PLANS ARE AFOOT FOR OUR NEXT WINNIE WAGON GET-A-WAY

LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE ANGEL BIRD AT ONE OF THE FEEDERS TODAY

May just have been something we ate Friday that put both of us a tad under the weather by the time we went to bed last night.  Both woke up feeling better this morning & we were soon back up to speed.

 

AHHHHH,  A GOOD GARGLE ALWAYS FEELS GREAT AFTER A BEAKFUL OF BIRDSEED…AL SURE DID A CRAPPY DUCT TAPE JOB UP THERE

GILA WOODPECKER IN THE PROCESS OF SAWING DOWN ONE OF OUR BACKYARD MESQUITE TREES >>>

Since Jim manhandled the wires & scared the bajeebers out of the Jeep’s clutch interlock switch assembly above the clutch pedal it has started normally for us every time.  Might be fine forever or it might not.  Still think we will see what the fella at the garage has to say about it.

IT’S QUITE AN INTERESTING PLACE WHERE WE PICKED UP SOME PINE POSTS TODAY

   

We have 4 old square three & a quarter by three & a quarter wooden painted white posts holding our porch roof up.  Posts are probably good for a few more years yet but we have decided to replace them with 4 larger round Pine posts.  We picked out some logs this morning at a nearby wood lot in Congress right on highway 89.  The fella cut 4 posts out of a couple logs for us & we dragged them home in our utility trailer.  Another project underway.  For me it sure beats sitting around doing nothing.  Transplanted half a dozen Agave plants this morning as well.  Sergeant John has more Agave’s for us over at his place so we have to load up our shovel & get on over there to dig them up.

 

PICKING OUT SOME PINE POSTS THIS AFTERNOON

OLD PAINTED SQUARE WHITE POSTS (RIGHT) WILL BE REPLACED BY NATURAL ROUND PINE POSTS (LEFT)

Had my Benchmark Arizona Atlas out again this afternoon trying to decide where our next little foray will be.  Depending on weather I think we might make an exploratory loop over around Lake Pleasant & north up towards Prescott.  We did travel through part of that area back in the fall of 07 when we headed down #17 from Cottonwood.  Bounced off the northwest corner of Phoenix, hung a left at Buckeye & slipped on down through Gila Bend to Hickiwan Trails at Why Arizona.  We will probably do the Lake Pleasant/Prescott trip in a couple or three weeks.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  You might be a redneck if:

-You are still holding on to Confederate money because you think the South will rise again.
-You consider pork and beans to be a gourmet food.
-You can amuse yourself for more than an hour with a fly swatter.
-You have to go down to the creek to take a bath.
-You participate in the "who can spit tobacco the farthest contest".
-You roll you hair with soup cans and wash it once a year.
-You've never paid for a haircut.
-You consider a three piece suit to be: a pair of overalls, a plaid flannel shirt and thermal underwear.
-There is a sheet hanging in your closet and a gun rack hanging in your truck.
-You think the Mountain Men in Deliverance were just "misunderstood".

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

AN ENERGIZED MORNING LEADS TO A NO ENERGY AFTERNOON

NICE TO BE BACK FOR QUIET MORNING WALKS IN OUR GREEN SONORAN DESERT

How nice to roll out of my big bed this morning & actually have my feet touch the floor.  In our rig’s cab over bunk when I roll out of bed it takes me about a minute before I impact the floor far below. 

I was pleased to see the fella had completed closing in the walls of my bathroom closet while we were away.  I’ll just have to get some paint flying now before we put a few shelves in.  Always nice to see little projects like that finished up, functional, & looking good.  And no Skunks in the cage this morning.  Is it possible we are getting ahead of the Stink Bomb Gang at last??

It’s tricky to get the Jeep started but I did get it started.  Took a drive down to the local garage but they were closed today for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Will try again Saturday or Monday. 

WALKING ON GHOST TOWN ROAD IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE…AT THE END OF THAT ROAD ABOUT A MILE WAS THE OLD TOWN OF CONGRESS ALONGSIDE THE CONGRESS GOLD MINE

Our day just basically involved getting re-organized from a week away.  I had 2 loads of laundry to do & that was just my stuff.  Washed all the ‘Coral Wash Jeep Tour’ mud off the Jeep.  Winnie sure needs a wash too so will tackle that maybe next week.  Cool here with a high thin cloud cover & temps hovering around 62F. 

