THE WINDS OF TRAVEL PLAN CHANGES ARE BLOWING AGAIN………

Advantage of where we are is that each morning we can set off in any direction we like on our morning desert walk and always see something pleasingly different with nary a person in sight.  There are no boundaries here so we can walk as far as we can see.

GETTING A CHOLLA BARB OUT OF PHEEBS PAW
Decided to take us for a drive 11 miles south to Why this morning.  This is old familiar territory for us and I always like to touch base with old memories.  Drove through the BLM land at the 2 mile marker south of Why and found the spot where we had stayed back in February of 08.  I like old memories but they are kinda sad because we had Max and Checkers in those days and I could see them happily running and playing in the sandy wash beside the old campsite again this morning.

THIS WAS OUR CAMPSITE AT MILE MARKER 2 BLM LANDS SOUTH OF WHY ARIZONA BACK IN FEBRUARY OF 08
Although not as scenic as Darby Wells this is still a good boondocking place because of the level hard packed sandy clay surface.  Lots of room here for probably a hundred rigs to scatter about among the Mesquite and still have respectful privacy between them.  This BLM land has a camp host as well at it’s entrance and you are allowed a stay of 14 days.  Some folks then move up to Darby Wells for 14 days and then back down to Why.

WE KNEW WE WERE BACK IN THE HICKIWAN TRAILS AREA WHEN THIS A-10 WART HOG FLEW LOW AND SLOW OVERHEAD ROLLING HIS WINGS FROM SIDE TO SIDE
From the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands we headed back through Why to the Coyote Howls East RV Park.  This is where we used to park on the road out front with our laptop to pick up their internet signal back in January of 07.  This is also where we will dump our tanks later this week because our plans have changed and we will be backtracking southeast shortly.

From Coyote Howls it was a mile down the road for another trip down memory lane for us.  This is where Hickiwan Trails RV Park is located and the one which you have often heard me refer to in my posts.  Some of our earliest and best RV memories took place at Hickiwan Trails and it will always be a special place for us.  Type Hickiwan Trails into our ‘Search’ box for our times there.

AFTERNOON WALK WITH PHEEBS THE WILD CHILD:))
Took a drive around the Park first and spotted a fifth wheel from British Columbia in a spot we had once stayed at there.  Sure enough, it was Bill from Enderby BC so we stopped in for a visit.  Bill’s wife was out for a walk but he did remember us well from 3 years ago and we were able to get caught up on some of the local gossip we had missed from the past few years.  From Bill’s place it was up to the office to see Hickiwan Ray….but Ray was in Casa Grande today so we had a visit with Ray’s wife Marsha.  Again, we caught up on what’s been happening since our last time there.  And yes, Marsha did remember the Cave People.  (Dennis & Donna:)) It was kind of our version of old home week even it was just two people from the past we saw today.  Too bad we missed Hickiwan Ray…he’s a character:))

PHEEBS HAS BEEN DOING REALLY WELL AT AVOIDING THESE PRICKLY TEDDY BEAR CHOLLAS, PRONOUNCED…..CHOY-A’S
When’s the last time you changed a headlight on your vehicle?  A screwdriver to remove a few screws holding a round chrome rim, right.  Wrong!!  Check out what IVAN had to go through just to change a headlight on his GMC truck.

MORNING SUN IN THE DESERT
After a series of medical challenges RETIRED ROD finally has the wheels rolling west as he and Loyce are quickly making tracks from colder Kansas to warmer Arizona. 
 
DENNIS AND DONNA are so far back in a Louisiana swamp they have seen Alligators playing banjos!!

THE ROAD TO OUR HOUSE
Someone recently inquired about our solar set-up.  I had all that technical info filed away somewhere but couldn’t find it.  Not being a technical person myself I can only tell you that we had the system installed in December of 2008 and it has worked perfectly ever since and we have never run out of power.  Of course, we are not power hogs either and have no washer and dryer on board, or dish washers or hair dryers, etc.  We haven’t traveled in hot weather so have never had to use our A/C.

We are in the habit of kicking on the generator in the morning while the coffee is brewed and that’s about it.  Solar power for us is no different than the electricity at home.  Flip a switch and the lights go on etc.

