THE JULIAN CEMETERY....FINAL RESTING PLACE OF MARSHAL SOUTH

RAINBOW ON THE WAY TO JULIAN

It was nearly a year ago to the day that we first climbed the rugged path of Ghost Mountain leading to the old ruins & homestead of a man & his family who endured many hardships years ago to live a life free of society & all it's trappings. For some unknown reason I was very moved by the experience of walking through the ruins of what the family had called their home.......Yaquitepec. I took many pictures that day, http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/49JAN3MARSHALSOUTHGHOSTMOUNTAIN & several days later we bought the book, Marshal South & the Chronicles of Ghost Mountain. I read that book cover to cover & it was the first book I had read in nearly 30 years. The blog I wrote about that day can be found here...http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/mar/papr/mtsouth.htmlOn Scroll down to January 4th & look for, Marshal South & Ghost Mountain.
On this trip back to the Anza-Borrego area I wanted to see where this man was buried & to-day we drove to Julian in search of Marshal South's final resting place.

The morning's weather was a mixture of sun & cloud. Rays of sunlight poked through into the Borrego Valley but large dark & ominous clouds were sitting on some of the mountain tops to the west & southwest, just the direction we were headed. Borrego Springs sits on the desert floor in the Borrego Valley at the foot of the San Ysidro mountains & the drive to Julian ascends to over 4000 feet high up in the Volcan Mountain Range to the southwest. It's a very winding & twisting road & as we headed upwards through the little settlement of Banner, the clouds came down to meet us. The sun was lost somewhere behind us & as we came around one of the tight curves with the windshield wipers fighting off the persistent rain. A rainbow suddenly appeared in the valley to our right. I was able to get pulled over on the shoulder & take a few photos before the rainbow faded into the mist.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/THEJULIANCEMETERYFINALRESTINGPLACEOFMARSHALLSOUTH By the time we reached the little town of Julian it was very cold & we saw some remnants of the previous night's snowfall. This was our third visit to Julian & as the previous 2 times, we had trouble finding a parking place anywhere. This is a very touristy place & always crowded with people browsing in the many shops. Found a place one block off mainstreet & headed out on foot in the cold rain for downtown. Stopped into the Town Hall for a map of the town & to ask some questions. I wanted to see the fresco paintings Marshal South had done in one of the buildings which is now a Real Estate office. Luckily the office was open & I was able to take a few photos inside. Kelly had some browsing she wanted to do so we split up & I headed for the town's cemetery. Thanks to some excellent directions I found on the internet I was able to find Marshal South's plot with no trouble. As I stood there in the dreary rain looking at this man's grave I couldn't help but think of all his wonderfully descriptive writings about his life & times with his family up on Ghost Mountain in the Blair Valley, so many years ago.Marshal South authored a total of 102 articles & poems for Desert Magazine from 1939 to 1948. Eighty of these articles were about life on Ghost Mountain.
http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/mar/papr/mtsouth.html

Thought we might grab a bite to eat & a coffee in Julian but after checking out the prices in a few places.....we got out of town!! Headed back down the twisting mountain road out of the cold depressing & dreary rain into the bright sunshine of the desert floor below & made a right turn onto S2 & the Blair Valley. We were in search of the Vallecito Stage Station which had been on the Butterfield Stagecoach route back in the late 1800's. That road took us right by Ghost Mountain where I hope to return one day next week for a last hike up the rocky twisting path to Yaquitepec. We finally reached our destination after traveling through a beautiful area of towering mountains & sweeping valley floors. So hard to imagine how the settlers & pioneers traveled these harsh lands in old buckboards, carts, & stagecoaches. They must have been a very hardy breed of people back then. Something we could all take a lesson from I'm sure.GHOST MOUNTAIN

We finally made it back to our rig just east of Borrego Springs shortly after 2 this afternoon. It had been a great 5 hour day trip & one I will always remember. We are just so fortunate to be here.....................................................

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PALO VERDE WASH......JEEP TOUR

WE ARRIVE AT THE FIRST OF TWO OVERLOOKS

Another fine morning in the heart of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The town of Borrego Springs is not part of the park but is totally surrounded by it & the park's headquarters & visitor information center are located here...... http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

We picked Butch up at 8:30 & made the short 5 minute drive to Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs. Wasn't long before a few jeeps showed up & our leader for the tour, Deborah Sperberg stepped out of the gray lead jeep. She had been our jeep tour leader last year when we did the Grapevine Canyon run.......http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/444WHEELINGINGRAPEVINECANYON
The roads through the desert can be very rough & treacherous & it's always advisable to only travel them with high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicles. Jeeps are the popular choice in the southwest & this area around Borrego Springs has no shortage of them. We were paired up with a pleasant couple driving a Jeep Wrangler. Jack & Henrietta live right here in Borrego Springs so were familiar with the ways of the desert roads. Not a lot of extra room in the back of a Wrangler but we managed to get ourselves packed in alright.

