IN SEARCH OF THE CHIRICAHUA SNOW

WE CROSS A STREAM OF MELTING SNOW WATER

Well, let’s get off the future Florida options and get ourselves back to the here & now in good old Arizona.  Since arriving at the Ranch a couple weeks ago we basically haven’t done much and have hardly left the property.  Today, we went in search of ‘snow’.

From the first day we rolled into the Sulphur Springs Valley I noticed a fair bit of snow in the distant Chiricahua Mountains.  Had a nice sunny day going for us so we loaded up the Pheebs and headed for the snowy peaks.  Wanted to get Pheebs out playing in the snow plus I was curious about the damage caused by the devastating forest fires early last summer.

 

PHEEBS CHECKS OUT A HERD OF CATTLE ALONGSIDE THE ROAD  

North of Elfrida we turned right on Rucker Canyon road and headed east for the Chiricahua Mountains.  Could see a fair bit of snow had already melted but we didn’t let that deter us.  This is familiar territory for me, having made about half a dozen trips into Rucker Canyon over the past 4 years.  One of my favorite places.  Anyone typing ‘Mary Kidder Rak’  or ‘Fort Rucker’ into our blogs search bar can read of our trips to old Camp Rucker and Mary Kidder Rak’s homestead.  Mary Kidder Rak wrote the book, ‘A Cowman’s Wife’ and after reading the book a few years ago, her and Charlie’s old homestead took on a nice bit of meaning for me.

 

CROSSED A FEW MOUNTAIN STREAMS TODAY

We made our way along the winding and scenic gravel road up into Rucker Canyon.  Didn’t stop at the Fort or Homestead today but rolled on by into Tex Canyon.  We saw evidence of fire damage along the road from near Fort Rucker all the way into Tex Canyon.  Not severe damage and you had to look hard to see the burn marks at the base of some trees.  Overall, everything looked fine with no change to the great scenery.

  

 

THIS HILLS WERE ONCE FORESTED WITH 'PINE TREES, AGAVE, PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS, MESQUITE TREES, ETC.

About 10 miles past the Fort we did begin to notice whole hillsides off to the east that had been burnt.  In some places right up to the road we were driving on.  Must have been quite a fire line they had along this road because the fire was beaten back and never jumped across the roadway.  We also noticed there was not a speck of snow to be seen anywhere.

IN THIS AREA THE FIRES SWEPT DOWN THOSE HILLSIDES AND WAS STOPPED AT THE ROAD IN THE FOREGROUND

Made a U-turn and headed back to the Fort Rucker area & made a right turn heading up to a camp ground we knew to be at the end of a dead end road.  Still no snow and we began to realize we were not going to find any either.  The snow was on the higher peaks to the North. 

 

A CURIOUSLY GREEN TIPPED SET OF ROCKS ALONG A ROCKY RIDGE

Last time I had been up this road was last winter when I led a couple car loads of Bisbee hikers into the area to scout out some new trails for their Mule Team Hiking Club.  You can read my post about that day here at….MULE TEAM.

 

ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL SCENERY IN ANY MOUNTAIN RANGE

This Rucker campground is really secluded and we have never seen anyone here.  A mountain stream runs right through it and it is completely forested with tall Pine trees.  It is also at the extreme end of the road.  Picnic tables, BBQ grills, steel containers for food and garbage.  Keeps the Bears away.  Wouldn’t recommend bringing a big Motorhome up the road but truck campers, Class B campers, and small Class C’s would be just fine.  I think smaller 5th wheels would be fine too.

 

 

A LAST LOOK AROUND……. AND THEN WE WERE GONE 

Time was getting on so we slipped quietly back down Rucker Canyon road and out of the Chiricahua Mountains into the long ranging & rolling grass fields of Leslie Canyon.  Just another super great scenic drive.  By 3:30 we were back at the Ranch and an hour later I had the chores done for another day.

