A GREAT CHATTERING FROM THE SKY

FULL MOON SETTING THIS MORNING

The frost encrusted car told us we had a cold morning going on outside so right from the get go we jumped into our warm winter Canadian clothes. No snow on the mountains this morning but it felt like we were parked right next to a big iceberg somewhere.

We didn't waste anytime getting our rounds down stopping only briefly to talk to Jeanie & Ray who were likewise dressed in warm clothes. The chickens had their toques on & the big four legged guys were wearing heavy woolen scarves, furry ear muffs, & matching hooves mittens. All the dogs refused to suit up saying they thought the donkeys looked ridiculous in their matching attire.

THE RANCH

Jeanie & Ray headed off to Sierra Vista later to find some extra parts for a new water heater they were putting in. We hung around the rig mainly staying in out of the cold wind. It was around noon when I noticed there was a steady sound in the air outside. This sound continued steadily until around 3 in the afternoon & never let up. It was the thousands & thousands of Sand Hill Cranes returning from their morning feeding grounds. There must have been a lot of gossip going on to-day because there was an awful lot of chatter coming out of the sky. Noticed that they were flying much higher than in previous days & the flocks seemed a lot larger. They seemed like mere specks against the blue sky. Sat in one of the lounge chairs for awhile with my binoculars watching wave after wave go over. I could tell there were many small groups within the larger groups. Sometimes only 3 or 4 birds in a single group. Sometimes single birds moving around in the flock. And the flocks weren't always going in the same direction. Sometimes they would circle around & merge with another flock. Sometimes small groups would break away going in the opposite direction. And all the time was the constant chatter. It's more of a weeble than a honk. HIGH FLYING CRANES TO-DAY

In the coming weeks we hope to check out some very interesting places in the area. The Texas John Slaughter Ranch east of Douglas, the alpine like village of Bisbee in the Mule mountains. Cochise's stronghold in the Dragoon mountains, Geronimo's surrender point in Skeleton Canyon, ghost towns Gleeson & Pearce, just to mention a few. Was feeling a little under the weather to-day so hope I'm not coming down with a nasty case of chickenpecks!! YEP, WE'RE ON A RANCH ALRIGHT

To-night's DVD was, Amazing Grace. Based on the true story of Wiliam Wilberforce & his quest to end the British slave trade. An inspiring movie & well done. Liked this one:))

No photos for the web album to-day. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

STORM CLOUDS & SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS

THE SWISSHELM MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE RANCH


The rooster started up about 4 & the rain started about 5. The wind never got started because it never got stopped from the night before & yes, I know it's not proper English to use the word got but I'm tired so I gets to say what I wants:)) SAND HILL CRANES FLYING BY THE MULE MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE RANCH


By the time the doggy guys rumbled in & out for their morning constitutional we had about half an acre of yukky mud in the rig........everywhere.

We donned our seldom used raincoats & headed for the chicken pen about 8:15. Jeanie met us half way & walked around with us as we fed the chickens & dogs. She checked the rain gauge & noticed we had a quarter inch of rain this morning. Ray came out & we all walked down to the corral being careful to steer clear of the muddy patches. Luckily the rain quit & we were able to shed the cumbersome raincoats. Because the donkeys & horses stayed in the corral & pen areas overnight they had to be fed this morning. Normally they are out on the range feeding but because of the inclement weather they are staying under cover for a few days.

PORCH CORNER WITH MULE MOUNTAINS IN THE DISTANCE

The dark rain clouds had dropped snow in the mountains & as they slowly lifted off the mountain tops I made a bee-line for the rig to grab my camera. It's not every day we get to see scenes like this. Flocks of Sand Hill Cranes were making their way north to their feeding grounds & the snowy Mule mountains to the west gave them a picturesque backdrop. My hands were freezing because of the wind-chill factor but I did manage to get a couple of nice photos. The cloud shrouded Dragoon & Gleeson mountains to the northwest caught my attention next & as I turned to the east, the snow covered Swisshelm mountains presented another photo opportunity. What a splendid morning it turned out to be despite the cold temperatures. The rest of the day evolved into a mixture of sun & clouds so we decided to take a drive down to Douglas this morning around 10. The cloud shadows playing across the Swisshelm, Perilla, & Pedregosa mountains on the way to Douglas made for a beautifully scenic drive. In the mixture of sky & earth it is the clouds that add character & to-day what a moody & mysterious character the clouds presented themselves to be. Downtown Douglas was very quiet as we drove along the main street admiring the old buildings. We reached the south end of town & had to swing round to the west because we were right at the Mexican border. Found a spacious mall with a good selection of stores including a Wal-Mart. We weren't long in getting a grocery cart rolling & spent half an hour picking up a few groceries. CLOUD SHROUDED DRAGOON MOUNTAINS TO THE NORTHWEST

