The last days at Roadrunner, January 22 to 26, include participation in Quartzfest, the ham radio gathering held just south of Quartzsite, Arizona, which is attended by several hundred ham radio operators. A variety of classes are offered every day, mostly around radios and antennas, which Clifford is interested in. He and I also attend a couple of classes geared to first aid and survival.
View from our campsite at Roadrunner
We spend an afternoon at the Big Tent & RV Show, a big deal here in Quartzsite, browsing the plethora of vendors selling their wares or services. While open-house viewing of RV’s is a big draw for most folks, we are not interested in that so much, being perfectly content with our Cougar.
We get together with my brother Rollie to play bluegrass music a couple of times and one evening we go to bluegrass concert in Quartzsite.
Brother Rollie
Clifford on the dulcimer
Carol on Cello for this one
Cello and viola
Another day we go to one of the tents that sells burgers, “eating out” Quartzsite-style.
Eating out in Quartzsite, Arizona
The
usual activities of photography, editing, writing, and reading
continue for me, while Clifford works with his radio for hours and
plays dulcimer when he is not on the radio. It is a busy time for
us.
Thursday January 16-Tuesday January 21: Clifford and I arrived at Roadrunner BLM 14-day dispersed camping area south of Quartzsite, Arizona, yesterday afternoon for Quartzfest, the week-long ham radio festival. We are set up in the same spot where we were two years ago at Christmas.
Camped at Roadrunner south of Quartzsite
We have a nice spot in the shade of a good-size mesquite tree, which also provides privacy from campers on the other side of the wash. Hooray for trees. My brother Rollie comes several times to play music with us. We also go on an outing to play music with him and his friends over at La Posa South.
Playing viola with Rollie’s friends: Dave and Roy
Playing cello with Rollie, Dave, Roy and Jamie (in the foreground hat)
Thursday we run over to La Posa South, the long-term area just up the road where Rollie is camped. He is right where we were camped with him two years ago after we left Roadrunner, and we will be joining him in a couple of weeks. Kind of fun to see the fire ring that he and I built then, as well as the rock-lined paths that lead across a small wash to the fire ring.
The
next several days Clifford and I work on our various projects with
special attention given to setting up antennas for Quartzfest, which
starts on Sunday, which is also Clifford’s birthday. Sunday
evening, Rollie comes to have spaghetti dinner with us, bringing
honey and herbs from our cousin and a beautiful calendar that my
sister Nancy made using my photos. A very nice special evening for
all of us.
Clifford playing dulcimer on his birthday
Trying out the new drone
I
don’t take many photos these few days here, other than a longer
walk on Tuesday, appreciating the saguaros that live here, as well as
the denser vegetation along the washes. I am looking forward to
moving to La Posa South, which offers greater photo opportunities.
Wednesday January 15: First thing this morning, I go out to take photos of the mountains and the cacti surrounding our campsite here at Cactus Forest, northwest of Tucson, Arizona. Clifford and I really like Cactus Forest, but we need to head on to Quartzsite, Arizona, for Quartzfest, the ham radio week-long gathering.
Cactus Forest
Heading out
We travel northwest on I-10 to the junction with I-8, then west through the Sonoran Desert National Monument. We reminisce about our camping trip here four years ago, the first trip with our 30-year-old Terry travel trailer. That was an adventure, which I won’t go into here.
Picacho Peak – near Cactus Forest
Sonoran Desert National Monument
Sonoran Desert National Monument
At Gila Bend we stop for gas, which is fun because of the pet dinosaurs and fun stuff to buy, and then continue north on highway 85 until we rejoin I-10 west of Phoenix. We had thought we might stop for the night at Buckeye Recreation Area along highway 85, but travel conditions have been favorable today and we are making good time, so travel all the way to Quartzsite.
