JEEPING THROUGH WICKENBURG’S BOX CANYON & THE NARROWS

The word ‘SNOW’ has been taken out of our weather forecast for Monday but we are in for a few mid 40’s temperatures & probable rain in a couple days.  That’s Okay, I think we can handle that.

DELIBERATING WHETHER TO PROCEED DOWN A VERY ROCKY ROAD TO THE LEFT

A popular hiking & Jeeping spot just Northeast of Wickenburg is called Box Canyon & the Narrows.  We couldn’t exactly remember if we had been through this area about 4 years ago or not so this morning all 3 three of us loaded ourselves into the Jeep & off we went to see if we had been there before.  Beautiful sunny Saturday morning with about perfect temperatures.  With rain & colder weather headed our way we figured today was the best day to go.

DECIDED TO WALK DOWN THIS ROAD FIRST TO CHECK IT OUT

Directions were pretty clear for us to follow & find the spot on Scenic Loop Road where a turn off to the right leads us a wee distance to a short stretch of rough, rutted, & a very rocky road/trail leading a couple hundred yards down to the Hassayampa River bed.  Figured we had better stop & have us closer look at that rough stretch before attempting to drive ourselves down there.  I wasn’t worried about our Jeep Liberty doing this stretch but I was a bit worried about the street tires we have on Libby.  These tires are not really meant for this type of terrain & with their thinner sidewalls one is always taking a chance sharp rocks may punctures something.  I was leaning towards not attempting it when a pick-up truck came bouncing up behind us with a bunch of kids in the back.  Without hesitation it headed it’s way around us & down towards the river bumping it’s way over the rocks & ruts.  Well that was it & away we went not long behind him taking our time & being careful not to bottom out on any of the many protruding rocks.  Minutes later we were on the river bed & in the water.

SLOWLY MADE OUR WAY OVER THE SHORT ROCKY SECTION

We knew if we turned left upriver that direction would take us to the Narrows & if we turned right we could head for Box Canyon & eventually Wickenburg.  Decided to head upriver first & check out the Narrows.  What a lovely spot this was & we knew right away this was not the dry section of river bed we had traveled a few years ago.   The Hassayampa River for the most part runs underground except for a few places like this where it runs above ground & in this area it runs maybe a mile or two before disappearing again.

SPOTTED 3 ATV’S & A JEEP WRANGLER UPSTREAM OF US

FELT A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT THIS WET SAND BUT WE WERE FINE

Anytime water is encountered in a dry arid desert landscape like this it is truly a delight to see & especially here as it flowed at a steady clip gurgling along through gravely stones.  I also noticed how crystal clear it was & I wondered if one could have easily bent down & drank it without any ill effects.

THERE GO THE FOLKS WE HAD SEEN IN THE PICK-UP EARLIER

OMG PHEEBS IS IN THE WATER

PEOPLE SURE LOVE TO WAVE AT EACH OTHER IN THESE HERE PARTS

Nowhere did we encounter any deep water & I’d say the average depth of water we drove through was maybe 3 inches or so.  The sandy riverbed itself was fairly wide with the sometimes 3 foot wide shallow water channel running basically in the middle & then at times stretching from canyon wall to canyon wall.  One definitely wants to be in 4-wheel drive through here & a couple times I could feel the soft pull of the wet sand on the tires a bit.  Headed up stream with tall rocky cliffs on either side to where the cliffs closed in on the water channel then opened up again.  We had just driven ourselves through the Narrows & ahead the land appeared to flatten out a bit so we carefully turned around in the sand & water & headed back downstream.  Thought to myself, ‘WOW’ what a Neat-O place & for sure Pheebs & I would be coming back to do some photography here.

YES INDEED 4-WHEEL DRIVE IS DEFINITELY A GOOD IDEA HERE

APPROACHING THE NARROWS

IN THE NARROWS

WE WERE DEFINITELY PUSHING A LITTLE WATER AROUND THIS MORNING

TURNED AROUND & HEADED BACK DOWNSTREAM

We passed the rocky trail road we had used to enter the river bed & headed another half mile or so downstream in the direction of Box Canyon.  The pick-up truck we had seen was stopped here & the Mennonite folks were out alongside the river bed enjoying the day.  They directed us to the Box Canyon area which we might have missed had we not stopped to double check on the correct way to Wickenburg.  We have been to & through various Box Canyons before & I had it in my mind that it would be a big scenic Canyon.  Well it was scenic but it sure wasn’t big.

