Arizona - Windy In The Desert

 Desert living comes with some challenges. Admittedly for us we have not faced many yet. We are here in the winter so snakes and scorpions have not been active enough for us to see them, even thought a diamond back rattle snake has been reported by someone camping out here. We have also been very lucky when it comes to temperatures as it has been cool but never freezing cold. Same with warmth, we had nice sunny days but never hot. 

However, what we have faced now, a few times to be exact, are 50 mph to 69 mph gusting wind. So that’s about 84 to 110 kmh?

 It is windy and it gets your attention. I know we were good in Lucy but she was feeling it and those sounds of howling wind sure kept my attention. It happens most often at night so the dark makes it feel more ominous and it turns out all of us in our circle were up between 3 am to 5 am without realizing it. We talked the next day and laughed at how we could have had a party instead of us all sitting alone and a tad anxious in our RV’s.

Lucky us when daylight came all was fine outside. So while I am writing this, the north, even northern Arizona is getting snowed in. We still are holding nice temperatures down here compared to the negative temps up in the Northern States. 

So we are all just staying put for now and we cook and have movie nights instead. 

Oh and there actually was a Snake 🐍 sighting that I did forget to mention. Our neighbors and friends here found one on their windshield yesterday morning. How this happened I don’t have a clue…. Or maybe I do 😉

Arizona - Solar Cleaning Day in our Gypsy Camp

 Yesterday we finally addressed the solar panels on our roofs as we received some very muddy rain earlier in the week. It covered all our vehicles and RV’s in a messy dirt cover which made us all clean windows and cars the next few days.

We did however not think to much about the roofs of our Rigs until Shelly, one if our neighbors approached me and asked if I could fly my drone over each of our roofs and take pictures to see if they are messy as the thought was that dirty solar panels could impact how well they charge our batteries.

So yesterday morning I launched our drone and took pictures. After seeing the pictures we figured rather quickly we needed to get on Lucy’s roof and start cleaning. So Ron put up the ladder for me, we tied a bucket to a rope and off I went. I could say it was as easy as that but darn I do not like ladders that much so it took a bit of nerves. However, once I made it up it was awesome. Lucy sure provides a beautiful view from the top and I almost wished we could set up a terrace for sunbathing up there.

Well, I cleaned all three panels, plus our sky light for the bathroom and down I went, slow and steady. My husband is an incredible coach as I was not sure about an exit plan at all.

After that event, us girls went into town for some shopping and smoothy time. In the evening we all finished up the day around the campfire with us girls drinking mudslides, yummy like a chocolate milkshake. Work and play well balanced.

Arizona - A Patchwork Of Humans - Quartzsite, Part 2

 What is probably the most beautiful part about being here in Quartzsite is the people we are surrounded with.

As of yesterday we are now four couples in our little campground setup in La Posa South. Two 5th wheels, one Airstream and our SuperC. 

So four couples and we are the newbies in this setup, as the others have known each other for a few years. They are all from Pensilvania but meet up here (as well as other places) every winter and are all such fun and beautiful souls.

Last night we had the fire place going while sampling some wines and eating chocolates (I made my first batch of Marzipan in Lucy yesterday). Before we knew it, two and a half hours were gone. Lots of laughter as we kept teasing about ‘old’ people and realizing we are the ‘old’ people 😂

This lifestyle out here has a beauty that is hard to put into words and I could not have imagined in my mind prior to us doing it. Nothing prepares you for the experiences one gets and I admit it only comes to light when one steps over their anxieties and fear of the unknown. I was a tad scared to unplug for a longer period as there seems security in being plugged into the power grid, water lines etc etc. Before we started out in Quartzsite our longest time to be off grid and boondock was Magnolia Beach and that lasted for four days. We are now on week number three here! 

I used to be all talk about wanting to boondock but talking and doing it are truly two different things. The factor of the unknown is looming large and hence why I am so very grateful to Jeff and Sue! We met them in May 2022 at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Campground and they told us about how much they love going to Southern Arizona in the Winter and that we should come and visit them. We exchanged phone numbers and both went different ways. Now this is why Sue and Jeff are so beautiful souls… they stayed in touch and called us frequently throughout the summer and fall. We had originally planned to head to Florida but their phone calls kept poking our curiosity and a short notice decision had us aim west. Since we arrived we have been taken under the wings of Sue, Jeff, Sherry and Shelly. They are all boondocking experts and know all the tricks to this style of living. We now can last for one week before we have to recharge Lucy, and it was three weeks before she even needed Diesel.

When people talk about a low carbon foot print, heck I can tell you this would be it! Talk about water and gas preservation. Every house will be beyond worse in comparison so if you are worried about environmental issues then go and thank those who live this way as they are consciously doing their part to limit resources used.

