BACK TO THE AJO MOUNTAIN RANGE

THURSDAY DEC. 14/07
The first thing I saw when I stepped out of the motorhome this morning was 2 ambulances heading east on the road nearby & 1 ambulance heading west. The border patrol likely found another group of Mexicans & in the near freezing desert night air I'm not surprised some of them would need medical attention for exposure. It was a cold one last night!!

Nice relaxing desert walk this morning but we've noticed a difference in Checkers this year. She lags behind a lot of the time & isn't out front exploring along with Max like she was last year. Of course we haven't climbed some of the higher rock outcroppings like we did last year either. Guess we're all getting a wee bit older:((

Headed down to the Organ Pipe National Park hoping to do the long scenic drive around the perimeter of the park but found out some of the roads are closed. The whole road running along the Mexican border is no longer open to the public because of the worsening problem with Mexican drug runners. A young park ranger was shot & killed along that road awhile back by drug runners. It has become a huge problem for Organ Pipe National Park because the number of people moving through the back country (330,690 acres) now is having an adverse affect on the wildlife. Also, all the border patrol vehicles including helicopters in the area has really stressed some species like the pronghorn sheep & their numbers are dwindling. Decided to head back but some park staff told us about another scenic road over in the Ajo Mountain Range so we drove over there, parked the car at a picnic area & took a 2 mile hike into a canyon where a ranch used to be located years ago. Very peaceful as we followed a creek to a small brick roofless cabin. Sure makes you wonder what life was like a hundred years ago & how people coped with things. Don't know how they would have made a living. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy
When we got back to the picnic area we were surprised to see a bunch of cars and a group of people gathered around a park ranger. The ranger was giving a talk on the area so we figured the group must have been organized at the park's visitor center earlier. We joined the group & listened & learned for about half an hour. Very interesting to have things about the flora & fauna explained plus the history of the area. The group moved on down the canyon towards the ranch but we were too tired by then so headed for home.

Soaked up some Arizona sun & I later took a long ride out in the desert on my bicycle. The desert floor is basically hard packed so it's fun to ride in & out of the cactus, mesquite trees, creosote bushes, & chain fruit chollas. It puts a challenge into the bicycle riding which makes it a lot more exciting. I was a pretty hotshot kid with a bicycle years ago but there seems to be an extra hundred pounds riding around on the bicycle with me now so my hot is kinda shot:((

Some family & friends have emailed us a few questions about some of the photos & blog postings I have been putting to-gether so I'll answer some of those questions here...............
-The camera I use is a Nikon D50 DSLR with an 18-55mm zoom lens plus a 55-200mm telephoto lens. The photo program I use is Google's Picasa. It's a simple & easy program to use & it's a free download.
-A polarizing filter for my lens would indeed help cut some of the haze in the those mountain shots but I just don't have one.
-Friend Bob in Kitchener asked about the Saguaro Cactus skeleton picture I posted a few days ago. Those ribs sticking out of the cactus are indeed, wood. And also Bob, I checked with U.S. Customs & they won't allow us to ship any large boxes of warm sunshine to Canada:((
-Norm in Florida wondered if we had seen any snakes. No, the snakes & scorpions are all asleep for the winter so are not a concern. I have seen 2 small gray lizards though.
-Coyotes are always a worry so we don't leave the dogs out by themselves. Not even in the campgrounds.
-Most other RV'ers we've met have been Canadians & most of them are from British Columbia or Alberta.
-Our internet & Star Choice television are working great now that we've got all the bugs ironed out.
-No, I don't know what gas mileage we are getting with the motorhome. I do not need to intentionally depress myself!! It's just one of those necessary evils & had it been a serious consideration we would right now be sitting at home looking out the window watching the horrible snow storms blow through the neighborhood. And we would for sure be..............depressed!!
No, we are not worried about the illegal Mexican immigrants moving through the area. For people who live here it is not an issue & for those who don't, it is.

Hope that clears up a few questions & thanks to everyone for asking:)))))

GOOD MORNING MR. SUN

WEDNESDAY DEC. 12/07
I was careful about opening my eyes early this morning in case I came down with another case of clouditus. I carefully peered out the window & looked up at the sky. STARS!! And lots of them:)) Stars meant no clouds & no clouds meant, no rain!! Wow, the rainy season was over & we were in for sunny days again:))
Needless to say I spent part of my morning stretched out in the anti-gravity chair soaking up vast amounts of warming sunshine. The psychological advantage of a sunny day over a rainy day is absolutely a wondrous thing .

