PHEEBS & I SLIP OUT TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO A FEW FAVORITE DESERT SPOTS THIS MORNING

PHEEBS & I SITTING ON AUNT JEAN’S DESERT ROCK THIS MORNING

Our morning dawned cold enough for us to dress warmly & I figured it would be a good opportunity for Pheebs & I to head out into the desert behind our house for a Jeep ride, a walk & some rock scrambling.  With recent hot weather I was leery of Rattlesnakes so figured this mornings colder air would be a good time to drive out through Rattler territory to Indian Rock.

I CALL THIS CLUSTER OF ROCKS & BOULDERS ‘AUNT JEAN’S ROCK SCRAMBLE’ & THAT’S YOUR ROCK AT THE FAR RIGHT JEAN WHERE I TOOK THE PHOTO OF PHEEBS & I THIS MORNING:))

JUST THE NICEST JUMBLE OF BOULDERS

MOUNTAIN DOG

There is a chance when we leave here in a few weeks we may not be back to this area again so I wanted to slip out to a few places in the nearby desert that have given us so many great memories over these past 4 winters.

Our first stop was a jumble of rocks & boulders where we took some great photos of Aunt Jean a few years ago when she flew out from Florida to visit us here in Congress.  It’s a favorite spot of mine now & I sat on the same large boulder where I took pictures of Jean, Kelly, & Pheebs.  A gentle Northwest breeze ruffled my hat as I sat peering for miles across the greening desert to a range of distant but memorably familiar mountain ranges.  Aside from a cactus wren singing somewhere behind us the only sound I could hear in this morning’s silent desert air was a cool wind playing though the open mesh of my favorite Breezer Hat.

THESE NON-SLIPPERY BOULDERS ARE NICE FOR CLIMBING AROUND ON

FAIREY DUSTER FLOWERS GATHER ROUND A BEAVER TAIL CACTUS

Turning my head to the far left I could see Yavapai Counties Date Creek & Weaver Mountains making their way around from the Northeast to meet the Wickenburg Mountains in the Southeast.   A flat wide valley to the south traveled west before climbing into the Vulture Mountain Range dominated by Vulture Peak.  So many pleasant memories in all of these places. 

DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS IN THE FOREGROUND WITH THE WEAVERS IN THE BACKGROUND & THAT IS THE ROCK YOU WERE SITTING ON JEAN

WICKENBURG MOUNTAINS ON THE THIN HAZY HORIZON

VULTURE MOUNTAINS EDGING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HORIZON

VULTURE PEAK IN THE DISTANCE

My eyes continued westward across the hazy horizon dotted with smaller mountains until I next saw Harquahala Mountain looming low in the west.  Still more memories there as my gaze continued to the Harcuvar range partially hidden by the southern edge of the Date Creek Mountains which silently marched their way around behind me.  So many memories as I sat there thinking back to the day when Aunt Jean climbed up to where I was sitting & looked out at the same scenery I was seeing this morning.

HARQUAHALA LOOMS LOW ON THE HORIZON WHILE PHEEBS SCRATCHES AROUND IN THE FOREGROUND

SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS SLIDE DOWN ONTO THE DESERT FLOOR

EVEN THE SHADOW COWBOY MANAGED A SELFIE THIS MORNING

Back into the Jeep we made our way along the winding Jeep road through & around the Mesquites & Palo Verde trees picking us up a few more desert pin stripes along the way .

THESE HARD & SOFT PACKED SANDY ROADS CRISS CROSS THE SOUTH-WEST DESERTS FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES IN ALL DIRECTIONS

A GIANT DESERT CACTUS LIZARD TRYS TO GRAB US AS WE GO BY

Minutes later we were at Indian Rock & out of the Jeep for a walk through an area we have walked a dozen times before.  Over the years we’ve brought friends here to stroll through the large boulders with us.  Leslie & Peter, Jean & Skip, Suzie & George come to mind. 

LIBBY IS DWARFED BY INDIAN ROCK

MORTEROS (INDIAN GRINDING HOLES)

I’VE OFTEN WONDERED IF THIS BIG BOULDER KNOWN AS INDIAN ROCK TUMBLED ALL THE WAY DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN ABOVE

All the time in the back of my mind this morning I felt this could very well be the last time for me driving these Jeep roads & walking the desert floor through the cactus & boulders.  I often feel that way about places where I have enjoyed creating so many favorite memories.  I will remember our times here in this area with the same kind of love I remember our ranch sitting days in the Bisbee, Elfrida, Douglas, Tombstone, & Sierra Vista area.

SPRING TIME AT INDIAN ROCK

SPLIT ROCK

ONE OF MY FAVORITE WALKING AREAS JUST SOUTH OF INDIAN ROCK

IT SURE IS THE PREDOMINENT ROCK IN THE AREA

Pheebs & I were back home shortly after 10 & that pretty much wrapped up my day.  I’ll sure be glad to get the big wheels rolling soon & see some new scenery rolling by the Big EEE’s windows again.

NICE TO SEE OCCOTILLO’S IN BLOOM AGAIN

I smelled the rain even before I knew it was raining.  Around 3 this afternoon winds suddenly picked up & our earlier clear skies darkened.  Sitting in my recliner looking out our front window I could see the sun shining in our yard & then with a particularly strong wind gust I smelled it raining.  Rain in the desert has a very distinct aroma to it as falling rain drops mix with dry desert dust.  Hard to describe the smell except to say it smells like wet dirt which of course it is.  Rain only lasted a few minutes but our slowly diminishing winds continued on into early evening.

SURE GOING TO MISS THIS BEAUTIFUL AREA

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man from Texas, driving a Volkswagen Beetle, pulls up next to a guy in a Rolls Royce with Nevada plates at a stop sign. Their windows are open and he yells at the guy in the Rolls, "Hey, you got a telephone in that Rolls?" The guy in the Rolls says, "Yes, of course I do." "I got one too... see?" the Texan says.  "Uh, huh, yes, that's very nice."  "You got a fax machine?" asks the Texan.  "Why, actually, yes, I do."  "I do too! See? It's right here!" brags the Texan.  The light is just about to turn green and the guy in the Volkswagen says, "So, do you have a double bed in back there?"  The guy in the Rolls replies, "NO! Do you?"  "Yep, got my double bed right in back here, see?" the Texan replies.  The light turns and the man in the Volkswagen takes off.  Well, the guy in the Rolls is not about to be one-upped, so he immediately goes to a customizing shop and orders them to put a double bed in back of his car.  About two weeks later, the job is finally done. He picks up his car and drives all over town looking for the Volkswagen beetle with the Texas plates. Finally, he finds it parked alongside the road, so he pulls his Rolls up next to it.  The windows on the Volkswagen are all fogged up and he feels somewhat awkward about it, but he gets out of his newly modified Rolls and taps on the foggy window of the Volkswagen. The man in the Volkswagen finally opens the window a crack and peeks out.  The guy in the Rolls says, "Hey, remember me?"  "Yeah, yeah, I remember you," replies the Texan. "What's up?"  "Check this out... I got a double bed installed in my Rolls." The Texan exclaims, "WHAT!! YOU GOT ME OUT OF THE SHOWER JUST TO TELL ME THAT?!’!!!"