Friday, October 30, 2015

Quartzsite, AZ 2015

20151024_09335320151024_093405
I approached Quartzsite, AZ from the East this time, on Interstate 10.
20151024_09374320151024_093841
There are two exits only, Exit 19 on East side of town, and Exit 17 on west side of town.  There are about 2 miles apart.
20151024_09391220151024_093953
You come off I-10 onto Riggles Rd, turning right, then get in left lane to turn left onto Main Street.
20151024_094029
Last year the Beall's store closed and remains empty.  If you turn right there, you will be on Plymouth St. which goes to the Police Station, Library and P.O. Annex.
20151024_094038
The General Store is still open.
20151024_094057
The Roadrunner Market just opened up again.
20151024_094120
Main intersection of town, Main Street and Highway 95 (goes south to Yuma or north to Parker).
20151024_094339
On the west end of town is where many of the little stores are, and the new Chamber of Commerce will also be located there.
20151024_095142
Pulled into the Main Event place to see if Beth was around but didn’t see her car so I left.  She was there, darn it.
20151024_095240
Coming out of the Main Event you can see the other fast food place, and I’m having a senior moment and can’t think of the name.
20151024_095302
Heading back East again you can see McDonalds, and the Flying J and some other business all clustered in there.
20151024_095321
Directly across the street from McDonalds and Flying J is Hardies Beads and Jewelry store and the brown/tan store front will be the new Chamber of Commerce location (parking in the back of Hardies).
20151024_095330
Near them on the north side of street is this store.
20151024_095625
Coming back to the main intersection and turning south the first street past the stop light you go back behind the LA Mesa RV lot to find the large QIA building, where the Pow Wow is held as well as exercise classes and dances and all kinds of other events.  It’s really the “community center” of the town, in season.
20151024_095643
Block west of QIA is the Gem and Mineral Club where I usually LIVE during the winter, but I feel my life going in a different direction.
20151024_09580320151024_095815
Back out on Main Street and turning East/right again, is the Main Street Eatery and Laundromat and showers.  Another community center of sorts.  Also have free wifi.

Posted in Facebook Quartzsite Chatter this morning (11/3/15): 
The bakery has new owners.
The Eatery got a facelift, still great place to eat.
The Cruise In held 2nd and 4th Saturdays has relocated to the VFW. Which they moved in to this spring. Formerly Palo Verde Cafe.
The LaCasa Restaurant purchased, new rock shop.
The Yacht Club Restaurant purchased, new rock shop.
New vendors, Asian menus, seafood menus
Main Event is rising out of the ashes to resume activity that has been absent from their location far too long.
And Great news, Quartzsite Chamber and Tourism office just opened located across from McDonalds. All levels of membership, everyone needs to visit and support this endeavor to keep Quartzsite Rocking!!!


There is a lot more to the town, but this is my quick 5Cent tour, having just arrived back here after being gone six months.
Oh the Yacht Club is closed.  Has been sold and will become another rock shop.  Like Q needed another rock dealer.  This will be interesting to watch.
Other links:
Quartzsite, AZ
Rock and Gem Show Events
Swapmeets

WEEKS 15 and 16–Back Home Again in Quartzsite, AZ (Oct. 18-30, 2015)

Somehow, Quartzsite, AZ just doesn’t feel like home to me this year, but I am settling in.  I may be looking for new adventures after this winter.  Dealing will dusty old rocks may not be in my best interest health-wise. Time will tell.

20151024_170749

Pulled into a free two-week camping area and got a permit.  Most of my time this winter, and it will be a short season for me, will be spent on private lands.  I will have no pubic camp this year and will have to visit with people in their camps or meet them in town.

20151024_170830

But for right now, I found a tree to call home…

20151024_171034

… and went walking in just my flip-flops and shower wrap-a-round, cause there ain’t nobody out here.

20151024_171323

Just wide open spaces and the ol’ SwankieWheels rig.

20151024_17504720151025_063219

Just got busy enjoying the sunsets, sunrises, the ol’ tree and desert plants.

20151025_10262020151025_131841

Off-loaded the kayak and got it covered up with a tarp.  Set up a place for water jugs, and that’s about it for me.  Not setting up my canopy or tents this year.

20151025_17592520151027_065146

OK, back to the sunrises and sunsets.  Busy busy person.

20151024_105045

Learned Freedom America (Amanda) was at the library so went by to welcome her.

20151027_134049

How will I loose any weight… dug out the solar oven to make sure it still works.