THIS IS A RUGGED LAND

Four jeeps made up the convoy as we headed for Palo Verde Wash east of Borrego Springs. We turned south off the highway into the desert following a rough trail of sorts. Lots of bumps, twists, & turns. It soon became apparent why 4 wheel drive vehicles are a must. Luckily we had bars to hang onto in the back seat as Jack navigated the ruts, road washouts, & large rocks. Despite the small space, the seats were actually quite comfortable. It was the getting in & out of the jeep that presented us the most problems. The old joints & bones just aren't as flexible as they used to be:((

Deborah halted her jeep finally & we all disembarked the vehicles for a hike up a long & twisting wash between large banks of rock & clay. We reached a ridge & there before us lay the Borrego Badlands stretching for miles & miles. Distant mountains brought things into perspective as we gazed in wonderment at the impassable & totally rugged terrain stretched out before & below us. Just impossible to imagine how all this was ever formed millions of years ago. Dinosaur remains have been found in these badlands. Deborah said, "this is a great view but wait till we get to the next overlook, it's even better!!"

THE BORREGO BADLANDS

Back down the wash to the jeeps & off we went to the next overlook. Road seemed a little rougher but after 15 minutes we bumped to a stop & made the short walk to the edge of a ridge overlooking the Badlands once again. This time we were up higher & could see even further than we did before. Truly awe inspiring to look out over lands that have virtually remained unchanged for thousands of years. Butch pointed out that at the far side of the Badlands straight out from us lay the Slot Canyon he had taken us through a year before....http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/41DEC23BORREGOSLOTCANYONHIKE
This is truly an amazing land we live in & we are soooooo fortunate to even be here & be a part of it.

ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER

The road from this last overlook was the roughest part of the journey & took us a good 20 minutes or more to navigate our way back to the highway. Deborah has been leading these volunteer, & free jeep tours since back in the 90's & truly loves the driving challenges it presents, & enjoys the many people she meets along the way. She handles her jeep with much experience & great gusto:))

We were back in the Springs by noon & bid farewell with many thanks to Jack & Henrietta, our cordial driver & narrator for the morning. Like ourselves, they are RV people so we had lots in common & lots to talk about.

JACK, HENRIETTA, KELLY & AL

Butch, sensing our robust appetites said, "lets head over to Jilbertos & I'll treat you guys to lunch." Well, no twisting of arms here so off we went. They had their Mexican whatever it was & I had my good old standard hamburger. I am not an adventurous eater at all so I stick with the stuff I know. And besides, why put something in my mouth that's going to set my whole head on fire!!!! JILBERTOS

We were back to the rig about 1:15 & the rest of the afternoon was spent just like all the other afternoons since we've been here. Catching up on computer stuff, siesta, soaking up some rays outside, playing sticks with the doggy guys, etc. After supper it was movie time. We picked up 5 DVD's at the Library a few days ago so each night now we watch a movie before I start the blog. Last night was a movie about singer Bobby Darin's life starring Kevin Spacey. To-night was a movie about Queen Elizabeth staring Helen Merrin. Both good movies.

Not sure where we are off to in the morning but for sure it will be somewhere interesting again. Anza-Borrego State Park has events going on almost daily. I know that to-morrow at noon people can gather at the small airport here & meet a Ranger who is also a pilot & will be giving a talk & showing the airplane the Rangers use in their duties. There are also more jeep tours going, canyon hikes, & talks & seminars at the Park's visitor center. And, most of this stuff is free:)) So, if your out there somewhere sitting around totally bored, come on over to Borrego Springs, put your happy face on, get your butt in gear, & enjoy yourself................................

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A JURASSIC KIND OF DAY

NEIGHBOR BUTCH & HIS DOG KAPEESH DROP BY THIS MORNING

If some fellow partying RVers out here in the desert hadn't leaned on their big diesel air horns at midnight last night I probably wouldn't be as tired as I am right now. The same jeep club is here again this year & they have about 20 or 30 big rigs all parked in a circle. Last year they were a lot quieter but this year they were whooping it up pretty good for New Years. I had been asleep for a couple of hours before the horn blowing blew me out of bed!!!! Oh well, I always figure it's just pay back for me because of all the lives that I disrupted many years ago in my drinking & partying days too. Better them with the hangovers than me. It was a comforting thought this morning to know this was my 29th sober New Years morn:))))

Figured I'd tear apart the firepit & re-build it first thing this morning while it was still cool. Some folks just don't know diddly about making a firepit & the one that was here sure must have been made by some kinda diddly alright. Plus, it was full of broken glass so I dug a hole & buried the glass & old ashes. Makes me soooooooooo mad to always find broken glass wherever we go. Why is there such an obsession with humanoids to smash their beer bottles all over the place all the time!!!! Ok, better not get myself started on that.........

