A monument to a camel herder in Quartzsite, AZ

Who would think that a Greek camel herder would be hired as a camel herder in the US Army in Arizona? Hi Jolly, also known as Philip Tedro and Hadji Ali, was hired in 1856 and became one of the first camel drivers ever hired by the US Army to lead the camel driver experiment in the Southwest, per Wikipedia. Hadji Ali worked as a camel breeder and trainer and served with the French Army in Algiers before signing on as a camel driver for the US Army. Ali was one of several men hired to introduce camels as beasts of burden to transport cargo across the “Great American Desert”.  Wikipedia states 33 camels were brought over, on one of the signs in the cemetery shows 74 camels were used for a few years. Either way, I bet it was quite a site to behold!

You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. 

According to Smithsonian.org, they know what happened to at least one camel; a white-haired camel named Said. He was Beale's prized riding camel during the expedition west, and at Fort Tejon, he as killed by a younger, larger camel in his herd.  A soldier, who also served as a veterinarian, arranged to ship Said's body across the county to Washington, where it could be preserved by the Smithsonian Institution.  The bones of that camel are still in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History. For the Smithsonian.org story:  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/whatever-happened-wild-camels-american-west-180956176/

Picture and article from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/camelot-121505856/

LaPosa South BLM boondocking, Quartzsite AZ

We were in Quartzsite, AZ at the time of the big RV and tent show, in a group with Monaco coach owners boondocking at LaPosa South BLM. This was at the time of the government shutdown. The guys were able to learn things and help others out also. We had a potluck and campfires. There were some really windy days.  We went to the Show only one day. It's gotten so much less of RV items and more "Made for TV" and advertising things. There were a lot of people going through the tent and walking around the outside vendors. The food courts were very busy. 

We had Verizon 2-3 bar LTE and got 23 TV channels with our antenna. 

You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. 

RV & Tent Show, surrounding campers

A drone picture of our group

More Imperial Dam pictures

Some of the things you see when going for a walk in the desert - - 

You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them

Desert golf course

There are burros around, with babies they say, but we never saw them. We did hear them a few evenings. 

Another trip to Yuma

We needed to get some errands done in Yuma before we head out of the area shortly. Things like groceries, laundry, taking our old batteries for recycling and the post office. From Imperial Dam we took the California road to Yuma.  There’s more vegetable fields, date farms, older houses and a few businesses. 

Imperial Dam area is actually in California, but they use the Arizona time zone and it didn't
show as being in California until we took the other road toward Winterhaven.

I always use the wash machine in our coach, but it doesn't work without hookups (boondocking).
We decided it would be cheaper to use the laundromat than going to a campground overnight. There's
no way I would have gotten it all done in one day with our little washer either. 

The Jeep was so dirty we couldn't see out of the windows any more,
so we waited in line for a car wash. 

Boondocking at Imperial Dam LTVA, Winterhaven, CA

Boondocking at the Imperial Dam LTVA (long-term visitors area) is through the BLM (Bureau of Land Management).  We found this through freecampsites.net. There is a cost of $40 for two weeks or $180 for six months, and with this you get an area with dump sites, fresh water, trash cans, and two restrooms with outdoor showers. Purchasing a permit here is also valid in any of the other designated LTVAs. There is a trailer they use as a permit office there, but it was closed during the Government shutdown in January. Also, the camp hosts were off duty. We stayed there free with the intention of paying as soon as they opened up.

You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. 

Getting there by highway 95, you turn towards the Yuma Proving Grounds (military base).  From there, basically follow the signs to Imperial Dam Recreation Area. There are many different areas to park, depending on how close you want to be to the dump area, or to the Christian Service Center, or way off on your own.

The Christian Service Center at Imperial Dam LTVA is a privately owned area with an office, thrift store, post office, meeting room, church services and solar store. 

We had 3 bar Verizon most of the time and got 5 over the air TV channels. There were some real windy days, and some beautiful calm ones.