Thought we would take a little drive around this morning so headed east for a bit & headed north through a little place called Hickiwan, which our RV park, Hickiwan trails is named after. I may not have mentioned it before but our RV park is located on the western edge of the large Tohona Indian Reservation. The landscape itself is beautiful but some of the small towns & places along the road in the reservation here are, well..........not good!! We then ventured south down a road to-wards Mexico that actually hooked around behind those moody mountains that I have been putting in the web album the past couple of days. The road seemed endless so after going maybe 20 or 30 miles we turned around. No traffic except border patrol vehicles. We saw a couple of spots alongside the road that looked like religious places so I stopped & took a few pictures but we thought it best to keep moving. This is a very popular area for Mexicans heading through the desert so we kept a close eye on the roadside ahead. We had seen 2 border patrol vehicles earlier with their roof lights flashing not far from where we had turned down this road. One border patrol vehicle slowed down & eyeballed us pretty good but kept going. A few minutes later we noticed an ATV ahead on the left side with a patrol officer beside it & another one a few feet away with another officer. And then we noticed the Mexicans. There was about 10 of them sitting on the ground with their hands behind their backs. I noticed they all seemed to be dressed in dark colors & some of them had cowboy hats on. They had obviously just been rounded up by the border patrol & were awaiting for some sort of patrol vehicle to come & pick them up. They had probably spent the night or past couple of nights in the cold desert. It is so hard to understand how these people survive their flight from Mexico. This is a rough & harsh land with high mountains, canyons, gulleys, & large open stretches with little or no cover & it stretches for hundreds & hundreds of miles. How these people get through this land on foot is totally unbelievable. Alongside the roadsides are many small shrines to the people who have died along the way. Last year while we were here we found some toothbrushes, a ball cap, scarf, a leather bag, etc. in the desert not far from the campground that we surmise had been dropped or left by Mexicans passing through in the night. These people who are in search of a better life are not a threat. They don't bother anyone because they do not want to draw attention to themselves. If they do wander into a campground it's because they are looking for water. It's the drug dealers that are dangerous!!

We spent an uneventful afternoon just lazing around planning where we are headed next. We will leave Hickiwan Trails Saturday morning & head over to Yuma because we have an appointment Monday morning to get our awning fixed. It's been tied up since being pulled out of it's canister about 5 weeks ago on I-70 in a big Kansas wind storm. Wednesday we head into California for a place called Slab City near Niland. Yup, that's what it is called alright....Slab City......http://vagabonders-supreme.net/SlabCity.htm We have an appointment there Wednesday morning to get a couple of solar panels installed so that we can spend more time "free" camping in the desert.

To-morrow morning we're heading back into the Organ Pipe National Monument Park to do a longer car drive along the north side of the Mexican border. We hear it's another spectacular scenic road. This American southwest is just so beautiful & the mountains have a magic allure to them that is hard to explain unless you have actually seen them. We feel like we belong here......................... NO PHOTOS UPLOADED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

ANOTHER MOODY WEATHER DAY

TUESDAY DEC. 11/07
If we thought Monday had a lot of rain.........we hadn't met Tuesday yet!! We did get off to an optimistic start though when it appeared the clouds were breaking up to the east around 8 a.m. so out the door we all went & headed off across the desert floor on our morning walk. The great rain God in the sky waited until we had gone the better part of a mile before he smiled, & then started dumping water on us. The walk was abruptly over as we hurriedly trudged across the soggy desert floor for home. Thought I could here some chuckling up there too!!

That was about it for the rest of the day. Once again we were confined to barracks as the rain continued non stop. We remarked how fortunate we were that we had the internet & television up & working this past week or it would have been a pretty boring afternoon. A few breaks in the clouds & a few sun splashes late in the afternoon was enough to turf me out of the motorhome with my camera for awhile & I was able to get a few photos before the cloud cover socked us in again.

According to the weather reports to-day we should be finished with the rain & our day to-morrow will actually have some sun in it. Now, that would be nice:))))))

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!!

MONDAY DEC. 10/07
Rain, rain, go away & come again another day!! I must have been dozing off many years ago when the teacher was giving a lesson to the class on deserts. Guess I missed the part about the rain. When I think of desert I think of hot & dry. Outside our door right now it's neither hot nor dry. I'm just going to have to pay more attention in class!!

Before the rain started early this afternoon the sky was alive with dark ominous cloud patterns looking like the angry backdrop of a Rembrandt painting. They were the forerunner of heavier & darker rain clouds to come. In the meantime Kelly drove up to Ajo for some groceries while I stayed home with the furry guys & constructively did a whole bunch of basically nothing.

Whenever we set up our tri-pod satellite system we log into a program called Datastorm & enter our latitude & longitude numbers which in turn mark our location on the Datastorm North America map. It puts a little satellite symbol on the map along with hundreds of other Datastorm users & their little satellite symbols. You can click on these symbols & see who the people are & if they have websites. Each time a person logs their co-ordinates into the Datastorm program it immediately sends out an email to other Datastorm users in their immediate area. That's how we knew another Datastorm couple was in our area a few days ago. Kelly had a look at their website & signed their guestbook. The following day Jim & Myrna emailed us to say hello & after a few more emails back & forth we drove the 3 short miles to meet them to-day. Real nice folks who travel in a nicely done modified 38 foot older bus. They are boondockers who prefer to camp in the desert so we were really interested in seeing their set-up & talking to them about the lifestyle. They are heading for the Phoenix area to-morrow.