HEADING BACK TO THE RIG AFTER A MORNING WALK
Here’s a paragraph I just found from a previous post of mine regarding solar…..Our solar system was installed by SOLAR MIKE'S SUN WORKS in Slab City, California. I know we got two solar panels on the roof with numbers like 120 or 130. I think that has to do with watts or something. They are Kyocera panels I think & there should be some pics in our Slab City Installation album which I will put a link in for below. We also had 4 new batteries installed, 1 monitor, 1 control panel, & 1 2500watt power inverter plus lots of wiring. The inverter is bigger than we needed but it was used & had just come out of a fifth wheel while we were there. Those people were going to an even bigger set-up. Our total cost was somewhere around $3,000+ I think. Installation took a day & a half & you can read about it here....
-INSTALLATION DAY -OUR LAST DAY AT THE SLABS

OUR TWO SOLAR PANELS ARE VISIBLE ON THE ROOF IN THIS PHOTO
We are planning to drop into Solar Mike’s at Slab City this trip to have him check on a clicking sound in the monitor and just generally go over our system to make sure things are still operating well.  By the way, we would definitely recommend Solar Mike to anyone needing a professional solar installation:))

YEP, THAT’S US OUT THERE AT TOP RIGHT….TUCSON IS ABOUT 80 MILES BEYOND THOSE DISTANT MOUNTAINS IN THE CENTER OF THE PHOTO
And, why did we decide on Solar Power?  In our first year of Snow Birding it only took us a few stays at RV Parks to convince both of us we needed to make some immediate changes if we were going to continue the RV lifestyle we preferred.  We knew if we were going to continue traveling it was imperative that we become self sufficient and that in a nutshell is why we went with solar power.  It is a decision we have never regretted for one millisecond.  Our system has paid for itself many times over when you figure the cost of nightly stays at RV Parks and the fees we would have had to pay these last 5 years.  Where we are boon docked right now is simply a fine example of our way of thinking.  We have the freedom to go wherever we are comfortable.  This week our door opens to a natural Saguaro cactus garden that stretches for as far as the eye can see in any direction  Mountains ring the horizon and the only sounds we hear are maybe a distant Coyote and the whistles of nearby Cactus Wrens.  Not everybody’s cup of tea but it sure work’s out fine for us:))

SAGUARO CACTUS

Well, now to our change of travel plans again.  I love it when plans change because that means new things will be happening.  Received an email from the Ranch Folks near McNeal Arizona this morning wondering if we could look after the ranch for 3 weeks beginning the middle of December.  It was coincidental because just this morning I was saying to Kelly I thought we should check out the Patagonia area south of Tucson on our way back through here in a couple months.  Now we’ll do that Patagonia area on our way to the ranch over the next couple weeks.  We may be at the Ranch longer than 3 weeks but not sure yet.  Anyway, when we leave the Ranch again we will slide right on through to southwestern Arizona and southeastern California.  Like I said, I love it when plans get all jumbled up and I like it when new travels are afoot.  Routine day to day boredom is my number one enemy so anything to keep things constantly on the move for me works just fine.  We will start our slow backtracking to southern Tucson and then Patagonia and Cochise County by the end of the week probably:)) 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Man: "Just look at that young person with the short hair and blue jeans. Is it a boy or a girl?"
Bystander: "It's a girl. She's my daughter."
Man: "Oh, please forgive me, sir. I had no idea you were her father."
Bystander: "I'm not. I'm her mother."
-----------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

TUCSON ARIZONA TO DARBY WELLS ROAD…AJO

HEADING WEST THIS MORNING ON HIGHWAY 86 WITH KITT PEAK AHEAD
How nice to not only step outside Thursday night under starry skies but to step outside in a warmer desert sky was a real treat.  The sky was alive with stars and constellations.  Spotted winter’s dominant constellation Orion rising in the East just above the large rock face behind our rig.  Orion will travel high across the southern sky for the entire winter.

KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY AS SEEN THROUGH MY CAMERA LENS EARLY THIS MORNING
Parked just across from us was a fellow and his dog camped in their Class A Motorhome.  His name was Mike and his little dog was Corky.  Corky and the Pheebs got along famously and ran, jumped and played together this morning while we talked to Mike.  Boon docking sites and information were exchanged and we now have a few more ideas.

MIKE AND CORKY’S HOUSE
 
CORKY, MIKE AND PHEEBS….CORKY
Almost 10 a.m. before got the big wheels rolling west along a familiar stretch of road.  The Ajo Way highway heading west out of southern Tucson is a scenic drive. It’s a quiet mainly straight road running across the floor of the Sonoran desert ending at a T intersection in Why Arizona nearly a hundred miles away. The KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY is accessed from this highway.

CORKY PLANTS A SMOOCH ON PHEEBE’S NOSE
The highway slowly picks it’s way through Saguaro Cactus, Mesquite and Palo Verde trees, Cholla, Sotol, Desert Spoons, Prickly and Beaver Tail Cactus to mention just a few of the abundant green growing desert plant life. I particularly enjoy the mountain scenery ringing the horizon all way round.  Highway 86 is a fairly straight and flat road for about two thirds of it’s way and is a nice quiet alternative heading west if your not in a big hurry and want to avoid going through Tucson along busy I-10.

