2/24/12 Hello again from Phoenix. This morning we drove our rig back to the Xantrex technician to fix our inverter problem. Turned out it was just a loose wire and we were out of there in record time and with no added expense. Hooray!
The last time we posted, we were at The Steps, near Lake Havasu City, for the Winterblast. While waiting for that event to start, we managed to visit Del & Connie Nixon, former members of Park Sierra who now have a home there. After a nice chat with Connie, we went several blocks over to the mobile home Cliff bought, where Del was helping him put new outside boards on. Cliff is a current member of Park Sierra. He got a fabulous deal on his place considering it is on a nice lot with a good view, but the work he will have to put into it before it is habitable is rather daunting. Judging by what he has done already, it will be super when he finishes it.
There were also several gatherings of the RoVing Rods who were camped near us. One event was a dessert potluck on Valentine's Day. Here is a picture of some of the treats:

In attendance were John & Vi Primmer, Chuck & Betty Goehring, Donna and Ron Gibson, Tom and Margie Malony, and Cotton & Betty. Betty made the most delicious chocolate cheesecake, which totally interfered with our "drop a few pounds" plan, but it was worth it! Here are John, Vi, Elaine, Betty, and Betty

Almost everyday we went for a long walk in the area. There was a gravel road that lead down to the Colorado River and it made a very nice 4 mile walk, round trip. Here is a picture of Elaine down by the cove at the River:

There were even camping spots there for boat people. Here are the walking friends at the picnic table there: Pat, Mary, Jan, Connie, Elaine

Another event that takes place for the Boomers at The Steps is Ed's birthday party. It really is Dwayne's birthday, and the party is put on by his partner, Betty Anderson. But one day about 5 years ago, when she went to get a cake, the only cake available was printed with "Happy Birthday Ed". It was available for 1/2 price because Ed had died and his party was off. So Betty got that cake and Dwayne's party every year is now called "Ed's Birthday Party". They served about 120 hot dogs this year and we all brought side dishes, so you can see it has become a BIG event. Here is a picture of some of the Boomers, with Dwayne in the middle:

And here we are with both Dwayne & Betty:

Of course, the main reason we all go there is for the fireworks shows. They have them 4 nights in a row but we only went Friday and Saturday nights. In past years it has been free, but this year they charged $3 per person and $5 per car for parking. Here are a couple of pictures but of course, pictures can't even come close to the fabulous performances.



The last day we were there, we managed to get together for pizza with Kirk Bowles, and his partner, Severina. He was with us for part of or 10 month RV trip down to the Panama Canal and back in 2004. Since then these 2 have been selling time shares and vacation packages all over the world, most recently in Thailand. So it was great to catch up with them and have a good visit.

Our last stop was in Quartzsite again, where we met up with old friends Lee & Susie Blattner and camped together for 2 nights. Then Marilyn and Mike Harrison showed up too. Here we are socializing in our rig:

Tomorrow we leave here and head to Tucson where we will be staying at Elaine's Aunt Marion's place, and having good visits with her sister, Penny. And the weather has been HOT - today it was 83 here in Phoenix!!!!

2/12/12 Hello from The Steps, a free camping area in the desert 13 miles south of Lake Havasu City, AZ. It is called The Steps because a lot of it has been terraced, as if level homesites were being carved out of this fairly mountainous area. The Colorado River is right across the road, and we can see it from our rig. There are 4 rigs of RoVing Rods friends parked near us, and about 6 rigs of Boomers up the hill from us. More will be showing up soon because the Winterblast starts Thursday. This is a big fireworks display at Sara Park, in Lake Havasu City, and it lasts 4 days. The weather has been warm here since we arrived and we have even been wearing shorts and tee shirts. The other day we walked up the road to a spot overlooking our site and took this picture:

On our way here from Phoenix, we stopped overnight at the Blue Water Casino in Parker, AZ. It is difficult to get level in their parking lot,but we managed, and enjoyed a walk right along the side of the Colorado River:

As you know from a previous post, we spent over a week in Phoenix so we could get our inverter repaired. After it was done, we stayed there to make sure it was working correctly. While we were staying there, we had many shared meals and walks with Marie von Minden and her little dog, Kristi. They were also parked with us at the Lone Butte Casino in Chandler.


