DO WE HAVE ANY 'RANCH SITTERS' OUT HERE IN RV BLOG LAND:))

FULL MOON RISING OVER THE SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS AT THE RANCH IN DEC. 09 (700mm telescope lens)

Anyone following our blog knows that we have spent the last 4 winters traveling around the American Southwest.  You will also know that we have spent some time 'ranch sitting' the past couple years as well.  When we leave Bayfield in late October we will once again head straight for the ranch which is located in Arizona's southeast corner near McNeal, Douglas & Bisbee.  Unlike last winter, we have decided to spend less time at the ranch this year & more time traveling.  We will be there from the beginning of November until mid December.

STORM CLOUDS OVER THE RANCH HOUSE

The owners of the ranch, J & R are also RV folks & again this year would like to spend the winter months doing some traveling of their own .  Another RV couple is going to take over the ranch sitting job from us from mid December to mid January.  A third RV couple & friends of ours will take over sometime in January & will stay for awhile but not sure how long yet.  That will leave part of February & all of March available.

OUR FULL HOOK-UP SITE AT THE RANCH

Workampers will probably not be interested in this because it is not a paying job. You do have full hook-ups & the security of a locked gate & a very large area with coyote proof fencing so it's a great safety factor if you have pets.  The ranch is an excellent home base for day trips in this historical southeast corner of Arizona.  Thousands of Sand Hill Cranes fly directly over the ranch every single day.  Their roosting area is only one mile south of the ranch at the, WHITEWATER DRAW WILDLIFE AREA

SUNSET ON THE PORCH

It is imperative that you understand, care for & love animals.  The ranch has about a dozen frisky chickens, 3 clever donkeys, 2 new cows, two lovable dogs (Pearce & Gleason) & Charlie the cat to look after.  The gang has to be fed twice a day & the 3 or 4 chicken eggs have to be gathered daily.  And, you will be required to milk the chickens every Saturday morning before breakfast:))

DRAGOON MOUNTAINS NORTHWEST OF THE RANCH

Douglas & Bisbee are only about a 20-25 minute drive away.  Tombstone is about a 40 minute drive & Sierra Vista is just another 15 minutes on the other side of Tombstone.  The ranch is located in the Sulphur Springs Valley & surrounded by the Dragoon, Chiricahua, Swiss Helm & Mule mountains.  And, if you haven't been to Bisbee Arizona yet, you are in for an alpine treat in an old mountain mining town.  For many photos of the ranch & surrounding area attractions just check our archives for Feb-March 2009 & again from November 09 to just about the end of January 2010.  Or, check our PICASA PHOTO ALBUMS for those same dates.

3 OF THE RANCH'S DESPERADOS'....SARAH, NELLIE & PONCHO

So, if anyone is interested in 'ranch sitting' for a spell in February & March, just let us know & we'll forward your interest to the folks at the ranch.  Preference will probably be given to anyone on our blog list that we know or have been in email contact with for awhile.  Just a little something for you Buckaroo RV'ers to think about:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED...................
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it's his fan club that causes me grievous concern:((

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

FROM BELLE’S TO BISBEE

AL & BELLE STARR

The winds came up in the night just enough to rattle some things on the motorhome & cause me to lose some precious winks.  Up at 4 & back to sleep at 5.  Was very surprised to see the outside temps at 58F when we got up around 6.  That's a whole lot better than 22F we had a few weeks ago.   Skies were looking very dark & angry up towards Benson & Tucson for quite awhile this morning.  We remained in sun & cloud for most of the A.M. & then clear bright sunny skies for the rest of the day with a warm to cooling breeze.

TUESDAY MORNING’S STORMY SKIES TO THE NORTH

Kelly skipped her Yoga class & we headed on over to Belle's ranch.  Red & Jeanie are still there & Red has all the electrical & plumbing repairs done.  Jesse was busy feeding the critters & Belle was busy doing battle with her computer.  The computer is 5 years old & in need of a major refurbishing.  Kelly tried to work her magic on it but to no avail.  It is basically bogged down to the point of malfunction.  Belle is going to have to send it the computer hospital in Douglas for some major surgery.  Took Kelly over an hour just to get the email program functioning & by now that may have crashed on Belle again.

