WISHED I COULD THINK OF A CATCHY POST TITLE, BUT..

IT WAS JUST A YEAR AGO NOW WE WERE BOONDOCKED  SOUTH OF CONGRESS ARIZONA WORKING ON OUR HOUSE DEAL

It was about 3 weeks ago we picked up our Class C Sunseeker in Parker, Arizona.  I posted some photos that day of me hitching the Jeep up to the new rig.  After hooking both the Santa Fe & the Jeep to our Damon over the years I didn’t notice anything different.  But, a reader noticed in one of the photos what he thought might be a problem.  There appeared to be too much of a drop in the hitch arm from where it hooks onto the Sunseeker & where it hooks on to the Jeep.  The Jeep towed perfectly that day but that possible discrepancy has been on my mind ever since.  This morning I decided to hitch the two together & have a second look at things.  Now, to me, everything looks good.  There is a slight drop but it looks normal.  Just wondered if any of you towing guys out there had any thoughts.  Below are the photos I took this morning.

  

Spent a good chunk of my day puttering & deciding what goes into the new rig, what stays in the shed, & what goes back to Ontario. With only about a quarter of the storage the Damon had I have had to be very selective. Climbed up in the rig’s roof with my tape measure & measured the distance between the ground & the top of our A/C unit. 11’2”. That’s 7” shorter than our Class A was. Bonus. Also noticed we will be needing 3 MAXXAIR vent covers installed.

GONNA NEED SOME VENT COVERS PUT ON HERE

Donna, from the CAVE DWELLINGS mentioned in a comment on Wednesday’s post about her dislike for having to carry a camera around her neck.  I don’t like it either.  With a little longer than normal camera strap you can easily carry your camera, especially if it’s a heavier DSLR with a bigger lens on it, over your left shoulder & under your right armpit.  Opposite if your left handed.  Much like a lady might safely carry her purse I suspect.  Photo shows how I carry my camera.  It’s comfortable, does not swing,  & I can easily move it around behind me for going through brush or scrambling over rocks, or bring it up in front of me for a shot.  Also allows me to walk easily with my right hand resting on the camera itself if I want.  No camera strap around the neck trying to pull your head off……

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Using colorful binder twine & string found in the desert, some kind of little bird has carefully built this nest in a Buckhorn Cholla near the trail we walk in the mornings.

A new Blog Follower joins us today.  JoAnne & Rick from RICK & JOANNE'S TRAVELS patiently waded through the Google sign-up brambles & were able to land themselves in our Blog Followers box.  Thanks for taking the time to do that folks, & welcome aboard:))

PHEEBS HAS A RELAXING MORNING ON THE FRONT PORCH

Tomorrow I am going do something a little different with my blog.  Instead of our daily happenings, I am going to post a story.  It is a story which will span about over five decades.  It will begin in the late 1940’s.  And it will begin again on a dark night in 1978. And, it will end with a flurry of emails late in the winter of 2003.  This is the true story of a mystery involving 3 people.  The answer to that mystery was carried by one of the 3 for many years.  And, that one person was me.  The story centers around…… a rock.

IS IT ANY WONDER I NEVER SEEM TO GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Matt went into Doc Steven's office for his annual checkup, and the Doc asked if there was anything unusual he should know about.
He told the Doc that he found it real strange how his suit must've shrunk just sittin' in his closet, because it didn't fit when he went to get ready for a wedding recently.
The Doc said, "Suits don't shrink just sittin' there. You probably just put on a few pounds, Matt."
"That's just it, Doc, I know I haven't gained a single pound since the last time I wore it."
"Well, then," said Doc, "You must have a case of Furniture Disease."
"What in the world is Furniture Disease?" Matt asked.
"Furniture Disease, Matt, is when you reach that stage in life when your chest starts slidin' down into your drawers."

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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.

