TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES IN THE OLD GHOST TOWN OF GLEESON, ARIZONA

Our temps have been warming up a bit & I wasn’t as worried this morning about Jack Frost nipping at my nose.  Our early doggy walks aren’t as long any more as they once were.  Just too hard on Max, so it was a shorter walk on the road today.  Checkers didn’t come Monday morning because it was obvious by the gunshots that hunting season had just opened & Checkers hates gun shots. 

          

Decided to take a run further up that road we were on yesterday.  It had some nice dips, swirls & gully whompers but we took our time in 4 wheel drive & we all did just fine.  Road didn’t go as far as I thought it would before ending.  Scenic little canyon ahead so pulled over figuring we would go the rest of the way on foot.  Well, that was until a blue pick up truck pulled in behind us.  We had seen it a few minutes before & suspected hunters.  We were right, so that effectively ended our hike.  Walking in an area where people are hunting is never wise.  These two guys were very friendly but that can be taken two ways.  Either some good old genuine western hospitality or…….you just never know.  I did see a gun on the front seat of their truck.  They both exited their vehicle, approached, and we had about a 10 minute chat.  Kelly was nervous about them & I must admit, I was too.  All the time talking to these guys I was thinking of all the TV shows I’ve seen where people mysteriously disappear…or worse!!  Anyway, I did manage to get a picture of the guys, we did get out of there, & they were probably just a couple of friendly locals.

Didn’t want to go back to the Motor Home yet so scooted straight across the valley to the little ghost town of GLEESON. Thought we would try out some dusty roads to nowhere in that area.  Nice idea but most of the roads we ventured out on, were just that, nowhere roads!!  Most of them dead ended at a locked gate with a ranch somewhere on the other side.

 

WE KNEW WHERE WE WERE BUT OUR GPS DIDN’T

NOT LOOKING LIKE GLEESON HAS A BIG FUTURE:((

    

A FEW PICS FROM AROUND GLEESON

This was probably our 4th or 5th time through Gleeson so decided to go eat our picnic snacks on the steps of what used to be an old dance hall & school.  And, if I haven’t got that right I’m sure I’ll hear from Ray in Gleeson.  So, today at exactly high noon Arizona time, Kelly & I were sitting on the old cement steps of what used to be a very large building in Gleeson, eating our tuna salad sandwiches & zesty pickles.  Yep, that’s what the label on the pickle jar said all right…….zesty!!

 

(click on pics to enlarge)

Gleeson was a rootin tootin wild west mining town in it’s hay day, with a main street, saloon, shops & the usual cast of nefarious western characters I’m sure.  Tombstone’s (only 15 miles west of Gleeson) infamous gun fighter Johnny Ringo was last seen drinking at a saloon in Gleeson. You can see that Saloon plus more pics & read my take on Gleeson at, GLEESON, ARIZONA.   For the day we found Johnny Ringo’s gravesite at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains further north, check out our blog for,  JOHN RINGO'S FINAL RESTING PLACE.  I have pics of Johnny Ringo’s grave plus some interior photos of the old saloon in Gleeson.

I’M SURE THE RUINS OF GLEESON’S HOSPITAL LOWER LEFT TENDED TO MANY INJURED & DYING MINERS FROM THE MINE SITE IN THE BACKGROUND.

MINE SHAFTS ARE VISIBLE THROUGHOUT THIS REGION & GLEESON HAS IT’S FAIR SHARE OF THEM

An hour after our tuna salad sandwiches we were back at the Motor Home.  Kelly had some phone calls to make & some emails to check regarding work.  I had to check on my afternoon snooze program and that just about sums up our whole day.  Weather is great, sun is hot & until we are face to face with our next dilemma……….life is good:))

WHEN WE FEEL THE NEED FOR TREES….WE HAVE A PECAN ORCHARD JUST DOWN THE ROAD

AND WHEN WE NEED A CACTUS FIX….WE HAVE THEM JUST DOWN THE ROAD AS WELL:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  There are 2 cowboys in the kitchen. Which one is the real cowboy?   The one on the range.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

A SHORT LITTLE JEEP RUN TODAY

Transitioning from our permanent Ontario Canada digs to our roving lifestyle in the American Southwest always requires us to switch heads.  It was apparent this morning that we do not have our southwest heads screwed on quite tight enough yet.  Temps dropped below freezing last night & I had forgot to unhook our water hose so it wasn’t long & our water sputtered to a stop because the long hose outside was froze up.  No problem though because we have a full tank of onboard water.  Next oversight we made was taking the dogs out for a walk at 7:30 this morning.  The sun was not yet over the mountains & it was soooooo cold.  I came back & put on my lined winter pants & tried again.  Two minutes later I was back in the rig vowing I would not set foot outside again until the sun floods our side of the valley with it’s warming rays.   By 9 o’clock I was out of my lined pants & into jeans & short sleeves.  Always amazes me how it can be sooooo cold one hour & so warming up the next.

