Parker Dam Scenic Byway

Feb 21 Weather sunny about 80 again today, although a change is coming (a Tstorm and gusty winds predicted in the next week with lower temps 70) nights remain constant mid 50's.  We have not seen any weather less than 80f in over a month, so we probably won't know how to act!!!  Or react!  We know we have been spoiled.:)

Cattail Cove State Park

When we drove up to Lake Havasu City in the motorhome Billy couldn't really enjoy the views cause he had to keep two hands on the steering wheel and use his engine brake when necessary.  In other words he was "busy" driving.   

nice ride on arizona hwy 95 - better on the Harley

So today we went back down the Arizona hwy 95 to Parker Dam and crossed it (California) to a back country scenic road called Parker Dam Road.  No trucks, Motorhomes, Trailers can cross the Dam.

Parker Dam on the Colorado River

It follows the Colorado River for 11 miles to Earp then you have to cross the bridge to Parker (back in Arizona)  and head north back to Lake Havasu.   We have never seen so many parks, Rv parks, campgrounds, trailer parks.....They are all along the Colorado River. 

Boat traffic on Colorado river

Quite a bit of boat traffic.  All kinds of small fishing boats, pontoon boats and a few off shores.  There are a few waterfront eateries along the way so we stopped to watch the boat traffic and grab a brew and burger.  

RV Park right on the Colorado River - there must be a dozen of them

Route 66 The Mother Road

Feb 18/15 Weather beautiful sunny day high of 80, night 56

Billy and Rosey and our iron horse on Route 66

All bikers (motorcycle) have on their bucket list to ride Route 66.... All the way across L. A. to Chicago.  The Mother Road.

Actually the original road has been replaced in many places by the Interstate highway.  But in places there are still many miles of the original road.  It happens that a good old 50 mile section is here in Arizona from Topock to Kingman.

Route 66 is a small highway and a little rough in spots, of course it should be it has been here a while!

It travels through the heart of Black Mountains and down to the banks of the Colorado River.   The drive meanders southwest through rugged desert landscape and two Wilderness areas.  Mile 0 starts in Topock and mile 50 ends in Kingman.  Expect to take a good part of your day to ride it both ways as there are many 25 mile per hour areas along the mountains with hairpin turns.

Main Street in Oatman

The road is not very wide since cars were not big in those days, and it is a bit rough in spots.  You will pass through the old mining town of Oatman where the tourists stop to watch a staged gunfight on Main Street and feed the burros.  Also be on the lookout for the actual wild burros that do roam the countryside - they are left over from the mining era.

The Burro's love me - look he's bumping me!!!

In Kingman you can pick up your shirt at the Harley shop.  It just wouldn't be complete to make the Mother Road ride without lunch at a 50's diner too!

Mr. D's Diner

Then back on the Harley and reverse the ride.  
One great thing is it never looks the same going the opposite direction.  We truly enjoyed this national back country scenic byway and the history it brings back to you during the day.

Route 66 winds its way through the Black Mountains

The Camper's Rockin

Priceless

London Bridge is not falling down

Feb 16 - 28/15  Weather 80 to + every day night 50 to +.     Lake Havasu City.

The Rock is gorgeous on the ride up

We have moved up to an ownership RV park ~ Havasu RV Resort.  Tip if you are looking to camp here - you need cash or cheque. It is an ownership park so the office does not collect, there is a management group that takes care of renting out the lots for the owners.  The weather is so good we are going to stay for a couple weeks and explore the area.   The smallish city about 52,000 is right on the Colorado River. One side is Arizona and the other California.  

hwy 95 from Parker to Lake Havasu - keep that RV on the road !

The motorhome ride from Quartzite to Havasu was beautiful, following the river.  We will go back and do it on the motorcycle while we are here.  Billy had to pay attention driving no time to look around!

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City

At one time there wasn't much here and then an entrepreneurial fellow took on the task to plan and develop this desert area into a city.   In 1967 he purchased the original 1831 London Bridge from London, England.   It was not sound enough for the load of traffic traversing the Thames River there so each granite stone was disassembled and numbered, loaded on a boat and shipped to the Port of Houston.  From there the stones were trucked to this desert area.