Pet dinosaurs at Gila Bend
Pet dinosaurs at Gila Bend
Fun stuff to buy in Gila Bend
At Quartzsite, we turn south on highway 95 and make our way to Roadrunner, the BLM camping area south of Quartzsite where Quartzfest is held. Driving into this dispersed desert camping area, we are pleased to find that the campsite we had at Christmas two years ago is available. We were here then with my cousin and his wife, and my brother Rollie. We are very happy to be here in this spot now as we set up and prepare for Quartzfest.
Monday January 13: One reason Clifford and I decided to camp at Cactus Forest, northwest of Tucson, is that, besides liking this unique dispersed camping area,
Sunrise
at Cactus Forest
….it is near enough to Tucson to have our “big city” day. The most fun stops are Bookman’s and Trader Joe’s, but other necessary errands and shopping fill the day.
Bookman’s
Driving out of Tucson at rush hour is NOT fun, but dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Marana on our way back to camp is enjoyable. Returning to camp long after dark, we unload groceries and soon head to bed.
Tuesday January 14: I am up in time for photos at sunrise, always a good start to my day.
Sunrise at Cactus Forest
It is great to have a day just to hang out here, especially having the time as well as pleasant enough temperatures for Clifford to play dulcimer outside while I play cello. I’ve also had fun playing around with the Snapseed app on my phone.
Cello in the desert
Snapseed cello
Playing with Snapseed
Daughter Becka calls and explains the recent “cow game” photo she sent, which was the result of an older couple hitting a black cow as they were driving down the mountain and nearly hitting Becka and her friend, who were driving the other way. Becka and her friend called 911 and helped the older couple until police arrived. Thankfully, everyone was okay.
Later, I walk down the road for photos at sunset, enjoying the ambiance of this desert forest.
Nearby Picacho Peak – Painterly (not Snapseed)
After dinner, I do a blog and then write in the journal before heading to bed, a good way to close the day.
Sunday January 12: There is a little frost on the outdoor tables this morning at Cactus Forest BLM dispersed camping area where Clifford and I are camped, having arrived yesterday afternoon. This area is northwest of Tucson at the Red Rock exit and about 10 miles off I-10. It is a unique area due to the density and variety of cacti that grow here, truly a forest of cacti. Not the best place for little kids, dogs, or big rigs, but for us, one of our best finds.
I take photos at sunrise, but soon hustle back inside to warm up.
Cactus Forest at sunrise
Cougar in the forest at sunrise
Cactus Forest Morning
Cholla in the early morning
Later, when it warms up, I walk the road, surprised at the number of people camped here, as it is hard to see other campsites due to the dense growth.
Cactus Forest with Picacho Peak in the background
We play our instruments outside, work on various other projects (ham radio for Clifford; editing and blog-writing for me), and I finish reading Old Lady on the Trail. This has been an interesting book to read, since Clifford and I did a fair amount of backpacking when I was in my 60’s, but not anything like Mary Davison.
The
evening sunset provides the opportunity for the classic
saguaro-in-the-desert-at-sunset photos.
Thursday January 9: Clifford and I have enjoyed our stay at Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park, but today is moving day and we are heading further south. Although our destination is Quartzsite, Arizona, we will only go as far as Lordsburg, New Mexico, today.
It is a chilly 27 degrees as we pack up and the drive is windy, south on I-25 and east on I-10, all the way to Lordsburg. After stopping for gas, we make our way to Veterans Park on the outskirts of town. Clifford discovered this place by doing some research and it proves to be a good spot to spend the night. Hardly anyone is here this time of the year and we are able to pick a spot along a row of picnic tables and small bushes. We park and level, happy to be off the highway and out of the wind.
I mostly read the rest of the evening, but step out for a nice shot of the sunset.
Sunset from Lordsburg, New Mexico
Clifford is focused on music for the dulcimer. The wind picks up in the night and there is a bit of rain.
Friday January 10: Due to the wind, we decide to stay here at Veterans Park today. I walk out to the gate in the morning and plan to walk about later when it is warmer, but it is too windy and I stay inside Cougar the rest of the day. Thanks to cell service here, we are both able to continue with projects.
Veterans Park
Saturday January 11: It was a chilly 22 degrees overnight here at Lordsburg, but calm this morning.