EVEN LITTLE CORA GOT INTO THE ACTION THIS MORNING 
But, a few cautions about this highway. It is a narrow ‘no mistakes’ road with no shoulders as you travel further west. If you drop a wheel off the pavement you are in some very big serious trouble. But, the challenge and excitement are there and the scenery is great.  The road is guaranteed to keep you on your toes. At the western end maybe 20 miles east of Why Arizona the road also has enough tricky curves, dips and hollows in it for you to keep both hands on the steering wheel:)) 

HIGHWAY 86 HEADING WEST
Nice memories as we rolled past the road leading up to Kitt Peak.  We were driving a truck and fifth wheel the day we pulled of the road at the base of the mountain that time.  Unhooked the fifth wheel and I drove the truck up to see the Observatories.  Great scenic and winding drive up and down that mountain.  Kelly stayed with the 5th wheel digging up some cactus and gathering some rocks.

Our continuing drive west to Why today under cloudy skies was uneventful and it was nice to relive some more old memories as we passed by the Hickiwan Trails RV Park.  Kelly and I did their blogsite for them about 3 years ago.  I will always remember Hickiwan Trails for the many great morning desert walks we used to take.  It was our first Snow Bird year on the road and Hickiwan Trails was the first RV Park we really stopped at and spent any time.  Max, Checkers and the Motormouse were a little younger then and the two big guys really liked fanning out on either side of us exploring the flat desert floor ahead.  I miss those two big guys.

We will slip back to Hickiwan Trails in the next few days and visit with Hickiwan Ray who looks after the Park.  Nice personable fellow and easy to get along with.  He has made this Park what it is today.

Highway 86 will also land you just a few short miles from Organ Pipe National Monument where you can take a very scenic 25 mile loop drive through the Ajo Mountain range. We have done that loop 3 times.

Eleven miles past Hickiwan Trails on the highway leading from Gila Bend to Lukeville on the Mexican border is the once booming town of Ajo Arizona.  Not too much booming there anymore but it’s a quiet little place and home to a fair few Snow Birders.  West of Ajo is a loop road called Darby Wells.  This is a great scenic boon docking area that we stayed at for about week back in February of 2008.  We knew it would be quiet here and easy for us to find a good spot this time of year.   Gets busier after Christmas when the boon docking Snow Birds land in this area.

The Sonoran desert is thought of as the ‘green desert’ because of it’s wide diversity of vegetation and plant life. It is the greenest of all desert types and for that reason it is our favorite. This whole area is just another great scenic part of big beautiful Arizona.

TURNING WEST ONTO THE SOUTHERN END OF DARBY WELLS ROAD…THE MOUNTAIN AT TOP LEFT WAS MADE BY NATURE AND THE ONE ON RIGHT WAS MADE BY MAN.
Parked the rig at the side of dusty Darby Wells road and unhooked the Jeep.  With laptop on board we Jeeped ourselves around the area looking at different spots among the tall cactus.  Some roads are not much different than a couple wide hard packed tire tacks and we had to keep in mind the size and ease with which we could get the big rig down some of these little tire track roads.  Every time we found a possible site Kelly checked the laptop for a Verizon connection.  Only saw 4 other rigs scattered about and I should add that we did later get an acceptable Verizon connection and half a dozen clear TV channels.  No cell phone.

JEEPING AROUND LOOKING FOR A SUITABLE BOON DOCKING SITE
Finally picked a spot not far from where we had parked the rig.  Managed to get me some fresh desert pin stripping on the coach as I wiggled and squiggled it in and around some scratchy Mesquite shrubs and prickly Cholla cactus.   Leveled it up near some towering Saguaro Cactus and that was it.   Ocotillo’s, Organ Pipe Cactus and a variety of other desert shrubs are now back dropped by yet another new set of surrounding mountains.  Love it when we can just change our surroundings any time we want.  Our weather is a bit on the cold side with a slight breeze under cloudy skies but I am sure the big Arizona sun will find us shortly once it knows we are here:))

THAT’S AN ORGAN PIPE CACTUS IN OUR SIDE YARD:))
A Shout out to Renee and Dave up there in that Datil place in New Mexico.  We plan to be in your area on our return journey in late winter or early Spring.  It has been on our list for the past 3 years.  Interested in the lay of the land and property values in your neighborhood:))
RV TRAVELS IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE joined our Blog Followers list a few days ago and we say welcome folks and thanks for climbing aboard.