FIGURED IT WAS BEST TO KEEP THE WHEELS MOVING EH:))

THE FURTHER NORTH WE WENT THE DRYER THE RIVER BED BECAME

Parked the Jeep & walked a short distance up into a grove of Tamarisk trees & sure enough there at the far end of a rock face was a narrow opening.  Right away I thought it looked more like a Slot Canyon than a Box Canyon.  We walked through soft sand a few hundred feet into the slot & the small canyon widened a bit then abruptly ended with tall jagged cliffs towering above us on three sides.  This is one of the places water comes thundering through a narrow slot in the rocks during summer’s rainy Monsoon season.  By the way the Hassayampa River where we were driving today becomes an absolute raging torrent of water during Monsoon season sweeping everything in front of it away including sections of Wickenburg over the years.  Not a place to be in June, July, or August methinks.

AT THE ENTRANCE TO BOX CANYON IS THIS BIG PILE OF CAMPFIRE ASHES

I THOUGHT FOR SURE WE WERE HEADED INTO A SLOT CANYON HERE

THE CANYON ENDED HERE THEREFORE MAKING IT A TRUE BOX CANYON

 

ON THE RIGHT IS THE NARROW SHUTE WHERE WATER RUMBLES THROUGH FROM ABOVE TURNING THIS AREA INTO A CHURNING WATERFALL

LOOKING STRAIGHT UP THE LITTLE CANYONS STEEP & RUGGED WALL

LOOKING BACK OUT TO THE CANYON’S ENTRANCE JUST A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY

WALKING BACK OUT TOWARDS THE HASSAYAMPA RIVER BED

THE MENNONITE FOLKS ARE HEADING BACK TO THEIR PICK-UP TRUCK

LOOKING BACK TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE TO BOX CANYON

Not long after leaving the Box Canyon area we noticed the above ground water disappeared underground again & for the rest of our drive towards Wickenburg on the river bottom the sand became dryer the further we went.  Amazingly enough we finally reached a paved road running across the river bed & I immediately recognized it as Rincon Road which I knew led to highway 93 just a few miles to the west.  We turned left & headed down Rincon to Blue Tank Road where I again turned left into another river wash.  This was the back way leading to Constellation Road & the back way into Wickenburg.  In fact it leads right to McDonald’s parking lot & that was exactly where we were headed.  Kelly had coupons:))

HERE COMES SOME HAPPY FACE ICE CREAM:))

OH NO DAD’S GONNA EAT IT ALL:((

NAWWW DAD WOULDN’T DO THAT, HE ALWAYS SHARES WITH HIS  MOST BEST PAL

I was happy to see readers enjoyed my copy & pasted Wall Street Journal post about Charlie Kempthorne.  As I read the WSJ article a couple days ago certain lines jumped out at me.  Here are those lines……He grumbles about former teachers, analyzes his shortcomings, and admires his wife & children --- “You tend to pick your words more carefully when writing for the world to see, worrying about being judged or hurting someone’s feelings” --- “It helps me understand my life better” --- Taking 15 or 20 minutes to write freely about emotions, secrets or upheaval can be a powerful tonic --- writing privately about traumatic experiences, even for as few as four consecutive days, can reduce stress, help people sleep and improve their immune systems --- When you translate an emotional experience into words, it organizes them in ways not organized before. It makes them simpler and easier to get past --- There is some evidence that writing about emotional issues on social media can be beneficial for health in ways similar to writing privately --- He had long dreamed of writing a great novel but felt inadequate --- Often, he has no idea what he will write until he opens the folder labeled “My Journal” on his computer --- Once he starts writing, he begins to remember things, people, conversations --- He prefers the computer to longhand because typing is fast. The faster he writes, the better he writes --- I have a lot of regrets as to what I did with my life --- The good thing about writing over such a long period of time, he says, is that it has given him a chance to revisit events and people in his life --- the act of writing daily allowed him to focus more intently on some memories and see what they meant……..

