A COLD & WINDY DAY

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15/08

It wasn't only cold this morning but it was windy too. We had a few patters of rain now & again in the night so there were large patches of heavy cloud overhead when we stepped out. Max's ankle is slowly healing & he was out limping around for about 10 minutes this morning before he wanted back in. We all felt bad having to leave him behind on our walk to-day but it's best for his ankle. He was pretty sad watching out the window as we headed out into the desert.Our objective was a large rocky outcropping near the rig. I always like to climb something near by to get a perspective of where we are. It was an easy climb except for the last 10 feet but I was no sooner up there & Checkers was right behind me. She has to be part mountain goat. Kelly made it up next & all of a sudden the the little Motormouse popped up over the ridge too. Don't know how they do it sometimes, but they do. We could see the rig far below & knew Max was probably on the couch sadly watching us out the window. Usually he would have been the first one to the top. Took a bunch of photos of the surrounding terrain before we started our descent. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy As I've said before, going down is always the hardest part & so it was to be for the little Motormouse. Checkers was fine but Kelly had to help the little mouse over the rough spot near the top. After that she was fine & her & Checkers bounced the rest of the way down the hill like a couple of ping pong balls. As we neared the rig we could hear Max crying. He was so upset that he couldn't come with us. Maybe in a few days, we'll see. The clouds became heavier & the temperature really seemed to drop so the Bayfield Bunch spent most of the day inside with the heater going. A few windy spatters of rain here & there but at least the weatherman is calling for sunny warm temperatures to-morrow. The clouds lifted a bit in the late afternoon so I grabbed my camera & took myself for a walk. Had spotted what looked like a coyote's den so wanted to have a little closer look at that plus there was another big rock I wanted to climb up on. Splashes of sunshine slowly swept across the desert floor in the distance making for some nice photo opportunities. Climbed a small hill & then scrambled up the large rock. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy The footing was a little precarious at the summit but I was able to kind of wedge myself between a couple of rocks & take some photos. Was also able to build a small Inukshuk while there as well. It was so peaceful there & I could see for many miles in all directions, especially the south where the Ajo Mountain range lay about 40 miles away. The big mining slag heap near the town of Ajo was visible as was the mountain whale maybe 60 or 70 miles away. The small fascinating mountain behind us looks like a fairytale castle & you will see it popping up in a lot of my photos. This land is sooooo beautiful & to sit high atop a rock & watch the sun filtering through breaks in the clouds & playing on the mountains & desert floor below is pure magic. These are memories that will last forever & as one of my very own favorite sayings goes...."The only thing better than right now, will someday be the memories of right now." As the heavy clouds began to give way to the late afternoon sun I came across some tiny flowers on the desert floor. I have no idea what they were but I took pictures of them anyway. It was after 5 o'clock by the time I reached the rig & Kelly was just putting some burgs on the barby. Nice way to wrap up a day. The setting sun cast a yellow hue over the mountains & valleys so I was able to take a few more photos before calling it a day. I know I should edit the photos down to about 10 a day or less but I'm not too good at picking out the best ones. To me they are all best memories:)))

FOUND OUR PERFECT RV SITE AT LAST

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14/08

Our recently warm weather has gone into the dumper as we woke up to a cold windy morning. Never even made it out for our walk. Max is still staying off his left ankle so it was a good morning for him to stay on the couch. Had problems uploading the web album photos this morning & we seemed to have some internet connection problems so we spent most of the morning trouble shooting.

We had planned on moving to a new RV site west of Ajo in a couple of days but after being at Mike & Maureen's last night on the Darby Hills road, we decided to pack up & move to-day. It's just too beautiful there to miss another day. Drove the 3 miles over to Hickiwan Trails, dumped our holding tanks, & topped up the fresh water tank & water jugs. Stopped in the office to help Ray with a few things on the computer & then we were on the road heading for Ajo. Arrived in the Darby Wells BLM land area about 2 p.m. Had looked at a site the previous night that was totally secluded so that's where we headed for & luckily no one was there when we rolled in. This is by far, the nicest RV site in the nicest area we have ever been at. Photos can't even begin to do it justice. We are sooooooo happy to be here & cannot believe our good fortune at finding such a superb site. Our friend's Mike & Maureen are our closest neighbors & they are out of sight about a quarter mile away. I will probably wear my camera out over the next couple of weeks taking so many pictures. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy We just can't believe our luck:)) No chance of some yakky doodle RV club moving in right next door either. So many new areas to explore, trails to hike, & rocks to scramble on. Nobody around us but birds & coyotes. I am so looking forward to total peace & quiet in the lap of Mother Nature herself. At last.........we may have found our winter home for years to come:)))))) Hmmmm, can you detect the excitement in the usually un-excitable guy...............................................

FLOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS

AM EXPERIENCING A FEW UPLOAD PROBLEMS SO WILL ADD PICTURES TO THIS BLOG LATER & WILL UPLOAD PHOTOS TO THE WEB ALBUM LATER AS WELL..................

