The Birds, the Bees, and the Small Animals

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Jacob's Tails . . . (Back-to-the-Land)"

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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

Jacob's Tails . . . (Back-to-the-Land)"

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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

Jacob's Tails . . . (Back-to-the-Land)"

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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

Jacob's Tails . . . (Back-to-the-Land)"
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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!

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

Smashwords

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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!

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

Smashwords

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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.