Cold, windy and rainy day!

 I'm beginning to sound like a broken record.  This morning, I woke up to a partly sunny day with just a small breeze.  Hoping that it would be a good day, but not to be.

Not all RVs look the same.

It was too cool to be outside, so Yuma and I spent the morning keeping warm on the sofa.  By early afternoon, it started to rain.  Hopefully, the desert will flower after all the rain today.

Portal to Heaven

We had our HH over at Tom and Deb's place this afternoon.  Tom wanted to walk over and see if he could find the gold pot, but I popped his bubble when I told him it wouldn't be there.

Yuma and I had warmed up Silly Al's pizza for dinner.

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Silly Al's With Friends

 Last night was a blast!  Literally!  I went outside several times to batten down the hatches.  The wind blew all night, but luckily, except for the mobile Dish rolling for a few feet, everything held together.

Calling for winds all day with partly cloudy skies and very cool temperatures.  In other words, a stay inside day.  Glad this isn't an everyday event, but this winter has been rather windy and cool.

Luckily, the gang had made plans the last time we were all together, to have lunch/dinner at Silly Al's.  We all met at 3:30.

Riley, Tom, Deb, Cheryl, Dave, Patsy, Bill, Deb, Doug

Their pizza is great, so I ordered a Medium.  I was able to eat half of it, so brought the rest home for later.  Maybe, Yuma will get a bite.  We had a nice time trying to talk over the crowd of happy and hungry people.

Crowded and quite loud!

Got home and Yuma ran circles outside he was so happy we were home.  Now, he is resting while I finish my post.

No dinner tonight, so a little TV and soon it will be bedtime.  Hopefully, we will be having coffee hour and happy hour outside again real soon.  

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Visit with another fellow blogger

 Up at 7 this morning and the wind was already picking up a little.  Calling for strong winds this afternoon and all night.  Today is shopping day.  But, I decided to just do my shopping at the Roadrunner Market in Quartzsite instead of traveling the 40 miles to the Walmart in Parker.

The first thing I did this morning, was to shave off my beard.  Took 2 1/2 years to grow it and only 15 minutes to shave it off.  I left the hair.  I'll make a decision on that another day.  I think my beard days are over.

Yuma and I went into Quartzsite and picked up $100 of groceries and we were back before noon.  Everyone had things to do this morning, so not much of a coffee hour.

I checked my email this morning, and had a text from Gaelyn, saying that she had moved from Yuma up to King Road, about 20 miles south of me on highway 95.

Knowing, this might be the last half way decent weather day for this week, Yuma and I drove down for a short visit.  The drive goes along some of the most beautiful mountains in the Kofa Mountain range.

 

View from Gaelyn's truck camper

She was home, but the wind was already stronger in the open area where she is parked.

We placed our chairs on the north side of her truck because the wind was blowing out of the south.

We had a great time, until the chill in the air ended our visit.  Gaelyn is a longtime boondocker and a fantastic photographer, so be sure to visit her website, Geogypsy.  She is in this area to catch photographs of the full moon rising over the Kofa Mountains early in March.

We made it home around 4:30 and Tom and Deb, Celebrating the Dance and Deb and Riley, On a long and lonesome highway.... were sitting on the east side of Deb and Riley's 5th wheel trying to stay out of the wind while enjoying HH.  I joined them, but it wasn't long before the force of the wind and the coolness of the air drove us all inside.  I think I will brave the winds long enough to grill a steak for tonight.

Thanks for stopping by.

Q Mountain

 This morning, Yuma and I were up with the sun, and soon, the coffee was brewing.  Going to be another beautiful day, but maybe the last one for a few days.  I was planning to head up to Parker to the Walmart, however, decided to enjoy the day outdoors exploring, rather than shopping.  Tomorrow, I'll shop.

Got a text from Dolly.  Had a picture of some of my kids up on the slopes in northern Illinois.  Not exactly on the slopes, but preparing themselves for the slopes.

Nick, Steve, Evan, Erin, Kristi and Lane

Here in Quartzsite, Yuma and I are getting ready for a different kind of slope.  We've decided to drive up to Quartzsite and climb "Q" Mountain.  Not exactly a mountain; more like a big hill compared to the mountains nearby.

