We are in Texas….

 

Our Location:

Eastbound Rest Area, Van Horn, Texas

Hugs and goodbyes yesterday after happy hour and this morning Riley and I pulled out at 6:30 am Mountain Standard Time, pointing the Dogsled eastward with the Igloo rolling smoothly along behind. Windy day, lots of sunshine and plenty of leg stretches in our 418 mile/673 km journey today. We crossed 2 time zones, Mountain Daylight Time into Central Daylight Time and are currently only one hour from our Ontario time so we lost two hours and still managed to be off the road by 4:30 pm Central DT, or 2:30 pm Mountain ST. A very long day but we are both happy to have accomplished this long haul. The dogsled had a couple of laps at the drinking bowl and with a head wind managed pushing into for a good part of the trip, he was able to sip about 38 gallons of fuel for the day or one complete tankful of fuel. I have no complaints.

Texas Canyon rest area on I 10 in Arizona is just ahead.

This rest area is in Texas at the state line between New Mexico and Texas.

Love the roof.

We crossed into New Mexico....

We crossed out of New Mexico.

We crossed into Texas and are still here and will be for a few days.

A beautiful rest area in West Texas has a separate spot for RV's and Trucks.

I don't recall the name but it is very pretty and we would stay here.

I'm sure we could find it again. LOL.

Love the gardens.

It is a stunning view. 

We left Quail Ridge RV in Huachuca City at an elevation of just under 4400' and passed over the Continental Divide in New Mexico at a little bit higher altitude at a little over 4500' and here in Van Horn, Texas we are sitting at 4042'. We will begin to drop in elevation quickly tomorrow and will remain relatively low until we reach the Tennessee/Kentucky area. The temps ranged from 44F/6 C this morning at 6:30 am to 74F/23C during the afternoon and when we pulled into the rest here it was a balmy but windy 64F/17C at 4:30 pm CDT.

 

Chatted with Dad, of course, to let him know we are off the road and settled for the night. Windy there too. Aw well, it's spring! 

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a fantastic day. 

 

Until next time...

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

 

We've moved east into Arizona.....

 

 

Our Location: 

Quail Ridge Rv Resort, Hauchuca City, Arizona

 

We left Ogilby Road on Sunday morning at 7:30 am.  We drove approximately 320 miles, used 29 gallons of fuel and arrived here at around 1:30 pm MST. So a mere 6 hours after leaving Ogilby Road. The trip was uneventful and passed by quickly. Just a note to myself, I pulled at a faster rate of speed, 60 mph instead of my usual 55 mph. We had a bit of a head wind as well, plus a full fresh water tank, which we normally don't carry when towing. I have no complaints with the Dogsled. I drive in tow and on cruise, so it's always consistent.

 

Someone used this as a marker to their camping spot.

The twists in the wood is eye catching.

 

We pulled into our site at # 138 and can see the Stinger Bee with our very good friends Deb and Tom  just down the way, The Suites housing some of our Canadian friends  Bill and Patsy  (and of course Gibbs) are a few rows away but not far. We all had an enjoyable happy hour, and I didn't take one single photo yesterday, so you will have to visit Chillin' with Patsy  if you want to see proof. Lots of laughter filled the air and the hours slipped past quickly.  We are looking forward to spending some time with these fine folks while we are all here for a few days. 

 

Even in death there is beauty in the desert.

Some times it's harder to see than at other times.

 

  This morning all three of us headed off to different dealerships, Bill to Ford, Tom to Jeep, and me to Chev. Tom was our driver and after some confusion we all managed to reconnect and where home before 9:30 am. Only the Jeep came back. 

 

The tire has been here a very long time.

An interesting place, there is a stone seat on the right by the old chair.

It is the year for mechanical issues it seems. The Dogsled had surgery to replace some heater hoses in Yuma before we left and is now having a biopsy for a check engine light. Hopefully the surgery is quick and painless. We will hopefully know by the day's end. 

 

Can you see the dog sitting across the wash?

Not the best pic but you get the idea.

 

A catch up of our last few days at Ogilby Road, California.  Jerry and Elva Shannon treated Riley and I to dinner at Da Boyz Italian Restaurant. A wonderful visit and a very generous gesture. Thanks again you folks. We waved as we passed by Wellton we hope to see you again in the fall!!!

 

For Deb, the Ocotillo are blooming out on Ogilby Road.

