Greetings from Indio

We have  spent the last two weeks here in Indian Waters RV Resort, the same place we started back in December.  We enjoyed the area so much that when Debbie and Jerry decided to join us, we knew this was the place we wanted share with them.  This is absolutely the best park in the WHR system, others are fun but this is nicest looking and best maintained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We pretty much settled into a routine of water aerobics for the girls, hot tub for the guys, games, happy hours and eating good.  Sorry but I was having so much fun that I just kept putting off posting, sorry for not sharing.

One of the adventures was a trip up to the top of the San Jacinto Mountain.  It was summer 80°, to winter 40° in about 12 minutes.  Dangling 1000’s of feet in the air from a wire is always exciting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                           View from the Palm Springs Aerial Tram

We had a nice lunch up there and the view is to die for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sadly today is our last day here and we are going to the Sunday Brunch at the Fantasy Springs Casino, then we have to pack up since we are heading toward home.  We hope to swing through Reno to see Pam and Steve’s new place.  We are not looking forward to getting into winter driving, there is a possibility of some snow on the way and in the passes so we’ll see we can always wait out a storm for a day or two.  It’s hard to believe that we have been on the road for over four months now, time flies when you’re having fun.

More Later, Rich

Last Post from Yuma

Today is our last day in Yuma.  It has been a somewhat stormy two weeks here, but there have been plenty of nice days as well.  The forecast for Indian Waters in Indio, CA is for temps in the 80’s.  Deb and Jerry are on their way there to meet up with us on Monday.

Yesterday evening I finally went out and took a couple of pictures of “Pilot Knob”, the rocks that this place gets it’s name from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rigs that are parked in the foreground are boondockers, some of which have been there all the time we have been here and possibly for months.  It just isn’t our style to live without water, sewer, or electricity.

Donna, (of Bill and Donna) called this morning and they are in town, so we are going to meet them for lunch at the “Chile Pepper”.  I’ll have to add it to our “Restaurants” page.  So we are off to meet them.

More Later, Rich

Haircut in Algodones

Yesterday we returned to Algodones (which translates to cotton by the way), to pick up some prescription meds for Forrest.  I think Gorgie really wanted to have another margarita .  And have one we did, along with another good lunch of shrimp, this time we swapped and I had the shrimp taco’s and

Gorgie had them sautéed Vera Cruz style.

The main reason for returning was to go to the cheap pharmacies here, this is a good deal for folks needing meds at a reasonable cost.  You are allowed to bring back a 90 day supply and they are supposed to be for yourself.  The border patrol asked Gorgie a few questions but I was just passed through.  This along with dental, optometry, and other medical services is why hundreds of seniors go here every day.

Well margaritas, shrimp lunches, meds, cheap souvenirs, are not the only reason to go to Los Algodones.  There are also barber shops.  Gorgie drug me into one for my annual Mexican haircut.  I must admit I was overdue.  Gorgie even had her put gel in my hair.

 

 

 

 

  Needing a haircut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Getting my hairs cut

                                                            

 

 

 

Not bad, huh?

 

 

 

On Wednesday we had the coach washed, deoxidized, and waxed.  Boy does it shine. When you touch the sides your hand just slips off.  They did a much better job than what we had done in Indio last December.  We have had a lot of cosmetic things done to the rig this year and it is looking sharp.  This summer I am thinking about doing some remodeling on the interior to make things more functional for how we have settled into traveling.  But that will be reason for another post.

We are wrapping up our time her in Yuma.  Debbie and Jerry are in route right now to meet up with us in Indio, CA on Monday for a two week stay.  Then we will be starting home.  Pam and Steve want us to stop and see their new home in Reno so weather permitting that is what we plan to do. 

And now a word from our sponsor,  I have been keeping some notes on the RV parks we visit, and some of the restaurants we frequent.  I have added a couple of  links to these pages at the top of the blog just under the title picture, just click on them to check out where we have been. It is a work in progress so keep checking as I update them.

More Later, Rich

Los Algodones and Laughlin

Time to catch you up on our adventures of late.  I told you about going to Algodones one day last week, well we didn’t go on the day I said because we wanted to eat lunch at a favorite cantina there and it was windy that day.  We did go the next day though, and we had a great time there.

 

 

 

  Paraiso Cantina in Algodones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                       A very colorful place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Cadillac Margarita’s for all.

 

 

 

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                                                                                                                                  They even serenaded us on the way through customs.

 

 

 

Gorgie had the shrimp tacos and I had shrimp ranchero style, both were excellent. Oh and the Cadillac margarita?  We went back for a second after shopping .

There is lots of shopping and cheap souvenirs there, so we did our best to support the local economy. We like going there a lot.

