Woke up to the alarm today and quickly got ready for a trip into town. Before leaving we could see some hot air balloons above the hills, so we weren’t early enough to catch the mass ascension.

As we headed into town more balloons came into view. There were dozens! We weren’t entirely sure where to buy admission tickets (they actually had a separate ticket office) and so we planned on stopping somewhere with a good view over the lake where the balloons were launching from while looking for directions. We found a crowd on Mulberry Street, gathered in an empty stretch of property with a fabulous view. So we pulled in and watched the balloons flying around.

They were heading from the lake generally toward us. Some were skimming over the lake, dipping their basket just into the water on occasion. Others were really high in the air. One really “jumped” straight up in the air, rising quickly for a couple hundred feet.

Tobey called and we chatted for just a moment or two before one came very close to us, less than 100 feet away. They yelled “catch the balloon!” and we thought they were joking. But they repeated it a few times so Ashley, myself, and a couple of others headed down the hill to catch them. I told Tobey that I had to go catch a balloon and we hung up. They were landing before heading into the city and their powerlines and wanted some help. We held them down so that they weren’t scooted across the ground by the slight breeze. Then the pilot lightened the balloon so we could move them out into an open area for the take-down process.

So we stayed and helped hold the balloon in place while her crew made their way to our location, then helped to disassemble everything. So we had plenty of time to look into the basket, up inside the balloon (that flame provides plenty of warmth when it’s going!) and chat with the pilot, Elaine. She was very personable.

There were 50 balloons at the event, they actually had to turn people away because there wasn’t enough room for them all. She’s been piloting for 25 years now. She and her husband crewed for someone else and then decided to get a balloon of their own for him to pilot. They ended up getting a sports car and the balloon in the same year so their kids said, “Dad’s going Bananas” and thus they named the balloon “I’m Bananas.” Eventually she got her own balloon, the one we helped with, and named it “I’m Bananas2”. How fun!

There was an educated owl balloon (made Ashley think of the tootsie roll pop owl, 1…2…3…crunch!), a firetruck, a balloon with a chinese dragon wrapped around it, and some others that we didn’t get a good look at. We also saw a ReMax balloon – made me wonder if that’s someone’s job, to go around to the different balloon festivals and fly their balloon.

Once the crew arrived we helped them deflate and lay out the balloon. Then they “milked” the air out of it and we helped to fold the balloon into a big canvas bag for transport. Once back in the bag we headed back to the motorcycle. By now most of the balloons had landed, or they were off on the far side of the city.

Next we headed onto the island (riding across the London Bridge) and parked in the free parking area. We walked in to the entrance to the festival. On the way we passed the skydiving landing pad, just as some divers were touching down. It seems like they come in awfully fast, and it’s surprising how loud the wind in their ‘chute is!

At the entrance we looked at the festival food trucks that we could see, glanced at the tops of the carnival rides, and generally decided that we weren’t intrigued enough to buy the passes to get into the park. We got to see the balloons flying en masse and got to help land one! That’s better than we had expected already. The only other thing we really want is to fly in one, but that’s $200 each, so we’ll be waiting on that particular experience. They did have tethered rides, flying up for about 50 feet in a balloon that is tied to the ground, but that isn’t quite the same.

So we moseyed back along to the motorcycle and then toured around town, exploring the northern half that we had yet to visit. Found a Yamaha dealership and stopped in to check on the cost of a new set of front blinkers – way too pricey! So I’ll be ordering a set online somewhere in the future. Visited what we thought was a book store, but it had music, instruments, video games, movie rentals, etc. Plus books! I saw the Nerd Fitness book on the shelf, but they were asking full price and it’s about 45% off online so I’ll be waiting to pick that up. Exciting to see, though!

On we went to the coffee shop. Ashley wanted to update the website with a new about page and I’ve been wanting to add a landing page for some time. So today’s the day. She started writing while I called Tobey back. Had a delightful chat! I listened to some Cousin Curtis music online, a one-man band who is half of a couple about our age who is wandering about the country in their home-made trailer for a year – great music! Then we worked on the website together – updated about page, new what we’re doing page, new how we’re doing it page, and added a landing page that introduces everyone to our current quest. Looks a lot better now and is hopefully more approachable. Took quite some time, though, so we actually stayed until the coffee shop was closed. (Since we were there through lunch we split their Mufaletta sandwich – it was fabulous!)

Back home we baked some potatoes over which to pour some left over chili, exercised for the day, and hiked up the hill to see the view.

Absolutely fabulous day!

Lazy morning. After breakfast we hopped on the bicycles and headed out. A quick loop through the park covered it. Everything’s full – the group site is filled with Lazy Days RV’s – it’s a whole gathering full of the Class C’s. Fun to see a field full of them. Then we headed out on the road, first to the north. They’re doing construction of some sort so after a few miles it’s closed down. We u-turned and headed south. Did a few sprints along the way and really felt it. Cool morning air, sprinting, and out of practice – our lungs were burning!

We passed by the park and continued on South. Stopping for a breather next to the river, we really enjoyed the view. The Colorado River is so clear! We can see all the way down to the bottom. There was a flock of ducks scattered out over a few hundred yards. We watched as they dove down – you can see them all the way down to the bottom – and then again as they floated back up to the top. It was loads of fun, as well as a beautiful sight.

