TO-DAY WE FOUND THE RUINS OF CHARLESTON ARIZONA

BEGINNING OUR SHORTCUT TO CHARLESTON

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28/09 (Computer seized up a couple times Wednesday night so couldn't upload the blog. About half the web albums made it & I'm uploading the rest of the pictures right now....Thursday morning)

The thermometer in our bin said the temperature dropped to 36F last night but it must have been lower because there was a layer of thin ice on a large vat of water nearby used for watering cattle. Didn't seem as cold to me on our morning walk as the morning before though.

A chance encounter with the older couple while on our walk this morning led to some better information as to where the elusive ghost town of Charleston could be found. We had been close the day before, but not close enough so we decided to go back this morning & have us another look.

Started off on the other side of the San Pedro river this time heading for another ghost town called Millville. Charleston & Millville were separated only by the river but Millville was going to be much easier to find because of paths, directions, & reader boards. The brochures & the BLM officer yesterday told us there wasn't anything left of Charleston except a few old adobe foundations. That information is misleading. The brochures also state there is more left of Millville than there really is. Again misleading. It's obvious the BLM authority do not want people finding the ruins of Charleston so all the emphasis is put on the Millville ruins..........of which there isn't much left aside from a few old stone foundations scattered amongst the thick underbrush. The Gird House is one of the few recognizable foundations left.

SOME OLD MILLVILLE RUINS

We knew the old ruins of Charleston were somewhere across the San Pedro river & we also knew there was an old rail bed running along the north side of the river between Millville & Charleston so we figured if we could find a way through the heavy underbrush bramble & many mesquite trees we should be able to come across the rail bed. From there we had a pretty good idea where to go because of the information the older farm couple gave us. From the Millville path we headed into the thickets & managed to find our way through to the rail bed. (check to-day's web album for pics) It was not easy going & we got ourselves full of prickles & small scratches. Had to carefully crawl through a barbed wire fence as well.
SPLASHING ACROSS THE SAN PEDRO & THE CEMENT BRIDGE CULVERT UNDER THE RAIL BED

Once up on the railbed we finally found the bridge over a dry wash the lady had told us about so we knew we were getting closer. She said to turn northwest & cross the San Pedro river at this point & then head straight for about a quarter mile to the ruins of Charleston. We made our way down the bank to the river & then made the mistake of heading up river a bit to find a better crossing. Turns out the best crossing is right there at the large graffiti infested concrete culvert. We searched for a narrow spot in the river but didn't find one so finally picked a spot to cross & away we went......after removing our shoes & socks & rolling up our pantlegs of course. And yes, the water was icy cold!! We then made the second mistake of walking downriver a bit looking for a path which we couldn't find. We knew the ruins had to be on our left somewhere so headed into the underbrush again. Luckily we blundered onto a path & after a bit of searching we followed a second path up a slight rise. The mesquite trees were very thick here. Kelly stopped & pulled a peanut butter sandwich out of her pack, tore it in half & handed me a section. I stuffed it in my mouth, turned around, took about 3 steps..........and there off to my right, through the mesquite brambles I spied an adobe wall. "Walla" we had just found the ghost town of Charleston:)) It immediately became apparent there was far more to see here than in Millville just back across the river, but first let me explain something about ghost towns. CHARLESTON RUINS

The words "ghost town" conjures up old wooden buildings with broken windows, doors ajar, wooden sidewalks, some rusting tin roofs on the buildings, rooms inside with old paraphernalia, etc. etc. Kind of a Hollywood looking ghost town with streets & alleys. Some are manufactured ghost towns for the sole purpose of attracting people & commercialism. These are the ghost towns we most often think about & see in our minds. And these are the ghost towns in namesake only. Real ghost towns as a rule look nothing like any of the above & so it is with Millville & Charleston. These & other places like them are the real ghost towns of the old west. MANY ADOBE WALLS STILL STANDING IN CHARLESTON

We spent about 40 minutes in Charleston to-day & I took a lot of photos. So many in fact that I'm only going to include a few in to-day's web album because I have already uploaded all the Charleston photos into their own album. All's you will see is sections of adobe walls with a lot of trees & grass growing in & around them, but for anyone who has an interest in this sort of thing, they might enjoy the photos. We didn't count, but we think we saw between 15 & 20 structures. I will include some links here that give the history of Charleston & Millville.......
http://clantongang.com/oldwest/charles3.htm
http://www.azkatz.net/Sites/Quiz/Lesson1.html

We finally left Charleston to it's ghosts & memories around 1:30 & headed back to the river. Off with the shoes & socks & away we went again, tippy toeing through the shallow & icy cold waters of the San Pedro. Shoes & socks back on, up the bank & through the graffiti infested cement culvert to a wide wash on the other side. Followed this back for aways until we picked up the Millville trail again which in turn led us back to the parking lot & our car. We had been gone about three & a half hours. Boy, was it great to sit down in those comfy car seats at last.

IS SHE GONNA MAKE IT:))

We were back to the rig in about 5 minutes & spent the next couple of hours resting up. Around 3:30 we took a short 3 mile drive over to Tombstone. Just wanted to check out where to get gas & propane when we leave here Friday morning. Parked the car & walked over to Tombstone's gunfigher street. Looked the same as when we had been there before just a couple of years ago. Only to-day we were lucky enough to catch Wyatt, Doc, & the boys out on the mainstreet just hanging around before the big OK Corral shoot out at 4 p.m. Cracked off some photos before the guys all sauntered over to the OK Coral building. If you want to see guns blazing & bodies dropping, you have to pay to see that inside the building, so needless to say we just kept walking. GUNFIGHTERS ON THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE

My main purpose now was to find the Crystal Palace. A few days ago Kelly had started a thread in the RV Net Forum with some queries about the area & several people answered & have kept the thread going. Yesterday we actually met one of those fellas. This morning a message arrived from a fellow by the name of Len who remembered the Crystal Palace in Tombstone. So Len, Kelly & I went into the Crystal Palace about 4:15 this afternoon & raised a silent toast to your old departed friend, Buck . I took some photos inside for you as well & you will find them in to-day's web album.
RV Net Forum...http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm

THE CRYSTAL PALACE IN TOMBSTONE

We were back to the rig by 5 & that was about it for another fine day in beautiful sunny Arizona........:))

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

WE DIDN'T FIND THE GHOST TOWN BUT WE DID HAVE TO MOVE TO-DAY

ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO

We are about 3500 feet above sea level here so cooler temperatures are to be expected. And cooler temps it was this morning when we headed out on our morning hike. Had on my flannel lined winter pants, T-shirt, 2 long sleeved shirts, & my lined army jacket. Kelly had to wear mitts & a knitted woolen hat. We could see our breath & there was some steam coming off the San Pedro river. EARLY MORNING SUNRISE

Decided to head out & see if we could find the few remains of the old mining ghost town of Charleston. Found a path on the southwest side of the river that didn't look to overgrown so off we went. It was a beautiful looking morning with the rising sun low on the eastern horizon. The well worn path led through tall grasses as we followed the San Pedro north. There was evidence that cattle were in the area as well although we never did see any. We could hear the twittering of many birds in the cottonwoods but they were hard to see. I don't have a good bird lens for my camera, but maybe someday. We could only imagine how pretty this must be when all the leaves are on the trees & all the tall grasses, green. The river itself looked very clear & clean. We got into some heavy mesquite underbrush in places but the path was easy to follow for the most part. Occasionally we would see things dropped along the way by the illegal aliens that obviously use this path as well. Socks, an old shirt, & other paraphernalia. At one point we found a complete backpack with empty water & juice containers inside. Tire marks in the dry wash sand nearby suggested Border Patrol!! ON THE TRAIL OF A GHOST TOWN

We finally reached a point along the river where it narrowed & a log was across the water. A fellow on the RV Net had said when we reached the river narrows, to head up the bank & hill to our west. It was a short steep climb & Kelly waited with the dogs while I scooted up onto a plateau with a lot of mesquite trees & underbrush. The large hills were in front of me about a quarter mile away. I followed a path through the brush & then it ended. It was obvious from looking around me that I was not going to find a few old adobe foundations in the ground. I felt I was probably close to the old ghost town but there was no point in going any further so I headed back through the mesquite & down the steep bank where the gang was waiting. We re-traced our steps back along the trail & followed the river back to Charleston road & our rig. We had been gone about 2 hours, the temps had warmed up, & with all our winter clothes on we were doing some pretty good sweating by the time we got back. IT'S THE OLD GROUCH HIMSELF

Around 11 as we were relaxing in our chairs & soaking up some sun we heard a vehicle pull into the parking lot behind us & head our way. When we heard the "Wooop Wooop" of a siren we knew the jig was up & we were probably going to have to move. It was the BLM Ranger & another fellow who looked like a bonafide S.W.A.T. team member. These two guys were carrying more firepower than what the whole Canadian Army has in it's entire arsenal. Guns, ammo clips, clubs, etc. etc. These guys were loaded for bear!! (and drug smugglers) As Canadians, we're not used to being that close to & seeing all that artillery. They were both nice fellas & just informed us that overnight camping was not permitted in that parking lot & we would have to move on. The BLM guy told us of a spot just up the road towards Tombstone that we could re-locate too.....and that's just what we did. Took us about half an hour to get things squared away, waved good-bye to the Charleston road parking lot & headed up the road.

Wow, is this new spot ever great. We now have a spectacular view of the whole valley to our southwest. Sierra Vista is laid out below us about 10 miles on the far side of the valley & nestled under the Huachuca Mountains. We can see for miles & miles all the way down into Mexico. The town of Tombstone is only about 4 miles east of us & the area we are in right now is called, The Tombstone Hills. At this very moment as I'm typing this I can look straight out our window & see the long horizontal ribbon of shimmering lights in the distance that is the city of Sierra Vista. Almost as far as the eye can see from left to right the lights resemble a long thin gold twinkling chain with flecks of sparkling red rubies, glittering white diamonds & pinpoints of emerald green lights thrown in for good measure. Reminded me of driving down from the mountains into Las Vegas one night back in the mid 90's. And above all this in front of me is the black velvet sky with it's own awesome showcase of stars. You will never see things like this sitting in RV Parks!!

A MILLION DOLLAR VIEW

We spent the rest of the day doing some cleaning & just basically sitting outside soaking up the view in front of us. Last week, Kelly had posted some questions about this region on the RV Net Forum. Several people from the area responded & that is how we came to meet Sergeant John to-day. John lives over near Elfrida & works at the Fort Huachuca Army Base in Sierra Vista so he commutes the very road we're camped near, twice a day. He had given us his phone number & said to give him a call when we're in the area, so to-day, that is what we did & John stopped in to see us on his way home from Fort Huachuca this afternoon. Nice fellow, retired from the Army 20 years ago but still active on the base in another capacity. John & his wife are RV'ers also & said for us to come on over & stay a spell if we like, so we just may do that later on.

Around 4:30 a white pick-up truck pulled in with an ATV in the back & two young fellows in the cab. They were going hunting back up in the hills & just stopped to say hello. Nice fellas. Just before supper another pick-up truck approached & stopped. A well seasoned older couple got out to see how we were doing. Nice folks & we had quite a chat. Turns out they lease this land & have a lot of grazing cattle they look after. They also have another cattle ranch up around Benson. Their son has the place across the road here. Sure is a lot of friendly folks in these parts.

