ASH FORK TO CONGRESS ARIZONA…YAHOOIE LOUIE WE’RE HOME:))))))

HOME:))

We were up before 5 a.m. so had us some time to kill before sunrise.  Luckily we have our computer pacifiers to keep us entertained.  I sure have not missed television morning news programs with all their giggling theatrics, continuous doom & gloom repetitive tunnel versioned & narrow focused broadcasts.  We have little idea what is going on in the world at the moment & what a refreshing break that has been this past week.  Getting up in the morning & habitually snapping on television news has been such a bad habit for way too long!!

SLIPPING SOUTH THROUGH THE CHINO VALLEY EARLY THIS MORNING

Ok, on with the day now that I got that little burr out from under my saddle.  We were on the road about 6:15 just after first light.  As expected it was a quiet peaceful drive south down highway 89.  Watched old Sol climb above the mountain range to our east.  I knew Mingus mountain & Jerome were over there & that brought back memories of a harrowing navigational error we made in our early years.  FROM BEDROCK TO DEAD HORSE ARIZONA.

A short stop at McDonald’s in Chino for coffee to go & a doggy walk.  Spotted the Shadow Cowboy while there.  Well he’s not really a Cowboy but I think he is a shadow of his former self sometimes:((

 

SLIPPIN ALONG ON IRON SPRINGS ROAD, NEW PAVEMENT & ALL

Temporarily misplaced ourselves for a few blocks coming around the bypass in Prescott but we got er figured out & back on track.  Iron Springs Road is a great drive.  Lots of great scenery, rock formations, long sweeping vistas across miles wide valleys, mountain peaks, & just enough sharp curves & steep hills to white knuckle any inexperienced driver.  Last couple of times on this stretch of road we encountered a lot of road construction but not this morning.  All done & lots of new pavement.

THERE’S THE LITTLE SKULL VALLEY RESTAURANT WE ATE AT JEAN:))

Pulled over in Kirkland to take my jacket & flannel shirt off.  Temperature was already 70F & it was only about 8:45 a.m.  What a beautiful morning’s drive.  I think we later got up well into the 80’s today. 

ROLLING THROUGH PEEPLES VALLEY

 

As we approached Yarnell I thought about the 19 Firefighters who tragically lost their lives there this past summer.  As we came into the north end of town we could see where the fire had come right down into the town & right up behind some of the downtown business’s.  It’s a miracle that whole little town didn’t catch fire.

COMING INTO YARNELL’S NORTH END

 

KELLY CHECKS FOR TRAFFIC BEFORE HEADING ACROSS TO THE BAKERY

ONE CAN SEE HOW CLOSE THAT YARNELL FIRE CAME TO DESTROYING THESE DOWNTOWN MAIN STREET BUILDINGS

For Kelly there is no driving past the Cornerstone Bakery on Yarnell’s main street.  Aha so that was her motive for not wanting to leave Ash Fork too early.  Wanted to make sure the bakery was open when we got there.  And it was.  A Maple Donut breakfast for me.  Kelly buried herself in some kind of Cinnamon delicacy.  

HERE SHE COMES WITH THE GOODIES

Didn’t have to go far up the road to begin our decent down the Yarnell Hill into our great Sonoran Desert Valley below.  We were only minutes from home now.  We could see Congress spread out far below.  Winnie handled the sharp curves with ease & geared herself down when needed.  She gained a lot of experience this trip & cut her teeth like a true RV.  I love driving the Yarnell hill.  It’s like a Midway ride, but no room for mistakes.

THAT’S CONGRESS SPREAD OUT ON THE DESERT FLOOR BELOW

THINK I CAN SEE MIKE McFALL WAVING AWAY WAY OUT THERE AT NORTH RANCH

Rolled into Congress & turned right over a set of railroad tracks.  Turned right again onto Ghost Town Road.  What a great feeling that was to be coming down the last mile of our long journey.  Everything looked much greener than I had remembered it.  We passed nice houses & we passed junk yard houses.  And then there we were, left blinker on & into the driveway.  It was 9:11 Arizona time.  Kelly jumped out quick to open the gate because our Jeep was still on the road.  And in we came & shut her down.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:))

DOWN ON THE VALLEY FLOOR WITH CONGRESS AZ STRAIGHT AHEAD

 

TURNING RIGHT ON GHOST TOWN ROAD FOR THE LAST MILE TO OUR HOUSE…AND THERE IT IS AT LAST:))

Jumped out of the rig & the first thing I looked for was all the Cacti I had planted.  They were all gone.  I was so disappointed.  I figured I might loose half of them but to lose all of them………  Gone without a trace as if they had never been there in the first place.  Even my Cactus Man was toppled.  We walked around the property looking at things & I could see right away I had my work cut out for me again.  But thankfully not nearly as bad as last year.  And it’s the kind of yard work I don’t mind doing.  Lots of weeds.   Aside from my Cactus disappointment it was sure great to be back to our Arizona home.  And how great for Pheebs to have lots of room to run around the entirely fenced in property.

