AWWWW NUTS….TODAY I ENDED UP IN QUARTZSITE’S ‘BIG TENT’

MORNING SUNRISE ON PLOMOSA ROAD

Decided Thursday to head out Friday morning in search of a small ghost town near us called Swansea.  Well, that was the plan until the weatherman turned things around & surprised us with a cooler overcast day.  And, that changed things!!

 

MORNING WALK

We made a last minute snap decision & decided to go to Quartzsite instead.  Figured we would rather kick some dust around in Swansea on a warmer sunny day.  Our logic figured it would be better to do the Q on a cloudy day.  I think everybody else thought that too.

WEST END OF PLOMOSA ROAD…..GLAD WE ARE AT THE EAST END 12 MILES AWAY…..CAN’T IMAGINE BEING JAMMED TOGETHER LIKE THIS

I had absolutely no interest or intentions of going to Quartzsite again this year but I downed a second glass of milk for fortification & steeled myself against the inevitable!!  The writing was on the wall.  Either go to Quartzsite shopping, or else!!!!!!

LOTS TO SEE AROUND QUARTZSITE

 

AND, LOTS OF YUMMY TREATS AROUND QUARTZSITE

Not wanting to suffer the ‘or else’ I loaded myself into the Jeep & off we went, 17 miles to the Q.  As expected, nothing had changed since the other 4 times I have been there.  Bumper to bumper cars, trucks & RV’s along with crowds of shuffling shoppers.  Row after row of vendors hawking their wares.  A Carnival atmosphere with the delightful smells of fried onions, popcorn, fry cakes, hotdogs and hamburgers.  Now, how’s that for a positive afterthought.

  

It was when I had to use one of those ‘Johnny on the Spot’ toilets that I was really regretting my circumstances.  Oh what had happened to my wide open desert spaces with refreshing wisps of sweet smelling breezes wafting up my nose.  Oh dear!!

 

Kelly did have a list of things she was looking for & I was pleased to have my name on a few of them.  A couple new ‘no hole’ belts, whip aerial flag for the Jeep, a ratchet strap for our satellite dish, a jug of ‘Solution’ for magically cleaning stuff, a toggle switch for our satellite or antennae TV & probably half a dozen other things I haven’t been told about yet.

 

KELLY HEADS FOR THE ‘BIG TENT’ & LATER LINES UP FOR A SMOKED TURKEY LEG

We dragged up & down the rows in Tyson Wells for nearly an hour before heading over to do battle with the heavier crowds in and around the big tent.  It was in the big tent that we got the long Jeep antennae & Kelly made me carry that so she could keep track of me rushing ahead of her in a vain attempt to escape the tent mayhem.  The antennae’s are affixed to ATV’s or rear bumpers of vehicles & are a safety feature when off roading through hills & steep gullies.  The small flags atop the aerials are often seen before the vehicle below them is.

 

KELLY MADE ME CARRY THIS FLAG POLE:))     

I actually didn’t do too badly in the big tent & managed to keep a lid on myself for nearly half an hour before starting to feel the stirrings of…….snarly!!  Finally, enough was enough & I had to get myself away from all the Carnival Barkers, noise & jostling crowds.  At least outside of the ‘in tent circus’' I had the advantage of fresh air & open skies.  Like a caged animal I finally began to sense my freedom at the 4 hour mark.  We were soon heading in the direction & sanity of the Jeep, loaded down with all our ‘stuff’.  Didn’t pick up the LED lights we were looking for today but might stop at the RV Sales & Service store on the way out of Quartzite whenever it is we leave here. Heard they have better prices there.

 

IN THE ‘BIG TENT’

And then something nice happened.  Kelly was spotted and recognized by a couple of our Blog readers.   Angela & Don from Nanimo BC said they knew it was Kelly right away when they saw her.  Pretty blondes are always easily recognizable you know.  Had ourselves a nice chat for a few minutes.  They had been out to the Bouse area last year looking for JANNA & MIKE along with furry little Emmi.  They did manage to meet Emmi that day who happened to be in the good care of Jim & Ellie Meachum while Mike & Janna were away.  Small kinda world because it was just two years ago Kelly & I had done the same thing in the same area looking for the same people.

 

TALKING TO ANGELA & DON FROM NANAIMO B.C.

Finally made it back to the Jeep wherever it was we had left it & I wasn’t long in cranking that little giggle box into gear & putting some mighty fast miles between us & Quartzsite. 

  

GETTING OUT OF TOWN……..

Spent the rest of the day inside.  Overcast windy cooler days don’t work for me.  Didn’t appear to be working for Ivan & Wandering Willy either because we didn’t see them although I’m pretty sure I saw that long pole with the mirror on the end of it peeking around a corner of WW’s rig again:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  And remember folks, if the music’s too loud….. you’re too old!!

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

If one's thoughts are positive about the landscape, one's eyes will appreciate what they see......AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

IVAN & I GO A JEEPIN:))

 
Another mighty fine Arizona morning with no wind.  Ivan slipped our satellite dish out of the 5th wheel press & everything looked solidly in place.  Wandering Willy felt the break should be additionally fiber glassed so the decision was made to take the dish to Parker.  WW needed propane so Kelly decided to go along with the Dish because we needed a few things from town anyway.  WW carefully loaded it into the back of his Tundra pick up truck & off they went to Parker.

