Jan.- Feb. 2013 Outing

We left Arizona City for a mid-winter outing that would include meeting up with many friends.  Our first stop was Buckeye where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with our local friends.  We progressed on west to Quartzsite to participate in the annual migration of RV'ers.  In case you aren't familiar, the area has a small population most of the year but it swells to probably 3/4 of a million in January.

There was not an official gathering of the  Escapee's Club P&MD (Prospectors and Metal Detectors) but several of us (including Art & Linda, above left) camped together west of Q near Dome Rock.  We were joined by other good friends including Bill & Mary from LA and Dave & Tilly from WA state.  It was chilly out which accounts for the cozy dinner for 11 that was served in our RV one night!

Sharing a meal at Silly Al's Pizza was enjoyed by many P&MD'ers that were in the area. Other members dropped by our camp site or we saw as we visited the many local booths and special events. 

Several days we went out prospecting.  Here we are at what I call "Rich's Glory Hole" as he was by far the most successful of our friends in the pursuit of the shiny gold nuggets!

Look closely and you'll see a fancy lace table cloth and beautiful red candles at this dinner served by Andrew! Who says camping in the desert isn't "up-town"?

We proceeded on to Yuma for a few days visit.  The activities included a quick trip to Algadonas, Mexico, a delicious dinner at the Escapee park with the Janseen's and a prospecting outing to Mitry Lake area with Glenn, and  finally late afternoon dining with WSP friends Jim and Rosie Teel.  

As we drove home via Gila Bend on Interstate 8, what a massive solar farm we saw for the first time!   It went for what seemed like miles and miles and more miles!  Upon arriving home I checked the internet at http://www.gilabendaz.org/SolarPlants.html . I have no idea which of three projects we viewed but the following text from that web site gives some idea of the scale:

"The 75,000 solar panels needed to transform sunlight into electricity will be arranged in 1,566 rows connected to 108 single-axis trackers. This design enables the solar panels to follow the sun across the sky, making the plant more efficient than static-mounted panels typically seen on rooftops. On sunny days, the project is expected to produce enough energy to meet the needs of 4,500 residential customers."  

Oh my goodness...I won't get into politics but the writing is on the wall!