We received an email to-night from the folks we will be ranch sitting for next month & they said for us to come on down this Friday. So, if we don't get blowed off this big hilltop by a roaring Arizona wind by then, we'll head over to the McNeal area at the end of the week. And, I might add, as long as we don't get frozen to this hilltop as well. Temps are dipping to well below freezing to-night......................................:(( CHECKERS LOVES TO BE OUTSIDE

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

CAMPED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO RIVER

THE CHARLESTON ROAD PARKING LOT

Definitely a little cooler in this neck of the woods. Had a quiet night & no town constables came around to roust us out behind the Visitor's Center. The Centers doors opened at 8 & a few minutes later we were inside asking questions about the area & stocking up on brochures. An elderly lady was most helpful and made it clear there was no boondocking sites in the area. Luckily we had heard of one on the highway from Sierra Vista to Tombstone.

I checked Google Earth last night & it showed us where we could find a Wal-Mart in town so we didn't waste any time getting ourselves over there for a few groceries. In the meantime the wind gusts had picked up something fierce & while in the Wally-World parking lot our rig was being rocked back & forth like a small boat on a choppy lake. Picked up a few groceries & waited out the wind.

Around 11 we decided to head out in search of the Charleston road boondocking site. Wind had let up a bit so the short 8 mile drive wasn't too bad. I had previously un-hooked the car so Kelly followed along behind. Had checked the site out on Google Earth so knew as soon as I came to a river I would be there. No problem finding the big square parking lot on the south side of the bridge & east of the San Pedro river.

THE SAN PEDRO RIVER IS ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS BEHIND THE RIG

The whole parking lot slopes towards the river so there was no finding a level spot. Ended up putting some wood under the back tires. Didn't want to use the jacks in case we had to unexpectantly leave in a hurry. We are only about 20 miles from the Mexican border here so there are additional things to take into consideration when setting up camp.

Took the furry guys for a walk down along the banks of the San Pedro river. Lots of animal tracks down there & later in the day around dusk we walked over to the old steel bridge (web album) & looked down upon 3 deer casually drinking along the river bank.

STROLLING ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO

About a mile north of us up the river lies the ruins of the old western town of Charleston. In it's heyday Charleston was known as a rough & tumble town which boasted saloons, livery stables, restaurants, hotels, a school, a church, a post office, & stores that held $100.000 in goods. We understand there isn't much left on the site anymore. A few crumbled foundation walls & that's about it. We'll try taking a hike up that way in the morning but the underbrush along the river is pretty thick so we'll see how far we get. Or, we may follow the old railroad bed on the east side of the river & then try crossing the river farther up.

There is also a cairn (will get a photo of that to-morrow) here dedicated to the Morman Brigade who in 1846 encountered a number of wild bulls at this spot while trying to cross the river. A clash with the bulls erupted resulting in injuries. It is said that the "battle of the bulls" was the only battle the Mormon Battalion ever fought.

Nice sunset to-night & we were fortunate enough to see deer down at the river drinking. We've heard this parking lot is a favorite spot for telescope gazing astronomers & I can sure see why. No moon to-night & the sky is about 90% clear of clouds so the stars are just a poppin out of the night sky. In fact it was so clear that I could actually see beyond the stars into the future. And, the future told me if I don't smarten up right quick & knock off all the peanut butter & honey sandwiches I'm going to roll right past the 210 pound mark!!!!

No idea where we'll be to-morrow night but it just might still be here in this very same spot. And thanks to the folks on the RV Net Forum for the info & stories on this area......................

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm

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THE BAYFIELD BUNCH RIDES INTO COCHISE COUNTY

DOING AN OVERNIGHTER BEHIND THE VISITOR CENTER IN SIERRA VISTA AZ.

We waffled back & forth for awhile this morning & then about 8 a.m. the decision finally came down. We would head for Sierra Vista in southeastern Arizona. Didn't take us long to pack things up because we hadn't put the solar panels up or the awning & mat out. Said good-bye to Bren & Bob & away we went.What an exceptionally beautiful morning it was with warm temps, a few cloud skiffs, light breeze, & plenty of sunshine. Always a twinge of excitement in the air for me when setting out for unknown new vistas & adventures. I like to be on the move & mornings is a great time to be moving.

It was Sunday and the traffic was lite as we approached Tucson from the north on I-10. In early December while heading west we had really got tangled up in the construction chaos along the I-10 corridor so I didn't want that to happen to us again so figured Sunday morning was the best time to run the gauntlet. I figured right as the traffic was very light & we had no problems at all. Except.......we suddenly got snagged by another Cracker Barrel:)) And how do we justify two Cracker Barrels in less than a week?? Well, here's how we do it. We never get desert & we don't buy coffee. That brings the bill in around $16. We rarely eat all the food so always take a bowser bag back to the rig & that usually ends up being our supper later on as well which in effect, kinda cuts the bill in half. Also, in this case we may not see another Cracker Barrel to well on into March sometime.....therefore an exception was made & we did two CB's in a week. Now, how's that for some pretty smart Senior logic........:))

Climbed off I-10 at Benson following highway 90 south to Sierra Vista. The directions we had were to follow the blue signs leading to the visitor center. Some sites were behind the center & other sites were somewhere in the area. Found the visitor center but being it was Sunday we found it closed. Pulled around back looking for the RV sites. Didn't find the sites but found a sign saying the RV section had been closed since April of 2005. Guess our direction information was a tad old. The area was very spacious so we just decided to park here for the night anyway. We'll check into the visitor center when it opens in the morning at 8.

