Showing posts sorted by date for query crown king. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query crown king. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Sunday, April 23, 2017

A NICE SPRING DAY AND A COUPLE RV RELATED PARAGRAPHS TO BOOT

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NOW THIS IS HOW I LIKE TO SEE SPRING LOOKING IN OUR FRONT YARD:))

With our temps dropping down into the 30’s most nights it’s still too cold at 8 in the morning for me to get outside and putter about.  The only 2 warmer environments are in the house or in the warmed up Jeep.  We again selected the 2nd option knowing by the time we get home again in a couple hours temps will be coming up into the comfortable puttering about range.  Well that’s always my theory anyway.

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A FEW LEFT OVER PHOTOS FROM SATURDAY MORNING

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NOTICED A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT FISHING ALONG THE MAITLAND RIVER

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AND NO THEY WERE NOT FISHING FOR POLLYWOGS

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SPOTTED THESE LITTLE FELLERS IN A ROADSIDE POND

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HAD TO USE MY UNDERWATER CAMERA AND SNORKEL FOR THIS SHOT:)) >>>

How nice to have our second sunny blue sky day in a row.  A real bonus in this cold cloudy and damp Spring weather this year.  Grabbed ourselves a freshly brewed coffee and a still warm Morning Glory muffin just out of the oven at Bayfield’s Charles Street Market & Cafe.   From there we headed first south of town then east for awhile.  Being Sunday morning all roads were quiet and I don’t think we even saw another vehicle on any of the gravel roads we were on.  Again we didn’t go to far and just lolly-gagged along stopping a couple times to get out and enjoy the fresh country air.  Not a cloud in the sky and many of the farmer’s fields are already so green.  Ground is still too wet for them to get on the land yet.  We were back home by 10.

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WE ARE PARKED ON GRASS ALONGSIDE THE ROAD BUT I SUSPECT THAT PLANTED VERY GREEN FIELD TO THE RIGHT MAY BE WINTER WHEAT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

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A LONG DISTANCE AWAY I SPOTTED THIS HORSE AND RIDER WITH THEIR DOG

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JUST AN OLD ORANGE TRUCK THAT HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS

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FROM A DISTANCE I NOTICED THIS GOOSE ATOP A HIGH PILE OF STRAW BALES AND IT WASN’T UNTIL I EDITED THE PHOTO LATER THAT I SAW THE REASON PAPA GOOSE WAS UP THERE…..LOOK TO THE RIGHT AND COULD MAMA GOOSE POSSIBLY BE SITTING ON A NEST ON TOP OF THOSE BALES??

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I HAVE THIS THING FOR OLD BARNS AND BARNYARDS

With all our muffinating this past month I figured I’d better haul the shop-vac out and de-crumb the Jeep’s interior while there’s still enough room for Pheebs and I to fit inside.  While at it I cleaned all the windows and shined up the dash etc.  Bruce popped over and finished up a few last little things with the eaves trough and rain barrel and that now raps up that whole deck extension project.  And a big thanks to Bruce of course for all the great work he did and always has done for us:))

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WE ARE GRADUALLY GETTING OUR NEW DECK EXTENSION CONFIGURED

I busied myself in the yard with half a dozen little projects here and there.  I like this time of year when things are beginning to poke up through the ground and it’s always a pleasant surprise to see things coming up that I had already forgot I had planted last year.  With the winter’s freezing temperatures behind us and summer’s heat and miserable humidity not here yet it’s a great time to be outside.  Lots of singing birds in the tree tops and no buzzing about bugs yet.  In these northern latitudes it’s always so nice to watch the grays and browns of a seemingly dead land coming back to life and it’s the colors of Spring that really make it all believably real.  We are very fortunate to live in a climate zone with 4 distinct Seasons.  Absolutely totally super.  Well for as long as we can escape the winter’s that is.