A HERD OF TORTOISES

Packed up some peanut butter sandwiches & headed out in search of some local hiking trails later this morning but didn't find the one we were looking for, but in the process of looking we came across a herd of tortoises. Big 3 foot high tortoises off to the side of the road. I've heard tortoises were slow but these guys weren't moving at all. And then we saw the dinosaurs....and they weren't moving either. Had we entered the Jurassic age?? ( The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the "Age of Reptiles".) A MOTHER DINOSAUR CARRYING HER BABY

Butch had told us earlier about these sculptures that are located randomly around the outskirts of Borrego Springs along the roadsides. A local land owner with a lot of properties around the area recently commissioned Mexican artist & sculptor, Ricardo Breceda to create, "Sky Art" of vertebrates which inhabited the Anza-Borrego region during the Pliocene-Pleistocene & Miocene eras. We spent about an hour driving around & stopping to look at all these marvelous sculptures stretched out for 3 or 4 miles in natural desert settings. They are all made of metal & spot welded to-gether & each one must have taken an enormous amount of time & effort. Some of the works are still in the process of being installed. One had just been anchored in a fresh cement pad & another large bird sculpture was just in the process of being assembled on the spot. Lots of photos for the web album. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ SABRE TOOTH TIGERS

In the process of driving around looking at the sculptures I took some pictures from the car of some swanky-do houses in the neighborhood. My photos don't do them justice but some of the homes & architecture here in Borrego Springs is just beautiful. No high rise stuff & very few places have a second story. Everything is low profile ranch style with some of the greatest desert landscaping I've ever seen. Palm trees, orange trees, & all kinds of flowers & cacti in the yards. Just love it!! What a beautiful little town this is. FEEDING TIME IN THE JURASSIC AGE

We were back to the rig by 2 & spent the rest of the day lazing around again enjoying the warm sunshine. To-morrow morning we'll be up early because we have to be in town to catch a free jeep tour. It's another great thing the town does. The local nature club people put free tours to-gether for anyone interested & local people provide the transportation with their jeeps & 4 wheel drive vehicles. Last year we went on a jeep tour with the same group up through a place nearby called Grapevine Canyon. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/444WHEELINGINGRAPEVINECANYON When we were in Borrego to-day Kelly went into the Nature Center & signed us up for a tour to-morrow to some canyons east of here. We also put Butch's name down because we knew he would want to go as well. We will probably be doing some more tours next week because the nature club have a lot of things on the go. Like I said, this is a great little town with lots of stuff going on & lots of things to do for everybody. The coyotes are really kicking up a fuss outside to-night & are the closest we've ever heard them. Checkers really gets to growling when she hears them but they don't bother Max or The Motormouse. It sure gives the West it's authenticity when you hear the coyotes howling at night. What a great place this is & don't forget to check out our links at the end of yesterday's blog about our time spent here last year at this same time........................ OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

NICE MORNING IN BORREGO SPRINGS-NICE NIGHT IN THE DESERT

The mornings just keep getting better & better. Can't even get myself cranked up enough to complain about the cold anymore. Now it's the heat......but I'm not complaining:)) So nice to step out of the rig in full view of the massive Santa Rosa Mountains to our northeast. The high peaks of the San Ysidro mountains to our west lead the way to San Diego & the Vallecito range to our south point the way to Mexico. Yes, it is a beautiful morning here in the Borrego Valley & we are two truly fortunate people. We have discovered many favorite places in our short travels these past few years & for me, Borrego Springs is one of them. It's a quaint & quiet laid back little town with no hustle or bustle. One main street, no traffic lights, & a lush green perfectly round island of grass & palm trees that leads you right into town. And they call that large round island, Christmas Circle. This morning after our desert doggy walk, we headed into town to have a look around the small farmer's type market they had set up there. Kelly immediately spotted a table full of doggy beds so that's where she headed to do some browsing. I spent my time snapping a few pics here & there...http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ And yes, she did end up with a big bargoon on 2 beds. THE CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Headed up the street & popped into the Borrego Desert Nature Center store for some free literature on area events. Stopped at our favorite little coffee shop, the Fudge Factory, split a home made muffin & sat outside in the warming sun sipping our coffee & watching the tall palm trees flitting in the gentle breeze wafting it's way down from Coyote Canyon & the San Ysidro mountains. HANGIN AT THE FUDGE FACTORY

