IN THE SHADOW OF VULTURE PEAK

WATCHED THE BIG MOON SLIDE DOWN BEHIND A ROCKY RIDGE NEAR OUR HOUSE THIS MORNING

Big difference between a full moon at our place in Bayfield Ontario compared to our place here in Congress Arizona.  No change in the moon of course, but a big change in how we view the moon.  In Bayfield, because of the numerous large Pine trees surrounding our house, we can only catch fleeting glimpses of the it.  Here in Arizona, the Moonlight floods the desert floor & surrounding mountains & our visibility stretches for miles.  Not only do we get to see all the Moon rises here but we also get to see all the sunrises & sunsets as well.  Always look forward to that every year & it is definitely worth the long drive down from Ontario:))

HASTY SHOT OF A UFO THIS MORNING BETWEEN THE MOON & PLANET JUPITER…WELL, NOT EXACTLY…THE ROUND GREEN ORB IS A LIGHT REFLECTION IN THE LENS CAUSED BY THE MOON’S LIGHT:))

For the second time in a week we had our 2 vehicle convoy ready to roll this morning at 8:30.  Jean & Skip hadn’t been out to the Vulture Peak area so with windows down, plenty of sunshine, & warm temps, we headed off to Wickenburg & west to the Peak.  Just a great morning for a scenic drive through the mountainside.

OUR 2 VEHICLE CONVOY IS READY TO RUMBLE

TWENTY MINUTES LATER WE WERE ON THE VULTURE PEAK TRAIL

Kelly & I had done the first half of the Vulture Peak trail last March so knew it to be a nice moderate hike through stands of Saguaro & mini-forests of Teddy Bear Cholla cactus.  My hip & leg were feeling good so we had ourselves a leisurely walk on part of the trail.  How fortunate for 4 Snow Bird’s from Canada to be out of the cold, wet, & blustery Canadian winter, ambling along surrounded by so much natural desert & mountain beauty.

 

LEFT PHOTO SHOWS THE JEEP ROAD LEADING TOWARDS THE PEAK

JEAN & SKIP…ON THE TRAIL

Following the hike we drove south a bit to have a look at the Vulture Mine.  They conduct Saturday morning tours at this mine.  Not a lot visible from the road except  for some old mining buildings.  Heading back towards Wickenburg we drove through a boondocking site.  Same place AMERICAN TRAVELER, WANDERING WILLY, & IVAN have previously stayed.  Well, at least I think Ivan stayed here.  Hailey’s not too sure where they end up sometimes:))

LOUIE WAS STILL NOT IN A SHARING MOOD TODAY

Back into Wickenburg where Kelly & I stopped at Safeway for groceries while Jean & Skip headed on up to the Escapee’s North Ranch for a walk around the well laid out & well cared for beautiful cactus garden.  You can see a few of my March photos of that garden HERE. 

  

PETER, THIS IS YOUR SITE FROM LAST MARCH WHERE WE HAD BREAKFAST ONE FINE MORNING…JUST A TENT THERE NOW

As usual, we were back home by noon to beat the heat.  Because of my poor sleeping habits each night I generally run out of energy in the early afternoon & have to plug myself into the recliner for a few hours & recharge my batteries.

A NARROW ROCKY PATH LEADS THROUGH THE SAGUAROS

Awhile back, reader Chris sent in an email about our Blog Follower/Friend Connect list at the top of our blog, “I tried to leave this as a comment on your blog but I couldn't figure out how to do it since you changed things around. I don't have any of the required accounts”……. I actually haven’t made any changes to that Friend/Follower program since I first set it up in the blog back in late 07 but my guess is that Google, in it’s never ending quest for change, changed things. From the comments & emails I have received, it is clear the sign up process is not as easy as it once was, for whatever reason. At one time we had a healthy growing Blog Followers list but this past year or so the growth has slowed to a trickle & I suspect that has to do with some kind of difficulty folks have with signing onto our Blog Follower/Friend Connect list now. I wonder if other Bloggers have noticed this? And Carmella, I knew you had joined our list when your photo appeared as Blog Follower 531:))

IF WE WERE HERE YEAR ROUND TO KEEP THEM WATERED, WE WOULD PLANT SOME BOUGAINVILLIA AROUND THE PROPERTY

Jean & Skip sprung for Pizza tonight & slipped down to the Congress Mercantile Depot to bring back a big pizza supreme. Yummy.  Big Jake, Sophie & Louie even rode along as back-up in case there were any Pizza robbers along the way.  We are sure going to miss all these guys when they are gone.  We always leave our doors wide open so these past few days has been like old times with dogs wandering in & dogs wandering out.  We love dogs & having a pack of dogs around, playing together, hanging out, & just being dogs, is right up our alley.  And, we like Jean & Skip a whole bunch too:))  We will genuinely feel sad when the whole gang leaves in the morning:((

JEAN & KELLY ON THE VULTURE PEAK TRAIL THIS MORNING

GROANER’S  CORNER:((  "Mr. Clark, I'm afraid I have bad news," the doctor told his anxious patient. "You only have six months to live." The man sat in stunned silence for the next several minutes. Regaining his composure, he apologetically told his physician that he had no medical insurance. "I can't possibly pay you in that time." "Okay," the doctor said, "let's make it nine months."

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