Leaving for Glamis and Camp RZR (Wednesday, October 25th, 2017)

We have been so busy lately that we haven't really had time to prepare for our trip to Glamis. So this morning we got up early and finished off our preparations. We got on the road by about 10:15 and headed out. We always enjoy the drive through southern Arizona because there is a lot of farmland that kind of reminds us of Colorado. There are a lot of alfalfa fields in this area, but there is also something else that we couldn't identify from the road so we stopped for a closer look.

We weren't aware that they grow cotton in Arizona, but that sure is what it looks like.  Who knew?

We ate our lunch on the road and found ourselves in Glamis in the early afternoon. It is such an easy drive, except for the stop at the Flying J on the I-10 just before we cross in California. We usually love Flying J gas stations, but this one is the exception.  It is always a zoo (because it is the last station in Arizona before crossing over into California where gas is at least 65 cents more per gallon), our credit card never works at the pump, and when we go inside to use our credit card they are always very rude and make us tell them the exact amount of gas we want. "We want to fill it up" is not a reasonable answer at that gas station.  And there are only three pumps for RVs, and all of them were occupied with unattended cars. Ugh. I guess that we are the only people in the world that fill up and then pull away from the pump before we use the restrooms and buy snacks. OK, enough of my rant. Everything else today has been perfect.

It's always fun to get our first glimpse of the dunes as we approach them on highway 78.

And of course, there is the 'town'.

We told our friends that we would turn at the railroad tracks and find something a short drive out from town.  



We ended up at wash 10 3/4.  We found the perfect spot, and hopefully will be able to save room for everyone else. It won't be a huge group, so hopefully we can pull it off easily. We really don't know what to expect in terms of crowds, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

We got camp set up and put up a few awnings to try and hold some spots.  It seems silly now because it is so quiet, but from what we hear, it won't be quiet for long.  As we pulled into camp it was hot, so we chose a spot with a big Palo Verde tree for it's shade.

Then went for a nice little ride, and as you can see, it is very quiet on our ride too.  We don't ride in the dunes alone, so our ride today just consisted of the area around camp.

Then we sat in the shade of our big Palo Verde tree and just enjoyed the afternoon. It was quiet with the exception of a few UTVs driving by, a train going by on the tracks periodically and the sound of airplanes overhead.  

It was a hot afternoon. Steve saw 99 on his phone while we were trying to get settled, and now it is 5:10 and the temperature is still 95. It's been an October heat wave this year! Hopefully it will cool down enough to sleep tonight.

There is an Air Force base nearby, and we keep seeing all kinds of interesting things fly by. First was an osprey with its forward facing propellers, then a refueler very close to us and then three planes flying in formation. I finally have my camera out, so hopefully I can get some pictures for you.

As we sat around our camp tonight, there was a simple, yet pretty sunset, and RVs are starting to fill in around us.  

At 7:30, it  is still pretty warm inside the motor home, but the temperature outside is perfect. Steve's phone says it is 83 degrees in Winterhaven which is the nearest town. We are now sitting here with no lights around us and a simple grass mat under our feet, looking up at the night sky with all the stars and the subtle glow of the milky way.  Now this is what I call perfection!