And Life Goes On

My Cotton Story

2012-01-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hard-copies of "Jacob's Tails. . .ALL GONE!!

(The last 4 copies were left at In-a-Pear-Tree in Casa Grande)

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The E-Book is available through

Smashwords

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Barnes & Noble

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Chapters/Indigo

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By the time we left Rovers Roost, Casa Grande, (January 12, 2012) we both felt the need to get back to the desert.

Rovers Roost is a great place to spend our mid-winter park time – we do enjoy the attitude; the activities; and the camaraderie. Our Escapees buddies, Diane and Andy introduced us to Shelly and Bill and Miles (an 8 month old Scotty) who became Escapees buddies very quickly. But – we miss the space and quiet.

I was able to initiate exercise sessions three times a week using the same Strength for Seniors series that they had at POS, Coarsegold (near Yosemite) and folks seemed to enjoy it. Katy took it over and I expect it will still be going on when we get back next year.

I’ve Always Loved Cotton!

While we were there, I again became intrigued with the cotton in the fields: how it grew and was harvested. Then there was the cotton gin down the road from the park - the whole yard was just packed with those huge cubes the size of railway cars.

For years we had seen those massive bales sitting out in the field and on a rare occasion, we saw a field with plants and straggles of cotton clinging to them. This year there were still crops sitting in the fields: some still maturing; some ready and waiting to be harvested; and we were even able to finally see the machinery harvesting the cotton.

They don’t pick by hand any more!

To this point my total exposure to harvesting cotton was from movies that showed folks in the field with sacks on their back bent over and picking cotton and singing.

The machinery is fascination.

First came the picker-

that could pick one row at a time. The invention of the mechanical picker, apparently revolutionized the South. They claim that “the picker played an indispensable role in the transition from the prewar South of over-population, sharecropping, and hand labor to the capital-intensive agriculture of the postwar South.”

Today, they pick up to six rows at a time.

and dump the cotton into the basket in one operation.

And then it goes into the compactor.

And it comes out here!

Those huge modules (as they call them) sit on the road beside the fields until they can be ginned – that is the cotton is cleaned separated into fibres and seed.

It used to be done painstakingly by hand

until Eli Whitney finally patented his Cotton Gin (short for cotton engine) in 1793.

Another stroke of Luck!

We went over to the Lummus Cotton Gin (just down the road from where we were staying) and I sat with a couple of gals there and they explained some of the ins and outs of the industry to me.

(This is a copy of the Diagram of a modern cotton gin plant, displaying numerous stages of production from Wikipedia)

There is considerably more cotton this year because of the higher prices. Over 600 modules of raw cotton sit in their yard. Usually they are finished processing the cotton by mid January. This year they guesstimate it will be March before it is all done.

The ginning process cleans the raw cotton and separates the modules into cotton fibres for fabric (that is compressed into bales) and the pyramids of seed that sit in the yard. The gals at the Plant said that one module will produce about 15 bales.

And seed that is used in all sort of things like animal feed, fertilizer and cotton seed oil. The oil is then refined further for lotions and soaps.

There is talk about using the rest of the waste for biofuels.

They lose track of the bales after they are trucked to a cotton broker. The gals figure that most of the fibre goes overseas to be spun and woven into fabric.

So – that’s my Cotton Story!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_picker

http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/holley.cottonpicker

http://casa_grande-az.yellowusa.com/Cotton_Gins.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_gin#Modern_cotton_gins

http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/cotton_gin_2.htm

Saguaro National Park: Bookend Parks of Tucson

2012-01-08T06:04:00.001-08:00

Rovers Roost (Casa Grande) become our base and we have gone back and forth to Tucson a few times.

The first trip was to West Saguaro NP. West and East Saguaro National Park sit like bookends on either side of the city. The West side seemed to have more of what we wanted to visit.

It made me think of a forest – if there is such a thing as a Cactus Forest.

A Ranger recommended that we might like to try the Signal Hill Trail that led up to some interesting petroglyphs (Rock Art) and a great panoramic view.

The area was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) who were FDR’s answer to unemployment during the Depression of the 1930s.

Corps of men were fed, educate, housed and paid $1.00 per day (75% of which was sent back to their families) in exchange for developing the various national sites.

They think that the petroglyphs were left by the Hohokam people thousands of years ago. There is little know about these people or the rock art that they left behind but it is probably akin to the graffiti of today.

The Saguaro Cactus is fascinating – from it’s humble beginning to its haunting shape that’s become a symbol of the desert for me.

The Saguaro can only propagate from seed and under specific conditions. It is very sensitive to frost and wind and needs heat and moisture. The Saguaro is found only in the Sonora Desert.

The cactus usually begins life being sheltered by a "nurse" tree or shrub (a Creosote, Mesquite or Palo Verde) that provides shade and moisture to help it grow. So you often see the Saguaro surrounded by bushes.

Eventually the cactus takes most of the nutrition and the nurse plant dies.

The Saguaro grows very slowly –maybe an inch a year - but to a height of 15 to 50 feet. The largest plants, with more than 5 arms, are estimated to be 200 years old. An average old Saguaro would have 5 arms and be about 30 feet tall. The one in this photo has 7 arms and we’ve seen cactus with a whole lot more.

Prickly spines run vertically along the entire length of the cactus. After a heavy desert rain, the spines are further apart when the cactus swells by absorbing the moisture. As the desert dries out, the spines come closer together,

It’s almost impossible to find a Saguaro that has no damage. Birds (particularly the cactus wren) build their nests time and time again in small holes in the cactus. Once there is a nest there, the cactus develops a kind of callus around it to conserve the moisture and protect itself. This callus is what they call a boot.

I’m not sure if you would call it an injury, but a crest can develop on the top or between the arms of the Saguaro. A friend of ours (Sheila) has a list of highway mile markers where she has seen the crested Saguaro.

The question that puzzles me the most is: What triggers the growth of an arm? Every time I ask, I get a different answer: when the rains are heavy, the arms allow the cactus to absorb more moisture for when there is a drought; because the Saguaro only propagate by seed, more arms develop when the plant seems threatened; and finally, why do other trees produce their branches? Interesting, eh?

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

2012-01-02T04:47:00.001-08:00

The Museum sits on 98 acres with 3.2 kms (2 miles) of walking paths covering 21 acres. Much of the property is covered with natural growth and cacti.

Hedgehog

Saguaro Cactus with Crest

“A Crest can be developed when the growing point, or merristem (which produces new stems and spines or leaves), elongates into a line. In time the growing line may become greatly convoluted, like a brain. This phenomenon has been observed in nearly all plant species; its cause is generally not known”(sign near the cactus)

The Museum offers all kinds of guided tours and demonstrations throughout the day. We chose to go to the Raptor Free Flights demonstration that featured a Peregrine Falcon.

There were three trainers working the birds. They were able to communicate with each other and could somehow direct the flights of the birds. The birds would dive and swoop down over our heads and then perch on a branch or cactus to have their pictures taken. Like I said, we took over 150 photos – it was so difficult to decide which ones to share!

Raptors

Owls

Barn Owl

Hawks and Falcons

Hummingbirds

Resting Cougars

Bob Cat

Need I say it was a memorable visit?

Tucson . . . Here We Come . . .

2011-12-18T10:52:00.001-08:00

A stop at the Rovers Roost Escapees RV Park in Casa Grande was not in the plans but when Fred said his back was bothering him, Rovers Roost was the right place to rest up before we went to Tucson.

We were in Tucson last year but our visit was interrupted by THE shooting (what I call the Safeway massacre) that left me just wanting to get out of there. This was our chance to come back and explore all the places we didn’t get to as well as those we wanted to revisit.

Tucson and the surrounding areas are exceptionally diverse and the inhabitants share and celebrate that diversity. It is a city built in and surrounded by volcanic mountains and desert. Even the name Tucson is derived from a Spanish adaptation of the O’odham word for at the base of the black hill - Cuk Ṣon.

Our first stop was at the Visitor Information Center downtown. Downtown is an array of colour and lines - the plazas, the buildings, the streets – and history.

They offer a special Passport that offers special attractions discounts so we stopped to pick one up.

Jewish Historic Museum

One of the places in the passport was the Jewish Historic Museum so I thought it might be interesting to see. I was quite surprised first that there are so many Jewish people in Tucson and then that the first synagogue was reform built in 1902.

Mission San Xavier

Archaeologists claim that the area was visited by Paleo-Indian people as long ago as 12,000 years and there is evidence of irrigated farming and the red and black ceramics of the Hohokam Peoples.

The first Catholic mission of San Xavier founded by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692 still stands and is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona. It’s been named a National Historic Landmark.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

There is no question that the Museum is our favourite attraction in Tucson. We spent most of the day there (we were there last year) and this time took part in the Raptor Free Flights demonstration.

The museum is spectacular . . . it sits on 98 acres with 3.2 kms (2 miles) of walking paths covering 21 acres. Much of the property is covered with natural growth and cacti. All sorts of plants line the walkways many are named and labelled for identification. There are snake and reptile exhibits; hummingbird and other bird enclosures; and large animal like Cougars and Bears that are housed in very natural settings. What with my camera and Fred’s new camera, we took over 150 photos. (So - I’m going to do a separate posting on the Desert Museum once I get the photos sorted out!)

DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun

It’s difficult to describe the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun experience. The gallery is a complex of buildings scattered over 10 acres in the hills in north Tucson. The buildings and the setting exemplifies the spirit and backdrop surrounding the entire city – natural desert with an array of plants and cacti. Impressionistic sculptures and settings are sprinkled throughout and that is even before you go into the sanctuary or gallery.

A Visiting Artist’s Studio sits to the side of the entrance. Geri Bringman was there when we visited. I love her work – she works in acrylics on canvas - her figures are colourful and delightful.

We traded our creative endeavours – Jacob’s Tails yielded a wonderful print that will find its way onto a wall somewhere in my life.

DeGrazia’s Gallery itself is room after room filled with his impressionistic sketches, paintings, sculptures of the South Arizona he loved and lived in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. In addition to his physical environment, DeGrazia was enthralled with the Mexican Indian lifestyle and children. He was incredibly prolific and the entire complex is filled with his work. I remember the picture chosen by UNICEF for one of their Christmas Cards a few years back. But I did find a Chanukah Card there.

On our way to explore the Saguaro National Park – the RAINS started OMG did it rain!

We never made it up to Saguaro – instead we have come back to Casa Grande to spend our month retreat.

I never realized how much we actually did while we were in Tucson – our plan is to either do day trips while we are here or go back later!

Doing Our YumaThing!

2011-12-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

Would it surprise you to find out that we are again and still in Yuma? But things do change.

Our first shock was when we turned the corner towards KOFA (the Escapees RV Park we stay at) and all the orange and lemon trees had disappeared – we thought we were on the wrong road.

Bare fields or fields of alfalfa replace the orchards. The 40 foot high wind-machines that keep the frost from the plants sit in the middle of each field as the only reminisce of the acres of bushy green growth. The lemon tree grove across the street from the Park is no more!

