A busy day.....

 
Our Location: BLM, Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, CA

A wonderful night’s sleep for me and I lazed in bed until about 7:30 AM just because I could. Today was scheduled to be a busy one and I wasn’t in any hurry to get started. We chatted over breakfast and soon after had the laundry sorted, jugs collected, garbage collected and were piling into the truck to head out for our day in town.

Organ Pipe Cactus (?) at a fuel station in Yuma.

Love the bright colours.

Our first stop was the rest area on I-8 west to fill up some water jugs, and dump our garbage. From there we stopped at the Chevron Station to fill up our drinking water jug before we headed off into town. The drive was uneventful, just the way we like it. We pulled into the laundromat to find both front and back lot very busy so we opted to return to do the laundry at a later point in the day.
 

A view from inside Joanne's Laundromat in Yuma.

Off we headed toward the Arizona Market Place after a small tour of a few streets that truly had nothing to do with our day. We found the Market Place easily and were surprised at how many cars were in the lot, although the place didn’t seem to be busy once we started walking around. We found what we wanted and before long we were heading back toward the laundromat. We managed to find a Good Will store where we dropped off a bag of clothing that we no longer wanted. 

The beginning of sunset.

Back at the laundromat we found it almost empty and quickly went about getting things into the washers and before long into the dryers. Four loads, washed, dried and folded within 2 hours. I was happy. We were out the door and moving on.

 

The sun is sliding slowly behind the clouds.

We found a Fry’s but opted instead for Walmart and within a minute or two were parked and shopping at Walmart. Groceries that hadn’t been in stock when we were there the other day is what we were looking for, but still a few holes in the shelves. After that it was a stop at Wells Fargo Bank to pick up some cash and off we headed home. 

The sky is a mix of blacks and yellows.

The Agricultural Inspection station was once again an interesting part of the trip. A female inspector asked us if we had any fruit. So using the standard answer I’ve been told works every time, I answered,” yes, we purchased our fruit at Walmart a little while ago.” and handed her the receipt. She then informed me she would need to see the fruit. So as I started to open the door to step out she asked me where I am from. I replied,”Ontario, Canada.” She asked if we were spending the winter in the area. I explained not the whole winter but a portion of it in this area but will be moving on soon. She asked if we were staying at the Dunes and I said no, Ogilby Road area. How much longer are you in the area. Answer, about a week. She then decided that she didn’t want to see the fruit and told me to go ahead. So we drove away more confused than I have been originally over the whole thing. Why would how long I’m staying make a difference? It’s the same fruit it was when she asked to see it. Needless to say I doubt we’ll be purchasing any fruit in Arizona while staying in this area in the future. It’s just too bizarre and confusing. 

It was 3:30 pm before we had everything inside the Igloo. After getting things put away we opted for a quick and easy bite to eat and a chance to relax from our busy day. We spent some time with our books and just enjoyed the peace out our window. 

 

Riley once again enjoyed a campfire tonight. She’s getting into the same habit she has in our summer location. She enjoys the campfires there as well. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

The colour is slowly fading in the west and soon all will dark.

Until next time… take care, be safe,

 

Deb

 

A somewhat busy day....

Our Location:  American Girl Mine Road, California

(all pictures taken with my phone)
 

Another  nice warm night for sleeping with the temperature shortly after 6 AM being 57F/ 13.8 C. Not a bad way to start the morning at all. It wasn’t long before Riley was awake and out of bed as well.  Breakfast this morning was pancakes for a change. We haven’t had them for a while. We had a pretty busy morning ahead of us and wanted something to keep us going.

 

Some of the sand dunes on our way to the rest area.

 

 By 8:30 AM we were in the Dogsled heading to the rest area for a garbage dumpster run as we seem to accumulate about a bag every couple of days. A quick drive to drop things off and we headed back along I-8 EAST toward Yuma.
 

Amazing to see.

 

Our first destination was the Arizona Market Place but I stopped for a drink of diesel at $3.09 per gallon on the way, then a quick peek around the Arizona Market Place even though we didn’t need anything. Riley found two nice tops she liked and made the grand purchase before heading back to the Dogsled. It was the only items we purchased there. We walked around for a little over an hour and by then I was ready to head out. 

 

 

We aren't going to any of those places but we could if we wanted to.