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13/08
Just love to hear the sound of birds when we step out of the rig in the mornings here. Short walk with Checkers & the Motormouse because we still want Max to stay off his injured ankle & he gets a very sad face on if we all go out for a walk without him. Beautiful warm morning so we decided to head back to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Park & do the second of two hiking areas there. This is our 4th time on the scenic 21 mile Ajo Mountain road loop & it just gets more beautiful everytime. One of the things I like so much about mountains is how they continuously change their appearance with each hour of the day. Shadows creep into new areas as the sun arcs it's way across the sky. Clouds cast moving shadows across them like huge dinosaurs roaming the canyon walls. Sun & cloud cast hues of color highlighting the multiple stratus or rock. Greens & golds, mauve's & maroons. And to-day for the first time we see the hillsides alive with the orange & yellow desert poppy. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy It has turned into another one of those magical mornings as we pull over to the side of the road & I'm able to finally take some photos of mountain flowers. What a beautiful place this is. And, not a sound. The silence of the desert mountain ranges is overpowering. To stand amongst the desert poppies with the warm wind gently playing through the cactus & the sun washing over the desert valley floor below is something I will always remember. Once again I am reminded over & over how truly fortunate we really are to be here.

We arrived at the trailhead of the Estes Canyon hike to Bull Canyon & wasted no time in beginning our trek upwards . We had an 800 foot climb along a rocky & sometimes precarious mountain path. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy With a good mixture of huffing & puffing we made our way along, enjoying the large vistas behind us as we climbed higher & higher. Signs of early spring were evident with multiple buds everywhere. I imagine there will be an explosion of color here sometime in the coming weeks. Finally, as we crested a small ridge, a bench came into view overlooking the vast Bull canyon before us. We had reached our destination. It is so humbling to stand in the presence of great majestic mountains & vast panoramic canyons.
Kelly sat on the bench for a water break while I headed up a little further & built a small Inukshuk & took a few more photos. A solid cloud cover had moved in & the wind was picking up so we decided not to stay long & head back. The descent down the mountain path, although easier in one way, is much harder in others. The descent is usually where injuries occur because of the loose rock & different weight bearing position of the body. However, we made it down without incident enjoying the magnificent scenery all the way. The car seats sure felt good when we sat down. Headed out of the park to the highway & drove the 20 minutes north back to our sight. The wind had really picked up so we had to scramble around battening things down. Must be a storm front coming in.

Back in Quartzsite we had taken our screen door off because we were having some problems with it sticking. It had been attacked by our car port back home in Canada last summer. When I took the door off I was very careful to put the 9 screws in a very safe place that I would be sure to remember where they were when we wanted to put the door back on. We haven't see the screws since!!!! Loaded up the screen door in the car to-day & went to the hardware store in Ajo looking for new screws. Never new there were so many different screws in the world. Picked out 9 that seemed to fit, so we'll see.

From the hardware store it was over to the grocery store & then out west of Ajo to visit some RV friends who are boondocking for their very first time in the desert . This area is sooooooo beautiful. Maureen & Mike (from London, Ontario) had dropped out to see us in Why last week & had invited us for supper. They have a superb spot with no visible RV anywhere near them. We are so looking forward to moving over to that area in a couple of days because it has just become too crowded here. Mike barb-e-cued up a big load of hamburgers while Al spilt some Pepsi on the floor of their spacious 5th wheel:(( I am such a boob sometimes) Had a nice visit & will probably see them again in a few days when we move up into the area. It was dark by the time we left & of course we had trouble finding our rig when we got back to the BLM land with all the different vehicle tracks winding through the shrubs & trees on the darkened desert floor. With a whole lot of luck & a little bit of logic, we finally found the rig. The gang was sure happy to see us & Max was able to hobble down the steps by himself for a washroom break. Slight improvement but I think we're going to have to keep him off that ankle for quite awhile. We were both so tired that we were in bed before 9 o'clock. I didn't even have enough energy left to edit the photos or write the blog. The mountain trail climbing is the easy part. It's the visiting part that always knocks the stuffings out of us. Maybe we should have called ourselves The Hermit Bunch instead of the The Bayfield Bunch. Do ya figure.............................

A RELAXING DAY, & SOME VISITING TOO

TUESDAY FEB 12/08
Max (our blonde border collie mix) had a good night & as long as he stays off his left ankle he's ok. I carried him out for a washroom break this morning & he was able to hobble around a bit but wanted back in & spent the rest of the day snoozing on the couch except for another washroom break late this afternoon. He isn't in any pain & is able to put a little bit of weight on it but we'll keep him inside & off that leg for as long as we can & give the sprain a chance to heal. He's being a very brave little soldier & hopefully he'll be out roaring around with the other 2 ram jams before too long. But, I think we are going to have to put the sticks away for quite awhile.

