WINTER FUN IN ARIZONA - AND A SURPRISE VISIT

Our last few days at Quartzsite were on the chilly side - plenty of sunshine, but the temperatures were cold by Arizona standards. One evening, I dug into my stash of warm hats and retrieved a couple we don't get to wear often.

My feathery cap was a the hit until Odel showed up and stole the show. Thanks to Laura B for this photo... click here if you want to see a better view of Odel's (presumably) one of a kind headgear.

Over here near Tucson, at Catalina State Park, the weather has warmed up and is forecast to stay that way through the week. We're spending most of our time outdoors (sometimes, in shorts!) and plan to stick around for a couple more days to enjoy it before we move south (Thursday).

We had a great surprise on Saturday morning. We got up late (since it is still dark until around 7 am, we've been getting up closer to 8 am) and were lounging in our sweats and slippers when a van rolled slowly along the loop in our direction. When it stopped in front of Scoopy, blocking our jeep, Odel grumpily wondered aloud about what was going on - then our friend Dave, from Sacramento, jumped out!

In mid-January, Dave loaded his van with kayak and bike and headed across the US to attend Obama's inauguration. He drove over the Sierra in California, topped Colorado's 11,000+ ft. Monarch Pass in the snow, and arrived in DC with the sub-freezing weather.

Along the way, he worked on his project of crossing as many state lines as possible on the water, in his kayak - I know he bagged the Colorado/Kansas line on the Arkansas river, and the New Mexico/Texas line on the Rio Grande. Now Dave was in Tucson visiting his friend Kay, and they both arrived for a chat and a hike.

Dave has found us boondocking in the desert around Yuma, AZ (he was towing his sailboat that time); at a commercial RV park in Portland, OR; about to sit down to a dinner of fresh mussels in Port Townsend, WA (perfect timing, as we had WAY too many!); and twice here at Catalina State Park. It was an unexpected and FUN way to spend our Saturday morning.

Safe travels, Dave.