GATEWAY TO OUR NEIGHBOR’S PROPERTY BEHIND US…HE’S A CANADIAN WHOM WE HAVE NEVER MET…HE STAYS IN CANADA & HIS NEWER SMALL HOUSE SITS EMPTY

Must have left a valve open somewhere because all my energy drained out of me by noon.  Can’t quite get myself warmed up.  High cloud cover cleared so spent some time just soaking up a little solar heat in my Gravity Lounger.  A little relaxing TV time with my blanket as well.

OUR BASE FOR WINTER’S SOUTH-WEST TRAVELS

RV friends & fellow Jeep owners Bev & Jim dropped over from North Ranch this afternoon.  Jim knew what the problem was with our Jeep’s sporadic starting problem.  He said the culprit is usually the safety interlock clutch switch Mossmagator located above the clutch near the firewall.  He wiggled some wires around & the Jeep seemed to start OK but we will get that switch replaced anyway.  Said it happened to his Jeep & when it did the Jeep wouldn’t start at all.  Nice folks Bev & Jim & we all plan to do a little off road Jeeping again before too long.  We were out with them last year & Jim knows his way around the back country.  You can see our day here at A GREAT 6 HOUR JEEP TOUR THROUGH GOLD COUNTRY

SUNSET ON OUR BUSY BUT COLORFUL AFTER SUPPER KITCHEN COUNTER

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Food quotes, quips, and thoughts . . .
-Artichokes are just plain annoying.  After all the trouble you go to, you get about as much actual food out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking thirty or forty postage stamps.

-The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for 30 years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.

-I've been on a constant diet for the last two decades. I've lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.

-I told my doctor I get very tired when I go on a diet, so he gave me pep pills. Know what happened? I ate faster.

-I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead,  not sick, not wounded…… DEAD!!

-Watermelon is a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.

-Old people shouldn't eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get.

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

THIS POST IS COMING TO YOU FROM CONGRESS ARIZONA….WE’RE HOME

NICE TO BE BACK IN ARIZONA’S GREEN SONORAN DESERT

Pheebs must have read my Wednesday post about her not being able to get up in my over the cab bunk.  This morning I somehow had a happy doggy full of slurpies in bed with me.  Don’t know how she got up there but all of a sudden there she was on top of me with her tail furiously thumping against against my bunk’s wall.  She was right proud of herself too.  Had us a big snuggle before I was able to climb out & down to the floor.  No climbing down for Pheebs.  She just jumped from the bunk onto the loveseat sofa below.  No problem.

  

First thing on my list this morning was to see if the Jeep would start.  It didn’t…..but it did.  Our Jeep has a manual transmission & to start it one must push the clutch all the way to the floor & then turn the key.  If clutch is not all the way to the floor nothing happens.  I had the clutch right to the floor but no go.  Keeping the key turned I let the clutch up a bit a few times & on one of those times the starter kicked in but Jeep didn’t start.  Battery was fine & starter was fine.  By carefully getting the clutch just in the right position by not putting it to the floor  I could sporadically start the Jeep.  Kelly got on-line & looked up that kind of problem.  Looks like it could be some kind of switch that makes contact with the clutch or something.  I don’t understand the mechanics of it.  What I did understand was that we could not take a chance going anywhere with the Jeep until the problem was determined & corrected.  And that led to a decision.

ARIZONA GAS PRICES IN QUARTZSITE

Far as we know there is only one garage in Borrego Springs that we have seen.  And that one garage is always hugely busy.  Being Thanksgiving Day we also figured the garage would be closed.  If we did take it there & a part was needed it’s not likely we could have had the Jeep repaired until next week sometime.  And that would leave us with unreliable or no transportation.  Although we had originally planned on staying in Borrego Springs longer we knew we had no choice but to head for home.  Far more convenient & logical to let the Congress Garage have a look at this week.  We hope to head back to Borrego Springs in March anyway.