SPOTTED A CAVE HIGH UP THE ROCKY CLIFF FACE

THIS LADY IS HIKING UP IN THE DIRECTION OF THAT CAVE

LADY IS AT BOTTOM RIGHT & CAVE IS AT TOP RIGHT & IT’S A STEEP CLIMB ALL THE WAY UP…..GOOD LUCK!!

So there you have it with each one of those above lines meaning something special to me.  Also imagine my surprise Friday night when I saw Charlie Kempthorne himself had actually left a comment on my post.  And that too meant something special to me……………..:))

NEAR THE BOX CANYON SITE WE CAME ACROSS THE RUINS OF AN OLD STONE CABIN

MUST HAVE BEEN THE KITCHEN HERE WITH THIS OLD FIREPLACE & CHIMNEY

THIS OLD STONE CABIN STOOD ONLY A HUNDRED FEET OR SO BACK FROM THE RIVER BANK

GROANER’S CORNER:(( An old man was wondering if his wife had a hearing problem. So one night, he stood behind her while she was sitting in her lounge chair. He spoke softly to her, "Honey, can you hear me?"  There was no response.  He moved a little closer and said again, "Honey, can you hear me?"  Still, there was no response.  Finally he moved right behind her and said, "Honey, can you hear me?"  She loudly replied, "For the third time, YES!!"

SOMETHING DIFFERENT TONIGHT

RED TAIL HAWK

Facing yet another slow writing & photo day I’ve decided to do something a bit different with tonight’s post.  A reader (Elizabeth B.) emailed me an article she read in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago thinking I might possibly be interested in it.  I was.  Below is the story of a man who has been writing a daily journal or blog if you will since 1964.  Reading this article I could completely identify with this man as to his ways & reasons for writing each & every day.  Pretty much everything he talks about rings a bell for me such as this line, (“I have a lot of regrets as to what I did with my life.”) 

I actually began keeping a journal back in about 1961 or 62 but unlike this fellow I did not keep mine up through the years although from time to time I would again re-start it & keep it going for a few months here & there.  My last effort before becoming an on-line Blogger in 2006 was way back in 1992.  I still have all the old journals I wrote over half a century ago & maybe this summer I’ll haul them out, dust them off & see if I can find something interesting enough to include a few excerpts in my daily posts from time to time.  Should be worth a chuckle or two if nothing else.  So anyway here is this fellow’s story which I am passing along in hopes it may be of special interest for like minded Bloggers such as myself…………………………

Charley Kempthorne:  Photo by JORDAN STEAD for The Wall Street Journal

This article written by Clare Ansberry of the Wall Street Journal Jan. 26, 2016.

Charley Kempthorne wakes each morning before sunrise, pours a cup of black coffee, opens his computer and writes in a private journal that he began in 1964. These days, he logs between 1,000 and 3,000 words a day. By his rough calculations, his journal is about 10 million words long.

Some passages are narrative scenes from his past and others reflections about why he started believing in God. He grumbles about former teachers, analyzes his shortcomings, and admires his wife, children and parents.

Every month, he prints the last 30 days of entries (single space, two-sided) and puts it all in a three-ring binder. His collective writings consume about 15 feet of shelf space in a storage unit in Manhattan, Kan., where he lived before moving last year. No one, including June, his wife of 41 years, has read it.

Charley Kempthorne rises early every morning to write in his private journal at his Olympia, Wash., home. Photo: CREDIT: Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Kempthorne, 78 years old, knows that many people now chronicle their lives and history on blogs and social media. He himself recently started posting portions of his journal on Facebook, a medium that has become a public journal for many. But even if such media offer frequent opportunities to record and reflect, akin to writing a journal, their public nature makes them very different, he believes. You tend to pick your words more carefully when writing for the world to see, worrying about being judged or hurting someone’s feelings. 

“Most of my journal has been and continues to be an end in itself,” says Mr. Kempthorne, who quit a university teaching job in his 30s to run a farm and small house-painting business. “It helps me understand my life better. Or maybe it just makes me feel better and get started on the day in a better mood.”

Taking 15 or 20 minutes to write freely about emotions, secrets or upheaval can be a powerful tonic, says James Pennebaker, a psychology professor at the University of Texas and author of several books including “Writing to Heal.” 