One day we went to visit our friends Ed & Janet Lubbick, from Victoria, BC. We met them on our Around the Horn cruise in 2009 and have managed to get together with them periodically in AZ. They have now purchased a new home in Leisure World in Mesa, which wasn't in such good shape when they acquired it, but is gorgeous now that they have fixed it up. After a tour of the grounds there, we are very impressed with the amenities available for the residents. Most residents are retired, so they have plenty of time for woodworking, exercising, golf, crafts, etc. and there are lots of workshops and studios for every interest. Here are Ed & Janet in front of their new home:

On our drive from Phoenix to The Steps, we tried to use our inverter while driving and it went whacko. So we reset it when we arrived and it is working fine while we are parked. This means that we will have to go back to Phoenix to have it checked by the repair guy again. There is only a 90 day warranty, so we are glad we are still in this area to make sure all is well before we leave. Then we will head for Tucson, and a visit with Elaine's Aunt Marion and her sister, Penny.
Happy Valentine's Day, Everybody!!!!

1/30/12 We are now in the parking lot at the Lone Butte Casino in Chandler, AZ. This is south of Phoenix and not very far from Gilbert, where we have an appointment at 8AM tomorrow to have our inverter/charger repaired. This casino has a very liberal parking policy for RVers, which we appreciate. It is conveniently located and they don't care how long anyone stays. Our friend, Marie von Minden, has been here off and on for months while she writes a book. So we have had her over for dinner the last 2 nights and I have enjoyed petting and walking her little cairn terrier named Kristi.
I promised to post some pictures from Boomerville at Quartzsite, where we spent most of January. The Boomers is a sub-group of the Escapees RV club which meets every January on the desert and besides all the Quartzsite shopping and RV shows, the Boomer group has lots of other activities. No one is in charge; each activity is suggested and coordinated by a volunteer. The other appeal is that so many of our friends attend this. So we have social events with friends as well.
The first night we were there we had this view:

The second day our Park Sierra friends, Glenda & Elleen, arrived and stayed overnight with us. They had planned to come in their own little Minnie Winnie, but just before they left, it had an engine problem and before they could get it fixed, it caught fire and their rig was totaled! So they stayed in with us and we had a great visit. The next day they went on to Phoenix and flew to Florida for a vacation.

Our friends David & Diane Wilson have cruised with us many times. We talked them into joining us for 10 days in their RV. Then we showed them all the charms of Quartzsite and Boomerville. Here they are in one of the many shopping venues in town:

There are always lots of gems and minerals for sale, including fossils like these from Morocco. When we were in Morocco we saw similar ones and I think they are cheaper here!

There is a small museum which has some wonderful displays of crystals such as this:

One of the first Boomer activities was a chili cookoff. I made some, and so did about 20 other people. Here are some of the judges tasting the entries:

There were also lots of good side dishes to go with the chili, and we ate with our friends, David & Diane:

One of the Boomer couples, Gretchen and Bob, made pancakes just about every other day for anyone who wanted to come and have some. This was quite a feat given that there were over 130 rigs at Boomerville. All they asked was for donations, which went to CARE. This is a place at Escapees headquarters in Texas where members can go when they need assistance due to a medical situation. Here is the pancake queen:

Down in our area, which Carole Schneider nicknamed "The Ghetto", we had a big 46th anniversary party for Anke & Herb. It was on the 21st and it was so windy out that Mike and Marilyn Harrison, the co-hosts with us, pulled their rig over near ours to make a windbreak. Here is the happy couple with their wedding picture in between:

Lots of the friends were having a great time, as you can tell by this picture of Judy & Paul, Ann sitting on Elaine's lap, Mick & Dona:

