Friday, January 15, 2021

Move to Palm Canyon near Quartzsite, Arizona

 All night the winds howled through the desert blowing dust everywhere.  The noise kept waking me throughout the night.  Felt tired and didn't want to get out of bed, but it was nearing 8 o'clock and this will be a busy day.

Got things rolling with two cups of coffee and twelve crackers.  At times I thought I should wait till tomorrow to move, or just go into Yuma and shop then leave tomorrow.  By the time I finished the last coffee I had decided to go for the whole enchilada!

It was 11 o'clock and I got the Jeep hooked up and we're ready to move.

Did I say it was windy?

First thing was to head west four miles to the rest stop in the dunes to take on water.  No one was at the watering hole, so I was able to gitr done in a hurry.

Next it was back east to Yuma to Walmart to load up with supplies to last awhile.  Lost an hour, but still made good time.  Got everything and at 2:15 Yuma time we headed north on hwy 95 towards Quartzsite, Arizona.
Stopped at the entrance to the Yuma Proving Ground


Rolling along on hwy 95 north.

Last checkpoint for awhile.


This is Stone Cabin, a small building near the checkpoint that once was a stopping point for travelers going from Yuma to Quartzite and beyond.  Dolly and I stopped in here a number of years ago when a gentleman was trying to make a go of it as a burger place, but there is no water here, so it was hard for him.  He made great burgers.  The next year we came by, it was already closed down.  Now it is in serious disrepair.

Flags behind the Stone Cabin.

Kofa Mountains are beautiful.


At 4:15 we arrived at our destination - Palm Canyon Road just off hwy 95 about 20 miles south of Quartzsite.  Far enough to stay away from the crowds but close enough to get into town fairly fast.  Had a little trouble finding a site.  The small vans keep taking up the large sites which is aggravating, but I guess it's "first come, first served".  I like the place we're in.


The Kofa Mountains east of us about two miles.  Had to get inside and get dinner ready and the Dish up and running for tonight's Gold Rush.  It'll be on at 6 o'clock.

The sunset with clear skies.

Looked to the east and there are the mountains all lit up from the setting sun.

It was a long day, but everything came together perfectly until I started doing my post.  I have a slow connection and had to lower the quality of my pictures to get them to upload in a decent amount of time.  Sorry for that.  Tomorrow, I'll put up my WIFI booster antenna and see if it helps.  It's almost 10 o'clock and time for bed.

See you later.

20 comments:

  1. Glad you boys made it to Palm Canyon and found a nice spot. I'll be interested to see how the palms are doing after last year's fire. I still remember the burgers we had at Stone Cabin. Beautiful sunset photos.

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    1. Thanks Dolly. The day turned out perfect. Beautiful weather and scenery.

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  2. This weather has been just gorgeous ... except for that wind. I just cleaned my rig the day before and when I moved, discovered it looked worse than when I cleaned it!! Enjoy Quartzsite!! The big tent should be opening pretty soon!!

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    1. The wind has been a bummer. Today is much better. Not sure I dare go in the big tent this year. Just walk around outside.

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  3. You are now in the shadow of one of my favorite mountain ranges. Yes, those southwest winds can be absolutely brutal and especially if one is in an RV shaking and rocking back and forth. Many times in the night I fully expected the solar panels, and vent covers to be blown right off the roof but every morning they were always still there.

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    1. These mountains have rugged quality about them. At least the winds weren't too bad. Mainly just a nuisance.

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  4. "Van Life" has become quite the movement, all looking for their own spot to park in paradise. Your last picture of the alpenglow on the mountains is awesome.

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    1. Thanks Jeff. Caught it at the right moment. With so much dust, it heightens the redness.

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  5. You are definitely making us all jealous.
    If you were closer to Quartzsite it would take hours to up load pictures at this time. Someone we met used to drive daily to the Kofa area and had all their days work done in minutes. (Different Towers)
    The traffic should increase today with the opening of the Big Tent.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Guess I should be glad to be nearer Yuma for the internet. Will have to go into the "madding crowd" some day this week.

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  6. It sure looks nice there, Doug. You're teasing but keep the pictures coming. ;)

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  7. Love the windy pic of you!! Beautiful pictures once again!

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    1. Thanks Shirley. I'm beginning to wonder how women put up with long hair 😀 May have to go. 😞

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  8. That wind! I'm glad we didn't get it. It was pretty calm here. What beautiful pictures of the Kofa Mountains and the sunset. That's another area I want to drive to after the shed is completed...lol. Thru the years many have tried to be successful at Stone Cabin but none were. Have a great day!

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  9. Thanks Elva. Glad you missed the wind. The Kofa Mountains are ruggedly beautiful. Got to get up to Palm Canyon soon.

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  10. The wind has been here, also. The Stinger "B" has landed east of Quartzsite for a few days to get rid of a layer of dust. We drove into Palm Canyon earlier this week always enjoy the views there. We will be heading back towards that direction next week. Hope to connect again. Take care.

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    1. It is dusty. I'll be here just south on the gas line road. Got a good spot. Rocky with not much dust.

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  11. I like your wind blown picture! Looks really beautiful!

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  12. I mean the area looks beautiful, not your wind blown picture!!! 😂

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