Death Valley here we come...

We had been to Death Valley a few years ago, but came too late in the season.  April proved to already be too hot, in the 90's, so we made sure to come back earlier.  The rains have prompted the wild flowers to start popping some and the weather couldn't be more pleasant. 

Long road ahead coming out of Laughlin to Death Valley

Interesting combo: brothel, aliens AND dining

Back to our homeland



Now entering Death Valley, were did everyone go?



It's official, no turning back



Part of Badwater area

Don't come across these signs every day

On to Laughlin, NV for some R & R...

Okay, well R & R is a bit exaggerated since that's all we actually do.  Anyway, we always look forward to staying at the Riverside Resort RV park.  It is not much more than a spacious parking spot but we like the shuttle service to the casino and have a few favorite places to eat. 

Lake Havasu, on the way to Laughlin,  might be a new place for us to come back to

Keep your eyes on the road please...he hears this a lot

We're coming...

We will try not to leave all our money here

This is a pic of a pic from our photo booth fun.  Went out to dinner and ended up dancing and drinking.  This was before the drinking, honestly.

Back at camp...

Camp life was leisurely.  The sky and mountains and sunsets were all we needed for entertainment.  That and the lack of TV haha.  Anyway, we were quite content to prove to ourselves we could conserve and last a week in the desert with less.


The picture is good but doesn't do the sunset justice



We set up the dog yard with a few small bushes included and their trampoline next to the fire



Ron enjoying cocktails and pupus by the fire



a panorama of the camp

The Big, Big, Big Sell-A-Rama....

So every year Quartzsite has a huge gem and mineral show which now has also become the time for the Big Tent RV show and several swap meets around town.  Like I said the town swells with snow birds from all over to escape their winter hell.  We have never seen so many RVers in one place.  It was so much fun to talk to like minded people and hear their adventures.  We spent one whole day just exploring the outside swap meet with everything from kitchen gadgets to RV awnings.  Then the Big Tent opening day we fought the parking and won.  The sellers were all giving away goodies and we only bought a few items we probably didn't need but couldn't resist.  All in all, the people, food and festivities were worth it. 


the stream of cars was never ending



This was the Big Tent, day one, every vendor still having fun



Ron shopping the goods

 



I fell victim in the kitchen gadget tent

Catching up on this blog finally...

So we were off to Quartzsite, AZ knowing we may not have great reception, and we were right!  I guess cell phone towers aren't coming to the desert any time soon, which is a good thing.  So here's to catching up on our travels.

We arrived in town not quite knowing what to expect or where we were going to camp.  Ron's research on the area paid off and we found that Dome Rock was going to be our home for the next week.  For those of you who don't know, dry camping is with no hook ups for water or power or sewer.  So that being said, we had to be ultra conservative with our usage of all of those.  We survived!  Believe it or not, we didn't use all our fresh water or fill either of the holding tanks.  We did learn a few tricks to conserve from fellow campers which made it a bit easier.  I have a whole new resect for the sponge bath and using paper plates instead of washing. 

As we picked our spot, there were very few campers near by, so we thought we did good.  Well, that didn't last!  Quartzsite is known for there gem and mineral shows, the big RV show, and sell-a-rama.  There were swap meets and sellers of junk, new and used, and everything in between.  The town swells from 3,500 residents to over 250,000 for the RV show, and seasonal visitors of over a million.  That being the case, our private camp was soon invaded.  We didn't mind, we had set our RV toward the desert and as others came in, they were to our backside.  Groups of RV's park in huge circles like a wagon train.  It was very entertaining, and we met some great people.  Our neighbors, most in their 80's, have been going to that same spot for 27 years!  So us being newbees were a welcome addition.  Here are a few pics, more to come on Quartzsite...


Looks remote enough, dogs had their own bush and large back yard



could be a Jeep commercial huh?



First night's sky was impressive



Second day, Ron took a ride up into the hills for a little exploring.  Way in the distance of the pic you can see camp



He found an abandoned mine



spooky!



Mind the signs



day 2, the campers next to us averaged 80 years old, such nice people, came all the way from Texas



trying to stay in touch proved difficult



Campers coming in large groups, and they just kept coming!



more campers the other direction

Visiting with the Family...

On Sunday, David picked us up to go to his daughter, Jacque's house, for dinner.  It was a great time seeing all their kids and catching up with the latest.  We hadn't seen the kids since a year and a half ago, and they sure change, all growing up so fast.

Then the next day, Davis had us over to meet up with their long, lost step sisters, Vicky and Annis.  Ron's dad was married to their mom for 15+ years when they were all kids.  They really had fun talking about their memories and parents. 

Today is pack and clean up day, as we move on to Quartzsite tomorrow.  We are trying to get an early start to get a "good spot" in the desert, I don't think there are going to be too many bad ones.  We expect it to be crowded since there is a RV show, gem and minerals shows, swap meets and tons of people. 


It was Rion's 14th Birthday, the day before, but the party continued with us visiting



Birthday boy and his handsome uncle



View on our walk Monday morning



trying out the selfie stick



David, Annis, Ron and Vicky



Vicky and Ron



Ron getting lovies from Cosmo

Heading in to Apache Junction for the week...

We headed out from Joshua Tree on Thursday with much better weather conditions.  As we passed through Quartzsite on our way to Apache Junction, we could only anticipate next week's adventure there.  The hills are scattered with RV rigs and trailers already, hope they leave room for us!  The town is swollen to THOUSANDS of people for the several annual gem shows, swap meets, and of course the big RV show.  More about that next week!

Anyway, Apache Junction is somewhat familiar, as Ron's brother David lives here and we have visited several times.  But this is the first time in our RV.  We are staying at the Lost Dutchman State Park.  The facilities here are excellent, very well kept, and spacious.  The view of the Superstition Mountains is amazing!  Throughout the day, the view changes colors with the sun or clouds, it's just beautiful. 

Our first night here, David insisted on cooking us dinner, which as always was delish!  We visited him and his new wife, Leslie, for the evening.  The next day was spent running some errands and touring the town a bit.  Saturday, my brother Andy and his wife Paula came for the day.  It was great catching up with them as well.  The weather continues to be nice and no rain is expected for the next few days. 



Have to take that pic every time



Long stretch Quartzsite ahead



Nice dinner with David and Leslie

Came across this place David took us to before and couldn't resist lunch

Cloudy view of the Superstition Mountains, view from our camp



Rainy weather clearing up at sunset



Sunset turns the huge Saguaro cactus orange



Sunset Friday night was so awesome



More from Friday sunset



Ron loves these guys



home sweet home



Looks like he's trying to tell us where the Lost Dutchman's gold is...



Beautiful desert scape



You don't want to tangle with these gnarly beasts