THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THERE HILLS

SUNRISE AT OUR PLACE

The weatherman tells us we've got a lot of rain heading our way & should roll in sometime Christmas day & stay for awhile. Figured we'd better get ourselves outside to-day & soak up as much sun as we could. Spent most of the morning doing just that.

The area we are in is well known for it's California gold mining. We think we are actually camped on one of those mines old properties from years ago. Not far away are some cement slabs that would have supported buildings. There is even a tall flag pole near one of the slabs. Some large fuel tanks, a heavy duty diesel generator & piles of slag & crushed stone. A debris field of old tin cans as well & some sheds housing large water pumps. The bumpy gravel road that runs by our campsite just a few hundred feet away is called the American Girl Mine Road, which of course leads to the American Girl Mine up in the mountains. To-day we decided to go have us a look for that mine. WE THINK THIS MIGHT BE THE AMERICAN GIRL MINE.......(but, it wasn't!!)

Less than a mile to our north is a large rocky hill (or small mountain) which is greatly scarred from many mining operations, both big & small. We drove up there & headed off onto one of the many rocky mining roads for a closer look at some of the mining operations we could see. Old timbers, bent railway tracks, metal grates & rusting ore chutes. Also noticed a cave like entrance so climbed up to have a look see. The opening had once been sealed but all that remained was some pieces of tin, some iron posts & barbed wire. We crouched down & entered the entrance which was obviously an old mine shaft. We went in about 30 feet & the shaft became noticeably smaller......and darker. Didn't have a flashlight with us anyway & besides, we didn't want to be running into any rattling snakes just in case there might have been some hibernating in there. Noticed the rough walls felt like a soft chalk like substance. Figured it must have taken a lot work with pick axes & shovels to dig this shaft years ago. A MINESHAFT OPENING

Headed further on down American Girl Mine road noticing other mine shaft holes here & there high up on the sides of the rocky hills. Also saw wooden posts held in place by piles of stone which suggested miner's claim stakes. Another mile or so finally brought us to a huge open pit quarry that we guessed was the American Girl Mine. Long way to the bottom & we could see water down there. This was obviously a huge operation at one time & it's hard to estimate the size of the quarry but I did take some pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ The road at this point became too rough for our Santa Fe so we couldn't continue any further. I could see another road leading down into the quarry & would liked to have driven down there. Our next vehicle will be a 4 wheel drive jeep for sure. This road actually continues around the other side of the Cargo Muchacho mountains, winds it's way around & links up with Sidewinder Road which is west of Yuma near Winterhaven.

Anyway, it was a nice couple of hours rock scrambling & exploring to-day but we're still not sure if we actually found the American Girl Mine because after getting back to the rig we looked up some information on the mine with the computer & the directions to the location didn't sound quite the same as where we had been to-day. We are going to go back in the next few days with the new directions & have us a second look. Who knows, we might even find some of those big old gold nuggets we've heard about. CHRISTMAS EVE CAMPFIRE IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT NEAR YUMA, ARIZONA 2008

Fired ourselves up a campfire late this afternoon & looked back over the last 4 years to where we have spent our Christmas Eve's. Last year we were boondocking near Borrego Springs, California. The year before that we were at the Pancho Via State Park in Columbus, New Mexico. (the next day we actually got to sit on Santa's knee too) Three years ago on Christmas Eve we were at home in Bayfield & the year before that we were in the Rio Grande Village at Big Bend State Park in Texas. At this point, next year is anybody's guess.......................................

CHRISTMAS DAY 2006.....COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO

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

A WINDY PAJAMA SCRAMBLE IN THE LATE NIGHT DESERT

STARTING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

The California Express hit us last night about 11:15. We had been asleep about 2 hours when the big southwest wind gusts started slamming into the back of the motorhome. Once again we had been caught totally off guard as we heard things flying around outside. The sounds inside an RV in heavy wind gusts is absolutely frightening. I immediately thought our solar panels were being ripped off as well as the slide awnings. We scrambled to get shoes on & head outside in our pajamas to do battle with the great wind monster bent on blowing us clear over into the next State. Kelly was the first out the door as the wind ripped the door out of her hand & slammed it against the side of the motorhome. Lawn chairs were nowhere in site as sand & bits of branches went tumbling by. Kelly quickly rescued a camera tri-pod as I became entangled in a long dog leash tied to the hand rail near the steps. Didn't seem funny to me at the time but Kelly said it was pretty hilarious seeing me in my pajamas, dog leash entangled around my legs, jumping up & down, hair standing straight up on end & hollering nasty things at the "stupid dog leash!!!!" I had locked the bicycles to-gether earlier so they were ok as they huddled against the motorhome underneath the bedroom slide. Remembered I had folded the lounge chairs up earlier so they were still in their place storage place. The car was still there too as we struggled to get back into the rig & get the door closed. The winds continued to rock the rig for another hour or so & then it was gone just as quickly as it had come. It was only then that I was able to go back to bed & eventually drift off to some completely windless & peacefully quiet valley somewhere. Sort of like inside a stuffy library late on a Sunday night.