And this grand old fella is passing!

 

 

The prickly pear are still blooming too.

These pics are left over from Ogilby Road, I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Until next time...

 

Take care, stay safe, 

 

Deb

 

A little of this, a little of that and meeting a blog follower....

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario, Canada

 

Yes we are still in self isolation, which is pretty much business as usual for us here at Buttercup Ridge. I don't believe the squirrels and chipmunks, nor the skunks or 'coons mind us being here and they don't stop to chat either and yet even while passing we chatter at a distance to each other (only the little four feeted creatures, not the bigger, bare your teeth or point your tail creatures) respecting the social distancing rules. They too are wishing for warmer weather and a hurry up and get here spring. 

 

 Looking out the upstairs window toward the road. That path on the left is part of the driveway, the road is way down below that hill.

 Same as the photo above but from the front door level.

 

 

I've been trying to post the following paragraph for a while but it just didn't seem to fit into the subject matter and so I thought I thought I'd drop it in today. Not that it wasn't important but just that this seems a better time to mention it, than to have it lost among the 'emergency travel plans.' 

 

 

 Looking out the dining room window toward the back yard patio area. A brick wood fired pizza oven, an outdoor fireplace, an outdoor BBQ and kitchen area.

 

 

While Riley and I were parked at Quail Ridge Rv Park in Huachuca City, AZ we were heading out for a bit of a walk around the back part of the park when a gentleman walks toward us and says,"I think I know you. You're Deb and Riley, right?" Of course he's right, we are and my mind is frantically searching the face and trying to recall him. I'm having absolutely no luck, nothing is registering. Nodding, I answer in the affirmative, 'We are indeed Deb & Riley.' The nice gentleman introduces himself as Colin ( a fellow Canadian, from Alberta though) and says he follows this blog.  He and his wife are only in the park for a few days and he noticed us walking past and was kind enough to introduce himself. How fun is that? Of course the talk turns to social distancing, travel plans, border crossing, etc, not the usual RV meetings chatter. If we are fortunate enough to meet another time I hope we can sit down and chatter for a bit and get to know each other and meet Mrs. Colin. It's definitely a small world. Thanks for introducing yourself Sir, we appreciate it very much. Safe travels, good health to you and yours. 

 

Same window as above, different angle and you can once again look out over the corn fields. 

 

 

The past few days have been rainy, cold, warm, damp and a couple of minutes of sunshine. Yes, we had a warm afternoon that made us think Spring had arrived but by 6 pm, we knew were mistaken. We aren't complaining  and we are happy it isn't white stuff falling. We've been keeping a bit busy, not terribly of course but a bit. I've accomplished a few chores inside the house for Janet, managed a few loads of laundry for us, we've finally sorted and put away some groceries that needed some attention and I've even managed a short walk.  Reading has been a good way to pass the time, a movie or two as well. It's not fun being outside in the rain or the cold, so we're biding our time until such weather arrives and we can get outside and do a few chores around the farmhouse outside as well. 

 

 

 If you look closely you can see some evidence of spring popping out of the ground on the south side of the house.

 

Talked on the phone to many folks, Linda, Courtney, Bradey, Barb, Dad, and Janet. Still a few folks I want to contact in the next couple of days as well. I don't want to accomplish everything in the first couple of days, what would I do the next number of days? 

 

 

 Another sign of spring is the destruction of the lawn by skunks digging for grubs. There are a number of patches of this kind of thing.

 

A few photos I've taken since I've been here. All with my phone and some are from inside the house as it was raining or very windy outside and I didn't want to walk around in the rain or the cold. 

The ice has now all melted from the pond but this was in the first couple of days of our arrival. You can see the ice and some snow as well.

We hope everyone out there is healthy, happy and enjoying the signs of spring and the promise of nicer weather. Thanks for stopping by. 

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

Deb 

A change in plans....

Our Location: Quail Ridge Rv Park, Huachuca City, Az

 

 I haven't download my phone the last few days so there are no photos. 

 

Riley and I have been discussing our plans and have both decided it is prudent to head home to Ontario instead of meeting our friends and taking our time going home. 

 

We have been debating our route, north or south. North will be cooler or maybe cold, south will be hot and humid. There really isn't any in between route.  I'm leaning toward the northern route but I'll decide when we reach the necessary point. 

