Fence Removal, Shopping and Cards.

Fence Removal.

Our friends, Joy and Robert, got permission from Tiny to move onto our old spot. They have a travel trailer and won’t be able to drive it into the spot because of the metal fence that surround's the spot.
They were supposed to be here yesterday morning.

Tiny asked me if I would remove the fence and pull the posts out of the ground. He has been good to us so I said “sure”.

Here is what it looked like when we were parked there.

In order to get a trailer in there we had to remove the two panels and related posts in front of the RV.

Pulling the Fence.

Around 10:00 Patti and I went over to the spot to start the process of removing the fence panels. They came off fairly easy just two screws in each panel and some bailing wire.
Once we got the panels removed it was time to pull the posts out of the ground.
To do this I used the farm jack and a short length of chain. As I tried to pull the metal posts, the posts would bend away from the jack instead of coming straight up.
Eventually I tried using a block of concrete for the base and that helped.

It took a while to get everything to work right but eventually the posts came out. The wooden post came out the easiest.

Here is the spot with the fence removed and ready for the trailer.

Joy and Robert arrived around 5:30 in the evening.
After a couple of attempts to park the trailer in the spot without success they just parked alongside the spot and will wait until tomorrow to try and park their rig.

Shopping.

I was planning to make taco's for supper and we needed some ground pork.
The general store (now called Coyote Fresh) has a good meat market so we went there first and got 3/4 of a pound of ground pork.

To make my taco’s I use the pork and mix in some Mexican sausage. It makes really good taco meat.

After the meat market we went to The Dollar General and bought a new shower curtain for the motorhome.

From the DG we went to the Road Runner for other groceries.
We made a couple more stops and then went home.

The taco’s turned out great.

Cards.

Around 5:30 Joy and Robert arrived. By the time we got them settled it was 5:45 and we left to go to Becky and Dennis’ to play cards.
It was just Becky, Dennis, Lillie, and Tom and us.
We brought our Jokers Rummy game and introduced it to them. The first game was a teaching experience so it took a while. The second game they were getting the hang of it and it went a little faster.
Around 10:00, we quit playing and went home.
I think Lillie and Tom liked the game as they asked us for the art work so they could make their own rummy cards.

Okay that was our Saturday, it was a good day.

A Friday Jeep Ride.

Getting to the Trail

Tom called us and asked if we were up to a ride on Friday.
Of course we said yes.

We met at the Arco Station on the east side of town. Just three jeeps today. Lillie and Tom, Becky and Dennis and Patti and I.

Around 9:00 we headed east on I-10.

26 Miles east of Q we passed the ZIP station. You can tell that the wind is pretty strong by the huge Flag at the station.

31 miles east of Q we took the Hovatter Road exit and headed north. Hovatter Rd. is a wide graded dirt road that eventually becomes Harquahala Road.

Dead Cow Trail.

We followed this road to where the Hope to Hovatter Road veers to the left. We followed this road going northwest to a turn off on a smaller trail. At the turnoff we saw this dead cow without it’s head

We drove up the trail about a hundred yards and stopped to air down the tires on the jeeps.

While we were airing down a pickup drove to where the dead cow was, loaded it into the bed of the truck and took off.
We figured that it must have been their Cow.
We decided to call this Dead Cow Trail.

Heading for the Mountains.

After airing down we headed out this trail toward the mountains in the distance.

The trail starts out pretty smooth but once we get into the mountains the trail becomes more interesting.

The trail drops into narrow valley's and then climbs over ridges.

From the ridges we get some nice views like this one.

And this.

A Masked Rock.

The trail drops down from this ridge and into a wash.

Just before the wash we spot this masked rock.

A Memorial.

After climbing out of the wash we took a side trail and came to this dead end.

Up the hill a little ways we saw this memorial.

You find memorial’s like this throughout the desert, usually some where with a view like this one.

We left this spot and continued our journey.

A little farther down then trail Patti spotted this interesting Saguaro.

A Cold Lunch.

After a while we found what we thought was a sheltered place to have lunch.
When we first stopped there was no wind but after we got set up the wind shifted and was blowing right up the wash where we were sitting.

It got pretty cold so we didn’t stay here very long. Once we had eaten our sandwiches we packed up and left.

From this side of the mountains we could see some of the small villages along Highway 60.

A Great View.

We continued following the trail up and down and around and around. What I call the merry go round.
Eventually we came to another view spot.