Ranch dog Gleeson stayed for a sleep over last night and Pheebs thought that was pretty special.  I thought it was pretty special too:))  And, who knows what Motor is thinking half the time.  Pheebs really gets along well with Charlie the Cat over in the Ranch house too.  But then again, Pheebs just gets along with everything……..:))

Couple things regarding Monday night’s post.  I mistakenly put in our own link for Deb’s FIND AN OUTLET.  I have since corrected that.  Thanks Pat:))  Question about where we buy our travel insurance….Canada.  Wild Blue Yonder left a very informative comment on Monday’s post about medical insurance and dealing with hospitals, etc.  Thank you….couldn’t seem to locate your blog site.  Another question about family members.  When I referred to two family members left I meant my Aunt and Uncle.  Yes, I have one Son and 3 Grand Children.    But, that’s a whole blog or two in itself which I may write about at some point in the future.

TRYING TO GET PHEEBS TO POSE FOR A PICTURE

Three new Blog Followers to welcome today. Kathleen, AVERY'S WANDERINGS, and Mary Sprow. Welcome aboard and thanks for reading our blog.  It’s you folks who give me the inspiration at the end of each day to keep the blog current on a daily basis:))

ROLLING HOME THROUGH SCENIC LESLIE CANYON

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Five-year-old Becky answered the door when the census taker came by. She told the census taker that her daddy was a doctor and wasn't home because he was performing an appendectomy.
"My," said the census taker, "that sure is a big word for such a little girl. Do you know what it means?"
"Sure do! Fifteen-hundred bucks, and that doesn't even include the anesthesiologist!"

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

TODAY THE BAYFIELD BUNCH MET ANOTHER FELLOW BLOGGER:))

 
LITTLE MAX MEETS THE MIGHTY MOTORMOUSE
Well, 31F this morning is better than 24F Sunday morning so we had better consider the very real possibility we have a heat wave rolling through.

 
LITTLE MAX MEETS THE FABULOUS PHEEBS
I came across a blog about 8 months ago that caught my eye. I liked this Bloggers no nonsense and realistic understanding of life and I liked her interesting writing style. She is passionate about her beliefs and is not afraid to get her opinions out there.  She gets a fair amount of flak sometimes but I admire her spunk and honesty in dealing with that.
Today we met fellow Blogger Debra Argosy from, FIND AN OUTLET.  Debra is an animal person and has taken in many area stray and mistreated dogs and cats over the years, sometimes at risk to her own safety. A special person indeed:))

DEB AND JIM
Deb & her partner Jim along with furry little Max rolled into the Ranch today about noon.  Deb & Jim are from nearby Bisbee and we had been corresponding by email for awhile.

 
YEP, THESE FOLKS LOVE THEIR LITTLE PALS ALRIGHT
We always appreciate meeting down to earth people and we found Deb & Jim just that kind of couple. With our common interests, likes and dislikes, I don’t think any of us took a breath for the whole 5 hours we sat outside on the Ranch house porch enjoying the warm Arizona sun.  We just rolled easily from topic to topic.

 
Of special interest to Deb and I were our blogs.  We were able to compare notes, ideas, and feelings.  Deb & I are both people who write how we feel.  I would have to say today’s blog conversation with Deb was the longest conversation I have ever had with a fellow blogger about blogging, which by the way, happens to be one of my favorite topics.  Had we stayed on Darby Wells road longer over near Ajo a few weeks ago I’m sure RV SUE & I would have had some longer talks about our blogging thoughts and ideas as well.
 
AL, DEB, AND JIM
All the best guys & hope to see you down the road again sometime.
In Sunday’s blog I talked about maybe having to change some of our future traveling plans.  There is not a single reason for this, but several.   One of those reasons has to do with medical insurance we Canadians have to purchase before traveling in the States.  I don’t think you folks here in the States have to do that when you travel in Canada but I’m not sure about that. 

