On The Road Again!

Once again it has been a while since my fingers have hit the keys for the blog.  We have been traveling from Arizona to California, back to Arizona and up to Utah and back to Nevada.  It has been a week or so since I have been in a camp site where I could get an internet signal.  This has not  necessarily been a bad thing because the various areas we have traversed have been worth every minute of not being able to get a phone signal or internet connection.
The highlight of the last couple of weeks came as we connected with my daughter, Anne Marie and her partner, Daniel Harvey just outside of St George, Utah.  We were able to go to Zion National Park with them and camp in a private RV park and then in Snow Canyon State Park just north of St George.  While there we rode our bikes with Anne and Daniel through part of the state park.   Utah is one of the states that I had never seen before and it is truly beyond description.  It is so diverse with canyons, painted deserts, and fantastic rock formations.  All the above and this was only in the south west portion of Utah.   After my daughter left us to travel north to Washington state, we traveled south to Nevada to the Overton, Nevada area of the National Recreation area of Lake Mead.  What we discovered is that the Overton Beach is no longer open.  Not only is it not open, there is no longer any water of Lake Mead there!  We had to travel another 12 miles south of there to find water at Stewart's Point of Lake Mead.   We did something I have not done since my son was about 10 years of age - fly a kite.  We had just the right amount of wind to keep the kite flying for many hours.  It was the perfect local for kite flying - no electric lines, tall buildings or any obstructions. Felt good to be a kid again.
From the Overton camp site we traveled on to the Valley of Fire State Park.  This park reminded me of the Snow Canyon State Park in Utah because of the red rock cliffs and rounded rock formations.  The full hook up area of the park was full to capacity, so we camped in the dry camping area  and we discovered that this area was the best one of the park in the way it was set up.  Each camp site had its own red rock cliff or little canyon around it,  It was very private and we felt very much a part of nature.  We climbed all over the rocks, took tons of photos and were able to ride our bikes both days, and were able to have camp fires each night.  I highly recommend this park for anyone traveling through Nevada, particularly at this time of the year. I certainly hope to return.
We left Valley of Fire and headed down to just 17 miles east of Las Vegas to the Government Wash area of Lake Mead.  We arrived with a high wind warning in the area.  We set up camp so that the motor home was not broad side to the wind but still had to open windows on both sides to allow the wind to blow through instead of just hitting the side of the camper.  Definitely too high a wind for kite flying but Richard was able to go for a bike ride this  morning without being blown off his bike.  We learned that the water level is down 120 feet from ten years ago in the main body of Lake Mead and it is very evident all along the water way from just south of Overton to this area which is about 47 miles further  south of Overton, Nevada.  No longer does Lake Mead stretch along this route.  There are pockets of water but they no longer connect and many of the beaches, boat launch areas and rv parks have been totally abandoned.  Very sad to see and rather frightening to wonder at the ramifications of the loss of Lake Mead. Not sure where we are headed next - most likely south and east!

Zion National Park, Utah

Daniel, Me and Anne Marie at Snow Canyon State Park, Ut

Zion National Park, Utah

Being a kid again -flying kites

Go Fly a Kite! (northern end of Lake Mead near Overton, Nv

 

Camp site at Valley of Fire State Park, Nv

Climbing rocks at Valley of Fire State Park

Little fork tailed lizzard at Valley of Fire

Campsite on Lake Mead

Winding colorful desert road to Lake Mead

March 17th - Added pictures from a few days ago!

Sunrise on Oatman Drive - Az

Dry camping at its finest!

Wild Burros on Oatman Drive

Route 66 Graffiti

First shoe tree on Route 66

Sunset over Amboy Crater

   

Sunset in the desert

Iron County Style Graffiti

Ocotillo Blossom

Three Amigos on R-66

Almost stuck in the desert

My little stone Cairn

Coming on in for the day

March 17 - Happy St Patrick's Day!!