Another beautiful morning in the Arizona sunshine so after a short dog walk with Checkers & the Motormouse we went for a bouncing bicycle ride across the desert floor. What a great way to start the day.
Slipped over to Hickiwan Trails RV Park & helped Ray with some email & website questions around 11. He's doing fine. Still waiting for some parts for the big Wifi antennae but the small router antennae is doing ok at the moment & pushing the signal out a couple hundred yards from the office. When I pulled in to-day, 3 people were sitting in the breezeway at a picnic table with their laptops. (OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy)

Through the RV-Dreams.com (http://www.rv-dreams.com/) forum we met another blog couple awhile back with similar interests in RVing & Photography. We had blogged & emailed with then now & again over the past few months & last week they headed down this way from the Phoenix area. To-day we got to finally meet Sandra & Gordon who are now staying over at Hickiwan Trails for a few days. http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/ Really nice laid back full timing RV couple who have been on the road since back in the fall of 2001. Check out Gordon's website photography at http://gordonwolford.com/ Great stuff!! We had a big RV chin wag for a couple of hours & it's always interesting to learn new things & pick up new tips from fellow travelers. RV friendships quite often are of short duration & as Sandra & Gordon departed this afternoon we knew we would probably never see them again because RV people are generally always on the move criss crossing the country in pursuit of their interests, dreams, & nomadic way of life. We wish you well, fellow Nomads:))

The nights are getting warmer so I spent some time outside under the stars to-night with my trusty binoculars checking constellations, stars, & American jet fighter jocks chasing each other around in the star filled black sky. Counted as many as a dozen blinking light aircraft in all areas of the sky from horizon to horizon. Bright yellow & slow descending flares were coming down over the Barry M Goldwater military range again & it was nice to sit by the campfire quietly watching all the shenanigans. To add some authenticity to the silent jets in the night sky, the coyotes were sure howling up a storm nearby on the other side of the dry creek bed.

We might head over to the Ajo mountain range in the morning to do the Estes Trail hike. Need a break from the RV people noise that has encroached on us here the past couple of days!!!!!

NO PHOTOS UPLOADED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY

ONE OF "THE BUNCH" IS INJURED:((

MONDAY FEBRUARY 11/08
So nice to step out of the rig this morning & hear birds singing. There are more trees in this area & where there are trees, there are birds. We didn't get off to a real great start though because one of the Bayfield Bunch suffered an injury before our walk even started. I was having a game of sticks with Max & Checkers while waiting for Kelly & the little Motormouse. While chasing a long thrown stick, Max either sprained or strained a left leg while bounding across a wash. He came back limping badly so we got him into the rig & onto the couch. This has happened before but it seemed worse this time. He stayed on the couch all day & right now is sleeping peacefully on his doggy bed. We'll see how he is in the morning before making any decisions.

Kelly spent most of the morning re-organizing all the kitchen cupboards which had all just been involuntarily re-arranged yesterday morning by a couple of big gully whomp ditches. I re-arranged all the bins trying to get the weight of the motorhome more evenly distributed. Beautiful morning for puttering & there's nothing like having a real live shady tree to putter under too. Temps have really gone up the past few days & even the wind was warm to-day. In fact it was even warm in the shade. We sure love the American southwest:))

We were sitting in the shade under our big old mesquite tree early this afternoon when a pick-up truck rolled in with the beep, beep, of it's horn. It was our RVing Canadian friends we had met in Utah who are now boondocked at Darby Wells west of Ajo. Nice to see Mike & Maureen again & we had quite a chin wag for a couple hours.

Not sure how long we'll stay here because a number of rigs have swarmed in fairly close to us now for some kind of rally. We just seem to have the worst luck in our quest for peace & quiet. If the people noise continues we will have no choice but to pack up all our stuff & move to a quieter spot.........if there is such a thing!! Very, very, frustrating:((

Beautiful starry night, but Mother Natures quiet solitude is trashed by the sound of running generators. Had a nice camp fire going but I gave up & came in:((((((((

I UPLOADED TO-DAY'S PHOTOS IN YESTERDAY'S WEB ALBUM

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/

YABBA DABBA DOOOOO, IT'S MOVING DAY:))

