A SHORT LITTLE JEEP RUN TODAY

Transitioning from our permanent Ontario Canada digs to our roving lifestyle in the American Southwest always requires us to switch heads.  It was apparent this morning that we do not have our southwest heads screwed on quite tight enough yet.  Temps dropped below freezing last night & I had forgot to unhook our water hose so it wasn’t long & our water sputtered to a stop because the long hose outside was froze up.  No problem though because we have a full tank of onboard water.  Next oversight we made was taking the dogs out for a walk at 7:30 this morning.  The sun was not yet over the mountains & it was soooooo cold.  I came back & put on my lined winter pants & tried again.  Two minutes later I was back in the rig vowing I would not set foot outside again until the sun floods our side of the valley with it’s warming rays.   By 9 o’clock I was out of my lined pants & into jeans & short sleeves.  Always amazes me how it can be sooooo cold one hour & so warming up the next.

THIS IS NOT A STAGED PHOTO….KELLY MISTAKENLY DID THIS TO HERSELF  EARLY THIS MORNING (I think she has been around me too long)

I used a bit of logic to convince myself to wash the Jeep today although 10 seconds after driving out of here it will look like a big old dirt encrusted Idaho potato just plucked from the barren dusty ground.  Told myself the Jeep still had some Ontario & Michigan road salt on it that needed to be taken off, otherwise washing a vehicle out here is pointless.  Next job is to get all that grime & road salt off the big white boxy looking thing we drove down here.  I’ll save that for a cloudy day….if there ever is such a thing here in sunny Arizona:))

IN SEARCH OF FIREWOOD

And, speaking of the big white boxy looking thing, we decided to re-position it this morning.  We are now facing East/West instead of North/South.  The morning sun will strike the coach broadside in the morning & warm it up faster inside plus we now have a better view of the Swiss Helm Mountains out our living room windows.  Computer window now faces the main gate so we can keep a better look-out for Fuller Brush salesmen!!  A neighbor (Tony) drove in this morning & coincidentally we had met him & his wife last year when they gave us a tour of their house near by.  Had met them at a Quaker Thanksgiving dinner last year just about now.  They moved all the way here to the Sulphur Springs Valley from Alaska years ago.

    

WE REPOSITIONED THE RIG TO FACE SOUTH INSTEAD OF WEST

I think one of the reasons my blogs have been a bit on the long side lately has to do with the fact I have too much time on my hands first thing in the morning.  I manage to get a few blogs read & then have to surrender the Verizon modem when Kelly gets up so I have been in the habit of starting the blog sometimes at 5 or 6 in the morning just for the sake of having something to do.  And, of course that leads to a lot of blathering on my part.  Our Cradle Point router should arrive by the end of the week & hopefully that will solve my long winded chattyness.  D’ya think!!

LUNCH BREAK

THIS IS THE ROAD LEADING TO WHERE WE ARE

Decided we needed a fire pit for camp fires so this afternoon we decided to head on over closer to the mountains where we were a bit familiar with the area & look for some big rocks.  On one of our excursions last winter we had ventured up a road with the Santa Fe before turning back because of rough terrain.  We didn’t have to worry about that today:))

LOADING UP SOME ROCKS FOR OUR FIRE PIT

    

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET:)))))

  

 

WE WILL RETURN BACK DOWN THIS ROAD INTO THOSE MOUNTAINS SHORTLY

Hadn’t gassed up the Jeep since leaving Ontario so headed into the little western Arizona town of Elfrida & filled up.  It’s a gas station we have used for the past couple years & it’s just like the old days.  No credit cards for these pumps.  Nosiree, just drive up, remove the nozzle & pump your gas.  When you go inside you just tell the fella how much gas you got & that’s it.  I remember when this was the way things were done many years ago.  Except the garage owner usually came out himself, filled your tank, checked your oil & cleaned your windshield.  Today’s fill up was $35.  In Canada, today’s fill up would easily have cost about $50.

 

Unloaded our stones & made a circle.  Soon we will have cozy campfires:))

     

RICK has a good blog today on volunteering & Club affiliations.  Although we come from very different work backgrounds both Rick & I arrived at basically the same conclusions on our thoughts about doing volunteer work or joining various clubs & organizations.  We do have our disagreement’s on things from time to time but we do have a lot in common as well.   All’s I can say is that it is a good thing we humans are such a diverse bunch of characters because in a strange way that somehow works to keep us all together & forces us all to get along & stuff…..or whatever, well sort of, well OK maybe not everybody!!  Knock it off Al……..OK:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  How do you get a kleenex to dance?
… Put a little boogey in it.

