TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

JAVELINAS AT OUR GATE & A DRIVE TO THE LAKE

TODAY, WE WENT TO THE LAKE
No need to build a fire when I got up this morning. Temps only went down to 48F overnight so not like the previous mornings 32F. Sure can see the inefficiency of an old fireplace with the majority of the heat going up the chimney though. We do have a couple electric base board heaters (living room & dining room) but they use up a lot electricity so we are hesitant about using them.

Again today, I had problems with the exposure settings on my Nikon D90. Second time in a week so don’t know what’s going on with the camera.

When Kelly opened the dining room curtains about 7:30 this morning we had 7 Javelinas outside plus 2 small baby Javelinas. Outside our fence that is. What a relief to see our chain link fence had kept them out. They had come down the laneway south of our house along our older stretch of fence. When they reached Ghost Town Road they all turned left in single file & headed north. Babies were cute trying to keep up with & stay close to their Mother. No doubt had we not had our fence in place those Javelinas would have cut right through our property. We were fortunate not to be heading out on our morning walk just at that time.

JAVALENA’S CROSSING OUR DRIVEWAY

MOM & THE KIDS

GLAD THEY WERE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE FENCE & NOT THE INSIDE
We had first heard of Arizona’s Alamo Lake while boondocked in Quartzsite a few years back. We knew it would make a good day trip so the three of us were on the road headed west by 9 a.m. this morning. Picking up highway 60 coming out of Wickenburg we stopped in the small town of Aguila (Agee-a) along the way while Kelly browsed some roadside vendors. From there it was past Harquahala Mountain to the dusty little town of Wenden. Here in the south-west…..all little towns are dusty.

AT THE ALAMO DAM
It’s a 33 mile drive from Wenden to Alamo Lake State Park. We never met a single vehicle all the way there or all the way back. Just sat back, relaxed, took our time & enjoyed all the great Arizona scenery along the way.

Quick stop along the way in the Harquvar Mountains for a tailgate egg salad sandwich, some chips, & some pickles. From there it was north across the Butler Valley skirting around the eastern end of the Buckskin Mountains. Paved road all the way:))

For some whacky reason I had got it in my head at some point that Alamo Lake was at a higher altitude, large, & in a Pine Forest. Well, I couldn’t have been more imaginatively wrong. Alamo Lake turned out to be smaller than I thought & there wasn’t a Pine tree around for miles. Ringed by distant mountain ranges, Alamo Lake is the result of the Alamo Lake dam stretching across the Bill Williams River. And, it’s rugged desert country.

OH OH….END OF THE ROAD

Nice viewpoint of the Lake & Dam from a viewpoint about a mile past the Park’s Ranger station.

Must be about half a dozen camping areas scattered over a large area complete with boat launches & for sure this must be a very popular summer destination for Arizonians. The few RV’s we saw at campsites today probably belonged to a construction crew working on a few projects there. Nice time of year to visit Alamo Lake for sure……nobody there:))

A FEW RV SITES
Northeast of the Alamo State Park gates we could maybe 15 or 20 RV’s scattered about in the distance just west of a little trailer & mobile home park by the name of Wayside. Looked like boondockers for sure with each one having lots of room around them. Wayside itself was a curious little place. Lots of ATV’s & we wondered if maybe a lot of folks there were prospectors. For the small size of it, Wayside even has it own store, gas, & propane.

WAYSIDE ARIZONA
On our way back to Wenden we came across a curious place on the west side of the road. Big sign out front with a Motorhome picture on it. Building looked empty & we could see roads dozed into the hillside. Nobody around so we drove in to see if we could put a little logic into whatever this place is/was.

VIEW FROM ONE OF THE LOTS, FRONT & BACK
Called ‘Saguaro Acres’ it reminded me of a grand venture gone bust. A lot of ground work has been done here at some point. On one of the sites we came across an old abandoned mining site with a shaft leading into the hillside. No attempt to seal up the shaft & the mining timbers are still in place. With a little research on the internet tonight, Kelly just found out the developer of Saguaro Acres died. I’m guessing the whole thing is tied up in litigation now but according to the sign, it looks like RV’ers are welcome to boondock on the property for a couple nights.

AN OLD MINE SHAFT ON ONE OF THE ‘SAGUARO ACRES’ SITES
All & all, just another great Arizona day out exploring different places, seeing new things, & just getting to know our area. Pheebs had a blast at every stop doing lots of exploring of her own. Nose to the ground, lots of new smells.