HOPE THAT HEAVY OVERCAST BLOWS AWAY OVERNIGHT
GROANER’S CORNER:((  After spending nearly half a day enduring the long lines, surly clerks and insane regulations at the department of motor vehicles, a lady stops at a toy store to pick up a baseball bat as a gift for her son.  Cash or charge, the clerk asks.  Cash, she snaps. Then, apologizing for her rudeness, she explains I’ve spent the afternoon at the motor-vehicle bureau. I am way past sane.  Shall I gift-wrap the bat the clerk asks sweetly, or are you going back there?
---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

LED ASTRAY IN TUCSON BY OUR GPS SYSTEM

Max had me up twice in the night & the big bad gusting winds finished me off again about 5 a.m. Repeat performance of the night before complete with black skies & rain. Temps really dropped as a cold front rolled into the area & I froze my fingers off hooking up the car. Had decided the day before to head for Hickiwan Trails RV Park this morning so by 9 o'clock we were all packed up & on the road heading west. Rains had stopped, sun came out & the winds from the northeast worked in our favor pushing us westward. http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/

East of Tucson we decided to program our GPS system (Garmin Gertie) to put us on track for highway 86 leading to Why & Ajo Arizona. The road, commonly known as the Ajo Way is a quiet little 75 mile highway heading due west out of Tucson's south end. As we approached Tucson from the southeast I had a pretty good idea where the highway was but as we got into Tucson Garmin Gertie directed me into the left lane of a 6 lane highway. Too late, I saw an overhead sign saying Ajo Way....right lane!! No way I could get over because it was a heavy traffic morning. Ok, I thought, no problem, I'll just get off at the next exit & double back. Garmin Gertie in the meantime was hollering at me & calling me names for not following her directions & I was yelling back at her with even blacker names & allegations. Then, the situation got worse!! I-10 heading into Tucson suddenly turned into one big huge construction zone. ALL exits were blocked off for miles & miles, lanes narrowed to Volkswagon width with heavy construction machines everywhere. We were swept right through Tucson from the southend all the way up to the north end on the way to Phoenix. Don't know how many miles we were carried along in the narrow two lane traffic but we were finally spit out of it somewhere northbound at an unblocked exit. Think I saw a sign that said Chicago 25 miles!! Swooped off to the right & then doubled back underneath I-10, grabbed a left turn ramp & swung back up onto I-10 heading south. Figured we'd head back down to the south end of Tucson & watch for the Ajo Way sign but we didn't even get 2 miles when we got siphoned off by heavy traffic into a right hand lane onto the southbound service lanes. This was a 3 lane road with traffic lights every mile or so but at least we were still pointed in the direction of the south pole. At one of those lights I spotted an oasis ahead in the traffic chaos. Bulled our way into the right hand lane & at the next light hung a right hand turn & swooped our 53 foot length in another tight right hand turn into the back parking lot of a Dennys. It was 10:30 in the morning & I was already a half hour behind on my 10 o'clock coffee.....so just get everybody out of my way!!!!!!!!

We got ourselves some breakfast, a couple dozen cups of coffee to steel our nerves, & we were back on the road again doing battle with the Tucson morning madness. Took us another 20 minutes of hollering & hooting before we finally spotted the Ajo Way sign pointing westward. What a relief to finally see Tucson disappearing in the rear view mirrors.

And Garmin Gertie?? Well, if she survives her upcoming lobotomy & apologizes profusely 35 times in a row while plugged directly into the cigarette lighter........... I might consider mercy & a conditional pardon!!

The drive from Tucson to Hickiwan Trails in Why, Arizona is one of my favorites. It's a narrow highway but hardly any traffic & I love the desert & mountain scenery along the whole way. Kitt Peak is a high mountain to the left with it's many telescopes & observatories. I was up there one day two winters ago & spent a couple of hours walking all over the place looking at the telescopes. Like I said, this is a nice drive.

Stopped at a gas station & filled up our gas & propane tanks in preparation for boondocking in the Ajo area shortly. Kelly tried out our new Verizon air card while we were driving & we had service for about 30 miles west of Tucson but then we lost the signal & that was it. The closer we got to Hickiwan the more familiar things became as I recognized the Ajo Mountain Range & the Darby Wells peaks way off on the horizon. So many pleasant memories from the past in those areas............ & more to come.

Rolled into Hickiwan Trails around 2 P.M & it felt good to be back once again to a little piece of Arizona that we had stumbled on 3 years ago one day while wandering aimlessly westward. To-day it sort of felt like coming home to our little piece of Arizona. We were at Hickiwan Trails RV Park twice last year & the second time we were here on our way back from California we were able to set up a website for the campground. http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/

We always try to park our rig away from other RV's because with 3 dogs it doesn't take long for people to start complaining & throwing things at us so we found us a place on an outer corner facing our side door to the desert. The Park's Wifi signal won't reach us so I'll have to take the computer & walk over closer to the office to send the blog later to-night. Only one fuzzy television channel too but as I said, it's a remote part of the State so we just have to expect some limitations. Just happy to be here & looking forward to our morning walks in one my very much most favorite little pieces of Arizona desert:))

No photos for the web album to-day.

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

TUESDAY DEC. 10....UPDATE

We will be heading for Hickiwan Trails RV Park in Why, Arizona to-day. There is a good chance we will not be able to get a Verizon signal there because of the remote location so it may be a few days before we figure out how to get back on-line again................. A

COMMUNICATING WITH THE RIG & A STORY ABOUT MY OLD DUSTY HAT

No, that's not dirt on my hat, it's just good old wild west Arizona desert dust!!

