MAINLY A PHOTO POST TONIGHT

I'm late getting to the computer tonight & am feeling a little on the really tired side so I'll include some photos taken just down the road from where we live following a nasty bit of a storm.  I'll get myself caught up on today's happenings.....tomorrow.  Besides, some of you readers out there really do need a break you know:))

                                                   

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Now that I'm "older" (but refuse to grow up), here's what I've discovered:

1. I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.

2. My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.

3. I finally got my head together; now my body is falling apart.

4. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...

5. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...

6. All reports are in; life is now officially unfair.

7. If all is not lost, where is it?

8. It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

9. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...

10. Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.

11. I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few...

12. Kids in the back seat cause accidents.

13. Accidents in the back seat cause kids.

14. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...

15. It's hard to make a come back when you haven't been anywhere.

16. The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom.

17. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.

18. When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone decide to play chess?

19. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...

20. It's not hard to meet expenses... they're everywhere.

21. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

22. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter... I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after.

23. I AM UNABLE TO REMEMBER IF I HAVE INCLUDED THIS IN TONIGHT'S BLOG!!

24. Funny, I don't remember being . . . . . absent minded...

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it's his fan club that causes me grievous concern:((

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

A LOW ENERGY DAY

THAT'S US OUT THERE ALL BY OURSELVES & THIS IS OUR IDEA OF RVING (Following picture was taken from that rocky outcrop to the left in the above photo)

IF YOU ARE AN RV PARK ONLY PERSON YOU PROBABLY HAVE NO IDEA HOW PEACEFUL, QUIET & RELAXING THIS IS............

All of tonight's photos were taken at one of our favorite boondocking spots in the Ajo Highlands just a few miles west of Ajo, Arizona in 2008. 

 

OUR LITTLE SLICE OF PARADISE FOR NEARLY A WEEK:))

Aside from picking up some groceries & a stop at the Goderich medical center this morning my day added up to just about the square root of nothing.  Just one of those zero energy days.  Lots of things to be done but no energy to do anything.  I suspect another in a series of poor night's sleep to be the culprit again.

  

We're still working on our travel plans trying to decide when to be where & where to be when as we research the average temperatures for various areas & months in New Mexico, Arizona & California.  My first thoughts were to head for the Death Valley Area when we leave here near the end of October but am now leaning towards doing that area of California at the other end of our trip in March.  We are in touch with the folks at the ranch now & are currently working on plans for our shorter stay there this winter.  I'm thinking we just may do the same thing as last year & head directly for the ranch once we leave here. 

OOOOH TO BE YOUNG ENOUGH AGAIN TO RUN RIGHT UP TO THE TOP OF THAT MOUNTAIN

The Bayfield Bunch welcomes our two newest blog supporters, Carl S and Beloved's Bride.  Thanks for coming aboard folks & hang in there because we should have the big wheels rolling soon:))

THOSE ARE THE MIGHTY AJO MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND & BEYOND THEM IS MEXICO

Where we'll go after the ranch is something we'll figure out when we get there but a stop in Borrego Springs will at some point probably be in our plans.  I like all the astronomy, photography, & hiking programs put on by the Nature Center & Anza Borrego State Park folks.  And then there are the Saturday morning Jeep tours put on by the local Borrego Springs residents.  We have been on two of those great tours into the surrounding deserts, canyons & mountains but this time we won't have to twist, bend & cram ourselves into pretzel like shapes in the back of somebody else's Jeep Wrangler.  This time we we'll get to sit up front in nice comfortable seats & do our own driving with our very own Jeep.  Looking forward to picking up some useful off road experience with a good group of mature off road people.    Yahouie Louie:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A woman has the last word in any argument.  Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it's his fan club that causes me grievous concern:((

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

FIRING UP SOME OF THE RIG'S SYSTEMS

SOME OF OUR LEAVES HAVE BEGUN TO TURN

After a reasonably good night's sleep & this mornings cooler temps I was a veritable ball of fire for most of the day.  Well, part of the day anyway.  Ok, at least until the rains came & dampened my enthusiasm a bit.

   

WITH SCHOOL STARTING TUESDAY THESE CHILDREN'S SHELTERS AT THE ENDS OF SOME FARM LANES WILL KEEP THE LITTLE ONE'S OUT OF THE WIND, RAIN, & COMING WINTER SNOWS WHILE WAITING FOR THE  SCHOOL BUS

Test fired the rig's generator, water heater, water pump & blue flame heater & they were all a go.  Took me a few minutes to get over all that as I stood there in a wide eyed stupor wondering why everything had worked.  I'm a little worried now because that just was not  a normal happening!!

On August 2nd we received the following email from a fellow RV couple in Prince Edward Island.  Had meant to include it earlier but had temporarily misplaced it until I found it again yesterday.........................................

Dear Bayfield Bunch,
We take great pleasure in reading your blog, and enjoy your photographs.  My wife and I live on PEI and are avid boondockers.  I would like to relate a story to you which you and your readers may find of interest.
We decided to go to Europe and boondock in every country we could.  We went to Germany and bought a vehicle and travel trailer, and being of English origin, we thought we would boondock the UK first.  Our intention was to spend 2 years on the road in Europe.  As you may well know, Europe does not have the space that Arizona has, and you have to boondock where and when you can.  Sometimes in life, you get a gift from heaven:  we were waiting to catch the ferry to France when in front of us in the line up was the oldest Motor Home you have every seen, and as we had 7 hours to wait it wasn't long before we were in conversation with the owners.  They were a couple aged 87 and 84 and they were heading to Portugal to boondock for the winter.  They told us they lived in a seniors home and each year they told the staff they were going to visit their son and grandchildren.  They had their   vehicle parked on a side street and disappeared in due course.  Over the next 7 hours they gave us every little tip they had gained over the 32 years they had been boondocking, which bolstered our spirits and gave us confidence.  Their advice to us was to buy 4 traffic cones, pull up somewhere outrageously obvious, cover your number plate, pull up a drain cover, set out the cones as though you were fixing something.  They said you would be surprised how people just ignore you.  They knew every dump station, every free shower, and passed this information on to us.  We thought we would put their advice to the test.  Once we had obtained our cones we tried it in France and wonder of all wonders - it worked.  So then, it came to boondocking somewhere you would always remember.  Somewhere with high security, security guards and cameras.  What more obvious place than the Monte Carlo casino in Monaco!!!  We pulled up to the side of the casino in the centre of Monaco, put up our cones, and stayed two days. 
From that point on, we realized what an adventure boondocking really was. 
Now we read your blog and you are the couple parked in front of us. 
Keep on blogging, keep on boondocking, and don't let age scare you.
Ian & Linda Bloomfield

GROANER'S CORNER:((   Ed was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. 
She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in less then 6 seconds
AND IT HAD BETTER BE THERE!!"
The next morning Ed got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.
Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway and brought the box back in the house.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
Ed has been missing since Friday!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it's his fan club that causes me grievous concern:((

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

A DAY OF SEPARATE VISITS & CONTEMPLATING SOME TRAVEL PLANS

PORTAL, ARIZONA.....(Tonight's photos are all from Autumn 09 in & around Portal, Arizona & Rusty's RV Ranch in nearby New Mexico)

  

WAITING FOR THE MORNING MAIL AT PORTAL'S POST OFFICE

Kelly was up early this morning & on the road for her daughter's house in Cambridge.  This would be the last day to visit with her other daughter & family from Vancouver.  They will be returning to the west coast on Monday.  Another daughter will be returning to Spain later in the week so Kelly may make one more trip to Cambridge at the end of the week.  And that trip will bring to an end all the many miles of traveling she has had to do in the past few weeks.

ROADRUNNER NEAR PORTAL, AZ.

THIS GROOVY LITTLE LIZARD CAUGHT MY EYE NEAR CAVE CREEK

It was three & a half weeks ago that I came down with the virus & nearly a month since I had seen my Uncle Harry at the Ritz Villa nursing home in Mitchell Ontario.  After Kelly left this morning I headed to Mitchell & spent a couple of hours with Harry.  He's doing well & we sure covered a lot of ground talking about old times & memories.  I actually enjoyed those 2 hours talking with him more than when we used to play pool at his previous residence.  We both had a tendency to not talk much when we were playing pool.

CAVE CREEK ROAD NEAR PORTAL, AZ. This is a birder's paradise & people flock here from all across the country.

Spent some time this afternoon pouring over one of our well worn Rand McNally Atlas's trying to get a feel for this winter's destinations.  Of course all the old haunts leap off the pages beckoning us back & I'm sure we'll revisit some of them but I'm trying to focus my attention on places we haven't been before.   LAURIE & ODEL talked of a favorite place of theirs when we met them in Bisbee Az last winter & that has stuck with me ever since.   A place & area called Lone Pine just west of Death Valley in California.  Kelly & I briefly visited a part of Death Valley back in about 1994 on a 4 day Las Vegas junket & I always hoped we might one day return to that whole area & spend some time there.

RUSTY'S RV PARK

Also wondering if early November is too late in the season to roll through Arizona's Monument Valley.  I do think it's probably too late for Colorado's Durango area.  We don't want ice & snow & below freezing temps at night.  Also waiting to hear from the ranch folks to see what their travel plans are this winter too.

CAVE CREEK

And a big welcome to our 166th blog supporter jimmy.  The more & more I look at this photo the more familiar the face becomes to me.  Could it be, could it be.....nawwww, it couldn't be..................But maybe:))

                         

A FEW PICS AROUND RUSTY'S RV RANCH INCLUDING RUSTY HER VERY SELF

Last year we headed straight for the ranch from here with a 4 day stopover at RUSTY'S RV RANCH near Portal, Arizona.  As you all know, we are not RV Park people at all but we certainly would recommend Rusty's.  And I would also highly recommend the great scenic area around PORTAL which is just a few miles down the road from Rusty's.  Like I said, it's always so tempting to go right back to the places we have enjoyed so much in the past but I have always noticed that it is the first impressions of an area that to me are the best.  Second & third times to the same place & the newness begins to wear off & that sharp edge of excitement becomes dulled a bit.  For me, there is nothing better than going to new places, seeing & doing new things, & experiencing the wonderment of a place I have never been before.  Just love it, love it, love it:)))))))

MOONRISE OVER RUSTY'S....NOV 2/09

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Dear God:  Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must remember to be a good Dog:

1. I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.  

2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell. 

3. The Litter Box is not a  cookie jar. 

4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'. 

5. The  garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.

6. I will not play  tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.

7.  Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying  'hello'. 

8. I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table. 

9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.

10. I will not come in from outside & immediately drag my butt on the floor.

11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room & lick my crotch.

12. The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it is his fan club that cause me grievous concern:((

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.