There are rock cairns wearing hats and sweatshirts or sweaters. We have seen mini dirigibles and every manner of flag/banner and windsock flying high over the desert. There are some great life-like bald eagle windsocks that bob and turn on flexible fiberglass poles. They look like live birds. There are even a few leftover Christmas decorations posted at crossroads. This spoon and fork wins the prize for most sophisticated sense of humor.
This is where the camel experiment took place. They brought camels form the Sahara to here in Arizona to see if they could be used as beasts of burden across this wide desert. It didn’t work out…every one has there own “real” reason why; in any event, they set some of them free. The ashes of the last camel and their handler Hi Jolly (the locals’ version of the guy’s real name) are buried here under a stone pyramid with a copper camel on top. Just a bit of unique local color.
We came over a crest on I 10 and there it was, a sea of white dots scattered across the desert.
There are lots of motorhomes and the first of many 2012 shows has already begun. There is a huge event tent and venders lining the road as we head for the camping area. We bypassed all that today. We figured we had better get settled in during daylight since it is a cross country drive to find that perfect spot. We plan to check out the “attractions” tomorrow.
We picked a site a couple miles off the highway and not too close to any of the already staked out areas. It seems the practice is to gather stones from around the area and define a perimeter for your space here. We didn’t go as far as to do that but we did respect all those that had already been laid. People are friendly and we have been told that the folks with lots of boondocking experience are full of advice…good and perhaps not so good…for any newbies like ourselves. Guess we well see what we learn.
We headed into the city on Amtrak. It is much more relaxing than attempting to drive there! The trip started out great but hit a bit of a bump when the train lost power…bummers. We actually ended up transferring to another (full) train and got to stand the last 45 minutes into town. Fortunately that was the only mass transportation hiccup for the weekend.
Once we made it to Penn Station, we spent some time doing the regular Christmassy tourist stuff. We checked out the store windows along Fifth Avenue, took a look at holiday decorated St Pats Cathedral, peeked in the windows at FAO Swartz, and watched the horse drawn carriages in Central Park. It was a fun afternoon. Then we braved the subway on our own (after double checking the route with Mike) and safely, uneventfully make it out to their place in Queens. It is a cool, diverse neighborhood with lots of interesting restaurants. We checked out a few of them over the next couple days. First; tonight, some great homemade soup and fresh baked bread.
Next AM, buckwheat pancakes a la Mike. Delicious.
Then we got to share the experience of buying a Christmas tree in the city. There are actually quite a few tree lots scattered around town filled with wonderful smelling fresh trees. Cool! We got to help decorate the tree and had some hot cider. That raised the holiday spirits a couple notches.
Our day was rounded out with a view of the sunset on the City Skyline from Queens and an enjoyable dinner at a local restaurant, Comfort food.
Some more good eats at Sunday brunch with the jazz of Dandy Wellington at the Astoria Room. I could so that every week. We returned to Manhattan to visit The Cathedral of St. John the Devine. It is an amazing bit of architecture that has been a work in progress since 1892 and looks more like the churches of Europe than those we typically see here. It even has tapestries. The sun shone brightly through the stained glass and scattered bits of light across the columns and walls. Beautiful. We checked out Riverside Park. It was a cool day to stroll but a great way to get a feel for another great green area in the city. After dark we joined the crowd to view the classic Rockefeller Center tree and decorations.
We wrapped up another fun day with dinner of new wave sort of cuisine with a Turkish flair. Another good choice. Great dinner great company.
Heading back to PA, but first, a taste of NYC at a quintessential delicatessen, Katz’s Deli. We didn’t sit at the table where Harry met Sally but it was a fun experience and a great pastrami sandwich. We made our way back to the Amtrak station. This subway thing is getting a little easier with every visit.
We had a wonderful dinner. The turkey came out great and all the sides were just like I expected/hoped. Yummy. It was a fun day with Mom in the kitchen too. I have so very much to be Thankful for.
“Shooting the Moon” with the Sail plane
It was an awesome Birthday present.
I flew in bright yellow, two seat training glider and I got the front seat under an absolutely spotless clear canopy. I rode some (I noticed the great views and took a few pictures) and I flew some (I didn’t notice much except the position of the horizon as I banked and worked to “keep the nose up”). The trainer/pilot was great. He was tour guide, coach, teacher, and cheerleader.
First a walk through of all the controls. At first glance it all looks very simple but there is a lot of stuff to remember and to keep coordinated.
#1 The big red knob: the tow rope release…I got to do that part-when he told me to.
#2 Pedals and a center stick (that work together) to turn and control nose up/nose down
#3 The all important piece of red yarn on a stick – the attitude indicator
#4 Altimeter…not that I could do much about that except watch it go up with the tow then down as we glided
#5 Lift or decent indicator…it was all decent for us, no thermals to be found today
I felt a bit intimidated by it all by the time we climbed in, buckled the harness, and latched the canopy. He handled the takeoff up and climb to 4000 feet. I pulled the towline release and he handled the first couple passes. By then, I was feeling pretty comfortable and ready to give flying a try. Really cool. I never quite got the hang of the coordination of the pedals and stick but I did ok. He didn’t have to jump in and save us or anything……
The weather here this time of year is pretty vanilla for gliders, hardly any thermals. We didn’t catch any so the flight was sort of short, 26 minutes. I am not sure how my stomach would have liked the mini elevator rides of the thermals anyway. In any event, that will have to wait until some other time. He says April, May, and June have the best thermals but low winds and that is perfect glider weather.
We took the Miata out this long washboarded, twisting, loose gravel, oil pan threatening rock strewn road. Along the way we were passed by all manner of off-road vehicle driven by everything from Grandpas to preteen kids.
No problem though… It was a great time. It was a fun experience I’d recommend to anybody who finds them selves anywhere near here(Lake Havasu, AZ). Website: thedesertbar.com
Imagine this business. Open only Saturday and Sunday high noon til sundown. Bring your own water. Out nearly 5 miles on rough desert dirt road that is impassable after any appreciable rain. Pieced together buildings made from old mining town remnants and stuff like refrigerator case doors for windows. Even the bathrooms are open air (sort of anyway…the ladies room sinks were along a half wall overlooking the desert). The main bar is inside but most of the action happens at the outdoor bar near the entertainment. Dogs and burgers plus the “full menu” of a fair-vender: sausage sandwiches and fries and the like. Cash only. $2 beer. No sissy ice drinks like daiquiris but any other mixed drink you can think of. Spicy bloody mary is a specialty. It took 2 for me to decide whether they live up to the hype. They do. Live music; really a very good band today. The place is packed.
I feel blessed, young, healthy, happy, and a little guilty. I know that a lot of people are having a hard time right now with the crummy economy so it feels pretty decadent to be just tooling around looking for fun things to do…or happily doing nothing. Miss spending time with the kids and family and friends; else, wouldn’t change a thing. We will work on that in 2012.
Kent got me a glider ride for my birthday. I plan to take it next week when we are in the Phoenix area. More on that to come.
We took the boat up the Colorado River into the Havasu Wildlife Preserve. I caught a handful of panfish (sunfish) and Kent a couple nice bass. It is really a lot more fun to fish when you catch! No fish for supper though. We released them all. The sandy river bottom is riddled with sandbars and dotted with deep holes as it slows around curves and obstacles. It runs pretty freely along this stretch. Add about 10 or 15 mile an hour winds and Kent had is hands full navigating it. He seemed to enjoy the challenge.
