Our last full day here has been very busy.....

Our Location: Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, Az

I didn't wake up until almost 8 am this morning. I didn't get out of bed until after 8:15 am and I can assure you the sun was long up before that hour. 

I often talk about getting across washes here at our location, this wash is between us and the mountain out the door. It's one of three. It's well over my head, (yes I know that's not very deep) but in places the sides are steep, the bottom in places is littered with huge stones, sand, choked with trees, both living and dead.

Riley was up before me, and turned on the heater and water. We started the day by changing linens and sorting laundry before doing anything on the main floor. (Although that is where we sort the laundry). Finally we sat down to our hot drinks and chatted about what to do today. Honestly neither of us wanted to do laundry but alas, we had to do some time soon and I would say sooner is better than later. 

Same wash, different direction. As you can see the water has eroded a great deal of the ground, it has also eroded the sides leaving what looks about the right size for small animal dens, all undercutting is low down to the bottom of the wash. Some places the banks are high, others you can easily cross them. 

We tossed everything we needed into the Dogsled, including some empty water jugs, trash and the necessities to do laundry and headed off to Buckeye to the Desert Laundry Coin Wash. Of course it was very busy and the lot was pretty jam packed. We however parked off to the side, hauled our things inside and started the laundry. Today we had only 4 washers going, as I had used two double washer or we would have had more washers working for us. Before long we moved all the wet stuff in two dryers. Thirty five minutes later we were folding the linens and the rest was ready to fold by the time I had the linens finished. 

This is a small pile of debris at the base of the tree. It's a wonder that any of the trees are able to survive at all when the water rushes down these washes carrying all manners of debris. Their roots must be very deep and very strong to withstand such impacts.

I had to pull the Dogsled out of his spot so we could load our clean laundry into the back seat. The cars on either side were too close to open the door more than about a 1/4 of the way.  

An Ocotillo bloom....

Once everything was in the back seat, we ventured next door to the Family Dollar the next driveway over. Why did we drive do you ask? We had water jugs to fill and I wasn't going to lug them across the parking lot, so instead we parked right in front of the machine. 

So tiny, it was hard to see among the rocks...

 

That completed we headed out of town and seeing a fuel station with diesel for $2.74 per gallon I pulled in and topped off the tank. Yeah, we had accomplished everything as we had dumped the trash between the laundromat and the Family Dollar. 

They grow from the most interesting places. This one has another small one beside it as you can see on the right low down ....

Back home we had the laundry inside but not put away, I started cleaning up the outside, burning some burnables, putting things away in preparation for travel tomorrow. Riley was inside starting our lunch which today would be macaroni, tomatoes and hot dogs. Nothing spectacular but it sure was good. I'm getting ahead of myself. 

These guys were fighting for space. They are so tightly packed in there. There are 12 at least here, can you see them all?

Outside I was putting things away as I mentioned when I noticed a silver jeep bumping along our roadway, with two handsome fella's in the front seat. One a young handsome fella with regal bearings and a majestic tilt to his head, the other a more mature but equally handsome gentleman with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. Our company was Doug & Yuma of Miss Adventure Travels  popping by so we could make plans for tomorrow. I had planned on catching Doug at home a bit later but this worked out just as well. 

I just love the colours of these red barrel cactus, or at least I think they are barrel cactus.

We pulled out some chairs, sat in the shade and chatted. Not before Doug came in to check our new recliners. I think he may have liked them as the smile on his face was a bit of a give away. Outside we discussed our plans for travel tomorrow as we are both heading to the same place and since neither of us have been there before we thought it might be nice to go together. So finalized our ideas, plans and needs and are all set to head out in the morning. Off they went home with a wave and wag!!!

These guys are awesome I see them many many places. I wonder if they grow up to be a single cactus or if some die off leaving only one or two to grow, do they join to form the ribs of one single tall elegant cactus? I've never seen a big cactus that looks like this so I'll have to do some research one of these days.

After that I finished the outside work of putting things away, we have a couple of things left to do but that shouldn't take more than 10  minutes. Back inside we had lunch, chatted about a couple of things, I put away my laundry as Riley had put away everything else as she was making lunch. Thanks Riley. 

