New place to call home, amazing sunset....

Our Location:  Saddle Mountain BLM Land, Tonopah, Arizona

A trip to the clubhouse last night to post my blog, no one was there. It was quiet but the net lagged so I used my own jet pack to post but for just doing face book and email the free wifi was great. 

The view out our front door.

Up this morning around 4 am, think I'm finished sleeping for the day. Read some blogs, made some comments, did a little internet surfing.  The coyotes are howling at 5:30 am, not yapping, just howling. Sound pretty far off in the distance but who knows. 

Coyotes hanging around Why Not Travel Store

Not as cool this morning as it has been lately. The wind has died away now and that's always helpful with over night temps too. Today is moving day so we'll be up and about earlier than usual. Or at least Riley will be, I'm usually up between 4 - 6 am here. 

HRH Miss Kitty

I think I'm kind of getting used to the time zone thing. I'm usually an early riser back in Ontario as well. At 4 am here it is 6 am back there, which is usually when I'm getting out of bed at our summer location. I'm out the door, walking the 1/4 or so mile to Dad's house for morning coffee by 6:15 am. I think the 4 am thing makes me tired just thinking about being up so early. Know what I mean?

Near Buckeye, Arizona, very green....

We left Coyote Howls East around 8:30 am, after dumping and dropping our tag off at the office. As we just finished dumping George popped around the corner to wish us safe and happy travels. Bye George, safe travels ahead for you and Suzie!!

Barry Goldwater Air Force Range area....

 
We stopped around the corner at the Why Not Travel Store for propane, filling our two small cylinders. It took just about the same as the big tank did, and we were happy to leave with all four propane cylinders full.  Two coyotes hanging around the gas pumps weren’t easily scared away and kept returning hoping for a hand out. They were still there when I last looked in my rear view mirror. 

Look more like jagged teeth and mountains.

We pass through the little town of Ajo (Ah -ho) and continued along AZ-85 toward Gila Bend, (He - la) we were enjoying the amazing scenery. We passed through the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range and the mountains were literally standing on end, looking more like jagged teeth than anything else. It was an amazing sight to see. 

Standing on end ....

We neared the suburb of Buckeye (out laying area of Phoenix) and missed the turn for Salome Hwy, but no worries we just picked up I-10 toward Los Angeles. The interstate isn’t the smoothest ride we’ve been on but it wasn’t the worst either. Lots of big trucks passing us by at a very high rate of speed. 

Medium between the two roads....

We pulled off in the little area of 441 Ave in Tonopah. I was surprised there was no public area with an outdoor spigot and we finally asked at a fuel station if we could fill with water and they agreed. Seems they are all on wells in this area. Another time I’d fill in Buckeye, I’m sure it would have some where public to fill up. Needless to say we will be frequenting that fuel stop while in this area. 

We aren't far away now....

Off we headed down the road looking for Courthouse Road. From there it was easy to find the BLM land at the base of Saddle Mountain. We checked out all three roads and settled in the first spot we had liked on the first road taken. Isn’t that just the way?  We have a strong AT&T signal here, and first thing after setting up and starting the Weber to heat up,  I called my Dad, chatted for 15 minutes. 

Sunset shining on the mountain behind us...

We have an amazing spot with a breath taking view out our side door, and all around us in fact but the view out the door is truly the reason we picked the spot. We can see I-10 from our location but can’t hear a thing. A few noises here and there like shooting or something way off, but nothing to bother us. We have a huge site all to ourselves, with our nearest neighbour more than shouting distance away. 

Looking toward the north east....