WHEELBARROW TIRE FIXED & I’M BACK IN BUSINESS:))

OH NO, DAD’S GONNA TRY & PUT THE TIRE BACK ON THE WHEELBARROW

My bedroom window sill is wide & also the perfect height for leaning my elbows on.  And, that is just what I did Tuesday night as I stood there in the warmth of the house & watched the big cheese colored Moon slowly lift itself up & over the Weaver Mountains.  At home in Bayfield I never get to see the moonrises because of all the Pine trees around our house.  How special it is here in Arizona every year to see the Moon not only rising at night, but setting in the morning as well.  And, a double bonus tonight.  From my computer chair beside my bed, I was able to see the moon travel slowly across my window from corner to corner.  And, a third bonus…..the moonbeams backlit our two giant Saguaros which I can see from my chair as well.  Sometimes, life is just tooooooo good:)) 

Couple folks have expressed concern about Rattlesnakes while hiking.  Rattlesnakes are our biggest worry with Pheebs.  We have never seen one in the 6 winters we have been traveling in the southwest, but we know they are around.  On the advice of locals, our desert hikes are usually early in the morning in the cool to cold desert air this time of year.  Would have never done Tuesdays hike through those boulders had it been warm with the sun shining on the rocks & dark earth.

 

THIS IS THE COWBOY GATE THAT LETS US IN & OUT OF THE DESERT ON OUR MORNING WALKS

Looking across the country’s weather picture I sure have to be thankful for where we are. With our temps heading up into the 70’s this week I feel a little guilty having grumbled about our few flakes of snow, a few day’s cold wind, some clouds, & a dusting of ice on a water puddle or two. Being a true Canadian, I do get myself a little crazy about the weather sometimes.

In the countries grand weather scheme, I think we have it about as good as it gets here in Arizona. We do not live under an impending earthquake shadow like our California neighbors to the west. We do not have Hurricanes, Tornadoes, severe tropical storms, or torrential rains during the winter like our neighbors to the east. No stormy snow blinding blizzards with damaging hail & ice storms bringing down power lines & grinding everything to a halt. Very few cloudy days compared to our neighbors in the northwest. No harassing or annoying bugs in the winter & most of the critters that might give one a nasty bite are underground hibernating. And then there’s Arizona’s magnificent desert mountain scenery. Awwwww yes, I see Arizona has swept me off my feet once again tonight. Just a pretty darn nice place to be & a pretty darn safe place to spend the winter months for sure. And, safe in more ways than one………:))

Wind picked up substantially in the afternoon, blowing from the north & threatening to dump us out of our lounge chairs in the back yard Tuesday afternoon. We held our ground, soaked up the warming rays of an afternoon sun, & thumbed our noses at what we know to be some of the last gasps of Old Man Winter in these parts!!

Know what…..I probably got more porridge on my housecoat than what Quaker has oats in their warehouse.  I don’t remember dribbling food all over myself years ago but somewhere along the line something has changed.  My end of the table after every meal is a wreck.  Looks like a couple hungry Hippos had themselves a perilous food fight.  And when I go & sit in my recliner after supper it’s no wonder Pheebs jumps up on my lap.  It’s not me she’s interested in, she just wants to lick my splattered shirt!!

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In Tuesday’s post I included a link to Sandra & Gordon’s blog about Sandra being denied access to the United States a few years ago.  Today, Sandra posted about the day they were stopped at the border in, THE DAY FROM HELL.

HAD A BIG OPERATION GOING ON HERE TODAY…PUTTING THE TIRE BACK ON THE WHEELBARROW:((

On her way back from the Post Office this morning, Kelly stopped & picked up our repaired & previously flat wheelbarrow tire.  It was up to me to put it back on the wheelbarrow.  Wondered what my chances of doing that were.  Sometimes I absolutely amaze myself by doing something right & this morning I did just that.  Truly out did myself by getting that tire back on the wheelbarrow correctly.  Tire guy said there were two reason for that tire being flat.  First, cheap wheelbarrow tires are so thin you can nearly spit through them, & second…..Goat Head stickers!!  Said the tire had a number of stickers in it.  He put in a new tube & filled it with green slime.  So, with that tire back on the Barrow I was back in the wheelbarrow business again.  Moved about a dozen loads over to our driveway.  No flats & the tire just kept going round & round & round so figured I’d done good putting it back on.  But then I heard, squeak, squeak, squeak.  Squeak, squeak, squeak is not as good as round & round & round.  Awwww nuts!!!!  Nothing serious, just a few adjustments, & I was ready to start wheeling again.

