A new time zone tonight....

Our Location: Bouse Road, Quartzsite, Arizona

We left the Borrego Springs area this morning before 9 am. We were torn about leaving as we really liked the area and wanted to see more but the heat was just too much for us. We understand that this year is 10 -15 degrees warmer than normal, and so perhaps another year we'd do better there. Even my sister in law who is used to California heat mentioned how hot it was when the breeze died down. However we will return next winter for sure. 

 

On our way through the Coachella Valley in California....

Our route took us back through the Coachella Valley of course, we passed through Salton City, Mecca and enjoyed the small stretch across Ave 66 with it's many grapevines, citrus trees, and other goodies.  We cruised  through Box Canyon Road and slipped onto the I-10 at Joshua Tree.  Just like old times. 
  

Those are palm trees in the foreground, and the Salton Sea behind that, followed by mountain range opposite Joshua Tree National Park.

We really didn't have a destination in mind kind of flip flopping back and forth about where to go. We were looking for a place near Parker but couldn't really settle on one although we certainly enjoyed the drive (at least for a while) north of the interstate getting off at Exit 192, taking CA 177 N until we met up with  CA 62 E. I say we liked it for a while at least because it was a roller coaster ride after a bit and it made HRH Miss Kitty ill. Yes I know we could give her something but neither Riley nor I are comfortable giving her anything. We would rather not drug her for travel. She's usually fine but if the road is too up and down then she has an issue. Ten minutes after we stop she's back to herself again. The ride also made us a bit queasy since it just didn't seem to stop rolling. The scenery was awesome but I'm not sure I'd take it again. The road was well maintained, but very soft shoulders. We lost cell signal with AT&T for a bit but picked it back up within 10 minutes or so. The Verizon Jet Pack had 3 bars when the phone had none. 

A mural in Mecca, California...

The CA 177 is straight as an arrow for a very, very long way. It veers gently away from the interstate and the landscape is a flat valley dotted with the usual Arizona desert foliage but the further one goes the more the valley floor becomes narrower with the foot hills coming closer and closer. This of course makes the bottom more rolling as washes and gullies are closer and reach across the flat bottom of the valley therefore they spread out less, giving one the roller coaster effect. 

We think those might be solar panels. It's hazy because it was far away and this was the smallest I could crop it and still anything. 

We stopped for diesel as the Big Dog was starting to sip the bottom quarter of the bowl. I dislike being that low but for a few reasons it just happened. At the first fuel stop I pulled in to add a bit of juice. I say a bit as it was priced at $4.29 per gallon. Gas was about the same with the least expensive one I noticed at $3.99 per gallon (I think). I only put in 10 gallons. We could have made it to where we were heading with no issues but I don't like to temp fates. I have to tell you it's so nice not to have to go inside any more to fill up since I have no zip code. The three numbers from the postal code followed by two zeros has worked every time.

Watering the crops along Ave 66 just outside of Mecca, California...

Back on the road we headed on through Parker stopping for a quick snack from the Circle K.  Phoebe (RV GPS) was programed for Dome Rock but we thought about Doug from Miss Adventure Travels, he told us he stays out on Bouse Road sometimes and likes it. Since we are probably very similar in our likes that way we pulled the Big Dog's  nose on to Bouse Road deciding it would work for us as well. If not we can always just move on. The camp host was helpful and told us the paved road is newly paved, and goes all the way to Bouse. We will have to check that out at some point. 

This is CA 177 North as it slowly angles away from I-10 as it heads toward Lake Havasu, AZ...

We lost an hour coming this direction which is okay with us as I think this time zone will be easier for us to settle into. We arrived here around 3 pm MST, had some of our stuff set up within 30 minutes and will decide later if we are going to stay for a while or just move on before unpacking the rest. 

We can see this mountain view from the Igloo.....

I called my dad back in Ontario, it was 6 pm at his Igloo and Igloo is right. A blizzard like morning this morning followed by a very sunny afternoon with some wind. I'm not sure if he said he shoveled a walk way to the outhouse or just to the fence corner but I'm sure he said he shoveled something. Maybe it was from the door of the house to the door of the woodshed but I'm finding it hard to remember which one he said. 

We also have this view.....

After chatting with him for a bit I made a quick stir fry inside, cutting up the chicken breast we've been trying to use for a couple of days now. Seems something has come up the last few times we've been going to use it. So today was the day we managed to incorporate it into dinner. I added some garlic, celery, mushrooms, peppers, and sweet onions, letting them cook with a bit of soya sauce splashed over them. After that I tossed in some already cooked rice, a bit more soya sauce and voila, dinner is served. According to Miss Riley it was good. I haven't had any yet. My snack is still with me from the drive. 

Of course we can see this as well.....

So I'll be outside soon taking in the sunset tonight from our new location. We're not sure how long we'll be here, maybe just overnight, or maybe a day or two. We need to rest up and stay put for a while soon but we aren't sure if this is the location where we want to do that. Saddle Mountain is calling us and we would truly like to spend a few weeks there as we enjoy the location. 

Someone left this hanging in our tree.....

The sunset was wonderful and of course I managed a small walk around while taking pictures. Almost had a bird fly up my nose, or at least knocking on the camera lens. A small green coloured bird, I think it's a hummer but I'm not sure. He was zooming around so quickly it was hard to see him. He did stop though, although not in a good spot for a picture. 

This bird is the one that almost flew into the camera lens....

The sunset was nice, very orange tinged tonight. It is shortly after 7:30 pm here and the outer door along with the windows and vents are still open. We'll close some of the windows, leaving one open a bit but the vents will be open all night. Our landing time temperature was 79F/26C around 3:00 pm MST. It's currently 60F/15C as I type this. We'll take that with no complaints of any kind. 

Sunset through the trees here....

It sure is pretty...

Today's pictures are random shots taken today along our drive. Thanks for stopping by for a visit, feel free to drop a comment. It's always nice to hear from you. 

The sun's work here today is almost complete....

Until next time.... take care, be safe, 

Goodnight from Arizona.....

Deb