Saturday, December 28
Kelly, Bill, Al, Ann, and Spike on the overcast, cool morning of the hike to Four Palms Canyon.
Today Spike, Bridget, and I go on a hike to Four Palms Canyon with Ann, Bill, Kelly, Al and the dogs, Julie, Samantha, and Pheebs. You can read all about it and see excellent photos taken by Al in his December 28, 2013 post of Travel with the Bayfield Bunch.
I’m not going to attempt to tell the story of that day after Al did it so completely and very well. In fact, I didn’t take many photos of the hike because I knew Al would show it to you. I put my camera away for once. Thanks, Al. Now I can catch up!
Sunday, December 29
Bridget and Spike are happy to wear their lined, too-big coats on brisk mornings in the desert.
I wake up before dawn with a headache and slight nausea. Darn, I hate this.
Soon I’m out of bed, downing three ibuprofen pills with a mug of coffee. After Bridge and Spike go outside for morning potty and return for their breakfast, I cook up some oatmeal for my own breakfast. I’ve always had good results ridding myself of a headache, as well as the accompanying nausea, by eating bland food.
Bill and Ann are busy today with their duties for the refuge.
Al and Kelly bounce by in their jeep, headed for another fun excursion, no doubt.
A chilly wind blows.
It’s the kind of day in which I like to stay home. Plus the dang headache . . .
After a few hours I feel well enough to do dishes. I fill a basin with hot, soapy water and dirty dishes, and take it outside. I sit in the sun in my camp chair washing and drying dishes until the wind makes it too uncomfortable. The fresh air does me good. No more headache or nausea.
Visitors!
I’m sitting at my laptop answering comments when I hear someone outside the door. Bridget and Spike leap off the bed, barking. I open the door to see a lady holding the leashes of two, very big and beautiful dogs.
The dogs are part golden retriever and part poodle. . . goldendoodles!
“Hello! You must be RVSue!”
It’s Deb, a reader of this blog, and her husband Ed, who soon walks over and joins us. Last night they arrived with their fifth wheel. They’re from Ontario and plan to do Quartzsite in a few weeks, when the town fills with vendors and crowds.
“Everyone needs to do Quartzsite at least once, right?” says Ed, and I have to agree, putting emphasis on the word “once.”
The crew and the goldendoodles (sorry, forgot the names) aren’t in a socializing mood. All four canines lie down to soak up the sunshine and soon begin to snooze.
The wind whips and whistles all day.
It’s a good time of rest and togetherness for me and my crew.
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona
rvsue
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
Those ‘goldendoodles’ are nice-looking canines! 🙂
I bet they have wonderful personalities, too.
Ummm, is there something wrong here? There are no posts. It is windy out, there is no doubt about that. Beautiful day though. Beautiful dogs, the goldendoodles. Hope you feel better.
Are you talking about me skipping a post about the hike? What would I write after Al’s post about it? Sometimes it’s wise to step aside and say “Bravo! Well done!”
I’m perfectly fine now. Don’t know why I had that headache. If that’s my biggest ailment, I’m pretty darn fortunate.
No, when I first logged on, there were no posts here. When I entered my post, I was one minute later than mockturtle. Posts! Guess if I was one minute faster, I would have been first. Glad you are feeling better.
Oh, you meant comments!
I watched Al and Kelly pull out this morning . . .
Your blog hit the million mark on my daughters birthday. 10 more weeks & our trailer is built.
Can’t wait to see that desert.
The desert awaits you, Val!
I’m sure Deb will be along soon to tell us the names of her fur-babies! 😀
Maybe so . . .
Their names are Carly and Joni and they don’t shed.
They have wonderful personalities.
Thanks for noticing them.
Deb
Hi, Deb! Not as much wind this morning… Hope it stays that way.