We traveled 82 miles & were home by 3:30. As I flopped into my recliner late this afternoon I was again reminded of why it is we so much love the great American Southwest:))

PLANET MERCURY LOWER LEFT & PLANET VENUS ABOVE THE MOON…TAKEN FROM OUR FRONT YARD THIS MORNING…300mm

GROANER’S CORNER:(( My mind works like lightning,...........one brilliant 'Flash' and it is gone!!
------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

Monday, December 10, 2012

CACTUS MAN TOPPLED, VALVE RE-INSTALLED & OUR FIRST COZY FIRE

A WARMING FIRE IN OUR FIREPLACE TONIGHT

At 34F we had our coldest morning so far since arriving over a month ago. A gusting north wind late Sunday afternoon brought in colder temperatures. And, it also toppled our garden’s Cactus Man. Found him in disarray, lying on the ground this morning, but I was not surprised. I knew when I set him up with a few pieces of scrap wood & a big rock last month that he was very precariously balanced & probably would not stand up to any kind of abusive Arizona wind….& he didn’t. I rebuilt him today & took the time to make him more secure. Gave him a new set of stronger hips is what I did, & carefully this time is how I dids it:))

A NORTHERN ARIZONA WIND TOPPLED OUR CACTUS MAN IN THE NIGHT…YOU CAN SEE HOW 3 LARGE PIECES OF WOOD JUST MISSED FALLING ON ALL THE CACTUS

Haven’t had the Motorhome on the road since arriving here back on November 1rst. Time to make sure we hadn’t fenced the rig in. Our new fence wasn’t here when I nosed the rig in beside the house last month. But, no problem. I backed it out, swung it around making a sweeping right turn out our gate onto Ghost Town Road & headed on down to a small garage in Congress. They work on Motorhome stuff there & we still needed that gray water valve re-installed. I tried to do it but ended up running out of patience. Took the guy (using the right tools) about 20 minutes to re-install the valve with new seals & we were good to go. A job well done for $20.00……& that included the new seals.

NOT EXACTLY CAMPING WORLD……BUT HEY, THAT’S OK:))

Very discouraging to find more & more of our newly planted Cactus chewed off each morning. Seems to be a certain kind of Cactus the Rabbits or Pack Rats favor. Just not practical to put metal cages around them. And, probably more practical to not plant any more of that animal attractive Cactus. Kelly did put some moth balls around some of them this morning so we’ll see if that helps.

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I have come to the conclusion that my legs have simply aged much faster than the rest of my body. I first became aware of leg problems about 5 or 6 years ago & they have slowly but steadily declined ever since. I have the hands, wrists, arms & shoulders of a 68 year old or younger man but have the legs of a an elderly fellow in his 80’s or 90’s it seems. I don’t have the spring in my walk anymore & I notice myself moving much slower due to the ever increasing stiffness. Harder to get my right leg into or out of the Jeep & it pains me every time I get out of a chair. Tried a little rock scramble this morning but had to go slow. No springing from rock to rock anymore. Kind of discouraging. Can’t stand for long periods of time or walk the same long distances I could just a year or two ago. Not complaining, just sharing some thoughts.

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For me, it is sometimes uplifting to read of other peoples difficulties. It always assures me I am not alone & not the only one who has problems with mechanical & technical things, etc. Case in point…..Check out SASSY'S ON 'DA ROAD. Many, many, times I have said the very same words to myself as Sassy said to herself while attempting to do something….'It wouldn’t be me’!!

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Here in the heart of Arizona’s gold country we have a lot of prospector type people out in the desert every day looking for gold. I find this whole gold thing annoying because every time I dig one of my post holes, I am slowed down by these big pesky gold nuggets I have to pry out of the hard soil. Some of them are so heavy I have to get Pheebs to help me lift them out of the post holes. Had so many of the darned things laying around I loaded them in the Jeep today & took them to the dump. Texas isn’t the only place for long tall tales you know:))

REBUILT CACTUS MAN IS A TAD SHORTER BUT HAS STRONGER HIPS NOW

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A Lutheran minister is driving down to New York to see the radio show and he's stopped in Connecticut for speeding. The state trooper smells alcohol on his breath and then he sees an empty wine bottle on the floor, and he says, "Sir, have you been drinking?" And the minister says, "Just water." The sheriff says, "Then why do I smell wine?"
And the minister looks down at the bottle and says, "Good Lord, He's done it again!"

--------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

Sunday, December 09, 2012

CLIMBED ABOARD THE ‘POLAR EXPRESS’ WITHOUT EVER LEAVING MY RECLINER

ANOTHER NICE EARLY MORNING SUNRISE ON GHOST TOWN ROAD

At the risk of sounding annoyingly repetitive, my day was a smattering of puttering again. Began defining some pathways through the front Cactus Garden, transplanted some ‘Desert Broom’ plants & just generally scratched around in the dirt like a chicken. Actually, I’m having second thoughts about those garden pathways. Maybe just better to leave the walking area natural………. Any ideas?

