Tuesday, January 15, 2013

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER…WE HAD 4 PEOPLE IN THE JEEP TODAY

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CAN YOU LOCATE ALL 5 DEER IN THIS MORNING’S PHOTO…HARDEST ONE TO FIND IS HALFWAY UP PHOTO AT EXTREME LEFT

Despite 22F outside this morning, Pheebs & I, with 3 heat sources, were toasty warm in the rig.  Not often we run the furnace but I did fire it up to keep the lower water pipes warm.  Our Legacy Blue Flame heater (bought at Granny’s & installed in the desert near QUARTZSITE AZ in 08) is our favorite fuel efficient heat source & I also have a small Sunbeam electric heater as well.  With all 3 heaters going, Pheebs & I were blissfully in the tropics.  Us guys like to be toasty warm.

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NO TROUBLE SPOTTING THESE TWO COLD LOOKING DEAR’S IN THIS PHOTO…KELLY & LESLIE

Had planned on Jeeping over to Stanton this morning & taking the old stage coach road up to Yarnell but with another freezing cold night Kelly was concerned about some possible ice patches on the road.  Instead we all jumped into the Jeep & headed out into the desert behind our place.  It was the first time since buying our Jeep Wrangler a few years ago that we ever had human passengers.  Mission & destination this morning was to show Peter & Leslie House Rock plus give them a up close look at the Sonoran Desert.   And, what better way than driving right through it.

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PETER HAD JUST MENTIONED ABOUT FEELING SO SMALL IN SUCH A LARGE LAND

Despite a big bright sunny day, we had us a stiff breeze on the go making for a cold day.  We did manage a short walk around House Rock through boulders, cactus, creosote shrubs & mesquite brush.  It is always so nice to hear the great comments people make who have never seen or been in this kind of environment before.  Like we were, most folks are surprised at the many variations of green plant life.  The colors, the hues, the great rock formations & the endless puzzlements of unexplainable geology.

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AT THE BASE OF HOUSE ROCK

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PHOTO OP

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KELLY POINTS OUT SOME OF THE PLANT LIFE

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LESLIE, IN THE SHADOW OF HOUSE ROCK CHECKS OUT SOME INDIAN GRINDING HOLES (MORTEROS)

We didn’t linger at House Rock long because of the cold wind so moved off further west bumping our way along an old rocky road heading for a tall windmill Kelly & I had come across last week.  As we gained altitude, rock formations changed, Saguaro & Teddy Bear Cholla became more abundant.  And, we found a herd of cattle at the Windmill site. 

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CURIOUS COWS KEEP AN EYE ON PETER AS HE TAKES A PHOTO OF THE WINDMILL

Instead of returning the way we had come, we swung off on another dusty road heading southwest.  Had never been on this road leading back out onto the desert floor before but I knew sooner or later we would intersect highway 71 or highway 93.  The sandy road was well traveled & we saw the first of a few Joshua trees.  I knew there were many more Joshua’s just north of us but it was time to head ourselves back home.   Wasn’t long before we found our way back to highway 71 leading to Congress.  All & all, a nice little Jeep jaunt across the desert through a pass in the Date Creek Mountains.  And, on some new desert roads too.

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We were home by 1 p.m. & I wasn’t long in crashing out in the warm Motorhome for a slight doze or six.  This up at 3 a.m. most mornings usually knocks the stuffing's out of me by mid afternoon of the following day.   

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PETER HAD A GOOD TIME WITH HIS CAMERA TODAY

Always lots of RV info, links, & bloggable articles over at Levonne’s site, RVT.COM BLOG.

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  Little Harold was practicing the violin in the living room while his father was trying to read in the den. The family dog was lying in the den, and as the screeching sounds of little Harold's violin reached his ears, he began to howl loudly.
The father listened to the dog and the violin as long as he could. Finally, when he could take it any longer, he jumped up, and yelled above the noise, "For Pete's sake, Harold, can't you play something the dog doesn't know?!"

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

5 comments:

  1. such great tour guides you and Kelly are! Sure seems like Peter and Leslie had a good day!

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  2. Quite an adventure for you all. Aren't you glad you don't have to spend the night at house rock with these current temperatures. Can't imagine what that must have been like for the people living there back in the distant past. Glad you and Pheebs stayed nice and toasty!

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  3. You're right that 5th deer was hard to find but I finally did. Sounds like you and Pheebs enjoy your cozy little home!

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  4. Those rock formations in some areas of the desert amaze the brain...How did that happen, anyway?? Great tour for Peter and Leslie..It's going to cool off here in S. Florida...from mid 80's to mid 70's :)

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  5. Nice to get out a tour about , but hope the weather warms up for you soon.

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