All the while we were at their place the rain picked up & remained constant so when we left, things were getting pretty wet. We unexpectedly hit a couple of gully washes on the highway that really surprised us. At home we have culverts to carry water under the roads but down here they just have a dip in the road that acts as a channel for the quick flowing rainwater. Took us about 3 gulley whomp splashes before we clued in to slow down whenever we came to a dip in the road. Good way to clean all the desert sand off the bottom of the car though.

Nice to get back to the motorhome, turn up the heat, & it wasn't long & the smell of spaghetti & meat balls began wafting through our cozy warm little home away from home. Aw yes, even rainy days can sometimes end up being ok too.............

NO PHOTOS UPLOADED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

STAR CHOICE SUCCESS & A TWILIGHT SUNSET

SUNDAY DEC. 9/07
It sounded like a lot of little feet running around on our roof but as I sleepily woke up I knew it wasn't December 24th & it couldn't be reindeer. It was raining!! That was a surprise because when I went to bed I could see lots of stars out the window & upcoming weather reports in this little corner of the planet are about as scarce as hen's teeth.

No soggy doggy walk this morning so after a bite to eat we slowly & a bit reluctantly began to have another go at getting our satellite Star Choice television system up & running. We went through all the same steps again plus a few new ones but the results were the same. It just would not work!! I had resigned myself to the fact that it was never ever going to work. I had moved the LNB thingy up & down the arm, checked & re-checked all the settings & hardware set up. We used walkie talkies & while I ever so slowly moved the LNB (the thing that picks up the satellite signal bouncing out of the dish) Kelly was inside watching the metering system on the television screen. We were trying for a number over 50 as I moved the LNB back & forth, back & forth. Numbers varied from 11 to 47. In total frustration I again gave up & came back inside & plunked myself down on the couch while Kelly went out & tried it. Nothing!!

A few days ago Kelly had posted an article on the Datastorm forum about the problems we were having & fellow RV'ers with similar systems & problems were writing back trying to help. Another RV fellow by the name of Don out in Brandon, Manitoba had sent about half a dozen emails with suggestions, diagrams, & explanations. He said he was even losing sleep over our dilemma trying to think of a solution. Well, guess what!! I was able to send Don an email this afternoon with the word....SUCCESS:))

And here's how it happened.....................Kelly was out at the dish & just dejectedly packing it in when a fellow Canadian RV'er (from British Columbia) drove in & stopped. We had been talking to this fellow a couple of days about our problem & he wondered how we were making out. I said we still hadn't got it working to which he replied, "how long was your receiver turned off." Odd question I thought but once we determined that we had not used the receiver since mid October until we tried to set it up last week, he said, "call Star Choice & have them zap it." Apparently in an effort to stop scammers from hacking into the Star Choice satellite signal it is periodically changed much like changing the combination on a lock. If you don't have your receiver on line to receive these changes then they are missed & the receiver will not pick up the new signal co-ordinates & therefore not work. At least that's how it was explained to us. Well, as soon as Kelly phoned Star Choice & explained the receiver not being on for over a month the lady at the other end just pressed a button or something which sent an electronic signal to the satellite which in turn sent a signal to our receiver & "WALLA" our problem was solved & our Star Choice was FINALLY up & running. And, once again it was a huge feeling of relief to know that I had done everything right afterall......again. (hmmmm, most unusual for me) Why the Star Choice tech people hadn't thought of that before we'll never know but I really think it all depends on the caliber of expertise the person on the other end of the phone actually has. Anyway, it's not time for pointing fingers..............it's just time for kicking back & enjoying some good old clear screen multi-channeled television thanks to that good neighbor. And, who was that masked man??........Hi-O Silver!! And you know what....I didn't even get his name.


To make matters even better, the day ended on another nice note as the cloud cover & periods of rain gave way to a pastel sunset complete with a rainbow & moody dark clouds backgrounding the beautiful mountains bathed in the setting sun. Grabbed my camera & managed to get some photos within a few hundred feet of the motorhome. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

Yup, I'm a gonna sleep well to-night. And you too Don, up there in snowy cold Brandon, Manitoba:))

ORGAN PIPE MONUMENT & THE AJO MOUNTAIN RANGE

SATURDAY DEC. 8/07
I had no sooner re-set up the satellite dish last night figuring the big winds had died down, when they returned. And they brought reinforcements this time...rain!! I agonized whether to go out & take the dish down again but finally trusted to the way I had it anchored down. Try as they may for a couple more hours, the winds finally gave up trying to knock down our satellite dish & packed up it's rain & went home. When we fired up the computer this morning everything was still hooked up & working fine. Chalk one up for AL for a change:))

According to the weatherman we were anticipating a cloudy day so were happy when the heavy cloud cover broke early. The air temperature had dropped after the wind & rain storm so it was nice to feel the warm sun breaking through & taking a bite out of the cooler air. Took a drive up the road & browsed a few garage sales & a flea market in Why.
The American Air Force must have the week-end off because there hasn't been any jets overhead to-day. Just the border patrol Blackhawk helicopter buzzing around.