After a quick breakfast and making tea for the thermoses, we are on our way, east on I-10, grateful for the calmer day.
Mountains of southeast Arizona ahead
Arizona, here we are
Rocky landscape of southeast Arizona
As
we approach Tucson, the desert basin is a sea of water and mud flats,
which is something we’ve never seen before on our travels through
this area. Driving through Tucson on a Saturday morning is a good
move and we get through the city without any problem.
At
Red Rock, we turn off I-10 and take the frontage road to the county
road that leads to Cactus Forest, the BLM dispersed camping area
where we will be staying for a couple days.
Cactus Forest
When we arrive, most of the sites big enough for RV’s are taken, but the one we camped in last year is available. We pull in and get set up almost exactly where we were a year ago.
Cougar in Cactus Forest
It is like visiting old friends as we recognize various cacti that we became acquainted with when we were here before.
Sunday January 5 to Wednesday January 8: The days go sweetly by as we tend to our projects: dulcimer and ham radio for Clifford; walkabouts for photos, writing blogs, editing, playing viola for me. We are really enjoying our spot on the bluff overlooking Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park where we are camped.
Sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park
Morning saunter along Elephant Butte Lake
Sunlight on growth along the shore
Elephant Butte State Park
A wintertime bush at Elephant Butte State Park
We make a couple of
trips to Truth or Consequences, once to get updates on my laptop and
another day to run errands in preparation for leaving Thursday. It
has been a good stay, but it is time for us to head to Arizona.
Wednesday January 1 to Saturday January 4: It is great having some days to stay put at our Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park campsite with no business to take care of and no errands to run.
Sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park, New Mexico
Cougar on the bluff at sunrise
One afternoon Clifford and I saunter down to the beach from our campsite on the bluff above Elephant Butte Lake. It is interesting to notice the rock formations, which are most likely a function of receding water, sort of how stalactites are formed, but horizontal action.
Walking with Clifford
Rattlesnake Island
We
play our instruments outside, not really a warm temperatures, but
pleasant enough on the lee side of Cougar in the sun and out of the
wind.
Clifford and the dulcimer spend time outside
I’ve felt that I’m not finding a rhythm to my morning “quiet time,” but the insights of a photographer friend brings an understanding that the time I spend seeking and sharing the beauty of nature is in itself the connection to Source that I am desiring.
Views near sunset
We
are grateful to be here with the lake below us, sunshine on the solar
panels, and decent cell service for the hotspot: email, blog posting,
photo editing, posting photos for family and friends, and my Higher
Vibration Photo Series are among the things that happen when we have
power and internet.
A colorful sunset at Elephant Butte State Park
A
side note: Australia is on fire and Trump is sending troops to
Kuwait. I have concerns for my son-in-law who is stationed nearby.
Wednesday November 20th, the day after our return from the Colorado trip, it rains all day, and by Thursday, the rain has turned to snow, but not a lot of snow, just icy.
Rain all day and the birds come for seed
By Saturday, with a sunny sky and warmer temperatures (43 degrees), we decide to explore boondocking spots past the Wind Whistle Campground where we stayed on our way back to Monticello in October. It is too chilly to sit out for a picnic, so we have our picnic in the car, but we happy to be out and finding new places to camp.
Exploring in the Canyon Rim Recreation Area
Snowy LaSal peaks seem to float above the valley
On Monday, we make a trip to Blanding, where I ace my Utah driver’s test. Stopping briefly at Recapture Reservoir on the way home, I take photos of the reservoir with the snowy Abajo Mountains in the background
Recapture Reservoir with snowy Abajo Mountains in the background
Walking to the post office on Tuesday is darn chilly, with a high of 28 degrees and a stiff wind. I’m eager to mail the San Juan calendar to family, as two of my photos were chosen as insets to the main pages.
A cold day for walking
Thursday,
Thanksgiving, I send photo greeting to family and friends via text
and messenger. Dinner is a little fancier than usual, but not the
huge production that it was when I had a family at home. Light snow
falls all day.
