It's about time.

Many of you can relate to Working long hours at your career. Raising your families. Buying a home and paying all the bills related to being homeowners and parents. We're now retired and don't need all that work and expense. Now "It's about time" and what we do to follow our dreams.

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Saturday, March 10, 2018

Gathering Our Tables, Lunch In Lake Havasu, A Very Bumpy Ride, Meeting Fellow Bloggers At The Desert Bar and Rainy Day!


Our Location today is on Plomosa Road BLM Land, Quartzsite, Arizona, U.S.A.

Click on the pictures to Enlarge.

Last night it was warm enough that we left all the Windows and Roof Vents open plus we even took our warm Bedcover off the bed. It felt magical as we both slept like a couple of rocks and we slept until nearly 9:00 MST this morning. When we got up it felt like we had been Drugged but the only thing we had was an overabundance of Fresh Air that was high in Oxygen. We felt so rested unlike the last week where we felt dragged out because we had to sleep with the windows closed and sometimes running the Heater. 
Heading for Parker.
Past Parker towards Lake Havasu.
the Colorado River.
As soon as we’d eaten breakfast we moved with our Coffee/Tea to the Computers catching up on everything important. By 10:00 we had our inside chores finished and we headed over to the Center Gathering Area. Since there are no other Pot Lucks planned we along with others thought it would be wise to gather our Tables since it is not hard to mistakenly walk off with the wrong one. We mark our’s on the bottom. The outside temperature was 72 F (22 C) and felt wonderful. 

By 10:15 our neighbour turned on his Contractor’s Generator so we were getting rattled inside our trailer. It was around that time that we started getting a lite Rain. That’s not supposed to happen when you have special events planned. There was supposed to be a group outing today and we put our name in so if someone needed a ride they could join us. When I checked with Howard everyone had rides so we left early. 

Our destination was The Desert Bar just north of Parker. We had instructions we had written off of Google Map and I knew it was between Parker and Lake Havasu so we were good. The map had been so easy to read we didn’t even bring the GPS. 
Lake Havasu Subdivision.
Heading back towards Parker.
The entire trip was Cloud Covered and the lite Drizzle continued to fall. Soon we were through Parker past the Casino and we started looking for Billy Mack Mine Road which would lead us on our adventure. Driving under the Speed Limit in order to see the names of the upcoming roads we drove past Cienega Springs Road. If Google Maps says you’re supposed to go up Billy Mack Mine Road that’s what we kept looking for. 

Cienega Springs Road
Even with the Overcast Weather the scenery was breathtaking but we never saw the sign for Billy Mack Mine Road. We figured that since we were so close and it was now past noon we stopped at Arby’s for lunch in Lake Havasu. We knew that we missed our turn but figured it was a fun ride anyway. 

Those Bicycles are really moving on that Jeep.
Heading back towards Parker this time we looked for Cienega Springs Road because we figured that Billy Mack Mine Road was the name given the road many years ago but it has since been changed. The minute we saw the sign for Cienega Springs Road we turned. 
Tight Fit.

The pavement ended after a Hundred and Fifty Feet. In plenty of other Blogs we have read this road called many things from a Wash Board to Rough & Tumble to a Baja Trail and after today we would say yes to all three. This was a Four Mile Trail (Not Road) that had us both hanging on as we bounced nearly off our seats. There were Trucks, Jeeps and Side-by-Sides all using the same road with most of the Locals bouncing by the slower vehicles not caring they were throwing rocks down into the ravines. There were lots of places on this winding Trail that traffic from one direction had to stop to let oncoming traffic pass by before continuing. 

Entrance/Exit to the Parking Lot. Share the road.
Kathy was having a hard time taking pictures to document this trip because the Seatbelt kept locking when she tried to lean forward. We were watching this Jeep ahead of us that was carrying Two Bicycles on a Hitch Rack that were bouncing so badly we were wondering when they were going to fall off. Then we noticed its Third Brake Light wasn’t working. When you travel that slow for so long you notice things. It took a while longer to see that it was a Canadian License Plate. 
Jeep and Side-by-Side Parking
The Jeep pulled over before the parking area and we drove past wondering why he stopped. When we got near the parking area traffic was Bottlenecked so we parked outside the lot. As we were walking towards the gate the Jeep we had been following pulled up. It was Lorne and Sue from APlace Called Away coming to check out the Desert Bar. After a quick chat we met them again inside at the T-shirt Counter. 

Lorne and Sue from A Place Called Away at The Desert Bar.
The Desert Bar has quite an assortment of T-shirts and you can’t buy them anywhere else. Just driving to and from The Desert Bar is a challenge in itself and you definitely want to prove that you were there. 

For those reading this post that have never heard of it, The Desert Bar operates totally off Solar Power. There are no Generators and no Electrical Lines going in to run the lighting or refrigeration units. There was also live entertainment that used large amplifiers to be heard above the crowds. They operate from the beginning of November until the end of March and are only open on the Weekends from 10 in the morning until 6. If you are a nervous driver go early. 
The Trail in and out.
We just had a drink since we had already eaten and then stopped to talk to Lorne and Sue along with the rest of their gang. We found out they are just parked a mile down Plomosa Road from us so we’ll get to see them again before we all head in the direction of Home

The ride back to the Highway seemed to take less time which is the same for any trip we take. With less traffic heading towards The Desert Bar it meant we could drive more in the center of the road which made for a smoother ride.


Back on Arizona 95 the only stop we made heading for Quartzsite was for the Traffic Light in Parker and we were Home by 4:00. The outside temperature was down to 55 F (13 C) and there were puddles starting to form not far from our trailer. 
A cave in the side of one of the many mountains.
Kathy suggested I get an early start on writing the Blog but at 4:15 our neighbour’s Contractor Generator went on. With the vibration we got inside our Trailer from that machine there was no way I could concentrate. Since it Rained all day and the Sun didn’t help to charge our Batteries the meter said they were getting close to 50% so I went outside and turned on our Honda Generator. Not only did I run the Converter I also ran the Electric Water Heater. They say you need to exercise your Generator at least once a month under full load so that was what I did. 

Fifteen minutes later our neighbour shut his Generator off but you still couldn’t here our’s running. There’s a Seminar in the morning but after that we’re going visiting down the road. Thanks for following along, feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.
Kathy took most of todays
picture while bouncing 
down the trail to
The Desert Bar

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

Love doesn't make the world go around,

Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English Poet

6 comments:

  1. We have always talk about finding the Desert Bar, I'm glad you made it there in one piece!

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  2. The Desert Bar looks like a great place, have to admit I'd like to take an ATV back there rather than our truck after seeing the traffic and width of the road. You guys did great and you did "get the shirt" right? Too bad about your neighbor and his generator, sounds awful!

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  3. We've been to the Bar three times and finally decided enough was enough. That road is horrible. But it was a fun experience and I'm glad we did it.

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  4. That's a great place to spend the day.

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  5. Always have enjoyed going to the Desert Bar. Surprisingly the food and beer is great after a bumpy ride.

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  6. Great seeing you today. I will check out the brake light.

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