Wanderings and Side Trips

New Blog location

2006-09-22T13:17:00.000-06:00

We have changed to a new blog address. Please continue to follow our "wanderings and side trips" at http://adventurecenter.mytripjournal.com/wesandjan.

Hope to see you there.

VFW Car Show

2006-09-01T16:17:00.000-06:00

The VFW sponsored a car show in conjuction with the County Fair. It was well attended and there were quite a few nice vehicles. Below are some of the cars etc.

Greeley County Fair

2006-08-16T04:52:00.000-06:00

The Greeley County Fair is one of the highlights of the year here in our community. Lots of former residents, friends, and students return for the fair every year. Besides all the exhibits, the livestock show, the car show, parade etc. etc., it is a great time to visit with friends and family. Wes and I volunteered wherever we could this year. We belong to the Antiquers Club. The members all own or have interests in restoring antique farm tractors, machinery and engines, as well as antique cars and trucks.

This is one of the old restored engines the Antiquers have. We also have a big metal building which includes a kitchen. The club gathers here for all their meetings and meals. During the Fair it is a gathering place for all kinds of people, especially when they discover the big lunch that is served each day. The main dish at each meal is fried potatoes and Bill's Beans.

This is Bill and Barb Davison, our good friends who actually live in Connecticut. They grew up here in Tribune like we did, but moved away after marriage and college. They own Bill's grandmother's house here in Tribune and they come back here every summer. They are also beginning to travel a lot in their RV. We hope to spend more time with them when we travel to the east coast next fall.

This is a photo of a boat?/car?/motorcycle? One of the antiquers built. It is powered by that big fan on the back. He drives it on the highway and around town. Sure makes a lot of noise. I think this guy has too much time on his hands.

This is one of the restored antique tractors and a photo of some of the antiquers.

We try to volunteer wherever we can and the Library Board needed someone to serve lemonade and cookies before the parade, so we did that. Here is Wes with the sign. He looks like a homeless person, doesn't he? Or - one of those "free to a good home" kittens/puppies ads.

We also entered some of our photos from our travels in the open class photography competition. Out of 9 entries, we won 5 blue ribbons and 4 purples. Not to bad for a really "amateur" photographer.

We had a great time at the fair. There was a great car show sponsored by the VFW and I will post those photos later on.

We are now getting ready attend LOW in Des Moines and visit with some RV friends for a couple of weeks.

Home again!

2006-08-01T16:48:00.000-06:00

We spent this past week house sitting and livestock sitting for our youngest daughter in McPherson, Kansas. She has 5 horses at her home and one very spoiled "in charge" dog. She (Sunny) and our other daughter (Suzy) took off for a "sister" week to Atlanta, GA. They had a few days vacation and then attended a scrapbooking conference. We took care of our granddaughter, Zoe and stayed at Sunny's house. Her husband, Brian, was working out of town last week.

This is PD, short for Premier Dash. She is a big quarter horse. She used to race, but now is a breeding mare. The second photo is "Chomper", her colt.

Two weeks ago, one of the yearlings injured his leg and had to be doctored every day, so (thankfully) Sunny took him and his companion horse to the stables where they could be properly cared for. I was glad because I'm really not into that horse vet stuff. Anyway, that only left 3 horses for us to care for. I can tell you after a week, that caring for horses is a lot more work than caring for dogs.

Wes worked all week on a special order shelf for Sunny's craft room. Zoe had a great time riding the four wheelers, playing with the horses and dog and reading. We also did some shopping while we were in a "city".

It has been really hot here and in McPherson the past two weeks. Things are exceedingly dry. Sunny and Brian's pond is down 10 or more feet and some of the fish may have to be moved to another location. I have been doing my part to deplete the Oglalla Aquifer since we have been home - trying to revive the grass and trees here at the farm.

This week is the county fair and we will be busy volunteering and attending all the activities and exhibits. It is a time when everyone comes home for a visit and so we will get to see a lot of old classmates and friends.

About 10 days ago, my cousin Susie and her family and my Aunt Jessie from Washington state visited. They spent the nights here with us and the days with my other Aunt - Ocie - at her farm. It was a good visit. We got out the go carts for the boys to ride and even got Ocie and Jessie to pose for a photo.

