During our days at Snyder Hill BLM, west of Tucson, I go for a hike at sunrise every morning, around the hill and a couple of times to the top of the hill. I especially enjoy seeing the Palo Verde with their chartreuse trunks and branches and the ocotillo with their sparse desert ambiance.
Walking around Snyder HillPalo Verde on Snyder hill
View from the top of Snyder Hill. We are the camper right in the middle.
One day we meet our special RV friends for breakfast at a cafe we discovered on McKinney Road. They were camped close by at Gilbert Ray campground and this cafe is on the route to their next destination. Coyote Pause is a nifty place, a lot of ambiance, good food, with a courtyard of interesting little shops and galleries. We have a good visit, getting to know each other better, and sharing stories about our travels and rock collecting adventures.
Coyote Pause for breakfast with our special RV friendsNifty location with a courtyard and little shopsCoyote Pause: good food, good service, and good conversation with our friends
A couple days later, for my birthday, I treat Clifford to breakfast at Coyote Pause. After a very good meal, we browse through the shops in the courtyard there. An artist’s gallery is filled with beautiful artwork of all sorts and I buy a couple of small prints depicting the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. We also explore Buffalo Trader and Clifford buys me a very colorful pair of pants, light and loose, which will be great in hot weather.
Carol’s birthday
I especially enjoy the evenings when the last rays of the sun light up Snyder Hill with a warm golden glow.
Golden glow on Snyder Hill
We are greatly disappointed to learn that a wildfire in the Dragoon Mountains, which was to be our next destination, will prevent our camping there. The day before we are scheduled to leave, however, we receive word that the evacuation order will be lifted in time for us to go there as planned. Hooray!
Saturday February 3: High of 80 today here south of Quartzsite, Arizona, and the sky is clear, for a change. We hear about the inclement weather in the rest of the country. While I am grateful we don’t have to struggle with the hardships of cold and snow, I do miss the beauty of wintertime.
I go for an early desert walk this morning and then have breakfast with Rollie. Clifford is on his ham radio with the Early Bird Net.
Morning walk at Roadrunner
Later Rollie and I go for an exploratory drive, curious see what’s on down the La Paz Valley Road and find ourselves on the Old Yuma Road. We find more camping – some long-term and some 14-day-free areas. Good for future reference, but no great advantage over where we are now.
Back at camp, I do some editing until the laptop battery goes dead and then prepare a spaghetti dinner. The wind has died down, so we make a campfire and eat outside. We haven’t had a campfire and eaten out very often here because of the wind, so it is a nice way to end the last day of our stay here at Roadrunner.
Dinner at the campfire – last night at Roadrunner
Sunday February 4: Clifford is up at 7:30 and we soon start packing. It takes awhile, especially with the elaborate antenna and radio set up, but we are on our way by 11:00 a.m. after saying good-bye to Rollie. We’re headed to Tucson; he will be camping near Parker for a bluegrass festival there. Bill and Sally left for Montana a couple of days ago. It has been fun having family around.
We stop in Gila Bend for gas, and I have to say this is a fun place to stop.
Dinosaurs roam free at Gila Bend
As we near Tucson, we stop for a meal at Cracker Barrel, quite the treat, especially for me as I won’t have to fix dinner and do cleanup tonight.
An outstanding feature between Phoenix and Tucson
Then on to Synder Hill, the BLM dispersed camping area west of Tucson on Highway 86. Synder Hill is just a few acres at the base of a hill, once outside of Tucson, but now surrounded by the expanding population. It is still a popular place for people who need a free and conveniently located place to stay while in the Tucson area. The nice spot we had last time is taken, as is every other nook. We settle for parking right on the side of the dirt road that meanders through the area, pulling in as close as we can to a little cluster of mesquite trees.
Getting set up at Synder HillGrateful for the mesquite tree at Synder HIllSunset colors on Synder Hill
We keep set-up simple, as we don’t plan to be here long and there is no room for anything other than simple, anyway. Play guitar a bit, but it is not nearly as much fun without Rollie on the mandolin.