We were back to the ranch by noon & spent the rest of the afternoon shoveling all of the morning's mud out of the rig. Mats to be shakin out, steps to be swept, doggy paws & shoes to be cleaned, etc. The winds outside made for a cold day so we stayed inside & watched a DVD about the San Pedro River. Very informative & we learned more about the plants & animals in the area. To-night's DVD movie was called, Run The Wild Fields. I liked this quiet heartwarming tale which takes place during the mid 1940's in rural & small town America. Just kind of a feeling good kind of movie with the producing, directing, & acting, all done well.

We've got another storm front rolling in to-night so we'll see what to-morrow brings.

TACK HOUSE, PENS, & CORRAL

Afternoon chores went off without a hitch so all the critters will go to bed to-night with full tummies. I've always known that animals are a heck of a lot smarter than us people folks & now I'm seeing it in the actions of the horses & donkeys here. Just little things so far but it's nice to know I've been right about my theory all along....................:)) THE FARMYARD

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BIG WINDS TO-DAY & OUR FIRST SOLO CHORES

THE DONKEYS BEAT THE HORSES TO THE HAY IN THE TIRE

It was apparent right from the get go this morning that we had a big weather front coming in. The winds started early & continued to really build through the morning.

Kelly & I were out the door at 8 with our chores list in hand & got the chickens & dogs fed. Remembered to turn the farmyard water on as well. Jeanie & Ray came out later to confirm that we had done things right & no chickens lives were lost.

BUT LOOKOUT......HERE COME THE HORSES!!

We were low on milk so figured we'd drive over to Elfrida about 7 miles away & have ourselves a look around for a grocery store. Passed through McNeal on the way but not too much there. Heard about a good bake shop in Elfrida so that was our first stop. Big sign said "Breakfast" so that was good enough for me. Hadn't had myself a big old mess of bacon & eggs for a very long time so this morning was the morning. Next was the Library (went right by your house Sarge but looked like you had company:)) where Kelly got a library card so we could pick up some DVD movies. Stopped at the High Lonesome Trading Company for a browse.

By the time we got back to the rig the winds were so bad we just got ourselves inside & closed the door tight. Couldn't let the doggy guys out for fear of them getting their fur blowed right off. The dust blowing across the roads & fields made me think of those blowing & drifting snow storms in Canada.

AL PREVIOUSLY PUTTING HAY IN ONE OF TWO TIRES

Kelly had picked up 5 DVD's at the Elfrida library so figured we might as well have us a Saturday afternoon matinee. Because we are in the Tombstone area we decided to watch the movie "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell & Val Kilmer. This is a very, very, bad movie. It would be on my top 10 list of the worst movies that I've ever seen. It's waaaaay over the top, poor acting, & not factual. In other words, a typical Hollywood shoot-em-up western movie. I think the movie actually did a dis-service to the town of Tombstone. It's so bad I don't think it should have ever been released. Just my opinion!! HEY, HOW'S ABOUT SOME HAY IN THIS BLUE BIN FOR ME!!

Jeanie & Ray had to leave for a Birthday party up in Sunizona so we were totally on our own for the afternoon chores which included feeding the horses & donkeys. We got off to a good start when Kelly lost her glasses which she later found in the chicken pen under a pile of chicken dust. Gleeson & Pearce, the 2 dogs were totally confused about these two aliens putting food in their dish & I think the two yard cats left town. We did gather 3 eggs though & not one single chicken was harmed in the writing of this blog.