An email came in first thing this morning from an RV couple who had been following our blog. They were in Yuma & wondered if we would like to get to-gether for a chin wag. We had planned on going into Yuma this morning for some groceries so Kelly called them on our Skype phone & made arrangements to meet at McDonald's in the Wal-Mart store near Yuma's airport at 11:30. It was a good thing we left early because when I drove into Yuma to where the Wal-Mart store was a few days ago........it wasn't there. How could that happen!! Drove around & around in the heavy pre-Christmas traffic until we had to finally stop & ask a fellow where they had moved the Wal-Mart store to. Well, turns out, they didn't move it afterall. It was still in the same place but our car just didn't seem remember where it had been...... or something like that.

HEY, MY HAT'S BIGGER THAN YOUR HAT!!

It was lucky that we met Doug & JoAnn at all because they were on Arizona time & we were on California time, meaning 11:30 was really 10:30 for them & 11:30 was really still 11:30 for us or was it 12:30......or something like that. We grabbed ourselves a bite to eat, some coffee, & sat ourselves down for a good old RV 40 minute chin wag. Truly nice folks & we felt at ease with them. http://www.mytripjournal.com/ourdream
Kelly's better at meeting new people than I am but I was able to overcome a few of my insecurities & flop myself into the conversation here & there. Most guys are mechanically inclined, love sports, follow politics, & know everything there is to know about absolutely everything so I often get left in a trail of dust when it comes to manly conversations. Therefore I am a little hesitant about meeting new people so am content to sit out here in the desert pondering over simple little things like the mysteries of the Universe on windy days!!

,HAD WE STAYED ANY LONGER, McDONALD'S WOULD HAVE CHARGED US A SITTING FEE

We were back to the rig by 1:30 & spent the rest of the windy afternoon recovering from our lack of sleep from last night's wily wind monster episode. It seems the older one gets, the longer it takes for a person to recover from anything out of the ordinary. Especially lack of sleep...............................

No photos for the web album to-night.

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

P.S. Noticed when we got home to-day with all our Wal-Mart stuff that 5 of the items were actually......."Made in the U.S.A." Been a long while since we've seen anything that wasn't Made In China at Wal-Mart!! Do you suppose this could be a positive sign of....................the long road back:))

CLOUDY COLD DAY WITH AN AIRPLANE LANDING IN THE DESERT

SUNRISE OVER THE DISTANT GILA MOUNTAIN RANGE

The day started out fine with a nice sunrise but it didn't take long for the entire sky to cloud over, and at this time of year in the desert, no sun means basically a whole lot less heat. So, for us rough tough Canadians from the frozen north, that meant back into our winter clothes as the temps plummeted to the mid 50's. Ya, ya, I know. So much for the rough tough part!!

We didn't stray too far from the rig all day. Cleaned up the campsite a bit & that was about it. While raking up some stones I heard a small plane engine approaching from the north. It was louder than normal so I knew he was low. Did a slow pass over our rig and around the area. Swung back into the north but then noticed he did a tight turn to the right loosing altitude fast as he headed back in our direction. Another turn to the left & he slowed the aircraft into a steady descent. Grabbed my camera & got a few shots of him as he touched down on the hard rocky desert floor about a half mile away. Saw him roll to a stop & swing the plane around. Decided to grab my binoculars & by the time I got them out of the case I heard the engine winding up & he was rolling again. Seconds later he was into the air & headed off in the direction of the Cargo Muchacho mountains. No idea why he landed & took off right away again. No smooth & paved airstrip out here in the desert. This guy came down & did a somewhat risky landing on a stony uneven surface interspersed with small trees & shrubs, not to mention a few RV's parked here & there too. He was on the ground for about a minute & then he was off again across the bumpy rock infested surface & up into the air again. Maybe he just landed long enough to pick up a few gold nuggets lying about on the desert floor. Maybe picked up a couple of Mexican Banditos. Or, maybe he was in really bad need of a quick washroom break. These are strange lands down here, with strange happenings, strange discoveries, & sometimes, even stranger people..........like the rough tough Canadians who jump into their winter clothes when the temps drop below 60F. Just don't figure, do it:))SMALL PLANE LANDING FROM THE LEFTSAME SMALL PLANE TAKING OFF FROM THE RIGHT

I added to-day's photos onto the end of yesterday's photo
album...http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ASTRANGEPLACEINTHEDESERT

ARE WE CUTE OR WHAT!!!!