We will be attending LOW in Des Moines the last of August and then spending a few days with "Rollin Hubbs" (Glen and Diane) before we head back home. We will leave for the south and west on October 11. Hopefully someone will have planned the Class of 2005 rally by then, so we can plan to meet up with you all again.

Travel safe. Check back again for more wanderings and side trips.

A new Satellite

2006-07-13T08:24:00.000-06:00

After we finished our work in Greeley, we drove down to Castle Rock where we added a satellite dish to our fifth wheel. Terry Cannon of Roving Internet installed the dish, etc. and trained us. If you are interested in a satellite system and you are in the Colorado area, you should contact Terry. He is the best!!

We parked right in his front yard with a beautiful view of the mountains. He hooked us up to 50 amp electricity and water. We spent three days at his place getting everything installed and being trained. When we left, we were set to go. Our computers were programed etc. All we have to do now is set up and plug in.

We are on Datastormusers.com as #3659. Look us up and see where we are.

These are views from our fifth wheel at Terry's place. We enjoyed his hospitality for three days.

Greeley Stampede

2006-07-12T15:00:00.000-06:00

On June 21, Wes took our fifth wheel and headed out for Greeley, Colorado where we would work at the Stampede for about 2 weeks. The next day, I followed with my Tahoe and a small trailer of equipment and bicycles. We have friends who have a concession business and they sell food at the Stampede every year. Their menu consists of Nachos, hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken strips, french fries and funnel cakes. This year we sold very little of anything except funnel cakes - thousands of them!! Maybe next year, that will be the only item on the menu.

Here is a photo of the concession booth - Incredible Edibles is the name. We were excited to be between two good friends we had met at various festivals during our own concession business events. It was like a reunion and we had time to visit with many friends from the past.

Every day at 6pm, a longhorn steer parade would go right behind our booth. The steers were really well behaved, but by the end of the first week, they were getting bored and they began to stray off the street up on to the grass and among the people. It was quite exciting at times!

In the past, we have parked on a dirt parking lot with water and electric hookups. The city of Greeley has done some really nice upgrading to the park area and this year we had a nice blacktop parking lot with individual water and electric hookups. All the vendor RVs were parked around the outside edge of the parking lot and cars visiting the Stampede parked in the center area. It was much quieter and certainly cleaner than in the past.

It was a great event and a good time for a couple of weeks.

Kansas Wheat Harvest

2006-07-12T13:54:00.000-06:00

Wheat harvest was the next thing on our schedule. It was early this year, and after a late frost and the drought conditions, we were surprised to even be having a harvest. In the end, it averaged about 32 bushels, which is pretty good when you are expecting nothing. As my Dad always said "don't count it until it's in the bin". After a loooong dry spell, it began to rain - right during harvest when we want it to be dry and hot!! Things were delayed several times, but at last it was done. We no longer do any of the actual harvesting ourselves, but it is always a festive time anyway. Growing up on the farm, it was a time of excitement, with all the extra "hands" that were needed and the long working hours. My Mom always prepared two meals a day for the harvest crew. I was always in the field with my Dad (and various other relatives and friends hired for the harvest). It was great fun. Even after I was married, I would make the trip home each summer to work the harvest. When my daughters were old enough, they also had jobs. Sunny always helped my Mom in the kitchen since she didn't want anything to do with getting dirty or hot. Suzy learned to drive a truck at an early age and as soon as she was "legal", she drove to the elevator. I always drove a truck, but when I got to be 40, I was promoted to combine driver. I was in heaven - air conditioning!!!

My cousin, Shan, has taken over the farming now and with the newer, bigger, more efficient machinery, we no longer need a huge harvest crew. He and his son, niece and brother pretty much handle it all.

This is Sam Stewart, Kylie Burch and Shea Stewart, harvest crew 2006.

Our Family

2006-06-20T15:53:00.000-06:00

We would like to introduce our family. We have 2 daughters who have both married outstanding men. And we have 2 grandchildren.

Our daughter, Suzy, is the oldest and is married to Mike Bubar. They are the parents of our 2 grandchildren, Zack who is 17 and a senior in high school, and Zoe, who is a seventh grader.

Our youngest daughter, Sunny, is married to Brian Milleson and they have no children, but they have a spoiled dog and lots of horses.

We have lots of fun together. Since we are a small family, we can get together more often and do activities and trips together. They are all supportive of our RV lifestyle and would like to be out there on the road with us.

