Carol goes birding. We are up at 6AM then off to the refuge.  Birding is pretty quiet.  Most large flocks have already moved on but there is a smattering of ducks and a few snow geese.  The nature trail winds through a lovely cottonwood grove for a nice walk…no birds.  Our best sightings are a burrowing owl and a great horned owl.  Both pose nicely.  We wander about the refuge several hours guided by a very poorly drawn map and dodging quarry size dump trucks on the refuge roads.  Herons and egrets make a showing.  Overall it a pretty nice day.

We work our way home then close out the day with a couple exciting games of ladder ball.     

We spend the day out and about in Quartzsite and find some interesting stuff.

The Great Tree: a 1000+ year old Ironwood Tree.  It is beautiful and amazing in this arid place.  Did you know: throughout Arizona they have identified Centennial Witness Trees, those proven to have been alive since statehood in 1912?  This ironwood is, of course, among those mighty trees.

The Hi Holly Monument: check this out …..it commemorates a camel driver, Hadji Ali (mis-pronounced as Hi Jolly) brought to the US by the army back in 1855.  It was all part of a project designed to determine if camels could be effective in road building and handling freight in the desert Southwest.  No surprise, the camels were great at those tasks; but the Civil War interrupted and everyone lost interest in the project.  The camels roamed free for a time but eventually all perished.  Hi Jolly lived his last days in Quartzsite and his contributions to the camel project are commemorated here. 

Celia’s Rainbow Gardens: the garden has grown significantly since Kent and I visited years ago.  It is a community project where residents are encouraged to create a space in remembrance of loved ones.  Native plants are in bloom, hummingbirds perch about, and unique art dots the open space.  It is a nice place for a stroll.

Dairy Queen:  ok, not unique to Quartzsite but a great stop on and 85F afternoon!

It was not on Kent’s to-do list but off he goes to the Ford garage to have the focus transmission worked on again.  They rebuilt the clutches back in 2017 but over the past couple days it has dropped out of gear unexpectedly a couple times.  Not good.  The garage confirms it is the transmission computer module, they have one, and it is covered by the extended warranty applied back in 2017.  Repairs have been made.  We are all set, thankfully.

We break camp and head south to give Carol a taste of unstructured boondocking.  Kent has a honey-do list but otherwise the Quartzsite area is pretty quiet this time of year but it can be nice to hang out and do absolutely nothing for a while.  We find a nice spot just far enough from everyone else, along a wash to increase the odds of critter watching, and with a bit of television reception.  The forecast is clear and in the low 80s so just about perfect for lolling in the shade.  There are a few attractions to check out over the next few days if we get a bit of wanderlust.  We will see how it goes.

We leave our Vegas home at Planet Hollywood with Carol with us, grab some breakfast (including those delicious cinnamon rolls), then it is on toward Willow Beach for one last night before we resume our wanderings.  It is a beautiful morning so we stop at lake overlooks and walk the bridge at Hoover Dam.  The evening is perfect for a campfire with the requisite s’mores, plus people and bird watching in camp.      

It is a beautiful morning for a stroll along The Strip to people watch and absorb the view.  We make it as far as Caesars and decide that we just have to see the Fall of Atlantis statue performance.  Carol has never seen it and it is impossible for me to adequately describe.  It is as cheesy this time as last but still fun.  We take a few and relax with a drink overlooking the casino then head back to relax before our evening out “Mindfreak”. 

Kent is back into town and joins us after a little guy time out at the motorhome by himself.  He is just in time for a delicious lunch at the Earl of Sandwich.     

Mindfreak.  It is time for Criss Angel with his magic, escapes, and a magnificent levitation illusion.  The show is loud and chock with flashy distractions but the tricks are truly mind boggling.

We close out the evening with dinner at Yolo’s; classic Mexican fare and smooth Margaritas.             

Kent heads back to the motorhome after he drops the kids off at the airport and I stay in town with Carol.  We have a quiet afternoon then head out to a Japanese restaurant, Koi.  It is a great choice.  We start with steamed edamame with garlic and spices…not spectacular but interesting.  The wasabi braised short ribs and the scallop dish that follow are fantastic.  We even try dessert, mochi, ice cream in a flavored marshmallow-like wrapper.  Ours are mango, caramel and berry coated discs with a smooth vanilla center.  It was a perfect little sweet.

It is a lovely evening for strolling so out we check out the Bellagio fountain shows after dark.  Streams of water dance and sway to Cher, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Broadway tunes. 

They don’t fly out until evening so we manage to fit in a stop at the Neon Museum.  They have a pretty cool collection of signs; some familiar from movies and ads and some less known like a “happy shirt” from a cleaners (who claims to have done Liberace’s laundry).  The docents are great at answering questions…do you know the difference between skeleton and channeled neon?  Now I do!  It is worth a stop.  More restored signs are scattered along Las Vegas Boulevard and the neighborhood is home to several more of the older style casinos.  We check them out as we make a quick stop at Ethyl M chocolates in the Californian Casino.  Now it is time to head back to the strip to meet Carol for a late lunch.

Gordon Ramsey Fish and Chips is the place.  It is busy with long lines and little seating but it works out splendidly.  As you might expect, the food was great.     

There is a bit more strolling then we send Brian and Johnna on their way back to Texas.

Thanks for joining us guys.  It was a wonderful visit.