WISHING EVERYONE ALL THE BEST FOR 2014

AHHHHH, TWAS A NICE TO WEEK TO END THE YEAR 2013

Think if I had to pick a name for our house I would call it the ‘Ice Box.’  Despite warm temps outside our house remains cold.  Fine for the summertime but we are not here then.  The wide front & back of the house face east & west.  If the front faced south where we have the most windows I think our house would be much warmer.  But it is the way it is.  We have to go stand outside in the sun to get warm.

SOAKING UP THE SUN’S WARMING RAYS

Although we left last week hoping for warmer weather over near Quartzsite we actually had to come back home again to find the warmer weather.  Think we got up around 70 something to day.  I’m sitting outside on our front porch typing this paragraph this afternoon.

KELLY FOUND A HAT IN WICKENBURG TODAY WITH HER DAUGHTER’S NAME ON IT

Kelly headed off to Wickenburg for groceries this morning.  Figured it was a good opportunity to clean all my camera equipment.  I’m very lax about that but I knuckled down & cleaned all 5 of them including 4 detachable lenses.  I have 3 Nikon DSLR’s & 2 Canon point & shoots.  But I still do not have one type of lens that I have been wanting for years.  A good Macro lens.  This lens opens up a whole new world of photography.  Allows one to photograph very small things very largely & with great clarity & detail.  Bugs, raindrops, Toad freckles, flower stamens, ants, spiders, etc. etc.  Do I really need a Macro lens?  Course not.  Would I really like a Macro lens?  Darn right I would…..

I SPENT A LITTLE TIME WITH MY BIRD PALS THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL

 

 

I have some kind of problem going on with Picasa.  Just started a week ago or so & it has to do with exposure.  The exposure I decide on for each photo is not necessarily the same exposure that always shows up in my photos on the blog.  Some photos are showing up on the light side.  I have no explanation for this.

After last weeks busy Jeeping schedule in the Kofa Mountains I just kind of vegged out for most of the day.  Lollied around enjoying old Sol’s lovely warmth.  Listened to our neighbor’s chickens clucking & roosters crowing.  I like barnyard sounds.  I didn’t grow up on a farm as a kid but our neighbor had chickens I used to converse with. 

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING I DOODLED UP ONE DAY IN MY WINDOWS 7 PAINT PROGRAM

I don’t happen to remember a lot of New Years Eves over the years but I do remember where we were 8 years ago tonight.  It was our first Snow Bird year on the road & because of a water leak on our 5th wheel trailer we had ended up at a Beaudry RV (now Lazy Days RV) repair facility in Tucson Arizona.  It was New Year’s Eve & we decided to stay the night in their RV Park.  We were both awoken at midnight by gunfire.  Don’t think it was people in the Park but do think it was locals in the surrounding neighborhoods out welcoming in 2007.

 

New Years Eve resolutions…..baaaaa Humbug.  Learned long ago that is just another way for one to needlessly disappoint themselves.  But it is a traditional starting point for change & I guess that in itself has some merit.

And on this last day of 2013 I say thanks to all you folks who have inspired me to keep this blog going for another year.  I thank everyone for their patience & understanding.  And I also thank readers for giving me the encouragement, purpose, & confidence to pursue my hobbies of writing, photography & travel.  Kelly, Pheebs & I wish everyone out there all the best in 2014:))

KOFA SUNRISE

GROANER’S CORNER:((  -A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.

 
-I have only one resolution. To rediscover the difference between wants and needs. May I have all I need and want all I have.

-What happened to the Irishman who thought about the evils of drinking in the New Year?  He gave up thinking.

-People treat New Year’s like some sort of life-changing event. If your life sucked last year, it’s probably still going to suck tomorrow.

-I'll remember 2013 like it was yesterday

-May all your troubles last as long as your New Year resolutions.

-Every year I make a resolution to change myself....... this year I’m making a resolution to be myself!

-Just heard that in 2014 there will be a new device that can turn thoughts into speech. People have had that for years, it’s called alcohol.

-Tonight the Chief Justice is dropping the ball in New York while Congress is dropping the ball in Washington.

-There have been many times in 2013, when I have annoyed you, disturbed you, irritated you, and bugged the hell out of you....today I just wanna tell you I plan to continue in 2014.  So there!!

