Quartzsite

October 27th, 2024

I made it to my destination for the winter, or at least some part of the winter. The spot I was camped 2 years ago was unoccupied, so I set up there. The people across from me are the same ones who were here back in 2023. Other than that, my friends from that year have not yet arrived. Most came in the middle of November or just before Christmas.

When I got here before, it was the 5th of November, 2023, so I am a little earlier this year. I wanted to be here and settled well before the election. The downside, is that the temperature is a little high. For the first 3 days, it has been in the low 90s in the afternoon. I see in the weather report that it will drop to 85 on Monday, and 70s after that. That will be a welcome change.

I had a casualty on the drive here. It appears that either my water pump has failed, or there is some sort of short in the wiring to it, as when I turn on the pump at the switch, it blows the 15 amp fuse for both the pump and the refrigerator. A lot of wiring in under the driver’s side bed. I had a plastic tray full of kitchen utensils and knives suspended there and sometime during the drive, that fell, dumping a couple of knives on top of the wiring. Maybe that shorted something, but I can’t see where. I will have to call for an RV repair person to take a look on Monday. It is not a major problem, as I have jugs of drinking water I can use for now. The only big inconvenience, is I can not take a shower. I do have laundry to do and the laundromat has showers. I will have to use them until the problem is solved.

Being here is a little depressing, as it means the end of my travels for the year 2024. That means my planning of where to go next and what to see along the way will be over for a while. That of course, reduces costs and stress a little, but it adds the possibility for boredom. The days will be rather repetitive for the next 5 months. The most excitement will be a few dusty, windy days, and maybe a rare rainy day. However, I will begin to plan for a flight back to Michigan in January, to see my older son, and my spring escape back to Colorado in April, to see the younger.

I will probably do a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park again. I may also do an overnighter to Phoenix and/or Yuma now and then. Once it cools down more, I will pick up with my daily hiking. I need to wait until the snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions close up for the winter. I also owe my mother a drawing. I need to unpack the paper and pencils.