This is the best view of the day. This is looking south.

Sleeping Dog Rock.

Toward the end of the trail we saw this plie of rocks. If you stretch your imagination you can see what looks like a dog with floppy ears, sleeping on top of the rocks. You can see its face one eye and one floppy ear at the left.

After the sleeping dog rock we went about another mile and came to the end of the trail at highway 60.
We aired up the tires and headed west on 60.

Dos Amigos.

Just west of Vicksburg we stopped at the Dos Amigo’s Mexican Restaurant.
None of us had ever stopped here and we wanted to see what it was like. It turned out to be much more impressive inside than what it looked like from the highway.
It was too early for dinner so we just ordered drinks and some snacks.
Everything we had was good so we are planning to drive out there next Friday to have supper. Its only about 25 miles from Q. Living in the desert you get used to driving long distances to shop or to dine out.

Okay that was our jeep ride for Friday. We particularly enjoyed it as we hadn’t been that way before so we got to see some new country.

Christmas and Rock Collecting.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve.

We didn’t do much of anything on Christmas Eve day.
About the only thing that got accomplished was that I made a batch of fudge brownies. They turned out pretty good.

Christmas Day.

Christmas day we cooked a full on Christmas dinner for the two of us. It is the first full on meal we have cooked in our new place. The kitchen works well and has a lot more counter space to work with.

We had a three pound half turkey breast, mashed potato’s, stuffing, gravy and candied yams. For dessert we had pumpkin pie. It was all good.

Rock Collecting.

Those who know me know that I am not a rock collector. I appreciate interesting rocks but if I pick one it is usually to give to someone else.

We need some rocks on our new place for borders and such so yesterday, Patti and I went out in the desert for the express purpose of getting some rocks.
After getting some gas in the jeep, we headed out Sunkist Road and turned east at the third trail we came across that went in that  direction.

As we slowly drove along the trail I kept an eye out for interesting rocks.
I was being very particular about what rocks I wanted to pick up. They had to be eye catching and fairly large.

Interesting Trails.

As we drove along we noticed some interesting trails going up the side of a mountain.

Of course getting to them would take us on a long zig-zag course until we found a trail going that way.
As we drove along I found a rock or two that I thought were worth picking up.

Blooming Brittle Bush.

We are seeing a lot of Brittle Bush blooming. It is vary early for them to bloom but it is nice to see them.

Here are a bunch of them.

Speaking of strange bloomers, here is what looks like a dead Ocotillo that is blooming.

Hillside Trails.

We eventually got to the trails on the mountainside but they weren’t all that interesting once we got there. Most of them were just places where a bulldozer had pushed some rock around.
I did notice that there was a lot of flat slabs of stone laying around the area. I will have to remember that if I ever need some flat stuff.

Views From a Saddle.

We did find a trail that went over a saddle between two peaks.

Here is the view looking southeast.

Holy Mountain.

We followed the trail that you can see going southeast and passed this mountain with lots of features and holes in it.

The Pipeline Road.

We followed the trail southeast until we came to a pipe line road that enters Quartzsite behind the Arco station. We followed this until we were home.

Unloading the Rocks.

Once we were home I unloaded the rocks from the back of the jeep.

There were about eight rocks in all.

These are what are left  in the jeep by the time Patti got a picture.

A good hall and the first of many.

We had leftover Christmas dinner and finished it off.

Okay that is about it. It was a nice relaxing ride and productive as well.

Chores and a Dump Run.

A Dump Run.

Around 10:00, I went out to the back of the property and hacked out two more Greasewood plants. When I was done with that I went next door and borrowed Dennis M’s trailer so we could take all the brush to the dump.

Here is Patti helping load the trailer.

We tied down the load and headed for the dump. The local dump has an area where you can throw brush. They periodically burn the brush.

When we got to the brush pile, I noticed that the rope that I tied the load down with was missing.
We unloaded the trailer and on the way out I saw the rope and a couple pieces of brush at the entrance to the brush pile area. I picked up the rope and threw the pieces of brush on the pile.
That was a lucky break.

Our Sunday Chores.

We headed back to our place and Patti collected all the laundry to be done.
Once she left for the laundromat, I started cleaning.
There is a lot of carpet in the place and the vacuum cleaner isn’t very good so I did the best I could. We are going to buy a new vacuum next week.

