AFTER A RATHER EXCITING MOVE THIS MORNING WE HAD US A RATHER RELAXING AFTERNOON

(THIS IS FRIDAY’S POST)

PHEEBS NEEDED A BIG REST AFTER HER & MOM HAD TO HOLD THE FORT DOWN ALL BY THEMSELVES FOR AN HOUR THIS MORNING

Soon as the sky lightened this morning I was out looking for balloons.  No not Valentine Day balloons but big colorful hot air balloons.  And by golly I saw some.  We are kind of located in a hot air balloon alley.  The big balloons lift off in Sedona & drift lazily in the early morning’s calm air currents to the southwest.  We are actually in the hot air balloon’s landing area.  Saw 4 of them this morning with one being very close.  Hoping to have one land in our front yard while we are here.

SPOTTED THIS ONE FLOATING WEST OF US OVER NEAR CLARKDALE & COTTONWOOD

  

   

 

THREE MORE BALLOONS EAST OF US WITH 2 VERY CLOSE

  

  

I have sometimes blogged about the ‘WOW’ factor when buying an RV.  But another kind of WOW factor known to many if not all RV’ers is that special feeling one has when they reach a destination & just go ‘WOW’ is this site ever great.  Well, our spot we had wiggled in the night before did not have that WOW factor & we knew it.  And we were both a little grumpy about it so figured we had better get out & find another spot first thing this morning.  A car had rolled in late Thursday night & parked within earshot & eyesight & for us that is unacceptable.  Plus 2 vans had moved into another spot just above & there appeared what might have been some young homeless people in a tent about a hundred yards away.  No doubt about it, we had to get out of there!!!!

CATHEDRAL ROCK IN MORNINGS EARLY LIGHT

JEROME ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE VALLEY

We all 3 piled in the Jeep & headed further inland from the highway because we had heard of a couple more spots further down the road.  We did find them but one had a truck camper in it & the other was nice but too big.  Problem with big sites is other people will move in on the same spot.  I don’t think city folks are bothered about crowding like us country bumpkins are.  The road ended at what looked like a beautiful retreat or resort of some kind.  Posted as private property so we didn’t go any further.  Kelly later looked this place up on the internet & it is the Angel Valley Spiritual Retreat Center.  This is the same place 4 people died in a sweat lodge back in 2009.

 

We decided to head back across the highway & out the other way where we had been scouting around the day before.  Maybe we had missed a good spot.  We hadn’t.  Too many Goathead stickers everywhere.  We were getting a little discouraged because we didn’t know where else to search for a suitable boondocking site but we certainly did not want to stay where we were.  And then we caught ourselves a ‘big break’.   

 

We were just about back to the highway when I saw a pick-up towing a large silver horse trailer also heading for the highway.  We had just seen that same trailer parked in a really nice spot the day before.  Could this fellow be leaving?  Could the nice spot this horse trailer was in now be empty?  We quickly raced down the dusty road to the spot where we remembered seeing that horse trailer & sure enough the spot was empty.  Enter the ‘WOW’ factor.  We recognized this prime spot as one of only a scarce few along this road.  We had just caught ourselves a big break but now our problem immediately became how to hold this valued piece of dirt.  Our rig was probably a good 2 miles to the south & we knew if we left this spot to go get it somebody else could quickly grab this site.  Oh Dear what to do.  And then a solution…..sort of.

WE QUICKLY BEGIN LAYING SOME STUFF OUT

It is common practice & an unwritten understanding among Campers & RV’ers alike that if one find’s a site & leaves something on that site like a chair to reserve it until they get back, that is Okay.  However we didn’t have any chairs or coolers, etc in the Jeep.  But we did have blankets, a couple towels, a raincoat, my old shirt, a jug of water, & my Bayfield Bunch baseball cap.  We layed out the blankets & hung some stuff on a tree.  Kelly even left a note warning would be site poachers to back off or else mighty big trouble.  But in reality & being Canadians we probably would have apologized for being there first & graciously handed the site over to the invaders with a pleasant, ‘have a good day eh.’  However in the meantime we had to get back to our rig as quickly as we could to get it back out here to this great site.  Plan was for Kelly to drop me off at the rig & then high tail it back to the WOW spot with the Jeep.  I would pack up the rig & follow a bit later.  We were almost back to the highway when…..Oh Oh!!

