The Wednesday Ride.

I was chosen as leader of this Wednesday's ride and decided to take the group to the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. Kofa stands for King of Arizona and is one of my favorite places in this area.

We met at the Arco station at the east end of town.

Once everyone who was going on the ride had arrived we headed out.
We got on I-10 and drove east 26 miles to the Vicksburg Road exit where we got off the interstate. Here we topped off the fuel tanks and aired down the tires.
While I was airing down, Patti put the "Col-de-sac Tours sign on Snoopy's door's.

Once everyone had filled the tanks, etc. we headed south on Vicksburg Road crossed into the Kofa and continued to the Pipeline road where we turned west. We drove west on the Pipeline road a couple miles to intersection 14. Here we turned south and drove across the flats, passing Craven Well.

We continued along the flats and eventually began climbing into the mountains.

 

 



 

Red Rock Pass is a fun ride; a little bumpy but not too challenging.

 

 

Eventually we got over the pass and headed  for Hoodoo Well.

 

 

We got to the  Hoodoo Hilton right at 12:00 just in time for lunch. Since the sun was warm we decided to dined alfresco.

 

 

 

After lunch we headed back along the Red Rock Pass trail to intersection 34 where we turned east. We drove for a few miles to Hovatter Ranch.

We drove in through the circular driveway flanked by Saguaro and  Ocotillo cactus.

 

  

We walked around the area for a while and climbed the hill to pay our respects at the Family grave site.

 

 

Here is the view from the grave site.

 

 

After a while we got back in the jeeps and drove east out of  the mountains.

 

I lived up to our motto "we get lost for you" and took a wrong turn. After a mile or two I realized my mistake so we turned around and backtracked to the main trail where we got on Hovatter Road, a wide graded road and followed it north to the pipeline road where we turned west and drove to Vicksburg Road. We turned north on Vicksburg Road and followed it to I-10. After airing up the tires we head for Quartzsite and stopped at Carl's Jr. for dinner.

 

As always it was a fun ride.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Laundry, House Work and a Weenie Roast.

Yesterdays blog.

In the last blog I mentioned that we were doing chores; laundry and house work today and I wouldn't publish a blog unless some thing interesting happened.

Some thing happened.

While Patti was at  the laundromat taking care of the laundry.
I was just getting ready to mop the floor in the RV when Dave and Denis showed up.
They said that they wanted to have a weenie roast in the afternoon.
"That sounds great! I replied. "What time?"
"How about we meet at Carl's at 3:00." Dave suggested.
"That should work".

I called Patti and told her what we are planning and she agreed and said that she would pick up hot dogs and buns on the way home. 

When she got back to the RV, we got what we would need together and by 3:00 we were at Carl's.
After a short BS session we were on our way to the weenie roast spot south of town.

It was a small group with Jo Ann, Dave, Sue, Denis, there friend Frank, Patti and I.

The weather was cold enough this time that the fire was welcome.

We cooked our dogs and shot the bull until well after dark. When all the wood was burned up we went home.

It was a fun time as always.

A trip to Mexico and Star Wars.

 

Mexico.

Yesterday around 9:00 am Cheryl and Dennis picked us up and off we went to Algodones, Mexico.
I don't like border towns but I got talked into going with a bribe to see the new Star Wars movie afterwards. We got to the border around 10:30 and parked in the big parking lot just outside Mexico.
We a walked across the border and went to the Algodones Optical Company so Cheryl could get her glasses repaired.
We sat around there for about half an hour.
Once the glasses were fixed we walked down the street.

Being harassed the whole way by hawkers.

We turned a corner and continued along a crowed sidewalk to a Pharmacy.

Here I bought some Omeprazole, very cheap.

After buying my meds we returned to the main street where we went to the "Old Town" Restaurant

Here we had lunch.

Cheryl had an avocado and shrimp salad.

Patti had Shrimp Fajita's.

Dennis had the combo #1

I had the combo #2

The food was very good and  the price was reasonable.

Star Wars.

