"D" for Mohave Desert

This is a Joshua Tree:

The unusual Joshua Tree grows in the protective setting of the Joshua Tree National Park in California and in the Joshua Forest Parkway in western Arizona. The Joshua Tree is the largest of the yuccas and grows only in the Mojave Desert. The Joshua Tree's height varies from 15 to 40 feet and has a diameter of 1 to 3 feet. The Joshua tree has a lifespan of about 200 years. The Joshua Tree is a member of the lily family. The growing

habitat of the Joshua Tree is similar to one of the palm trees.The Mojave or Mohave Desert, is the smallest of the four North American deserts. It lies in South Eastern California at 35° to 36° latitude North and 115° to 117° longitude East. The Mojave Desert is situated between the Great Basin Desert to the north (a cold desert) and the Sonoran desert to the south (a hot desert). The Colorado River runs through the east of it, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west.
The Mojave Desert is special because it has a little bit of everything. People refer to the Mojave Desert as a "high desert" because it has an elevation of 2,000 to 5,000 feet. It changes from a cold desert in the northern section and a hot desert in the southern section. The Mojave Desert covers 25,000 square miles. There are some fascinating features to be found in this desert, especially the Kelso Dunes. The Kelso Dunes are the largest of the Mojave dune fields, reaching 500 to 600 feet in height. When you run down these dunes you can hear an unusual "barking" sound. It is not entirely understood yet but some people believe that grains of quartz and feldspar rubbing against each other cause it.
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Water Tower

Dot from Sky Watch Friday has challenged us to post a picture of a water tower.So here is one i took which was along the freeway at Sacramento California.On our way to Quartzite this Jan. Funny that i actually took this and she brings it up, but to tell ya the truth i had to go look it up, to see if that is what it really was.

Princess & Buddy getting to know each other

Here is my Princess (chocolate Pom) with my sister in laws dog Buddy, this is really her first encounter with a dog that has captured her attention. They both really enjoyed each others company

Electric cars

I always thought how fun it would be to drive one of these. They are so cute, Don't you think?
This little Yellow one has a sticker price of $8,000
And this one has a sticker price of $14,000 Personally i like the yellow one

Fort Smith Stage

One of the other interesting things we saw in Quartzite was this home made rv. At first when we saw it in the rv park we thought how interesting, never really thinking about what it was about. And then as we did the sales we stopped in and took a closer look at it. Come to find out he does Iron work so instead of me telling you all about it please go to this website as it is very interesting.click here
The site shows you how he built it.




Click on any photo for larger version

Sky Watch Friday

Cotton Picker

A few months ago Dot showed us some cotton bales, but i had never seen the machine so while we were in Quartzite we drove to Blythe Ca. where we ran into this Cotton PickerDo you know what this is?

ABC Wed C- For Cactus

While in Quartzite Az we went to many of the vendors that come to this area in Jan and Fed, some are there longer.
Anyway I took this photo of this cactus, actual name is Saquaro cactus. As i was looking and taking photos i found this very nice surprise lodged in one of the holes of the cactus.

The Saguaro can grow only in narrow environmental niches within the Sonoran Desert, usually below elevations of 3,500 feet. Freezing temperatures and frosts can kill or damage the delicate plant. Wild arms and drooping limbs may indicate that a particular plant survived a bitter winter.

These distinctive human-like arms begin to grow only in middle age, about 75 years, after achieving a height of 14 to 16 feet. The oldest, with dozens or more branches, have marked the passage of many years.

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Desert Bar Part 3

Across from the saloon is an outside bar, cooking area and stage.
The tall structures you see on the property including Ken's house, located across from the parking lot, are "cooling towers". They work similar to an evaporative (swamp) cooler, except they don't have a fan. When you wet the pads on top, cool air falls and you get a nice cool ai
rflow.













































































































The "Nellie E Saloon" is located 5 miles
off the Cienega Springs Rd exit on
Hwy-95, approximately 5 miles north of
Parker, Arizona.
We are open Labor Day weekend
through Memorial Day weekend,
Saturdays and Sundays only from high
noon till sunset, and holidays during
these months. THE BAR IS CLOSED
DURING THE HOT SUMMER MONTHS.
We are open one night only, New
Years Eve, if it falls on a weekend.
During the President's Day weekend in
February, we host the annual
"DESERT DASH", which is a 5k
run/walk and a 5 mile bike ride to the
bar for charity.