THIS WAS WHEN WE SPOTTED THE BALLOON RETRIEVAL CREW PACKING UP 2 LANDED BALLOONS

There coming towards was big Class A with a tow car in behind & we knew instantly they were looking for a site.  I stopped the Jeep dead in her tracks.  We had to make a fast decision.  Could we trust these incoming RV folks not to grab our site despite the stuff we left on it.  Our site was like a Gold nugget lying on the desert floor & here was coming some likely Prospector hungry for a Gold find.  I quickly burned a U-turn right there on the narrow gravel road (you can do that with a 2 door Wrangler) & we headed lickity-split back towards our flat piece of dirt with the Class A for all intents & purposes hot on our tail.  We couldn’t see him for the cloud of dust we kicked up though.

WASN’T COMFORTABLE WITH THAT SHINY JEEP WE HAD LAST WEEK SO TRADED IT IN FOR THIS OLD LOOKING DUSTY ONE:))

Now here’s where a Senior moment kicked in & dominated our thought patterns all the way back to our new & precariously held patch of dirt.  How were we going to get the rig to the new site.  Figured Kelly & Pheebs would have to hold down Fort WOW while I took the Jeep back, parked it, quickly packed up Winnie & brought her right back to the new site quick as I could.  But how to get back then to pick up the Jeep.  Maybe Annie could come out & pick one of us up to return for the Jeep.  Can you see our Senior moment thinking pattern going on here?  We were both working hard to solve this seemingly unsolvable problem when all of a sudden a light bulb came on.  Thought to myself….’hey wait a minute Dummy why not just hook the Jeep back up to the rig & bring both vehicles back at the same time.  After all, you have towed the Jeep before…..right!!   Duuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  Some days I just downright scare myself.

I LEAVE TROOPERS KELLY & PHEEBS AT FORT WOW & HEAD OUT TO RETRIEVE THE RIG

I left Kelly & Pheebs at Fort WOW & headed back to our overnight campsite.  I wasn’t long in getting the rig stowed away & the Jeep hooked on.  Slipped over to Annie’s to tell her we were moving & for her to come on out & have a look at the site because I figured it was a site she might be interested in after we leave sometime next week.  I wasn’t long in getting back to the 2 intrepid Fort defenders.  Even before I got there I gave the 2 troops a couple horn blasts to let them know help was riding in over the hill.  A minute later I had the rig securely parked at Fort WOW.  Yaaaaaaay team:))

  

WHILE KELLY WAITED FOR ME TO RETURN WITH THE RIG & JEEP SHE BUILT THESE TWO GREAT LOOKING INUKSHUKS

We have ourselves a great site now with a clear field of view all around us.  And we have a tree right beside us too.  A tree is always a big contributing factor to the WOW.  We know we have a good site simply from the good feeling we get inside about it.  If it is not an ideal site we have a tendency not to put the mat & chairs out.  In fact we just don’t set up anything.  If we arrive at a new boondocking site we like we are immediately hauling out all our stuff.  Chairs, tables, mats, my camera tri-pods, me, etc. etc.  And if we put the awning out that means for sure we are really pleased with where we are & are likely to stay happily put for a bit.

While setting up we did have one short ‘OH OH’ moment though when a white car suddenly appeared turning in off the road.  I always figure the worse in these situations.  Farmer Brown coming to throw us off his land, Park Ranger saying we can’t stay here, or the FBI wanting to know why we have a black dog or something.  Turns out it was Annie & Jake.  Yaaaay team:))

ANNIE, JAKE, KELLY, & PHEEBS

 

Pheebs & Jake were happy to see each other again & we were glad Annie dropped by.  Had a little tour of Winnie The Bago & a chance to get to know Annie & Jake better.  Annie is one of those calming natural soft spoken people one takes a liking to immediately.  We all had ourselves a nice visit & Annie said she would be interested in this site when we leave.  So we’ll do that next week sometime…..

 

THAT JAKE IS A HANDSOME BOY

We have a very pleasant horse smell at our camp left by the sites previous occupier.  It is a smell we like & it takes my memory back many, many, years to when I was a small boy. 

