Lake Havasu City / Parker, AZ

It took me 45 miles and about 3 hours to get out of Phoenix, but I finally got on the road and arrived about 2pm.  I managed a couple of quick pictures from the road.


I'm here for the 30th Annual Western Winter Blast Pyrotechnic Show.  This is where the firework manufacturers show off their new wares for protentional buyers/orders for the year.  It's supposed to be quite a show!

Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research and I'm parked in the wrong place for the event.  I have to drive about 10 miles up the road to see the show.  Oh well ..... The show lasts several nights, the big one, of course, being on Saturday.  The "party" starts about 4pm each day with a live band and food booths and dancing, etc.  The fireworks show is about an hour from 7:30 - 8:30pm, with an on-ground display as well as a sky display.  It is like Disneyland without the class, but a fun time.


I did do some sightseeing (and since my mail didn't arrive, I'm actually here until Tuesday instead of leaving for Tonto National Forest on Sunday as planned) -

Arizona Death Star (Area 66):  Since the 1970s, the Arizona Death Star, otherwise known as area 66, was originally a shady real estate deal that some developers tried to dupe people into buying. Without utilities, building permits--let alone the promised incentives that the desert couldn't deliver--the developers went bankrupt. The only thing that was ever built was the 40-foot wide globe that was supposed to be a restaurant and nightclub.









Known as the Main Street of America, Route 66 has gotten more kicks than a tire. Arizona has the privilege of hosting 42 miles of the road starting from 5 miles south of Kingman. With many recreation sites and rest stops along the way, Arizona is a great host to the famed route.


Old Trails Arch Bridge:  Historical steel arch bridge that crosses the Colorado River that is used to carry natural gas pipeline. (I didn't get a good picture).


This is where I'm dry camping and some views from the road ...


Where I am parked is actually Azizona Trust land and I had to get a permit a few weeks ago in order to camp here. 

And there is always Parker Dam and the London Bridge ... and beautiful sunsets.

Only vehicles can cross the dam; 15 mph and it is very narrow

The housing is crazy ...

The traffic in town is really bad ... between the event, and it is a tourist town already, and the holiday weekend, and some construction ....wow.  I wasn't able to stop and take a picture of the bridge or the mural showing the process of acquiring it.  I stopped at the Safeway after checking for my mail and the produce section was all but empty.

I did have one full day of rain since I've been here, and one more day is forecast.  All the rain California and Arizona have had this winter will be putting on quite the flower show in the desert soon.  These purple flowers are everywhere ...

Since I will be here an extra two days ... perfect time to get some chores done on the coach!  But then, I do have LOTS of unread books .... ha.  I'll let you know which one wins.

Take care and thanks for checking in on my ramblings.

Phoenix, AZ

I was thinking about how Why got its name.  Do you think it was because AZ 85 and AZ 86 form a "Y" at this location?  Just a thought ....

Spent a quick couple of days in Phoenix taking care of business.  I had some successes and a couple misses ....

I drove to see some "quirky" sights and take pictures, such as a Giant Baby And Tractor in Goodyear and a Hobo Joe Statue in Buckeye, but they were either removed or I was not able to find them.  I did find these, however ....

Don Park's Yard Of Statues & Stuff 

Canyon Lake

Superstition Mountain

Tortilla Flat, AZ - Only six people live in Tortilla Flat, but that doesn't keep it from having big flavors, big fun and big history, dating back to the '40s. You can fill up your stomach at the Tortilla Flat restaurant, get an ice-cold drink at the saloon or see what the museum and gift shop has to offer.

I spent a nice time here ... sitting in the sun, eating Prickly Pear Gelato and listening to live music.  The band was pretty good.

On the road again ....

Ajo, AZ

We had rain, and then freezing temps so when I pulled in my slide to leave the campground, I had ice fall to the ground and shatter.  I'm glad it didn't tear my slide covers; I should have realized ...

After my chiropractor appointment, I left Tucson and headed to Ajo to meet up with friends and do some boondocking.  Since I couldn't fill my water tank at the contaminated campground in Tucson, I stopped in Why, AZ for water.  It is a wide spot in the road at the AZ 86 and AZ 85.

View from my coach

 While boondocking in Ajo, I drove down to the Organ Pipe National Monument for the day.  I stopped in Why for gas and lunch at the only restaurant (it was recommended to me), but as luck would have it, the only day it's closed is on Saturday and .... you guessed it ....I went on Saturday.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument celebrates the life and landscape of the Sonoran Desert. In this desert wilderness, you may drive a lonely road, hike a backcountry trail, camp beneath a clear desert sky, marvel at the magnificent cactus, or soak in the warmth and beauty of the Southwest.

I'm headed back to Phoenix for some doctor appointments and then off the Lake Havasu.

Tucson, AZ

My son was nice enough to provide a picture of my location ..

Arrived in Tucson, planning to stay at the Moose Lodge, but it didn't work out. Because my sister is with me, I need to have full hook-ups and this is peak season, so the only site I could find was at the A Bar A campground.  Not only is the "campground" right next to the I-10, with a train track separating us from the highway, their water is contaminated and not drinkable. The entire lot is dirt, not gravel, so with all the rain we've had I'm sitting in a mud pit.   Prime location!

After driving my sister back to Phoenix to Sky Harbor, I'm hanging around Tucson a couple of extra days before heading to Ajo.  I've been in dire need of a chiropractor and I found a good one here, so I'm getting in as many treatments as possible.

Looking for sunshine going forward ....

Starting my Arizona tour ...

