ATOP CORONADO PEAK AND A JEEP PICK UP….BUT!!

(Third consecutive night in a row I am too tired to finish the blog before midnight.  Once again, this is Wednesday’s blog despite Thursday’s date)

ATOP CORONADO PEAK LOOKING OVER THE SAN PEDRO VALLEY WITH THE MEXICAN BORDER WALL STRETCHING ACROSS THE DESERT FLOOR FAR BELOW….MEXICO TO THE RIGHT

Don’t exactly know what it is about a cloudy day that just kind of curb’s one enthusiasm a bit. Maybe it’s the subtle grayness.  Maybe it’s the lack of warm sunshine on one’s skin.

Slipped on down to the corrals first thing this morning to check on the Donkeys and give them some hay and make sure the level in their water tank was ok.  Had a couple carrots in my pocket too:))  I always get a kick out of how Pheebs and the Donkey’s touch noses through the fence.

Expected the Farrier around 9:15 but she phoned about an hour later re-scheduling the appointment for next week sometime.  Slipped down to the corral and let the donkeys out into the main pen.

 

We had a full day ahead of us and a few more places to show Jean so we weren’t long in getting on the road.  We knew the new tire for the Jeep wouldn’t be in until early afternoon so we set off in the direction of Sierra Vista.

PHEEBS IS ALWAYS SO SAD TO SEE US LEAVE WITHOUT HER

Our first stop was to meet a couple of likable folks who are in the advanced stages of building a brand new house east of the San Pedro River.  I am going to write a separate post about them and how a set of circumstances led these happy folks to a decision in selling their California house and moving to Arizona’s San Pedro Valley.  A set of coincidences that was first started by none other than the Bayfield Bunch about 4 years ago:))

PAT & NANCY

From Nancy & Pat’s new digs we scooted around Sierra Vista to the southeast & headed ourselves for Ramsey Canyon.  Unfortunately the Visitor’s Center and birding area was closed.  Undaunted we headed the short distance back to the highway and charted a southbound course for the CORONADO NATIONAL MONUMENT.  A quick stop at the Visitor’s Center and we began our ascent to the peak.

 

I guess we had forgot to tell Jean about the hairpin dirt road turns, sheer drop offs and high altitude climb:))  Of course Kelly & I had been up this road a couple times before and I knew it was just fine.  But, I do understand what it is like for a passenger riding in a vehicle.  Only place to be on roads like that is behind the steering wheel in full control of the vehicle.  For me, anywhere else in a vehicle, even on a flat stretch of road on a good day, is a nail biter.  I do not make a good passenger regardless of who’s driving.  I have always been a driver and not a passenger.

 

The views driving up the mountain were just beautiful and in many places we could see evidence of the devastating fires early last summer which had swept over the Huachuca Mountains.  Blackened tree trunks and yellowed hills.  I kept trying to point out the long steel Mexican border fence stretching across the desert far below on the valley floor but the girls wouldn’t look.

 

A few more hairpin turns, a few more grades and a few more great views finally brought us to the parking area on Coronado Peak.   I swear I heard those big sighs of relief again.

 

The Border Patrol was very prominent on the peak today with a lot of curious looking active space age surveillance equipment mounted on a truck.  Three other empty border control vehicles plus a white SUV with Government plates all sat locked and empty.  Not a sole around.  Just a silent movement of high powered cameras slowly sweeping the surrounding landscape.

  

 

The views into Mexico from Coronado Peak are nothing short of spectacular.  At 6,575 feet one can easily see for probably fifty or sixty miles or so on a clear day.  I never tire of the views here.  It is a short walk to the very peak itself but the pathway was closed due to recent fire damage.  The fires had swept right up over the peak blackening all the trees and even some of the wooden guard rails in the parking area.  I remember sitting on that peak a few years ago marveling at the beautiful panoramic views all around me.  My posts about Coronado Peak can be found here at, A WEE HIKE UP TO CORONADO PEAK and DESTINATION....PARKER LAKE and TODAY WE FOUND THE CORONADO CAVE.

 

 

BURNT & BLACKENED TREES DOT CORONADO PEAK

Our drive back down the winding dirt road from Coronado Peak was uneventful.  I think the ladies were getting used to the dizzying heights.  Steep mountain roads were becoming old hat to them.  Yep, I think we are gonna have to consider bungee jumping next time Jean comes out for a visit.

 

Our next stop was the Donovan Jeep dealership in Sierra Vista.  Our Jeep tire repair was done.  Locking wheel nuts had all been removed and a brand new Goodyear Wrangler tire was in place…….. but there was a problem!!  Tire size was fine but the tread pattern was totally different than our other 3 Wrangler tires.  Awwww nuts!!

AWWWW NUTS, WRONG TREAD PATTERN!!!!

Donovan’s service manager explained the problem saying Goodyear informed him they had discontinued the particular tire and tread pattern of our other 3 tires.  Like I said, Awwwww nuts!!  Nothing we could do so off we went with our one mismatched tread design tire.  I’m sure I saw people pointing at us as we headed down the road with our mismatchment.  My how things have changed over the years.  I remember driving old wrecks that were lucky if they even had tread on the tires and if a couple of tires didn’t match, well who cared anyway.

TRYING TO SORT OUT THE TIRE PROBLEM

From the garage we headed into the afternoon traffic with Jean & I leading the way in the Jeep and Kelly following in Jeanie & Ray’s truck.  Jean had a hankering for Pizza so it didn’t take us long to sniff out a Pizza Hut.  A large Super Supreme Pizza hit the spot for all of us. (except I do not like black olives…or any kind of olives because yuk, they’re horrible!!)

With the sun rapidly sinking into the west Kelly jumped into the truck & headed for the Ranch with a short stop in Tombstone to pick up a pair of Cowboy boots.  Jean & I finished up the Pizza and hustled ourselves over to a nearby Walmart.  Jean needed some new sunglasses and we needed some apples, cranberry juice, ginger ale and a big bag of dog food for Pearce & Gleason.  We didn’t waste any time getting our stuff and were soon eastward bound along the Charleston road making fast tracks for the Ranch.  It was all but dark when we rolled through the gates.  Kelly was busy doing the chores & I was grateful for that.  She was also busy picking up half a dozen items Pheebs had dragged out of the Motorhome and scattered around the laneway.

Whew, it was another long day but what great memories we have created this past week since Jean’s arrival.  It is the first time Jean & I have ever spent any quality time together since I was born.  We sure had a lot of ‘in person’ catching up to do.  Thanks to the computer age, Jean & I have been in constant contact for over 10 years now through literally thousands of emails.  Yep, she’s a pretty special Aunt alright and it will be a pretty sad day Thursday as we drive Jean back to the Tucson Airport for her return trip to Sarasota Florida:((

SUNSET OVER THE RANCH’S LITTLE POND

Tonight we welcome PAPOOJACK'S WORLD as our latest Blog Follower.  Looks like Papoojack has himself one of those efficiently cute little Casita travel trailers:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  What is a baby:
A soft pink thing that makes a lot of noise at one end and has no sense of responsibility at the other.

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