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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/

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

WORE MYSELF OUT BEFORE NOON:((

It was the treasured silence that attracted my attention when I stepped out of the rig into the frosty early morning air.  Not a sound anywhere.  Not even a gentle breeze in the Pines near the rig.

Kelly tried ordering a Cradle Point Router from 3G Saturday but the on-line store was closed.  An on-line store closed for the week-end?  What’s that all about!!  We did order it today though & it is on it’s way.  We’re having it shipped to the Ranch because we don’t figure the UPS guy could find us, let alone get his truck up the bumpy road without rearranging his whole load of parcels inside.  In yesterday’s blog I said we could see down into the valley but that should have read, ‘we can see across the valley.’  To many Mesquite trees & shrubs to see downwards.  About 10 miles across the valley from us lies the little ghost town of GLEESON, Arizona.  It’s located at the foot of the Dragoon Mountains & I thought I saw my old Gleeson photo buddy Ray outside last night with a flashlight looking for his socks:))

   

TOM’S OLD FORD TRUCK….WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU SAW AN IGNITION SWITCH IN THE DASH

We have full hook-ups here at our new location just east of Elfrida, Arizona.  Verizon connection is working well, cell phone coverage is excellent & that’s important for Kelly’s work.  After Friday’s frustrations with getting Star Choice up & running we hit ‘the bird’ in less than 3 minutes Sunday & were good to go with our television programing.  We don’t have any animals to look after here & the only thing we have to do is water the trees.  That is just a matter of turning on a couple of taps because there are water lines running underground to each tree.  The property needs a good  spiffing up so that’s right up my alley & I’ll be getting rakes & shovels into action very shortly, touching up flower beds, etc.  Looking forward to that project.  Ingrid & Tom had lived here 13 years & I think the yard work had become harder for them the last year or so.  You can read a bit about & see Ingrid & Tom, HERE. 

No idea how long we will remain here but theoretically, if the house doesn’t sell, we are welcome to stay all winter.  We’ll play it by ear & see how it goes.  Or, maybe we’ll stick with our original plans & move further west after a month or so.  No idea, no plans, no itinerary, no problem…..just the way this scruffy old Bayfield Bunch likes it….10-4:))

KELLY BOOKS ANOTHER RESERVATION FOR DEER PARK LODGE IN ONTARIO, CANADA

We hear there are some great scenic canyons in the Swiss Helm Mountains behind us only accessible by high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicles so we’ll be out in search of those Canyons and many others before too long.  Heard there was a nice scenic Jeep road over in the Dragoon Mountains near the wee town of Dragoon & for sure we’ll be up into that area as well.   And we hope to head back into the Chiricahua Mountains before the weather gets colder too.  After all, getting into some of those more inaccessible areas was our main reason for buying the Jeep this past summer & for sure we are smack dab in the middle of some great Jeep country right now:))

JEANNIE & RAY SAID WE’LL BE SEEING JAVELINA & DEER IN THIS UNDERBRUSH SHORTLY FOR SURE

I had myself worn out by noon today.  Trimmed some shrubs & trees this morning, hung up some bird feeders & that seemed to quickly drain my batteries.  Maybe still suffering a bit from last week’s rig lag.  Had to spend some time plugged into my Poang chair this afternoon replenishing my depleted energy levels.  Gonna take a bit of time getting acclimatized to all these new activities, exercises & fresh Arizona air.

    

STRANGE LOOKING CRITTERS HERE IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA

A shout out to Ann in Hutchinson, Kansas….sorry we missed you Ann.  Not sure which route we’ll take back in March but it’s always a possibility we might roll on up through your neighborhood again.  And again, thanks to the all folks who send in the nice emails about the blog.  (Ann first emailed us a couple years ago) Those emails from strangers across the country make my day for sure:))  And to think this high school drop out & bit of a bad ass character could actually write something & take pictures of things years later that people would actually be interested in is a bit overwhelming for me.  I wonder what my Mother would think of all this if she were still alive…..I better not go there.

   

WE’VE GOT SOME ROUGH DUSTY ROADS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  Hardly worth washing the Jeep but Jeeps kinda look groovier all messed up anyway.

Max continues to improve.  We were really worried about him on our trip down last week.  His legs didn’t seem to have the strength to get him up the steps of the Motor Home & he would stumble & fall.  He’s doing much better now in the last couple days with the steps & is fine now on his own again.  We still have to help Checkers up the steps every time though.   We had to do that last year with her as well.  The little Motormouse fly’s up the steps like a bounding Gazelle.  Checkers just loves it here & has been outside all day while the other 2 furry couch taters snoozed most of the day away stretched out in the rig.  Kelly spent a lot of time on the computer because she is the big Verizon UMB Boss!!

