Wednesday, November 9, 2011

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9 2011 DAY SIX - CHOCOLATE MOUNTAINS

Karen slept later than usual after finding 'her forest' named "Tonto"!  She had coffee, while I slept late, and I had OJ!  Then we shared pears and bananas as a 'brunch' because everyone warned us we couldn't take them 'into' California (fruits & veggies)! We just couldn't eat all of them.  Maybe a bit later, we would finish them off!

The RV park was quite nice, and she took some photos we will insert later.   We declared that it would be a lazy day today.
We departed our little RV Park that had enabled us to fill up with fresh water, dump, and have a pull-through space.  
We had loaded up on goodies from a great Walmart in Phoenix, so we were trying to eat the veggies and fruits before we had them 'confiscated' at the California state line!

We ambled our way down I-10, then took 'the scenic drive to Quartszite!   We had been told that Quartzsite was already beginning to 'be typical' because the bookstore run by the naked man was open, rugs were on display, trinket markets were open, and the flags were flying!  

In Quartzsite, we first located an Arby's and filled up on McRibs!!  I posted a note to several groups, hoping to meet up with other friends who had arrived early.  

About 30 minutes later, we went 'exploring' to check out what activities and 'flea market' types of shops were already in business, getting ready for the winter.    As we had traveled, I had realized that the exhaust pipe under the generator was hanging dangerously low to the ground, and had feared it might fall off.    We spotted a perfect 'fix-it' shop, and in 10 minutes, the whole mess was stable and ready to go!  i asked him 'How Much', and he said "Whatever you think it's worth".    How lucky can I get?   Finally he said "Would $20 be fair?"  I paid him $25, bought some light bulbs that I couldn't find at Camping World, and some sun/solar reflectant material to replace my old front window reflectant that was no longer usable!  

I'm going to post his information and location, as he is most professional, courteous, and has very, very acceptable prices!!   My exhaust from my generator is now 8" off the ground, probably saving me lots of headache, heartache, and money!!   

We didn't locate anyone in "Q" - Quartzsite, as it is still early in the year for the big tent shows and crowds, but we did see where everything was beginning to happen!!

Tonight we took the 'scenic drive' through the Chocolate Mountains, Mecca, and landed at 'the Slabs', an old place where there was once a military base, but now has mostly people on a budget wanting to join others for fun and pleasure while escaping the cold of the northern states!!

We found others from our RV & travel groups, were met with plenty of folks to say welcome, and now we settle in to see what tomorrow will bring!!    There's an almost full moon, a sky full of stars, and a gentle peace in the desert!!

........on a quiet night in November!!

Tuesday November 8 2011 DAY FIVE

Tuesday morning, we woke up in Globe, Arizona to a bright sunny day, with no water, no ice, nothing but clean dry road and a beautiful ride 'on through' that treacherous mountain we had maneuvered the night before!   McDonald's must have seen adventurous RVers before, because they were extremely accommodating and obviously KNEW there was no place for us to have gone! 
We saw absolutely beautiful scenery, high mountains, sharp drop-offs and neat tunnels, too!
We took lots of photos, and it's hard to choose which to share, but here are a few that caught our attention!

Magee knows more about cacti than I do, so she was great in helping to identify some of these varieties!!
Leaving the hail, snow, and 7% mountain  grades behind was both exciting and sad.   It's nice to see our nation's beauty!  
Yesterday I had renamed Magee, and referred to her as "Tonto" because traveling with her has been such a tremendous pleasure!   Little did I know that she had an ENTIRE FOREST named after her!  See, I have an important 'traveling companion'!!      SEE HER FOREST ?  
We found Saddle Mountain RV Park in the middle of the freeway, in Tonopah, Arizona and decided that we would splurge and get some electricity and other not-so-special luxuries, especially since we were OUT OF WATER on board the rig!
Tomorrow we visit Quartzsite to look for friends and to SHOP!!