TURNING INTO OUR DRIVEWAY & KELLY OPENS THE GATE

Next we went into the house.  Everything was exactly as we had left it.  But there was a bad smell & it took awhile to track down the source.  Four dead & decaying mice.  When a house has been locked up for 6 months one can expect those kinds of things.  Although we had not expected that.  It was also obvious we Canadian Critters would not be moving in till the Arizona Critters moved out so out came the vacuum cleaner & all kinds of cleaning solvents.  And that set the pace for the day.  Lots of Spider webs to deal with & a ka-zillion million things to do all at once.  We never let up all day until we crumbled into our recliners around 6.  And knowing us, we will be right back at it first thing in the morning.  It’s all part of the overall enjoyment.  Gotta remember water & birdseed out for the birds, etc. etc. etc.

LOTS OF CLEANING AHEAD OF US

PHEEBS WATCHES AS WE BEGIN UNLOADING THE RIG

Took us a bit of doing but we set up our satellite dish, found the bird & we now have TV.  Sirius satellite radio hooked up to the Boom Box & my Ipod is tethered to our Bose sound system again.   Oh & then there was my loooooong hot shower this afternoon.  Ya know, I think I am beginning to show a bit of age.  Enjoyed the week of travel but it’s good to be at our southwest base now all comfy & stretched out in my big room here.  Overhead fan going, Jim Reeves & Hank Williams on the Bose. Sitting in my comfy Ikea Poang chair, & Pheebs asleep beside me on my bed.  Lots of room for my cameras & atlas’s.  Even got a cold Cranberry/Raspberry drink on the go.  Nice cozy ambient lamps on & all feel’s well & good.  And a big soft cushy bed to sleep in tonight.  Best part about that will be our morning tussles again when Pheebs comes bounding up on my bed to get me up.  We missed our morning tussles all week when Pheebs was unable to get up into my over the cab tree house bunk.  She’s a pretty tired but happy little doggy tonight.  But then again, we all are:))

  

And thanks to Eileen in Phoenix for correcting my spelling of the Chino Valley.  It’s Chino not Chimo.  And I’m surprised nobody caught my mis-spelling of Albuquerque a couple days ago.  I had been putting an extra e in the word Albuquerque making it look like Albuequerque.

OUR BACK YARD IS LOOKING MIGHTY GREEN

Funny thing happened to us sitting on our loveseat with our laptops a couple night’s ago.  I began to notice some odd things happening on my screen.  It was as if my curser had a mind of it’s own & my screen was scrolling on it’s own.  Oh no, had I picked up a computer virus somewhere.  Had something taken over my lap top.  Well yes, something had indeed taken over my computer.  It was Kelly’s mouse.  Sitting right next to me working on her laptop, her mouse was somehow controlling my screen.  We’re not exactly sure how that happened & it hasn’t happened since but it sure confused & had me worried for a few minutes.

<<< GOT MY LITTLE COMPUTER STATION SET UP IN MY BEDROOM

Second funny & not so funny thing happened a couple days ago as well.  We had us fly infestation of sorts on our way down from Canada.  Stopped & bought some fly stickers at the Trinidad NM Walmart.  Hung 2 of them from cabinet knobs.  We had just stopped at the KOA office in Raton.  Kelly slipped inside to make the reservation & Pheebs jumped up on her seat but oh oh, something wasn’t right.  There she was standing on the seat with a fly sticker wrapped around her neck just like a necklace.  Was able to get the fly sticker pulled off her fur but oh what a sticky mess it left.  Soap, water, brushing, more soap, more water.  More washing.  Repeat the aforementioned half a dozen times interspersed with a few snips of the scissors to eliminate some impossible to clean matted fur & we were about as good as we were gonna get.  Oh Peebs:)) 

YEP, GOT A BIT OF YARD WORK AHEAD OF ME ALRIGHT

Ever been rolling down the road & have an axle brake on your trailer?  Well it happened to the HAPPY CAMPERS a few days ago in Arkansas on a 4 lane highway with narrow shoulders.  Couldn’t get a new axle but came up with a different solution.

KELLY’S BUSY GETTING THINGS SPIFFED UP IN THE KITCHEN

NICE TO BACK IN OUR COZY LITTLE SOUTHWEST ADOBE HOUSE

That’s it for tonight folks.  We are soooooooo tired but were already discussing our first road trip from our home base today.  Probably going to be Slab City over there in that California place………………………..

AND I HAVE A TIRED LITTLE TRAVELER ON MY BED TONIGHT

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know a crocodile cannot stick out its tongue. Ya, I thought you did.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

ALBUQUERQUE NM TO ASH FORK ARIZONA….ANOTHER FINE TRAVELING DAY & WE’RE ALMOST HOME :))

Dag Nabbit!!  Just after saying in Thursday’s post we probably would not be in another Cracker Barrel for 6 months there we were this morning in Gallup New Mexico less than 21 hours later seated for breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  Well, ya just don’t know do ya…………….

HAVE ALWAYS LIKED CRACKER BARREL’S AMBIENCE
Rained most of the night but quit about a half hour before we headed out about 6:40 a.m.  Nice to not have freezing cold morning temperatures for a change.  And did I mention we had our A/C on a couple days ago.  Yep, we’re on the desert floor now & it’s getting warmer.  Supposed to reach 88F in Congress Saturday.