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

MOVING DAY.......BUT NOT TOO FAR

MOVED TO OUR NEW SITE TO-DAY

The site we were camped at just off Ogilby Road was ok, but since taking a liking to the area over this past week we decided to look for a better spot & stay longer. It's a big area with lots of wide open spaces to park so we drove around in the car this morning looking for our next newest campsite. Spent about an hour & put on about 20 dusty miles driving up & down rough gravel roads through gulley washes, up dry creek beds, around tight turns & through thickets of creosote shrubs. Finally, we found ourselves a nice quiet spot.........about 500 yards from where we started out!! We had actually walked through this area last week but had forgotten about it. Oh well, it was a nice way to spend an hour & see other parts of the desert we wouldn't normally have seen. TAKING ON A LOAD OF PROPANE AT PILOT KNOB

We are into our 11th boondocking day & figured we'd better get some tanks dumped, take on some fresh water & pick up some propane. Packed up the motorhome, took down the solar panels, loaded up the doggy guys & headed back towards Yuma to a place called Pilot Knob where a Shell Service Station alongside Interstate-8 had dump facilities, water & propane. Didn't take us long to get our business taken care of & we were on the road again heading back to Ogilby Road & our new campsite. Picked up the car on the way by our old campsite. Our new site has a few trees nearby & is more private than our other site where we had a 5th wheel parked about a quarter mile to the south of us. This spot just felt more like home & already had a big firepit in place. Took the bicycles off the motorhome for the first time & had us a short ride around the rig. Yep, feels like home alright. Nearest visible neighbors are about three quarters of mile north of us. That is an acceptable distance for boondockers:)) We'll keep our fingers crossed that no one moves in between us & causes an overcrowding situation!! STRANGE PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT

Yesterday after leaving the Tumco mining town site we drove north on Ogilby road about 10 miles & hung a right turn onto a gravel road leading off into the desert. We had heard there was petrified wood up this road plus a narrow canyon. The area was called, Indian Pass. Drove for quite awhile but the mountains just seemed to be getting further away so decided to turn back. Just as we did we noticed another short road leading to some kind of open air structure. It was odd to see something man made out here in the middle of nowhere. We cautiously drove in to what almost looked like a lemonade stand. Very odd. Then we spotted what looked like some kind of tent & large open wooden structure built in a wide circle around a single tree. The only tree we had seen out here for miles & miles. Shut the car down & got ourselves out for a look see. Bags of garbage had been torn apart by some animals, full water bottles laying on the ground, tables set up & a small sheltered cooking area complete with two pots on a grill. One pot was empty & the other one had a lid on it. Carefully lifted the lid & peered in. Looked to me like it might have been some kind of stew at one time but it was covered in mold. Very strange I thought. Everything was set up as if people had just been there minutes before, but mold in the large pot suggested no one had been here for a long time. We hollered a couple "hellos" at the tent across a gravely wash, but no response. Slowly approached the tent area & noticed a low semi-circle stone wall around a large deep firepit. Just beyond that was some kind of tent affair made out of tarps, old blankets, & just about whatever else could be thrown over the frame. Some of the blankets & pieces of material had slipped down & we could see inside as we approached. Nobody there. Stuck my camera in an opening & snapped a picture. Just a pile of stones in the middle. We walked around the site trying to figure out what this was all about. Valuable tools, like axes & picks were scattered about on the ground. Some tools were stood up against the shallow stone wall. Another tent like structure had been under construction with all the wooden branches carefully lashed to-gether with binder twine & rope. A very large circular structure made out of trees & limbs completely ringed the single tree. This was a large area & reminded me of a smaller version of Stonehenge, only in wood. Best way to describe all this is for you to have a look at the pictures I took while we were there.... http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
Maybe an alien spaceship came down & beamed everybody up..................................................A STRANGE CIRCULAR WOOD STRUCTURE

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THE OLD TUMCO MINING TOWNSITE

THE HOSPITAL WALLS

Always amazes me how the temperatures can vary so much in just a matter of feet. On the south side of the rig where the sun is shining it's warm enough for short sleeves but if you walk around to the other side of the motorhome, you have to put a sweater or coat on or your gonna be cold. Guess that tells me the daytime desert air is cool but the sun's rays are warming. It's a lot like our early spring days in Ontario.