SUNDAY FEB. 10/08 WHY, AZ.
Finally, it's moving day:)) Beautiful Arizona morning as usual as we started packing things up for our move to the BLM lands just 3 short miles away. Tanks to dump, fresh water to load, bins to be packed, interior to be secured, etc. As a rule, moving days tend to be a bit stressful. I'm always inpatient & chomping at the bit to organize things & get the big wheels rolling. Well, you know what impatience leads to. Nearly knocked myself out when I hit my head on an open bin door, the water hose had a temper tantrum when I couldn't get it unfastened from the coach, the TV aerial put up a fight when I tried to lower it, my shoes were hiding on me, I would just get all the doggie's in the coach & they would be right out again, loaded up the 8 big firewood logs we've carrying since Boreggo Springs AGAIN, the automatic step wouldn't re-tract & then I tried to drive away with the emergency brake on!! Yup, another perfectly normal day in the life of an RV'er..........10-4 But, finally we were ready to go, and soooooo away we went:)) Picked up some propane in Why & drove the two miles south to the BLM lands. No sooner had we pulled in there and we took a wrong turn & got ourselves onto a nasty little road of sorts. By the time we scraped ourselves (Kelly was driving the car separately) back on the main road I had gone through some huge holes on the trail & a couple of bad gully whomp washes. I could hear the banging & crashing behind me as the coach rocked violently from side to side going through the gullies. Cupboard doors were being jarred open, cans of soup, pots & pans & just about everything but the kitchen sink were airborne & crashing to the floor. No point in stopping so I just soldiered on down the road until we had reached the campsite we had seen the day before. But, there was a problem!!!!! Somebody had beat us to the site:(( I pulled the motorhome over & dejectedly shut it down. The floor behind me was littered with everything kitchen oriented imaginable. I climbed over tins of this & boxes of that & exited the rig. Kelly had parked behind & we now had to decide on another site. Upon closer observation of the people on the site we had hoped to get, I noticed all they had was a blue jeep. Now I was really steaming!! To think somebody would take that perfect big rig space just to have a picnic!!!! Grrrrrr!! We pulled into another spot that wasn't nearly as nice a short distance away & shut things down. I did not have nice thoughts about the picnic people in the spot we wanted. Well, within minutes a tall older man came walking towards us. I thought, "oh no, he's gonna tell us to get out of here." I couldn't have been more wrong. This kindly man suggested we take the spot they were at because they were getting ready to leave anyway & that site was suited for a big rig like ours. Well, can you imagine the guilt feelings washing over me at that moment. Here I was thinking bad thoughts about these people when all the time this older couple were obviously having good thoughts on how they could help us getting settled into a nice camp site. Thankyou so much to the considerate & genuinely nice couple from Ajo, Arizona with the blue jeep:)) Boy, I sure got a lot to learn, & I'm only 63:((

Words can't express how happy we are to be back out in the desert boondocking again. We really lucked out this time & found a great spot beside a big old shady mesquite tree. Nobody close to us, lots of space for the doggy guys, & the site is perfectly level. We didn't even have to put the motorhome's jacks down. (I don't like those things anyway) So nice to open the door & leave it open for the rest of the day. So nice to sit in the shade of a big tree again & listen to the wind in the branches. Nice to hear birds flitting about from tree to tree & best of all, no people sounds. Aw yes, how sweet it is:))

Kelly slipped up to Ajo for groceries & I finally resumed reading my Marshal South book. First time since Quartzsite nearly a month ago. Beautiful night again with stars from horizon to horizon & a beautiful crescent moon. A fellow RV'er stopped by & told us to lock up our bicycles. The illegal aliens moving through the area at night don't bother anyone but they will take the bicycles if they are not locked up. When I was out for a walk with Max earlier & I saw a flashlight burst way out in the desert, & then another one & a few seconds later, another one. I figure it's a group of people moving north through desert near us. And yes, we have our bicycles doubly locked up...............................

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

AND THE WAITER WAS PACKING A GUN!!

SATURDAY FEB 30/08
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

The guy who served us breakfast this morning was wearing a gun. Yup, it's true!!

The days & nights are getting warmer & the last two nights we didn't have to turn our Blue Flame propane heater on. I even put on a short sleeve summer shirt finally. We didn't go to far on our morning walk because we wanted to take a drive over to some BLM lands about 3 miles from here & scout out a boondocking site for to-morrow. We were planning on moving to the Darby Wells area west of Ajo but I think we'll head out in the morning & set up camp at the area closer to Hickiwan for the week. That way we can still pop in & help Ray out with the computer stuff if he needs it. He successfully installed the Wifi antennae to-day which will cover the whole park. Only remaining glitch is figuring out why the website is taking so long to appear on the web. We'll probably go to Darby Wells next week.

There is lots of room in the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands with other rigs scattered about here & there. Not as scenic as Darby Wells but a nice area just the same & people have been boondocking there for years. It's 2 miles south of Why at mile marker 55 on the west side. We'll be sooooooooooooooo happy to be out in the desert again where the dogs can run free & we can leave the doors & windows wide open for the birds & bats to fly in & out:)) Might even have a lizard or two in for afternoon coffee. Nothing like waking up in the morning with a couple of tumbling tumbleweeds tangled up in your socks. Ya just gotta love it!!