As we explored the area, we found all sorts of orchards in various stages of development. Various rumours contend that the heavy frost killed off a number of the lemon orchards or the price of lemons had gone down so drastically that it was not worth growing them or that the groves were just getting to the end of their productivity. I think it is probably a little of each of these factors.

This was the only field we saw where each tree was wrapped and covered with burlap – never did find out why but I am sure it is some form of frost protection.

Fred and his new camera are almost inseparable – except when he goes over to the hot-tub (or SPA, as they call it here). Thanks to a great friend (Diane), he found out about the Magic Lantern series of Dummy books for beginner photographers on specific cameras and he managed to order one from Amazon and it arrived at John & Sallee’s place in just a few days.

It never ceases to amaze me when things work they way they are supposed to. Every once in a while he pops his head out of the book or away from the camera and make an innocuous statement like “Oh that’s the way it is supposed to work”. He doesn’t seem to realize that I don’t have a clue what he is talking about.

Actually some of his practice shots have been fascinating – like:

The Cotton bolls and fields

The old car and trailer

The Hummingbirds

Flowers

This internet is driving me crazy!! Sometimes it works and sometime it doesn't.

I finally got my articles and photos up for RV West - it took forever! I got the Newsletter done and have been eating too much.

We'll be off on Tuesday to Tucson and then to Ajo or Casa Grande – we’re not sure where we’re going.

Yes it is Beyond Next Week

2011-11-17T15:47:00.001-08:00

I just got reprimanded because the last BLOG entry left us back at Yosemite and Coarsegold . . . h-m-m . . . we aren’t there any more. The reprimand came from Bill and Julie – folks we met and visited with at the Tropicana often over the last few years who stumbled across us here at Hi Jolly. In fact we left California over a week ago. It was starting to get cold and time to move on to warmer climes.

We did our Laughlin thing for a few days. We checked-in at the Tropicana but there were only four RVs there – the old sticker-oners – and a couple of RVs from California.

One of the reasons for going to Laughlin was to go to the IRS office to see if we could somehow get a tax exemption to realize some of the revenue from the Jacob’s Tails E-Book without the 30% hold-back. After spending over an hour with a very nice, rather useless IRS field agent, I honestly think it is easier to leave the 30% hold-back. We did try but won’t know anything for 4 to 6 weeks, when they will let me know by mail! This was truly a frustrating experience!

Anyway, I managed to get considerable pleasure from the pedicure received from my favourite pedicurist – small things can make me happy.

We’re at Quartzsite, now – at Hi Jolly again.

It’s nice to be back here. We’re parked up against the wash; we have water and feed out for the little critters; the hummingbird feeder is out; I have already seen Debbie (from the Authors Fair at Paul’s Book Oasis); and we’re settled in for a while.

Oh, I forgot to mention – Fred has gone photographical on us – that is to say, he has been having so much fun taking photos that he is no longer satisfied using the old Fuigi or sharing the Olympus with me, he decided he wanted his own camera. After Fred’s usual in-depth research, he decided on a Cannon Rebel with two zoom lens. Yes, folks – if we had a first born, we would have to give it up to pay for it. Actually it wasn’t that bad, but as we talked about it with Thom and Dar, it turns out that they had just the set up and they really didn’t want anymore.

Long story, short – Fred now has the photographic set up he wanted and is heavy into learning how to use it. Need I say, after the automatic camera we’ve had, this is a very steep learning curve!

Well, we’ve heard from some other travelling friends and it looks like all plans are a go and we should see them in short order.

Well, I think that should bring us up to date – for the time being, anyway. Our plan is to go down to Yuma next week.

Son-of-a-Gun: it’s a long way!

2011-11-03T16:58:00.001-07:00

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Double Click on photos to enlarge

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Flu shots on the 17th and all set for our departure on the 20th (October).

Our first night was in Butte, Mt. second in Idaho Falls, ID (ran into some problems setting up the Air Card) then we spent a couple of nights in Elko, NV then into CA and finally to the Escapees’ Park of the Sierras (POS, as they call it) in Coarsegold, CA.

Being absolute devout anti-crowds (anything over six people is a crowd); and anti-busy, crowded roads; we were fine until we got to Reno, NV. I had anxiety attacks just on the highways in California let alone going through the cities. Then I remembered . . . there are as many people in Los Angeles area as there are in all of Canada . . . and I swear they were all on the same roads at the same time as we were.

Son-of-a-Gun: it’s a long way! Over 2400 kms just to get to the RV Park . . . BUT it’s been worth it.

For you folks who are not accustomed to RV parks, most of them sit on what we might call a very level playing field . . . meaning that the sites (and therefore the RVs) are lined up in straight rows one after another. POS is built in tiers up the side of the mountain.

California drivers are crazy and the road from Park Sierra through Coarsegold and then through Oakhurst snakes, winds and climbs up over 2000 feet before you even get to the Park Gate.

As a special bonus, a great couple we met at Yuma last year (Thom & Dar) showed up the same day as we did – so we managed to share a couple of Happy Hours; catch up on all the news; and, of course, solve all the problems of the world at least a couple of times.

Yosemite National Park

Ever since we saw Ken Burns’ documentary on John Muir, we have wanted to visit Yosemite National Park and this was the year. Yosemite sits on the edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range on the east side of Central California about 2.5 hours from Fresno. It’s huge – around 1200 square miles but only about 5% is accessible - the rest is all wilderness. One visit to the park would never be enough. We went up three times and still never got to all the places we would like to explore.

Giant Sequoias of the Mariposa Grove

Our first visit was to the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias just north of the Gate. Standing among these giants makes any human feel small and insignificant. You can barely see the tops they are so tall. Some are said to be as old as 3,000 years.

Unfortunately, we were joined by a whole big bus tour so did not spend much time there. We never did see a tree you could walk through – many of the trees have fallen down.

The Roads

Big Surprise – they are crowded – even in late October in the middle of the week. Driving on the roads through the Park is like skiing a slalom run weaving in and out of the trees following the edges of the mountains. Up and down; dark and light; up to six seven thousand feet and down again into the valley all the time twisting and turning.

At one point it was so dark we wondered how anything ever grew on the forest floor but it does.

The Falls

When I went to take a picture of the Bridalveil Falls, I took it at an angle because there were so many tourist heads in the way but Fred managed to snap some from the parking lot.

The path up to the falls is a photographer’s delight. Every step shows fascinating shapes and textures with huge rocks, fallen trees and twisted undergrowth.

There is an Ansel Adams Gallery in the Village and as we wandered through the park, I started to understand why so much of his work was done in Yosemite.

Wawona Tunnel

At over 6000 ft elevation, about half-way between the South Gate and Yosemite Village, a mile-long tunnel cuts through the side of the mountain and there is a special parking area before the tunnel to view the incredible sight.

Gigantic monoliths rise up through a lush green carpet that resembles a tropical rain forest.

El Capitan

El Capitan stands at the southern entrance of the Yosemite Valley. It presents a 3000 foot shear granite wall that challenges even the best of climbers. El Capitan is often called the Guardian of the Yosemite Valley

Glacier Point

Glacier Point Road is another one of those slalom roads; only this one is very, very narrow which heightens the challenge of safely manoeuvring it from one end to the other especially with the California drivers and tour buses.

Usually by this time of the year, the road is closed but the Gods were with us and we have had nothing but fair weather since we left Alberta October 20^th. The view from up here is absolutely breathtaking – a panoramic view of the entire Yosemite Valley.

Half Dome

So, to say the least, Yosemite has been a wonderful, unforgettable experience and the Park of the Sierras has get to be one if not THE best RV Park we have ever had the opportunity to stay in.

They are calling for some precipitation and colder weather tomorrow so our plan is to get the laundry done (the bane of my existence) and move on towards Nevada and Arizona next week.

Summer into Fall

2011-10-15T10:04:00.001-07:00

Visiting the newly renovated Interpretation Centre at Frank Slide was a good excuse to get out on a beautiful fall day and get photos of the prairies.

Frank was a small coal mining town of about 600 people at the foot of Turtle Mountain. The weather along with the tunnels of the mine and the instability of the mountain, itself combined to initiate a 90 million ton slide that took 70 lives.

They’ve done a nice job of interpreting what happened and dispelling some of the myths and stories of that fateful night in 1903 when the rocks came tumbling down.

Home on the Range

There is something totally fascinating about the prairies: the expanse of the sky; the fields that seem to go on forever; the horse standing out there up to its knees in grass; the huge round bales of hay that dot the landscape; as well as the smell of the grass that has just been cut and lays windrowed in the fields. Mile after mile of nothing but fields and big skies speckled with fluffy white clouds. This is the country where they measure the farms/ranches in sections rather than acres.

These photographs are a combined effort from Fred and me - I really wanted to share the prairie scenes – I think they are spectacular.

Five more days til we are off – I better get to work!!

And Here is the Rest of the Summer

2011-09-28T11:05:00.001-07:00

There are a couple reasons I haven't worked on the BLOG.
First off - nothing was happening! Boring!
Then, suddenly everything happened all at the same time and I haven't had time.

Did you know that I can rationalize almost anything? I’m good at it! No good excuses!

A good RV buddy got killed in a bad accident not that far from here and that kind of took the wind out of our sails.

We did get up to Wetaskiwin to see Chuck and Sheila. We spent our three days with them and I got my IKEA fix and Chuck introduced us to Smoothies that have become almost a nightly thing.

Let’s see, we finally got it together to go over the “Road to the Sun” and the Logan Pass in Glacier . . . one of the places we visited often when we were kids. It is so much busier and is showing signs of wear, just like most of us, but it is still specular. Did I tell you that I love the mountains?

We got a photo of one of my favourite sculptures. These Native warriors sit just south of the Canadian/USA border crossing at the entrance of the Peigan Nation. They were constructed by a local Native out of parts from vehicle destroyed in a big storm that ripped through the reserve many years ago.

In the background is one of my favourite mountains – Chief Mountain. Actually one face of it slide down a few years ago.

I have been writing a few articles and RV West gave me a column called Snowbirding 101 (http://www.rvwest.com/index.php/snowbirding_101/ ).

I like that, it keeps us busy researching things. The Escapees Magazine printed my piece about being Canadian and spending all those months in the US.

Some interesting feedback, (and not what I expected) and one fellow wanted to know if he could buy hard wheat flour on-line . . . who’d a thunk?

RV Lifestyle Magazine (out of Ontario) want a feature piece of attractions around Calgary for next Spring and sent me a Press Pass.

Now, this was fun!

We managed to arrange a couple of nights at a new RV Place (Aspen Crossing) about 3/4 of an hour south-east of Calgary; then we toured the Blackfoot Crossing - a National Heritage site designed and built by Siksika Blackfoot Nation close to the TransCanada Highway about an hour east of Calgary. Our final destination was Rosebud - a small town in Southern Alberta that hosts a Theatre Arts School and a Dinner Theatre.

