April 10, 2011 Sugar Barge Resort, Bethel Island, CA

After two weeks at the Contra Costa County Fairground, we moved  to Sugar Barge Resort--during a “knock you to the ground” rain and windstorm.  We picked a site with a gravel pad to avoid sinking slowly through their lawn into the underlying mud and just backed in and plugged in electricity to hunker down until the storm passed.

Here is our view out the door the next morning:

We decided to stay in this spot, # 113, next to the entrance gate because we can use the cell phones here—a miracle since they don’t work in other sites—and we receive regular digital stations on the TV—three different PBS stations, so I am a happy camper!  One even has CREATE TV—which is filled with the PBS craft, cooking, travel and wood shop programs we enjoy watching. Life is GOOD!

The weather hasn’t been good.  We have had a few days of beautiful spring weather up to the low 80s, but then winter returned in full force—rain with winds shaking us for hours.  Snow levels are the highest in over 40 years up in the Sierra Nevada mountains—with Interstate 80 closed days on end due to snow. Hurry up Spring, we are anxious to have you back!

I enjoyed a bit of drama the first few days.  The gate and old guard shack are visible through the side camper window.  I was looking out and noticed a pretty Siamese cat strut out the gate and peer down the road for a few minutes.  He looked and looked.  And then….

he took off down the above road like he was on his way to work—tail high in the air and headed straight down the road. The nest few mornings, he and another cat peered down the road and then trotted down the road.  I wondered what they saw and where they were going with such determined strides.

And then one morning, the fog descended all the way to the ground.  The Siamese and the black cat came out of the gate and stood about where the tree is in front of the photo—and looked down the road—and couldn’t see beyond the guard shack because the fog obscured everything.

They looked at each other—then down the road and kind of shook their heads and looked at each other as if to say:  Where did IT go???  What ever IT was—it couldn’t be seen that morning.  They waited and looked a few more minutes and kind of shrugged their shoulders and reversed direction and came back inside the park gate and wandered back to their homes.  It was a hoot to watch.  I know, I am easily amused with cheap entertainment!

Yesterday, Brentwood’s Farmer’s Market opened for the season.  It was an opportunity to get in a bit of walking as well as add some fresh veggies to our diet.

 

To Larry’s dismay, the tomatoes won’t be ripe until we leave the area, but we did buy some Brussels' sprouts and cauliflower from this booth.

With time to pass, we have been doing some cooking.  Arlene taught me how to bake a lemon meringue pie at Q. She uses the Argo cornstarch recipe with five eggs; I found it on the internet.  Oh, Oh, Oh!  It was sooo good, I am baking another one for Easter dinner!

The one thing we learned is that you need a mixer to make lemon meringue pies.  Luckily I was able to borrow my sister’s because you need a mixer to get the rich meringue topping with the toasty peaks!

We are staying here at Sugar Barge until the day after Easter when we return to the Fairground for our last few days in the Antioch area.  We would love to stay at Sugar Barge until May 5th, but the exorbitant diesel and gas prices are impacting our campground choices and we have to cut where we can.  

Gas prices topped $4 this past week and the diesel prices are quickly closing in on $4.50.  We will cut where we can in order to fund our travels.  Like the rest of the country, we will tighten our belts as well as count our blessings.  If we concentrate on the things we can still do, (instead of the “cant's”) we will feel rich and powerful.

So, take a moment to remember all the things you can still do—even when funds are short.  And then make your plans to fulfill your dreams!

March 18, 2011 – Back in Antioch, CA

I am not sure what happened.  Last time I looked, we were headed back to Quartzsite, AZ---and now we are back in California???  Where did that month go? 

I can’t even claim the weather in Quartzsite was so wonderful that we were too busy to write.  The weather was nice; much nicer than other parts of the country, but quite windy.  NOW that we are gone,  it is in the 90s—but was in the 60s and 70s when we left.

During the missing month, I remember visiting two great one-day craft shows  at the Q. Senior Center and at the Q.I.A. Center.  These shows are more fun than the flea markets; the vendors sell stuff they created.

It is amazing to see all the beautiful work that can be done while living in an RV.  Where do the crafters store the supplies and their equipment?  Darn, I haven’t found a way to carry my pottery supplies with us.  Think maybe I need to learn a more mobile skill? 