Our Eagle Scout

2006-06-20T15:36:00.000-06:00

On May 20, our grandson, Zack, received his Eagle Scout Rank. Our entire family was in attendance as well as many friends and leaders.

We had a reception with lots of food and quite a ceremony for him and his friend, Andrew, who also received his Eagle.

Wes was on the board of review when Troy Gardner, who is now Zack's Scout leader, received his Eagle Scout. So it was a three generation celebration - "sort of".

Troy, Zack and Wes (above) Mike (Dad), Suzy (Mom), Zoe (sister), and Zack

We are very proud of our grandchildren and especially Zack on this special day.

Blue Mesa, Colorado

2006-06-16T10:37:00.000-06:00

This is Blue Mesa Lake west of Gunnison about 20 miles. It is 20 miles long and has over 100 miles of shoreline. There are several Forest Service campgrounds and several private RV parks in the area. One of the Forest Service campgrounds has one loop with electricity. Water and a dump station are located in the campgrounds also.

The water is always blue like the photo, hence the name. The Lake is fed by the Gunnison River. There are a series of 3 dams controlling the Gunnison River that flows through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Blue Mesa is the first.

I understand the fishing is excellent, but we have never fished here. There are several marinas as well as lots of small boat launching areas.

This is a photo of the Dillon Pinnacles. It is the beginning of a wilderness area where there are many such rock formations. The wilderness area is accessible by hiking or horseback.

An excellent place to visit and stay if you like lakes, fishing and boating.

Marble, Colorado

2006-06-08T21:33:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, May 30, we took highway 50 to Delta and then east over McClure Pass to Marble. This Crystal Valley has long been a favorite place for our family and we were happy to be back here again. We met our good friends, Bob and Laverl Watson, at the Bogan Flats campground and spent 5 days relaxing, fishing, hiking, etc.

The photo on the left is the view out our door and the one on the right is the view out our back window. Fantastic!! Doesn't get much better than this!

Marble is at the end of the road on the back side of the Maroon Bells. It has a couple of marble quarries that had been closed down since the 40's. In the past 10 years or so, they have reopened one of the quarries. In the past, we would backpack in the area and explore the old quarry. You could look down into one of the chambers and see the hole where the block of marble was cut out for the Lincoln Memorial. Usually there was ice in the bottom of the quarry because the marble was so cold. There are discarded pieces, large and small, of marble all along the streambeds and roads, just like you would find "regular" rocks elsewhere. There is a waterfall up by the marble quarry and the stream runs down a canyon called the Little Yellowstone. The streambed looks like a bathtub. It is all marble and the water is so clear with a light blue tint to it. At the bottom of the mountain where the mined marble was brought in, there are the remains of an old mill and processing building where all the marble was cut and loaded and shipped out. It has been added to the National Historic Register in the past few years. While we were there, the quarry was mining and shipping out HUGE blocks (36,000 to 40,000 pounds) of marble designated for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Big semi trucks would come rumbling out of the canyon with one or two of these blocks of marble. It is beautiful marble and of the highest quality. It is quite an experience to see. There are quarry tours available, but they are very pricey. There are also several sculpture studios and gallerys with pieces made from the discarded marble. Also very pricey, but beautiful - and a little heavy for an RV.

Bogan Flats campground was named for Tom Bogan, who kept about 100 mules in the flat area where the campground is now. He would haul the marble out to the railroad with these mules. Of course the quarry shut down in the 40's and then when it reopened it was with trucks etc. - not mules.

We don't give up our favorite places easily, but will share this one. You should see it if you ever have the chance. Spring is great, but fall is the best with all the aspens changing etc.

More to come....

Cimarron and Silver Jack, Colorado

2006-06-08T08:15:00.000-06:00

Several years ago we came across a great campground in the Silver Jack area. It was closed at the time, but we always said if we had a chance, we would go back there and spend some time. So - guess where we went on this trip?! We took highway 50 west out of Kansas and across Colorado to the small town of Cimarron. We found a perfect little campground/RV park with full hookups for a couple of days. We then drove the twenty some miles up a gravel road into the back country to an area called Silver Jack. It was just as great as we remembered. Since we only had a couple of days there, we did not take the fifth wheel and stay there, but spent the day hiking around and seeing some of the area.