KELLY WORKING ON BELLE’S COMPUTER                          

From Belle's we headed over to the Safeway store in Bisbee for some groceries followed by a mighty fine small pizza at Gus the Greeks.  It was such a nice day we drove over towards the south end of the Huachuca mountains marveling at the beauty.  A right turn on Hereford Road led us up the San Pedro Valley east of Sierra Vista & another right turn put us back on track for a return trip to Bisbee from the northwest end which incidentally is the prettiest way into Bisbee on highway 80.  Stopped for some pics just before the tunnel & then did a drive by camera shooting of Bisbee as we rolled right past on the highway heading east for the Sulphur Springs Valley & back to the motorhome.  Just a great day for a nice drive in some very beautiful scenery.

   

THE TUNNEL NORTH OF BISBEE & BISBEE ITSELF AS WE DRIVE BY ON THE HIGHWAY                         (click on pics to enlarge)

A couple posts ago I showed a window in Naco with a bullet hole in it & a car parked on the street with a window busted out.  That prompted a few questions about the safety & security here so close to the Mexican border.  That bullet hole may have been in that window for a couple days or a couple years.  In the southwest a bullet hole in a window does not mean the window has to be replaced.  It just means there's a small hole in the window that's all.  And the car on the street with the smashed window??  Well, I wouldn't be surprised if we came back next near at this time that same car might still be sitting in the same spot.  It's just the way of the west down here.  As far as worrying about this sort of thing the answer is absolutely not.  We feel perfectly safe & the locals don't give their proximity to the Mexican border a second thought.  The media hype is always playing up the danger which, don't kid yourself, is out there but you just have to use your head & stay away from the trouble spots.  We're not crazy about crossing the border into Mexico anymore after an incident we had a couple years ago near Lukeville Arizona but that's just us.  We also would not go into any border town at night.  When we go to Douglas for example I'd say most of the people there are Mexican folks.  Store clerks, fast food places, hardware stores, garages, etc. etc.  It's just the way it is & you don't even think about it.  Due to the milder temps at night right now I'm sure there are probably more illegal's afoot nearby but if they hear or see you first you will never see them because the last thing they want to do is draw attention to themselves & they will hide from you until you pass by.  Drug runners are a different story but tend to stick to known routes & we are fortunately not in those areas. 

                                   

BELLE’S LONG TIME FRIEND JESSE HAS COME TO HELP HER WITH THE SILVERADO RANCH

And a note to Margie, Larry, or whoever may be looking at our site from last night's Margie's Coffee Cafe.  If you folks up there around Sunsites look towards the top of our blog on the right side you will see 'search this blog.'  Type in Pearce Arizona & it will bring up all the posts & pictures I have done in your area this past year, especially the Pearce Heritage Days awhile back.  I'm sure you will find the faces of your many friends on there:))

MONDAY NIGHT’S SUNSET

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Two old guys are pushing their carts around Wal-Mart when they collide.The first old guy says to the second guy, "Sorry about that I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." The second old guy says, "That's OK, It's a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate." The first old guy says, "Well, maybe I can help you find her. What does she look like?" The second old guy says: "Well, she is 27 yrs old, tall, with red hair, blue eyes, long legs, big bust, and is wearing short shorts. What does your wife looks like?" To which the first old guy says, "Doesn't matter, let's look for yours."

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

A SUNDAY DRIVE TO THE BORDER TOWN OF NACO………. ARIZONA

BULLET HOLE IN DOWNTOWN NACO

The very last photo in Saturday night's blog showed where the previous blog photos were all taken but I should have made that clearer.  All the close up photos of the ice mushrooms (that's what Kelly called them) were taken around the base of that fruit tree.  Water from the hose had trickled down during the night forming that cascade of ice.  I have more pics from another tree that I will post later.

NACO ARIZONA…… BORDER TOWN OF THE PAST

It's nearly 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon & Kelly is outside getting a campfire going under cloudy skies.  We headed off to the tiny border town of Naco late this morning to have another look around.  We had been there in the spring but just drove through it & back to Bisbee.  Today we stopped on what once was the main street right outside the Mexican border gates.  It's a wide street & it is a dead street that ends with a barrier saying 'Road Closed.'  A narrow alley street leads east a couple hundred yards between old buildings to the actual border crossing point.  This town was probably a going concern years ago but for whatever reasons it has fallen on hard times & is basically a living ghost town.  One old store front head a bullet hole in the window.  Blanched & rusting metal signs have long since faded in the long days of the hot Arizona sun.  While standing with my camera in the middle of the empty street between forgotten buildings I could hear the boisterous sounds of Mexican music just across the border about 500 yards away.  How sad it was as I looked around me at the dirty street, peopleless sidewalks, & dark empty windows.  How ironic it was to hear the sounds of happy music coming from an impoverished country............just over the fence.  Naco's streets are dusty & the houses are tattered.  A few children playing here & there.  Barking dogs watch us pass slowly by & we saw few people.  Some old trailer homes back right up against the tall border security line fence between the two countries & border patrol vehicles are about the only thing we saw moving.  This was Naco Arizona....U.S.A.