From where I sit in my big cushy recliner in the living room watching television I can glance out the window to the right & see the motorhome sitting in the driveway staring back at me. Sometimes we just kind of blankly look at each other & sometimes we sorta kinda communicate. It's the same questions on both our minds. If & when we get rolling again, where are we going & how much is the gas going to cost to get there!! What if we get 3,000 miles from home & the gas prices double or triple in the 5 months we are away. Would it be cheaper to put the rig into storage in New Mexico for 7 months & bring the car home until returning back in the fall. If we could return at all. Some folks in the neighborhood have already sold their rigs & bought or rented mobiles in the south for the winter months. Some have downsized their units, some have given up & put the "for sale" sign in the windshield. Others have resigned themselves to spending the coming snowy cold winter at home in hopes things will turn around for the following year. And others have shortened their travel routes & restricted themselves to the Georgia/Florida corridor instead of the long haul to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, or California. I guess it all boils down to preferences, gas prices, & how much change you got in your pocket when October & November roll around. For now, all we can do is play it one day at a time...................

I've had some humorous comments from other RV folks about my mishap with the motorhome's bin door & the pine tree & that reminded me of some other really dumb things I've done. It takes me back to December of 06 & Jan of 07 when we had a truck & fifth wheel while touring around in the southwest. We were camped at Hickiwan Trails RV Park in Arizona (our first time there) for a few days. I kept a blog at that time as well & here is what I wrote, dated January 8 2007:

Boy oh boy oh boy, did I ever do something dumb last night. I had been re-organizing my wallet after cleaning sand out of it in the afternoon & laid it on a small wood table beside my lawn chair. Max, in his quest to get a game of sticks going, bumped the table & knocked my wallet over the edge into the doggy guys water dish. No problem I thought as I lifted it out, but noticed it was already pretty wet inside. In order to dry everything out I made the first part of a big mistake. I laid my wallet on the tonneau cover of the pick-up truck to dry. Laid out some credit cards, driver's license, CAA card, etc. The tonneau cover is black & felt warm from the sun so figured everything would dry quick. Well, you probably know what's coming. A couple of hours later just after supper I decided to head down the road to update the website at a remote wifi spot near another campground. Out I went, jumped in the truck, & took off out of the park & down the highway. When I reached the wi-fi site I stopped, got out of the truck, walked around to the passenger side to access the computer, glanced at the back of the truck & "OH OH!!" In a sickening flash I remembered my wallet & cards that I had laid out there earlier, and..........they were all gone. Jumped in the truck & raced back to the trailer, rushed in & told Professor Rockhound (Kelly was collecting a lot of rocks at that time) what had happened. I knew the only hope I had of ever finding anything lying on the ground was to get an expert ground scanning person involved. She quickly headed out the driveway to the highway in full scan mode. I took the truck & started driving the highway shoulder & immediately found my Scotia debit card lying right in the middle of the highway. Continued up the road aways & turned around. By the time I got back to the area where I found the debit card I saw the Professor busily scooping things off the highway & alongside the road. Oblivious to traffic, she was on the job!! By the time I got the truck stopped she had already retrieved my wallet which had been lying open upside down in the eastbound lane. I probably drove over it myself in my rush to get back to the trailer a few minutes before. She had also found what was left of my driver's license. It was the only thing damaged. I found one more card on the southbound shoulder & that completed everything. We were only moments away from complete nightfall but the eagle eyed Professor had saved the day. Nothing missing from inside the wallet either. Both American & Canadian money were intact. It sure would have put an unfavorable dent in our vacation plans if all had been lost. Thanks to our superb ground scanning Professor Rockhound, we were spared to travel another day. It was a close call & I had to promise that I would not be so dumb in the future. Well, that didn't work because here's what I did just a few days later.
Decided to clean up the cab of the truck so opened the passenger door to pull the floor mat out. I was wearing my black cowboy hat which I had just purchased near Carlsbad New Mexico a few weeks before. As I bent over I knocked my hat off so just reached down, picked it up & casually tossed it around the corner onto the tonneau cover behind the cab. Sound familiar!! Finished the clean up & went inside the trailer. Kelly said she was heading into Ajo for some groceries & would be back in an hour or so. I had some stuff to catch up on with the computer so said, "ok, see ya later." It was probably about 10 minutes later when the hair on my head almost stood straight up as I suddenly realized............my hat was on the back of the truck!!!! Oh noooooooo!!!! I rushed out of the trailer, down the road, around the corner & up to the highway vainly looking off in the direction Kelly had traveled with the truck. No black object on the road or shoulder resembling a cowboy hat. Walked a short distance along the road but knew it was futile. My hat was gone forever & that's all there was to it. I'm not a hat person & this cowboy hat was the only one I had ever stuck on my head that I thought didn't make me look like a total nerd. I was like a little boy who had just lost his most prized possession of ever. And I was sooooooooo mad at myself because of the wallet incident just a short time before. Why didn't I learn my lesson that time about setting things on the back of the truck. I beat myself up so bad for the next hour that I was barely human by the time Kelly got back. I was in the trailer slumped in a chair when I heard the truck pull in. How was I going to explain to her that she had probably married the dumbest creature on the planet. The thought did occur to me that she was most likely quite aware of that already:(( The screen door opened & Kelly came in with a couple bags of groceries and there perched atop her beautiful blonde head was............................ my cowboy hat:)))))) At that moment I was the happiest little cowboy kid west of the Pecos.

