Tuesday, March 01, 2011

IT WAS A 2 CANYON DAY

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GREAT MORNING FOR A HIKE IN ‘LITTLE SURPRISE CANYON’ & KELLY LISTENS IN ON A BOTANIST TALK

Despite starting my day at 2:45 a.m. I didn’t feel too bad.  It seems my internal clock is still in the Eastern Time Zone & this latest hour time shift from Arizona to California has really messed  up my clockworks.

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Nevertheless, it was a sunny morning so out the door we went, hopped into the Jeep & headed for a place called, ‘Little Surprise Canyon’ just on the southwestern edge of Borrego Springs.  We had heard there were some flowers blooming there.  . We did find some flowers but not as many as we had hoped.  This is a reasonably easy trail in a picturesque little canyon.  A bit of rock scrambling keeps things interesting.  Kelly did well despite having her bothersome knee wrapped in a knee brace.  It was just so great to be out on nature trail again & the surrounding mountain scenery was it’s usual breathtaking self.

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DESPITE A BANDAGED KNEE KELLY DID THE WHOLE TRAIL 

From Little Surprise Canyon we we drove around Borrego Springs a bit looking at many of the beautifully landscaped expensive ‘movie star’ type homes.  There certainly is a lot of money here in Borrego & yet….no big box shopping malls or high end Foo Foo shops.  Just a great plain Jane little town & that is one of the many things we love about Borrego Springs.

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BORREGO SPRING’S PALM CANYON DRIVE

Took a drive out through Henderson Canyon to Coyote Canyon where we had seen a lot of flowers last year at this time.  But, not this year.  That deadly cold snap a few weeks ago has damaged a lot of the flora in the area.  We saw rows upon rows of orange & lemon trees all damaged & frost bit.  There are acres & acres of fruit trees that may or may not recover.  Sections of Palm Trees are brown & whole rows of shrubbery are shriveled & dying.   

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Where we saw flowers & greenery in Coyote Canyon last year at this time we only saw vast stretches of gray desert plants hit hard by the freezing temperatures.  As we clambered along a very bumpy, sandy & hard packed desert road we gained some altitude & it was apparent the frost damage wasn’t as bad at the higher altitudes.  We drove 7 or 8 miles crossing a couple creeks along the way.  The 3rd creek crossing meant we would have had to turn up stream & drive in the creek for a few hundred yards before climbing out of the stream & back onto the hard packed sandy road.  We decided at this point to turn around & head back to Borrego Springs & grab a bite to eat.  It was a nice drive on a reasonably good road with maybe half a dozen rocky sections.  Nothing too serious but just enough to bounce us around inside the Jeep like a couple of manic ping pong balls.

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Kelly talked me into a fish Taco at Jilbertos & I was surprised I liked it.  I just thought of it as Fish Burger.  In fact, I might just even get me another one some time:))

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Back to the rig & let the doggy guys out.  Jean & Skip dropped over for an hour & we had us a good old desert chin wag.  They are beginning their homeward trek in a few days back up to Vancouver Island via Death Valley.  Spring starts much earlier on the Island than it does in Ontario so they are feeling the urge to head home. 

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ALWAYS LOVE WHENEVER WE COME ACROSS WATER & I HAVE A FEELING THIS IS SPRING WATER COMING FROM THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS

I think most, if not all of us out here remember the ‘Cold War’ era of the 50’s & 60’s.  Back yard bunkers, duck & cover, atomic blast, radioactive, hydrogen bomb, fallout & ICBM’s were just some of the common everyday phrases of the time.  I think the Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) threat was one of the scariest things hanging over everyone’s head.  Huge Titan missiles located in secret locations all over the country ready to rain down atomic death & destruction on our Russian enemy at the time.  One of those deadly, hidden & mysterious Titan missile silo’s was located just south of Tuscan Arizona.  Ivan over ROADTRIP 10 just toured that very missile site…..and he’s got pictures!!

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EVEN SOME MOSS IN THE CREEK….& DID I GET A SOAKER TODAY?  AS A MATTER OF FACT I GOT 2 SOAKERS WHEN MY FOOT SLIPPED OFF A ROCK WHILE CROSSING THE CREEK.

