MERRY CHRISTMAS

Still on the road

We spent last night in Deming, NM at about 4300 ft. elevation, what they call the high desert. 

There is really not much from El Paso, TX to Deming on I10, just some scrubby brush and what looks like a grass that nothing will eat.  You do not see any birds or animals anywhere, not even any road kill.  I guess, no water, no creatures.  Mabye some snakes, who knows.

We stayed at the Dream Catcher RV Park, one of the Escapees parks.  We have stayed there many times on our way across I10.

Currently we are Indian Skies RV park in Coolidge, AZ, only an hour or so from Mesa, AZ, our destination for a couple of days before heading to CA for the memorial for Dennis.

Looking forward to seeing Nancy tomorrow to see how she is doing.

Goodbye to Lone Star

It was time to leave our friends at the Lone Star Corral near Hondo, TX.  We have enjoyed our stay, playing Bridge and eating with good friends. 

We got away a little after 9 and headed west of US90 through Uvalde and on to Sanderson, TX.  North on US285 to Fort Stockton and I10.  We are currently at Parkview RV Park, a Passport park for only $10.00/night. 

We were sad to get the news of the death of one of our Cousins, Don Bolander.  Don was older than me but we used to play together.  I would walk toward his house and he would meet me half way and go back to his house and play all afternoon.  Many fond memories of Don and his parents Glen and Maxine.  May he rest in peace.

Tomorrow it is on west toward New Mexico and Mesa, AZ.

Thanksgiving

We all have lots to be thankful for.  We had a great meal at the clubhouse with turkey and all the trimmings.  Great group of people, 107, if I remember correctly.

Lots of things have happened since my last blog.  Sister-in-law, Nancy and son Dennis have gone to their heavenly reward in the past few days.  A sad time for the families, but we all know they are in a better place and without any pain.  There will be a memorial service for Dennis in CA at a later date.  He and Barb lived there for many years and have friends and relatives there.  Dennis and Barb were in the Air Force and were at Edwards AFB and Travis AFB and lived in Vacaville, CA.

We will be here in Lone Star Corral, Hondo, TX until the first of December and then on to Mesa, AZ for a while to enjoy some of their warm weather until sometime in January, 2013 and then to Quartzsite, AZ.

Settled In

We have been here for almost a week and getting into the routine of the park.  Bridge on M,W,& F at 1pm.  Ice cream social Sunday at 6pm.  Our good friends the Drews from Nebraska got in on Saturday, so things are beginning to run as they should.  We had them over for dinner as they had been on the road for 5 days and were about out of groceries.  We will play Mexican Train on Tuesday afternoon.

The Drews are changing lots to a really nice lot with a nice building that should work better for them.  Hopefully they will get moved in the next few days so we can help working on the building making it more accessible for Carlyn. 

We are on lot #60 which faces north with a nice tree behind us for shade most of the day, early morning sun to warm us up and evening sun to keep us warm.  The clubhouse is directly in front of us which is very  convenient. 

Still praying for many in the family as well as aunt Alice Ellen, who is in a Nursing Home.

Home?

We pulled into the Lone Star Escapees Park this afternoon about 3pm.  It almost seems like coming home as we have spent a lot of time here and we know so many people here.

We got parked and hooked up and made it to the social hour at 4.  They saw us come in and we even have a couple of orders already.  We expect to do a lot of work here in the next month before heading to Mesa, AZ. 

Had a nice trip down through the Texas Hill country to San Antonio where we picked up Loop 1604 that circles the city about 14 miles out.  Traffic not bad until we got close to San Antonio where it really gets heavy.  Around the north west side and down to US90 and west to Hondo, TX.  We stopped at Walmart for some groceries and filled up with fuel for $3.19/gal and on to the RV park.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to son Dennis, sister-in-law Nancy and niece Holly as they battle serious physical problems and the families involved.

First hamfest

Finished the first hamfest of this trip at Ardmore, OK.  Not a lot of business, mostly one line tags, may be the slow economy as a lot of vendors did not do a lot and the attendance appeared to be down.

