Fulltiming Road Runners

Sorry I’ve not posted in a few days.  Just been busy.  Right now I’m just posting to let ya’ll know we’re fine, have had some very good days and I promise to post a more informative blog by Sunday.

Tonight we went to the Fireball’s concert here in Quartzsite.  Tremendous show!  They are the group that did Sugar Shack and Bottle of Wine.  We’re tired, it’s nearly 10 p.m. and we have to get up early to go to work tomorrow, so I’m not going to rattle on.

As I said I promise to post again by Sunday and share some pics I’ve got from the last few days.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Toodles.

Another big storm, this one was the worst we’ve ever seen out here.  Actually we had 3 storms in a row, the 3rd one the heavy duty one.  Tuesday night we got 1/4″ of rain from the 2nd storm.  Wednesday we had a respite and then Thursday the big one hit!  Around 2 p.m. we were told to close the contact station and go home.  The winds were fierce and it was pouring.  Our garage managed to stay up, but one of the straps still tore off a corner at the bottom while we were at work.  Marv managed to tie it down so it wouldn’t be further damaged.

After we got home when we’d take Willow out to go potty she didn’t know what to do… her potty spot in the wash north of us was covered with a foot of water.

This is a shot of the wash on the south (back) end of the trailer.  The pic was taken shortly after we got home from work around 2:30 or 3.

The skies just kept getting darker and darker and the wind fiercer.  Marv called a little before 5 p.m. telling us he’d been watching a weather channel either on TV or his computer and there was a tornado to the south of us heading our way.  We all got in our cars, drove out to a more open spot east of our trailers ‘n motorhome and faced into the wind and waited it out.  It was way too dark for us to see anything, but we didn’t get hit by a tornado.  The rocking of the car sure felt like it though.  When the skies to the south of us got a bit lighter and the wind died down  a bit we went back to our trailers.  Deb’s brother’s motorhome is parked so it blocks the wind’s full force from my weather station, and yet, the weather station registered winds at 40 - 45 mph.  I wonder how fast they really were.  According to my weather station we got 3.2 inches of rain in the hour of the tornado scare.  The wash at the back of the trailer (5er) was at least 3 feet higher than in the picture above.  The worst of the storm was over by 5:20 p.m.  but the winds were still very high, so we were rocked to sleep Thursday night.

We’d stowed the internet satellite dish  Wednesday night and didn’t bring it back up until yesterday after work.

The rain had softened the ground at least a foot deep and some of our tie down stakes on the garage pulled out, the shepards crook the bird feeders were on pulled out of the ground from the feeders blowing.  Our Weber Big Q bbq blew over along with our bikes on their stand and one of the ladders.  Because we worked yesterday we haven’t been able to get out and take inventory of any damage, but it looks like it was minimal.  Our BLM Ranger, Clyde, told us yesterday they’ve found at least 6 beautiful Saguaro cactus fallen/blown over.  He and Larry went out late yesterday afternoon to try to get them upright using a back-hoe.

It was quite windy yesterday, but little to no rain and fairly sunny.  Today the skies are a beautiful blue with just a few cottonball clouds, a bit of a breeze (6-8 mph) and cool.  The high temp today is supposed to be below 60F.  As a matter of fact, the highs all week are supposed to be between 55 - 64F.

It’s now time for me to get my dishes done, then get outside to help clean up the wind damage.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Toodles.

It was sunny, more or less warm, and a bit breezy today… the calm before the storm.  The biggest storm of the three is supposed to hit tonight after 11 p.m. and then start raining with the winds increasing through tomorrow.  NOAA says 80% chance of rain tonight and 100% tomorrow & tomorrow night.

Of course,  Thom and I work tomorrow and Friday.  My big worry is the contact station is across the wash from our RV and I’m worried about it raining all day, washing out the road going across the wash and we’re stranded away from home.   We refuse to leave Willow outside in her pen all day tomorrow in the rain, so we’ll be taking her to work with us.  I’m hoping that if the rain and wind gets bad enuff the BLM tells us to shut down the station and go home.