Aspen Crossing isn’t a resort or just a place to park your RV but a complex with umpteen dozen features besides a place to stay. It started out as a family farm – they added a tree farm then a nursery and green houses, then a railway dining car restaurant that has a dinner theatre in the winter, then the RV Park then a caboose transformed into a sleeping cabin and . . . it goes on and on and on.

Blackfoot Crossing The Interpretation Centre of the Blackfoot Crossing Heritage Park stands guard over the Bow River Valley and the many ceremonial and sacred sites that found shelter in the River coulee.

It celebrates the Siksika Nation and the signing of Treaty 7 (the most important treaty for the Blackfoot Confederation) signed by the Seven Blackfoot tribes: Siksika; Piikani (Peigan); Kainaiwa (Blood); Tsuu T’ina (Sarcee); and the Stoney (Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley/Goodstoney).

It’s so well designed and even has a teepee village where guests can spend the night.

Rosebud is the School of the Arts and the Theatre. The population is less than 100 people and the whole town lies dormant until around 5:30 when the doors open to the Mercantile and you can get your tickets for the Dinner and the Theatre.

There is an Historical Walk that explains how Rosebud became what it is and highlights some of the significant buildings.

The Mercantile-site of the dinner

The Opera House – site of the Theatre

Museum – site of the old Chinese Laundry

We had a Great Adventure!!

Our final adventure this summer is going to be Frank Slide – then we leave October 20th – WOW – that's getting close.

And Another Year Passes

2011-07-04T11:29:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow (July 5th, 2011) is my 68th birthday – I can’t believe it- I don’t know what 68 is supposed to feel like but I really don’t feel any different, I don’t think.

A big question in my life has always been “how do you know what you didn't know once you know it?”

I guess I’m a real in the moment type. Either that or I just don’t remember or it just doesn’t matter enough.

We went up to Calgary for Ann-Marie’s Easter celebration and an old friend fix.

It was so good to spend time with AM and some old friends – it’s funny how time can pass but friends seem to transcend the gap and pick up where they left off.

Occasionally that doesn’t happen and that makes me very sad.

We had our first 2011 sojourn out - it was time. It seems like we waited a long time for the weather to warm up and then left anyway. With gas prices as high as they are, we decided to stay fairly close and headed West to Castle River Falls (June 20th).

You would not believe the amount of snow still up in the mountains

and how high and fast the river was running.

But then, of course, the wildflowers were well underway . . .

Blue Camus Hyacinth

Death Camas (Beargrass)

Then off to Eureka, Montana to visit more unforgettable friends. Faye was our neighbour way back in the 80’s.

I felt incredibly close to her then and found that feeling of closeness is still there. It was so fantastic!

Carl, her husband, and Fred seem to enjoy each others company as well. The four of us had so much fun touring and hiking about the area.

We stood on the US/Canadian border

Fred has developed an insatiable interest in the camera and has taken some specular photos of the wildflowers . . .

I stayed with the old buildings

We ate; we talked; we tried to identify the flowers; and made an honest attempt to solve all the problems of the world (at least three or four times).

Fred has been working on an electrical problem with the Motor Home and I haven’t been doing much.

Oh, I have another article coming out in the RV Lifestyle Magazine. For the digital copy go to page 40 on http://rvlifemag.dgtlpub.com/?i=1665

Life Moves on

2011-06-11T14:01:00.001-07:00

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Yes, life moves on . . . the mould only grows on your feet if you stay in one spot too long!!

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Effective July 8th, 2011, the firstepbooks web site will no longer be up.

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Hard-copies of "Jacob's Tails . . . (Back-to-the-Land)" are available directly through me.

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The E-Book is available through Smashwords

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Barnes & Noble

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Chapters/Indigo (Kobo)

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Hello, Alberta!

2011-04-15T20:13:00.001-07:00

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There are only 20 hard-copies of
"Jacob's Tails . . . (Back-to-the-Land)" left
Order directly through firstepbooks

The E-Book can be downloaded through Smashwords

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OMG – We really didn’t need this!

Believe it or not, this photo was taken April 14^th from our deck and this was the second snow storm – the third is supposed to start tomorrow.

Enough of that – I do sympathize with all those who put up with this all winter – and they say it was a bad weather winter here.

Think about it, when we left the temperature in Yuma was 91 degrees F (30ish degrees C). Today, here, it may get to 40 degrees F (5 degrees C). My body is in denial and to say the least, I am NOT going to go outside.

Back to the original log – we left Gunsite (Why) and checked into the Escapees Park in Casa Grande (Rovers Roost) to rejuvenate and regenerate. The Park is a great place, as is the community. The people are great – energy, involved and friendly.

Casa Grande is a nice size and has pretty much anything you might want. The only draw-back is the sometimes smell. It seems the surrounding area supports a number of feeder lots that hold over 2000 cows each. They generate A LOT of manure and produce a very pungent odour. But we like the community and there is no question that Rovers Roost has the best Laundry I have had the pleasure to use.

Somehow, we were both starting to get restless – it felt like it was time to start heading home.

We may have felt that way but the weather was not going to co-operate and the last thing we wanted to do was travel or arrive home in the cold, wind and snow so off to Quartzsite again.

Visit with old friends; revisit our favourite vendors; try out our new hummingbird feeder after a couple of big birds at Gunsite managed to mangle the old one; and just hang out for a few days.

Off to Laughlin and Bullhead City to spend time at the casinos; consume too many buffets; get those final treasures to take home; spruce up with a hair cut and a pedicure; and explore places we hadn’t visited for a long time.

The Davis Dam has been closed to vehicles for years but allows foot traffic. It sits in the Colorado River and the reservoir forms Lake Mohave.

A much vandalized sign explains how the dwelling place of the Native Gods - Spirit Mountain - (Avikwaame) watches over the waters and all who frequent them.

We found one plant neither of us had noticed before – the Desert Dodder. It has fine hair-like branches that seem to grow in and amongst other plants and produces small white flowers. Apparently it has little wart-like bumps called 'haustoria' that are pushed into the stems to gather nutrients from the host plants. Other names for the dodder are devil guts, witch's shoelaces, witch's hair, angel hair and hairweed.

Hm-m-m, we had almost made it to Lake Mead a few times and considering how much time we had and the northern weather was not very inviting, we decided that this was would be the Lake Mead year.

We stayed at a very nice campground at Callville Bay and took off by car. The first stop was to see and travel the new bridge at the Hoover Dam.

Bridge under construction last year

Bridge this year

Did you know that Lake Mead is a man-made lake? Me neither. As the reservoir for the Hoover Dam, it’s huge BUT is running into a lot of water problems – too much water being used; not enough snow melt; and excessive evaporation. We saw closed and deserted marinas and water-lines metres above the level of the lake. They are talking about piping water in to keep the Power and Recreation systems going.

You have to wonder at the incredible Red Stone outcroppings that permeate the area along the road through the whole Recreational Area.

We left Lake Mead with over a week to make our way across the border – yeh, sure – it took us two nights. Great Falls was our last stop in the USA. Fred woke up at 4:30 am and decided to boogie on through.

We were home and I was having a long hot shower by 9:30 am – adrenalin flowing; roads good; no wait-line at the border.

Mail sorted and put away; Income Tax done and sent in; Laundry well underway.

We’re just waiting for the next snow – oh, joy!

The Birds, the Bees, and the Small Animals

2011-03-12T10:10:00.001-08:00

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It never ceases to amaze me how quickly you meet people and get to know them when you are out on the desert.

Anyway, we met and shared a new card game [Saskatchewan Rummy] with a couple from BC and then got an email and went off to find another couple [Tom & Nancy] we met in Indio, California. They were parked just a couple of roads away. Tom & Nancy are old-time Escapees and were off getting teeth work done in Algodones, Mexico and will probably be down around Ajo and Why after they are finished.

We heard from a couple [Judy & Terry] who are birders and Escapees and we had met a few years ago at Gunsite [the BLM near Why and the Organ Pipe Cactus National Park] to say they were going out there and would we like to join them.

Sure, why not? So on Monday we packed up and drove over here to Gunsite.

Yes, they are real birders and they know their stuff! I think trying to identify birds [without a good birder around] is just as tough as trying to identify different rocks when you have no idea why someone would pick up one particular rock and not another.

Mind boggling!

After three days we saw and identified more birds than we had even seen the past nine years.

Judy and Terry’s List

House Finch Sparrows Northern Cardinals Gila Woodpeckers Phainopela Verdins Oriole(new) (Hummers) Costas, Annas, Rufus Flicker-gilded Mockingbird Canyon Towhee Red Tail Hawk Black Throated Sparrow Gambels QuailChipmunks/Squirrels Rabbits

Our Photos (just some of them)

House Finch

Northern Cardinals

Male

Female

Verdins

Gambels Quail

Hummingbird-Costa

Feeder- after the Hummingbird left

Phainopela [we call it the P bird cuz we can never remember its name]

Chipmunk/Squirrel

Rabbit

We both sat for hours just watching them all.

Shopping Malls, Fenced Communities and Fast California Drivers

2011-03-07T18:51:00.001-08:00

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We left the desert, peace and quiet and Ogilby Road about the middle of February to venture further into California. I wanted to sit in on a writing workshop led by Alice (a fellow RV writer) near Aguanga, California (up in the hills about 20 miles from Temecula). Mind you, we’d been talking about this for three years now and this is the first time we’ve been this close.

Most Casinos welcome overnight parking so we based ourselves at Casino Spotlight 29 in Indio – the first settlement (community) along the Million Dollar Freeway (my name for it) that leads through to Palm Springs and beyond.

Visitor Information? – We never did find one

, even though we asked and asked and asked. The only map we found was the center-fold in one of the Casino Magazines.

Signage? – What signage? If you are here, you must know where you are going! Getting lost at least twice was the standard we set for ourselves.

Drivers? – Scary! – We may not have known where we were or where we were going, but they did and they took the shortest, fastest route they could find.

We did a dry-run to Aguanga in the car. It turned out that Alice’s park is on the other side of the hills. That meant going through one very big city that extends from Indio to beyond Palm Springs; up the steep, windy road t

o the top and then down the steep, windy road on the other side to get to Aguanga and the Jojoba Hills Park.

Well, we made it and agreed that there was no way we would take the Motor Home over

that road. When we got there, Alice pointed out that there was a far better route so we went back that way. Unfortunately, we were stuck in traffic for almost two hours (there was an accident); they were promising another storm with wind and rain; the drivers were so scaring we decided to put our visit off for another year.

As compensation, we found a Trader Joe’s; did some grocery shopping before we headed back to Ogilby Road for some desert peace and quiet and incredible sunsets.

A Rock-Hound . . . I Will Never Be

2011-02-12T13:11:00.001-08:00

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Here we sit out in the desert in the middle of no-where – on BLM trail #705, just off of Olgiby Road (S34), in California, north of Interstate highway 8 only about 10 miles west of Yuma, Arizona.

You wouldn’t even have to take your shoes off to count the number of RVs around us . . . so we have a lot of space and there are absolutely no obstacles.

Creosote bushes dot the landscape and mounds of whatever sit up against the eastern and western skylines.