Next, it was time to feed the donkeys & horses. Kelly whooped up a predetermined formula of mash & away we went. She headed over to the horses feeding station & I went & loaded up some hay in a small cart. Headed for the corral & made sure Kelly locked the gate behind me as I divided the hay between two large tractor tires in the corral then walked (pictures in album) over to open a second gate to let in the 3 donkeys & 2 horses. Donkeys weren't sure about the look of me so hung back a bit until I moved away from the gate. Figured they'd just as soon give me a slap upside the head going by anyway. As soon as I was far enough away the stampede was on as the donkeys & horses came roaring round the corner & through the gate about 300 miles an hour. Donkeys got to the tire first & managed to wolf down some hay before the horses roared in & turfed them out. Donkeys went to the second big hay laden tire & wolfed down a few more mouthfuls of hay once again before one of the horses took over that feeding station as well. Oh no, now what to do. The donkeys were standing there looking at us with long, sad, & hungry faces. I went back & got a big forkful of hay & headed back for the corral. Carrying all that hay on a big hay fork in a big wind acted like a sail & I nearly ended up on the other side of the property. The wind had taken half the hay by the time I got back to the corral but we did manage to get some into a blue plastic bin for them. They did get some but I think the guys are gonna go to bed to-night with a little less in their tummies than they did last night.

AL EARLIER OPENS THE GATE FOR THE DONKEYS & HORSES

We fought our way into the wind & headed back to the rig. Remembered to turn off the barnyard water too. I really felt sorry for the Sand Hill Cranes & Snowgeese as the large flocks fought their way directly into the big headwinds overhead on their way back from their feeding grounds. I stood & watched as large flocks were at times motionless in the air from the big wind gusts. They struggled as best they could, keeping lower to the ground than usual. We thought of maybe hooking up one of Ray's trailers & driving up to the feeding grounds to see how many cranes & geese we could get on the trailer & fit into the car to drive them back to their roosting area.....poor guys. WELL, I KNOW IT ISN'T MUCH....BUT HERE'S SOME MORE ANYWAY

Weatherman says the next few days are going to be windy, wet, & colder, so we may not be moving too far. Good thing we got some DVD's.....................10-4 I wonder what rooster soup tastes like!!

P.S. All the great photos at the corral to-day were taken by Kelly:))

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THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS OF SAND HILL CRANES

ONE OF MANY SAND HILL CRANE FLOCKS OVER THE RANCH EVERY DAY

Jeanie & Ray's ranch sits right next door to a recreation area called the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area here in southeastern Arizona.
http://www.wildlifeviewingareas.com/wv-app/ParkDetail.aspx?ParkID=162
http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/wildlife_area_whitewater.shtml
Thousands upon thousands of sand hill cranes & snow geese fly right over their ranch every day. The birds spend the night south of the ranch & lift off in the early morning flying north to feed in fields about 50 miles away. About mid day they begin returning to their water habitat in large groups & we can hear their calls high overhead practically all day long. Huge formations, one right after the other winging their way across the skies.

MASSIVE FLOCKS OF CRANES

Our morning chores are shorter than the afternoon ones. First thing is to feed the 9 chickens & one noisy rooster. That rooster starts crowing about 4 in the morning & just keeps going, & going, & going. I call him the Energizer Rooster!! The two outside cats & 2 dogs are fed next & that's about it for the morning's chores. Pretty easy so far huh. Oh by the way, the two horses names are Banshi & Sporty & they are owned by a lady living in Tombstone. Both mares are expecting foles in March so the owner will be picking them up before that occurs. (I hope)SNOW GEESE ON THE WATER

We saw the huge flocks of Sand Hill cranes going over heading north this morning so later on we took a drive down the road to the shallow lake where they would be returning to later. Bird watching people were already there with spotting scopes & cameras waiting for the massive flocks. We walked around on top of the berms & saw a lot of various ducks & small birds. My small telephoto lens only goes up to 200mm so I'm limited as to what I can photograph well. Birds are small objects & unless they are sitting at a birdfeeder in your backyard it's pretty hard to get close enough to them to take any kind of quality shots. However, I did manage to shoot well over 150 photos of which only a small amount will make it to the photo album. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
We did get a tip about a Great Horned Owl in one of the Wildlife's buildings so I did manage a picture of that fellow as well.