We headed off for the short drive to the old abandoned gold mining town of Tumco about 4 miles up Ogilby road. It's a short half mile bumpity drive along a gravely stone road to the trailhead & just a few minutes walk to the townsite. There are no buildings left here, only some stone foundations, a cellar, some stucco & stone walls, a cemetery, a few concrete pieces & thousands & thousands of rusting cans & various pieces of metal. Tumco was a mining boom town in the 1890's with about 500 people & the only thing that stirs here now is the wind coming in off the dry California desert. http://www.desertusa.com/colorado/hedges_tumco/du_hedged.html

THE TOWN'S CEMETERY

We spent the best part of 3 hours walking the mile or so around where the townsite had been. The mine itself was further back at the base of the Cargo Muchacho Mountains. Tried to imagine what it would have been like here over a hundred years ago on a typical Saturday morning in the month of December just before Christmas. Men probably worked the mine 7 days a week & the townsfolk would have been busy with their company stores, social clubs, local saloon, many houses & hospital. Hard to imagine all the hustle & bustle as I stood at the cemetery site overlooking where the town used to be. We noticed there didn't seem to be any kind of life here at all now. No birds, no animals, few trees, & no sounds. Only the wayward wind. And 28 stony grave sites. 4 LARGE CYANIDE VATS

It was particularly interesting standing at the site & walking down into the cellar of the place called, The Miner's Club. This was a saloon complete with billiard & pool tables where miners played, drank, roughhoused, & spent time with the ladies. As I stood in the basement with all it's old rusting tin cans & bits of forgotten memories I tried to imagine the carryings on of the all the characters just above me in the wild saloon on a rollicking Saturday night. The drinking, the fights, the guns, the laughter, the girls, the carousing & the shenanigans. This was probably quite a place in it's day. IN THE BASEMENT OF THE MINER'S CLUB SALOON

The largest man made structures still remaining are the 4 huge metal cyanide tanks up on a hillside. Weak solutions of cyanide were used in the mining process to separate the ore from the gold. Those tanks are slowly disintegrating now & have been filled with clay but we were able to walk through them & marvel at the heavy timbers the tanks were sitting on. I always find it difficult to understand how people did things years ago without all the wonders of modern technology & machinery. If only we could enter a time capsule & travel back to those times to see how they lived. I always find historical things fascinating, so to-day was not only a good learning experience, it was also a good day for getting some much needed exercise. OUR CHIEF SCROUNGER

From the Tumco site we headed further up Ogilby Road looking for another road we heard led back into a canyon. We didn't find the canyon but we found another curious site in the desert. I'll save that for to-morrow's blog.

We were back to the rig by 3 & I kicked back in the lounge chair for a little solar delight. Kelly built a campfire later & we had some steaks on the barbie until the sun began to set & then it was quickly inside as the desert air temperatures plunged rapidly. It was the end of another fine day.....................

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

YUMA.....WE'RE KINDA GETTING TO LIKE THIS PLACE

THIS WAS ONCE A PERSON'S HOME

We are only a half mile from a busy mainline double tracked railroad, but the heavy freight train whistles have never bothered us. Something about their mournful sound far off in the night seems re-assuring. Something about trains in a lot of us I guess.

Our morning walk brought us across a scene that was familiar to us. Scattered clothes, boots, suitcases, toothbrush, books, old cans, a rumpled sleeping bag, collapsed tent, etc. The remnants of a once living & breathing human being, scattered about on the desert floor. I find it always sad to think that what I'm looking at is the end of a person's way of life........ or perhaps their very life itself. Who the person was or where they have gone we'll never know, but what they left behind will remain in my mind for a long time. And the photos I took as well. THE SCATTERED REMAINS OF SOMEBODY'S LIFE

Decided to do the old mining town hike on Saturday morning instead of to-day. We were out of bananas, low on milk, & getting low on dog food so it was off to Yuma this morning. Seems odd to be way out here in the dusty wind swept desert & then a short 20 minutes later we're in the Yuma Palms Mega shopping Mall with huge palm trees, pansies & snap dragons in manicured flowerbeds. It's a crazy world I tell ya. I refused to go back to that IGA grocery store with the horribly loud Mexican music so we managed to find us a Wal-Mart Super Center not far from the Yuma Palms Mall.