It’s near impossible to get downtown or anywhere between here and downtown with the Big Tent shows going on.  I had to go into the Intown Pharmacy to pick up a prescription yesterday and it took me 1 hour and 40 minutes to drive 6 miles and back.  Good grief!!

Our friends Don and Arlene left QZ yesterday.  We didn’t get to see them off or anything, but hope they know our thoughts are with them and we hope they made their next destination safely.  All the best guys!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday.

It’s about time for me to hit the shower, tomorrow’s a work day.

I’ll be sure and take my camera with me to work tomorrow and will share any pics I get that are worth sharing.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Toodles.

Until a few minutes ago (it’s now 10:40 a.m.) we’ve had a morning of beautiful glorious sunshine… not even any wind.  We didn’t get much rain at all last night, just enough for the sound on the roof to put me to sleep.  So far the storms haven’t been half what the weather forecasts have predicted… here in QZ anyway.  But now we are clouding over and the breeze is picking up, so it looks like the 2nd storm is coming in.  This is what NOAA says is gonna happen:

Today: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 11am. Increasing clouds, with a high near 66. South southwest wind between 6 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tonight: Showers, mainly before 11pm. Low around 48. Breezy, with a south southwest wind between 17 and 24 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

I just got a call from Phyllis.  Our pump is replaced and the LTVA’s have water again.  I think the BLM did a great job in getting it back so fast considering the pump was 400 - 500 feet deep and all the pipe as well as the pump had to be replaced.  I think if this happened at home, you’d be hard pressed to have it up and running again in 2 working days.

If the weather doesn’t come on as predicted this evening, I most likely will add a bit to today’s blog.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Tah

…but with the weather forecast, all the campers out here should just put buckets out to catch the rain water!  We got a bit of rain (unmeasurable by my weather station) last night, and a few showers today.  The weather report says 90% chance of rain tonight with winds 15 - 22 mph, gusts to 35.  That’s enough to get us to bring the internet satellite dish down for the night.  Tomorrow is 50% day and 70% night chance of rain.  I’m hoping the storm isn’t near as bad as the reports predict.

We aren’t sure of the status of the water well here in La Posa South LTVA.  We do know they went back to the well with a new pump and new sections of pipe, we just don’t know if they finished today or still have more to do.  I am impressed they got the pump here as fast as they did.  Now maybe all those folks who say they BLM just doesn’t care and is pretty lackadasical about providing the services as “advertised”, will change their tune.

Yesterday Marv ‘n Deb, their friends Randy and Char, and Deb’s brother and his wife Susie, ‘n Thom ‘n I went to the Desert Bar just northeast of Parker.  Going there is one of those things one just has to experience at least once if they winter down here.  I was unimpressed, but now can say I’ve been there, done that. Thom and I didn’t even buy something to drink.  We’d been told the prices on the menu were expensive, but in reality, they are really low.  A hamburger is less than $4.

After the Desert Bar we went back to Parker by way of the California side of the Colorado River, then back to Quartzsite.  It was a nice day even if we don’t intend to go back to theDesert Bar anytime soon.

Today was relaxed and easy.  Because it was supposed to rain all day, we didn’t plan anything, so we pretty much stayed home and did a lot of nothing.

With luck we’ll be back online tomorrow, but tomorrow night we’re going to put the dish down and leave it down thru Thursday unless the weather forecast changes.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy!

Toodles!

Yesterday the pump in the well here at La Posa South broke and water stopped running.  A new pump has been ordered but we don’t know when it will come in.  I hear they’re saying today that it probably won’t come in until Tuesday.  In the meantime we have some very very unhappy campers in the LTVA areas in Quartzsite.

Most people travel in their RV’s with the fresh water tank empty, to avoid having to pull all that weight.  Thom and I ALWAYS travel with the tank at least 1/3 full (about 33 gals) just in case something like this happens.