Mr. Kempthorne, left, and his wife, June Photo: JORDAN STEAD for The Wall Street Journal

Dr. Pennebaker says writing privately about traumatic experiences, even for as few as four consecutive days, can reduce stress, help people sleep and improve their immune systems.

“When you translate an emotional experience into words, it organizes them in ways not organized before. It makes them simpler and easier to get past,” he says. There is some evidence that writing about emotional issues on social media can be beneficial for health in ways similar to writing privately, he says, but that research is new and not definitive. 

Mr. Kempthorne started his journal on Feb. 24, 1964. At the time, he was 26 and divorced, with two children. Having postponed college to serve in the Navy, he was about to graduate from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in English. He had long dreamed of writing a great novel but felt inadequate. Keeping a journal, he felt, would qualify him as a writer, without the anxiety of having to show it to anyone else or finish. 

Mr. Kempthorne doesn’t bother revising or deliberating over his sentences, saying he wants to be authentic. Photo: JORDAN STEAD for The Wall Street Journal

He opened a notebook and wrote, “I have decided to be a writer. I will it, thus: I am a writer. Now—by definition if for no other reason, writers are distinguished chiefly by the fact that they write. I must write—two hours a day until I finish school.” 

Looking back at it now, Mr. Kempthorne said the only good thing about that first entry, which he calls “pompous,” is that it launched a practice that has become both satisfying and sustaining. “If I don’t write each day, I feel something is missing,” he says. His wife, June, says he is “out of sorts” if he skips a session. 

Often, he has no idea what he will write until he opens the folder labeled “My Journal” on his computer. One day he might write about going to the Goodwill store in Olympia. The next, he recalls fighting with a boy named Jimmy over whose dad was best and telling Jimmy his father probably didn’t eat anything but vegetables. He will sometimes consult a list of phrases kept in a computer file or notebook that refer to events in his past that he might want to write about, like “My fiancé and I move out to a cabin on Lone Star Lake.”

Once he starts writing, he begins to remember things, people, conversations that help tell a far richer story. It reminds him of his farm in Kansas, which was filled with rocks that needed to be cleared before he could plow. “I’d pick up one and find two. In a way, writing about my life is like that.”

Mr. Kempthorne scrawls notes with his favorite gel pen. Photo: JORDAN STEAD for The Wall Street Journal

He prefers the computer to longhand because typing is fast. The faster he writes, the better he writes, says Mr. Kempthorne, who can type 100 words a minute. “I’m not an artist. I’m just trying to write it down,” he says. One year, he tried to write a million words—2,750 words a day—but gave up by the end of April. In 2013, an especially productive year, he wrote 586,415 words. 

If he happens to be in a place he can’t use his computer, he jots in a little notebook, using a gel pen he keeps in his right pocket. “I’m a routine-lover,” he explains. If he is traveling early in the morning, he stops at a rest stop and writes at a park bench. 

He doesn’t bother revising or deliberating over his sentences, saying he wants to be authentic. Before he dies, the 78-year-old wants to go through and delete what might be too boring, personal or hurtful, in case someone in his family ends up reading it. He is also compiling writings about his six children for them. But for now, since the journal is private, he can freely explore why he does what he does and acknowledge regrets.

“I have a lot of regrets as to what I did with my life,” he says. One of his biggest involves a decision made when he was 33, married to his second wife and expecting his fourth child. By then, he had a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offered him a tenured position in the English department, he says. Instead of accepting, he resigned to move to Kansas and live on a farm owned by his parents.

The university would have given him some unpaid leave, he says, to experiment with farming. “But, no, I just had to stick my finger in the Establishment’s eye and quit,” he says. “It was a self-centered and silly move. And I deeply, deeply regret it,” he wrote. Mr. Kempthorne has written about that decision many times. At first, he says, he was unable to admit to himself that it was a mistake. “But for at least the last half decade or so, I’ve seen it as being self-centered and even stupid,” he says. 

His second marriage ended. He met and married June, and together they lived on his parents’ farm, started Kempthorne Painters & Paperhangers, which lasted 40 years, and began printing a newsletter, LifeStory, now online, to help other people write journals. 

