WARM WINDS A BLOWIN IN THE KOFA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE:))))))

BOONDOCKED JUST SOUTH OF THE KOFA MOUNTAIN RANGE

With Arizona’s milder temperatures this year I had been keeping an eye on the thermometer up around Sedona the past few weeks & with daytime highs in the 60’s last week & earlier this week I was hoping we could grab a few days in that area.  However checking the 10 day forecast I saw the temps dropping into the low 50’s with rain forecast for Friday.  Night time temps down at the freezing mark.  We missed our window of opportunity but we’ll have us a look at Sedona again maybe around the end of March or early April on our way North.

 

FIRST TIME USING OUR NEW SOUTH GATE & IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM

Kelly surprised me Wednesday afternoon when she returned from Wickenburg with the words, “if we can get the rig loaded up we can leave tomorrow”.  Well that was all I needed to perk up my spirits again.  We talked about Yuma, Borrego Springs, or a return to the Kofa Mountains.  We liked the idea we can be into the Kofa’s in about two & a half hours from our house so that was our destination.  Plus now that all the congestion has cleared out of Quartzsite it just made it more practical for us to head back on down through there.

ALWAYS GREAT TO BE ON THE ROAD GOING SOMEWHERE

We had Winnie’s wheels rolling by 9:50 & it was the first time through our new south gate.  Worked pretty slick.  Quick stop at the Post Office & we were westward bound on 2 of my favorite lite traffic highways.  Number 71 from Congress to Aguila & number 60 from there to Interstate 10.  Just put er on ‘Cruise Control’, sit back & enjoy Arizona’s mighty fine scenery rolling by.  From I-10 to Quartzsite is only about 12 miles.  A customary stop at McDonald’s for coffee & we were on our way again.  Winds had really picked up throwing a lot of dust into the air in Quartzsite.  No traffic jams, no crowds, no problems.  Now that’s how we prefer to do Quartzsite. 

 

YEP WE’RE IN QUARTZSITE ALRIGHT

 

Q’S MAIN INTERSECTION MAY LOOK BUSY BUT NOTHING LIKE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WEEK AGO

Knew exactly where we were going so headed about 30 miles or so south of the Q & hung a left into the desert across from Stone Cabin & made our way along a dusty desert road back into the mountains.  An area familiar to us between the Kofa & Castle Dome mountains.  Kofa’s to our North & Castle Domes to our South.  ‘How sweet it is’ as Jackie Gleason would say.

SO NICE TO CATCH SIGHT OF THE KOFA MOUNTAINS AGAIN

 

CHECKED OUT FIRST ONE CAMPSITE THEN ANOTHER

DECIDED ON THE THIRD ONE

We headed back in far enough this time to a spot where the only sound in the air was the wind rustling the hair around under my Cowboy hat.  Not another RV in site for as far as the eye can see.  No telephone wires, power poles, light pollution, buildings, noisy traffic, nothing.  Finally a spot that totally suits our much preferred style of boondocking.  No television signal with our antennae but we do have internet.  We really gotta get on the ball & get ourselves a ‘Dish’ receiver & activate the TracVision dome we already have on the rig.  It is already set-up & programmed for Dish TV.  Sometimes we just drag our feet too darn much.

 

PRETTY NICE FRONT YARD I WOULD SAY

 

I’D SAY THE LOOK ON KELLY’S FACE PRETTY WELL SAYS IT ALL:))

We are in the KOFA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE not far from where we were back in 2010.  We especially like it here because of it’s remoteness & the fact nobody else is here.  It’s like we have this whole mountain playground to ourselves.  Not everybody’s fancy of course but it sure fits us to a T.  Oh how we love listening to the silence of the wind in the Saguaros:))  We are totally ringed by mountains.  Some near, some far.  We’ll be on the desert Jeep roads in the morning in search of something.  Not sure what yet but I bet we’ll find it:))

 RETIRED ROD left a Rattlesnake vaccine link in my Wednesday post.  Click on RATTLESNAKE VACCINE to read about how this works & what it does.

 

Sometimes the difficulties of finding a place can stretch into a lengthy day resulting in an unexpected sighting.  In this case it was Bighorn Mountain Sheep in the Yacqui Pass over in California & it happened to Doug & Dolly at MISS ADVENTURE TRAVELS.  Their elusive destination Wednesday had been Ghost Mountain in the Blair Valley.  A Police car followed them back to Borrego Springs.  ‘Oh-Oh’. .

