Rocking and Rolling in the wind

We arrived at the Amateur Radio Quartzfest site yesterday morning and promptly got ourselves parked. There are over 125 registered hams here, which is a reasonably large number. We attended one seminar in the PM entitled, “Pic-axe.” it is a micro-controller on a PC board especially designed for experimenters. It is programmable via an RS 232 port and supposedly lots of support is available free. Just my idea of a deal.

Last night, we ended up with two seminars, one on the nuclear test site north of Las Vegas and the second on LED lights. I was floored that they actually give public tours of the nuclear testing site. It is somewhat restricted, with a large form to fill out, but very interesting. I wish I could see it.

The LED seminar was by the same lady that visited our WIT group on Tuesday. This time it was outside so we could see her display etc. Yes, I wish I had some of her lights, but the price scares me. Eventually, the wind and cold chased all of us away. (Since it was outside, she could use her display board built into her van.).

Today was the real deal. It rained most of the night, so immediately any thought of going into Quartzsite was debatable because of water over the road. But eventually a good radio operator told us that the road was open. So Gene went to town for some medications for Sandy. She is still fighting the sinus problem that appears to have turned into more of a cold. She was up last night (or this morning) with a severe cough. We finally got her settled down in the easy chair and plenty of blankets around her so that I could get back to bed. Today, she is better. The test will be tonight.

After I returned from Quartzsite, the weather turned nastier and nastier. We had lots of rain and wind. Eventually we pulled the slides in and hunkered down to ride it out. For the most part, the wind came in from our rear so we were pretty safe. We did hear that 5 semi's were tipped over on I-10 just north of here.

But eventually it also subsided and life is getting back to normal. The wind still blows at a moderate rate. This afternoon, a local weather nut measured 62 mph gusts. That is enough. Then the weather channel announces that this corner of Arizona and California may have tornado warnings..So where do we hide if there is a real problem out here? Desert bushes don't offer much protection and the deep washes were full of water! But by 6 PM, it passed us and what a blessing. To all of our friends and relatives east and north of here, be ready, this is a bruiser of a storm. Notice how California has been hammered in the last couple of days.

Okay, this is a bit longer than desired!

Gene