We’re back in Casa Grande at the “dirt farm” right now but I need to update you on our week after the Havasu Fireworks Rally.  We drove 25 miles south of Lake Havasu on State Highway 95 to the La Paz County Park to take advantage of their weekly rate of $155 which works out to be ~$22 per day.

Plus, we know at least two couples that are in the park.  Bob & Mary from Colorado:

And Jerry & Marilyn from Oklahoma:

If you get the chance, the La Paz County RV Park is a nice place to hang out.  They have 114 sites and a pretty nice overflow area which is where we ended up near Jerry & Marilyn.  We had 50 AMP power and water but no sewer hookup.  An RV dump station is on site.  Bob & Mary had an even nicer spot overlooking the Colorado River.

The park is also right next to the Pirates Den RV Resort on the south side and shares a paved walkway along the river with the County Park.

On the north side, the park is accessible to the Roadrunner Floating Dock Bar & Grill via the beach access path.  There are also a good number of businesses and nice places to hang out near the park within driving distance.  We also frequented Fox’s RV Resort that claims to be the Colorado River’s oldest drinking establishment:

and then there’s the Sundance Saloon, check out the link (HERE) for some more google images.

Great views across the river from the Sundance:

We had a great week visiting with friends and checking out the local scene.  Bob & Mary drove us through nearby Buckskin Mountain State Park after we went out to eat with them one day:

According to their website; “Buckskin Mountain SP commands one of the finest views along the Parker strip, an 18-mile stretch between Parker Dam and Headgate Dam.  Mountains line the river on both the Arizona and California sides, and the wildlife is as varied as the recreational opportunities along the river. This picturesque park provides a scenic respite, mountain hikes, a desert escape and fun-filled water adventure.  The park has a campground, cabana sites, beach, hiking trails, restrooms, showers, boat ramp, picnic area, basketball and volleyball court, playground, restaurant, camp store, arcade, gas dock, and ranger station.”

We might have to stay here at Buckskin Mtn State Park sometime in the future… pretty nice 🙂

One day, we drove into Quartzsite with Jerry & Marilyn to check out the local vendors.  It sure looks a lot different when the big RV Show isn’t going on.  We bought a few small items that we figured we just couldn’t live without 🙂  And then we stopped by Beer Belly’s Adult Day Care for liquid refreshments.  Yes, it’s still open.

We also finally made it to the Hi Jolly monument at the Hi Jolly Cemetery in Quartzsite.  Click (HERE) to learn more from my friend Wikipedia™.  It’s an interesting story.

On Saturday, I got the opportunity to get the ATV off the truck when fellow Alpine Coach owner and friend Chris Cratch invited me to join his group for a ride to the Desert Bar.

I met Chris and his wife Sonja at a previous Alpine Coach Rally (a couple years ago) and most recently I saw Chris again at the Alpine Coach “Desert Rat Rally” in Quartzsite… I remembered they stay on the California side of the Colorado River near Parker in the Emerald Cove RV Park, so we stopped by and visited them one day while we were out doing a day-tour.  We took a drive over the Parker Dam to the CA side of the river to check out the area.

Here’s Chris & Sonja in their side-by-side ATV:

We took some pretty neat 4X4 trails on our way to the Desert Bar and even got into some pretty gnarly boulders in a dry wash, but no one had any problems.  I think we had about 8-10 vehicles in our group.  Some in the group took a different route partway to the bar, so we didn’t see them until we got there.

The lower parking area (below) at the Desert Bar filled up quickly with Jeeps, Quads, and ATV’s.  By the time we left, there was hardly any room left.  I didn’t think the Desert Bar would be so popular outside the time-frame (January) of the Big RV Show in Quartzsite.

I also met up with Jerry & Marilyn while at the Desert Bar.  They took the unpaved “easy” access road in their pickup.

We enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the Desert Bar along with some pretty good food and adult beverages, (in moderation of course) 🙂

Here’s some of the group (above) that I rode in with.  Chris & Sonja (below).

We made it back to the parking area along State Highway 95 after a full day of fun 4-wheeling where we all loaded our ATV’s back up.   Thanks for the invite Chris!  Let’s do it again soon 🙂

Back at La Paz County Park we enjoyed our short (week-long) stay when we weren’t out-and-about by taking lots of walks with our grandson’s dog Sheba that we’re still dog-sitting.

She sure likes the water.

You never know what you’ll see on the river… one day,  I saw a boat that was made up to look like a ’57 Chevy.  Pretty cool, eh?

On Monday we said goodbye to our friends and headed on back to Casa Grande.  Thanks Bob & Mary for sharing your park with us!(they stay here for most of the winter).  Jerry & Marilyn posed with us for a farewell picture (below).  It was good seeing you again Jerry & Marilyn, thanks for hanging out with us 🙂

Our next Alpine Coach Rally is scheduled for early March in Goodyear, AZ.  We’re now back in Casa Grande to take care of a few things before the rally, i.e., pick up our dog “Coach” that my Mom’s been dog-sitting, check in with our daughter, do some maintenance items on the Coach, etc.,

I’ll post again soon.  Stay tuned…