The State Line between Arizona & California runs right through the west end of Yuma along the Colorado River. On the Arizona side the time might be 10 a.m. & a few inches away on the California side, the same time is 11 a.m. By the same token, we got gas in Arizona to-day for $1.59 a gallon & if we had crossed the state line into California, that same amount gas would have cost us $2.19 a gallon. Also, upon entering California, every vehicle is required to stop at an Agricultural check point & could be searched for citrus, fruits or vegetables because of potential bugs or something coming into the State. At least that's what we think it's for. And they wonder where all the Government money goes!! Yep, crazy world alright!!

We were back to the rig by 2 & unloaded the 650 bags of groceries. Ok, well at least it seemed like that many. Had an unexpected little visitor this afternoon. We always leave our door wide open & sure enough, a tiny hummingbird flew into the motorhome this afternoon. Poor little fellow couldn't figure out why he couldn't just keep on going through the big windshield, so I quietly explained things to him & not to worry. He placed his trust in me, sat in my hand while I carefully cupped him with my other hand & then gently moved him to the open window, wished him well & he was free once again. He was a happy little guy because I could here him humming contentedly to himself as he winged his way off in the direction of the distant mountains.

OUR LITTLE VISITOR

Stretched out later on the lounge chair & soaked up some sun shine. Watched 3 border patrol vehicles whiz by & head off into the desert. Yep, life goes on...........ME & MY LITTLE SUPER PAL, MOTORMOUSE......... CATCHING SOME RAYS

I've uploaded a few photos to an album to-night.

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

SOOOOOO NICE TO SEE THE BIG OLD CALIFORNIA SUN

AN OLD MINING DUMP TRUCK

Well, lucky for me the rains had stopped, the big bad gray clouds had blown away, & the temperatures were on the rise first thing this morning. No need for the shovel!!

The past 2 & a half days here at the Ogilby Road site had been cold, cloudy, & rainy so I kind of had it in my head to move on this morning & put this gloomy area behind us. Figured we'd head up into the Slab City area. However, that was not the same plan Kelly had in her head. "Why leave now when the weather has turned nice," she said. Well, I guess she had a point so I had to get to work re-arranging my thought process for the day.

Up until now we hadn't used our solar panels, so once it was determined that we were going to remain here for a bit I scooted up on the roof & set about putting the panels up. Last time I had put those panels up we were over in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico near Elephant Butte State Park. That would have been back around the beginning of March. The panels went up fine without any problems. I THINK THIS IS A PETRIFIED ALIEN'S HEAD

The sun felt so good after the past few days that we just kicked back in our lounger chairs & soaked up some serious solar until about 11. GOLD CREEK RANCH MINING MEMORABELIA

This area is ripe with old gold, copper, & ore mines so we took a drive back up into the foothills on some of the old mining roads. About 4 miles north of here is the site of an old gold mining town by the name of Tumco so we hope to slip up there maybe to-morrow & have us a look around. In the same area we did see a sign pointing down a dusty gravel road saying, Gold Rock Ranch, so we headed off in search of it. Turned out to be an RV & Mobile Home Park complete with a small museum. Many old rusty mining artifacts, WW2 memorabilia from the area & a few old trucks which I took some photos of. They even have a website...http://www.goldrockranch.us One of those quaint little places out in the middle of nowhere. THIS TRUCK PROBABLY HAULED A LOT OF ROCKS IN IT'S DAY

Back to the rig around 2 & spent the rest of the day just soaking up some more good old California sunshine & doing some domestic chores around the rig. We're kinda getting to like this area so will probably stay for a bit & do some day trips, but first we'll have to dump some tanks & take on fresh water at a Shell Station over at Pilot Knob about 5 or 6 miles from here. Probably going to have to do that to-morrow.

Nice night with lots of stars & I can see the glow of Yuma on the other side of the Cargo Muchachos Mountains. On the distant horizon to the southwest are the miles & miles of shimmering lights which I assume are between Yuma & the Mexican border crossing point of Algodones. The desert nights of the American southwest have a clarity all their own & for a fellow like myself with an interest in Astronomy, it's a very special place.......................

