New Year's Day - Traveling

We left Las Cruces and headed down IH-10 East towards El Paso and Texas. The morning was cold and our water lines were frozen but we had loaded up water the night before so the situation did not cause any concern.

It was a travel day - all day. I'm sorry to report that the only excitement was the brief stop in the US Border Patrol Inspection Station along IH-10 outside El Paso. We have some pictures of the process. Basically, they announce via signage that all lanes must exit into, and under, a huge sun shield / shed into 2 or 3 lanes of traffic where each vehicle is inspected by a group of officers. They have cameras monitoring you as you approach and I assume they select which are the target vehicles during the slow creep up to the stop sign and the uniformed officer. Some vehicles get a lot of questions and some get waved on. We got waved on with nary a word spoken. Dexter was hiding under a blanket in his bed and missed the whole thing.

From there we merged onto IH-20 near Van Horn, TX. We drove through Pecos (leaving the Mountains behind us), Odessa, Midland, and into Big Spring. Miles & miles of Texas. We are stopped at MM 191 in a Rest Area having dinner and posting this Blog entry. Most of the larger Texas Rest Areas have free Wi-Fi and this one is no exception. We'll grab a movie (DVD) after dinner and sleep until dawn. We have just 4.5 hours to go before home with one required fuel stop. I plan to visit the Flying J outside Abilene at Tye, TX. Flying J has special RV pumps separated fromthe cars and the commercial trucks. With their free RV Card, you get the cash price (even using a credit card) and a one cent per gallon discount. If we get started early (like 6:45am), we can be in Carrollton and home by Noon Saturday.

Of the photos, some show the last vestiges of the mountains as we left the El Paso area and moved onto a broad plateau. I also included a few shots of the US Border Patrol Inspection signs and of the process as we approached the checkpoint.

Thursday - Almost to Texas

The day started in Benson, AZ, where we spent the night after a good cache day. No sign of the RV Park Manager this morning nor his warnings about knocking over the water spigot. We made it out safely and without any mishap.

Just a few hours later, we were crossing into New Mexico and speeding on towards Las Cruces. We arrived at the Hacienda RV Resort just before 2pm. What a difference from the Pardners RV Park. Wide streets, a clearly marked entrance and an office staff that greeted us warmly. They even wanted to meet Dexter and we brought him in for a look. His day was made with a dog biscuit and we marveled in the differences between the 2 parks. Of course, Benson was 20 bucks and this place was 70. I guess money does buy happiness!

They parked us next to a high dollar Prevost nestled among 3 or 4 other Prevosts. Being 45 feet long got us a super site and added another 10 bucks to the bill. This is being posted via their complimentary Wi-Fi but then I guess we really paid for it.

So, the highlight of the afternoon and evening was the drive out to see Steve & Raymond and their new place at the foot of the Organ Mountain range. The Organ Mountains are part of the southern tip of the Rocky Mountain range that ends in El Paso just 20 miles down the road.

The mountains look close enough to touch from their backyard but they were still a mile away and about a mile higher. Raymond said their place was about 4300 feet above sea level and the top of the tallest peaks stretch nearly to 10,000 feet.

We spent several hours talking about our mutual experiences in Quartzsite and learning all about their terrific house. It is very energy efficient and built in a southwestern adobe style with a courtyard and 15 inch thick earth walls.

We sat in their living room watching the sunset and talking about how they found the place, how long the drive was to Dallas, and all manner of other topics that occurred to us at the time. It was too cold this time of year to spot any rattlesnakes or scorpions in the desert just feet out their back door.

We left there about 8pm and had dinner at an Appleby's near the RV Resort. We're doing laundry tonight and will head back into Texas in the morning.

There is a Border Patrol checkpoint about 15 miles down the Interstate where everyone is stopped for a brief search & questioning but we have passed through them before and it is a simple process. Even Dexter, who is half Chihuahua, rates only a passing glance

The only photos I have to post are a couple taken out the front windshield of the RV as we descended IH-10 into Las Cruces. They show the Organ Mountain range in the distance. Steve & Raymond live on the far side of Las Cruces at the foot of these mountains.

Wednesday - The Return Trip

We started early as planned after topping off the RV diesel tank ($125.38 - thank you) and heading East. The Garmin evidently didn't know we could bypass Phoenix via AZ 85 and IH-8 but we drove that way anyway. It was a good decision and part way down the road, the Garmin caught on and led us the rest of the way into Benson.

We stopped at the Pardner RV Park which turned out to be pretty small and nearly full of slightly decrepit trailers (the monthly rate was $195 - go figure). The Manager was helpful and the daily rate was $20 instead of the $24 listed on the web site. The Manager didn't seem to know what a web site (or the Internet for that matter) was so we didn't press the point.

