DO WE HAVE ANY 'RANCH SITTERS' OUT HERE IN RV BLOG LAND:))

FULL MOON RISING OVER THE SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS AT THE RANCH IN DEC. 09 (700mm telescope lens)

Anyone following our blog knows that we have spent the last 4 winters traveling around the American Southwest.  You will also know that we have spent some time 'ranch sitting' the past couple years as well.  When we leave Bayfield in late October we will once again head straight for the ranch which is located in Arizona's southeast corner near McNeal, Douglas & Bisbee.  Unlike last winter, we have decided to spend less time at the ranch this year & more time traveling.  We will be there from the beginning of November until mid December.

STORM CLOUDS OVER THE RANCH HOUSE

The owners of the ranch, J & R are also RV folks & again this year would like to spend the winter months doing some traveling of their own .  Another RV couple is going to take over the ranch sitting job from us from mid December to mid January.  A third RV couple & friends of ours will take over sometime in January & will stay for awhile but not sure how long yet.  That will leave part of February & all of March available.

OUR FULL HOOK-UP SITE AT THE RANCH

Workampers will probably not be interested in this because it is not a paying job. You do have full hook-ups & the security of a locked gate & a very large area with coyote proof fencing so it's a great safety factor if you have pets.  The ranch is an excellent home base for day trips in this historical southeast corner of Arizona.  Thousands of Sand Hill Cranes fly directly over the ranch every single day.  Their roosting area is only one mile south of the ranch at the, WHITEWATER DRAW WILDLIFE AREA

SUNSET ON THE PORCH

It is imperative that you understand, care for & love animals.  The ranch has about a dozen frisky chickens, 3 clever donkeys, 2 new cows, two lovable dogs (Pearce & Gleason) & Charlie the cat to look after.  The gang has to be fed twice a day & the 3 or 4 chicken eggs have to be gathered daily.  And, you will be required to milk the chickens every Saturday morning before breakfast:))

DRAGOON MOUNTAINS NORTHWEST OF THE RANCH

Douglas & Bisbee are only about a 20-25 minute drive away.  Tombstone is about a 40 minute drive & Sierra Vista is just another 15 minutes on the other side of Tombstone.  The ranch is located in the Sulphur Springs Valley & surrounded by the Dragoon, Chiricahua, Swiss Helm & Mule mountains.  And, if you haven't been to Bisbee Arizona yet, you are in for an alpine treat in an old mountain mining town.  For many photos of the ranch & surrounding area attractions just check our archives for Feb-March 2009 & again from November 09 to just about the end of January 2010.  Or, check our PICASA PHOTO ALBUMS for those same dates.

3 OF THE RANCH'S DESPERADOS'....SARAH, NELLIE & PONCHO

So, if anyone is interested in 'ranch sitting' for a spell in February & March, just let us know & we'll forward your interest to the folks at the ranch.  Preference will probably be given to anyone on our blog list that we know or have been in email contact with for awhile.  Just a little something for you Buckaroo RV'ers to think about:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED...................
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.

----------------------------------------------------------------

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.

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH IS ABOUT TO MEET…..WINDOWS 7:))

A FROSTY MORNING AWHILE BACK

The morning dawned cloudy but at least we remained above freezing through the night & anything above freezing is a bonus.  The day later turned into one of the finest days we've had here in the Sulphur Springs Valley for quite awhile.  Sunny & warm:))

ON THE CHARLESTON ROAD FROM TOMBSTONE  TO SIERRA VISTA WITH THE SNOWY TOPPED HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS ON THE HORIZON

This morning our laptop computer presented us with a blue screen.  Not good!!!!  We bought our current Toshiba laptop back in September of 2006 from a Future Shop store in London, Ontario.  Despite me dropping the computer on the kitchen floor less than 48 hours after we brought it home our Toshiba has performed flawlessly for most of the past three & a half years.  In the past 3 months it has occasionally seized up, etc.  Lately it has refused to shut down a few times, seized more often & this morning it presented us with a blue screen saying, 'Checking file systems.'  We managed to work through that but other problems occurred.  Kelly read up on the start up blue screen malfunction  & it said the problem could be the beginning of a deteriorating hard drive.  For awhile now we felt our computer was becoming a bit unstable & last fall we had talked about some of the computer problems & done a bit of research on new laptops just in case.  After the blue screen this morning we decided it was time to make a decision.  Could we afford another laptop.......'of course not!!'  Could we afford to take a chance on losing our stuff......an even bigger 'of course not!!'  Do we have things backed up......yes & no.  We do have an external hard drive with a lot of stuff backed up but we felt this was as good a time as any to move into Microsoft's new operating system.....Windows 7.  I have a huge load of high resolution photographs so felt it was time we had a more stable platform with greater power & much bigger memory capabilities.

