NICE WEATHER DAY IN BAYFIELD AND A LOOK BACK TO SOME OF OUR ADVENTURES IN SOUTH-EASTERN ARIZONA A FEW YEARS AGO

ON THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE ARIZONA
One of the big advantages full time RV’ers have over Snow Birders is the simple fact they live in and use their rig’s systems on a regular basis therefore always being familiar about the working of things. 

THERE ARE 2 OLD IRON BRIDGES IN THE HULLETT MARSH AND THIS IS THE ONE AT THE END OF SANCTUARY LINE….THE OTHER BRIDGE IS AT THE END OF CONSERVATION ROAD

A BIG ‘SHADOW COWBOY’ WAVE FROM THE SANCTUARY LINE BRIDGE THIS MORNING
It started out innocently enough today when I thought I would simply sanitize our fresh water tank.  Key joke word there being ‘simply’'.’ Not being full timers it’s not something we are accustomed to doing on any kind of a regular basis.  I think the last time we did it was a year ago about this time and therein awaited the problem.  My brain wouldn’t even give me the slightest clue where to start and I had to ask Kelly where the instructions were on how to do it.  Seems to me I had to do the very same thing last year as well.  I wasn’t off to a good start and it went down hill from there.  A job that would take a seasoned Full-timer about 15 minutes cost this aging Snow Bird a good hour and a half this afternoon:((

I BETTER GET GOING HERE, TRAINS A COMING
I won’t bog you down with my frustrations today because I am still pretty upset with myself but I can tell you that what transpired was not the fault of the Motorhome.  All me and with my poor memory having more holes in it than a Swiss cheese and my ever increasing impatience with anything even remotely mechanical I caused myself a lot of stress.  I don’t know when it was my problematic impatience began but I don’t remember it being this bad years ago but here’s the bottom line, ’we’ did finally manage to successfully complete the fresh water tank project and everything is fine and honky-dory now.  Everything that is except me and me will not be Okay until me has a good night’s sleep and starts Tuesday morning off on the right foot again.  Well that’s what me hopes anyway……..
I AM STILL CATCHING FRONT YARD POND FROGS AND TRANSPORTING THEM TO THE BIGGER PARK’S POND……17 TRANSPORTATIONS SO FAR INCLUDING THE FROGS IN THESE PHOTOS TODAY

ONE FROG IS REAL AND ONE ISN’T

A TAD OUT OF FOCUS BUT I’VE INCLUDED THIS FELLA ANYWAY


HE’S KEEPING A REAR VIEW EYE ON ME
Desert USA is an on-line South-western magazine we have been receiving now for a number of years and I often like the articles because we have been to a lot of places featured in it.  The latest edition was no exception when I read the title, Ghost Towns In Southern Arizona.  We have been to nine of the 13 ghost towns mentioned.  We’ve been to Superstition Mountain, Fort Bowie, Pearce, Courtland, Gleeson, Tombstone, Fairbank, Millville and the ever so hard for us to find, Charleston.  Through the Apache Pass to Historic Fort Bowie.  I wrote daily posts about all those places along with many photos and have included a few links such as Tombstone and  The Ghost Town of Gleeson Arizona.  We have walked the streets of Tombstone half a dozen times, found Johnny Ringo’s grave at the western foot of the Chiricahua Mountains as well as Wyatt Earp’s brother’s grave in Wilcox.  Johnny Ringo's Grave and Warren Earp's Grave in Wilcox Arizona.  I took some rare photos through a broken door of the crumbling Gleeson Saloon, we have walked among the old graves of Fairfield, hiked the long way in and out of Fort Bowie along trails Cochise once walked.  Cochise's Council Rocks  Had to take our shoes and socks off to wade across the San Pedro River to find Charleston after walking through the remaining ruins of Millville.  Today We Found The Ruins of Charleston Arizona. We have walked in the footsteps of Geronimo and his Apache warriors.   We’ve been to and through Pearce Arizona half a dozen times even twice spending time partaking in their ‘Pearce Heritage Days’ celebrations.  The old general store there is only open 1 day a year and we were lucky enough to be there on one of those days.  As we walked through the store I’m sure we had old ghosts walking along beside us.   Here’s a look inside that store….Old Pearce Heritage Days.  Made our way through what is left of Courtland with it’s few crumbling brick walls and old jail cell still intact.  Courtland Arizona  That South-eastern area of Arizona is such a fascinating place and we were so fortunate to spend many months Ranch Sitting there over a period of 4 years.  My links to Old Fort Rucker and Our Search for Cochise's Council Rocks.  Oh the memories and oh the thousands of photos I took.  Even now I still get excited thinking back to that marvelous era and that whole historically fascinating area.  The links above are only but a few of my many blog posts and photos of our memorable adventures in the great American Southwest and hopefully this winter we will be back once again on the dusty desert trails of many more great memories:))
THE HISTORIC RUINS OF FORT BOWIE