We decided to try some caches in the roughly 90 minutes of daylight left and found TWELVE ! Benson is a hot and cache friendly place.

We ate at Reb's Cafe (where the food was edible but nothing to write about). Dexter got his obligatory evening walk and we're posting caches and writing this Blog before bedtime. It will be an easy drive from Benson to Las Cruces tomorrow. I think I have Steve & Raymond's number and their directions to the RV Park. We'll send an email and/or call when we hit town. We hope Las Cruces is as cache rich as Benson.

Our only photo is of the Benson,AZ, Welcome sign and a couple semi-decent cache picture.

Day 11 - Monday Morning (Last Week)

The weather service was correct. Considerable cloudiness covered Quartzsite this Monday morning. It was overcast and cool when Dexter & I went for his walk. He wasted no time leaving a desert deposit and we went back to fix a Skillet Breakfast of eggs, bacon, peppers, onions, and potatoes. We decided today would be our travel day back into town and are picking up the campsite right now. I'll post some pictures later after we settle in at 88 Shades RV Park again.

The plan is still to depart Wednesday morning for points east and Las Cruces in one day.

Late Day Update -
We went to Parker, AZ, to grab some caches and see the new Wal*Mart. One of the caches was actually in Wyatt, CA, where Wyatt Earp spent some of his final days. Parker was okay but nothing worth the hour drive to get there and back. I think the generally overcast and gloomy day spooled our sunny outlook. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warmer. It will be our last day here in Quartzsite. The drive to Las Cruces is almost 8 hours and I am not sure if we can make it in one day or not. Dexter likes to stop along the way and it would be a solid 8 hours of driving to get there.

More Tomorrow

Day 9 - Saturday

We didn't walk up the hill this morning but we did get started early to drive to Blythe, CA, and grab some "Golden State" caches. We made it without any extra costs and found some very green areas with canals to irrigate the fields. It literally turned green once we crossed the border at the Colorado River. California has an inspection port for all vehicles and a nice young lady asked us from where we were coming. Upon hearing Quartzsite, she looked in the back and waved us on.

We found 7 caches, had a great Pizza Inn lunch and drove back in time to bake some brownies and photograph a decent sunset. The sunset lit our campsite nicely. See attached photos.

Day 8 - Christmas Day 2009 (Friday)

Today was a beautiful day. We had ham & cheese omelets for breakfast and then headed out for some caches. Dexter went with us and the experience reminded us of why we don't take the dog. Tomorrow, he stays home and sleeps.

Tommy got to do some serious 4-wheeling with the Explorer on the back trails near our campsite and Old Yuma Road. We only grabbed 3 caches but that puts us at a new milestone of 2700. Attached is the 2700th cache photo - Dexter is looking away from the the camera.

After lunch/dinner around 3:30pm, I walked halfway up to the nearest hilltop peak. The 2nd photo is the summit I did not reach. The sun had moved past the peak and the shadows were too dark. We agreed that we'd all walk up there Sunday morning and get some decent photos.

The last photo is of our campsite after I walked back down to find Tommy and Dexter under a blanket as the sun was setting. It was a great day for us and we didn't spend any money on anything!

Tomorrow we head to Blythe, CA, to get some California caches and see what is in Quartzsite on a Saturday afternoon. We plan to hit the road Wednesday early and drive to Las Cruces to meet Steve & Raymond at their new mountain home.

Day 7 - Thursday

Just before Noon Thursday - We will have great pictures once the tow truck pulls the RV out of the spot where I buried it!

Two & a half hours later - It took just 30 minutes (or less) to extract the RV from the hole I dug in the very soft sandy dirt. The 4 pictures show how it was stuck, what the front holes looked like where it sunk and the dual steel cables used to pull it out.

The place we called "Toe Truck" had an office in Quartzsite but they sent the driver from Parker, AZ, which was 30 miles away. The good news - they were very professional and got us going in short order. The bad news - they are very, very, very expensive. It was $150 an hour plus their travel time so the bill (once he got there) was $450 to pull us back about 12 feet. Our 1 week in the desert cost $490 ($40 for the space plus $450 to get out). If you ever get stuck and want a good but expensive wrecker, call them.

The final picture is the flat, level, and hard space we finally parked in. The view is great.

We walked Dexter, found a cache in the nearby foothills (we walked to it) and fixed dinner outside. It is dark now and I have a decent Internet connection via Sprint PCS and my Blackberry so I am posting my folly of the day.

We hope tomorrow is a better and less costly day.

Merry Christmas to each of you! A Happy New Year is what we're hoping for!