 

A FEW QUICK PICS WHILE ROLLING THROUGH TOMBSTONE ON THE WAY TO SIERRA VISTA THIS MORNING

Kelly had previously done a lot of research on many brands of laptops & read all the reviews.  Because of our trouble free Toshiba plus the fact that they are reportedly better built laptops than many of their competitors we decided to stay with Toshiba.  After comparing our needs to what the various models were offering we decided on a Toshiba Satellite A 505 S6005  We also paid a bit extra to have it optimized which means the Geek Squad at Best Buy had already removed all the junk stuff that comes with new computers.  The recovery discs are already done & all that has probably saved us about 4 hours of trying to un-install all the junk ourselves.  The computer comes out of the box 'clean' & that was well worth the extra $60 to have that mess taken care of!!  Laurie from SEMI TRUE TALES recently purchased basically the same computer.  Laurie is a pretty smart gal & we knew she had done her research as well so felt comfortable knowing she also felt the Toshiba Satellite was a good buy.

 

IN SIERRA VISTA’S BEST BUY LOOKING OVER THE COMPUTERS

We have the computer home but not out of the box yet so am looking forward to having a look at this new Windows 7 everybody is talking about.  We will copy & transfer all our important stuff from this computer to the new one & that will give us a complete back up operating system.  Probably will continue using this one as long as it remains stable & so far today it has been running fine again. 

WHAT A COUPLE OF BUMS

From Best Buy in Sierra Vista this afternoon it was over to 'Jack-in-the-Box' for a production line burger.  Ho-hum!!  Next was Lowes for a few things, Wal-Mart for some motor oil, & Fry's for groceries.  By the time we got to Frys my patience was totally fried so I stayed in the car to guard our new laptop:))  Sierra Vista is a nice city & if I was forced (and I would have to be forced) to live in a city I think this one would be as good as any.  Located right at the foot of the scenic Huachuca mountain range this place has all the amenities plus it's picturesque location is only minutes away from mountain or desert wilderness.  It's a small city with an even smaller local town feel.  As I sat in the parking lot outside Frys I could look up at the looming mountains only a few miles away & see the warming sun glinting off the snowy slopes.  Reminded me of years ago when I did some downhill skiing & how beautiful the snow looked on the tree lined hills.  Today reminded me of the last time I swooshed my way down a long & fast hill on a fine sunny & warm spring day west of Toronto Ontario.  Yep, I think this Sierra Vista town is just about as good a place to be as any.

Motty & Patti are heading for El Paso in the morning so I hope we’ll see them again out here somewhere  on the highways & bi-ways of the wild & wooly west.  Ok, see ya later guys:))

We made some more progress on our new Delorme GPS unit today, or I guess I should say Kelly has.  We took it along to Sierra Vista this morning & Kelly was able to do some reading in the GPS manual & figure a few more things out.  We're slowly getting there.  I tried making a phone call with it this morning & was having a great conversation with something until Kelly told me it wasn't a cell phone & could not be used as one!!  Oh well, like I said.......I'm not the brightest crayon in the package:))

“HELLO HELLO”…… CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW??

Well, I'm gonna wind this up, go get a crowbar & see if I can pry that new computer out of it's box & see if I can find the 'Start' button.  Maybe I can even tune in an old frumpy Star Trek episode or something.  Or was that on television years ago.  Oh well, here I go, wish me luck........................:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Old age is when former classmates are so gray, wrinkled, and bald, they don't recognize you anymore.

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

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.

AVATAR…..THE MOVIE:((

I had really hoped I would walk out of the theater with a big "WOW" factor under my belt but it didn't happen!!  I know I'm going to take a big hit right on the end of my chin for this but I was not that impressed with this Avatar movie like the rest of the world is.  But, that's OK because I'm used to being in the minority when it comes to many opinions & popularly held beliefs anyway. 

First, what I liked about the movie.....yes, the special effects were very good & I especially liked the beautiful colored forest scenes with all those magical little twinkie boos floating in the air & with 3D glasses they came right out into the theater & softly alit on the tip of my nose.  And I always like those deep space scenes with spaceships & things.  The costumes, make up, & special effects for the blue people was done very well too.  But, that's about it.  Yes, the obvious hidden meanings may or may not have been there & you can look at the blue people as the north American Indians being trod upon years ago & the white man running them off their land or you can spin it to mean the great American Satin with it's greed & military mite in full domination mode against a primitive people, or, or, or, whatever.  Make it what you will but that's not how I saw the movie.

