Sunday, February 9
Before leaving Coyote Wash I shovel sand into the two trenches made by the Perfect Tow Vehicle and smooth over the ruts made by Byron’s Jeep. I rake over the area, doing my best to restore the surface. Rain will remove any trace of my stuck-in-the-sand incident.
Brittlebush in bloom
On the way out I stop to say goodbye to Chuck and Joe.
Byron doesn’t have an RV here. He’s a winter resident of Wellton, owning a home nearby. He got involved in rescuing the PTV because he takes his morning walks on the lane where we camped. I regret not being able to say goodbye to him, as I missed seeing him on his walk this morning.
I stop at the stop sign before pulling out onto the main road.
A Jeep pulls alongside my driver’s side and comes to a halt. It’s Byron! We chat a little bit, I thank him again and say goodbye, and . . .
The crew and I hit the road!
Against my better judgement, I buy propane in Wellton at a painful $3.50 a gallon. We’re on Interstate 8 again, backtracking westward. I pull into Fry’s grocery story at Fortuna for supplies. Shoulda’ bought the propane somewhere around here . . . Woulda’ been a lot cheaper!
I pick up Highway 95 going north.
I turn northeast onto the road to Castle Dome.
I’ve never been up this road in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a long, bumpy ride. At last I see an area good for boondocking. However, there are few sites and they’re occupied.
My photos of the dome didn’t come out well. At least I got this record of our camp and a nasty looking cholla (right).
Oh well, I don’t feel like driving that bumpy road out of here this afternoon. We’ll camp here overnight, I won’t unhitch, and I’ll decide what to do tomorrow. Maybe someone will leave and we can take their spot.
Monday, February 10
By 10 o’clock it’s apparent that Castle Dome is not where I want us to stay. Our camp is close to a road and there’s a lot of jeep and dune buggy traffic. The better campsites are still occupied. I walk the crew and then we take off for Palm Canyon Road.
By noon we’re set up on BLM land.
Spike has to patrol around our campsite.
When we were here before, the crew and I camped within the wildlife refuge. Camped on BLM land bordering Kofa, the crew can run around off-leash. Friends Bill and Ann are just up the road a bit. I told them we would return some time this month.
I like the empty spaces around this camp. It’s easy to keep an eye on Bridget and Spike.
Tuesday, February 11
Bill and Ann, along with their canine crew, Samantha and Julie, come over for a visit. I work on this blog, editing photos and writing.
Quite a few ocotillo grow here (view looking west toward Highway 95).
Wednesday, February 12 – Saturday, February 15
This winter I’ve met a lot of new people and socialized much more than usual. I’m pleased to see there aren’t many RVers on Palm Canyon Road.
Signal Mountain and Palm Canyon are in the background.
It’s a treat for me to have this alone time with Bridget and Spike in this pretty desert location. We’re far enough away from the road to be assured of a quiet, peaceful camp.
The afternoon highs are in the eighties.
I read a couple books, work on this blog, and putter around camp. The crew and I take walks in the cool of morning and at dusk. I take photos. We make one trip into Quartzsite for groceries and gas.
Soon we will be on the move again.
Another lovely ending of a day in the desert Southwest
These days of relaxation and solitude are just what I need before setting off on our travels for 2014!
rvsue
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