 

Our plan is to leave here in the morning and travel daily until we reach Ontario. I'm guessing it will take us about a week to travel the approximately 2000 miles to reach the Detroit/Windsor area. 

 

To all of our friends who are travelling or trying to wait this thing out, we wish you safe travels, or safe sitting, good health, and great weather. To all of those already at home, stay safe, healthy, and take care. 

 

Thanks for stopping by. 

 

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

 

Deb 

Future plans...

Our Location: Quail Ridge RV Park, Huachuca City,AZ

 

It seems the rain has finally stopped and things are starting to dry out once again. Some very sunshine filled days of late with a cool breeze that reminds us that spring while approaching still hasn't really arrived. 

 

This caught my eye, it is parked among a variety of trailers. Very cute, I think my buddy Ron would like this!!

 

 

Very few photos as I've photographed many things in this park before and to post the same photos would be tiring I'm sure. All of today's photos were taken in the park with my phone.

 

 

 Big Agave plants in this park.

 

 

With all the dire warnings in the media I thought I would just give you all an update on our plans. Our plans are to return home as scheduled around mid April. Except for a few minor differences such as more hand washing, more diligent cleaning of surfaces, we really aren't doing much different. We aren't big on mixing in crowds, we don't go out much to eat, we don't order take out very often and so we've now determined we won't be eating out or taking out at all. Our biggest risk is when we do the necessities, such as fuel, groceries, and propane. We are more diligent about doors, surfaces and such that others may have touched/handled. Washing, sanitizing and just good common sense go a long way to avoiding even a common cold. However we would encounter the same risks no matter where we are located. So we really don't see any benefit to hurrying home to Ontario. We will be meeting our friends Ron & Sharon again this year but truly don't feel we would be at any greater risk than we are currently.

For those that have met Riley, you all know she's pretty tall, she's around the 5'11" mark, that gives you some idea of how tall the agave plant is beside her. This is NOT the biggest one in the park.

This is just our own view, everyone is entitled to an opinion. We must each do what we feel is right for ourselves. Whatever you decided to do, I wish you good health, good luck and safe travels. Wash, disinfect, and cover up when you cough or sneeze, use good common sense and stop buying all the toilet paper. An interesting thing I noticed at Walmart, less toilet paper on the shelves than facial tissue/kleenex. Now that is surprising to me. 

This one is taller than the one above but in the bushes it's hard to get to close to.

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

I took this photo while waiting for a nice gentleman to come fill my propane tanks. As you can see from the water puddles it's rained a fair bit here. I love the mountains in the background, it was the whole reason for the photo.

Deb

A quick update...

Our Location: Quail Ridge Rv Park, Huachuca City, Az

 

 

A quick update with no photos. I've been a bit of a sluggard and haven't taken a single photo for a number of days now. 

 

Monday around lunch time Riley and I settled into Quail Ridge Rv Park, our first hook ups since we left Lincoln Parish Park in Louisiana in November. A couple of things have kept us thinking about our route home and since we couldn't really decide we figured we'd stay a bit longer in this area and take the time to figure it out. 

 

Also the weather hasn't been exactly nice, with rain and clouds pretty much every day or night starting Monday night, not a lot of rain of course, just enough to make things muddy, damp and messy. So we opted to settle in here for a week and enjoy ourselves a little bit. 

 

I've talked to dad a few times, like the Bayfield Bunch, they are getting good weather although they did manage a couple of inches of fresh snow in the past day or so.  Riley and I have managed to do a number of errands, with a couple more in the works before we head out on Monday morning. 

 

Since we don't plan on anything exciting, I wouldn't expect many or maybe even any posts before we pull out. 

 

An email from the BLM/Empire Ranch reached me a few days ago, once again the apologizes were coming fast and furious and loud and clear. It seems they will be checking further into the problem and ensuring in the future all requirements are met by anyone applying and receiving a permit.  

 

I've been reading posts every morning but I usually do it on my iPad and I can't comment using that device, so I haven't been saying much to anyone. We all know some days we have nothing to say in a post or a comment. I've been finding myself in that situation for a while now.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

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

 

Deb

Friends, new, old and new old.....

Our Location: Empire Ranch, Vail, AZ

Today's post is a bit different, I hope you enjoy it. The photos do NOT match the paragraphs. I am simply telling you what I see when I look out one particular window. The photos are posted at random taken in about a 180 degree of view. I haven't taken any toward the road way that leads us to our spot. 