Our next stop was about half a mile or so north at the Anza Borrego State Park Visitor's Center. This facility is a delight to see & I believe it has won an award for it's unique design & desert gardens. I took a bunch of pictures here last year when it seemed to be a little greener. Those pics are in one of the links I plan on enclosing below..... The Borrego Springs Library has moved into new modern & spacious facilities since last year & we stopped to pick up some free DVD's while we're here. The only channel we can get on our television back at the rig is Mexican so it's no good to us. Picked up some grapefruits & oranges on our way back to the rig too. Acres & acres of lush orchards here with fruit stands by the road. Nobody there & it's an honor system. This town is truly a beautiful oasis set in the rugged desert & mountain country of the Anza Borrego State Park. THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE TRYING OUT CHECKERS BIG NEW COMFY BED

I have decided to include the photo web album links (at the end of this blog) from our stay here last year because I don't want to repeat a lot of the same photos this year that I took last year & last year we had some very rainy & moody days that made for some great mountain pictures. If you have the time, check out the photo links & if your interested in the blog for those days just go to the right hand blog column & scroll down to our Blog Archives & click on December 07 & January of 08. Scroll to our Borrego Springs days between the dates of December 21rst to January 8th, 2008.

We were back at the rig by 2 & spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around soaking up the warmth of the sun & taking in the surrounding mountain vistas. As the sun set over the San Ysidro mountains we watched The Moon & Venus coming into view & as the few high scattered clouds disappeared, we saw the planets Jupiter & Mercury beside each other just before they slipped behind the mountain range. Colorful Christmas lights appeared on two rigs parked off to our west & I was able to get a few photos. Also a few pics of the Moon & Venus. A nice way to end the day & a nice way to end the year............................... So long, 2008:))

NEIGHBOR'S RIGS DECKED OUT IN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS FOR NEW YEARS EVE

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BORREGO SPRINGS.....2007

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/40DEC2122HIKINGPALMCANYONATBORREGOSPRINGSCALIFORNIA

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/41DEC23BORREGOSLOTCANYONHIKE

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/42HELPINGOUTSOMEFELLOWCANADIANS

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/43ASCENICDRIVETOJULIAN

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/444WHEELINGINGRAPEVINECANYON

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/45DEC30THEBORREGOBADLANDS

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/46BORREGOSPRINGSANOLDWW2AIRGUNNERYRANGE

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/47THERITZYSIDEOFBORREGO

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/48JAN2THECULPVALLEYHIKE

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/49JAN3MARSHALSOUTHGHOSTMOUNTAIN

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/50JAN4OURMYSTICMOODYMOUNTAINS

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/51JAN5RELAXINGRAINBOWS

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/52JAN7OURLASTDAYATBORREGOSPRINGS

FROM YUMA TO BORREGO SPRINGS

DRIVING THROUGH THE IMPERIAL SAND DUNES


Another bonus morning with bright sunny sky's & no wind. What a treat the desert is without the winds. Short doggy walk & back to the rig. Figured on getting an early start because it was going to be a travel day. We had decided on going to Slab City but as so often happens with us, we changed our plans at the last minute & decided to head off for Borrego Springs instead. We'll do the Slabs on our way back through on our way over to Blyth & Quartzite maybe in the next week or two.

As usual, I felt sad leaving our little campsite that had been home for the past couple of weeks. Lots of nice memories again. Trips into Yuma, rock scrambling, theTumco ghost town mining site, morning desert walks, Gold Rock Ranch, Bluebird Hill, the abandoned campsite & tent in the desert on Indian Pass Road, the whole day spent inside on a rainy day, Fillmore & his Mom & Dad, the homeless persons belongings, Wally-World meeting, getting lost in Yuma, & the list goes on & on as it always does when your enjoying yourself doing things you love to do.

We had the car hitched up & the big wheels rolling by 9:20. Nice morning for a drive. Hardly any traffic & we were traveling roads we had never traveled before, seeing things we had never seen before. One of my favorite kinds of days. Rolled west through the Imperial Sand Dunes & a place called Glamis with all it's thousands & thousands of off road vehicles, RV's, trailers, tents, & circus like atmosphere. I will post some pics that I took from the window of the RV as we passed through there in last night's web album entitled, "We Waved Goodbye To Fillmore This Morning." Just west of the Imperial Sand Dunes there is a water canal running north & south. On the east side is scrubby desert shrubs, rocks, & sand. On the west side of the canal some hundred feet away are palm trees, tall green grass, & endless lush green fields of lettuce, cabbage, & a whole bunch of other vegetables we didn't recognize. Quite a contrast in such a short distance.
LOTS OF OFF ROAD VEHICLES IN THE DESERT
A CIRCUS LIKE ATMOSPHERE OF RV'S, TRAILERS, ATV'S & DIRT BIKES


