On a long and lonesome highway....: Arizon

Our Location: Bouse Road near Parker, AZ

Today I’m taking the day off and Miss Riley will be your tour guide. Sit back, buckle up and keep EVERYTHING inside.

This was waiting patiently for me this morning as I went out to catch sunrise....

Hi, this is Riley, I thought I would talk about my whole trip tonight.

The dark mountains had distinguishable features this morning...

When we left Ontario in late October I was excited to see new things, have some new experiences and to get away from the snow and cold again. The drive was long, but it was interesting and at times eventful. I thought the scenery was beautiful some times, and boring other times. The temperatures were pretty good but I didn’t wear short pants for the first few weeks on the road. I even had to wear a sweater. We found the up and down temperatures to be hard to regulate our bodies.

It was a hazy kind of thing again this morning....

The first while the scenery was very much like back in Ontario and not too exciting for me. As we drove further along into the middle part of the country the view outside the window became very different. It was flat, with long rolling hills. The sky seemed to be getting bigger the further we drove.

I know what's back of that mountain just waiting to pop out and greet us folks here....

I don’t remember much about the Mountains but i remember Amarillo,Texas. It was cold and very windy, and I mentioned to Mom that we should turn around and go back the other way since it was warmer back there. After we left Texas still going west we found some warmer weather.

Yep, it's up.....

The desert weather is very different than I’m used to. It’s what I thought it would be like but Borrego Springs was too hot for me and I didn’t enjoy the weather there at all. I wouldn’t come to this area if the weather was that hot all the time. However the rest of the time I’ve been enjoying the weather and it’s a lot better than sitting in the cold and snow.

I never get tired of seeing these views....

Some of the places I remember best so far are Tombstone, Arizona; Elephant Butte, New Mexico; Borrego Springs, California; Joshua Tree, California; and Saddle Mountain, Arizona. At Tombstone I enjoyed the re-enactment of the gunfight at the Okay Corral. I liked the history about the Earp Brothers and enjoyed lunch at Big Nose Kate’s although it was pretty loud and busy. Elephant Butte was a really nice park, we stayed for a while and I enjoyed the peace and quiet there. Borrego Springs I remember for a few reasons. I enjoyed the time with Aunt Janet and meeting her friend Sue. The metal sculptures were amazing. The detail surprised me very much. I enjoyed meeting Doug & Yuma there as well. Joshua Tree National Park I enjoyed the slot canyon we found near by, the hikes in the park, and just the park its self. Meeting Sonya, Joshua and Jack again was also nice. The day trips into the Coachella Valley and Indian Wells to visit with Aunt Janet were entertaining and exciting. Saddle Mountain I remember because it was our first real experience at boon docking out here in the desert. It was very quiet there and I enjoyed the peace with so little noise. This is where we first met Sonya, Joshua and Jack.

Who said the desert is boring brown?

Some of the other things I really have enjoyed here in the desert have been meeting George & Suzie, as well as Patsy & Bill. We kind of met Deb & Tom but haven’t really chatted with them. I’ve liked trying new things, like difference foods, and doing things that have shocked my mother since they are not in my comfort zone. Things like going in busy market areas, speaking to people before they speak to me, and actually speaking to people that I’ve not met before. Doing some hiking that was much harder than I have done before. Figuring out how to help with directions while she’s driving.

Can you see the reptile head?

The desert has been educational too. I’ve seen lots of new kinds of trees, cacti, poky things, sharp pointy things and things that make me say ouch (or worse). I’ve learned to be less upset by change and more patient when things don’t go as fast as I want. I’ve figured I don’t like the sun as much as I thought I did since it’s much hotter here than back in our summer spot where I am outside much more.

Fly on a Palo Verde tree....

We aren’t finished our adventure but I think I will enjoy the rest of the trip just as much as I did the beginning and middle. We’re going home a different route than we came, and I know we’ll see lots of different things.

It sure was dusty or hazy far off over Hwy 95 tonight...

I will back next year if Mom drives me and hope to have a chance to meet some of you again and some for the first time. I hope I have done a good job filling in for my lazy Mother who didn’t think she could write a post today.