Comment Responses (we tried posting a comment ourselves but it would not work so I am adding this to the Blog text):

Yes, the rain from the day before caused some soft spots. I caused the problem by stopping and turning the front wheels without moving. That action caused the resistance that made the rear drive wheel dig a hole.

It was a beautiful spot to camp. Check out some of the photos we posted on Christmas Day. We have not seen any snakes. It is warm in the sun but the ground is very cool. It goes down to freezing overnight and warms to 65 or so by late day. Unless you are in the direct sun, it is cool without a jacket. The upside is that the coach stays cool and we don't need any A/C. Just having the windows open cools it enough.

Day 6 - Wed (Geocaching & Desert Searching)

We decided to stay in town one more day and do some Geocaching. It was great and we should have done this yesterday. We saw many sights in the NorthEast Quadrant of the city. We even went off-road and grabbed 5 along the Sunset Trail. Attached is only one of the many cache pictures we took.

We had lunch at the Grubstake Chuck Wagon and it was very filling. Tommy got the #15 (3 Sliders) and could only eat one of them! In general, it is expensive to eat in Quartzsite. Most lunches have been $10 for each of us and that's without the drinks.

After lunch, we grabbed Dexter and went back to the Tyson Wash area of the La Posa LTVA and tried to find the TOW group or the Stonewall BOF group from their directions. We found the roads, found the washes, and found the turn in but didn't find any people other than 2 different man/woman couples who were trying to be out alone by themselves. Some of the roads were not suitable for the motorhome as the washes were too steep, the entrances too narrow or the rocks too big to avoid scrapping bottom. We found a space near road 561 past the 2nd wash that we'll drive to tomorrow morning. This is our last night in town and we're doing laundry and loading up water to be ready for six or so days of boondocking.

It was clear and sunny all day with a hint of a north wind but not too bad. I see Dallas is getting some cold weather but we're staying in the moderate range.

Here is Tommy with a cache in the middle of some tall cactus.

Day 5 - Tuesday

It was a busy day. We started by paying for a 2nd night at the 88 Shades RV Park. Laundry was completed overnight and we could have left this morning but decided to take our time getting to the desert. The 1st order of business was a tour of the town in the daylight. We discovered wide streets, plenty of parking spaces, and most places just now setting up for the crush of visitors expected in another 2 weeks.

We took a trip down Arizona 95 to the La Posa LTVA (Long Term Visitors Area) where you get to decide if you want to stay 2 weeks or 7 months. There is a fee for each and we paid for 2 weeks ($40).

We toured the Tyson's Wash area and saw several places where we could, and could not, get the Coach into comfortably. We decided to wait until Thursday and then move out of 88 Shades for the Tyson's Wash area. While we were scouting out the area, a storm quickly developed (lighting and all) right near where we were. Tommy turned us around and we headed back out to the entrance area. The storm caught us and it was ferocious with hail and very heavy rain. The desert became a mess in mere minutes.

We decided right then to not go so far back with the coach and that we would find a level spot about 1.5 miles in and set up there. Attached are some pictures of the place and the storm as it was brewing.

We ended the day by stopping in Town to see what few vendors were set up already. I bought 22 Hematite rocks to put on my desk for others to see. They are magnetic and quite fun to put in different shapes.

Oh yeah, lunch was at Silly Al's Pizza and it was great. Silly Al's is a cross between a honky-tonk and a seedy, city dive (bar) and the food / service was very good. We recommend.

1st Cache!

We entered a less flat area and came to the end of IH-20 where it merged into IH-10. In a picnic area where a strong cached signal was calling, we found our 1st Geocache of the trip. Photo of the Cache Log signer attached.

It is on to El Paso now and then into New Mexico. Lunch will be due by then.


Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the speed limiut is 80 MPH here along the straight, barren stretch of road. Another photo is attached to prove we are not kidding!

1st Day (evening actually)

We set out on our journey from the Dallas area to the desert near Quartzsite, AZ, on Friday evening after traffic thinned out. It was 7:45pm when the bus hit the freeway heading west.

Only one heavy traffic area was encountered on IH-820 where Haltom City and Ft Worth come together. We moved through the area in about 10 minutes and were soon on our way west. Just around 10pm, we pulled into an IH-20 rest area (mm 390) and stopped for the night.

Everything worked on the RV except for one pesky alarm on the Inverter that sounded when we were in a place where stopping was impossible. Once we got into the rest area, a quick check showed it had shut down but without any alarms. I turned it back on and it ran flawlessly through the night. 110VAC is important to us as the coach is all-electric and our Amana refrigerator is happier when the power in on.

Breakfast was a set of Owens breakfast Tacos and we started out again around 10am Saturday morning.

The cache in the rest area had been claimed earlier so we decided not to seek any caches until we were in a new area for us. That will be around Pecos, TX, or another 8 hours of driving.