Yesterday at the contact station was a zoo!  We registered 111 campers.  Most of these people came in in groups so there would be 8 or more people in our little building.   Of course, they were acquaintances and the chatter just got louder and louder.  On top of all the campers coming in to register, we had campers from all 4 of our LTVA areas coming in to complain about the lack of water.  I don’t blame them for being unhappy about the situation, but it’s not the fault of the volunteers here and there’s nothing we can do about it other than give them directions to water supply in town or the phone numbers of the businesses that will deliver water out here (at a hefty price of around $20 per fill-up).

By the time we got off work at 5 yesterday both my feet and my back were super duper achy!  The New Christy Minstrels show was last night and to be honest, I was both excited and dreading it.  I love their talent but the QIA chairs are those folding metal chairs and my back already hurt like I’d had a stampede of cattle run over it.  I did a whole lot of squirming while enjoying the show.  Don and Arlene got there before us and had saved seats for us.  We rode in with Marv ‘n Deb, but decided this would probably be the last chance to see Don and Arlene and we’d be camped right next to Marv ‘n Deb for the next couple of months, so we sat with Arlene & Don.

Today was opening day of the big tent RV show.  Everyone should experience opening day at least once… but I’m telling ya, never ever again!  We were shoulder to shoulder and even elbow to back or chest in the tent and we had absolutely no control over where our bodies went.   We’d see something we wanted to check out, but were 2 to 4 bodies away from it.  Believe me, those bodies were not giving an inch for us to get there.  We just rushed thru the tent and plan on going back when the crowds thin down a bit.

The weather is changing.  We have a storm coming in that will start affecting California tomorrow, and from tomorrow night all the way thru Thursday there is a high probability of rain here.  The weather report says we could be getting a substantial amount of rain.  Poor Deb ‘n Marv… Deb’s brother arrived this morning for a couple of weeks visit and they have a couple that is coming in later today to stay a week I think.  They will be staying in Marv ‘n Deb’s 5th wheel with them.   That’s going to be pretty close quarters if it rains the whole time!

The sun has decided to hide behind the clouds and not work much on charging the batteries, so I better shut down and keep from using up all the charge.

If any of you are coming to QZ next year, the New Christie Minstrels concert will be here on Jan 14th .

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Tah!

Ummm… you could say business picked up today at the contact station.  They’ve changed the hours from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  We signed up  96 short terms and 1 long term today.  Larry and Phyllis stuck around to keep an eye on the back up and when we got more than 2 campers waiting to sign in, they came over to help.  Boy, were they appreciated!  Last year at La Posa North we had two women filling out the registration forms, 3 guy running to sticker the rigs and Phyllis to do the paper work beyond filling out the registration forms, and we kept all 6 people running/busy…. and that was with from 70 - 80 registrations, and one day of 150.  Today with just the 4 of us (with a bit of help from Reese for a bit of the afternoon) we worked our butts off!  I only managed about 30 minutes all day to sit down.  Just about noon we took out our cheese, cold cuts ‘n crackers for lunch and for me, it was somewhere between 3 and 4 p.m. before I finished my lunch.

Okay… all that above sounds like I’m whining and complaining… but to be honest both Thom and I prefer being busy like this than sitting and waiting for people to come in.  97 registrations beats 13 registrations anytime!

I have to admit that after standing on concrete floors all day has me with my shoes off and me wiggling toes to try to get the ache out.  I’m awfully close to sitting on the couch and giving Thom my feet to massage, but boondocking chores get in the way.  Thom just checked the black tank and it is full.  We need to dump it tonight into the portable tank.  We tho’t we had another day before we’d have to dump, but no such luck.   That means Thom has to fill 3 six gallon buckets with water and tote them to the bathroom.  Then when he dumps the holding tank, after the tank has emptied, I have to fill the toilet to the rim and dump it, then take the buckets and dump them one by one to break up the dam that builds in the tank because we aren’t traveling and sloshing the fluid to break up the “pile” or dam.  Both of us have achy backs tonight so it should be an interesting operation.  At least I’ve gotten quite good at pouring the water straight thru the riser in the toilet so it hits full force on the “pile” to break it up.