Maybe I have seen one to many G.I. Joe movies over the years.  Seen too many action hero movies.  Seen one too many 'big mega weapons' movies.  Same old plot, same old super hero's, same old dastardly villain, same old corny dialogue, same old big bulky machine gun & rocket firing steel behemoths like so many other Hollywood movies.  In fact I think they must have borrowed some of the big clunky two footed canon firing robots from Star Wars.  James Cameron probably cut a deal with George Lucas.  And what would a typical Hollywood action flick be without big guns & big explosions.  For sure I thought I was going to see Arnold Schwarzenegger appear at any moment with multi-barreled rocket launchers in each arm belching forth with full blown automatic fire blowing up every moving thing in sight.......in great huge giant fireballs.

Guess I was looking for something special from this movie.  Something with a WOW factor.  Something that would leave me with a feeling of awe.  A movie to send me out of the theater with that deep sense of mystery that makes one look deep inside asking questions & searching for answers.  Guess I was just looking for some good old reality magic too.........& Avatar just didn't do it for me.

Ok, I've put my helmet & flak jacket on so bring on the slings & arrows.

Guess I didn't really make it clear in last night's blog whether Ron would be returning to Belle's Silverado Ranch.  Yes, Belle has agreed to take Ron on at the ranch & Ron said he's looking forward to returning & beginning work on renovating the 3 small cabins for starters plus many other handyman repairs.  No start date has been set but I'm sure Ron will be on the job as soon as he ties up loose ends & gets things squared away where he is now.

The Avatar movie started at 3:15 so we were in Sierra Vista by noon because we are not 'last minute people.'  Quick trip to a pet store for dog food, popped into & out of a Loews, & went shoulder to shoulder with the locals in the normally very crowded Fry's grocery store.  Thought we would try an Appleby's for something to eat before the movie because we had never been to one before.  Not a good experience.  First & foremost I don't care for Roadhouse type places.  Loud crappy music was assaulted my ears from cheap little tin can speakers in the ceiling & it was 25 minutes before the first plate of food hit the table.  Mine came 5 minutes later.  I am a very easy guy to please when it comes to food & generally eat whatever is put in front of me.  This was not the best food.....but I ate it all anyway.  We will never go back to another Appleby's!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I got used to arthritis & I've resigned myself to the fact I'll have to wear dentures forever.  I can manage with my bifocals Ok,  but boy oh boy do I ever miss my mind.

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.

TO-DAY KELLY MADE ME GO SHOPPING:((

Another cloudy, cold, morning so there was only one thing to do. Go shopping!! Yep, you heard me right.......go shopping:(( Kelly expressed an interest in driving over to Sierra Vista because she had some things to return to Marshalls. Seems to me women are always returning things. I figure why buy something in the first place if your just going to take it back again anyway. Seems like such a waste of time or something. Once I buy something I consider it mine forever whether it works or not. I don't even have to like it to keep it.


I needed a few camera things plus we have been interested in those hand held GPS systems for a long time now so thought we would have us another look at them in Sierra Vista. For those 2 reasons I decided to skip my photo group to-day & allow myself to be dragged over the northern end of the Mule mountains & down the other side into the shopping malls & stores of Sierra Vista. Kelly knew I would require a pacifier while waiting at some stores so she threw my Roswell book in the car.....and it worked.

I didn't figure Marshall's was a guys store & before I got 6 feet in the door my nose told me I was right. I detected the telltale scent of new clothes. Racks & racks of clothes on hangers, bedsheets, slippers, perfumes, & frilly things. The colors were a dead giveaway too. Lots of pinks & whites. Where were the motor oils, the electronics department, the paints, chainsaws, & hammers. You know, the good stuff. Short answer......there was no good stuff in that girly store so I wriggled free from it's commercial grasp & hustled myself out of there & back to the car. Reclined the seat, put some quiet music on the CD player, braced myself for a long wait & immersed myself in the ways of the CIA, FBI, Army intelligence, scientific research, particle beam weapons, laser lights, & flying saucers. All was right with my world again.

