Snowbirding It Again - Fall 2018 to Spring 2019

Thursday, Nov. 15th - Wednesday, April 3rd 

We left Helena Thursday afternoon and arrived at Ghost Mountain Ranch Campground in Pollock Pines, Nevada Saturday afternoon, about 50 miles southwest of Reno, 15 miles from Placerville, California.  That evening we had a steak supper at the club house.  Monday we drove over to Placerville and had lunch at Tortilla Flats.

A few pictures from our campground in the pines.

  Monday we drove over to Placerville and had lunch at Tortilla Flats, the best Mexican Restaurant in El Dorado County, so they claim anyway.

We have been here before, so not much new to see.  Gold was discovered here at Sutter's Mill.  The town along the creek was originally known as Old Hangtown and the vigilantes took care of the law breakers.

We also drove through nearby Apple Hill Growers Valley in Camino again and went through this little museum.  The main crops here are dozens of varieties of apples, grapes and Christmas Trees.  Also, berries, pumpkins, pears, peaches, nectarines and honey.  The produce shops along this drive are only open from Labor Day to Christmas and they are mobbed with people.

We bought some fresh apple cider, pear cider and some pineapple tomatillos.  All yummy!

Back at camp we went for a hike and discovered this remains of an old soundstage from when they used to film old western movies here.

I wanted our neighbor's sign, so I could hang it up when we are with the grandkids.  We had a nice Thanksgiving supper at the club house and left on Friday to spend a week with John's sister for her birthday.

We left Kathy's the following Friday and arrived at Yuma Lakes on Saturday. 

All settled in for a nice warm winter.  Went to friends Craig and Terri's for salmon on Monday night and to the Christmas Light Parade with them on Saturday.  It was an hour and a half long and we went to Beer and Burgers after.

Lots of agricultural related floats and those crazy bouncing cars.

Thursday John went to Mexico for a tooth implant that turned out great.  The next Saturday my friend Mary (from Vancouver Island) and I decorated our bikes and joined the tail end of the Christmas Golf Cart Parade through the campground.  We won the prize (box of cookies) for the most original.

Monday we went to Peter Jackson's new documentary about WWI - They Shall Not Grow Old.  It was really good, all original film from the battlefields and narrated by the veterans who were there.  We went to Applebee's for lunch, had Craig and Terri out for spaghetti Tuesday, had hoses fixed on the RV Wednesday and John went back to Mexico to finish his implant.  Thursday we went to the movie The Mule which was very good and to Lin's Chinese Buffet for lunch.  Friday we went to the fish fry at the club house.

Saturday we had supper with Craig and Terri again and went to Howling at the Moon with them, our first time.

John, Craig and Terri waving.  They have it out in the desert just east of the Yuma Foothills every full moon October through April.  Live music, vendors, etc.  Donations are taken for the band.  You can bring your own food and drinks and even a little fire pit, if you want.  It starts at 3:00 PM and when the moon comes up over the mountains everybody stands up and howls.

This guy was showing off his t-shirt for me.  Another I saw that I liked said "They call me Papa because Partner-in-Crime makes me sound like a bad influence."

It gets pretty cool after the sun goes down, so it breaks up pretty quickly after the moon comes up.  Christmas Eve we drove over to Winterhaven and picked up our mail that Dawn had sent and stopped at In-and-Out Burger for lunch, John's favorite.  We spent Christmas Day with Craig and Terri.  She made ham, potatoes and veggies and I brought the pies and we enjoyed several cocktails.

The next day my friend Karolyn from 3M arrived to spend a week with us.  Thursday I took her on a drive to show her around the Yuma area and we had chicken fried steak at the club house for supper.  Friday she took us to El Charro's for lunch and we drove up to Imperial Dam and Yuma Proving Grounds and went to Craig and Terri's for supper and watched an Iowa football game.  The pictures above are some art sculptures by Senator's Wash and Squaw Lake. 

Saturday John went to give blood and Karolyn and I went sightseeing.  This is the Imperial Sand Dunes packed with campers and ATVs for New Years weekend.  Just behind the dunes is the Mexican border fence.

Nearby is this remnant of the Old Plank Road which was the route through here from 1914 to 1927.

On the north side of I-8 from the dunes is Felicity, California population 2.  It is a memorial in granite built by a French paratrooper from WWII to honor his parents.

It is an amazing place.  The two people who live here are the guy and his wife who created it.

The history of the world is engraved on all these granite panels including stuff like this, stuff about the solar system, dinosaurs, religion, Egyptian and Roman Empires, discovery of America, you name it, it's all there.

There are panels memorializing military groups, colleges, family trees, etc. and lots of blank ones left for people to use maybe for the history of their family, town, state, country or whatever.