CONFINED TO THE BOX:((

MOUNTAIN RAINS IN THE DESERT

Traveling east & west across the continent always involves time changes. If it's done slow enough, the mind & body adjust accordingly.....sort of!! About 15 miles east of us is the Arizona/California State line & that marks our third time change since leaving home. We finally remembered to adjust our clocks ahead one more hour yesterday, so early this morning our slow adjusting body clocks told us it was the usual 5:30 a.m. getting up time. One glance at our recently adjusted time pieces slammed us with the reality that it was, in effect....4:30 A.M. !!!!!!! To add insult to misery, rain was beating against the windows & the rig was being rocked by heavy wind gusts. Awwwwww nuts...........it was going to be a loooooooooooooooooooooong day confined to the box:(((((((

Two tired adults & 3 bored dogs in an 8x33 foot motorhome on a cold, windy, & rainy day somewhere out in the sandy & rock strewn Sonoran desert in the month of December has been quite a test of tolerance to-day..........for Kelly & the dogs of course!! Temps only got up into the low 50's & the wind chill factor drove them back down into the 40's. However, all we had to do was click on to our laptop's Canadian weathermap to put things into perspective & make us realize how truly fortunate we really were to be where we are. They are having an absolutely dreadful winter back home.

ARE WE GOING HOME SOON DAD??

The Yuma weather station called this cold wet weather here a very rare weather disturbance. I think the weather Gods somehow knew the Bayfield Bunch was in the area.

Several things got us through the day. We are soooooo glad we went with the Verizon Air Card in Silver City NM when we did. We have had an internet connection ever since arriving in this area Monday afternoon & being on-line to-day was a real lifesaver. With this heavy cloud cover our previous satellite system may not have worked at all & the gusting winds would have been playing havoc with the dish. We are very happy campers with our Verizon set up as we both alternated on the computer all day. I spent a couple hours on the website making some changes. Took me about 5 minutes to totally screw things up & the next hour & fifty five minutes having to re-do the whole thing again.

The clarity of our flat screen television has been another positive thing. We are picking up 10 clear stations with just our antennae. Too bad 7 of those channels are in Spanish!! Our Sirius/XM satellite radio was another good decision a few years ago. We can pick up news channels as well as non stop favorite music channels & all of the above make a tough & cooped up day in the motorhome much more bearable. However, Kelly just informed me that if it's raining in the morning when we get up she is going to need the shovel to dig a 3x6 foot hole about 6 feet deep. Hmmmmm, wonder what my wonderful dear wife has in mind for me.................. I'm sure it will be something nice:)))) I just uploaded the past 3 days photos to a new album.

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

LOTSA CHOPPERS, SOME RAIN, & A SHORT BLOG

A COBRA ATTACK HELICOPTER

The heavy cloud cover & periodic light rain showers made for a milder morning than is usually the case in the desert. No wind so it didn't feel too bad as we took the guys for a walk between drizzles. MAYBE A BLACKHAWK, BUT A READER THINKS IT COULD BE A HUEY 205 OR 212

Headed the 15 miles or so back down I-8 to Yuma looking for a large mall we had seen from the Interstate a couple days ago. The Yuma Palms is at the city's west end has just about every kind of store there. We popped into a Pet Smart, Verizon, Best Buy, Circuit City, & Cracker Barrel. I liked the Cracker Barrel one best:)) Slipped further into town & checked out a Radio Shack & an Alltel antennae store. Needed some groceries so headed into an IGA. Sure was glad to get out of that store though. Really LOUD Mexican music with accordions & stuff. Arrrrrggghhh!!!!! Fingernails on a chalkboard would have sounded better than that!! DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE CHOPPERS ARE

We were back to the rig by 1:30 & that was just about it for the day. Didn't do much of anything for the rest of the afternoon. The cloud cover hung in there with bits of rain now & again. We had a lot of helicopters coming & going from the Marine base in Yuma. Saw 4 different types of helicopters traveling in various groups. Cobra Attack choppers, Blackhawks, & Sea Knights I think. Don't know what the 4th kind was. Anyway, gave me something to do...........run outside when I heard the choppers coming, snap a few pics & run back inside again. Pretty exciting day huh............and maybe the shortest blog of ever for AL:)) A COBRA & A BLACKHAWK TRAVELING TO-GETHER

No photos for the album to-day

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

WORRIED ABOUT THE CAR WHEELS ALL NIGHT

CALIFORNIA SUNRISE WEST OF YUMA

I worried all night about the car's front wheels. When we rolled into the Pilot Knob area on Sunday we were aware that we had to be careful about where to drive on the hard packed sand. RV tracks were visible where rigs stuck to main roads & we could also see ruts where people had become stuck. Picked an area that looked solid & made a wide sweeping left turn with car in tow. I could feel the sand getting a little soft & as I checked my driver's mirror I was shocked to see the car's wheels were not tracking straight like they usually do. Instead, the front wheels were being pulled sideways through the soft sand. I quickly straightened out the motorhome & noticed the car's front wheels then came into line & appeared ok. Shut everything down & that's where we stayed for the night. Wheels looked ok but decided not to unhook the car until this morning. Why have a good night's sleep when I can lay awake & worry about the wheels all night eh!!