Our next stop was Best Buy in the Sierra Vista mall. Well, that was a big disappointment because they didn't even stock hand held GPS units. Yes, we can order that stuff on line but I wanted to actually lay eyeballs on some of the darned things. We've read about different models on the internet & Laurie showed us her Garmin GPS 60 at the BBC the day before but I just wanted to compare units. Well, like I said, they don't even stock them. Lots of other neat-o electronic toys but I just wasn't in the mood for it to-day. Staff said there were a couple sports stores in the mall that might have hand held GPS units so off we went but to no avail. Aside from white socks with chartreuse racing stripes & 5,000 pairs of varying super hero running shoes they didn't have what we were looking for either. Kelly spotted some more girly stores so I headed for the food court. Now, there's a manly thought:)) Luckily they had a Subway & I got my old standard Tuna sub. Been eating those things since Columbus came across on the boat. They sure taste good but boy they sure do make ya smell bad!!

There were more people in the food court than were in the entire mall but I still found a seat ok. Not a good idea for me to eat a tuna sub standing up because it can get pretty sloppy & generally really make a mess on my shoes. And I didn't need to draw any more attention to myself with tuna dribbled down the front of me either. I sat quietly at the table watching all the people walking by & totally felt like a fish (tuna) out of water. It occurred to me that I could not even remember the last time I had ever been in an enclosed shopping mall like this & everything seemed so weird to me. It was if I had time warped myself back into my mall crawling days in the late 80's. The people looked the same, the stores hadn't changed much, the tunes on the mall speakers seemed familiar, & all the vendors in the food court were the same too. A&W, Subway, Chinese Wok, Wendy's, etc. Nothing had changed..........except me. I sat there mushing away on my Tuna sub feeling like an invisible alien under impossible scrutiny. Had on my 12 year old blown out Rockport shoes with a big lumberjack shirt, & by now, tuna stained pants. My bulky camera accessory stuffed photo vest probably made me look like the Michelin man going backwards on a windy day & I'm sure my Bayfield Bunch hat had a wad of dog fur stuck to one side of it. Yep, it was time for me to exit the mall alright!! Had me another chuckle when we reached the car. It was the only one in a sea of spic n span, fancy schmancy, shiny, metal monsters that was splashed from tire to roof with good old Arizona desert mud. Awwwww, I like when that happens:)))))

Our next stop was the camera store where the wily old duffer behind the counter charged me too much for a half a camera blower brush....& I let him. From there it was another sports store where Kelly tried to wheel & deal on a set of new hand weights by trading in her old ones. I don't like when she does that wheeling & dealing stuff because I get embarrassed so I hid out in the car. Five minutes later she returned carrying her old weights. She got out wheeled & dealed I guess. Sometimes it's just not best to ask!! Another sports star followed & this one looked promising for having some GPS equipment. Another dead end!! From there it was across the road to a Target store. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I walked in the door. It had that cosmetics smell to it & my eyes were assaulted with pinks & burgundies. Yikes, Christmas is hardly dead yet & this store was setting up for Valentine's day already!! Amazingly enough they did have some GPS stuff but it was all for vehicle dashes. Kelly went to look at some pink stuff & I hastily beat a retreat out the door & back to the car. She found her way back about 20 minutes later with a bottle of mouth wash in hand. She would have done well to pour some of that stuff in my ear to cleanse my brainwaves of foul shopping thoughts!!

Across the parking lot was the big grocery store called Frys. I have been mauled in that very same Fry's store twice before & there was no way I was going in there to be trampled upon again. This is the busiest store I have ever been in & I have learned my lesson well. It's a free for all in there, dog eat dog, survival of the fittest, & just plain knock em down & stomp em out!! Kelly grabbed a shopping cart & headed into action while I strolled next door to a Staples store. It was a Staples store in London Ontario that I bought my very first digital camera years ago. It was a cheap little 1 megapixel Hewlett-Packard & it was the camera that single handedly launched me back into the world of photography after a total abstinence from photography of about 10 years. But, that's another story. I knew Staples carried electronic stuff so figured they might have some hand held GPS devices. But, no go. They had the usual selection of GPS equipment for vehicles & that was it. Needed a new pen so figured this was a logical place to find a good one so after much deliberation I selected a package with 2 pens of the style I prefer. Returned to the car & within minutes Kelly was back with half a cart of groceries. Five minutes after that we were thankfully back out into the tranquility of the desert & 40 minutes later we were back at the ranch.

Brought the groceries in, swore under my breath at the cheaply made camera blower brush, & opened my package of 2 pens which turned out to be a package of................... 2 pencils!!!! *!!@#)&^##

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Did you know a crocodile cannot stick out its tongue. Ya, I thought you did.

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..

THE OLD GHOST TOWN OF COURTLAND, ARIZONA

 

AN OLD STONE WALL IN COURTLAND

Heavy frost on everything this morning & I could still see snow on the Chiricahua mountains about 40 northeast of us.  I mix up the chicken feed at night now so that is all I have to do in the morning.  Just toss it out to the girls without freezing my hands up.  Might have to get some of you RV ladies to knit us up 8 toasty little warm chicken sweaters for the gals.

We have been to what's left of most ghost towns here in the Sulphur Springs valley & last Saturday on our way to Pearce's Heritage Days we came across the ruins of the once booming & bustling little mining town of Courtland.  As with all other true ghost towns there wasn't much left of anything compared to what was once originally there.  What is left of Courtland is stretched out over a mile or so along a dirt road.  A few remnants of a stone wall here, some concrete slabs there, & one heavily constructed & reinforced concrete building that once was a jail.  As with all ghost towns we have rambled around in it is hard for the mind to  imagination what actually took place at these sites.  Standing amidst rubble of tumbled walls I try to close my eyes & return to the towns heyday but all my imagination has to go on are old faded photos of ghost towns, some old Hollywood movies, pieces of pottery, crumbling walls, maybe a few weathered boards with rusting nails, & perhaps an old leather sole from an old boot long forgotten.   Underbrush overgrows what were once bustling streets filled with people.  All traces of former railroads are gone & it's difficult to look back into history across the desert landscape & see old steam engines pulling railroad cars loaded with merchandise, ore from the mines, cattle, & people.  Hard to imagine children playing in the streets, horses tied up alongside old wood sided building & folks dressed in their finery buying sugar & flour in the general store.  Miners whooped it up in the many saloons at nights.  Strangers arrived daily by horseback, stagecoach, or trains.  It is an era that is lost forever & it is only the winds in the mountains that whisper the tales of a life & times that none of us will ever know......or imagine:(( 

This was COURTLAND.

And below is Courtland to-day.

 

INSIDE THE JAIL	THE COURTLAND JAIL

We caught ourselves a break to-day when the local propane delivery truck from Wilcox brought a load of propane for Jeanie & Ray's large propane tank here at the ranch.  It's a once a year delivery & supplies the house with heat.  We had filled up our motorhome's propane tank in Douglas about a month ago & were down to about half a tank.  Normally at three quarters empty we would have to square everything away, bring in the slides, disconnect the water, sewer, electricity, & satellite dish lines & drive our house to a propane filling station either in Douglas or at the closer Double Adobe RV park about half way to Bisbee.  While the fellow was filling the ranch tank Kelly asked him if he could fill our tank as well......& he did.  Nice break & it sure saved us a disruptive hassle.

SIGNS OF MINING NEAR COURTLAND

I have a habit of loosing camera lens caps & as of last Saturday my last lens cap had departed to the fair land far away where missing things somehow go.  Needed a lens hood for my smaller lens anyway plus both camera lenses were in need of UV filters.  Figured we might as well head on over to Sierra Vista where we had looked up a camera store that had all the aforementioned items.  The road to Sierra Vista is an easy wide open spaces drive that gently winds between the Dragoon & Mule mountains.  We drove through Tombstone at high noon & if I would have had my window down we might have heard some gunfire coming from the OK Corral gunfight site.  They do re-enactments there daily.  We have been to Tombstone a couple times before & it is very commercialized but I would recommend you do the BIRDCAGE THEATER if you go there.  Check out our TOMBSTONE PHOTOS.  This place has not been jazzed up & re-constructed.  It an eerie place to wander around in & it smells very, very, old.  If there are such things as ghosts I'm sure they are present in this old aging building.  Yes, there is a gift store at the back door exit but that doesn't have anything to do with what is inside that old building!!

<<< INSIDE THE BIRDCAGE THEATER 2007

The Charleston Road runs between Tombstone & Sierra Vista & for us to-day it was a trip down memory lane because we spent a few very enjoyable weeks boondocking in the area this past January.  It was at this time we did day trips to the ghost towns of Charleston, Millville, & Fairbank.  Took us 2 days to find the crumbling adobe walls of Charleston amidst the heavy mesquite underbrush.  If anyone is interested you can find our daily adventures in our archives.  Look back to late January of this year for our times in this area.  Also February & March for our times at the ranch & our escapades into the Dragoon & Chiricahua Mountains.