 
KELLY SITS LOOKING DOWN ON THE RUINS OF OLD FORT BOWIE

SOUTH-EASTERN ARIZONA IS ONE OF OUR ALL TIME FAVORITE PLACES

TOMBSTONE ARIZONA



THE OLD CEMETERY IN FAIRBANK ARIZONA

GHOST TOWN RUINS OF COURTLAND ARIZONA

JOHNNY RINGO’S GRAVE

THIS OLD SALOON IN GLEESON ARIZONA IS WHERE JOHNNY RINGO WAS LAST SEEN DRINKING AT THE BAR

GLEESON ARIZONA CEMETERY

THE COCHISE STRONGHOLD IN ARIZONA’S DRAGOON MOUNTAINS



A RUGGED AREA OF THE DRAGOON MOUNTAINS

THIS INDIAN FELLOW  WE MET AT COUNCIL ROCKS TOLD ME HE WAS A DESCENDENT OF GERONIMO


IS IT ANY WONDER WHY WE KEEP RETURNING TO THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTH WEST YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR
GROANER’S CORNER:((  A guy walking along the beach finds a bottle and picks it up.  A genie pops out and says, "Thanks for letting me out. For your kindness I will grant you one wish."  The guys says, "I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I can't because I'm afraid to fly and ships make me deathly sick. My wish is for you to build a road from here to Hawaii."  The genie says, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do that. Just think of all the work involved. Think of the huge pilings we'd need to hold up that highway and how deep they would have to be to reach the bottom of the ocean. And think of all the cement that would be needed. Plus, since it's such a long span, there would have to be gas stations and rest stops along the way. No, that's just too much to ask. Impossible."  The guy says, "Well, there is one thing I've always wanted to know. I'd like to be able to understand women...what makes them laugh and cry...you know, what makes them tick."  The genie thinks a second, then asks, "You want two lanes or four with that highway?'
-------------------
Kids can sometimes ask the toughest questions.
Son: Father, Can I ask you a question?
Father: Ok ask. Son: When a doctor doctors a doctor, does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored or does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he wants to doctor. --------------------- - How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? - Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents? - Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die - The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. - There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead. - I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

RATTLESNAKES, RAPTORS & RODNEY'S AT WILLCOX AZ.

{quote)The 18th annual Wings Over Wilcox combines adventure, entertainment & education to provide a fun filled weekend of birding pleasure for the novice, the expert or the curious. {unquote}

THE MAN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STAGE IS HOLDING A BALD EAGLE

With all that in mind we took ourselves for a drive up to WILLCOX this morning.  Had I known before today this weekend was also offering a day long nature photography outing with 2 professional photographers & an Astronomy class I may very well have signed up for those two but they were sold out.  Tours to the Whitewater Draw,  the MULESHOE RANCH COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT AREA & other events were also fully booked.

GILA MONSTER

Upon reaching Wilcox we headed for the Community Center where nature related booths were set up.  Binoculars & Spotting Scopes were on display as well as artists paintings, birdhouses, etc for sale.  Chiricahua National Monument had a field representative there complete with a display as well as other nature organizations.  It seemed to be Sandy Anderson’s ‘Gray Hawk Nature Center’ attracting the most attention though for this is where the Rattlesnakes were.  Nearly a dozen display cases contained a Gila Monster, a large Western Diamond Back Rattler, an even deadlier Mojave Rattler, a Speckled Rattlesnake, a Kingsnake plus others I have forgotten.