20151028_10400020151028_105117

Set about trying to learn how to replace a headlamp in the van… Chevy in Payson, AZ wanted to charge me $75.  I’m sorry, but I actually laughed in the man’s face.  Drove across the road, bought a $10 bulb and it took me about 15 minutes to put it in… and I had never done that before on a Chevy van.  Had to reward myself for saving $65.  Ha ha.

20151028_171049

Like I said, keeping it simple this winter… my shower, out the rear door of van.

20151029_11113220151029_111452

Friends are beginning to arrive, Lou Brochetti arrived with his expanded Vardo… had to add on to the back, back 1/3 is all new, so he had room for his new freezer, and the rest of the room back there is for his musical instruments and equipment.  Had to put a whole new frame under the vardo to support the additional weight and more solar on top to support the big freezer.  (Oh I wasn’t suppose to tell about the freezer, as too many people might want to put Ice Cream in it.)

20151029_181854

And more sunsets, here with some rain falling through.

20151030_133546

I finally got some of my notecard sets put together to ship out and they look fine.

Quartzsite hasn’t changed… for more click here.

Next week exercise classes, dances, and other activities start up.  I plan to exercise daily and go climb Q-Mountain.  After a week or so acclimating, I will add my backpack to the climb up and down Q-Mountain.  I will resume giving fitness reports then.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Completed: Swankie Southwest Note Cards

Advance Sales $25 (includes postage and handling)
Once again I find the need to raise funds – these funds will be used to outfit me for the Arizona Trail Hike, which will begin in the early Spring 2016.

For some time now I have been working on making a set of sketches of the Southwest, depicting the beautiful things I see in my travels.



You can reserve your set of note cards now by sending a PayPal donation of $25 to charlene.swankie@gmail.com.  Or you can use the Donation button on this page.

Note Cards will be sent out before Dec. 1, 2015, or delivered to you during the winter in Quartzsite, AZ, your choice.

The Logo to the right is a symbol of mobile dwellers.  I am including this drawing free so that you may use to to put in your window/windshield to help other mobile dwellers spot you.
image016
Mobile Dweller Logo by Swankie

Samples of my other artwork can be seen at http://swankiewheels.blogspot.com/p/art-work.html .

It doesn’t get any better than this, until tomorrow.  (SwankieWheels)

Thank you for doing your usual Amazon shopping using my affiliate link.

Help me a little if you can by donating to this fundraiser, or to my equipment fund for the hike.  I promise to pay it forward.  There is a PayPal donation button in the top right corner of this blog page, and for those using smart phones, I am repeating the button below.

Contribute to Equipment for the Arizona Trail Hike:







Sunday, October 18, 2015

WEEKS 13 and 14—Still Plan to Hike the Arizona Trail in Spring 2016 (Oct. 5-17, 2015)

Still My Goal: Hike The Arizona Trail.  It is an 800+ mile recreation trail from Mexico to Utah that connects mountain ranges, canyons, deserts, forests, wilderness areas, historic sites, trail systems, points of interest, communities, and people.   (From:  http://www.aztrail.org/at_about.html).

  I am both overwhelmed and excited all at the same time
about this upcoming adventure.

It is difficult to stick to a training schedule, at least for me, when I am on the go and between places.  I guess I don’t have enough discipline to get my butt out of the van and hike or something.  I end up sitting too much.  So, as a result, I don’t have a training update and will just let you know what I’ve been doing these past two weeks.  Lots of photos.

First of all, I have finished a set of 10 sketches, out of which followers to this blog and my Facebook page are voting on the 8 they like best.  These 8 will be packaged in a set of notecards and sold for $25, money which will be used to help me outfit for the 820-mile hike across Arizona.  Trust me, it will take a few dollars to pull this one off.  You may use the donate button at top right of this blog, or at the bottom of this post.  See more details at the bottom of this post.  Click on image to see the sketches better.

notecard_package1 copy

These might not be the final 8 voted for by my followers, but here are 8 of the ten sketches.

Previous Training Update post.

Having time to kill while waiting for Quartzsite to cool down and my October pay date to arrive, I headed out to a spot south of Rye, AZ where I have camped before.  Found a few prehistoric Indian artifacts there before… and it’s a convenient location, not far off the highway.  Still at a higher altitude, so cooler than Quartzsite.

20151008_13043620151008_131428

I have training as an archaeologist.  I know there are laws against disturbing archaeological sites, but in all my hiking in this area in years past and this year, I have never seen a sign identifying this as an archaeological site. 