VERMILLION FLYCATCHER ON THE WING

We were back to the ranch around noon & spent the early part of the afternoon relaxing. Ray had earlier roto-tilled up some ground close to the porch & I had raked it so this afternoon Ray helped Kelly plant some onions, radish, & spinach. I then helped Ray cut down some large reed grass to use the stems for making poles in another fencing project around a second border vegetable garden. By then it was nearly 4:30 & time for the afternoon chores which were the same as this morning but with the added duties of feeding the donkeys & horses. It's a good thing Jeanie printed out all the instructions or we would be feeding the hay to the dogs, the chicken scratch to the cats, & the dog food to the turkeys. Turkeys???A GREAT HORNED OWL KEEPS A WARY EYE ON ME

Sat on the wrap around house porch before supper talking with Jeanie & Ray. Truly nice people. They almost have their 5th wheel ready to head out for some holidays soon. Well, as soon as they can teach us two knuckleheads how to give the right food to the right animals that is. And no, Toto, horses do not have feathers.................................... THE RANCH

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THE BAYFIELD BUNCH ARRIVES AT THE ARIZONA RANCH

THE RANCH

I generally like to get things squared away the afternoon before the next mornings departure. Sometimes in the mornings the roof of the RV is very wet from the night's dew so unless I want to end up with wet pants, I'd better get those panels down before nightfall. Also, some mornings can be windy or cold so I'd rather secure the panels on a previous sunny warm afternoon. In my impatient world it just wards off getting myself into a big snit first thing in the morning & wrecking up the day for myself. The more I'm able to do the day before, the less I have to do in the morning because......once I'm ready to go.......I'M READY TO GO!!

As usual, I was sad about leaving a memorable spot but excited by the unknown adventures ahead. Did a final walk-around of the rig, said good-bye to our site in the Tombstone Hills, climbed into the rig & headed out. It wasn't far to the ranch so we didn't hitch up the car. Kelly & the Motormouse drove up to the gate by the road & opened it. Max, Checkers, & I rolled through the gate & headed northeast for Tombstone with Kelly & the mouse bringing up the rear. The car was needing some gas so after a quick stop for fuel we were southbound out of Tombstone on our way to the Ranch. We knew we were plenty early so we took our time heading southeast on Davis road & just enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way. Large prairie like grasslands surrounded by distant mountains on all sides. Another big Arizona morning.

We rolled into Jeanie & Ray's ranch around 10:30 which was about half an hour ahead of schedule. I'm one of those guys who always gets to where he's going to.....early!! I am almost paranoid if I'm ever late for anything. Years ago, my best friend Jim & I used to meet at a local coffee shop back in Stratford Ontario a couple times a week. We did this for about 5 years. Our meeting time was always the same...7 p.m. My arrival time was always the same as well...6:55 p.m. Jim's arrival time never changed either & he always showed up at precisely 7:05. Nothing was ever said in all those years about being early or late. We used to talk about every imaginable thing under the sun except, why was I always early & why was he always late. Sometimes, there are just some things grown men don't talk about!!

Jeanie & Ray really have a nice ranch here & they pretty well have built it from scratch all by themselves over the years. Ray helped guide the rig as I backed it into a pre-determined spot. For the first time in over 50 days we are actually going to have electricity, a water hook-up, & asewer connection. Gonna take us awhile to get used to all that 10-4. I had to even think for a minute which bin door to open for the electrical cord. It's amazing how these aging brains forget things if it's not repetitive. OUR NEW DIGS AT THE RANCH

There are 3 donkeys, 2 horses, about a dozen chickens complete with a rooster, 2 outside cats, 1 inside cat, 2 resident dogs, & one part time dog. With our 3 dogs we knew it could be quite a circus once we got here but Jeanie said not to worry about it. Jeanie is a dog whisperer & knew how to introduce all the critters to each other. Everything went off without a hitch except when little Cora thought she could just waltz right into the donkey corral & straighten those guys right out. Well, it was a close call for the little Motormouse when the donkey's turned the tables on her & chased her around the pen. Jeanie had to swiftly intervene & quell the troubled waters by quickly hoisting the shaking little motordog over the fence to me. We won't have to worry about her bothering the donkeys again!!