We are in Thackerville, OK for a few days to rest and catch up on some engraving orders and get them in the mail so we can head on toward Hondo, TX.

The last two nights we were boondocking at the hamfest site.  It was 41 degrees on Friday morning and very windy.  This morning it was 31 degrees but the wind had settled down and the sun warmed things up nicely.  It is currently 46 degrees but our two electric heaters are keeping things comfortable.  IT is hard to keep warm with out electricity at night.  The bed warmer works on 12vdc as well as 110vac, but not as well.  It is better than nothing but not as good as a good hook up in a campground.

A long day

It was up early this morning, empty the holding tanks and hook up the van and on the road by 8:15 am.  Thru the town of Hardy and west on the 4 lane, as they call it.  Down through the foothills of the Ozark mountains and around Little Rock on the new bypass, I440.

As we were coming along, the Pressure Pro kept going off indicating a problem with the left front tire on the van.  It was indicating 35psi, which is about right, but then it started dropping in pressure, which is not good. 

It was about time to change drivers and get fuel, so the next interchange indicated a Murphy station, (Walmart) so we pulled in and around back to the tire shop and told them our problem.  We unhooked the van and went to the filling station and filled up for $3.19/gal.  Back to the tire department where they found a razor blade in the tread.  He said it was pretty deep and he did not want to chance a repair.  We buy all of the van tires at Walmart and get their road hazard warranty on them, so they put on a new tire and charged us for the road hazard warranty $10.00, on the new tire, and sent us on our way.  Not a bad deal at all.

The Pressure Pro paid for its self as the tire would probably have shredded and caused damage to the van and maybe the wheel.  Besides we would have been stranded on the side of the road while Good Sam Road Service came to put on the spare which is under the back seat requiring the unloading of the back of the van to extract.  Not a good option at all. 

It is interesting to see how much the pressure goes up in a tire as it heats up to normal operating temperature.  the big ones on the motor home will increase 8 to 12 psi and the van 6 to 8 psi.  That is why you always check your tires when they are cold and never let air out of them.

We are at the Daisy State Park in Daisy, AR and will be heading west on US 70 to Ardmore, OK tomorrow for the hamfest Friday afternoon and Saturday.

Off to Arkansas

 Got an early start on our way to Hardy, Arkansas.  The sun was up but there were dark clouds to the west and south but we did not run into any rain.


They are improving the highway between Poplar Bluff, MO and the town of Pocahontas, AR.  They are wider and mostly with some berm outside the white line.  Before, there was hardly room for a white line before you were in the ditch.  Apparently not improved much from the horse and wagon days.

We arrived at the Hardy campground down by the Spring River.  Always a pleasant place to spend a couple of days.

 As we were getting parked we noticed some tents on down in the park across from the playground.


Before we ate a bite of lunch we decided to check it out to see what it was all about.

 It was an Old Settlers re-enactment with a Blacksmith working at his trade as well as other craftsmen selling all kinds of items.

One was an Irish restaurant, for a better word, where they were making Indian fry bread, burgers & chips, coon dogs among the most popular.

We had a burger & fries on Indian fry bread. Most tasty with all the fixins you could ask for.  We ask if it was roadkill and she said not.

We will be here until Wednesday when we will head for Ardmore, OK.

Headed west again

Finally, we are back on the road again.  Not really a lot to write about over the summer as we were around the Fishers area doing the doctor thing and seeing a Physical Therapist for some exercises for my right shoulder to maybe gain some strength to help with my driving skills. 

We left the White River CG this morning about 9:15 and stopped by Greencastle to visit Alice Ellen in the nursing home.  She is doing alright, does not remember to well but knew who we were when we told her.

From there we headed west  to Effingham, IL and south on I57 to Missouri and Boomland for fuel at $4.39/gal.  We will spend the night in their handy campground and then tomorrow morning it will be off to Cherokee Village, AR.