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

BACK TO THE LAND OF LONG HOT SHOWERS & A BIG WIDE FLOOR LEVEL BED I CAN’T FALL OUT OF:))

WE HITCHED UP & SAID GOODBYE TO THE KOFA MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING

Fellow RV Blogger Sue from THE MOHO & OTHER TRAVELING TALES was recently asked the question, ‘do you ever get tired of being on the road’?  I thought Sue answered that question very well in her latest post.  As much as I look forward to getting on the road going somewhere I also look forward to getting home for awhile until it is time to go again.  And with that thought in mind we decided Sunday night it was time to wind down our adventures in the Kofa Mountains.  It was time to head on back to our winter digs for a rest.  And besides, we want to leave lots of things for us to explore next time we return to the Kofas.  And there will be a next time.  We love that place:))

 

WEATHERED PIECES OF DESERT WOOD

Once we make a decision to head home or to another boondocking location things generally happen pretty fast & this morning was no exception.  A short walk, said good-bye to the Kofas & we were on the road by 8:20.  First stop Quartzsite.  Seems we can never get through there without a coffee to go at McDonalds.

 

A few parting glances of the Kofa Mountains far distant on the southern horizon as we headed eastbound out of Q on I-10.  Sad leaving a place that peaked our interest so much in such a short period of time.  We packed a lot of new memories into just 6 days.  Great memories that will last us a lifetime.  My kind of RVing.  Just get out there & create as many new adventures as you can…….while you can.

A totally relaxing hour & a half drive home across the desert floor through half a dozen small picturesque valleys.  My favorite time of day to travel is always early to late morning.  The rig ran like a charm.

Nice to drive through our gate & un-hitch the Jeep.  Busied ourselves for about an hour emptying the rig & reorganizing ourselves by temporarily exchanging our travel hats for our house hats.  Got a load of laundry in, watered all my plants, dumped our gray & black tanks, (we have a dump station here at the house) checked the engine & generator oil, filled up the birdfeeders, parked the rig in it’s spot, etc. etc.  Nice to be back home at our Congress digs but you can bet I’ll be chomping at the bit to head out somewhere again shortly.  Some of us are just born with a restless nature…………………

SURE IS NICE HAVING ONE’S OWN DUMP STATION

Really liked Chinle’s creatively thoughtful way in which she expresses her New Years wishes for everyone through some of her great & humorus photos in her latest post entitled MAY YOUR NEW YEAR HAVE………

A LARGE STONE KON-TIKI FACE ACROSS FROM SKULL ROCK >>>

In a comment question Flowergirl asks, ‘Does your cell phone work out there if you had a breakdown’?  Cell phone coverage is getting better all the time but there are still dead zone areas & many of those dead zones are in mountainous areas where cell phone signals cannot reach.  In the mountains such as Kofa Queen Canyon there is no cell coverage.  If a breakdown can’t be solved one would have to walk back out of the canyon to make a call.  Technology is fast advancing & I suspect it is only a matter of time until every square foot on the Planet will be cell phone accessible.

 

CAN YOU SEE THE PROFILE OF A GORILLA AT THE BEACH LEANING BACK ON HIS ELBOWS LOOKING TO THE RIGHT & A GHOST FROM THE MOVIE ‘GHOSTBUSTERS’ 

TURQUOISEMOON has joined the Bunch on their travels & times here in the great American South-West.  Whether we are on the move or at home at our winter digs in Congress Arizona it’s always nice to know folks have an interest in what we are doing.  Welcome aboard Turquoisemoon:)) And welcome aboard as well to Deb from BREEZIN' BYE.  Thankyou for joining the gang on our ‘Friends’ list.  I see you are an ‘Airstream’ traveler.  Nice compact little rig for sure:))

 

GUESS ONE’S GOTTA GET THOSE SOLAR PANELS ON HOWEVER ONE CAN GET THEM ON

It was Bill & Ann, Kofa Refuge hosts who greatly added to our 6 days of enjoyably exploring the back roads & canyons of the mountains.  They had info & ideas on places for us to go & things for us to see & do.  It was such a coincidence that they were there & that coincidence goes hand in hand with unexpectedly meeting RV SUE minutes after we pulled over to the side of Palm Canyon road last Tuesday.  Turns out we had already met Bill & Ann through RV Sue one morning over near Ajo on Darby Well road about 3 years ago.  The ‘small world’ thing is so prevalent in RVing circles.  If your in the Kofa’s over the next few months & are looking for things to see & do just drop by Bill & Ann’s & they will help you out.  They are just those kind of fine & caring people:))

And how nice it was to once again cross paths & touch base with RV Sue, Spike & Bridget.  No, we didn’t hang out & sit around campfires, visit back & forth for BBQ’s, tell tall tales, sing songs, or rush off to the nearest eatery to food ourselves.  There are those of us out here who are not a part of the overall RV social scene & when we meet each other we understand the need & desire for each others privacy.  After all that is why we enjoy the quiet boondocking lifestyle & are there in the first place.  It is an unspoken bond between us.  We don’t talk about it much but it’s there.  Our paths may cross again somewhere or they may not but our past short & respectful encounters are what lasting friendships & memories are made of………with people like us:))     

