January 16-28 Quartzsite, CA

During this time period there is a large RV show in Quartzsite and the Alfa Roadrunners hold a rally close by in the desert on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) property that allows camping with a permit.  We have an area that the Alfa Roadrunners have been going to for over 30 years.  During the rally, we have excursions, campfires, events and a whole lot of fun.

Our first excursion was to The Desert Bar located in the middle of nowhere not far from Parker, AZ.  It's about a 45 minute drive of which the last 20 minutes are on a dirt road leading to an old mining site deep in the desert.  Thus, the Desert Bar is aptly named.  It's a unique place.  It is not connected to the grid in any manner.  It gets the majority of it's electricity needs via solar panels.  It does have backup generators for those few occasions where there is cloud cover.  It is only open on weekends and people flock there to enjoy live music, several eateries and lots of beer.  It is not uncommon for 500-1000 people to show up on any given day.  In addition to the road we came in on, there is another unimproved trail that ATVs and other rugged 4 wheel drive vehicles travel to get there. Another feature that has to be seen are the rest rooms.  They are built into the side of the hill and have a view.









Another excursion we took was to visit the Intaglios in Blyth, CA.  What's an Intaglio, you ask? Think of large petrogliph only instead of being carved on a rock, it is formed on the ground.  While they are now protected, it wasn't always so and they have suffered much damage over the years.













When we arrive in our adopted campsite in Quartzsite, we circle our Alfas around the fire and others string out to the sides.  This year we had about 20 rigs altogether.



Every night we had a happy hour and a campfire.



Of course, how could you be in the desert without having fantastic sunsets.











The sunset even reflected off of my dirty windows.



I won't bore you with pictures of all the dealers inside the big tent selling all kinds of stuff for RV'rs, but I couldn't help but to share this picture of me with the Michelin Man.



On our last night, we all don our red shirts for pictures and the infamous "Sheriff's" dinner.





One of our folks had a drone and took a picture from the sky as we were gathering.  Turned out to look like a bouquet of roses.



During the "Sheriff's" dinner, we learn who the sheriff was and all of our infractions.  The sheriff has kept close tabs on who fails to put on their name tag and a number of other things only he or she cares about.  After we eat, the sheriff gets up and starts identifying and assessing fines accordingly.  Every infraction costs a quarter. Of course, I knew I would have many fines assessed to me so as soon as the sheriff stood up, I offered him a $20 bribe to cover all of my infractions.  All the funds are donated to a charity designated by the rally master and this year we ended up collecting just under $200 which went to the local food bank.   It was a fun night for a worthy cause.

















More sunsets in the desert.













My next stop is Catalina Spa & RV Resort in Hot Springs, CA to visit with Sam & Linda Gradwell.

Jan 6, 2016 FMCA Rally in Indio CA & Post Rally in Emerald Desert RV PK, Palm Desert, CA

Seems strange to see snow on top of the mountains above the Palm Trees at Indio





At Emerald Desert RV Park



AlfaSeeYas tour of the Air Museum at Palms Springs CA



















AlfaSeeYas tour of the Palm Desert Tram up Mount San Jacinto, CA

12/22/2015 - 01/04/2016 Yuma for the Holidays

12/29/2015 took a day trip with Doug and Wendy Ferguson to Algodones, Mexico to do a little shopping and to enjoy what turned out to be a beautiful day to walk around the various outdoor shops and to have lunch in the plaza.


12/31/2015 Not sure why, but Yuma has a giant fork on Main Street.


1/1/2016 Many cowboy movies and TV shows contained Yuma as the back drop.  More times than not, the Yuma Territorial Prison was part of the movie. It sits on the top of a hill overlooking the Colorado River.  Today, I visited it.


Guardhouse.  This is a reconstruction.






The museum contained a lot of neat information about its inhabitants.

On July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates entered the Territorial Prison at Yuma and were locked into the new cells they had built themselves. Thus began the legend of the Yuma Territorial Prison. A total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived within the walls during the prison's 33 years of operation.

I found it interesting that the prison was built by the prisoners before they could move in.  The prisoners also did reconstruction as needed.





























After prison closed, it was pretty much abandoned until a fire burned down the local High School, The prison was used as the high school while the new one was being built.  The high school's sports teams then became known as the "Yuma High Criminals".


While most of the prison was torn down, the cell blocks remained.






If a prisoner disobeyed, he or she was placed in the Dark Cell for several days depending upon the infraction.  Inside this dark cave like room was a six by six cell.  If there was more than one prisoner, they just kept squeezing them into the cell.  While most of the occupants of the Dark Cell were male, there was one time when there were two women in there instead of men.




During the prisons operation, 112 men died during their stay.  While 8 had been shot trying to escape, most of the deaths were from illness.  Only 2 men successfully escaped from the prison.




On 1/4/2016, I leave the Yuma area for Indio, California.