International Peace Gardens

Only a short distance  from Leeds, ND to the International Peace Gardens.  This is a very interesting place, partly in US and party in Canada.  At the entrance is an arch that does not connect in the middle (the international boundary).  You actually  enter on the Canadian side just about 100yds before you get to the Canadian Customs.

The gardens are very  well kept with acres of mowed lawns and many  buildings.  One area is the International Music Camp that is used by musicians from all over.  There are several lakes and buildings built by the Masons of Canada as well as the Eastern Star of Canada.  The Masonic auditorium is built in the shape of a Square and Compass, the only building like it in the World.  There are many buildings dedicated to other causes as well as a 911 Memorial.

We camped for three nights in the woods and the International Peace Gardens Hamfest was held in a beautiful old log building that was constructed by the CCC in the 30's.  The hamfest was not well attended, only 87 registered but we did quite well considering they had not had an engraver for several years.

We got away on Monday morning on our way to Montana.  On across US2, a very nice road, actually the only road across the country in this area.  We had about 750 miles to the Glacier Waterton Hamfest at the Glacier Meadows RV Park between East Glacier and West Glacier, actually about half way. 

As we approached Williston, ND the traffic was heavy with dump trucks and trucks hauling large equipment and oil well rigs all around.  There are portable trailers that have  or 10 living quarters in them and new hotels and motels being built everywhere.  This is the middle of the new oil boom.  New oil wells pumping all with the same new pumps.

We stopped at the local Walmart and got some groceries and when we returned the security guy stopped by to remind us we could not spend the night there.  They have had a problem with campers and at one time they had 150 people camping in the lot, breaking into the light poles and stealing electricity and dumping in the storm sewers.  Finally when the authorities came in they all left.  There is just no place to stay and there are so many people looking for work with no money, they are everywhere.

Just after we got into Montana, the road quit.  We were stopped by a flagger and had to wait for a Pilot car to take us thru the construction are of several miles of gravel road where they had removed the pavement and were completely rebuilding the road.  A detour from the new roadbed down a hill across the old bridge and back up the other side.  Above us they were building a new bridge that would eliminate the two grades.  I am sure it will be nice, but not this time. 

The Glacier Meadows RV Park is a beautiful place.  Surrounded with mountains, many with patches of snow.  It is warm in the day but cool at night.

The hamfest was well attended with campers from all over the US as well as Canada.  It was a very  well organized operation.  They own their tables and chairs as well as tents and store them in a storage building from year to year.  They even have their own grills to cook on.  A very well organized operation. 

We were the only vendor this year.  One of the ham stores come every other year as it is so far away.  They paid for our registration as well as 3 nights camping, all we had to do was show up.  We had a very good hamfest and a good time as well. 

More next time.

On to North Dakota

Back on the road again.  Leaving the beautiful Fox Lake campground a little later than usual and then stopping for LP gas and then getting turned around in Bemidji we finally got back on US2 about 11am.

We had a stiff breeze from the south west that buffeted us around quite a bit.  There were clouds in the west but we did not hit any rain until after getting into North Dakota.  A few sprinkles and a couple of heavy rain showers and that was all.  It did wash the bugs off the windshield and the front of the motor home but that was about all.

This is our first time in North Dakota and we did not realize the number of small lakes and large expanses of marshy areas and what appeared to be swamps.  Lots of wet low lands even though we were in the area of 1400 feet in elevation. 

We are currently in Leeds, ND at Jan's RV park, right on US 2 so we should not have a problem getting going in the morning.  We only have a hundred or so miles to our destination, the International Peace Park at the Canadian border.  We will be on the American side so should not have to re-enter the U.S..  We do not know anything about this hamfest so we will just have to play it by ear, so to speak.  More later.

Off the road but on the road

We did not hit the road in the motor home but we did put the miles on the van. We first headed north to the town of Blackduck.  A town we visited many years ago, actually in the 50's.  We expected to find the huge concrete black duck standing in the park, but it was not there.  Instead there was a sculptured duck in flight that was quite nice but not what we expected nor remembered. 