CAN’T ALWAYS COUNT ON MY MAIN RANCH HAND SOME DAYS 

34F in Bayfield this morning & 36F in Congress.  We didn’t bother filling up the propane tank for our Legacy Blue Flame heater yesterday & it was so cold in the house this morning I thought it was going to snow.  And, about that propane heater….Some folks had a few questions about leaving a window open when using it.  That is recommended.  When using the heater in our Damon Motorhome the past 5 years we always opened one of the windows a crack every night.  Usually the kitchen window.  Never ever had any kind of a problem.  In the house now we have the heater hooked up to a 20 pound propane tank which we set inside our fireplace.  Our house is drafty enough not to open any windows & any leakages would be sucked up the chimney.  And no, we do not have fires in the fireplace while the propane tank is sitting there.  Wouldn’t be enough weenies & marshmallows in all of Congress to sit around that resulting explosion & fire……………:))

Nice surprise this afternoon when long time blog readers Bob & Laurie dropped by with their Basset Hound Lucy to say Hello.  Bob’s a retired police officer from Minnesota.  Nice folks & you can catch them at THE FRITZ ADVENTURES.  Had themselves a great desert Jeep tour out of Wickenburg Tuesday.   Met up with a real gold diggin prospector too.  Nice folks & they sure do like Arizona.  Always nice for Bloggers when a reader stops by & says, “thanks for writing your blog, you have been an inspiration to us”.  And, my thanks to you guys, Laurie & Bob, it’s people like you who are ‘my inspiration’ for writing the blog:))

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I’M GUESSING THIS FELLOW AS A ‘NORTHERN FLICKER >>>

Kelly slipped into Wickenburg this afternoon for some groceries & a hair appointment.  I slipped into my recliner for some zzzzzzzzz’s.  And Pheebs?  Well, she was just being her usual little Pheeber self:))

 

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A veterinarian was out with his four-year-old daughter. He had left his stethoscope on the car seat, and the little girl picked it up and began playing with it. Oh, wow, he thought, my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps!   Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to McDonald's. Do you want fries with that?"

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

HAD OURSELVES A GREAT ROCK SCRAMBLE THIS MORNING:))

ON OUR MORNING HIKE, KELLY LOOKS OVER OUR NEIGHBORHOOD FROM THE SAME ROCKY RIDGE THE FULL MOON SET BEHIND A FEW HOURS BEFORE

 

WITH CONGRESS ARIZONA BEHIND HER, KELLY LOOKS OUT OVER ‘HOUSE ROCK’ VALLEY

Monday night’s full Moon would have slipped right past me had Kelly not noticed it’s beautiful slow rise over the Weaver Mountains.  Pheebs & I weren’t long in getting ourselves out for a walk in our little front yard Cactus garden.  A full desert Moon lights up the landscape for miles around & I particularly like how it lightens the garden pathways.  Despite my grumblings about the weather sometimes, I’m sure glad we are right where we are in sunny Arizona:))

 

LEFT PHOTOS SHOWS MONDAY NIGHT’S FULL MOON RISING ABOVE THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS & LEFT PHOTO SHOWS TUESDAY MORNINGS FULL MOON SETTING BEHIND A ROCKY RIDGE OUT BACK OF OUR HOUSE

I was able to accomplish a small goal this morning that I had set for myself just about a year ago now.  From the first day we walked onto this Ghost Town Road property I had noticed a high rocky ridge in the desert a short distance behind our house.  At the highest point I noticed a Palo Verde tree growing.  Being my habit to climb up any high points around any of our boondocking sites over the years, I made a mental note to climb that ridge to the Palo Verde tree.  Would have done that shortly after arriving last November but my winter long leg problem prevented me from doing that. 