Definitely felt cooler when we got up this morning so figured maybe it was time to try out our fireplace today. I have no experience with wood fireplaces so we just started off easy making a small fire to see how things worked. Would the smoke really go up the chimney & the heat really come into the living room? Well, sort of, & after a little research on the internet I had a much better handle on the do’s & don’ts of wood burning fireplaces.

Kelly spent most of her day cleaning & sewing up some curtains. Soaked up some sun in the back yard relaxing with her book & just generally enjoyed another day in our southwest sticks & bricks. As much as we have enjoyed our Snow Bird boondocking these last years, I must admit, we are pretty darn content this year to just be exactly where we are:))

It was a year ago today we met RV SUE & HER CANINE CREW on Darby Wells road near Ajo, Arizona. My post for that first time meeting is HERE:))

<<< THIS CURVED BILL THRASHER KEPT A WARY ON US THIS MORNING

Now, about that tall outside clothes dryer. We already had a 3 ft metal pipe inside another metal pipe in the ground. The clothes dryer pipe actually fit over one of those pipes but only slide down so far & stopped there making it waaaay to tall. Decided to saw the clothes dryer poll off about 14 inches to make it fit on the ground pole at the right height. Just have to rustle myself up a hacksaw somewhere. I like the fresh smell of clothes dried outside.

Highlight of my day turned out to be….The Polar Express. Between puttering's I climbed into my recliner, retrieved the TV remote, & blundered my way through a few channels. Came across the movie, ‘Polar Express’ with Tom Hanks. Had never seen this movie. It’s extremely rare for me to sit through a whole movie on TV but sit through Polar Express I did. My kind of ‘feeling good’ movie & I loved the imagination, the animation, the creativity, the special effects, the story, the music, the magic, & well, just everything. Oh how I would loved to have seen this movie in a movie theater with a big screen & big sound. I like when a movie appeals to the young boy in me & I especially like when it happens at Christmas time:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts: "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" The man below says: "Yes. You're in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field." "You must work in Information Technology" says the balloonist. "I do" replies the man. "How did you know?" "Well" says the balloonist, "Everything you have told me is technically correct, but it's no use to anyone." The man below says, "You must work in business." "I do" replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?" "Well," says the man, "You don't know where you are, or where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were before we met, but now it's my fault."

Saturday, December 08, 2012

IT’S NOT EVERYBODY WHO HAS 2 DRYERS, A HAT RACK & A MESQUITE BEAD TREE

A FINE MORNING WALK FOR THE SHADOW COWBOY

Just kinda one of those tuckered out low energy days. Lack of a consistently good night’s sleep is probably the culprit. My days still begin around 3 or 4 in the morning….every morning. Bedtime for me is usually never later than 10 anymore.

WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A RARE MESQUITE BEAD TREE ON THE PROPERTY

Noticed some excitement going on over at JIMBO'S JOURNEY. Check out why Jim had a CNBC news crew out to interview him:))

KELLY PUT UP SOME NEW CURTAINS IN MY BEDROOM TODAY

John (Hudson Hornets) rolled into Congress Thursday afternoon with another large trailer load of stuff as he & Jackie slowly transition out of their Elfrida home to their newer digs in Congress. In that load was the matching dryer for our washing machine which John brought over a few weeks ago. Also, an outside portable cloths dryer & something none of us could figure out what it was. John just figured it was something that would go with our southwest theme…..& he was right. Took me awhile to figure out what it was, until I hung my hat on one of the pegs. Yep, I’ll bet it’s just a big old homemade western hat rack.

THE NEW HAT RACK NOW ADORNS OUR FRONT PORCH, COMPLETE WITH HATS:))

Both dryers & hat rack now reside on Ghost Town Road. And, a big thanks to John & Jackie for their generosity. Oh, & about that big 6’ King Snake you have living in your flower bed….it’s OK, we really don’t need one of those just yet.

KELLY FINDS OUR NEW OUTSIDE CLOTHES DRYER A BIT OF A STRETCH

Used up all the fencing material I had on hand so until the next shipment of rails & posts arrive, I’ll take myself a little fence building break. A few readers had some questions about the project. No, not a post hole digger I’m using, just a shovel. Because I want to keep this a ‘low profile’ fence I am putting a full 12 inches of the post in the ground. Posts & rails are Cedar & the posts come with the rail slots already cut into them. Very easy fence to assemble. No nails, no screws, no precise finger nail biting measurements or spot-on leveling. No sawing or cutting of any kind. Just kinda line er up & put er together. My kinda no brainer project:))

WE FOUND A SUNFLOWER STOCK ON OUR WALK THIS MORNING

Spent some time under the stars tonight looking for VESTA. Despite knowing exactly where to look, & using two sets of powerful binoculars, I couldn’t find the elusive Asteroid. It’s not exactly something that has a big flashing neon sign on it saying it is an Asteroid. I may have seen it & mistook if for a star. Comets are easily identifiable because of their fuzzy tails. If the Earth is ever totally destroyed some day, it will likely be the result of a collision with a large Asteroid. It is common belief that it was an Asteroid striking the earth eons of centuries ago that wiped out the Dinosaurs. An Asteroid is basically a big piece of rock traveling an average speed of 25 kilometers a second. Now, that is a lot of impact speed……………..