Monday February 5: Warm temps here in Tucson: 42/80. Living in Montana most of my life, I think of February as being the dead of winter. Not so here.
We plan our errands for the day and the week so as to get everything done with the fewest trips to town. Today we are going to Southwest Strings, as Clifford wants to buy a viola for my birthday. I have missed playing my cello, but a viola is small enough to take traveling and has a nice sound. It’s not a cello, but it could be fun. So off we go and spend quite a lot of time looking at the very small selection of violas in a size and price-range that will work. I’m not feeling drawn to any of them, so am willing to wait until we get to Santa Fe where I can go to the Violin Shop for better selection and more helpful assistance. However, now is the opportunity, so after asking if they have ANYTHING else, they bring out a couple more instruments… and one of them is better and will work.
Viola
I buy a book of Fiddle Tunes for the cello, as I plan to read base clef on the viola. Why not? Same strings as the cello, just a higher octave. Back at camp, I begin experimenting with this new little instrument.
Sunday January 28: We are still camped at Roadrunner, the BLM campground south of Quartzsite, Arizona. It is calm this morning, so I make a campfire and Rollie comes over to join me. We chat as we drink our respective hot drinks.
Campfire and our respective hot drinks
I was going to sit out after the campfire to write in my journal, but the wind comes up and I head inside.
In the evening, Rollie and I do music at his place, as it is too windy outside.
Monday January 29: Today is an errand trip to Parker for the things that we can’t do in Quartzsite, which takes a good chunk of the day. When we get back to camp, Clifford and I have leftovers for dinner. Rollie has already eaten with Bill and Sally, but he comes over for tea. While we are sitting out, Clifford spots the exotic lights that we have seen before in the desert. They are still a mystery.
Tuesday January 30: I take photos of a colorful sunrise,
Colorful sunrise. Little dots at bottom are campers: Rollie& Ninja on the left, Carol & Clifford center, Bill & Sally to the right
Vivid color every direction
then join Rollie at a campfire and write in my journal while he plays mandolin.
Campfire and journal while Rollie plays mandolin
Later, I send another set of edits to Ang and re-send agent letters, as she has had some problem with opening them. Internet communication is sometimes very iffy, both on my side and hers.
Later we all have dinner at Bill’s; he enjoys barbecuing and I am happy to contribute something other than the meat. Another campfire and music outside this evening. Not bad for a January evening.
Send cell pics to my girls. Staying in touch with my kids is important to me and really appreciate calls and texts from them. The cell phone has been/is vital for communication with all these dear ones.
Wednesday January 31: I am up early enough to get a few photos of the Super Blue Blood Lunar Eclipse. It was neat to see it, but my photos are not terrific.
Super blue blood lunar eclipse
This morning we all head out to Crystal Hill in the Kofa Wildlife Refuge south of Roadrunner for some hiking and rock-hounding.
View as we drive to Crystal Hill
This time I head down the wash and start looking at the west end slope of the hill. It is not so picked over here and I find a nice crystal as well as many beautiful quartz stones.
Crystal Hill west slopeCrystal found at Crystal Hill
Bill decides to go back to camp as the big dogs are restless, making it hard to search for crystals. Sally wants to stay, so she joins me on the west slope. We have a good time chatting as we look for crystals until Clifford and Rollie are ready to go. Back at camp, we all contribute our picnic food to lunch at Bill and Sally’s.
Since my laptop has been charged and the hotspot is working, I take care of email, FB, and editing this afternoon. I finish out my day with writing in planner and journal before heading to bed. Clifford continues with his ham radio experiments late into the night… and thus we wrap up January 2018.
Thursday January 25: I put the files for the Quartzfest photo contest on a flash drive, and Clifford and I drop them off at the Event Center on our way to Quartzsite for errands. Just the usual errands, except that we also go to La Mesa RV and look at trailers there. It is an info-gathering stop. They do not have much of a selection in the size that would work for us, but it was fun to look.