I DIDN’T GET TO SEE OUR FRIEND BUTCH THIS TRIP BUT PHEEBS DID GET TO MEET BUTCH’S DOG KAPEESH

Want to thank folks for their suggestions in our comment section about the Jeep problem.  Especially KEN PRATT for his knowledgeable problem solving technique.  I definitely see an automotive background there.

STOPPED FOR A FREIGHT TRAIN IN MECCA CALIFORNIA

Took our time packing up & I think it was sometime after 9 we sadly rolled out of our site.  Next stop was about a mile down the road to say good-bye to Jean & Skip.  I had also hoped to see our old Borrego Springs friend Butch who was camped not far from Jean & Skip but Butch wasn’t home.  I wrote him a note on one of our Bayfield Bunch cards & walked over to his 5th Wheel.  Butch’s dog Kapeesh was home though & Pheebs & I got to talk to Kapeesh for a couple minutes.  Kelly had bumped into Butch in the grocery store but I didn’t get a chance to see him.  Said our good-byes to Jean & Skip but I think chances are good we will see them again this winter

It was about 10 a.m. when we pulled out onto California’s S22 highway, pointed Winnie’s nose East for Congress Arizona & put the hammer down.  Nice sunny day with warm temps & the traffic was lite.  Took the same route we took last time we left Borrego Springs.  North on highway 86 to Mecca.  Quick stop at Starbuck’s for Kelly & we were through Mecca heading East through Box Canyon.

ROLLING THROUGH MECCA’S BOX CANYON HEADING FOR I-10

Picked up I-10 East at 29 Palms Road south of Joshua Tree National Park.  Decided to stop in Quartzsite on the off chance K&B’s might be open.  Needed another LED light or two.  Turns out Quartzsite was pretty much a Ghost Town for Thanksgiving.  K&B’s was not open but of course McDonald’s was so we burgered ourselves. 

PROBABLY PRETTY HARD FOR MOST RV’ERS TO BELIEVE THESE EMPTY STREETS BELONG TO QUARTZSITE ARIZONA

 

HERE COMES KELLY WITH THE GOODIES COMPLETE WITH A DOGGY ESCORT

How nice it was to be back in the land of many Saguaros.  Soon as we crossed the Colorado River east of Blyth California we spotted our first Saguaro Cactus.  We were back in Arizona & we were back in the green desert once again.  Traffic thinned out as the afternoon wore on & we figured that was a direct result of Thanksgiving Day.  East of Quartzsite we turned North-East onto highway 60.  What a peaceful stretch of road this is as it lazily rolls across the desert floor heading in the direction of Congress.  Traffic is always lite on the highway & today it was virtually non-existent.  A left turn onto highway 71 East of Aguila had us on the home stretch as the days shadows were lengthening.  Pulled into our driveway here in Congress at 4:30 p.m. Arizona time.

 

A COUPLE COLORFUL BUSSES HEADING EAST ON I-10

What a nice feeling coming home to our little Adobe Digs.  I was so looking forward to a nice long spacious hot shower.  Well that is until I couldn’t get any hot water.  Had forgot that we had turned our water heater off when we left.  Dratts!!  Didn’t bother unhooking the Jeep but we did unload the rig.  That done, one of the first things I did next was to fill up the bird feeders.  We should have some happy Tweeters in the morning.  Surprised to see green grass growing.  But they did have a lot of rain here while we were away.  All my Cactus plantings looked intact as well.  In fact everything looked great.  Les had even planted a couple Creosote bushes/trees for us.  Noticed he had the Skunk trap set up right against the hole in our foundation.  Guess we’ll find out tomorrow what has been going on with our Skunk dilemma.

 

A GENUINE OLD TOWN ALONG THE WAY & BIG YELLOW BALES OF COTTON

GUESS THE SIGN SAYS IT ALL

Reflecting back to our past week in Borrego Springs we both agreed it was a roaring success for us.  Had a great time & the shake down cruise for Winnie the Bago went as well as expected.  We have a few changes to make as we fine tune things before our next trip but all & all we are 3 tiredly happy travelers tonight.