On the way back from the BLM scouting trip we made a snap decision to drop into a little Cafe we had been meaning to try out in Why. Three RV rigs parked outside & a few cars. Well, the Cafe was kind of a typical little small western town kind of place. (OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy)
Sorta sparse looking inside & the windows were crying out for a couple gallons of Windex but there were about a dozen people there so we figured we would give it a whirl. A young fella with a big Arizona cowboy hat about 2 sizes to big for him arrived at our table with menus. The cowboy hat wasn't the only piece of western ware this guy was wearing though. Besides the well worn dusty cowboy boots he was also packing a gun under his green T-shirt. We heard the couple behind us inquire about the visible gun barrel & he told them that he owned the Cafe & had a lot of cash in the register. Told them 2 illegal Mexican aliens had held the lady next door at knife point while they ransacked her house, so he wasn't taking any chances. And he was serious too!! I figured this must have just happened recently so the next time he came to our table I asked him when that incident had occurred & he said about two & a half years ago. Ooookay, I thought. I was his age once & any excuse to wear a big cowboy hat, dusty boots, & a real gun & holster would have been totally super in my world too. Yep, I understood this guy real good:)) I did take some candid pictures of him & in one you can see part of the gun & holster sticking out of his T-shirt at the back. (OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy) Anyway, thought it was kinda neat in a way. Oh, by the way, the breakfast was great & I even took a picture of it. Would I go back.......you bet!!) I like cowboys with oversized hats & real 6 shooters:)) Well, it's the real west ain't it!!


Not much doing for the rest of the day but for the first time since leaving home in October we actually flipped on the air conditioner for awhile this afternoon & also had a fan going. Weatherman says it's going to be even hotter to-morrow. WOW!!

Because of the warmer night air we were invigorated enough to jump on our bicycles after supper & go roaring out into the twilight desert. Hadn't gone far when Kelly tried to shift gears & her chain came off. These ka-zillion million geared bicycles are a real complicated mass of multiple sprockets, chains, de-railers, mosmagators, & so on. After looking at the limp & jammed up chain I immediately figured it was the end of the world & we might as well throw the bicycle on the junk pile & walk home.............but, we always have an ace up our sleeve in these dilemmas. Kelly!! Without further ado, complaining, or listening to my doom & gloom junk pile idea, she patiently set to work getting the chain back onto one of the sprockets. I helped out a little bit & within minutes we/she had the problem resolved & we were up to warp speed across the desert floor again. Because I always carry my camera everywhere we were able to get a few nice sundown pictures before weaving our way back to the park in the dark amongst the saguaros, chollas, mesquite's & creosote bushes. (OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy) I've always had excellent night vision so we made the quarter mile bumpy ride back to the park without getting ourselves pin cushioned to a cactus in the dark. Noticed some fellow RV'ers had a campfire going & we heard the strumming of a guitar. A beautiful crescent moon hanging over the warming desert floor made for more great Hickiwan memories to take home with us once again this year:)))))))))

WE'RE STILL AT HICKIWAN TRAILS

FRIDAY FEB 8/08 http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

They say a rolling stone gathers no moss but I'm beginning to feel a little mossy. We were hoping to have the wheels rolling this week but looks like we'll be here a few more days. We're still waiting for the Hickiwan website registration process to finish so we can make sure the website is up on the web & everything is running OK.

We are going to have to start keeping an eye on the calendar now because it is the third quarter of our travels & I can sense the vacation days beginning to wind down. Before this week it still seemed like we had endless days ahead of us but a month from now we will likely be starting the last long leg of our journey home to Canada from somewhere in New Mexico. Probably only have a couple more weeks in Arizona left before heading east to Columbus in southern New Mexico. (subject to change) From there it's up to Truth or Consequences to visit Kelly's sister & husband who are full time RV'ers working 3 months at River Bend Hot Springs. That will be our last stop before we make a bee line for home................. depending on weather conditions of course:((

To-day was a quiet day. Took our usual beautiful morning desert walk & this afternoon I helped Ray's brother-in-law set himself up a blogger account. Other than that, all was quiet on the RV front.

In yesterday's blog I had mentioned about meeting some fellow RV bloggers along the way. Kelly had a coincidental meeting with Froggi Donna a few days ago in Ajo. Kelly first came across Froggi Donna's blog last fall when Froggi D had posted a blog about vehicles she had owned. I noticed that I had once owned the same kind of vehicle. Might have been a Vauxhaul or something unusual like that. I put a comment on her blog & she answered. Froggi D also has a motorcycle & so do we & since then we have kept tabs on each other's blogs. A lot of the people who have dropped in our blog has come from Froggi Donna's site. Froggi Donna came to Quartzsite when we were there but we she had a very heavy schedule with the Escapee's Club & we didn't get a chance to meet her. A week ago she arrived in Ajo & was camped out in the desert with the boondockers. Kelly was in Ajo getting groceries when she noticed a familiar looking rig at a gas station filling up with propane. She wheeled in & sure enough it was Froggi Donna. Kelly had recognized Froggi D's rig from the pictures on her website. Kind of nice when things happen that way. You can find Froggi Donna at, http://myprimeyears.com/lilypad/
Drop into her website, say hello, & tell her the Bayfield Bunch sent you:))
The folks we met yesterday here at Hickiwan are Sandra & Gordon & their website is http://srmerrikinblog.blogspot.com/ Some people have commented on my photos from time to time but they pale in comparison to Gordons. Scroll down the right side of the blog & find "Sites to See." Look for "Gordon's Photos." Now, that is photography!!

We had a rare visitor to-day. A small blonde haired boy by the name of Zak wandered by & wondered if he could come in & see the dogs. We said ok so in he came & I took some pictures of him holding onto little Cora. I think he looks like Dennis the Menace. And if he was Dennis the Menace, I sure would make a good Mr. Wilson!!