And Awwwwww Nuts!!!!!!  Our loveseat couch broke.  We were both on the couch, Kelly went to get up & the bolts pulled out of the floor at the back of the couch & we both suddenly tipped forward.  Luckily I caught my laptop with my feet.  Right now we have yellow plastic tire levelers under the front of the couch to keep it from tipping forward.  Bruce back home had made a special block of wood to fit under the front bar of the couch but of course I forgot to bring it.  We’ll pull the cushions off tomorrow & have us a look at what happened.  I’m not optimistic we will be able to fix it the way it was though.  I remember how much trouble Ron & Scotty had installing it last summer……….

FOR KELLY & I IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE SCENERY, THE PEACE & THE QUIET………

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Ethan walks into a barn with a farmer to buy a horse.  The horse is laid down in some straw. After giving the horse the once-over Ethan says, "This here horse ain’t got no shoes on."  The farmer replies "Well he ain’t got up yet.

NOT MUCH GOING ON:(( -- OR IS THERE??

RED TAIL HAWK

The windsock attached to our front gate hung straight down at dawn.  It was so calm a wisp of smoke would have gone straight up into the still morning air without a waver.  Sky was clear & the air crisp, not cold.  Another fine Arizona day was underway & I knew with this calm air it would be a good time to turn our raked up ground based yellow dried grass into burnt-up air based atmosphere.  And so be it the task was done.

DIDN’T TAKE LONG TO BURN UP THE DRIED GRASS WITH 2 FIRE SOURCES

Couple readers asked how Dally was doing & we again noticed this morning she seemed a bit subdued.  Happy to see us but her jumping exuberance has settled down & I think that is a good thing.  I’m sure her experience has changed her in some ways.  Maybe matured her a bit & taken some of that young dog rambunctiousness out her. 

A few folks have asked about that Rattlesnake vaccine shot Pheebs had Tuesday.  The vaccine buys time.  If an animal is bit the vaccine holds back the effects but the animal still must be taken immediately to a Vet for further treatment.  An animal has a higher survival rate & less bad effects if it has been vaccinated against the Rattlesnake’s venom.  Vet said the majority of snake bites are on a dog’s nose & 20% of those bites are dry bites meaning no venom is injected.  Only after effects from the vaccination may be a temporary small lump at the injection sight on her neck after about a week.  Snake aversion classes are also held in Wickenburg but I’m thinking they do not begin until well into March or early April.

Not a lot to write about.  Tried to interest myself in some yard puttering but ended up in my recliner watching TV for most of the day.  Kelly went to Wickenburg for the results of her Tuesday blood tests & to do some shopping & that’s about it for today…………………..

GROANER’S CORNER:((   Two city boys were on a train heading through Texas when one of them noticed some cows. 'What a lovely bunch of cows.' he remarked. 'Not a bunch, herd,' the other boy replied.  'Heard of what?'  'Herd of cows.'  'Of course I've heard of cows.' ‘No, a cow herd.'  'What do I care what a cow heard.  I have no secrets to keep from a cow.'

(last minute update) 

OUR RV IS PARKED IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE TONIGHT…..WHAT COULD THIS MEAN??

PHEEBS WINS THEM OVER AT THE WICKENBURG VET CLINIC

I KEPT A CLOSE EYE ON THIS PATCH OF CACTUS TODAY HOPING TO GET A FEW PHOTOS OF THE GOPHER SNAKE

A high thin wispy cloud cover made for a slightly cooler day & that worked well for me this morning as I concentrated my efforts on cleaning out all the old dead grass along the ditch in front of our place.  Fired up our weed whacker for only the second time this winter.  I have a tendency to avoid small gasoline engine powered things as much as I can but the garden rake just wasn’t the right tool for the job I was doing.  Don’t like things that make a big noise.  Dug a few preliminary shallow holes near our new gate in preparation for planting something in them & doing a little landscaping in that area.  Kept my camera close by in hopes of catching a glimpse of Mr. Gopher snake but didn’t see him.  Kelly busied herself in the house cleaning.

NO SIGN OF MR. GOPHER SNAKE ANYWHERE

I had really hoped we would have been loading the rig this week in preparation for travel shortly but sometimes my travel plans are hard to get implemented.  Kind of like that saying about trying to nail Jello to a tree.  You solo folks don’t have that problem.  When your ready to go somewhere you just up & go somewhere.  Nice. 

<<< PETER & LESLIE GAVE US THIS QUALITY WIND CHIME LAST WEEK

Jim & Rene from LIVE. WORK. DREAM. had an update on the goings on at Slab City.  They are currently there & attended a meeting at ‘The Range’.   Seems to be a lot of rumors & confusion swirling about in regards to what is actually going on there.  Anyone typing Slab City into our ‘Search Bar’ can see our trips to Slab City over the years.

