ARE TIMES ‘A-CHANGIN’ FOR RV BOONDOCKERS IN THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTHWEST??

THIS IS OUR IDEA OF BOONDOCKING AND THAT’S OUR RIG WAY OUT THERE BACK IN 2008
Kelly drew my attention to a fellow Blogger’s post today.  Suzanne’s blog ‘Take To The Highway is on our sidebar and I especially liked what she wrote about in her recent post, Time To Think.  I am in lock step with Suzanne’s thinking and what she is encountering in her travels as a full time RV’er in the southwest.  In her own words she is not finding the same ease and boondocking freedom she did just six short years ago.  Kelly and I began noticing the same thing a few years ago as well.  With more and more RV’ers hitting the road and heading for the southwestern States things are changing.  In California, Borrego Spring’s Rockhouse Road  area was a favorite boondocking destination of ours from 2008 to about 2015 when it became way too crowded after the State Park corralled all the boon-dockers into a smaller area.  With more and more rigs on the road each winter Rockhouse Road is no longer a destination for us.  Too crowded.  Same thing at Darby Well Road near Ajo Arizona.  Loved that place until the mining company fenced a lot of it off eliminating about 80% of the sites.  I consider Kelly and I very fortunate to have got into the RV Snowbird lifestyle when we did back in late 2006.  Being the private people we are and with more and more people pouring into the quietly secluded areas of the southwest I think it’s just as well we are approaching the end of our RVing days rather than just beginning them.  This winter probably being our last I only hope we can once again find some of the peacefully serene people free places like we did in our early days.  Mountains all around, unobstructed sunrises and sunsets, stars from mountain top to mountain top with only the desert winds whispering through tall Saguaros outside our door to keep us company. 

HERE WE ARE IN ONE OF THE BEST BOONDOCKING SITES WE’VE EVER HEAD AND NOT ANOTHER RV IN SIGHT ANYWHERE

LOVE THOSE CLEAR BLUE DESERT SKIES

NO, PHOTO WASN’T TAKEN FROM A DRONE, IT WAS TAKEN BY ME AFTER WE HAD CLIMBED UP A HIGH ROCK CROPPING

THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN FROM FEBRUARY 14TH TO 21RST IN 2008 WEST OF AJO ARIZONA

THOSE ARE THE AJO MOUNTAINS ON THE HORIZON

WE HAVE TRIED TO GO BACK TO THIS SPOT OVER THE YEARS BUT THE ROAD HAS BEEN TOO ROUGH AND WASHED OUT

CHECKERS, KELLY, AND LITTLE CORA (MOTORMOUSE)

THAT’S OUR RIG IN THE BACKGROUND

WE SURE DID LOVE OUR ROCK SCRAMBLES BACK THEN AND HERE LITTLE CORA GETS BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HER FRIENDS

A LAZY DAY AT OUR HOUSE AND DID YOU NOTICE MAX BEHIND THE CHAIR

WAITING FOR  A FULL MOON TO TOP YONDER MOUNTAINS

YOU CAN SEE WHY WE LOVE BOONDOCKING SO MUCH
Pheebs and I wandered around under cold cloudy skies this morning with our travels taking us through Goderich, Saltford, and Ben Miller.  Landscape was looking rather sullen and gray.  Did manage to find a few bits of color here and there.

A TOUCH OF COLOR ON A COLD GRAY DAY

FOUND US A NEW BARN BLOCK QUILT

THIS FELLA HAS A GOOD SUPPLY OF FIREWOOD LAID IN FOR THE WINTER PLUS A LOADER TO BRING IT RIGHT TO THE HOUSE

THIS BUILDING IS PART OF THE BEN MILLER INN COMPLEX AS IS THE BUILDING BELOW

With a light frazzle of snow in the air we were home about 10:30.  Kelly had a few things for me to carry out to the Motorhome as she busied herself in the kitchen baking for about the 3rd day in a row.  If the weather is good Monday she will be loading up all the baked goods and heading for her daughter Rebecca’s house in Kitchener.  From there with Rebecca, husband Ricardo, and daughter Ella they will head over to Kelly’s other daughter’s house (Sabra) in Cambridge where additional family members will all gather together for a Christmas Eve dinner.  If weathers not good Pheebs and I will drive Kelly to Rebecca’s then slip back home returning Wednesday morning to pick her up again.   Pheebs and I are looking forward to spending a nice quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at home.  No people stuff.  Love it:))))))
 
SPOTTED THIS BALD EAGLE ON PORTER HILL LINE TODAY
 

On some of my Thursday morning Jeep rides with Pheebs I think of my good buddy Richard and how much I enjoyed our country road coffee tours a couple times a month for the past few years.  I miss those leisurely morning drives now when we worked so hard at straightening out all the world’s problems to our own satisfication.