Beautiful crescent moon to-night hanging low in the western sky...........................

EL PANCHO RE-VISITED

THURSDAY FEB 7/08
A few days ago we had come across a large Saguaro cactus that we named El Pancho. Took a picture of Kelly standing beside it but didn't include the whole cactus. A friend in Kitchener wondered if we could take a photo of the complete cactus, so that was our mission this morning........find El Pancho!! Not as easy as it sounds in a flat landscape with many Saguaros but after a bit of searching we finally re-located it. Took some pics of Kelly & Checkers beside him. We have seen taller Saguaros in Organ Pipe Nat'l Park but we've never seen one with as fat an arm as El Pancho. Maybe we should have called him, El Popeye!!

I don't have a lot to write about to-day. Spent a big part of the afternoon on the computer stuff again. We're disappointed that the registration process of the Hickiwan website is taking so long. Ray put up the tall Wifi aerial late this afternoon so now most of the park is Wifi covered. Met a couple of blog mates when they checked into the park to-day with their truck & fifth wheel. Blog mates are simply people who kind of keep tabs on each others blogs & sometimes are actually in the same place at the same time. And so to-day, we met Sandra & Gordon:))

The American Air Force is busy to-night. A lot of twinkling little stars moving around the sky & sounds of jet engines. Two very bright yellow flares caught my eye low on the western horizon. They hung in the sky with hardly any perceptible movement but with the binoculars I could see the spiraling smoke trails. Then, 2 more flares, & then 2 more as the first 2 flickered out. Hard to tell the distance but they were west of Why, Az. Might be border patrol flares to light up the desert floor but I couldn't see any helicopter lights. Also could be flares from Air Force planes because the large Barry M. Goldwater training range is in that direction. The Arizona night sky is a busy place!!

NO PHOTOS UPLOADED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-NIGHT

A neighbor in Bayfield Ontario, Canada sent us this photo to-day of Lake Huron where we live.

Sure glad we're here & not there:))

THE DESERT STONEMAN

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 6/08
Another great thing about the southwest's deserts & mountains is the abundance of rocks, lots of rocks. A rock hounder's paradise. Rocks, rocks, everywhere. Lava, quartz, granite, shale, & limestone just to mention a few. Of particular interest in this neck of the woods is the much prized desert rose chalcedony which is a small white quartz rock. Kelly has found 4 so far & all of them right here at Hickiwan Trails. One of the 4 is perfectly formed.
This morning we set out scanning the desert floor for desert rose quartz to the east of the park. Our hike took us around a rocky ridge & into our favorite walking place, Valley of the Saguaro. (that's the name we gave it) This is a beautifully serene little valley lush with prickly pair cactus, numerous chainfruit cholla, hundreds of tall Saguaros, organ pipe cactus, palo verde trees, mesquite trees, & quartz rocks. Many beautiful pieces of white quartz scattered about. We didn't find any desert rose pieces but we did bring back a bunch of quartz pieces that I later took a picture of. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy I'm sure the desert rose pieces are here because I don't think there have been a lot of people in this little valley. We also heard donkeys braying on the far side of the valley. When we were here in December of last year I bicycled over here one day & took a bunch of moody mountain pictures of the Ajo mountain range on an overcast & storm tossed day. Those photos can be seen in our web album for Dec 10th, 11th, & 12th. of 07. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy
There was something else we found here in the valley last December & this morning we came across it again.......The desert stoneman. He hadn't moved since the last time we saw him & I hope he will be here the next time we come. You can see him in to-days album pictures.
Checkers got herself into a pile of cholla prickers so we had to stop & gingerly get her all unstuck. Cora had some in her paws as well & Kelly had to carefully remove them despite Cora's obvious objections. Nasty things, those prickers. I had one stuck to my shoe the other day.
As we left the Valley of the Saguaros this morning I knew it would be our last walk there for a long time. To me, it's a very special little valley & I'm allready looking forward to returning someday.

The afternoon was spent on computer stuff again. Put Google Earth & Mapquest on the park's computer this afternoon & worked on the Picasa Web Album. Kelly wrestled with some connection problems between Outlook Express & Hughesnet. Ray went into Ajo & purchased a larger Wifi antennae that he will put up atop his office. We're hopeful this will be enough for the Wifi signal to reach the farthest reaches of the park. Still a few bugs to iron out getting the site onto the web. Checked a few minutes ago but Google hasn't picked it up yet. The Hickiwan Trails RV Park's website will be...............
hickiwantrailsrvpark.com
The site isn't totally finished but it is at a point where it can be on the web. I can continue to work on it from our own computer here in the rig so that will be a big help.

We hope to get down to Organ Pipe again shortly to do the second hike on the Ajo loop drive so maybe in the next couple of days we can take a break from this computer stuff & get ourselves into some WOW country again:))))) That would be nice.

