Friday, February 10, 2012

PHEEBS & I ENCOUNTERED A HUNDRED FOOT LONG STONE SNAKE THIS MORNING……

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A few days ago at the Salton Sea we were positioned in a way I could see the sunrise from my chair through the windshield.  This morning in Borrego Springs we are reversed and I watched the Moon set over Coyote Mountain to the West.  Took the above photo just before sunrise.

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CAUGHT THIS SLIGHTLY OVAL MOON SETTING OVER THE COYOTE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING

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Kelly was busy with Deer Park Lodge stuff this morning so Pheebs & were on the trail about 7:30.  Had a feeling it was going to be a hot day so wanted to get our walk in while we still had cool morning air.   Headed off into the nearby hills & trails of Coyote Mountain.  Pheebs was everywhere excitedly racing around exploring everything  .  Reminded me of just a few years ago when we had Max, Checkers & Motor on these same trails.  It’s just too far for the little Motormouse to walk now but I felt Max & Checkers were with us on the trail again in Spirit.

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IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY YOU CAN SEE PHEEBS ON THE TRAIL

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OUR RIG IS DEAD CENTER IN LEFT PIC

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BORREGO SPRINGS ABOUT 4 MILES AWAY IN THAT GREEN BELT AT THE FOOT OF THE ?? MOUNTAINS

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PEG LEG SMITH’S BOON DOCKERS AT LEFT WITH BORREGO SPRINGS TOP RIGHT AT FOOT OF THE MOUNTAINS…COUPLE FELLERS RELAXING BETWEEN 2 OF THOSE RIGS AT PEG LEG

By 8:30 the sun was hot so had to take off my light jacket but how nice to feel the warmer air in the morning.  Hiked up to a spot where 2 years ago I came across a couple Inuksuk’s someone had painstakingly constructed from large rocks.  Last year it was completely knocked down & this morning in the same place I came across a very interesting formation of rocks.

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SOMEBODY PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS DESERT STONE SNAKE

Our Verizon signal is weaker than expected so we have been contemplating moving. Problem is we have a great relatively quiet & private spot & moving to a stronger signal area puts us within noise range of other RV’ers. Not acceptable.  But then, the noise came to us!!!!

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DRIVING INTO BORREGO SPRINGS THIS AFTERNOON

I have come to the conclusion this is a bad luck spot for us.  Two years ago a rig pulled in & set up near us.  Soon there were 5 more rigs all circled up & the hootin & hollerin started.  We had no choice but to pack up & move.  By the time Pheebs & I made it back to the rig this morning a Class A had pulled into the same spot not far from us.  Wasn’t long after that he cranked up his stereo.  I’m not even going to begin to tell you how much that kind of rudeness & inconsideration infuriates me. 

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JEEPING WITH A COUPLE FRIENDS TODAY

The writing was on the wall.  Coupled with our poor Verizon signal we hopped in the Jeep & headed off looking for a new site.  Checked out some spots closer to, & right in Borrego Springs but nothing turned out to be boon dockable.  Oh how I wished we had bought the Verizon signal booster we had seen in Quartzsite a couple of weeks ago.  That would have enabled us to find a site further removed from the type of RV’ers who seem to have a need to huddle & make noise.  Had no recourse but to fire up our iPod/Bose combination & fire off some late 60’s ‘noise equalizing’ heavy metal……..

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SPOTTED THIS UNUSUAL PLANE AT THE BORREGO AIRSTRIP TODAY & RIGHTLY GUESSED IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH SKY DIVERS

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IT LATER FLEW LOW OVER OUR CAMPSITE

Gas today in Borrego Springs was $4.19 a gallon.  Goes up every year of course & I expect it will top $5 a gallon by next year at this time.  I don’t know at what point high gas prices will make RV travel for the Bayfield Bunch & many others very improbable, if not impossible…..but, it’s coming:((

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CAME ACROSS THIS RATHER LARGE DRAGON FELLOW TODAY

Spent most of our afternoon in the shade of the Motor Home trying to stay cool.  We hit 81F today & that’s just a bit on the ‘too hot’ side for us.  Big change from just a short time ago when we  were sitting on the sunny side of the rig trying to stay warm.  But, that’s the southwest & that’s why we like it here.

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 FORT CANADA

In Wednesday’s post I ventured an opinion on what the Salton Sea’s foul smells were made up of. I felt the Geo Thermal Power plants might have been responsible for some of those odors.  Here’s a comment from Mobileer with an explanation gleaned from Wikipedia…….'If by geothermal energy, you are referring to electricity produced using geothermal energy, no it doesn't smell, because energy in any form doesn't smell.  On the other hand, a geothermal power plant may give off a "rotten eggs" smell. This is due to hydrogen sulfide being present in the steam collected from the geothermal reservoir. Although the hydrogen sulfide is treated to reduce it to non-toxic levels, hydrogen sulfide can be smelled at levels as low as a few parts per billion. Since geothermal plants won't always be able to remove all of the hydrogen sulfide, some will be released, accounting for the smell.’