THIS CAN BE A HARSH LAND

Sierra Vista is a fair sized city & easy to get around in.  Every kind of store, facility, or business you need is here stretched out along Fry Boulevard.  Big box stores like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, & Frys.  All the regular eating places are here too.  The driving force behind Sierra Vista is the large army base, Fort Huachuca.  We toured the Fort last March plus, Coronado Peak & Carr Canyon.  And of course it's all in our March archives.  

DESERT JUNK

Hit a few thrift stores to-day & then the busiest grocery store I've ever seen.  Frys is a grocery chain found only in the southwest  & is very, very, popular.  It was our second trip to Frys this year & it must have been our lucky day because we caught ourselves another break.  Kelly had picked up a Fry's discount card last March & that saved us a few dollars but on the first Wednesday of every month it is an additional 10% off for Seniors.  We didn't know that but when Kelly went to pay, the cashier eyed me up & down with a wary eye, turned to Kelly & asked, "is he 65!!"  Guess my old torn shirt, dusty hat, & totally out of control beard must have scared her real good & she was afraid to ask me directly.  I like when that happens.  Don't ask me about the days an old girlfriend dressed me in white pleated pants, panama sneakers, pink polo shirts, & hung a gold chain around my neck. Made me wear a matching gold bracelet to my sparkly watch on my other wrist.  No, don't even go there!!  And no, the gold was not real.  It was just window dressing for her new boyfriend.  Is it any wonder I prefer to be a scruffy old sod busting cowboy these days:))  Maybe I'll do a blog on that era of my life sometime.  Maybe use some pink ink too!!

Anyway, I got kinda sidetracked again but I did find the camera accessories I needed & if your in Sierra Vista & need to do some wheeling & dealing be sure to drop in & see a friendly old guy by the name of Harvey Ross at LANDMARK PHOTO 400 W Fry Boulevard.   "Old guy' were Harvey's words not mine:))

We were back at the ranch by 4:15 just in time to get the chickens saddled up & the dog's fed.  Another fine day in the life & times of, The Bayfield Bunch:))

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Two cows standing next to each other in a field, Daisy says to Dolly "I was artificially inseminated this morning." "I don't believe you," said Dolly. "It's true -- no bull!", exclaimed Daisy.

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/

FORT HUACHUCA.....A VERY LARGE ACTIVE ARMY BASE

While watching the tail end of the Superbowl game last Sunday we heard that Denny's was having a nationwide free breakfast to-day. We were on Denny's doorstep by 9 a.m. with appetites in hand!! So were a lot of other people & by the time we got in, had our yummy free breakfast & exited the building we had used up a whole hour. But that was ok because it was free. Thanks Denny's:))

There is a very large active Army base here in Sierra Vista called, Fort Huachuca.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Huachuca
http://www.nps.gov/nr//travel/amsw/sw3.htm
We were told at the Visitor's Center over a week ago that we would not be able to tour the base because we were Canadians. All non-Americans have to be accompanied by an American escort. Well, we had an Ace up our sleeves. Kelly has dual citizenship because she was born in the State of New York. But, her driver's license is Canadian so we knew that could pose a problem. Before entering the Fort we switched driver's positions figuring it might look better if the American is driving & the Canadian is the passenger. As expected, the security fellow wanted to see Kelly's driver's license & said because it was Canadian we could not go in. Another security person walked over & Kelly asked if a Passport would be acceptable. The 2nd security person took the Passport & checked with her supervisor. Yes, that is acceptable she said & away we went onto the base. This is one very, very, large Army base & it didn't take us long to get lost looking for the museum buildings. We had a map but that confused us too. I was based on 3 different naval military bases back in the mid 60's in Canada & none of them even remotely looked like this one. Fort Huachuca is a city unto itself. We could just as easily have been in any large town somewhere. With an unusual piece of good luck we actually blundered right into the museum complex parking lot before asking someone where it was. "Your in it" was the reply. IN THE MUSEUM

The first building we entered was mainly dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers who called Fort Huachuca home. It's an old original base building & is packed full of artifacts & memorabilia from the Fort's beginnings. Just about every square foot of this older structure has been used. Many historical exhibits & much to see including Pancho Villa's spurs. (web album)
http://www.geocities.com/maureenjim/blacksoldier.htm
http://www.discoverseaz.com/History/BufSold.html

THE BASE SITS IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS

Second building contained many more paintings & exhibits. Guns, swords, saddles, etc.
Third building housed past U.S. Army Intelligence exhibits. The enigma code machine, spy cameras, test drones, many communications devices of all kinds dating back to the late 1800's. Lots to see in this 3 part museum complex. The buildings are original & stand on the site of the fort's early beginnings. Parade grounds & officers quarters are all there. (check to-day's web album)

SITE OF EARLY FORT HUACHUCA

From the museums we drove over to the Fort's cemetery. I like cemetery's because they are always very peaceful & special places with their own histories. Took a few photos there & then we headed off up a gravel road within the base called, Huachuca Canyon Road. A bit rough & we weren't sure where it led so only went a couple of miles before turning around. Many deer in the woods & I was able to get a few photos of them. Drove up to an observation & picnic area called Reservoir Point & took some pics overlooking the base. From there we headed back across the base to the east gate we had come in, & exited the base onto the streets of Sierra Vista. We had been on the base for 3 hours. FORT HUACHUCA'S CEMETERY

Sierra Vista is a large spread out city with every imaginable store you can imagine. Nice looking newer type of place with lots of hustle & bustle & traffic. I was glad to finally get to the other side of town & back out into the countryside again.

Spent the rest of the day relaxing & just before supper I took myself for a long walk out into the hills to have look at some more pit mines I had spotted with the binoculars. It's just unbelievable how those men years ago could have dug such large holes through solid rock with just picks & shovels. Even the walking is not easy as the ground is covered in rocks & prickly shrubs. It's a hostile, but beautiful land & we wouldn't even remotely think of going anywhere other than the American southwest.................................

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

A ROUGH & TUMBLE DRIVE IN CARR CANYON

WE WERE WAY UP THERE SOMEWHERE

Another weather perfect day in the San Pedro Valley so we headed off for Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca mountains. We hadn't realized they charged to walk the trail there so decided to try the next canyon down the road.

Carr canyon turned out to be quite a driving challenge. We turned off highway 92 onto a paved road leading towards the mountains. Before long the pavement ended & rough dirt road began. We could see a waterfall high on the mountain so we decided to keep going despite the road. It was so nice to see big trees again & lots of greenery. The road began to wind & we were soon down to a single lane. The stones got bigger & the ruts got deeper but we kept going. We had confidence in our little mountain goat Hyundai Santa Fe. No guard rails on this road & the higher we climbed, the steeper the drop offs became. We reached a series of switchbacks & from here we were down to first gear the rest of the way. We had no idea how far it was to the top or what was there if we even made it all the way. It was one of those roads with few turn-a-rounds so you just kept going. For Kelly it was a nail biter, but luckily for me I was driving so didn't have the worries of not knowing what the driver is doing. And every time Kelly had the cliff on her side she was not a happy camper!! I kept saying, "look at that view" and she just kept looking straight ahead. We stopped once for pictures & discussed whether to go on or not. Finally convinced ourselves the top was probably just around the next curve. (it wasn't) Kept on for another 15 minutes or so & finally reached the National Forest Recreation Area campground & decided that was our turn around point. The views out over the San Pedro Valley from here were spectacular. We could see all the way down into Mexico. The Swisshelm & Dragoon mountain ranges were visible on the eastern horizon & with the help of our 7 x 50 binoculars I was actually able to pinpoint our rig way across the valley about 20 miles away or so. It was the only white dot visible in that section of the Tombstone Hills. In fact, I was able to see the little Motormouse looking out the passenger side window with a sad look on her face wondering when Mom & Dad were coming home.

SIERRA VISTA

It had taken us about 40 minutes to travel the short 7 miles up the twisting mountain road & about 80% of that was in first gear. I'm guessing we climbed maybe 2 or 3 thousand feet. Our Santa Fe is a high clearance vehicle & that served us well because we never bottomed it out once despite the large rocks & boulders imbedded in the road. It handled the ruts & pot holes without a wince. The front wheel drive dug in & never wavered all the way to the top & I was glad we had a manual transmission. They are just a lot more fun to drive. My first car was a Volkswagon Beetle back in 1963 & I've loved jammin gears ever since. ONE OF THE MANY SWITCHBACKS

Coming down didn't take as long as going up but it had it's own hazards & the main one was the kids on dirt bikes recklessly coming full tilt the other way up the mountain. We had one fellow nearly run into us on a curve. I think he probably had to pull over for a change of underwear after that. About 30 minutes after leaving the top we were back on pavement at the bottom & heading for Sierra Vista. LOOKING OUT OVER SIERRA VISTA & THE SAN PEDRO VALLEY

A quick stop at Wally-World, Fry's, & Ace hardware before heading back to the rig. Couldn't get out of that Fry's grocery store soon enough. So many people in there it was like a demolition derby with all the crazy grocery cart drivers. I felt a lot safer on the mountain road.