We headed south to find the fishing camp, Bill's Camp, that we vacationed at so many years ago.  I think we first traveled to Bill's Camp in 1946 or 47.  It was just that, a fish camp on the banks of Little Moose Lake.  There was the home place with small store and office as well as 5 or 6 cabins, mostly right on the water.  No electricity nor indoor plumbing but a telephone in the store/home.  All of the cabins had kerosene lights and as it began to get dark they would put 1 gallon of gas in the generator and you had electric lights until that gallon of gas was exhausted.

  They had three daughters, Jonette, Ardith and Loris.  Bill and his wife Cora were both Swedes and very hardy people.  They had an ice house that was full of ice cut from the lake in the winter time and covered with saw dust.  That is where we stored our fish until we were ready  to go home.  The ice was about 36 to 40 inches thick when they cut it out of the lake. 

We always rented the same 3 bedroom cabin each year and I remember the year we decided not to go back because they raised the rent from $25.00/week to $35.00 a week and that was just to much to pay.  That was an increase from $75.00 for our 3 week vacation to $105.00. 

Then it was off down sr39 to visit the town of Pennington where sr39 and county road 12 intersect.  When we arrived we did not find the town of Pennington, only a house.  Not sure what happened to the town but we missed it anyway.

On south to US2 and west to the Itasca state park, the home of the origin of the Mississippi river.  A huge park and lots of people were at the headwater portion of the park.  Many were walking across the Mississippi on the rocks while others were wading across in the water that was up to knee deep.

We headed back to Bemidji and the Paul Bunyon statue and his famous Babe the blue Ox.  We found it on the shore of the Bemidji lake in a very nice park and a very nice information center and gift shop.  Bemidji is the first city on the Mississippi.  From there it was a stop for dinner and back to the motor home at Fox Lake. 

A full day and about 150 miles just cruising around the area but, tomorrow it is off to North Dakota.

The land of Paul & Babe

We got an early start this morning which always seems to be a problem.  Normally if we get on the road by 10 or 11am we think we can make our 200 or so miles without a problem.  However we need to get 250 to 300 miles today, so an earlier start was necessary.

So it was off toward Superior, WI and Duluth, MN and a great look at Lake Superior and all of the activity going on with the loading of ships with iron ore and other products that are shipped out of the area thru the Great Lakes.

The drive north on US53 in Wisconsin is a beautiful drive thru lots of tall pines as well as Birch trees.  There is a lot of logging as well as harvesting of pulp wood.  Lots of pasture and hay being cut and bailed. 

As soon as you get into Duluth you start up away from the lake several hundred feet before leveling out into the state of Minnesota.  Wisconsin was quite rolling before we got to Superior, but on the other side of the lake it is something much different.

We moved on taking US2 west to Grand Rapids where we got fuel, had lunch and the normal nap and then on to Bemidji where are spending the night and probably tomorrow night so we can get the laundry done since we haven't had the opportunity for several days.  As we were traveling along US2 we could see the damage from the storm a couple of weeks ago.  Many trees broken off at the ground, some about half way up, etc.  They tell us they had winds of 80mph and higher along with 8 inches of rain causing some flooding in many areas.  Things have really greened up and they are looking much better.

Tomorrow we will tour the area visiting Blackduck and Pennington two places from our past as we used to visit them yearly as our family fished in the area for years in the late 1940's and early 50's.  We will also visit Lake Itasca to again see the origin of the mighty Mississippi River.

Beautiful Wisconsin

We got away in good time this morning but we needed to get fuel before long.  We were headed for Madison, WI so we found gas there but it was higher than we wanted to pay so we only put in $100.00 worth rather than fill the tank. 

Back on the road and headed north toward the Wisconsin Dells but the new highway bypasses the most scenic parts and the most interesting attractions like the Tommy Bartlett water show on the Wisconsin River.  We saw the show some years ago and it was very nice. 

We are now just south of Spooner, WI at the Wild Water campground and Back Woods Saloon.  The park is nice but several miles off the beaten path.

