Bouse Museum as you drive up to it from Highway 72.
While staying so close to Bouse, I decided to take the opportunity to explore the village a bit. I must play tourist at least once while I’m down in the desert! There is a long history of mining and some interesting WWII history in the Bouse area. I also took advantage of the motorcycle to meet up with some friends at a bar in the middle of nowhere. History, with food and drink to wash it all down!
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Remains of processing near Little Butte mine
It was time to resupply. Rather than hit Quartzsite with its limited grocery options, I went up to Parker. Parker isn’t big city level of selection but it’s a hell of a lot better than Quartzsite. My plan was to make use of the scouting information I picked up with the Grom the last time I was in the Bouse area. I was going to camp at what looked like an awesome spot from my little five minute visit with the motorcycle. Read on to see if the spot lived up to my expectations! Continue reading
I found cacti in white rocks
I made my way north from Yuma knowing I probably would not be back this far south again until next winter. I was headed up to Quartzsite to meet Carolyn for her Arizona meet and greet. After that, I had no plans other than boondock somewhere in the area. I have to admit, I’ve been lazier than expected about seeking out new places. When there is no time pressure to see stuff before you have to go back to work, I find I just linger longer wherever I happen to be. But not having a direction to go now left me rudderless. Read on to see where I ended up!
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Larry and I shadow selfie. Who is who?
My visit to Yuma ended up being a two week stay. As this was my “destination” for my travels south in the USA this time, I felt I should make the most of it. I walked around the Fortuna suburbs, did a little hike on the edge of town, had some expected and unexpected RV repairs, plus I treated Larry and Diane to some of nights out for dinner. Read on for all the details.
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At the desert gardens
I was spending a bit of time mooch docking at Larry’s place, in a suburb of Yuma called Fortuna Foothills. While I have been in the Yuma area previously, my experience consisted mostly of stocking up at the local Walmart and driving through Yuma on Interstate 8. This time, I was staying for a while, to deal with some little RV fixes, visit with Larry, and see the sites around Yuma. Continue reading
Palm jetty on Mittry Lake, at the main boat launch
I had done some initial research on free camping in the Yuma area. While there is desert camping around, and some cheap long term camping that includes use of water and a dump station, I was after some free water spots. I had previously visited Fortuna Lake. This time, I was headed for Mittry Lake, to see if I could find a camping spot near enough to the water to dip the folding kayak in. I was willing to crowd in with other people to get my time on the water – but would there be a spot available at this popular lake? Continue reading
An RV could fit down this hole.
My holiday season camping spot near Bouse turned out to have lots of backroads leading lots of mines and other surprises. There is a long mining history here. You just have to look at a topo map to see how much mining activity has occurred in the area. While I wished I could have been a little closer to the hills, there still were some things within walking distance. I had plenty of destinations to pick from with the motorcycle. Read on to see what I saw!
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Morning Lizzy visit to my camp
I decided for my second week in the desert that I would check out a new area, but nothing too far away from Bouse, where I had some vague plans to camp with Carolyn and friends over the Christmas holidays. I had seen a promising area west of Parker on the way down to Quartzsite. It was outside of the popular area close to Parker, but looked like more of the same camping without all the people. This solitude is what I was looking for. Read on to see what I found. Continue reading
With my new solar installed, my plan was to hang out near Quartzsite for the week, at the Plomosa Road BLM camping area. I arrived back to find my spot still still available, so decided it was good enough to not move for the rest of the week. I was not planning on spending my winter close to Quartzsite. Having been here before, I have formed my own opinions about the area. For me, it’s not the desert experience I’m after. Let me explain further. Continue reading
My only real goal this winter was get my solar upgrade done while I was in the Quartzsite area. I had set up an appointment at Discount Solar, a place that has a reputation for doing good work, but not at a discount price. The Quartzsite area gets busy over the winter, but I was there a little before the rush. My base while I was here was the Plomosa Road 14 day BLM, chosen in the hopes it would be a little less busy. Read on to find out how it all worked out! Continue reading