One of those people is Janice Dinkel, who lived next door to the Kempthornes in Kansas. She had a diary, with a little gold lock, as a young girl. Over the years, she wrote sporadically in a journal. Mr. Kempthorne encouraged her to write more regularly, which she does now. At the beginning of each year, she reads the prior year’s entries. Much lately has involved her parents, who are in their 80s and require a lot of attention, and her feelings that she hasn’t done enough for them. Going back and reading about helpful things she has done, but forgotten, has been comforting. “I felt exonerated in some way,” she says. 

Mr. Kempthorne and his wife moved last year to Olympia, Wash., to live with their son and his family. While much of his early journal was introspective and filled with self-analysis, he now mostly writes short narrative scenes, which he finds easier and more enjoyable. 

The good thing about writing over such a long period of time, he says, is that it has given him a chance to revisit events and people in his life, including his father. In his 20s, 30s, and early 40s, Mr. Kempthorne wrote that his father, a successful eye, ear, nose and throat doctor in a small town, was a cold man, spare with praise and obsessed with making money. His father died when Charley was 45. 

As Charley got older, the act of writing daily allowed him to focus more intently on some memories and see what they meant. One in particular stood out. 

In the 1970s, after Charley moved to the farm, his parents came over for dinner. His father followed Charley into the workshop and watched him build a bookcase. His father, who could perform delicate surgery on damaged eyes, admired it. “I can’t do anything with a hammer,” Charley recalls him saying.

“My dad may have made me many compliments over the years, but maybe I just didn’t hear them, or didn’t want to hear them,” he says. “It took me a while to appreciate that man. The act of writing helped.”

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So there you have it folks & like I said at the beginning there were many, many, things in this article I sure could identify & agree with.

GROANERS CORNER:(( A visitor to a certain college paused to admire the new Hemingway Hall that had been built on campus. "It's a pleasure to see a building named for Ernest Hemingway," he said.  "Actually," said his guide, "it's named for Joshua Hemingway. No relation."  The visitor was astonished. "Was Joshua Hemingway a writer, also?"  "Yes, indeed," said his guide. "He wrote a check."

A LIGHTER POST TONIGHT WITH A LITTLE SILLINESS THROWN IN

Would you believe we have SNOW in our forecast for late Sunday & Monday.  Yep that’s what the weather people are a predicting as a cold front heads our way.  Warming up again next week into the mid to high 60’s again though.
Busied myself at our neighbor’s property behind us for a couple hours this morning.  Had trimmed up some Palo Verde trees nearly a month ago & still had half a dozen piles of branches lying about so I pulled them all together into one large pile.  I have a  bit of raking to do & that little project will be done.
Did absolutely nothing for the rest of the day except to stretch out in my outside gravity chair & soak up some warm Arizona sun for awhile.  So totally nice to have no commitments ahead or places to be.  So totally nice indeed:))

Here’s a silly little something I stumbled on a few days ago.  Think I made this short You Tube video about 6 years ago when I used to mix myself up a great breakfast shake every morning.  Drank these home made concoctions for about 10 years then all of a sudden one day I just stopped.  Has been on my mind lately to start them up again. (Oooos wrong link) SOUNDS YUKKY - TASTES YUMMY.  And here’s another one I discovered on You Tube that I made in Bisbee Arizona years ago showing how narrow the streets are.  i had totally forgot about this one.  Too bad about the sunshine in the windshield but you’ll get the ‘narrow streets’ idea anyway.  BISBEE  Also came across my short MOTORCYCLE RIDE video as well.  Wished I had a GoPro cam & one of those dash-cams that go in windshields nowadays.  Could probably have me some fun with a GoPro alright:))
Sad to read of Glen Frey’s passing a few weeks ago.  The Eagles music has always been a favorite of mine & we saw them perform at Toronto’s old CNE stadium back in 93 or 94.  Great concert.  We also saw Pink Floyd, Neil Young, & The Rolling Stones perform there as well.  I believe that outdoor stadium has now been torn down.
<<< CACTUS WREN
GROANER’S CORNER:(( If quitters never win, and winners never quit, what fool came up with, "Quit while you're ahead?"
- What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
- I was thinking that women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans.
- If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
- STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS.
- Strange! No one ever says "It's only a game," when their team is winning.
- Isn't Disney World a people trap operated by a mouse?
- Since Americans throw rice at weddings, do Asians throw potatoes?