Looking at trailers at La Mesa RV
We are in a thinking mode about how we might make a better arrangement for Clifford’s research while we are on the road. He does a lot as it is, but a dedicated space would be an improvement.
Friday January 26:
This morning after tea with Rollie, we walk down to the Welcome Center to vote on the photos in the photo contest. I see that I have two photos in the Nature category and one in the Technical category that have made it to the finals and are posted on the bulletin board.
Rollie and Ninja
Today I work on agent letters and prepare another page of edits for Ang’s “Dragons of Va’Ha’Den” fantasy series. My son Fin sends a short video, via FB messenger, of himself, his wife Mandy, and baby Mollie. So great to see them! It would be wonderful if they could come to the States for a visit.
We have stir-fry and rice for dinner and while we eat, Rollie tells us stories about his time in Kentucky and in the army. So much of his life I am unfamiliar with. It is good that we are getting to know each other a bit more as we travel together here.
Saturday January 27: Thirty-four degrees and a chilly wind this morning when I walk down to the Welcome Center to get catalogs and look at the swap meet. Later we all go down for the Closing Ceremony. Lots of items are given away during the drawings. The most fun is the photo contest results: I take first place in Nature, first place in Technical, and the Grand Prize, overall. I am quite pleased!
First place – TechnicalFirst place – Nature and overall Grand Prize
Before the Closing is finished, we get word that Cousin Bill and his wife Sally are on their way to camp with us again and will be here shortly. Rollie volunteers to get his S10 and lead them in through the maze of RV’s where there was virtually nothing but open desert when they were here before.
This afternoon Amateur Radio Winter Field Day begins, which, although not part of Quartzfest, wraps of the week of concentrated ham radio for Clifford.
Wednesday January 24: This morning I am up in time to get dressed, have breakfast, make a lunch, and head to the Welcome Center with Rollie by 9:00 a.m., as we are going on the Quartzfest off-road trip. We are planning on riding with someone else, as Rollie is not sure his S10 is appropriate for the off-road trip and Clifford is not planning on going; Suburban might not be ideal, either.
At the Welcome Center we see the line-up of vehicles; even though most of them are jeep-type vehicles, there are a few nice SUV’s that look a bit out of place, so Rollie asks the trip leader if his S10 is okay, and yes it is. So Rollie heads back to the campsite to get Ninja (who would otherwise have had to stay home all day) and his little pickup and we join the line-up. I count about 35 vehicles and we are somewhere in the middle.
The line-up heads south on 95, then off on a gravel road between the Crystal Hill Road and the Palm Canyon Road.
Heading toward the Kofa Mountains
Today we are heading into the northern end of the Kofa Mountains. After a few miles, we turn off the gravel onto a dirt road that winds around a rugged desert landscape, down and up rocky arroyos; a road of some sort, but quite gnarly in spots. I ask Rollie if he and the S10 are okay. He is having a great time pretending that S10 is a rugged little jeep and that it can go anywhere that the others can!
Off-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife RefugeOff-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife Refuge
I take photos from the open passenger window as best I can, given that there is not a smooth moment anywhere.
Off-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife RefugeOff-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife RefugeOff-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife Refuge
We make a couple of stops – scenic spots, including a hidden springs, for people to walk about a bit, and a longer stop for lunch in a beautiful desert canyon. Rollie and I find a couple of right-size rocks to sit on to eat lunch and relax.
Different type of tree grows at a hidden springs in the Kofa Wildlife RefugeOff-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. View from the picnic lunch stopOff-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. An arch is sightedOff-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. Rugged mountains!Off-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. Closer view of the ruggednessOff-road adventure – the Kofa Wildlife Refuge
On the way back to camp, since the group is out of time for a stop at Crystal Hill, Rollie and I go there on our own.
Heading toward Crystal Hill
It is a fun place to hike a bit while looking for crystals and beautiful quartz pieces. We would have stayed longer, but Rollie is planning on heading to Quartzsite tonight for a music jam.