You know I'm going to tell you about the wind, right? Okay, I've told you. 

 Sorry for the reflection of the kitchen faucet. This is the mountains I describe later in this post.

This is the view when I look southwest out my window. 

Yesterday was a great day for us, we enjoyed a quiet morning and the views outside the window. Let me tell you about the views as I sit in my chair looking out. 

You can see the road beside us, it doesn't look nearly as orange when up close.  Way off in the distance is the mounds I can never reach. To the right is a stump, one of the many that dot the landscape making you think it's something other than a stump.

Those buildings are off in the distance as you can see from one of the above photos. This is just a closer view. The Empire Ranch lands do not reach that far or at least we cannot reach those buildings by the road we travelled.

The grass is a colour that would be hard to duplicate on a painters palette. It's yellowish/brown, but with dark highlights. As it waves in the wind it is quite literally a sea of grass as the long stalks wave in the wind much like a wave rolls on the ocean changing colours as it rolls. In the grasslands it starts off as a yellow/brown roll and as it moves the darker hues of dying stalks show in the wave, when it passes, the yellow/brown once again is dominant. Ripples I guess you could call them in a very light wind, but definite waves as the wind climbs. Stumps and bare somewhat stunted trees (compared to the trees I'm used to back in Ontario) dot the landscape, breaking up the sea of grass. 

 Not welcoming in the least, cold, stark, black with patches of white near the peak to the left of middle. 

The black dot under that tree is a cow. It is near the water tanks which are in the area to the left of the fence.

Here and there you can see black dots of cattle as they forage among the grass, looking for the green tender shoots that appear here and there. Under it all the dirt road ways when seen from a distance look almost orangish, or a very unusual shade of brown maybe,  not the bright orange of Alabama clay but a relative for sure. Upon getting closer it is less orange and more brown. An oddity for sure. 

 You can see that really is a stump. I doubt you believed me when I told you it was. See those mounds way off, I can never seem to reach them. 

This is the view outside our door. I took a series of photos of this view to show you just how different it can look.

It appears to be gently rolling hills but those of us that have visited know it isn't always the case. The washes that run through here present a different colour off in the distance. A patch or line of trees, that looks greenish in hue but you know they aren't. It's a trick of the eye. A dark line of brown or maybe grey seems to hover in these areas and you realize it's the top of the grass along the wash. The colour seems to be darker but it isn't, it just appears to be in the slanted view or maybe it's another trick of the eye. Beyond that is the lower hills or maybe mounds, are far off, I seem never to get close to them, they are always 'over there'. They are a darker brown than the grass but we would still consider them a light brown in colour. They are dotted with dark shapes which of course are more of those bare, stunted trees and stumps. Behind those mounds are bigger mounds, again they are 'over there'. Behind those are mountains. 

A closer view. I believe that tree may be in a small wash, but I haven't yet checked it out. 

The mountains have a look that changes as the light changes. Black, craggy, ominous looking hill sides that end in many peaks. Some with what looks to be snow at their top, but maybe it's simply lighter coloured rocks that appear like snow against the backdrop of such foreboding but majestic formations.  The sun's light changes the views with each passing hour, as the morning turns to afternoon and then on into evening the mountains while remaining dark looks less craggy, less cold, but still not welcoming. There is no colour on these mountains except the contrasting white at the top and black on the sides. 

 Closer still.

The wind is a fact of life here I think. Like a rock in the middle of the water, it just depends on the moment as to what kind of wind you  have. Due to the elevation here, the wind is cool, brisk, some might even deem it to be cold, and I think they would right today as the outside temps hover around 47F/ 8 C at 11 AM. Overall the area is beautiful, breath taking in many ways. I find it some how more lonely than the flat desert floors we've enjoyed for most of the winter. Inviting in a way unlike the desert, but stand offish as well. This is a place that would be easy to have a love/hate relationship with, I have no doubt. I suppose one must decide whether the love side out weighs the hate side, wouldn't you think? 

Can you see the darker grasses over there. A wash runs along that line I'm certain and one day I'll walk over there and check it out.