SO NICE TO SEE THE HUMMERS AT THE FEEDER >>>

It’s always important to be prepared for emergencies while out hiking.  Barney over at OLD FAT MAN ADVENTURES in his latest post talks about what he carries in his backpack while on the trail.  This will be of interest to hikers or any folks doing day trips in the back county.  He even talks about his bladder………..

 

GATE IS ANGLED TO FACE THE ROAD TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OUR NEIGHBOR’S RIGHT OF WAY ROAD…SAME NEIGHBOR WHO’S PROPERTY I HAVE BEEN CLEANING UP

Rather than having our 14’ south gate placed in-line with the existing fence causing us to make a 90 degree turn going in or out of it I had the the fence builder angle the gate in.  That makes it much easier for ourselves or anyone else towing something to get into our yard.  Kind of hard to explain so had to climb up on the rig & do a bit of an aerial view of the gate set up.  Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

BOTH GATES CAN BE SEEN IN THIS PHOTO…OLDER GATE AT EXTREME LEFT & NEWER GATE AT EXTREME RIGHT

Seeings how we had a trip to Wickenburg anyway this afternoon for Pheebs Rattlesnake vaccine shot Kelly figured she might as well get her monthly blood tests taken care of again.  And besides, she said Bashas had butter on sale.  We were in the Jeep & on our way before 3.

THIS STREET SIGN IN WICKENBURG TELLS A LOT ABOUT THE TOWN’S HISTORY

We were early for our Vet appointment & they took us in.  Pheebs just makes friends wherever she goes.  She had the two ladies at the front desk just a cooing over her when she put her paws up against the counter & peered over to see how they were doing.  Another little doggy came in on a leash & Pheebs right away made friends with her.  The Vet himself liked Pheebs right off & had no problems doing a routine examination.  Pheebs never even felt the Vaccine shot in her neck & before she knew it we were all done.  With a big tail wagging smile she said good-bye to everyone & out to the Jeep we went.  The actual vaccine shot was only $12 & the routine exam $28.  Half an hour later with lengthening shadows beginning to fill in the canyons we were home & that was pretty much it for another Bayfield Bunch day…………….. 

 

PHEEBS PUTS SOME REASSURING SMOOCHES ON ANOTHER LITTLE FELLOW WAITING TO SEE THE VET

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Mike Montana got into his old rusted Ford 4 by 4 and drove to the neighboring ranch and knocked at the door. A young boy, Neil, aged about 9, opened the door.

'Is yer Dad home?' Mike demanded.
'No, sir, he ain't,' Neil replied. 'He went into town.'

'Well, then,' inquired Mike, 'is yer Mom here?'
'No, sir, she ain't here neither. She went into town with Dad.'

'How about your brother? Is he here?'
'He went with Mom and Dad,' explained Neil patiently.

Mike Montana stood there for a few seconds, shifting from one foot to the other and muttering to himself.

'Is there anything I can do fer ya?' Neil asked politely. 'I know where all the tools are, if you want to borrow one. Or maybe I could take a message fer Dad.'

'Well, it's difficult,' answered Mike uncomfortably, 'I really wanted to talk to yer Dad. It's about your brother getting my daughter pregnant.'

Neil considered for a moment, 'You would have to talk to Pa about that,' he finally conceded. 'If it helps you any, I know that Pa charges $600 for the bull and $60 for the hog, but I really don't know how much he gets fer Howard.'

OUR GATE IS COMPLETE & AS YET AN UNSEEN GOPHER SNAKE IS IN OUR FRONT YARD

The bird in my Sunday post has been identified by DONNA W & GORDON W (no relation) as an AMERICAN KESTREL.  I think it is the first time I have ever seen one.  Photo was taken near the Date Creek Ranch west of the Date Creek Mountains.

 

Readers may have noticed I have been slowly re-building my ‘Fellow Bloggers’ list on our sidebar.  A lot of blogs slipped through the cracks over the last few years.  Some mysteriously disappeared, some I removed when they went dormant, & others I removed one time in an attempt to shorten the list & keep it more current.  As I come across blogs I remember I have been re-adding them to my list again.  This morning’s example is LADY DYNA RIDER who I think I had on my list at one time.  I recognized the name.  Check out her post about a Steel Building Home.  Kelly & I have thought of this concept many times over the past years.