Back from Why for a short siesta & then we headed off for, Organ Pipe National Monument. This is a very large biosphere stretching for many miles right down to the Mexican border. There are 2 scenic drives here & to-day we decided to take the shorter Ajo Mountain Range one. Took us nearly 3 hours to complete the 25 mile loop because I was stopping & taking so many pictures. This is an absolutely beautiful drive that I would recommend to anyone. Roads are mainly gravel with a few rough spots here & there plus some nicely paved stretches. It's a one way road so you don't have to worry about meeting oncoming traffic & there are signs at the beginning saying not to take vehicles over 25 feet in length. If it was all paved it would be a totally beautiful motorcycle run. Took about a hundred & twenty pictures but managed to edit that down to somewhere under a hundred.......http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

We couldn't help but remark again to-day how truly fortunate we are to be seeing & experiencing all these beautiful things. This truly is a beautiful planet.............

BIG WINDS & A BLM DRIVE THROUGH DARBY WELLS

FRIDAY DEC. 7/07
In yesterday's blog I made mention of some significant winds. Well, those winds became much more than significant last night & for the past 24 hours we have been caught in a HUGE desert wind storm here. The wind gusts began to really hit us hard about 9 o'clock Thursday night & intensified with each hour. Couldn't get to sleep so around 11 I went out & dismantled our satellite dish & put it in the car. No easy feat when your trying to man handle a big 3.5 foot oval & scoop shaped piece of aluminum in high winds......in the dark......in your pajamas!!

The winds kept up all night & neither one of us got much sleep. Luckily we had the forethought to put away the tables & chairs earlier & I had taken down the flag pole. Daylight did not bring any relief like I had hoped it would. The winds just kept hammering us & rocking the motorhome. Sounded like it was going to blow the air conditioners off the roof. I had put down the television antennae in the middle of the night as well. A lot of dust & dirt blowing around too. We had a wind sock hanging in the Paloverde tree & the winds blew that out into the desert but we found it later in the day caught on a cactus.

As dawn broke & it began to get light out I had a look out the window at the other RV's parked not far from us to see what damage they may have received & was surprised that none of them had taken down their satellite dishes. One fellow even had all his patio furniture, bird feeders, & barbecue sitting out & they all had their slides out as well. You wouldn't even know there was a wind over there. There are only 3 possible & practical answers to this. They either had big plastic invisible domes over there rigs or they all had their satellite dishes welded to the ground & slides cemented to the sides of their units, or they are all religious people who got to-gether the night before, sent a few words upstairs & had the wind turned off on that side of the park!!

Didn't take the dogs for a walk this morning because we didn't want the fur blown right off them. By 10 o'clock it was obvious the winds were not going to abate so we jumped in the car & took a drive up to Ajo. Had a bite to eat, browsed around a bit & then took a road just west of Ajo out into the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands. We had been around that road last year & knew it to be a really scenic drive where a lot of people come with their RV's & camp for free in the desert. Scouted out some sites & explored some new side roads. There are a lot of BLM lands in this area & it's something we have been considering for quite awhile. It's a nice way to camp & be away from expensive RV parks. No electricity or water in the desert but we are self contained & just need to outfit ourselves with some solar panels, a couple more batteries & an inverter. Tanks can be dumped when needed by driving into Ajo or any nearby RV facility with a dumping station. Anyway, something we are seriously considering.

It was windy in Ajo but not as bad as Hickiwan Trails in Why where we had come from & on the way back to Hickiwan we noticed how much windier it was getting & by the time we got to our motorhome it was like we were in a wind tunnel again. Of course not the other RV's though. Hmmmmmm!! Tried to set up a chair & it blew down. My hat took off & the last we heard was a U.S. Air Force bulletin about an unidentified flying object looking like a cowboy hat westbound at 25,000 feet somewhere over southern California.

It wasn't until around 7 o'clock to-night that we noticed the wind gusts were not quite as severe & the stretches of calm between them were getting longer. Because they are calling for rain in the early morning I figured it would be best to set up the satellite dish to-night & keep my fingers crossed that it will be ok overnight when the winds are predicted to diminish. So far so good.

