Many years ago when I was only 5 or 6 years old, my parents took me to the zoo (in San Diego, I believe). I don't remember much about the visit except riding the overhead tram, and this ridiculous gila monster who was trying to walk while standing on his own foot. He would lunge forward with all his considerable might, but never realized he needed to move his other foot as well! That is kind of how I felt trying to get out of Santa Cruz and back on the road again; like I was standing on my own foot. I finally came to the realization that things were never going to be perfect; some things were not going to get done, or purchased, or stored away in the best spot in the coach. Instead, we chose to fling things in baskets and bins wherever we safely could and boogey on down the highway. We still haven't located everything in the cargo bays and cabinets, but it hasn't slowed us down at all... we are having a blast! The motorhome has been awesome, although a bit more challenging to drive than the GMC was; the cats have adapted better than we could possibly have hoped, and the weather has been great.  Amy, Milton and Rose, the three kitties, hide under the couch or in the rear bedroom while we drive and then come out as soon as we park. They occasionally pop out while we're in motion, but aren't quite brave enough to stay out while traveling yet. Still, I've been very pleased with how well they have adjusted to life on the road. That was my biggest concern with this lifestyle change, as the cats really didn't get a vote and I was worried that they might hate the whole experience. They really seem to like having different things to look at out the windows, at least when the landscape finally stops moving! The only problem so far is that they haven't yet learned the difference between the engine starting and the sound of the generator running, so everyone furry runs for cover when we start the genny!

   We are currently at a gathering of the Xscapers RV Club at American Girl Mine Rd. near Winterhaven, CA (not too far from Yuma, AZ). Today has been very windy, but warm and mostly sunny as a front trying to work it's way into a thunderstorm passes over the nearby Cargo Muchacho Mountains. We are happily camped out in an open area at the foot of the mountains, along with probably a hundred other club members. This is the second half of a two part gathering that began at Quartzsite, Arizona earlier this month. We arrived at "The Q" just before part one ended, so didn't really participate until we arrived here. We were finally able to take the scooter down off the rack and use it to go to the get acquainted gathering last night.

 
The one bad part of the journey (other than California gas prices!) was on the last quarter mile of the journey here when a motorhome going the other way drifted off the pavement a bit and threw a rock into our curb side windshield, leaving a giant round spiderweb crack near the top. We will have to go into Yuma next week to have it repaired. Thank goodness for insurance!

   So far we have enjoyed boondocking, (also referred to as "dry" or dispersed camping) immensely and exclusively. We have not spent a dime on campsites and this is how we will travel most of the time. We have had cloudy or hazy weather all through California, so have had to boost our solar capacity with the generator on days we don't travel a lot. We expected that at this time of year when the sun is at a low angle and the weather is unpredictable, so no surprises there. We spent our first night at the rest stop at Boron, Ca, which is surprisingly quiet around back in the overnighting area. The second night we had the Heart Of The Mojave dispersed camping area just off I-40 in the Mojave Preserve all to ourselves. There was a little road noise, but very little light so the stars were amazing! We had a hard time convincing ourselves to move on to Quartzite, but the road beckoned and we headed out the next morning as planned.

  

   What an amazing scene Quartzsite is at this time of year! This small town at the AZ95/I-10 interchange in Arizona has a permanent population of somewhere around 3600 hardy souls. In the winter months when the temperature is warm and pleasant during the day and refreshingly crisp at night, hordes of RVers and rock hounds descend on the town and surrounding area, swelling the population to as many as a half-million people. There are myriad RV and rock & mineral shows, primarily in January and February, and the small town takes on the atmosphere of a

bustling carnival. The "Big Tent" houses over 60,000 square feet of RV related vendors and RV's, while across the road is a rock hounder's wonderland of gems and minerals sharing space with food booths and tool merchants. A giant inflatable ice cream cone entices hot and tired visitors to forgo the indian crafts and jewelry and opt for cooling their palate instead. The RV Pit Stop is a dump and fill operation that runs with the smooth efficiency of a NASCAR pit area, with filtered well water and all the appropriate hoses in place to eliminate time consuming fumbling in RV cargo bays. It is amazing the number of rigs they run through there every hour. There are gas stations, restaurants, rock shops, second-hand shops and gift shops. There is every kind of RV service and repair available, from permanent solar shops to mobile glass repair ( I know, the crack couldn't have happened there; that would have been too easy!). This town is probably quiet most of the year, at least during the hot months, but in the winter it is a true old west boom town.

   Then there are the nights. The nights at our camping spot on Plomosa Rd. (about five miles north of town) were nothing short of spectacular. Although there are tens of thousands of rigs boondocking around  Quartzsite, you can be as social or as solitary as you wish. We came in late and elected to camp by ourselves, as we are still trying to decompress from the insanity of our departure. We had a huge open area all to ourselves with our nearest neighbors being on the far side of a small wash, and it was dark and quiet. We could see groups camped across the road and lights from those camped further back in than us, and the twinkling lights of town in the distance, but mostly we saw stars. Millions of stars! The Milky Way was right over our heads, and the star show went clear down to the horizon, despite the lights from the "Q". I can't tell you with mere words how different the stars are out here away from metropolitan areas; there are so many more of them, and they really do go all the way down to the horizon! When I think back on the six years it took us to get this adventure underway I realize that it was all worth it just for one glorious night under that vast canopy of stars, and we have an endless number of them still ahead of us!

   Be well my friends, and take a few minutes (or hours) tonight to look up at the  stars, no matter where you see them from the show is worth the time!
                                                        Happy Trails!     -Lynn