Monster Visits Our Camp

A few days ago, this Gila Monster paid us a visit. (Gila is pronounced with an 'h' sound not a 'g' sound.) They are venomous lizards native to this area. Fortunately they don't move very fast. We watched it for a while as it walked over to a cactus where it stopped to rest in the shade. It was 1 1/2 to 2 feet in length. These colorful creatures eat mostly bird and reptile eggs and spend 80 percent of their time underground. They only feed about 5 to 10 times per year, but can eat up to 1/3 of their body weight at one feeding.

Beautiful but we kept our distance just the same.

They have an acute sense of smell. Look closely to see his tongue.

Desert Caballeros Ride

Monday, April 11, we had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremonies for the 65th annual Desert Caballeros Ride. There were nearly 200 horsemen of all ages who will experience the 5 day ride. They range from local seasoned riders to ones that leave their office jobs all over the country, just to take part in this event. The ride starts and ends on the streets of Wickenburg. As they set out for the ride we overheard a young man say "Here I go with my 200 grandfathers".

Desert Discoveries, Wickenburg, AZ

During our stay here near Wickenburg, we have been doing a little exploring. It's wonderful having friends with similar interests we can share things with. All these were taken in and around our camping spot.

Petroglyph on the side of a rock we spotted on one of our walks with Doug and Terry.

Female hummingbird, either Rufous or Allen's. It's almost impossible to tell the difference. If the male had visited us, it would had made identification easier.

Another shot of our little, 3" visitor.

Gila Woodpecker sitting in the Mesquite next to our rig, looking back at us.

Spring in the desert.

Close up of Hedgehog Cactus bloom. The soft flowers on the cactus make an interesting contrast.

Our friend Tom looking through a natural window in the rock. We hiked up here from our rigs, to locate a geocache with Tom, Dayle, Doug and Terry. It was an interesting walk as we have to weave around the cactus and be ever watchful for rattlesnakes.

View from the rock window looking back at our camping area. If you look really close you can see our rigs. They are the three white spots near the center.

Desert near Wickenburg, Arizona

Followed our friends Doug and Terry to Wickenburg, as we had not been here before. It's higher is elevation, so a bit cooler than Q.

It rained a couple of days after we arrived and here is the rainbow late in the afternoon.

This is a very green desert, with a wide variety of cactus.

View from the top of small hill to our north.

Looking the other direction, the clouds make interesting patterns on the distant mountains.

Large frog rock on the way to Prescott.

La Posa West, Quartzsite

This year we stayed in Q for a month, from the middle of February to the middle of March. We purchased a two week permit at La Posa West, one of the LTVA's (Long Term Visitor Areas) and then renewed it for another two. Since we have posted many pictures from here before, there's not much to share here.

At each of the entrance stations to the LTVA they have installed these automatic tracking solar panel systems. We talked with the hosts and they said that they supply the power for the booth as well as their rig. Any excess is sold back to the power company and at night they use back from the grid. That allows them to have solar without the drawbacks of a large battery system.

One of the many hummingbirds that came to our feeder waiting her turn in a creosote bush.

You see all sorts of unusual things here in Q.

Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, Arizona

In the middle of February, we stayed at the Lost Dutchman State Park while we visited with friends, Jean and Joe. The first 4 pictures were taken on a ride to Tortilla Flats along the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest. What a glorious day.

Larry patiently waits while Claudia takes pictures.

Our campsite with Superstition Mountain in the background.

Jumping cholla cactus

Great place to take a walk

Cactus Wren, Ouch!

Another view of our campsite

Sunset in the desert

Early morning sun on Superstition Mountain