Heading to Camp Mellow

Today feels like a brand new start, truly a brand new day. We have spent time with family and friends, all of our visits were quite superb and successful...it just feels good! It was so nice spending all of the time we were able to have with my sister & her family, meeting my cousin (for the first time, after 32 years!), and seeing a girlfriend after 11 years and meeting her family. I'm very satisfied with the way everything went, again...it just feels good. After leaving Krystle & Nick's last night, we drove about 10 miles to a casino called The Talking Stick Resort and camped in the lot for the night. There were only two other class A's in the lot, but that's enough for us.

We slept in 'til about 8:45 a.m., until it was too hot to lay there any longer. The weather is crazy in Arizona...it's cold for a day, warms up extremely the next couple of days, cold again, rain, maybe snow, hot, cold, etc. I'm sure another reason for our coming down with the sickness like we did. Anyway, we got up, I walked Savannah...this casino lot is a bit different than the last few we've stayed at. There is no open area for dogs to potty, just a very small rock area, that is more for looks and the landscaping than for "poopin-a-pup"! The parking lot is pretty big though, so maybe there is a better area than where we were parked and where I walked.

[caption id="attachment_4023" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Whole LOTta nothing![/caption]

It really doesn't matter though, for today we are moving on. We are driving to where Bob is camping, J' and him have some work related things to work on as well as it being a pleasure trip...it's always a pleasure to see Bob!!

We are en route now, it's just 10 a.m. We are driving on I-10 West, passing Tempe, the cars are moving right along, no traffic...it's a beautiful day. After we see Bob, we plan on driving to Ehrenberg to meet up with fellow campers at Camp Mellow...not many people left, everyone is taking off one van at a time. I think Bryce & Mike are the only ones left out there before they move on as well. They both leave tomorrow, from what I know, so hopefully we'll get to see them before they head to Nevada.

...about noon

We are back on the road now, after about a 45 minute visit with Bob. It's always so nice to see Bob, he's just a big breath of fresh air.

[caption id="attachment_4027" align="alignright" width="150"] 2 amazing men[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4026" align="alignleft" width="150"] Bob's site[/caption]

He's in love with his life, loving every minute and where he is.

It was nice to sit and chat with him and see handsome Homer. Savannah, you could tell, was quite joyful to be out, unleashed into the wild...huntress on the loose!

[caption id="attachment_4024" align="alignleft" width="150"] Handsome Homer[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4025" align="alignright" width="150"] Lil' Huntress[/caption]

After our short visit with Bob, we headed on down the road toward Ehrenberg. On our way to Ehrenberg, we passed Quartzsite. We stopped to get gas but also our curiosity was being sparked, "What does Quartzsite look like when everyone is gone?" We did a drive through and it's pretty much a barren desert town. Even the RV's that were for sale at big places like La Mesa and other big lots, were gone. I guess they have to go where the peeps are...which isn't here!

[caption id="attachment_4032" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Main Strip[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4033" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Crossing over I-10[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4034" align="aligncenter" width="350"] By the "Water Tank"[/caption]

We drove out of Quartzsite with a full tank of gas. We were pretty stoked that we got just about 400 miles out of our last tank...awesome-sauce! Ehrenberg is a quick 18 mile drive West of Quartzsite, so we were arriving back on the BLM land in no time. After tracking down the guys at Camp Ironwood, which only turned out to be Bryce & Steve, the guys ran to the store and Nana & I stayed behind to domesticate our spot for the night. The weather here is awesome, pretty hot but if you can find some shade, there's a super nice breeze to make it feel just perfect. It really doesn't get much better than this, right now! We are back in the company of good friends, even if it is only for a few hours...it's a nice, comfortable place to be. Tonight, we'll hang out and catch up, then as everyone wakes up tomorrow...we'll all go in very different directions to new places on to new adventures, starting a new journey.

[caption id="attachment_4037" align="aligncenter" width="280"] Camp Mellow's Finest![/caption]

As time moves on, so do we, but it sure is nice when you get to see familiar faces along the way.

[caption id="attachment_4038" align="aligncenter" width="280"] My Fave!![/caption]

PEACE & SAFE TRAVELS