 

(click pics to enlarge)

PHOTOS OF MAIN STREET NACO,  (notice the smashed out car window) BORDER FENCE BEHIND TRAILERS, A TRASHY BACK YARD, & SOME OLD MILITARY CAMP BUILDINGS  (more about these buildings in another post)

The Turquoise Valley RV & Golf Club sits at the northern edge of town with it's fairways & greens splayed out on the valley floor with the Mule mountains looming on the horizon.   The little town of San Jose nestles at the foot of the mountains.  San Jose is now a part of the Bisbee complex.  We drove north along the border fence for awhile before swinging back up into the town of Warren, also now part of Bisbee.  On this drive I was reminded that it was this area where Walter's father had the homestead.  Walter was the writer of the book I read awhile back called, 'Henry And Me.'

THE TURQUOISE VALLEY GOLF COURSE IN NACO…….OLDEST COURSE IN ARIZONA

Kelly wanted to slip into old Bisbee to the sock store again & pick up another pair of colorful mismatched socks.  Mismatch seems to be the in thing now.  I've been wearing mismatched socks for over 60 years now so what's the big deal!!  I've even been known to wear my underwear inside out & put my head on backwards some mornings.  Grabbed a coffee at the Bisbee  Coffee Company & stood outside marveling at the downtown buildings & surrounding hillsides with their colorful  hippy looking houses & cabins scattered on slopes that only mountain goats would normally call home.  Not long ago a lady commented on the internet that when she visited Bisbee she couldn't get out of there fast enough.  Another lady commented about going to Bisbee once & will never return.  To each their own I suppose.  No big box stores here for those ladies I guess.  Some folks come with tunnel vision.  Browse a few shops, look for bargains, & then go away saying they have been to & seen Bisbee.  Yes, you may have been to Bisbee but you sure as hell never saw Bisbee!!!!

   

RANDOM PHOTOS OF BISBEE INCLUDING THE COPPER QUEEN RV PARK

I was surprised by all the comments & emails about last night's post & I sincerely thank everyone.  And I also sincerely hope nobody thought I was soliciting comments.  I would never do that!!  I was trying to point out the importance of feedback for ALL bloggers.  There are a lot of great blogger folks out there who deserve to be recognized for their superb efforts.  Keep up the good work everybody.  And a special thanks from Kelly & I, Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse, to Cindy L from Dayton Ohio for your lovely email.  I’m going to send that one to my Aunt  in Sarasota  Florida!!

 

HELICOPTER LANDS IN A WARREN SCHOOL YARD & MEDICS WALK ACROSS THE STREET TO THE HOSPITAL

And a big welcome to Cindy our latest blog follower.  Thanks for taking the time to climb aboard & travel along with, The Bayfield Bunch:))

THE ROAD TO NACO

It's Sunday night now & the wind has picked up.  The sky is loaded with heavy gray clouds as the storm front approaches from the west.  I am seeing long tailing gray wisps of probable rain all around in the higher elevations.  Thick black clouds are obscuring the south end of the Swiss Helm mountains & the peaks are lost in a gloom.  I have moved the donkeys into the corral for shelter & tomorrow morning we are off to Tucson.............:))

TO-NIGHT’S SUNSET

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A tour bus driver is driving with a bus load of seniors down a highway when he is tapped on his shoulder by a little old lady. She offers him a handful of peanuts, which he gratefully munches up.
After about 15 minutes, she taps him on his shoulder again and she hands him another handful of peanuts.
She repeats this gesture about five more times. When she is about to hand him another batch again he asks the little old lady, 'Why don't you eat the peanuts yourself?' 'We can't chew them because we've no teeth', she replied.
The puzzled driver asks, 'Why do you buy them then?'
The old lady replied, 'We just love the chocolate around them.'

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.