GROANER’S CORNER:))  A young man comes home and says "Dad, just got my driver's license and would like to use the family car."
Father replies, :"O.K., son. But, first, you have to get good grades in school, keep your room clean, make sure the yard is neat, and cut your hair. Come back in a few months and then we'll see."
Well, several months pass and the young man comes into the house with his report card in his hand. "Dad, I got great marks on my report card. I've been keeping my room as neat as a pin, and the yard is always ship-shape. How about letting me use the car?"
Father replies, "That's all true, but son you didn't cut your hair."
Son says, "But, dad, Jesus had long hair."
Father replies, "Yes, son, you're perfectly right. And he walked everywhere he went."

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

IN SEARCH OF CEREUS ‘TANK’ & TEN EWE CANYON

Had us a bit of wind this morning so it was a short brisk walk in much cooler air.  No cloud cover so knew today’s warming sun would soon be upon us. 

ANOTHER WARMING SUNRISE OVER THE KOFA PEAKS

We had the Jeep’s wheels rolling by 9:10 & retraced our steps up Kofa Queen road around in behind Palm Canyon.  Some may remember that is where Skull Rock is located.  Bill, Ann, & RV SUE drove up in there a couple days ago for a hike in Ten Ewe Canyon & said how beautiful it was.  So that & another water hole called ‘Cereus Tank’ were our destinations today & off we went bouncing our way first across the desert valley floor up into the mountains.

 

Entering Kofa Queen Canyon we couldn’t help but notice that nobody had come along & paved the roads in the last couple of days since we had been there.  Some of the rocks & gulley's we went over again scrambled our peanut butter sandwiches.  A couple days ago we were up in this canyon in early afternoon.  Now in early morning it’s an entirely different canyon.  Oh the mountains haven’t changed but the light & shadows on them have & when it comes to tall craggy mountains that is all part of what makes them so beautiful so many times in just one single day.

 

Our first stop was Skull Rock where I took a few more photos but this time without campers chairs sitting in the small cave. 

INSIDE SKULL ROCKS SMALL CAVE

  

 

We heard the water hole (tank) we were looking was located somewhere behind Skull Rock.  We spent nearly an hour & a half in that area looking for the ‘Tank’ but to no avail.  Pheebs & I even clambered precariously high up on 2 rocky ridges trying to get an overall perspective of where this body of water could be.  Only thing Pheebs I found were 2 small water puddles high up in a dry waterfall area.  Disappointing but hey I guess we can’t find absolutely everything we set out to find.

SEARCHING & SEARCHING FOR THE CEREUS WATER ‘TANK’

 

PHEEBS & I CLIMBED HIGH ATOP THAT ROCKY ROUND RIDGE IN THE CENTRE OF THE PHOTO TO SEE IF THERE WAS WATER THE OTHER SIDE…NOPE

 

COME ON DAD IT’S TIME TO CLIMB DOWN…I’LL LEAD THE WAY, YOU’LL BE ALRIGHT

THE BIG ROCK IN FRONT OF KELLY IS THE BACKSIDE OF SKULL ROCK

Headed south following a twisting wash for a ways until we finally came upon Ten Ewe Canyon.  We were right on the back side of Palm Canyon itself.  As with so many sites in the Kofa Refuge this was simply yet another awe inspiring scene with canyon walls & peaks reaching far into the blue Arizona sky.  We followed a boulder strewn wash & it was evident how powerful the force of water was coming down the ravines of those high mountain slopes.  We picked our way along clambering over sand, gravel, rocks, & boulders.   Found a few trail markers for a little easier going but not a whole lot.

TEN EWE CANYON

  

 

HIKED UP THIS ROCKY BOULDER STREWN WASH

  

LOOKING IN THE DIRECTION OF WHAT WE THINK MIGHT BE INDIAN CANYON & ALSO LOOKING FOR MOUNTAIN SHEEP

I figure it was the result of Saturday’s 4 Palm Canyon hike & today’s earlier leg burning rock scrambles that caused my legs to tire.  We think there was a second canyon called Indian Canyon further up into Ten Ewe but I my legs were needing a rest so we decided to head back down the trail to the Jeep.  Besides, all the time we were hiking I knew there were peanut butter & jam sandwiches in the Jeep.  And I’m almost certain I could hear them calling to me from down the canyon.  Missed finding the Jeep by a couple hundred yards but with the peanut butter sandwiches hollering so loudly we were easily able to retrace a few steps & find the Jeep.  Yummy:))

TIME TO HEAD BACK DOWN TEN EWE CANYON

 

THE GOING GOT A LITTLE ROUGH IN A FEW SPOTS SO IT WAS GOOD TO GET BACK TO THE JEEP

From that point we decided to follow the increasingly rock strewn river bottom wash further into the mountains.  As I have said many times before, this kind of wondrous scenery just keeps pulling you in farther & farther.  Made it maybe another mile at speeds of about 5 mph before we figured we had gone far enough.  Map told us the road dead ended anyway & we knew the roads end was close by.  At that point we were about 8 miles up Kofa Queen Canyon inside the Kofa Mountains.  We had even brought our Delorme P40 GPS unit with us today & darned if Kelly wasn’t actually even keeping track of our location.  There just might be some technical hope for us yet in figuring that thing out.