The campground here is beautiful, located in an Aspen grove with paved roads and parking pads. There is water and a good campground bathroom, but no hookups. It is definitely boondocking. The drive up the gravel road is over 20 miles, so you need to be prepared. We will certainly be returning here as soon as we can. The above photos show one of the long sites and the view from the road just outside the campground.

Wes has been fascinated with the dam and spillway at the resevoir, so he spent a lot of time "inspecting" that and taking photos. The spillway is like an upside down bell and drains water from the lake like a bathtub or sink drain. There seems to be quite a whirlpool effect around the "drain". It also appears to be quite a dangerous area to us, but evidently no boats etc. are allowed on the lake and the area is fenced off, so guess no people would get sucked into it under normal circumstances.

The RV park where we stayed in Cimarron is called Pleasant Valley Cabins and Campground. It was perfect for us. Full hookups are available or you can dry camp. They have 10 RV sites and some cabins, a little store where they serve homemade pie and cinnamon rolls. They also have propane and gas. The gas price was pretty high. The RV spaces back right up to the Little Cimarron river. It was very basic, but very nice. We don't need all the amenities some people do and so it is nice not to have to pay for them.

This area is west of Gunnison and about 14 miles east of Montrose. The Black Canyon and Blue Mesa are right in this area also. There is plenty to see and experience or you can just relax by the stream.

Check back later for more of our trip.

Our non-rving days...

2006-04-03T06:26:00.000-06:00

Good morning all. I've been lax in posting on our blog, so will try to share some thoughts with you. We have committed to spending April and May getting things around the farm "ship-shape", so we can get back out there on the road with you all. Thought you might enjoy seeing where we spend our time "off the road". This is our farm (Taylor Ranch) where we live in western Kansas. My parents built this house after they were discharged from the Navy and moved back home. We moved into this house when I was two years old. It is very well built and solid. It has also been remodeled several times. We are enjoying living here again.

Wes finally decided on what he wanted for Christmas, so we bought a really good chainsaw for him. He has been putting it to good use. We have lots of old trees on our farm that were planted when I was five years old. You will just have to guess how long that has been!! There is lots of dead wood in those trees that needs to be trimmed out. Also there are lots of trees that are just dead and we have pulled them out. Now we are cutting what is good wood into firewood and stacking it.

Last year we bought a little tractor from our daughter and son-in-law. We really love it! It is one of the best purchases we have ever made. That little tractor does so many chores around the farm that we have done by hand before. This is a photo of me hauling off some of the dead tree branches.

In 1996, a year after my parents passed away, we had all the dead wood in the windbreak cleared out and then we planted new trees. It was about 250 trees all together. They are really doing well and now we are trimming the lower branches so we can get close to them with the mower during the summer.

It's been cool here, but just about right for working outside. We have to get all this tree work done before it is warm enough for the snakes to come out and see what we are up to!

Wes has been working in the quonset getting all his tools and supplies organized and cleaned up. I have been doing some yard work also. Hopefully we can get a sprinkler system put in so things don't die while we are away. The house and other buildings need painted when it warms up a bit. All of you full timers can sit back and relax knowing you no longer have to do all this upkeep!!

We have also been doing some remodeling and upgrading to our fifth wheel in order to do more boondocking. We really liked it out there in the desert last January. Hopefully we can do more of that this year.

Well, that's life on the farm. Keep your blogs and emails coming. We read them frequently to see where you all are and all the marvelous places you are visiting.

Home on the range...

2006-03-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

Just a short post - we have been enjoying all of your blogs and journals. It makes us want to get back out there on the road as quick as we can. In the meantime, we spend our "spare" time pouring over calendars and maps. We pretty much have our summer/fall/winter planned. We will generally be home here on the farm until August when we will travel to the LOW in Des Moines, Iowa. We then will "hang out" in the area between there and Van Wert, Ohio where we will attend the Fall Escapade. We have relatives in Indiana and Kentucky we will try to visit in that time period. We have some "short" trips planned throughout the summer. Maybe we will see some of you if you come through western Kansas. We are headed to Denver next week for about a week. Need to do some shopping and get my "luncheon" fix - having lunch with my friends in a real restaurant. We are going to check out a Starband dealer in Castle Rock, so we can get moving on a satellite for our RV. We spent a few days in McPherson, Kansas last week with our daughter. Wes had a dentist appointment. We stopped in Great Bend on the way home to look at some DP motorhomes. They had some really nice ones. Our lives are changing and we are thinking about a MH with a 4 wheel toad so we can get up on those mountain roads. I still can't imagine driving one of those big rigs! When I sit in the driver's seat, it looks like it takes up at least 3 lanes!