We went for a walk after lunch, I have no idea how much distance we covered but we were gone for about an hour. When we returned home I started doing some clean up around our site but broke my little folding rake so I had to stop. I’ll pick one up in Buckeye on our trip in there and continue at another time. The roads here are pretty good, with a few that are unfit for long rigs to traverse but they are far back near the base of the mountain.  I think these roads join each other back at the base of the mountain and aren't necessary to travel as each road can be reached from Courthouse Road. The only other issue of any kind might be the exit from the hardtop to the dirt road. Like most of the BLM lands I’ve driven in so far there is quite a lip from the flat surface to the dirt road. However there are a number of different kinds, shapes and heights of vehicles here including some large and small motor homes, some tow behind campers and of course a few 5’ers as well. As they all seem to be parked and staying perhaps the lip is not a problem. Lots of spots, most of them are pretty good, maybe need a wee bit of leveling but nothing too drastic. 

The sun is heading down....

We’ve seen no evidence of coyotes but I’m certain they are around. It’s quiet, peaceful and inspiring. As it is BLM land we can only stay 14 days but according to a fellow we chatted with, no one has been around to check and he’s been in the area for a while. I didn’t ask what a while is but it sounded like at least a week. 

Sinking further and further...

It is now 5:40 pm, the sun has gone down and I’m still sitting outside in shorts but with a fleece sweater typing my post. The windows and vents are shut but the big door is open. The temp reads 63F/ 17C. Not a bad way to spend our first evening here. 

Streaks of red in the night sky...

Our first impression, excellent. I’ll let you know in a few days if our first impressions were correct but I’ll tell you right now I can hear absolutely NO noise from any of the rigs parked here. We can’t hear the Interstate and nothing except maybe a few crickets. Should be nice sleeping here.

Sunset over the Dogsled and Igloo

So there you have it, our travel day. We left Why, Arizona around 9 am and arrived  at Tonopah, Arizona right around 11:30 am. We traveled a bit over 100 miles/ 160 km. It took us a while to select a site, set up and set the Igloo to ‘home’ status again. However I was cooking lunch and chatting with my Dad by 2:15 pm. The drive was easy, no major towns, or no major interchanges to deal with and it was scenic as well.

The last gasp.....

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time…take care, be safe,

Deb


 

Our last day at Coyote Howls East, and happy hour with George & Suzie.....

Our Location: Coyote Howls East, Why, Arizona

Riley and I went to the clubhouse last night to post my blog and plug in for a bit. The clubhouse location didn't improve the wifi speed and the reason was obvious once we settled down into a couple of chairs. At least two people were streaming tv shows in the clubhouse during what would be peak user times for the internet. It was unbelievably slow and I should have taken our own jet pack with us. I wanted to take advantage of the plug in capability as my laptop dies fast and at times will just shut off even at 50% battery life left. I had the battery replaced last year but I think I'll have to figure out something else like perhaps getting a second external battery to use as well.

  

A full moon a few nights ago...

A warmer night last night than it's been for a while. I slept late this morning and didn't open my eyes until almost 8 am. What a sluggard I'm becoming!!

I'm pretty certain a math whiz lives here....

I spent some time sorting laundry, changing my linens and doing my morning routine before settling down with a cup of hot chocolate. Riley made her appearance just about  9 am and together we discussed our plans for the day. Since it's a pre -travel day we aren't going to do much except hang around the Igloo. 

You could easily miss him.....

About 9:30 am I loaded the laundry into the Dogsled, headed out to the laundromat here in the campground. The machines are clean, inexpensive and do a good job. Washing price is $2 per load, and drying in the dryer is .25 cents for 8 minutes. They also have a line outside and supply clothespins to use as well. However they were in use and so I opted for the dryer. 

Riley loves the colour....

Back home after putting things in the washer I managed to do a few little tidy chores in the outside cubbie as things have accumulated in all the wrong places while we've been here a week. By the time I had those put away properly it was back to the laundry to move things to the dryer. 

A dead Teddy Bear Cactus with Xmas lights....

Back at the Igloo George stopped by for a quick chat on one of his walk abouts. Always nice to chat with George, he's very knowledgeable about many things and offers helpful hints or ideas and places to go to purchase, or have work done. After George departed back to the laundry again, this time to bring it home. We folded our four loads back here at home and put them all away. Always nice to have the laundry done! 

