RETURN TO LITTLE BOX CANYON & THE NARROWS WHERE A RAZOR DRIVER SAID TO ME, “HEY I KNOW YOU”

AN ENCHANTING TAMARISK GROVE AT LITTLE BOX CANYON

After Tuesday’s long day of sitting around the house doing about the square root of nothing I knew Pheebs & were overdue for a Jeep ride somewhere.  Besides it was warmer with clear sunny skies this morning & I felt re-energized.     After a quick stop for a bite & coffee to go at Wickenburg’s Jack In The Box we soon had Libby’s tires off the busy highway pavement onto a good old dust infested bumpy road heading out into the desert hills northeast of Wickenburg.  Scenic Loop Road is an old favorite for us.  Later turning right on Rincon Road we topped a ridge & stopped.  Had been on my mind to walk up onto a hill top there for awhile & this morning that’s exactly what we did.  Nice views looking down over the Hassayampa River valley leading into Wickenburg.

LEFT THE JEEP PARKED BELOW & HIKED UP THIS HILL FOR A LOOK AROUND

FROM ATOP THIS HILL WE COULD SEE IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR MORNING TRAVELS WHICH WILL TAKE US TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THOSE PEAKS ON THE RIGHT

WE WILL HEAD ON DOWN THERE INTO THE HASSAYAMPA VALLEY THEN FOLLOW THE RIVER WASH OFF TO THE LEFT

WICKENBURG IS VISIBLE ABOVE THAT PLUME OF SMOKE

SCENIC LOOP ROAD HEADS NORTHEAST TOWARDS STANTON AZ.

STANTON SEEN FROM ABOUT 6 MILES AWAY…..CAN EVEN MAKE OUT THE OLD STAGE COACH ROAD ABOVE STANTON HEADING UP TO YARNELL

Had a destination in mind so after our hilltop walk we followed Rincon Road until we came to the large Hassayampa River wash & turned left into the sandy river bed.  We were headed for Box Canyon & the Narrows.  Kelly & I had just been through this area a couple weeks ago but I wanted to come in a different way & see the Canyon & Narrows again from a different direction.

TRAVELING ALONG ON THE HASSAYAMPA RIVER BED

PARKED HERE & WALKED OVER THRHOUGH THAT STAND OF TAMARISK TREES TO THE LITTLE BOX CANYON

What a beautiful spot under those Tamarisk trees & I was reminded of Hobbits living there.  There’s a sheer rocky cliff wall rising up from the river bed & it’s just a short walk into the small dead end box canyon.

I WILL HAVE MORE PHOTOS OF THE TAMARISK GROVE & LITTLE BOX CANYON TOMORROW NIGHT

PHEEBS SURE SEEMED TO LIKE PUDDLING AROUND IN THIS CRYSTAL CLEAR SHALLOW RIVER WATER

Back to the Jeep I noticed a couple ATV Razors coming along up behind me so we pulled out & headed off upriver in the direction of the Narrows ahead of them.  Traveling slower they soon dropped far behind.  Pheebs & I probably went another half mile or so to where there is a large water level gauge thing on the river bank.  Pulled over & stopped for some photos.  Noticed the 2 ATV’s slowly approaching, took a few more photos then waited for them to pass close by.  The first Razor slowed down as I gave them a wave.  Then it slowed down some more & rolled to a stop beside me.  Driver shut off the engine & said, “Hey I know you”.

THIS IS THE HASSAYAMPA RIVER WATER GUAGE WHICH I’M GUESSING CAN MAYBE SEND AN ELECTRONIC WATER LEVEL READING TO WICKENBURG TO WARN OF HIGH WATER LEVELS DURING MONSOON SEASON

THESE ARE ‘THE NARROWS’ & DRIVEABLE BUT DRIVE WITH CAUTION & FOLLOW THE VEHICLE TRACKS AHEAD OF YOU

Well whenever I hear those ‘hey I know you’ words my heart always skips a beat & it sends an immediate shiver up my spine.  My mind goes into a million mile an hour overdrive mode with these thoughts…..first, I don’t recognize the driver & second is a big ‘Oh-Oh’ with the question foremost in my mind being, “if this is a Blog reader then what have I written that he is now about to jump out of that Razor & lay a big flogging on me”!!   The Razor driver hollers back to the other couple in the second Razor, “this is the guy who writes the blog”.  Oh no I thought, I’m doomed & they’re gonna get me for sure.  Whewwww, big sigh of relief when the driver with a big smile turns back & says he faithfully reads my blog every day & has been doing so for a long time.  Says I’m the very reason they were all there in the Narrows this morning & as they appeared to be having a good time I took that as a good sign.  And that is how I met the Halls from Utah this morning.  Hope I got their name right & if by some slim chance I did I’ll be right proud of myself. Nice folks for sure & we had ourselves a wee bit of a river bed chat right there alongside the lazily flowing waters of the Hassayampa River.  They spend part of their winter down around the Yuma area.  Nice to meet you folks this morning & thanks for all your kind words.  It’s people like you who give people like me the inspiration to do what I do:)) 