Back on the bike, we continued down the road to the major intersection and then back to the RV.

Yesterday I must have snagged the trailer jack on a curb somewhere (I think when we u-turned in the hardware store parking lot) and nearly ripped it off – completely removed the crossbar on one side and half-way on the other. I was going to pull it off completely but couldn’t, so I drilled holes through both pieces and bolted them together. It’s not the prettiest fix, and definitely not the best option, but without a welder of some sort it’ll have to do. And seeing as how little we use the jack (basically never) it’s no real loss.

General chores throughout the day – cleaning and such. Cut my hair. Ashley cooked a white chicken chili with the beans we soaked last night. Delicious over some quinoa!

We discussed Ashley’s goal of bicycle riding as if for the RAGBRAI. We altered it for the year, settling on a goal of riding 3,750 miles throughout the year. This will keep us in good riding shape but will give us flexibility in our schedule to adjust bicycle riding around backpacking/hiking, driving, and generally exploring throughout 2016. We (especially I) do a better job of getting out to ride when we have a goal we’re working toward. So this will help keep us motivated throughout the year.

Called Mom and Gary. Great to talk with them – fun when they can picture where we’re at. Even if they are home-sick for being here, too. Would be awfully nice to caravan around for a bit!

After breakfast we headed into town to check out the offerings in the tents. Lots of gems and rocks, the usual tools with RV accessories added in. We managed to escape without spending any money. Unfortunately, the big RV show was still being set up so we didn’t get to see everything – though we did walk through some of the other RV setups.

While the class-A’s are nice, and the big 5th wheels, they just aren’t appealing to us. It’s funny, hearing the salesman going through his schpeal, because none of the things he mentioned applied to us. We would want to go smaller, if we were going to get something new, we don’t have kids, don’t want slides, aren’t hauling around golf clubs, etc, etc. Just save your effort and let us wander around to look on our own. There were no class B’s or Airstreams. We’re curious about looking at the RoadTreks and the Airstreams, so eventually we’ll stop at a dealership to check them out just out of curiosity. But I guess not here at the show.

Back at home we fix lunch and then pack up to mosey along. Too many people around and we’ve stayed longer than anticipated already. Plus, we need a water refill.

While loading the motorcycle our neighbor, Les, comes over and introduces himself. Wanted to let us know that we’re right next to a group so more people will be arriving. WIN – Wandering Individuals Network – a group of singles who gather throughout the country. He said that he lives in his RV for about 8 months of the year and spends the rest of it bicycle riding across the country. Sounds like someone we’d really enjoy chatting with, but not while we’re in the middle of loading up and heading out.

On up the road to Parker, we stop at WalMart to resupply. The place is wiped out and still very busy – all of the RVers are more than they are prepared for – but we manage to get almost everything off our list. Continuing on a bit we stop at the La Paz County Park. It’s got hook-ups so we can refill our water and enjoy a bit of electricity without running the generator. The hot-air balloons aren’t for another couple of days so we pay for two nights. There’s something to be said for staying more than a night – hooking up in the evening and then unhooking the next morning is a bit stressful. (The water doesn’t taste so great, though, so we’ll be paying to fill up some drinking water, methinks.)

 

Settled in, we grill supper.

After breakfast we geared up and headed north to Lake Havasu City. It was a pretty ride, much hillier and a bit curvier than any of the other rides we’ve been on in the last few days.

A real London Bridge is there, stretched between the main land and an island in the lake. It was purchased from London after modern day traffic was taking a toll on it and they had to rebuild their bridge. I can’t imagine how much time and work it would take to move a bridge across an ocean – they numbered each stone, dismantled it, and moved it in pieces. I’m also not sure how one dismantles a mortared-together block of stones without damaging all of them!

We pulled into the visitor center parking lot and walked underneath the bridge then climbed up the stairs to the “street level” and walked across it and back. Very cool! I was surprised, and disappointed, that there wasn’t a geocache in the area.

Still cold, even after our stroll and picnic lunch, we head out to find a local coffee shop. It doesn’t take long, and we settle in to use their wifi while holding our mugs close. We both look up the Balloon Festival that will be taking place in just a couple of days. Since we can’t make it to the big festival in Albuquerquie we’ll head up here, instead. It’s getting too crowded near Quartzsite, anyway, and we’re ready to head out.

Heading back home, we cross over the Parker Dam (that creates Lake Havasu) and travel south on the California side of the river. The dam is pretty attractive, though we don’t stop for any pictures. It’s a short half-circle to get across it (with guards on both sides!) and soon we’re winding down the road next to the river. Burros, and signs warning of burros on the road, are everywhere! We see a few dozen along the way.

Before I realize it we’re back in recognizable area. Before crossing the river into Arizona we continue on and find the Big River RV Park where Mom and Gary stayed last year. We need to be heading on home so we don’t stay long.

On back to the RV we head. Too late to visit the RV show and market in Quartzsite tonight, so we go home and fix supper and retire for the evening.

Fun day, plans made for tomorrow, and generally enjoyable!