We were back at the rig by 3:15 & that was about it for another day. We only have a couple television channels here so ended up having the Super Bowl game on later. I'm not a big sports fan & would rather have watched a basket weaving demonstration but the game did get a little exciting towards the end & I did actually catch myself watching it.

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

And thanks to my cousin Norma in Kitchener, Ontario for the following.............:))

TO ALL WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.
Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:(1) eat less,(2) don't ask for money all the time,(3) are easier to train,(4) normally come when called,(5) never ask to drive the car,(6) don't hang out with drug-using people;(7) don't smoke or drink,(8) don't want to wear your clothes,(9) don't have to buy the latest fashions,(10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college (11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children..........:))

LISTENING TO ROY ROGERS & THE SON'S OF THE PIONEERS

LOOKING OUT OVER THE SAN PEDRO VALLEY TO THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS

Being parked on a large slab of concrete is sure helpful in keeping the motorhome a bit cleaner. Four dusty boots & 12 dusty paws can sure haul a lot of the old west into the rig in a hurry. There was some kind of mining operation on this hill years ago with a bunch of concrete pads poured for buildings. The buildings are long gone but the slabs are still here making for a great boondocking spot. Even though we have a mat & doggy bed outside for Checkers on the concrete, she always manages to find a pile of dirt to flop in & laze the sunny days away. I call her the old dust bucket dog. AFTERNOON SIESTA FOR THE BIG DUST BUCKET DOG

It was nice to look out our window this morning & see 5 cows standing outside the rig looking back at us. Across the valley the sun was lighting up the Huachuca mountain range just west of Sierra Vista. Heard a couple of ravens somewhere nearby & the sounds of the cows moooooing down by the water tank sure made for a nice morning. The warming rays of the morning sun soon pushed the night's cold air off down the valley & we had the start of another beautiful day here in southeastern Arizona.

Broke my garden rake on some tough ground while making a new firepit but with a little duct tape & a band-it clamp I had it back in operation good as new. Kelly headed into Sierra Vista around 9:30 & I was sooooooo glad she let me stay here at the camp. Groceries, laundry, & of course, the shopping thing was just not up my alley. Plus, when your traveling like this in an RV it's good for each other to have their own space at times. So, it didn't me long to get a campfire going & haul out my favorite old western CD. Slipped it into the rigs CD player, cranked up the volume & stretched out on the lounge chair outside as "The Sons of the Pioneers" took me back to days long ago in the old wild west. Blue Shadows On The Trail, Ghost Riders In The Sky, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Along The Santa Fe Trail, Red River Valley, Wagon Wheels, Moonlight On The Prairies, Peace In The Valley, Rainbow's End, Along The Navajo Trail, Empty Saddles In The Old Corral, Cool Water, I'm An Old Cow Hand From The Rio Grande just to name a few. And of course my favorite, Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie. The Sons of the Pioneers have a beautiful harmony & their rendition of this song is superb.
LISTENING TO MY OLD WILD WEST TUNES

We are camped in the Tombstone Hills & the old west town of Tombstone is only about 3 miles over the hills to the northeast. While listening to these songs one wonders about the characters who lived & died there back in the 1800's. Charleston is just down the road with it's own wild west history as is other small ghost towns nearby. As I look out over the hills nearby I can almost see the riders on horseback making their way through the sage & mesquite along dusty trails between the ranches & towns. They may have passed over this very spot where I'm sitting here typing this. Cochise & Geronimo roamed these hills & the U.S. Cavalry was based about 9 miles from here at Fort Huachuca. This area is rich in American history, legends, ghost towns, & wandering spirits. Over the next month or so we hope to visit many of these places & with a bit of luck, maybe feel the legendary spirits of the old west .

Kelly made it back from Sierra Vista around 3:30 with lots of groceries, a new doggy toy for the gang, & a couple of new T-shirts for me. The T-shirts had been marked down 75% at Marshalls. Most of my T-shirts look like they've taken a heavy load of buckshot:(( They haven't:))

HOISTED UP OUR COLORS TO-DAY

The temperatures started falling around 5 so we retreated indoors & that was about it for another day. No idea where we're headed to-morrow yet, but I hope it's another canyon hike somewhere.................. THE WHETSTONE MOUNTAIN RANGE

No, this is not a vacation.....this is a lifestyle:))

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