In the photo above, notice the camper just to the left of the crafter’s shoulder.  It is a Big Foot Camper like ours, and they camp at La Posa North too.  We were pleasantly surprised to see so many different truck campers this year, some days as many as 6 or 8.  Maybe we are on the leading edge of a new trend, smile.  Larry fell in love with this little beauty:

It is a Host with TWO slide outs.  Just imagine all the room inside—and outside storage. However, it is WAY too heavy to ride on a one-ton truck.  Upgrading our truck to a Ford 450 or 550 is the sticking point for us.  After wiping the drool from Larry’s chin, we drove back to our one-ton baby and patted her on the hood and thanked her for her great service.

Remember I mentioned the range of RVs represented in Quartzsite?  This unique hand-made RV falls in there somewhere.

The sign says Florence, Angels Camp, CA. While it wouldn’t appeal to most Rvers, I love the whimsy.  Isn’t it great that someone’s  artistic need was so compelling they were willing to spend the money and time needed to build it.  I give them a thumb's up for creativity!

And then, we headed back to California on March 8.

Here is just one of the “welcome to California signs:

  

Yikes, $4.13 cents for diesel.  Talk about sticker shock!  From $3 a gallon in January, up $1.13 in just 60 days.  As we filled, I patted our Chevy on the hood again and thanked her for giving us a steady 12 mpg.

Driving down the steep Tehachapi grade into Bakersfield, we saw GREEN.  After months of brown, our eyes feasted on the beautiful green velvet covering the hills.  It was like coming home after a long trip.

Beautiful to behold.

And then, the real measure of spring:

Miles and miles of trees wearing their white, pink and purple blossoms.  The dreary, gray days of winter are behind us.

NOT!  We had a few sunny days, and then Mr. Winter returned full of anger.  He’s spittered and sputtered for 8 days now and show no sign of leaving.  We have to stick around the area until Larry sees his kidney doctor on May 4th.  I had plans for wandering around California, but the “welcome to expensive California” sign put the kibosh on those plans.

We have a month’s reservation at Sugar Barge Resort starting this week.  I had picked that beautiful resort because I wanted to resume the walking program Arlene and I started at Q. I may need a bigger umbrella and goulashes if I want to walk in this weather.  Maybe I am going to have to come up with a small-space craft after all.  Any suggestions?

Happy Spring to you.  May you have enough rain or snow to keep  summer droughts away, but not so much to keep you from planting your Spring garden.

Feb. 14, 2011 – Back in Quartzsite, AZ

The two-day trip back down from Antioch was fine. We spent the night dry-camping at Flying J in Barstow, CA. We always fuel up there and often spend the night in the parking lot.

How is this for a room with a view?

Pilot has not converted the restaurant into a Denny’s like the other Flying J’s, so I suspected bad news. Unfortunately, Pilot has put that station up for sale or lease. We will miss it when it closes.

We thought we were free of medical issues until late May when it was time to go back to see Larry’s nephrologist. Unfortunately at Barstow, CA, we received a call from the dermatology doctor--which wasn't good news about the biopsy on my arm. The biopsy site and quarter-sized wound hasn’t hurt, but the rash from the Curad bandage has itched like crazy. I’m bringing my own paper tape to the appointment on March 14th!

We are back “home” on our little square of hard ground, dust, and a few sage bushes for the next few weeks. Quartzsite is like a new town. It was like a flock of birds leaving the area or a school of fish. The head one took to the roads and the followers went with him. Every day, fewer and fewer RVs were parked on the BLM land and fewer cars on the roads. There weren't any long lines of RVs leaving--they just melted away. Now we can breathe again in the space they left!!

Here are some samples of the range of RVs found spending the winter in the Q area:

You have seen the photos of our truck and camper. Other RVs range from this little A-liner trailer, that has been here since December, to million-dollar-plus buses.

That is roughing it! At least we have a shower stall in our bathroom. We also use “green grass” to create some outdoor space. And at the other end of the spectrum:

Yes, that is a car port for his truck, a screen room under the awning and six solar panels on the roof. I don’t think he is roughing it.

And then there are those folks who set up their homestead with double and triple wide canvas rooms attached to the RVs for more protected space. I imagine they come for the October-April season. Within certain BLM restrictions, If you can think of it, you can do it—but you have to take it with you when you leave.

It’s been warm the last few days, but today the wind is howling and we have a 20 per cent chance of rain tonight. However, we have HOPE for better weather soon!

Spring Has Sprung! We saw the first blooming tree in Blythe, CA.

Good times are around the corner—for us and you too. Winter weather is on the run—out of our lives for now.