It was a movement in the rear view mirror that caused her to look as she was accelerating down the highway after leaving the park. That movement was my cowboy beginning it's take-off roll across the tonneau cover runway in preparation for lift off into the big blue Arizona sky. She quickly backed off the gas, slowly braked & pulled over to the side of the road & retrieved my precious hat. Now she was faced with a decision. She could turn around & bring the hat back before I probably even knew it was missing or she could keep on going & let me stew about my missing hat until she got back. She made the right decision. She cranked up the burner, continued on her way, & let me stew for an hour real darn good!! Do you think I learned my lesson?? Say, did I tell you about the time I.................................................:((

This was our truck & fifth wheel before we had the motorhome....................

GOOD-BYE ARIZONA - HELLO NEW MEXICO

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 24/08
A fiery Hickiwan sunrise got me right out of bed & outside in my pj's this morning. I like when that happens....the fiery sunrise I mean!!

Said good-bye to Ray, hooked up the car, & rolled out of Hickiwan Trails heading east on highway 86 at 9:20. Managed a few last looks back at some old memories & then it was all speed ahead. Nice quiet road all the way to Tucson. Very little traffic & nice scenery. A nice remember when as we passed the observatories on Kitt Peak. I drove up there last year, walked all around the telescopes & had a great couple of hours. We rolled through Tucson with no problems & easily slipped onto Interstate 10 heading for Benson. Had considered stopping there for the night but just popped into a Wal-Mart & a coffee diner for a quick bite & kept on going. It was a good driving day with light traffic. We had a slight tail wind helping with gas so we went on as far as Lordsburg before pulling into a KOA for the night. KOA's are always neat & tidy but they are also always sooooo expensive. We were too tired to search out a BLM site anyway so we'll swallow the cost to-night.
Seems so strange sitting here looking out the window at lights, neon signs, & traffic motoring by on I-10. Sure don't see this kind of civilization in the desert. We much prefer the desert, thank-you very much!!

We might slide down to one of our other favorite places to-morrow with the car after we reach Demming. The Pink Store in Palomas Mexico is a place like no other. No, we won't be taking the car over the border but we'll park it & walk across. The Pink Store is only a block......

NO PHOTOS ADDED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

OUR LAST NIGHT AT HICKIWAN TRAILS:((

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23/08

The big wind gusts finally subsided about 10 o'clock last night & when I took Max out this morning about 5 a.m. I was happy to see the great summer Scorpion riding high in the sky. In other words, the clouds were gone & the sky was once again full of stars & constellations. Scorpios being one of those summer constellations. The full moon which had been shrouded in clouds the night before had already lost it's perfectly round shape as it slipped over the mountain range to the west.

Our doggy walk was short again because Max still has a bit of a limp. I was sure glad the winds were gone as I climbed atop the rig to put the solar panels down for traveling. As the morning sun cast it's warming rays over the desert & mountains around me I couldn't help but think back over the past 5 years & whisper a quiet.............thank-you.

We had the big wheels rolling by 9:30 & as I wheeled the motorhome slowly out across the narrow & bumpy desert road I was saddened to be leaving a spot that had added so many pleasant memories to the lives of The Bayfield Bunch. I am always melancholy whenever we leave a favorite site because I know we may never pass that way again.
We stopped about a quarter mile down the road to say good-bye to our Canadian friends, Maureen, Mike, & their dog Molly. They are staying on in the area until the first week of March before moving on to Borrego Springs in California. Hope to meet you guys again out here sometime, somewhere. Take care M&M&M:))

When we reached the highway from Darby Wells road I turned right heading for Hickiwan Trails while Kelly, driving the car, turned left into Ajo for groceries, etc. I stopped for gas & propane in Why. Gas came to $185 & that's the first gas stop since leaving Quartzsite one month ago to-day. That tank should take us well over to the other side of New Mexico. Loaded up some propane then went into the little Cafe where the waiter wears a 6 shooter & loaded myself up on a big mess of bacon & eggs.