Again I don't know what these cacti will be as they mature but they sure are good looking when their young.  Don't you just love those colours?

While I did dishes Riley made a few salads for tomorrow's travel day, we also pulled a meatloaf we'd made a few weeks ago out of the freezer, popped it in the oven so we can have that tomorrow as well. After a complete clean up we both retired to our chairs and have been busy ever since. 

 

You just have to love these old fellas...

I didn't take one picture today, not a single one. So I went back through my photo's and picked some that I liked. You may have seen them before but oh well, I like 'em and maybe you'll like them this time too. All of these photos have one thing in common, they were taken right here at Saddle Mountain BLM during our stay these last two weeks. 

They all have character, don't they?

 

So there you have it, our last day here at Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, AZ for this spring. While we're sad to leave, we're also excited to move to a new place with lots of things to see and do. I think we'll enjoy Superstition Mountain and surrounding area, and if not, oh well it's not a loss as we have start heading east anyway. 

There is something magical about these centuries old sentinels.....

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. It is my sincere wish that you have had a wonderful Sunday filled with all good things, family, friends, and good times, good food and that you made some good memories today.  Feel free to drop a comment if you like. 

 

A bit pointy with a wee bit of sharpness at the end.....

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

Recycled from the 15th, but still a gorgeous sunset. Goodnight from our last night here at Saddle Mountain BLM for this spring of 2018.

Deb

A rainy day, laundry finished and the desert smell......

Our Location: Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, AZ

 

I woke around 3:30 am and was finished sleeping for the night. Although that would be about my regular time back in Ontario it's just too early here. However what is one to do when sleep proves elusive and can't be found no matter how much one promises to pay the sandman. 

 

It showed some promise.....

 

I read blogs, made comments, chatted with my sister for a few minutes on facebook and just did a bit of research. I knew the weather folks were calling for rain and cloudy skies so I wasn't in any hurry to roll out of bed but did so when I noticed the sky appeared to be brighter than I thought overcast should look. I hustled outside in my jammies and a fleece sweater to snap a few pictures. Sure enough it looked like it might be a decent day with some sun after all. 

 

A possibility.....

 

Back inside Riley and I started changing bed linens and sorting laundry, as today no matter what the weather it was going to be laundry day. A look outside had me realizing that the hopeful splash of sunlight was just that a splash and today wasn't going to see any further sunlight unless a miracle happened or a late afternoon clearing. I can tell you neither of those things happened. No more sunlight for the rest of the day. 

 

Could those clouds dissipate?

 

We had our hot drinks, loaded everything in the truck and headed out toward the suburb of Buckeye. However we stopped to chat with a walker who happens to be a fellow Canucky but from BC. Laura and her hubby Rick, along with a couple of other Canadians whose names I can't recall are parked back in the spot we had been hopeful of snagging. We chatted for about 20 minutes, exchanging information about water, dump, etc. Nice lady, maybe we'll have another chance to chat before one of us leaves. We also passed by Matt's location just as we emerged onto Courthouse Rd West but heading east. 

 

A definite possibility.....there looks to be some blue back there...

 

Can you believe we didn't have the laundromat in the gps? Neither one of them and so we had to wing it. It worked out fine except for the construction. Oh well, we still managed to find it but from the opposite direction. A few rain drops were splashing down as we loaded our dirty laundry into the basket and headed inside. I really like this laundromat, it's clean, the machines are wiped down often, the floor is swept often, and there are two ladies that roam the floor looking to help anyone in need. Had trouble getting my quarters to go into one machine, it didn't want to swallow one up and wouldn't kick it back out either, had to be fished out with a paper clip. Long story short, we got the laundry going. 

 

Well maybe there is still hope....

 

Shortly after the hour and fifteen minute mark we were starting to fold dry laundry and before we knew it we were finished. Outside putting the things in the Dogsled we noticed that it was still spitting rain drops, but had picked up from little spit balls to bigger drops, still not enough to make us wet but if out for more than about 20 minutes would have made us damp. 

 

This cacti is somewhat scarred but must still be young as it has no arms....

