People talk about the great escape to warmer climates in their motor homes etc., and how much they love the experience. Most of these people are seniors who have retired and have the luxury of doing whatever they want. You know how we all think we are still young....(until we look in the mirror) well, Ken and I wondered if we were old enough for this lifestyle and decided we'd better see for ourselves. So, this was our first year in joining the "snowbirds" who go south to the warm areas in Arizona all decked out with their big rigs and every accessory known to mankind. We set out for Parker, AZ as a final destination; two quads loaded on the back of our big bad truck and 30 foot toy hauler in tow.
The trip started on the Oregon coast with our good friends "The Rawlings" who caravaned with us towing their trailer and camping four days in the beautiful Oregon Parks. Picture this, seniors who think they are youngsters zooking up and down the beach on quads--we must have been going at least 5-6 miles per hour! Who said the only people who ride hard and fast are the younger generation.
The next leg of the trip took us to the California coastline and our favorite spot high on a cliff with the ocean roaring below. We usually open all of the windows and drop the ramp at the back of our toy hauler to hear as much of the ocean music as possible. Unfortunately for us though, this time a chilling foggy mist prevailed and alas, we were forced to sleep in silence. Hooray, we awoke to see the sun the next morning and decided to stay another night. As luck would have it, we were rewarded with one of life's daily miracles....one of many beautiful sunsets! We made the long haul into Parker AZ, where other friends were waiting for us to join them.
Arriving in Parker, AZ was a real culture shock.....rigs of all makes and sizes were packed in side by side like sardines in a can, all lined up on the Colorado river. Each evening, promptly at 4'oclock, we were treated to a parade of pooky pups on leashes being walked by their parents, cocktails in hand. As they passed by, the dogs were all acknowledged by name, but nobody knew their owners names.....go figure? We watched them for a few days and figured out they were walking to the bar; a fun place built on a swaying dock on the Colorado river. Every evening a different special was offered at prices that could not be ignored. So, when in Rome........Friday night all you can eat fish and chips for $4.99. 
There is plenty to see in the desert. For instance, we were driving along one day and off to the side of the road were 5 wild burros. Now, I have traipsed around the globe to many exotic, far away places, but have never seen wild burros. I've hung around with a few wild asses in my life, but never a burro! Yeehaw!
We moved around the state of AZ andwound up "boondocking" near Quartszite in a beautiful area filled with cactus. Ken's middle son Kurt and his wife Rebecca drove from CA to spend a couple of nights camping with us and update us on their recent trek to New Zealand. We had two and half days of fun with them getting filled in on the details of their New Zealand adventure, hiking, picking up rocks, looking for gold, and riding quads. We even enjoyed Starbucks ice cream around a campfire one evening.
Our final spot was near the border of Mexico to see Organ Pipe Monument and we wondered if we would have an encounter with illegals coming across the border since we were within 15 miles of Mexico. We asked the camp host if they had experienced many problems with illegals in the area and he laughed and told us of course not. You guessed it--we did. Nothing serious, but non-the-less, I have to applaud the State of AZ for trying as hard as they do to keep the border safe. Every other car that passed us was border patrol. They swoop in everywhere they think there might be a problem.
LIFE IS GOOD!