VISITOR CENTER ON LEFT

Looking forward to spending over a month in this general area because there is a lot to see & do. This is what it says in one of the brochures......"Prepare to enjoy more history per square mile than you can find in most places in the United States. You will find that our history is that which you've read about, play acted as a child and thrilled to in the cool darkness of your hometown theaters. It encompasses the famous like Wyatt Earp, Cochise and Geronimo." The area is also a huge birding region & is hailed as the Hummingbird capital of the United States. There are ghost towns here, many canyons to explore, trails to hike. Cochise's stronghold where the Indian Chief is supposedly buried somewhere. Geronimo's Skeleton canyon where he was finally captured. Yes, we are going to be busy. And the old west history goes on & on & on.

Two years ago we had passed through this area while traveling from Columbus New Mexico to points further west. We did an overnight stop in Tombstone but that was about it & the next day we were rolling again. Here are some photos I took over a 2 day period as we approached & finally stopped for the night in Tombstone. We were driving a truck & fifth wheel at the time. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/THURSDAYDEC28 http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/FRIDAYDEC29

Looking forward to our new adventures:))

No photos for the web album to-night.......but soon!!

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

LAZING AROUND THE RIG ALL DAY

MORNING CHAT WITH NEIGHBOR BOB & HIS FRISBEE CARRYING DOG, KELLY

Thought yesterday that we might do a day trip to-day but we ended up just sitting around having a relaxing day at the rig. Met another RV'er this morning & she was from Bracebridge, Ontario. Gee, are there no Americans out here.

The fellow we met yesterday is a bit of a photography buff so he dropped over this afternoon & installed some photo software on our computer that should help me make some improvements to my photos......if I can ever figure it out. The technology is getting faster & my brain is getting slower. His name is Bob & his wife's name is Bren & they have a home on Salt Spring Island between Vancouver Island & the main land. Nice folks traveling in a 5th wheel with their active frisbee chasing border collie dog named Kelly.

We have another week or so before heading down into the Douglas area so we've pouring over some travel plans between now & then. Considered heading over east of Phoenix to the Superstition Mtn area but I think we'll save that for March maybe. Or next October if we can swing it. It's actually nice to have the freedom to be indecisive. No hard & fast rules out here on the road if your not committed to RV Park schedules. This is our 47th consecutive day of not having to pay park fees anywhere. If you figure an average site price at $25 a night, then we have saved $1,175 dollars this past month & a half. Filled up with $60 worth of gas in Tucson back on December 9th & never filled up again until January 17th in Blyth California for $117.00. We're doin ok..........despite all our worries:))

BOB, KELLY THE DOG, & BREN

Weather has been great lately & we have not had to turn any heat on for the past 3 or 4 nights. Days have really been warm with actual humidity in the air. To-day was a tad uncomfortable but we sure can't complain. The winter weather across the north & back home is totally dreadful!! Sounds like the worst weather ever. BOB'S BUSY ON OUR COMPUTEER & THE GIRLS ARE TALKING ABOUT CELL PHONES

Not sure if we are going to roll out of here in the morning or not. Like I said, this great galloping RV world of indecision is an exciting & challenging thing:)))))))

No photos for the web album to-day.

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

SHOPPING TRIP TO CASA GRANDE, AZ.

STORMY SAGUARO SKY

The pitter patter of raindrops on the rig's roof about 5:30 this morning took me back many years ago as a kid to the days of tenting. That cozy feeling as you huddled inside your sleeping bag listening to that tap, tap, tap on the canvas. And always the thought of leaks, being careful not to touch the inside walls because somebody told you for sure that would cause the tent to leak. And as it rained ever harder you waited for that inevitable first wet feeling underneath you somewhere as the water somehow found it's way inside & began to pool right where you were!! And it was always your sleeping bag that got the wettest......first:))

Our little shower didn't last long but the sky was full of water as the large dark ominous clouds slowly tried to jostle for position right over our rig. Looked like it was probably going to be a good morning to drive into Casa Grande & do a little mall crawling. Didn't take us long to make up our minds & we were on our way.

OUR PARK ENTRANCE

Casa Grande is about a 20 minute drive east of the campground & because we had been there 3 times before, we knew our way around the area. Last year when we drove into the Promenade mall, a lot of the big box stores were still under construction. This is one very large multi-million dollar mall complex & one needs a road map just to get around to all the stores. It was about 11 a.m. & it was a Friday, but we couldn't help notice how empty the stores were. Acres of parking lot but few cars. Is it a sign of the times & what is to come? Busiest place in there was the "In & Out" hamburger place where the parking lot was full & cars were lined up in the take-out line. Another sign of the times perhaps. Our first stop was Marshall's where Kelly went in for a browse & I waited in the car listening to some tunes. Luckily she came out empty handed. Next was Best Buy where we picked up a set of Sony headphones. At home our television & located about 55 feet away from the computer. In the motorhome the television is about 2 feet above the computer & this creates a problem when Kelly wants to watch her "night time" shows & I'm stuck underneath the television having to listen to the darn things. Now, with the noise reducing headphones I can plug into the computer & float away with my many hours of downloaded music as I work away at whatever it is I'm working away at. No more wailing police sirens, gunfire, soap opera acting, or gory operating rooms with anatomically great graphic gobs of blood & gore brought on by some manic psychopath running amuck murdering whomever!!!! What ever happened to Jackie Gleason & The Honeymooners. Where's I Love Lucy when you need her & how about a little lite hearted whistling from Andy & Opie. Geeeeezzzzzz what kind of blood thirst & violence oriented society have we turned into anyway!!!!

Found a Staples store where we got one of those plastic things for under our office chair here at the computer. Castors & carpets do not work to-gether well. Popped into the "In & Out" hamburger joint for a couple yummy burgs & coffee. Asked a few questions at the Verizon store & Kelly slipped into a Sporting Goods place but once again came out empty handed. She said there wasn't one person in that whole store. Next it was down the street to Wal-Mart for some groceries. By this time I was starting to drag pretty bad & my shopping tolerance was running out real fast. Had to get Kelly to crack on some speed while we weaved our way through the heavy traffic aisles. Time to wrap this trip up, get out of town, & head back out into the solitude of the desert. Enough was enough!!