Back at camp, we have dinner, then Rollie heads to town while Clifford and I catch up on our day’s activities. I pick and edit photos for the Quartzfest photo contest, including a couple from our trip today. It sure was a fun day, but the outing tired me out and after sending pics to my girls, I to head to bed.
Friday January 19: Warm, sunny, and windy. Talked to my daughter Becka in Georgia. It is in the teens there and icy, so school has been canceled most of the week. Cold in Florida, also. As I talk to her, I walk about collecting rocks to make a fire ring.
Today is Clifford’s birthday and I give him an IOU for pizza at Dion’s when we make it to Santa Fe.
Rollie is at the bluegrass festival in Blythe. It is quite windy there, also, but he is enjoying the music.
Saturday January 20: Very windy in the night and we are up at 5:00 a.m. because one of the antenna lines has come loose and is slapping against the side of the camper. We fix it and then go back to bed. By time we get up, the little patio tarp that Clifford put up yesterday has blown down.
It is still windy with the slightest bit of rain – 42 drops, as Rollie would say – as I walk to the Event Center to sign us in for Quartzfest.
42 drops of rain as I walk to the Event Center
Later in the day, in spite of the wind, I do a walkabout for more rocks and take a few photos.
Sunset colors
Sunday January 21: Today’s temperature: 36/60, which is cooler than we’ve seen for awhile and so windy that I don’t even go for a morning walkabout. Plenty of inside things to do: Morse code, journal, cell pics text to kids, edit “Kings and Keepers” for Ang. Clifford and I talk about options for a mobile lab so Clifford can do more with his research while we are on the road. He has been working on the Carnicom Legacy Project, but today he is focused on his ham radio.
In the afternoon, we walk down to the Event Center for Quartzfest Opening Ceremony, a rather chilly walk.
Pretty day in spite of the chilly breeze
Dinner inside this evening, as there will be no eating at a campfire on these windy chilly days.
Monday January 22: Mostly sunny today, but a very chilly breeze. I go for a desert walk at sunrise for my quiet time, glad to get back to the warmth of the camper.
Vibrant sunrise colors
Mid-morning, I walk to the Event Center for the photography class, somewhat similar presentation as last year. Then back to the camper. Clifford is back and forth, also, going to radio/antenna focused presentations.
Text from Rollie. He is on his way to Roadrunner and will be here soon. I walk out to the host station to wait for him, as the huge number of RV’s here for Quartzfest has totally changed the landscape and he might not know where to find us. The hosts are not on duty due to the government shut-down. I sit and knit until Rollie arrives, then guide him through the maze of RV’s.
Maze of Quartzfest RV’s where it was just open desert before
While Rollie gets set up, Clifford and I make a run to Quartzsite for supplies and to pick up mail. Back at camp, Rollie and Ninja come over to have dinner with us.
Tuesday January 23: Blue sky and merely breezy today. A desert walk at sunrise starts my day.
Waiting for the sunriseAnd the sun makes his appearance – the daily miracle that we take for granted
After breakfast, Clifford, Rollie, and I go to the RV show to look at RV’s. There is a very limited number of trailers of a size and weight that will work for us. This show is definitely catering to the BIG RV crowd. We do like one called “Retro” with its well-designed space and lighter weight.
But this is a just-for-fun looking trip for us. Rollie is looking at motorhomes, definitely in the soon-to-purchase mode. We also walk through the Big Tent, which is designed to entice folks into buying something – anything – from jewelry to RV solar systems.
Back at camp, we have a quick lunch and then Rollie and I go to the pre-hootenany gathering. It is too cool in the shade for me and too hot in the sun for the guitar, but still kind of fun. Clifford is attending some presentation, also.
We have an early dinner before heading to Quartzsite for a bluegrass concert by Hardshell Harmony at Quartzsite Improvement Association venue. It is a good concert, but late by time we get home. Off to bed at midnight, feeling a bit run-down. I think the chilly dry wind is disturbing to my vata, was well as staying up too late.