Shoe fence

Nail & glass graffiti (Inside shoe fence)

 

 

Homeless in Quartzsite

Amboy Crater at sunset    

Amboy Crater

I just realized I have not visited my Blog since March 9th!  It was 29 degrees in Kingman, Az and snowing hard that day!!  Since then we have moved on to much much warmer weather.  We wandered down to California and took old Route 66 west to Amboy, Ca.  There is so much to see alone the old highway.  There are only a few buildings left along a 50 mile route and of those most are crumbling and covered in highway graffiti. We came across out first shoe tree on Route 66 and all along the railroad track on the north side of the road are names, pictures all done with stones, rocks.  One really needs to be traveling east on 66 to be able to read them.  We believe that some of the stone graffiti along the tracks might be 50 -60 years old.  Some are done with broken glass, some with painted rocks and some with pieces of wood.  It goes on for miles and miles. 

We camped in the desert that night (the 11th) along Route 66 in Amboy, Ca.  The weather was a bit warmer than in Kingman, Az.  I think Earl was still a bit chilly out in his tent that night.  The wind was extremely brisk all night but he was still with us in the morning!   The guys then rode from Amboy to just outside Twenty Nine Palms, Ca., a little  over 30 miles.  It was almost all uphill with them gaining 2500 feet in 9 miles.  We camped in Twenty Nine Palms Rv Park that night and then Earl and I rode back to Amboy over that same mountain the next day.  This time we had a 2500 foot gain in altitude in 5.50 miles!  It was steep but the next 11 miles was almost all downhill.  Not a gentle downhill but a "I need to put my brakes on" kind of downhill.  Earl feels comfortable coasting 35 miles an hour.  I most certainly do not!  I was able to handle 24 MPH and then the brakes would come on again, however, gently.  I had an image of burning out my brakes and blazing down the mountain.  As I may have mentioned before, I try to follow my little quote that states "Do one thing everyday that scares you"  I did it that day!!!  The rest of the ride was through desert, mountains with hardly any traffic.  Earl was behind me a few miles so I had all the desert to myself........and critters like rattle snakes and scorpions that thankfully stayed out of my way during the day.  It was another one of those days when I had no words to describe the beauty, the peace, &  the feeling of oneness with the land.  That is one of the benefits of riding a bike across the country.  You just experience everything in a much more intense way.  I am so grateful to be able to be doing this. 
We took a couple of days off from riding and headed back into Arizona - to Quartzsite.  We were hoping to catch the huge flea markets they have in the area.  We learned that the majority of the vendors leave at the end of February.  There were still a few and the variety of goods go from literally "rocks" to solar panels for RV's.  There are numerous RV parks in Quartzsite and most of them do not allow tents.  We found one that does for Earl's little tent.  We also discovered why they do not allow tents in the RV Parks.  The one we stayed in had quite a few homeless people who  are living out of "tents".  Some are tarps draped over tents.  The park we were staying in closes for the summer on April 1st so that means all those people have to go somewhere.   It is too hot for them to stay in the area where they are now so I assume they will travel slowly north to cooler weather for the summer.  It is such a contrast to see huge RV's and a few feet away, a make shift shelter with two or three people who are dried and dark from the sun just sitting around all day.
Today, Earl and Richard began their ride just outside of Quartzsite on Route 60 going east and north.  Their plan was to ride to Wenden Az., which would be a moderate to hard 30 mile ride with a steadily climbing grade.  Today the wind was also pretty gusty and coming at them from their left.  Two hours or so and 20 miles later Richard called and said that Earl was a little tired.  It was then 96 degrees in the shade.  I left my parking area where I was writing this blog and drove on to pick them up.  Earl is OK but probably needs to drink more fluids while riding.  They had stopped at a little hiccup of a town called "Hope".  Fortunately there was an RV park right across the street from the restaurant and they had openings.  We are now comfortably enjoying the air conditioning of the camper.  This is the first time we have turned it on!  Hopefully Earl will feel like riding tomorrow and if so, I will ride with him.  If it is as hot as today, it will most likely be an abbreviated ride.  It is hard to believe it is the middle of March with the heat!  It does feel great though.

March 9th

Campsite - Merry Christmas!