I was driving up the interstate and saw a large Doe come running, at full speed, from my right across my two lanes, the median and into the southbound lanes.  There were three cars coming south and the deer, I think, hit the rear portion of the front car.  It was a glancing blow and did not knock her down and she got on across to the other side but the second car was in the process of making some evasive moves to miss the flying deer.  Just a little excitement in a normal day on the road.

Tomorrow it is on to Superior, WI and Duluth, MN and on toward Pennington, Black Duck and Bemidji for the night.

First hamfest of the trip

We have been fighting the heat for several days as most of you have.  Friday was hot as well and when we arrived at the hamfest site we learned that there would not be any electricity available.  Not a problem for the hamfest as we could use the small generator to power the engraver and vacuum, but it will not handle the large AC in the motor home, we have to use the on board generator that takes a lot of fuel. 

As it was so hot, we got parked and all leveled up and started the generator and let it run the AC until about 1pm when the temperature inside was in the low 70's and shut it down and off to bed.  Early in the morning it was getting warm and in checking the thermometer it was in the low 60's outside and a nice breeze from the north, so we opened the windows and enjoyed a cool but moist mornings rest.

The morning was somewhat overcast with the same cool north breeze and overall it was a comfortable day to be outside.  We worked under the awning on the motor home so it stayed cool.

We got packed up, took a nap and headed for a campground near Ft. Atkinson, WI where we will be tonight and tomorrow night.  Monday we will head northwest toward North Dakota.

Hopefully this cooler weather will bring some rain as all of the country we have been in the past week have been very dry and if the corn does not get some rain it will not produce much corn.

On the road again

It is back on the road again leaving the Tipton, IN fairgrounds about 8:30am.  South to Noblesville and then east on sr32 to I74 and then northwest toward Peoria, IL and around the quad cities to Moscow, Iowa.  We checked in at the HWH repair facility, unhooked the van and found a place to hookup to electricity.  We were scheduled in for service the first thing in the morning, which was good, except we had a time change which made it an hour earlier than early. 

Early Tuesday morning we got in to the bay and they started checking out the hydraulic jack system and made a few adjustments and found all was working as it should and sent us on our way, at NO charge.  Now how is that for standing behind your product.

We hooked up the van and headed back  east on I80, filled up with fuel at Pilot for $3.23/gal.  We are currently at the Lake Side RV park in Davenport, IA for 3 nights when we will go to Milwaukee, WI for the hamfest.

Things are hot and dry all through this area and they are needing rain as is most of the midwest.  Hopefully we will find some cooler weather when we get into Minnesota.

Back in the saddle again

It is time to get back to writing the blog that I have neglected far to long.

We have been staying in the White River Campground as much as possible.  We can only stay two weeks and then out for two nights and then back for two weeks.  That is, if they have room.  This week we had to leave today as they are booked up through next week end for the 4th of July.  Many spaces are reserved a year in advance.

We have moved to the Tipton, IN fairgrounds and have a fairly shady spot, but we will only be here for 3 nights and will be leaving for our summer working trip on Monday morning.

We have been having trouble with our right front hydraulic leveling jack and had it replaced in Arkansas.  The new jack is leaking, so we have an appointment with the manufacturer in Moscow, IA to replace it on the 3rd of July.  Our itinerary for the next few weeks is as follows:  July 6&7 Milwaukee, WI for a hamfest.  July 14 will find us at the International Peace Gardens on the Canadian border with N.  Dakota.  July 19-22 will find us in the middle of nowhere in the area of Glacier, MT for the Glacier-Waterton hamfest.  July 27-29 we will be near Bryce Canyon, Utah for a hamfest and then it is off to the Duke City Hamfest in Albuquerque, NM on Aug. 3&4.  We have a week to rest and collect our thoughts and then to Selina, KS for a hamfest on the 18th and then Aug. 24&25 it will be a hamfest in Joplin, MO and then Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 we will be in Kansas City, KS for their hamfest and then back to Indianapolis for a while.