The rains came back just as we were unloading the loot back at the rig & we ended up having a nice 20 minute shower. Wondered who owned the gray car outside because the one we've been driving around has been brown. I was sure we left Ontario with a gray car. Yep, the southwest sure has a lot more dust than it really needs alright!! To-morrow we're going to do a little day trip around the immediate area & see what we can see. We may roll out of here Sunday but we're not sure yet. I like the idea of Sunday because of less traffic going through the road construction nightmare known as Tucson. We'll see how the current travel negotiations unravel to-morrow.........................

No Photos for the web album to-day.

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

A GOOD TRAVEL DAY & A GREAT CAMPSITE

SUNSET WEST OF CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA

I had put the solar panels down, & pretty well stowed all the gear away late Wednesday afternoon so there wasn't much to do this morning except hook the car onto the back of the motorhome & hit the road. Didn't want to stay another day because I couldn't stand listening to my own complaining about the crowds in Quartzite any longer.

We rolled north into Q & I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of traffic. Snapped a few pics out the window. It was about 9:30 a.m. when we waved good-bye to Quartzite & headed eastward to Interstate 8. Traffic was light & we rolled right along with no problems. Mornings are my favorite driving times because I enjoy the way the morning sun always lights the landscape & this morning was extra special because there were a lot of varying cloud patterns & that added a moody character to the sky. Distant mountains on both sides of the road looked stately, especially the ones to the south cloaked in a dark shadowy haze. Great lumbering Goliaths with high jagged peaks reaching for the clouds. Just the kind fairy tales & old western legends are written about. A beautiful morning. The other thing that became immediately apparent was the ever greening of the desert & hillsides the further east we went. More & more Saguaros began appearing, Palo Verde trees, cholla, & I'm sure there may have been some early flowers here & there had we stopped & looked. We passed the RV campground near Tonopah where our water line froze up two years ago, passed a service station that we remembered from last year having huge craters in it's parking lot that would have put a B-52 bombing raid to shame.

We had been driving about 2 hours when we saw it. The large tall sign appeared out of the horizon & steadily drew closer. Can it be....could it be?? Yes, yes, it is!!!! "CRACKER BARREL:))))" For us this was a true oasis in a long driving desert. There was a Cracker Barrel restaurant ahead just east of Buckeye. No decisions to be made here, this was an automatic YES!! The large fairly new mall is located about 5 miles past our turn off for Gila Bend but that was ok, we were starving for some good old country kitchen cooking. Had been over a month since we were last in a Cracker Barrel in Yuma. Can you tell this is our favorite place:))

I had a sausage skillet & Kelly had the newer Santa Fe skillet but we both agreed the sausage one was far better. Check the web album later for a picture... http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

KELLY CHECKING THE MENU AT CRACKER BARREL

By 12:15 we were back on the road & made the big swing south for Gila Bend. We knew we could dump tanks there & take on fresh water plus propane or gas if we needed it....which we didn't. For anyone traveling, if your coming into Gila Bend from the north, watch for the Shell Station on your right. There is free water & dump right behind the station & we noticed they have just paved the huge parking lot. No problem for big rigs getting around in there. There is also an RV Park right next door as well. Only took us about 20 minutes to do our business in there & we were back on I-8 heading east again. THE BEDROOM PAINT JOB

Herb had told us about a great little free camping place between Gila Bend & Casa Grande so that is where we headed. Jim Kortsen West Pinal Park is located in the V of the fork of I-8 & highway 84. This is a great little gem of a camping area. Well maintained with some sites having a concrete pad with picnic table & covered roof. It's all dry camping & lots of room & greenery between the sites. Not many rigs here so we were able to find a great little spot where the dogs (or us) wouldn't bother anyone. Only slight downside is a bit of traffic noise from I-8 to the south & some traffic on 84 north of us. Nice Saguaro cactus in here too. Right now as I'm typing this I can look out through our big windshield & see the dull glow of Tucson on the low cloud cover to our southwest. Across the whole horizon running north to Phoenix I can see the un-ending twinkling of lights. I'm guessing much of that is Casa Grande about 20 miles to the east. OUR NEW DIGS WEST OF CASA GRANDE, AZ

A fellow RV'er out walking his dog noticed our Canadian flag decals on the rig so came over. He's from British Columbia, & wouldn't you know it........his brother lives in Port Elgin Ontario which is a about a 90 minute drive from our place in Bayfield.

Our weather has been fabulous. It was a warm night in Quartzite last night & even warmer when we got up this morning. I could feel humidity in the air as soon as I stepped out of the coach. When we stopped in Buckeye around noon there was a warm wind blowing & our outside thermometer was saying 80F. It seemed even hotter than that by the time we got to our campsite west of Casa Grande. The sky was dark over Tucson & I think they got some rain. Also, we were surprised at the many crystal clear television stations we can get here with our antennae. And, our Verizon card works grrrrrrreat!!

