THE SONORAN DESERT IS BECKONING

Don’t know why but the blog would not publish tonight.  Menu came up showing the pages moving from left to right across the menu from the computer icon to the world icon OK but it just sat here for over half an hour spinning it’s wheels & the blog never did publish.  I have gone back & taken all the photos out so I will see now if this will solve the problem.  Never did get any ‘error’ messages, it just wouldn’t publish.  OK, so here goes………..

Had us a cloudy day so in these parts at this time of year that equates to….no heat in the air!!  Thermometer barely struggled to 50F by noon & we both stayed inside all day reading.  Of course 50F back home in Bayfield Ontario at this time of year would have us out in short sleeve shirts, shorts & Panama hats!!

We had us a wee peak at the temps over in Ajo, Yuma & Borrego Springs this morning & we see the nights are all well above freezing.  Now, that is encouraging considering I am getting very discouraged with these continuously cold below freezing nights.  I am feeling a very great need for some leisurely walking & hiking in the greening Sonoran Desert a days drive west of us.  Saguaro, Prickly Pear, & California Barrel cactus interspersed with Organ Pipes, Banana Yuccas, Agave, Engelmann’s Hedgehog, Teddy Bear Cholas, tall green stemmed Ocotillos, Beavertail Cactus & many, many more desert plants are beckoning, along with Paloverde, Arizona Sycamore & Quaking Aspen trees.  Oh dear, can you tell I am waaaay overdo for moving on to greener pastures.

I should clear up a point in Tuesday night’s blog when I referred to cell phones as being stupid.  It’s not the cell phone that is stupid, it’s the…..well you know.  Cell phones used properly are a great thing & I do understand their importance.  I have even been known to use a cell phone myself from time to time:))  I especially like to carry a cell phone in my pocket while on the Motorcycle in case I fall off & have to call someone saying, “I’ve fallen & I can’t get up.”

Had an email from a reader this morning saying there are small pocket devices out now for jamming cell phones but they may be illegal.  Interesting concept:))

Sure am enjoying my latest book, ‘Pioneering From The Aravapa To The Chiricahuas.’  This book of first hand accounts in this area date back to memories of the late 1800’s & early 1900’s.  This is James Covington Hancock’s thoughts on Tombstone Arizona back in those days based on his having done business there….. "Tombstone was not a rawhide cow town with long haired cowboys & rustlers stalking the streets with a 6-shooter in each hand, shooting at everything that did not suit their fancy.  It was a big rich mining camp filled with mining men from Nevada, California, Colorado, & other places off the Pacific Coast.  People were as rational in dress and manners then as now.” (1937)

As I read all these historical accounts it is amazing how people survived the hardships of frontier life as well as they did.  The West was not like Hollywood movies have portrayed it & yet in some ways, it was.  The violence & over all skull duggery were far greater than I had imagined, yet the comradeship, friendships, loyalty & trustworthiness of people working to survive together & helping one another was of a higher standard than nowadays.  Sure has been a great eye opener for me to see how factually the history of the old west was played out, those oh so many years ago.

Reading MIKE & PAT'S TRAVELS blog this morning about the new tonneau cover installation on their pickup truck I was reminded of something really super dumb I did back in January of 2007 at the Hickiwan Trails RV Park in Why, Arizona.  It had to do with the same type of cover we had on our GMC 4x4 Laredo at the time.  Worst part is….. I made the same mistake twice in one week!!!!!!  You can read my post about that at REALLY DUMB....TWICE!!.  The story begins just after the third photo.

Now, while it’s a slow day & I am on the subject of doing dumb things, you might be interested about the time I filled up my gasoline powered Motorcycle a couple summer’s ago with….diesel fuel!!!!  IS THAT A DIESEL MOTORCYCLE SIR??  Aren’t you glad your not me………..!!