More of the same.....R&R and Touring!

On Route 66 to Oatman, AZ.

On calm days, we like to take advantage of outdoor activities and on Sunday, we rode out to Oatman.  We had been there last year but it was still inviting to go back and check out the action.

Oatman is a former mining town in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Located at an elevation of 2,710 feet (830 m), it began as a tent camp soon after two prospectors struck a $10 million gold find in 1915, though the area had been already settled for a number of years. Oatman's population grew to more than 3,500 in the course of a year.

Love this restored stage coach.  Can't imagine riding for days on end - in the desert - in one of these.

We arrived on time for the gun slingers show.

And these burrows did not disappoint either.

We were surprised - pleasantly so - by the large volume of tourists.

From Oatman, we headed further north on old Route 66 towards Kingman.

This is the only restaurant on the route.  It's a beautiful setting in the rocky mountainous area north of Oatman.

Monday's ride was to Golden Shores and west towards Fort Mojave.

Our planned destination was to Laughlin, Nev. via the road to the AVI Casino in Mojave.  We were pleasantly surprised with the grounds here and how well the Mojave Indians run a good business.

The beach, along the Colorado River, in front of the AVI Casino.

From here we continued along Highway 95 north - on the west side of the Colorado River - up towards Laughlin, Nev.  If you are wondering about the different US states, it's true that where we were riding had us cross from California into Arizona, back to California and into Nevada, within a few  miles.

Laughlin, Nev. as seen from the west side looking east.

We rode into Laughlin and spent a half hour or so just motorcycling in and around the casino row along the Colorado River.

Colorado Belle Casino.

Jeanette caught this photo of a river cruise boat plying the waters and guiding tourists through the history of the area.  We could hear every word while sitting on the water's edge.

Bullhead City, AZ is seen on the other side of the river.

From here we rode back to our RV spot taking Highway 40 - on the west side of the Colorado River - in  Nevada - towards Needles, California.  Within 50 minutes, we were back at our RV spot.

With the daylight fading, we got ready to BarBQ our dinner...while enjoying the setting sun.

A sign on a store in Oatman, AZ.  Look out! ....and I didn't dare enter the premises!

Thanks for dropping by.

Kayaking 'n Riding 'n staying out of the wind too....!

Disclaimer:  Heavy use of photos in this blog:

What a mixed bag of weather we've been having here in southern California.  High winds followed by one super calm day, followed by another super windy day. That doesn't stop us though!

We were both looking forward to a calm day to ply the waters of the Colorado River once again.  That happened two days ago.  It was dead calm.

The river was calling!

But before that could happen, I decided to wash the truck.

Our fiver on the ridge overlooking the Colorado River.

We prepped the kayak then headed off.

Truly a picture perfect day.

Following an hour of dual kayaking, Jeanette headed for shore and I paddled away to ply the river on my own.

One of the 25 RV pods along the river.

Our 5th wheel is on the California side of the Colorado River.  Here, I paddled to the east side of the river, which is the Arizona side.

Another great view from the Arizona side of the Colorado.

I played around on the river for a couple of hours.  The river bottom is so clean and clear that I could spot fish below.  I saw one catfish and one small mouth bass.  Other things spotted included golf balls (of all things) sun glasses, bottles, etc.

It's quite easy to paddle upstream on a calm day like this.

We are really enjoying this Sea Eagle kayak.

By 3:30 pm it was time to pack it in.

We had finally received a call that our motorcycle was ready for pick up.  it would take one hour to drive out to Old Bullhead City.  Off we went, before closing time.

Checking out the repair, new tire and new air filter.

We loaded the motorcycle onto the swivel wheel and headed back for home.

Since our arrival here, Jeanette had been wishing for a calm night... and the time to hold an old fashioned wiener roast.  This was our chance.

'Twas a beautiful night, a great fire on the river, clear skies with a sliver of a moon, and stars aplenty.

Yesterday was set aside for a ride to Quartzsite, AZ. and the wily RV show in the desert.

RV spots around Parker, AZ.

Our RVing friend, Dave, is leading the way to Quartzsite.

Another - of the many - RV park in and around Parker, AZ

We found Hector and Diane who were boon docked near Quartzsite.

They had made arrangements to have the toppers replaced on their Class 'A' motor home.  They did take the time to tour us around the maze of tent vendors and RV stuff in the town of Quartzsite though.

Just arrived at their boon dock site.

A dog stroller!  Yikes!  What has our world come too?

Sheesh!  I can't believe some people. 

We had been looking for a couple of new RV chairs....and Jeanette liked these.

We cut a deal with the vendor and moved on.

It's wall to wall people here.

I am not a fan of big crowds....so I was glad when we found the new chairs and could get out of the maze that this place is.

We got back to Hector and Diane's sport ute and headed back for their boon dock spot.

We can now say we've been 'Quartzsited'.

Once back here, we suited up, said our good byes and saddled up for the two hour ride back to our RV site in Moabi.  It was a good day....and even better to be riding.  The ride back was breezy though!

The winds came back with a vengeance during the night.....and it continues today.  As I write this blog, from the comfort of our truck near the Pirate's Cove store, it is a bright and sunny day with gale force winds that refuse to let up.

That led Jeanette to get some laundry done....and, speaking of that, it's time to get back to the rig and change out a load.

Thanks for dropping by.

Great Weather....following the windy day!

Boy oh boy did it ever blow yesterday.  That called for an indoor kind of day where we got caught up on reading and some chores.  When the wind abated in the late afternoon, we went for a long walk.  The temperature today - and for the coming days - is calling for mid to high 70's.  We'll take that!  And no winds!  We'll take that too.

There are blooms in the desert.

Hector an Diane left on Tuesday for Quartzite.

We were due for a grocery run so we headed for Lake Havasu.  We chose to take a walk in the London Bridge area.  That was the only spot where we could walk without being wind blown.

Even the water fountain was struggling with the high winds.

Kind of amazing that this bridge was moved from London, England to this area.

We walked around the area then chose a lunch spot near the water.  It was a good choice too!  Not only was the food good, we could escape the wind while enjoying the outdoors.

Very little activity on the Lake Havasu water front.

We chose to walk up the steps to the bridge deck but as soon as we accomplished that, we were nearly blown over onto the road.  Such incredible wind gusts.  That put a quick ending to the walk. We headed for the truck and off to complete our grocery run.

Back at our RV area, Jeanette caught this photo of a bird that could read signs.  It was going the right way.

We stopped here to check our email and access our blog.

Our view early this morning following yesterday's howling winds.

Inviting us to get the kayak back in the river.

I was on the telephone this morning to the motorcycle shop.  The electrical sensor that was ordered still had not arrived.  Yikes!  What's with that?  We were told that they had tracked the courier company and the part should arrive today.  We've been told this for the past three days too!

Hoping to roll into Quartzite on Friday.

With a planned motorcycle ride to Quartzite tomorrow, we're sure hoping the new part arrives today. 

We'll get the kayak out early this afternoon - for a bit of exercise and snooping around the river shore.

Thanks for dropping by.