Category Archives: Travels with Maria

Blogging from the road.

Snowbirding 2020 Postcards: Colorado River Sunset

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A late afternoon photo from this year’s campsite.

I managed to get an excellent campsite right along the Colorado River backwaters for this year’s December vacation with a friend. I must have arrived within a short while of the previous occupants’ departure — the tire tracks leading out were still fresh when I arrived. This is the site I’d been hoping to get; I can launch my kayak right from the site.

Backwaters Sunset
This is what Sunday’s sunset looked like from our campsite. The body of water is one of the longer backwater channels along the Colorado River; the water level rises and falls with water releases from the Parker Dam 50+ miles upriver.

First Show of the 2020/21 Winter Season

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Not quite what I was hoping for, but I can’t complain.

I did my first show of the season this weekend. It was a Friday through Saturday show in Wickenburg, AZ and I signed up for a few reasons:

  • I wanted to maximize the number of shows I’d do before Christmas. This was the first full weekend in December.
  • My friend Janet was showing there. It would be nice to hang out with her.
  • It was in Wickenburg, where I had other friends I wanted to visit, including one who had two small packages for me.
  • It was free. Yes, there was no fee charged to vendors.

The event was the first “Cowboy Christmas” fair at Flying E Ranch, one of the few surviving “dude ranches” in Wickenburg. It was thrown together by a crew that had little show experience but tried very hard to bring it all together. In general, I think they did a good job, especially as a first effort. They managed to bring together at least 50 vendors so there was an actual reason for people to come.

I know Janet and our other friends (Steve and Karen) who showed their work were disappointed in the collection of vendors, though. They produce fine art paintings that sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars and they were side by side with some booths that looked like they’d be better suited at a swap meet. My work isn’t quite as “fine arty” as theirs and there were enough vendors at my level or above to satisfy me.

My Booth
Here’s my booth for the show. I had to put down my camper patio mat to provide a decent floor; the surface was well worn desert earth with just enough decomposed horse manure to give it character. What do you think of my new banner in back?

The bigger problem was the attendees. Friday was an absolute bust for me — I didn’t sell a single thing. Janet sold a few note cards. I think Steve and Karen might have sold a painting. (Their work is definitely western with lots of realistically painted horses.) There was some horsey event going on after we all closed; I didn’t know much about it and didn’t really care given that I was dealing with a cold and just wanted to rest.

Saturday was a little better. There was the annual Las Damas ride that day so there were plenty of women around — perfect audience for my work, you’d think. But although folks were looking, they weren’t really buying. I sold a silver ring early in the day and then nothing for a while. What saved me was a woman who came by wanting a pendant that matched a ring she wore. We found a stone in my collection that she liked and I made her a pendant while she walked around. Because they stone she picked was costly — $35! — the sale came to $74, bringing my daily (and show) total to a whopping $100.

As amazing as this might sound, I actually did better than Janet. I suspect that’s the only time that’ll ever happen.

Steve and Karen would up delivering a painting to some customers who had put a deposit down at an earlier show in Arizona. They were happy; they’d made some money and had two fewer paintings to pack up at the end of the show.

Of course, the show was free and they did feed us lunch every day. (I won’t go into detail on that.) And we were able to camp at the ranch walking distance from our booths for free. So I’d consider this first show a win — although a tiny one — with some revenue, free food, free camping, and no costs.

Would I do it again? It really depends on whether I have something better to do. The folks who set this up need to work on marketing if they want to do this again. A show with vendors is great, but not if you can’t get shoppers. Even though I had no costs to do this show, it’s a lot of effort to set up a booth and sit in it all day; I like to bring in an average of $250 or more per day (over show costs) on a show. And I really do think they need to be a bit pickier about what they allow to be sold. I can think of at least five booths that had no place being at a “Cowboy Christmas” event — folks setting up what looked like a garage sale. They really brought the overall quality of the show down to a level even I don’t want to be associated with.

My next show is in Phoenix and should be an entirely different kind of event. I’ll report back on that when it’s over.

Snowbirding 2020 Postcards: The Cold

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I battle a cold while I travel.

There’s not much that’s worse than having a cold when you’re on the road. Having a drippy runny nose and a mild cough when you’re forced to cover hundreds of miles in less than perfect driving conditions. Feeling your nose get raw as you try to soak up all that watery snot with whatever paper products are available. Feeling ever muscle in your body ache when you get out to refuel. Ugh.

That was me on the second day of my trip. The drip started slowly but was in full faucet mode by the time I reached Las Vegas and set up “camp” at the KOA. The only medicine I had was Benadryl and I took it. I got plenty of rest but the cold was worse the next day. I drove with the tissue box beside me.

My first stop in Wickenburg on Thursday was the local CVS pharmacy. That’s where I bought my preferred cold remedy: Alka-Seltzer Plus Day/Night. Plop plop fizz fizz. This stuff calms cold symptoms so I can do what I have to do during the day and sleep like the dead at night.