WE FOUND THE ELUSIVE DONKEY GANG

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 5/08
I was optimistic this morning as I snapped a 135mm telephoto zoom lens onto my camera. We still had donkeys on our minds from the night before & I had a feeling we might have a remote chance of finding the burrows this morning. Didn't find any donkey suits to wear but figured I always have my jack-ass suite on anyway so our chances would be good.........And they were!! Within minutes of leaving the rig we heard the tell tale sound of a braying donkey far off out in the desert. We headed in the general direction when we noticed Max sniffing the air with his ears pointed straight up. We were down wind from the herd & he had picked up the scent. From that point on we just followed Max at a brisk walk for about 20 minutes. We could occasionally here the donkeys but despite stopping & scanning, we couldn't see anything. There was a tall rock outcropping with a tree on top quite a way ahead of us (I put an Inukshuk up there last year) & we headed for that. The sounds told us we were getting closer so we kept our eyes focused on the desert floor. Problem was, we were focused on the desert floor.......and not the hill. I first noticed a speck of white on the hill which at first I dismissed as the morning sun glinting on a rock. Noticed a few other irregularities about the hill so decided to keep an eye on it. While moving forward & throwing periodic glances at the hill........one of the white specs moved. Ahaaaaaa!! We had finally found the elusive wild donkey gang. Took a picture from where we were http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy & then as we closed in on the hill & the donkeys began to move I took more photos. Little Cora was going bananas & ran straight for the herd barking. Max backed off & dropped way behind us fearing what was ahead. Checkers just laid down & said, donkeys schmonkys, who cares. The growing number of burrows came down off the hill & defiantly began to slowly retreat around to the other side. I didn't try & get too close to them because I didn't want to disrupt the herd. We counted about a dozen animals & while I was taking some pictures, Kelly hollered over that there was another herd about a quarter mile to my right, watching. Got a couple shots off of those guys before they melted into the desert landscape. Meanwhile little Cora was still determined she was going to take a couple rounds out of the whole herd so Kelly had to catch & hold her. She wiggled & squiggled but Kelly held on tight & carried her back a few hundred yards. Took a few more pictures before standing quiet & savoring the moment. Not something you see everyday & we had been really hoping to see the donkeys on this trip, and now, there they were, just a few hundred yards ahead of me. I whispered a quiet thank-you to my new donkey friends before turning & walking back to where Kelly, Cora, & Checkers were waiting. Max was still hiding behind a Palo Verde tree quite a distance back. All & all it was a nice feeling as we made our way back across the desert floor heading to the rig nearly a mile away:))

We alternated with Ray's computer in the afternoon & thanks to Kelly's patience & perseverance the whole system is now up & running. Wifi & all. Kelly did a lot of trouble shooting & finally figured out where the bugs were hiding between the computer, modem, router, & wireless network adaptor. She finally got them all communicating properly with each other. The park now has Wifi. The signal distance at the moment is about 500 feet but Ray has a large outdoor antennae ordered which should be here in 2 days, which when installed will reach to the farthest ends of the park. We were all so happy that at last we could see light at the end of the tunnel. The website is published & still in the registration process but we're hoping the Google search engines will pick it up shortly & spread it across the web. I'll post the website address as soon as I see the site on the net.

A good day all the way around.
P.S. The web album to-night is full of donkeys....I hope they don't leave a mess in there:))))

A LOOK AT HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK

MONDAY FEBRUARY 4/08
We awoke to the sound of rain on the roof around 5 in the morning & that meant a pajama scramble outside to fold up the wood tables, get a big bag of dog food inside, fold up the lawn chairs, & get the bicycles covered up. And all done on cold wet cement in bare feet......Aw yes, the joys of the RV lifestyle.

The rain continued until about 10 so we missed our early morning daily desert doggy walk. Big puddles, threatening skies, & brisk cold winds seemed the order of the day. While Kelly was working on Ray's computer I took Max for a walk in the desert. The other two furry heads were snoozing so I didn't bother them. We had only gone about a quarter mile when I heard a little "pop" on my hat. Then a few more pop, pop, pops. Small white things were bouncing off the ground....hail!! Didn't last long & there wasn't much of it, but for about 10 seconds we had hail in the desert.

Both Kelly & I worked on computer problems this afternoon but finally had to give up because of some kind of connection problem on Ray's computer regarding the Hughesnet modem, netgear router, & a USB wireless network adaptor. That stuff is just a bit beyond us & he will have to get someone in who knows about connection problems. However, we did get lot of other stuff successfully completed & the little website I put to-gether should be on the world wide web within a day or two. Kelly got the site registered with it's own domain name & I just have to link the site to the Picasa Web Album site & we're done. And done means moving back out to the BLM lands for us...yay. However, I won't be done with the Hickiwan website because I can continue to access & work on it from our computer no matter where we are. It's been quite a little learning experience for us, but a bit stressful...................................