But I do know the law:

Archeological resources, both sites and collections, are protected by law on federal and state lands. Understanding these laws is an important part of what you can do to help protect archeological resources. While federal law is consistently applied across the nation, state and local law differs from place to place. We strongly recommend that you contact your State Historic Preservation Officer and State Archeologist (sorry, you'll have to cut and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eosa/nasa/) to find out about laws concerning archeology for your area.

From: http://www.nps.gov/archeology/public/publicLaw.htm

OK, I saw no signs that I was going onto Federal or State lands.  I found a few more artifacts, and some small pieces of chert and jasper. 

20151008_13425120151008_142228

Pottery sherds, a button, some bullet shells…

20151008_142238

… and some lithic fragments which might be waste flakes from the production of projectile points (arrowheads).

20151010_09451520151010_095807

This road leads to a trailhead up in those mountains.  I decided to explore…  10/10, before heading in to town for water, to drop garbage, to swim, and to take a shower.   I decided to go to the end of the road I am boondocking on. It goes to a Trailhead.  I guess I went in about four miles. Road was very good to a point, but don't think you would want to be at the Trailhead when it rained hard... there were some deep ruts about 1/2 up.  But, there are many many places to pull off and boondock, even for Class A, and Class Cs to camp along the way. Great view looking to the north.

20151010_103313

Old dead Century Plants with old seed pods/dried blooms from the past.  Looking northward.  I've never seen so many Century Plants all in one place. Funny, last weekend, the Forest Ranger asked if one I saw near Paulden, AZ was still standing. It was about 20' tall. I was confused by the question, as most that I have seen were still standing, but in this area I think the ground gets really saturated, and winds very strong, and it knocks them over.

20151010_104054

On the way up I saw 3 Black Angus (one a bull), and on the way down saw a few more... he must be the Daddy of these two. The red one here is a cow, a young cow, with horns. Off to the right of the picture is another young red cow without horns. There were a few more head nearby.

20151010_105403

This is a Pack Rat's nest.

20151010_110220

I liked the pattern of bottom of this fallen Century Plant.

Back to the highway.

20151010_142215

There are five sherds in this photo, in situ, can you see them all??? Could be more.

I pulled off the road short of where I was the past two days... to check out another spot. OK, what is the first think you do when you set up camp? Rake all the rocks away so you have a smooth surface for the tent or rug or for walking. We do that now and Indians did the same thing back then. Walking around I had come to circular bare spots that had no rocks, but then look out to the edge of the smooth area... rocks and bits of other things, including pottery sherds and interesting rocks. I walked around a bit hoping to find a point.

About the time my feet were getting sunburned, I spotted this... it is the broken tip of a projectile point (arrowhead). Whoopy.

20151010_11592120151010_122841

The tip end of a very fine, very small bird point, about 1/2” long.

AND THEN, I found these…

20151010_14254420151010_143202

I have no excuse.... I knew the law, even though this is the first time I saw these signs.  I knew it was too good to be true.  So I put all the “artifacts” back in the general area, even though they will have lost some provenience.  Darn.

Once I realized it was a recognized archaeological site, I began to notice other things.

20151010_14383520151010_144342

At first there seems to be no rhyme or reason to these rocks, but after awhile, the eye of a trained archaeologist can see they were moved around by man, making them all “Artifacts.”  On left, These rocks from a circle and the center is pretty deep, with what appears to be a path gong out one side… right below my van.  It could have been a sweat lodge???? (see my van in the distance)

In the center of each of these circles or bare spots was a flat stone, probably for sitting on???  Very interesting, and strangely, gave me the willies – to think I might be standing in what was once someone’s home.

20151010_14521120151010_145302

So, once I resolved the only things I could take away with me, were photos, I took a lot of photos.  Some kind of scat on left.  On the right, a shallow dip.   The only animal I know that digs a dish to capture rain water is the Desert Tortoise. There were two dips here.  There know when it is going to rain, and they will sit and wait for the water.  It might be the only water they get in a whole year.  I just learned the Sonoran Desert Tortoise is no longer going to be listed as an Endangered Species (that decision being made the year I donated my tortoise shells to Indians to be used for ceremonial purposes.  Darn, again.

20151010_150314

This was nearby and could be a Desert Tortoise burrow.

20151010_145817

I thought it was glass, but it was a crystal. I am keeping it AND the photos.