When I had the dogs out last night I saw 3 more yellow flashes (flares) in different parts of the sky as the tiny blinking lights of the fighter jets criss crossed through the stars. Saw a bright light flash on coming my way for about 5 seconds so figured it was one of them throwing on his landing lights for whatever reason. (maybe he was sent out to search for my cowboy hat)
Hard to tell how high he was. Sure would be interesting to know what those guys are doing up there.

Well, at least I know what we're doing down here........sending a few words upstairs to get the wind stopped over on this side of the park too.......10-4!!

P.S. I did get my hat back:))

(My apologies to the VRay family)

DESERT WALKS

THURSDAY DEC. 6/07
We had busy skies overhead as we headed out for our morning desert walk. Within minutes we were buzzed by a border patrol helicopter checking us out in case we were a band of illegal Mexicans heading north across the desert floor. As they went over I shouted up that we weren't a band, but a bunch. The Bayfield Bunch!!
The sky high overhead was also filled with many unseen jet engines as the fighter pilot boys must have been doing high altitude combat maneuvers again. We could see the occasional sharp turn of a vapor trail as one of them would get above the 30,000 foot level. Some were much lower by the sound of it & one made a hard banking turn near us & I caught a piece of him with my telephoto lens but he still ended up pretty small in the picture. He's identifiable but I just don't know my fighter planes well enough to I.D. the make of the aircraft. The engines died away after about half an hour sending us back to the peace & tranquility of the silent Sonoran desert. Only the tweet of an occasional bird interrupted the quiet silence. Checkers lagged behind for the first part of the walk & then came alive as her & Max ranged out ahead of us scaring up the occasional jack-a-lope. Kelly built a small Inukshuk atop a ridge that will now guard the desert floor below forever..... http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy Our walk lasted about an hour & a half.

Around noon we hopped in the car & took a little explorative drive around the immediate area. Met a fascinating elderly lady living in her motorhome full time in the desert just a couple of miles away. Other rigs were scattered about across the desert floor as well. These people have a combination of solar panels & batteries & can stay for prolonged periods out in the boondocks & that's why they are called Boondockers. That kind of life certainly appeals to us & we've been thinking about that for quite awhile. RV parks can be very expensive & I'm not crazy about being near people to begin with. I like the idea of total peace & quiet & being able to open the door & let the doggy guys out without having to tie them up & I could hoist up our CANADIAN flag too!!!!!!!
Drove the 10 miles north to Ajo & picked up some groceries later & had us a little look around the place. It had once been a mining town but sure has fallen on hard times by the looks of the houses around the back streets. Check out the pink trailer park in the Web Album.

We were home by 4 & had another go at getting our Star Choice satellite system running but once again it ended in frustration which put a cloud over the rest of the day again. We seem to be so close but just can't figure out what the problem is. Got a site meter in Ajo to-day which told us we were right on the satellite signal but back at the television the signal strength just wasn't strong enough to bring in the Star Choice programs. This modern technology stuff sure can be stressed filled!! I can remember back to the days of no television & just a.m. radio stations. Crank telephones, party lines, coal furnace, wood kitchen stove, outside outhouse, pump for water, etc. etc. Geeeezzzzzzz, what happened!!!!

It's 8 o'clock Thursday night, the flyboys are chasing each other around overhead in the night sky again, the wind is picking up significantly, rain predicted for the week-end, dogs are sleeping, Kelly's reading a book, & I'm sitting here typing away at this here blogger thingy. I know it's not too exciting or particularly well written but for me at the end of the day it kind of put's things into perspective & gives me something to do that I like. If you find anything in the writing or in the photos that bring you some enjoyment, then I'm pleased. If not, you are only a couple of clicks away from traveling to anywhere in the Universe with your computer that you care to go......................... Happy travels:))

P.S. Thanks to Hermit for all the encouraging comments & thanks to Froggi Lady for this mornings "flag issue" support:))

Hope the nasty Bayfield weather clears up in time for the Stormrunner folks heading to Florida.

Thanks to Camlachie Fred for all the favorable photo comments.

Much appreciated everbody...................................

OUR FIRST REALLY HOT DAY

WEDNESDAY DEC. 5/07
I even ended up putting my shorts on to-day so you know the temperatures got up there for Al to put his shorts on. Even by 9:15 as we were out walking in the desert we were beginning to sweat. By 11 we had to retreat inside out of the hot sun but luckily we have a single Palo Verde tree right beside us which gives us some shade. We can't use our awning because it was torn out by a big Kansas wind last month on I-70.

