CHATTING UP OUR NEW NEIGHBOR AT DARBY WELLS SOUTH:))

SATURDAY NIGHT’S FULL MOON AS SEEN FROM DARBY WELLS ROAD, AJO ARIZONA (NIKON D40 AT 300mm f-5.6 AT 1/125TH OF A SECOND HAND HELD)

So nice to see the desert and surrounding mountains bathed in a soft moonlight last night and again early this morning.  Despite the nippy night air I did manage to set up my cameras and get a few images of the eclipse.  A thin cloud bank rolled in just after the eclipse began so my photos are definitely nothing to write home about but I will include a few shots that do faintly resemble the moon. 

 

I was quite a site out there at 6 o’clock this morning in my scruffy brown hush puppy shoes, red plaid pajama bottoms and matching blue plaid pajama top….and not the same plaid.  Long dark moss green housecoat complete with a little gold polo player monogram.  Dark blue base ball hat on backwards with a big nose and scruffy enough face underneath to stop a clock.  Is it any wonder Kelly keeps me hidden away out here in the desert.

The Darby Wells South gang were all up about the same time this morning.  Saw Rick & Lady over on his hilltop site crawling about.  I think Rick was doing more crawling around than Lady.  These colder mornings seem to make some of us older fellers squeak and creak around like an old seized up lawn mower.

 

 A FAINT AND DISAPPEARING ECLIPSE OVER RICK’S SCAMP

Pheebs slipped down the hill and set off Sue’s Spike alarm.  Or was it Bridget.  No matter, I heard one of them barking which alerted me to the fact Pheebs had sneaked down and stirred up the neighborhood.  I think the Canine Gang was up anyway because at about the same time I saw Sue moving around outside.  A wave of the arm told me she had survived her first boon docking night and all was well……or was it!!

LAZY DAYS AT OUR HOUSE

Turns out Sue had herself a bit of a rough night with 2 equipment problems and one doggy problem.  But, I’ll steer you over to Sue’s blog and ‘maybe’ she will tell you how she made out.  RV SUE AND HER CANINE CREW 

LOCOMOTIVE ROCK…I GUESS THE ENGINE IS SUPPOSED TO AT THE LEFT TOWING THE SMALLER CARS ALONG AT THE RIGHT…I SEE THE PROFILE OF A LARGE FACE ON THE LEFT LOOKING UP TO THE SKY…ALMOST SPHINX LIKE

Sun was a coming up fast so it was important for Sue to get her single solar panel up.  Easier said than done because it was Sue’s first solo run in setting it up herself.  I was there for moral support and to do the cussing if she ran into problems.  Took a little doing but at last the panel was up and in place sucking up all those big megawatts of solar power.  I’m sure Sue will soon have that all down pat and wing that panel up and down in no time. 

NO, PHEEBS DID NOT KNOCK THIS SAGUARO OVER!!

Rick was coming down later to trouble shoot a power and suspected propane problem for her.  In the meantime we leaned on her van’s engine hood like a couple of dusty old desert rats and had us a talk about RVing and Blogging things.  A couple of subjects I know a little bit about.

KELLY AND MOTOR TAKE THE LOW GROUND WHILE PHEEBS AND I STAY ON THE HILLTOP

Kelly and I rolled into AJO this afternoon and headed ourselves up to the big open pit CORNELIA MINE and Ajo Mine Museum.  At the Pit Mine Lookout we talked to knowledgeable old miner (Walt) who had worked in the big mine before it closed.  Nice fellow and he was a wealth of information about the operation of the mine.

THE OPEN PIT CORNELIA COPPER MINE IS LARGER THAN BISBEE’S LAVENDER MINE

 

ON ALL THOSE ROUND LEVELS WERE TRAIN TRACKS AND EVERYTHING WAS BROUGHT OUT OF THE PIT ON TRAIN CARS PULLED BY STEAM ENGINES IN THE EARLY DAYS AND DIESEL ENGINES LATER…TOOK A TRAIN PULLING 10 CARS 6 HOURS TO CLIMB THE 3% GRADE UP OUT OF THE MINE FROM THE BOTTOM

    

WALT, AN OLD CORNELIA MINE WORKER WAS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE WHOLE MINE AND IT’S HISTORY

Just up the road was the Ajo Historical Society Museum housed in the old St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Mission built in 1942.  Lots of local Ajo memorabilia there and a lot of HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS in Ajo itself.

ORIGINALLY AN OLD CATHOLIC MISSION

 

ONE OF THE ‘DUMPING’ RAIL CARS USED TO HAUL ORE OUT OF THE  BIG OPEN PIT MINE

From the Mine Museum we headed off to Olsen’s Food Mart for a few groceries….and some fried chicken.  Neither one of us could remember the last time we had some good old fried chicken so as soon as the groceries were gathered we stopped at Olsen’s Patio Café and got us a couple big pieces of chicken and potato salad.  They have 4 little tables there and we were soon seated wolfing down our early supper.  And, we even split a ‘cookies and cream’ ice cream cone to boot.  Now, how’s that for some serious RVing:))

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUR SIDE YARD

A commenter question about the toilet facilities in the smaller trailers.  I guess a Casita or Scamp owner would be more knowledgeable about that than I am but I think Rick has one of those chemical toilets like I have seen in truck campers.  He dumps that at one of Ajo’s park facilities.  Don’t know about water capacity in those smaller units but I’m guessing those folks may carry water jugs as well.

MORNING WALK IN A DRY RIVER BED

When we are boondocking we have water jugs we can fill in town and bring back and dump into the rig’s fresh water tank.  We have enough jugs to transport about 40 gallons of water at a time in the Jeep if need be and we can generally go for about 14 days before we have to dump our black tank at a nearby facility.  If we didn’t eat so darn much we wouldn’t have to dump so darn much I guess.

Couple new Blog Followers today.  Thanks for dropping by JOHNNA and MYCOMITAN.  Much appreciated by all of us here at the Bayfield Bunch. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He got fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed him to hear 100%.
He went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again."
To which the gentleman said, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times already!"

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