If a person is going to camp with other people, these people I met at Quartzsite are the kind to camp with.
Dome Rock Mountain near Quartzsite, Arizona
I tell him about my recalcitrant battery that refuses to come out of the little compartment of the Casita. He identifies the problem right away. The tray the battery sits on was not installed straight, causing the battery to catch on one corner. Also the wires are bundled in such a way to make it a tight fit.
Bill clips the plastic tie around the wires and wiggles the battery out to a small table where he adds the necessary distilled water. He makes sure I know the correct water level before putting the battery back in.
Bill notices my souvenir from the infamous Coyote Road (see post of September 12).
Bill and Ann's dachshund, Julie
A rivet from the outside of the shell through the kitchen surround is broken. He gets his rivet gun and some silicone and fixes it like new!
Seizing the opportune moment, I tell him I’m not completely happy with the cord that runs from the Casita to an outlet below the bumper of the PTV.
Ann and Bill's beagle, Samantha
“I forgot to tell the people at Starlight Solar to make the cord long enough for me to be able to change the position of the PTV, so my solar panel can be tilted toward the sun,” I complain. “I don’t want to take it back there for a longer cord.”
Bill quickly gives me a simple solution. “Make an extension cord, #6 or #8 gauge, and add the ends to match your plugs.”
Another why-didn’t-I-think-of-that moment that makes me wonder where my brain has gone!
Bridget on her way back to the PTV (Perfect Tow Vehicle) and the BLT (Best Little Trailer)
His wife Ann is quiet, quirky, and fun, with a childlike enthusiasm for new places and an adventuresome spirit to match. She makes lovely, stained-glass windows for the doors of rvs. Both Bill and Ann are soft-spoken and easy to be around. Their beagle, Samantha, has tender pads, and needs to wear booties in the desert. Luckily, Ann found a booth at Quartzsite that sells them. Samantha likes wearing them.
Radar was one day from being euthanized when Chuck and Geri rescued her and treated her for heartworms.
Bill, Ann, Chuck, Geri and I decide to go boondocking in the Sonoran Desert at Darby Wells Road outside Ajo. We travel down Highway 95 to Yuma and spend the night at the pond where I camped previously.
The next morning we gas up and fill tanks with propane before going east on Interstate 8 to Gila Bend. Chuck and Geri have some things to take care of so they’re a day behind us.
Bill, Ann, their two dogs, the crew, and I camp at the Painted Rock petroglyph site near Gila Bend for one night.
It’s BLM land with a camping fee of $8.00. We use our federal senior passes and pay only $4.00, and that includes the $2.00 fee to walk around the petroglyphs. We take turns dog-sitting.
Canine campers at Painted Rock: Julie, Samantha, Spike, Bridget
I try my new charcoal grill for turkey burgers (yuck) and to heat up some smoked salmon (They’re from Oregon, remember?). Ann cooks potatoes with onions (yummy) in a skillet on their camp stove and heats up some green beans. In spite of the fact that we discover the rolls for the burgers are no good due to mold, we enjoy our little cook-out together right before the sun sets.
Bridgets loves to eat.
Bridget happily skips around the picnic table after scoring half a turkey burger which flew off Bill’s plate when he tried to cut the dry, crusty patty. For once she didn’t have to wait for Spike’s leftovers!
The next morning, after breakfast, coffee, and dog walks, we break camp and tow our Casitas south to Ajo, Arizona!
Here’s a few more photos from our Quartzsite experience. I’m glad we went!
Advertisement
0 comments:
Post a Comment