It was so nice this morning to be out walking among the giant Saguaro cactus again & the desert is much greener this year than last. The prickly TeddyBear cactus presents a bit of a problem for the dogs because of their needle like prickers. We had to stop twice & use the tweezers to pull them out of Cora's little paws. You can see Kelly carrying her in a couple of the web album pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy The two photos of the sunrise were taken from inside the motorhome looking out the door across the desert to the south. I took a bicycle ride back through there late in the afternoon. The desert floor is excellent for bicycles because of it's hard, finely graveled surface. Gotta make sure not to crash into one of those prickly cactus guys though or it would be much big time pain for sure!!

We tried again this afternoon to get our Star Choice television signal from the satellite dish system working but no luck again. We sure do have our troubles. We finally gave up in frustration. Our internet & television are on the same satellite & the internet has been working perfect but we just can't seem to hone in the television signal. I suspect a hardware problem on the dish itself.

I had hoisted up our Canadian flag yesterday when we got here but took it down to-day after receiving two negative comments. I'm not going to say anymore about this other than there seems to be a BIG code of ethics here in America about flying another country's flag. We figured by flying the Canadian flag it might be noticed by fellow Canadians passing by but it obviously got some noses out of joint so rather than risking an international incident I took it down & put up an ordinary wind sock. Enough said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To-night I sat outside under the stars with my binoculars again watching the American Air Force put on another great show high above the desert floor. I'm assuming they are doing night air to air combat "dogfight" missions. Each jet has a double flashing strobe light & some of the jets have solid red lights. Can't actually see the planes, only the lights. They fly mainly in pairs with one gaining quickly on the other sometimes. At one point I saw a bright yellow flare in the dark sky which I presume was released by a jet maybe signifying a kill. I've counted as many as 8 planes at a time going different directions with some of them doing wide sweeping turns. It's really interesting to watch these flashing lights & Red Baron pilots swooping & turning in the inky black sky against a background of endless stars.

No idea what we're doing to-morrow but I'm sure we'll think of something.......maybe:))

HICKIWAN TRAILS.....SO GREAT TO BE BACK:))

TUESDAY DEC. 4/07

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I always find it a little sad leaving campsites. After spending time creating memories, each site feels a bit like home after awhile & when you leave, chances are very good that you will never pass that way again. So, it was with sadness that we rolled out of Dead Horse Ranch State Park this morning around 10:15 a.m. Good bye Dead Horse & we hope to see you again some day.

We nearly made it out of Cottonwood but got snagged by a Wal-Mart. Those Wal-Mart's are like Mecca's for RV people. One stop & you can pretty much get everything you need. Bonus!!

We took scenic highway 260 to I-17 & headed south for Phoenix. Beautiful sunny morning & the traffic was light. Saw our first Saguaro cactus about 50 miles north of Phoenix so felt like we had really arrived in the wild, wild, west at last. Climbed onto the 101 loop that rings around Phoenix from the north & swings to the west. Nice 6 lane highway & the traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. (I always think things will be worse than they usually are) From what we could see of Phoenix it looked like a nice clean city with palm trees, tiled rooftops, & coral colored homes. The landscaping along the highway was very well done & meticously (sp) maintained. Reminded me of some well to do Florida neighborhoods I've seen in the past. Aside from a little ker-fuffle transitioning from 101 to I-10 & ending up in a Costco parking lot, the trip through Phoenix was very smooth.
Headed west to the little town of Buckeye & then south to Gila Bend where we filled up our propane tank. It was a nice feeling heading south out of Gila Bend knowing we were headed for an RV park that we had stayed in last winter & liked so much. Hardly any traffic as the desert floor stretched out ahead, beckoning us on to the distant blue mountains of Mexico. Sort of felt like we returning to our winter home. The pretty little town of Ajo looked just as we remembered it & 20 minutes south of Ajo we made the left turn in Why heading the 2 miles east to Hickiwan Trails RV Park. Yes, it felt like we were home:)) Only about a dozen other rigs scattered about here so we were able to pick ourselves a really nice spot with our door facing south & opening right into the endless Sonoran desert.
We set up our internet satellite system & within minutes found the satellite & in no time at all we were on the internet. What a great feeling to have that work after experiencing sooooo much frustration awhile back. You know, some days you just can't lose for winning:))))))

This was definitely the warmest day we have had since leaving home on Oct. 27 & it was so nice to walk around outside without freezing cold temperatures to-night after dark. Stars from horizon to horizon so I will definitely have the telescope out to-morrow night but even to-night I could see the comet, Holmes with the binoculars in the constellation, Perseus. And then, we saw something unusual. A series of 5 horizontal red lights approaching in the sky from the southeast very slowly. No sound & too slow to be aircraft. They were being followed by single flashing lights at various distances. At first I thought, Wow, UFO!! But alas, as the formation came closer we heard the barely audible sound of jet engines. I was able to track the formation with my binoculars & determined that it was one larger aircraft surrounded by 6 or 7 smaller aircraft. This is a big military area with a lot of military aircraft in the air so I think this was some kind of night operation with some kind of stealth aircraft because I have never heard jet engines soooooo quiet or jet aircraft move sooooo slow. Wow, what a great way to end a great day. I think maybe we will just stay here forever & let life just march on along without us.................................................