 

From the Market Place we headed to Fry’s Drug and Grocery where we proceeded to check things off the grocery list. We find shopping from a list is easier for us than trying to remember what we need. My problem is I often forget the list. From Fry’s we headed off to Walmart to pick up the remaining items on the list. Finished shopping and after a battle with the GPS we were finally on the proper road heading towards home.

 

Not going there either.

 

As we approached the inspection station with our receipts ready I was heartened to see an middle aged gentleman standing there just waving everyone through not asking any questions at all. Our fruit was safe!!!

 

Not sure what they are growing but it sure is straight and green.

 

We were home by 2 pm, and getting all the groceries put away. Riley made some lunch and we enjoyed the rest of the few daylight hours available reading and watching out the windows. A few new rigs, a few have left and so the landscape changes with each one. We are liking this area a great deal.

 

The little church on the hill in Felicity. Population of Felicity is 2. Elevation is 280 feet.

 

So there you have it, our some what busy but definitely productive day. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

 

Home off in the distance.

 

 

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb

 

 

We've moved, possible solution but maybe not....

Our Location:  American Girl Mine Road, California

(2nd post today)

 

Decent overnight temperatures but still over cast skies didn't bode well for a nice day. A chat with Jason yesterday at CJ’s RV repair in Yuma had us packing up and heading into Yuma to arrive  after lunch THEIR time.

In case any one wants this information.

 

We stopped on our way to empty our tanks at the Chevron Station located at the Pilot Knob BLM land. The dump fee is based on length of rig. We paid $15 for our 35 foot unit. It wasn’t necessary to dump at this time but when we move on in a week or so we want to be able to just continue on down the road. They also have an easily accessible air pump as well.

 

Apparently leaving the hood up stops Kangaroo Rats from gnawing on wires, or so some think. He also had flashing rope lights under the hood.

 

We pulled into CJ’s Rv repair on Tiffany Lane about 12:30 pm Arizona Time. Jason was at his desk doing what ever it was he does there. Introducing myself and reminding of him our conversation yesterday he smiled and came with us to the Igloo. We discussed numerous things and he checked the batteries saying they read fair to good and no need to replace them. We couldn’t really find any issues but we discussed our usage differences in the past little while. Riley and I don’t usually watch TV although we have of late but only during the day time when the batteries are charging. Jason pointed out that perhaps the batteries aren’t being fully charged in that time with the draw of the tv at the same time. I’m not convinced that’s the issue but we’ll give it a try and see how it works. He did change a few settings for the charge controller as well. It should be a sunny weekend so hopefully everything gets charged fully and things get back to normal. If not I’ll be heading back to try something else. Jason spent about 30 minutes or so with us but in the end there was no charge. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. Thanks Jason and CJ’s RV of Yuma.

 

 

Our old spot yesterday, you can see the fella with the hood up off on the left.

 

We tried on the way home to find a place to park at the Walmart to pick up some produce after yesterday’s discussion with the Agriculture check point fella but we were just too big to fit comfortably in the busy lot and so we just headed home and will go back in at a later time with just the Dogsled.

 

A dark overcast sky yesterday.

 

A stop at the Agriculture Inspection station had us being checked by a younger woman who asked if we had any fruit of any kind. Yes we have two red apples. She closed down the lane, took our two apples and didn’t care where we bought them. Hmmmm….glad it was just a couple and not a bag. So there you have it. Most every one says you can bring groceries with you but not all of the inspectors agree. Kind of an iffy call if you buy lots of fruit. I suppose I could have lied but I don't like doing that. Honesty is the best policy. 

The view of the mountains from our current spot.

 

We arrived back at Ogilby Road and moved to one of the other spots I found on a walk in the area. We are currently sitting pretty much on our own although we can see others around us. Temperatures reached about 72F/ 22C but a chilly wind blew all day from the north east. Our overcast skies became sunny and hopefully they remain that way for a number of days.

With no zooming in, the same picture as above.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.
 

Our side yard.

Some nice barrel cactus.

 

Until next time…. take care, be safe,

Deb

Visited Yuma, went out for lunch.....

Our Location:  American Girl Mine Road, California

(Yesterday's post, Thursday, Dec 6, 2018)

A post this morning for yesterday as I just didn’t seem able to put anything together last night. We were up and had our hot drinks before climbing into the Dogsled for a day in Yuma. We had a number of places we wanted to hit but as you all know, some times things conspire to stop that from happening. 

On one our walks here in the area.

