Welcome back friends. Our last chapter
concluded on Sunday, January 11th, when we moved from the
Western Area motor coach rally in Indio, California to the Arizona
Oasis RV Resort in Ehrenberg, Arizona, just across the Colorado River
from Blythe, California. We will be here in Ehrenberg for eleven
days, then a few days in Quartzsite, Arizona and then on to Yuma for
a month.
Monday, January 12th, since
Peggy and Jackie were both still a little under the weather we
decided that today would be a stay at home day. I got all the
laundry done in the morning right here at the RV park. We are parked
only steps from their really nice laundry so I just went back and
forth until it was done. I also got a lot of little chores done,
mostly future reservations and such. At 5:30 we went over to Peggy
and Vernon's for cocktails and then Peggy put out a dinner of pulled
pork that she had been cooking in the crockpot all day. It was
seasoned Mexican style so we had it with tortillas and it was
wonderful. We stayed until a little after 8:00 and then went back to
our coach for the rest of the night.
Tuesday, January 13th, we
mostly stayed in and did chores. I got most of my “to do” list
done, including cleaning out a bunch of stuff from the storage area
under the bed. Every now and again we need to go through the coach
and clean out the stuff we accumulate. When your house is only four
hundred square feet you can't afford to collect too much junk. We
did go into Blythe at lunchtime and had lunch with Peggy and Vernon
at our favorite Mexican place here, Garcia's. The food is wonderful
and the service is good too. Before heading back to the coach for
more chores we did stop at the grocery store for supplies.
Wednesday I took most of the stuff I
cleaned out on Tuesday to a thrift store in Blythe. After lunch
Jackie and I went out to do some geocaching. We haven’t cached in
quite a while. We were able to get eight new finds before we headed
back to the coach. Peggy had gone into town to the urgent care and
spent the entire afternoon there. She did get a shot and some meds,
so I hope she will be getting better. We got together with Peggy
and Vernon for cocktails at 5:00 and then did some hamburgers on the
grill for dinner. About 7:30 they went back to their coach and we
watched TV.
Thursday, January 15th, we
had another stay at home day. Mostly just relaxed with a few chores
thrown in for good measure. We had cocktails and dinner at the
Bullocks. Peggy made her great penne pasta dish that I dearly love,
despite the fact it has no meat in it. A wonderful meal and great
company. After dinner we went home and watched TV.
Friday, January 16th, Peggy
was still feeling down, so after lunch Jackie and I went into Blythe
for some shopping. We first did three geocaches, about the only ones
in town that we hadn't already found. We then went to a couple of
stores and then back to the coach. We had cocktails with Peggy and
Vernon and then a little before 7:00 we went over to the clubhouse
for karaoke.
We have done karaoke here in the past
and they still have the same DJ, Tom, doing the music. We met our
friends Len and Debbie in the clubhouse, along with a couple of other
people that we have met along the RVing trail. Len and Debbie are
full timers in a travel trailer and we cross paths with them a couple
times a year, usually in P
ahrump and Arizona. They are big into
karaoke and both are pretty decent singers. We had a rotation of
only about seven singers, so I got to do about five songs. We had a
really good time and went back to the coach a little after 10:00.
Saturday, January 17th, we had thought we might want to go to the Bluegrass Festival in Blythe, but Peggy and Jackie were still not feeling quite right, so we decided to pass on the Festival. Jackie and I drove into Quartzsite after lunch and walked around Tyson Wells, one of the larger of the “swap meet” locations in town. We walked around and looked at stuff for a couple of hours before heading back to the coach. We bought a few odds and ends, some used books, kitchen gadgets, those kind of small things.
After we got back to the coach Jackie
started making dinner for the four of us, chicken enchiladas. Peggy
and Vernon came over about 5:30 and we had cocktails and then dinner.
Peggy made some rice and beans to go with dinner and we had a great
meal. We talked for a while and then they went back to their coach
about 7:30 and we watched TV the rest of the night.
Sunday, January 18th, Peggy
actually felt like going out. We headed out around 11:00 and drove
into Quartzsite for lunch. We stopped at a place we like called the
Quartzsite Yacht Club. They have excellent fish and chips and the
service is very good and very friendly. We all had fish and chips
and we were early enough that we beat the crowds, even on a weekend.
After lunch we drove out and did a little exploring around Quartzsite
trying to determine what area we wanted to come to on Thursday. We
had decided a while back that we are going to come into Quartzsite on
Thursday with the coaches and boondock in the desert for three days
before we go to Yuma. We checked out a couple of the places were
different groups of Escapees are staying. The Escapees is a
nationwide RV club with lots of groups, similar to FMCA except that
the Escapees members can have any type of RV, not just a motorhome as
in FMCA.
