Sunday Feb. 22

With things winding down in Quartzsite we were thinking it was about time for a field trip. So yesterday on Saturday off we went west toward Blythe on I-10 and at the Flying J  truck stop we took the desert road that runs along the Colorado River going south. You can also get there by taking HW 78 south in CA. 

There are three bridges across the Colorado river in the area.  We decided we wanted to visit the Island Unit this time. It's where the old river flowed before they had the grand idea of straightening it, and making it all one big canal. 

Plenty of high gloss literature was available for us to read all about it. 
For more info their official web site is http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/CibolaNWR/

After crossing the car and small pu only bridge from AZ stopped as all visitors must register at the island unit. No fee however. When you leave you turn the bottom portion of the permit so they know the birds didn't get you. . 

Don't go to the island unit if it has been raining the roads are in very bad shape. 
That is alkali not snow if you are reading this up north. Take a note we are in California. 
Only a  mile or so across the border from AZ. 

Must be the wrong time of day for bird sightings while we were there, only saw a few. 

On the way going back north on the levee on the CA side of the river we found this sign. 

Now to see the real thing,  do watch this video. 

Now for tonight I guess it would be un American not to watch the Academy Awards. So we will, even though we have not seen any of the films up for awards since they weren't beamed down to us on DirecTV. Not much on TV on Sunday anyway. It has been overcast all day but warm. Looks like next week will get into the low 80s and be partly cloudy.
 

Tuesday Feb. 24

Mondays sunset didn't have the clouds to make it all red and glowing like we like to take pictures of. 
But it did have the setting sun shining on the mountains to the east of us as taken from our campsite. 

Now midday today I turned on the plice scanner after hearing the sierons to hear them calling for a Care Flight. One was about to launch from Lake Havasu City and would have an ETA of 30 min. But just then another Care Flight said it was coming back to Q from a run and it was only 8 min. out. So it flew right to the scene at La Posa West across the road from us. 

Got these shots from our campsite Notice Q mountain in the background. You can see the Q on the side of it. . 

I didn't have the scanner on soon enough to hear the reason for the call. We are lucky to have these Care Flights stationed all around the area for quick response times. One is based in right here in Q. I love that the flight crew on the radio always ask the wieght of the patient. Look at the size of that bird. What the would have to leave out a flight nurse or somthing. Sure, I know it is good procedure. What, if I tell them my wieght, are they going to dump me. 
EMT response time here in Q is about 5 min. to our campsite. But then again getting you to a large hospital is another mater. La Paz Regional in Parker is a great hospital (I have expounded about them several times and their great care) but if you're really hurting you are off to Phoenix. Better have great health insurance to cover the cost to ride in one of these babies. But to hell with the cost IF you need it!  The other day they called TWO of them to the same scene. WOW. 

It's warm, 80 or so and just a slight breeze so I have a small DC powered fan running to blow the heat away from the desktop computer as it rises up from under the computer desk. Our outside temp sencer sez 100 but that can't be correct. Think the sun is hitting it. I'll have to move and check again. But you get the idea, it is warming up fast in the desert in the early spring. The high for the whole country wss 88 in Tucson yesterday. 

Thursday Feb. 26
 

Yesterday was honey do day as I have been asking for a 12 volt outlet right next to the bed so I can plug in a small inverter and use the XM portable radio at night. I had been using another 12 v plug in the TV cabinet across the bedroom and having to stumble over the cord. Not anymore. 

 

This way we don't have to leave the huge central inverter on at night and just use a portable one. See it in the above picture on the slideout riser.  I just leave it on all the time and never mess with it. The small cord is the XM antenna lead. 

It just so happened the main 12 volt feed box is right under the bed, in the basement, so the power cable run was only about 3 feet. Cool, easy install. 

That was yesterday and today while Terry was at the rock club a writer from the Arizona Highways magazine stopped by the club. Doing a story and Q and also wanted to come out and see how we live in the desert off the grid for 6 months, etc. You know shy me, and they want to take my picture, I asked when he called to see if they could come out? I told him we were famous enough and to find someone else. He gave them our card with our web info, and also the web address of the rock club. A plug for the rock club web site would be nice. 

Anyway I have been busy the last few days researching Tioga George's web site on his day by day travel posts he did of northern California, and the northwest. Preparing for what routes we might want to take on our travels this summer. He has a calendar archives that make it so easy to back track on his adventures. Thanks for all the hard work,  George. Right now I'm heavy into his Spring and Summer 2004 travels. We have done the CA 395 route and after following him looks like CA 49  would be fun also. We also want to do US 95 through NV. 

5:30 PM 
Quartzsite's finest just rushed into La Posa North BLM past us and after I turned on the scanner, found they were looking for a brush fire.  They found it, a regular campfire. They returned to base. At least they got to get the fire truck out and about and a very nice day. 
 
 

Click above for the Q C of C Online Resource flyer. (473 KB in .pdf format)

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