Sometime in April, our grandson will be receiving his Eagle Scout and we will be back in Denver. We are looking at the RV Rally in Hutchison, KS the first weekend of May. May 28 - June 12/13, we will be camping out in Colorado. June 21 - July 5 we will be working at the Greeley Stampede in Greeley, CO. In between all this, we have to keep the farm watered and mowed and the dogs happy.

We took the dog family in for their annual checkups and shots etc today. It is quite an excursion. Sophie and Little Chief are great travelers, but Shadow doesn't like the car much. To add to the excitement, our local vet closed his office and we have to drive 45 miles to the nearest vet. Shadow thinks she should sit in the drivers seat with me, so to discourage that, we put her in a kennel in the back of the Tahoe. She didn't like that either! Oh well, all was well (except they are eating too well) and hopefully we won't have to make the trip again until March 2007.

We have had summer weather here the last couple of days - 70 and 80 degrees!! It was fabulous!! I started raking the yard and cleaning up around the outside of the house. You can sure tell I haven't done that for a while. My body was rebelling this morning. Today (and the rest of the week) are supposed to be in the 60's. It is very dry here and we need moisture desperately. Wheat still looks good, but it won't for long without some rain. I've been giving the trees some extra water on warm days.

We have lots of photos and I will try to get some of them posted next time. Good travels to all of you. We look forward to seeing you on the road soon. Miss you all. Keep in touch.

Three reasons to come back home...

2006-02-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Several people have requested photos of our dogs. So here they are. They are all 4 years old and love living on the farm. They stay outside (most of the time). The really like to RUN! They will roam the windbreak and the fields around our house for hours. They chase rabbits and birds and sometimes, they even catch them. They are spoiled and pampered, but they are really good dogs and great companions for us.

This is Shadow. She is an Australian/Blue Heeler Mix. She is very loving with us and thinks she is a lap dog. She weighs about 60 pounds! She loves her hair brushed, which is good, because she is constantly shedding and getting "stuff" caught in her long hair. She is also the alpha dog and is always trying to "protect" us from our other dogs.

This is Sophie. She is a smooth coat (short hair) Border Collie. She is very beautiful and delicate looking, but actually very strong. She is mild mannered except when cornered. She is picked on by Shadow and so when we are not at home she has her own pen to stay in. She barks the loudest and the most. She is good at "rounding up" the rabbits etc. for the other dogs to catch. She was our first dog and is well trained. She has also decided she is Wes' dog.

This is Little Chief. She is a Queensland Blue Heeler. She got her name because she is almost a carbon copy of one of my Dad's dogs who was named Chief. When we first got her, everyone said "oh, it's a little Chief", so that's what we named her. She is tough. She "heels" everyone and everything. If you have legs, she will "heel" you. She is our second dog and pretty well trained. She is definitely a one person dog. She is ferocious in her protection of our home and family. She loves to run and always has to be "first in line". Usually her ears are standing up, but she didn't want her picture taken here. She is a great jumper and loves the water. We usually have a pool out for the dogs in the warm weather and they all "swim" to cool off.

Well, that's our dog family. We would take them with us except they are definitely outside dogs and would not enjoy being confined in an RV or vehicle. They would bark a lot. They would probably eat some of your small dogs for lunch. If we decide to become full timers, leaving them would be our biggest regret.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

2006-02-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum which is located about 12 miles west of South Tucson. The road is paved, but narrow and has a section that is very steep and winding. Do not try to take your fifth wheel or motor home over this road. Tow vehicles and toads would be fine. The road takes you through the Saguaro National Forest. This was the outstanding tour for us. We spent several hours there and could easily have spent all day! We will be returning here often.

The Desert Museum is a world renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden all in one place. Within the grounds are more than 300 animal species and 1200 kinds of plants on display - alive in their natural desert settings. There are two miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert.

The Free Flight demonstration was fantastic! A Red Hawk, a Barn Owl and a Raven were presented in all their natural glory. What beautiful birds! They flew from branch to branch and "posed" for the cameras. They gave us a very good view of all they did in their natural habitats - from hunting to hiding. Great show!! I understand that different species are displayed at each Free Flight during the day, but we just viewed this one.