Picante Chicken and Rice.

I made one of the easiest and very tasty meals I know of.

For two people, you take a half chicken breast and cut it into bite sized pieces. Put the cut up chicken breast in a pot. Add a small jar of Pace Picante Sauce, a half cup of water and a half cup of uncooked Uncle Ben’s converted rice. Stir the contents to mix them up. Heat on the stove until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover,  and let this cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and eat.
Patti likes to have corn tortillas with her rice. 

Okay, that was a productive day.

Preparing for the Container.

A Cargo Container.

One of the things I want to do on this property is to get a 40 ft. long cargo container. That way I can leave the jeep down here in the summer and have room for a shop and storage. I have looked at other options but the container is by far the least expensive and is very secure.

Preparing the Spot.

I want to put the container across the back of the property but there are a bunch of Greasewood bushes in the way. There has to be a 10ft. setback from the property line. Yesterday Patti and I
went to the back and started preparing the spot. 
We measured 10ft from the back property line and 10ft from the south side property line. I tied a string to the stakes I put in the ground.

Bushes.

There were a couple bushes in the way so I had to hack at them for a while.

 

I wish I had my Pulaski digging tool down here. I borrowed a mattock from Dennis M but they don’t work as good as a Pulaski.

A Pile of Brush.

We ended up with a pretty good pile of brush that we have to take to the dump. Fortunately I can use Dennis’ trailer to haul it off.

Done For Now.

We got the bushes trimmed back and the limits established.
There are still a couple of bushes I will have to trim so the truck delivering the container can maneuver. Once that is done I will call and order the container.

A Ride to Blythe, CA.

After we were done with the bushes we took a ride to Blythe to do some shopping and have lunch. Of course we went to lunch at The A&R Bakery and Deli. We asked for a loaf of their Spiced Cranberry Bread. It was fresh out of the oven and we had to wait for it to cool down before they could slice it. We ate our lunch while we waited for the bread loaf to cool. Our lunch was their Turkey sandwich on Spiced Cranberry bread. An excellent sandwich. Now that we have the bread we can make sandwiches from our left over turkey from our Christmas Dinner.
From here we headed home.

It was a fairly productive day and I’m pooped.

A New Kitchen Sink Faucet.

Leaking Faucet.

Before we left to go to Laughlin we noticed that the kitchen sink faucet was leaking around the handle. On further examination I noticed that the column had some cracks.

I turned the water off so we wouldn’t come back to a flood.

Finding a Faucet.

Yesterday I went to RV Life Styles one of the parts places in Quartzsite. I looked through all their faucet’s but they didn’t have anything like what is on my sink.

There is one other place that has RV parts. It’s called The Gamblers. I have done business with them before and felt like I was ripped off so I don’t like to shop there. Unfortunately I didn’t have a choice so I went there. I found a faucet that looked like mine but it connected to the water system a little differently.
The original one looks like this.

The new one has a couple of flex lines coming down the center hole.

I wasn’t sure if this would work so I told the guy at the Gamblers that I would buy the faucet with the understanding that I could bring it back if it didn’t work.

Taking the Old Faucet Off.

I had a hard time taking the old faucet off because everything was real tight and there isn’t much room to get to the fittings. After a long struggle and a lot of French words, I eventually got the faucet removed.

Installing the New One.

The new faucet went on a little easier than the old one came off. But being behind the sink and virtually invisible it still took some time to get it done. Eventually with Patti’s help I got the new faucet installed with no leaks.

Once that was done I took the rest of the day off.

The Trip to Laughlin, Nevada.

Monday.

Quartzsite to Laughlin.

We left Quartzsite around 11:30 and headed north on SR95. At Parker we stopped for  bite of lunch then we crossed the river and got on highway 62 heading west to Vidal Junction. At Vidal we headed north on US95.

There is some nice scenery on 95.

At Needles we got on I-40 heading west. At River Road we exited I-40 and headed north to Laughlin, Nevada. We arrived around 2:30 and checked into the Aquarius.

Shortly after we got to our room we got a call from Sue saying that they had arrived. We made arrangements to meet them at the Outback Steak House for diner around 4:30.

Diner at the Outback.

As always, our dinner at the Outback was great. Patti ordered the Filet Mignon and I ordered a half-rack of Baby Back Ribs. Every thing was just right.

After Diner.