No skis or snowboard, but I do have the pole.  At 10:45, we were off.  Instead of taking the highway, I decided to head up to Quartzsite, by the Pipeline Road.  It is a rough road going through washes and rugged terrain.  Took an hour, whereas by highway, it would have been a 10 minute drive.

Beautiful scenery

Finally, spotted our destination inside the city limits.  It has been climbed by many visitors and I've visited Quartzsite at least a dozen times, but never made the climb.  Well, today ends that drought.

This whole area has been mined over the centuries and this hill has a mine too.  I decided to walk up to what was remaining of the mine structure.

As usual, Yuma is saying, "Hurry, Dad!"

Dilapidated

We walked around the south side and there was a rocky path towards the flags at the top, so Yuma and I headed up.

Dome Mountains to the west

Another mine across the way to the south

Each year, it gets harder to climb

The Kofa Mountains, across the La Paz Valley to the east

See the Jeep down there?  The red thing on the ground is a geological survey marker.

Not very flat on top and not a very big area.  I was really uncomfortable standing as I had a fear of stumbling over the edge.

Rested at the top while looking around.  Yuma was ready to head back down.  This time, I went down the north side.  Much easier walk.

Before Long, we were safely down and heading for home.  We took the 10 minute route this time.  Glad I did it, but I'm sure it is a one time effort.

Around 3 o'clock, our group was enjoying the slight breeze on this 76 degree day.  As we all get to know each other better, the conversation flows more freely.  We all still end the day as friends and that is the important thing.  

At 6 o'clock, we all called it a great day and headed home to fix our dinners.

Thanks for stopping by.

Visit to the Dome Mountains and a great Happy Hour

 Up again early this morning with the sun.  I had been taking Lexapro for general anxiety for quite some time.  I always felt it made me tired and sleepy, so about a month  ago, I cut my intake to half a pill a day and then recently quit taking it.  I am feeling more energetic now and also wake earlier in the morning feeling ready to go.  My travel companions haven't seen any increase in anxiety and I don't either.

Today, is going to be quite warm with very little wind and Yuma and I want to get out and explore.  I ran into Deb, A long and lonesome highway...., coming in from a short walk and asked her if she wanted to explore the Dome Mountains just to the west of us, and she was all for it.  I think with the recent cold and windy spell, we are all ready for some nice outdoor activity.

Dome Mountains

Quartzsite is in the La Paz Valley with the Kofa Mountains to the east and the Dome Mountains to the west.  Yuma, Deb and I headed out in the Jeep around 10 o'clock and the temperature was great.  Back to shorts once again.

The mountains are less than 10 miles away, so it wasn't long before we were surrounded by them.  Nice to be back to the land of the Saguaros and the sticky Cholla cactus.

Quartzsite in the center of the valley below

Get to know this 92.4-mile point-to-point trail near Quartzsite, Arizona. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. This trail is great for off-road driving.

On our way to the mountains, we passed the Old Yuma Road and the Arizona Peace Trail. 

Up, up and away!

Dolly wrote and told me that it is Yuma's 9th birthday.  Happy birthday, Yuma!

Jumping for joy!

The area we are exploring is full of old mines that are no longer active.  However, some ingenious mining company, leases parcels of land to folks that want to dig in the dirt in search of gold.

Small abandoned mining camp.

We returned to camp around 1:30 after a great exercise event and some beautiful views of the dome Mountains.

At 3:00 o'clock, we had company for Happy Hour.  Bill and Patsy, Chillin' with Patsy, along with their friends, Dave and Cheryl stopped in to join us.  We gathered under Tom and Deb's, Celebrating the Dance, awning.

Yuma, Bill, Tom, Deb, Cheryl, Patsy, Riley, Deb and Dave

We had a great time covering events that occurred since last we were together.  Amazing how much got said with everyone talking at the same time.  We had the best time enjoying the warm afternoon and before we knew it, it was after 5 and time to get home for dinner.  We made plans to all go out and eat this Wednesday.  I hope Silly Al's is ready for us!

Thanks for stopping by.