Caliente Wildlife and ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Nesting Spotted Dove

Nesting Gila Woodpecker in Saguaro

Spotted Dove and young in Saguaro

Bee in Greasewood

Male Cactus Wren doing his guy thing

The above five pics were all Caliente wildlife!

Horned Toad (a lizard) shot near Amboy, CA

Un named as yet

The orange appears to be a parasitic growth - it felt soft, rubbery and moist

Not sure what it is but the fruits are like mini tomatoes

John photographing, Mitzy undermining him - shot by Aileen

Coyote Gourd - shot by Aileen

John and Mitzy - shot by Aileen

February 19, 2009

We’re winding things down here in Caliente. We moved back into the travel trailer Wednesday and today will finish summarizing the park model. Jim, the previous owner helped us through the process this morning. On Tuesday night we played Mexican Train with the Jordan’s, Caouette’s and their friends from Sorrento, Dennis and Pat. Pat was the big loser at over 500. Last night Aileen and I played with the Jordan’s and I set a new record. On one hand, I picked up 14 tiles before I got to play and had 257 points against me when that hand ended. I had 609 points at game end. Yeah right, the score keeper wins!
We, the Jordan’s and McKinnon’s went to L&B Mexican Restaurant in Florence for supper Wednesday night and the food was excellent. We saw several of our neighbours eating there also.
Monday night and Tuesday were quite rainy but Wednesday was beautifully sunny and warm. Thursday morning was frosty. Aileen and I walked over to Jordan’s and then we four went yard saling next door in Florence Gardens. I bought a beer mug and Jacquie got a magazine rack. Big spenders!
Thursday night, the six of us went to the Missouri Opry at Florence Gardens clubhouse ice cream social and it was an excellent evening. We saw some pretty incredible music by the leader on guitar, banjo, fiddle and drums. He, his daughter and a second man were all good soloists while his wife sang harmony. Ice cream was served after the performance. I would think over 200 attended which was pretty good considering Caliente also had something on in their clubhouse. Aileen and I went to the pool afterward for our last swim this visit.
Friday morning, Feb 20th, saw us pick up Jacquie and Jim before 8 to go to a couple of near by yard sales. Jacquie bought a laundry cart for a dollar and that was it. Then it was home to finish packing, closing up and spraying for weeds. It was very tight getting the trailer out onto the road. I think I may have to move one of the support posts back a couple feet to make it easier. Either that or a shorter truck would make it simpler. 10:30 when we got on the road.
We stopped at Florence junction for coffee break as breakfast had run out. Good thing as it was a long while getting through greater Phoenix. It was over 100 kms from the time we hit the Highway 60 freeway until we were clear of stoplights northwest of Phoenix and 1:30 when we stopped for lunch 10 miles before Wickenburg. The route was well marked but there were so many stoplights to contend with plus a lot of traffic. Some sections are 6 lanes each direction plus merge lanes.
We are camped at Burro Creek BLM park. Pretty quiet but full except for a few tent sites. If we’d been much later there wouldn’t have been room for us. We drove 290 kms today and were 5 hours from Caliente to here. That would be just over four hours driving. We went for several walks. I gave one of our gallon water jugs to an old couple who had forgotten theirs and were tenting. They were very happy. We’re looking forward to an early night as we’ve been late to bed and early up for several days. No yard sale alarm tomorrow!
Feb 21
We spent 11 hours in bed last night. Best sleep in a long while. It was frosty this morning (Saturday). We were at 1900 feet elevation. On the road about 9 AM. Several stops including one emergency (make that PANIC!!!) when the cat did a smelly in her crate in the back seat at 60 mph. Just before Kingman the snow was not very far above us. Didn’t think too much of that. We had lunch west of Kingman at Haviland rest stop. We stopped early at a boondock spot we’ve stayed in twice before near Amboy, California. We managed 331 kms today. Aileen had a long rest with the ladies (Sophie and Mitzy) this afternoon. I took my camera and macro lens for a walk around looking for flowers. I did see 6 Desert Bighorn sheep (2 were babies) but only briefly as they were very nervous. There were very few flowers about. When I stopped here on my way home last year 6 days later than this, there were lots of flowers. Later I saw a Horned Toad, about 4 inches long including the tail. Awhile later Aileen found another which co-operated better for pictures. Aileen had a nice phone chat with her friend Bev in Victoria tonight.
Feb 22

Only ten hours in bed last night! We went for a walk first thing this morning to show Aileen some of my botanical finds of yesterday then were on the road about 8:45. Today has been cloudy all day with showers since Barstow. We had a long stop on a side road near Edwards Air Force Base for lunch. Gas was $2.659 at Ludlow, Ca. Yesterday it was $2.159 in Kingman, Az. We are spending tonight at the Orange Grove RV Park just east of Bakersfield, California. No heated pool or hot tub but high speed wi-fi. Aileen picked us a nice large orange which was really sweet and juicy. Still showers off and on and more forecast tomorrow. Guess its back to long pants again – groan. When we came through Tehechapi on the way here, up at 4,000 ft elevation, the snow was almost down to our level. I came through here 6 days later than this last year and it feels like a month earlier. There are hardly any flowers out yet and the hills are not nearly as green. I had heard that last year was a late Spring but obviously this year is later. We drove 338 kms today arriving here at 3:00 PM.