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PHEEBS RACES HOME AFTER OUR WALK THIS MORNING

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A woman and her husband interrupted their vacation to go to the dentist. "I want a tooth pulled, and I don't want any pain killers because I'm in a big hurry," the woman said. "Just extract the tooth as quickly as possible, and we'll be on our way."

The dentist was quite impressed. "You're certainly a courageous woman," he said. "Which tooth is it?" The woman turned to her husband and said, "Show him your tooth, dear."

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

19 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever watched the moon set, that is cool.

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  3. I love the dragon! It's hard to believe someone would come up that close to another RV in big wide open spaces. What jerks. I think you should blast Sons of the Pioneers at 'em.

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  4. The moon shots are intriguing. I always find it interesting to watch the moon either rising or setting.

    Loved seeing Pheebs out on the trail. I think that Max and Checkers would approve.

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  5. Great picture of the Jeep statue! Love it! Have not come across that one... is it new????

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  6. You are the dude!
    Great moon shots, fun hike with giant snake and best of all.. You found my old office I worked in at my days with Arctic Circle Air. That is a wonderful Shorts Skyvan. It looks strange, but is fun to fly and a real money maker.
    Got any details on how long those guys have been stuck in that jeep?

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  7. Yes we understand Al, our peace was shattered last night here in this RV park--rig pulls in with kids, a tied up barking dog which no one pays any attention to, lots of noise. We may be moving!oxiditin

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  8. We really hear you Al when it comes to a low Verizon signal! Frustrating!

    Awesome pics on your blog today!
    Miss good ol' Borrego Springs, but wow, couldn't avoid those CA gas prices for long!

    I always thought it was the geothermal plants that made the smell, too!
    HI to Kelly!
    Kathy & Grant
    PS Enjoying our Shreddies! :)

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  9. Such a huge desert out there and it really bugs me too, when people decide to get upclose and personal, invading your solitude, with unwanted noise.

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  10. You really came across some very cool desert serpents...Snakes make me nauseous, and I was afraid to look at your pics today...Whew! As for people who are not considerate of others...As the rednecks say, "you can't fix stupid"...

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  11. Al, we take morning time to read about two, maybe three, blog posts. Glad we checked in with you today. Neat snake, neat dragon, wonderful life you lead. Wouldn't trade with you for a stack of hundred dollar bills, but we're glad you can have the freedom to move around and be who you are!

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  12. Maybe some place closer to home next year? You certainly have had a good run over the past years. Lots of great memories of great places and people. Really enjoyed your journey out in the great SW.

    Virginia

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  13. Some people just don't think about the one's around them.

    I wish we like the sun more so that we could boondock it more often (solar). The quiet and solitude sounds great out there.

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  14. Amazing how pheebs stays on the trail..riggs would be all over the place
    Love the snake & dragon..that's art I can understand..it is what it is.
    Now of course someone with that mentality would park close to someone else. after all what fun would it be to blast your music
    if you didnt aggrevate someone else. Rudeness like that has to demonstrate their Me-ness

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  15. I love your new header photo, Al. Almost, but not quite, as good as that one you took back near Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills. That snake was really cool! Nice that when the neighbors get to be a pain you at least have the option of moving. I need to research that Verizon booster for the times when I am off in the boonies. Is it something that works with the MiFi?

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  16. If it were me, I would move. I don't enjoy listening to other people's music. :P

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  17. This metal sculptor lives about 5 miles from us and every time we have visitors we take them there to see his wonderful work.
    http://www.metalanimation.com/newDragon.php

    Inconsiderate noisy people was the one thing that bothered us in our family camping days

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  18. butterbean carpenterFriday, February 10, 2012

    Howdy Al,
    PLEASE, NEVER STOP TAKING PICS!! You are our 'eyes' to places we'll never get to go.. Do you need donations for your website?? If so, say so and with over 300K visitors we may keep it going for a while!! Thank you, for 'taking' us on your trips!! A photography artist site you may want to see (ZANE PAXTON) is about the canyons and places (UTAH,ARIZONA,COLORADO& MEW NEXICO)... Keep'em coming and we'll keep on enjoyin'em!!

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  19. Good morning from Fort Canada.You captured a great shot of our group.We have folks from Alberta,Newfoundland,British,Columbia,California,Colorado,and Idaho.Come on over anytime.

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