I returned to Payson for a couple nights and then back up higher, farther north to the Coconino Forest to work on my southwest sketches. 

On the way to Coconino National Forest, I made a side trip to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.  I hiked the Gowan Trail down from the south end, went through the tunnel and back out the north end, maybe about 1.5 miles, and a very big rock scrambling challenge.  I didn’t get photos of the hardest parts inside the tunnel, my hands were too busy.  See the rest of the story.

20151013_102923

Heading down the Gowan Trail and into the tunnel.

After seeing the Tonto Natural Bridge, I stayed in the forest a few days until weather turned and it got overcast then left as I was not getting any solar charge. Arriving back into Pine, AZ very early,  I notice rain falling off in the east. I don't need a bunch of trees overhead right now. I need sun which was just coming up and trying to shine on me.

20151016_063805

The sunrise was very nice though, thru the rain.

20151016_080309

The sun and clouds just kept dancing about and I almost wrecked the van taking these photos on the fly as I drove down the highway.

20151016_082030

Stopped at East Verde Picnic Area... warning signs of bear... and no overnight parking.

20151016_082207

Very nice fishing spot.

20151016_082750

Lots of rocks down here... did I say I like rocks?

20151016_08415920151016_084855

This giant towered over the creek bed.  Pillars of rock have been placed along the edge of the parking lot to keep people from driving down to the water’s edge.

On the other side of the road was a parking area/trailhead.

20151016_085031

I found a woman with this rig. She said she was not kayaking there but up at the Rim Lakes and that I should go there.  I will kayak the Rim Lakes another time, since I will be spending a lot of time here in the future.

20151016_091615

Got back to Wal-Mart in Payson before this storm hit. We got a fair amount of rain yesterday, and a little last night.

20151017_11151920151017_111531

Near the Casino in Payson, last week, I had driven through a neighborhood, and looked up to see this trampoline completely off the ground and swirling in a dust devil, and coming straight toward my van.  The “devil” finally let it go and it dropped upside down, and then tilted over on the edge you see bent down in the last photo.  So, I drove back past where that flying trampoline was and took these shots. It had landed on this side of the white truck.  They moved it back out of the way. 

I thought about stopping to tell them what happened but didn't see anyone around. I sure would have enjoyed seeing their reaction. I see they still don't have it anchored down.

This week, I will be back in Quartzsite and can establish a new training program, using the local Q-Mountain and the exercise classes at the QIA and Community Center, plus any and all dances that are happening.  And also field trips and hiking with the Rock Club and Metal Detecting Club.  No more sitting around polishing rocks.  Must be very active this winter.

Never a dull day in SwankieVille.  Laughing out loud

Again, here are 8 of the 10 sketches I just finished.  The final notecard set may include these 8, or 2 of the others – see below, in place of two of these.   You can vote on your favorite 8 by listing their  numbers in the comments below.  Click on photo to enlarge so you can see the numbers better.

notecard_package1 copy

The other two:

04_desert_iquana copy07_rattlesnake copy

Included free will be this card, which you can place in your vehicle window if you want other mobile dwellers to be able to spot you.

turtle_logo

I will have them packaged and ready to mail out by Thanksgiving.  You can reserve your set of note cards now by sending a PayPal donation of $25 to charlene.swankie@gmail.com.  Note Cards will be sent out before Dec. 1, 2015, or delivered to you in Quartzsite AZ if you will be there this winter.  Only these advance sale cards will have my original signature.  Card sets will be available online afterward this advance sale but will have a printed signature.

Swankie Southwest Arts – Notecard Set


Thank you for doing your usual Amazon shopping using my affiliate link.

Help me a little if you can by donating to my equipment fund for the hike.  I promise to pay it forward.  There is a PayPal donation button in the top right corner, but I realize people using phone may not see that so I am repeating the button below.


Contribute to Equipment for the Trail Hike or for the Note Cards:

 


Who is Swankie?

My photo
Anywhere, USA, Full-Time USA traveler, United States
In 2006, I was shopping for a wheelchair. By 2007, I had new knees, better health and by 2008 a kayak. In Aug 2013, I kayaked my 49th state, Alaska, at the Holgate Glacier and in May 2014, I kayaked Hawaii, my 50th state, to celebrate my 70th Birthday and the finale to the wonderful adventure of Kayaking America? Next up... Solo Hiking the Arizona Trail, 820 miles? Maybe. Still healing from shoulder and trying to decide.

Followers: