WE ALWAYS LIKE TO CHECK OUT AN AREAS REAL ESTATE

FRIDAY MORNING WE WILL JEEP OVER TO VULTURE PEAK SEEN HERE FROM OUR CAMPSITE

Just as humans, animals have their daily routines & patterns.  No cows in sight when we first get up but soon after, they begin drifting in through our campsite either singly or in small groups.  They just kind of appear & disappear in the surrounding Mesquite.  Their big iron water tank is just a couple hundred yards from us & this is where they congregate & mill around for part of the morning.  From there they kind of drift off again, returning in mid afternoon for a few hours.  By late afternoon they are once again headed past our place out into the Mesquite again, but in the same direction they all came from in the morning.  There could easily be a couple hundred or more head of cattle freely roaming about.  We have not seen any fences except for along the highway.

SHHHH, KELLY DOESN’T KNOW THERE IS A HERD OF CATTLE BEHIND HER

Knowing absolutely nothing about cattle & cattle ranching, here’s my theory of their routine.  They either graze on the sparse grass during the winter months or have another food source somewhere.  Maybe baled hay or greener pastures somewhere.  They don’t seem to spend the night in this area near their water trough.  Maybe the water & food sources are separated by a few miles to ensure the cows get daily exercise by traveling further afield for their water.  Just a theory of course.  Have not seen the free ranging horses again since the day we arrived here.

  

SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME THESE WERE DESERT BROOMS & WE HAVE A LOT OF THEM NEAR US

For anyone wondering, our campsite is actually much closer to Congress than Wickenburg.  On our walk this morning we spotted an even nicer campsite about a quarter mile to our east & debated all morning whether to move the rig.  There was a tricky wash to navigate which gave me a bit of concern so we finally decided against it.  Endless miles of Jeep roads in the area so we were off to do a bit of scrambling.  Probably as many Jeeping roads in Arizona crisscrossing the land as paved roads.

 

YELLOW MESQUITE LEAVES ALONG OUR MORNING WALK

Later in the morning we took ourselves for a little drive up & around the small town of Congress Az.  Not a lot there but it does have a small grocery store & a well known restaurant by the name of Nichols West.  Nichols East is in the Hamptons back in New York.  Singer/songwriter & ex Beatle Paul McCartney actually phoned Nichols West & wished them well when they opened just a few years ago.  Kelly actually read that on a newspaper clipping a couple nights ago when we stopped in for a wee bite to eat.

 

We are always on the lookout for a little piece of property with 3 or 4 acres & a house on it so Kelly had spotted one for us to look at.  No acreage but the house was listed as quietly private so we found it on Old Ghost Town Road & had a look at it.  Even had 3 Saguaros out front.  Could be had for low to mid 30’s probably, but it was older, in need of repair, & just didn’t have the WOW factor going for it.  And…..there were neighbors:((  Not so good!!  Our search continues.   Like I have said many times, whether RVing or living in a sticks & bricks, the only thing we want to see around us is the fine & undisturbed works of Mother Nature.

JUST DIDN’T HAVE THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR………

Depending how things go medically this summer we will likely resume our search once again next winter somewhere here in the lower half of Arizona.  New Mexico isn’t out of the question if we could find a reasonably warm winter location somewhere.  But, I am kinda drawn to the areas south of Tucson for some reason.  Easy access to a nice Airport & Hospital are a couple things.  Easier to slide further west using the Ajo Way over to Why & up through Ajo & Gila Bend.  Easy access to the East on I-10.  Gotta love the green forests in the close by Huachuca, Chiricahua & Patagonia Mountains and the many Saguaro’s & abundant greenery of the Sonoran Desert.  Never met a large city I liked but Tucson strikes me as the possible exception.  Oh well, better not get ahead of myself.  We’ll just have to wait & see what next winter brings……10-4:))

ONLY HALF OUR SECURITY DETAIL WAS ON DUTY THIS AFTERNOON

Our afternoon was spent relaxing & just totally loving the great weather we are having.  Kicked back in one of our recliners & just let the warm Arizona breezes lull me to asleep.

  

YEP, IT WAS A SNOOZY AFTERNOON

Pheebs Bovine Pals were back again this afternoon for another round of curious stares & Pheeber smooches.  Before departing they left a few of their usual calling cards but neither Pheebs or Motor have shown any interest in rolling in them.  Little Motor did come rumbling out of the rig at one point & decided to show the Cows who the big Boss really was around here.  We had to quickly retrieve her before she took a few rounds out of the lead cows & done them some grievous harm.

MORE SMOOCHES TODAY

 

HEY!!!!

Friday morning we are off to a scenic area called Vulture Peak just southwest of Wickenburg.  We can see it towering up on the horizon from our campsite & we hear there are some great views from up there.  We also have some Jeep trips lined up to various points of interest in the area.