THIS IS OUR QUIET MORNING WALK ENVIRONMENT:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Two guys were walking along a road in Georgia when they were struck by a police car driven by a drunken cop. One guy was thrown through the windshield and his buddy was knocked down an embankment. The first guy was charged with breaking and entering and the second with leaving the scene of an accident.

Friday, December 07, 2012

SPENT A LITTLE TIME WORKING ON MY FENCE PROJECT

A TINY DROP OF BACK LIT AMBER COLORED SAP APPEARS WHERE I CUT A LIMB OFF A MESQUITE TREE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO…I SEE A TINY SLEEPING BABY HERE, HEAD ON THE RIGHT

Kelly brought a few more fence posts & rails back from Wickenburg today so I was able to work away a bit on the wood fence project. Going to be a slow go. Can only dig a few inches at a time in the hardened desert rock like soil. Dig, fill the hole with water & wait for a few hours until it sinks in, then dig some more, add water…..etc. etc. Kelly also tracked down a lead on where we might find some old railway ties so we’ll go have us a look shortly. Those old ties make great flower bed borders. That is if we can find them & wrestle a few into the Jeep.

ROUGHLY LAID OUT A FEW PLANKS WHERE RAILWAY TIES MIGHT GO

WATER IN A POST HOLE & THOSE ANGLED ON THE GROUND RAILS WILL LATER BE LIFTED & ATTACHED TO POSTS

It was just over a year ago that we met Tioga George in Ajo, Arizona. Probably the most well known RV Blogger on the Planet & we found George to be a soft spoken & gentle soul . Had meant to post about our year ago meeting last week & forgot. This is my post from that day, THE BAYFIELD BUNCH MEETS TIOGA GEORGE

TIOGA GEORGE IN HIS RIG AT THE DINETTE TABLE

Had some more ‘Bird Of Paradise’ seeds so planted them around where our laundry water drains out into the back yard near the fence line. Maybe they will have a chance there. Hardest part of working with those seeds was that darn blasted song I couldn’t get out of my head. You know the one, ‘May The Bird of Pickle Juice Fly Up Yer Nose’. There, now it’s in your head for the rest of the day. Sing it out & sing it loud:))

WORKING ON MY FENCE PROJECT…DIGGING & TAMPING DOWN THE DIRT AROUND A POST…MY LITTLE HELPER IS NEVER FAR AWAY

In Thursday night’s comment section, Mark over at BOX CANYON BLOG asked, “Just wondering what the elevation is of Wikiup and Hidden Oasis and how cold it gets there? I see palm trees so it must not be too high... but I would imagine it's cooler than Congress/Wickenburg”. Ed, from the THE PEREGRINATING GRAYBEARD answers, “Wikieup 3,655', Congress 3,049' and Wickenberg 2,100'. Probably 3-4 degrees colder than Congress and 5-6 degrees colder than Wickenberg on average”.

A BLUE HERON FLY’S ALONG BURROW CREEK & LANDS ON THE SIDE OF A SHEER ROCK FACE…NOTICE THE FEET SPREAD OUT TO HOLD ON

The flyboys were back this afternoon duking it up right over top the house at maybe 8 or 10,000 ft. By the time I heard the roar, the first pilot had already dropped his flares, but I did manage a few quick one handed shaky 300mm shots of the second guy ripping through heavy on the throttle. My other hand was busy shielding my eyes from the sun so I could see the fast moving planes.

SANDY has joined us as Blog Follower 540. Thank you for climbing aboard Sandy & we appreciate your interest in following the Bayfield Bunch.

PHEEBS SPOTS HER LITTLE PAL PEBBLES UP AHEAD

And what were we doing one year ago today? Well, LOOKING FOR THE MICA MINE of course:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((

A few of our past Presidents found themselves following the famous Yellow Brick Road, on their way to meet The Wizard.
They were all missing just a little something and figured The Wizard could help them. They meet The Wizard and he asks each in turn what they need.
"Well", Jimmy Carter says, "I could use some courage." "No problem," says The Wizard, and Carter gets his courage, no questions asked. "What about you, Mr. Reagan?", The Wizard asks.
"If I only had a brain," Mr. Reagan replies, and voila, Mr. Reagan has his brain. George Bush is next.
"People tell me I could use a heart," he pleads, and The Wizard grants Mr. Bush his wish. "Tell me, Mr. Clinton, what do you most want?", asks The Wizard. Mr. Clinton doesn't hesitate. "Is Dorothy around?"