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Hickiwan Trails >>>>>>

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OUR LAST DAY AT DEAD HORSE

MONDAY DEC. 3/07

<<< A flock of early morning geese winging their way over the town of Cottonwood.

We had made a decision over the week-end to resume our trek southward Tuesday morning so to-day, being our last day at Dead Horse, was spent relaxing, soaking up some warm sun, re-organizing bins, attaching the bicycles on the motorhome & just a general overall clean up.

Just a few words about Dead Horse Ranch State Park & the Verde Valley. This area will always remain one of our favorite places. Dead Horse S.P. is a really nice place with lots of RV volunteer people here keeping the place in tip top shape. It's scenic with lots of hiking, walking, & bicycling trails. The Verde River runs through the park adding a tropical riverbank flavor to an overall desert environment. There are several sizeable lagoons that must be stocked with fish because we see fisherman on the banks casting into the water. The towns of Cottonwood & Clarkdale are minutes away with all the amenities, but not the big city madness. The quaint little mountain town of Jerome is visible on the far mountainside & twinkles like a jewel in the night. Jerome is about a 20 minute drive & a "must see!!" Sedona is less than half an hour in the other direction & one of the prettiest towns I've ever seen. Lots to so & see here. Dead Horse Ranch S.P. is higher than the town of Cottonwood so the view at night overlooks Cottonwood as it stretches down the Verde Valley. Bottom line.............this is a great place & The Bayfield Bunch recommends this State Park & Verde Valley area 100% :)))))

Not exactly sure where we are headed to-morrow but we'll slip down highway 260, climb aboard I-17 & head south to-wards Phoenix. North of Phoenix we'll pick up highway 101 west & south to I-10 & then boogey west to the town of Buckeye. We may stay in this area for the night or we may head south on 85 to Gila Bend. Gila Bend is the decision point as to where we will go next. East to Casa Grande, south to Why, or west to Yuma & knowing us we probably won't be able to make that decision until we are coming into Gila Bend & are several hundred yards from the interstate ramps. Straight through to Why, right hand ramp to Yuma, or under the overpass & make a left hand turn onto the I-8 ramp heading east to Casa Grande. Decisions, decisions, don't ya just love em:)))))

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A DAY IN BEAUTIFUL SEDONA, ARIZONA

SUNDAY DEC. 2/07
So happy to be rid of the past couple of cloudy & rainy days. The morning dawned clear without a cloud in the sky. We waited until the sun was up awhile & warmed the air before our morning walk. Finally, we are getting a little now older & a little now smarter:))

Headed off for Sedona around 11. Nice 20 minute scenic drive to what I think is one of the prettiest towns & have ever seen. Sedona is ringed by beautifully colored mountains & huge rock formations. The first thing I noticed as we drove into Sedona was that there are no tall buildings & the second thing I became aware of was the colors of the buildings themselves. It's obvious that a lot of thought & planning went into Sedona to make it a "pleasing to the eye" kind of town. The buildings, sidewalks, curbs, walls etc are all colored the same as the surrounding mountains. Beiges, browns, topes, tans, sand colors & red rocks tints are used in everything. I only saw one white house & it stood out like a sore thumb. The east side of Sedona is very commercialized but it's commercialized in a very nice way. The architecture of the buildings, the many statues, the old west flavor, artsy shoppes, cafe's, high end hotels, restaurants, gift shoppes, plaza's, it's all there & it all fits to-gether to make one of the prettiest towns in one of the most beautiful settings I have ever seen. Yes, the shoppes are pricey, & a cup of coffee can set you back $1.85, & there are some flim flam time share bandits trying to talk you into time share deals but overall, Sedona is a beautiful place & a "must see" for anyone in the area. Reminded me a little of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The commercialism in Sedona however, is done with taste & respect for the traveling public & most of all, in respect to the beautiful mountain terrain that Sedona is such a part of. They have done such a fine job of blending the town into it's environment.

We spent about 6 hours in & around Sedona to-day & were actually in & out of the town 3 different times as we explored up & down surrounding canyon roads, suburbs, & main highways. Didn't get a lot of hiking in but it was just one of those days to do something different.............and we did:)) WEB ALBUM...http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

