A FEW DAYS IN QUARTZSITE

We spent a few days in Quartzsite, AZ where we had breakfast with some friends from home, Wayne and Audie.  Then our friends Gary and Georgine from Utah came down and met us.  Of course when you are in Qsite, you have to go do some shopping at all the vendors.  We had a list of things we wanted to pick up.  Also went out to the Robson Family mine museum and did the tour there.  Really quite a place.

Started our in the auditorium with lots of ore samples and antiques.

Connie checking out some of the antiques.

And no museum in the west does not have a jackalope mount hanging on the wall.

In one store, there were lots of brand new items that still had the old price tags on them.

They even had wicker caskets.

Lots of tin goods and other items that had never been opened.

Gary and Georgine.

Connie with an old dentist drill getting ready to do some work on my tooth ache.  A few days later I was in a dentist chair in Mexico getting another abscessed tooth pulled out of my head.  That is 2 in 2 months.  

Connie under an old hair dryer.

The row of buildings.

They had lots of old trucks and mining gear.  A couple of the trucks were the chain drive type. 

TEMPLE BAR AT LAKE MEADE

We left Stewart’s Point and headed further south.  Drove out to Temple Bar where we camped at the Park Service campground there.  Was one of the nicest Park Service campgrounds we have stayed at.  We were surprised to find palm trees and other shade trees there with really nice campsites and hardly anyone in the campground.  Water was easily accessed at a boat ramp that still goes down to the water.  And they have a fully functional marina still operating even though Lake Meade is so low.  Spent one day paddling towards where the Colorado River comes into Lake Meade, but did not get all the way there.  It is 14 miles we were told to inlet so that would have been a little longer day than we wanted to paddle.  Only saw one other boat on the water while we were paddling.  And the water was flat for the most part – great day to paddle.

The functioning marina at Temple Bar.

Temple Mesa or THE Temple Bar according to the locals.

Rest stop while paddling. 

Lots of mussels in places on this lake.

A pair of hooded mergansers.

An arch along the shoreline.

Love watching coots take off from the water as they have to run on top of it until they get flying speed.

Some of them finally getting there.

This heron had a great place to hunt along the shore and came back as soon as we left.

We pulled into this little spot and walked up the canyon to where the high water mark stopped.

blooming salt cedar.

Connie even found a pair of glasses in the sand attached to some twigs.

Just about to the high water mark.

Another view of Temple Mesa. This is my paddle and is the best one I have ever used.  Carbon fiber so it is light and the head is plastic so you can push of on rocks.

We had a boat by this same name years ago, but was not nearly as big.  Had a lot of fun on that boat in Alaska.

LAKE MEADE

11 Feb 15

Headed south from Montana to Jackpot, Nevada today.  The roads and the weather were the best we have ever driven on this leg of the trip.  Our vehicles got very little grim on them, in fact the only wet road that we traveled was over Lost Trail Pass into Idaho from Montana.   Nothing exciting happened on the drive which was good.  

RV park at Cactus Pete's in Jackpot.  We stop here going and coming most years.

 

12-13 Feb 15

Drove from Jackpot to Lake Meade.  Weather was good and all went well.  Camped on a bluff overlooking the lake.  Same place we camped last year.  Got up the next morning and did a walk to check out the area.  Then we carried the kayak down the bluff to the water and did some kayaking.  Water is much lower than last year so was a longer carry.  Weather is great and the lake is like glass.  Great kayaking.  Went to town in the afternoon and picked up a socket (I don't carry a 1 & 1/16 socket but will from now on)  to tighten the water heater plug as it was leaking a little bit.  Also washed the jeep to get the road grim off. 

View of Lake Meade from our camp.

Sunset beer.

Sunset.

Connie throwing sticks for Zeph.

Heading out for a paddle.

Blue herons are always on the shoreline.

Top feeding carp.  They open their mouths and take in something.  Quite a sight.

The lake is lower this year than last, in fact it is below the 1939 level according to locals.  We paddled right through here last year.

 Our first cooking on our new little BBQ.

14 Feb 15

Went for a nice walk this morning then jumped in the kayak and spent most of the day on the water.  Hardly any wind and just a few fishermen out running around.  Weather is great and I can see a suntan line starting to appear on my body.  More people around here today as it is a weekend. 

Lots of mud in small coves.  

Your have to find either gravel or rock to get out on or sink into some really gooey mud.

Zeph loves to kayak.  Just lays there and looks around.

And really likes when we stop so he can go swimming after sticks.

Don't know what kind of mineral this is, but it runs in veins in a lot of this area.

Anyone who has floated or kayaked the Colorado River knows this Salt Ceder brush or Tamarisk  is taking over much of the shoreline.

Not really crowded this time of year.

Lots of airplane contrails as there major airway above Vegas.