JUST FOLLOWING OUR OWN SHADOW HOME…CONGRESS STRAIGHT AHEAD

 

LAST STOP OF THE DAY BEFORE GETTING HOME WAS OUR LOCAL POST OFFICE

PHEEBS WAS SURE HAPPY TO GET HOME FOR A SNUGGLE WITH HER LITTLE PAL DUCKY

GROANER’S CORNER:((  More Ponderings:

-Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
-Why do people who know the least know it the loudest?
-If the funeral procession is at night, do folks drive with their headlights off?
-If a stealth bomber crashes in a forest, will it make a sound?
-If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
-When it rains, why don't sheep shrink?
-Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
-If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
-When companies ship Styrofoam, what do they pack it in?
-If you're cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?

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

WE ALMOST HAD TO RETURN TO CONGRESS TODAY……’ALMOST’

MORNING SUNRISE OVER ANZA-BORREGO

(This is Wednesday’s post)

She tries so hard to climb up into my over the cab bunk for a morning snuggle but it is just too high for her.  Pheebs could get up into the Sunseeker’s bunk but Winnie’s configuration is just too high & difficult for her.  But every morning she tries.  I half tumble & slide my way down to the rig’s floor & we have us our big morning tussle on the sofa.  Morning scruffles are always a highlight of our day.  

RV’ERS AT PEG LEG SMITH’S ARE DWARFED BY THE MIGHTY SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS

Our plan this morning was to Jeep ourselves down to the other end of Rock House road right alongside the Clark Dry Lake Bed.  Been a few years since we have been down that way.  Those plans ended abruptly when the Jeep wouldn’t start.  Our 3 week old new battery was stone dead.  Luckily we generally always park the engine compartments of the Jeep & our RV close together.  That was a big advantage this morning when I was able to stretch the jumper cables across & start the Jeep.  But now we had a dilemma & some decisions to make. 

KELLY GATHERS FIREWOOD ON OUR MORNING WALK

 

OUR BORREGO NEIGHBORHOOD

 

 

Was it a battery problem, a starter problem, or an alternator problem??  Turned the Jeeps key off & tried to start it again but no go.  Re-jumped it & decided to take a drive into Borrego Springs to see if it would charge the battery plus Kelly had some DVD’s to return.

In front of the library she spotted someone we knew from our first trip to Borrego Springs back in 07.  We rode in Linda & her husband Bill’s Jeep Cherokee on a group tour of Grapevine Canyon which runs between Montezuma’s Grade & the Tamarisk Grove campground.  It was our first ride in a Jeep ever.  Linda remembered us.

LINDA & HUSBAND BILL TOOK US ON OUR FIRST EVER JEEP RIDE…4 WHEELING IN GRAPEVINE CANYON  PHOTOS FROM THAT DAY HERE

From the Library we headed out of Borrego & back to our campsite.  Parked the Jeep’s engine compartment close to Winnies & turned the Jeep off.  Luckily it started again so we loaded up Pheebs & drove back into Borrego Springs.  Farmer’s market was underway on Christmas Circle.  Kelly was wanting to pick up some things so Pheebs & I stayed with the Jeep & kept it running to re-charge the battery in case that was the problem.  Had a feeling a CD we had been playing Tuesday may have not stopped playing when I took the key out of the ignition.  Not sure how that could have happened but it was the only thing we could think of that would have killed the battery…..if indeed that was our problem.

LITTLE JEEPERS (WITH HEADLIGHTS ON) GOT TO MEET A FEW OF HER BEEFIER COUSINS THIS MORNING…IT WAS A JEEP TOUR JUST HEADING OUT

 

Sitting across from Christmas Circle waiting for Kelly at the Market I saw her walking across the road with a couple people I didn’t recognize.  Didn’t pay much attention because it’s not unusual for Kelly to chat people up.  Lady walked over to my driver’s window & said, “do you recognize me”?  Oh Oh, I didn’t.  She said, “it’s Cheryl”.  I then made the connection & knew instantly it was indeed Cheryl from DESERT DIVA:))  How nice to meet another fellow RV Blogger.  We had a feeling she was in the area & probably camped over at Peg Leg Smiths.  She was.  Large group of WIN’S (Wandering Individuals Network) there for the week-end.  With another member Al she had come in to browse the Farmer’s Market.  Cheryl & Pheebs hit it right off & there were a lot of hugs & smooches going on there.  A true animal person I could tell:))  Coincidentally we met in the exact same spot where I met Nina from WHEELING IT a couple years ago as well.

