My email inbox and phone are starting to be inundated with people asking how we are doing. So it is probably time to do a blog post.
It is now Day 9 of our boondocking experience south of Quartzsite, Arizona. It is still us, along with Dan and Amy, isolated out here in the desert. We are all still talking to each other and enjoying each other’s company. That is a good thing, since this is week five together! So what have we been up to?
Here is Quarantine Central. Our rigs are parked a right angle to each other to create a wind block on two sides.If you look close enough, you can see one neighbor at the far left and another in the distance just right of center. We aren’t the only ones out here, but we are all leaving each other alone.
So how does a typical day go? The mornings start out cool, anywhere between the high 40s and mid 50s. So far the days are only getting up to 75 degrees. That is going to change in the next few days, with a high predicted of around 87. But say it with me, “It’s a dry heat.”
If you get up early enough, you can go outside with your cup of coffee and watch the sunrise.The sunrise was worth getting up for this particular morning.Then a few days later this spectacular sunrise over Signal Peak occurred. Wow!Once the sun is up, you put outside any solar devices you have that need to be charged. This is our Luci Light. It’s an inflatable LED light that we sometimes use when dark to conserve our coach batteries.
Earlier in the year I bought a hummingbird feeder for the RV. I made up some food and hung the feeder off our side view mirror.
It took a day, but the hummingbirds found us! They have been a constant source of entertainment.The guys have been doing some repairs and improvements to the rigs. Here Dan and Jim (invisible of course) are fixing some loose sheet metal under Dan’s rig. If you want specifics, you will have to ask them.
Jim (again invisible way back in the corner behind Dan) continuing his quest of installing 12 outlets wherever he thinks they are needed. Here one is going at the foot of the bed for a 12 volt fan. The bed is tilted up on the right side so the guys can access the bed base. You can see our fresh water tank under the bed!
I have been doing some sewing. So has Amy. If you need to do any ironing, you have to make sure it’s a sunny day so your batteries can charge on solar and keep up with the iron.Dan is an avid amateur photographer. He spotted a beavertail pricklypear in bloom. Out came the camera and the tripod.Here’s my lame photo of the cactus. I can guarantee Dan’s photo will be much better!
The Ocotillo are about to bloom. We’ll have to see if it happens while we are still here.
As the day winds down, it is time to eat! We usually do a communal meal and grill outside if possible.
The tailgate of Dan and Amy’s truck is the perfect height for setting a grill on. There just happen to be steaks on the grill this evening.Steak, salad, fresh bread and wine…dining al fresco. We are getting pretty good at making homemade bread in my little clam-shell oven. We have probably baked 6 loaves in the past five weeks.We did venture out today to get some groceries (taking all precautions). We seized upon the opportunity to NOT cook today. None of us had ever tried Carl Jr’s, so we hit up the drive-thru. For fast foot, it wasn’t too bad. And did I mention we didn’t have to cook today?
But what about the evenings?
The four of us have recently learned how to play Mexican Train dominoes. We think we are playing it right. There may or may not have been some adult beverages involved in this game.
Other nights we will watch a movie. This particular evening, Callie and Janelle joined in via Skype and we watched The Martian as a family.
Janelle and I also figured out how to play a computer game together using Discord and Skype. Bonus points if you know what game this is!Photo Credit: Daniel Knowles Some evenings we have spectacular sunsets. Dan took this with his very nice camera. Wowser!This is the same sunset with my cell phone. Still, not too shabby!
That’s what we have been up to!
So what’s next? We are going to sit here until April 9 or so. We are stretching our water supply by showering every 3 days. We call it “Community Shower Day”. At least we are all on the same, um, stinky schedule. AND NO, we are NOT all showering together.
Anyway, by April 9, we figure we will have used up all our fresh water and our gray and black tanks will be full. The plan is to go into town (either Quartzsite or Phoenix), dump tanks, get fresh water, do some laundry, then head towards a spacious-social-distancing desert campground on the Northeast side of Phoenix. The plan is to stay there until April 18. As a bonus, the campground has electrical hookups. We figure we will need it by then to run the air conditioners.
What’s after that? We have no idea. It all depends upon what is happening across the country. We have options and will just have to see which one we chose to use.
We hope everyone else is staying inside and safe. All our situations are unique. This situation is working for us now.
Nice touch with the hummingbird feeder!!! Beautiful sunsets — even the cell phone picture. Life looks “good” in the desert. Stay well and — thanks again for your help this morning.
Nice touch with the hummingbird feeder!!! Beautiful sunsets — even the cell phone picture. Life looks “good” in the desert. Stay well and — thanks again for your help this morning.
We are trying to stay well. Thanks for the opportunity to help you out with your computer. That gave us both 45 minutes of entertainment. 🙂
Fabulous sunrises and sunsets! Looks like y’all are living the life! Enjoy!
Be Well!
“Living the life?” More like making lemonade out of lemons. Or something like that!