BUFFETED BY HIGH WINDS & RAIN

SATURDAY DEC. 1/07
I think it was about an hour after I had fallen asleep that I was suddenly awakened by the rocking of the coach & a tell tale howling sound outside the window. Wind!!!! And lots of it. The driving rain was beating on the roof & the wind was blowing it sideways against the windows. My first thoughts were about the satellite dish outside & surely it must have been blown over. The wind was coming in gusts as I shone my flashlight in the direction of the dish. I fully did not expect to see it, but there it was, standing steadfast against the onslaught of the wind. Our Canadian flag wasn't so lucky because I saw it on the ground to the east of the satellite dish. I watched the tri-pod set-up for a minute & crossed my fingers that it would be alright, & it was. But, my aluminum ladder which I had placed between the dish & the motorhome to support the satellite cables suddenly blew over pulling the cables down with it. The satellite dish didn't move but the other end of the 2 cables which ran up to & through the motorhome living room window & hooked into the modem & router for the computer, did!! The cables pulled the modem & router right off the dinette table & down onto the seat. A quick inspection showed no damage so I just left the router & modem where they were. Spent the next hour or so just sitting, watching, & worrying about everything until the wind finally abated around 2 a.m. The rain never let up & I couldn't help wonder where all that water was going. It had now been raining steady for well over 24 hours. There had been flash flood warnings on the television earlier but they were more centered around the Phoenix area to the south.

Glad to see the first light of day creeping over the valley but the rain didn't let up & the sky was black with ominous clouds. Wasn't until around mid-morning that the rain began to let up & we began to see the first bits of sunshine trying to break through the clouds. The wind picked up again but I reasoned that might be a good thing & hasten the departure of the clouds. And it did. By noon we could see ever widening patches of blue sky. The wind picked up even more so I added some weight to the tri-pod by hanging a heavy water jug under it plus I staked down each of the 3 legs. The gusting wind continued all afternoon & I was really impressed with how the satellite dish remained stable. We made one slight re-alignment on the SatMex 5 satellite & it kept us on-line all day.

The high winds dried up all the water puddles around the motorhome & by the end of the day we were somewhat back to our normal desert like conditions. Big clean up job though from all the mud we, & the dogs had tracked in. Kind of put some meaning to the phrase, "mud puppies."

We still haven't made it to Sedona yet so we'll try again to-morrow if it's sunny. I think we'll roll out of here Tuesday morning & maybe head south to Phoenix. We'll wait & see which way the wind blows us................................ :))
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A RAINY DAY

FRIDAY NOV. 30/07
The rain started in the night & continued for the whole day. No thunderstorms or heavy stuff, just a steady medium rain. Disappointing for the doggy guys when we had to explain to them why we couldn't head out for a walk this morning. You can see the sad look Checkers has on her face in the picture & you can see how the water on our site had to pool right at our door of course!!

Picked up some groceries, did a couple loads of laundry & that was pretty much the excitement for the whole day. I don't care much for lugging a camera bag around so had mentioned to Kelly the other day I wouldn't mind picking up an old fisherman's type vest sometime to carry a few camera accessories around in. My interest in photography has been slowly returning after laying dormant for the past 14 years. Photography vests I looked at years ago were waaaaaaay too expensive. Well, wouldn't you know it, Kelly browsed around in Cottonwood this afternoon, found a used sports equipment store, & bargained a used $25 vest down to $10:)) Yay Kelly:)) And, it's like new, and.........I'm sure it will be showing up in some pictures soon.

Had myself a little anxiety fit this afternoon when I decided to start up the motorhome for a few minutes to re-charge the battery. When I turned the engine on, our coach electricity went out. I was immediately convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that I had done something wrong again. Checked the fuses but everything was ok so figured the converter or inverter or whatever mosmagatus governs the electronics in these motorhomes must have quit, exploded, burnt up, or whatever. Checked the re-set switch on the post outside and that was ok too. To say I was storming around upside down would be putting it mildly. Then, Kelly noticed a fellow RV'er outside of his trailer looking at his electrical box as well. Maybe, just maybe, a glimmer of hope here, & yes, his electric was off too. Ya-hoooo!! Seems the electricity for the whole park was out. Wow, what a relief for Al. Wasn't something I did afterall. When I was outside checking the electric box I did hear some police/ambulance sirens coming from the town of Cottonwood so I figure maybe one of the locals not used to rain & slippery roads may have taken out a hydro pole somewhere. It was just coincidental that the electricity was knocked out at the same time I turned the motorhome engine on. Aw yes, some days just don't seem quite as bad as others........................................:)))) NO PHOTOS IN THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

KIND OF A NOTHING DAY:((

THURSDAY NOV. 29/07
Cloudy cold morning with a wind blowing so our walk didn't last too long. We did manage to get a little sunshine later in the day but for the most part it remained cloudy. Have you noticed by now how we Canadians like to carry on about the weather. Not just me, we're all kinda like that up there.

We had kind of a quiet, nothing day. Didn't go anywhere, didn't really do anything, just kind of vegged out. Took the doggy guys for a walk along the Verde river in late afternoon & that was about it.

Big weather front coming in to-morrow with a lot of rain predicted over the next couple days...........well, there I go again about the weather. I better get out of here!!!!