Rolled into Hickiwan Trails about 11:20 & pulled into the same spot we had been about 3 weeks ago. I had forgot that they were having their 8th anniversary of the park's opening. Ray had things swinging with a live Indian band set up right in front of the office. The Indian ladies were cooking up a storm in the wooden Palapha & RV people were lined up for tamales, burritos, tacos & Indian fry bread. The weather was perfect for a gathering & I'm sure lots of new RV friendships were made to-day. Luckily, I was able to get a bunch of pictures of the festive event for the Hickiwan computer files.......OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

We caught up on our laundry, vacuumed, filled the fresh water tank, etc. Always nice to have electricity & shore water hooked up after being out in the desert for awhile. I didn't bother to set up our satellite dish to-day because I figured we would just use the Wifi here. But, until Ray gets a final part for the bigger antennae, the speeds are slow & the distance is short. I may not get the blog or web album pictures uploaded for a day or two. Depends where & when we stop to-morrow night.

It will be a sad morning when we leave our little Hickiwan Trails for the last time Sunday but with a bit of luck we hope to pass this way again next November. There is no place like the beautiful & majestic American southwest & we'll miss our morning desert walks here:))

(I'll try uploading this now without pictures. The pictures I can add later when we have a better connection speed)

FOUND OUR PERFECT RV SITE AT LAST

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14/08

Our recently warm weather has gone into the dumper as we woke up to a cold windy morning. Never even made it out for our walk. Max is still staying off his left ankle so it was a good morning for him to stay on the couch. Had problems uploading the web album photos this morning & we seemed to have some internet connection problems so we spent most of the morning trouble shooting.

We had planned on moving to a new RV site west of Ajo in a couple of days but after being at Mike & Maureen's last night on the Darby Hills road, we decided to pack up & move to-day. It's just too beautiful there to miss another day. Drove the 3 miles over to Hickiwan Trails, dumped our holding tanks, & topped up the fresh water tank & water jugs. Stopped in the office to help Ray with a few things on the computer & then we were on the road heading for Ajo. Arrived in the Darby Wells BLM land area about 2 p.m. Had looked at a site the previous night that was totally secluded so that's where we headed for & luckily no one was there when we rolled in. This is by far, the nicest RV site in the nicest area we have ever been at. Photos can't even begin to do it justice. We are sooooooo happy to be here & cannot believe our good fortune at finding such a superb site. Our friend's Mike & Maureen are our closest neighbors & they are out of sight about a quarter mile away. I will probably wear my camera out over the next couple of weeks taking so many pictures. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy We just can't believe our luck:)) No chance of some yakky doodle RV club moving in right next door either. So many new areas to explore, trails to hike, & rocks to scramble on. Nobody around us but birds & coyotes. I am so looking forward to total peace & quiet in the lap of Mother Nature herself. At last.........we may have found our winter home for years to come:)))))) Hmmmm, can you detect the excitement in the usually un-excitable guy...............................................

A RELAXING DAY, & SOME VISITING TOO

TUESDAY FEB 12/08
Max (our blonde border collie mix) had a good night & as long as he stays off his left ankle he's ok. I carried him out for a washroom break this morning & he was able to hobble around a bit but wanted back in & spent the rest of the day snoozing on the couch except for another washroom break late this afternoon. He isn't in any pain & is able to put a little bit of weight on it but we'll keep him inside & off that leg for as long as we can & give the sprain a chance to heal. He's being a very brave little soldier & hopefully he'll be out roaring around with the other 2 ram jams before too long. But, I think we are going to have to put the sticks away for quite awhile.

Another beautiful morning in the Arizona sunshine so after a short dog walk with Checkers & the Motormouse we went for a bouncing bicycle ride across the desert floor. What a great way to start the day.
Slipped over to Hickiwan Trails RV Park & helped Ray with some email & website questions around 11. He's doing fine. Still waiting for some parts for the big Wifi antennae but the small router antennae is doing ok at the moment & pushing the signal out a couple hundred yards from the office. When I pulled in to-day, 3 people were sitting in the breezeway at a picnic table with their laptops. (OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy)

Through the RV-Dreams.com (http://www.rv-dreams.com/) forum we met another blog couple awhile back with similar interests in RVing & Photography. We had blogged & emailed with then now & again over the past few months & last week they headed down this way from the Phoenix area. To-day we got to finally meet Sandra & Gordon who are now staying over at Hickiwan Trails for a few days. http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/ Really nice laid back full timing RV couple who have been on the road since back in the fall of 2001. Check out Gordon's website photography at http://gordonwolford.com/ Great stuff!! We had a big RV chin wag for a couple of hours & it's always interesting to learn new things & pick up new tips from fellow travelers. RV friendships quite often are of short duration & as Sandra & Gordon departed this afternoon we knew we would probably never see them again because RV people are generally always on the move criss crossing the country in pursuit of their interests, dreams, & nomadic way of life. We wish you well, fellow Nomads:))

The nights are getting warmer so I spent some time outside under the stars to-night with my trusty binoculars checking constellations, stars, & American jet fighter jocks chasing each other around in the star filled black sky. Counted as many as a dozen blinking light aircraft in all areas of the sky from horizon to horizon. Bright yellow & slow descending flares were coming down over the Barry M Goldwater military range again & it was nice to sit by the campfire quietly watching all the shenanigans. To add some authenticity to the silent jets in the night sky, the coyotes were sure howling up a storm nearby on the other side of the dry creek bed.