Feb. 3, 2011 Antioch, CA -- Lab Tests and Doctor Visit.

We had wonderful news this week. Larry’s kidney test came in at the best level in 3 years! His creatinine level has fallen to 2.5. The doctors are asking: Where is that Shangri-La land you are visiting?

They are as surprised at his results as we are. The diet control and life-style modifications are working. Larry has not taken an aspirin or Tylenol in about 8 years, which I think has helped too. He is still in stage 4 of CKD, but we have stepped back a bit further from the cliff edge. Life is good this week!

We have been staying at the Contra Costa County Fairground in Antioch, CA. The price and location work for us. Escapees receive a 15% discount so our nightly fee is $17. This park is not for everyone. It is noisy with both trains whistles and sirens close by and in a less desirable neighborhood than Sugar Barge Resort.

For us, the proximity to our medical offices, my dad’s house and shopping make it an ideal location. In the past week, I have been to Costco, our storage locker, and Wal-Mart 3 times, and to Canned Food Outlet (for great Danish jam), Trader Joe’s, Safeway and the medical offices and pharmacy twice. I washed the blankets and rugs and all our laundry. We are done with doctors' visits for a few months and ready to leave for Quartzsite, AZ, tomorrow morning.

Site # 1 at the CCC Fairground RV park.

And here are the rest of the sites. As we said, it isn’t fancy, but it is convenient.

Meanwhile, while back in Quartzsite, I didn’t get around to sharing more of the essentials of “existing” in the desert. Here are few photos of the “essentials.”

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Once a week we drive 2 miles south and 1 mile back in on the BLM land where we can dump our tanks, fill our water tanks and dispose of garbage.

During the Big Tent show, the line for using the dump facilities can be a bit long. We had driven right up and waited about 15 minutes while the line just grew--and grew--behind us. Glad we were early that day.

After dumping, the next station is for fresh water.

The BLM has two faucets at each spigot so two rigs can fill at once and 4 separate stations for a total of 8 RVs at a time. The dumpsters are next to the water faucets on the east side of the road.

And they do fill all the dumpsters during the heavy period when the big tent is open.

These services are included in the BLM’s 14-day permit and annual permit fees. For those who don’t want to drive their rig down to the dump station, there are local companies who come to the RVs.

Our neighbors with a fifth-wheel trailer pay to have their black-water tank pumped every two weeks to avoid moving the trailer. Most RVers who pay to have the pump truck bring the fresh water in from the BLM faucets in 55-gallon white plastic drums and pump it into their tanks.

And that is how a large number of RVs take care of the essentials while living in the desert on the BLM permit land. Rvers staying in the “14-day free zone” have to pay commercial businesses in town, like the Pit Stop, for dumping tanks and filling fresh water tanks. I heard that it that runs about $20 a week.

We are anxious to get “home” to our spot in Qaurtzsite. We should be back parked next to our inviting green-grass patio rugs by Sunday. We expect only blue skies, warm weather, and gentle breezes for the next month or two. Oh, and short lines at the dump station again now that the big tent show is almost over.

Jan. 27, 2011, Quartzsite, AZ – Happy Hour and Big Tent

The past week has been busy.  First, Susie and Denny Orr, Escapees RV Club Chapter Directors, hosted their sixth annual Happy Hours last Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.   I am embarrassed to admit that I had such a wonderful afternoon visiting with Escapees friends that I forgot to take any photos.  Larry would probably say:  She was so busy talking, she forgot to take photos!

And he would be right.  At the special gathering place along the I-10 frontage road on the east end of Quartzsite, at least 300 Escapees members came together for two afternoons of entertainment, snacks, and fellowship.  Some actually camped there, some drove up from Yuma and down from Parker—and some of us came from other boondock spots in Quartzsite.  We brought chairs, refreshments and lots of hugs to share!

Denny and Susie do the planning and set-ups—and the rest of us show up to enjoy the energy they bring to the gathering.  Denny and Susie, thank you for all your time and hard work—done so we can come and meet and greet long-time friends and take away a feeling of belonging to a very special group!  You are the best!!

Following in the lack of photography efforts, I failed to take photos of the Big Tent Show that opened last Saturday.  It is impossible to photograph the tent and surrounding area to illustrate the scale of the size of the tent and number of parked cars surrounding it.  Highway 95 headed north was backed up almost three miles with cars pouring into Quartzsite from the south—and probably almost as far from the north.

We are long-time attendees and I have to say:  The number of RVs parked in the BLM free and long-term visitor areas as well as traffic clogging the highway feels much higher than previous years. And the show attendees were spending.  I bet the vendors leave with big smiles after this show.

I had the opportunity to re-visit some Escapees commercial members and introduce them to the new Escapade Director, Bob Pinner.  I know he will do a great job setting up the Escapade Market Area for the upcoming Escapade in Gillette, WY, this summer.

More Quartzsite information in the next blog, because we are:

Back on the road…..

Part of our story is living with a serious medical issue.  Larry’s kidneys are failing and have been for over 10 years.  When we first heard about it, we were devastated!  We saw a very uncertain future with only scary things littering the path we were going down.

  We did some basic diet readjustments and the failure rate slowed down.  Life might have gone on with minor inconveniences such as blood tests every three or four months and doctors’ visit once or twice a year.  In Feb. 2008, he developed a blood clot that lead to the discovery of an aneurism behind his knee.  The vascular surgeon was well aware of our concern and tried his best to flush the dye from Larry’s kidneys, but the damage was done.

Since 2008, we changed our diet even more.  We adopted a modified version of the dialysis diets, limiting protein consumption and strict monitoring of sodium intake.  And, it has been working.  His creatinine levels have hovered between 3.0 and 3.5.  We have chosen to continue to travel and do what we want—working around the monthly lab tests and Procrit prescription for treating CKD’s anemia.

Last summer the creatinine level dropped back down to 2.7 for three months running and we were thrilled!  Unfortunately, the numbers started climbing in Livingston.

We are heading to Antioch, CA, to do the lab work back where it was 2.7 in September and find out if his kidneys are now failing at a faster rate—or if the reading was an aberration.  You know what we are hoping for—so please keep us in your prayers.

We expect to be back in Quartzsite around Feb. 6th.  I promise to take photos while in the Antioch, CA area.  In the meantime, enjoy  one of the many beautiful Quartzsite sunsets.

Jan. 12, 2011 Quartzsite, AZ Roughing it -- Part 2

It’s too cold to be outside, so I am going to share how we rough it living “off the grid” in Quartzsite, AZ.

We have two solar panels (80 and 100 watt) on the camper roof to charge the batteries.  We have 12-volt chargers for our cell phones and the computers.

To use 110-volt appliances, we start the Honda 2000i generator.  It’s been reliable and is conservative with gas. Larry rigged a shelf at the back of the camper to carry it.  The best part is that even I can start it!

Because it is close to the camper and emits exhaust, we also have a carbon monoxide detector inside the camper.

 

It runs on batteries and has a read-out pane to monitor any carbon monoxide in the camper as well as an alarm if the readings get too high.  We also use it to monitor the heater (see below).  We have had higher readings (38-42) from making stove-top coffee than any other function.

Today we started the generator so I could bake a loaf of bread.  My close friends know I “rescue” Panasonic bread machines from garage sales and thrift shops.  They make the best machine-made bread.  I make our bread at home and while staying in RV parks; I have cut the salt in the bread recipe (one teaspoon down to 1/2 teaspoon per loaf)--allowing Larry to enjoy two slices of toast with his breakfast and still have a sandwich for lunch. 

I rescue the one-pound machines because they no longer sold.  We like the one-pound loaves baked in the machine, and I use the two-pound loaf machines to make bread dough and bake it in the oven.

Don’t ask how many machines I have; it is a sore spot with Larry.  :).  There is always room for another Panasonic machine in our home!  I also pass them on to friends who might enjoy baking fresh bread—if they will use it.  If later they don’t want it—and I will find another happy home for it..

 

Here is our generator project.  It was delicious.  In the spirit of roughing it, we watched TV while it was baking. 

We have not enjoyed good reception with the new digital TV stations—even in downtown Salem, OR.  And we had even worse luck setting up the DISH tripod antenna.  The setup process was so frustrating, we didn’t bother bringing the satellite system.  And then the Winegard CarryOut antennas came on the market.  It seemed like an affordable fit for us.

The Winegard CarryOut has two lines, the 12 volt power line and the coax cable.  It actually finds the satellite by itself.  It doesn’t require our help—which is so amazing!   Another problem was the receiver.  We didn’t have a place for it in the camper—until Larry came up with this great idea:

He hung a basket from the ceiling for the receiver box and then ran a coax cable out behind the refrigerator box to the outside.  He made a 12 volt plug directly off the battery box—so the two cables for the CarryOut don’t come inside.  This year we are watching satellite TV instead of cursing the digital stations.

On cold days—we use Mr. Heater Buddy to warm our shoebox.  It burns the small propane canisters and has an oxygen sensor to turn the unit off if the carbon monoxide gets too high.  We keep a small window open for fresh air exchange and use the CO2 detector.  We couldn’t stay here dry camping in cold weather without this heater.

We don’t run it at night when we are sleeping.  We have had some 30 degree weather and we stay warm and toasty under our winter blanket, even when it is 40 degrees inside.  If it is really, really cold, we add stocking caps and sleep like babies—warm and cozy.  Larry is lucky, I get up first and start the heater to warm the camper before he has to get out of bed.  (Yes, he is spoiled, smile.)

As you can see, life is different out here without any hook-ups, but not really difficult.  With some modifications in the rig and in our attitudes, “roughing it” is fun.

Dec. 29, 2010 Where and what is Quartzsite???

Are you wondering where Quartzsite is and why we are here?

Quartzsite grows from about 1,000 heat-loving hearty souls during the summer months to 10,000-15,000, mostly RVers, in mid-January. Quartzsite sits at the intersection of I-10 and AZ Highway 95—about 20 miles east of Blythe, CA and about half-way between Lake Havasu City and Yuma, AZ. Yes, it is basically, in the middle of the AZ desert. The big draw: Quartzsite is surrounded by BLM lands that allow dry camping. Visitors can choose between free 14-day camping without services or pay permit fees of $40 for 14-days or $180 for long-term (between October and April) for dry-camping with a BML-maintained sewer dump, water faucets and garbage services. Or stay in one of the numerous RV parks in town with full hook-up services.

The Jennings and Cray’s homesteads for the winter. We stay in the BLM’s La Posa North Long-TermVisitor Area ($180 for the season).

The area first developed into a tourist area because of rocks--lots and lots of rocks—all for sale!

Quartzsite, AZ became a popular place for desert camping and rock hounding in the 1960s. In the beginning, local rock hounds gathered at the intersection of the two highways to sell or trade rock to be used in lapidary and other crafts. Eventually “flea markets vendors” added their products to the mix and set up shop up in every vacant lot on the main street of town—attracting more visitors.

And the gathering grew every year. Vendors came from all over the US to spend the winter selling rocks, jewelry findings, and RV items. Today’s biggest draw is the Big Tent Sports, Vacation and RV Show held during the 3rd and 4th week of January; it starts on January 22 this year and is held in a block-long tent for 10 days.

And why are we here? We drove through the area in 1988 on our way to spend some time in warmer weather down in Yuma, AZ and enjoyed the atmosphere of the area. We shopped the flea markets back in the “old days.” We could wander through for hours looking at all the different hand-crafted items for sale. Today the items are mostly Chinese imports and with so little space left in the camper, we aren’t tempted any more.

If you collect something, you will find it for sale in Quartzsite.

We are drawn back by the drier weather—fewer aches and pains in these old bodies, a friendly community of RVing friends, and an excellent local library that carries the newest books by authors we enjoy. Plus our cell phones and broadband card keeps us up in the digital age.

We spend a lot of time at the library. They offer free use of about 16-20 online computers and a great selection of the newest books, which saves us money during the year. When the new books come out in paperback, I don't have to buy them. : )

We visit the local laundry mat (A.K.A. “Washateria” in TX) about every five days—wiht our limited space, we don’t carry a large supply of clothes in the camper.

And right across the street from the Laundry is the General Store where I pick up the items I forgot to buy in Parker, AZ, or Blythe, CA, on our stock-up shopping-trip days.

We also fill about two gallon jugs with filtered water for each day from the blue machines at the General Store for drinking water and making coffee.

And just in case you think we are really roughing it out here, this is our neighbor on the other side—pressure washing his car the day after they arrived from Iowa. He brought his electric-powered power washer and connected it to his RV’s water system.

Some folks find it hard to leave their toys home—they want to play in the desert. The methods of transporting toys are as varied as RVs.

Fred built a quad rack so he can have his toy to play out here. He has rigged a winch to lower it down the ramps instead of driving it down backwards like two years ago. It was a heart-stopping moment to watch!

These folks wanted their quad and tow car—and brought it all. That is a lot of weight hanging out behind his motorhome.

We will post more photos as we encounter the explorers coming to Quartzsite this year—looking for good weather and fun-filled times.