I know this lifestyle is not for every one but darn I love it! I literally can’t even recall a minute when I would wish living in a house again. No, it actually makes me shudder a bit. I love our cabin on wheels, I love the community around us, the nature we get to see, the people we are meeting. The cultural experiences we are seeing and learning about. 

I feel at home, in an area I had no vision about, with people that used to be strangers just a few weeks ago. I love the life Ron and I are creating and I look forward to what more is in the book and how many chapters we get to add.

Arizona - Quartzsite AZ, Part 1

We made it to Quartzsite, AZ on January 19, 2023 and we booked six nights at the Quail Run RV Park. It had some of the better reviews as in spacing but I can tell you it was still a close fit. Lucky for us we had the end section of a row which made it possible for Ron to disconnect the trailer and then parallel park Lucy next to it with a little ‘courtyard’ in between.

Snug but doable. We actually lucked out as when we were handed the rule book of the rv park after checkin I realized we might face a little issue.

When Ron booked the 6 days they asked if we had any dogs. He responded by saying we have two ‘little’ pups 😉. When I however sat down reading the rules it says ‘no dogs over 25 pounds, and restrictions on the following breeds: Doberman, Rottweiler, Pit Bulls and Wolf Hybrid Dogs. Now, I did recall that we chatted outside with another camper that was walking his Golden Retriever so I felt the 25 pound rule was of no effect. Then the breed issue, well it did not say ‘German Shepherd’ specific so again ‘yeah’ we were in the clear. I guessed as in all of the six days we did not get reprimanded. The only incident where I thought they were checking out Keetna was when I walked them on day two to the dog run and an employee in a golf cart drove up wanting to give Keetna a treat. I think he wanted to make sure Keetna was friendly. ‘Little’ K nailed this one as he of course loves treats and people. 

I located a grocery store, The Roadrunner’ which had a decent selection but pricy as heck. Then I learned that to find good meat products to go to the ‘Coyote’ Store which turned out to be the better option. Still we had to find our footing as to mail, more food and drink selections (by then I have been going on a week of no Sparkling Water).

To the rescue came our friends, Sue and Jeff! They are the reason why we attempted to come to Quartzsite and try out true boondocking. To have the inside and wisdom from those who have been doing it for a while is indispensable! They drove us around and gave us a tour of Quartzsite. Where to shop, where it is best to eat out, have Ice Cream (very important!) etc etc.

Through them we also met Sherry and Shelly. All four are camped out (boondocking) at La Posa South on BLM Land. This is a large area where one can camp for $40 for 2 weeks or pay $180 for the season, which I think runs from October to March or April. There are two dump stations, eight water stations and two large garbage dumpsters in that area, maintained by the state. A very unique but wonderful setup. We would have never attempted this to be honest without the guidance of our friends. There is so much to learn but it opens up a whole new world that I could not have imagined. We are now 13 days into being at La Posa South in Quartzsite and we are loving it. Lucy has done so well so far with us balancing battery and generator time, water preservation and the ever watchful eye on the grey and black water tanks. We dumped and filled up water once so far after one week there, so February 1, 2023 as we had arrived on the 25th of January. 

We so far had more social contact than we had for most our time on the road. Yes of course we spend a lot of time with family and friends, visiting while traveling but this here is different. We are camped in a triangle setting and usually chat about every day with Sue, Jeff, Sherry and Shelly but we are also doing a lot together. On our first night here Sue had cooked dinner for us which we then had at Shelly and Sherrys 5th wheel as they have the most communal setup where six people can easily sit in a circle in the living room. We had since then ice cream at our place, movie night back at Sherry and Shelly as well as Taco Night. We have gone out to listen to ‘Almost Willy’ and pizza lunch twice. We went out for ice cream twice and us girls have gone to a neighboring town to buy wonderful fresh produce from Yuma and Mexico, very yummy and affordable. Jeff and Sue have shown us several stores that sell groceries for large discounts as they get them from stores like Costco and Sam’s Club, so it’s like a Warehouse sale. It really is a wonderful lifestyle out here once one knows how it all works. I know I repeat myself but us alone would have never seen the reason why this is such a Mecca for snowbirds. 

This town has a population of about 3000. The winter RV population however adds between 400,000 and 500,000 to this community. Insane but you don’t feel crowded here! Not unless the RV show is in town. For that one week it gets busy but it quiets down once it finishes. 

We are not sure how long we will stay yet as we have the freedom of time on our site for now. However we do need to be in Colorado by April 1, 2023 as this is when I booked us at Cherry Creek State Park for 10 days. This will be a busy time ahead to see our boys but also get doctor appointments in.

So for now we are enjoying this new learned lifestyle and are grateful to the new friendships we gained since we started traveling. It is a beautiful world out there if one takes the chance to find it ♥️