And how nice to hear the sounds of Robins chirping in the nearby Juniper bushes & trees.  Growing up in southwestern Ontario it was always the sounds of Robins we strained to hear in early Spring.  And who would be the one lucky enough to spot the first Robin of the year.  Yes those were good old days all right……………..

Interesting post this morning from long time full-timers JO & FRED WISHNIE.  They are at a stage in their RV lives where issues have to addressed & changes have to be made.  Not an easy time as decisions do not always meet with mutual agreement.  They are in a phase all RV’ers will one day find themselves in.  Unlike much blogged about early RV dreams & travels the thoughts of winding down the lifestyle one day remains a topic often left in the closet.   Some Bloggers talk about their days coming in off the road while others just sort of disappear from the Blogging world without a murmur.  Good for you Jo & Fred in casting some thoughts & opinions on a topic important to all of us whether we like it or not.

And I see we have a couple new Blog Followers in our ‘Friends’ box. A big welcome goes out first to Pete & Maura from BUCKET LIST OR BUST TRAVELS.  Here’s a couple folks who with their dog Mutton Chops are riding out the big Atlanta storm at the moment. Welcome to our travels & it was a good time to climb aboard while we are out & about in Winnie The Bago.  Also a big Bunch welcome to Jodee from LET'S GO.  Thanks for the emails last week Jodee & am hoping you got that subscription problem ironed out.  Welcome aboard & thanks for dropping by.

Finished our day with a setting sun over Mingus Mountain casting it’s long fingers of evening light across a red rock mountain face off to our north.  In the morning we will head into Sedona & pick up some Jeep & hiking trail maps for the area & head out to see what we can see:))   

Annie sent an email tonight saying we got out of last night’s spot just in time.  A group of young tenters moved in today.  It’s the week-end so it will probably be party central there now.  We were soooooooooo lucky to catch that big break this morning…………………..

BEST I COULD CATCH WITH TONIGHT’S FULL MOON RISING BEHIND A VEIL OF CLOUDS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  You are driving in a car at a constant speed. On your left hand side there is a valley and on your right hand side there is a fire engine travelling at the same speed as you.  In front of you there is a galloping pig which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it. Behind you there is a helicopter flying at ground level. Both the giant pig and the helicopter are travelling at the same speed as you. What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation? ……… ‘Get off the merry-go-round Dummy’!!

THIS POST IS COMING TO YOU FROM SOMEWHERE NEAR SEDONA ARIZONA

SEDONA ARIZONA’S RED ROCKS AT SUNSET

It was already well into the 70’s before 9 this morning so we  we weren’t long in heading ourselves out the driveway heading for higher & cooler elevations.  With Winnie’s A/C on we made a quick stop at the Congress Post Office.  Nuts!! No Jammies yet:((  Threw some gas in Winnie’s tank & with the Jeep tied on behind we headed up the Yarnell Hill.  The rig handled the hill just fine.

 

WINNIE CHASED THIS CLASS A ALL THE WAY UP YARNELL HILL

Quick stop at the Cornerstone Bakery in Yarnell & we were on our way.  Destination Sedona Arizona.  Well not so much Sedona proper as the area somewhere around Sedona.  We had a couple hot tips on a few quiet boondocking areas.

<<< COMING OUT OF YARNELL’S CORNERSTONE BAKERY WITH SOME GOODIES

It was a familiar drive for us up through Peeples & Skull Valley.  Wound our way along Iron Springs Road into Prescott & picked up the Pioneer Parkway which took us in a North-Easterly direction around Prescott.  Broad sweeping vistas as far as the eye could see.  Long golden Valleys stretched to distant mountain topped horizons.  And lots of Evergreen trees & forests around Prescott.  I figure if I was forced to live in a city in these here parts I would choose Prescott just based on scenery alone.

GLAD WE DIDN’T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THIS LONG TRAIN IN KIRKLAND JUNCTION

 

THE GENERAL STORE IS NOW CLOSED & KELLY CHECKS OUR GARMIN

SWINGING WAY AROUND PRESCOTT

Topped a rise north of Prescott & I could see the snow covered SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS just north of Flagstaff maybe about 75 miles away as the Crow flies to the North-East.  Made our way to a place called Dewey & headed North from there.  Traffic had been lite until we hit #17 coming up from Phoenix.  From there the traffic just got heavier & heavier.  Cottonwood was a manic mosh of metal monsters.  Kelly & I had stayed at DEAD HORSE RANCH STATE PARK back in late 07 but neither of us remembered this much heavy traffic around Cottonwood then.  So glad to get out of that traffic mess & onto highway 89 heading for Sedona.  We were back out in our comfortable countryside again & darned well planned to stay there!!

FROM PRESCOTT WE CAN SEE THE FAR AWAY SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS NORTH OF FLAGSTAFF

BEGINNING TO SEE SEDONA’S RED ROCKS ACROSS ARIZONA’S SWEEPING VERDE VALLEY

We did find the area several fellow RV Boondockers had recommended but we immediately ran into an unexpected problem.  Headed up a dusty road & pulled over into a flat spot to unhook the Jeep.  As soon as Pheebs got out she had 4 flat tires.  The whole area was covered in those dreaded Goathead prickly stickers.  They are the most miserable things of ever.  Got the stickers out of Pheebs paws but we had them stuck to the bottom of our shoes too.  We knew that particular area was not going to work for us.  With the Jeep we scouted another couple roads but they were too rough for the rig.  We knew of one other place across the highway so off we went.

We knew Annie was tucked away on that side of the road somewhere so we cruised along the gravel road slow until we spotted her RV through the trees.  Found us a spot to pull in & walked over to Annie’s place. 

ANNIE’S TUCKED AWAY IN THE TREES

We had never met her before but we have been following THE GOOD LUCK DUCK long enough to know about Roxie & Annie.  Annie was home & soon her dog Jake & Pheebs were making fast friends.  Nice to finally meet Annie, a nice easy going Gal.  She knew of a couple camping spots within walking distance of her so we all walked over & checked them out.  Could tell right away it was not going to be an easy campsite.  There wasn’t a spot of ground flat enough anywhere to land a fly let alone a 26’ Class C rig with no levelers. 

 

THAT’S MINGUS MOUNTAIN ON THE HORIZON

We did manage to wiggle into a spot on the sloping hillside & with the aide of some plastic Camping World levelers we did manage to square things up a bit but nowhere close to level from side to side.  Not much we could do about it though because we didn’t know where else to go.  On the plus side we do have a great view out over the Verde Valley & we can see the twinkling lights of mile high Jerome way across the valley on the side of Mingus Mountain.  A cluster of lights on the valley floor below I’m guessing belong to Clarkdale & Cottonwood.

JEROME IS ACROSS THE VALLEY ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE DIRECTLY ABOVE WINNIE’S HOOD

Don’t know if we’ll stay in this spot or search us out a new location in the morning.  Kelly suggested we hit a Home Depot & get them to saw us up some sturdy 2’ sections of board to use as levelers.  We just might do that as they are always handy to have along for un-level situations like the one we are in.  In our Damon Class A I always carried a ready to use lumber yard with us.

  

No idea where we will go or what we will do over the next few days here but I’m sure we’ll think of something.  We just wanted to take advantage of this warmer weather in an area that is not normally known for warm weather this time of year.  Temperature in the rig this afternoon was 83F.  I’m wilting, I’m wilting……………..

Been awhile since I have stood out under a big Moon in short sleeves but it is warm enough tonight to do just that.  Jerome is just a tight cluster of shimmering diamonds nestled into the darkened side of Mingus Mountain across the valley. Our nocturnal landscape lay before us bathed in an ethereal hue of tumbling Moonbeams………………

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Jim had a terrible day fishing on the lake, sitting in the blazing sun all day without catching a single fish.  On his way home, he stopped at the Fish Store and ordered four rainbow trout.  He told the fishmonger, 'Pick four large ones out and throw them at me, will you?'  'Why do you want me to throw them at you?' Asked the clerk?'  So that I am able to tell my wife Sandie, in all honesty, that I caught them.'

The fisherman's golden rule: The one that got away is always bigger than the one you gotta weigh.

COULD THERE BE TRAVEL PLANS AFOOT…………Hmmmmmmm

It was already warming up before 9 a.m. so we didn’t figure we had better go anywhere too far.  Coolest place is always in the house.  Had thought of checking out the Wickenburg Massacre site but with temperatures ramping up fast we have to be aware of snakes now.  There will be Rattlers out & about so we do not want to be clambering around rocks anywhere.  We met a couple on the trail a few mornings ago & they were telling us about the Mojave Rattlesnakes in this part of Arizona.  It’s an aggressive Rattler & it is the deadliest of Rattlesnakes.  While this warmer weather is upon us we will have to get out for our morning desert walks earlier when it is cooler & the snakes are still in their dens…………..