 

Before we headed into Yuma we took a ride a bit further up Ogilby Road to a spot I found the other day, we figured out how to get the Igloo there if ever we decide to move or when we come back another year. From there we headed down to the rest stop on I-8 West to get some water for our small jugs and leave some garbage.  Thanks George (Our Awesome Travels) for the information, it’s very much appreciated.

Such beauty here.

 We also stopped at the Chevron Station at the Pilot Knob BLM. Diesel was very expensive and we were just looking anyway. It came in at $4.59 per gallon. Not a typo folks, $4.59 per gallon. The water dispensing station we did make use of though. It was a reasonable price at $0.25 per gallon and we only need to fill up one of our drinking water jugs. We didn’t check the dump station price though.

They do all kinds of repairs, lots of bays and all full. They also do solar.

 Our first stop was CJ’S Repair on Tiffany Lane as they also do solar and it ’s the only place I could find in the area. The reviews look good and so I thought I’d check them out. Jason their solar expert wasn’t in but they took my name and number and true to the lady’s word, Jason called me back later in the day.  

Left behind at one of the campsites.

We stopped at Fry’s Grocery and Walmart but didn’t buy any produce or fruit. We noted diesel prices ranging from $2.99 to $3.35 on our little jaunt in Yuma. We also stopped at Lin’s Chinese Buffet for lunch. The selection was fantastic but we both found the food wasn’t as hot as it should have been. We weren’t there when they first opened and there were a lot of cars in the parking lot so I’m not sure what the explanation could be. We would however go back another time as perhaps this was a fluke. 

We can see the dunes from our location.

From there we headed back home. We were of course stopped at the check point for Agriculture at the California state line. I asked the fella where a person grocery shops in this area if fruits and veggies can’t be transported. I was truly impressed with his answer. He kind of did a ‘awe shucks’ drop of his head and said,’If you buy things in the grocery store MOST everyone will let you through as long as your citrus purchase is grown in California. NO MANGO’s can cross the line. You can’t pick from the trees or buy from a vendor but a grocery store purchase is usually allowed. However we have a couple of  new hires and they have been taking some things.” He shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t mention any kind of produce at all. All dairy is allowed he said.

Found this in the middle of no where. Interesting. No information anywhere that I could see.

We came on home and putzed around for the rest of the day. We had splashes of rain all day, off and on, overcast skies with the odd sunny break now and then. Climbing into bed with a book around 8 PM I head the rain start and it continued pretty much most of the night. Not a hard rain but enough to make the ground soft in places.  

So there you have it, our day yesterday. Not exciting but we enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb

California, inspections rules, talking to folks back home.....

Our Location: Joshua Tree National Park BLM, West entrance, California


I woke up at 5:21 am MST. I know this because when my eyes opened my mind started working and sleep was no longer on the agenda. Since I knew I was awake for now at least, the first thing I did was look at the time. Funny how we get into habits isn’t it? It’s one of those things I’ve always done, eyes open, look at the time. 

This morning's sunrise at Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, Az

It sure is pretty, huh?

Since it took me a long time to post my blog last night I didn’t have a chance to read any blogs and that’s what I’m going to do as soon as I finish starting this post. 

A sticker...up close and personal...

Love the cactus in the sunrise .....

Today is moving day of course and we are looking forward to seeing around the next bend and over the next rise. Always fun to see what it is, don’t you think? I’m pretty certain my mother’s mother must have been a foot loose, wandering Gypsy in some other life because in her last one she travelled whenever she could. She would hop on a bus and cross the country with out any worries or hesitation. Distance had no meaning to her, and although I don’t ever remember her driving any automobile she was the most travelling woman I knew. Even as an old lady she still enjoyed travel and would often ride behind my dad on his quad. Her only problem was getting on and off, not in the going part. So I’m pretty certain I managed to get a bit of her wandering blood in my veins. To quote J.R.R. Tolkein, “ Not all who wander are lost”  and while Grandma could get lost going around a tree, I have a pretty good sense of direction, perhaps that comes from people always telling me where to go!

Sunrise near the Igloo....

Our neighbours camper during sunrise at Dome Rock.