A herd of donkeys came in close to the park earlier to-night but we just missed them. By the time I got my camera into gear the donkeys had moved off into the desert & darkness was setting in. I had been out by the road trying to catch a few photos of the sunset & by the time Kelly got my attention about the donkeys, it was too late. Maybe to-morrow night we'll put our donkey suits on & go stand next to a cactus & wait for the donkey gang to ride into camp again:))))

Hickiwan Trails Park RV website....
http://hickiwantrailsrvpark.com/












This is Hickiwan Ray....he manages the park

RE-UNITING WITH SOME OLD RV FRIENDS

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 3/08
Woke up to a beautiful fiery sunrise this morning & because of the partial cloud cover it wasn't as cold as it usually is. Our daily morning desert walk took us through another area we hadn't been before. With every walk, the desert reveals a little more of herself each day. This morning we came across the largest Saguaro we've ever seen. We call him, El Pancho. Kelly also found a huge nest of some kind in a Mesquite tree. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

We will probably be leaving Hickiwan Trails sometime this coming week so later this morning we took a drive up to Ajo & out around to the west on Darby Wells road. We are scouting out some new areas for boondocking. This is BLM land & it's a beautiful area with an abundance of organ pipe & Saguaro cactus. Big jagged rock croppings jut out of the desert floor making for a beautiful landscape. We first drove through this area last year & we checked it out again when we were here nearly 2 months ago. Have a look at the pictures in our web album for December 7/07. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

While in Ajo we picked up some groceries & then went over to visit a couple of fellow RV'ers we had first met way back in Cannonville, Utah on November 15/07. Maureen & Mike are from London, Ontario & travel full time in their 33' Cardinal 5th wheel. Nicest 5th wheel interior I've seen so far. M & M are in Ajo for a week before moving on to California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia & then back home to London in April. We had quite an RV chin wag & caught up on travel adventures. Slipped out to a little restaurant called Marcela's for some burgs & fries. Nice to see them & they are going to drop in to have a look at Hickiwan Trails this week on their way to the scenic drive in Organ Pipe Cactus National Park.

The wind really picked up late in the afternoon & as I'm typing this the motorhome is rocking to the big Arizona wind gusts again. Must be something going on just up the road because a helicopter has been hovering & circling in the darkness & we can see the flashing lights of police cars & border patrol vehicles on the road. Probably some folks slipping through the desert I suspect.............................

AJO, AJO, IT'S OFF TO THE MOUNTAINS WE GO

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2/08
Another beautiful Arizona morning. Walked to a rocky ridge just east of the park, climbed up to the top & built an Inukshuk there. Kelly & the doggies waited at the bottom. A lot of loose rocks so it was a little tricky coming down. It's generally always harder coming down from a climb than going up. We were to find that out later in the day.

We headed off to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Park around 11 & turned left off the highway opposite the visitor center. This is the 21 mile loop drive through the Ajo mountain range & what a beautiful drive it is. We made this drive back in December & I was glad to be back here amongst the endless Saguaro cactus in the Ajo mountains. I think this is one of my favorite places. There are 2 hiking trails on the loop so we decided to stop at the first one which is, the Arch. Sign says the trail goes for three quarters of a mile & then gets steep. This is a beautiful valley with awesome mountains. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy The walking is reasonably easy along a narrow rocky path with lots of plant life along the way. Thousands of organ pipe cactus dot the mountain slopes bottom to top. At the three quarters of a mile spot a sign warns of the steep rocky climb ahead. We went another quarter of a mile & decided to take a break before heading back. The path ahead looked pretty rocky & steep in parts & we didn't know how much farther up the mountain it went. I would have liked to keep going but sometimes you just have to understand your aging limitations & make wise decisions. Nuts!! Oh, to be 40 again:)) In this kind of land it's frequently hard to comprehend the awesome beauty surrounding us, & this was one of those places. Words just fail me & it's impossible for photos to do justice to the canyon. Couldn't help but think of the long circumstances of difficulties over the years that finally made this whole journey possible for us.

Coming down a rough stretch of rocks is always far more difficult than going up so I went ahead of Kelly & took some pictures of her making her way carefully down the quarter mile stretch we had climbed up earlier. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy Nice to get back to the car & sit in the soft cushy seats. We hadn't done a hike like that since our Ghost Mountain hike in California about a month ago. These kinds of medium difficulty hikes are my favorite thing to do. So great to feel the exercise in the legs. So great to see scenery that you have never seen before. So great to experience the "WOW" factor over & over. Just soooooo great to be in the American southwest......"WOW!!!!!!!"

NOT MUCH DOING TO-DAY

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 1/08
Aside from following some burrow tracks across the desert floor this morning & working away at the Hickiwan computer this afternoon, we just ended up not doing much of anything to-day. I've been working on the Hickiwan Trails website to-night so I'll just keep the blog short.
I've got my fingers crossed that we can do some hiking to-morrow. Need a break from all this computer stuff...............................................

OH OH, JUST GOT A NOTICE SAYING I HAVE RUN OUT OF SPACE TO UPLOAD MY PHOTOS!! I WILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO TO THIS TO-MORROW.