I had my old computer crash and this new one is a real pain.  The windows 7 is not nearly as easy to use as the old XP system.  This will be the second time I have written this blog as it did not save the first time.  Hopefully all will work this time.

Our photos are of our visit to Vicksburg, MS on our way south  A very interesting town with lots of historical places as well as a beautiful set of Murals all along the waterfront along the Mississippi river.

waaaa 

Rain in Texas

We are currently near Wetherford, TX in cattle country. We have a hamfest in Wetherford on Saturday so we have a couple of days before we have to set up for the show.

They have had a lot of rain in this area and the farm ponds are full and the pastures are green and the cattle are really enjoying it, however several ranchers have lost cattle due to overeating the lush green grass. They have to feed them some dry feed or hay every day to eliminate them from bloating from the green grass until they get used to it and not eat so much.

It is lightly raining at this time but should be out of here by morning and sunny through the week end.

Previously we have been in west Texas where it has been really dry and everything is just waiting on rain to get going.

In watching the local news, the Dallas/Ft. Worth area is currently 6.39 inches above normal for the year. So they are off to a good start and hopefully it will be sufficient to keep the crops going.

Not really a lot going on until next week when we get back on the road.

I am so far behind in this blog, it will take several days to catch up. We have been in Mesa, AZ for some time then off to Yuma for a hamfest, back to Mesa and back to Yuma for the Gypsy Journal Rally last week.

We had new Koni shock absorbers installed on the motor home by Redland Truck & RV while at the rally. They said it would make it handle better and they were right. It not only handles better, it rides better and is much easier to drive in gusty wind conditions. Expensive but money well spent,

We spent Saturday night at Gila Bend and then on to Deming, NM for the night and then we went to Elephant Butte, NM to have the carpet cleaned.

Tonight we are in Pecos, TX for a couple of nights before going on to Midland for a hamfest this week end,

Back to Arizona

After leaving Lark Spa on the Salton Sea we drove to the Cocopah Casino near Yuma, AZ. We had a few days to wait until the Yuma hamfest.

We were able to get into the fairgrounds at noon on Thursday and set up for the hamfest that started at noon on Friday. The crowd was pretty good for a Friday afternoon and on Saturday it was pretty crowded.

Carl and Lynda came over from Lark Spa to get some equipment and maybe take his test but decided he had better do some more studying before taking the test. He can take it locally at one of the radio clubs in Brawley, CA.

Our friends Dan and Karen Critten from Missouri stopped by to say hello. They are staying in the area this winter. Hopefully we can get together with them before we leave, or maybe when we get back to Yuma for the Gypsy Journal Rally in March.

We had a pretty good weekend in Yuma and are currently in Gila Bend, AZ for a couple of days before going on to Mesa for a few days to visit Nancy and Leona Mae and get some adjustments on the new power chair. Hopefully I will get used to it before long. getting in and out is getting a lot easier as things are a lot different than what I have been used to for many years.

The photos are of the Cocopah Casino and their RV parking lot, which was near capacity every night.

We are about ready to leave this nice place, the Lark Spa campground near the Salton Sea. We have been visiting with our friends the Byrd's for the past couple of weeks as we had some time between the hamfest in Palm Springs and the Yuma hamfest next weekend.

We will be leaving tomorrow and heading south to the town of Brawley to find a welding shop to weld a piece of stainless on the Ricon lift in the van. After that we will go on south to I8 and east to Yuma and find a place to stay to get some shopping done as well as hair cuts, etc.

We have really enjoyed our time at Lark Spa and ate way too much. We generally take turns having them come to our place and the next night we go to theirs. We have had some way down home cooking going on, like sauerkraut and spare ribs and things like that. The Byrd's are from Wieser, Idaho and lived for some time in Washington and Oregon. We have seen them several times over the years as they are members of the Handicapped Travel Club as well, so we have had an opportunity to see them at the national rallies.

Yesterday we went to Bombay Beach to the VFW as they were having a fish fry. It was the first fish fry we had attended since we left Indiana last summer.