I'm not very good at remembering names but here goes....The donkeys are Poncho, Sarah, & Nellie. The 2 resident dogs are Gleeson & Pearce. Indoor cat is Mattie while the 2 outdoor cats are Charlie & Bob. Corky is a neighbor's dog that comes for the day a couple times a week. I have forgotten the 2 horses names & don't even ask me about the chickens names. Cluck, Cackle, & Peck, comes to mind for 3 of them though. I'll ask the 2 horses to write their names down for me to-morrow. Can probably do that after we get the chickens milked & the donkey eggs picked up.

Once Jeanie & Ray leave for some well deserved holidays in their RV next week it will be our job to feed all the critters every day & attend to some watering issues. Because of the cold temps at night here the outside irrigation & barn water has to be turned off at night & back on in the morning so we will be responsible for doing that as well. Our presence here will also be security. The entire property is fenced in with a locked gate at night. The Mexican border is 20 miles to the south.

I didn't take many pictures to-day because our time was spent with Jeanie & Ray learning the ranch chores but as we go along in the next little while I'm sure I'll get some nice portraits of Cluck, Cackle, & Peck. Also looking forward to the thousands of sand hill cranes who make this area their winter home. Lots of wintering birds on the property too. It's a beautiful part of the country down here in southeastern Arizona so we're looking forward to getting out & seeing as much of it as we can over the next number of weeks or so. I'm sure the camera's will be working overtime again so stay tuned as The Bayfield Bunch turns another page in their endless book of everyday adventures..............................

OUR FIRST LOOK AT SOME SAND HILL CRANES

No photos for the web album to-day.

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OUR LAST DAY IN THE TOMBSTONE HILLS

CAN YOU IMAGINE DRIVING THIS ROAD THROUGH THE DESERT TWICE A DAY, EVERY DAY...... GWEN & JACK DO!!

Spent some time this morning with my binoculars watching military planes practice touch & go landings way over at Fort Huachuca's northwest end. There is a large airfield there which I heard is on the list for a possible alternative landing site if there is ever a problem with the space shuttle. I watched a couple of A-10 Warthogs coming in low over the field plus an F-16 Jet fighter. (I think) A large 4 engine jet tanker plane made 3 or 4 wheels down approaches, each time lifting back up into the sky again. It's many miles to the airfield & I couldn't actually see the runway but I did see one 2 engine plane land & taxi to a stop so I knew where the runway was. ENJOYING THE ARIZONA SUN

Rest of the morning was spent getting organized for to-morrow's move to the ranch over near Douglas. Did all the vehicle oil checks, etc. Nice breeze this morning & I think the temps might head up into the high 70's but looks like we have some unsettled weather rolling in by the week-end. PUTTING DOWN THE SOLAR PANELS FOR TRAVELING TO-MORROW

Saw Gwen & Jack's truck (the couple who lease this land to graze their cattle) way down by the lower corral late this afternoon & followed them with the binoculars as they bounced & jolted up the old desert road leading towards us & their 2nd of three cattle watering stops. We hiked down that road this morning on our walk & I took some pictures of the road these folks drive everyday, twice a day, 365 days a year. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ And this was only one small section of rocky desert road in the many miles they travel up & over the hills & dales each day.
After they topped up the water trough they headed over our way & stopped for a visit. Apparently a couple of the mining guys who have staked claims nearby are feuding over the property lines of their claims & Gwen & Jack were telling us about it. Guess nothings changed since the 1800's. Maybe we'll hear some gunfire to-night!! We told Gwen & Jack we're leaving in the morning & they said for us to come back here anytime we like. I think they were kind of sad to see us go & I felt sad saying good-bye to them. It's funny how some people just seem to affect you more than others. I had meant to take a picture of them but by the time I thought of it they were nearly back to their truck so I only managed to get one long telephoto shot. If we ever make it back to this spot some day we will definitely be watching for that blue truck to be making it's way through desert once again.

