TO-DAY WE MET FELLOW RV/BLOGGERS LAURIE & ODEL AT BISBEE’S BBC

 

OVERLOOKING THE TOWN OF BISBEE, ARIZONA

Temps dropped to 22F overnight & the morning stayed on the cold side because of a cloud cover that had moved in from the southeast.   When we headed off for Bisbee at 10:30 our outside water hose was still partially frozen.

 

SOME OF BISBEE’S COLORFUL CARS

The Bisbee Breakfast Club was our destination this morning.  We were meeting for the first time another RV/Blogger couple whom we had connected with on the internet nearly a year ago while in Borrego Springs.   Their travels were interesting to us so we have been followers of Laurie & Odel's blog, SEMI-TRUE TALES OF OUR LIFE ON THE ROAD ever since.  Laurie blogged about our mutual friends connections this afternoon & if you read her blog she explains how those connections led in a round about way to our meeting at the BBC for breakfast this morning.  These are two very fine people & that is obvious when you see how they interact with each other.  They are laid back full time RV'ers who have successfully covered many miles criss crossing this country over the past number of years.  They are people who are organized, know what they want, know where they are going & make you feel at ease while you are with them.  It was nice to add two more real RV/Blogger people to our list of real people we have met.  Safe travels guys:))

 

LAURIE & ODEL IN THE CENTER

By the time we came out of the BBC shortly after noon the cloud cover had dissipated, the sun was out, & the temperature was up.  Because of the earlier cloudy weather we had planned on returning to the ranch but with the day looking so great we decided to set out on a Bisbee hike that we had heard led to something called, 'The Shrine.'  High on one of Bisbee's eastern hillsides stands a white cross that can be seen from most anywhere in Bisbee below.  We had heard there was a street leading part way up the hillside & then a narrow rocky & steep path led upwards from there to the shrine & large cross itself.  The street's name was 'OK' street & we didn't have any problem finding it.  Only wide enough for one vehicle we luckily made our way up without encountering anyone coming down.  Spotted a small space near the end of the alpine street to wiggle the car in & set off up a series of steep steps which led to some private property & a sign nailed to a tree saying, 'this is not the shrine trail!!'  Back down the rocky pathway to the steps & back down to the car to re-group.

         

(click on the photos to enlarge them)

Walked a short distance to the end of OK street & finally found the 'hard to find' trail leading up & over a rough rocky stretch & into some green shrubbery.  The trail from there is a steady steep climb & every foot forward is a step up.  The trail is rocky, hard to find in spots, & has many switch backs.  Attention has to be paid to keep from straying off the trail & at one point I knocked my hat off on a low hanging branch.   With each look back over my shoulder the view overlooking Bisbee just became greater & greater.  We huffed & puffed, stopped, caught our breath, puffed some more & steadily trudged upwards.  I was very aware of my overweight status by the time we finally approached the top about 25 minutes later.  This was a longer & steeper climb than our Coronado Cave hike a few weeks ago & some parts of the trail had a skiff of snow on it.

LOOKING SOUTHEAST TO-WARDS WARREN & MEXICO (notice the snow)

Before we reached the main shrine itself we began noticing small shrines along the trail.  A pile of stones, a small wooden cross, a fabric wrapped pole, a man's photo cemented into a rock with candles, jewelry, a Buddha, small figurines & prayer clothes tied in the trees.  The views of the surrounding hills & Bisbee far below were spectacular & the shrines overlooked hilly terrain.  We had no idea what to expect when we reached the top but it soon became apparent there was definitely some sort of a religious shrine up there alright.  When we finally reached it we had a clear unobstructed view over the whole town of Bisbee below plus we could see part of the old town of Warren to the southeast & Mexico to the south.   Rather than trying to explain the views I will refer you to the pictures I took from the top of that hill.  We spent about half an hour looking at things before we started our descent down the path of loose rocks, switchbacks, & steep sections.  It's hard on the lungs going up & hard on the knees coming down & chance of injury coming down a hill is always greater than going up.  But, we made it ok without incident &  were soon in the car & back down the narrow alleyway road into the heart of Bisbee. 