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FIRST FROG IN OUR FRONT YARD FROG POND THIS YEAR

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AND HERE’S ONE OF THE SURPRISE FLOWERS I MUST HAVE PLANTED LAST FALL AND TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT >>>

Nice surprise this afternoon when one of my old Tavistock buddies dropped by.  Gary Burton and his wife Avril out for a Sunday drive stopped by to say Hello.  Gary and I as teenagers had a friendly rivalry going on when his Dad owned a Chev and my Stepdad owned a Ford.  Of course we both thought our Dad’s had the best cars so we always had a Chev/Ford rivalry going on.  Imagine my surprise when I saw Gary driving a Ford today.  I think he and I came to our senses many years ago when we realized it doesn’t really matter if a car is a Ford, Chevy, or a Chrysler product, they are all basically the same with each company having their good and sometimes not so good models and years.  I figure we both came to that realistic realization when we gained us a little maturity along the way:))

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HEY WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE DRAG MARKS ACROSS OUR FRONT YARD??

As mentioned in several previous posts I like the on-line magazine Desert USA because as often as not they have articles on Southwest places we have been and their latest edition has a story about the wild west mining and ghost town of Crown King, Arizona in the Bradshaw Mountains.  I have great memories of the day we caravanned through the mountains in our Jeep Wranglers with 3 other couples who were good friends of ours.  You can read my post for that day here at A Long But Enjoyable Jeep Trip To Crown King, Arizona.  And a shout-out and big special thanks to Jim and Bev now residing in Idaho for organizing this rough and tumble Jeep ride that day which was one of our best ever. 

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WELL, THOSE DRAG MARKS ACROSS THE GRASS WERE CAUSED BY ME HUFFING AND PUFFING WHILE DRAGGING THIS HEAVY 8’ TALL BLACK WROUGHT IRON ARBOR ALL THE WAY ROUND FROM OUR BACK YARD TO OUR FRONT YARD THIS AFTERNOON

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I AM ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT POPS UP OUT OF THIS NEW FLOWER BED I PUT IN LATE LAST SUMMER

We have been a lot of great places in our past 10 years of RV travels and every once in awhile something pops up to remind me of the great RV Snow Bird life we have lived.  I have a tendency to sometimes forget about those earlier years in the Southwest when everything was so new and exciting to us.  Every little thing seemed like a huge adventure.  And of course for us it was and sometimes still is.  Maybe I should go through our Archives for the past 10 years and pull out a few of our greatest memories.

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OK OK MAYBE I HAD BETTER STAY AWAY FROM THOSE ARCHIVES!!  (APRIL 18TH 2011)

I have a lot of RV folks on my sidebar and most of them have travelled to many places but there is one couple in particular who I’ve noticed really get out there non stop constantly searching out new places wherever they go.  They are full-timers of course and we’ve had the pleasure of meeting them two winters ago.  In fact when they were in our Congress Arizona area I was pleased to be able to lead them out one morning into the desert to locate the sometimes hard to find Wickenburg Massacre Site.  Of course I’m talking the folks from Oh, the Places They Go of course.  If your looking for a couple true adventurers not afraid to go places and skin their knees and get their shoes dusty you will find Pam and John’s adventures worth following.  Like I said Kelly and I have been to a lot of places but these folks have been to way more places than we have.  And their still going to more and more places.  Grab onto their coat tails and tag along, they are really nice folks:))

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THERE IS ACTUALLY A BUMBLY BEE IN THIS PHOTO

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?"  "Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques-visualization, association-it made a huge difference for me."  "That's great! What was the name of the clinic?"  Fred went blank He thought and thought, but couldn't remember.  Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?"  "You mean a rose?"  "Yes, that's it!" He turned to his wife. . ."Rose, what was the name of that clinic?"

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I tried to get Fish and Chips insurance, but the agent said their policy doesn't cover Snacks of Cod.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

DRIVING MISS KELLY

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HERE’S PHEEBS & I DRIVING MISS KELLY THIS MORNING…..PHEEBS WAS PESTERING KELLY SO MUCH FOR THE FRONT SEAT KELLY FINALLY SWITCHED PLACES WITH HER & THAT STOPPED THE PESTERING….WHAT A LITTLE SMARTY PANTS THAT PHEEBS IS.

