A LITTLE BIT OF ENVY & A LITTLE BIT OF JEEP

HAPPY JEEPERS.....We rode with this couple on the Borrego Badlands tour

Today's blog photos are of 2 Jeep tours we were on while in Borrego Springs California the last couple of years.  Check out 4 WHEELING IN GRAPEVINE CANYON & the PALO VERDE & BORREGO BADLANDS Jeep tour.  On both those rides we were totally squished into the tiny back seats of Jeeps.  Figured the only way to overcome this was to someday get our own Jeep!!!!  That day just might be close at hand:))

ENDLESS MILES OF OFF ROADING IN THE DESERTS, MOUNTAINS, & CANYONS NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

I am finding it increasingly hard to read blogs lately & especially in the mornings.  The past few weeks I have reverted to using the magnifying glass because my reading vision is becoming increasingly blurry & it seems mornings are the most difficult.  Last October my Optometrist guy told me I had the start of cataracts in both eyes but not to the point where any medical procedures were required yet.  Said to come back in a year.  Noticed my long range vision is not up to par anymore either but not nearly as bad as the shorter vision. Am beginning to wonder if maybe I will have to go back to the eye guy sooner than that. 

 

NOT MUCH ROOM IN THE BACK OF A JEEP FOR SURE

I have a second reason for finding it hard reading some blogs as well & it doesn't have anything to do with vision.  I guess it has more to do with envy.  As much as I enjoy seeing where fellow RVers are & what they are doing it also brings home the fact they are out there enjoying & experiencing the physically & mentally active RV lifestyle traveling from one interesting destination to another..... and we are not!!    FROGGI DONNA & STU are wandering around up in Oregon while both MOTTY & PATTI and BRUCE & MARGIE are in Moab Utah.  I am really envious of JUDY &  EMMA heading out on their maiden voyage to Custer South Dakota with their newer rig.  The LITTLE HOUSE ON WHEELS ladies  are enjoying themselves driving through Nebraska while LAURIE & ODEL continue their long sweep into Ohio on a great circle tour of the United States.

 

THE JEEP TOUR GROUP CHECKS OUT THE BORREGO BADLANDS IN CALIFORNIA (our desert friend Butch is second from right)

Yes, I know I shouldn't be envious & all that stuff, & yes, I know I should be more grateful to even have the opportunity to travel in the winter.  And yes, I know I shouldn't complain about all this but it is quite simply, the reality of how I feel......period!!  And that's enough out of old Grumble Guts for today so let's get on with some positive stuff!!

Some of you might remember the caption I had under the picture of that red Jeep in last night's blog.  It read, 'Awwww nuts, here we go looking at Jeeps again!!'  I was informed first thing this morning by the CEO here that the caption would make people think it was just Kelly's idea to get a Jeep & not mine!!  Well, for heaven's sakes we wouldn't want people thinking that now would we, so I quickly went in & changed the caption.  Whewwww, close call for Al there.  But yes, it is a joint decision & all major decisions we make are always done together.  Always!!

         

THE BORREGO BADLANDS ARE A REALLY ROUGH PLACE

Now, about the Jeep.  I went up to Goderich this morning & took that red Jeep for a run.  Very nice & I liked how it shifted & handled.  Found me a bumpy gravel road & some train track crossings & there were no rattles.  It is a 4 cylinder engine with a 6 speed transmission & was bought new by a lady in Goderich back in 2005.  She traded it in for a bigger pick-up standard shift truck.  The Jeep has not been abused or driven off any cliffs or over any mountains.  Has a trailer hitch plus both soft & hard tops.

                      

THIS IS THE 2005 JEEP TJ WE ARE NEGOTIATING ABOUT

The young sales fellow made me an offer on our 99 Dodge Caravan which of course was low so we will have to talk a little more about that.  But, I have decided to trade something else in on the Jeep as well.  Something I actually tried to sell last summer for a short period of time & something I have not been using a lot this past couple of years.  The Motorcycle.  It just does not make any practical sense for me to hang on to something I am not using.  I really enjoyed my early motorcycling days years ago but the excitement has gone out of it for me & it's not something we can take south with us anyway.   It just makes sense to take this opportunity & trade it in on the Jeep.  I will be taking the bike to Goderich Wednesday afternoon for the fellow to have a look at & we will see how we make out from there.

Had a great working & driving day with the mobility van through the countryside this afternoon & tomorrow morning I am off early again.  I am a happy guy these days being kept so busy......"jeep jeep:))"

THE GROUP IS OUT OF THEIR JEEPS & ON THE MOVE...Kelly is the third one from the end & I think she just stepped in some Coyote poop!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know Tom Sawyer was the first novel to ever be written on a typewriter & it is impossible to lick your elbow.  And by the way, despite what you first may think, you will actually be able to read the following..........."I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?"  See, told ya so, & stop trying to lick your elbow!!!!:))

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

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"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"

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

ENJOYING THE GREAT WEATHER….WHILE IT LASTS!!

