TODAY WE DROPPED IN TO SEE……'WANDERWOLF’

(This is Saturday’s post)
I do not have to tell you it was another beautiful desert sunrise.  Some things are just a given:))

SUNRISE BEHIND THE MIGHTY AJO MOUNTAIN RANGE
Had us a whole boat load of laundry to do so loaded up the Jeep and headed the 6 minutes into Ajo.  Kelly remembered where the Laundromat was from a few years ago so it wasn’t long and we had things all sudsy and tumbly.  Slipped down the road to the big Shell station on the curve where they have a nice car wash.  The Jeep was covered in road grime from our Ontario trip down here so figured it was best to get that stuff off.  Besides, I wanted to have the Jeep nice and shiny for our return trip to the Motor Home on a very dusty road:))
 
WE ARE SURROUNDED BY SAGUARO CACTUS
From the gas station it was over to the Circle K store where we knew there was an outside tap on the building.  Filled up our water jugs with about 20 gallons of water.  This way it extends our stays in the desert.  A quick stop at the laundromat to switch the clothes from washers to dryers.  Across the street to Radio Shack we did go to get a power cord for our Cradlepoint Router.  Next came the grocery store and a quick stop for AL at a local Sub shop for eats.  And, then we went to visit somebody:))

Some fellow RV bloggers know Mike from his WANDERWOLF blog.  Good friend of FROGGI DONNA.  TIOGA GEORGE has dropped in to see Mike a couple times.  We were familiar with Mike’s blog, MEANDERINGS OF WONDERWOLF and the last time we were here we looked him up just as he was just getting his studio off the ground back in 07.  Mike is a very talented artist/painter/sculptor fellow who lives at his ‘Lizard Flats’ on 920 Rocalla.   Mike’s artwork hangs on many people’s walls and anyone in Ajo seeing some of the large building murals will be seeing much of Mike’s work.  He’s a friendly kind of a guy and another one of those southwest ‘characters’ you hear me talk about some times.  If your in Ajo you can find Mike, his art, and his playful tiny dog, ‘Little Bit’ alive and well at his quaint and artsy ‘Lonewolf’ studio.  Look for the big Lizard on the front of his building and the artworks in his yard.  Tell him the Bayfield Bunch sent ya:))

MIKE’S GROOVY RV HASN’T MOVED FOR A FEW YEARS BUT HE’S THINKING ABOUT IT…….
 
MIKE AND HIS LONEWOLF STUDIO AT LIZARD FLATS
Mike also gave us a smokin hot tip on another boondocking area close by with a giant Saguaro forest, rock arches and towering Chollas.  Might be a stronger Verizon connection there.  We’ll check it out later.

SOME MIGHTY FIERCE LOOKING SECURITY HERE AT OUR RIG

AND, SHE’S GOT BACK-UP TOO!!
We are having great difficulty where we are with a slow and sometimes non existent Verizon connection.  It fades in and out plus Kelly doesn’t have a phone connection.  It took my blog hours to publish last night and I actually fell asleep while it was doing so.  It timed out twice and the last time I hit ‘Publish’ at 4 a.m this morning it finally finished uploading.
   
A mutual friend of ours and LAURIE AND ODEL has just put her southeastern Arizona ranch up for sale.  Rosanna and her Mother, Carol from PAWS AND HOOVES ( can’t access link due to bad connection) have bought a little house near Placerville California.  I am quoting the following from Laurie’s post this morning in regards to the ranch sale just in case there is anyone out here interested in a fine little ranch just west of the Chiricahua Mountains near Sunizona.  “To Quote Laurie: Anyone looking for a horse property in SE Arizona (Cochise County)? Rosanna’s home is new-ish (15 years, maybe?), 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, nice big kitchen. Lots of windows. BIG barn, corrals of various sizes. A good well. A big, outdoor, clay oven! A level site for a large RV with a 30 amp hookup and water. The acreage is completely fenced and gated. A covered carport - two, I think. Good horse riding in the area – John and Brenda took their horses over to Council Rocks in the Dragoons a couple of weeks ago”. Unquote:  Depending on our travel plans we may end up at Paws and Hooves in the new year sometime to possibly help the folks out a bit. 

RECENT RAINS HAVE REALLY GREENED UP THE OCOTILLO PLANTS 
Later in the afternoon after realizing the Verizon power cord we bought today wasn’t going to solve our problems we decided to check out the area Mike had told us about.  Hopped into the Jeep and found the dirt road off the nearby highway OK.  Headed out into the desert but after going about a mile on a bumpy, uneven road and fording a few small muddy water bogs we decided it was not suitable to bring the Motor Home out there.  Turned back and headed for the rig.  Ok, option B.

