As we
travelled through California we passed many different crops – olives, citrus
orchards, grapes, cotton and probably rice. We missed the fires, only saw a bit
of smoke in the air. Getting closer to what we were looking for – palm trees,
cacti and Joshua trees! We spent a couple of nights in hiway rest stops, noisy
but free! Near San Bernadino we set up the “rabbit ears” antenna and picked up
94 channels! Surprised to see so many people sleeping the night in their cars
in these rest stops – one had over 20!
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cotton field |
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finally - palm trees |
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California windmills |
I try to do some of the driving, so far 3 or 4
hours worth. I am not ready to tackle city driving yet though.
We arrived
in Quartzsite, Arizona on Oct. 29, usually we would dry camp in the desert but
it was 31C so we opted for an RV park, for the A/C and a chance to do laundry
(in the coach – these machines are nicer than the ones at home!). No trees to
speak of, gravel everywhere but nice big sites and decent WiFi. And amazing
sunsets!
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watching Global Edmonton on our fancy TV |
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not fancy, but "home" |
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someone here sure likes birdhouses! |
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shopping in Quartzsite |
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rocks cut into slabs |
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amazing amethyst |
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pretty paperweights |
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Arizona petrified wood |
We had heard
of the Quartzsite Rock & Gem club from fellow club members in Edmonton (we
belong to the Edmonton club), we checked them out online and discovered that
they do weekly rockhounding fieldtrips. Great! We have joined them on two trips
and have gone out with some folks we met here on another trip. We must admit
that we are rock hoarders – we have a hard time leaving behind good specimens.
Our rock collection has grown, lots of porcelain jasper, red, yellow and green
jasper, chalcedony roses, fire agate, hematite and green banded rhyolite – all
of which can be cut into ¼” slabs then shaped and polished to create beautiful
pendants and other jewelry. Luckily we don’t need to take the rocks on a
Mexican vacation – the manager here has agreed to let us leave them here until
our return in March. We are now seriously considering that staying in this area
for a winter would prove enjoyable, maybe next year – then we could see this
town of 3000 increase to over a million “crazy” folks that come here for the
Rock & RV shows in January and February! We could even set up at the
regular craft fairs and sell our wares, as we do in Edmonton in the summer.
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Porcelain jasper, the raw rock, a slab and some polished pieces |
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a tarantula |
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our newfound rockhounding friends |
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Arizona desert |
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red and green jasper |
We remain in
Quartzsite but are leaving tomorrow, heading to Yuma for a few days before we
cross into Mexico. Need to stock up on a few things and change out a bunch of
our lights in the RV – there are 60 lights inside this thing! Need LEDs to save
power and make it brighter as we are old and need better light!
So far our
trip has been good, we love the new motorhome, lots of space and very
comfortable. We won’t have the same level of luxury once we get into Mexico but
the ocean makes up for that. We will cross at Mexicali and aim for Gongzaga
Bay, for a nice long beach stay. Next update once we find internet, probably a
few weeks from now.
Just caught up on all your posts from this trip. I am glad you are still enjoying living the dream. The photos are great, your new home is HUGE!
ReplyDeleteContinuing having fun and enjoying the warmth of the sun.
Lou
Once again great post and photos. See you were watching TV as you were sipping on your tea. Stay safe, CHEERS Pat
ReplyDelete