Roosevelt Lake Arizona with more saguaro

Google blogs have a new updated system for posting pictures and while trying to learn the new system we got a lot of these pictures out of the order we wanted them in.  So if we jump back and forth please excuse us.

Still at Roosevelt Lake and enjoying the sun, desert and water.  Took a ride one day and saw this unbelievable Saguaro.  The only problem we were in shorts and flip-flops but had to zig zag our way through the thick bushes full of sharp poky thorns.  We finally found our way to this guy that was about one to two thousand yards off the road.  When we got there we found that this was not just one saguaro but a group of six growing in a very tight knot.  You get a better idea of the size with Jackie standing next to it.

Back at our camp the evening Arizona sky was on fire again.  Just had to step out our door to enjoy this beauty.  We have the best site in the park with views out three sides of the rig and a short walk over the rocks to the water.

 Took a day trip over the Apache trail, a narrow dirt road through the desert and over the mountains with unique colors in the hills.  Well, we should say lots of shades of brown with some vivid red in it and maybe a little green.

 The Apache trail road we followed to the base of the mountain.

Another shot showing some of the beauty of this area.

A pair of another big guys growing out in the desert and another trek with shorts through the desert to get closer for some shots.  What Dick isn't telling you is that he got really scratched up taking these pictures (or actually going across the desert so Jackie could take the pictures from the jeep)!

 Ouch!!! who is the idiot who would put his hand out to rest against this monster?

Look closely and figure out who that weird guy is standing out in the desert with his arms sticking up in the air.

 Out of order but Robbie had set up this feeder and we got this shot in the shade.  Next time will try to get a good shot in the sun to show off the bright colors..

We got our boat out and headed out for a tour with Robbie and Alice.  Spent part of two days out on the water and had a ball.  Good upper body workout.  And the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

 Out of any order but another view from our site.

And this is what saguaro  look like when they finally dry out and die.  Hard to find these still standing as they fall shortly after they die.  This one must be over 30' tall.

It was hard to leave this beautiful place where we'd had so much fun with friends, but we pulled out today and are spending one night back at Casa Grande.  We will be heading to California in the morning (actually Pilot Knob, just across the California border from Yuma).  Did get some great shots of the sunset and a rainbow over the park but that will have to wait for the next blog.

To be continued...



Off to Roosevelt Lake, AZ

After 3 plus weeks we finally hitched up the Jeep and headed west about 20 miles to Ehrenberg Arizona on the Colorado river to try and clean out all the dust from inside and outside of the MH and the Jeep. The tanks are clean and empty and ready to start over again on another venture.

The evening view out the back of our site looking across the river into California we witnessed another beautiful sunset.

Still another look before heading out the next day. We headed to Roosevelt Lake with a two day stop back in Casa Grande to cut the long distance of travel into two days. One of the fun things about this lifestyle is the friends you continually run across on your travels. Fifteen minutes after arriving at Casa Grande, who pulls up next to us but old friends Charlie and Nila. We had a chance to sit and chat before they headed out in the morning.

We pulled out and headed over the mountains, found a great site next to the lake and settled in for another week or two of dry camping with a view to die for. The saguaro in this part of the Tonto National Forest are several hundred years old and are just huge.

The bridge crosses over in front of the dam and Dick thought the arch reflections in the water were significant for a picture but hard to see.

A little out of sequence but a view from our campsite, which Alice described as the "primo" site.

But better still is a view looking from another directions at friends that we get to share more time with. Robbie and Alice and Alice's sister Mary and her husband Bill who we had the pleasure of meeting last year, as well as Steve and Jeanie (not in the picture).

We took a trip down the road today to visit the Tonto National Monument Cliff Dwellings. This is the lower cave with a short 3/4 mile hike up the side of the hill. Being the first up there in the morning it was great to have the site to ourselves.

While small it was still exciting to visit the homes last occupied over 700 years ago. The ancient Salado people were farmers and had to travel a long distance down the mountain to tend their crops.

They probably didn't care but they sure had a fantastic view from their front rooms.

No lake, just a river when these people lived here. Yes, that's Jackie on the trail back down the hill and in the distance if you look closely you can see one of the many campgrounds in this area.

We had to take this shot to give an idea of the size of the saguaro.

The hillside also is covered with most of the desert plants including this cholla with the light making the needles glow. But don't try to touch it--they don't call it "jumping cholla" for nothing!

This little guy is one of the birds that makes it's home in the saguaro.

See if you can figure out what this (in focus) picture is of?

To be continued...

The picture above is the reflections of the stain glass window on the side of Robbie and Alice's RV.

S O B in the desert

After Christmas it was back to Casa Grande for a few days to re-provision the rig and then off to Quartzsite Arizona on the 12th of January to meet up with our friends in the Montana Owners Club, most of whom still have Montana 5th wheels. Because we are still members, we are allowed in the circle and don't count as SOBs (some other brand). We set up camp out in the desert in a 420' circle with about 60 other rigs.