Sure is beaten up, but still green....

Riley headed outside to read for a bit and I started prepping lunch. Nice green salad, along with spaghetti squash (Italian herbs/butter) and a mixed veggie packet as well with Oregano, and Thyme, topped off with Bourbon Chicken Breast. I can tell you, it was wonderful. 

This is a mural beside the Shell station in Ajo

A quick tidy up, we grabbed our chairs and headed down to spend Happy Hour with George and Suzie. It was nice to sit down and chatter away for a while, getting to know each other a bit. Soon it was time to say good bye, hope to see you on down the road and we were off back home to the Igloo. 

 

Blurry, taken with my phone, but see the coyote?

We packed up most of the outside stuff, leaving a few things for the morning. With two of us working at it we were finished quickly.  A brazen coyote walked down the middle of the  road next to ours as we were packing up. We also seen one earlier while we were arriving at George and Suzie's (Our Awesome Travels). They are certainly not afraid of people. 

On a building in Ajo

Tomorrow morning we have a few chores to handle before pulling out but we hope to be on the road before 9 am. A short haul tomorrow, only a couple of hours, a bit over 100 miles. We're looking forward to seeing new places, and setting up home in a new location. 

Before packing up....

So there you have it, our last day here at Coyote Howls East. We've enjoyed our stay here, the area is certainly interesting and if our cell service ever gets better in this area we would certainly stay longer. 

  

After packing up....

Thanks for stopping by, glad to have you. Feel free to leave a comment. 

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

Deb 

Windy, cold day........

Our Location: Coyote Howls East, Why, Arizona

Woke this morning around 6:30 am, not as chilly as yesterday morning but the Igloo was swaying a bit now and again as the wind gusts rocked. I did my usual morning reading, commenting and emails before rolling out of bed and making my way downstairs. I fed HRH as her dish was empty and one would think that she hasn’t eaten for a year by the way those sad eyes look at you then back at her empty food dish. Since it was only yesterday morning we went through the same ritual I’m pretty certain she isn’t starving to death. She is such a drama queen. After that I settled down with my hot chocolate and book to enjoy some peace and quiet. 

 

Going to go back here some day...

 

Riley made her grand appearance around 8 am, the next 40 minutes or so were spent with her readying herself for the day and me just reading. We both read and chatted for a bit about what to do today and so on. Around 10 am we headed outside to brave the winds and blowing bits of dust to do a few chores that we needed to do. One was propane for the Igloo, one of our big tank went empty a couple of days ago and I never like to leave them empty for long. So this morning’s chore was to fill that tank. We headed off to the busy metropolis of downtown Why. We of course reached it within a minute of leaving the driveway of the campground. The Why Not Travel Store. It is one of about 5 buildings that constitute the town. The tank held 6.8 gallons of propane for a grand total of just over $24 US. I’m seriously debating filling the two small tanks before we go as well. As they are both getting pretty close to empty. 

 

Just love these views...

 

Back home we installed the tank and then headed off to Ajo (pronounced Ah - ho), short distance up AZ-85 to the north. We took our time dropping in at a few stores along the way. We filled the Big Dog’s drinking bowl  with 22.058  gallons of diesel at $3.01 per gallon which is getting close to the most expensive drink per gallon  the Big Dog has had on our journey so far. We then proceed to the Family Dollar for a browse around, next door we ventured into the Radio Shack, and then Napa/RV Supplies was next on our stops.  We didn’t lighten our wallets at any of those stops but managed to do so at Olsen’s IGA. We needed few things to tide us over until we pass through a bigger locale on Saturday where we will stock up on a few items we’ll need. 

 

How can you bet these sunsets?

Back home we put away groceries, debated about cooking doors and finally came up with a plan that had Riley finding her own lunch after the salad course. I just wasn’t hungry and our menu was for outdoor cooking which she didn’t want me to cook for her indoors.

 

So pretty, aren't they?