Another outside BBQ under a setting desert sun.  Kelly noticed how pretty the moon and planet Venus looked in the west and I was able to crack off a photo before the light was gone.  Tried taking a few hand held photos later but the shutter speeds were too low.  Took advantage of that and created a few moon and planet abstracts.  Tomorrow night I will set up my tripod and try for some nice clear crisp photos of the Moon and Venus.

LOOK CAREFULLY TO TOP CENTER FOR THE NEW MOON THEN LOOK LEFT FOR THE HARD TO SEE PLANET VENUS
Blog is going to be late again tonight because I cannot get a connection….:((

IN THESE MOON ABSTRACTS THE SMALL BRIGHTER LINES ARE VENUS TO THE LEFT WHILE THE LARGER YELLOW ON RIGHT IS THE MOON:))
GROANER’S CORNER:((  A tourist is sport-fishing off the Florida coast when his boat capsizes. He can swim, but he is so afraid of alligators that he clings to the overturned craft.  Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouts, Are there any gators around here? Naw, the man hollers back, they ain’t been around for years.  The tourist breathes a sigh of relief and starts swimming leisurely toward the shore. As he nears the beach, he yells to the man, How did you get rid of the gators?
We didn’t do nothin, the beachcomber says…………….the sharks got em.

DESERT SUNRISE AND A RELAXING DAY AT HOME

Brace yourselves folks….this kind of Sonoran Desert scenery just gets me kinda photo crazy:))  How beautiful it was this morning at first light to open our side door to a world of sweeping enchantment.  The sun, just below earth’s horizon, cast an orange glow into the awakening morning sky behind a nearby silhouetted small mountain range to our southeast.  Between those mountains and where we stood were thousands of uninterrupted acres stretching wide across the Sonoran Desert.  Tall Saguaro Cacti marched silently in scattered ranks from horizon to horizon.  Only sound in the dead still air were distant Cactus Wrens waking to a new dawn.  I felt the Bayfield Bunch were truly back in their element and I was so happy just to be here and be a part of another truly beautiful desert sunrise.

We weren’t long in getting ourselves out for a walk in our new surroundings.  Despite the rocky footing little Cora did good but was much happier when we reached and followed a damp but sandy creek bed.  They call them ‘washes’ in these part and they carry small raging rivers in Monsoon season.  Just so nice to continuously see new things on our walks these mornings now.

PHEEBE WAS SO HAPPY TO BE RACING ALONG A DESERT CREEK BED >>>

Back at the rig it turned into a pleasantly busy morning.  The fire pit needed cleaning so out came my shovel.  Tables, chairs, and BBQ out as well along with our woven ground mat.  Transmission and oil to be checked in the Motor Home and we put our awning out for the first time in nearly 2 years.  Up on the roof to get the solar panels up.  Haven’t been up since we left Borrego Springs last winter.

CLEANING THE SOLAR PANELS BEFORE PUTTING THEM UP

Assembled my flag pole and up it went too.  Out came the iPod and Bose.  Soon I had the harmonious and melodious sounds of some very favorite music weaving it’s way through the Ocotillo and Palo Verde trees out across the desert floor.   The ‘Sons Of The Pioneers’ had gathered around once again to remind me why it is I love the southwest so much:))

A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE GREEN SONORAN DESERT IN OUR BACKYARD

We tried setting up our Shaw Direct satellite dish again but I’m not even going to go there!!

<<< YOU CAN EVEN SEE THE CACTUS COWBOY’S SHADOW IN THIS ONE

Late morning, Pheebs and I headed off to climb a tall rock formation nearby and get us a lay of the land.  We carefully picked our way around a lot of prickly Mesquite shrubs and very nasty but very beautiful Teddy Bear Cholla cactus.  Pheebs did great in keeping herself clear of that stuff.  If you ever brush up against or slightly touch one of these prickly monsters you are immediately launched into a big world of pain.  I tangled with one nearly 4 years ago here and had to work the barbs out with a pliers.  I can still visualize that painful procedure to this very day. 

   

THESE BEAUTIFUL TEDDY BEAR CHOLLA ARE DEADLY IF YOU EVER TANGLE WITH THEM

How nice to be hiking in and around giant Saguraro and Organ Pipe cactus as Pheebs the Dusty Desert Dog and I scrambled our way up the rocky terrain looking for a and easy route to the top of those high round rock croppings. Turns out there were 3 of them and we were able to get ourselves up on top of the center one which was the second highest.  