Outside just before 7 am to catch the sunrise and it was still just a bit dark at that time. It was light enough however to see, not far ahead but still able to discern what was in front of me for a number of feet. I managed to move through the wash and onto the flat behind us to catch some great pictures. I started moving forward to the end of our flat area to take some more pictures, in a certain spot it’s absolutely perfect for view lines. It’s now about 7:20 am (MST) and the folks in the mini van are starting to stir. To my absolutely amazement they were walking around with flashlights. I couldn’t believe it. I could see for a long ways, not quite day light yet but it was bright enough to see where you were walking with no difficulty. To my utter disbelief I noticed one of them even had a headlamp on. You know the ones that you attach to a hat or wear with a band around your head. I was surprised to say the least.

 

Another hour time difference to add to the clock...

California Agriculture Inspection Station at AZ/Cal state line...

After catching the morning rays peeping over the edge, I headed inside where Riley was up and had our hot drinks already made. I had already packed up my bedroom, but I still had the bathroom to do as well as some of the kitchen/living room area. So while we were sipping, I was also packing things away as well. As soon as our drinks were finished I was outside to disconnect the heater and do the last few things to finish before hooking up. 

Pretty mountains and sandy desert.....

I am as amazed now as I was the first time I seen mountains like this....

We pulled out of our spot at 8:49 am (MST), reached Dome Rock Road by 9 am and headed back toward Q so we could catch the I-10 at the over pass by the Love’s truck stop. We were well on our way except we didn’t have any specific directions to our next location. I just knew we needed to find Cottonwood Springs Road. I was pretty certain it would be very well signed, and of course it is signed, however I also knew we needed Exit 168. 

Tight fit on this lane with those cones where they are....

 

On a long and lonesome highway....

We stopped at the last rest stop in Arizona for a quick check around just to ensure everything was going well. We of course already had done our walk around but I like to do it again at all stops. We passed into California at 9:52 am (MST) and set the clocks back one hour to 8:52 am (PST). So it was like we were just leaving home again.

I didn't touch the colour, this is how it came from the camera...

Looking out Riley's bedroom window....

  

We were passing through the agriculture check point and while they didn’t ask any questions I did. Fruits and certain veggies can and will be confiscated unless you can prove they were grown in California. Example, all red apples, such as Mac’s, Red Delicious, etc are fine to bring, but all green apples will be taken. (I offered up my one green apple). Absolutely no citrus fruits can be brought in. There were a number of items on the list but those ones I remember. I also had one russet potato that was okay to bring in. It doesn’t matter if it was purchased in a grocery store or home grown, if you can’t prove it was grown in California or acceptable states they can take it. Now they may not have checked if I hadn’t asked and I’m pretty certain they would have let me take my apple but I explained it was a Granny Smith apple for lunch. My lunch today was without that apple.

South of us toward I-10.

Hey that's us!!!

  

The point I’m making here is that IF they want to search, I believe they can, and they can take anything on the list if it’s not PROVEN to be grown in California or an acceptable state. I wanted to know for own peace of mind and now I know. The nice young fella that took my apple explained that he too was learning and he thought that if was purchased in a grocery store that it was okay to bring in, so we both learned something today. Of course I’m simply offering up what I learned and I’m certain its probably very much like crossing the international border, if you get the wrong person you could end up being searched and things may end up being taken. However how often that happens I have no idea. 

Blooms in the desert....

Up close on those flowers.....

So we were back on the road quickly after I handed over my apple, and we enjoyed the scenery. We’ve climbed in elevation and are currently at over 1200 feet. The temps are bit cooler, which is nicer but there is also a breeze which is helping as well.

Looking south along the big wash just past our door....

Noticed this cactus growing here...but just one....

We found our exit with out any difficulties and turned Right toward Joshua Tree Park and noticing the power lines we took the first left. Keeping Doug Laning’s  (Miss Adventure Travels ) excellent idea in mind, I parked the Dogsled with the Igloo remaining faithfully to the rear and walked the next little bit to ensure I could find a place to turn around. Riley stayed behind, not wanting to walk.  I found a couple of spots that looked promising but we took the second one. It’s between two roads and since we aren’t staying too long it will be just fine. 

Sunset here at Joshua Tree Park BLM,  Ca

Love this tree, stripped of all leaves makes a perfect focus point during the sunset...

It was shortly before noon CALIFORNIA time that we finished everything, including setting every thing up and Riley had already started prepping lunch. I called my dad at 11:49 am (according to my call log) and that was after we were all set up. So as you can guess we have cell and internet service here. AT&T is our cell carrier and so far it’s all good.
 

Sunset here at Joshua Tree Park BLM, West Enttance...

Just love it...