IT WAS GREAT MEETING CHERYL FROM ‘DESERT DIVA’ THIS MORNING

  

CHERYL & PHEEBS INSTANTLY BECAME FAST PALS

 

AW COME ON MOM, DAD SAID I CAN DRIVE BACK TO THE RIG…IT’LL BE OK

In the meantime JEAN & SKIP rolled into town & we had a chat with them later on as well.  Skip’s one of those fellas that’s knowledgeable about stuff & offered to come over later & have a look at the Jeep if we were still having problems starting it.  We came back to our rig, parked next to Winnie, shut it off & tried re-starting it again.  It fired right up so we’re hopeful it was the CD player that was the culprit.  We’ll see.  But until we know for sure what the problem is we won’t be going too far in the Jeep.  If push comes to shove we will just hook up the Jeep & head back to Congress if it doesn’t start again.  Maybe the starter is shot.  Maybe the alternator.  We’ll see what happens in the morning.

PHEEBS CHATS IT UP WITH JEAN & SKIP ON CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

It’s not usual for us to have lunch.  We just kinda go from breakfast to supper with maybe a few peanut butter & honey sandwiches thrown in between.  Today was the exception.  Kelly found a couple legs of Turkey at the Market on Christmas circle.  Soon as we got home she fired up the BBQ & it wasn’t long before we had greasy fingers & full tummies.  Washed that all down with a couple pieces of Pumpkin pie & whipped cream.  Some days are just better than others.

 

BARBEQUED PUMPKIN PIE…..YUM:))

Normally here at the Clark Dry Lake Bed we park our rig with the side doors facing down the canyon towards the mighty Santa Rosa mountains.  This time we are parked facing the Pinyon & Vallecito mountains to our South-West & the San Ysidro mountains to the West.  That puts our side door & awning facing South-West.  Found the sun to hot this afternoon so sat around on the north side of the rig with a blanket over my head.  Why a blanket?  To cut down on the reflection when I am outside with my laptop.  Blanket acts like a tent & I am able to see the screen just fine.  And besides, it’s kinda neat……like being a kid again.  Oh & my Bose IPod under my chair with my favorite ambient tunes’ lulling me to sleep between key strokes. It all works very nicely for me:))

 

VIEW FROM INSIDE MY LITTLE PUTER TENT

Had been thinking about heading over to Ghost Mountain this morning but with the Jeep thing I decided not to go.  Being the long Thanksgiving week-end there will be too much San Diego off-roader traffic clogging the roads in that area so have decided to put off my annual Ghost Mountain hike.  Besides I was just there this past February & that makes for this year’s hike.  We think we just may return here to Borrego Springs again in March when all the flowers are in bloom & everything is greening up so nicely.  So for right now that is the plan.

THIS SMALL GROUP OF RV FRIENDS ROLLED IN TODAY BUT ARE FAR ENOUGH AWAY NOT TO BOTHER US

BEHIND THEM ARE THE TOWERING SANTA ROSA MOUNTAINS

The area on this side of highway S22 where we are was acquired by the Anza-Borrego State Park system a few years ago & ‘off-roading’ has been discouraged.  But across the highway from us it is all open territory for the off roaders to rip & tear.  This whole area which includes thousands upon thousands of acres is a large playground for the off-road crowd.  Fortunately the area is so big that it is generally not a problem but we have been here on long week-ends when the air has been so full of dust it was hard to see the town of Borrego Springs.  The most popular spot for the ‘off-road’ gang is Ocotillo Wells just South-East of us.

LOTS OF DUNE BUGGIES RACING AROUND ACROSS THE HIGHWAY FROM US BUT THESE 2 PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WITH A TELEPHOTO LENS MAKING THEM APPEAR CLOSER

OFF-ROADERS ARE POURING IN FOR THE LONG WEEK-END

AND SPEAKING OF A TELEPHOTO LENS, THERE’S JEAN & SKIP NEARLY A MILE AWAY SITTING OUTSIDE SOAKING UP SOME RAYS:))

Finished our day with a campfire sitting outside until old Sol slipped down behind the San Ysidro mountains.  Soon as night is upon us we slip from summer clothes to winter clothes.  It’s just the way it is here in the desert……………..

 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

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