We loaded up and headed to Phoenix early on the 12th to drop off the bike. This brought us full circle from when we had passed through Phoenix on our way to Quartzsite a month before. We had 2 days in Phoenix while they were working on the bike and thankfully had quite a bit to do. We went to Camping World and picked up a few parts to make some small repairs on the rig, plus we picked up a few goodies. We did not bring a toaster with us since they are bulky and only run on 120. We got one of the camping toasters that sits over a gas burner and toasts 4 pieces of bread at once. We were skeptical about it but it was only $3 so we took the plunge. It works great! A definite suggestion for those of you that want toast while camping. Whit also got the really soft silicon ice trays. They feel like rubber and are really easy to get ice out of them. She was really tired of putting all her strength into cracking the cubes loose from the plastic trays only to have them fly everywhere once she finally cracked it. Nala, on the other hand, is quite disappointed with the new ice trays. She has always been under the assumption that any ice that hits the floor is fair game for her to eat. Now that no ice hits the floor (or the walls/ceiling) she is not as in love with the new trays as Whit is.
After camping world we spent the rest of the day at a laundromat and then headed to Walmart for the night. Oh, and we had Whataburger for lunch and it really hit the spot since I haven't had it since my last visit to Texas. We stocked up on groceries at Walmart the next morning, took a quick trip to Barnes and Noble for Robert Jordan's long awaited finale to the Wheel of Time series, and then headed to another Walmart for another night in Phoenix. Staying in Walmart parking lots is not ideal. It can be really loud and with the parking lot lights on all night it is really bright for sleeping. It is also free, so that is all the complaining i will do about it. Whit got her wish for Chipotle that night and we gorged ourselves on burrito bowls.
We did not sleep much that night due to a lot of loud kids with loud cars messing around in the parking lot all night. This greatly upset the dogs. So much so that they felt they needed to growl and bark all night long to let those kids know they were being naughty. We had not slept much the night before either so were pretty wore out at this point. We went to the bike shop to wait for them to finish it that day. It was Valentine's day and since Whit had gotten what she wanted the night before (Chipotle), I was off the hook. For breakfast I got her a shamrock shake from Mcdonalds that she had been craving because that's just how great a husband I am (almost word for word direct quote from her). We ended up waiting until after 6 that night to finally leave the dealership with the bike. Everything was fixed and she ran great. On the other hand, we were running on very little sleep and still had a 120 mile drive to get back to Quartzsite.
We got to Quartzsite around 8:30 and were beat. We decided to park at the closest spot we could find and find a more permanent one the next day. We got some much needed rest that night and felt much better in the morning. Even Nala was beat and did not want to get out of bed.
After dumping the tanks and filling up on water, we headed to the Scaddan Wash BLM area to find a site for the next 2 weeks. We scouted around on foot and found an area we liked so we went back to get the rig. We dragged the trailer hitch going through a couple of washes, but we made it unscathed.
We did the Dripping Springs ride yesterday that we almost finished a few weeks ago (cancelled due to rain).
The springs are at the bottom of the rock formation in the picture, hidden in a little canyon pretty much right behind where my helmet is. Water is continually dripping out of a rock wall in the middle of the desert where there is not a drop of surface water for miles around.
Another little pool nearby.
There are tons of petroglyphs on the surrounding rocks. Some are obviously newer (MNN 2007), some are older (G.C. Welsch 1898), and some are really old. We took a few shots of some that we thought were really old.
All in all a great ride and a HUGE milestone for Whit. It was her first ride that she did not fall once. Way to go baby! We are loving life on the road and so far living in an RV is a lot easier and less confining than living in a house. We have already started making plans for next winter. It looks like we will be renting a house in Tulum, Mexico with my parents for ~ 3 months. We can't wait! We will also be doing some modifications to the rig while we are back in Colorado this spring. Mainly we will be turning the rear bed into a large L-shaped couch with a table that folds into the wall when not in use. The rear bed takes up about 1/4 of the space in the rig and we never use it other than for a dog bed. We finally decided that we will never have anyone along to sleep on it, so why keep it? Now we will have a huge couch with two large picture windows to see out of. We have been taking a lot of measurements and doing all the planning so we can get started on it right away when we get back. That's all to report for now. Until next time, try to take it easy, and most importantly - enjoy the little things! Oh, and happy birthday Kati!!!
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