There were all kinds of wildlife in their natural habitats, some of them were contained in an area, but some like these "pigs" (javalenas) were just roaming around loose. We saw several of them, but in the photos, they just didn't show up. They were well disguised. There were two coyotes in an enclosed area and you could tell they had been trained to "pose" for photographs. This would probably be the only chance for many people to view a coyote up close. In western Kansas, we frequently see them and they even come quite close to the house at night.

There were several restaraunts and gift shops. We had lunch there and the food was good, but expensive. All in all, a great day and one we hope to repeat often. Loved this place!!

Amerind Center and Kartchner Caverns

2006-02-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Amerind (American Indian) Foundation Museum is just south of I-10 between Benson and Willcox at exit 318. If you enjoy Indian history and artifacts, you will enjoy this museum. They display some beautifully preserved items and have a very complete and detailed history of the Indians of the area. Photographs are not allowed, so I have none to show you. The "compound" is immaculate with picnic areas and nature hikes as well as the museum. They also have a native indian artist gallery that was interesting to visit. We spent several hours here and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings.

We then drove south of Benson to the Kartchner Caverns. This is a "living", "wet" cavern. Most caverns/caves you visit are dormant and dry and are not currently still growing. Kartchner Caverns is still growing and changing daily. In order to preserve this "wet" state inside, precautions must be taken with visitors. You enter through an air lock and then you enter a misting area. The caverns are kept at a constant warm temperature and the humidity must be kept at 95%. It is different from most caverns because it is warm and humid, compared to other dormant caverns that are cool and dry. We had one of the absolute best tour guides we have ever had anywhere. She was very knowledgeable and was a conscious "steward" of this cavern. Another visit we would reccommend. However, be prepared to pay about $20.00 each to visit. There are two tours. The Big Room is closed to the public when the bats are in residence during the summer months. They have beautiful grounds and gardens surrounding the caverns where we spent some more peaceful time.

More "wanderings and side trips" tomorrow.

Touring Willcox, AZ

2006-02-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning, January 31, we packed up early and headed for Willcox, AZ just east of Tucson and Benson on I-10. We spent 5 wonderful days with our friends, Jim and Joyce Richmond. They have a perfect RV parking spot next to their driveway and they generously shared their electricity. Jim had taken the days off from his job while we were there and was our tour guide. We visited some fantastic sites.

We toured the Euro Fresh Tomato plant where tomatoes are grown totally in hydrophonic solutions. It was very interesting and innovative. They give tours only on Wednesdays and you have to call and make a reservation. If any of you are in the area, this would be a great tour. They grow those delicious tomatoes that are "on the vine" in the stores.

We next visited the Rex Allen Museum in Willcox. It was very interesting with many photos and memorabilia. There is a statue across the street and his horse, KOKO, is buried right there in the little park.

We had lunch at this Dining Car Restaraunt. They serve great BBQ!

Check back for more "wanderings and side trips" tomorrow.

Stanton, AZ Gold Camp

2006-02-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday, January 29, we traveled the country road up to Stanton.
It is a LDMA camp for members that are gold prospecting and metal detecting. We met Willard and Jean Bass who live there through the winter. They were very gracious hosts and gave us a guided tour of the camp.

The old saloon/dance hall has been renovated as a social hall for the community and the old hotel has been remodeled to include a library, kitchen, recreation hall, workshop, etc. It is all very nice - rustic, but a fun, comfortable place to be. The residents were all very friendly. There was a big campfire ring and Wes even found a big BBQ! Diane and I were impressed with the "coin operated" laundry - and the solar dryers.

The Bass's displayed their bath house and their prospecting equipment. We felt right at home here, but don't know if we are ready to invest in all it takes to become prospectors.

Thank you Jean and Willard for a great day!!