Hey Sue–I was just on eBay looking at travel trailers, one of my hobbies. Thought it was interesting that there is a 1999 Casita for auction and there are 136 people watching the auction. Guess the word is getting out…
Hi, DeAnne,
I think the word on Casitas has been out for a long time. For a few years before I ordered a new one, I watched how quickly used Casitas were grabbed. I soon realized I’d never catch one. They’re very popular and sought after.
And they go for a pretty price, too … might as well get a new one like you did!
Yes, Casitas do hold their value and price on the market. Not that I would consider getting rid of the BLT!
Just this morning Gil asked me to get in touch with you to see if you are getting wind there. It has been ferocious here off and on. Gil can’t get Mittry Lake out of his mind and wants to go back—after all it will soon be a New year!
Hi, Kathy,
Gil is loving his new Port-o-bote. I think the wind is pretty widespread. That’s what happens in the flat desert at this time of year. Right now the wind has stopped, like it usually does in the evening.
I’m glad you camped at Mittry and found that you liked it there.
Catching up with Sue and the crew today after our break away for Xmas. Love all the photos and so pleased Sue that you had lovely people around you over this festive time! It will be a Xmas to look back on with great memories! Happy New Year to you too!!
Thank you, Glenda. I hope your holiday was splendid!
It was windy up here in Quartzsite today and all the way up to Parker where I spent a fortune on groceries having senior moments regarding the size of my fridge. Those dogs are adorable and I bet they don’t shed the way Max does.
Cheers,
Ilse
Hi, Ilse,
There’s no escaping the wind whipping across this flat desert. I think a lot of the activity one sees in Parker can be attributed to the presence of WalMart. There isn’t much else there. I admire your efforts to eat lots of fresh vegetables and to provide Max with a healthy, meat diet.
Well, Max may shed, but he’s worth it. 🙂
This link may help you all with the wind! It lets you know where the wind is blowing and how hard! Takes a minute to load, but fun to watch. You can click on an area, say Quartzsite and it will zoom in closer with each click!
http://hint.fm/wind/
Chuck always liked to check out the wind map before we took off with the MotherShip! Nothing like pulling a trailer AND fighting the wind!
Gerri, this wind map is amazing! Thank you for the link!
I’ll do Quartzsite again after check out some more of the warmer winter places, I enjoyed it.
It’s nice that we all like different things isn’t it?
Hi, Rob,
I enjoyed Quartzsite, too. It’s the kind of place I like in small doses, if you know what I mean. In fact, I’ll be going there soon for groceries, trash dump, propane, etc.
Find those warm places, stay out of the wind, and soak up some sun!
Some days are just meant for relaxing at home. Glad the headache went away. Hope all is well. Take care.
Hi, Pleinguy,
All is well. I loved our hikes with friends. I’m a low energy person, so hanging around camp is good, too. I’ve got a lot of books to read and projects to look at and procrastinate about. 🙂
Speaking of books, how are you liking the paperwhite? I’m probably going to have to hold off on getting one for myself for a while, since Santa brought a new-to-me car for Christmas…and the payments along with it, unfortunately! LOL
Santa, the loan shark, eh?
I like my PaperWhite. It’s the first device I’ve owned that has a touch screen, so I’m still getting used to that. Haven’t used it much yet. I have a collection of paperbacks that Les gave me (Sidewinder Road Camp, Yuma). I’m reading those first so I won’t have to cart them around.
Al’s photo’s and dialogue regarding them were great. Bet Spike and Bridget were worn out.
Is Bill the one who did your battery set-up in the PTV? Ann does stained glass for the Casita’s right?
Hi, Barbara,
You can see why I didn’t bother to write and post photos about our last hike, the one to Four Palms Canyon (which Kelly and I didn’t complete, preferring a leisurely trek back with a stop for conversation). I’m surprised how well Spike and Bridget did on the hikes. I think Sammy and Julie are a good influence on them!
No, a different Bill set up my battery box. Yes, Ann does stained glass windows for Casitas, although she’s busy right now volunteering at Kofa.