Saturday January 13: Mild temperatures continue here at La Posa South in southwest Arizona.
Mornings in the Arizona desert
I continue the usual daily activities of journal writing, editing, and music with Rollie. We make a couple of videos of medleys of bluegrass songs we are playing. Clifford spends his days working on the Carnicom Institute Legacy Project, his ham radio, and playing the dulcimer. Today’s unique activity is going to a concert at QIA: the New Christy Minstrels with a couple of the original band members still active in this group, Randy Sparks, for one. It was a very fun concert.
Sunday January 14: My morning desert walk is a time of stillness, appreciating the beauty of the desert.
Morning desert walk
The usual daily activities follow. We all play music and in the evening have dinner, which always includes Rollie and Ninja, at the campfire.
Monday January 15: Today’s temperature: 44/70, not bad for mid-January.
The rising of the sun
Today is a town day – errands, shopping, and laundromat. In the evening, as I’m doing music with Rollie, new neighbors come over to listen for a bit. They are also bluegrass musicians and we might try to get together.
Dinner at the campfire, which we all enjoy.
Tuesday January 16: I’ve decided to start learning Morse Code, since I hear it so much as Clifford is doing his ham radio stuff. It sure does take a lot of listening concentration.
Later, while walking in the wash, I call my good friends, Ken and Shelley Anne, as today is Ken’s birthday. He and I have been friends since we met in orchestra as 7th graders.
After dinner at the campfire, I start reading another Tony Hillerman novel, which I especially like since the setting is the Southwest.
Wednesday January 17: Clifford, Rollie, and I go to Quartzsite this morning to go to the RV show that is advertised. However, when we get there, we find out it doesn’t start until the 20th.
On the way back to camp, we see a little sign alongside the road announcing live music this evening at an RV parked not far from the entrance to La Posa South. We head down there in the early evening and are the first to show up at a campfire where a young woman, Audrey Callahan, and her guitar-playing husband are going to do live music. She is friendly and chats with us until more people arrive. Her singing is quite the treat indeed and we thoroughly enjoy her selection of songs, some of which she has written herself. At the end, she mentions doing travel videos, so I stay and chat with her, being interested in travel videos and blogs, and we exchange FB contact info. I do hope we can stay in touch.
Back at camp, dinner is late, and Clifford, Rollie, and I chat until almost midnight.
Thursday January 18: Today is moving day. We pack up and are ready to leave by mid-morning. Rollie is going Midland, the long-term BLM place north of Blythe so he can attend the bluegrass festival at Blythe. Clifford and I are going back to Roadrunner to get ready for Quartzfest, the ham radio week-long gathering. Our previous spot has been taken by other campers, so we find another place along the same small wash, but closer to the Quartzfest event center. A table and chairs hold a place for Rollie for when he joins us.
We get set up: antennas and radios for Clifford, organizing stuff and defrosting the fridge for me.
Clifford sets up his ham radio antenna
There is a mesquite tree and a big old saguaro right behind the camper, which I am most grateful for.
Old saguaro right behind the camper
La Posa was a great place and I wish we could have stayed longer, but this will do for now, as we need to be here for Quartzfest.
We have a simple dinner tonight and I read until after midnight. Clifford is up even later with his ham radio stuff. Quartzfest is quite an exciting time for him.
Monday January 9: Today’s temps: 53/74, about the same temperatures as yesterday, but cloudy this morning with a forecast for rain. I have tea with Rollie while Clifford goes to the hardware store in Quartzsite. The clouds move off, so looks like the rain passed us by and I am able to charge my laptop. In the afternoon, the wind comes up, bringing storm clouds with it. The heavy rain is quite exciting and as the storm passes, there is an outstanding rainbow over the desert.
Windsocks blowing in the windBeautiful double rainbow after the storm has passedMore of the span of the rainbow, too close to get in the whole arc
I play music with Rollie at his place and he comes over to our place for dinner. Kind of crowded, but it is too wet for music or meals outside. However, no complaints from us. Rain in the desert is a real treat, especially when topped off by a rainbow.