Congress, AZ and SKP's North Ranch

2006-02-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon we met up with Glenn and Diane Hubbard (Rollin Hubbs), had lunch and traveled north to the Wickenburg/Congress area. We checked into the Escapees North Ranch RV Park. We washed and cleaned everything! We had lots of dust and no clean underwear! It felt so good to have everything clean again. We were able to get local TV and cook dinner in the crock pot and hook up my computer. Diane had gotten a satellite dish installed, but we were not able to connect to it with my WIFI, so we had no internet. I was surprised the RV park did not have WIFI service. North Ranch is a beautiful park with lots of desert landscaping. Glenn and Wes went to another pancake breakfast and we all attended their ice cream social. We spent a few days exploring this area including a trip up to meet Willard and Jean Bass at the Stanton Gold Camp. Check the next posting for information on this trip.

Wickenburg was south of North Ranch about 10 miles and we went to town for groceries, gas etc. There is a nice museum and several nice sculptures around town. There were some nice and some not-so-good restaurants in the area. We evidently missed the best one as well as a really good bakery. Will have to return to try them out another time.

All in all, we liked this area and would come back and spend more time here.

Checking out of Q

2006-02-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

On Friday, January 27, we hitched up our trailer and went to the dump site. We had planned to leave really early, but didn't get out until about 8am. When we arrived at the dump site, there were already 10 rigs in line. But it only took us about 20 minutes to get dumped. By the time we were able to dump our tanks, the line had grown so long, we couldn't see the end!!

Then we took on water for our next trip. Several of our group were moving to park closer to the entrance for a few days, so we dropped our fifth wheel there and went into town to refill our propane tanks and refuel the truck. We drove around Quartzsite for a while and went to the Post Office to mail postcards. We decided we had had enough of this crowded place, so we contacted our friends, Glenn and Diane, and said we would meet them on the road to Congress (North Ranch). We went back to La Posa, hitched up the fifth wheel and hit the road.

Class of 2005 Pancake Breakfast

2006-02-08T03:52:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday morning, January 24, the class gathered for a pancake breakfast hosted by ... guess who. Snackmaster & Jan!

Wes mixes the batter in a 5 gallon bucket and uses a paint mixer on his electric drill to mix with. Very fast and very easy!

We had plenty of help cooking, flipping and serving. Everyone ate til they were full! We only had a few pancakes left over and people took them home to reheat in their microwaves for another day.

We comsumed 2 - 5# bags of pancake mix, three gallons of syrup, a couple pounds of butter. But it was worth it!!

Class of 2005 seminars

2006-02-08T03:22:00.000-07:00

While at Quartzsite, we had several seminars and activities. They were all very informative and we gained valuable information on RVing and Full Timing.

Tony and Diane presented a seminar on Volunteering and Workamping. Tony also presented a seminar on RV Maintenance which was an "eye-opener" for all of us.

Smokey taught us how to use Dri Wash Products to make our rigs and trucks shine. He also included an opportunity for any interested members to make $$$$ on the road.

Willard and Jean Bass captivated us with their seminar on Gold Prospecting and Metal Detecting. Several class members already had metal detectors and Willard did a good job of demonstrating just how to use them. Jean even had door prizes!! I believe we all have "Gold Fever" now.

There were other seminars given by Mickey on RV Notebook, another one on the Wilson Antenna and staying connected while on the road. Malia had an interesting presentation on her travels and experiences. Nick Russell drove out from town to share his experiences and hints on full timing and traveling the back roads of this country. He likes the people in Kansas - Yeah!! I know I have probably missed someone, but these were all the photos I had.

Thanks to all that prepared and presented for our enjoyment and information. We appreciate the new knowledge.

At home in Quartzsite, AZ

2006-02-08T02:07:00.000-07:00

Here is our "Home on the Range" at the La Posa South LTVA in Quartzsite, AZ. We arrived on Saturday, January 21 about 10 am and set up camp. We left Tribune, KS on Thursday, January 19, early in the morning and drove 640 miles to Las Cruces, NM, where we met Topfuel (Jim and Jo Gass), had dinner at the Cracker Barrel and spent the night in their parking lot. The next day, Friday, we traveled on to Gila Bend, AZ, where we spent the night in the Shell Truck Stop lot. We were finally able to fill our fresh water tank, and dump all our grey and black tanks. It had been freezing temps at night prior to this and we were afraid to use the water in the fifth wheel. We cranked up the water heater and I had a nice warm shower that night. We left early Saturday morning and drove on into Quartzsite and out into the desert to join our "Class of 2005" friends. Earlier arrivals had chosen a good spot about 5 miles from town. It was quiet and peaceful. There were about 40 rigs in our group. It was good to meet everyone and put faces to all the names we had been corresponding with on the internet over the past year. It was really great to see all the friends we had met for the first time at the fall Escapade in Illinois.