Here’s a link to one of the pages (Scamp windows) of their website:
Little House Stained Glass
Ann does beautiful windows for several types of RVs.
The frog window is now in our MotherShip! We love it! The crescent moon is clear, so we can look out at night and see who is at our door!
Hello Sue and Crew:
Sue so many of your photos make me think “now THAT is a one-in-a-million photo” ! But then I realized I think that about photos in your blog every post. Okay, but the one of Spike in Al’s post yesterday (The Bayfield Bunch) is yet another PERFECT photo of Spike. (And yes, Al does take phenomenal photos!!). But Spike looks like “Spike: Mountain Dog of the Wilderness”. A great lead-in for a TV show. 🙂
Jool in N. Texas
I second that remark. A very handsome picture of Mr. Spike.
Hi, Mary! Spike IS a handsome devil.
Hi, Jool,
Spike on his own TV show! Oh my, he’s hard enough to live with as it is . . . 🙂
Al’s photo of Spike is perfect. Kelly sent it to me, so I’ll surely find a time and place to use it on my blog. Spike looks like he’s in his prime — the arthritis, cataracts, poor hearing, and dull fur… all miraculously gone. *sigh*
Thank you for complimenting my photos, especially when compared with Al’s.
Hi Sue:
The nurse in me comes out with a word of warning. You mentioned that you woke up with a headache and nausea and took ibuprofen . . . Please remember to drink lots of water and / or eat a few crackers with each dose of ibuprofen. It is MURDER on the stomach and you may not feel it at the current time but its effects on the stomach lining can be cumulative.
Hi, Mary-Pat,
You’re sweet to voice your concern. I did drink a little water with the ibuprofen, which probably caused the nausea. Then I followed up with oatmeal, maybe a bit late to protect my stomach lining though.
Good advice and reminder for me and all my readers who take ibuprofen. Thanks.
Thought you did not like drop in’s, you have had your share lately.
I’ll probably find a place to hide soon. I enjoy people once I meet them, and, of course, I treasure the time spent with friends, but then I have to get away by myself to restore what I call my equilibrium. I think the headache was my body giving me a hint.
Ditto. It is sometimes nice to see trailers pull away. Space for breathing with no constraints; to reflect on friendships and further adventures to be in the future.
Wonderful stories and it looks like another beautiful location. The photo of your rig that Al took is a keeper! The one he took of the Spikester on alert is also impressive. The coats for Bridget and Spike might be a little large but they look so cute in them and appear to be comfy too.
Hi, MK,
Yeah, the crew’s coats are like little tents they carry around. They block the wind and shed the rain, not that we’ve had much of the latter lately.
Oh poor Sue..having to camp in such a pitifully bedraggled unappealing area….
I looked at the photos on your friend’s website…wow, just wow…
You do have a way of selecting campsites that I drool over…
Hi, Lee,
Non-drool campsites are not acceptable, except maybe for an occasional truck stop to get to the next drool-camp. We aim to drool!
Cute golden doodles.
Love Spike and Bridget’ coats. Motrin will eat the side of your stomach…so yes drink lots of water and or eat something.
Was a crazy day here. After giving me two thumbs up and a I’m okay… Heaven got another angel!
Oh, Cindy, your mother passed? I’m so sorry. I’ll email you. . .
Sorry to hear about your loss. May your pain be eased by knowing her’s no longer exists.
I’ve enjoyed the blog all year Sue, I hope you and the pups have a great New Year and many good things come your way…
Thank you, Ron. May your new year be a happy, healthy one.
I have an Amazon delivery question: A few posts back I asked you how you addressed packages to receive them at a UPS Customer Center (i.e. local hub), and you responded with that info (thanks!).