 

I was going through a local paper and spotted an add for a bus trip to Laughlin, NV.  The price was just $40.00 each and included transportation, a room for one night, and a free buffet.  Sounded like a good time to us, so we called and made reservations to depart on Sunday morning.  Well when it was time to go it was raining buckets, the rain was coming down so hard I had a hard time seeing the road.  We limped along at about 35 MPH on the 75MPH freeway and were the last to arrive.  Well everyone on the bus gave us a cheer and we knew this was going to be an adventure to remember.  After we settled into the last two seats (last row next to the not recently cleaned outhouse), and looked around we saw this bus had seen many, many of these trips.  Oh well just relax and go along for the ride, and 4.5 hours later and very sore butts later we arrived at the Colorado Belle in Laughlin, NV.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                          http://buffalobustours.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t follow too close.

 

 

 

We weren’t winners but we made new friends and had a great time.  Oh and we won’t be taking any bus tours for a while.

More Later, Rich

What a Difference a Day Makes

The drive from Salome to Yuma is only 120 miles or so, but the elevation change is about 1800 ft.  From 2000 to 200 feet above sea level.  It makes all the difference in the world as far as temperature goes.  We were seeing temps in the 60’s in Salome and here it’s getting up to the high 70’s and yesterday it was 80, my oh my, we love it here.

We stopped in Yuma on the way down, ( we are actually in Winterhaven,CA just across the Colorado River), but everyone considers this whole area to be “Yuma”), to have some solar screens made for the coach.

Who is that masked man?

It really helps to keep it cooler inside without having to close the curtains, plus we can see out and passers-by can’t see in.  Now we feel like the big boys.

The latest additions to our yard art have been named.  Jeremiah is our reptilian companion, and the ants wanted to be called Snap, Crackle, and Pop.

  

Do frogs eat ants?

Not these ants!

We’ll do our best to keep them apart.

We booked a one night bus trip to Laughlin, NV just to see the sights and let someone else drive.  The cost was right just $40.00 each.  That’s for the bus ride, hotel, and a buffet.  Should be fun.

Tomorrow we plan to go to Los Algadones for lunch and stuff.  We are probably at our limit as far as what we can carry home but we’ll see.

Well I’m going back outside and enjoy the rest of this wonderful day.

More Later, Rich

More Weather

We are expecting another storm today.  Rain and high winds are coming our way, the winds have started and the rain is sure to follow.  I’ll probably have to go out and retract the awnings so they don’t get damaged.

We had a real nice visit with Pam and Steve, though it was not long enough.  We had a BBQ chicken dinner up at the clubhouse Thursday, and a soup and cornbread lunch there on Friday.  We had a snake toss tournament and I won’t say who won because it was all for fun, he-he.  Anyway they had to continue on their journey after lunch.  We hope to see them at their home in Reno on our way back to the northwest in April.

 

While they were here Gorgie took Pam (Steve and I followed) to the yard art place next door, and low and behold, the tin man and Arnie were joined by a frog and some ants.

Remember you can click on a picture to see a larger view.

Juan and Josie pulled in on Thursday and they taught us a new game called “Fast Track” another card/board game from Kornell (who made the pegs and joker boards). It is a lot of fun, we called and are picking up a set on Sunday in Ehrenberg, we’ll have lunch with them and Harold while there.

More Later,Rich

We Have Company Coming

With all the folks we meet traveling, and have met in previous trips, seeing someone from home is going to be a special treat.  Pam and Steve are passing through and are going to stop and spend the night with us.   We are going to take them to a community dinner here in the park so they can see why we like the people here, and in all the other places we travel to.

  Gorgies leg is healing up nicely, Although she has a tendency to push it sometimes.  Yes Katie she was going wild, trying to line dance with several other ladies who were mostly in their 60’s and 70’s.  One of the other husbands who is probably 75 said that “if you girls would act your age things like this wouldn’t happen”.  Well it was a Valentines dinner/dance after all.

On a recent trip to Quartzsite Gorgie found a tin man that she has always wanted.

 

 

                       

 

 

But he didn’t have a heart--- until now.  

                                                                                                          He was soon joined by Arnie the armadillo.

Next week we move to the Yuma area, (Winterhaven, CA) for two weeks.  We are fond of Yuma and all there is to see and do.  This year has been one of the wettest and coldest in Arizona in a long time, so Yuma promises to be warmer, shorts and t-shirts weather  .  Of course we will have to make the obligatory trip to Los Algedones for lunch, margarita's and some tequila to bring home.

More Later, Rich

Laid Back in the Arizona Outback

We are spending some downtime here in Salome, letting Gorgie’s leg heal.  She is feeling better every day and is walking more.  She still has some pain but even that is going away. 

They call this area (The McMullen Valley), The Arizona Outback. Arizona Outback  There is some agriculture but mostly desert.  The towns are all very small.  We mailed a letter yesterday at the Post Office, the parking lot was full, and all the neighbors were standing around visiting with each other, you don’t see that very often.