All & all, it was a good day & we're happy to have a nice quiet & private campsite for a few days. To-morrow morning we'll drive into Casa Grande for a few groceries & things. And what a relief it is for me not to have anything to complain about to-day. Ok, ok, a little traffic noise but what the heck.......................... OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

OH NO.....REMBRANDT'S ON THE LOOSE WITH HIS PAINT BRUSH AGAIN

VISITING WITH BEA & HERB FROM ALBERT, CANADA

"Do you need a groundsheet?" "No, it'll be alright." "That's what I'm afraid about" she said. And so began our day as Kelly headed back into Quartzite for one last browse & I headed for the bedroom armed with a can of paint & a brush. Another fine Arizona morning was underway.THE MASTERPIECE BEGINS

We had decided awhile back to paint the back wall of the bedroom the same color as our slide in the front area. Bought the paint in Yuma last month & this morning the paint urge finally kicked in. I like to do those kinds of job when Kelly's not around because it just makes for a little more peace of mind when I don't have someone making suggestions, telling me how to do it, changing things, or questioning my work methods....so to speak!! Took me about an hour or so to finish up the paint job & while standing back admiring my word, I glanced in the bathroom. Hey, I was on a roll!! Within minutes the paint was flying in the bathroom too & I had one wall totally finished before the Boss rolled in. Too bad, because I could have had the second wall done too, but...... "Lets think about it" she said. And just as I figured, after I had the paint all put away & brushes cleaned, she later said, "yes, let's do that wall as well." Arrrrrggghhhhh!! QUARTZITE'S MOODY MOUNTAINS

Another RV couple we had first met down at the Hickiwan Trails RV Park...
http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/ last year are here in Quartzite again this year so after a few Facebook messages back & forth Bea & Herb came out to our campsite for a visit. We had seen them last year here as well & last month we dropped in to see them when they were staying near St. David south of Benson Az. Once again much of the conversation centered around internet connections, phone plans, antennas, boosters, etc. Bea & Herb have had a rough winter so far. First, their motorhome engine blew while going over the Rockies a couple of months ago. Second, the fuel pump in their rig went the day before Christmas while they were in a propane line-up in Benson. They spent Christmas day in their rig on a Ford dealership's parking lot. And then to make matters worse.....it snowed on them!! Next came news that the furnace igniter in their house back in British Columbia had failed to light the furnace........and their whole house froze!! Water pipes burst in numerous places, the bottom busted out of the water heater & when the temperature went up, all that frozen water melted...... flooding their house. The one rubber plant they had is now deceased as well:(( Let me tell you, these two people are in remarkably good spirits considering all the bad luck they've had so far.
It was nice to see them as we chatted the afternoon away. They are here until the end of the month & then headed off somewhere but not sure where. What a great life eh. We waved good-bye to Bea & Herb around 4 as they headed off out into the desert in their little green Jeep Liberty. Wonder if we'll ever cross paths again. With the economy about to spin out of control & the approaching doom & gloom, it's unlikely a lot of us will ever see each other again because I have a feeling this is going to be the last year of traveling for a lot of us RV folks:((

TAKE CARE GUYS & HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOMETIME

This is our last night in Quartzite & to-morrow morning we'll head east over to Buckeye & then south to Gila Bend where we'll dump tanks, take on water, fuel, & propane. Herb told us about a spot between Gila Bend & Casa Grande where there is free camping so we'll check that out & maybe stay a couple days before rolling down through Tucson & on to the Benson area. Not crazy about having to run that construction gauntlet through Tucson again but that's just the way it is. We want to be on site for our ranch sitting job near Douglas Az somewhere around the 28th because we have an orientation period to go through with the folks at the ranch. That will be good because I've never had to milk chickens before, never met a mule more stubborn than me & I'm not sure which end of the horse to put the hay in.

We had our last campfire to-night & both agreed this is the warmest night we've had since leaving home back in November. It was dark & I even had a short sleeve shirt & shorts on....most amazing:))

I must remember to take a picture of the finished paint job to-morrow too. Even the Boss thought I did a good job. Like I said........................most amazing!!

OUR LAST CAMPFIRE IN QUARTZITE

No photos for the web album to-night.

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PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY SOME BLOG FOLLOWERS

TUESDAY MORNING SUNRISE

Another fine morning in America's southwest. We don't have the best television reception here but we were able to pull in CBS on a Yuma station & that's what we watched the Obama inauguration on this morning. It will be one of those moments in history when people will remember where they were & what they were doing. For us it was a beautiful desert morning south of Quartzite, Arizona. Door & windows open with a nice breeze blowing through the rig. Kelly was finishing up some dishes & I was sitting in one of the Poang chairs taking a few photos. Yes, it will be a nice morning for us to remember.
LOOKS LIKE KELLY'S REALLY ENJOYING OBAMA'S INAUGAURATION

I don't think Obama had even made it off the podium before Kelly was out the door, into the car, & heading back into the Quartzite moshpit. I happily continued with a bunch of puttering around the place secure in the knowledge that my Quartzite ordeal was behind me!! Kelly later told me that to-day & Sunday were not nearly as busy as Monday when I came along. Why is that!!!!

I was stretched out in the lounger soaking up some warm sun when the thought occurred to me that I hadn't put our Canadian flag up yet. Last year we got ourselves into trouble a few times for flying our Canadian flag on American soil so this year I hadn't put it up. Kelly had picked up an American flag & pole kit at the Frugal Coyote store in Borrego Springs a few weeks ago & I had put that one up on the rig yesterday. Etiquette seems to dictate it's alright to fly our Canadian flag if the American flag is above it. The flag pole was too short for two flags but I remembered an old sawed off hockey stick I had in one of the bins for propping up the bin doors. So, with some metal C clamps, a bit of rope, & a whole lot of duct tape I began re-constructing a longer flag pole.