 

A QUIET LUNCH IN BORREGO SPRING’S CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

It’s 11:30 Thursday morning & I am at the Library in Borrego Springs with the new computer.  Speed is so fast here I had to tie myself to the chair & put on a crash helmet.  Me & Win 7 have made up & are continuing our new friendship again because I just found my lost photos from yesterday.  Hopefully our friendship will last longer this time before our next, ‘dust up!!’  Great library in a scenic well landscaped southwestern flavored mall of sorts.  Coffee & eats around the corner plus benches & Wifi outside the library too.  We are going to try & utilize the library’s high speed computer services more this time. 

On the way in this morning we passed the Peg Leg Smith’s boondocking spot that I had mentioned in last night’s blog.  Soon as I saw it I knew right away I was going to have to go back & retract a statement I made in the blog.  It was not as crowded as I had indicated.  I had based my ‘opinion’ on the first time we were there in 2007 & of course this is 2010 & there may have  been some changes there.  Still not my cup of tea to RV like that but there did appear to be way fewer rigs plus bigger spaces between the rigs.  Didn’t appear as crowded as I had remembered it.  My apologies to to the dearly departed Peg Leg & all the Peg Leggians camped there right now.

 

PEG LEG SMITH’S NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS…..NOT SO CROWDED ANYMORE

Another ultra lite flyer came in yesterday afternoon so we have 2 machines in the air now for our early morning air shows.  A third Class A is parked further on with a kite trailer on behind but we haven’t seen that fellow flying yet.

  

A COUPLE OF FLY BOYS TALKING THINGS OVER (click pics to enlarge)

So nice to drive back into Borrego Springs this year again.  Stopped to walk on the new mown grass on Christmas Circle.  Ever nice to smell newly mowed grass again.  We northerners miss our lush greeeeeeeen grass & our big greeeeeen trees & it is so nice walking on a carpet of soft grass again.  At home we take that for granted but here in the southwest it is a luxury.  Great to see Borrego’s many big palm trees waving in the breeze & all the orange, grapefruit, & lemon tree orchards.  Borrego Springs is truly an oasis in the desert.  As far as small towns go here in the southwest I think this is just about as nice as you get.   You can drive Borrego’s wide main street from one end to the other in about 3 minutes.  No traffic lights, no traffic, no congestion, no problem.    Borrego Springs is a town I don’t mind going to & spending time in.  It has a bit of an artsy feel to it.    And, we stopped into Calicos for egg pockets this morning too.

UNDOUBTEDLY AN INTERESTING SHRUB >>>>

Well, I’ve got another new name to add to myself.  Rene from LIVE/WORK/DREAM tagged me in a blog comment with, ‘Mr. Crankypants!!’  Along with Mr. Blabberfingers I guess that makes me a Crankyblabberpants.  Wonder where she got that name.  Gee, d’ya suppose it was something I said.  Thankyou  Rene, I will wear that handle with great pride:)) 

<<<<<< HOPE THIS GUY SURVIVED THE A-10 WARTHOG THUNDERBOLT ATTACK

I sure have taken a liking to my new relaxation spot on the shady north side of the rig.  Very quiet here with only the chirping birds at our feeder & a touch of wind in the flags overhead.  Unobstructed view for miles clear across the desert floor to the Santa Rosa mountains & as I look out that way I am reminded that RICK & ROD are over on the other side probably lounging around the pool just a burnin my ears off again today.  You go guys:))

CLEANING SOME CAMERA EQUIPMENT….THESE ARE RELAXING DAYS

Heard a nasty rumor this morning that we have a winter’s storm heading this way & due in tomorrow afternoon with high winds followed by rain & dropping temps.  And here I thought we were home free from winter’s influence!!

SUNSET OVER THE SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS….BORREGO SPRINGS CA.

GROANER’S CORNER:((   The best way to garden is to put on a wide-brimmed straw hat
and some old clothes.  And with a hoe in one hand and a cold
drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

 

HELLOOOOOOO BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA:))

MOON MUSINGS WITH FACE OF THE SNAKE

Woke up this morning with a hankering for some semi civilization & a Jilberto's hamburger & the only place I could think of with that kind of action was.....Borrego Springs, California.  Question was which route to take. 

A VALENTINES DAY SHADOW HEART ON THE MOUNTAIN BESIDE US SUNDAY

Had packed most everything up Sunday night so we didn't have a lot to do in the morning.  Took the doggy guys for a short walk, had a last long look around at our little site tucked cozily between the Kofa & Castle Dome mountains & had the wheels rolling by 9:20.  As usual I had my last looks back with pleasant memories of our few days there.  The gathering in the desert was a rare & special day I'll always connect that day with that site.