JACK & GWEN HEADING FOR THEIR TRUCK AFTER WE SAID OUR GOOD-BYES

Hope the wind doesn't kick up to-night. Last night it got so bad I had to get up & put the larger living room slide in because of the racket & risk of having the slide awning damaged. Was not a good night's sleep!!......................................

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FORT HUACHUCA.....A VERY LARGE ACTIVE ARMY BASE

While watching the tail end of the Superbowl game last Sunday we heard that Denny's was having a nationwide free breakfast to-day. We were on Denny's doorstep by 9 a.m. with appetites in hand!! So were a lot of other people & by the time we got in, had our yummy free breakfast & exited the building we had used up a whole hour. But that was ok because it was free. Thanks Denny's:))

There is a very large active Army base here in Sierra Vista called, Fort Huachuca.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Huachuca
http://www.nps.gov/nr//travel/amsw/sw3.htm
We were told at the Visitor's Center over a week ago that we would not be able to tour the base because we were Canadians. All non-Americans have to be accompanied by an American escort. Well, we had an Ace up our sleeves. Kelly has dual citizenship because she was born in the State of New York. But, her driver's license is Canadian so we knew that could pose a problem. Before entering the Fort we switched driver's positions figuring it might look better if the American is driving & the Canadian is the passenger. As expected, the security fellow wanted to see Kelly's driver's license & said because it was Canadian we could not go in. Another security person walked over & Kelly asked if a Passport would be acceptable. The 2nd security person took the Passport & checked with her supervisor. Yes, that is acceptable she said & away we went onto the base. This is one very, very, large Army base & it didn't take us long to get lost looking for the museum buildings. We had a map but that confused us too. I was based on 3 different naval military bases back in the mid 60's in Canada & none of them even remotely looked like this one. Fort Huachuca is a city unto itself. We could just as easily have been in any large town somewhere. With an unusual piece of good luck we actually blundered right into the museum complex parking lot before asking someone where it was. "Your in it" was the reply. IN THE MUSEUM

The first building we entered was mainly dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers who called Fort Huachuca home. It's an old original base building & is packed full of artifacts & memorabilia from the Fort's beginnings. Just about every square foot of this older structure has been used. Many historical exhibits & much to see including Pancho Villa's spurs. (web album)
http://www.geocities.com/maureenjim/blacksoldier.htm
http://www.discoverseaz.com/History/BufSold.html

THE BASE SITS IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS

Second building contained many more paintings & exhibits. Guns, swords, saddles, etc.
Third building housed past U.S. Army Intelligence exhibits. The enigma code machine, spy cameras, test drones, many communications devices of all kinds dating back to the late 1800's. Lots to see in this 3 part museum complex. The buildings are original & stand on the site of the fort's early beginnings. Parade grounds & officers quarters are all there. (check to-day's web album)

SITE OF EARLY FORT HUACHUCA

From the museums we drove over to the Fort's cemetery. I like cemetery's because they are always very peaceful & special places with their own histories. Took a few photos there & then we headed off up a gravel road within the base called, Huachuca Canyon Road. A bit rough & we weren't sure where it led so only went a couple of miles before turning around. Many deer in the woods & I was able to get a few photos of them. Drove up to an observation & picnic area called Reservoir Point & took some pics overlooking the base. From there we headed back across the base to the east gate we had come in, & exited the base onto the streets of Sierra Vista. We had been on the base for 3 hours. FORT HUACHUCA'S CEMETERY

Sierra Vista is a large spread out city with every imaginable store you can imagine. Nice looking newer type of place with lots of hustle & bustle & traffic. I was glad to finally get to the other side of town & back out into the countryside again.

Spent the rest of the day relaxing & just before supper I took myself for a long walk out into the hills to have look at some more pit mines I had spotted with the binoculars. It's just unbelievable how those men years ago could have dug such large holes through solid rock with just picks & shovels. Even the walking is not easy as the ground is covered in rocks & prickly shrubs. It's a hostile, but beautiful land & we wouldn't even remotely think of going anywhere other than the American southwest.................................