For us, whether it be for 6 months or 6 days, if something seriously happens while we are here in America we are basically not covered by our normal insurance which in Ontario is called OHIP.  My additional insurance coverage this year to travel in the States was around $800.  In 07 I had a kidney stone problem in Colorado that my insurance paid for which was around $700.  I was then penalized for having that stone for the following 2 years by having my rates hiked. 

I know for a fact many RV’ers have been stopped in their tracks by high insurance costs & those high premiums have abruptly ended RV travels for many Canadians.  And, many folks cannot even get coverage at all anymore depending on the severity of their illness.  Traveling in the States without insurance is a huge gamble for any Canadian but it is gamble many folks choose to take.  A serious injury or illness far from home can mean instant financial ruin for anyone.  Medical costs are huge and bills have to be paid.  A serious hospital stay or injury can quickly run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and with no insurance coverage the individual is on the hook for the entire amount. 

Because of my recent and upcoming medical encounters our insurance company is once again involved.  How much of our as yet small medical costs they will cover remains to be seen.  Remember, we are dealing with an insurance company here and that means their focus is on their profit margin.  One thing is certain, I will once again be penalized for submitting medical bills and my insurance rates will of course escalate next year.  How much at this point remains to be seen.  It could of course become cost prohibitive for us, or depending on future medical findings, coverage could become non existent.  And no, I am not being negative nor am I complaining, I am simply being realistic with my thinking.  But,  not wanting to get ahead of myself too far let me just say I will not be stopped from traveling by some insurance companies profit line!!!!

KELLY & JIM CRACKING OFF A FEW SHOTS
Here is how and why the realities of travel change may be necessary.  Based partially on the above reasons we may have to consider Georgia or northern Florida as a closer destination to home in the future if for no other reason than plain simple logistics.  At best, we are only a two day drive from the Canadian border and home.  Also a less costly flight taking only a matter of hours could be an important factor.  Friend of mine years ago fell off a ladder in Florida severely breaking a wrist.  No insurance coverage so his wife loaded him up with pain pills and quickly drove him back to Canada where his wrist was operated on several days later under our OHIP coverage at no charge.  Good thing they were not in Arizona or California.

Other reasons influencing our future travel plans are the following…..The bulk of Kelly’s family is in New York, Florida and Ontario.  My only two aging and remaining family members are in Florida and Ontario so these factors combined with others (warmer weather) are all things that we have had under consideration.

<<< MAX IS GETTING AN IROQUOIS HAIR LIFT
So, where would we stay in Florida or Georgia if we decide to pursue that option??  An RV Park….Never!!  Boondocking….not likely because we just don’t feel it’s the way to go there.  How about a small 3 to 5 acre totally private piece of property with a small house or mobile on it in a quiet north western rural part of the State??  Now you know what we have been doing on our computers these past days.
It’s a buyers market out there with a lot of properties on the market at great prices.  I have logged a fair few hours these past days flying over northern Florida properties in my Google Earth plane.  Kelly finds the properties through Real Estate sites and I fly over them to see how close the closet neighbors are and what part of the State the properties are in.  No visible neighbors would be our number 1 priority.
 
SEE YA GUYS…….TAKE CARE AND THANKS FOR DROPPING BY
Anyway, none of these plans are written in stone and my heart remains in the Southwest, but just wanted to share with readers what we are thinking….and why.  If I have anything screwed up about the insurance companies, their policies or medical coverage either in Canada or the States maybe somebody could accurately straighten me out about some of that stuff.  In fact someone just straightened me out about a bird I had misidentified in Sunday’s blog.   It’s a Scaled Quail and not a Gamble’s Quail.  I stand corrected…..again:((

ALL THE BEST LITTLE MAX
GROANER’S CORNER:((  The patient was lying in bed, still groggy from the effects of the recent operation. His doctor came in, looking very glum.
"I can't be sure what's wrong with you," the doctor said. "I think it's the drinking."
"No problem," the patient said patiently. "I'm sure by tomorrow you'll sober up."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.