DECIDED TO TAKE MY LEGS FOR A WALK IN THE DESERT THIS MORNING

TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE FROM A DESERT WALK PHEEBS & I TOOK THIS MORNING

Started my day off by doing a load of laundry & hanging it out to dry.  Pretty exciting so far eh.  Fired up the Big EEE & headed off a short distance to the Congress garage.  Kelly followed in the Jeep.  Said it might take them a couple days to get that flasher unit changed but no problem, we’re in no hurry.  Said they would read the codes as well to see what brought on our engine light north of Flagstaff a few weeks back as well.  A couple readers have sent in some excellent info on what the problem probably is but I think we’ll see if we can wait until we have the rig back to Bayfield & have the Bayfield Garage check it out there.  They’re a good bunch at that garage & we’ll hand them a couple printed copies of reader assessments regarding our occasional steep grade power loss problem.

LIBBY’S FIRST TIME OUT ON SOME DESERT JEEP ROADS & SHE DID JUST FINE

CHIEF SCOUT PHEEBS LEADS THE WAY ON OUR MORNING DESERT WALK

EASY TO SEE WHY I LOVE THE SOUTH-WEST SO MUCH

THE HARD PACKED DESERT FLOOR ALWAYS MAKES FOR EASY WALKING

Pheebs & I were into the Jeep about 10 again but this time rather than a long scenic drive I put the emphasis on getting some exercise for my legs & we headed the short distance into the desert behind our house.  I stopped doing our morning walks last winter when I just got tired of walking around the neighborhood with cars going by, barking dogs, & having to stop & chit chat with neighbors.  We have nice neighbors by the way but I prefer my morning walks to be people free.  I see morning as the finest time of day & like to spend it walking quietly in nature rather than noisy neighborhoods.  Kelly prefers the neighborhood walks & still takes Pheebs every morning while I just spend that time doing things around the yard.  But, there’s a problem with that & the problem is my legs…….I’m just not using my legs enough!!

ALWAYS LOVE HOW ONE CAN SEE FOR MILES & MILES IN ANY DIRECTION

FOR ME THIS DESERT SOLITUDE SURE BEATS WALKING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

AND OF COURSE ONE NEVER KNOWS WHEN ONE MAY STUMBLE ACROSS GOLD IN THESE HERE HILLS

I NEVER TIRE OF THE EVER CHANGING LANDSCAPE…..THE SHAPES & THE SHADOWS

I’ve been curious to see how Libby would handle the rougher Jeep roads in the desert with their dry washes, rocks & deep water carved ruts.  Didn’t take us long to ease ourselves into some gulley washes & again I was pleased how Libby took them in stride without the rear end bottoming out.  I’m thinking the Liberator may have a tad more ground clearance than the Wrangler because of it’s bigger tires.  Libby also seems a bit narrower than the Wrangler as well & I was able to avoid some nasty desert pin stripping……but not all of course.

CAN YOU SEE THE BIG BOULDER DOG’S HEAD

ROCK SCRAMBLES ARE JUST THE BEST THING FOR MY LEGS

THE LONG GREEN SPINDLY OCOTILLOS ARE REALLY GREEN THIS YEAR

WANDERING OUR WAY THROUGH THE ROCKS & CACTUS

We drove ourselves a couple miles out to an old familiar & favorite scenic spot called House Rock.  Nice walking there so parked Libby & hit the trail with paws & feet just a goin.  Walked back along the dusty road we had just come then headed west for awhile on another rutted road before cutting back north through the cactus & boulders for a wee bit of rock scrambling.  I figure this is just what my legs need & I’m hoping I can discipline myself enough to make these kinds of walks my new morning routine.  Besides, walking in the Sonoran Desert surrounded by giant Saguaro Cactus, boulders the size of houses, vistas stretching for endless miles to blue & purple mountain ranges & being a part of natures absolute stillness wrapped in a cloak of silence just works for me better than walking where the humanoids live………………..

THAT BIG BOULDER IS KNOWN AS HOUSE OR INDIAN ROCK & HAS PETROGLYPHS ON IT….JEAN & SKIP, PETER & LESLIE, ALONG WITH AUNT JEAN ALL KNOW THIS PLACE:))

LEAVING LIBBY BEHIND PHEEBS & I HEADED OFF FOR A WALK…HARD TO SEE LIBBY IS TO THE RIGHT

ONE HAS TO ALWAYS BE WARY OF FALLING INTO OLD MINING DIGS IN THE DESERT & THEY ARE EVERYWHERE IN THE WILDS OF THE SOUTH-WEST

 

ANOTHER MINING DIG ON THE LEFT & A YOUNG ARMLESS SAGUARO ON THE RIGHT

Well if I didn’t know any better I’d say we are beginning to lean towards not selling our Arizona house just yet.  I have a feeling we may just hang onto to it a bit longer.  I’m not saying we are not going to sell it I’m just saying we are leaning in that direction for now.  This has turned out to be a very difficult decision for us with equal pros & cons lined up on both sides of the page.  We have agreed to give ourselves to the end of the month to reach a decision so we’ll just see how these next 2 weeks shake out & how we are feeling about things.   Right now of course we are feeling pretty darn good about being just right where we are………………

WICKENBURG MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND EARLIER THIS MORNING

GROANER’S CORNER:(( This fellow is looking to buy a saw to cut down some trees in his back yard. He goes to a chainsaw shop and asks about various chainsaws. The dealer tells him, "Look, I have a lot of models, but why don't you save yourself a lot of time and aggravation and get the top-of-the-line model. This chainsaw will cut a hundred cords of wood for you in one day."
So, the man takes the chainsaw home and begins working on the trees. After cutting for several hours and only cutting two cords, he decides to quit. He thinks there is something wrong with the chainsaw. "How can I cut for hours and only cut two cords?" the man asks himself. "I will begin first thing in the morning and cut all day," the man tells himself. So, the next morning the man gets up at 4 am in the morning and cuts and cuts, and cuts till nightfall, and still he only manages to cut five cords.
The man is convinced this is a bad saw. "The dealer told me it would cut one hundred cords of wood in a day, no problem. I will take this saw back to the dealer," the man says to himself.
The very next day the man brings the saw back to the dealer and explains the problem. The dealer, baffled by the man's claim, removes the chainsaw from the case. The dealer says, "Hmm, it looks fine."
Then the dealer starts the chainsaw, to which the man responds, "What's that noise?

PHEEBS & I HIT THE ROAD FOR A COUPLE HOURS THIS MORNING:))

PHEEBS & I ENJOYED A TOUCH OF AUTUMN COLOR IN THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING

At first light I could see our wind sock hanging straight down & thought, ‘great’ no wind.  An hour later that sock was straight out & stayed that way all day as an icy northwest wind blew it’s way right through our sunny day.

HEADING OUR WAY NORTH UP OLD STAGE COACH ROAD & YES THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL STAGE COACH ROAD BETWEEN STANTON & YARNELL MANY YEARS AGO

Pheebs & I were out the door & into the Jeep before 10 heading our way across the valley’s desert floor in the direction of the old ghost & mining town of STANTON Arizona.  I knew the road would be wash-boardy & was curious to see what Libby thought of that.  Happy to say our Jeep Liberator handled those wash boards much better than our previous Jeep Wrangler & I again suspect the longer wheelbase & softer suspension. 

WE JUST CAME UP THAT ROAD BELOW

WE WERE PASSING THAT YELLOW TREE WHEN I TOOK THE POST’S FIRST PHOTO WITH PHEEBS

Puttering along slowly we had the heater going full blast & the windows down.  Finally reaching Stanton we hung a left onto old Stage Coach Road & began our slow climb up into the Weaver Mountains.  Always a nice drive on this sometimes washed out road as we poked along stopping here & there.  From the time we turned onto that road until the time we turned off that road half an hour later in Yarnell we never saw another single car or person.  I love when that happens:))

ALWAYS HAVE TO KEEP A SHARP EYE OUT ON THESE NARROW BLIND CORNERS

Although it was a nice looking sunny day the strong bitter cold wind just made stepping out of a vehicle rather nasty.  Had to remember to take off my cowboy hat every time before exiting the vehicle or my hat would surely have ended up over in New Mexico somewhere.  The north end of Old Stagecoach Road ends in the south end of Yarnell so we turned right & took us for a drive through Yarnell.  This is a cozy feeling sleepy little place & I’ve always liked how Yarnell is tucked comfortably away amongst large boulders.  It is the last stop on the Colorado Plateau before descending 2000’ feet down the ‘Yarnell Hill’ onto the Sonoran Desert floor below.  Congress & our digs are just a short couple miles from the base of the Weaver Mountains. 

HEADING INTO YARNELL FROM THE SOUTH

From our house we can see car’s headlights at night coming down the Yarnell Hill & this morning Pheebs & I stopped at a look-out point near the top of the hill & with my 300mm lens took a photo of where I thought our house would be.  Later at home after enlarging the photo I could see part of our roof.

OUR HOUSE IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT YELLOW LINE

Pheebs & rolled out of the Weaver Mountains & down the Yarnell Hill just short of high noon.  Minutes later we were home tucked warmly away inside our house.  It had sure felt good to get out for a few hours after being cooped up inside for the past couple days.  Just gotta make it a point to get out more that’s all………………..

FROM THE TOP END OF THE YARNELL HILL LOOKING OUT OVER THE SONORAN DESERT BELOW WITH CONGRESS JUST RIGHT OF CENTER UNDER THE HORIZON LINE & NORTH RANCH BARELY VISIBLE TOP LEFT JUST UNDER THE HORIZON AS WELL (click to enlarge photo)

We did touch on where to head off too once the blinker/flasher problem was resolved in the Big EEE Wednesday but as of yet have been unable to decide on a destination.  If it doesn’t warm up around here soon we may have to head on down Yuma way.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Two robins were sitting in a tree. "I'm famished," said the first one.  "Me, too," said the second. "Let's fly down and find some lunch."
They flew down to the ground and found a nice piece of plowed land with lots of fresh worms. They ate, and ate, and ate 'till they could eat no more. "I'm so full, I don't think I can fly up to the tree," said the first.  "Me, either. Let's just lie here in the warm sun," said the first one.  No sooner had they had fallen asleep when a big fat tomcat attacked and gobbled them up. As the cat sat washing his face after his meal, he thought, "I love Baskin' Robins."

CHALLENGING DAYS FOR A DAILY BLOGGER

LOOKING OUT MY BEDROOM WINDOW LATE TODAY I AM ENCOURAGED BY CLEARING SKIES

A brief bout of rain laced gusty winds ushered in even colder air this morning & had me awake around 5:30.  Later a few patches of blue teased us into thinking skies were clearing.  Not so & we had ourselves another cold overcast day which again kept us inside straying not too far from our heaters.  Puttered about with a bit of cleaning in the Motorhome & that was about it for the day.  Exciting stuff eh.  These are indeed challenging days for a daily Blogger.

EVEN THE PHEEBS IS TOTALLY BORED JUST SITTING IN THE HOUSE & YEP THOSE ARE KELLY’S FEET STRETCHED OUT IN HER RECLINER

Finished the first of 4 free Kindle books I had down/uploaded a couple days ago.  Called ‘The Sitting Duck Squadron’ it told the story of a converted Wellington bomber crew during the Second World War.  Their aircraft did not carry bombs but cameras & they were part of a squadron who at night flew in over enemy territory very low & slow photographing troop & armored movements on the ground.  It was easy to see why they were called ‘The Sitting Duck Squadron’.  It is truly unimaginable the courage of all those young fellows in the Armed Forces back then.  I do enjoy reading factual history.

AND PHEEBS WASN’T THE ONLY ONE BORED, HERE I AM WATCHING THE BUBBLES BOUNCE AROUND ON MY WINDOWS 10 SCREEN

Judging from tonight’s clearing skies I am cautiously optimistic a fine sunny warm Arizona day may well be upon us in the morning.  Two days of sitting in the house have not been easy but must say we are glad to have a house to sit in.

Nina over at Wheeling It received an email from a reader regarding Borrego Springs which said, “I just wanted to give you a heads up for your normal parking area at Anza-Borrego. Camping is only permitted if you are a car's length from the one main road that goes past the dry lake bed. Most of us have switched to the other side of the highway, or changed to a different location."……………. Still confusion going on there but I’m thinking it’s almost safe to say that the Clark Dry Lake Bed area near Borrego Springs has seen it’s heyday as a favorite boon-docking spot for many of us.  I’m so glad we were able to experience that great area & create so many fond memories there these past 9 years.  If any readers know of other spots in that area I’m sure we boon-dockers would all appreciate hearing from you.  Could this mean I may miss my annual Marshal South hike up Ghost Mountain this winter:((  Say it isn’t so, say it isn’t so………………………….

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man is walking home alone late one foggy night... when behind him he hears: Bump... BUMP... BUMP.….Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him. BUMP... BUMP...  BUMP... Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him  FASTER... FASTER...  BUMP... BUMP... BUMP...  He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him. However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping, clappity-BUMP...clappity-BUMP...clappity-BUMP...on his heels. The terrified man runs upstairs to the bathroom and locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.  With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door... Bumping and clapping toward him.  The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup! Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket and.……………………the coffin stops!

COOL CLOUDY DAYS DON’T INSPIRE ME MUCH

DIDN’T TAKE ANY PHOTOS TODAY SO TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE FROM MY FILES A YEAR AGO RIGHT NOW

Couldn’t see any stars early this morning so knew we were probably in for a cool cloudy day & that is what we got.  Cool cloudy days don’t inspire me much so my day was spent inside with my Kindle reading & watching TV.  Mainly reading.  An unexpected short shower around 2 did have us out for a quick scramble though closing Libby’s windows & the Big EEE’s side door.

ALL PHOTOS WERE TAKEN IN THE DESERT HALF A BLOCK BEHIND OUR HOUSE

OUR HOUSE IS ‘ALMOST’ VISIBLE ABOVE DEAD CENTER

I was encouraged to read this comment about Borrego Springs, “Al, I have read in your posts about maybe Borrego Springs area might be closed. We belong to the boondocker group of the Escapees and one of our members is out there now by the old tower. He said that the area is open but you cant take the Mile Post road to get to it you have to go around another way. The boondockers are gathering there for Thanksgiving. I will post more when I find out more info”. Doug & Barb Hinman………..

JUST GOTTA LOVE JEEPING AROUND ON THESE DESERT TRAILS

In our Shout Box a Guest asks, “If b springs (Borrego Springs) closes is Ocotillo Wells an option? Have you ever stayed there and if not why not”?………..We have been through Ocotillo Wells several times & our impression of the area is that it is dominated by young folks with their ATV’s, dune buggies, & dirt bikes etc.  Often from Clark Dry Lake Bed we could look south towards Ocotillo Wells some 15 miles away & see great clouds of dust in the desert air from literally thousands of ‘off-roaders’ racing around.  The area just didn’t appeal to us & we have seen the massive miles long week-end traffic convoys coming from California’s large coastal cities through the Yaqui Pass hauling trailer laden off-road vehicles into or out of the Ocotillo Wells area.  We have no interest in being a part of the dust, the noise, or the lifestyle.

 

Several readers have suggested places to go with one being Joshua Tree National Monument.  We have been there & with it’s higher elevation than Borrego we have heard it can get cold up that-a-way during the winter season.  Another suggestion was Bisbee, a place we have been to many times & that whole familiar area of South-eastern Arizona is on the drawing board but we’re just not sure when…………………

 

A CANDID PHOTO OF PHEEBS & KELLY FROM ONE OUR DESERT WALKS A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man died and went to The Judgment, they told him , “Before you meet with God,  I should tell you — we’ve looked over your life, and to be honest you really didn’t do anything particularly good or bad. We’re not really sure what to do with you. Can you tell us anything you did that can help us make a decision?”  The newly arrived soul thought for a moment and replied, “Yeah, once I was driving along and came upon a person who was being harassed by a group of thugs. So I pulled over, got out a bat, and went up to the leader of the thugs. He was a big, muscular guy with a ring pierced through his lip. Well, I tore the  ring out of his lip, and told him he and his gang had better stop bothering this guy or they would have to deal with me!”  “Wow that’s impressive, “When did this happen?”  “About three minutes ago,” came the reply.