Our Location: Empire Ranch, Vail, AZ
Yes, we've moved. We had a few glitches but we have finally settled in for a while now. However I wanted to share some photos of our rainy day back at Saddle Mountain BLM and so this post will be filled with those photos. Some how I missed counted the photos and paragraphs, and I have no patience today to fix that issue. Lots of photos in the first half and few in the second.
It was so foggy we could barely see the mountains, and at times they disappeared.
Then it rained, and rained and rained some more.
You can see it pouring off the roof of the Igloo. I took this through a rain soaked window but you can see the stream off the roof.
We left Saddle Mountain BLM yesterday, Monday, Feb 24, stopping at Saddle Vista Ranch to dump our tanks and Wintersburg to top off the Big Dog's drinking bowl. By 10 AM we were on our way because we only had a couple of hours to drive, around the 100 mile mark. The plan was to stay at Why, AZ for a couple of weeks but those plans didn't work out. No cell service from Bell Canada which teams with AT&T. So after a quick stop at the Why Not store, we continued our journey.
What appears to be a river is actually only a minor dip in the ground, it's just that everything is slanted in this area, a very slow gradual slant but it collects water easily
It tricked us a few times, looking brighter and starting to clear only to have more clouds move back in with more rain drops falling as well.
It's starting to break up now as you can see.
We haven't been to Why since our first year travelling to the southwest and one of the reasons is cell service. We changed to Bell Canada last fall as it seemed to have better coverage of the southwest but I have to say, I'm not sure it's any better than our previous carrier. We parked near friends that year who had service with Bell Canada and could use their phone. Now being fair to Bell, we didn't try T-Mobile connections until we were a few miles out of Why, but I'm pretty certain it would not have worked anyway. So we've written Why, AZ off as a place to visit in the future.
The sun finally came out.
I love the drive between Why and Tucson. There are so many varieties of cacti to see. Prickly pear, teddy bear cholla, buckhorn/pencil, barrel cactus, saguaros and a lot more that I'm sure I missed while driving at 55 mph. They are just haphazard along the road side, very abundant in places. The Teddy Bear Cholla looking almost like a small forest it's so thick in some areas. The saguaros looking like matchsticks as they are so plentiful. I would love to stop and explore but yesterday wasn't the day for that.
One would think I could remember the name of this town as they are so few on that drive, but the truth is, I can't recall.
Riley liked the metal sculptures.
A bug splattered window makes its self visible in some of these photos.
A few places with slow downs as construction season is in full swing. Nothing too much, nothing too rough, and nothing too drastic. Tucson was a bit of a nuisance for a minute or two. The exit we wanted was closed and we missed the detour sign to catch it a bit further along. However we managed to go in a straight line for another mile or so and fix the problem. Yeah, we like easy fixes.
We stopped to check cell service, and had none. The Why Not store in Why, AZ.
The scenic route to Sonoita, AZ is a lovely drive but I didn't like hauling the Igloo along however it was much shorter than going all the way around to come in a less twisty, windy road. We found Empire Ranch easily as it was in the same place it was when we visited before. However cell service was spotty on the way into the ranch house, so we dropped the Igloo there and with the Dogsled we ventured to a location where we have parked before. No service, no stay. We tried to go to a different area where the horse events are located but with a flooded road we decided to forget it. We called Dad from the area of the ranch house as there is cell service there, just to let him know we have arrived safely and will figure out the parking issue after the call.
Saguaros, Teddy Bear Cholla, Prickly Pear, and on and on.
We had planned to park just one night between the ranch house and the road where cell service is good but with a spot for group camping and a kiosk. A flatish area near the kiosk would do for one night, but I decided I'd walk down to the group site to check it for a night. There are two other spots not connected to the group site, and so we parked in one of those, we have cell service and are close to the hard top road. Bonus!! At this point we are planning on two weeks here but we'll see how we do with the wind.
Chatted with a nice young fella for a few minutes. He had the strangest tent. His mode of transportation was a bicycle and the tent was excellent for his purposes. It was about 6 1/2 feet long and about 3feet or so wide. It fit him perfectly with no extra space. It was high enough for him to sit up with no issues. Pretty cool but I didn't get a photo and he left before I opened the curtains this morning.
Kitt Peak ahead of us.
So we have now changed plans from staying in Why for two weeks to staying here for two weeks before moving on. We aren't certain where we will move on at this point but we will slowly continue our way east.
Yep, that is Tucson, AZ ahead.
Thanks for stopping by, we hope you are all having a wonderful time, doing whatever it is you are doing and being where it is you are.
Until next time... take care, be safe,
Deb
The town is Gila Bend. Funny no cell service in Why. Was never a problem before. Who knows with the tech changes they make today.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter. You know how few the towns are in that stretch and I just couldn't remember. Maybe it's a blonde thing. Haha.
DeleteSomeone told me once that my name should be Murphy, as it seems he always is at my side. If it could happen, it will happen to me. Need I say more about the phone? Haha.
Take care, be safe,
Deb
Well I was going to tell you I thought the town's name was Bedrock . I knew a guy that lived there , Fred Flintrock or Flintstone . Can't remember for sure it was a long tome ago . Vern in Boise
ReplyDeleteHaha. You made me chuckle Vern!!! That was cute. I don't recall any horses in Bedrock though, nor did I see any half dressed men hanging around.
DeleteTake care, be safe,
Deb
It's unfortunate that cell phone issues prevented you from staying in the Why area, but I'm glad you did at the ranch. A bike and a tent. That's going in minimum style, that's for sure. Hope it is warm with little wind during your stay. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised about the phone service too since the Yates' had Bell Canada and the first year (2017) we travelled out here we both stayed at C.H.East and they had service. I recall asking a fellow in Ajo about the cell service in the area when we stayed and he mentioned that only one carrier would work in the area. I don't recall the carrier though. Oh well, maybe with a better antenna and using the booster it will work.
DeleteThe wind is a constant here in the grasslands as you know but I think we will still enjoy the area. Much colder here than we like but hopefully as the time passes it grows warmer. We hadn't expected to be staying here quite this early but it is what it is and we'll survive. We're Canadian. Haha
Take care, be safe,
Deb
We never had an issue with cell service. Our carrier is Bell. I forced our phones to stay on one of the carriers available. T-Mobile, AT&T or there was another carrier there and we had no problems.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suzie. I mentioned that you folks had service and the when we switched to Bell in the fall I thought we'd have service too. However for some reason it just wasn't picking it up there. Not even at the store in town. It seemed once we neared Ajo the service just stopped. Granted we didn't try T-mobile while sitting at the store but within a mile of town and we had nothing. Again, I think Murphy should be my middle name.
DeleteTake care, be safe,
Deb
Well that's interesting. I didn't know you could stay on the Empire Ranch. I just love it there!! I'm sure you have wandered through the ranch house and buildings. If I can get away from this construction, I'd love to come down and meet you both!!
ReplyDeleteYou are more than welcome to come visit us. We are easy to find. As you come along the road toward the ranch house there are two kiosks, one very close to the main road, and the second a bit further in at the 'group site'. Turn at the second kiosk, we are down that road a little ways on the left. You can't miss us, and if you do, it's a dead end, turn around near the water tanks, come back and try again, then we'll be on the right. Haha.
DeleteTake care, be safe,
Deb
Too bad about the cell service in Why, so many people go to that area. Sounds like you have found a nice spot at Empire Ranch if the winds don't get you. I hope your weather remains warm.
ReplyDeleteTake care!
Thanks Patsy. I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps new phones may be in order. The phones while in excellent condition are probably 5 years old, so maybe an upgrade is one way to go. Of course we have plans to install a bigger data antenna on our booster as well so that may help too. We shall have to see.
DeleteIt's colder than we'd like but the trade off has been worth it. We may look around and see if there is an area a bit lower in elevation that would be a tad warmer. It's already noon and we haven't broken the 50F/10C mark yet. The views are stunning though.
Take care, be safe,
Deb
We first drove that stretch of road between Tucson and Why in January of 2007 and having driven it a number of times since it is one of my all time favorite southwest drives.
ReplyDeleteI would love to stop and explore but I doubt one could go far, so many cacti that would make it very difficult I think. Like you, I'm always driving but I wish I could be the passenger for at least one ride. I think the camera would be hot by the end of the drive. haha
DeleteTake care, be safe,
Deb