I left Quartzsite last Saturday, saying good-bye to the group, and picked up my sister, Sandee, from Sky Harbor (Phoenix) airport.  She'll be staying with me for 10 days, exploring the Phoenix area, Casa Grande and Tucson areas.





While driving her around, I was able to see a couple of sights on my list ...

The Worlds Tallest Fountain - unfortunately, the fountain was turned off so we didn't get to see the "action" but the park was truly lovely and the day perfect, so it was a nice side-trip.

The next stop was "Unique Donkey Mailbox" in Scottsdale.  This was a little disappointing, but the unusual is always worth a stop.  This is the description I was given: Stay away from the back-end of a horse. If you've never heard that tidbit of advice, then you definitely live under a rock. A horse mailbox is absolutely adorable, but one can't help but wonder which "end" of the horse that the mail goes into. Certainly not the a....rear.


Next stop, the Giant Octopus Vase.  To decorate the newly-expanded freeway, the city of Phoenix placed giant pottery along the side walls of 51. A 13-foot tall vase with an octopus on the side can be seen zooming by on the highway.

In Carefree, AZ you can find the Worlds Largest Sundial.  At 62 feet, the K.T. Palmer sundial is the largest sundial in America and has been standing since 1959. This giant sundial was built to honor Palmer who created Carefree, AZ from scratch.

 That's all we had time for, but I hope to see more next week.  Tomorrow we head for Tucson, and then back to Sky Harbor on Tuesday.

Boomerville at the end of the first week ...

As of happy hour tonight we have 170 rigs signed in; about 300+ people in our group here.

This is a sample of the daily schedule if you're curious ...

Boomerville activities. Sunday, January 20, 2019
9am. Trash run. Double bag, please. Trucks leave around nine so get bags there early. (Trash only, no recycle)
8:30 AM. Cinnamon roll pick up. If you didn’t order any there will be about 8 extra...first come. $4 (or more) donation that goes to c.a.r.e. @ welcome tent.
9:30. Meet @ welcome tent to car pool to desert bar
Redberg. Cash only.
1 to 3 PM. Square Dance @ MS+Plus on Quail Run RD
3PM. Stitch & Bitch @ blue tent
6PM. 4 Fold Fun: 1. Funny Signs
2. Wine Tasting (bring wine to
share)
3.Dessert Social (bring deserts)
4. Lunar Eclipse (starts around
7:30ish..full eclipse around 9:30
@ Norms theater. Bring warm jackets and blankets. If someone builds and starts it will move around the fire pit to watch full eclipse after 1,2, and 3 are done!

And here is a picture of the Desert Bar (an abandoned mine that runs entirely on solar power; open weekends only from 12-6pm).  It's in the middle of nowhere!











And a couple of the beautiful sunsets this week:

The Big Tent officially opened today, so that's on the schedule for next week sometime!  Lots to do.

Boomerville 2019

Hi all!

It's been a while since my last blog.  I was staying in Coarsegold, California reorganizing and cleaning and preparing for the road.  This trip I started on January 8th will take me across Canada, down the East coast and a zigzag pattern across the central USA on my way back to Coarsegold.  If all stays on plan, I will get to Coarsegold December 2021.

I have made my first reservation for 2020 - the Florida Keys for 5 days in February.

The trip will cross several "bucket list" items off the list .... the Keys, Marti Gras, Paducah, the Alburquque Balloon Festival, the "slabs" and the Death Valley Encampment.  I'll give more details as they happen.

What is "Boomerville"?  In short, I belong to a full-time RV organization called Escapees.  I won't bore you with all the "founding" details, but there are a couple dozen or more BOFs (bird of a feather) subgroups, a couple of which are the SOLOs and another is Boomers, both of which I have joined.  In the 3+ years (times flies, right?!) I have been full time, I have joined events of several RV groups and find the Escapees my best fit. All of the groups I have joined since 2015 are here in Quartzsite, but I am camped with the Boomers this time.  I have buzzed around and checked in with friends from the other groups.  It is nice to catch up.

I arrived in Quartzsite on Sunday the 13th, with the time change, about 4pm.  Quartzsite, AZ is about 25 miles inside the California/Arizona border. There is a small town surrounded by BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land as far as you can see.  Every year in January about 10,000 RVers descend on this land for 2 or 3 weeks (or longer) to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.  It started out as a great place to get work done or pick up parts and accessories at a great price.  Now it is basically a huge swap meet and people having a great time on free land.

Every day all of the organizations have different activities you can join or go do your own thing.  It's a great time had by all!


First, I parked "out" where there was room between the rigs.  There was a "call" for volunteers with Class A coaches to form a circle around the welcome tent to serve as a windbreak, should it be needed.  I wasn't sure about parking "in the middle of things," as I spend so much of my time on my own, but I moved to the circle.  Having people standing, talking and walking constantly right outside my windows took a little getting used to, but, surprisingly it has become "normal."  I'm not minding at all.  The second day I was parked at the Hospitality tent was the first pancake breakfast.  You can see my rig at the "head" of the line.

Day 2

As of happy hour last night, there are 152 rigs signed in at Boomerville.

One of us is a former member of the group the Kingsmen.  He put on a show last night of all the old music videos and commercials of the era, complete with speakers, two screens, and a dance floor and film of him singing Louie! Louie!   Lots from other groups joined us and it was loads of fun.

It rained one day, but the weather is perfect and the sun shines down on us and the flowers and grass are popping up.

I am here until the 26th, but will out and about in Arizona until the end of February.