A few more miles west is the bustling California town of Brawley with it's Spanish architecture, manicured lawns, & large stately palm trees. We had been here a couple times last year for groceries & things while staying up at Slab City for a few days. Eight miles north of Brawley is a free water & dump station so we zipped up there, did our business & then doubled back through Brawley & continued our northwesterly journey up to Salton City where we turned left onto S22 & headed for Borrego Springs about 20 minutes away.

Borrego Springs was a little bit like coming home again because we had spent a couple of memory filled weeks here a year ago at this exact same time. And would you believe that after we pulled off into the desert at the Clark Dry Lake bed we ended up in the exact same spot as we had last year. Hadn't planned that but while setting up we realized we were in the same place. The desert is a little scruffy here but the surrounding mountains are totally beautiful & at night you can see the twinkling lights of Borrego Springs about 5 or 6 miles away. Felt good to be back.

A year ago when we first arrived here we were just setting up when a pick-up truck rolled up & two fellows jumped out & unloaded a bunch of firewood for us. They were both members of the Escapee's Explorer Boondocking Club. We got to know one of the guys (Butch) over the 2 weeks we were here & he took us on several hikes in the area including Palm Canyon & The Slot Canyon. You can see the photos from those 2 days here-http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/40DEC2122HIKINGPALMCANYONATBORREGOSPRINGSCALIFORNIA
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/41DEC23BORREGOSLOTCANYONHIKE
Butch has been coming here for years & knows the whole area. He usually co-ordinates the sight seeing ventures for the Escapee members when they come to his area for their rallies.

Ever since leaving a year ago we often wondered how Butch was doing because he lives alone in his 5th wheel trailer here all winter & further north in the summers so as we approached the boondocking area alongside the highway be began looking for his rig & sure enough there it was. He had returned from Riverside to spend another winter at Borrego Springs. As soon as we got set up the Bayfield Bunch walked over to Butch's rig & surprised him. He was sure glad to see us again & vice versa. Didn't take us long to all pile into our car & head into Borrego Springs to our favorite little Mexican restaurant that we all liked so well last year. Jilbertos (sp) prices are really great & so is the food. Kelly & Butch like the Mexican stuff & I really like their grilled hamburgers. Nice to sit around & get caught up with each other's lives & what's been happening. It was dark by the time we all got back out to the desert but Butch knows the roads so it wasn't long before we dropped Butch off at his rig & we were back to ours about a quarter mile away. There are about 20 other boondockers scattered around the area plus one large group of rigs from a Jeep Club.
BUTCH, KELLY, & AL FROM LAST YEAR'S SLOT CANYON HIKE

Another beautiful stellar night with a quarter moon in a star studded sky. Kicked back in my lounge chair & marveled at the shadowy outline of the majestic mountains surrounding us. As I looked almost straight up at the Andromeda Galaxy with my binoculars I was reminded of our own Galaxy & our place in the Universe. Our Galaxy has a center like a pinwheel & we are on one of the arms called, the Sagittarius Arm & if you know which way to look in the night sky you can see in what direction the center of our Galaxy lies. There, I have just given you a clue as to where you can find the center of our Galaxy............yes, really:))

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WE WAVED GOOD-BYE TO FILLMORE THIS MORNING

RAKING UP THE CAMPSITE THIS MORNING

To-day we had our best weather day since leaving Ontario back in mid November. The sun actually felt hot & a welcomed slight breeze made for a perfect day. At one point this afternoon we had to even close our side door because the sun shining in was just toooooo hot.

Fillmore was over early wanting the guys to come out & play so I had lots of help outside as I gathered up brush for a morning campfire. JoAnn & Doug walked over later & we sat around for quite awhile chit chatting & playing with the dogs. At one point I threw a tennis ball for Fillmore but it hit a log & bounced back into the hot embers of the firepit. Before any of us could react, Fillmore was into the pit after the ball with his right front paw landing right on the hot embers. Without a squeal he bounded out of the firepit & immediately began favoring his right paw. I quickly grabbed our dogs waterdish & I poured fresh water in it & Kelly got Fillmore to put his paw in the cold water. She kept Fillmore there for about 5 minutes & he was really good about it. Doug went back to their rig & got one of Fillmore's purple boots (yes, purple) & put it on the paw to keep the dirt out. Wasn't long & Fillmore was up & flying around again as if nothing had happened. I think we humanoids may have over reacted a bit to his firewalking episode. Fillmore sort of had a look on his face that said, "so, what's all the fuss about anyway!!"