Lunch today was excellent, a nice green salad, Parm Cheese grilled potatoes wedges, mixed veggies with Oregano and Thyme, along with a nice sweet ham steak, and I cooked up some mild sweet sausages as well. The sausages will be good for a light dinner later or we can use them in another dish.

Multicoloured cactus ...

Can you say wow?

 

After lunch we headed out for a walk. We haven’t been walking much at all and so we both made an agreement that we will walk at least an hour a day, every day and we will once again be watching portion sizes much closer than we have been. We found only one other spot that we like on this stretch of road where we are parked. 

The sun has gone...but the sky is still alive..

Pink hues, red hues, yellow.....

The door side is in the shade all day and that will hopefully help with the fridge as it seemed we went through a lot of propane over the last couple of weeks. We have full sun on our living room side but we’ll keep the shades down all day to help block the heat. That will make the entire Igloo a much nicer temperature in the afternoon. With the windows open as well as vents and door we have a very nice breeze moving thru.

It just keeps going..

And going and going....

So we are settled in and we’ve already been talking about tomorrow’s walk, always a good sign. We have plans to visit Janet & Dennis on Friday during the day. After that I’m not sure what our plans are but we plan on doing a bit of shopping for groceries as well. Janet says they have a Trader Joe’s which I’ve always heard people rave about so we’ll be stopping by there for certain to check that out.

Our neighbours little Air Stream in the sunset....

Top of an Ocotillo stalk...

Back home after our walk we sat down to read for a bit, and rest. The sun is hot here in the desert sands of California. We need to pace ourselves better and walk in the morning hours, not after lunch.

Always wanted to see this sign in person.....

Not far to LA, we could make it....

I called my sister while sitting outside, she was curled up under a blanket back home on the Island and telling me that they had been without electric power a few days ago when a small hydro sub station caught fire and burnt one morning. About half of the townships of Assiginack, Tehkummah, and the Wikemokong reservation was without power for about 15 hours during a day that was -35C/ -31F. They will be without power once again tomorrow night from midnight until 8 am while Hydro workers work at rebuilding part of the sub station’s switches, etc.  We chatted for about 30 minutes.

Almost looks like little pebbles doesn't it?

This is the type of cactus the above pictures taken from....

I also called my dad again, as I didn’t talk to him earlier, but had left a message with Marion. Dad and I chatted for about 15 minutes catching up on the news, he too was without power due to the same fire. He says it’s supposed to warm up but will snow, rain and perhaps see a day or two of sunshine. Always interesting weather on that rock in the middle of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay region. 

Very green, isn't it?

I love these mountains, so vast and reaching.....

A text message to my sister in law Janet has us visiting on Friday and we’ll hopefully arrive fairly early in the day to get a chance for a good visit. We won’t be staying overnight, but will be coming back home. 

A wash nearby to our location....

Same wash, just as the sun is going down....

As I was chatting on the phone a few new folks pulled in, and one is just across the small roadway from us. A nice little baby Air Stream, all sparkly and shiny new. The couple have a small child with them as well. Probably not walking yet but definitely crawling age. 

Love the pinks over there.....

Don't you just love the colours there?

 
As sunset approached I grabbed the camera and headed off to walk along the top of the of the levee and catch the show. It didn’t disappoint in the least. Our first night here at Joshua Tree BLM saw the sky painted in hues of pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows. I’ve even noticed a few cactus but nothing tall and stately, only a few little low growing cactus so far. I’ll have a better look around tomorrow. 

In the north off to my right me as I walked along the levee...

So back home after sunset to edit a lot of pictures and write this post. I can tell you we are both exhausted and I’m absolutely certain it’s the desert heat because other than a walk we haven’t really done much except set up ‘home dirt’ as George (Our Awesome Travels) would say. 

It just kept going....

Just an FYI, our cell service is AT&T works fine here, ranging from 2-4 bars. The Verizon jet pack also works with 2-3 bars as well. We have no booster of any kind. We are located at the West Entrance (GPS lists North or West), on the south side of the park but north of the Interstate. We are to the west of the entrance road, a couple of sights before the wash causes the road to dead end. A road to the north of us goes much further, it’s where we took our walk today. 

Sunset at Joshua Tree Park, BLM....our first night...

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to drop a comment, I read them all and comment as well. 

Getting ready to call it a night...

Until next time… take care, be safe, 

Good night from our new location at Joshua Tree Park, BLM, California. 

 

Deb