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!!!!