THIS IS NOT A STAGED PHOTO….KELLY MISTAKENLY DID THIS TO HERSELF  EARLY THIS MORNING (I think she has been around me too long)

I used a bit of logic to convince myself to wash the Jeep today although 10 seconds after driving out of here it will look like a big old dirt encrusted Idaho potato just plucked from the barren dusty ground.  Told myself the Jeep still had some Ontario & Michigan road salt on it that needed to be taken off, otherwise washing a vehicle out here is pointless.  Next job is to get all that grime & road salt off the big white boxy looking thing we drove down here.  I’ll save that for a cloudy day….if there ever is such a thing here in sunny Arizona:))

IN SEARCH OF FIREWOOD

And, speaking of the big white boxy looking thing, we decided to re-position it this morning.  We are now facing East/West instead of North/South.  The morning sun will strike the coach broadside in the morning & warm it up faster inside plus we now have a better view of the Swiss Helm Mountains out our living room windows.  Computer window now faces the main gate so we can keep a better look-out for Fuller Brush salesmen!!  A neighbor (Tony) drove in this morning & coincidentally we had met him & his wife last year when they gave us a tour of their house near by.  Had met them at a Quaker Thanksgiving dinner last year just about now.  They moved all the way here to the Sulphur Springs Valley from Alaska years ago.

    

WE REPOSITIONED THE RIG TO FACE SOUTH INSTEAD OF WEST

I think one of the reasons my blogs have been a bit on the long side lately has to do with the fact I have too much time on my hands first thing in the morning.  I manage to get a few blogs read & then have to surrender the Verizon modem when Kelly gets up so I have been in the habit of starting the blog sometimes at 5 or 6 in the morning just for the sake of having something to do.  And, of course that leads to a lot of blathering on my part.  Our Cradle Point router should arrive by the end of the week & hopefully that will solve my long winded chattyness.  D’ya think!!

LUNCH BREAK

THIS IS THE ROAD LEADING TO WHERE WE ARE

Decided we needed a fire pit for camp fires so this afternoon we decided to head on over closer to the mountains where we were a bit familiar with the area & look for some big rocks.  On one of our excursions last winter we had ventured up a road with the Santa Fe before turning back because of rough terrain.  We didn’t have to worry about that today:))

LOADING UP SOME ROCKS FOR OUR FIRE PIT

    

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET:)))))

  

 

WE WILL RETURN BACK DOWN THIS ROAD INTO THOSE MOUNTAINS SHORTLY

Hadn’t gassed up the Jeep since leaving Ontario so headed into the little western Arizona town of Elfrida & filled up.  It’s a gas station we have used for the past couple years & it’s just like the old days.  No credit cards for these pumps.  Nosiree, just drive up, remove the nozzle & pump your gas.  When you go inside you just tell the fella how much gas you got & that’s it.  I remember when this was the way things were done many years ago.  Except the garage owner usually came out himself, filled your tank, checked your oil & cleaned your windshield.  Today’s fill up was $35.  In Canada, today’s fill up would easily have cost about $50.

 

Unloaded our stones & made a circle.  Soon we will have cozy campfires:))

     

RICK has a good blog today on volunteering & Club affiliations.  Although we come from very different work backgrounds both Rick & I arrived at basically the same conclusions on our thoughts about doing volunteer work or joining various clubs & organizations.  We do have our disagreement’s on things from time to time but we do have a lot in common as well.   All’s I can say is that it is a good thing we humans are such a diverse bunch of characters because in a strange way that somehow works to keep us all together & forces us all to get along & stuff…..or whatever, well sort of, well OK maybe not everybody!!  Knock it off Al……..OK:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  How do you get a kleenex to dance?
… Put a little boogey in it.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

WORE MYSELF OUT BEFORE NOON:((

It was the treasured silence that attracted my attention when I stepped out of the rig into the frosty early morning air.  Not a sound anywhere.  Not even a gentle breeze in the Pines near the rig.

Kelly tried ordering a Cradle Point Router from 3G Saturday but the on-line store was closed.  An on-line store closed for the week-end?  What’s that all about!!  We did order it today though & it is on it’s way.  We’re having it shipped to the Ranch because we don’t figure the UPS guy could find us, let alone get his truck up the bumpy road without rearranging his whole load of parcels inside.  In yesterday’s blog I said we could see down into the valley but that should have read, ‘we can see across the valley.’  To many Mesquite trees & shrubs to see downwards.  About 10 miles across the valley from us lies the little ghost town of GLEESON, Arizona.  It’s located at the foot of the Dragoon Mountains & I thought I saw my old Gleeson photo buddy Ray outside last night with a flashlight looking for his socks:))

   