As we were checking out an area west of
town we came upon the campsite of Clark and Judy McKay. Clark and
Judy are RVing friends of ours who have a home in Camarillo,
California, but they RV quite a bit. They spent a month in Yuma with
us last year and are going to do it again this year. They always
stop in Quartzsite on the way to Yuma for a week or so of camping
before heading down for the month. We hadn't seen Clark and Judy
since the summer rallies in Oregon, so we chatted with them for a
while and checked out the remodeling job they had done to their coach
over the summer. We finally decided that we were going to come to
the area they are on Thursday and spend the three days there. Ray
and Suzie Babcock were going to come and camp with them, but they
changed their mind and went to Yuma a week early. After visiting
with Clark and Judy we headed back to the RV park. Later in the
evening Peggy and Vernon came over for cocktails and we had a nice
dinner of all the leftovers from the last couple of nights. After
dinner we just relaxed the rest of the night.
Monday, January 19th, Happy
MLK Day. We decided to celebrate the holiday by staying home and
relaxing. We got together with the Bullocks for cocktails and then
dinner later. We BBQ some meat and ate at their coach. We had a
great dinner and talked until about 8:30 when we went home and
watched TV until bed. Tuesday morning we were up and in the car with
Peggy and Vernon by 10:00, headed to the “Big Tent” in
Quartzsite, the RV show and fair. We spent several hours walking
around the hundreds of RV related vendors, buying a few things, but
mostly just looking. The place was packed, so I guess business is
good. We had lunch at the tent, but were on our way back to the
coaches by about 2:00 or so. We had cocktails with the Bullocks at
5:00, but because we had a late lunch we didn't do a formal dinner.
Just relaxed in front of the TV for the evening.
Wednesday, January 21st, we
went into Blythe with Peggy and Vernon for lunch again at Garcia's
restaurant. After lunch we did some shopping in town and then headed
back to the RV park. We had happy hour with the Bullocks and then a
nice dinner at their place. Peggy made some baked chicken and we had
that with mashed potatoes and some stuffing. Kind of a mini
Thanksgiving dinner. We talked until about 8:30 when we headed back
to our coach for the rest of the night.
Thursday, January 22nd,
another moving day. Peggy and Vernon left early, around 9:00,
because they were taking their coach into a shop in Quartzsite for
some repairs. We got packed up and left Ehrenberg a little before
11:00. We stopped for fuel on the way and drove the long 14 mile
trip to the spot in the desert where Clark and Judy are parked. We
pulled in behind them and got ourselves set up for a three night
stay. They have four other friends of theirs staying in the desert
with them. Not too long after we got there Peggy and Vernon arrived
and parked behind us. We spent the day relaxing in the nice cool day
and warm sunshine.
About 5:00 most of the rest of the
group got back to camp from a day of shopping in Quartzsite and we
all sat around the fire and talked for an hour or so. We then went
into Peggy and Vernon's coach for cocktails and dinner. We had the
leftover tri tip steak as French dip sandwiches, a great simple meal.
We talked for a little while before going back to our coach for the
night.
About 6:00 I joined the group around
the campfire for cocktails. Jackie stayed in tonight. A little
later I went over to Peggy and Vernon's and visited a bit, cooked
some hamburgers, and then took the food back over to Jackie for us to
eat in our coach. We relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.
Saturday we woke up after another bad
night. So far the medications haven't made much difference in
Jackie's condition. She stayed in the coach the entire day, still
not feeling well. Vernon and I made a quick trip into Quartzsite
after lunch to visit the Gambler used RV parts store. It is kind of
unique and I always like to go through it at least once when we get
in the area. I sat around the campfire for a little while with the
group tonight and then Peggy made some leftovers casserole that was
pretty tasty. I ate with them and then took a care package home to
Jackie. We watched TV the rest of the evening.
Sunday, January 25th, Jackie
had a little better night, but still up a lot coughing. Today is
moving day. We are leaving Quartzsite and heading south to Yuma for
a month long stay. Everyone in the encampment here is leaving today
because the weather forecast says rain is coming tomorrow, so even
those who had planned to stay another day or two are pulling up
stakes. We got packed up and on the road around 10:30 and started on
the 80 mile trip to Yuma. Traffic was not too bad once we cleared
Quartzsite and we got into the Caravan Oasis RV park around quarter
to one. We got set up in our assigned spot and I got everything
hooked up and the sun shades up. The rest of the decorations will
wait for a day or two, after the rain clears. Jackie spent the rest
of the day inside. I sat briefly with the group for cocktails and
then got some KFC for Jackie and I's dinner. We have five couples
here for most of the month. Us, the Babcocks, the Bullocks, the
McKays and some friends of the Babcocks, Jim and Sally Calzada.
This marks a good point to put this
episode to rest and get it online. We will be here a month, so
expect a couple more posts from lovely Yuma, Arizona. Until the next
time, ponder the words of author Mary Anne Radmacher. Live with
intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play
with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your
friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is
all there is. See ya next time.