After lunch we left Algodones and drove to Yuma where we stopped at the Harken Movie Theater to watch the new Star Wars  movie.
The movie was great! There were some surprises and some interesting new characters.
The movie ended with the story still to continue. Look for a sequel in a  couple of years.

Shopping.

After the movie we drove to the Foothill Walmart so Cheryl and Patti could do some shopping.
Dennis and I waited in the parking lot.

After leaving Walmart we drove to The 99cent Only Store so Cheryl could get a few things.
Patti,  Dennis and I waited in the car.

Home.

From the 99cent store we went to Dairy Queen.  Cheryl and Dennis both had Blizzards and Patti got a small cone; then we headed for home. We got back to Quartzsite around 6:45.
We tried to go to Silly Al's for pizza but couldn't find a parking spot. We drove over to the Grubstake to try for a fish dinner. Grubbs was over flowing with no tables available so we went to The Times Three and found it almost empty. That tells you a little about which are the more popular restaurants in Quartzsite. We each had a light dinner and headed for home.

Okay, that was our Mexican adventure.

Tuesday.

Today is house work and laundry day so that is the blog for Tuesday unless something exciting happens.

 

Do nothing Day and Some Work on Snoopy

On Saturday we did nothing of interest. It was very cold with high winds so we stayed indoors and read books etc.

On Sunday it was not as cold and the winds had died down so I decided to start installing the auxiliary brake system.
The goal was to get the actuator installed. I tried to do the job without removing the seat but after fighting it for a while I decided that the seat had to come out. Patti came out with her camera so you have some pictures.

Now I can get to things much  easier if easier is the correct word.

I had to position everything correctly. The toughest part was mounting the pulley for the cable connection to the brake peddle. The medal is so thin on these new jeeps that the self taping screws kept stripping out. I ended up using regular sheet metal screws and being very careful about not over tightening them. Eventually I got the pulley attached to the floor.

After getting the pulley in I had to find a spot to mount the power controller.  I found a spot high on the firewall and screwed it down.
The next thing was to mount the actuator. It takes up a lot of room so I mounted it behind the seat  and ran the cable around the seat against the side wall.

When I tried to put the seat back in I found that the actuator was in the way so I had to reposition it.
Eventually I got everything in the right place and decided to call it a day.
The next thing I will have to do is the wiring and plumb the vacuum line from the pump to the brake system. I mounted the pump about a week ago. I also have to mount the breakaway switch on the front bumper but that will have to wait until I mount the brackets for the tow bar and drill some big holes in the bumper. I need a drill press to do that. Dick has a drill press and said that I could use it to do it. I just need to buy a 5/8 drill bit and a metal cutting hole saw for  that job.

Okay, that's it for now.

Cheryl and Dennis are going to Algodones Mexico today and Patti talked me into going with them. I don't like border towns but I have a hard time turning Patti down when she really wants to do something.
Algodones is just across the border from Yuma. While we are there we plan to stop in Yuma to see  the new Star Wars movie. That is the real reason I am going.

Quiet Christmas

Christmas Day was very quiet.
The weather was cold and windy.
The only thing we did was go to B&D's to get some dishes we left there Christmas Eve.
The rest of the day we stayed indoors and just goofed off.
Christmas dinner was leftover ham and egg scramble and hash browns.

Okay, That's it for now.

A Christmas Eve Dinner.

Merry Christmas!!

We had our Christmas Eve dinner in the new AZ room at Becky and Dennis's.

There were 12 people and lots of food.
There was Ham, yams, chili relleno casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, several kinds of salads, about 5 different kinds fudge, cheese cake etc.

It was a fun time and we broke in the new room with gusto.

After dinner, since it was Thursday, we played cards.
We only played one game as everyone was full of food and wine and getting sleepy.

Lots of fun with good friends.

A Ride to See More Intaglio's and More.

Yesterday we took a ride to the California side of the Colorado River to see more Intaglios.

We met the group at the Carl's Jr. on the west side of town and once everyone was there we headed west on I-10.  We crossed the Colorado River, took the CA 95 exit and headed north for about 20 miles to the turnoff to the Intaglios; there is sign on the highway so it is easy to find. We turned left onto a graded dirt road and followed it to the first parking area. We had to walk about a hundred yards to a fenced in area and the first figure.