 <<< GILA WOODPECKER IN OUR FRONT YARD THIS MORNING 

It is day 3 with our new Millenicom set-up & what a change there has been since the first day.  Millenicom seemed to stumble it’s way through the first 24 hours.  It was slow & spotty & at times & refusing to connect.  Seemed like we had made a mistake as we both thought maybe it was not as good as Verizon.  And then Monday night it seemed to find itself, grab the lead & run with it.  Now we did move the small antennae around quite a bit Monday trying to find the best location.  I even had the JetPack on the roof of the rig at one point.  Walked all around the house inside & out trying to get the JetPack’s indicator up from one bar.  I re-positioned the small antennae on our metal paint can lid & that helped.  Also found a spot in our end bedroom with a window facing southwest that boosted the signal.  We are sitting at 3 out of 4 bars now & Millenicom is cooking right along.  What a pleasant change.  So far 2 thumbs of for Millenicom.  Of course I’ve probably gone & jinxed it now by writing about it……………..

AFTER STOPPING AT THE ORANGE THIS GILAPECKER HEADS FOR THE SUET FEEDER

 

DEFINITELY NEST BUILDING TIME HERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Received this email from reader Jim today.  He said, “Hi Al, Just looking at your place on Google earth (slow day here at work). New imagery shows the Winni Wagon in the driveway. Pretty cool”.  Well I had to have a look for myself & sure enough it shows Winnie parked out in front of the house on December 2nd 2013.  Must have been unloading it from our Borrego Springs trip before parking it in it’s spot at the end of the house.

AND THE RIG IS SITTING ABOUT IN THE SAME PLACE AGAIN TONIGHT ONLY FACING THE OTHER WAY

For folks traveling together for long periods of time stress levels can play an important role in their daily lives.  If everything is going fine those traveling stress levels remain in check just contentedly bubbling along under the surface somewhere.  But add a problem here or a glitch there & stress levels can soon come bubbling to & through the surface.  How about a stuck leveler on the Motorhome or maybe an old aging battery refusing to start the coach.  Or what if both things happen at the same time & both parties have different solutions to both problems.  Oh, & throw in an A/C that quits.  Well you can see where I’m going with us but I’ll let Sherry over at IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR DREAMS tell you how they are handling things:))

ABOUT THE ONLY THINGS WE SAW ON OUR MORNING WALK WERE A HELICOPTER & A DEADLY ARIZONA GREEN GARDEN HOSE SNAKE

Below is a couple images from Grand Bend back home in South-Western Ontario.  ‘The Bend’ is only a 20 minute drive south of Bayfield.  Camera is located in a lighthouse replica building overlooking the Grand Bend Yacht Club.  Pictures were taken this morning.  One image shows some buildings & a frozen river.  Second image shows Lake Huron frozen out for as far as the eye can see.  Although very pretty I sure am glad we are not there this winter again.

 

Had ourselves a very slow day.  Pheebs & Kelly went to the Library & Post Office.   That was about the extent of any activity for us.  Couldn’t even get myself into ‘paint mode’ to finish the shed doors.  However all is not lost.  Could there be some travel plans a brewin….hmmmmm.

 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A priest goes into a barber's shop sits down, gets a good haircut, thanks the barber, and asks how much he owes him.  The barber says, 'Father, you're a holy man, a man of the cloth there is no charge you.'  The priest blesses the barber and says, 'Thank you very much' and goes about his business. The next day, 10 gold coins magically appear on the barber's doorstep.

A few days later, a Buddhist monk goes in for a shave and a shine, and when the time comes to pay the barber says, 'No money, please, you're a spiritual leader, a man of the people, it's on the house.' The next day, magically appearing on the doorstep are 10 magnificent rubies.

The following week a rabbi comes in, gets a haircut, goes to pay and the barber says, 'No, Rabbi, you are a learned man, a wise man, I can't take any money from you, go in peace.' Next day the barber opens his shop to find……… 10 more Rabbis waiting for a haircut!!