A DESERT MOUNTAIN MEADOW PERHAPS

 

Just soaked up & enjoyed all the wonders around us as we shook, rattled, & rolled, our way back down Kofa Queen Canyon.  Again, Jeepers handled all the rough terrain we drove over in fine Jeep fashion.  And I’m sure we added a few more miles of desert pin stripping to Jeepers exterior as well today.

 

THESE FOLKS AT THE HEAD OF KOFA QUEEN CANYON HAVE BEEN HERE ABOUT 4 DAYS

Once out of the big Canyon & out onto the Valley’s desert floor the road improves a wee bit but it’s still no smooth drive by a long shot.  A few post’s ago I said we are seeing more SUV type vehicles out on the desert roads now.  We pulled off twice on the way home to let 2 oncoming SUV’s by & one was a BMW.  Guess if one is going to travel on bumping dusty desert roads one may as well travel in stylish comfort.  We were back at the rig about 2:30.  And we were all tired.  I myself felt especially whupped & took a couple Tylenol to knock down the aching in my legs.  But for sure this kind of hiking & rock scrambling is just the exact right kind of exercise my bothersome legs need.  Just walking on flat surfaces every day is not enough.  

WE PULLED OVER TO LET THIS BEAMER BY

Winds picked up during the day so we did a bit of rocking & rolling in the rig.  Not like those big Borrego Springs winds though.  Now those winds can be downright nasty!!  And speaking of Borrego Springs I thought of Ivan.  He’s still there.  Ivan’s last post was DECEMBER 26TH but for some reason on our Blogroll it didn’t currently update & says it was 4 weeks ago.   Ivan’s still hanging out in Borrego Springs & took him & Bailey for a quick side trip over to Oceanside California a short while back.  

 

Cheryl from DEEP CANYON in a comment question wondered if it was the Kofa Mountains they see to the south when traveling to Phoenix from California.  Yes indeed Cheryl those ragged peaks you see are definitely the Kofa Mountains.  When looking at the mountains from I-10 the big hump on the extreme western edge is where Palm Canyon is.  It’s only a short 20 minute drive from I-10 at Quartzsite to Palm Canyon road.  A 7 or 8 minute drive up to the Palm Canyon parking lot.  A half mile easy hike will take you in to see the Palms.  Might make for a nice stop between Phoenix & California sometime:)) 

LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS THE CASTLE DOME MOUNTAINS DOWN BY YUMA

For folks unable to take the rougher back roads through the mountains or not being able to do some of the hiking trails I would suggest at this time of year driving in on Palm Canyon Road late in the afternoon just as the sun is going down.  Drive as far as the kiosks at the Park entrance.  Pull over, set out a couple lawn chairs & just sit back & watch the shadows building in the canyons & spilling their long dark tentacles slowly across fiery mountain slopes.  A mighty nice way to wind down yet another fine day.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Resume bloopers……These are taken from real resumes and cover letters and were printed in Fortune Magazine:
1. I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience.
2. I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0 computor and spreadsheet progroms.
3. Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year.
4. Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.
5. Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions.
6. Its best for employers that I not work with people.
7. Lets meet, so you can ooh and aah over my experience.
8. You will want me to be Head Honcho in no time.
9. Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details.
10. I was working for my mom until she decided to move.
11. Failed bar exam with relatively high grades.
12. Marital status: single. Unmarried. Unengaged. Uninvolved. No Commitments.
13. I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse.
14. I am loyal to my employer at all costs... Please feel free to respond to my resume on my office voice mail.
15. I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely no one and absolutely nothing.
16. My goal is to be a meteorologist. But since I possess no training in meterology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage.
17. I procrastinate, especially when the task is unpleasant.
18. As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments.
19. Personal interests: donating blood. Fourteen gallons so far.
20. Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store.
21. Note: Please don't miscontrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping. I have never quit a job.
22. Marital status: often. Children: various.
23. Reason for leaving last job: They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 a.m. every morning. Could not work under those conditions.
24. The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers.
25. Finished eighth in my class of ten.
26. References: None. I've left a path of destruction behind me.

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