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz
Armed for cold fighting. CVS also had my very favorite tissues: Puffs with Vicks. I absolutely love the eucalyptus aroma.

And I really did need this stuff. On arrival in Wickenburg, I almost immediately had to set up my jewelry booth at my first show of the season. When I was finished near sunset, I went back to my camper, dosed up, and passed out — which is exactly what I needed to do.

The next day — Friday — my cold peaked. I could tell it had reached its absolute worst point. At one point, I actually fell asleep sitting in my booth. I had enough energy to join my friends for grilled salmon at our campers before repeating my evening ritual. I was dead asleep by 8 PM.

I was over the hump on Saturday with a nasty headache but clear sinuses. Ibuprofen with my daytime dose had me fully functional for the second day of the show. I was even able to make three pendants, including a custom pendant for a customer.

As I type this Sunday morning, I’m back to 90% of what I should be. I’ll continue taking it easy for the next few days to avoid a relapse.

Snowbirding 2020 Postcards: At the Colorado River Overlook

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I stop at an overlook for a look at the river.

I left Vegas on Thursday morning and started the final leg of the drive to my first destination: Wickenburg, AZ. This meant a lengthy drive down US 93, including a segment that I used to think was the longest, straightest piece of road in the world. (I’ve since driven on longer, straighter pieces of road, including just the day before.) I wasn’t in any big hurry, so when I got to the Colorado River overlook just before the turnoff to Willow Creek, I pulled in for a look.

Colorado River from Overlook
It was a beautiful day and the view down into the gorge to the river was clear.

I remembered all the times I’d flown up the river on my way to Vegas. This stretch had always been my favorite: the canyon narrowing down after the oh-so-boring Lake Mohave basin. The twisting turns, the nearly bare rock walls, the sudden appearance of the Hoover Dam. Things are different now with the bridge appearing before the dam. I remember the first time I overflew it while it was still under construction. My thought was WTF? I didn’t even know the bridge had been planned.

Penny at Viewpoint
Penny reluctantly posed for a photo on the short wall between the parking area and the view beyond.

There were only two other groups there when I arrived. One was a guy in a compact car who was apparently videoing the view with his phone (in portrait mode, of course 🙄). The other was a huge truck bearing two airplane wings and support vehicles for its wide load. The drivers were gathered to chat. Perhaps they were waiting for the rest of the plane? Or taking a break before the long, boring drive ahead?

Got Wings?
Got wings?

Of course, I also took the obligatory shot of my rig parked beside the big truck. I’m really happy with the way it’s working out. The trailer tows like it’s nothing and really helps me keep my living space under control. I think I might add a little air to the truck’s rear air bags the next time I load it up. It’s riding a tiny bit low in the back.

My Rig
Truck, house, and garage. Living small and mobile for the winter.

Snowbirding 2020 Postcards: “Camping” in Las Vegas

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I make my last on-the-grid stop count.

I spent my second night on the road at the Sam’s Town KOA Kampground in Las Vegas. This has become a bit of a tradition for me. Since this is usually the last night I have an opportunity to plug in, get water, and dump my tanks before spending two more more weeks camped out in the desert with friends, I always opt for a full hookup campsite. This particular campground is convenient and usually — but not on this trip — cheap. This time, they hit me up for a very long drive-thru campsite that was a lot bigger than I needed, claiming shorter sites weren’t available. That turned out to be bullshit so I’ll probably look for a different destination on future trips south. $60 is a bit rich for an overnight stop.

I should say up front that I hate KOA-style “camping.” It’s not camping at all. It’s parking with a connection to water, electricity, cable television, and a sewer hookup. The sites are so close together I don’t know why they even bother with the narrow island of dirt and trees between sites that face each other. People who claim to be “camping” at a KOA are deluding themselves.

KOA
Here’s my rig parked between two others at the KOA. My space was over 70 feet long; all I needed was about 40.

But my site was about what I expected and it met my needs. I arrived long before sunset and got a chance to glimpse the sky’s changing colors through the field of RVs around me.

Sunset
As you can see in this photo, the weather cleared that afternoon and evening in Las Vegas. It was nice to see blue sky for the first time since my departure from home.

After taking Penny for a walk — her first since departing Glenns Ferry that morning — I hooked up power, sewer, and water and went in for the night. My nose had begun running earlier in the day and it was becoming apparent that I’d caught a cold. Although I did toy with the idea of going into Sam’s to look at their Holiday light show and maybe get some dinner, I recalled how sick I’d gotten after the last meal I had in their steakhouse. I decided to stay in for the night and was dead asleep before 8 AM.

In the morning, I felt rested but no better. I made and ate breakfast, walked Penny, took a hot shower in the otherwise empty shower building, put on clean clothes, and took my time about packing up. By 8:30 AM, with waste tanks empty and fresh water tank filled, I was ready to hit the road again for the last day of my drive.