So nice to see big storm clouds moving by in the opposite direction we were going.  Watched another great sunrise in my driver’s side mirror.  I-40 remained wet all the way to Gallup as we passed through intermittent rain showers.  Low fog in some far away areas & distant mountains were wrapped in sinewy Angel Hair.  Remember that’s the stuff we used to put on Christmas trees.  Watched for but never did see any rainbows as we passed through sunlit rain showers.  By the time we reached Gallup for breakfast we were in full sunshine with big white puffy clouds.  Nice:))
 
SUNRISE IN MY DRIVER’S SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR
It was Kelly this time who mentioned there was a Cracker Barrel ahead of us in Gallup & that is how we ended up there.  Big breakfast which we later finished off for supper.  Around the corner from Cracker Barrel was a Walmart so popped in their for some groceries to take on home to Congress.  Turns out this is the same Walmart parking lot we stayed in last year on Halloween night.  The next morning we made the last leg of the journey down through the Chino Valley, Prescott, Yarnell, & home.  But not today………………….

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS IS HOW THEY MAKE THOSE BIG CLOUDS OUT HERE:))


Our Ford E450 sure had another work-out today with all the moderate hills & grades as we I-40’d our way Westward.  Just love all the western scenery going by & the long 40 & 50 mile views to distant horizons & mountain tops.  And we are back in the land of long seemingly endless trains.  We can see them stretching & winding their miles long serpent like chain of train cars across the desert floor.  This is the land of big.  Big skies, sweeping panoramic desert landscapes, towering mountains, pine forests, & views in all directions that stretch eyeballs & imaginations to their fullest.  There may be those who do not like this kind of terrain & then there are those of us who just love it:))

 
AT LAST………….ARIZONA:))
By the time we reached Flagstaff around 3:30 this afternoon I was beginning to feel a  bit ker-pooped.  Knew we could push it & make Congress but it was going to be late afternoon & maybe even early evening.  That was just too late after a long day on the road to have to get water turned on in the house etc. etc.  And besides, morning light would be nicer.  Last year we arrived in late morning & I remember how nice that felt to be relaxed when we reached our house.  So today by the time we reached our I-40/Chino Valley turn off at Ash Fork we had made our decision.  We would stay in Ash Fork for the night & head for Congress at first light in a refreshed state of mind.

I THINK I CAN SEE ARIZONA
 
FIND THE LIZARD

A REST STOP AREA EAST OF FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA
Ash Fork has been nothing more to us than the place we either get on or off I-40 so we knew nothing about the little settlement here.  Kind of a dusty little western town with a short main street, a museum, & a tourist info stop.  We were looking for a quiet little hideaway without much luck when we spotted a small RV Park tucked away down a stretch of road that I believe was part of the original Route 66.  Awwww, what the heck, let’s just do it.  

FLAGSTAFF AZ AHEAD & THOSE ARE THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS
 
EAST OF ASH FORK ON I-40
The I-40 GRAND CANYON RV PARK was a former KOA that had fallen on hard times.  Visible on the north side of I-40 traffic noise is minimal.  We are parked on gravel under a swatch of shady Utah Juniper trees.  It’s a short pull through site & would not be conducive to anything longer than what we are with our 26’ rig & Jeep.  I like this park because it is not fancy, at least not where we are.  And I like the fact we are the only transients here.  A few other travel trailers & 5’vers look a little more permanent.  Good Verizon signal but no antennae TV channels.  30 amp & water.  Central dump station.  The off season rate was $25 for the night.

 
OUR I-40 GRAND CANYON RV PART SPOT FOR THE NIGHT

We will roll out in the morning, cross over I-40 & begin our descent down through the Chino Valley.  We’ll slide quietly around the northwest side of Prescott & slip our way down through Skull Valley’s twisting & winding roads to Kirkland & sleepy little Yarnell.  We will gleefully tumble ourselves down the infamously steep & winding Yarnell Hill to our dusty little Adobe house tucked away somewhere on Congress’s Ghost Town Rode near some old western cemeteries & a century+ old semi-abandoned Gold Mine.  Part’s of our house were built from old lumber scrounged from that mine site years ago.  It will be soooooooo nice to be back to our South West home once again.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh:))
 
IN THE MORNING WE WILL TRAVEL THROUGH THE CHINO VALLEY AHEAD  

OUR FIRST CACTUS SIGHTING OF THE SEASON
GROANER’S CORNER:((  
And, in the word’s of Rodney Dangerfield…….

• I was such an ugly kid...When I played in the sandbox, the cat kept covering me up.
• I could tell my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio.
• I was such an ugly baby...My mother never breast fed me. She told me that she only liked me as a friend.
• I'm so ugly...My father carries around a picture of the kid who came with his wallet.
• When I was born, the doctor came into the waiting room and said to my father, "I'm sorry. We did everything we could, but he pulled through."
• I'm so ugly...My mother had morning sickness, after I was born.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.