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."
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-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.

AT MENTION OF THE WORD RV……’BLANK STARES’

TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE FROM A WALK IN THE FOREST LATE THIS AFTERNOON   (NIKON D40 WITH A 70-300mm LENS ON BOARD)
We have a steel roof on our place so whenever a hard rain hits us there is generally quite a clatter.  Our clatter for the day began at 4:43 a.m. this morning but that's OK, I was up anyway.  And, because this is October 24th and not December 24th I know that clatter on our rooftop was not the wee hooves of 9 tiny reindeer.  Remember, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid , Donder, Blitzen, and Rudolph.....Ohhhh that Rudolph:))

Ever notice sometimes during certain conversations you may get blank stares.  Sometimes happens when talking to a casual stranger, somebody you just met or maybe an old friend you haven't seen for awhile.  We here in RV Land tend to take our RV lifestyle for granted.  We are all quite familiar with every day words such as RV (Recreational Vehicle), Full Timing, Diesel Pusher, Toad, Fiver, Rig, Slides, Boon Docking, Black Tank, Snow Birding, Brake Buddy, Hitch Pin, Hitch Itch, etc.  These same words however can bring a completely blank stare when talking to someone who is not of, nor is aware of the RVing world.  As strange as that may seem to us, we still have to realize and accept the fact we are in the minority of understandable and socially acceptable lifestyles.  I'm sure all of us at one time or another have found themselves on the defensive end of a conversation trying to explain the RVing lifestyle concept to someone who just doesn't get it.  I have read blogs and talked to folks, who when putting their RV dream plans together told absolutely no one about their intentions.  No friends, no business associates and in some cases, not even family.  I'm sure there are Full Timers on the road who's casual friend's have no idea where they are or where they have disappeared to.  Might even be some family members left wondering too.
   
ROCKET DOG  ON THE MOVE
One of the quickest ways to attract criticism in our society is in daring to be different.  Society tends to set a normal style of life…….as for example, working 9 to 5, couple kids in school with a nice house on a nice street in a nice town.  And a nice car in the driveway of course.  Deviate too far from this and eyebrows begin to get nervous.  Whispers can be heard.  To the majority of the norm it is totally inconceivable that someone would sell their precious car and house along with all their worldly possessions to go live in a steel and fibreglass box on wheels.   No roots, no social club, no steadfast daily routines, no same-same friends, no seeing the Grands 3 times a week or eating at your favourite restaurant 4 times a month or being in that same church pew every Sunday morning year after year after year.   How is it possible to live without the daily normalcy of routine.  How can people exist without all their 'stuff' clustered around them.

I can't remember when it was I first became aware of and interested in the RV world but it was a very long time ago.  I have always had that wanderlust feeling right from early childhood but it was probably in my first days of tent camping that my mind began to formulate the understanding and feasibility of a different kind of realistic lifestyle.  The word 'Gypsy' still did not have a good reputation back when I was a kid so one had to be careful when expressing any kind of interest in living a life other than the accepted norm.  A kid sure didn't want to be associated with those wild Gypsies after all.     Luckily, along with a lot of other old wives tales and myths, the stigma attached to the word Gypsy has long ago gone the way of the Dinosaur.  Well, at least in my sometimes topsy turvey little world it has.   
How fortunate I consider myself to be since making the leap into the Nomadic lifestyle even if it is only half a year at a time.   Our first rig back in the late 90's was a 17' Class C Dodge Centurion and from the time we headed that little RV down the road until now we have never looked back.  Although not Full Timers we do manage to spend 5 or 6 months a year as Snow Birds traveling and living in our Motor Home in America's great Southwest.  Our alternating lifestyles have brought us a far greater understanding of not only our surroundings, but ourselves as well.  Personally, I much prefer our life on the road as opposed to our sitting at home life but that's just the way it has to be right now.  My mind spends time on this problem each and every day trying to figure out a reasonable solution and agreeable compromise on how to better tip the balance in favour of spending less time at home and more time on the open road enjoying all the benefits the RV lifestyle has to offer.  A lifestyle outside the box, a lifestyle outside society's 'norm' and a lifestyle like no other………….10-4:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( There was a man who had worked all of his life and had saved all of his money. He was a real miser when it came to his money. He loved money more than just about anything, and just before he died, he said to his wife, "Now listen, when I die, I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket with me. I wanna take my money to the afterlife."
So he got his wife to promise him with all her heart that when he died, she would put all the money in the casket with him.
Well, one day he died. He was stretched out in the casket, the wife was sitting there in black next to her closest friend. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said "Wait just a minute!" she had a shoe box with her, she came over with the box and placed it in the casket.
Then the undertakers locked the casket down and rolled it away.
Her friend said, "I hope you weren't crazy enough to put all that money in the casket."
She said, "Yes, I promised. I'm a good Christian, I can't lie. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."
"You mean to tell me you put every cent of his money in the casket with him?"
"I sure did, " said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and I wrote him a check."
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.