THIS MOJAVE RATTLESNAKE IS THE DEADLIEST OF  ALL RATTLESNAKES & HIS TAIL IS BLURRY BECAUSE HE IS REALLY RATTLING AT MY CAMERA LEN’S INTRUSION…..THERE IS A PLATE OF GLASS BETWEEN US:))

On the dimly lit upper stage of the Community Center were the Raptors complete with blackened background curtains to keep the birds calm.  It was here that we saw a Peregrine Falcon, Red Tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Turkey Vulture, American Kestrel,  a Merlin & Bald Eagle which had a wing damaged by a gunshot when it was only a year old.  Other Raptors there as well but just like the snakes display, I forgot to photo the names before photographing the subject.  I will have to enlist JUDY'S help in IDing some of these birds.  And by the way, guess what Judy just received from the President of the United States in the last couple days.  Click her name to find out:))

THIS BALD EAGLE ABOVE HAD IT’S LEFT WING DAMAGED BY A GUNSHOT  WHEN IT WAS A YEAR OLD.  IT NOW LIVES AT THE LIBERTY REFUGE CENTER IN SCOTTSDALE, AZ.

From the Community Center we set off to find the place selling 10 pound apple pies.  Didn’t take us long to track down Stouts Cider Mill.  Wow, what a great baking smell greeted us at the door.  It was obvious they specialized in apple pies alright.  Nice store & we were able to actually watch the apple pies being made.  We found the pies a little pricey for our taste so we settled on a smaller unsweetened one.  The 10 pounders were $23.

A FRESHLY BAKED 10 POUNDER, GREEN APPLE SLICES AND KELLY ASKING, “HOW MUCH ARE THOSE?”

From Stouts Cider Mill we slipped over to old town Wilcox & looked up a little eating place called Rodney's which happened to be a few doors down from the Rex Allen Museum.  Well, it’s kind of hard to describe Rodney's, even after meeting Rodney himself outside on the sidewalk.  I have blogged before how different things are out here in the Southwest from our home back in Bayfield Ontario Canada.  Well, Rodney’s is no exception.  Rodney has a small kitchen in one building & his eating place is next door in another building.  When he finishes cooking an order he simply walks out the door of his little kitchen building, walks a few steps to the next building, comes through the front door & places the order on your table.  Rodney is known for his great cooking but not for the condition of his eating establishment.  Let me just say, this place is certainly not the Ritz!!  I’m not a big food guy so I guess the food was OK.

RODNEY’S TWO BUILDING EATERY….KELLY CHECKS THE MENU – RODNEY COMES OUT OF THE SMALL BEIGE KITCHEN & TAKES OUR ORDER – WE GO INTO THE BRICK BUILDING ON THE RIGHT & LATER RODNEY BRINGS IN OUR FOOD ORDER….SEE, I TOLD YOU THINGS ARE DONE DIFFERENTLY IN THE WEST

From Rodney’s we walked down the street a few more stores to a the KEELING-SCHAEFER VINEYARD store which is a wine tasting outlet.  No, we weren’t interested in tasting any wine but our good Arizona friend Rosanna works part time there so we thought we’d pop in for a quick hello.  Rosanna was very busy with customers so we didn’t stay too long.

Popped into a typical little western eatery for coffee to go & headed for Willcox’s old cemetery.  In one of the books I have been reading about western history I came across a section detailing the killing of Warren Earp, Wyatt’s youngest Brother.  He was shot in a Saloon in Willcox & buried in the town’s cemetery.  I was curious to see if we could find him….& we did. 

SLIPPED INTO THIS COZY WESTERN EATERY FOR A COUPLE COFFEE’S TO GO

WILLCOX’S OLD CEMETERY

WARREN EARP, YOUNGEST OF THE EARP BROTHERS LIES BURIED HERE

Rolled out of Willcox for home about 1 p.m.  Nice drive back down the Sulphur Springs Valley through another place with a history called, THE KANSAS SETTLEMENT.  We were back at the rig by 2 & that pretty well wrapped up our day.

NO, THAT IS NOT FILLMORE!!

Welcome to new Blog Supporters MARGIE ANN from New Zealand & Richard from ??  Thanks for the support folks:))

   

WE PERFORMED A LOBOTOMY ON OUR STOUT’S CIDER MILL APPLE PIE WHEN WE GOT HOME 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man has a dog called Mace, which he keeps in the house all the time because all it does is eat grass.
He also has a favorite tool, his wrench, which he uses all the time.
One day He looses the wrench. He looks every where for it but can't find it.
The dog gets out, eats all his grass and there in the middle of the lawn is his wrench.
The man starts singing "A grazing Mace how sweet the hound, that saved a wrench for me".

--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

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.