March 1-7, 2019 — Welcome to a new month full of promise and opportunity for new adventures, explorations and experiences. It also signifies nearing the end of winter and our somewhat stationary desert life that we have so enjoyed the past three months.
This month we will start our slow trek north to Minnesota where we plan to be by the beginning of May. We are hoping the snow and cold will be somewhat gone by then but knowing from experience of living “up north” for years this may be a pipedream. We have a tentative route planned but may be changing this drastically as the winter has been fickle and doesn’t seem to want to end. Parts of Arizona where we planned to be in another week are still full of snow and freezing temperatures. Yuck!
In the meantime we will continue to watch the weather forecasts and enjoy our current locations in Arizona. Follow along below as we leave Lake Havasu City and return to the Phoenix metro area checking off bucket list items along the way.
All nights this week were free stays with one night at Hi Jolly BLM in Quartzsite, two nights at Saddle Mountain BLM in Tonopah and four nights at a Boondockers Welcome host site in Surprise.
Our 14 day stay at Craggy Wash BLM in Lake Havasu City, Arizona came to an end on March 1. We had a great time exploring the area, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. More adventures await so time to hit the road.
From Lake Havasu City, Arizona we followed Highway 95 south enroute to Quartzsite. We came across a sign that said “scenic view” just north of Parker Dam so we had to stop for a break after traveling a mere 30 miles to check it out. It’s a good thing we don’t plan long travel days as we’d never make it!
While in Quartzsite we took a pit stop at the RV Pit Stop to refresh our tanks and refill with propane. It’s unreal how busy this place is during the winter months. They have four propane fill stations and numerous water and dump areas. It would be interesting to see the statistics of how many customers they serve a day.
After taking care of business at the RV Pit Stop we spent the night at Hi Jolly BLM in Quartzsite where we met up with new friends Robin and Bill. We had a great time visiting with them and hope to meet up again in the future.
There’s just something about having a mountain as a back yard compliments of the Saddle Mountain BLM site near Tonopah, Arizona just off I-10 between Quartzsite and Phoenix. The 14 day stay area is easily accessible for any size rig with multiple parking areas to choose from. Nights were very dark and quiet except the occasional coyote singing heard in the distance. The only downfall of the area is the abundance of pesky houseflies that seemed to take a liking to us and our RV. Grrr!!
“Candelabrum”. That’s what we named this saguaro cactus found at the base of Saddle Mountain near Tonopah, Arizona. Individual saguaros grow different numbers of arms in a variety of configurations and the reason behind this remains a mystery of the desert that we may never know the answer to. A little wonder in life is good.
After a couple days at Saddle Mountain BLM we were off to the Phoenix metro area where we had a few bucket list items planned including our first ever NBA game at Talking Stick Arena between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks. The outcome wasn’t what we hoped for but getting to see #34 Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo play was a real treat. Go Bucks!
80 degrees, sunshine and MIlwaukee Brewers baseball. Another bucket list item checked off as we attended our first ever spring training game in Phoenix. We were pleased to see MVP Christian Yelich play half the game, watch Josh Hader pitch an inning and strike out the side (no surprise there!) and take in the famous sausage race. It was a great time!
What a great week! The NBA and MLB games were definite highlights that we hope to repeat sometime. Up next week is more exploration of the Phoenix area and preparation for our upcoming trek from Arizona to the upper midwest. See you then!