I know this is pretty crude sounding to many of ya, but it’s all part of the life of the full time RVer.  We do everything we can to keep from having to hire someone to come out and clean out our black water holding tank.  We’ve seen to many people trying to figure out how to deal with a plugged black tank because they didn’t know how to effectively deal with it.

For those of you just starting out.  If you have full hookups… don’t hook up the sewer and leave the valve open!  Keep the valve closed and let the tank get close to full, then pull the valve and let it drain, and rinse it out well.  If you leave it open, the fluids drain out and solids build up to a big dam.

Good grief… I never thought I’d present a discourse on poop.  Newbies need to know though, so here it is.

We work again tomorrow and after work we have the New Christy Minstrals concert.  It should be a great ending to a busy day.  This group never fails to get me involved in their show.  They are wonderful entertainers.

Okay… I feel this post is very disjointed, so I’m going to end it.  I have to go help dump the black tank anyway.  What a way to end a long hard day!

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Tah!

The RV’s in Quartzsite are multiplying… not only those coming in to stay for the Big Tent events, but those in the RV sales lots as well.  It started about 5 days ago and will continue for the next 2 weeks… getting around in Quartzsite takes at least 3 times longer than it did at the end of December.  The weather has made it very desirable to be out and about.  It’s been in the 70’s the last 2 or 3 days and until this evening, the wind has been livable.  They’ve predicted 20% chance of rain and thunderstorms for tonight and the winds are picking up to 10 mph with gusts to 20 mph, and have been predicted to increase to gusts of 30.  We’re hearing thunder and have been for the last hour, but no rain yet.

I doubt the weather will hold off all the folks coming in for the Big Tent shows, so Thom and I expect to be busy tomorrow and Friday at the contact station… at least we hope so.  I’m not taking any crafts or the computer to work with us because it will really be in the way if we are busy.  If we’re not busy, I guess I’ll just find a book in the book exchange cases to keep me occupied.

The people coming in last Monday, arrived and called me to let me know they were here so I could show them the area I had in mind for them.  They are just across the wash from us.  I hope the last two days will make up for the weather we’ll have tomorrow thru Saturday.  I also hope to be able to spend a bit more time with them to get better acquainted.  They only have a few days here and I’m sure they want to experience as much as possible.

Last Sunday we went with Marv ‘n Deb to the swap meet in Lake Havasu City.  It was fun to wander around and see all their wares.  There was lots of metal art, which I love, but have no room for.  On our way home from Lake Havasu we stopped in Parker at the China Garden Restaurant for a late lunch.  Yummy as usual.

Yesterday we pretty much stuck around home.  It’s kinda fun to see everyone running around in shorts again.  Don and Arlene stopped by for a short visit in the afternoon.  I really hope they come back next year, and maybe even spend some time camping in a LTVA area to get a taste of boondocking, it’s ups ‘n downs.  We’ve invited them to park near us, but will be here to help no matter where they stay, if they stay.

Today Thom and I went to tour the Main Event vendors.  It’s never had much to keep me around very long, but I always have to go back to see if anything has changed.  I do love the antique toys they have in there, but they are way too expensive for me.  I’d love to sample all the foods in all the areas, but again, I can’t afford it, nor do I want gain another 30 lbs.

I’d read on another blog that the Best Mexican Restaurant is quite good, so I talked Thom and Marv ‘n Deb into going there this afternoon for dinner.  It was okay, enuff food to fill ya up, but nothing to write home about.  I had ground beef tacos and the beef had very little seasonings.  Thom had the Monster Burrito and it was, indeed, a monster, but again no great flavors.  Marv and Deb also said “nothing special”, just mediocre Mexican Food.  It was good enough to bring home the 2nd half of Thom’s burrito though.  Why throw away 1/2 of $10 when the food is totally edible.