This is a view to the southeast from the top of our fifth wheel. Some of our group had already left when we took this photo, but it will give you an idea of what our campsite was like. It was total "boondocking". That is when you have no hook ups - water, electricity, sewer, etc. We did very well considering we went to this gathering to learn what we could about living fully self contained. We lasted 5 days without dumping our grey or black tanks and without taking on fresh water. I believe all our years of tent camping helped us with this experience. Also, living in western Kansas has taught us to be conservative in our use of water etc. It was not a struggle for us. We even lasted 3 days without running our generator. That was really a surprise. We figured we would have to run it to recharge our batteries at least once a day.

Many in our group have data storm satellite systems for internet and TV. We believe we will go with the Direcway system, which is satellite internet and we can get an attachment for TV. We were able to use my WIFI for the internet while camped with our group by logging on to our neighbors satellite - Thank you Jim and Sherrie. After that, we had no service. We will also be adding a larger inverter and some extra batteries and we should be in good shape.

Catch the next posting for photos etc. on our activities during our "class of 2005" gathering.

Home again

2006-02-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

We are home again. We drove all day Sunday and spent the night in a nice little truck stop in Logan, NM. They have a pretty good snack bar inside where we had a great homemade hamburger for dinner. They were very accomodating and were happy for us to boondock in their parking lot for the night. When we woke up, there were lots of trucks and a motor home from Ontario next to us. A little noisy and cold, but we slept good. We must be getting used to the diesel truck noise. We have learned to park nose to tail with the trucks to decrease the noise level. That makes their engines next to the back end of our fifth wheel, so we are sleeping away from the engine noise. Works pretty well. We then drove about 5 more hours on Monday morning and arrived at the farm about 1:00 pm.

There were some really happy dogs and we were glad to see them also. It is cold here - about 45 as the high temp.

We had some good visits and adventures after leaving Q on January 27. Will try to post info and maybe some photos on that later.

Thanks again to all who made the Class of 2005 gathering a success. Hope we can do it again soon!

On the road again...

2006-02-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. We FINALLY have some internet service!! No internet is almost as bad as no water or heat!! We will definitely be fixing that in a few weeks.

We had a great time in the desert with our class of 2005! Thanks to all who participated and made it such a memorable event! We look forward to seeing you all on the road in the future. And remember - if you are traveling across western Kansas, give us a call. We will be happy to "hook you up" at the farm for a few days.

We are in Willcox, AZ right now - parked in our friends, the Richmonds, driveway. They have been very gracious hosts providing us with electricity. We have everything else we need in the rig, but electricity is nice. Jim has been acting as our tour guide since we arrived last Tuesday, Jan 31. We have seen a lot of the sights in this area and eaten out a lot. We also have a list of things we need to come back to see again. Tomorrow, Saturday, we are going to the Desert Museum in Tucson and then will get all hooked up and ready to pull out early Sunday morning and head for Kansas.

We have lots of photos which I will attempt to post along with information about our trips when we get home.

Happy Birthday Suzy!! (Our oldest daughter is 41 next week!)

Here at Quartzsite

2006-01-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hello family and friends. This is our first post to our "blog". I had some difficulty figuring out how to post, but thanks to a Class of 2005 friend and neighbor, I have learned the specifics. So now you can just go to http://wesandjan.blogspot.com and check in on our travels and adventures. In a few days, I will try to post some photos also.

We have been "boondocking" out here in the Arizona desert south of Quartzsite since last Saturday, January 21. We have done very well with conserving water, etc. and have not had to make a trip to the "dump station" yet. However, we will definitely need to go tomorrow.

We have enjoyed our time here with the "Class of 2005" seeing our "old" friends and meeting lots of new ones. We have enjoyed a week of pot lucks, social hours, seminars, campfires and just sitting around visiting. What a life!!

We are convinced more than ever, that we could live this lifestyle. We will be moving on tomorrow morning, either to Parker or Congress, AZ. Then on Monday am, we will head south again toward Willcox where we will spend a few days with our friends, Jim and Joyce Richmond. Then we will have to head for home. I'm sure our dogs are missing us and we are definitely missing them.

Check in later for more "wanderings and side trips" of Wes and Jan.