OUR LANEWAY

  

REAL ESTATE ADD SAYS 1 ACRE FENCED IN & ALL THAT FENCING WAS JUST PUT IN A COUPLE MONTHS AGO MAKING IT SAFER FOR THE DOGS

GROANERS CORNER:((  A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and there is a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. He has been checking her out since he sat down, but lacks the nerve to talk with her.
Suddenly she sneezes, and her glass eye comes flying out of its socket toward the man. He reflexively reaches out, grabs it out of the air, and hands it back.
'Oh my, I am so sorry,' the woman says as she pops her eye back in place.
'Let me buy your dinner to make it up to you,' she says. They enjoy a wonderful dinner together, and afterwards they go to the theatre followed by drinks. They talk, they laugh, she shares her deepest dreams and he shares his. She listens.  After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to come to her place for breakfast in the morning. They had a wonderful, wonderful time.  The next morning, she cooks a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. The guy is amazed. Everything had been SO incredible! 'You know,' he said, 'you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?'  'No,' she replies. . .
She says:  'You just happened to catch my eye.'

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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/

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

OK, HERE’S THE SCOOP ON OUR PLANS & BOY OH BOY WE DID GET LUCKY:))

PARTING MORNING VIEWS OF THE CHIRCAHUAS

Saturday night I was lucky just to get the blog Published because I kept dozing off while writing it.  Hope that’s not how people feel when reading it.  Kelly was in bed by 7:30 & I was out like a light an hour later.  Problem with that is simply that my brain woke me up at 2 a.m. thinking it had done it’s ‘necessary for sanity’ 6 hour stretch, so………my day began at 2 a.m.  No darn wonder I feel a little crusty at times!!

     

THIS IS WHERE WE CARRY OUR SATELLITE DISH, OUR LAWN CHAIRS & OUR MONKEY

I’m not a numbers guy but I did jot a few things down on our trip to the southwest last week.  Miles (I prefer to think in miles rather that kilometers!!") from Goderich to Rusty’s RV Ranch was 2,208.  Fuel cost, $986.  Gas prices dropped from over $3 a gallon in Michigan to around $2.75 a gallon here in the west.  And no, I have no idea how many miles to the gallon the rig gets.  It just takes what it takes to gets us to where we needs to go!!  And food costs?   Let’s just say we are now shareholders in McDonald’s!!  We are Passport America members so our stay at Rusty’s per night was half price at $12.   However, Rusty has a change coming up for the new year.  In order to get that Passport America rate there will be a minimum 3 night stay required. 

HAWK CHASING A FLOCK OF SMALL BIRDS

Have you met Biscuit yet?  Slip on over to Kansas City & see who the new head Honcho is at RETIRED ROD’s place:))  And, before I forget, we have a new blog supporter.  A big Bayfield Bunch welcome to Jo Beth & Catherine.  Nice to see you on our blog supporter’s list.

HIGHWAY 80 TO DOUGLAS ARIZONA

Cold start to the day as we waved goodbye to RUSTY’S RV RANCH this morning about 8 a.m.  Set the rig’s cruise control on 50 MPH & had ourselves a leisurely cruise south down the beautiful San Bernardino Valley.  No traffic in front or behind for as far as the eye could see.  Now, how nice is that:))

I have mentioned before that my favorite driving time of the day is between sunrise & 10 a.m.   Morning light  has a hue to it like no other time of day.  Some mornings have a serenity & spiritual pull to them & this morning was one of those mornings.  The highway stretched across the valley floor ahead of us like a black velvet ribbon flowing effortlessly through  a sea of endless yellow grass flecked with Mesquite scrub, large Prickly Pear Cactus & Yucca plants.  Mountains ringed us from horizon to horizon.  The Chiricahuas on the right & the Peloncillo’s on the left.  Ahead of us lay more mountain ranges in Mexico & far to the southeast, lay the Animas & St. Luis ranges.   We passed Skeleton Canyon where Geronimo was finally chased down & captured by U.S. Calvary troops. 