Tuesday January 10: Cooler today and damp. The morning desert walk is especially beautiful, as the landscape is moist and clean today after yesterday’s rain.
Walking in the wash – everything clean and fresh after yesterday’s rainstorm
A favorite big tree – most likely a tree variety of mesquite
Clifford is on the phone with Straight Talk for quite awhile and hopefully has the hotspot issue worked out. I work on emails today, being able to get on the net to take care of some of it, but use my cell as much as I can.
Rollie comes over for chicken and rice dinner at our place. He went to Lake Havasu for errands today and it wasn’t much fun for him, but dinner together is a nice way to end the day.
Wednesday January 11: Today’s temps: 44/66 and sunny.
Walking in the dessert, I take photos at sunrise, enjoying the warmth of the sun after it clears the horizon and I linger for a longer time of stillness before the activities of the day.
The saguaro seems to be enjoying the sun as much as I am
Today is more of the good sameness as previous days: walking in the desert, editing, music with Rollie, and dinner at the campfire.
Thursday January 12: Similar weather and daily activities with the addition of writing an essay to send to my daughter Merri recounting the births of my kids. She has a project in mind that needs input from all of us as to our recollection of events, seeing how different people have different perspectives on the same event. This will be quite an interesting project as it develops.
Saguaro with his Palo Verde palDesert companions
As Clifford, Rollie, and I sit around the campfire after dinner, we have an extended conversation about music and the development of instruments, and as we talk I work on the afghan I started yesterday for my granddaughter Jasmine’s baby-on-the-way.
Friday January 5: Today’s temps: 45/76 and mostly sunny. Doesn’t get much better than this.
Today wasn’t a particularly productive day, but I got a few things ready for the post office for the next time we go to town. Clifford has a couple of business calls to take care of, but mostly he focuses on his ham radio. Rollie and I do music in the afternoon and then we all have dinner at the campfire.
Music at the campfire.
I stay up until midnight to finish reading the Tony Hillerman novel that I started a few days ago.
Saturday January 6: Slightly warmer than yesterday, but cloudy.
I go for a morning walk in the early morning, leaving the camper when there is just enough light to see to walk safely. It is a wonderful mysterious time of day.
Clifford and I decide to go to Parker for errands and supplies, as Quartzsite is somewhat lacking in what we need. We are back at camp in time for a quick dinner and then we all head off to the QIA venue, which Clifford jokingly calls the Geriatric Improvement Association since most of the audience are seniors. Tonight is the McDougal Peter, Paul, & Mary concert. This group plays Peter, Paul, & Mary songs in the Peter, Paul, & Mary style. They are very good and the concert was most enjoyable. Later, back at camp, we discover that Clifford’s new binoculars are missing and suspect they were on the hood of the car when we left.
Sunday January 7: Slightly cooler today and jet trails mar the sky.
First thing this morning, I walk out to the main road looking for the missing binoculars, but they must have fallen off further down the road and are no where to be found. Rollie and I make a morning campfire and sit outside to enjoy our hot beverages. Clifford has a ham net in the morning, so does not join us.
In the afternoon Clifford goes to the gun show in Quartzsite. I thought I’d get a lot done while he is gone, but the hotspot is not working and it is too cloudy to charge my laptop. Ah well, play music with Rollie instead. We have nachos for dinner at the campfire after Clifford gets home.
Clean up and then read until bedtime, starting a different Tony Hillerman novel.
Monday January 8: Temps: 54/72 and cloudy.
I go for a walk in the desert before sunrise and catch some of the delicate pretty color of this morning’s offering.
Pretty sunrise color
After breakfast, Clifford and I go for a hike across the desert to the mountain that we see in the background to the east.