 

I take my arthritis drugs on Wednesday’s and Thursday and since my Rheumy Specialist doubled one of them I’ve been struggling a day or two a week. Including lack of appetite and nausea, the other major symptom seems to be exhaustion. Today is that big struggle day. Between the side effects, the wind, and the Igloo shaking a bit I managed to grow myself  a headache which is rare for me. I decided I’d rest a bit, crawled under a blanket to read around 1:30 and before I knew it it was 4 pm. I slept the afternoon away. I’m feeling better but I dislike sleeping so long. 

 

The sky turns red....

A Happy Birthday greeting goes out Marion. We hope this day has been filled with all good things for you and that you feel the love and affection of family and friends. 

 

And then it's gone....

So there you have it. We didn’t really do much today, a few errands but nothing exciting. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to drop a comment.

Until time…take care, be safe,

Deb

Fellow Canadians, mountain roads and warmer weather......

Our Location: Coyote Howls East, Why, Arizona

A cool night last night and it was a bit chilly this morning upon first touching my feet to the floor but we soon had the Mr. Buddy Heater going and before long it was pretty toasty in the Igloo. Awake shortly after 6:00 am I did my usual reading and stuff before putting my tender tootsies into my slippers and heading downstairs to turn on the heater. Riley rolled out around 9 am this morning, the lazy sluggard!

Heading south on AZ-85

After a quick breakfast we loaded up the Dogsled with some water, walking sticks, sweaters, etc and off we went. We gave the big fella his head and let him run us all the way to Organ Pipe National Monument on AZ 85 south toward the Mexican border. To reach the park is very quick, it's 4 miles/ 6 kilometers  from the little Why Not Travel spot but the park office/visitor centre is 15 miles/  24 km away. So we just enjoyed the ride. Passing through an Inspection Station the rumble strips were pretty big but we didn't have to stop. The fella was sitting in his truck but not looking at anything going on other than whatever was in his lap.

Interesting fella isn't he?

We found the Visitor Centre and proceeded inside. It's a nice little spot, lots of information and helpful folks. We were barely in the door and we were invited to watch a 15 minute narrative about the park, and the Sonoran Desert. (As per the narrator in the clips). As we were heading into the little theatre to watch the presentation the lady in front of us mentioned our Ontario Plates and of course the regular questions of where in Ontario, etc, etc. Turns out Lori and Brian are from Niagara Falls, Ontario  a very short hop from where we used to live in Hamilton, Ontario. 

So many arms....

The presentation was excellent, with a great deal of information and some pretty interesting details. It was informative, as well as educational, the narrator was well spoken and easy to understand. It was interspersed with natural sounds heard in the desert, as well as bit of native music. I enjoyed it. 

I just love the mountains...

Outside the theatre we proceeded into the display area where we once again chatted with Lori and Brian. They are staying in C.H. West, with full hookups and will be staying there for a month. They too will be heading to Quartzsite and surrounding area, so perhaps we'll run into them again. 

Look how that was almost cut off but still growing....

Riley and I took a walk around the outdoor display of various kinds of cacti and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the cooling slight breeze. From the garden path we climbed into the Dogsled heading off on a 21 mile sight seeing drive through the park. We headed to the Ajo (pronounced Ah -ho) Mountains across AZ85 from the visitor centre.

Pretty isn't it?

The price for the park is very reasonable, $12 per vehicle, so the more you have in the vehicle the cheaper the rates. We were happy to pay $6 each. The drive was a bit rough but very scenic. We turned, twisted, climbed, descended and drove on the flats for the next couple of hours. At one point we were driving up the side of the mountain with no guardrails, and I wasn't looking down!!!  It's a one way road for most of the drive, with numerous little spots to pull off and enjoy the view. A few places are marked for hiking trails, including The Arch. In the pictures it looks very close but it's a mile away, most of it uphill. Only 1/2 the distance is on a maintained hiking path, the rest of the way you figure it out yourself, I guess. I would have liked to hike it but I don't think we're back to that kind of terrain just yet.