FIXING A BENT SCREEN DOOR ON OUR MOTORHOME THIS PAST SUMMER

RICHARD APTLY CONVERSES WITH A HERD OF COWS

EXPLORING ALONG THE BANKS OF THE MAITLAND RIVER ONE SUMMERS DAY
As our departure date draws closer I still haven’t decided which route we’ll take.  I do prefer the Chicago I-80 route west through Davenport. Des Moines, and Omaha to Lincoln Nebraska then south down to Tucumcari New Mexico but at this time of year I figure that route will be too risky with winter’s stormy cold weather and probable bad road conditions.  That leaves our old stand-by route down through Indianapolis which will get us further south faster and at this time of year it’s all about reaching warmer weather as soon as possible so we won’t be dilly dallying around anywhere.  In our earlier years we most always made fast tracks south then west until we reached the mountains in New Mexico.  It wasn’t until we came down out of the Sierra Blanca mountains on the west side into Tularosa and Alamogordo that we breathed a big sigh of relief knowing we had once again reached our second home away from home for another winter.  It was from this point on we slowed down and enjoyed our scenic travels.  How nice to see desert cactus again.  We were once more on our ‘other Planet’ and sooooo glad to be there too:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Here are some amazing examples of lawyers cross-questioning in court.
Q: And what did he do then? A: He came home and next morning he was dead. Q: So when he woke up the next morning was he dead?
Q: Could you see him from where you were standing? A: I could see his head. Q: And where was his head? A: Just above his shoulders.
Q: The truth of the matter is that you were not an unbiased, objective witness, isn't it. You, too, were shot in the fracas? A: No, sir. I was shot midway between the fracas and the naval.
Q: Now, Mrs. Brown, how was your first marriage terminated? A: By death. Q: And, by whose death was it terminated?
Q: Do you know how far pregnant you are right now?  A: I will be three months November 8th. Q: Apparently then, the date of conception was August 8th? A: Yes. Q: What were you and your husband doing at that time?
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people? A: All my autopsies have been on dead people.
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Q: How do you get a lawyer out of a tree?…A: Cut the rope.
Q: Do you know how to save a drowning lawyer?A: Take your foot off his head.
Q: Do you know how to save a drowning lawyer?A: No? Good!
Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a bucket of pond scum?  A: The bucket.
Q: What is the definition of a shame (as in "that's a shame")?  A: When a busload of lawyers goes off a cliff.
Q: What is the definition of a "crying shame"?A: There was an empty seat.
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An Avon Lady was delivering products in a high-rise and was riding in the elevator. Suddenly, she had the powerful urge to pass wind. Since no one was in the elevator, she let it go - and it was a doozy. Of course, the elevator then stopped at the next floor, so she quickly used some Avon Pine-Scented Spray to cover up the smell. A man entered the elevator and immediately made a face. "Holy cow! What's that smell?" "I don't know, sir. I don't smell anything. What does it smell like to you?" "Like someone crapped a Christmas tree."
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- To avoid taking down my Christmas lights, I'm turning my house into an Italian restaurant.
Q: What is an atheist's favorite Christmas movie? A: "Coincidence on 34th Street"
The holiday season: A deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.
“Why won’t Donald Trump be attending midnight mass this year?  Fake pews.”

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A COLD GRAY DAY BUT WE MANAGED A FEW PHOTOS ANYWAY

Wind was so cold coming in from the northwest this morning it blew right through my pants and tickled my shorts.  Temperatures were stuck at 27F with a wind chill factor bringing that number down into the high teens.  Gray skies with a slight skiff of snow on the ground.  Definitely not a morning to be voluntarily outside.  Our morning travels took us down around the Seaforth area.

THE ‘GREENS’ WERE GREEN ALRIGHT ON THIS GOLF COURSE NEAR SEAFORTH BUT NO SIGN OF ANY GOLFERS IN THEIR WINTER SNOWSUITS

GIVE THIIS POND A COUPLE MORE DAYS IN THESE FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND IT SHOULD BE GOOD TO SKATE ON

Still plucking away and gathering together things for our upcoming trip to the southwest.  We’re not loading the Motorhome with all the stuff we had in it before because we are still intending to sell it in the Spring.  The less we have to do now and in the Spring the better.

NOTICED CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN THE WINDOWS OF THIS OLD STONE HOUSE WHILE DRIVING BY THIS MORNING

I WONDER IF THOSE COWS WERE WISHING THEY WERE INSIDE A NICE WARM BARN

Here’s an example of how reliable my memory can be.  In Friday night’s post I said it was probably 2004 when we spent Christmas in Big Bend National Park, Texas.  Nope it wasn’t but it was Kevin’s comment that got me to thinking and yes to his question I did indeed have photos from that trip but the picture photos were not date stamped.  However, thinking about further I kinda remembered I might have written about that trip somewhere and sure enough after ruffling through some RV stuff I did indeed find a hand written account of our travels.  And there was the date which told me my Friday night blog guess had been wrong.  We were in Big Bend National Park for Christmas in 2003, not 2004.  Kevin and Ruth who are now traveling in Mexico can be found at Travel with Kevin and Ruth.

‘LITTLE RED’ WAS OUT AND ABOUT SCROUNGING FOR SNACKS THIS AFTERNOON

 

  

Turned out to be another inside afternoon.  Either extreme of cold or hot drains my energy so the only time I ventured out was to put some more birdseed on the stand.  Didn’t see Squirrely and the gang around today so maybe they are finally settling down to their winter hibernation time.  They will sure have enough corn squirreled away for eats when they wake up. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  After the party, as the couple was driving home, the woman asks her husband, "Honey, has anyone ever told you how handsome, sexy and irresistible to women you are?"The flattered husband said, "No, dear they haven't."The wife yells, "Then what the hell gave you THAT idea at the party tonight?"

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Q: Have you heard about the latest miracle? 

A: Someone saw the face of Ralph Waldo Emerson on a tortilla.

Q: Why can't Unitarian Universalists sing very well in choirs?

A: Because they're always reading ahead to see if they agree with the next verse.

Q: What do you get when you cross a Unitarian Universalist with a Jehovah's Witness?

A: Somebody who comes knocking at your door for no apparent reason.

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My daughter and I took the long route through the neighborhood to admire the Christmas decorations. One yard contained a trove of lights, ornaments, elves, carolers, trimmings … in short, it was a mess. My daughter summed it up perfectly when she announced, “It looks like Christmas threw up.”

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