Goodbye Roadrunners

We packed up and said our goodbys "until we meet again." Ten rigs stayed for another day or two. The rest headed out in every direction. This campout will be a special time in our memory bank. We learned that we can boondock for at least 11 days. We met a wonderful group of people that have chosen this lifestyle too. It will be great meeting up with them down the road and sharing our new experiences. We arrived back at North Ranch early, since we discovered our favorite BBQ place was closed on Sunday. Graceanne and Charlie were already back from their trip. It was good to see them again and hear about their Ham Radio Campout. Of course, we didn't miss the Sunday Icecream Social.

On Monday I went line-dancing and Willard just puttered around the place. He started another Jig Saw Puzzle. We went to the mailbox and ended up having lunch with Graceanne and Charlie at the Frog Rock Cafe in Congress. That afternoon Bill and Karen stopped by for a brief visit. I fixed a pot of Beef Stew for dinner and called Dan to see how things were going with him. Willard went to his Woodcarving class and I watched a movie on TV. Things are pretty much back to normal here at North Ranch.

Today (Tuesday) Willard went out on the desert on his ATV to do some prospecting. I'm washing clothes (it never ends). I called Robbie. Tayna was there so I wished her a Happy B-Day. I can't believe she is already 21. My tomato plants and herbs are thriving in my little Kitchen Garden. Life is great!

Saturday - The Last Day of the Campout in Q

The Sheriff's Potluck Dinner

A group of early risers gathered around the Louisiana Fireplace for coffee and donuts. I started preparing for the trip back to North Ranch. At 1:00 the women gathered to discuss ideas for living in our Alfa See Ya motorhomes. MaryAnne had a hot plate that I just loved. I must get one. She had some other great ideas to become more organized in the the kitchen. I also liked Robin's fold up colander. Dick and Melinda came over and we had a jam session. It was so much fun playing bluegrass music. It was a stretch at times because we were not familier with many of the songs; but, it was a good experience. Then...you guessed it....Happy Hour. Then at 5:00 we lined up to fill our plates with the food we all brought to the Sheriff's Potluck Dinner. Afterwards the sheriff was revealed. It was Nancy! She had spent the week taking notes on those of us that did not follow the rules. She fined Willard $1.00 for not remembering my birthday until 6:30 Suncay evening. I got fined for being too nice. Everyone had to pay a fine for some reason or another. It was all such fun. Clayton got a call from a Roadrunner trying to find our camp in the dark. Dianne and I went out to meet him and lead him in. It is hard enough to find this camp in the daytime much less at night. I think he was glad to see us. Don told me about a book they use while traveling: BIG RIGS, BEST BETS CAMPGROUND DIRECTORY. I will surely get that book before we take off in April. After a couple of hours socializing, we are back in the rig for the evening. Another great day with a lot of wonderful people. Life is good.....

Thursday and Friday

After coffee and donuts at 7:30, Dianne and Clayton brought out the grills and pancake batter and I prepared the sausage for our Pancake Breakfast. The pancakes were simply delicious. Dianne added some beer to the batter which made them light and fluffy. Nothing was scheduled for the rest of the day. Some went riding out on the desert in ATV and bicycles. Some went hiking and others went back to town. We ended up at the Tyson Wells Flea Market where we wondered in and out of hundreds of booths filled with almost anything you could ever want. Willard bought some Bass wood for carving and I bought a bow for my hair. Then we had to walk about 1/2 mile back to our truck. I was glad to get back to camp. Of course, we finished off the day with Happy Hour.

On Friday we had our new awning installed. Again nothing much was scheduled other that the usual coffee and donuts and, of course, Happy Hour.

Wednesday

We began another beautiful day with coffee and donuts. Then it was back to the Big Tent for most of us, where we waded through people to see the latest RV assessories, cleaning and cooking supplies, clothes, jewelry and massage machines. You could sign up for insurance, refinancing, and park memberships. This year we bought a big slide awning and some toe bar pins. We returned to the camp site just in time for a nap before Happy Hour at 4:00. We snacked on appetizers and engaged in great conversations while standing around the campfire. Slowly people retired to their rigs for the night, exhausted from another busy day at Quartzsite.

Tuesday at the Campout

This morning we had Omlets in a Bag for breakfast. The table was filled with goodies to put in our omlets. We had a yard sale in the afternoon followed by Happy Hour and then Bill conducted our business meeting. Nothing was really decided, but we did discuss several concerns. We finished the evening with lots of sharing and Willard played his guitar and sang in the background at the campfire. Another nice day.

Roadrunner Quartzsite Campout Photos

This is the crew in front of our motorhome. Looking forward to seeing everyone again in Jan. 2010.

