‘OMG’ KELLY SENT ME OFF TO MEXICO ALL BY MYSELF THIS MORNING

CALIFORNIA’S RUGGED CARGO MUCHACHO MOUNTAINS

My new bottom denture has been bothering me so I knew I needed to return to Algodones Mexico at some point to have that looked at and this morning was that point.  I had a bright and early appointment at the Rubio Dental Clinic for 8 a.m.

PHEEBS IN THE CARGO MUCHACHOS THIS AFTERNOON

It was still dark when I hopped into the Jeep about 7 and made my way out of the desert to Ogilby Road.  Turning left I headed a couple miles south to I-8 picking up the east bound lanes for Algodones Road which took me down to the border.  It’s $6 to park for the day at the American side of the border and I was maybe the 6th car into the parking lot which may very well hold a thousand vehicles.  Sat in the Jeep until 7:30 then hoofed it across the border into Mexico.

NICE TO SEE THIS EARLY MORNING STREET NOT CHOKED WITH TRAFFIC LIKE LAST TIME

Knowing exactly where to go and the shortest way to get there I made my way along a back street, up a hill, round a corner and down another block until I reached the Dental Clinic.  I was moving too fast for any vendors to nail me.  It was 7:45 when I walked into the open lobby door of the clinic.  I was the only one there.  The staff didn’t begin arriving until 8 and shortly after my name was called and in I went to the big blue reclining chair.  Some work was quickly done to my bottom denture with a chain saw and after 3 fittings my lower denture was much better than before.  Okay so it wasn’t a chain saw but it was kinda like a chain saw.  Maybe a Dremel tool or something.

MAKING FAST TRACKS FOR THE BORDER I WAS RELIEVED TO SEE NO LINE UP HERE IN THE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE LINE UP TO RETURN TO THE STATES…..IN FACT I WAS THE ONLY CROSSING

LEFT SIDE OF THIS CANAL IS AMERICAN AND THE RIGHT SIDE IS MEXICO AND IT’S STILL MY FAVORITE VIEW OF ALGODONES

AFTER SHOWING MY PASSPORT AND PASSING THROUGH THE TURNSTYLE IT’S A TWISTY TURNY WALK ALONG A FENCED CORRIDOR BACK TO AMERICA

With dentures comfortably back in place I was oughta the chair and out of the building making a bee line for the border.  No way did I want to get stuck in a frustrating long line of tourists.  Well I needn’t have worried because I was the only one there and crossed the border in about 6 seconds.  Couldn’t help but notice people being badgered while still on the American side soon after parking their cars and walking towards the Mexican entry port.  If it wasn’t for the Vendors, Hawkers and Pickers constantly in one’s face I think I might actually enjoy the Algodones experience.  Because of that non stop badgering I’m hoping this morning was my last trip there.  Fifteen minutes after leaving the border parking lot I was back at the rig.

SPOTTED THESE EGRETS ALONG THE WAY A QUARTER MILE FROM THE BORDER ENTRY POINT

THESE MEXICO PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WITH MY CANON POINT AND SHOOT

Had myself quite a pile of laundry built up so I tossed it all into the Jeep and headed up the road to Gold Rock Ranch and their laundry room.  Not a soul around…..bonus.  I took up 3 washing machines and all went well until it came time to dry it all and that’s where the wheels fell off.  Loaded all my stuff into a big dryer, put my $1.75 worth of quarters into it and pushed the money mechanism in.  Nothing!!  I wiggled, I pressed, I checked and re-checked to make sure I had the door closed properly.  Nothing!!  A red light was on indicating the dryer had power but it refused to start.  I quickly emptied half the load into a smaller dryer, put in 4 quarters and it started up Okay.

SPOTTED AT THE GOLD ROCK RANCH

Didn’t think I would find anybody in the usually closed office but luckily somebody was just checking in so I told the lady at the counter about the dryer not working.  She asked me if I was a Park resident and I said no.  I was told the laundry room is for Park residents only and she did refund me my broken dryer money.  Back to the laundry room and threw my second pile into the other big dryer.  Put my $1.75 into the machine slot and shoved it in.  Closed the open door and stood face to face with 3 emboldened words across the dryer’s window. ‘Out Of Order’.  Awwwww Nuts now what!!!!  Well I only had 2 quarters left and I was not about to go back to that office again and be told I shouldn’t be there.  I quickly pulled out my still rotating damp clothes from the smaller dryer and just as quickly heaved in my other batch of wet clothes.  Wouldn’t you know it five minutes later that dryer finished it’s cycle so I folded up all my damp wet clothes and headed back to the rig.

HERE’S KELLY SETTLED IN WATCHING THE INAUGARATION THIS MORNING……ME??  WELL I HAD BETTER THINGS TO DO….LIKE LAUNDRY

Without even bothering to go in and explain to Kelly what had happened I simply began hanging my damp clothes in the Palo Verde trees ahead of the rig as well as draping whatever I could over the tops of Creosote bushes.  Although not a good drying day with it not being warm or sunny there was a brisk wind blowing so figured  that was the only option I had left.  About 3 hours later I went back outside and everything was dry except for a few sandy pieces which had been blown and dragged across the desert floor for a couple miles:))

AND NO YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE MY UNDERWARE TREE

Been over a month since Pheebs and I had been out for a Jeep ride so this afternoon I loaded up the little Darlin along with my cameras and away we went. Being familiar with the area from previous years we headed off down American Girl Mine Road to see if we could rustle us up a few old familiar places and hopefully some new ones.  Found the site where JoAnne and the late Doug Dubrellet joined us one time for their first ever boon-docking experience.