Windy this morning & cold. We stayed inside doing a bunch of computer stuff & free Verizon/Skype phone calls. Had to leave our blue flame heater running until we were ready to pull out. Un-hooked the car, started it up, put it into gear & eased out the clutch expecting nasty metal grinding sounds from the wheels, but it was ok. Moved the car around to the front of the motorhome waiting for the steering wheel to start jerking or a wheel to come off, but nothing happened. Could it be we had dodged another bullet. Kelly then hopped into the car as I followed her out of the desert sand to the small paved road & away we went. Kept waiting for her to pull over with wheel problems but we made it to the Interstate & away we went to our next camping location about 8 miles away. She said it drove perfectly, with no problems. Only thing I can figure is that the shallow ruts the motorhome's wheels made in the sand were enough to somehow cause the front wheels on the car to become dis-oriented in the ruts & get themselves out of line. In retrospect, we should probably have un-hooked the car before motoring through that sandy area. Lesson learned!!

Our new location is on Ogilby Road just a short 8 miles or so from Pilot's Knob. It's another free area & much better than where we were. It's a hard packed rocky gravel surface so no problems with tricky sand. We have trees & shrubs here with mountains close by. Only about 5 other rigs visible so we've got lots of room again for the doggy guys. Gathered up some firewood & built a firepit but the wind picked up & we retreated inside to stay warm. Finally saw some sun around 3 but the wind still made going out too cold.

BUILDING A FIRE PIT AT OUR NEW OGILBY ROAD SITE

We have Verizon coverage here with 3 green bars. Not quite as good as the 4 bars we had over at Pilot's Knob. Everything still works pretty good, but slower, except for our Skpe phone which just doesn't have a strong enough Verizon signal to work well. Television signal is really clear & we get about 7 channels with 4 of them being Spanish. As long as we have an internet connection we are happy campers.

Will probably take the car & head back into Yuma to-morrow morning for groceries & a little browsing.....

And a word to fellow RV'ers about RV.NET while I'm thinking about it......We belong to an RV site on the web called, RV.NET http://www.rv.net/forum/ RV.NET is a super great website & has been beneficial for us time & time again. It is made up of countless RV'ers from all over the continent with a wealth of RV information that is priceless. No matter what RV related problem you have there are people out there willing to help. Kelly reads the forum most everyday & whenever we have a problem she posts it on the website & literally within minutes sometimes people are on-line trying to help. These people are the experts, they are the ones living in their rigs, driving the highways, using the campgrounds, visiting the attractions, & living the RV life first hand. Prime example of people not only talking the talk, but walking the walk. We highly recommend other RV'ers get themselves onto these forums, not only to receive help when they need it, but to give help as well.CLICK ON THE PICS TO MAKE THEM BIGGER

No photo album to-day but the few pics I did take I will add to the next photo upload maybe to-morrow.

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

FROM THE SHORELINE TO THE DUST BOWL

SUNRISE ON MITRY LAKE, ARIZONA

The early bird gets the worm probably means the same thing as the early fisherman gets the fish. And so it was about 5 o'clock this morning as pick-up trucks towing clanking old boat trailers started rolling in to Mitry Lake on the bump infested & dusty road right beside us 20 feet away from our motorhome!!

Beautiful sunrise over the peaceful lake as the squawking sounds of the duck like coots rippled through the air. The splash of solitary fish & the flocks of snowy egrets across the lake reminded me I was standing out there on the shoreline.......... in my pajamas. In my rush to get some snowy egret photos I had rushed out the door & hadn't bothered to get dressed. To add insult to embarrassment, I didn't get any snowy egret photos either:((

Took the dogs for a walk around the area & climbed a nearby rocky hill for a few overlook photos. It's a very scenic area but I wonder what it will look like after they kill the vegetation along the shoreline road. EARLY MORNING FISHERMEN ON MITRY LAKE

Because of the car & people traffic going by on the road we decided to head out of the area & find us a new site west of Yuma. Checked our maps & boondocking books plus some boondocking info on the computer & headed off for a place called, Pilot Knob. Sunday morning meant light traffic going through Yuma & before long we were about 15 miles west of the city & exiting the Interstate as Sidewinder Road for a look at Pilot Knob. A paved road ran parallel to the interstate on the south side & a number of RV's were scattered about on the south side of the road. We headed west down that road until we saw a few more RV's & pulled off onto the sandy & hopefully hard packed desert floor. Found us an ok spot with nobody close by. Lots of room for the furry guys to run around & not bother anybody. It's kind of an unwritten rule amongst boondockers that you don't bother or crowd other people by pulling in close to them & we always respect that. Boondockers are a different breed of people from other RV'ers who prefer the more crowded RV Parks. We just prefer to go our own way, do our own thing, & not bother anyone else along the way.