THE AFTERMATH OF FILLMORE'S FIRE WALK EPISODE

Doug & JoAnn decided to pull up stakes & head over to Mitry Lake where they were expected at an Escapee's Rally to-day, so about 11:30 this morning we all said our good-byes & they headed on down the road. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ I always feel very sad to see people go because many times in this kind of lifestyle.......you never see them again:(( But, I like these kind of brief encounters because it seems when people are to-gether for tooooooooo long they have a tendency to get on each other's nerves. This way, everyone has their best foot forward while friendships are solidly cemented in place, and with the internet, blogs, emails, & forums, the friendships continue as we all follow each other's adventures across the land & if by chance you meet these people again somewhere, it just always seems be a very special kind of kinship:))

It was obvious by early afternoon that Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse were all depressed & missing their old pal, Fillmore, so the decision was made by Mom & Dad to pack up camp & roll out in the morning. Probably heading up to Slab City for a couple days & maybe have Solar Mike do a routine check of our Solar system just to make sure things are operating correctly.

SAYING OUR GOOD-BYES

Usually every afternoon around 4 as the sun is getting low on the horizon we have to retreat inside because of the cold that descends across the desert, but to-day that was not the case. The breeze subsided & we were able to leave our side door open until well after dark. As the sun slipped over the horizon we were treated to a beautiful crescent moon flanked by 3 planets. Venus was shining brightly high in the western sky followed by the moon a little further down. Below the moon was the planet Jupiter & below Jupiter to the left & close to the horizon was the planet Mercury. For me, with an interest in Astronomy, it was a real treat to see. Looking forward to seeing them again to-morrow night.........wherever we are. Got us roaring campfire going & sat outside for a long time & after supper I went out & sat by the campfire for nearly an hour under a beautiful canopy of stars & constellations from horizon to horizon. Tipped back in my lounge chair & with my binoculars I wistfully traveled the star trails of the heavens remembering old friends & old memories of days gone by.................... A NICE WAY TO END THE DAY

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CRACKER BARREL, DOGS, DOGS, EVERYWHERE & CHILE TACO SOUP

NO WONDER I DON'T ALWAYS GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP!!

What a treat it was to step out of the motorhome this morning & feel the warming rays of the sun instead of an icy wind for a change. I really think the southwestern States should get their heads to-gether & do something about this cold air & wind problem they have down here.AND, THIS IS FILLMORE


Fillmore was at the door early this morning wanting Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse to come out & play. We opened the door & the circus began. Dogs, dogs, everywhere. In the house, out the house, round & round the firepit they went. Lots of barking, dust, & noise. Lots of peeing on everything. Aw yes, sure beats having a bunch of screaming kids running around.

TOBBOGANING DOWN A HILL OF GRAVEL ON A PLASTIC BIN LID

Groceries were getting a little low so we headed off to Yuma around 10. Sure are a lot more RV's parked out in the desert now than a few days ago. This is a real popular area for dune buggies & ATV's because of the Imperial Sand Dunes just a few miles to the west. We could see clouds of dust in the air over in that direction. Now that Christmas is over I'm sure there are a lot of snowbirds headed this way.

Traffic wasn't too bad this morning as we made our way into town. Kelly wanted to try out Cracker Barrel's Sunday only chicken special so that was our first stop. Had to tough out a 20 minute wait but I actually did it. I think Cracker Barrel is probably our favorite place to eat. I had my usual open face hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes & gravy. Love that stuff. We never get coffee or desert so we were able to hold the bill to under $20. Still seems like a lot of money to me though. Course I always figure anything over $5 is totally outrageous!!

20 MINUTE WAIT AT CRACKER BARREL

Yuma is a fairly easy city to get around in & we've only got lost 3 out of 4 times either coming from or going to Wally-World. Streets run one way & the avenues the other so any dummy should be able to figure it out ok. And let me remind you, I'm not just any dummy!!!! WW wasn't too crowded as we zipped up & down the grocery aisles. Headed for the hardware department & picked up some paint too. Yep, we're gonna do some more painting in the rig. Same flower pot adobe color as our living room but this time Al's gonna have a go at the bedroom. Be nervous Kelly, be very nervous:((
We left Wally-World & immediately ended up seeing some more parts of Yuma that we hadn't really intended on seeing, but finally found our way back out to Ogilby road & the rig around 2.