 
PHEEBS & MOTOR ACCIDENTALLY STAMPEDED HAILEY UP A TREE
After Ivan got little Hailey out of a nearby tree he & I jumped into the Jeep & headed ourselves out into the desert along a twisty winding ATV trail.  Spent the next couple hours climbing small knolls that looked like walls, nosing down into steep washes, running along some ridge tops & just generally totally enjoying ourselves like only a couple of aging wild & crazy guys can do.

  
IVAN KEEPS TRACK OF OUR POSITION WITH HIS IPOD GPS

AND, WE EVEN FOUND A HOBBIT HOUSE
Stopped & checked out some mining related digs.  Ivan & I think a lot alike in that we have a lot of the same questions & wonderments about the nature of things that surround us.  We have an equal love of the great American Southwest so it was two hours well spent for me with a like minded person. 

 
 

MANY DIG SITES ON THIS RIDGE
Ivan & I were back in camp before noon & it wasn’t long before Kelly &  Wandering Willy rolled in as well.  Propane tanks filled plus some groceries.  Satellite dish was looking healthier too.  They had found an RV Marine place in Parker where for no charge a guy ground off all the rough & splintered fiber glass edges around the glued fix.  He also had some ideas on how to further strengthen the break.

 
THIS ARIZONA STATE  IS ONE MIGHTY PRETTY PLACE
Wasn’t long & WW had the satellite dish back on his tail gate smearing liberal amounts of J-B Weld Epoxy glue onto a cloth mesh all around the damaged area.  That Wandering Willy guy sure is a good smearer.  Satellite dish was then left in the back of his truck to let the glue harden.

 
 
MIKE had a question wondering if I had used ‘THE CLAW’ to hold the tripod down in the wind.  Well Mike, if I had used my ‘Claw’ in the first place I would not have had the satellite dish accident.  My fault in forgetting to use that great anchoring device.  It was sitting idly just a few feet away in a bin:((
 
GOT THAT CLAW IN THE GROUND THIS TIME MIKE
Ivan noticed the wind had quit so he hastily assembled his Chopper for flight.  Minutes later he was airborne.  But, so was the wind.  He wasn’t in the air 2 minutes when a sudden gust of wind sprang over a nearby ridge & suddenly threw his Whirly bird completely out of control & smashed it into the nearby branches of a tall Mesquite tree.  The Chopper fell to the ground…..broken.  Not good!!  No, I did not take any pics of Ivan’s mishap…….

 
Gingerly stepping in amongst the prickly Mesquite branches Ivan calmly retrieved his prize possession, broken parts & all and walked back to lay out the damaged bird on the tailgate of his truck.  Close inspection revealed the damage was not as severe as first thought.  Fifteen minutes later, with one replaced propeller blade and one of two landing legs securely fastened in place again, Ivan was back in the air.  All controls functioned properly & the Whirly-Bird flew as if nothing had ever happened to it.

PHOTO SHOWS A JET AIRCRAFT ABOVE THE HELICOPTER >>>
Well, that was enough excitement for one day & I headed back to the rig for an early start on the Blog & an afternoon Siesta.  Along about 4 p.m. I heard footsteps outside & it was WW ready to try attaching the LMB arm to the dish.  Back to the tailgate of his truck.  I held the dish while WW filed down the hardened fiber glass until the arm fit snugly in place again.  That Wandering Willy guy is not only a good smearer, but he’s a darn good filer too.  All was solid and secure.

YEP, I DROPPED A FULL BOTTLE OF MY ARTHROTEC PILLS TODAY & THAT MEANT A 100 PILL PICK UP!!
Carried the dish back & remounted it on the tripod.  A few minutes later we were once again back on satellite TV.  And, this time I got the ‘Claw’ out and anchored it under the tripod.  Ivan brought over a strap device & snugged the tripod to the ‘Claw’ and all was well with the world again.
 
Sat around for a wee chat until the sun went down & that was it for me.  Had a blog to write you know……..:))

Two new Blog Followers today. We welcome DAN BROWN plus Jim & Rosie from THE TRAVELS OF JIM & ROSIE. Sounds like Jim & Rosie from Idaho are in the process of going Full Time. Always nice to have new folks joining us in our travels:))

THAT’S OUR CAMP DOWN THERE
GROANER’S CORNER:)  Jerry was at a marriage seminar, and the leader of the seminar, a lady, was asking everybody how long they were married for. When it was Jerry’s turn Jerry said that he was married for almost 50 years. “Wow” the leader gushed “that’s amazing, perhaps you can take a few minutes to share some insights with everybody, how you stay married to the same woman for so long. “Well,” Jerry said after thinking for a few moments, “I try to treat her nice, buy her presents, take her on trips…………. and best of all, for our 25th anniversary I took her to the Bahamas.” “Well that’s really beautiful, and a true inspiration for all of us” the lady said “maybe you can tell us what you are going to do for your 50th anniversary” she said with a smile “Well” Jerry said “I’m thinking of going back to the Bahamas to pick her up.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.
If one's thoughts are positive about the landscape, one's eyes will appreciate what they see......AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com