AL WASN'T THE ONLY ONE SOAKING UP A LITTLE WARM SUNSHINE TO-DAY

I was sitting in the chair in the process of fastening the metal flag pole to the old hockey stick when I was aware of sound & movement out on the Old Yuma road off to my right. Two ATV's had slowed & the lead ATV made a direct turn right into our campsite. I immediately figured I was in trouble for something. I grew up under the heavy eye of criticism so whenever anything unusual happens I always figure I've done something wrong. But, that was not to be the case to-day. This was about to be the first of two feeling good events for me. Pete introduced himself & his buddy Ed as they both climbed off their machines. Pete lives nearby & has been following our blog for about a year now. He knew we were in the area & from my vague description a few days ago of where we were, was able to track us down. They had been cruising the area looking for our flag set up that I just posted a picture of in yesterday's blog. Problem was, I had just taken the flag down 10 minutes before to begin working on my flagpole extension idea. However, coming down Old Yuma road they spotted the rig & me sitting in a chair with the flags stretched across my lap. These desert dwellers have sharp eyes. We spent the best part of an hour talking about all sorts of things that RV'ers generally talk about & Ed really liked the color of our adobe painted walls. The fellas were just about ready to leave when Kelly rolled in from Q. I was glad she got to meet them & it was a good feeling knowing someone had taken time out of their day to actually track us down & tell us how much they enjoy reading the blog & seeing the pictures. It was especially nice for me because I'm geared more for negative remarks & not compliments. The boys rode off into the desert & I resumed my flagpole project. Thanks guys:)) ED & PETEPETE WAVES GOOD-BYE AS THE BOYS HEAD WEST TO-WARDS THE MOUNTAINS

Kelly had picked up a computer fan a couple of days ago because I figured it might be a good way to circulate some of the warm blue flame air from the upper half of the coach to the lower half. Pete had given me an idea on how to hook it up so I was sitting on the floor working at splicing some wires when the dogs suddenly let out a bark just as a knock came to our open door. Oh oh, I must be in trouble for something. The big fellow standing at the door said, "Hello, my name's John Brown & I was in the area, I read your blog & just wanted to meet you." Well, to say I was totally befuzzled would be putting it mildly. And just as with the other two fellows ,I felt a certain unease for a few minutes until I realized they were not here to bash me for something I had said in the blogs. I do get a little opinionated at times you know. But two blog followers in one day.........who would have ever thunk it. About 15 minutes into the conversation with John he mentioned he has a website as well & as soon as he said John & Brenda's Incredible Adventure, I knew who he was. Their blog is one of the links on our main page...
http://johnbrendasincredibleadventure.blogspot.com/
We had ourselves quite a chin wag for an hour or so & as so often happens, we seemed to know a lot of the same RV blog people. Always lots of things to talk about & lots of things in common in the RV world. RV folks are never at a loss for words. John's wife had to fly back to Calgary for a bit so John figured he'd take a drive down here south of Quartzite to see if he could find us. He's camped north of Q. Nice fellow. The sun was down over the mountains when John headed back to his rig.

FINALLY GOT OUR CANADIAN FLAG UP JOHN, FROM JOHN & BRENDA'S INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE

So, all & all, it was quite a pleasantly unexpected day for me. Made 3 new friends & that ain't too bad for a guy who is not exactly people oriented anymore. John touched on that subject to-day when we were talking about spending quality time with oneself. I have felt that for many years now but it's not a subject that is easily discussed with many people. In the RV world a lot of emphasis is placed on the social contact element with people always being to-gether for an unending array of constant club & social events. It is easy for me to understand that lifestyle because I have been there & done that but it is difficult for a lot of those people to understand my/our desire to be off by ourselves boondocking & not wanting to participate in the happy hours, the pot lucks, the line dancing classes, the fire rings, the wheelbarrow races, or the 3 legged grasshopper tickle. Just some quiet quality time playing with the dogs, doing some puttering, soothing music on the satellite radio, soaking up some sunshine, listening to the wind in the trees & watching the magic cloud shadows play across the distant mountain tops. Thanks John, it was nice to hear someone else touch on that subject. MAX SAYING GOOD-BYE TO BIG JOHN

And thanks to Pete & Ed. All you blog follower guys made my day:)))))))

No photos for the web album to-day.

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QUARTZITE!! IF IT WASN'T FOR THE HORDES OF PEOPLE, I MIGHT LIKE THIS PLACE

MONDAY MORNING SUNRISE

Last year we had a lot of big winds blowing through here in the night disrupting our sleep but this year the old north wind is behaving itself, but the coyotes aren't. As soon as darkness descends, the yipping & howling begins. Most of the RV's here are east of us with a few to the south & some to the north. West of us is wide open desert for miles, and that's where the coyotes are.....lots of them. Within about half an hour of sundown we could hear them very close behind our unit last night again. Maybe 50 yards of so. Maybe less. Shone the flashlight into the blackness hoping to see some shining eyes but they were too clever for that. We always hear them but we never see them. They hang around all night sometimes really yipping up a storm, & that sets Checkers off which in turns wakes me up. Max & the Motormouse aren't bothered by the Coyote sounds but Checkers does a lot of growling & barking. So, the last couple of nights have not been good for sleeping.

I had myself psyched up for the trip into Quartzite this morning. I wasn't going to let thousands of people, hundreds & hundreds of vendors, traffic jams, or jostling line-ups bother me. No sireeeee, I was up for the challenge.....but then we got there!! We were at Tyson Wells before the vendors were open but still had trouble finding a parking place. The vendors opening time was 9 p.m. but only about a third of them were sleepily getting up to speed so we just kind of slowly ambled around. I'm not good at slow ambling!! By 9:30 things were gearing up & people were rolling in. We found what we were looking for at the flag pole place but then began the long slow ordeal of browsing. I'm not good at browsing!! I can get out on a rough hiking trail & go for a long ways for hours without tiring or so much as stopping for a drink of water, but shift me into browse/shopping mode & I'm toast within half an hour. I have a theory as to why that happens. Walking slow for hours with numerous stops to look at stuff & long periods of standing in one place waiting for a spouse is hard on the legs. Weight & pressure is held longer on each leg joint causing early stress to all areas of the limbs & therefore, the mind. It seems to be a common affliction that affects only males who are in the company of a woman at the time. There has been no recorded history of a woman ever having this problem either by herself or in company of others. And strangely enough, men on their own looking for an item or out to buy something rarely suffer from this either. They know what they want, they know where to get it, & they know enough to clear the area as soon as they have what they came for. Believe me, I know of these things!! And that's my theory & I'm sticking to it!!