Thanksgiving weekend we are open
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, with music on Friday and
Saturday.
Ken has big plans for a future town, so
be sure to visit every year! He is
always working on a new project.

THE BAR IS CLOSED DURING THE
WEEK, SO PLEASE NO VISITORS
AND OBEY THE NO TRESPASSING
SIGNS.

"NELLIE E SALOON" FULL BAR and
GRILL * TAKE WATER * DRIVE SAFE *
ID REQUIRED * FAMILIES AND
CHILDREN WELCOME

Desert Bar Part 2

The "Nellie E" was completed in 1988. The inside of the saloon is unique in many ways. It has windows that are old glass refrigerator doors, the bar stools are made of steel and they sway from side to side. The top of the bar is brass and the ceiling is made of stamped tin purchased from a factory in Missouri. The saloon is powered by solar energy and is stored in batteries and run through inverters.


























Built in 1981, the covered walk bridge was the next big project. It was dedicated in October of that same year.












The church was started in 1993, completed in 1996 and dedicated in October. The church is made of solid steel and the walls and ceiling are made of the same stamped tin used inside the bar and the roof is made of copper. The names inscribed on the plaques in the church are people who donated money to help build the church. The church is a unique place for weddings and a great photo spot. There are no services held in the church and all religions are welcome.

Desert Bar in the Desert Part 1

The "Nellie E Saloon" (DESERT BAR) is situated in the Buckskin Mountains, in Parker, Arizona, on land that was an old mining camp. The camp was located on the portion of land that is now the parking lot. When Ken acquired the land in 1975, there was nothing left of the old mining camp. With the land and a liquor license from an old business on leased river land, Ken decided to give the "bar in the desert" idea a try. In 1983, Ken opened for business in the temporary three-sided structure which is across from the outdoor restroom's. He operated there for the next five years, until the current saloon was constructed. The name "Nellie E" originates from the old mining claim. They used to mine copper and then take it to the smelter and get gold.

When Ken opened the bar, he hauled
water in a 50-gallon tank loaded on the
back of his truck. Then he purchased
an old fire truck, which he used to haul
water. In 1989, he started using a well
in the canyon as his water source. In
the summer of 1997, Ken drilled a new
well on the north side of the saloon
that operates on solar power, with the
pump set at 360 feet.

The fire truck in the parking lot was
acquired from Scott Winter in March of
2001. The fire truck was used by
Scott's father in the development of
"Bluewater Lagoon"

Snow and more snow

I think that this winter everyone is getting some harsh weather, and we are not alone so I guess one should not complain as we have had a couple of yrs of warm winters, with very little snow. Last yr I think we only had maybe about an inch of snow here at the motel.
So I guess it is making up for it. Yesterday we called some adds in the paper for snow removal. Highway robbery we say, there starting out price is $100 an hour minimum
Nevada said he will shovel before he pays that, so him and son and friend did shovel some of the snow, enough so that at least we could get a car in. About an hour after they did that a guy comes by who does snow shoveling said he charges $60 an hour i said well if you will do only the hour we will use them, he said he would be back this morning at 8 am to do it, So will let ya know if he does,I have my doubts that he will.



Just had to take a photo of the this huge icicle.

Surprise ,Surprise he actually showed up to plow the parking lot, he came early.Last time we had someone do the parking lot which was about 3 yrs ago maybe 4 they charged $35 to do the whole thing.

Many Crosses

Click on photos for larger viewing:



As we were driving home from Quartzite we came across these crosses along the freeway and it stretched out for at least a mile, we thought it had to do with the soldiers that died , but as we drove farther down
Here is what the sign said: I know this is very controversial . Sad, no matter what ones thought are.