DIDN’T KNOW WE WOULD CLIMB THAT ROCKY RIDGE THIS MORNING & I WOULD GET ALL THE WAY TO THAT TALLEST PEAK ON THE LEFT

  

THE ROCKY SUMMIT TAKEN WITH A 300mm LENS FROM OUR BACK YARD & THE SAME LENS TAKES A PHOTO FROM THAT SUMMIT OF OUR HOUSE…IN THE LEFT PHOTO I WAS STANDING IN THAT GAP AT THE TOP & PHOTO AT RIGHT I WAS STANDING JUST TO THE RIGHT OF OUR WHITE BACK SCREEN DOOR

Little did I know when we left the house this morning on our morning walk that half an hour later I would be standing atop that very ridge next to the Palo Verde tree.  We had discovered a path last month leading toward the ridge at the back of a nearby Park.  For a change of pace we walked over to the Park this morning with the idea of walking up the rocky pathway for a short distance just to see where it went.

LEFT OUR COATS BEHIND & STARTED CLIMBING 

   

LOOKING DOWN ON TENDERFOOT PARK WHERE WE HAD JUST WALKED THROUGH

As so often happens with us, we just kept right on going.  It was about 8:40 when we started out with Pheebs way ahead in the lead.  Five minutes into the walk we ditched our coats.  The sun was really warming things up.  Still had no intentions of going to the top but you know how it is once you get out hiking & exploring.  Just a couple more steps, maybe around that bend we’ll pack it in & turn back.  We just kept climbing.  The path through the boulders & cactus was not easily discernable in some spots but we clambered over rocks & gravel anyway.

Reached the top of a ridge where we could see clearly for miles all around us including the valley to our west.  The valley we had spent time Jeeping in with Aunt Jean, Peter, & Leslie.  ‘House Rock’ was barely visible at the foot of the Date Creek Mountains. 

 

TAKING A BREAK IN OUR CLIMB

Kelly began building some Inukshuks. (the traditional meaning of the inukshuk is "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path.")  This area reminded me of a spot on California’s Ghost Mountain trail just before one makes the final climb to the Marshal South homestead. 

Pheebs started ahead of me scouting a way up through the rocks.  She is really good at this & can easily pick out hard to spot pathways.  Climbing seems to be second nature to her & she easily picks her way through or climbs over large boulders.  I followed her lead upwards.

PHEEBS HEADS OFF SCOUTING FOR A PATH TO THE SUMMIT…WE WOULD END UP GOING THROUGH THAT GAP BETWEEN THE LARGE ROUND BOULDER & THE BALANCING ROCK AT PHOTOS TOP LEFT

 

PHEEBS PICKS HER WAY THROUGH THE BOULDERS

This is the type of rock scrambling I like so much.  I would class it as moderately difficult.  No equipment needed except for a good pair of treaded hiking shoes & a good sense of balance.  No thousand foot drop-offs to scare the be-jeebers out of a fella but just enough of a drop amongst the rocks to give one a wee twinge of excitement & make one pay close attention to where one places their hands & feet.  A fall could result in a slightly dented head or some mighty sore buns for sure.

AT ONE POINT I GOT AHEAD OF PHEEBS FOR BIT

Pheebs of course made the top before I did but I wasn’t far behind.  I was soon standing in a gap in the rocks beside the Palo Verde tree at the summit.  I’ve been looking at that gap in the rock from our back yard for months & months now, wondering if my sore leg would ever let me get up there.  It did.  Great views all around as I took a few photos.  My one regret is that I did not have my better quality Nikon D90 DSLR with me.  Just my little Canon point & shoot.  Like I said, when we left the house I had no intentions of climbing up to the top the ridge so left my D90 at home.