 

PHEEBS RELAXES WITH HER NEW FRIENDS 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  In class one day, Mr. Johnson pulled Johnny over to his desk after a test, and said, “Johnny I have a feeling that you have been cheating on your tests.”
Johnny was astounded and asked Mr. Johnson to prove it. “Well, said Mr. Johnson, I was looking over your test and the question was, ‘Who was our first president?’, and the little girl that sits next to you, Mary, put ‘George Washington,’ and so did you.”
“So, everyone knows that he was the first president.”
“Well, just wait a minute,” said Mr. Johnson. “The next question was, ‘Who freed the slaves?’ Mary put Abraham Lincoln and so did you.”
“Well, I read the history book last night and I remembered that,” said Johnny.
“Wait, wait,” said Mr. Johnson. The next question was, ‘Who was president during the Louisiana Purchase?’ Mary put ‘I don't know,’ and you put, ‘Me neither’.”

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PHEEBS & ALL HER NEW PALS

PHEEBS JUST HAS A NATURAL ABILITY TO MAKE FRIENDS

Saw 3 spirited horses gallup down a dusty trail beside us last night with heads high in the air.  Half a dozen curious cows approached our campsite in the evening to wish us well & welcome us to the neighborhood.    Pheebs doesn’t know what to make of these big 4 legged critters & this may very well be the first time she has ever seen cows & horses.  I just love having animals for neighbors. 

OUTSIDE OUR WINDSHIELD THIS MORNING

We are the only folks here in our new location.  Not another rig in sight anywhere.  How great is that eh:))  Despite being in the northern end of the Sonoran desert we haven’t seen a lot of cactus around.  We also love the lush green color of many large Desert Broom plants.   Noticed some nice yellow flowers blooming as well.  The ground here is a hard packed fine gravely clay sand so we will have to keep an eye on the weather because it could be pretty soupy if it rains.  The ground is also much friendlier to doggy paws & Jeep tires.

 

I THINK THE GREEN SHRUB IS A DESERT PAINTBRUSH

NEARLY BACK FROM OUR MORNING WALK

I could see the lights of Wickenburg on the horizon last night & a huge glow on the same horizon from the large city of Phoenix, Arizona.  Not to worry, we will not be going anywhere near that big Phoenix place.  We are about 66 miles away & that’s plenty close enough to any big city for this small town boy.

I know fellow RVing Blogger Mike from MIKE & PAT'S TRAVELS  is in the neighborhood somewhere so we’ll be looking up Mike & Pat for sure in a few days.

One of the great things I like about Arizona is it’s wide diversity of scenic landscapes.  The desert around our present location is yet again different from other areas we have been.  We are ringed by ever present mountain ranges but the desert floor is different.  Greener than Bouse but we don’t have the cactus so abundant near Ajo.  More  vegetation than Cochise County’s Sulphur Springs Valley though.  Mesquite trees & scrub make up the desert floor here forming a mini forest with scrub averaging 3 or 4 feet & trees reaching maybe 25 feet.

 

Jeeped ourselves into Wickenburg around 9:30 this morning to have us a look around & familiarize ourselves with the town.  Wickenburg is one of those places a person is probably going to like right away.  We did.

  

 

 

Headed ourselves right downtown to visit the old streets.  Lots of parking & the town center is small enough to easily walk everywhere.  Great southwest architecture & great southwest colors.  The town has pulled out all the stops to make it people friendly.  Focusing on it’s history, we enjoyed the Cowboy Museum as well as our walk around the downtown area.  Kinda reminded my of Jackson Hole Wyoming a bit.

  

Kelly was feeling a need for Mexican Food so we stopped into a place called Anita’s.  I was a bit alarmed when I didn’t see hamburgers on the menu but was assured something called a shredded Chimichanga would not set my face on fire.  Closed my eyes & wolfed it down pretending it was a McDonald’s Big Mac.

 

This Wickenburg place is a mighty fine little town alright & for sure we will be back again over the next few days or so.  Slipped into Safeway on the way back to the rig for some groceries & headed back out of town to our quiet little spot in the desert with all the cows.

  

EVEN FOUND AN OLD STEAM ENGINE FOR SAM

We had about 40 visitors this afternoon & we really enjoyed their company as they gathered around our rig & fire pit.  We had ourselves a great Happy Hour.  Our company was particularly enjoyed by the Pheebs as she made herself a whole bunch of new friends.   Their bathroom habits left a little to be desired but we didn’t mind because it was just so great watching Pheebs interact with her new Pals & having so much fun.  What a special little dog she is:))

   

The Last Paragraph:  I have always been in the habit of sharing locations & information about boon docking spots with others & up until yesterday I have often blogged about our daily location.  I am now re-thinking all that.

