Storm in Quartzsite

On Thursday, Jan. 21, the storms that had been bombarding California reached Quartzsite where I was parked. I didn't attempt to photograph during the storm which set a record for rainfall in a 24 hour period and was accompanied by high winds. 50 mph blasts rocked the rigs. At least one gust hit 62 mph.

But just before the sun went down, the rain stopped and a little bit of sun poked under the clouds on the mountains to our west. I went out and got the photo above. That morning I walked across that wash.

By the following morning, although the clouds were still thick and we had some light showers, the wash dried enough for me to cross it. This saquaro had been standing the day before. Now the rushing water had washed around the roots loosening it so the high wind could topple it. That is my motorhome behind it. The photo on the left shows the dry wash before the main part of the storm hit. The saguaro is standing

To the immediate right is a photo of Tom Doerr who took the arial photos in my previous blog. Although the skies were getting dark the morning this was taken, it was calm and he was able to make one last flight. Here he is landing

As the storm broke up, we had great cloud formations. The 5th wheel belongs to friends Sylvia and Jack Dohollow.