Fillmore popped over around 4 & the circus was on again. Dogs, dogs, everywhere:)) JoAnn walked over later all bundled up against the biting wind followed by Doug in a bundle as well. We sat around the fireless firepit for awhile & toughed it out like true RV'ers watching the dogs flying around all over the place upside down. The sun was just about to dip over the horizon when Doug made a dash for their rig followed by JoAnn. Don't want to get caught out in the open when the sun goes down out here. The cold desert night's start instantly!!

DOGS, DOGS, EVERYWHERE

5 o'clock rolled around as Kelly & I dressed up warm & made the fast 6.3 second dash over to Doug & JoAnn's for supper. Chile Taco Soup with corn meal muffins made for a great supper as we all got to know each other better. Always interesting to hear how people met & the events in their lives that eventually led them to the RV way of life. D & J do a trip journal as well & you can find them here....http://www.mytripjournal.com/ourdream STEP ASIDE......KANGAROO COMING THROUGH

Kelly & I are not late night people so by 7 o'clock we said our "good-nights" & retraced our 6.3 dash for home. Cranked up our blue flame heater & settled in for the night. Time to start on the blog, play with the dogs, grab a coffee, upload some photos to the web album, look up the word metaphysical, put to-gether a double whammy peanut butter & honey sandwich & contemplated the thought of why the little moron cut his toilet seat in half. Hmmmmmm, do you suppose he heard that his half assed brother was coming to town.....................

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

COMPANY'S A COMING:))

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Because of our solar panels we always park our rig facing east or west. Usually east because that allows our door to open on the warmer sunny south side & it's a tad easier putting up the south facing panels as well. The advantage of facing the rig to the east is the sunrises. In our pine forested home back in Bayfield, Ontario we never get to see sunsets or sunrises but while in the southwest we get to see them everyday. And every morning the big sunrise comes beaming though our big motorhome windshield. What a great way to start the day......despite getting up every morning around 5:30 a.m. Don't ask me why we get up that early, we just do:((

We had a good excuse for some housecleaning this morning. Company was a comin:)) We had met JoAnn & Doug a few days ago in Yuma. They had been following our blog & sent us an email when they rolled into Yuma. We met at a Wally-World McDonalds & had us good chin wag. They were booked into an RV Park's overflow area & we suggested they come out to where we were after Christmas & try on a little boondocking for size. Lots of room out here in the desert & lots of peace & quiet.

Their Yuma departure was delayed a bit this morning with a truck battery problem but by 11:15 they were on their way. I drove out to Ogilby road & waited for a Montana 5th wheel. We're only 20 minutes out of Yuma so it didn't take them long to get here & we soon had them back to our area & setting up. And then they let Fillmore loose. Boy, talk about a dog with a lot of energy. Fillmore is a tall handsome 70 pound Standard Poodle. He even towers over our guys. Max's nose was a little out of joint when Fillmore barreled into the rig & right up onto Max's couch. Checkers didn't like Fillmore getting too close to her favorite stick, & the little Motormouse was busy trying not to get mowed down in the ensuing circus. It's always so nice to see dogs playing to-gether & getting to know each other. Great entertainment & that Fillmore is a gem:)) SETTING UP THE MONTANA WITH FILLMORE SUPERVISING

A bit later in the afternoon we all piled in our car & headed off down American Girl Road to the place we were rock scrambling a couple days ago. Had us look for some rocks but didn't find too much because the area was in shadow. Drove down the road another mile or so to the big open pit mine area & had a look at that too. Back out to Ogilby road & cruised through an Escapee Boondocker Rally about a half mile off the road. Continued up Ogilby another couple of miles & swung west down a gravel road to Gold Rock Ranch. Did a drive through there & then headed back to our site & dropped JoAnn & Doug off at their rig. Figured they were needing some good old R&R after being in RV Parks for quite awhile so we let them be & said good-night. Headed for our rig & finally got there about........... 4 seconds later. All & all, it was the end of another good day, & Gee, the sun hadn't even gone down yet....................... (no wonder we get up so early!!!!)JOANN & DOUG AT BLUEBIRD HILL

I posted some new photos to-night.