WE MADE IT TO THE TOP OF THE ONE ON THE LEFT

Great views for miles and miles and miles.  What a great vast land this is and how fortunate some of us are to be out here not only seeing it but partaking in it as well.

 

We had a relaxing afternoon stretched out in our chairs soaking up some Arizona sunshine.  Kelly caught up on some reading and I just stretched out listening to my great Cowboy music.  

    

I was particularly moved by a post I read this morning that deals with dreams, the loss of a friend and living.  This single lady has a nice easy flowing and sincere writing style.  She is also an animal care giver and loves her dogs.  Meet JOOL.

Ever get your Tuscon mixed up with your Tucson.  Happens to me occasionally and Phil from Phoenix pointed out that error this morning in one of my post’s label section a few days ago.  Thanks Phil and I will try hard not to get my Phoenix mixed up with my Fill again:))

Turns out my assumption last week that commenter Butterbean was a her…..was wrong. Butterbean wrote back to say he was a him and it was him who invited us to him and her’s Texas Ranch. See, I sometimes get my hers and hymns mixed up to:((

Can’t remember the last time we ate outside but tonight was the first time since whenever last time was.  Steaks on the BBQ and a campfire.

We sat around the campfire with a setting sun slipping behind the mountains to our west.  First bright objects out in the dimming night sky were the Planets Jupiter to the southeast and Venus in the west.  We sat in awe under the darkening skies as a canopy of jewel like stars emerged against the black velvety background of night.  Shimmering little points of light from horizon to horizon seemed to mirror the embers in our dying campfire.  We concluded this was our first campfire since last March in Lone Pine California and this morning’s sunrise was our first Sonoran desert sunrise in over three and a half years since last being here on Darby Wells Road way back in February of 2008.

In the morning we will slip into Ajo to do laundry, wash the Jeep and hopefully find a power cord for our Cradlepoint Router which will help boost our poor, unpredictable and patchy Verizon signal.  Maybe I can even catch up on a blog or two:))

WE ARE TRULY BACK IN OUR FULL BOON DOCKING MODE AGAIN:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man sitting at a lunch counter has just been served his food when he calls the waiter back.
"Waiter," he says, "can you explain why there is a footprint in the middle of this food that I ordered?"
"Yes, sir," replies the waiter. "You rushed in here, asked for a large omelet and told me to step on it."

---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

TUCSON ARIZONA TO DARBY WELLS ROAD…AJO

HEADING WEST THIS MORNING ON HIGHWAY 86 WITH KITT PEAK AHEAD
How nice to not only step outside Thursday night under starry skies but to step outside in a warmer desert sky was a real treat.  The sky was alive with stars and constellations.  Spotted winter’s dominant constellation Orion rising in the East just above the large rock face behind our rig.  Orion will travel high across the southern sky for the entire winter.

KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY AS SEEN THROUGH MY CAMERA LENS EARLY THIS MORNING
Parked just across from us was a fellow and his dog camped in their Class A Motorhome.  His name was Mike and his little dog was Corky.  Corky and the Pheebs got along famously and ran, jumped and played together this morning while we talked to Mike.  Boon docking sites and information were exchanged and we now have a few more ideas.

MIKE AND CORKY’S HOUSE
 
CORKY, MIKE AND PHEEBS….CORKY
Almost 10 a.m. before got the big wheels rolling west along a familiar stretch of road.  The Ajo Way highway heading west out of southern Tucson is a scenic drive. It’s a quiet mainly straight road running across the floor of the Sonoran desert ending at a T intersection in Why Arizona nearly a hundred miles away. The KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY is accessed from this highway.

CORKY PLANTS A SMOOCH ON PHEEBE’S NOSE
The highway slowly picks it’s way through Saguaro Cactus, Mesquite and Palo Verde trees, Cholla, Sotol, Desert Spoons, Prickly and Beaver Tail Cactus to mention just a few of the abundant green growing desert plant life. I particularly enjoy the mountain scenery ringing the horizon all way round.  Highway 86 is a fairly straight and flat road for about two thirds of it’s way and is a nice quiet alternative heading west if your not in a big hurry and want to avoid going through Tucson along busy I-10.