View of the whole memorial from up on the hill where the chapel and the graves of his parents are located.  The hill in the distance on the other side of I-8 is Pilot's Knob near the Quechan Casino.

There is a whole new section of blank panels off to the right of the picture where private individuals can buy panels to memorialize anything they wish like the truck driver above.

On Sunday Dec. 30th we went to Castle Dome Ghost Town Museum.  The last few miles of the road were pretty rugged, but it was definitely worth it.  Castle Dome City was established in 1864.  It was a stagecoach stop as early as the late 1870s.  There is in existence a 1770 sheep skin map of old Spanish mine workings in this area.  The current site of the museum was the second claim made in the are in 1871.  There were 100 men working the area in 1890 and the town included a school, church and five bars within a mile among other stuff.  Ore was shipped from here on river boats to steam lines.  Thousands of tons of ore were shipped from here through the Colorado River waterway.  Indian employees were paid in gold and wore it in necklaces to safeguard it.  The mines were closed during WWI and WWII and the area was heavily mined for its abundance of lead.  Soldiers were trained all over the desert area.  Mining continued into the 1970s when silver prices plummeted.  The town was completely deserted by the end of the '70s.

I think Karolyn was ready to belly up to the bar.

Inside the church

Ocotillo in full bloom after all the rain we have had.

Yellow Brittlebush

Player Piano with a bunch of playing cylinders stacked on top.

These Levi pants authenticated from 1880 to 1900 are the oldest Levis ever found.  The white spots on them are wax from the candles used to see down in the mines.  I can't believe people were willing to earn a living this way.

Johnny's Bunkhouse.  Miners, especially those with the families, often had their own campsite, tent or cabin.  As the population grew (eventually to 3,000) bunkhouses became necessary for miners and workers, many of whom were transient.

There is a Memorial Grave here for 4 miners who lost their lives in 1887 on the job when a flash flood came through and filled the mine.  They were not retrieved from the 450 foot vertical holes.

Glory Hole.  By 1878 5,000 tons of silver galena ore was shipped to the Shelby Smelter in San Francisco yielding 200,000 ounces of silver.

We spent New Years with Craig and Terri watching more Iowa games.  Karolyn left on Wed. Jan. 2nd for Joshua Tree and San Diego.  Monday Jan 7th I went to Mexico with Terri and Donna.  Tuesday we went to see Mary Poppins Returns.

Saturday Jan. 12th Karolyn came back for another week with us and we went on a farm tour through the U of A.  It lasted 5 and a half hours, included lunch made by university culinary students with fresh veggies from the fields, talks by local farmers, ag students, garden manager and the poop doctor (about cleanliness in the fields) and picking our own veggies to take home.  A great tour.

We also made the long drive out Picacho Road into the desert to the Valley of the Names.

These names go on for miles.  I think it was started when the troops were training out here.

In the far distance you can see Picacho Peak.

We brought two small rocks that we wrote our names on.  Karolyn said, "Let's put them next to this ocotillo, so we can find them again if we come back."  Look around girl.  There are ocotillo everywhere.  But there are some pretty blue painted rocks close to it, so maybe we could find it again.

On the way back to town we stopped by the date gardens at Bard.

We also stopped at the Mexican cemetery north of the Paradise Casino, so Karolyn could look it over.

Another day we went to Mexico with Terri again.  We all bought signs to put in front of our RVs.

Isaac said Marlin could paint Terri's cane and he did a really nice job on it.  After tacos and several margaritas and a few more purchases we once again got in the long line to get back across the border.

View toward Yuma from our RV.

Another day we did a tour of the Quartermaster's Depot at the Visitor's Center.

Of course, we had to take her to the Howling before she leaves again.

Red Solo Cup.  I fill you up.  Let's have a party!  But the favorite song is Senior Kegger!

HOOOWWWL!

Once again we are with Craig and Terri.

Just a little chicken humor.  We drove out to the foothills and ordered a new mattress and stopped to eat at Chicken on the Run, one of our many favorite places to eat.

Karolyn left Sat. Jan. 19th to join other 3M friends boondocking in the desert near Quartzsite and we joined them the the following Saturday.  Rick, Donna, Roy, Karolyn, Sue, Julie and Steve.

We walked over to check out a nearby pet cemetery while we were there.

Rick fixed us the most amazing pork loin and ribs to go with our fresh veggie salad from the farm tour.  Thank you Rick and Donna.  Nice to see you guys again!

