UPDATE FROM ARIZONA

We have made it down to the Quartzsite area in Arizona.  This will be a very long post as we have not had good internet service in most places we have camped until now.  All is going well and we are having “good times and grins”!  Some of the pictures may not match up to the dates where the blog says they happened, but hopefully they will be worth viewing. 

  

8 March 2013:  Headed south for our annual trip to the desert in the spring.  Drove down to Jackpot, NV and spent the night.  The roads were good considering the time of year.  Camped at the RV Park at Cactus Pete’s casino.  Still quite a bit of snow on the ground here – mostly in piles where they have piled it or where the wind has deposited it.   Was pretty cool when we got here and the wind made it seem colder.

At a rest stop near Ely.  It is pretty cold still.

 Zeph on the ice on the Salmon river.

9 March 2013:  Drove from Jackpot to Echo Bay in Lake Meade Recreational Area.  Weather and roads were good for the most part.  There were some wet roads out of Ely that covered the jeep in some pretty bad road grime.  Stopped in Overton and washed the vehicles.  Not as cold down here.  Showers felt good.  

 Sunset from our first campsite.

10 March 2013:  Took Zeph down to the lake and let him swim for the first time.  I think he had a great time.  We just hung around camp all day and did a little reading.  The weather down here is sure a lot warmer than it is in Montana.  

Zeph just leaps into the water after sticks.

Connie getting a little wet as she stubbed her toe and fell. 

Zeph when he first got in the water.

But he really got into jumping after sticks after a few times.

11March 2013:  Decided to move camp this morning as there are some better campsites out on the bluff.  Glad we moved because the views are very much worth it.  Took Zeph out for his first kayak adventure and he did good.  Water was great and it is very warm down here.  Decided to stay another day and go out on the water to the south of this place tomorrow.  Also some great hiking in the area.  Lots of wild burros around here also.  Connie and Zeph had an encounter with them while hiking this evening. 

Nice clear water on Lake Meade.

View from our new campsite.

The old blue kayak.

Connie and Zeph playing in the water.

He is really getting into the swimming now, especially with his life jacket on!

He does really good in the boat.

Click to enlarge and check out the reflection of con trails on the water.

He still likes climbing on rocks where ever he is.

 A coyote on the lake shore.

12 March 2013:  First thing this morning we went for a nice walk out in the desert and climbed up on the ridge line to the south of camp.  We are getting to old to do those “scramble” hikes with no trails.  There seemed to be a lot of loose rocks on that hike.  We did find where the desert sheep hang out though.  Lots of beds on the south facing slope.  After breakfast (a late one I might add) we went out kayaking with Zeph.  Was a great kayak to the south of our put in point where there are a number of islands that we explored around.  Both of us got a little too much sun though.

 

View from our hike at it's highest point.

Connie climbing up the sheep trail.

A root system exposed by the changing river channel.

This is what I see when kayaking now.

A desert sheep bed.

We had some very calm water to kayak in.

Lots of mussel shells.