Friday, January 28, 2011

MEXICAN SMOG IN BORDER TOWN DOUGLAS

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BOON DOCKED AT PAINTED ROCK ARIZONA….DECEMBER 12/08

Despite our rogue winds Wednesday night our winter here has been much better than a year ago.  With the exception of a few cloudy cold days & a small bit of rain with little wind we have been very fortunate.  I think it has been a better weather winter all across the southwest this year.

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Our decision this past summer to buy our Jeep Wrangler TJ Sport sure has turned out to be a right decision.  I totally love this gawky looking little thing & it sure has broadened our travel horizons.   

DSC_2510-1In the past we would often see interesting roads or areas we would like to explore but just couldn’t take a chance with our lower clearance 2 wheel drive Hyundai Santa Fe.   Great car, but we really did need a Jeep:))

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We are not into extreme Jeeping like a lot of kids are where we could damage the Jeep so we don’t try to clamber up cliffs with it.  The trick is in knowing when to stop & turn around.   Not always an easy decision for some of us guys but with the little Missus sitting in the passenger seat nowadays there just isn’t too much good old darn foolishness left anymore:((

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PETROGLYPHS AT PAINTED ROCK ARIZONA NORTHWEST OF GILA BEND

Noticed supplies were getting a little low this morning so we Jeeped ourselves down to Wally-World in Douglas for some groceries.  It is really unfortunate what has happened to Douglas Arizona.  We can see the air pollution hanging over the town long before we get there & we can sure smell it when we do get there.  Having grown up close to a set of railway tracks in the steam engine age it’s easy for me to recognize the smell of burning coal!!  Just across the border are what I think are coal fired factories in Mexico.  Obviously no pollution laws on that side of the border & Douglas is sure paying the price for that.  I first noticed smog last year while in this area & to me it seems worse this year.  I have a feeling those are American & Canadian factories that have moved there to take advantage of the cheaper Mexican labor.  Not sure & I’m just guessing at that but somebody sure is putting an awful lot of terrible pollution in the air at the south end of Arizona’s Sulphur Springs Valley!!!!

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SUNDOWN ON MITRY LAKE NORTH OF YUMA

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A mechanic who worked out of his home had a dog named Mace.

Mace had a bad habit of eating all the grass on the mechanic's lawn, so the mechanic had to keep Mace inside. The grass eventually became overgrown.

One day the mechanic was working on a car in the backyard and dropped his wrench, losing it in the tall grass. He couldn't find it for the life of him, so he decided to call it a day.

That night, Mace escaped from the house and ate all the grass in the backyard. The next morning the mechanic went outside and saw his wrench glinting in the sunlight. Realizing what had happened he looked toward the heavens and proclaimed,

"A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved a wrench for me!

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12 comments:

  1. Great mountain/cactus pictures! They do make me feel a bit inadequate, but inspire me to do better.

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  2. beautiful sunset pictures tonight..and yeah for 'little miss kelly' to keep the jeep upright and on the trail!!!..happy jeeping!!

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  3. What a groaner that was! I'm still laughing, and I surely needed a laugh.

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  4. Loved todays photos. The sunsets are awe inspiring.

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  5. Al,

    You are fortunate to have missed the pollution that the Douglas smelter put out for many, many years.

    The smoke had a very high sulpher content so it was also a smelly and visible smog. If plants leaves were damp with rain or dew and the smoke got to them it formed sulphuric acid and burned the leaves.

    No excuse for Mexico but the smelter sent plenty of pollution their way for a lot of years.

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  6. Does Kelly object to being called the Little Missus??? :)))))

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  7. Suzy's comment this morning: Reading Al's blog everyday is like visiting an art gallery!

    She's right, especially today. You picked some real winners depicting our great southwest!

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  8. Nice sunset photos. Wise move to let Kelly decided when to turn the Jeep around!

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  9. Loved the painter rocks and sunset. Having the "Missus" with you keeps the jeep thing to a fun but safe road trip.
    Take care and have a great weekend.

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  10. Loved your desert sunset photos...I really miss being there this year....It figures that it's one of the nicest winters out there...and one of the coldest back here!! Soak up some of that desert scenery for the Caves!!

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  11. Beautiful pictures in the Arizona skies!

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  12. Gorgeous scenery ... love those sunset images.

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