On the way we thought that we had disturbed a swarm of bees as we could hear a loud angry buzzing sound. It turned out to be a drone flying over the Intaglios apparently taking pictures. Not a bad idea since they are hard to make out from ground level.

As you can see in the picture below I had to hold the camera as high as possible to be able to see the figure clearly.

 

 

A drone would make this easier.

 

 

This one looks like some kind of animal and a snake.

 

 

After taking pictures of these dirt drawings we walked back to the jeeps and headed for the next set a few hundred yards up the road.

 

 



The mountains to the west are very intriguing but are in the Big Maria Wilderness and only open to the young and fit and the wealthy (hiking and horseback).

We drove to the next drawing.
This one appears to be a bowlegged giant.

The road continued past these drawings and goes toward the mountains so we decided to follow it as far as we could.

Along the way we got some nice views of the mountains

and the fertile Colorado River Valley.

When we came to the wilderness boundary the trail turned right and dropped into a large wash.

We found a spot in the wash for lunch.

 

 



After lunch we continued down the wash looking for a way out.

Eventually after some thrashing around we  found a trail going out of the wash. We climbed out of the wash

 and followed this new trail toward the mountains.

Once again we turned back at the wilderness and headed for the highway.

At one point there was a large washout on  the trail that caused us to take a detour into the wash and around the wash out.

When we got to the highway we turned north and drove to Wilson Road where there is a bridge crossing the Colorado.
We crossed the bridge and continued west to Mojave Road where we tuned north and followed it to  Burns Road where we turned east and drove to the second stop sign. Here we turned south on a very dusty graded dirt road.

Eventually we turned off at a gate and headed for the trail that follows the ridge on the north side of the Mini Grand Canyon. We took this route because we were killing time so we could have dinner at Mya's Mexican Restaurant in Parker. Also Dave and Jo Ann hadn't seen this canyon before and it is worth the trip.

This route is in the opposite direction from the way we normally come here.
Normally we drive from east to west and climb a steep sand hill to get to the ridge. This time we got to drive down the sand hill. It was a different and fun experience.

When we got to the bottom of the hill we turned left and drove in the wash until we eventually got to the pavement; we turned east and drove to Hwy. 95 where we turned north toward parker and Mya's. The dinner was excellent and the service was friendly.

After dinner Patti and I went to Walmart. Patti went in the store to shop while I stayed in the parking lot and aired up the tires on the jeep.

Note:
After I announced that we had a name for the new jeep "Dusty" I woke up in the middle of the night and a little voice in my head said, "dumb ass, you should have named it Snoopy".
The jeep is white and black and looks a little like a snoopy dog. The name is also consistent with the Peanuts theme of my vehicles ie; my van Pigpen. So after much agonizing over the change I have decided that Snoopy it is.

Okay, that was the Wednesday ride.

We are going to Becky and Dennis's this afternoon for Christmas Eve Dinner in the new AZ room.

The Room is closed in.

I got over to Dennis K's a little late. When I arrived, Tom and Dennis M was on the roof and they had two rows of tin up and were screwing them down.
I helped them for a while by handing them panels but I was doing to much standing around so I started installing the rest of the windows.

 

Larry helped me install the gable end windows. 

Tom and Dennis M started putting up the soffit's.

We took a break for lunch.

After lunch Tom and Dennis M continued putting the soffit's up while Larry and I hung the door.

Larry is on the inside.

By the time I left, around 3:00 the building was closed in and ready for Christmas Eve dinner.

That means that we can go for a jeep ride today.

I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

Another Day Working on Dennis's AZ Room.

Yesterday we continued the work on Dennis K's AZ room.

The plan was to get the roof on. Well, we fell a little short.
We did get all the sheathing on.

But we only got the tin on one side. Today we are going to try and get the rest of the metal put up.
The weather is cold and windy this morning and there is a 10 percent chance of showers so I don't know if we will get anything done or not.
We were hoping to get the roof done before Thursday so we could have Christmas Eve dinner in the room.