THE DOUGLAS-BENSON HIGHWAY IS VISIBLE AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAINS

I was over an hour past my 2 o'clock coffee time so we stopped downtown & while Kelly went to a store of hand made crafts I slipped into the Bisbee coffee shop for a coffee to go.  Kelly was back to the car about 15 minutes later with a pair of hand made socks & half an hour after that we were safely back at the ranch.  All & all a great day.  Met a couple of great people, had a great hike with some great views & Kelly got herself a great pair of colorful socks.  Whewwwwww:))

I will post the rest of to-days photos in a separate web album shortly & a big welcome to our newest followers……MOTTI & PATTI plus I just noticed RUTH has joined us as well.  Hi guys:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know an unbreakable toy is always useful for breaking other toys!!

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.

SUPPER WITH FRIENDS IN BISBEE

 

CAMPFIRE

Got a little long winded in last night's blog so I'll try to rein myself in a bit to-night.  Besides, we got home a bit on the late side to-night.  Yes, 8 p.m. is late!!

MOTORMOUSE REALLY KNOCKED THE STUFFINGS OUT OF HER LITTLE MONKEY TOY THIS MORNING

Stepped outside this morning & noticed right off the bat Larry, Curley, & Moe, were in the corral.  Not good because the donkey guys were not supposed to be in there!!  After the hooves trimming a few days ago I was careful to put the 3 donkeys back out into the side pasture, close the gate, & chain it up.  I was certain I had done that, yet there they were, back in the corral.  Popped 3 carrots in my pocket & headed myself on down to the pens to have a look.  The donkey gang was contentedly munching down hay that had been left over from a few days ago & as I approached the corral I could clearly see the gate to the pasture was wide open.  I was sure I had closed that gate but knowing how forgetful I can be I began to seriously doubt myself..........until I got to the gate!!  The chain was still intact but the metal clasp that had attached the chain ends to-gether was broken.  Those clever donkeys had obviously worked very hard on that clasp with their hooves until it finally broke & they were able to get back into the corral for the pile of leftover hay.  I lured them back through the gate with carrots but not before gathering them around & showing them the new replacement clasp & throwing a serious talk into them explaining that if this happens again, there was going to be some very big serious darn trouble & no carrot snacks for a week!!!!"

GIVING THE DONKEYS A TALKING TO ABOUT BREAKING THE CLASP

We were meeting friends in Bisbee for supper so left the ranch early & stopped in to Belle Starr's on the way to help her out a bit more with her computer.  Finally resolved some of the email password problems & Belle was on her way again.  She had just taken in two 3 month old Chiwawa's & was pretty happy about that.

BELLE’S PRETTY HAPPY WITH HER 2 NEW LITTLE PUPPY’S

Stopped at Safeway in Bisbee for a few groceries & then met our friends CAROL & ROSANNA at a little Italian eatery called, Rosas.  Rosa's is a cozy little place located in the Warren section of Bisbee & right next to one of Kelly's favorite Thrift Stores so we had no problem finding it.  Carol & Rosanna are always a joy to be around because of their bouncy, positive, & happy attitudes.  Like ourselves, they are animal people so we never run out of exuberant things to talk about.  The meal was delicious & I didn't even have a hamburger & fries.  Chatted for a couple of hours & Carol kept us entertained from time to time with her animated exploits about a recent cruise to Hawaii......can you say Watusi!!

 

(click photos to enlarge & hover mouse over pics for captions)

It was dark by the time we left Rosa's & we were immediately surprised by the display of Christmas lights decorating many houses on both sides of the street.  Not very often we are out at night anymore so it was a real treat to see all the Christmas lights on the houses.  On the way home we could also see the sparkling lights of Douglas Arizona on the nearby southern horizon & it was truly beautiful.  Had originally planned on going into Bisbee to see & photograph the lights to-night but we were just too tired & decided to come back another night, grab a pizza, & take in the lights.

Not much planned for to-morrow so far but you never know, we just might come up with another day trip somewhere.  Well, at least I hope we do!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  If it weren't for electricity we would all be watching television by candlelight.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

A VALLEY OF LEGENDS

It was the pitter patter on the roof that roused me out of sound sleep this morning followed by a few flashes of light & the low roll of thunder. Rain!! Not unexpected because the spectacular cloud formations of the past couple of days signaled another weather change moving through the area. It has been these clouds that have been making for some very beautiful sunrises & sunsets, not to mention the awesome cloud formations during the day.

Where we live in Bayfield Ontario the sky is seldom visible to us because of the heavy pine tree cover in our area so the open desert skies of Arizona are a huge attraction. Here in the Sulphur Springs valley we are surrounded by mountains on all horizons. On our walk this morning skies were dark & foreboding to the northwest over near Tombstone. We could here thunder rumbling somewhere between the Mule & Dragoon Mountains some 40 miles or more away. We were in sunshine down on the valley floor as another storm came thundering across the Swiss Helm mountains to our east. South of us about 20 miles near Douglas the skies were so black even Castle Dome mountain was hardly visible. Great sheets of rain could be seen to the north, while Bisbee, hidden away in the Mule mountains, huddled under a heavy cover of clouds squatting on the mountain tops. All this was visible in a complete 360 degree panoramic view all around us as we walked in early morning desert sunshine.

This is a valley of legends where we are. Cochise & Geronimo fought battles in nearby canyon passes. Indian raids into Mexico came through here. Pancho Villa & his men rode these ranges. Cattle rustling was carried on by men like the McLaury brothers who had a ranch near here & later died in a shoot out over in Tombstone with the Erp brothers & Doc Holiday. This is a valley of prospectors, miners, & ghost towns. This is a valley of ghosts. This is a valley of restless spirits. And, this is a valley where we walk in the footsteps of history each day.

The American southwest is a land of ever changing beauty & enchantment & we feel very much at home here. There is a magic in the mountains that deepens the mysteries of the desert valleys below. When the clouds sit on the mountain tops & the lumbering cloud shadows slowly make their way through the canyons & valleys it gives one a sense of awe to be in this land of magic shadows. We will keep returning here to the southwest for it's fiery sunrises & sunsets as long as we can. Until the desert winds erase our tracks, until the brooding mountains wrap themselves around us no longer. Until the magic shadows drift through our memories no more.

To-day we visited with Jeanie & Ray for awhile & then headed down to Douglas for some groceries. A very special & dedicated lady living & working in the area had invited us for supper & I will be blogging about that shortly & adding photos of our visit.  It was late when we arrived back at the rig & with another camera full of photos I decided to work on that little project Monday morning. I think we might be in for some rain to-night & to-morrow so that would work out perfectly for me.

It’s after 10 o’clock & Live Writer has just failed me again!! I had thought the problem before was with the web albums but I do not have any web albums in to-night’s post. Checked the connection & it was fine so now I have to start over by moving all this to Blogger's Dashboard……..:((

GROANER'S CORNER:)) . A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says: "A beer please, and one for the road."

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.

MY SMUG MUG (I am finally working on updating this site)
http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

A FINE THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH A FINE BUNCH OF LOCAL FOLKS

 

BISBEE’S MULE MOUNTAINS COMMUNICATION TOWERS

We woke up to a slight cloud cover this morning & that meant some temperatures above 32F for a change.  My feet didn't freeze to the ground when I stepped out of the rig.  The cloud cover also signaled an incoming weather change.  The day started out calm as I relaxed in a lawn chair with my 10 o'clock coffee soaking up some warming rays & quiet serenity.  Minutes later I'm nearly upside down as the first wind gusts swept into the valley blowing swirling clouds of dust before them.  The rig's awning was bouncing & the flags were snapping as we scrambled to get the awning up & secured to the rig.  Just goes to show you can never leave your awning unattended in the southwest.  That wily old wind is always nearby tucked away in a canyon somewhere just waiting for you to head off to town & leave your lawn chairs out & your awning down.  I'm sure it finds great pleasure in swooping down, scattering tables & chairs & bending awning arms around like pretzels.  I swear someday's I can hear that mischievous old wind laughing as it goes blowing by with a load of somebody's laundry in it's clutches.  It's enough to blow the underwear right off a horse.