We began this day with a little sunshine after a whole night of hard rain in Bullhead City, Az.  We drove around Laughlin, Nevada looking for a campsite in a Casino parking lot but none of them allow a tent.  Earl Norman, Richard's cycling buddy has his own little tent that he puts up each night and we are discovering that a lot of RV parks and other places are very picky about tents.  In Needles,  Ca., they would not allow any tents until April 14th -- evidently it is Spring Break and they are trying to discourage "spring breakers" from tenting in their RV parks.  We promised that Earl (age 83) wouldn't party too late but they still said "No".  When we left Bullhead City this morning it was 55 degrees.  We drove a little north and east up to the Kingman, Az., area, about 48 miles and are camping at Blake Ranch RV Park  16 miles east of Kingman.  We gained  about 3,800 feet in elevation from Bullhead City to Blake Ranch RV Park.  Unfortunately the higher we climbed the colder it became.  As we drove into Kingman, Az there was snow on the ground and where we are camped it has been snowing off and on all afternoon.  It is now 36 degrees out and only 4:30 PM mountain time!  I think Earl may need more then one sleeping bag tonight.  We were going to drive  north toward Las Vegas tomorrow but the high is not supposed to get much warmer then it is here so we are going back south until another warm (think 70 degrees) front comes our way.  I believe it is warmer in Crystal Falls, Mi then it is here today!!!!!

Tuesday - March 2nd - 5th

   

Yes these are bras!  It is a Bra tree near our campsite in Blythe, Az.

No, not mine!!!

    

Full moon outside of Yuma

 

 

Surreal Desert - A separate reality

     

Storm coming in outside of Yuma, Az

   

Traffic, I'll show you traffic! Lake Havasu City Earl and I begin our 20 mile ride of the day

 

I did it!

Stealth camping - hope we don't get booted out in the night! 

The official kick-off of the 2010 ICCU (Iron County Cancer Unit) fund raiser began at 10:00 AM CST this morning!  Richard Boyd and Earl Norman began their ride just north of Yuma, Az up to just outside of Blythe, Az.  I drove the camper ahead of them and they caught up to me a few hours later.  We camped outside of Blythe in a neat little campground which was on a canal of the Colorado River.  We had to postpone the next day's ride for the guys because of the driver's error in pulling off the road.  She (me) hit high ground and tore off the black water gate valve.  Not a good thing but it could have been worse!  Richard and Earl were able to find parts at an ACE Hardware the next day and fix the broken part right in the ACE parking lot.  We then drove on to Buckskin Mountain State Park which is located right on the Colorado River.  The river is the border between California and Arizona.  The guys began their second ride from the park the next morning and I drove 30 miles ahead to Lake Havasu State Park.  Unfortunately we were unable to get a spot at the park because a Bluegrass Festival had purchased all the camp sites plus all the parking lots.  I waited for the men in the parking lot of the park and when they got to me we found an RV park in the city - 600 RV sites!  Not a pretty place to stay but it served the purpose of a place to stay with water, electric and sewer hook-ups.  This morning - Friday March 5th I was able to ride 20 miles with Earl while Richard drove the camper.  It was an awesome ride.  The first 13 miles were uphill - really!  Other then some sketchy road with no shoulder for a couple of miles it was great.  The sun was shinning brightly, the surrounding area once we rode out of Lake Havasu City was beyond description.  So beautiful.  I thought it was great just driving through the state, but riding a bike really helps you to appreciate the beauty that is out there.  Earl and I met up with Richard at the corner of Interstate 95 and I-40 and we are now "dry camping" out in the desert.  We just pulled off the road and found a place we could just drive out into the desert.  No one around but us, the mountains and hopefully no snakes.  I have only seen one Rattle Snake on this whole trip and that was in Organ Pipe Cactus National Park.  He/she was on the road when I was riding my bike and I just slipped on by with no trouble from him/her.  The guys will begin their ride tomorrow from here which is the old Highway Route 66 in Arizona and will head north up into Nevada. This weather has been unreal.  No rain for about a week.  Temp is around 80 degrees in the daytime but feels like 70.  I love the dryness of the air but you have to remember to drink a lot of fluids and slather up with sunscreen!  Hopefully I will be able to write again tomorrow.  I was unable  to do so for the last couple of days because of no signal for the internet.