Valley of Fire

After leaving the Las Vegas area we traveled east towards Utah. Since we had some extra time we stopped at a campground in Overton, Nevada, on the northern tip of Lake Mead. The other day we drove over to the Valley of Fire State Park, about 8 miles west of town. After stopping at the Visitors Center we headed out into the park, stopping along the way to stare at the beautiful scenery. Pretty awesome, huh? Thousands of years ago these rock formations were under water. As the water receded, some of the rock eroded away, leaving the present formations.











Now we know why it is called the Valley of Fire. The colors bouncing off the unusual rock formations are a rainbow of orange, red, purple, yellow and brown, changing with the direction of the sunlight and shadows.

Petroglyphs

At one of the roadside turnouts, we hiked a short distance to view the petroglyphs. Pretty amazing! These are thousands of years old! To this day, archeologists have not been able to decipher all of them. Much of it is still a mystery.

Desert Life

While we were viewing the petroglyphs we spotted this big green lizard (or is it a gecko?) He posed for pictures much to the delight of the tourists, while sunning himself on the rock.

Desert Scenes

There's so much to see and do in the desert southwest. Here are just a few photos for your enjoyment.









We are blessed with many good friends and a wonderful family. But sometimes you meet somebody that is just the best! We met Dodie and Rosie Rosenberg in Michigan at the Allegan Fair about 10 years ago. They invited us to come out to stay on their property near Casa Grande, AZ. We took them up on that offer and this is about our 4th time out here. We call it the Compound because there are always lots of people there. Dodie put in about 5 RV sites so their friends can enjoy their stay in comfort. We have been here for about 3 weeks -- it's so hard to leave.

Back to Yuma

The month of February has simply flown by. I've had every intention of updating the blog more than once, but got sidetracked. So here goes:

We left Quartzsite on January 23 and headed back to Yuma. This time we boondocked at Cool's Corner, called so because there is a small grocery store with that name (long since closed and boarded up) where you turn to go up on a bluff off of Laguna Dam road, near where we stayed during New Years. We used up our 14 day free stay on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. A few of the Boomers that we partied with at Quartzsite were there so we continued the party. The spot where we were camped was surrounded by hills so we were protected from the winds (strong at times). Just when we thought we were "partied out" we moved over to Pilot's Knob, another free BLM spot located over the state line into California. Here we stayed for two nights. We got to see Dustin again before his Marine unit is deployed overseas. Daughter Nancy and her hubby Pat and daughter Alyssa flew to California and then drove over to see Dustin. We had dinner in Yuma and enjoyed a pleasant but very brief visit.

Please keep Dustin in your prayers. We hope for a safe and speedy return for all.

A New Dawn

Inauguration day started with a beautiful sunrise coming over the mountains east of Quartzsite, Arizona. We thought it was very appropriate. We had asked that anyone who wanted to share this historic event to join us for an Inaugural Brunch. We set up two TVs and a sound system and about 30 people showed up from the group of Boomers who were camped in the desert.

Our new president was sworn in and history was made.











While the festivities were still going on all over the nation the Boomers of the Escapees RV Club enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the desert.

A fantastic few days in Yuma

The high point of our trip to Yuma was time spent with our grandson Dustin. There was dinner at The brown Bag. Probably the best hamburger joint in Yuma, if not in Arizona. On Sunday he gave us the grand tour of the Yuma MCAS the airbase where he is stationed. It is hard to believe that this is the kid who once sat on my lap and "drove" our motorhome when we parked it in his Mom's driveway. That little 5 year old is now the 6 foot marine you see here, cpl. Dustin Davis.





We are very proud of this Marine.

Mittry Lake

Happy New Year from Mittry Lake.





This is a satellite view of the Mittry Lake area. At the tip of the arrow is where we hosted the Mittry New Years Boomerang with 16 rigs. Every one had a BLAST!

Some shots at the home of Escapees RV Club

Rainbow's End

We have had a great visit here at the Escapees Park. Now it's time to get back on the road. We will be leaving on Wednesday, and we'll take our time getting to the desert. It's been fun being here, though. There is always something going on, a luncheon, seminar groups, cards and games.

We met up with some Boomer friends whom we had met in Arizona a few years ago. Bob and Carolann Iles. You can see their photo next to our Christmas tree. We had a wonderful visit and played several games of dominoes, so we should all be pretty good at it by the time we get to Lake Mittry and Quartzsite.

More from the road later.