                               

A LAST LOOK AROUND THE CAMPSITE BEFORE LEAVING THIS MORNING

Only a dirt road mile to the highway & as I rolled up to the stop sign I was still debating which way to go.  Yuma, El Centro,  & Brawley maybe or Quartzsite, Blyth, Glammis, & Brawley.  Had I remembered the southbound construction I would have chose the Quartzsite route but of course with my memory I swung left out onto the highway & proceeded to the rear of a long line of cars a couple miles down the road stopped on the highway waiting out a paving operation.   No U turns with 53 feet so we waited it out.  Stop & go, stop & go but after half an hour we were underway.  But, not before I clipped a flagman's 'stop/slow' sign with my passenger mirror.  Don't think he was paying attention as he let his hand held sign out too far as we were squeezing by a narrowed spot in the road.  No damage to the mirror but I think I broke the cigarette in half he had hanging out of his mouth.  When I quickly checked my mirror he was making some kind of cross sign in front of his chest.........:))

<<< CONSTRUCTION SLOW DOWN

Soon as I got into the Yuma morning traffic I was wishing I had gone the other way but we made out OK.  Spotted a Cracker Barrel sign about 11:15 a.m. & knew we had been to that location before so exited I-8.  What  we had forgot about was how small the parking lot was at Yuma's Cracker Barrel.  It is not big rig friendly as we soon found out, squeezing in the entrance & wiggling out the exit seconds later.  Back to I-8 & kept on going. 

West of Yuma we went by the area where the header photo for this blog was taken.  Pilot Knob.  A lot of rigs out in the desert there & I don't know why.  It's flat, treeless, & sandy.  We over nighted there one time last year & it's the only time we ever came close to getting stuck in sand.  In fact I thought I had bent the wheels on the car.   Anyway, they call it the dust bowl when the heavy west winds blow sand in off the Algodones Sand Dunes, & those winds can be horrendous.  Just a short distance away is Ogilbe Road where we camped out for a couple weeks last year & it is hard packed with shrubs & trees.  Lots of room for hundreds & hundreds of rigs with mountains close by & interesting mine sites.   Don't know why folks would camp in the dust bowl except they are a few miles closer to Yuma & the malls.

ALGODONES SAND DUNES WEST OF YUMA

We could have taken quiet & scenic Ogilbe Road to Brawley but I was curious to see what the country was like along I-8 to El Centro.  Aside from the Sahara looking Algodones Sand Dunes the landscape is totally boring with scrub desert most of the way.   For the last 3 years upon entering California we have noticed something else in this area as well & the only thing I can think it might be is......smog.  Hard to see the surrounding mountains in the haze.  I often wonder if it is the smog from the large California cities on the coast blowing inland. 

MR. SNOOZY FACE

Groceries & a tuna sub for AL at Brawley's new Wally World & then north towards Calipatria to dump the tanks & take on water at a rest area.  Back through Brawley heading west for Borrego.  Looks like they are building a bi-pass around Brawley on the north side.  That would be a good thing.

We pulled into the Clark Dry Lake bed BLM land around 4:30 California time.  Noticed the usual amount of rigs scattered about in the desert as we turned onto Rockhouse road looking for a spot.  Had hoped to park beside the same earthen oven we did last year but somebody was already in that spot.  Unhooked the car & drove around with the computer looking for an acceptable Verizon spot.  Best we could find was 2 green bars about a quarter  mile north of the oven site. 

ON FINAL APPROACH FOR THE CLARK DRY LAKE BED EAST OF BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

I'm afraid we have been spoiled with great  3 & 4 bar Verizon coverage so it's going to require a lot of patience now slowly working with 2 bar reception  here at Borrego but hey, 2 bars is better than no bars.  Just takes sooooooo long to open everything.  Didn't get any blogs read this morning & with this slower speed it's going to be a problem.   Saw a lot of comments in hotmail about last night's blog & Kelly managed to publish some but I haven't read them all so hope to read them in the morning.  This 2 bar connection is just so slow & I just don't have the patience to wait for sites to open right now.  We are both sooooooooo beat tonight.

 

WE'LL TAKE A SECOND LOOK WITH REFRESHED EYES IN THE MORNING & DECIDE IF WE'LL STAY IN THIS SPOT

Didn't take a lot of photos today so when Kelly noticed a thin crescent moon tonight I slipped outside with a 200mm lens & a slow shutter speed to create some crescent moon musings................

   

TONIGHT'S CRESCENT MOON WITH A SLOW SHUTTER SPEED & SOME CAMERA WIGGLES

Tonight was the first night warm enough on this whole trip to actually be outside after dark with a short sleeve shirt on.   Noticed the temps really went up west of Yuma today & I had the A/C on for a bit.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  One of the great things about being over 60 is kidnappers are not very interested in you.

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.