A few months ago we had the pleasure of meeting Eve at the GRAPEVINE CANYON RANCH.  Eve is the owner & driving force behind the Ranch & is one of those charming ladies who have had a rather remarkable life.  In her latest post Eve writes about her first flight in a small airplane in Australia.   She describes that plane as looking like a car with wings on it.  Check out Eve’s blog & see what career changing events that first ‘shaky’ flight actually had on her life ….FIRST FLIGHT 

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KELLY SNITCHES SOME LEMONS FROM ONE OF THE MANY ORCHARDS

And a fellow RV’er & blogger hangs up the keys & packs in her blog with a few parting thoughts about the fulltime lifestyle.  BOONDOCKING BLOGGER

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WHILE DRIVING IN COYOTE CANYON THE PHONE RANG & IT WAS MY UNCLE HARRY CALLING FROM THE RITZ VILLA IN MITCHELL ONTARIO

Check out the comments on ERIK'S RV BLOG as they wrestle with the decision whether to replace the older RV carpet with laminate flooring or new carpeting.

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And I just noticed on Facebook that another fellow RV Blogger is packing in her blog.  For reasons some of us bloggers well understand, Jo at the WANDERING WISHNIES is calling it a day.  We will be keeping an eye out for you Jo….just in case:))

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GROANER’S CORNER:((   

Boyfriend v Computer Husband Software

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0.  What I have noticed is a slow down in the performance of the flower and jeweler applications, which had operated flawlessly under the Boyfriend 5.0 system.  In addition, Husband 1.0 un-installed many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.9, but installed undesirable programs such as Sport 7.3, NFL 3.2 and Tennis 4.1.  Conversation 8.0 also no longer runs and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Your faithfully

Desperate Susan

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Reply from Tech Support

Dear Desperate Susan,

First, keep in mind that Boyfriend 5.0 was an entertainment package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Try to enter the command C:/I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME and install Tears 6.2.  Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications: Guilt 3.3 and Flowers 7.5.  But remember, overuse can cause Husband 1.0 to default to such background applications as Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1. Please remember that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will create Snoring Loudly.WAV files.

DO NOT install Mother-In-Law 1.0 or reinstall another Boyfriend program. These are not supported applications and will crash Husband 1.0. It could also potentially cause Husband 1.0 to default to the program: Girlfriend 9.2, which runs in the background and has been known to introduce viruses into the Operating System.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have a limited memory and can't learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to enhance his system performance.  I personally recommend Home Cooking 3.0 and Single Malt Scotch 4.5.  Finally consider applications such as Lingerie 6.9 (which has been credited with improved performance of his hardware).

Good Luck

Tech Support

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
 
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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
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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.

12 comments:

  1. I have never tried a fish taco, although most folks say they are very good. I just can't imagine what they would taste like. I like fish, but I'm not sure if I would like it in a taco.

    Now, I gotta go read those blogs about the retiring bloggers/Rers. That's where I'm headed in the not too distant future.

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  2. Al, the pictures are superb! I don’t know how it could be possible, but I think your photos are sharper than ever.

    John
    relaxedrush.blogspot.com

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  3. LOVE FISH TACOS!..Hey, I sure remember the 1950's and the bomb shelters...FYI, there is a Titan Missile Museum in Sahuarita, AZ..They have a Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile still in it's missile silo..We never got there, but it is still on my "do it, dammit" list...
    You might want to check it online..
    Great pics as usual, Al...Hi Kelly!
    Love your hat!!!

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  4. nice work on the photos as always..and I do have to agree with John..better than ever..that new camera seems to be agreeing with you!!

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  5. Great photos Al and who would have thought sweet Kelly would be a lemon tree robber??? We are heading down into the Elfrida area later in the week.

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  6. I pulled out of the grocery store parking lot right behind you as you headed west towards Little Surprise Canyon yesterday! Can't miss the Bayfield Bunch Jeep.

    Jilberto's fish tacos - YUM. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice on it, too (they provide the lime). Good for you for taking a step outside your comfort zone. :)

    We're heading out today. :( Sure was good to see you two.

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  7. Thank you for the pictures Al! They bring me a taste of spring in the desert. And you can even make an orange peel look good! Keep up the good work, it brings a lot to me every morning.

    Andrée

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  8. There are some things to me that just don't seem to go together and one of them is 'fish and tacos'! It's sort of like putting bananas on a pizza to me. I'm sure it tastes good because enough folks have said so, but some things in life will always have to remain a mystery to me, and one of them is 'fish tacos'!

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  9. The groaner about the boyfriend and husband was a hoot... had both of us laughing.

    Glad to hear that the knee is better and that you're both enjoying your time in Borrego Springs.

    MnM

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  10. Great pictures today. What does a Foo Foo look like?

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  11. I am glad Rick is not wanting any fish taco's, more for me!!

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  12. Thanks for the mention Al. Yes, I'll be popping up from time to time. Sorry to hear about the nasty comments you got about the lemons. People are just crazy anymore.

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