TOM’S OLD FORD TRUCK….WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU SAW AN IGNITION SWITCH IN THE DASH

We have full hook-ups here at our new location just east of Elfrida, Arizona.  Verizon connection is working well, cell phone coverage is excellent & that’s important for Kelly’s work.  After Friday’s frustrations with getting Star Choice up & running we hit ‘the bird’ in less than 3 minutes Sunday & were good to go with our television programing.  We don’t have any animals to look after here & the only thing we have to do is water the trees.  That is just a matter of turning on a couple of taps because there are water lines running underground to each tree.  The property needs a good  spiffing up so that’s right up my alley & I’ll be getting rakes & shovels into action very shortly, touching up flower beds, etc.  Looking forward to that project.  Ingrid & Tom had lived here 13 years & I think the yard work had become harder for them the last year or so.  You can read a bit about & see Ingrid & Tom, HERE. 

No idea how long we will remain here but theoretically, if the house doesn’t sell, we are welcome to stay all winter.  We’ll play it by ear & see how it goes.  Or, maybe we’ll stick with our original plans & move further west after a month or so.  No idea, no plans, no itinerary, no problem…..just the way this scruffy old Bayfield Bunch likes it….10-4:))

KELLY BOOKS ANOTHER RESERVATION FOR DEER PARK LODGE IN ONTARIO, CANADA

We hear there are some great scenic canyons in the Swiss Helm Mountains behind us only accessible by high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicles so we’ll be out in search of those Canyons and many others before too long.  Heard there was a nice scenic Jeep road over in the Dragoon Mountains near the wee town of Dragoon & for sure we’ll be up into that area as well.   And we hope to head back into the Chiricahua Mountains before the weather gets colder too.  After all, getting into some of those more inaccessible areas was our main reason for buying the Jeep this past summer & for sure we are smack dab in the middle of some great Jeep country right now:))

JEANNIE & RAY SAID WE’LL BE SEEING JAVELINA & DEER IN THIS UNDERBRUSH SHORTLY FOR SURE

I had myself worn out by noon today.  Trimmed some shrubs & trees this morning, hung up some bird feeders & that seemed to quickly drain my batteries.  Maybe still suffering a bit from last week’s rig lag.  Had to spend some time plugged into my Poang chair this afternoon replenishing my depleted energy levels.  Gonna take a bit of time getting acclimatized to all these new activities, exercises & fresh Arizona air.

    

STRANGE LOOKING CRITTERS HERE IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA

A shout out to Ann in Hutchinson, Kansas….sorry we missed you Ann.  Not sure which route we’ll take back in March but it’s always a possibility we might roll on up through your neighborhood again.  And again, thanks to the all folks who send in the nice emails about the blog.  (Ann first emailed us a couple years ago) Those emails from strangers across the country make my day for sure:))  And to think this high school drop out & bit of a bad ass character could actually write something & take pictures of things years later that people would actually be interested in is a bit overwhelming for me.  I wonder what my Mother would think of all this if she were still alive…..I better not go there.

   

WE’VE GOT SOME ROUGH DUSTY ROADS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  Hardly worth washing the Jeep but Jeeps kinda look groovier all messed up anyway.

Max continues to improve.  We were really worried about him on our trip down last week.  His legs didn’t seem to have the strength to get him up the steps of the Motor Home & he would stumble & fall.  He’s doing much better now in the last couple days with the steps & is fine now on his own again.  We still have to help Checkers up the steps every time though.   We had to do that last year with her as well.  The little Motormouse fly’s up the steps like a bounding Gazelle.  Checkers just loves it here & has been outside all day while the other 2 furry couch taters snoozed most of the day away stretched out in the rig.  Kelly spent a lot of time on the computer because she is the big Verizon UMB Boss!!

OUR LANEWAY

  

REAL ESTATE ADD SAYS 1 ACRE FENCED IN & ALL THAT FENCING WAS JUST PUT IN A COUPLE MONTHS AGO MAKING IT SAFER FOR THE DOGS

GROANERS CORNER:((  A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and there is a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. He has been checking her out since he sat down, but lacks the nerve to talk with her.
Suddenly she sneezes, and her glass eye comes flying out of its socket toward the man. He reflexively reaches out, grabs it out of the air, and hands it back.
'Oh my, I am so sorry,' the woman says as she pops her eye back in place.
'Let me buy your dinner to make it up to you,' she says. They enjoy a wonderful dinner together, and afterwards they go to the theatre followed by drinks. They talk, they laugh, she shares her deepest dreams and he shares his. She listens.  After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to come to her place for breakfast in the morning. They had a wonderful, wonderful time.  The next morning, she cooks a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. The guy is amazed. Everything had been SO incredible! 'You know,' he said, 'you are the perfect woman. Are you this nice to every guy you meet?'  'No,' she replies. . .
She says:  'You just happened to catch my eye.'

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.