Way off to the west are hills of sand call the Sand Dunes. They are constantly infested with dune buggies and other off road vehicles that stir up the sand and dust and make unmuffled noises.

Those mounds of whatever (I don’t know what to call them) are really drifts of dirt, rocks, sand and minerals that the wind and erosion have piled up on the western side of the Colorado River.

As the sun moves across the sky, shadows shift from one mound layer to another. Peaks come and go. Shadowed gullies appear and vanish. The many large dark coloured splotches that drape the nearest mounds look like Desert Varnish but are more likely lava beds left by the million years of volcanic action.

[Desert Varnish a thin, dark red to black mineral coating (generally iron and manganese oxides and silica). When dissolved minerals are deposited on surfaces and the dew and soil moisture evaporate, wind removes the softer salts and polishes the surface to a glossy finish on pebbles and rocks. What looks like Varnish is sometimes found around the lava beds left by the many ancient volcanoes but that is usually fungal growth sandstone and contains no manganese whatsoever.]

Sallee and John (friends from Yuma) supplied us with pages of maps and directions to hunt for rocks. So my point is . . . this whole world is covered with rocks – how would you know what you are looking for and what in blazes would you do with them if you ever found something you could actually identify!! Needless to say, rock-hounding is not my kettle of fish!

But I can’t say we didn’t try.

Our exploring didn’t lead us to any fabulous gold or mineral finds but we did discover a neat old deserted ranch and, of course, the ghost towns.

My next question would be . . . what would cattle ever eat around here?

Mining and Ghost Towns

Over the past few hundred years, miners and prospectors have scoured the hills in search of gold and minerals. Historically, mining companies have come and gone: some have treated the land well but most have stripped the treasures and left only scars and ghosts in their wake.

Tumco Historic Townsite

Tumco was a typical mining town of its day. Originally called Hedges, it is now abandoned but was one of the earliest gold mining areas in California. Little remains of this once bustling community, except for crumbling foundations, a reservoir, and a cemetery.

[Tumco Historic Townsite

Gold was first discovered by Spanish colonists as they moved northward from Sonora, Mexico. According to legend, two young boys came into their camp one evening with their shirts filled with gold ore. These muchachos cargados (loaded boys) were the namesake for the Cargo Muchacho Mountains, where the Tumco deposits occur.

The mining history of the Cargo Muchacho Mountains is long on lore and short on documented history. Tales of lost treasure are rampant. It is said that a railroad worker by the name of Pete Walters discovered "mica schist heavily laced with gold" and prospectors began to pour into the area in the early 1880’s.

In the late 1800’s, mining companies took out over 200,000 ounces of gold. A 12 mile wooden pipeline pumped over 100,000 gallons of water from the Colorado River per day, and the railroad carried mine timbers from northern Arizona for use in the expansive underground workings.

The site development reached a peak between 1893 and 1899, when 3,200 people lived in the town. Hedges/Tumco had all the makings of a boom town except a hotel. Everyone lived in cabins of wood or stone. Mining essentially ceased operations in 1909, and as people fled a true ghost town was created. The most sorrowful scene is that of the cemetery. Every grave is unmarked, which only adds to the feeling of complete desolation.

The latest episode in the history of Tumco began in early 1995, when American Girl Mining Joint Venture began operations near the site of some of the early mines in the area.]

Off to Quartzsite – Again

2011-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

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What a challenge . . . to find a new adventure something different. As Sheila said, “We’ve seen too much!”

From Tucson we went to Casa Grande and the Rovers’ Roost Escapee RV Park for a sense of normality (after the strangeness of Tucson); to see old friends; visit their great outlet mall; and, of course, catch up on the clean-up and laundry.

What were we thinking . . . Quartzsite during the RV Show and the Big Tent . . . total insanity, but we did it. Again this will be the last time we go to Quartzsite during the BIG TENT!!

Quartzsite – Good People

Having said that: it wasn’t all bad. We got a chance to visit with old friends:

- Gordon and Lil have been part of our RVing life almost from the very beginning;

Fred beside Lil & Gordon

- We went to both the Escapees Happy Hours;

- We visited with Elizabeth (whose painting of Palm Canyon hangs in our Motor Home) and John at Prospector's Panorama;

- Diane and Andy who we shared a lot of our travels with last year; and

- Paul and the folks at the the Oasis Book Store’s Authors Fair – all extraordinary folks.

Paul at the Oasis Book Store

Quartzsite – BLM

Finding your way

Yes We Were There!

2011-01-16T17:04:00.001-08:00

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Yes, we were in Tucson when the shooting happened – so many of you were asking. It brought back memories of the École Polytechnique Massacre in Montreal in the late 80’s when Marc Lépine shot so many people.

It has opened up some dialogue about mental health and guns but the media is still pushing the sensationalism – too bad.

In the meantime, we hit some great highlights in the area and expect we will be back next year to really explore more.

Travels with Chuck and Sheila

And I thought the Cacti around Ajo were superb: they are nothing compared to what we saw along the way from Why to Tucson.

We travelled from Why, AZ to Tucson on Friday (January 7^th) with Chuck and Sheila – our friends from Wetaskiwin. It’s amazing how pleasant a trip can be when you are with people who share so many of the same interests.

We picked up the Passport book that gives you 2 fers and discounts at a number of interesting places at the Tucson Visitor Information Center that Diane and Andy told us about last year and at $15.00 it was well worth it. Just one visit to the Desert Museum paid for the Passport.

The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum

Spectacular!! Mainly the Museum is an outdoor exhibition of Sonoran Desert plants and animals with over 2 miles of pathways to explore.

We lucked into an astonishing guide who walked and talked us through the botanical exhibits. She was incredibly knowledgeable and explained things so well – especially (as we found out later) considering this was the first tour she had done solo – our hats off to her!!

The animal and birds are extraordinary, too.

Tubac and the Artists’ Colony

About an hour south of Tucson on the way to Nogales, Mexico is an old settlement that once housed a Spanish garrison and is now a thriving artists’ community.

To me the highlight of the experience was the karen newby gallery and sculpture garden.

On our last day in Tucson, Chuck and Fred went over to see the Old Tucson Movie Sets only to find out that they were closed that day.

Sheila and I went to the Mission San Xavier. It is a VERY old Mission built by the Catholics (circa 1700). The highlights here are the restoration of the buildings as well as the authentic fry bread and the tamales.

Anyway, this was not the time to be strange people in a strange place but we will revisit the area.

And Here We Are – In the Desert Again!

2011-01-03T13:09:00.001-08:00

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There are parkers and there are travellers.

There’s no question that we are not ‘stay-put-in-an-RV-park’ type people although the Kofa Ko-op has its attractions. The hot tub was certainly a BIG attraction and we did meet some keeper new friends.

Again our timing is the pits. The rain started just minutes after we left. Tell me why it is that most of the time the prevailing winds are from the west but not this time. We’re heading south-east and the winds are coming from Mexico (south-east); but then, it’s so good to be travelling again.

As we drove along the main Interstate (8), we were amazed at the number of (what I call) Toy-Hauler type RVs or rigs hauling utility trailers with toys (ATVs, four-wheelers and such) on them.

Playing in the Dunes has become an alluring activity amongst the Young & the Brave of Arizona and California.

Last year we met one father and son team who bring their toys down from Canada every year and spend a couple of months playing in the Dunes.

Local folks often make it into a family get-together somewhere in the Imperial Dunes of California and will spend the time playing together in the Sand.

There are Dune Buggies; ATVs and some fancier toys called Sand Rails that can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars.

The Sand Dunes, themselves are fascinating too.

Dec. 30, 2010

We are presently just outside the very small community of Why, AZ about 10 miles south of Ajo, AZ which is also a small community but not as small as Why. Why got its name because it was situated at the 'Y' in the road. In order to get U.S. Mail delivery, a community had to have a minimum of 3 letters in its name.

There is no longer a 'Y' in the road; it is now a 'T' but they didn’t change the name. Why is on the way to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument just north of the Mexican border.

We have no access to the internet here but there is a fabulous library in Ajo and we will go in periodically to send and check emails etc. By the way, Ajo means garlic in Spanish.

It has turned chilly and yesterday was rain and wind. The wind and coolness have persisted but the sun is shining and that helps as long as we can stay out of the wind.

Today we took a tour up behind Ajo and rediscovered the most incredible Cactus forest. I'm sure there are more Organ Pipe Cacti there than there are in the Park.

Dec. 31, 2010

Ch-ch-ch-chrickey it's cold!! The host here at the park said that the thermometer hit 19 F. Our thermometer went down to 24 F. No matter 19 or 24 - that's cold.

Oh, Happy New Year, even though I know it is going to be very late by the time this gets to you.

Jan. 1, 2011

It is still VERY, VERY cold! - Maybe a couple of degrees warmer but not so you would notice. New Years Eve was very quiet - mostly spent staying warm.

We decided it was warmer to do something than to sit around complaining about the cold, so we went down to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and then down to Lukeville and Gringo Pass (the US-Mexican border) for a Mexican lunch of tortillas, tacos, fruesdos (sp?).

By the time we got back the sun had warmed things up considerably and we were greeted by a vendor selling fresh shrimp from Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) Mexico - so you know what we're going to be eating.

Jan. 2, 2011

Today was make bread day - even though it is still rather chilly, again the sun was out and that makes all the difference in the world.

A knock at the door can change everything!

“You guys want to go up to Painted Rock west of Gila Bend?” It was Chuck.

Sure, we enjoy exploring new places, especially with Chuck and Sheila because their interests are so similar to ours.

We had heard plenty of stories about Painted Rock but had never been there. So off we went.

Painted Rock is a pile of rocks that somehow had become a meeting and gathering place for many of the ancient peoples and therefore a great site for archaeologists to study these people and their cultures.

“The people that made the designs carved their cultural experiences and personal visions and dreams. Only they themselves knew the meaning of these symbols. In coming of age tests and ceremonies, the teacher or student would record visions important to them during their experiences. Some symbols may seek help from spirits to gather inspiration and ensure a successful hunt. Certain elements or designs may be warnings to travelers about the dangers that lie ahead on the trail. Still other symbols may continue to remind people about important stories of the past to ensure that they are not forgotten.”

Another how do they do that??

So many times we have seen cotton fields and the huge compressed bales but this time we decided to see the cotton up close.

The plants look dead. Some of the heads are still closed; some have exploded into cotton puffs; and there is cotton all over the ground.

So how do they harvest it??

And last but not least – when we got back to our Camp-site, we were greeted by an incomparable Sonoran Desert sunset.

The Weather is Good

2010-12-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

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Did you know the weather in Yuma is reputed to be the best in the USA? Oh, yes, we are still here – in Yuma and at the Escapees Kofa Ko-op Park.

How come we’re still here?

Good question!

I was surprised too when I went to pay our rent – Holy Cow – this is our fifth week here – we never stay in one place that long. Oh, well we may as well stick it out for the holidays.

My legacy to the park is the two creative workshops I did. Now someone else can take over.

I was asked to do a feature article on the Canyons for the RV Lifestyles Mag. and got it off to them last week. We won't see them until next year, but that's okay.

