Learning a better way to write for blog… using Windows Live Writer.

Just did the last blog entry using Windows Live Writer and what a difference it made in how long it took me to get things like I wanted it.  And then you just Publish it and it knows to post to your blog.  And it has a spell checker.  It’s easy to insert photos where you want them and add links where you want them.  It took far less time then older posts and I think looks a lot better.  I highly recommend it to others.

Quartzsite, AZ – Camp #1

December 24, 2009 – Jan. 24, 2010

Dec 24, 2009, I arrived in Quartzsite, AZ and found Sandy and his delightful family, who with their three kids, were spending Christmas in the desert.

  Photo with Socks hung with care.

Being totally unprepared for gift-giving, I had to rush to town for 3 giant chocolate bars and 3 little Quartzsite trinkets. 

December 25, 2009 - spent Christmas Day with Sandy and his family and his daughter-in-law made one really great Christmas meal.  They came all the way from Canada for this.

 

Christmas gifts from my brother and sister-in-law had no tree to go under, so I put them under my bike.   After Sandy's family left, we moved farther off Highway 95 to a spot I thought would give us more solitude.  There may be no such thing in Quartzsite.  We sat up camp and awaited other vandwellers. Gary from Washington state was the first to arrive on his way to FL. 

Only he could fit a homemade kayak into a Scion and still be able to sleep and cook in there too. He is amazing. 

 Steve arrived after Gary departed.  Too bad.

 

Strange things seen... rock art, big burl cut off tree,???

Steve went to town on his motorcycle and I dog-sat with Tori.  Poor lonely Tori waiting for Steve to return... she sat just like that for over an hour. 

Once in a Blue Moon – A good day to die!

December 31, 2009 - New Year's eve campfire was bittersweet, with my ex-husband's death that morning. I only learned about his death an hour before the campfire.  I knew he was terminal, but after being divorced for over 30 years, I didn't think it would hit me so hard.  Sad was the fact that we are only going to have one grandson, and he never would get to see him or hold him.

Me having "The Perfect Living Space" (I still think Laurie stacked the deck)  Blue Moon, New Years Eve ham and cabbage... assures prosperity for the new year????

We planned a campfire and I made Ham and Cabbage.  There is this thing called Hogmanay... where flame and fire symbolize the bringing of light of knowledge from one year to the next year.  Lighting the way to next uncharted century.  Putting the past behind you and the darkness of the past and carrying forward the scared flame of hope and enlightenment, and in this day a fresh new year, burning away the old to make way for the new.  How very apropos?

 Today, I climbed a mountain.

Steve and I  went to Crystal Mountain to hunt for Crystals.  I climbed a mountain!!!  This is on the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and a great boondocking site.  I'd like to return and stay there at length... even though the road is very washboardy.  The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1939 and is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  664,300 acres of pristine desert environment and is home to the unique desert bighorn sheep and the California fan palm, the only native palm in Arizona.  Other notable wildlife species found in the area include white-winged dove, desert tortoise, and desert kit fox.  A wide variety of plant life is found throughout the refuge.  KOFA comes for "King of Arizona Mine".

We are camping on BLM Lands on lands specified for Dispersed Camping.  Dispersed camping is allowed on Public Lands in Arizona for no more than a period of 14 days within any period of 28 consecutive days.  Camping on public lands away from developed recreation facilities is referred to a "dispersed camping."  Most of the remainder of public lands in Arizona are open to dispersed camping, as long as such use does not conflict with other authorized uses or occurs in areas posted "closed to camping," or in some way adversely affects wildlife species or natural resources. www.blm.gov/az

Places I'd like to visit in the future:  Burro Creak, northwest of Wickenburg, AZ. offers shade, refreshing water, and the chance to find obsidian and other choice rocks.  They had a very bad flood there about the time I was thinking of going, so it will have to wait.  For information on this visit www.az.blm.gov.

Some other things to see in Quartzsite:

Hi Jolly Cemetery and Camel-Drivers Monument. 

 

 

 

Red Jasper outcrop near Brenda AZ (walking stick and shoe).

UT to NV – In Transit

November 13, 2009 to December 24, 2009

11/13-A Vandweller sent me this message: Did I ever tell you that you were the inspiration that got me involved with vandwellers in the first place? I was looking at YouTube videos of the OR coast, longing to return to the west coast and came across the one where someone was interviewing you in your van and the solution to my upcoming situation clicked. I said to myself that's what I've always wanted to do, just didn't know that I could. You mentioned vandwellers on the video, and I started there and here I am. Among some of the best people I've ever met in person or on line in my whole life. And you continue to inspire me as I read all your posts and your blog. So thanks again.

Charlene gets a big smile for being my inspiration :)

Smiles 4 everyone:)

Wow, that was pretty neat. It was written by GranmaHugaBaby… who finally caught up with me in Quartzsite.  She is delightful and I am humbled.