EVEN LITTLE CORA GOT INTO THE ACTION THIS MORNING 
But, a few cautions about this highway. It is a narrow ‘no mistakes’ road with no shoulders as you travel further west. If you drop a wheel off the pavement you are in some very big serious trouble. But, the challenge and excitement are there and the scenery is great.  The road is guaranteed to keep you on your toes. At the western end maybe 20 miles east of Why Arizona the road also has enough tricky curves, dips and hollows in it for you to keep both hands on the steering wheel:)) 

HIGHWAY 86 HEADING WEST
Nice memories as we rolled past the road leading up to Kitt Peak.  We were driving a truck and fifth wheel the day we pulled of the road at the base of the mountain that time.  Unhooked the fifth wheel and I drove the truck up to see the Observatories.  Great scenic and winding drive up and down that mountain.  Kelly stayed with the 5th wheel digging up some cactus and gathering some rocks.

Our continuing drive west to Why today under cloudy skies was uneventful and it was nice to relive some more old memories as we passed by the Hickiwan Trails RV Park.  Kelly and I did their blogsite for them about 3 years ago.  I will always remember Hickiwan Trails for the many great morning desert walks we used to take.  It was our first Snow Bird year on the road and Hickiwan Trails was the first RV Park we really stopped at and spent any time.  Max, Checkers and the Motormouse were a little younger then and the two big guys really liked fanning out on either side of us exploring the flat desert floor ahead.  I miss those two big guys.

We will slip back to Hickiwan Trails in the next few days and visit with Hickiwan Ray who looks after the Park.  Nice personable fellow and easy to get along with.  He has made this Park what it is today.

Highway 86 will also land you just a few short miles from Organ Pipe National Monument where you can take a very scenic 25 mile loop drive through the Ajo Mountain range. We have done that loop 3 times.

Eleven miles past Hickiwan Trails on the highway leading from Gila Bend to Lukeville on the Mexican border is the once booming town of Ajo Arizona.  Not too much booming there anymore but it’s a quiet little place and home to a fair few Snow Birders.  West of Ajo is a loop road called Darby Wells.  This is a great scenic boon docking area that we stayed at for about week back in February of 2008.  We knew it would be quiet here and easy for us to find a good spot this time of year.   Gets busier after Christmas when the boon docking Snow Birds land in this area.

The Sonoran desert is thought of as the ‘green desert’ because of it’s wide diversity of vegetation and plant life. It is the greenest of all desert types and for that reason it is our favorite. This whole area is just another great scenic part of big beautiful Arizona.

TURNING WEST ONTO THE SOUTHERN END OF DARBY WELLS ROAD…THE MOUNTAIN AT TOP LEFT WAS MADE BY NATURE AND THE ONE ON RIGHT WAS MADE BY MAN.
Parked the rig at the side of dusty Darby Wells road and unhooked the Jeep.  With laptop on board we Jeeped ourselves around the area looking at different spots among the tall cactus.  Some roads are not much different than a couple wide hard packed tire tacks and we had to keep in mind the size and ease with which we could get the big rig down some of these little tire track roads.  Every time we found a possible site Kelly checked the laptop for a Verizon connection.  Only saw 4 other rigs scattered about and I should add that we did later get an acceptable Verizon connection and half a dozen clear TV channels.  No cell phone.

JEEPING AROUND LOOKING FOR A SUITABLE BOON DOCKING SITE
Finally picked a spot not far from where we had parked the rig.  Managed to get me some fresh desert pin stripping on the coach as I wiggled and squiggled it in and around some scratchy Mesquite shrubs and prickly Cholla cactus.   Leveled it up near some towering Saguaro Cactus and that was it.   Ocotillo’s, Organ Pipe Cactus and a variety of other desert shrubs are now back dropped by yet another new set of surrounding mountains.  Love it when we can just change our surroundings any time we want.  Our weather is a bit on the cold side with a slight breeze under cloudy skies but I am sure the big Arizona sun will find us shortly once it knows we are here:))

THAT’S AN ORGAN PIPE CACTUS IN OUR SIDE YARD:))
A Shout out to Renee and Dave up there in that Datil place in New Mexico.  We plan to be in your area on our return journey in late winter or early Spring.  It has been on our list for the past 3 years.  Interested in the lay of the land and property values in your neighborhood:))
RV TRAVELS IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE joined our Blog Followers list a few days ago and we say welcome folks and thanks for climbing aboard.

HOPE THAT HEAVY OVERCAST BLOWS AWAY OVERNIGHT
GROANER’S CORNER:((  After spending nearly half a day enduring the long lines, surly clerks and insane regulations at the department of motor vehicles, a lady stops at a toy store to pick up a baseball bat as a gift for her son.  Cash or charge, the clerk asks.  Cash, she snaps. Then, apologizing for her rudeness, she explains I’ve spent the afternoon at the motor-vehicle bureau. I am way past sane.  Shall I gift-wrap the bat the clerk asks sweetly, or are you going back there?
---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.