This afternoon I planted more turnips.  I should have a “crop” to harvest by the end of March, maybe even sooner if I remember to feed them.  Deb planted some radishes ‘n pansies yesterday.

Since we work the next two days, there’s a huge chance I won’t be blogging until Saturday or Sunday.  The New Christy Minstrel show is Friday evening and we are really looking forward to  it.

Again, I’ve rambled enuff.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Toodles!

I’m having a difficult time remembering the happenings of the last 4 days, so bear with me if I jump around a lot.  Heck!  I do that anyway, but this time it might even be worse.

The weather has been consistantly nice this week.  High’s in the high 60’s, even hit 70 one day, the wind has kept down to around 3 - 5 mph.  It’s from the north so is still a bit chilly.  We make sure we have a sweatshirt with us when we go out, but only put it on when the breeze kicks up.

We worked Thursday and Friday.  We’re getting more campers in now, but not as many as I’d've thought we’d get.  We’re averaging around 14 registrations a day.  We expect to get a lot more next week, since the big tent opens a week from today.

We had a very pleasant surprise yesterday afternoon.  Don and Arlene dropped by to visit a while.  If you’ll remember, I mentioned we met them thru this blog… they are readers… and now good friends.  Both of us think they are really neat people and look forward to seeing them again.  We should be meeting another reader of the blog this Monday afternoon/evening.  They will be coming in to camp and will call us so we can help them get to where they want to camp in La Posa South.  If it’s dark it’s easy to get lost and/or stuck out here.

Now that it’s warmer here, I’ve been trying to walk at least a mile a day.  I tend to skip a day now and then, but when I do walk, I walk far.  It’s easy to get the distance in because there is so much to see and explore out here.  There is an area to the north of us that apparently isn’t accessible to vehicles other than ATV’s so there are no campers out there.  Two washes over there are quite a few tall ancient Ironwood Trees that keep drawing me back.  I walk pretty rapidly to the point I last stopped and turned around, then I explore a bit further.  The many Ironwood Trees and lack of people means there’s quite a bit of wildlife out there.  This little bird is one of the new ones I discovered out there.  It’s a Blue Gray Gnat Catcher.  He is tought to shoot because he’s constantly on the move.

I also found 3 different types of flowers blooming.  Here it is the middle of winter and the spring flowers are blooming.  Of course, most desert flowers (except cactus) will take advantage of rain and warmth any time of the year.  This first one is the Desert Sunflower.

This next one is the Desert Rock Flower

And this one is the Desert Tobacco plant.

I find that most of the names of the flowers in the desert begin with the  word Desert.

Last Thursday morning at the contact station Phyllis’ grandson came into the station with a jar with holes in the lid.  Phyllis told me she was getting pamplets out of a box under the counter for us to stuff.  Normally she just sticks her hand down into the box and pulls out the pamphlets, but this time decided they would be in there tight so she pulled the box out and opened it and the critter in her grandson’s jar is what she saw sitting right where she would have put her hand if she hadn’t pulled the box out.  It’s body is at least 2 inches long… he’s a big ‘un for sure!  Scorpion

Early this morning I was watching the birds out the back window and all of a sudden they scattered - fast and furious!  Then a flurry of huge wings dropped down towards the “watering hole”.  It was hard to get this shot because the sun wasn’t up high enough to brighten the watering hole, so my shutter speed was quite slow and I didn’t have the camera on a tripod.  I remembered the exhale and hold method to keep from shaking the camera (exhale and hold your breath).  This is a Cooper’s Hawk, he’s about 17″ long.

Isn’t he pretty!

This morning has really been my lucky day for photos.  A bit later we had more visitors drop by for a drink.  The sun was higher so the shooting was a lot easier.  The hawk and these next two were shot thru windows.  We had 4 Western Bluebirds drop in, two male and two females.  This is a shot of two males (on the left) and 1 female.