I am soooooo glad it is not last year at this time.  Not only were we headed for a cold snowy & rainy stretch of weather but it was the time we drove over to Quartzsite on January 25th & got ourselves tangled up buying a 2012 Class C Sunseeker.  That was the beginning of some highly stressful days for us that would last for months.  It is still stressful to this very day just thinking of it all.  Worst day was January 31rst when we drove the Damon to Quartzsite for the trade-in.  Now there’s a miserable memory still too fresh in my mind to even write about.  And that’s the end of that.

 

<<< LITTLE MISS HAPPY FACE

Dally was back to more of her old self this morning.  Quicker coming over to the fence & jumping up for some scruffles.  Someone asked if she was fixed & yes she is.  Several folks have wondered about us adopting Dally.  This is a tough question.  After 3 dogs we are very comfortable right now with one dog.  Everything is much easier for us.  Pheebe is our top priority & we do not want to do anything that disrupts or changes things for her.  We already know Dally totally overpowers Pheebs while playing & we can tell Pheebs is uncomfortable with that.  Dally might settle down after awhile or she might not.  It’s a big chance to take.  Dally requires training & I don’t know if I have the patience for that anymore.  It would be pretty crowded in the Jeep with 2 dogs in the back etc.  Adopting Dally is not out of the question but it is a very, very, difficult decision requiring not only clear thoughts from the head but clear feelings from the heart as well…………………

The flower pics I had in my post a couple days ago are a type of Daisy.  Shirley gave me a coffee can of seeds awhile back & I scattered them in a bare spot along our fence north of our front gate.  Maybe just need some rain now to get them started.  If we can just get a few growing they will soon take off covering our front yard.

Marteen & his boys showed up this afternoon & completed our south gate.  Good job & glad to have that project done & out of the way.  They also made a few adjustments on our front gate to even things up as well.  Waiting for Les now to drop over with our new shed doors

 

WE NOW HAVE 2 ENTRANCES TO THE PROPERTY MAKING IT EASIER ENTER & EXIT OUR PLACE

We noticed a white pick-up truck stopped on the road in front of our house this afternoon.  We recognized the truck from the Congress Water Department & one of the fellas was out shoosing something off the road with his hat.  Turns out it was a 3’ GOPHER SNAKE.  Gopher snakes are good snakes & not harmful.  We didn’t see it but Lloyd from the waterworks said he last saw it slipping under our fence heading for a Prickly Pear Cactus patch we have in the corner of our front yard.  With camera in hand Kelly & went looking for him but he may have gone down one of the holes under the Prickly Pears.  This Gopher snake sighting along with a commenter having a Rattlesnake in their breezeway in south Congress a week ago prompted Kelly to call a Vet in Wickenburg.  Pheebs is going in for an anti-venom Rattlesnake shot Tuesday at 4 just to be on the safe side.  She will get a booster in about a month & it will be good until next January.  With our mild temperatures lately some of the crawly things are beginning to come out of the ground.  Those Cactus Wrens gathering nesting materials Sunday may be a sign of an early Spring in these parts.

Three o’clock this afternoon found us over at North Ranch with a group of folks in the activity center listening to Bob Cardwell giving a talk & showing slides on Crested Saguaros of Arizona.  To date he has documented 2,081 Crested Saguaro Cacti.  Bob is connected with the TUCSON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY.  Kelly & I have found close to a dozen so far in our travels.  Typing ‘Saguaro Cactus’ in our search bar will take you to my posts over the years about us finding them.  Recent finds are listed first.

 

Noticed a few fellow RV Bloggers over in Quartzsite made it out to Crystal Hill a day or two ago.  Rough washboard road to get there but it’s a nice hike up a rocky hill where crystals can still be found.

 

WE FOUND SOME ON CRYSTAL HILL

KELLY & I ON CRYSTAL HILL SOUTH OF QUARTZSITE AZ ON FEBRUARY 08 IN 2010

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know the very first doctor of dermatology had to start from scratch.

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

This dog, is dog, a dog, good dog, way dog, to dog, keep dog, a dog, dummy dog, busy dog, for dog, 20 dog, seconds dog! ... Now read without the word dog.

Farmer Evans was driving his John Deere tractor along the road with a trailer load of fertilizer.  Tim a little boy of eight was playing in his yard when he saw the farmer and asked, 'What've you got in your trailer?'  'Manure,' Farmer Evans replied. 'What are you going to do with it?' asked Tim. 'Put it on my strawberries,' answered the farmer. Tim replied, 'You ought to come and eat with us, we put ice-cream on our strawberries.'