November 19, 2009 – I got to my brother Jim's in Vegas.
-stayed and did his genealogy, scanned family photos, and did his wife's genealogy also.  Pretty neat to be able to sit in my van in someone’s driveway and be a genealogist.  That has been my dream for years… and it worked very well.

December 24, 2009 - Had breakfast with my half-brother, Dan, before leaving Vegas. I had scanned some family photos for him and burned a CD for him... and wanted to return his photos.

But a few days earlier we had driven out to Red Rock Canyon and visitors we taking photos of the snowmen someone had made rather than the rocks or the canyon.  I found that hilarious. It was a nice visit and I got to meet his granddaughter. 

Then I headed to Quartzsite, AZ where Vandwellers were gathering.  Alone on the road at Christmas time/eve, some would find depressing but I found it delightfully freeing.  I began noticing things that reminded me of Christmas."  Little lambs grazing in the fields, palm trees in the desert.

I found places between Lake Havasu City and Quartzsite where I'd like to paddle one day.  I don't how why I didn't go back and do it this trip (kicking myself - but I had already paddled AZ so lacked motivation).  In Lake Havasu, I felt the London Bridge was a joke.  I always thought the London Bridge (that was always falling down) was the big red one with the clock tower.  NO... not so.  Boring.

Zion Park and St. George, UT

EIGHT STATE PADDLED

Thu, October 29, 2009

I intended to paddle the Great Salt Lake… around Antelope Island but when I got to that area is was very windy, cold, and threat of snow.  At some points the visibility on the road was pretty bad… so I kept driving with the hope of staying ahead of the snow.  (I can always hope.)

The rain and snow caught me near Salt Lake City.

So I didn’t stop there but kept on driving in hopes of getting ahead of it.  I pushed on hard toward St. George.  Tried to spend a night in a truck stop, but the weather was worrying me so… I kept driving.

Someone here had also mentioned Quail Creek Reservoir near St. George and  I will plan on going there.  It was warm today, but another storm is coming in.  Spankie and friend, were surprised to find us at another body of water and this time, I told him he had to go with me.

It was a beautiful day.  Sky clear.  Water cold.

 

On the far shore was a duck family.  A Muscovy duck crossed with a Mallard and their mottle offspring.  Knew another such duck family back in Monterey, CA.  What a curiosity.

 

Spankie says “If I go down, this black round thing is going with me.”

I was pleased to have paddled my Eight State, though I wish it had been a bigger more challenging paddle.

I spent a few days then just exploring St. George, UT.  I really like that town.  Found a Petroglyph Park….

 

After resting a couple days, I headed out toward Zion Park with the intent in camping along the Verde River on some BLM land.  That didn’t turn out so well for SwankieWheels.  Not looking so swankie now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tow truck driver did damage to my hitch and my wiring, but I found a good shop in town that did good work at a very reasonable price.

I then went on to spent about a week in Zion Park… hiked… a lot.  Took photos.  Rested.  Got annoyed by RVers opening and closing door almost constantly, smoke from campfires gave me breathing problems… decided I needed to move on.

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I bought some dry pants today... and plan on being warmer and dryer on my next paddle.  I'm hanging out at Wal-Mart at night (up against a wall for protection from the wind)... and connecting at Staples during the day.  I slept till 1pm today.

More of Zion:

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Until Nov. 4th, I won't be using my air card (watched too many videos) and will have to find Wi-Fi hot spots to log on.  I have used my air card for a few seconds when I couldn't get Wi-Fi... just to get directions.  Drove around town a bit today so am oriented pretty good now.

11/10 I bought the RoadPro Stove and have it sitting between the two front seats on a box... wedged in so it can't move.  I can take photos if that is of interest to people.  So far I have baked bread, heated up frozen dinners, heated up canned soups and beans, and just hot water for cocoa and hot cereal.  Seems anything is possible.  I'm going to soak some rice and then see how it cooks up.  I think with the addition of a dehydrator, I could live/cook/eat pretty cheaply on the road.

Here are picks of bacon and eggs I fixed one morning:

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But food spoilage is a problem.  I can't eat a whole loaf of bread before molds, so I have set up my cooler again to keep bread in it.  I think I might have to check into getting a 12v fridge like Bob Wells.  I don't like messing with the melted ice and food getting wet.

Was curious about Colorado City, AZ after all the new casts about the polygamist colonies… so decided to go drive around there.  Very interesting indeed… and kind of creepy.

I asked these Mormon boys if I could take a photo and they politely replied “If you want to!” (like why would you, but o.k.).

Then I happened upon this Mormon Park and there were no “No Trespassing” signs, so I explored.  Parked over my the maintenance area for the night and no one even came by.  Stars were very bright and there were suppose to be comets at 1am… but I was fast asleep and the wind was howling… I wasn’t come out of the van.  I left early the next morning without seeing anyone.

 

At the end of the canyon…

Misc. Photos around Colorado City, AZ.

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Next heading to NV and hope to paddle Lake Mead and check in with some family there.