 

AT THE SUMMIT STANDING IN THE GAP BESIDE THE PALO VERDE TREE

However, I had my trusty Nikon D40 with me equipped with a 75-300mm lens so was able to crack off a few photos of the surrounding desert & the town of Congress Arizona below.

CONGRESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE FOREGROUND

 

CONGRESS DOLLAR STORE & GAS STATION WITH THE CONGRESS MERCANTILE DEPOT IN PHOTO AT RIGHT

 

LOOKS LIKE A FEW FOLKS ARE BURNING SOME BRUSH THIS MORNING & THERE GOES NEIGHBOR LOU WITH HIS LITTLE DOGGY PAL, PEBBLES

IN FOREGROUND IS THE CATTLE WATERING HOLE WHERE AUNT JEAN, KELLY, PHEEBS, & I WALKED TO LAST WEEK & SEEN THE COW BONES… BELOW IS THE DESERT ROAD WE WALK MOST MORNINGS

 

THIS IS ALSO THE DESERT HAWK’S VANTAGE POINT FROM WHERE HE WATCHES US ON THE ROAD BELOW EACH MORNING

Pheebs & I carefully made our way down through the boulders again to where Kelly was hard at work just finishing off a couple Inukshuks.  Reminded me of Hickiwan Trails RV Park near Why Arizona in our early years hiking along a ridge line east of camp & Kelly building Inukshuks

CAN YOU SEE KELLY DOWN THERE AT WORK ON HER INUKSHUK?  SHE IS IN THE CENTER OF THE PHOTO

 

As I’ve said many times, going up a hill is the easy part.  Coming down is the tough part & it’s always difficult for Kelly.  Today was no exception with the hard to find trail having many loose rocks, stones, & brambles.  But, we did make it back down okay without a scratch.

 

AND, SOMETIMES BACKWARDS IS BETTER

 

PHEEBS LOOKS BACK TO SEE HOW MOM IS DOING

 

All & all it was a great morning hike & rock scramble.  How nice to be doing something different & seeing the landscape from a different perspective.  And amazingly enough, my troubled leg did not bother me one little bit.  I was able to scoot, scramble, & bounce my up & down that rocky ridge just the way I used to not long ago.  Pretty darn nice feeling I can tell you.  Our house was only a block away & we were home by 10.  Just a mighty nice way to start another day……..:))

 

WE SURE HAD A THIRSTY LITTLE DOG WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THE PARK     

Many readers will remember Sandra & Gordon from THE NOT SO NIGHTLY NEWS.  They were Canadian Snowbirds until being stopped on their way south at the American border crossing & refused entry in the United States 3 years ago.  Sandra has been fighting that case ever since & finally just received some good news.  Check it out:))

 

BACK HOME, KELLY CHECKS ON HER INUKSHUKS ON THE RIDGE

Russ, Donna, & Poppy from TRAVELS IN THERAPY are making their way from Oregon down into California this week as RETIRED ROD, Loyce, & Biscuit are buzzing around San Diego checking out the sites.  I don’t know who’s doing more of the buzzing, Rod or Biscuit.  And, former blogger, Wandering Willy should be safely back home in British Columbia today.  Other southern Snow Birds are beginning to stir.  Routes & dates are being planned as feathers will soon be fluffed for flight.  For us, probably sometime in early April.

A RAY OF SUNLIGHT REFLECTING IN THE CAMERA LENS GIVES PHEEBS A PURPLE HUE

GROANER’S CORNER:((  George had invited the pastor and his wife for dinner, and it was little Joey's job to set the table. But when it came time to eat, Joey's mother said with surprise, "Why didn't you give Mrs. Brown a knife and fork dear?".
"I didn't think I needed to," Joey explained, "I heard Daddy say she always eats like a horse."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.