One of the males in the ironwood tree on the side of the trailer.

I hope you guys don’t mind all the pictures.  Nature and being able to share it is one of the great joys in my life.

I’ve one more shot to share.  The Gila Woodpecker with a sweet tooth is coming into his breeding colors.  The red on his head is shiney and bright and normally buff belly is getting quite yellow.  It would be so neat to have baby woodpeckers in the saquaro cactus by the trailer before we leave in April.

Thom and Marv are working on the “honey  wagon” trailer.  Something about the springs.  Hope they get it fixed.

We just had a motorhome move in pretty close to the child molester, I see 3 children with them.  I hope they read the sign in the contact station about this guy.

It’s the middle of the day and I’ve not gotten anything accomplished but this blog.  I better think about doing dishes ‘n stuff.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy.

Scott ‘n Mari have been gone for 2 days… we miss the heck outta them!  But, Marv ‘n Deb arrived today and we were thrilled to see them.  I think we’re going to secretly write their kids and tell them that if they want to see their parents next Christmas, they have to come here… we’re going to kidnap Marv ‘n Deb.

Tyson Wells Rock, Gem ‘n Mineral show started January 1st so Thom, Scott, Mari and I went to check it out.  Mari and I are both into beads ‘n jewelry crafts so we had a wonderful time.  Mari says it has the best prices AND selection of anywhere she’s been.  I’m lucky in that it’s here for several days and I can go back over and over.  Poor Mari had to go home.  I’m anxious to get out to the Desert Gardens Rock, Gem ‘n Mineral show, but it’s open for 2 months so I’ve plenty of time.  It was amazing how many people were at the Tyson Wells show on Saturday.  I couldn’t believe the people who had wash tubs full of beads, rocks, jewelry, findings (things that go into jewelry making), and other misc things like wind chimes, gifts made in China, etc.  I watched 3 ladies in front of me check out at over $300, and they say they can go home and turn it into well over $1000.

The Desert Gardens show is more raw material.  You can find slabs to cut cabochons from, or whole rocks for that matter… to cut slabs from.  There’s lots of raw rocks that would do well in a tumbler.  Some of the vendors do have beads, but not a lot.

The weather is getting warmer again.  Today was nice shirt sleeve temps.  I’m such a whimp anymore I still need sweatpants at 65F if there is a breeze.  I did get some outdoor things done today.  Put bird seed in the feeders, filled the watering hole…. and get this!!… I discovered I do windows!  I couldn’t stand the mud drops on the windows from the last rain (they messed up the photos from inside the trailer) anymore, so I went outside and got nearly all the windows sparkly clean (at least the ones I shoot photos thru).

We came home from shopping last Saturday to find a flyer from the Police Department on our porch.  It was a notice saying we had a sex molester move into “our neighborhood”.  There was a picture and it is the guy right across the wash from us.  I don’t need to worry about him, because he molests children.  What I find disconcerting is he is parked within a couple hundred feet of a family with 4 children, ages (my guess) 10 -14.  Now… we don’t get many children in the BLM LTVA’s, so it’s interesting (and scarey) to me that this guy has found the youngest I know of in the La Posa South.  With the flyer having gone out you can bet all of us around the guy are keeping an eye on those kids.

Mari’s getting into the sculpted wire trees got me going too.  I’ve been looking at my grape vine with the leaves and have wanted to try a tree with more leaves, so I did one yesterday and today.  I guess the yellow beads are big enuff you could call it a grapefruit tree, but my initial intent was a lemon tree.  Here’s a pic.

We’ve had a reader of the blog contact us with questions, which has lead to our being able to meet them.  I love this part of blogging! We meet some of the most interesting people!  I don’t think we’ve met anyone we haven’t liked via the blog.

Okay ya’ll, it’s time for me to throw together some grub for dinner.  I feel like I’ve missed a lot of what I’ve wanted to share, but I guess I’ll just let it go and if I remember, I might remember to jot it down and share later.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy!

Tah!