Almost all the washes had cement bottoms on the roadway, part of the mountain road was paved for a while, but mostly it was a washboard, rutted affair. The views were dynamic and awesome. A couple of canyons caught our eye as well. At least two or three picnic areas were available. The amount of cacti was amazing. You couldn't look anywhere without seeing a multitude of various kinds. Some living, some in the dying process, others already dead but still standing, and some having fallen over and started to decay. We even managed to see a couple of buds on a few cacti as well. 

Overall, an excellent tour, we enjoyed it and I would return again and this time go prepared to hike for a bit. I think it would be interesting to see more of the park than we did. Camping is available but only for tents and truck camper or car camping. The tour road we took would not be advisable for anything 25 feet or more. There were numerous signs indicating the footage. Truly the dips and a few of the turns would make it impossible for anything bigger. They also had a 5 hour  tour but it was only for higher clearance, 4 x 4 vehicles. We certainly could have done that one but truthfully we weren't interested. Perhaps another time.

We headed home shortly before 2 pm. As we hustled along AZ 85 north bound we were passed by numerous Border Patrol vehicles, they seemed to be travelling together. As we approached the Inspection Station I was expecting to see a little activity but nothing doing. The fella was in his truck, moved to the other side of the shelter into the shade and he wasn't inspecting any vehicles. 

We made it back home just before 2:30 pm. The sun was out, the  air was warm and we both sat outside while lunch was cooking. Lunch today was a salad for me, along with Turkey Burgers, Acorn Squash, and a potato for Riley. I must say it was pretty good and there were no left overs.  As we were eating lunch we noticed for the first time a coyote wandering not far from our little Igloo. First one we've seen in the park. 

We piled the dishes neatly in the sink, grabbed our walking sticks and head out for a walk before sunset. It was around 4 pm when we headed out, taking the outer road for a while before wandering around back and forth among the many roadways here in the park. We finally ended up back home just shortly after 5 pm. We heated some water and did up the dishes before settling down for the evening. 

A few gusts of wind has some dust blowing around earlier and I think it may continue for a while. We are home safe and sound and will not be venturing out anyway.

So there you have it, our tour day. We enjoyed it, it was fun, scenic and relaxing. We hope you had a fantastic day as well. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave a comment. 

It's deceptive, over a mile away, all uphill.

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

Deb

Cool, sunless lazy day.......

Our Location: Coyote Howls East, Why, Arizona

A very cool night, we closed all the windows and vents as the temps dropped as quickly as the sun last night. Waking up around 6:15 am it was definitely chilly in the Igloo. I read blogs, commented and surfed the  net a bit before finally slipping out from under the warm covers just around 7:30 am. Making myself a nice cup of hot chocolate I simply sat and read until Riley made her appearance a little after 8 am. 

Hurd's Harbour here in the desert

We decided it would be a relaxing day and we'd do very little today. We've been going for a few days straight and it's time to recharge a bit. With the overcast sky and much cooler temps I think it's a wise choice. 

Some Hurd's Harbour visitors, or residents perhaps

So today we did nothing, except walk up to the clubhouse and exchange some books. We stopped and chatted with George and Suzie for a few minutes on our way up, I asked them about staying on some BLM land further north and amazingly they haven't been there. So I'll be certain to let them know what we think of it. 

Don't you just love these things?

A quick trip to the dumpster and that completed our outings today. Riley cooked today, a nice one dish meal with sausages, rice, veggies and tomatoes. It was good but too spicy as I had picked up a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and hadn't noticed until it was time to use them. Riley also bakes some blueberry muffins this morning. Seems like it was her day in the kitchen! 

You have to admit, it's creative.

After I finished writing this post, the skies partially cleared, the sun came out and the remainder of the day was a bit brighter than the earlier hours.

So on that note I'll leave you with a few pics from around the campground here.  Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. 

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

Deb