After diner Sue and Denis took a walk along the river-walk.
We made arraignments to meet them at the Subway sandwich shop at 9:30am for our jeep ride.
Patti found a blackjack table and lost $25 in about 10 minutes. She decided to try her luck at the machines and I went up to the room for a nap.
Patti returned to the room around 8:30 with a little less cash than she started with.

Tuesday.

The Jeep Ride.

At 9:30 we met Sue and Denis at Subway. We got in the jeeps and headed to Bullhead City. In Bullhead we took Silver Creek Road going east. Sliver Creek Road is paved until you get to the top of the hill at Bullhead Parkway; from there it is a wide graded dirt road.

Nice scenery along the road.

We stopped at the intersection of Silver Creek rd. and old Route 66.
Here we took a trail going into a canyon on the north side of the road.

We were looking for a trail called The Candy Ass Trail.
From one spot we could see the town of Oatman to the east of us.

The trail we were on dropped into this rugged valley.

We took several side trails looking for the one they call Candy Ass.

Most of them were pretty rough.

They all ended in spots where we didn’t want to or couldn’t proceed.
Who knows, one of them might have been the Candy Ass Trail but we were never sure where it was.

Lots of Mine Shafts.

We continued poking around the trails and checking out some old mines.

This one was a deep one and was covered with a steel grating.

Here is another scary one also covered.

We left the mines and continued along the trail.

More nice views.

We stopped at where the trail intersects Silver Creek trail to have lunch.

Route 66.

After lunch we drove a little ways on Silver Creek and turned north on Route 66.

After less than a mile we pulled off to air up the tires. When we pulled into this spot there were two Burro’s there browsing on the bushes. They payed us little attention while we made lots of noise pumping up the tires. These Burro’s must be some of the ones that go to Oatman daily for hand outs from the tourists as they have no fear of us.

After airing up we continued on 66.

We passed the Colorado mine.

Cemetery Point.

We stopped at this turnout where there are bunches of crosses and monuments to dead people. There were even some cremation Urns.

There is a nice view from here.

Old Gas Station.

We went over a pass who’s name I can’t pronounce.

A couple miles on the other side of the pass we stopped at an old Gas station.

This place has been here since 1926. It has burned down once and was rebuilt in its present form. It no longer sells gas but is now a tourist trap.

This is the inside of the building.

We hung around here for a few minutes then turned around and headed back toward Laughlin, Nevada.

We made it back to the hotel by about 4:30. We decided to go to supper at Guy Fieri’s El Burro Boracho restaurant in Harrah’s at 6:00.
We met Sue and Denis and drove to Harrah’s.
When we arrived at the restaurant we found out that the restaurant  was closed. In fact it is closed until the 21st.
Bummer. We decided that as long as we were there we would eat at the restaurant next door, The Blue Beach Café. There were only about 5 other patrons in the café. At this time of year every place on the strip is almost empty. I guess every one is waiting for the New Year to come here.

We said goodbye to Denis and Sue at Harrah’s and went back to our room. Patti stopped to finish paying her Nevada taxes at the casino and was back in our room by 8:00.

We are leaving soon. It was a fun couple of days and now we are going home.

Wednesday.

Stop in Lake Havasu.

Our plan was to stop in Lake Havasu City to see a movie and visit Nancy and Rick on the way home.

At the Movies.

Patti wanted to see the new Mary Poppins movie. I wanted to see the new Peter Jackson movie Mortal Engines. As it happened both movies were playing at the Star Cinema in Lake Havasu City. The times were about 20 minutes apart so Patti got her ticket for MP and I got a ticket for ME.
Patti’s movie ended about 15 minutes before mine so when I got out we met in the hallway.
Patti said that she enjoyed the movie but it wasn’t as good as the original.
I really liked Mortal Engines. It was a kind of quirky but that isn’t unusual for a Peter Jackson film.

Visiting Nancy and Rick.

After the movies we drove over to Nancy and Rick’s and visited for a hour or so.
We left about 5:00 just enough time to get home so Patti could watch the finale of Survivor.

Okay, that was our trip to Laughlin, Nevada. We had a great time.

One Bad Thing.

The one bad thing on the trip was that I got a speeding ticket as we were coming into Quartzsite, 65 in a 55. The trooper was nice enough to only give me a ticket for (Waste of Finite Resources). Not a moving violation and about $200.00 cheaper than an actual speeding ticket.