What I might have assumed incorrectly, was that you do this with Amazon orders. Do you? And if so, my question is this (as I prep to make one :D): How do you know that Amazon will use UPS? Or, to ask it another way: How do you know *which* delivery service Amazon will use? I used to have this problem in my stick house (due to using a combination of real street address at work and/or PO Box at home). I never did find a way to “know” how UPS would ship unless I “forced” the issue by using my PO Box address (but then I never preferred postal shipping, because I have bad luck with their tracking, so that wasn’t a great solution).
How do you handle that? I know a UPS Store (retail) will take a package that comes via any delivery service, but presume the UPS hub will only handle UPS packages (?)
Thanks,
Pen
(Enjoying your posts, as always – thanks!)
I wish I had a good answer for you, Pen. I take my chances. If the packages don’t get to me, Amazon is excellent about refunds.
So far I’ve had good luck with Amazon sending my packages to a UPS hub. You’re right. You can’t specify with Amazon what shipper you prefer. I do know the UPS stores charge a lot per package received. That’s why I use the UPS Customer Center (hub) as my shipping address. I don’t know if the post office will deliver to a UPS hub as, so far, all mine were shipped via UPS to UPS. Good luck!
” I do know the UPS stores charge a lot per package received. That’s why I use the UPS Customer Center as my shipping address.”
That’s the main reason I would like to use the hub as well. Especially if I might be receiving numerous packages (because it adds up!). Recently in the San Francisco area, Amazon used a semi-local shipper for all my stuff (forget the name, but not one of the usuals), but in that case I had a friend’s address to use, so it was no problem. I had an “opposite” situation once in that I asked a (non-Amazon) company to ship to me General Delivery at a post office (normally free) and they used UPS. Well, UPS delivered, but then the post office wanted to charge me a really high fee for each package (I forget what it was now… maybe $15 or more). That was a wake-up call.
If I could change one thing about Amazon, that would be it: To be able to specify which shipping method/company they would use. Actually, even just knowing (without being able to affect it) would be really helpful, as I can usually adapt to any of the services, if I know what I’m adapting to. Perhaps in some areas of the country they tend to use UPS exclusively (that would be handy!).
Thanks for letting me know what you’ve experienced.
Pen
You’re welcome, Pen. I agree with you 100 percent! I’ve talked with customer service at Amazon and sent emails regarding this problem and how it affects the thousands of full-time RVers who like to shop Amazon. I hope they come up with a solution soon as I love ordering from Amazon!
Like I said, I accept the possibility of my packages being “returned to sender” and order anyway, knowing a failed shipment will result in credit given to my credit card. I will continue to shop Amazon, except for items I need immediately.
Probably won’t affect too many of your readers but we’ve found Amazon shipping FedEx to USPS for small packages in the DFW area. The package comes to the FedEx hub then is transferred to USPS for delivery with our mail. Note that we are NOT Prime members and order all of our stuff from Amazon with free standard shipping. If you’re using Amazon Prime with 2 day shipping I doubt it would work this way.
Have a Blessed and Joyous New Year.
Well here we go, another year flies by. This is my last post here in 2013. Sue, I know I’ve told you this in the past but on this day I want to repeat it. Your adventures and sense of humor reflected here are a daily treat for me and others. So, here’s wishing you and the crew a very happy and healthy new year. Roll those wheels safely!!
I’m slowly getting caught up with your posts. I had sort of an RVSueAndCrew withdrawal this past week, since I left my laptop at home when traveling to family. It sounds like you’ve been enjoying your current location, and from the photos, I can certainly see why!
And you hit the magic 1,000,000 while I was gone too. I wonder if there is/was a way to see who that one person was? I have visions of confetti flying and horns blowing, like stores sometimes do when they get a milestone customer. 🙂
It’s been delightful to travel along with you this past year, Sue and crew! You have such a delightful way of describing your life on the road, and the antics of your crew always entertains me. Thank you again for sharing this part of your life with us. And thank you to all your commenters, as well – y’all have been just as entertaining, and educational as well. What a wonderful group you have gathered around you!
Hi, Cari… Welcome back! Thank you for following my blog. Happy New Year!