We have caught up with some of the folks we couldn’t find in Laughlin and reconnected with a bunch of old friends. We have found more folks we hope become as good friends as the old ones. That does sounds schmaltzy, doesn’t it? Oh well, you know what I mean.

We’re on the south edge of town surrounded by citrus orchards (and wanna be housing developments that have been abandoned because of the economy). Did you know it is a felony in Arizona pick fruit or vegetables? So, we’re not going to do that.

The last couple of mornings we woke up to the rat-a-tat sounds coming from the military base just over the hill.

Oh, talking about waking up (or nor waking up) – apparently last week there was an earthquake and we slept right through it. It was a magnitude of 4.9 and centered about 35 miles away in Mexico. I think that was the first earthquake I’ve ever experienced and I didn’t even know that it happened until someone told me.

By now, we probably know Yuma better than we know Lethbridge (our home address). We seem to spend a lot more time exploring.

Our first new venture was off to the Saihati Camel Farm. It is a small family operation started about 20 years ago by a woman from Oregon and her husband, who was from Saudi Arabia. He wanted to do something that would remind him of home, so he started raising Arabian camels (the camels with one hump). Actually, Arizona has a long history of relationships with camels. In the mid-1850s, camels were used as beasts of burden on an expedition to survey a road from Fort Defiance, New Mexico, to Fort Yuma, Arizona, and then out to the Pacific coast. There were 25 camels on that trek.

The farm is not that well laid out but has a menagerie of odd and different animals. (http://www.rvwest.com/journeys/rvtales/see_the_exotic )

Jacob Four-Horned Sheep

Zebra-Donkey

One hump Camel

Funny chicken

Big horns!

We had never been past El Centro on Interstate Highway #8, so one day we just took off in the car. Fred had a route he wanted to go in his mind but he forgot to tell me. I was looking for a Visitor Information Center. Oops, I forgot California is an hour earlier than Arizona so that Center wasn’t open yet. On we went – ah, a Visitor Information sign – let’s find it.

Oh, my – no Center but we did find a new Casino.

“Oh, $5.00 free-play for new players and $5.00 free-play for seniors.”

We could do that. We walked out half an hour later with about 30 extra dollars.

Back onto the highway I saw an interesting looking road (S1) up to the Cleveland National Forest.

Holy Crap! Back and forth; round and round; up and up we went. The first sign said elevation 1000 feet; around four more switch-backs in the road: elevation 2000 feet – rocks, rocks and more rocks.

We went up 7000 feet to the resort-type settlement at the top of Laguna Mountain.

And just as quickly we wound down the other side and into the desert again.

Our next stop is going to be the desert probably Gunsight BLM down by Why.

We have never spent much time around Tucson – who knows!!

Old Routines Never Die

2010-11-29T06:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday, November-06-10

When we left Canyon de Chelly, we did a quick visit to the Petrified Forest NP and we spent the chilly night in Williams, AZ. In the morning, I & A went over to the Grand Canyon and we set off to Laughlin.

To our surprise, there were very few RV’ers at the Tropicana (where we usually park and find all the folks we have met over the years). The casino started charging to stay there and people have just moved on. Mya (one of the ole’ time friends) was over at another casino. We spent one night there and then moved down to the AVI (no one there either) for about a week.

Nov. 6^th found us sitting at Hi Jolly BLM in Quartzsite, AZ, again. I & A arrived just a few minutes after we did. We parked at our usual spot over by the Wash. This is really old routine, by now. We’ve tried other locations, but always seem to come back here. We like it! Fred can scrutinize the comings and goings along the road and I can scrutinize the comings and goings of the birds and animals in the wash.

I watched the hummingbirds feed from our little red feeder – one female who keeps coming back and a male who just showed up. They land on one of the two tiny perches that stick out from the side of the feeder. They then stick their long thin beaks into centre of the little yellow plastic flowers some ingenious Chinese designer stuck onto the base. I’m not sure if it is the same female but one seems to arrive to feed about every three to four minutes but the male only comes around occasionally. Every once in a while they seem to get into an argument but that’s not unlike most other domestic couples we know.

There is a family of California Quail that live in the wash. Dad comes out first and flies up onto a branch while Mom and the brood waddle up the wash to find food and waddle back again. They seem to do this every morning and every evening. I’m yet to find out where they nest but I will, over time. We’ll probably be here for a couple of weeks.

I managed to break the Broadband2Go internet stick so we were restricted to the Library or Senior Centre again until I got another one – what a pain!!

Sunday, November-28-10

Time flies by when you are either having fun, or getting older (one or the other or both) and here it is nearing the end of November.

Quartzsite was Quartzsite was Quartzsite was Quartzsite – We stayed our 14 days on the Hi Jolly BLM. That gave us time to get a new internet stick; dump once at the Pit Stop (an interesting business that is set up specifically for RVers to dump their waste water and flush out the tanks; fill the fresh water tank with good water; and have the propane tanks filled) and move on. All the prices here seem to have gone up since last year – RV parking at the Pit Stop was $12 last year and $20 this year. We’ve noticed an increase in food, as well. The General Store here has a real butcher shop and still sells the best meat around.

The price of fuel always goes up at this time of the year, so it is hard to tell if the price is higher because it’s Snowbird Season or because of the economy.

We did manage to go to a fund-raising dinner for Cecelia’s Garden at the Quartzsite community center (QIA). Cecelia was Paul (the fellow who owns the Oasis bookstore and wears a thong) and Joanne’s daughter who died in the mid 90’s.

Paul’s alter-ego (Sweet pea) came out – he plays an incredible boogie-woogie piano and is, in fact, quite shy.

Cecelia was born in Toronto and lived for seven years. She had been the smallest baby born in Canada (1.25 pounds). Over the years in Quartzsite, she captured the hearts of many who met her. In her memory, Cecelia's Rainbow Garden is set on 8 acres of desert donated by the BLM on the edge of Quartzsite. It seems the whole community has become involved. They sell plots and people create garden sites and memorials in whatever way they choose. They encourage people to donate something live so there are a lot of the unusual cacti, trees and shrubs that don't ordinarily grow there.

There really was not much going on in Quartzsite so we left to go down to Yuma and Algodones and expect to go back later in the Season. Our plan was to check into our usual spot in The Foothills (Yuma) but Sallee and John were busy that week and Bob (our on-site landlord) was not there, so we decided to check into the Escapees Park, Kofa Ko-op for the week and here we still are.

This is not the same up-tight park we encountered six years ago when we stayed here and Fred got sick and we couldn’t find anyone to help us. The atmosphere has changed . . . they seem to appreciate visitors as opposed to resenting their intrusion (that’s the way it felt before). We already knew a number of folks and there are a lot of Canadians here. The swimming pool is nice and we’ve already been in the hot tub twice and I’m doing a Writers Workshop next week.

We went down to Algodones (Mexico) last week and Fred got his new glasses - not only can he now see (I was beginning to be a bit concerned with him driving) he looks kind of spiffy too.
I got a great hair-cut - as good as the one at Casa Grande last year - and another purse - like I need another one (?) - But it was $10.00 and I couldn't resist. We got some more vanilla and those wonderful chocolates.

Sallee and John have introduced us to the $10.00 seniors’ free play at the casino. It looks like we may stay here at least until after Fred’s birthday.

They say learning is life-long and I certainly have learned a lot about myself over this past month. I am extremely independent. I like to do what I like to do when I want to do it!

I can get very bitchy if I feel someone expects me to do something I don’t want to do or I feel is trying to take advantage of me. I almost got to the point that I didn’t even like myself.

Starting Out with NO Plans

2010-10-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

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We voted in our Municipal election; got our flu shots; paid off the Protection Money for our Medical Travel Insurance; and got out of town by Oct. 18th!

Where?

The only thing we planned was to meet Ina and Allan (folks from the Nanaimo Park we stayed in that Vancouver Island winter) in Butte, MT and decide from there.

Avoiding the Salt Lake City traffic fiasco had been desirable but I & A wanted to do the Canyon thing so our non-planned adventure changed direction.

Off to Utah and the Canyon area; the Arches around Moab, UT; Canyon de Chelly, AZ; and so forth. This area of the States gives you a taste of what happens after millions and millions of years of climate change and is a paradise for geology and archaeology enthusiasts alike.

Arches National Park is just north of Moab, UT. I do keep forgetting how commercial some of these places can be. Moab is another tourist town. From what I could see, it caters to those "Canyoneer" types - young, VERY physically fit – that hike, tent, buy L. L. Bean clothes and equipment, drink Cappuccino, and frequent expensive eating places. Beyond that, the Arches (Arches National Park) is another natural phenomena.

Apparently, there are massive salt beds underneath the park that resulted from evaporation of the sea water that covered the area about 300 millions years ago. As the climate and natural forces changed, much of the debris was compressed into rock and the salt layer shifted, buckled, liquefied and reposited itself, thrusting some of the rock up into domes and down in cavities. Underground faults resulted in vertical cracks. The movement of the salt layers and surface erosion helps create the environment we see.

Gigantic tall, narrow phallic towers grow up from nowhere and dot the landscape where you least expect them. The process continues . . . you can just imagine all the power and forces that must have existed to create all the waves, windows (holes) and arches.

The Four Corners – is where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet. A rather unspectacular site: as one fellow put it “it was hardly worth the cost of the gas to get there”, but then you could say that you had been there.

At the Arches NP, I had watched a gal from Europe photograph her silver teddy bear in front of the various formations and thought it looked like a fun idea so Nikita (my black Russian seal fur teddy bear) took centre stage at the Four Corners. That gave it a bit more interest. They are trying to liven up the site and are building structures to house venders all along the outside the perimeter of the monument.

Now Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a totally different story. I must admit it comes in a very close second to Zion, my most favourite canyon area.

It is unique in that, even though it is a National Park, it is on Navajo lands and very much controlled by this First Peoples Nation.

There are no fees to enter the park or stay at the campground. They call Canyon de Chelly National Park a labyrinth of canyons. Canyon del Muerto is the north leg and Canyon de Chelly is the south leg of the National Monument and each branches out into smaller, less significant canyons. You can tour along the North and the South Rims unescorted but you must have a Native guide to travel down into the canyon or explore any of the ruins except the White House. There are many Overlook (lookout) sites situated on both rims to view the canyons below and the ruins across on the other side of the rim.

It is not difficult to pick out the various geological layering in the canyon. They have found plant fossils that give evidence that about 280 million years ago this area was subtropical. Over the next few hundred thousand years the climate changed from subtropical to desert thus creating the de Chelly sandstone, then the conglomerate layers. Massive shifts in the earth's crust along with the forces of mountain building, stream cutting, wind and erosion resulted in canyons we see today.

The reminiscent of campsites date back to between 2500 and 200 B.C. but the farming and communities and then villages began to appear around 200 B.C. and dispersed after 1300 A.D. Even so, there are still Navajo who live and farm in the Canyon today.