  It took a few years to reassembled across the canal to an island in the Colorado River.   Quite a feat.  We got a kick out of the 1 large engineering drawing with each stone numbered.  If you were a disgruntled construction worker you could have caused a lot of havoc then with a pencil !!!! Change a few numbers !! 

1 long drawing with each stone numbered

After the bridge was completed visitors from all over the country came to see this quirk of an idea.   The city now swells in the winter months with snowbirds. I guess it is the old idiom "build it and They will come".    

A little bit of England in Arizona???  no rain here

Flea Markets and Yuma Proving Grounds

Feb 13,14,15  Weather  Sunny, about 80. Night time 55. Cooler than Palm Springs area, the elevation in Quartzite is 900 feet.

Flea Markets - our bike just looks to good - no dust?

We have to tell you that Quartzite is a unique little crossroads of a town.   From what we see it has a small core of a town, mostly made up by a few eateries,  gas stations, truck stops and then the Flea Markets.   Tents everywhere, selling everything.  Did you need a haircut?  Check out this 5th wheel barber shop.

Barber shop on wheels !

Reader's Oasis Used Books

Oh and a used bookstore that had an interesting proprietor.  He had some great used books too.    

Did we mention the bookstore owner is a Nudist?

It was a fun stop.  Here are some more of the wares for sale.   You name it, you can probably find it here.   

Outdoor metal decor

vintage stuff for sale

After all the rummaging around we had to stop for a pizza at Silly Al's.   Great pizza and beer.

Hilarious sign at Silly Al's bar

About 70 miles away - south - is Yuma.   Mostly known for its predictably hot dry weather 365 days  a year.   Lots of snowbirds.   About 10 miles out in the desert is the Government Military Proving Grounds.  Used to test combat vehicles, guns, artillery, choppers.   Next to it is also the General Motors Vehicle Desert Proving Grounds.  This is actual vehicle testing performed in  hot, dry, dusty conditions.

Tanks used in Desert Storm and Afganistan

Yuma Proving Grounds

Opposites Attract ~ Palm Springs and Quartzite

Feb 13/15   Weather  88 in Palm Springs !!!  It just keeps getting warmer.   All good things come to an end and we have to move on today.   The RV park is full and so are 3 others that we looked at to try and get in for another week.   This area has so many events going on that it almost requires a reservation beyond our normal wandering method.   Date festival, car show, car auction, President Obama is in town for the weekend, RV show and so on and so on.    That is part of what makes it a great place to be.  Lots and lots to do.   We will come back someday.   This area has moved way up on our "like to be" winter destinations. 

Town sign,,, Do you know why the Camels are in it??  for Hi Jolly

Looking at the maps we will be heading east to Quartzite, Arizona.  It is an easy couple of hours move.  And we have not been there but heard quite a lot of chatter about it..... camping in the Desert off the grid; largest flea markets, and a Pow Wow and Hi Jolly (Hadji Ali).

Hi Jolly's gravesite , he was from Jordan.

Hi Jolly was the camel driver hired by the US Army in 1856 as an experiment in the Great American Desert.  He had 33 camels and Quartzite was his last camp.  Billy kept humming the folk song Hi Jolly by the New Christie Minstrels.  Oh my God he is so funny sometimes.   I had never heard of it !!!  But then again in 1963 I was only 4 and he was 13.  Ooops telling secrets.  Ha ha.  

see the solar panels?  either that or generators for power and they take their own fresh water

We understand there are thousands of campers in the middle of the desert, on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) public lands ~ paying "almost zero" to stay.   Zero $'s gets you no water, no power, no sewer, no security, no defined site, no concrete slab, no patio, no picnic table, no wifi, no cable.... in the wild desert.   Many like the freedom and peace and quiet that comes with Boondocking.     This is one of the largest free camping areas in the world.  14 days for free and longer for a nominal fee.   There are thousands if not millions of RV'ers each winter that frequent Quartzite.  Many clubs camp along with each other.  Comradery at its best! 

our site in Desert Gold had beautiful Cactus landscape

Honestly we like the campground atmosphere and yes our hookups....  So we are going to stay 10 miles away in Brenda at Desert Gold RV Resort.  Everyone in this large RV park have 4 wheelers, side by side ATV's or motocross bikes.   The ATV's are everywhere!!!!   Looks like fun - taking the desert trails and climbing the hills.