We might head over to the Ajo mountain range in the morning to do the Estes Trail hike. Need a break from the RV people noise that has encroached on us here the past couple of days!!!!!

NO PHOTOS UPLOADED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

ONE OF "THE BUNCH" IS INJURED:((

MONDAY FEBRUARY 11/08
So nice to step out of the rig this morning & hear birds singing. There are more trees in this area & where there are trees, there are birds. We didn't get off to a real great start though because one of the Bayfield Bunch suffered an injury before our walk even started. I was having a game of sticks with Max & Checkers while waiting for Kelly & the little Motormouse. While chasing a long thrown stick, Max either sprained or strained a left leg while bounding across a wash. He came back limping badly so we got him into the rig & onto the couch. This has happened before but it seemed worse this time. He stayed on the couch all day & right now is sleeping peacefully on his doggy bed. We'll see how he is in the morning before making any decisions.

Kelly spent most of the morning re-organizing all the kitchen cupboards which had all just been involuntarily re-arranged yesterday morning by a couple of big gully whomp ditches. I re-arranged all the bins trying to get the weight of the motorhome more evenly distributed. Beautiful morning for puttering & there's nothing like having a real live shady tree to putter under too. Temps have really gone up the past few days & even the wind was warm to-day. In fact it was even warm in the shade. We sure love the American southwest:))

We were sitting in the shade under our big old mesquite tree early this afternoon when a pick-up truck rolled in with the beep, beep, of it's horn. It was our RVing Canadian friends we had met in Utah who are now boondocked at Darby Wells west of Ajo. Nice to see Mike & Maureen again & we had quite a chin wag for a couple hours.

Not sure how long we'll stay here because a number of rigs have swarmed in fairly close to us now for some kind of rally. We just seem to have the worst luck in our quest for peace & quiet. If the people noise continues we will have no choice but to pack up all our stuff & move to a quieter spot.........if there is such a thing!! Very, very, frustrating:((

Beautiful starry night, but Mother Natures quiet solitude is trashed by the sound of running generators. Had a nice camp fire going but I gave up & came in:((((((((

I UPLOADED TO-DAY'S PHOTOS IN YESTERDAY'S WEB ALBUM

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

HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/

A LOOK AT HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK

MONDAY FEBRUARY 4/08
We awoke to the sound of rain on the roof around 5 in the morning & that meant a pajama scramble outside to fold up the wood tables, get a big bag of dog food inside, fold up the lawn chairs, & get the bicycles covered up. And all done on cold wet cement in bare feet......Aw yes, the joys of the RV lifestyle.

The rain continued until about 10 so we missed our early morning daily desert doggy walk. Big puddles, threatening skies, & brisk cold winds seemed the order of the day. While Kelly was working on Ray's computer I took Max for a walk in the desert. The other two furry heads were snoozing so I didn't bother them. We had only gone about a quarter mile when I heard a little "pop" on my hat. Then a few more pop, pop, pops. Small white things were bouncing off the ground....hail!! Didn't last long & there wasn't much of it, but for about 10 seconds we had hail in the desert.

Both Kelly & I worked on computer problems this afternoon but finally had to give up because of some kind of connection problem on Ray's computer regarding the Hughesnet modem, netgear router, & a USB wireless network adaptor. That stuff is just a bit beyond us & he will have to get someone in who knows about connection problems. However, we did get lot of other stuff successfully completed & the little website I put to-gether should be on the world wide web within a day or two. Kelly got the site registered with it's own domain name & I just have to link the site to the Picasa Web Album site & we're done. And done means moving back out to the BLM lands for us...yay. However, I won't be done with the Hickiwan website because I can continue to access & work on it from our computer no matter where we are. It's been quite a little learning experience for us, but a bit stressful...................................

A herd of donkeys came in close to the park earlier to-night but we just missed them. By the time I got my camera into gear the donkeys had moved off into the desert & darkness was setting in. I had been out by the road trying to catch a few photos of the sunset & by the time Kelly got my attention about the donkeys, it was too late. Maybe to-morrow night we'll put our donkey suits on & go stand next to a cactus & wait for the donkey gang to ride into camp again:))))

Hickiwan Trails Park RV website....
http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/












This is Hickiwan Ray....he manages the park