So many of the ruins are built into the cliffs, they say for defence as well as protection. The only trail you are allowed on without a guide is from the top of the South Rim to the White House Ruins. They think the first structures were constructed by the Anasazi, a farming people who preceded the Pueblo, Hopi and Navajo (also connected to the Athabascans) around 1040 A.D from a rather crude masonry style called Kayenta.

The cliff dwellings were built first and then the canyon floor structures with rooms that were built up to reach within 4 feet of the upper level. At its prime, this community contained as many as 80 rooms inhabited by 10 to 12 families . . . from 50 to 60 people.

Evidence indicates that the "kivas" (circular rooms) were used for religious ceremonies similar to those Pueblo, Hopi and Navajo of today.

Spider Rock rises about 800 feet above the surface at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon. a lesser spiral to the west is called the Face Rock.

A Navajo story tells how Face Rock would inform the Spider Woman (a holy woman who lived on top of the Spider Rock) about naughty children. She would then carry the children to the top of the Rock. The story goes that the white band near to top of the taller of the Spider Rock spirals represents the bones of the bad children eaten by the Spider Woman.

The Navajo have many wonderful stories.

This is What We’ve Been Saving for . . .

2010-09-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

NEW and exciting!
"Jacob's Tails . . . (Back-to-the-Land)"
is now in E-Book formats
and can be downloaded at

Smashwords

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We’re looking at the Medical Travel Insurance for the winter . . . as a good friend would say “Holy Crap”. I wonder what it would be if we had any real medical issues?

In the meantime, summer weather has been rather non-existent. We exceeded 30 C (90 F) twice all summer – and now it’s gone. The coulees across the river are usually dry and brown by August and now it is mid-September and they are still green.

I managed to convert "Jacob's Tails" to an e-pub and it should be in Smashwords Premium Catalogue in the next few days. That means Amazon, Chapters/Indigo, Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc will have the e-pub available to their customers in about a half-a-dozen e-book formats. In the meantime an e book copy that you can read on your computer can be downloaded at Smashwords!

Cool, eh?

The Book-signing at Save-on-Foods went well and I sold 10 books and RV West is continuing my E-column. They did put my Snowbirding 101 piece in the most recent magazine, as well.

After our trip along the Icefields Parkway, the summer fell into its usual pattern. We did our Calgary trip where I got my IKEA fix (I spent $6.25) and had short visits with friends (we need to go again for longer visits). I did get some great shots of the canola fields and an urban Calgary bunny.

Sheila and Chuck (travel-buds) came down from Wetaskiwin for the Taber Corn Festival. Unfortunately, the weather has been so rainy and cold, the corn was really not ready . . . but we had fun anyway . . . we caught some young fellas on motor-bike jumping through the air

Some unique petting animals

And some handsome hay fields and a ferocious dinosaur

Lethbridge and our particular location never ceases to amaze me . . . the coulees – the bridge . . . our view . . . and the magnificent sunsets.

What now?! I know we’ve been saving all our lives but I never thought it would be to pay for the Medical Insurance we need to travel south for the winter . . . but the planning begins!!

Summer Travels

2010-07-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

Oh, take a look at the Elk Valley article that RV Lifestyle Magazine put up on-line:( http://www.rvlifemag-digital.com/rvlifestyle/2010v39iss1/#pg18 )

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Please remind me how different it is travelling in July and August. In the winter we park in one place and take day-trips. Summer travel involves going from one campground to another almost nightly.

Most of our neighbours were family vacationers and overseas tourists in rented RV’s. Certainly more people than I am used to.

On the other hand, we did take this as an opportunity to find some of those higher elevation and alpine wildflowers and learn how to use the macro on the camera . . . AND the scenery along the Icefields Parkway is absolutely spectacular!

We spent a couple of great days visiting with winter travel buddies in Wetaskiwin (about 7 hours north) and then took the Yellowhead Highway – destination – Prince George, BC. At Prince George we were going to decide whether to go further west or go north up to the Yukon. The first overnight was to be McBride, BC but we wanted to stop at Hinton to stock up and get gas before we hit BC and the Sales Tax (BC stands for bring cash, ya’ know).

Hinton was the first place we unhooked the tow car (Saturn) because it got complicated and we couldn’t find the Visitor Information Centre and so on; then again when we took a bad-d-d road to what looked like a great lake-side camping place; and finally, at the Lucerne Campground (just east of Mount Robson) where we stayed for a few days.

Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rocky Mountains (12973ft.) and perpetually hidden from view by mist and clouds (One statistic I saw was that you could see the peak about fourteen days during the year). We were lucky and managed to see and get a photo of the peak not all hidden by clouds and mist. (http://www.peakfinder.com /peakfinder.asp?Peakname=Mount+Robson)

Wildflower photo-taking time!!

Goat’s Beard

Indian Paintbrush

Wild Roses

Cutleaf Daisy

Dwarf Dogwood

We got to Prince George and had to make up our minds which way to go. It was cold and wet and Fred was not feeling too good so the decision was to head back to Jasper and the Icefields Parkway . . . maybe we could find summer . . . at least we could get back to Alberta just in case Fred needed to see a doctor.

Even if you are just travelling through, there’s a charge to travel the parkway . . . BUT having said that, it can take days to travel the 150 miles from Jasper to Lake Louise if you want to visit all the sites. We did our share!!

Athabasca Falls

Note the rainbow

Victoria Glacier

Peyto Lake

Weeping Wall

It does feel strange to be surrounded by ice and snow in the middle of July!

We managed to get an appointment with the doctor on Monday, an ultra-sound on Tuesday and confirmation what it wasn’t on Wednesday.

Next step is to find out what it is but most of the worrying is gone.

Change is Like Jet-Lag

2010-05-16T17:32:00.001-07:00

Yeh, Change is like Jet-Lag – it takes a while for your body and mind to feel like they are in the same place -- to adjust to living space that has more than one inside door; changing from propane to an electric stove; and having unlimited hot water.

It happens every spring when we get back to Lethbridge. There’s always a strong sense that it’s good to be back but we still miss all the folks we have met and the excitement of being on-the-road.

The tableful of mail was a bit daunting but as I went through it there was some neat things too, like, a couple of payments for published articles and a gift card for Borders from the gal I interned with last summer.

The weather was summer-ish (although windy) when we got here but quickly deteriorated into late winter with a couple of intense blizzards. With this questionable weather, it was easier to focus on the mail; the Income Taxes; and the condo. Oh yes, we also indulged in some retail therapy - it's almost sinful - such fun!
Well, the new washer washes - so quietly I had to check it out with a flashlight to see if it was working! That replaced a machine that was one step above a washboard. The dryer has more than on and off and sings this little tune when it is done - they both have these digital blue lights.

If you venture out of the bedroom during the night there are bright blue lights over the place.

We ended up with a fridge with a bottom freezer and French doors. Habitat for Humanity picked the old fridge up Wed night and the new one was delivered Thurs. am. In the meantime, it was so cold outside, we could just put the fridge stuff out on the deck. We did start the fridge in the Motor Home to keep the frozen food frozen.
Now for the stove!! There go my favourite cast iron pans! I did manage to get one of my SS pans so hot it scorched my wooden cutting board when I rescued the very burned grilled cheese sandwiches I tried to make for lunch - and that was a medium heat - I'm not used to things that work the way they are supposed to.
Oh, yeh - a new computer too with Windows 7 - more new learning,

Fred has been working on the Motor Home fixing and adjusting all those little things that malfunctioned over the winter.

We are both heavily involved in our annual medicals and so far both have been deemed healthy.

Travels this summer?? We haven’t made any plans yet. Plans?? We haven’t even made it up to Calgary yet.

Stalking the Illusive Desert Wildflowers

2010-04-01T21:03:00.001-07:00

After four months of desert winter, I was so ready to find the wildflowers. Every part of my body and soul yearned for the renewal of the earth and the delicate growth in the desert.

There had been a lot of rain this winter and we expected the spring wildflowers to be outstanding. We checked the Wildflower Information line at the Anza-Borrego Park in California.

Darn, they told us the wildflower count would be fair. The rains had come too late in the season and there had not been enough heat.

You know, by this time it really didn’t mater, we were going to find whatever there was.

Borrego Springs and the Park are not far from the Salton Sea. We travelled along the west side of the Sea until we found Salton City and highway S22. Years ago when we were here, this whole area was being primed for development. Well, it hasn’t gone any further and whatever they had done has disintegrated.

Travelling along S22, the initial landscape we saw was nothing like we expected. There would be no way these Badlands could support any life. For miles and miles, there was nothing but sand, rocks and dirt. No wildflowers here!

Not only did we discover an incredible array of wildflowers, we found an unexpected surprise – the metal sculptures scattered throughout the whole area.

The purple of the Sand Verbena (or Desert Vervain) and the yellow of the Brittle Bush along the sides of the roads make a good start at assuring us that the world is no longer drab and colourless and that spring was actually coming.

As the road started to climb, we noticed a few Ocotillos – then more and more – stems swollen from all the rain and heavy with leaves and blossoms.

When we stopped to take some pictures, we discover Desert Lily buds with their long tentacle-type leaves growing out of the rocky soil. Then later, we found flowering Desert Lilly plants.

The wildflowers in Borrego grow in masses. The Primrose mix with the Vervain and the Desert Sunflowers join in the chorus to add to the harmony.

The Sculptures

As we wondered along the Henderson Canyon Road and back towards town on the Di Giorgio Road we saw some abandoned vineyards off to our left. On the right, some workers were out in the field – we thought.

“Look Fred, they aren’t moving. Those aren’t workers, those are sculptures!”

There was a van pulled off on the side of the road and a woman was walking over towards the field. I joined her.

“Do you know anything about these?” we asked each other. We looked at each other blankly.

As we toured the area some more we found a giant camel and a giant sloth - both with young – and an elephant. They are all totally to scale and life-size.

Apparently there are 54 such sculptures scattered throughout Borrego Springs area. The Project was initiated by Dennis Avery, land owner of Galleta Meadows Estates in Borrego Springs and incidentally is the grandson of the Office Supply mogul. Working with the Anza-Borrego State Park, they developed a book highlighting the ancient wildlife that once lived there,

Avery envisioned the idea of adding 'free standing art' to his property with original steel welded sculptures created by 'Perris Jurassic Park' owner/artist/welder Ricardo Breceda based in Perris, California.

(You can see more about the project, the sculptures, Avery, and Breceda on the Galleta Meadows Website at http://www.galletameadows.com )

Great You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvrYySlEcy4

It always amazes me what you find even though you are not looking for it.

The Good, the Bad and the Bizarre!!

2010-03-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

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'Jacob's Tails' soon to be published as an E-Book

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For almost 10 years we heard about The Slabs or Slab City (as it is called) and for almost ten years we avoided staying there. But when Diane and Andy (valued Escapee buddies) said how much they enjoyed their time there and we really hadn’t planned where to go next, we thought – what the heck!!
Slab City is situated about 3 miles outside Niland, California on an old military installation Camp Dunlap that was built during Second World War and abandoned shortly after. It may be the time of year or just the time of man, but everything around there – the buildings; the desert; many of the people – give the impression of being worn out, burned out and/or abandoned.

In 1946 most of the buildings and everyone and everything that could be moved were taken over to Camp Pendleton, California on the west coast. So, now we have a section of desolate land (one mile square) with nothing on it but the occasional water tank or bunker that couldn’t be sold or moved and a collection of concrete slabs where over 30 buildings used to be – thus the name Slab City or The Slabs.
We followed Diane’s and Andy’s directions and found Ray Hound Road, Chili Bob, Mary and Rich and a very welcoming evening fire.

“Of course we remember Diane and Andy,” they told us, “What a great, fun couple.”

“Have you been at The Slabs before?”

“We’ve visited here but never stayed.”

“Would you like me to take you on a tour?” asked Chili Bob.

You betcha!!

There is nothing official about Slab City being a city. In fact part of the attraction is that there are no rules and no fees – so they say.

The first place Bob took us was the main Library. The woman who started the Library died and is buried right there in the front yard.

Next we went out to Gopher Flats, the 18 hole Golf Course next to the military Bombing Range. Each (gopher) hole is marked with a red flag. It is reputed to be quite a challenging course.

Bob was going to take us out to the Mud Volcanoes but we had been out there last year. Instead we visited The Queen of the Slabs and her daily Yard and Tool Sale.

Many, many of the folks who stay out on the Slabs have pets – especially dogs – and like most living things, pets die. There is a Pet Cemetery dedicated to the memories of these treasured friends and (I was told) that there may be some people ashes there as well who wanted to spend eternity with their best friends.

It’s interesting how communities evolve and how various social conventions develop. Selected sections are cordoned off – some with yellow tape; some with old tires outlining the parameter and some where you are made to feel uncomfortable if you are not part of the group.

Still others have signs posted – like: the area where the LOW’s (Loners on Wheels) stay; another where there are mostly Escapees; others that people with ATV’s gather; and still others for naturalists who reject the use of generators. There is one area that has been tagged Poverty Flats; another Beverly Hills. Almost every form and description of housing exists. Dwellings constructed from recycled, rejected materials stand beside Motorhomes valued at close to ¾ of a million dollars.

There are two separate music stages, two libraries, a church, a café and various businesses including a solar sales place.

If it stands still long enough, it will have graffiti on it, be decorated or painted (usually with some gawd-awful colour of donated paint).

The Oasis is one such gathering place. This is the place where a bunch from our group goes to have breakfast and play poker once a week. The trailer that sat out front used to be white but someone donated some cans of paint and just before we left it became interesting shades of pink, lavender and yellow.

Not that the folks are not creative – where else would you see vehicles decorated with absolutely everything imaginable?

The most famous construction at Slab City is the Salvation Mountain that stands on your right just before you get to the Welcome Guardhouse entrance to Slab City. It has been featured on a number of documentaries and is Leonard Knight's tribute to Love and God. There are always vehicles parked and people walking up to see the mountain.

Our stay there was fascinating and an experience I wouldn’t have missed for the world but we’re off to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to stalk the illusive desert wildflowers.

Finding Joshua Tree - Remembering the Sneaker Tree

2010-02-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

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'Jacob's Tails' soon to be published as an E-Book

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Our plan was to go to Joshua Tree NP and/or Borrego Springs from here so we decided to do some site and trail scouting before we moved. Off we went into California along Interstate 10 and realized we’d never been west of Blythe on this road before. One the map, it looked like the next major spot was Desert Center – a good place to stop. Only the signs on the road said that there were no services for 60 miles and Desert Center was only 30 miles. The road signs must be wrong, right?

Yeh, we’re going to check it out anyway. The signs were not wrong! Really, there was nothing there. Now, that’s not entirely true. The first thing we came across was dozens upon dozens of dead palm trees lying stretched out along the sides of the entrance road to the town. A town that looked totally abandoned – another Ghost Town wanna-be.

We kept going along Highway 177 and found out there was very little else. A couple of roads went off to parts unknown: one was the Kaiser Road; the other was a road that led to Lake Tamarisk Desert Resort. What the heck – we went off to Lake Tamarisk. Our first sighting was four ladies doing their morning walk along the road. Then we came to a road, not unlike every other road that takes you to a private community, and turned in. We entered an exclusive-looking community with their own Fire Department, Golf Course and street after street of houses, park model trailer and RV’s (some 150 lots).

We stopped in at the office to get the scoop on the place. Apparently there had been a large mine owned and operated by Kaiser Industries (thus the Kaiser Road) and they had built the Resort as a retreat for their executives. When the mine closed, the Resort was bought out and became an “active senior community”, as the brochure calls it.

Curiosity satisfied we went back to Interstate 10 and onto the next stop at Chiriaco Summit – the site of the General Patton Memorial Museum and a route we had been on before with Anne and Eldon. This was the area where Patton set up a training center for the American troops being readied for battle in North Africa during the Second Word War.

The Chiriaco family set up house, home and services there just after the First World War. They were responsible for getting the General Patton Museum established and to this day, the family operate the restaurant and services.

Joshua Tree National Park covers almost 800,000 acres in both the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. According to the gal at the Visitor Center, Joshua Trees only grow in the Mojave at a higher altitude. You see very few travelling the main road of the park because it is mainly in the Colorado Desert.

The Joshua Tree is not a tree! In fact, it is not even a cactus. The Joshua Tree is part of the Yucca family which is part of the Lily family. The Natives recognized the value of the Tree and were known to use the leaves for baskets and sandals and the blooms and seeds for their nutritional qualities. Word has it that on their trek westward, the Mormons encountered the tree and named it the Joshua Tree because of its seemingly outstretched arms.

To me, one of the most fascinating features in the park is what they call the “Rockpiles”. What you see are these huge, smooth boulders that sit one on top of the other.

Hundreds of millions of years ago hot lava repeatedly oozed up through the surface of the earth and cooled. Over time one surface bubbled up and built on the last one. The wind and water eventually eroded away the soft rocks and vertical fissions or joints were created. The moisture seeped down through the cracks and the formations became almost rectangular. Some of the hard minerals were transformed into soft clay and others loosened and drifted down. Wind and water are forever constant and constantly attack the rocks to create the rounded smooth surfaces of the boulders. There are places out there that look like God took a massive dump in the middle of a huge flat.

The perfectly balanced 800 pound moving GeoKenetic sculpture at the Twenty-nine Palms Visitor Center reminds us that “all relationships are at best delicate and everlasting change.”

Remembering the Sneaker Tree

Way back in 2001 when we travelled with Anne and Eldon, we came across a couple of strange phenomena: the rock graffiti on the banks leading up to the bed of the train tracks and the Sneaker Tree. And there they were on Route 62, west of Vidal Junction on the way to Parker.

Graffiti found – Sneaker Tree, gone!

This whole experience was so surreal: from the rows of dead palm trees; to the resort to the rock piles in the middle of Joshu a Tree NP; to finding the Railway Graffiti and not finding the Sneaker Tree; and finally how everything looked and felt like we were

living in a landscape painting.

Yuma is Yuma is Yuma is Yuma!

2010-02-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yuma tends to be shopping and eating and eating and shopping and maybe more eating. I seem to do a lot of that since I quit smoking. It’s not that food tastes so much better; it’s just that I need something that continually goes from my hand to my mouth. It can be almost anything. I started out being so-o-o good munching on celery but do you know how boring celery can get? I still can’t think of anything that has as few calories as celery and so the pants get tighter.

Anyway three weeks in Yuma was enough. We can’t complain: Sallee and John are great friends (and they tried to teach us pinochle – mission impossible); our site in the Foothills is in a great neighbourhood, but you know how we are about cities! Doing Laundry twice was enough to encourage us to leave!!

We spent our travel time going out to Holtville and the Imperial Valley in California and, of course, down to Algodones, Mexico.

We stopped at the BLM near Holtville called the Oasis Desert Hot Springs to meet with George and Gaylene, folk we met a couple of years ago. There is a core of Canadian Snowbird residents mainly from Alberta and BC but some like George and Gaylene make an annual trek from Ontario. Like any gathering of people they have formed various groups and you see rings of RVs around big fire pits where they meet for nightly get-togethers.

The main attraction here is a mineral hot springs. The Springs are accessible to all. The temperature is about 120 degrees F and people claim there are healing properties. All I know is that it feels great. The people from Holtville (a nearby town) and the BLM residents have worked together to build and maintain the Hot Springs area to keep it clean and free of charge for everyone.

There are showers you can stand under – no soaps allowed; there is a pond surrounded by palm trees that isn’t as hot for swimming; a hot, hot tub; and a not so hot tub.

The water was so hot people go down, fill up containers and bring them back to do dishes and laundry.

After all these years, we finally got the chance to be in Holtville for the Carrot Festival. Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy but, damn we went anyway!!

Algodones seems to be getting a little more sophisticated. Some of the merchandise might be China-made most is still comes in from various parts of Mexico and Central America and no matter what – the people are charming.

Our favourite taco place has new signs and table clothes but still great food (at a great price).

We’re back in Quartzsite now for a couple of weeks.

Now That’s the Dessert!

2010-01-22T11:32:00.001-08:00

Jacob's Tails
can now be downloaded to
your Electronic Device as an E-Book
Check out the Library at
http://www.zuluexpress.com

Click On The Pictures To Enlarge Them

Woke up Tuesday morning to the smell of creosote . . . now that’s the desert I know and love!
It’s now going on Friday and it’s rained every night and all day yesterday. AND the wind!! I will never complain about Lethbridge winds again.

Monday night was a quite an ordeal!

Fred put up the room the day we arrived and for over a week, we enjoyed the extra space and protection.

Not to Last!

Monday night - a horrific wind swept in underneath the walls blew the eight inch spikes out of the ground and there we were with walls just a-flying straight out!

Adrenalin does it every time! We managed to get all the walls unhooked, down and in the trunk of the car before the winds took them off into the unknown. The awning got rolled snug up against the side of the motorhome.

We felt safe again for the time being. It rained and blew all night and Tuesday night and Wednesday night and all day Thursday and Thursday night. Friends, Sheila and Chuck lost their new awning to the desert storm but they did get a chance to see their first flash flood in the wash.

The wind calmed down during the days and we’ve put everything away and could leave at a moment’s notice but that doesn’t make sense either - who wants to be on the road with winds like this?

They call this a winter storm. According to what we have heard, winter storms are supposed to have gentle rains that saturate the ground. These violent rains and winds are supposed to accompany the summer monsoons - Aw, yes, the weather is changing all over.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Surprisingly enough, this Ajo/Why area offers an abundance of things to do. Our first outing was to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. We’ve been there before. In fact we’ve been there a few times before, but this time we decided to take the three hour guided tour. Good plan!

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is about 830 square kilometres and sits in central of the Sonoran Desert that extends south into Mexico.

Our guide (Nancy) was a gal who just happened to be interested in how the Indians (the Tono O’Odham - Desert People) gathered and grew food in the desert. Her theory is that the Indian people are now so overweight because their bodies had adapted to binging when there was plenty of food and starving when food was scarce. Now that food is always available the Indians tend to overeat and consequently become overweight. That’s her theory, anyway.

She went into a lot of detail about the various plants and their seeds; how and where the Indians planted and gathered food; the fruits they gathered from the Cacti and the nutritional and medicinal qualities of many of the plants.

Nancy was also well versed in the different types of Cacti (I have a hard time say ‘cacti’ and usually use ‘cactus’). Of course, she pointed out the Organ Pipe Cactus and different types of, Barrel, Prickly Pear, Cholla, etc and explained to us so many of the features we had noticed but never learned about.

Most cacti begin their lives beside or underneath what they call a nurse plant. The nurse plant can be a mesquite or palo verde shrub or tree that gives the fledgling cactus shade and protection. The cacti have shallow root systems and eventually take most of the moisture and nutrition thus overgrowing and killing their protectors. Mind you, this can take decades as cacti grow very slowly. I’ve heard estimates of 75 to 90 years before a Saguaro will produce that first arm.

You never find the perfect cactus like they show in the movies. The Saguaro, which is the most common, typically looks all rotted out around the bottom and has holes up and down the length of the spine where the cactus wrens nest. It can have arms going up or arms going down; twisted or straight; growing around the trunk at one lever; or scattered up and down.

Sometimes you find cactus with very unusual growth like the crescents that can develop on Saguaro or Organ Pipe Cacti.

The Organ Pipe has all its arms coming out from the bottom. I haven’t been able to find out what triggers the growth of the arms. One source I read said that the cacti tend to grow arms during a drought to have more surfaces to gather moisture – who knows?

Cacti are way more interesting than I have ever given them credit for – a life-time study? Maybe in my next life

Kitt Peak Observatory

It all started with Steve – the fellow we met first at the Escapees Park near Wickenburg – whose whole life revolved around his telescope and astronomy. We talked about the Observatory at Kitt Peak and decided that this was the trip we just had to check it out.

We thought it was close. Well, we left Why at 7 am to catch the first tour at 10 am. It is about 90 miles from Why to the turn-off up the mountain to the observatory.

Aw - the road leading up to the Observatory! White knuckle driving for Fred – curves that compete with the hair-pin turns on the Going to the Sun Road through the Logan Pass in Glacier – only this time we had to drive up the outside lane for 12 miles up to 7000 feet elevation.

What a great view! Unfortunately, no pictures! When I suggested that we pull over to look – I got a VERY emphatic “I don’t think so.” Then I looked over at his hand and realized he was hanging onto the steering wheel like he was going to fall off. I offered to drive and got “that would be even worse.”

The Observatory is the largest in the world and consists of 23 separate telescopes (Only a very few are accessible to the public). Kitt Peak sits on peak of Kitt Mountain on the Tono O’Odham Reservation in the Sonoran Desert and is part of an International Astronomical Community Organization.

The one thing I can verify for sure is that it is damn cold up there!! They say at least 20 degrees colder than down below.

We ended up not taking any of the tours but wandered around on our own.

I can see why anybody who has any interest in the skies would be fascinated with it. The night observation tours must be incredible but I tell you - if we had a tough time with that road during the day – can you imagine what it would be like at night, in the dark? There are no light on the road at all and you would be travelling down in the dark. I don’t think so!

Oh, one more thing – J.A. Jance (yeh, the author) gave a lecture in Ajo and we went. I may not like all her writing but she sure gave a wonderful presentation.

Next Stop – Yuma, I think.

Quartzsite Before the Shows and Vendors

2010-01-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

Click On The Pictures To Enlarge Them

When we left North Ranch for Quartzsite, our plan was to pull into the 14 day BLM area where Chuck and Sheila had been last season (Scaddon Wash). Hm-m-m pretty noisy being that close to the Highway – so we moved over to Hi Jolly to the site where we parked last year.

Still not what we wanted.

We ended up back at our usual site over next to the wash.

Aw-w-w that felt better . . . it felt like that was where we should be! And so we stayed there for a couple of weeks.

It’s interesting how much easier it is to meet people at the boon docking areas than in the regular parks.

The folks (Diane and Andy) we first met in Pahrump and then again at the North Ranch showed up at Hi Jolly a few days after we got there; there was a fun young couple from Washington; and even a couple from Alberta who were active in the Family Motor Home Assoc.

Quartzsite . . . before the shows . . . is just a small desert town getting ready for the major onslaught that happens when the Big Tent goes up and all the vendors move in.

A few permanents like the Readers’ Oasis Book Store; my favourite place KGK Kitchen Supply; J & B Tools; and The Gambler are always there. They carry on business as usual and are stocking up for the invasion.

This is when the artists and crafters start to appear: Elizabeth, along with her writer partner, John, is working in her Studio in Prospector's Panorama. John shares his great news with us. At least one of his books has been accepted for publication - Good going, John.

A new fella from California has arrived on the scene convinced he can make his millions collecting rocks and throwing together bright and shiny silver jewellery - good luck fella!

When you talk to most of the artists and crafter, they tell you they don’t expect to get rich plying their talent but they thrive on the lifestyle.

There was a horrendous storm while we were there . . . unusual winds, rain, thunder and lightening that managed to down a few cacti and destroy a few tents . . . but the next day - there was Curt working his pottery wheel and firing up his two kilns right there where his tent used to be.

They say you can get anything you want in Quartzsite . . . but you have to wait until the vendors show up. Before that all you see is an outline of what’s coming.

Off to the North Ranch and Wickenburg

2009-12-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

I'm Going To Market Jacob's Tails Directly
If You Are Interested, Please Let Me Know
Website:
http://www.firstepbooks.com/

Click On The Pictures To Enlarge Them

I’ve got this THING now – whenever I need to do laundry and we’re heading to an Escapees Park, I will put it off for a few days or even buy more underwear to stall til we get there. If there is such a thing as a good laundromat, it can usually be found at an Escapees RV Park. It happened again as we headed to ‘North Ranch’ near Wickenburg, AZ.

We took a different route to get there from Laughlin and went up through Kingman on Highway 40 and then south along highway 93. Fred calls that the kind of road that helps clean out the holding tanks as we went up and down and around through the hilly country between the Hualapai and Aquarius Mountains. Lots of Pinion Pine trees, Mesquite, and Palo Verde and still the Saguaro Cacti sticking out above the bush throughout the hills (are we not impressed that after nine years, I am finally remembering the names of the various trees and plants?).

Now, every Escapees Park is different but they usually have a few things in common like the afternoon social (or happy hour); the Sunday ice cream get-together; and laundries that are reasonably priced, clean and well maintained. ‘North Ranch’ turned out to be a bit different. Yeh, they had the happy hour but nobody came (as far as I know); there was no ice cream on Sunday; BUT the laundry was clean and well maintained.

Besides the laundry, we did manage to explore an area we had never visited before as well as re-connect and enjoy the company of a couple (Dianne & Andy) we met at the Escapees Park in Pahrump.

We went out to an old mine (the Vulture Mine) that supposedly was started by Wickenburg (the town was named after him) and were very disappointed by the guy who wanted you to pay, pay, pay to look at a bunch of junk and get your picture taken with a donkey. BUT the area around was hilly and speckled with Saguaro.

Fred is not one to like museums but even he will tell you that the Cowboy Museum in Wickenburg was fantastic. It has a lot of exhibits of the old days in Wickenburg and you can actually touch them.

Most impressive was the art work and sculptures . . . a great collection, mostly donated by one family.

Parked next to us at North Ranch was Steve. Now Steve was an interesting character. I would say he was just barely old enough to stay at a 55+ park. He had taught most of his working life seemingly with students who needed to be led through every step of every activity they ever did. What made him so fascinating was that his hobby was astronomy and he carried a humongous telescope – all automatic. All day long, Steve locked himself in his Motorhome with the windows covered and at night, he brought out the telescope and showed us all the wonders of the various celestial bodies . . . the craters on the moon; Jupiter; twin stars in the Milky Way.

We stayed at North Ranch over the USA Thanksgiving and then headed over to Quartzsite but not before I discovered Trader Joes. Gotta go there again!

Old Friends – New Friends

2009-12-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

I'm going to market
Jacob's Tails
directly
If you are interested, please let me know
Website:
http://www.firstepbooks.com/

Click on the pictures to enlarge them

The best thing about revisiting places you been to before is often revisiting with folks you have shared time with before. The dry-camping area at the Tropicana Express in Laughlin, NV is one such meeting place.

Mya – that gal we met at Avi eight or nine years ago who traded me a book for a Tin Man last year – was there and had phoned to see when we would be arriving; the two sisters – Julie (from Alaska) and Nellie (from Georgia) and their spouses (Bill and Joe) were already there; George and Gay from Ontario were there and Chuck and Sheila would be arriving any time. It was good to see everyone again and find out how the summer had gone.

Unfortunately (for us) the Casinos have tightened up considerably – no more Comp rooms; penny machines that take a minimum of 45 cents for each spin and watching $20.00 go poof in five minutes. It wasn’t quite the fun time it has been other years.

As someone said, “Parking isn’t free; you spend twice as much in the Casinos.”

But the food is good and you can still get a Prime Rib dinner for $7.99 (up a dollar from last year).

But there are usually new friends and when Don and Jan moved in beside us, it didn’t take long for Jan to whoosh me off to the mall to find a new jacket and Fred and Don to solve all the problems of the RV world.

Sallee and John came up from Yuma for a couple of days and we all went off to see what progress had been made on the Hoover Dam Bypass. The Dam was both the world's largest hydroelectric power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure when it was completed in 1936 more than two years ahead of schedule and supposedly under budget.
After 9-11 traffic over the Dam was severely restricted and construction on the Bypass was started in January 2005.

The Colorado River Bridge, nearly 2,000 feet long, is the central portion of the Hoover Dam Bypass. It will span the Black Canyon (about 1,600 feet south of the Hoover Dam), connecting the Arizona and Nevada approach highways nearly 900-feet above the Colorado River.
Needless to say, it is impressive and they expect to have it completed by 2011.

As we travelled along, we happened to notice this strange array of something off to the west so we went off to investigate. What we discovered was a complete field of solar panels and a few more being worked on. It turns out that what we saw is called Nevada Solar One. It is a 64 MW commercial-scale solar energy plant. They expect it will eventually have 19,000 receivers (panels) that cover 350 square acres. Unlike the solar panels we are used to, these are curved. Two panels face each other to create a trough that seems to extend for miles. There were hundreds of troughs in this one field.
This system collects the powerful desert sunlight and converts it into 750-degree F thermal energy, which can then be used to create steam for electrical power generation. The receivers are filled with a special synthetic oil that can withstand the intensity of the daytime heat as well as the much lower temperatures at night and still protect the sensitive glass/metal seals of the receivers.

They say the power produced is a little more expensive than wind power but is more reliable and can be built closer to where it is needed. Interesting, eh?!

Well, that’s our stay in Laughlin. We usually stay longer than the two weeks we stayed this year but it just doesn’t seem to be as much fun as it used to.