When I got home from Dennis's our friend Debbie was here visiting with Patti. It's always nice to see her.

Tomorrow is Wednesday, and we usually go Jeeping on Wednesday so I don't know what will happen. I kind of think we should finish the room but we will see what the group decides to do.

Okay, that's all for now.

A Day Off and Visiting Friends.

We didn't do much yesterday.

I washed the jeep.

Oh, by the way Patti came up with a name for the new jeep and after some consideration we decided to use it.
Henceforth; the new jeep will be known as "Dusty". We considered several names such as "Snow Flake" and "Plain Jane" but they were to female for me. We considered and a couple others like "Strider" or "Shadowfax" but they were a bit ostentatious. I wanted a simple one word name so "Dusty" fits the bill. It kind of goes along with the name of my van "Pigpen" which was named after the Peanuts character who always had a cloud of dust following him around.

After I washed Dusty we went to visit our friends from Montreal, Denis and Sue. They will be here for a couple of months. We spent an hour or so visiting with them and enjoyed our visit.

After leaving Denis and Sue we went to "Taco Mio" for lunch.

We stopped at the store to get some chocolate chips to make fudge.
From there we went to get our mail from our PO Box.

The rest of the day we just goofed off.

Today, it's back to work on Dennis K's room. We should get the roof on today.

Working on Dennis's Arizona Room.

Saturday morning I was going out the drive way on my way over to Dennis K's to work on the Arizona room, I noticed that Dennis M hadn't left yet so I stopped by his place and offered him a ride.

We got to Dennis K's at around 10:00. Tom and Larry were already there.  Shortly after we arrived we started putting up the siding.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures this time but Becky sent me this picture.

We got all the siding put up and the fascia board put up on the ends of the rafters. We installed one window just to see if it fit the opening. It was a tight fit so Bill screwed it down.
The next thing to do is the roof
Around 3:00 in the afternoon all us old farts decided to call it quits for the day. We just can't work like we used to.
We still have to put on the roof and decided to get a fresh start on Monday

Patti, Cheryl, and Lillie went shopping for Christmas Eve dinner. Our plan is to christen the Arizona Room by having Christmas Eve dinner there.


Okay that's it.
More later.

Ride to check out the "Vicksburg Arrow"

Yesterday we took a ride to see the "Vicksburg Arrow".

During WW11 General George Patton was charged with training solders and airmen in the desert of the south west.
Around Quartzsite, AZ there are remnants of some of their camps and aircraft navigation aids of which the Vicksburg Arrow is only one.
Yesterday we went out to the desert to find this one.

We headed east on I-10 and turned off onto Hwy. 60 and continued east to the town of Brenda. Here we turned north on Perry Lane. We continued north towards the mountains. The trail wanders around on the flats and passes rugged rocky hills.

 

 

Eventually we came to Stagecoach Road and followed it north.

 

 

 

 

After a few miles we noticed a fenced in area just east of the trail.  We pulled in here to check out the Vicksburg Arrow. The word Vicksburg is spelled out in rocks with a circle and an arrow pointing toward the town of Vicksburg and the number 12.

 

 

We don't know if the 12 means that it is 12 miles to Vicksburg or if this the 12th of these navigation aids. The one near Quartzsite has the number 11 at the end of the arrow.

 

 

 

 

After checking the arrow out we headed back the way we came to a crossroad that goes west into a beautiful canyon where we planned to have lunch. This dead Saguaro is our land mark to find the turnoff.

 

 

Most of the trail is pretty easy until you get close to the end where it goes through a narrow wash.

At the end of the trail is where we had lunch and enjoyed the scenery.

 

 

After lunch we retraced our tracks and once again drove by the Arrow to the trail that goes west around the end of these mountains and headed for home. On the way we stopped at the Southern Cross Mine. This mine was pretty extensive in its day but there isn't much left except some concrete slabs.

 

 

As always, it was a fun day driving around in the desert.