It’s just short of a month since we arrived in Congress but until this morning we had not taken a single day trip drive together.  Kelly suggested we drive out north of Yarnell to Wagoner Road & take a drive along a section of Wagoner that we had done a Jeep trip on with Jim & Bev, Janna & Mike, & Simon & Sandy two winters ago.  That was an all day tour back on March 4th 2014 & you can read about the day 4 little Jeep Wranglers bounced & bumped their up into & over the Bradshaw Mountains with the destination being an old & still active mining town called Crown King…… INTO THE BRADSHAW MOUNTAINS LOOKING FOR CROWN KING.  This morning we planned on doing only a few of those miles on Wagoner Road.

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HEADING FOR THE YARNELL HILL TO CLIMB UP INTO THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS ABOUT 9 THIS MORNING

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WE BOUGHT A HAT RACK FOR OUR HOUSE IN THIS YARNELL SHOP BACK IN 2012

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YARNELL’S CORNER ?? BAKERY

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PATIENTLY WAITING OUTSIDE THE BAKESHOP

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HERE COMES THE GOODIES

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HEADING NORTH THROUGH PEEPLES VALLEY

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Of course we didn’t drive a tenth as far today as we did that day nearly 2 years ago & just Jeeped in on Wagoner Road as far as the 17 mile marker before turning around & heading back to highway 89.  Our aim this morning was just a simple pleasant drive to enjoy the scenery on a road we were a bit familiar with.  Stopped again at the historic steel overhead Hassayampa Bridge which was built in 1924.

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THE HISTORIC HASSAYAMPA BRIDGE

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ROAD ACROSS THE BRIDGE IS ALL WOOD PLANKING

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STANDING ON THE BRIDGE FIRST LOOKING DOWNRIVER THEN UPRIVER

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I THINK DURING MONSOON SEASON THIS QUIET HASSAYAMPA RIVER IS PROBABLY A RAGING TORRENT OF WATER THROUGH HERE

Some nice ranches along this road such as the TK Bar Ranch which a rumor has it was once been owned by the Revlon Cosmetic Company family.  No idea if there is any truth to that but we did stop at the front gate for a few photos of the property.  Judging from the front entrance it was obviously built by someone with many many wheelbarrows full of gold nuggets.

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WAGONER ROAD CUTS RIGHT THROUGH THE TK BAR PROPERTY

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WE FIRST CAME ACROSS A COUPLE PONDS WITH DUCKS & GEESE ON THEM

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IT’S ALWAYS SO NICE TO SEE WATER ANYWHERE IN ARIZONA

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A STONE WALL WITH CLIMBING ROSES LEADS TO THE MAIN GATE

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THE TK BAR’S MAIN GATE

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PARKED JUST OFF WAGONER ROAD TO TAKE A FEW PHOTOS

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PEERED AROUND THE EAST END OF THE WALL BUT ALL I SAW WAS A GRAZING HORSE

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Another ranch further down Wagoner Road called Za Arizona also had a nice front gate entrance but again we could not see the ranch house which we suspect was further back in.

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THIS FRONT ENTRANCE & GATE POST WERE A NICE CORAL COLOR

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THESE TYPES OF GATES LET TRAVELERS KNOW WHAT RANCHES THEY ARE ENTERING OR LEAVINGDSC_0055

Wagoner Road leading to the Bradshaw Mountains winds & tumbles it’s way through sweeping valleys with the ever present Bradshaw Mountains on the Eastern horizon.  Some of the road is paved at the beginning out as far as the TK Bar Ranch & from there to the Bradshaws it is a sandy gravel with the road becoming a bit of a challenge in spots if my mind serves me correctly from back in March of 2014

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BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN ON THE HORIZON BUT WE DIDN’T GO THAT FAR TODAY

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HORSE FENCING

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THIS WAS OUR TURN AROUND POINT

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HEADING BACK IN THE DIRECTION FROM WHENCE WE HAD COMEDSC_0054

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KELLY CHECKS OUT THE ENTRANCE TO THE GOLD BAR RANCH BED & BREAKFAST CAMPGROUND

Returning back to highway 89 from the direction we had just come we decided to take a short ‘truck’ bi-pass around the Hassayampa Bridge.  This bi-pass is definitely an Arizona type western bi-pass alright & is for any local trucks or vehicles deemed too heavy for the overhead steel Hassayampa Bridge.

