This was a driving day. We made it to Fresno, California.
I did not feel like going to a RV Park and disconnect the car from the
motorhome. It was easier to stay at Walmart.
Last week was a strange and busy week. Doris was four
days on the computer attending a seminar. I was busy with the motorhome. I had
to bring it to Dan’s Auto Electric since the battery light was still on after I
installed a new battery.
They found a broken wire, not the one which goes from the
alternator to the battery.
Saturday we had Doris’s University Women’s group over for
dinner. It was a pot luck but the house had to be super clean and Doris
provided a lot of food. Husband and boyfriends were invited.
There was a table set up in the sun room.
The living and dining room were the main eating areas.
There were two snack stations.
In the kitchen was a traffic jam.
Mr. Big was totally relaxed and enjoyed the couch in the sun room.
Some people like to be near the food.
The TV room was used for a little social gathering.
There was plenty of food. The theme was sea food. Doris had bought a lot of smoked salmon. A gentleman brought a large pan with fish prepared by the cook of the Ingomar Club at the Carson Mansion. There were all kinds of side dishes.
1-20-15
Another driving day is behind us. We are almost there.
We stopped in Bakersfield and visited Nelda.
She has not lived in a stationary place for twenty five years. But she enjoys the retirement home. She gets her meals in a beautiful lunch room. There is entertainment and little buses take the residents shopping. She sold her motorhome in two days. She is still a WIN and follows many members on Face Book and blogs.
I hope I still can drive a motorhome when I am 86 years
old. Nelda had a big bucket list and did all of it. She jumped out of an
airplane, flew ultra lights, flew in hot air balloons, helicopters and sail
planes. She crossed the country many times in the twenty five years. It was
wonderful to see her.
Off highway 58, east of Bakersfield, we stopped at a
fruit stand. It was actually a big store with a fruit processing plant. Women
were sorting oranges on conveyor belts and packaging them.
I got interested in the place when I saw a sign, on the
site of the highway, telling motorists that they had date shakes. I asked Doris
whether she would like a date shake. She never had one. So I had to stop. She
told me to get one and she would taste mine. After she took a spoon full and
tasted it she got her own and liked it.
The store had sampling containers with different kind of
dates and nuts and chocolate covered nuts. It was fun to graze. Beside the date
shakes we spent over $ 50.00 dollars in the store.
The night we spent at the Rest Area 35 miles west of
Needles. Tomorrow we will have a short drive.
1-21-15
Since we had a short drive and we were early we decided
to stop in Havasu City for awhile.
We parked the motorhome at the Visitor Center and walked
across the London Bridge. At the bridge is the statue of Robert P. McCulloch,
who brought the bridge to Arizona and the architect who laid out the village
and location of the bridge.
Every stone on the bridge was numbered and some of the
numbers are still visible.
The village is suffering now. Some of the stores are
closed.
Doris bought some soap at the Soap Store. Red Hat Ladies
were doing the same.
A copy of a fountain in London is also on the premises.
From the bridge we walked to the In-N-Out Burger
restaurant. This was Doris’s first visit to the inside of an In-N-Out Burger
restaurant. She and her grandson had gone through a drive through at a
restaurant in Oregon.
We arrived in Quartzsite just in time for the 4:00 PM
Circle Meeting.
1-22-15
We arrived at the big tent, when it opened at 9:00 AM, and
there was not a big crowd. It was easy to talk to the vendors. Doris was
impressed with all the wares sold at the RV Show. If you cannot find it in
Quartzsite it has not been made. She bought some of the cleaning liquids and
pastes. We will test them.
The balloon lanterns, which attach to the motorhome awning, were new. They fold flat when not in use.
At 2:00 PM we had an ice cream social where all the single people were invited. Some of the former WIN members came and it was a pleasure to see them.
Maynard addressed the troops and opened the social.
After eating a lot of ice cream, and I mean a lot, we went across the highway where the Solos had a dance. They made a dance floor by removing the stones from the desert floor and taping floor mats together.
The music was very good and we really enjoyed it. Doris is surprised about the thousands of motorhomes standing in the desert and what people do out here. There is never a dull moment with the single clubs.
There was also some line dancing. When it got dark we watched small paper hot air balloons come over the camping area. When the fuel runs out they come down. There was also some fireworks. The weather is fine. It feels like the lower 70ties.
1-23-15
Today was a shopping day. We went to the Tyson Wells area
and bought several items. It took as four hours to cover this area. Doris is
still surprised how many vendors are selling stuff.
At the last row are vendors selling geodes and other
stones.
From Tyson Wells we drove to the Q, the exhibit building, where the gem show is in progress. It is the second largest in the U.S.
In the evening we went to the Senior Center and enjoyed
Paul Miner playing the piano. He always puts up a good show. He entertained us
from 7:00 PM to 9:20 PM.
Our next stop was the Quartzsite Yacht Club, where we
danced until 11:00 PM. This was a full day.
1-24-15
Today we took our annual trip to the Desert bar near
Parker, Arizona. I could not wait to show Doris this unusual place in the
middle of nowhere.
It is the last time I am driving the Saturn to the Desert
Bar. The road is very bad now and next time we will ride with somebody who has
a four wheel drive vehicle.
We ate lunch there. This time we chose food from the
lower food service area. The menu is better than hamburger, hamburger with
chili, hot dog, and hot dog with chili. Many people still prefer that kind of
food. I had a chicken fajita wrap from the lower area and it was delicious.
Doris took pictures in the women’s toilet in the upper area. The owner must like steel, with a lot of welding. The doors for the stalls are made of solid steel and have big hinges. The facilities in the lower area are more modern.
The buildings are covered with a lot of solar panels. This
is the only electricity they have out there.
The family home is nearby.
A four piece band was playing all kind of music. We did a lot of dancing.
We were a small group since the regular Desert Bar outing was last weekend. Donna Lee celebrated her birthday today and her friends showed up.
The country side is bare rocks.
The weather was perfect. I wore 0nly a T shirt and should have worn shorts.
In the evening Doris and I sat at the camp fire for an
hour. There was a small lively group. It was fun.
1-25-15
We did some more shopping. Doris found seven dinner plates
which are the same as one of her sets.
She also bought silicone covers for pots and all kind of containers.
They can be used in the micro oven and cover hot and cold food.
Doris does what most of us did the first time we visited
Quartzsite.
I bought a device
which charges also the starting battery when the motorhome is stored. Up to now
the house batteries were fully charged by the solar panels and the starting
battery ran slowly empty.
We also went to the Hi Jolly monument. He is buried in Quartzsite.
This is our last day in Quartzsite.
This is our last day in Quartzsite.