Betty & Duane, one of the sweetest couples, came to help celebrate. They are high school sweethearts themselves:

Elaine was partying with Dick & Carole Schneider while Mick took pictures:

Dona & Joe, new members, sit with Beth and Elaine:

Marilyn, her cousin Jeanne, and Diane:

Marilyn sits with old friends Sam & Bob, and the couple they brought along, Nu & Dana:

Herb & Anke with Mary & Elaine:

And with the other co-hosts, Marilyn & Mike:

Anke is a really good cook and baker and she gave Diane, Elaine and me a lesson in making rolls:

Herb & Anke had provided really expensive and delicious champagne for the party. The next day, while we were baking in our rig, Herb brought over a leftover bottle of chilled champagne and 4 glasses for us to share.

Another Boomer activity is the Geraldine contest/fashion show, where some of the men dress up like women in fancy outfits and with very funny explanations. Connie Farquar was the commentator, so she dressed in a man's suit. It is very entertaining and here are this years participants:

Larry and Joyce Space were with us when we drove down to Panama and back in 2004. They
attended Boomerville this year and here is Larry in his Geraldine outft:

Other good friends, Carol & Ron Leonard, sopped by for a few days. Here they are with the friends at Mike & Marilyn's campfire:

Morning coffee around the campfire helped everyone bond.
Sometimes someone would bring out special treats to serve, such as when Herb shared some crostinis:

Another evening we drove to the other side of the valley for a potluck with some Park Sierra friends. The food was delicious, and it was nice to reconnect with our "neighbors". Then we all enjoyed a campfire:

Our other favorite group is the RoVing Rods, and they were also meeting over on Plomosa Road. We joined them for a fish fry on the 27th. Ron and Barb Bonham are in charge of the group and coordinated the potluck/fish fry:

Betty had made several really delicious pies for Elaine's birthday. Here is Elaine with Betty:

And here are the pies:

Then there was another big campfire:

Besides socializing, other things get handled too. Tom Vineski took the time to investigate and troubleshoot our electrical problem and coordinate things with the Xantrex technician on the phone. In exchange, Doctor Elaine did some work on the foot of his wife, Nancy:

Every year we have to have a big party for Elaine's birthday, and this year she was 65 so Saturday night there was a celebration. Our very dear friends Lee & Susie drove over from the Boondocker gathering and here they are with the birthday girl:

Some of the other party animals were the Rayners, Jan, Joyce Space, and Dick & Carolyn Babione:

There were actually 3 birthday people this year, so here are Dick, Nu, and Elaine with the cake I made for them:

Life on the Arizona desert often involves some spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Here is one of the sunrises (yes, I was actually up that early...)

And I will close with a sunset over Mike and Marilyn's rig. Goodnight.

Hey Blog Readers, We have been camped in the desert outside of Quartzsite, AZ for several weeks with the Boomers. Things are winding down here, and most rigs will be gone by Sunday or Monday. Our cruise friends, David & Diane Wilson, came and parked in front of us for 10 days so we showed them around. They have now joined Escapees and Boomers, and they are a welcome addition. Other friends have stopped by for a day or two as well. There have been many activities, some of which we have enjoyed, and some that we missed because we were doing other things with other groups such as Park Sierra friends, and RoVing Rods. I have taken a few pictures and am planning to share them with you but loading them will take forever while we are still camped here because the signal isn't really good.
Sunday or Monday we have to drive back to Phoenix area to get our inverter/charger repaired. Tom Vineski, a Boomer friend who used to do solar installations and who is a very knowledgeable RV guy, helped us troubleshoot it yesterday and also talked to the Xantrex guy on the phone. It looks like we need a new mother board. Damn. So we will be in Phoenix next week and I will do a complete Quartzsite report with pictures at that time.
Today is Elaine's 65th birthday and we will be having a Happy Hour party at our campsite. If you read this today (1/28/12) and are in the area, please come! Party reports and pictures will be in the next post from Phoenix.