There is a large U.S. Marines Airborne base in Yuma & we can see Marine helicopters heading back & forth to their gunnery range in the Chocolate Mountains over to-wards Niland, California. It was last year around this time when we were in Slab City that I saw gunfire coming out of the night sky on that gunnery range. It was quite a light show.

IT'S THE CACTUS SHADOW MAN AT THE DUST BOWL

To-morrow we'll head west again & probably up into the Salton Sea area. Supposed to be lots of free BLM areas around there so we'll see what we can find. Would be nice to find a spot we like & just stay for awhile. We'll see.................................

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WEST TO YUMA & NORTH TO MITRY LAKE

SOME DESERT CATTLE FENCING

Based on the weather reports last night & this morning we decided to pull up stakes & head for Yuma. Weatherman had wind warnings for northern Arizona so we knew that would filter down to our area for sure. Don't want to be out on the Interstate on big windy days. Chance of possible rain plus an unsettled weather week ahead too. Figured if bad weather was coming in we would be better off closer to Yuma where we could at least slip into town on boring rainy days & mix it up with the local shoppers if we had to. A GREAT BOONDOCKING SITE NEAR PAINTED ROCK, ARIZONA

We were on the road by 10 & climbed aboard Interstate 8 heading west about 15 minutes later. We immediately ran into some heavy wind gusts & some blowing dust so figured we were going to be in for it, but 20 minutes later the winds & dust were gone. Don't know where they went.....they just went!! OUR NUMBER ONE DESERT DOG BOY

Rolled into the eastern end of Yuma around 11:45 & headed for a mall on the south side that had a Fry's Grocery Store. Kelly slipped in for some stuff & I headed for a Subway Shop next door to do a little stuffing myself. We really noticed how much warmer it was in Yuma & I could feel a lot of humidity in the air compared to the desert we had just left on the other side of the Castle Dome Mountains to the east.

A fellow RV'er we had met at City of Rocks State Park awhile back had drawn us up a detailed map of where to find some free camping on BLM lands called Mitry Lake north of Yuma so we headed up that way & immediately got ourselves turned around heading for Quartzite. Finally figured out our mistake when we got to the road with the big military guns. Big U-turn & back to Yuma looking for the corner with two gas stations. Found it & got some gas while there. $1.53 a gallon. Most we had to pay so far was $2.03 a gallon back west of Deming, New Mexico.

Drove the 9 or 10 miles up to the Mitry Lake area & had us a look at some free boondocking sites. The nicer sites were up along a canal but the road going in was a bit rough & the drop into the canal was steep & we worried about the doggy guys falling into the water so we found a spot down along the water's edge of Mitry Lake itself. Nice area but there was a lot of garbage lying around from the many local fishermen who frequent the shore along the water's edge. Doesn't look like any attempt has ever been made to clean things up so we were disappointed. A sign near the boat launch stated that sometime in November or December the whole shoreline was going to be sprayed with some kind of poisonous chemicals to kill the heavy vegetation & make the lake more accessible to fishermen. Something is very, very, wrong here!! Can't imagine what this area will look like by next year at this time when more party animals & fisherman flock into the area leaving their litter behind. One site we stopped at had a large carp lying on the ground that they had hauled out of the water & just left there to die. I took my shovel, scooped it up & put it back into the lake but I think it was already dead. This was the kind of thing we noticed last year at a lot of our boondocking sites. Wherever Mother Nature is present, there is beauty & wherever man is present, there is generally a hell of a mess!!!! I am constantly appalled at how people have no regard for the environment. Smashed liquor bottles, garbage thrown on the ground, etc. etc. etc.

MITRY LAKE, NORTHEAST OF YUMA, ARIZONA

Finally found a sort of ok site but it was right beside a dusty dirt road with people roaring up & down so we'll only stay one night & head further west in the morning. There were a couple of older fellows here fishing when we got here but they were good enough to move their truck & we pulled the rig into the spot for the night.

OUR SITE AT MITRY LAKE

Checked the weather & they have scaled it back a bit so it doesn't look too bad now. Will probably just slip over to the west side of Yuma in the morning & see if we can find a better spot. And yes, our Verizon air card works great here at Mitry Lake & we have four reasonably clear TV channels too .................................

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