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THE HASSAYAMPA BRIDGE BI-PASS CUTS ACROSS THE HASSAYAMPA RIVER HEREDSC_0066

YOU CAN SEE THE HASSAYAMPA BRIDGE BEHIND US & THE BI-PASS ROAD ON THE LEFT

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THIS MOUNTAIN STREAM WATER RUNNING ACROSS THE ROAD WAS CRYSTAL CLEAR

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OH NO DAD I GOT MY PAW WET

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HAD WE BEEN HERE A MONTH EARLIER THESE COTTONWOODS & ASPENS WOULD HAVE BEEN SO PRETTY WITH THEIR BRILLIANT GOLD AUTUMN LEAVES

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“UMMM WHY DID WE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIVER DAD”??  “SO I COULD TAKE A PICTURE OF YOU LOOKING AT THE WATER PHEEBS”

A cool but beautifully sunny Saturday morning up on the Colorado Plateau as we made our way back to the highway then turned south for Yarnell.

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I’M THINKING THOSE ARE THE NORTH SIDE OF THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS

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PRESCOTT IS IN THOSE MOUNTAINS TO THE RIGHT & I’M GUESSING THAT PEAK MIGHT BE GRANITE MOUNTAIN

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HEADING SOUTH ON 89 FOR YARNELL & CONGRESS

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ALWAYS LIKE SEEING THIS LARGE HORSE FARM IN PEEPLES VALLEY

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Yarnell’s Thrift Store/Community Center is at the North end of town so we pulled over & parked while Kelly went in for a browse.  Of course it’s not the same kind of browse we liked to do the past few years when we were always looking at things for the house.  We have everything we need now & with the thoughts of  selling the house sometime in the next few years we do not want to pick up any more stuff than we already have.  Kelly came out empty handed anyway saying she didn’t see any super bargooons so that was just as well.  We headed on through Yarnell & leisurely tumbled ourselves down the long winding drop out of the Weaver Mountains on what is affection ally called by area locals, the ‘Yarnell Hill’.  We were home just before 1 p.m. & called it a day.  I like it when we get ourselves out on those little exploratory fun drives…….:))

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JUST A NICE AUTUMN FEELING DAY IN YARNELL ARIZONA

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PHEEBS WAITS PATIENTLY TO SEE IF MOM FINDS A GOOD DEAL ON ANY YUMMY DOGGY TREATS:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Ten common fishing terms explained::

Catch and Release - A conservation motion that happens most often right before the local Fish and Game officer pulls over a boat that has caught over it's limit.

 
Hook - (1) A curved piece of metal used to catch fish. (2) A clever advertisement to entice a fisherman to spend his live savings on a new rod and reel. (3) The punch administered by said fisherman's wife after he spends their life savings (see also, Right Hook, Left Hook).

Line - Something you give your co-workers when they ask on Monday how your fishing went the past weekend.

Lure - An object that is semi-enticing to fish, but will drive an angler into such a frenzy that he will charge his credit card to the limit before exiting the tackle shop.

Reel - A weighted object that causes a rod to sink quickly when dropped overboard.

Rod - An attractively painted length of fiberglass that keeps an angler from ever getting too close to a fish.
School - A grouping in which fish are taught to avoid your $29.99 lures and hold out for spam instead.

Tackle - What your last catch did to you as you reeled him in, but just before he wrestled free and jumped back overboard.

Tackle Box - A box shaped alarmingly like your comprehensive first aid kit. Only a tackle box contains many sharp objects, so that when you reach in the wrong box blindly to get a Band Aid, you soon find that you need more than one.

Test - (1) The amount of strength a fishing line affords an angler when fighting fish in a specific weight range. (2) A measure of your creativity in blaming "that darn line" for once again losing the fish.