Gorgie was getting motorhome fever, so we took a drive to see the sights.  There is an Arizona State Park at Alamo Lake, it was a 40 mile (one way) drive, but it was worth it.  The sad thing is that they are going to close it along with most of the other state parks on June 10th due to budget problems.  Seems that the state of Arizona is almost bankrupt, very sad as it was a lovely and popular place, with a nice campground and reportedly excellent fishing.

                  

 

 

 

 

 

On the way home we took a short detour (4 miles) on a dirt road to a place called Wayside they have a cafe, sell gas, propane to campers and 4 wheelers.  We had a couple of pretty good hamburgers.  We tried to take a different road back to the highway but only made it about a mile where we encountered a lot of loose sand and not wanting to get stuck we backtracked and returned on the same road we came in on.  The desert is greening up now and maybe we will see some wildflowers and cactus blooms before we have to leave.  It was a very nice drive and it got Gorgie out.

Today we were going to go to the Great Outback Chili Cook-off but it has been pouring all morning so even if it’s going on we are going to pass the mud and possible flooded roads, maybe next time.

Pam and Steve are passing through this area next week and are going to stop and spend a night with us.  We are looking forward to seeing some faces from home.  We have had a great time reconnecting with some folks we met last year and and this year but it will be nice to see “Old Friends”.

More Later,Rich

The Party’s Over

We have left our friends both old and new behind and are now in Salome, AZ.  We had a blast in Ehrenberg and enjoyed spending time with our friends.  Everyday was filled with laughter and conversation.  These are a great bunch of folks.

On Saturday there was a dinner and dance, boy did we have a good time right up until Gorgie hurt her leg.  She is still hurting, but not as bad.  I think that a few days of rest and she will be fine.  We contemplated staying in Ehrenberg in case she needed to go to a hospital but decided to go ahead and move to Salome because the distance is the same from Salome to Parker (where there is a hospital), as it is from Ehrenberg.

Here are a couple of pictures from the party.

 

 

 

   Our tables full of friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                   There was quite a crowd

 

 

 

After dinner they had a DJ and dancing, we all made fools of ourselves.

 

 

 

  Gorgie and Harold

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                            Harold and Pam

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Donna and Bill

 

 

 

Even though Gorgie was in pain we went ahead and put on a Sunday brunch at our site for everyone.  Gorgie wasn’t able to do much other than supervise.  A good time was had by all.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                       What a great day for brunch

 

 

 

 

 

 

  The chief cook and bottle washer

 

 

 

The menu was simple SOS or hamburger gravy, on toast with boiled eggs and fruit salad.

We miss everyone already, and are already making plans to meet next year in the Rio Grand Valley in Texas.

Salome should be a great place for Gorgie to rest and recover.  It sure was quiet last night.

More Later, Rich

Colorado River Oasis Ehrenberg, AZ

We are having a great time here in Ehrenberg.  The folks here are as friendly as those we met last year.  Of course it helps that we have been joined by our good friends, full timers Harold and Pam, plus those wacky Coloradans Donna and Bill.  These folks are a hoot to be with.  In addition to playing games, going out to eat, and visiting, Bill, Harold, and I have been going for some long hikes in the desert.  I really like the desert southwest and the stark scenery.  It seems as though that you can see forever.

There has been some rain in the past couple of weeks so things are starting to green up.  These Octillo cactus looked like dead sticks, after the rain they transform themselves and start to bloom. Mother nature doesn’t give them much time to do their thing.

We are both getting some much needed exercise with me hiking with the guys and Gorgie going to the daily walk off the pounds classes. Boy do we sleep good.

The other day we had a rainstorm and afterwards there was the most beautiful rainbow that we have ever seen.

It was one of those rare double arches that were so large that getting the whole thing in one picture was not possible.

Today is another stormy day so maybe we will be treated to another show this evening.

More Later, Rich

Let the Games Begin

My lazy day while Gorgie played Pokino never happened. Harold invited me to go 4 wheelin’ in the desert.  I’m so glad I accepted.  It was great.  The recent rains have started  greening the plants up.

Some steep hills here

You don’t have to get very far off the road to be in the middle of nowhere.

You can see forever

On Wednesday we (Pam, Harold, Gorgie, and I), drove to Quartzsite and met with Donna and Bill to help Bill celebrate his 70th Birthday. Not seeing them for a year we forgot how much fun they are to be with.  The food is not that remarkable but it is a festive atmosphere, so a good time was had by all.

 

Bill

Donna 

Harold and Pam

Yesterday Harold and I went for a hike in the desert. I really like it out there.

The Greening

Bill and Donna pulled into the Resort and after they set up we played Pegs and Jokers in the afternoon.  Last night we were joined by about 20 other campers in the clubhouse to play Chase the Aces a fun game for money (none of us won).  So we didn’t get to bed until midnight, and then this morning Bill, Harold, and I are going hiking in the desert again. Followed by more games.

We are having tooo much fun.

More Later, Rich