HEY IT’S THE HALLS FROM UTAH:))

AND THE HALLS FRIENDS WHOSE NAMES I FORGOT TO GET

THE RAZOR FOLKS HEAD ON DOWN THROUGH THE NARROWS

Meeting the Halls & the other couple this morning & being recognized there in the middle of nowhere gave me a good feeling inside.  There are times when writing my blog I get a discouraged with myself worrying that my daily musings are too repetitive, too boring, & too uninteresting, etc.  I have a tendency to be critical of myself & lose my focus from time to time.  And then something like this morning happens & jolts me back again causing me to say to myself….”that’s why you are where you are at this stage of life Al so just keep writing your blog & taking your photos”.  Don’t question it, just keep doing it………….

LOOKING UPRIVER TOWARDS THE NARROWS & BELOW LOOKING DOWN RIVER TOWARDS LITTLE BOX CANYON

There is a brochure at the Visitor’s Center in Wickenburg giving directions how to get to the Box Canyon & Narrows but after taking that 7 mile route with a very rocky 300 yards down to the riverbed I’m going to tell you of a ‘much easier & shorter way of getting there.  From highway 93 in Wickenburg’s northeast end take Rincon Road heading east.  Road is paved for about a mile then turns to hard packed sandy gravel through the Hassayampa wash.  Pavement begins again on the other side so just follow that pavement for a few more miles until it once more ends.  You are now at the wash again so turn right & follow the vehicle tracks.  Be sure you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle & follow the tracks ahead of you.  I’m guessing it’s maybe 2 miles to the small Box Canyon which is easy to miss.  Watch on your left for a ‘big’ growth of green Tamarisk trees.  Park here & walk into the trees & you will see the short dead end Box Canyon ahead of you.  Also ahead of you can be seen water flowing along the river bed.  The ‘Narrows’ are only about half a mile or so further ahead.  If you pay attention & follow the vehicle tracks you should be Okay driving through the shallow flowing water along the river bed.  Most of your driving will be right in the middle of the river bed.  You be the judge where you want to turn around.

Pheebs & I turned around in the Narrows & headed back downstream plowing our way through a few soft & dry sandy spots along the way.  We were soon back to Rincon Road & 20 minutes later we rolled into our front yard in Congress.  Noticed both our gates were open & Kelly said a couple ladies had come earlier to look at the house. 

Don’t think I had been home half an hour when a little white Honda pulled into our yard.  Thought it was probably some folks interested in having a look at our house & property for sale but it wasn’t.  Little did I know I was about to receive my second jolt of confidence for the day & that is how we met long time blog readers Joanne & Ron from Oregon.  They drove over from Florence Arizona today where they have been spending a few months this winter.  Again another fine couple who are teetering on the edge of taking the RV lifestyle plunge, maybe even buying a house in Arizona at some point.  Showed Joanne & Ron around the property & through the house with an RV tour of the Big EEE as well.  Ron & Joanne echoed some of the same nice things the Halls had said to me earlier this morning at the Hassayampa River Narrows.  All & all it was a good day for me & I even got to meet some mighty fine folks to boot:))

RON (I THINK HE SPELLS IT RAWN) & JOANNE 

Just before publishing my post tonight I saw this note on Jim & Sandies blog about Retired Rod.  Our thoughts are with Rod tonight & I remember he was the last person I talked to at Bloggerfest a month ago just before climbing into our rig to head out.  His last words to me were, “get those O2 sensors (on our rig) changed”

THE NARROWS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Lets Face It English Is A Stupid Language::
There is no egg in the eggplant No ham in the hamburger And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England French fries were not invented in France. We sometimes take English for granted but if we examine its paradoxes we find:- that Quicksand takes you down slowly Boxing rings are square And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. If writers write, how come fingers don't fing. If the plural of tooth is teeth shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught. If a vegetarian eats vegetables why don't humanitarians eat human!? Why do people recite at a play yet play at a recital? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can the weather be as hot as hell on one day and as cold as hell on another? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language:- whereby a house can burn up as it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out. A bell is only heard once it goes!  English was invented by people, not computers and it reflects the creativity of the human race (Which of course isn't a race at all)