THIS WAS MY BREAKFAST STOP

After trudging along up & down aisles & aisles of vendors for what seemed like hours we finally made our way over towards the Big Top area. I was in there on opening day last year so knew enough to stay well clear of the place. If you have a strong need to be trampled, the Big Top is for you!! Had a look at some RV's & as much as we prefer motorhomes, the 5th wheels do have the nicest floor plans. We had a fifth wheel 2 years ago but find the motorhome much more convenient. Made our way around the outside of the Big Top to the vendor Kelly got the windshield sunscreens at yesterday. They also had pre-made sun visor material for motorhomes as well so we picked up two. Kelly couldn't remember where the sun screen vendor was at first so that cost Al's legs some more of that stress stuff. You remember the theory, right!!

Grabbed a quick bite & even managed to find a table & chair to sit down & eat it at. But only briefly. Chairs were at a premium & Seniors waiting for them were beginning to look downright dangerous. We had just passed a booth where they were handing out gun licenses for concealed weapons & by the looks on some of those older folks faces I'm sure they were concealing more than guns!!

KELLY'S ON THE CELL PHONE TAKING A RESERVATION FOR DEERPARK LODGE

Made our way back to the parking lot........& then came the traffic jam. We were bumper to bumper & it took us about 20 minutes to go a block & a half. Was glad to reach the highway & make the right hand turn out of town. Traffic was fine going south for us but traffic heading northbound into Q was bumper to bumper for about 2 miles out of town. Oh well, better them than me.

Soooooooo glad to be out of the Quartzite crush & back out to the desert & our rig. Time elapsed....3 whole hours. Spent the rest of the afternoon resting my legs, snoozing, reading & trying to restore my mind back to something resembling normal. A 20 Borax mule team couldn't drag me back into Quartzite again, but of course, Kelly, being a woman, is heading right back in there again in the morning. What was the name of that book a few years ago, Men are from Mars & Women are from......WHERE!!!!

FLAG POLE IS UP

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HOME ALONE WHILE KELLY HEADS INTO THE MOSHPIT

SUNRISE

Quietly watched the sunrise over the Kofa Mountains this morning. The jagged peaks of the Kofa range are like ancient castles perched high atop massive mounds of solid rock below. Names like Squaw Peak , Signal Peak, & Polaris mountain. I remember them from the past couple of years & they are beautifully stretched across the hazy southeastern horizon. To our west is the Dome Rock Mountains where the morning sun becomes the evening sun & blazes the sky with it's flaming silhouette sunsets on the mountain tops.SUNSET

Kelly was anxious to get into the moshpit early this morning to find a good parking spot. One of our RV friends got nailed with a $74 parking ticket in there the other day. Not nice, but it's Quartzite & it's the middle of January!! SNOOZING WITH DAD'S HAT ON

Had myself a great morning just puttering about. Built a firepit amongst other things. Weather is totally great with lots of sun & warm temps. Had to put the awning out for some shade because we don't have any trees nearby. Our site is OK for a few days but not as nice as a few of the sites we had last year. People kept crowding in we kept moving!! Last year at about this time we were here as well & it was a beehive of activity for us sometimes. Had our torn awning replaced, had a blue flame heater installed & if that wasn't enough, we hauled all our furniture out of the rig, loaded it in the car & drove it into Q & sold it to one of the vendors known as, The Gambler. Until we got over to the Ikea store in Tempe a week later, all's we had in here was 2 folding chairs & a small wooden table. Kelly jokingly told the people at the Gambler place that we had to sell the furniture for gas money to get back to Canada. And everybody believed her too. I just kinda pulled my hat way down over my face & tried to make myself about as small as I could.

In yesterday's post I had written a little piece on how to make campfire's more colorful by using some plastic & copper materials. Several guests quickly pointed out in our website Shout Box about the toxicity & bad elements this releases into the atmosphere. Thought about that for a few minutes & came to the conclusion that they were absolutely right. I went back & removed the campfire colors instructions. It's a good thing we have people on the ball out there:)) PUTTING UP THE SOLAR PANELS THIS MORNING

We've had inquiries about the earth oven we were parked beside over near Borrego Springs last week. The same people who built that oven are currently cooking in another one they built right here in Quartzite & if you go to Doug & JoAnn's site you can see some pictures of the gang using the oven.....http://www.mytripjournal.com/travel-418783 Click on the pictures.

I can hear the far distant "thumps" of bombs being dropped in the Chocolate Mountain Bombing range many miles & two mountain ranges to the west. Three days ago when we were on our Elephant Tree hunt south of Ocotillo Wells in California we could hear the same thing. We were on the other side of the Chocolates then but we were easily 60 plus miles away. We are much more than that now but the "thumps" are unmistakable.

Wind came up in the afternoon so had to get the awning down. An exhausted Kelly finally made it back from the Q Crush around 3 with her booty of bargoons. Finally got some RV Quick Shades for our big front windshield. While parked, they block out the sun's hot rays plus we can see out but nobody can see in. We do have curtains that pull across the windshield but they are a real pain. Also got a small computer fan to help circulate the warmer air down around the floor area. A stone pizza baking plate, night light, hanging basket affair for fruit, but..........no new flagpole for the rig!! Kelly looked at poles to-day but couldn't decide on the right one, sooooooooooooooo, looks like I'm going to get dragged kicking & screaming into town first thing in the morning. But, maybe that's not so bad because if I play my cards right, maybe I can talk the Boss into a big mess of bacon & eggs in town somewhere..........Ya, that's what I'll do. Can hardly wait to get rolling.........................10-4!!

SUNDOWN OVER THE DOME ROCK MOUNTAINS

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