Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All. Dec. 25th and we are still camped in the desert just out of Blyth California. The temperature here is around 70 degrees and not a cloud in sight. We had a pot luck Christmas dinner today with all of our fellow campers at Midway. Take good care .

Most of the campers have been coming here for years. A great bunch of people.

A first class dining room in the middle of the desert

We enjoyed prime rib, ham, three different dishes of potatoes,several salads , assorted veggies and numerous other epicurean delights

It just wouldn't seem like Christmas without a dog dressed up like Santa.

Sunset Christmas day


An Irish Blessing
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you

Yuma and Blyth California

Dec. 7th 2010. Hello from just outside of Blyth California where we are enjoying a beautiful day with a temperature of 80 degrees . For the past seven weeks we have been boondocking -dry camping - on BLM sites at Quartzsite, Yuma and Blyth Ca. The Bureau of Land Management fees for camping on their sites are very reasonable, forty dollars for two weeks or you can buy a season's pass, good from Sept. till April, for one hundred and eighty dollars.

Visual freedom and beautiful scenery from our campsite.

Alvina taking a break from taking a break. Life sure is hectic in the Desert .

Our Backyard as seen from our campsite.

Once you have your permit you can move from site to site with no additional cost. Each campground provides different services varying from Telephone, Trash, Dump Station, Water and Restrooms at "The Imperial Dam site" and "La Posa" to just garbage Bins at Hot Spring, Tamarisk and Pilot Knob. Midland,where we are currently parked, has Telephone,Trash and Dump Station with free water nine miles away in Blyth.

Sunset over the Desert. A beautiful thing!

Cotton field ready for harvesting.

State Highway 34-Ogilby Road-out of Yuma to Blyth. Like a roller coaster.

A dogs got to do what a dogs got to do.

These date palms produce Medjool Dates , the finest that nature can grow. The fresh dates are delicious and taste nothing like the dates you buy in the grocery store. Heartily recommend the fresh date milkshake.

Lettuce and Date Palms.

Green and red Lettuce. as far as the eye can see.

The Colorado River that provides irrigation to the fields of the Imperial Valley.

Hidden Shores resort near the Imperial Dam.

Harvesting the crop. The machine cuts the lettuce from the stalk and the field workers bag and box it . Ready for shipment to the stores.

Do you ever wonder where the lettuce that you eat in the winter comes from? The Imperial Valley California.

Workers weeding the crops in the Imperial Valley out of Yuma

We are really enjoying our time in the desert. Every 7-8 days we travel to town and get water and groceries.

Lake Havasu to Quartzsite

During our two days in Lake Havasu we stocked up on groceries etc. in anticipation of dry camping in Quartzsite. While we had previously boon-docked in the desert it was only for two or three days and this time we were going to stay for three weeks to a month--penance for the lavish life style we had enjoyed in Las Vegas. Traveling south from Lake Havasu, we passed through Parker and on to Quartzsite.

How would you like this Job? Driving around the Lake each day picking up weeds. Pretty good job I'd say.

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

An Irish Blessing

He's just about got it picked up.

Lake Havasu again--Love this place!

Interesting Mountain along the way.

Quail at our campsite at Hi Jolly 2 miles north of Quartzsite.

Sunset over the desert.

And again

Our campsite in the desert

Miles of campsites- hard to believe that in peak season-January and Feb. you can hardly find a spot to park.

Storm clouds but no rain.

Our Backyard- at night you can hear the coyotes calling.

Most of the campers here are Canadian.

Leaving Hi Jolly and heading into Quartzsite to do some laundry and then will be heading down to the Imperial dam in California.

When you're traveling you meet a lot of interesting people. Paul Winer, the owner of Desert Oasis Bookstore in Quartzsite is definitely one of those. At first glance you might think "oh yeah! just another naked bookseller ", but after talking to him you begin to realize what a truly remarkable individual he is. I happened to notice a picture of him playing a piano and I asked him if he still played. "Oh yes " he said, leading us to a small grand piano at the back of the store that was covered with books, would you like me to play you something?

What was immediately evident, as we listened to him play, was that he was a very gifted and accomplished musician. We were to learn, in a subsequent conversation, that he was in the entertainment business for 25 years traveling throughout the New England states and eastern Canada. Since his retirement from the music scene 20 years ago he has been selling books in Quartzsite. It has only been , in the past few months that he has started performing for a audience again and he has a show in Quartzsite on January 9th 2011. Keep on Trucking Paul.

LAS VEGAS and Cirque Du Soleil

Oct.23 to Oct.30th--Leaving Pahrump and the high desert we set off to Las Vegas to meet KC who was arriving by plane later that afternoon. Our last trip to Vegas was 25 years ago and we were amazed to see how much the City had grown.

The Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino where KC was staying.

New York New York Hotel and Casino. This is actually one hotel made up to resemble the New York skyline.

Especially enjoyed the Cirque Du Soliel show "O" at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.

The Stratosphere Hotel and Tower with revolving Restaurant . There is a roller coaster that runs around the top of the tower-unreal-only in Vegas.

KC and I at the Bellagio waiting for the Cirque Du Soleil show to start. Note the replica of the Eiffel Tower in Background.

Halloween theme inside the Ballagio Hotel.

Las Vegas the City of lights-unreal!

Caesar's Palace featuring Cher. Didn't she retired?

We checked into the Hitching Post R.V. Park on the Las Vegas Blvd.North, right beside the Nellis Airforce Base. We had picked the Hitching Post because it's located 10 miles off the strip and away from all the traffic and noise. The RV park was clean and well managed with full hookups; the only drawback being the constant roar of the fighter jets taking off and landing at the Airbase.

The ubiquitous Chem trails. Every day started out sunny without a cloud in the sky. The picture above shows the sky after the spray planes made numerous passes.

The Pyramid at the Luxor Hotel and Casino.

The front of New York New York Hotel and Casino. Note the roller coaster .

Shopping Mall on the Strip. The sculpture in the center of the picture is actually a restaurant.

The Harley Davidson Cafe.

The Arc Du Triomphe at The Paris Hotel.

The Eiffel tower at The Paris Hotel.

Caesar's Palace hotel and Casino.

The Venetian Hotel and Casino. To give you an idea of how big these hotels are, this picture was taken inside the hotel where they have replicated the canals of Venice. The sky in this picture is not the sky at all, but the roof of the hotel painted to resemble the sky. Amazing!

The size of the hotels and the grandeur of the decor is truly amazing.

Each one with a unique theme as they try to out do one another in order to attract the tourist dollar. Note the Paintings on the roof.

Alvina at The Venetian Hotel.

Unbelievable Artwork

More Chem Trails over Las Vegas

Had a wonderful time in Vegas visiting with KC and exploring the hotels and restaurants on and around the strip. Thanks KC, great to see you and a special thanks for the car you rented and left with us for the week.