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HUNDREDS OF OLD MINESHAFTS IN THE TOMBSTONE HILLS

TIMBERS AROUND AN OLD MINING PIT ENTRANCE

Not much to say about the weather here because everyday is the same. Lots of sunshine & warm daytime temps. That's it, all day every day. We love Arizona:))

Back in the mid to late 1800's this area we are camped in was a bee hive of mining activity. There are hundreds of small open pit mines scattered throughout these hills. We can look out our window & see mounds of stones among the mesquite where men have dug down into the rocks & gravel looking for silver. It was many of these rough tough miners with their picks & shovels who made the town of Tombstone as notorious as it was. It's hard to believe when standing at the top of one of these open pits that all the work in those days was done by hand. Shovels & picks to get through the solid rocks & layers of sand & gravel. All that stuff had to be hauled back up to the surface with ropes & buckets. Add to that, hundred degree temperatures in the summer with no trees for shade, rattlesnakes, scorpions, Apache Indian attacks, sparse water resources, & a multitude of other hazards & you have the makings of some very tough & hardened people. Being camped right in the middle of this environment these past few days has been a good eye into the past for us.

SOME OF THESE PITS ARE SAID TO BE 200 FEET DEEP

Gwen & Jack, the folks who cattle ranch here told us about the many open pit mines nearby so this morning we took the car & headed up some of the old rock strewn bumpy roads in the hills behind us. Didn't take long to find the mines. Always a tell tale sign of rocks & gravel shoveled up in a pile amongst the prickly mesquite. Some of the pits are simply a black hole leading down into an abyss. Jack says some pits are as deep as 200 feet. Rumors & legends abound about bodies at the bottom of some pits. One pit in particular was suspicious so Jack said his son one time brought over a piece of farm machinery, some ropes & pulleys, & lowered himself down the suspect pit to the bottom, but no bodies or bones were found. (maybe the ghosts heard him coming) Some pits still have what's left of wooden frameworks around the entrances. Old weather beaten boards & rusted nails. One pit still had an old hand made ladder descending down into it. (web album photo) A BIG WAVE ON THE TRAIL FROM CATTLEMAN JACK

Jack also told us that Tombstone's waterline runs across the property from the Huachuca mountains about 20 miles to the west. Yesterday on the road to Ramsey Canyon we saw a sign beside the road for the Tombstone Aquaduct. To-day we actually found part of that exposed water pipe itself nearby with a sign beside it saying Tombstone Aquaduct. (picture) The black pipe looked pretty old & we were surprised to see a section of it running across the rocky surface exposed to the elements.

Gwen & Jack have another watering station for their cattle a little higher up in the hills so we drove as far as we could to find it. Road got a little rough so we walked the last section & found the water corral. No hydro up there but the 2 water lines we saw were tapped into the Tombstone Aqueduct. Some old flannel shirts were wrapped around the water pipes coming out of the ground to prevent them from freezing up. Didn't see any of the cattle to-day but there was lots of evidence on the ground of them having been there.

THE SECOND WATERING HOLE

We followed the old road back to the Charleston highway & decided to head down the road a few miles & see if we could find the ruins of an old cabin that 3 miners had been robbed & murdered at in 1858. Turned off the highway onto an old road but didn't have any luck. We may go back again to-morrow & have another look for Brunknow's Cabin. It is said to be haunted. But, then again, doesn't everything have a sense of haunting in the old wild west. It's the thing legends are made of!! THESE MINING PITS DATE BACK TO THE MID TO LATE 1800'S

We were back to the rig by noon & spent the rest of the afternoon just simply enjoying our peaceful surroundings. Kelly had computer things to do for her Deer Park Lodge job & I had things to do like relaxing in my lounge chair working hard on my afternoon siesta. At one point though I actually wound up getting a haircut. Kelly said I was starting to look like the wild old man of Borneo with potatoes growing out his ears. Well, I guess she was right so out came the scissors & off came my hair. Well, some of it anyway. I'm sure glad I met Kelly back in 93 because that's the last time I ever paid for a haircut. Oh the perks, oh the perks:)) OUR LOVELY LADY GATEKEEPER

Beautiful half moon lighting up the desert landscape to-night. When I took Max out a few minutes ago I stood quietly for awhile listening. They say you can still hear the sounds of the Indians in the hills & the miners shovels & hammers striking the hardened rocks in the pit mines. I stood very quietly facing the hills, & I listened & I listened and........................................ CHARLESTON HILLS IN FOREGROUND & HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

No, I'm not a writer........I'm just a simple guy who likes to write.