OUR CHILE LIGHTS IN A DRAGOON MOUNTAIN SUNSET

Noticed we had a new blog follower this morning & would like to welcome fellow Canadian Pat from Guelph Ontario & his blog, TRAVELS WITH LEFTY Welcome aboard neighbor:))

SAND HILL CRANES WINGING THEIR WAY HOME AT THE END OF THE DAY

Received an email from Marianne at, THE RV TRAVEL BLOG this morning.  Turns out they are also Canadian neighbors from Elora, Ontario & while checking out our outdated links site I came across these folks at FULL TIME RVING.  Both of the these sites are very informative & I would recommend you have a look at them.  I can see I am going to have to update & re-vamp our links section because I had totally forgotten about one of them & didn't have the other one linked at all.  While double-checking our blogger list I also came across DOWN THE ROAD FROM DOGPOUND'S latest post 3 weeks ago which I had totally missed in the flurry & fog of Bloggerville. I wonder how many other folks I have missed:((  I did finally catch up on our email correspondence with readers but also feel I've missed some of you so have decided to deal with each email right away from now on as soon as it lands on the desktop.  Well, that's my well intentioned plan anyway!!

It's the American Thanksgiving Day here & I've noticed a lot of other bloggers giving thanks to various things so I'll add our thanks to the roll.  No great grandiose thanks to imagined ethereal entities or supposed worldly Saints.  Just a very simple & realistic thanks to all you folks out there who send in your comments & emails to the Bayfield Bunch.  Thanks to you all for reading our simple little travel blog & thanks to our fellow bloggers for sharing their daily lives.  And a special thanks to my family members both living & deceased for making this whole Travel with The Bayfield Bunch possible.  Somewhere down the road I will share with you all the true motivation of why I do this blog every day.  

TO-NIGHT’S MOON OVER ARIZONA (Nikon D40 in combination with a Stellarview Nighthawk refractor telescope)

I successfully dodged the snipping scissors this morning & kept my gray locks to grow another day.  Even got away without having to trim my beard.  Kelly fixed up a Sweet Potato Baked Casserole for the potluck Thanksgiving dinner over at the FRIEND'S OF THE SOUTHWEST (Quaker Intentional Community) this afternoon.  I was a bit apprehensive about this place having religious overtones but I needn't have worried.  We arrived at 1 p.m. & met a fine bunch of local people who made us feel welcome & comfortable.  About 2 dozen people altogether.  A diverse bunch of backgrounds & I'm sure everyone had a tale to tell of how they ended up here in the Sulphur Springs Valley of southeast Arizona.  A lady sitting across from me had moved with her husband to this area several years ago from Alaska.  Several friendly Mexican fellows were there from Agua Prieta across the border from Douglas.  Lots of great food, fine deserts, & friendly people.  We received several invitations to visit people at their homes & we learned a bit more about the history of the area.  One lady at the table told us about the history of the Quaker like community, but 10 seconds into her description my short term memory had already forgotten the first 5 seconds so I'll have to try & remember to write things down next time.

 

		THANKS FOLKS:))

THANKSGIVING DINNER AT THE FRIENDS OF THE SOUTHWEST CENTER NEAR McNEAL, ARIZONA             (Click the pictures to enlarge them)

We were back to the ranch shortly after 3 & by then the wind had subsided & it turned out to be a pleasantly warm day with a nice sunset.  We had eaten so much turkey at the dinner this afternoon that we skipped supper entirely.  Took a few sunset & moon photos & that was about it for another fine Arizona day.  To-morrow morning we'll head off to Pearce for their annual, 'Old Pearce Heritage Days' & maybe brush shoulders with some real wild west cowboys:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.

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.

MY SMUG MUG (I am finally working on updating this site)

http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/