Winding down in Florence

Scrambling because the creek is running in the side canyon

End of the road for most

Moth or butterfly?

An old guy showing off! He's having fun though

We’ve been getting into travel mode slowly. There is much more to consider before leaving now that we are Arizona land barons! Aileen has been questioning the neighbours about the best way to summer-ize the park model. Several have given her their lists which she has condensed into one. She has also arranged with a younger neighbour to come in and clean a few days before we return in the Fall. We went to a few yard sales and found some sheets to cover the furniture with. There was a huge yard sale today here in Caliente in conjunction with Spring Fling which is major fundraiser for the park. Piles of stuff, some of it was pretty good and also low priced. The crowd was very large at opening and Aileen watched two guys almost come to fisticuffs over a three wheel bike she thought she might be interested in. She spent $1.50 and I spent nothing. We and the Jordans went to the big breakfast at the clubhouse after. The food was good and the company also. We had several couples from Washington at our table.
The Jordans are settled on their new lot and are tidying up the landscaping and cleaning out the shed. They have the Caouettes and another couple coming Sunday. One couple is renting a lot in Tierra and the other here in Caliente. Jim was over this morning going over the solar system on our travel trailer trying to see if he could spot anything out of place or broken which could be causing our charging problems. Unfortunately nothing jumped out other than a dirty ground connection which he cleaned up. We have played Mexican Train two of the last four nights. Randy and Wendy have been touring around the area enjoying themselves. One day, we took the Jordans and drove to Box Canyon. We parked the truck at the bottom of the canyon and walked for awhile. We went up the little side canyon first and the light was fairly forgiving for photos in places. I did some experimenting with different white balance for different effects. When we went up the main canyon we met quite a few vehicles including jeeps, quads and one motorcycle plus several other pedestrians. The light was higher than last time we were there so it gave us a different perspective. Even though it was breezy at times, it was warmer than we expected. Yesterday we were sitting in Tag’s Restaurant in Coolidge waiting for our lunch when Wendy and Randy strolled in so we ate together.
We have set our departure date as Friday the 20th so we have lots to do before then. Aileen had to visit the local dentist on Wednesday because of a broken tooth. He has patched it up and hopefully it will last until we return to BC. We need to get Aileen in for a haircut next week also. She cuts my hair and does it very well but we’ve haven’t gotten up the courage for me to try cutting hers. Maybe some time when we will be away from civilization for a few weeks.

Slowing down

Jacquie and Taffy with two differnet Saguaro in the desert behind Caliente

Jacquie and Taffy under a Mesquite tree

A windblown Saguaro

Lots of sheep raised around Coolidge

The dog park where Mitzy visits several times a day

Thomas, the weimeramer and Wayne from White Rock with Aileen and Mitzy

Jordan's lot (Mitzy inspecting)

From left - Jacquie, Jim, John, Aileen, Wendy, Randy

We’ve been slowing down a little. Aileen has had a bit of a bug for a while and the weather has not been conducive to exploring part of the time. We’ve had 1.4 inches of rain the past two days which is supposedly 20% of the yearly precip. We’ve been getting some strong winds too. We have been to Casa Grande and Johnson Ranch shopping with the Jordans. We’re still looking for a few things for the park model plus old sheets for covering the furniture for the summer. Apparently it is impossible to keep the dust out over the summer.
The Jordans have purchased a lot next door at Tierra Del Sol and are now in the same mode we were in a few weeks ago with money and legal issues. The lots over in Tierra are twice as large as here so more options are available in developing the property. The lot is immediately adjoining Caliente so handy to our activities and much closer to the dog walk than we are.
On Sunday, Aileen and I went to Phoenix to pick Wendy and Randy up at the Sky Harbour Airport. We ran into sleet and hail near Apache Junction and the temperature dropped to 8C. We drove Apache Trail all the way through Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe etc. There’s a lot of town spread out for many miles. We found a Chinese smorg (buffet) near the airport which had very good chow. Got to the airport in daylight so had a long wait but we’d taken a book for me and Aileen’s sudoko. The plane was pretty much right on time at 7:48 PM. We were home shortly after nine.
This afternoon is the AGM at the park so we have to go and listen and hope it’s not too boring (or contentious) and hope it doesn’t drag on too long. We had the McKinnons and Jordans over for supper last night and then played Mexican Train after. Jim was the leader by a large margin while I was the biggest loser with four times plus four points more. I don’t understand how I can lose so badly so often when I’m the scorekeeper!

