Boondocking in the Desert...Part 3

We were blessed with many beautiful sunsets and panoramic views while camping on BLM lands. Sunsets were plentiful, and always unpredictable. The sky transformed from afternoon hues into colorful panoramas. Clouds were of all kinds, sometimes wispy, sometimes puffy, sometimes stormy, and sometimes none at all.

Following are a few more photos that I took during the 27 days we were camped in the desert.

Sunny desert with mountains in the background

Colorful panorama

Continuation of colorful panorama

Still another sunset

Shadows of clouds reflecting on the mountains

The House Sale

In case you are wondering about the sale of our house, we can finally report that it did sell. As soon as all of the paperwork is prepared, we expect to be notified of the closing date.

Christmas Potluck

Diane, one of the group of people camped nearby, invited everyone to a 2PM potluck on Christmas Eve afternoon. I will call it a Christmas Eve potluck, because that is what it was to me. Approximately 30 or more people attended, and each person brought a dish to share.  There was more than enough food and a lot of variety. My homemade potato salad was a hit. There was none left to take home.

On a personal note, I was very disappointed to hear that care was taken to not refer to it as anything but a potluck so as not to offend anyone who might think it had anything to do with a religious holiday. Interesting, but sad to see that even being in the desert does not change how the world has tried to compromise what should and should not be said for fear of hurting someone’s feelings! People will be still be people whether they are full-time travelers, camping in the desert, or whatever.

I especially appreciated a man who had introduced himself on an earlier day. Someone brought a couple boxes of Little Debbie, or similar, pre-packaged snack cakes.  This man opened up one from the box of snack cakes, shaped like Christmas trees with green frosting and sprinkles, placed it on a paper plate, and took it around, showing it to everyone, and saying, “This is the only Christmas tree you will see out here in the desert.”  After the potluck, as he was leaving, I called to him, “Merry Christmas, Rob”.

More Conversation 

We had a very nice conversation with a young man was from San Diego. When we told him I had my spinet piano with us, he shared his experience of playing a ukelele. He loved music and had an interest in technology. We visited and laughed and had a great time talking with him. I actually could not believe how much we laughed! It was wonderful to laugh! As we talked, I did observe many other smaller groups of people in conversation, but do not recall a lot of laughter.

The three of us talked about jamming with John’s guitar, my accordion, and a ukelele.  However, with the  temperature cooling down, we will have to wait until a future time. Hopefully, not too soon, though! It should be fun! Later that evening, I sat down and played Christmas carols on the piano.

A full moon on Christmas eve does not occur very often. From what I hear, the next one may not be in our lifetime.

Full Moon on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 2015

We did not see Santa anywhere in the night sky, but Christmas morning, Frosty delivered a package of Huggies Wipes to everyone. I heard later there was a group met for a potluck on Christmas Day, but we had no prior knowledge about it.

Not sure yet if this will turn into a tradition for us, but I made a fruit salad using one can of pineapple, drained, one small can of mandarin oranges, drained, and one jar of maraschino cherries, also drained, with one banana sliced in just before serving.  Along with that, we had potato salad and polish kielbasa. These were all very easy to prepare with the facilities available.

New Years’ Eve

There was talk of New Years’ Eve get-togethers.  We chose to celebrate by spending a quiet evening at home rather than wander around in unfamiliar territory looking for celebrations.  A post on Facebook about 10PM revealed some were enjoying a campfire down by the river. As far as New Years’ Eve as well as New Years’ Day, everyone we talked to only “thought” someone was doing something, but no one knew of anything for sure.

Anyway, New Year’s Day came and went and we hope this year of 2016 is a good year for everyone!

The past 27 days have been new territory for us, but there is more to come as we move out of the desert to continue our adventures!



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