TWO BORDER GUARDS STOP FOR A CHIN WAG

This is the land of Cochise & across these grasslands & through these canyons rode his Indian raiding parties into Mexico.  It is the land where legends were born.  Wyatt Earp & his brothers rode here as did the Clanton Brothers & the Dalton Gang.  TEXAS JOHN SLAUGHTER'S RANCH is just a few miles away & it is this area that  Stan Jones refers to in one of the most beloved & recognizable western songs of all time.  Ghost Riders In The Sky.  It just feels so good to be back in this historic part of Arizona.  Kinda like being ‘back in the saddle again:))

IT WAS THIS AREA ‘GHOST RIDERS OF THE SKY’ WAS WRITTEN

Rolled into Douglas Arizona about 10 & just as last year, we hit the local Wal-Mart to stock up on groceries.   Another 20 minutes on the road had us up the Sulphur Springs Valley & into our final destination…. the ranch.  Ranch dogs Pearce, Gleeson & Corky came pouring out across the yard with tails just a barking.  It was so great to see our old Pals again.  Ranch owners Jeanie & Ray came out to greet the dusty travelers from Canada & it was great to see them again & catch up on all things old & new…….which now brings me to the last minute changes in the life & times of, The Bayfield Bunch.

Well, where to start.  It’s a two part story.  Jeanie & Ray have had their ranch for sale now for the past couple of years & have been hoping to full time in their beautiful 40’ Itasca Winnebago Meridian diesel pusher.   A fellow from the Phoenix area expressed interest in the ranch this past March & just a few weeks ago he came down to look the place over, fell in love with it & is returning shortly with his family to show them the ranch.  So, there could very well be a ranch sale in the wind shortly.  Of course this has meant Jeannie & Ray have had to put their winter travel plans on hold as well.

 

WHITE CROSSES MARK SAD PASSINGS

OK, that’s part one of the story.  Some of you may remember us meeting friends of Jeannie & Rays in our previous two stays at the ranch.  Ingrid & Tom are an elderly couple & they are the one’s who would bring their big friendly black lab dog Corky to the ranch when they would go to Sierra Vista shopping or for medical appointments.  Ingrid & Tom lived east of Elfrida at the foot of the Swiss Helm mountains & we had driven by their place way out in the boonies one time.  Pretty rough road to get to their place & they needed a pick-up truck to come & go.

Now, to tie the 2 stories together.  Both Ingrid & Tom have been in failing health for some time now but were determined to stay in their own house for as long as possible.  Jeannie had been taking Ingrid for medical treatments to Sierra Vista for quite awhile.  Recently, Ingrid’s health took a dramatic turn for the worse & it was decided by Ingrid & Tom’s children to bring their parents back to New York State as soon as possible.  Ingrid & Tom made that journey just a couple weeks ago leaving their house empty at the foot of the  Swiss Helm mountains.  Since they left, Jeanie & Ray have been driving to the house every second day to keep an eye on things & water the trees, etc.

Now, enter the Bayfield Bunch into the mix.  Jeannie emailed us last week while we were on our way to the ranch wondering if we would be interested in setting up camp over at Ingrid & Toms place to look after things until Ingrid & Tom’s house is sold.  Yep, that sure interested me right away alright.

Fast forward to later this afternoon.  Jeannie & Ray led the way in their Jeep while I followed in the Motor Home & Kelly brought up the rear with our Jeep.  Our little convoy made the 20 minute drive from the Ranch near McNeal to Ingrid & Tom’s house near Elfrida, Arizona.  Two thirds of the way was on pavement & the last third was on a mighty rough & dusty road subject to wash outs at any time.  Slow & easy did it & at last we rolled into the driveway of Ingrid & Tom’s house.

  

FOLLOWING JEANNIE & RAY TO INGRID & TOM’S HOUSE

It was the pine trees I saw first & the remoteness I sensed second.  How could we be so lucky to have lucked into looking after such a great piece of 20 acre property with a third of an acre totally fenced in.  Coyotes & Javelina’s. (wild little piggy guys) are aplenty in this neck of the woods.  What a perfect place for the Bayfield Bunch.  No neighbors, no human sounds, no light pollution in the night sky & no traffic madness.  Mountains behind us & miles of valley floor stretching out in front of us.  Mesquite trees & shrubbery all around & a rough enough road to keep any vacuum cleaner or encyclopedia salesmen from bugging us.  Boy oh boy, how lucky can we be:)))))))

        

FIRST PICS FROM OUR NEW WINTER DIGS

Sorry for the long blog……… but I just got myself a little too darn excited today for a change….10-4

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A blind man was out walking with his seeing-eye dog when suddenly the animal paused and wet the man's leg. Bending down, the blind man stretched out his hand and patted the dog's head.
Having watched what happened, a bystander said, "Why are you patting him? That dog just peed on your leg!"
"I know," said the blind man, "but I gotta find his head before I can kick his butt!!

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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/ (a work in progress)

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