 

 

From the beginning, I oriented my blog around RV traveling & sharing our experiences of where we are, where we go & what we see.  I have always tried to pass on information to other travelers in hopes they may see & experience many of the same things we do.  I recently blogged a fair bit about the great scenic boon docking spots on Darby Wells Road in Ajo.  Since then a few blog readers have journeyed there & enjoyed the beautiful scenery just as we did.  I felt good inside knowing that I was directly or indirectly contributing to someone else’s enjoyment of nature whether they be friends or strangers.  

 

However, a long time boon docker at the Clark Dry Lake Bed near Borrego Springs a few years ago was miffed that I was blogging about the great boondocking opportunities there.  He figured my telling everybody about it would attract too many people.  Happened a few times since then & again recently at Darby Wells when a long time boon docker made it clear my blog could very well attract too many people to the area.  I do understand the other side of this coin & being a private person myself I do understand not wanting to have a lot of people around.  But, my blog is not a national travel magazine reaching thousands of RVing people so there is not going to be a flood of RV’ers flocking to an area threatening the few people who may like it there.  In fact, we have noticed a decline in boon docking RV’ers the past 3 years compared to 5 years ago………..Anyway, this was just something that’s been sitting on my chest for awhile & today was the day to finally get it off.    

            

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A newly appointed young preacher was contacted by the local funeral director to hold a graveside committal service at a small country cemetery in Iowa. There was to be no funeral, just the committal, because the deceased had no family or friends left in Iowa. The young pastor started early to the cemetery, but soon lost his way.

After making several wrong turns, he finally arrived a half-hour late. The hearse was no where in sight, and the workmen were relaxing under a nearby tree, eating their lunch. The pastor went to the open grave and found that the vault lid was already in place. He took out his book and read the service in its entirety. As he returned to his car, he overheard one of the workmen say: "Maybe we'd better tell him that's the septic tank."

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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.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

OUR PLANS SOMEHOW CHANGED OVERNIGHT…….

NEW DIGS, COMPLETE WITH A TREE…..YAAAAY:))

When I went to bed last night, this morning’s plans were to pack up the rig, take on some water at the Bouse Community Park & move to a new location we had scouted out on Plomosa Road yesterday.  Sometime in the night those plans somehow changed.

A TOUCH OF PINK IN THE DESERT THIS MORNING

I was informed this morning that yes, we would be packing up the rig, and yes, we would be taking on water at Bouse but no, we would not be moving over to Plomosa Road.  Well, that was OK with me because I generally always enjoy any kind of move & a chance to see some new scenery anyway. regardless of where it was.

IT WAS A NICE ARIZONA DAY FOR TRAVEL

We knew THE GOOD LUCK DUCK folks were in our area somewhere nearby & I had figured we would probably meet them in the next couple days.  But, with our overnight change of plans we missed the opportunity.  Maybe our paths will again converge next winter folks:))

Had been a few rumors floating around about the Bouse Community Park not letting outsiders dump anymore.  I can tell you now, that isn’t true.  We dumped our tanks there this morning & took on a load of fresh water.  Some say the best water in the territory.  Lady camp host was very friendly & said to let folks know they are open for dumping & water 7 days a week sun up to sun down.  They are located on Plomosa Road’s right side just as your coming into Bouse from Quartzsite.  $10.00 for dump & water.

I LIKE OUR NEW NEIGHBORS

And, a few parting thoughts about the BLM lands where we were parked near Bouse.  If you want a sure fire good Verizon connection just find Yellowbird Road which runs off highway 72 in Bouse’s northwest end.  Follow it west for a few blocks until the pavement ends.  Continue on the dirt road for half a mile or so & you will begin to see oodles & oodles of room to boon dock on a hard packed rocky surface.  You should be good to go for your Verizon signal anywhere there.  Nice area with miles upon miles of Jeep roads crisscrossing the landscape.  RVing friends have seen Big Horn Sheep in this area but we weren’t so lucky. 

And, lots of great boondocking sites along Plomosa Road as well but the Verizon signal out along there can be a bit touch & go.  I particularly like this area because of the greenery & trees & the fact you can boon dock right up against the hills & mountains & walk out your door & right up the mountain.

THE FURRY GUYS CHECKING OUT OUR NEW DIGS       

Just not feeling up to par tonight so it’s a shorter blog.  Tired…………….

 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A three-year-old boy went with his dad to see a litter of puppies. On returning home, he breathlessly informed his mother, "There were 2 boy puppies and 2 girl puppies." "How did you know?" his mother asked. "Daddy picked them up and looked underneath." He replied. "I think it's printed on the bottom."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-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.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com