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A ROUGH & TUMBLE DRIVE IN CARR CANYON

WE WERE WAY UP THERE SOMEWHERE

Another weather perfect day in the San Pedro Valley so we headed off for Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca mountains. We hadn't realized they charged to walk the trail there so decided to try the next canyon down the road.

Carr canyon turned out to be quite a driving challenge. We turned off highway 92 onto a paved road leading towards the mountains. Before long the pavement ended & rough dirt road began. We could see a waterfall high on the mountain so we decided to keep going despite the road. It was so nice to see big trees again & lots of greenery. The road began to wind & we were soon down to a single lane. The stones got bigger & the ruts got deeper but we kept going. We had confidence in our little mountain goat Hyundai Santa Fe. No guard rails on this road & the higher we climbed, the steeper the drop offs became. We reached a series of switchbacks & from here we were down to first gear the rest of the way. We had no idea how far it was to the top or what was there if we even made it all the way. It was one of those roads with few turn-a-rounds so you just kept going. For Kelly it was a nail biter, but luckily for me I was driving so didn't have the worries of not knowing what the driver is doing. And every time Kelly had the cliff on her side she was not a happy camper!! I kept saying, "look at that view" and she just kept looking straight ahead. We stopped once for pictures & discussed whether to go on or not. Finally convinced ourselves the top was probably just around the next curve. (it wasn't) Kept on for another 15 minutes or so & finally reached the National Forest Recreation Area campground & decided that was our turn around point. The views out over the San Pedro Valley from here were spectacular. We could see all the way down into Mexico. The Swisshelm & Dragoon mountain ranges were visible on the eastern horizon & with the help of our 7 x 50 binoculars I was actually able to pinpoint our rig way across the valley about 20 miles away or so. It was the only white dot visible in that section of the Tombstone Hills. In fact, I was able to see the little Motormouse looking out the passenger side window with a sad look on her face wondering when Mom & Dad were coming home.

SIERRA VISTA

It had taken us about 40 minutes to travel the short 7 miles up the twisting mountain road & about 80% of that was in first gear. I'm guessing we climbed maybe 2 or 3 thousand feet. Our Santa Fe is a high clearance vehicle & that served us well because we never bottomed it out once despite the large rocks & boulders imbedded in the road. It handled the ruts & pot holes without a wince. The front wheel drive dug in & never wavered all the way to the top & I was glad we had a manual transmission. They are just a lot more fun to drive. My first car was a Volkswagon Beetle back in 1963 & I've loved jammin gears ever since. ONE OF THE MANY SWITCHBACKS

Coming down didn't take as long as going up but it had it's own hazards & the main one was the kids on dirt bikes recklessly coming full tilt the other way up the mountain. We had one fellow nearly run into us on a curve. I think he probably had to pull over for a change of underwear after that. About 30 minutes after leaving the top we were back on pavement at the bottom & heading for Sierra Vista. LOOKING OUT OVER SIERRA VISTA & THE SAN PEDRO VALLEY

A quick stop at Wally-World, Fry's, & Ace hardware before heading back to the rig. Couldn't get out of that Fry's grocery store soon enough. So many people in there it was like a demolition derby with all the crazy grocery cart drivers. I felt a lot safer on the mountain road.

We were back at the rig by 3:15 & that was about it for another day. We only have a couple television channels here so ended up having the Super Bowl game on later. I'm not a big sports fan & would rather have watched a basket weaving demonstration but the game did get a little exciting towards the end & I did actually catch myself watching it.

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And thanks to my cousin Norma in Kitchener, Ontario for the following.............:))

TO ALL WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.
Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:(1) eat less,(2) don't ask for money all the time,(3) are easier to train,(4) normally come when called,(5) never ask to drive the car,(6) don't hang out with drug-using people;(7) don't smoke or drink,(8) don't want to wear your clothes,(9) don't have to buy the latest fashions,(10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college (11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children..........:))