Florence update

At the Canada supper

Canada supper dessert

Florence Gardens, our sister park in front, Caliente in centre and Town of Florence in back

A Quartzsite cloud

A Caliente cloud

Last Thursday we went to Coolidge to change the park model registration over to our name. Park models are classed as a vehicle in Arizona which requires the motor vehicle branch business even though the only time it had wheels was when it was delivered. Pick a number and wait for an hour as the office is always busy.
We have been to Coolidge and Johnson Ranch with the Jordan’s but haven’t found much more for the park model. There are some large garage sales coming up here so maybe we’ll have some luck there. We don’t need anything urgently now so can shop more leisurely.
We and the Jordan’s went to the Canada supper on Saturday night. Good meal and friendship but the sound system was atrocious. Monday night, we four went to see five sisters originally from Saskatchewan perform. They are scattered all over now in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nebraska. The sound system degraded the show but the sisters’ singing was incredible. Beautiful harmony. It was amazing how five people could be so in sync with their timing. They did a couple numbers without music and that was a treat. They performed both gospel and 50’s pop.
Today we were entertained with the antics of moving in a park model underneath a cover where an RV had been. We happened to be visiting friends right opposite so had a ringside seat. The driver sure earned his pay. They had to remove two centre support posts and at one time had four guys on the roof of the park model holding up the cover roof and walking backwards as the truck backed in. I think it took the truck driver’s whole bag of tricks to get it in place.
Aileen is enjoying having room to have friends in for meals. The Jordan’s are coming for supper tonight for the second time and she’d like to have others over before we depart. Aileen bought a new crock pot a few days ago and used that for the first invitation and the roast and veggies were delicious. Tonight I get to BBQ steak down the street at the community BBQ.

Back in Florence

Bathroom, pantry beside fridge

Ffrom the bedroom to the living room

Colsets at the foot of the bed

We pulled out of Quartzsite about 9:30 yesterday heading for Florence. We decided to take I-10 through Phoenix and then 60 east to Florence Junction and 79 south to Florence. The trip went very well. We spotted the truck route (I-10, 17 and 60) which we followed and it led us through the west side of Phoenix very smoothly. It was way nicer than places like Sacramento, Portland and Seattle on I-5 with their multitude of bridges and direction changes. We stopped for a long early lunch at a rest area where I took pictures of brittlebush and greasewood flowers then again at Florence Junction for a stretch and photos of some palm trees left over from some the scene of a long abandoned enterprise. We arrived in Caliente and had the trailer set up by 2:30. Fortunately, no neighbours were in evidence to witness or disturb backing into the very tight spot. It took several tries before we managed the deed. Several neighbours stopped later by to welcome us home. We really enjoyed getting back in the pool tonight and had four other couples to visit with there. First time we’ve had ten people in the pool at one time.
This morning was busy. I went and got our new name tags first thing then we went to the land title office to do some business. Next was the insurance office to get a policy in place for Wednesday and the bank to pick up cheques for our new account. Aileen also got the mail box changed over at the Post Office and we picked up the application for water and sewer from city hall. After lunch we went to Coolidge for gas, groceries and a truck wash. Southern California and Arizona have a lot of mineral in the water and most water will leave white spots and streaks on the windows and paint. This car wash uses filtered water for the final rinse which gives a fine finish. I unloaded the pick up box and stored everything in our shed so we can haul home anything we find for the park model. The only furniture they left for us was a hide-a-bed in the living room so we will have to come up with a bed and table and chairs PDQ. I grilled pork chops on the BBQ at the end of the street and watched a reasonably nice sunset while cooking. We had heavy cloud part of the day so hopefully tomorrow will be nicer. There are four swimming pool complexes here and each has some grills, ours has four. Each also has shuffleboard and one has mini golf. We had lots of residents welcoming us home again today. Everyone is so friendly!
Jan 27
This morning we had planned on driving to Casa Grande to look for used furniture. Several of the neighbours said they’d been recently and the selection was not good. Then Bill across the street came over and told us about Grandpa’s Furniture in Apache Junction so we headed that direction. Along the way we saw a store selling lift beds so we stopped in. We bought one with a queen mattress and two night tables to be delivered tomorrow. Then up to Grandpa’s where we eventually bought two swivel, reclining rockers and a small table with four chairs. They will also be delivered tomorrow in between Mitzy’s hair appointment and our meeting at the title office to close the sale.
I walked around Tierra De Sol this morning and found several places the Caouette’s could rent. The lots in there are huge and can accommodate any size RV. I grilled a steak that we’d bought at Safeway for $2 a pound and it was surprisingly good. Aileen says we’ll get five meals out of the $9.71 steak. Aileen and Mitzy are glad to be back walking in familiar ground and meeting their respective two and four legged friends.
Jan 28
We took Mitzy for her haircut and when we returned the bed was already in place. Good thing I’d left the door unlocked. Neighbour Daryl was kind enough to come over and supervise as the delivery guy didn’t want to enter without someone on hand. Shortly after the chairs and dining set arrived. We immediately started moving stuff from the Arctic Fox to the park model. We had our lunch in the new digs then went to town to finish closing the sale. Just back from that and doing some paper work at the office when Jordans called that they had turned down at Florence Junction. They were by themselves as Caouettes decided against coming. We went and waited at the highway and they arrived in about 12 minutes. The park manager insisted on measuring their motorhome as we said it was 36 feet which is the maximum permitted by the city. After a long hunt for a tape the motorhome was declared legal. So then J’s were allowed to get their renters tags. The motorhome fits on the lot just fine. I cooked steaks again for supper.