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

A RETURN TO GOLD ROCK RANCH

Went to bed last night at 8:30. One hour later I was on my feet as the rig was buffeted by repeatedly heavy wind gusts. It had been a windy day but the weatherman said the winds would subside by evening, which they did, but now they were back for round 2. It was pointless trying to sleep with all the howling & shaking going on so I fired up the tv & buzzed around on the computer for awhile. Winds finally quieted down around 10:30 so back to bed I went. Two hours later we were on our feet again as the banshee winds returned & ripped at us from the southwest. Sounded like it was going to blow the tires right off the rig. Heard a nasty rattling sound on the roof that was getting louder. Oh, oh, solar panel panic. The thought of having to climb up on top of the rig at 1 a.m. in the morning in a howling cold desert wind wasn't to my liking but I had no choice. It was either that or run the risk of having an expensive solar panel torn off. Jumped into my warmest Canadian winter clothes, grabbed an open end wrench & headed out into the night, up the rear ladder & onto the roof. Wow, was it windy up there!!!! Carefully crab crawled across the roof to the first panel where I discovered one of the bolts on the 4 support arms was very loose. Cinched it up tight with the wrench & that immediately solved the rattle problem. I also tightened all the other 7 nuts & bolts as well just to be on the safe side. Getting back down the ladder wasn't as easy as coming up & despite getting a foot stuck under the air conditioner & ripping my right leg completely off at the hip in 3 places, I was finally able to get down the ladder & head inside to bed somewhere around 2 a.m. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:)) Slept in till 6 a.m. Jeeeeeezzzz, almost missed half the day!! The cool stiff breeze hung around all morning but the sky was clear & the sun felt warm as long as one kept out of the wind. Good morning to do laundry so we headed off up the road a few miles to the Gold Rock Ranch RV Park. While the laundry was doing it's thing we walked around the park having a look at stuff. Always interesting to see how people live & fix up their places. Certainly is different from southern Ontario, Canada. Took some more pics but I'll include them in maybe to-morrow's photo album. No photo album pics to-night. On the way back from doing laundry we headed off on some old mining roads back to-wards the mountains & came across some nice sites for future boondocking if we are back this way again. The site we are at now is better than the first one we had here, but the sites back closer to the mountains are even better. The desert area here isn't quite as nice as the areas around Ajo or Tucson over in Arizona simply because there are no Saguaro cactus here & the Sonoran desert over there is much greener than here with a larger variety of plant & animal life. We haven't heard one coyote since being here. But, what the heck, it sure beats 3 feet of snow, sub zero temperatures, & the horribly boring endless days & nights of a miserable Canadian winter......................

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

A ROCK SCRAMBLING GOLD HUNTING CHRISTMAS DAY

THE GOLD MINING MOUNTAINS

The Yuma weatherman said we had a rain storm coming in from the Pacific last night & our computer weather map confirmed a big green rain monster heading our way. We battened down the hatches, put the bicycles under the slides, put the BB-Q away, folded up the tables & covered the chairs. We were ready!! About 9 p.m. last night the big rain hit.......all 25 drops of it!! That was about all we got & it was over. Checked the weather map again & saw the green blob of water had veered south of us into Mexico. Better them than us!!
DUELING NIKONS

We had earlier resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be spending all of Christmas Day inside confined to barracks with pounding rains outside, so when I let the little Motormouse out this morning around 5 a.m. & saw all the stars overhead I knew we had a clear sky & a happy day ahead. Didn't take us long to get the boots & paws on the ground for our morning walk later.

Soaked up some solar until about 10 & then hopped in the car & headed out in search once again for the American Girl Mine. (yes, that's really the mine's name) With the excellent directions & co-ordinates it only took us about 15 minutes after leaving the rig to locate the mine.........or, I should say, where the mine used to be!! First located Vitrefax & Bluebird Hills. http://www.desertusa.com/mag06/jan/kyanite.html The American Girl Mine was located to the north of Vitrefax Hill & immediately east of Bluebird Hill. The mine was closed in the 90's & the land completely reclaimed. Nothing there now except a completely filled in large flat area. I have photos of that in to-day's web album.

THIS IS THE FORMER SITE OF THE AMERICAN GIRL MINE

Once we determined where the American Girl Mine had been we spent the rest of our time scrambling around on & around Bluebird Hill looking at lots of rocks. The hill has been heavily mined but there are still lots of interesting rocks & formations to look at. Besides, this is a big gold mining area so one never knows when one will stumble over a 500 pound gold nugget or two. The weather was great with a warm sun & brisk winds as we scrambled around in the rocks just totally enjoying the day. Felt great to be getting some much needed exercise too. My kinda day again:)) SHE'S QUITE THE LITTLE ROCK SCROUNGER

We were back to the rig by 2 & spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing & enjoying our stress free Christmas day. Kelly cracked open some rocks with a hammer & I cracked open a box of Pistachio nuts. Worked on the blog & pictures while Kelly whooped up a Christmas turkey dinner with an applewood smoked turkey breast from Wally-World. Real potatoes with creamed corn & a peanut butter sandwich for dessert. Yesssssirrrr, my kinda Christmas alright. No fuss, no muss, no stress, no chaos & of course by the end of the day.................no gold either. But, lotsa pictures:)) YEP, THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THERE HILLS ALRIGHT......:))

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