From our front window we can see out over the units in front us and see the Salton Sea as well as the mountains on the other side, when it is clear enough. Sometimes there is a lot of haze and you can not even see the water. We are about 40 ft below sea level. The sea is much lower than we are, maybe 200 feet or so.

Friday, Ed and Bonnie Pearson came by for a visit. They were headed for Salvation Mountain which is over at the Slabs, a camping area that is all boondocking and out in the wide open spaces. A very interesting place to visit. There are all kinds of units there from small junkie ones to large expensive ones with solar panels, etc. All doing their thing in the desert.

Sand Storm

We have been in Quartzsite for over a week and left on Friday for Palm Springs, CA for the Desert R.A.T.S. hamfest. The wind was quite gusty and there was a lot of sand/dust blowing as you can see in the photos.

Driving was quite a handful as there were gusts as high as 40mph making it difficult to stay in your lane. There was nowhere you could hide even if you could get off the road, so you just reduced your speed and hung on.

We got into Palm Springs and parked in our usual spot and set up, ready for the hamfest on Saturday. We had a good day, worked hard and did well. It was over about 5pm and we were ready for some R&R.
We got away from Palm Springs about 9:30 Sunday and drove to the Spot Light 29 casino in Indio, CA and met friends Ed and Bonnie for lunch. The restaurant did not open on Sunday until 5pm, so we ate in the food court where our choices were McDonalds, Subway and a Mexican place that did not look very good, so Subway was it.

After a long visit we said our good bye's and we headed east for the Salton Sea and other friends Carl & Lynda Byrd that live at the Lark Spa. This is high above the lake and the altimeter indicated about a -40' elevation. The sea is indicated to be some -235'. No wonder it never goes away. There is no fresh water coming in, other than rain fall and nothing going out other than evaporation.

We will be here a week or so and will have a chance to explore the area and see what is out there.

Our photos are of the blowing sand and the 10 mile descent into Indio on I10. What a long hill. We did not come back that way and therefore did not have to come up, but we have in previous years and it is really a drag especially towing a 6000# van.

Quartzfest 2012

Here we are again in the middle of the desert at the annual gathering of Hams south of Quartzsite, AZ.

We finally got away from Mesa on Saturday morning. Normally we are here on Tuesday or Wednesday and have our choice of parking places. This year we had to take what we could get, so this year we are in the 3rd row of handicapped parking instead of the front row.

We were delayed waiting on a new power chair, which came in a week or so ago, but the cushion came in wrong size two times and the correct one did not come until Friday afternoon. We did not want to leave until we had everything as it would be some time before we would be back in the area.

The hamfest is going well, doing a little bit of work, other than what comes on the fax, but parking is all free except what fuel we burn running the generator. When the sun is out it is plenty warm, so we use the 1000w Honda, which powers most everything except the electric heaters and the microwave. It uses about 3/4 gallon of fuel a day. It also powers the engraver and vacuum when needed, so all works well.


Gordon West, WB6NOA is always here, last year he had to leave early due to Forrest fires near his home and he heads up a rescue group and was needed back home. This year he will be here all week, if all goes well back in CA.

We have not been given a count on the number of units here, but it is much larger than last year when there was over 200 registered hams.

Our photos are of some of the units and antennas. Gordon West travels in his van conversion which is parked close to the headquarters trailer/california room. In the distance you can see the multitude of units parked in the desert. This is looking north towards I10 which is about 7 miles away. There are literally thousands of RV's parked everywhere in this area.

The big RV tent is set up with lots of vendors as well as many dealers selling new and pre-owned units. Nothing is "used" these days, all pre-owned, if that makes a difference. Either way, they are not new. The following week will be the Rock & Gem show that will take over the area. Many of the RV's that are here are for both shows, of maybe just spending the winter. You can get a permit for $180.00 good from September to April for camping on BLM property, so a good deal if you like to boon dock that long, or even shorter period of time. It is good for any BLM area in the country.