That's it for Quartzsite for this year

We’ve been experiencing Quartzsite for the past several days. Aileen and I have been to the big tent RV show, to some of the flea markets and even a couple RV lots. I have been fairly restricted this year as my legs are giving me a lot of grief. Not sure what it is but my right knee has been quite swollen and my left calf is very painful. Walking makes things worse. We did visit Howard and Linda Payne yesterday who call their RV experience RV Dreams www.rv-dreams.typepad.com . I have read their blog since soon after they started it and followed along with them as they researched then bought their Ford 450 and huge 5th wheel. They’ve been full timing for over three years and are only 45. They work camp their way around the country so instead of putting lots of miles on they get to stay and explore each area thoroughly. They then tell the rest of us what they find and show us pictures. Since there were only a few days when we were both here in Q, it was nice to find them and meet in person.
We will have another look around the shows today then tomorrow head back to Florence to finalize our purchase and get things organized before departing for BC in mid February. Jacquie and Jim are going to follow us over to Florence on Wednesday and we were able to rent them a spot for a week or two. We will be picking up Wendy and Randy at the Phoenix airport on February 8th.

Moved on to Quartzsite

Day of the Quartzsite RV show - the whole place was this crowded!

All three are oranges! The big one is over 4 inches.

Aileen said the girls enjoyed their night out and the Johnny Cash impersonator was pretty good even though he was ill with a cold. I puttered on the computer then went and enjoyed the pool and hot tub. At one point there were 9 of us in the water and all were from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
We dumped the tanks and loaded up on water then hooked up and departed by 9:40. We arrived in Quartzsite, Lo Posa West camp area, shortly after 11 and were able to see Jordan’s and Caouette’s from the gate house. We are parked with them and will likely be here for the next 8 nights. Jim is hopeful we’ll be able to get internet here. He has talked to them a couple times and they’re working on getting things up and running here. I posted some pictures this morning in Yuma but it was quite chore. I guess the server wasn’t strong enough to handle the pictures as I ended up doing them one at a time and it took between 3 and 12 minutes per image! When you scroll down the pictures and come to the bottom of the page, click on older posts to see my last written post as each picture has become a new post thus using way more room.
Jan 17
I went to the RV show this morning for two hours. I did manage to get through everywhere but just barely. There wasn’t room for anymore people in the huge tent. I’ve no idea how many were in there but it would be several thousand. And it was just as crowded all around the outside at those exhibits. My only purchase was a campsite guide for Canada and the US which is 1,575 pages thick. Aileen stayed home as she isn’t foolish enough to venture into those size crowds. Mitzy was under the weather for some reason today and needed the company. She wouldn’t eat until later this afternoon and that was stimulated by some popcorn!
After lunch, we went for a drive through all four BLM camping areas. While there are a lot of RVs in spots, there is room for thousands more. We’re pretty lucky where we’re parked as there is new pavement near us but most of the outlying areas are suffering lots of dust. It’s a tradeoff, we have to sleep with ear plugs here or get covered in dust in most other spots. Jordan’s have internet now. They had to drive across town to find a strong enough signal to get signed up and now can log on to a different signal from the same provider. It seems that is what I’ll have to do, I guess. There was a hot air balloon being lit up for awhile tonight not far from us. I didn’t take any pictures as the foreground was too busy and I couldn’t get the whole balloon.
Jan 19
We’ve decided to stick with plan A and not bother buying internet. We’ll keep searching out free WiFi. Therefore the blog posting will continue to be sporadic. We’ve played Mexican Train all three nights. The first night we played the Chicken Foot variant and the regular game the last two. We went to a Mexican restaurant last night and the food was excellent. I brought almost half my taco salad home so that will be lunch today.
Happy Birthday to my brother Tom today! I will try to get this posted this morning. I have several pictures from the last post that I will attempt to get online first so you might want to scroll down below this posting to check them out.