HEADING FOR THE MUCHACHOS

THERE IS GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS AND BELOW YOU CAN SEE THE SIZE OF THE GOLDEN NUGGETS LAYING AROUND ALL OVER THE PLACE

I’M GUESSING THERE ONCE WAS A MINING OPERATION BUILDING HERE AS EVIDENCED BY THE TRASH LEFT BEHIND

THERE ARE THE REMAINS OF MANY OLD GOLD MINES IN THESE MOUNTAINS

Dark moody clouds overhead mixed with patches of traveling sunlight pushed by gusting south winds made the Cargo Muchacho stand out in all their stark rugged beauty.  We came across a new mining operation with a huge new pit beside it reminding me of a tiny Grand Canyon.

GAZING OVER THE EDGE OF A VERY LARGE PIT MINE

PHEEBS STAYS IN THE JEEP WHEN WE’RE NOT SURE OF THE TERRAIN

WHEN I TOOK THIS LONG TELEPHOTOS SHOT OF AN OLD MINE STRUCTURE I NEVER NOTICED THE ATV GUY RIGHT BESIDE IT

WHEN I SAW THIS FROM A DISTANCE I THOUGHT IT WAS A COYOTE SITTING WATCHING ME BUT MY TELEPHOTO LENS TOLD ME OTHERWISE

THESE MOUNTAINS ARE HOME TO MANY OLD MINE SITES FROM DECADES AND DECADES AGO

Following a familiar old mining road we drove us further into the Muchachos where I knew another large pit to be complete with some water in the bottom.  I remembered this spot because I foolishly hurt my arm here about 8 years ago.  I had a real good throwing arm as a kid so figured I could throw a rock far enough out to land it in the water far below.  I forgot I wasn’t a kid anymore.  Despite a twinge in my arm with the first rock which never made it I really wound and let the second one go.  The rock never made it to the water but it felt like my arm did.  It took at least 2 years before I noticed that arm was not sore anymore.

FOLLOWING ‘GIRL MINE ROAD’ DEEPER INTO THE MUCHACOS

STANDING ON THIS RIDGE TO THE LEFT YEARS AGO IS WHERE I HURT MY ARM TRYING TO THROW A COUPLE ROCKS INTO THE PIT OFF TO THE RIGHT

WHATEVER MADE ME THINK I COULD THROW A ROCK THAT FAR

We did find the pit and the water was still in it.  No rock throwing this time but Pheebs and did get out for a walk down the rough rocky road marveling at the ruggedness of not only the Cargo Muchachos themselves but the mammoth mining operations that for decades have torn up great swatches of land in these mountains.

NOTICE THE SIGNS OF MINING CUT ACROSS THE ROCK FACE

WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MOUNTAIN ON THE RIGHT IS NOT WHAT IT APPEARS….IT’S A HUGE MAN MADE SLAG PILE AND YOU CAN SEE THE VARIOUS DUMPS IN THE PHOTO BELOW

WE KNEW ENOUGH NOT TO VENTURE ANY FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD

WATER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OLD ABANDONED MINING SITE

Back to the rig I carefully picked all my laundry out of the prickly Palo Verde trees and off the Creosote Shrubs.  Just in time too as an hour later the predicted rains were finally upon us and we were socked in for a couple hours.  At the time of posting tonight the rains have stopped and skies are clearing nicely.

OKAY DAD IT’S TIME TO GO HOME NOW

RUGGED,  RUGGED, RUGGED

GUSTING WINDS BLOWING SAND AROUND

A devastating cancer diagnosis has brought sad news from Lynne over at Winnie Views as she posts Life Turns to a New Direction.  We just never know. 

No idea how long we’ll be here at Ogilbe Road or where we will go next.  Maybe further west.  Chances are good we’ll get back over to Borrego Springs again at some point but not sure when.  Are there any boon-dockers out here who might know of a good spot to camp other than the Clark Dry Lake Bed near Borrego Springs.  We been setting up there for nearly 10 years now and a change is in order.

‘I SURE LIKE GOING FOR JEEP RIDES WITH MY DAD’

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A guy was taking sky-diving lessons. The instructor explained that it was time for his first jump, and all he had to do was jump from the plane, count to six, and pull the rip cord. A truck would be waiting for him in the field where he would land.  The man jumped from the plane when he was told to, and counted to six. When he pulled the rip cord, the parachute wouldn't open. He tried the reserve chute and that didn't open. Frustrated, he muttered to himself as he fell, "I'll bet the damn truck won't be waiting for me either."

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Food One Liners……………
- On April Fools Day, a mother put a fire cracker under the pancakes. She blew her stack.
- A couple of kids tried using pickles for a Ping-Pong game. They had the volley of the Dills.
- A friend got some vinegar in his ear, now he suffers from pickled hearing.
- Overweight is something that just sort of snacks up on you.
- Sign in restaurant window: "Eat now - Pay waiter."

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"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."