Yesterday also found us texting with our friends Deb & Tom (Celebrating the Dance) who are currently tethered to full hook ups at Quail Ridge RV just down the way. Riley and I headed into Sierra Vista for a couple of things before stopping at the Stinger Bee for a visit. It is always fun to spend time with this wonderful couple and we hope to see them again before they head out on the next leg of their journey. Thanks for sharing the warmth of the Stinger Bee and the wonders of friendship as well. 

Those are mounds way over there and they always seem to stay 'way over there'.

After a few years of near misses we finally managed to meet new old friends Ken & Shirley ( Seeing America with Ken & Shirley ). We have followed their blog for a few years but have never been able to be in the same place at the same time. Yesterday was the day it all connected as we all met at the Stinger Bee for a visit. They are a delightful couple, lots of smiles and hugs as we settled in to chatter. Seemed like we already knew them even though it was our first meeting. With a full house we didn't get to visit with Ken much but we've all agreed to fix that in the future. We did manage to chatter with Shirley some and of course truly enjoyed her company, she's a sweetheart! We look forward to spending more time with them in the future and getting to know them better.  Shirley of course brought a buffet with her. Thanks for the goodies Shirley. 

Ken on the left, Tom on the right, enjoying a nice cold brew after a hard day of touring and lunch. 

Another couple also came along to join the fun, Doug & Michelle.  Nice folks and they added to the lively mix of conversations. Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future and we will get to know this couple better as well.

Shirley, Deb & Riley.

It was 7:30 pm before we left to head home to the Igloo. Of course we didn't arrive at the Stinger Bee until 4 so I guess we didn't overstay our welcome too much. Riley and I talked on the ride home about how much better she seems at being able to meet new people and how much more comfortable she was with THIS large crowd. She is usually full of anxiety and dreads this kind of gathering. I think because we already know and enjoy the time we spend with Deb & Tom, that helped a great deal as she is very at ease with them. Since we follow Ken & Shirley's blog it's almost like she knows them a little and so the anxiety of meeting new folks didn't really apply to them. The only unknown new folks were Doug & Michelle and as it worked out, we didn't really chat with Doug much, only Michelle. So it was a much easier visit for Riley than it would have been even two years ago. Of course we knew Doug & Michelle would be a nice couple, after all they are hanging out with our friends both old and new old.  How could they not be nice?

Doug and Michelle, and in the right side mirror, Deb & Shirley.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your day even half as much as I enjoyed mine. 

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

Deb

Change of plans, Sonoran Desert National Monument.........

Our Location: Sonoran Desert National Monument

We left Quail Ridge this morning shortly after 8 AM but not before we offered some assistance to 3 gentlemen that were trying to cut a limb from a tree on a spot not far from our spot. They were using an axe that was not making the job easy. I offered them my sawsall to use. They were like three little boys in a candy store, happy as all get out. By the time we’d finished packing up they had finished with the limb and returned my saw. 

 

The mountain views before we left Quail Ridge RV Resort, Huachuca City.

We changed our minds about our destination this morning and so instead of heading for Why, Arizona we came to the Sonoran Desert National Monument. We still have no cell service but I think we will enjoy this spot better or so we think so far. 

 

Views on our drive today.

 

We turned left on AZ 90 toward Benson, climbed onto I-10 West and travelled to Exit 199 which lead us to I-8 West. From there it was a straight shot to Exit 140, a left turn on to Freeman Road and then straight across the roadway, over the cattle guard and onto BLM 8009. We followed this until the T in the road, turned right and parked on the left just before the brow of the hill. A nice spot for sure. 

 

Tucson City Limits.

 The drive was uneventful, the kind we like. We had no issues getting into our spot and have a very wonderful view. We think we’ll be here for about a week but that is subject to change at any time for any reason. There are a few places I think we can walk while we are here and I think we will take advantage of it while we can.
 

A rest area on I-8.

 

We set up everything, and had to put the awning out to keep some of the sun off the fridge side of the Igloo. The sun was warm and we opened the windows, the big door and a vent or two. However before long we were closing them up again as the sky clouded over and things cooled off. 

 

Mileage signs along the way.

 

We started the generator tonight as the batteries do not seem to be holding a full charge. After all the checking I’ve been doing I think the MPPT control charger is faulty and will be having it tested when we reach Quartzite at some point, or maybe we’ll head to see Slab City to Solar Mike. We’ll see how it goes.
 

Sights along the way.

 

So again, no cell service but we do have internet and we’ll be keeping in touch that way. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb