A different kind of day...

Our Location: Near Tonopah, Arizona

 

A cold night, the freezing mark wasn't too far away but we managed to stay on the plus side, just barely. The wind once again made it's presence known this morning chilling one very quickly as it whistled through you. Even the sun couldn't warm things enough to be outside without some kind of warm sweater.

 

Lots of yellow on the desert floor.

You can see it every where.

 

After a quick few minutes of packing some things and piling some off to the side we hooked up the Dogsled with the Igloo and started out toward Courthouse Road on our way to dump our tanks. We stopped just down the way to tell the lady with the horses we'd be back but were going to dump. She was happy we stopped as she had been going to come and ask about where she might get some water for her horses. We chatted for about 10 minutes and I offered to ask the fella at Saddle Vista Ranch about the water. Off we went down the road to Saddle Vista Ranch (of course you knew that already) and squeezed our way past the gate and found the dump station just where the signs said it would be. I was impressed, the guy has a dump hose (very new looking) with clear ends and a hose holder to keep the angle proper for a downward flow when you're dumping. Free to use and it saves getting your own stuff out. 

 

Such a slope to the valley floor.

 

The fella came by and I forgot to get his name again today but he informed us it's $12.50 to dump without a fill up, $15 for a dump and water fill up. He takes garbage for about a buck a bag as well. We didn't want to fill the tanks but had some water jugs to fill and he charged us about $3 for 10 gallons. He mentioned once again about the milk, juice, eggs and soft drinks inside. He has a washer/dyer that is not coin operated but is $3.50 per load. He also is talking about getting propane for next year. We had a nice chat and I asked about gallon water price for our neighbour but he didn't have a price and so I left it alone. Our bill came to something like $17 ( dumped all the tanks, filled 10 gallons of water and dumped two bags of garbage) but I just handed him a twenty and was happy to have so much information. He promised to remember I've over paid and will give me a discount next time. I just smiled and told him to enjoy his day. Nice fella. 

 

This is where I shouldn't have been walking according to the sign I passed on the way out.

 

Back along the way to our campsite we stopped at the horse lady's trailer and filled her in on the news. Her name is Jeannie and she's a wonderful lady from Wisconsin that travels each winter alone with just her two horses, Magic, a 24 year old white Arabian, and Ranger, a 4 year old chestnut Mustang that was caught in the wild and needed a home. She was thinking she needed some hay and some water and thought about loading the horses and towing her trailer to do these things. I offered to horse sit with my book if she liked. She took me up on my offer and we agreed that once Riley and I had set up, and I had a coffee along with something to eat I'd come down and she could be off to do her errands. 

 

It's just so green.

 We set up in the same campsite but at a different angle this time. We found that with no sun at all on the door it was too cool to have the door open any time, and also without the morning sun on that side of the Igloo even for a while it took longer for the place to heat up and in this cool weather, heating up faster is better. So we weren't long in setting up and with coffee and a quick breakfast sandwich under my belt I headed off with my Kobo, camera, and a warm jacket over my hoodie to sit with the horses while Jeannie went off to do her things. Jeannie took the two dogs with her and I settled down in the sun and started to read. She has a small paddock with an electric fence but only one strand of 'electric' that wouldn't really be much of a deterrent as the current is very low. A dip of a head and they could be out from under there in a second. A couple of hours past before she arrived back home. She had secured some hay and water and had driven out to the Love's Service Station because a Ranger told her she could buy a BLM book there. Love's had no idea what she was talking about. Anyway, she snagged the hay and water at Saddle Vista Ranch, plus he had taken her bag of garbage all for about $55. Excellent considering the hay was $15 per bale. She got at least 130 gallons of water as well. She found out more information about the place with the horses in mind, so it was an excellent place to send her. 

 

I felt as if I was being watched.

 

Jeannie and I chatted inside her cute little living quarters for a bit and then she came with me to the Igloo to check out a few of our little comforts as well. By the time Jeannie left it was already past 3:30 pm and I had arrived at her place around 12:15 pm. So the day was finished for me in terms of walking or such. Instead we had a very late lunch, did some reading and then I chatted with Dad, and Courtney, but left a message on sister Jan's answering machine. Cold, snow, freezing rain, more snow, more cold, a warm up and then more snow. That seems to be the way it's going in pretty much the entire province of Ontario. According to Dad, this is the most snow fall in their neck of the woods since the early 1970's. The average depth of snow in the woods is 36 INCHES/ 39 CM. That's a lot of snow in the trees folks. 

 

This photo and next are of the same mountains.

 

So there you have it folks, another day here in the Saddle Mountain area, cooler by far than any we've had but still not snow and rain, so we're quite happy. We enjoyed the visit with Jeannie and we also enjoyed the new views out the window tonight. I'll share those with you another time as I will a photo of the horses. Today's pictures were taken on yesterday's hike. 

 

Shadow and light make such a difference

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a wonderful day where ever you might be and what ever you might have been doing. 

 

Pretty steep isn't it?

 

Until next time.... take care, be safe, 

 

 

This dead tree in the arroyo caught my eye.

 

Deb