29 Miles to Prescott

When we were 29 miles away from Prescott (see previous post), we began to see the snow storm clouds -- we were racing towards it, and it was racing towards us. We met at the outskirts of Prescott.

NOTE: The grass and the trees here are not snow covered. They were a light gold color, and show up as white in this black and white rendition.

And here's the view as we got a little closer -- the falling snow was visible as a huge white streak from the sky to the mountains, just to the left of center at the horizon:

Trip to Prescott and Quartzsite

Location: Prescott, AZ and Quartzsite, AZ

My friend, Cookie, and I took an overnight trip from Yuma to Prescott this week. When I retired in April 2007, I thought --naively as it turns out -- that I was done with snow. Last year, in the winter of 2007-08, I made it though the traditional winter months with only a few frosts and a couple freezes to shiver through and thought I had done it -- but then I went to the Grand Canyon in May, and got to experience the canyon cloaked in the white stuff. This year, I couldn't even make it out of January -- we could see the snow falling on the horizon as we neared Prescott, and by the time we got there it was too late -- snow all over the place! Guess I'll need to try again next year.

To get to Prescott, we had to pass through Quartzsite, our recent RVer's playground. We realized that we had both failed to visit one of Q's renowned landmarks, the Reader's Oasis Books! So, to fortify us for what lay ahead, we stopped at Darlene's Bakery for a piece of excellent pie -- and then it was off to the bookstore. The temperature was cool, somewhere around 55 degrees, so we got to experience the bookstore (or at least the bookstore owner) in a way most people don't -- with the Naked Bookseller himself half clothed instead of mostly naked.

Yes, the owner normally is clad in only a black knit thong, but this day, because it was so chilly, he augmented his outfit with a sweatshirt, and moved his discussion with a customer outside "where it is warm."

Quartzsite is always one of those Special Places.

   

Pollinators

Location: Yuma, AZ

I haven't been able to identify this insect, but he was big, furry, and intent on getting all he could from this flower. A bee fly, perhaps? Here is a closeup of his head and wings, along with another bee pollinator who was busy on a near-by flower (most of the flowers that are in bloom here seem to be yellow for some reason):

(UPDATE 1/25/2009: Richard has identified this as a Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) -- see his Comment on this entry)

 

Like Spring Break For Seniors

Location: Quartzsite, Arizona

For most of the year, Quartzsite, AZ is a sleepy town in the Sonoran desert, the ground a uniform platform of desert pavement, baked over the millenia to a dark, burned patina. Cacti grow here, but nothing else can take the lack of water and the year-long sun. The animals that call this place home are mostly nocturnal, coming out in the night when the temperatures have dropped dramatically -- a 40 degree variation from day to night is not uncommon.

And then January comes.

Senior RVers descend on Quartzsite for the biggest party of the year. The landscape becomes dotted with hundreds of thousands of RVs, parked helter-skelter on Bureau of Land Management land where there are no hookups, no responsibilities, and very few rules.

Senior men, most of whom one may assume are balding on top, wear visor caps adorned with long strands of fake fur on the top. Cars and RVs clog the roadways, and off-road vehicles are zipping everywhere, driving with abandon whether off-road or on. Bands and karaoke fill night-time entertainment needs for some, but others watch the sun go down as they gather with friends around the bonfire. Between the shows and the flea markets, everything you might want or need is for sale: RV supplies, gems and minerals, animal skulls and their assorted body parts, flags, vitamins, biker paraphernalia, waterless cookware, bamboo blankets ("only $30, and they are better than cotton because cotton is made of protein and bacteria can grow in them" .... er, what?), 12-hour lipstick, 30-second salsa, coolers that stay cold for 5 days, swords, and the last nail file you will ever need. Plus, they have the nicest hang out area for the dump workers I have ever seen.

Here are some of those images from Quartzsite:

          

The rally with the Escapees Solo group has ended, and the trip down the alphabet -- from Q (Quartzsite) to Y (Yuma) is underway. Quartzsite has been fun, but spring break for seniors must now come to an end. See you all next year!