Heading across the basin to Shale Mountain (as I call it)The mountain in the distance is where we are headed
This mountain, actually a hill, is made of shale and covered with beautiful pieces of quartz. Being away from the path of most folks, the rocks are not picked over and I could have taken a truckload, but have to settle for a few that will fit in my fanny pack.
Quartz, some with embedded crystals… photos do not do them justice for their beauty
I love the desert here… the stark rugged mountains, along with the vegetation and the beautiful rocks.
View from our picnic spot on the side of Shale MountainLooking like a couple of wild desert rats
About a 5-mile hike… good for the legs and the soul.
Back at camp I do some editing and send a query letter to Ang for her approval. Then Rollie and I play music at the campfire ring. We have dinner there and sit around the fire chatting until quite late.
Monday January 1 – Temps: 37/70, kind of scummy looking. Breezy in the afternoon.
I sit in the wash to read – the warmth of the weak sunshine feels good. As soon as my laptop is charged, I do some edits for Ang and suggest another agent for her book, “Dragons of Va’Ha’Den.”
We have a chili dinner at our place (too windy this evening to have a campfire). Later I finish the book I have been reading, “A Wild Thing,” and it has such a depressing ending that I feel annoyed for having spent so much time reading this past week. A rather uneventful first day of the New Year.
Tuesday January 2 – Temps: 46/73
I walk to the east beyond the wash.
Crossing the wash
Before me is uninhabited desert all the way across the basin. The desert lends itself to serenity. No wonder wise and holy men and women throughout history have spend time in the desert. It is not a punishment; the essence of a desert of this nature makes it possible to achieve a deeper meditative state just by being here.
Cholla in the desert
We decide to go exploring, taking the main La Posa road deeper into the desert, beyond the boundary of the BLM camping area and into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
Exploring
We thought we might be able to make a loop to Crystal Hill, but the road is blocked. We hang out for a bit, admiring the scenery – too bad I didn’t bring a picnic lunch for us – and gather a few of the extraordinary rocks that are abundant here.
Hanging out in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge with Clifford, Ninja, and RollieWe consider driving over that “hill,” but decide against it – maybe more exploring than we really want to doLooking south – Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
Back at camp, I do some editing before starting dinner. Dinner is at the campfire tonight, which make the meal a fun adventure. Later, before bedtime, I begin reading a Tony Hillerman novel, only to discover that I’ve already read it. Ah well…. It was still a very good day.
Wednesday January 3 – Temps: 40/69 and cloudy all day.
I walk in the desert for photos at sunrise, then make a pot of yerba matte tea and start a campfire.
Sunrise colors
Rollie joins me, coffee in hand, and we chat as we sip our hot drinks. I do enjoy a morning campfire!
Enjoying a morning campfire. Notice the additions to the fire ring .
In the afternoon, we make the 30-mile trip to Blythe, California, to a small music store, as Rollie needs strings for his mandolin. Very nice lady owner there. Long-story-short, Rollie and I end up playing some bluegrass music on store-instruments: Rollie on a guitar and me on a cello. What a hoot!
Back at camp, we have a late dinner of left-over chili and then I start a different Tony Hillerman novel, reading until well after midnight.
Thursday January 4 – Temps: 43/73 and mostly sunny.
I walk in the desert and take photos, glad to have some sunshine and blue sky overhead instead of jet trails and murk. I sure do love our spot and the unencumbered desert here.
The sun has risen over the wash
Very cool old trees grow in and along the washThe moon sets over trees in the wash
In mail that was forwarded to us at Quartzsite, I have a letter from Social Security indicating a problem with my allotment. The nearest SS office is in Blythe, and due to a deadline to take care of this, we make another trip to Blythe. I read as I wait for my turn to be seen and when I finally see the woman, she is not the least helpful. I have to dig for every bit of information to know how to proceed.
Back at camp, we have a quick soup dinner, as we are going to a music presentation at the Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) venue. This proves to be a community event with some very accomplished performers and some just so-so, but everyone’s contribution is appreciated by the mostly senior citizen audience. Maybe Rollie and I could play there sometime; it is something for us to consider.