The photo used for Thanksgiving greetings
Snow
continues on Friday. We
drive to the market for a few groceries and the Merc for more
birdseed. I enjoy watching the birds through the sliding glass doors
and the birds are glad to have the seed. In
addition to the usual juncos, sparrows, and finches, there is a flock
of red-wing blackbirds. Even the ravens come to the yard and when
they drop down, everyone else leaves.
At first light, the birds start coming, mostly the redwind blackbirds here
Snowy and birds at feeder
Ravens
Blackbirds wait in the tree
Ravens are King
This past week has been focused on pre-travel preparations, cleaning and reorganizing inside Cougar, paperwork, and preparing house and yard to be left for the winter. In addition to travel preparation, I’m also focused on writing blogs and editing for three authors, trying to get as much done as I can while internet and power are readily available. Although Clifford’s ear has bothered him a lot, he continues with his projects and his packing for the winter journey.
Tuesday October 8 – I take photos at sunrise from our overnight camping spot in the San Rafael Swells BLM land at exit 131 off I-70 in central Utah. This was a good place to spend the night and it doesn’t take long to be ready to leave on the last leg of the journey back to home-base.
Sunrise at San Rafael Swells
Sunrise at San Rafael Swells
Modern petroglyphs at …
San Rafael Swells
The landscape from San Rafael Swells eastward is sometimes very scenic, sometimes very barren. I-70 winds its way through the badlands and canyon lands, with frequent steep grades. At exit 187, we turn south onto highway 191.
Utah landscape along I-70
Utah landscape along I-70
As
we approach Moab, the deep red of the canyons, which makes this area
famous, makes its appearance. We bypass the exits to Canyonlands
National Park and Arches National Park as we head into Moab for lunch
at the brewery and groceries at the market.
La Sal Mountains
As we continue south on 191, there is a stop for construction. The wait can be up to two hours or more according to the sign and the length of the line, but we are fortunate that we only wait 15 or 20 minutes before moving on. Although home-base in Monticello is within an hour’s drive after the construction, we decide to extend our trip by one more stop, taking a side road to Wind Whistle Campground in the Canyon Rims BLM Recreation Area.
Canyon Rim BLM Recreation Area
Wind Whistle is a small campground, more suited to tents than to RV’s, but well cared for by the host. We find a pull-through spot, a tight fit, but we make it. After getting Cougar set up, I go for a walk on the nature trail while Clifford gets his ham radio antennas set up.
Our campsite at Wind Whistle Campground
Hiking on the Nature Trail
After dinner, Clifford sits outside to play dulcimer while I write in the journal. At sunset I take photos of the west-facing mesas. What a pleasant last camping spot before home.
Sunset reflects off west-facing mesas
Soft golden light at sunset
Wednesday October 9: I am up in time to take photos at sunrise. It is mostly sunny today, but so windy that neither Clifford nor I spent much time outside. We hear of wind, snow, and cold in California with power shut off to 70,000 people. We feel very fortunate to be here and able to live comfortably with our solar power and hot spot for internet. I work on blogs and editing today while Clifford works on his ham radio propagation detection program.
Sunset again reflects off west-facing mesa
Thursday October 10: Photos at sunrise again this morning, but the air, the light, the clouds are always changing – it is all like new to me.
Photos at sunrise
After breakfast, we hike the nature trail together, warm in the sunny places and chilly in the shady sections.
Hiking with Clifford
Wind Whistle Nature Trail
Back at camp, we pack up and are on our way a little after noon. We are happy to have found this little treasure of a place, but it is time to return to home-base. We arrive in the early afternoon, having been gone for only three months this time. It seems like it was longer due to the many places we camped and alll the people that we saw on this northern journey.
Due to the increase in elevation between Wind Whistle and here, the wind is bitter cold as we park and level Cougar, but the house is warm and smells good, and it feels harmonious inside, out of the wind. Now that we are here, we will be switching gears and focusing on other things, mostly in connection with Carnicom Institute, but we are already planning our next departure date.