Monday we split up and Sue, Julie and Steve joined us at Emerald Cove near Parker on the Colorado River for a few weeks.  Sue left on Feb. 3rd.  Wednesday we had Mexican lunch in Parker.  Friday we had chicken fried steak at the clubhouse.  We picked up my Mom on Feb. 9th in Mesa, had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and visited my Aunt Ruby.  We stopped over at the Blue Water Casino on Sunday the 10th to watch the boat races.  On Monday Julie and Steve headed for Yuma to boondock by Lake Mittry.  We went to Scotty's in Havasu for ribs and chicken on Tuesday.

Monday Feb. 18th we moved back to Yuma and Tuesday was once again a full moon, so we took Mom and Julie to do some more howling.

Wednesday Mom and I went with Julie and Steve to the Asian Star for lunch.

We stopped at City Hall so they could watch the video and see the plane and car that broke the record for being in the air continuously for 49 days.  Then we drove out to the Valley of the Names again, so they could all see it.  Thursday night we at at the clubhouse and played cards.  Friday we went to the Asian Star again and went to the Flea Market and had pot roast at the clubhouse for supper.

Saturday I was back in Mexico again with Mom, Juli and Terri.  It was Taco Festival and these kids were getting ready to do their dance performance.

Julie at the patio getting ready to order more margaritas and tacos before we commence haggling with Oscar and El Cheapo Phillipo again over more jewelry.

Wednesday we were back at Chicken on the Run for lunch with Craig Terri, Julie, Steve and Mom.  Thursday Mom and I went to see What Women Want which was okay, but I could have skipped it.  Friday we had fish at the clubhouse.  Monday we took Mom to see the movie Meet Me in St. Louis with Judy Garland.  Tuesday we had supper at Texas Roadhouse with Mom, Steve, Julie, Craig and Terri again.  Wednesday I took Mom out to the Date Gardens for a date shake.

Thursday I dropped off our booth cushions off at the Flea Market to get reupholstered and took Julie and Mom to Julianna's Patio Cafe for lunch.  They have a half dozen macaws and several peacocks wandering around.  We had pot roast for supper again at the clubhouse.

Friday we were back in Mexico again where I got my hair cut short and spiky and had a massage.  This sign was taped over a hole/trip hazard in the sidewalk.  It says, "Finally our government fixed the hole."  They have quite a sense of humor about our president and his wall and we hear lots of jokes and comments about the wall.

The sights in Mexico.

One last time in line to get back into the USA.  The wait to get back in the country is about two hours on average this time of the year, because there are so many tourists down here getting dental work, eye glasses, shopping and partying.  We usually meet the most fun people to visit with in line and the wait doesn't seem that long at all.

The barb wire on top of the fence is new since last year.  I'm sure we're much safer now.  We took Mom back to Mesa on Saturday, March 9th and had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes again.  We had Julie and Steve over for lunch on Sunday and they headed out on Monday.  We got our taxes done on Monday and I was sick the rest of the week.  John did get to go over and see Earl and Cindy while they were here.  We got new tires on the rig, John gave blood and we picked up our newly upholstered booth cushions this week.  Monday March 18th we went to see Cabaret with Liza Minelli. 

Monday, March 25th we moved to Bullhead City, Nevada.  Our campground is directly across the Colorado from Laughlin, so this is our evening view of the casinos.

This is the clubhouse here at Ridgeview RV Resort.

A closer view of the pool and hot tub.  Tuesday we went to the Hibachi Buffet.  Wednesday we went to Vito's Pizza Buffet and the Colorado River History Museum.

One of the exhibits was about Louis L'Amour since he spent a time here when he was young working as a mucker in the mines.  He was young and husky and later he trammed, pulling ore from the chutes.  He enjoyed breaking up the big chunks by hand.  He was boxing then and he said that swinging the double-jack was good for his back and shoulders.  He said the best miner he ever worked behind was a blaster named Sparks.  I wonder if the town of Sparks, Nevada where my little brother used to live is named for him.  He was the first American novelist to receive a special Congressional Medal in recognition of his distinguished career and his contribution to the nation through his historically based works.  It was presented to him by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

The first telephone switchboard was installed in Bullhead City about 1965.  Before that there was one phone in the area at Davis Dam.  When the dam was built it created Lake Mohave that left the small mining town of Tristate a sunken city at the bottom of the lake.

Wildflowers on the hillside behind our RV.  The desert super bloom this spring is just gorgeous.

Saturday we went to The Riverside Buffet and I went to the movie Gloria Bell, too much of a chick flick for John, I guess.

One more winter behind us.

I hear this was a great one to miss.

Can't wait to see the grandkids again.  We will be leaving here Wednesday, April 3rd, and heading north.  We expect to see our grandkids by Friday, if the roads aren't still blocked by snow somewhere!  We are heading to The Netherlands April 19th for several weeks to see the tulips.

Happy Spring All,

Tarra