Circling around our camp in the morning and evening were some of our neighbors with ultralites that could sail above us with cameras. After taking pictures of our camp they came over and presented us with a series of great aerial shots.

A view of our camp and motor home group camped near us. Also scattered around the desert are small groups and individual campers. This is just one very small area of campers on BLM land. Quartzsite is the Mecca for RVers in January with thousands of trailers, 5th wheels and motorhomes camped out in the desert, enjoying the RV show, gem and mineral show, and lots of vendors of all sorts of things. RVers can find nearly everything they need or want.

Dick took some liberties and filled in 3 or 4 open sites with a little photo shop to form a full circle of Montana's and a few SOB's (Some Other Brands).

Dick got up early (1 day) and got the morning sunrise from our rig. (Actually Jackie got Dick up as she was leaving for her daily walk with several other friends from the circle.) It was a great place to get our daily exercise and enjoy the quiet of the desert.

And in the evening we shared happy hour with about 120 other people while we watched the sunset about the time a campfire was started in the center of the circle.

We watched the full moon rise in the East over the flags flown from all the rigs.

What a sight to see just after watching the sunset and turning around to watch this sight.

Great time with great people, some new friends and lots of old ones.

A view from outside the circle with some of our flags flying.

and a shot of a portion of part of the inside of the circle. From Plomosa Road one could see all our flags flying and know right where the Montana group was.

Dick spent 2 hours riding a quad with a friend in and out of the washes and had a ball. He wants to do it every day but we don't have a quad and we don't have a way to haul one (or two) around.

We had to move out of the circle to another site because our 14 days were up but we went back to travel to the Desert Bar about 5 miles out in the desert with about a dozen other rigs. This is quite a unique place to visit and our 3rd time there. We got to dance to a live band, had lunch and took a few pictures and then back to our dusty, dirty car.

Our last shot done in Black and White of the solid steel construction of this building made as a tribute to the owner's father.

We will spend another few days here and then head to a campground that has all the water we can use to take some very long showers, full hook-ups, and we'll try and clean out the dust from everything. After that we head for the US side of the Mexican boarder and hope to cross over and get some fresh shrimp and cold Margaritas.

To be continued...

Our "vacation" to Washington State

Yes, we know, it’s been several weeks since we took the time to do a posting on our Blog. It’s not that we have been so busy, it just takes a lot of time to plan what to tell and show and to put it all together.

The last we posted we were on our Christmas trip back home to Washington State to visit all the family, and did we do that.

We started right off rushing to get our rental car and heading to Dick’s nephew’s home for a DRIVER family get together. They opened their home and kitchen to all the family and we had a wonderful time including lots of good eats. Thanks Dante and Shosh for hosting the family. We could post a dozen pictures from here but will keep it to just three including a family shot.

Lots of good food and family.

And finally a long past due family photo. Sorry Uncle Dave that you had to stay and work on the boat, we missed you.

After the party we spent a few days visiting with Debbie and Rich at their home in Olympia, which included a day trip back to Seattle to visit the Museum of Flight, where Debbie got to fly a fighter jet and…

Dick got to take a walk in space.

What a spectacular museum with planes on the floor, ceiling and outside plus lots of other unique airplane related displays. If ever in Seattle we would recommend a trip to visit here.

Then it was off to visit with Deanna and Darin including Christmas with them and two of our grandchildren. While there we took in the Christmas light display at Warm Beach Park, a private Christian camp. Lots of beautiful lighted displays, a talking tree, carolers, pony rides and fresh donuts.

The lights depicting the mountains stood about 25' tall; what a display.

Before we headed North to visit Deanna and Darin, Jackie’s brother Brett and his wife Kate hosted a Christmas gathering with dinner for Jackie's side of the family (COOK). It was a real treat to see all her family many of whom we have not visited with in a long, long time.

It's fun to watch second cousins see each other for the first time. We wonder what they are thinking. The one on the left, Jackie's niece's daughter, is actually older than the one on the right, Deanna's daughter. She may be tiny, but she's tough, or so we're told. Those two had fun together and so did the other second cousins. Too bad they live so far apart.

And yes another family picture to share.

Then it was off to Michelle and Jason's for a few days to spend some time with more of our beautiful grandchildren.

A fun time rocking to tunes in the basement.

Well we got 5 of the 6 grandkids. Daisy was standing next to Dick taking her own pictures with her new camera. We also got to see Molly, our oldest granddaughter, ride her horse, but no pictures of that. She is quite the horsewoman.

We headed back to Jackie's brother's for 2 days and then back to the airport and a plane ride back to Arizona.

Thanks to all for sharing your time and families with us. We continue to miss you all but it is a lot warmer here.

We spent a week or so in Casa Grande after our return and are now in the center of the universe in Quartzsite Arizona soaking up lots of sun with a great group of people (the Montana Owners). Lots of beautiful sunrises and sunsets to share but that will have to wait for another posting.

Love to all and
to be continued...