Eventually we came to some low hills

where we stopped at a spot where folks have been digging for Geodes. We walked around the area for a while. Some people found broken pieces of Geodes but nothing spectacular.

After about a half hour we left the Geode area and continued across the gravel pans.

 

We came to a trail that appeared to go over a pass.
Tom (who was the leader) and Dennis (Black jeep) gave the trail a try and decided it was not passable so they backed down.

  

White jeep Dennis (here is where things can get confusing) driving Cheryl’s blue jeep, and Gene in his gold jeep decided to try the trail. They made it almost to the top but the trail was washed out and they had to turn around.

It is a good thing that the rest of us didn’t follow them or we might still be up there trying to turn nine jeeps around on the narrow trail. 

We backtracked to the wide dirt road and headed north. Eventually we came to I-10 and turned east back to Quartzsite. 

When we got back to the motor home, we found out that Patti had won $165.00 so she took Bob and me out to dinner at the Mountain Quail.