MAY THOSE LONG COLORADO MOUNTAIN TRAILS ALWAYS BE WITH YOU MY FRIEND

SPOTTED THIS FELLOW COMING INTO THE WICKENBURG AIRPORT AT CACTUS TOP LEVEL THIS MORNING

Well not too much going on today folks but Pheebs & I did manage to get out for a ride & walk for a few hours this morning.  After being in the Motorhome for a few days I figured Kelly deserved a break & some quiet time.

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I’m afraid my blog reading has really slipped in the past year or so but in trying to do a little catch-up with some friends & fellow Bloggers I was reminded again how helpful Karen & Steve’s blog has always been to many ‘do-it-yourselfers’ over the years.  Steve is one of those ‘fix-it’ guys who likes to do things himself so below is just a small sampling of many renovations he has done to their Safari Serengeti Motorhome.  You can also find a lot of home renovations Karen & Steve have done as well.  RVING: THE USA IS OUR BIG BACK YARD::

 COATING A MOTORHOME'S FIBERGLASS ROOF -----= INSTALLING A PROGRESSIVE INDUSTRIES EMS SURGE PROTECTOR ------ INSTALLING AN OLYMPIAN WAVE 8 CATALYTIC HEATER ------ A TOUR OF THEIR 1996 SAFARI SERENGETI DIESEL MOTORHOME

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In a blog comment Tuesday reader Phil asked, “Have you ever been to Alamo Lake”?  My answer to that is yes we have & you can see our visit there on December 11th 2012 by clicking ALAMO LAKE.

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Glad I’m not staying over at Dennis & Donna's place in that Florida State at the moment or else I’d have to be wearing my water wings every time I stepped out the door of their 5’ver.

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Now that the dust has settled from Bloggerfest 2016 & my nerves are once again relatively intact I’d just like to say how nice it was re-connecting with old friends & meeting a few new ones along the way.  Only unfortunate part was not being able to take time to chat longer with people but at least initial contacts were made & that’s what Bloggerfest is all about.  I was a bit overwhelmed by some of the nice things a few folks quietly said to me & I so much appreciated their kind thoughts & meaningful words.   I’m afraid I am not a relaxed or confident conversationalist when meeting new people & it was apparent to me while talking with a fellow RV Blogger Saturday when I found myself stumbling for the right words in response to his complimentory words of encouragement, gratitude, & understanding.  Maybe one day we will meet again at another time & another place.  May those long Colorado mountain trails always be with you my friend:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Sally walked in to the Dentist office to make an appointment. “How much do you charge to pull out a tooth?” She asked.” “It’s $130”, was the prompt reply. “$130!” gasped Sally, that’s ridiculous! There must be a way for you to go cheaper.” “Well,” said the Dentist thoughtfully, I suppose if we don’t numb it, we could knock off $30.” “Only $30?,” countered Sally, “that’s still $100, you’ve got to make it cheaper.” “Well,” said the Dentist after a long pause, “I suppose if we take it out with a wrench we could knock it down to $50.” “Perfect”, said Sally happily. “I would like to make an appointment for next Tuesday, for my husband Jack.”

WELL GOL DARNIT WE’RE BACK IN CONGRESS ALREADY

ROLLING NORTH-EAST ALONG CALIFORNIA’S HIGHWAY 78 THIS MORNING & I’M THINKING THAT IS THE TRIGO MOUNTAIN RANGE AHEAD

Pheebs & I took a little walk in the Moonlight Monday night & I later stood for a long while gazing at the stars overhead thinking back on oh so many great times we have had these past 10 years RVing during the winter months here in America’s great South-west. 

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Gusting north winds beat us up pretty good through the night & had me up around 2 a.m. for a bit & then again up for the day at 5.  One thing about the southwest I will not miss some day are those big winds that suddenly come roaring out of the night down through the mountain canyons & out across the desert floor to seriously hunt you down.

