80 F/ 27 C

A day to lock up 
and put some miles behind me.
Five more to go now!

~carliewired

I woke up at 6:30 and must have missed the first pass of the garbage truck. At 8 it was back to complete the collection. By then I'd finished my coffee and my granola. I managed to get through all the items on my list so I was backing the car onto the street just after 9. The mockingbird danced along the front fence as I drove away. I'm convinced he waved at me! 

I stopped to have a look back at the Gila Mountains before I got on the 95 North. Most of the landscape today was just like that - a broad expanse of desert with bare-rock mountains in the distance. 

I stopped across the highway to get a shot of the little church of Yuma. It looks so hopeful plunked down in agricultural fields. I missed getting there to paint this season, so I must be sure to get there next season. 

My third, very brief stop was at the entrance to the town of Quarzite. It is largely the biggest boondocking place you will ever find. Recreation vehicles of every description are camped out on the desert as far as you can see. There is a central 'town' that services the campers and travelers like me. 

I've always wondered about the sign with the camels. Apparently, the US cavalry brought camels in for transportation purposes in the mid 1850s. It didn't work out all that well in the long run. Camels were sold off to zoos and farmers and companies. Some even found their way to British Columbia and were used to haul freight during the gold rush. It wasn't a very successful venture there either. 

I pushed on with a short run into California before finally entering Nevada. I stopped at the first rest stop beside the highway. This one is now functioning again after being closed for repairs when my brother and I came by at the beginning of November. 

I arrived in Henderson, Nevada for my first motel night. It's been a warm day and I was ready for a meal. I went to the restaurant closest to the motel. It is a small family operation with interesting decor - a lot of 'kitch' as a friend would call it. The menu boasts that all is homemade. I'm not so sure. LOL!

I'm in for the evening and I expect it to be a quiet one. I will be on my way again as soon as I have some breakfast.