Craig led a great problem solving group concerning our Alfa See Ya motorhomes and ideas on how to boondock with our rigs. That evening we prepared a good campfire for our weiner roast. What a great bunch of people to be associated with.

Roadrunners Quartzsite Campout

On Monday morning the guys gathered around the Louisiana Fireplace, the campfire, and the table with serious discussions.

Day 3 of the Alfa Campout at Q

We got to sleep late this morning because the Bakery was closed. It was a lazy morning. Willard, Charles and ___ Wiggington went out on the desert to look for Quartz and basically enjoy the area. I stayed home and puttered around the rig. We spent the rest of the day just visiting and not doing much of anything. At about 4:00 food started arriving from every direction and filled up four tables. It's hard to believe that we didn't have any leftovers, but we didn't. Willard and I entertained the group for about 30 minutes. They seemed to enjoy our music. Graceann and Charlie came over to visit. It was my birthday today. Alice White and Carolyn called and sang "Happy B-Day" to me. Graceanne gave me napkins with her beaded napkin rings around them. Willard had the group sing "Happy B-Day." We spent the rest of the evening talking and nuturing friendships while we gathered around the campfire. It was a good day.

Day 2 of the Alfa Campout in Quartzsite

Today started very early for us. We were to go get the donuts...at 7:00 AM. So, we got up at about 6:00 am and headed for town to get 3 doz. donuts. The coffee and donuts were devoured by 8:30. We then went with BJ and Charles to the Big Tent where "RV" venders were displaying their goods. There were just too many people to actually enjoy the experience. We then went to the bookstore. Yes, the one that is owned by the nudist. Yes, we saw more of him than we needed to. Then we got back to camp in time to prepare for the Spaghetti Dinner. Jean was in charge of the green salad. Dianne prepared the rest of the meal and it was marvelous. Sitting around the campfire finished the evening. The photo to the right is an ariel photo of Q during January. Our site is not in the photo. We are actually off the picture in the lower left corner. They say about 1 million visitors show up for the January events. Some come for the entire winter. We will be here for only a week. The weather is great with cool nights and 70 degree daytime temperatures. We now have about 25 rigs in our camp. What an amazing experience.

Day 1 @ Alfa Campout in Quartzsite

We left North Ranch yesterday about 11:00 headed for our first Alfa Campout in Quartzite. It's our first time to boondock for more than one night. BJ and Charles (our new Escapees friends at North Ranch) joined us. We met for lunch at a great BBQ place on the west side of Salome on the way to the RV Mecca. After arriving at Quartzsite, we ventured out into the desert at North LaPosa to the Alfa Campout area. To our surprise, about 5 rigs were already there. The campout doesn't actually start until Saturday. Anyway, we got parked and began our job as Assistant Wagon Masters. Clayton and Willard went to the storage unit to get the items needed (signs, coffee pots, etc) then proceeded to put out the direction signs. Jean and Dianne went to town to the Bakery to preorder donuts for each morning during the campout. We spent the rest of the day welcoming newcomers and just getting acquainted or greeting new friends we have met at the campouts. One group member got out his kite and flew it for awhile. About 4:00 we decided to find Graceann and Charles who were camping with the Ham Radio Club out on the desert on the way to Yuma. We rode with BJ and Charles. Graceann and Charles were not home, but were in town trying to find a place to eat. BJ and Charles invited us all to their rig back at our camp for BBQ ribs and all the fixins. So back to camp we went to enjoy a wonderful meal. Afterwards, we joined the group around the campfire until about 8:00. The stars were just beautiful. We could even see the Milky Way. Who could ask for more: great people, full tummy, warm campfire, and a breathtaking winter night sky. I just can't wait to see what happens next.

I did remember to take a few pictures of some gathered around the campfire.

Goodbye 2008 and Hello 2009

Well, it's been another whirlwind year on the road! Highlights: We celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary; Jean went on a cruise to Mexico with the gals and we both took another cruise up the Inside Passage with Joey and Beth; attended an Alfa Rally in Montgomery, TX; visited with Alice, Randy and his family, and Barbara and Harrel while there; visited all the kids (Texas and Utah); bought some property at North Ranch in Arizona; spent a month in Oregon prospecting for gold; visited Charles in Montana; and attended a Roadrunner Campout in Durango, CO. And we entertained at several RV parks along the way. Now we are back at North Ranch on our lot for most of the winter. Willard has taken up woodcarving and Jean is learning to Line Dance. Alice came for a short visit in November. And in December we visited with Joey and family in Ogden, UT and with Dan in Cedar City, UT. We will be attending another campout in Quartzsite, AZ in a couple of weeks. Life is good. I just wonder what is in store for us in 2009?
Happy New Year everyone!!!