After making a couple phone calls about our Shaw Satellite TV LNB problem we decided to head back to Quartzsite & drop into a place called Satellite Advantage.  It was on our way home anyway.  The past couple weeks activities proved to be just a bit much for Kelly’s energy levels so we decided it best to head on back home & rest us up some.  I always seem to be happy heading home nowadays anyway so that was alright with me.  We hope to head out again sometime in February somewhere. 

Steadying myself against relentless wind gusts I had the Jeep hooked up about 8 o’clock & minutes later under sunny skies we rolled out onto Ogilbe Road heading north.  Surprisingly we never had any wind problems all the way to Blyth California.  What a nice morning for a drive & the route we took was an old familiar & favorite one of mine.  Scenery was great & we again talked about how much we both enjoy coming to the southwest every year with all it’s desert greenery & mountain scenery.  We both agreed there was nowhere else we could think to go during the winter months where we would be happier than right here in an area of the country we love so much.  It’s not for everybody of course but it sure is for us:))

LOTS OF GREEN JUST SOUTH OF BLYTH CALIFORNIA

Rolled into Quartzsite & headed straight for McDonalds.  I was relieved to see there was no heavy traffic congestion like there would have been last week at this time.  No problem finding a parking spot at McD’s.  Outside of Tim Hortons McDonald’s still brews the next best cup of coffee in our opinion.  Satellite Advantage was just down the street on the other side of the main intersection so after leaving McD’s we headed on down there & rolled right in.  Took our satellite dish with attached LNB inside but they didn’t have a Shaw LNB to fit the smaller ellipitical dish we had.  Only alternative they said was to go with a newer 3 satellite LNB with a larger new dish.  We were looking at about $250 once the taxes & Canadian/American money exchange was figured in.  Said they couldn’t test our older LNB so not knowing if the problem was our LNB or not we decided to just head on home to Congress & see if it worked when we hooked it back up again at the house.  If not Pheebs & I would Jeep ourselves back to Quartzsite & pick up an LNB & dish Wednesday morning. 

A RELAXING BREAKFAST IN OUR RIG AT QUARTZSITES McD’S THIS MORNING

An hour & a half later we rolled through our southgate into our front yard & as Jackie Gleason might have said, “Ahhhhhhhh how sweet it is:))  Decided the first thing we would do even before unloading the coach was to set up our satellite dish & see if would work.  It did:))  We picked up the satellite signal right off the bat with no trouble whatsoever so what could the problem have been????  Now, I must be very careful how I write these next few lines………..When we do our satellite TV set-up I always do the outside stuff like setting up & levelling the tri-pod, connecting the cable to the LNB, attaching the dish to the tripod, & using my compass to locate where the satellite is in the sky.  Kelly does the inside stuff like hooking up 3 cables to the back of the receiver then configuring the TV to bring in the correct signal strength etc.  So that’s what we did Monday afternoon.  I did my assembly outside & Kelly did her usual thing inside hooking up 2 cables & ‘dam’ we could not get a satellite signal no matter how many times I checked & re-checked my set-up.  I must have scanned back & forth across the horizon 662 & half times.  We probably spent a good 40 minutes trying to solve the problem before finally deciding our LNB was cooked.  So what did we do different when we got home that worked??  Ok, let me just say this……if you go back & read what I just wrote you will find out where we made our mistake.  And that’s all I had better say about that if I know what’s good for me:))

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Took us about an hour to get the rig unloaded & parked back in it’s usual spot & like previously mentioned we were glad to be home again although we were only away for about three & a half days this time.  I remember the days not that many years ago when we would easily spend 5 & 6 months of the year living in our smaller 33’ Damon Challenger Class A coach.  But since then things have been changing for us these past 4 years & especially this last year.  We have been having some rather serious discussions as of late about our future travel plans & what we want to do, where we want to go, how we want to go where………& when.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two men have been ice fishing all day. One has had no luck, while the other has pulled out a ton of fish. “What’s your secret?” asks the unlucky fisherman. “Mmmmm mmmmmm mmmm mmmmm mmmm,” the lucky fisherman replies. “I’m sorry; what did you say?  “Mmmmmm mmm mm mmm.”  “I still didn’t understand you.”  The lucky fisherman spits something into his hand and says slowly and clearly, “You’ve got to keep your worms warm.”