There go the ATV gang in our campground

Snow is a Four Letter Word

Chatham, Ontario at 7 am Feb 15/15

In four years we have not winterized our motorhome.  It is a day like today when we get an email from home via our crazy friend JJ with a picture of his thermometer in Chatham, Ontario that we once again say to each other "where would you rather be?"

Take rest on this tail gate bench - Quartzite, Arizona - 84 F degrees

 And with that sentiment you just have to watch this little tune:
http://suncruisermedia.com/Home/rv-travel/snow-is-a-four-letter-word/

In the Desert

Weather 86 and sunny, night low is creeping up to 61.  Still no A/C to sleep.

Extreme RV Rig for off the grid camping - he definitely came from the desert

From Palm Springs we headed south down the west side of the Salton Sea and then through the largest desert state park in the nation, 600,000 acres, Anza Borrego State Park.   It is a mountainous and rugged desert park. 

there are trails and ATV paths at the bottom of the crevices

Crevices so deep that the ATV and motocross enthusiasts run trails at the bottom of them for miles and miles.   They camp out in the middle of the desert and enjoy their toys and terrain.  

RVing at the roughest extreme in the desert

No real towns in site except for Borrego Springs and then the roads take you back up into the mountains with a route that is carved out of the sides and corners hanging on the edge of the rugged landscape.

the road through the state park - nothing in site for miles

Borrego Springs is a delightful small town with a pleasant artistic diversion.   Scattered across the desert meadows on both the north and south ends are approximately 140 metal sculptures all over 8 feet tall and welded with some very intricate designs.  The figures were commissioned by the Avery family and the artist was Ricardo Breceda who became world famous after this display.   It is free and fun to find the Jurassic Park style animals.

350 foot serpent - the rest of him goes under the road and back up

There is a 350 foot serpent that undulates in and out of the ground and across the roadway!  

This is huge and really stunnin in the middle of the desert at Borrego springs

 We were blown away with the wild eagle sculpture.  Really worth the ride.

look at the feathers and detail

Date Farms

Feb 7/15  Weather 84 and only low of 61  Sunny.... unstoppable!
We never knew there were date farms in California...... Medjool ~known as the King of Dates.  My mind is racing on all the desserts I can make with dates.

Large number of Date farms in Southern California

Dates are highly nutritional and many believe them to be one of natures most perfect foods!

Shields Dates ~ Indio

Dates contain poly phenols, which are a plant antioxidant that can destroy disease causing free radicals.

See that bunch to the right side of the tree - they take 6 months to ripen

Dates have 20 different kinds of amino acids, which aid in the digestive process. Dates are very rich in both vitamins and minerals, and they contain more potassium than an orange or a banana per ounce. These nutritious fruit of the date palm contain vitamins A, A1, B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6. Dates also are rich in oil, calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper, protein and fiber. Dates are fat free, cholesterol free, and they are very low in sodium.
So you realize that a Date Shake is just what you need to be healthy????

How many calories in that Date Shake???  Never mind don't tell me.

Rosey is LOVING the date shake.  Billy sticking with a rootbeer float

All kinds of Dates to buy

 

Happy Valentine

California Chevys

Feb 5/15  Hot again 84+, 59 at night.  It seems there is a heatwave in Southern Cal right now.   Weatherman says we are 15 degrees above normal.  We say we are just "Lucky Snowbirds".

It has come to the point where we just have to post a blog about all the Mercedes Benz vehicles in the Desert Cities.  Every stop light there are almost half the cars sitting - Mercedes.  In the parking lots every other one is Mercedes.   We started to wonder if they have a BOGO (buy one get one) here!!!!

We talked to a fellow in the park about all the Mercedes in the valley and he laughed and said "Oh you mean the California Chevys".    Billy is still laughing on that acronym. 

Any ways we now laugh about our Honda Civic sitting at Mom's farm.... too bad it wasn't a California Chevy.  :)

Barracuda

Southern California is a mecca for car clubs too, and everyone is cruising in their ride.   see the website SoCalCarCulture.   If you have a car you love there is a club for you ~ there must be 200 different car clubs.  Pretty cool.