 

We needed a couple of things from Walmart and headed up to Watson Road to make those purchases. While we were inside the store it rained as when we came out the Dogsled was considerably wetter than when we had left it. We dumped in a bottle of Blue Def in the parking lot as we were down to less than 500 miles to go before we ran out. I purchased two jugs (still had one  in the lock box in back of the truck) but will need them when we start to drive longer distances on the way home. We pushed through at least 3 on the drive out here. 

 

A look inside that hole.....

 

Heading back home we noticed that things were considerably wetter but still no puddles to be seen. We made note of a few spots we might like to hike while we're here before turning into our long driveway  and heading back to the Igloo. Riley noticed Matt was no longer in his space. He hadn't mentioned leaving but oh well, that is the way things go. 

 

 

As you can see the promise of the early morning just didn't pan out.....

 

Back home we unloaded the Dogsled, slipped inside and fended for ourselves for lunch. Neither of us felt like cooking. I spent a lot of time reading today, enjoying my book, had a little nap and slipped outside around 5:30 pm or so take a few more pictures. The ground around the Igloo is wet but underneath is dry as a bone. It's rained or misted all day, no breaks in the clouds and it's been a rather gloomy day in which we've run the heater a couple of times just to take the dampness out of the air. When last I looked  yesterday the weather guessers said we'd have a nicer day tomorrow and Friday for certain. Hope so, we have plans for Friday and dry weather would be a bonus. 

 

There truly are mountains over there....

 

The desert has once again sent its particular wet smell wafting into the air with the scent of creosote and damp dust. It is a smell that lingers in the mind and the senses after one has smelled it for the first time, a smell one will never forget, a smell that smells differently the second time, more accurate, less new. It's a lingering scent, not a cloying thick scent but yet, one with a heavy feeling to it. It's not crisp, like a clean smell but a sharp scent of something scorched. It gives off a feeling of old, a sense of history, a tough silent strength. It is a war of sorts, between the heat and the cool, a violent clash that leaves the air heavy but not the clinging oppressive way. It is comforting in ways and pleasing as well. It awakens the senses like the dawning of a new morning, filling one with hope and a new sense of being. Promising to cleanse the stains of dust, dirt, and heat from all living things, giving the knowledge that soon there will be a fresher, cleaner, more vivid landscape. It promises us a more pristine world under our feet, before our eyes and in our nose. There is nothing quite like a desert rain!

 

Definitely no blue sky showing here....

 

As I write this post the heavens have turned on the sprinkler system once again. Not at full pressure but at a steady falling of drops that will linger long enough to be absorbed before the sun rises again. So there you have it, our not so exciting day here at Saddle Mountain BLM. It's been pretty quiet and we like it that way. It's been pretty gloomy and we don't like it that way but we do appreciate that into every life a little rain must fall. The desert has been patient for pretty much all winter that we've been here raining only 2 days out of our entire time here. We have no complaints at all. Soon it will clear up and be spectacular again.  As I finish this post the wind is picking up, perhaps it will be a nice blue sky tomorrow.

 

Not wet under the Igloo.....

 

So thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit. Feel free to leave a comment, I read them all. 

Don't believe that idea of a brighter sky, it started raining harder after this picture....

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

  No hint of any thing but more rain.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

A dark end to the day......

Deb

We're not running around naked any more...

Our Location: Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, Arizona

Up this morning before 7 am, a bit warmer than last night, 39F/4 C so not a bad morning at all. Between my hot chocolate and little buddy Mr. Heater we’ll warm up in not time.  I did some morning reading of blogs and such that I was too lazy to do last night. Some nights I just don’t have the energy.

 

So many different views of the same mountain

Riley rolled out a while later and we chatted about what we needed, wanted and would do today. We needed to do laundry today if not we’ll be running around with way too much skin showing for the weather. We wanted to pick up our Christmas chicken today before it got crazy busy, and we thought we’d like to just do those few things and hurry home to spend the rest of the day doing …..well something. 

 

From high up on the hill today, Igloo is to the right side.

We changed bed linens and sorted laundry before leaving the Igloo. I like to sort everything at home and just drop it into a basket, then I don’t have to worry about sorting when I get there. We always have 4 loads, no matter how often we do laundry. Whites, colours, darks, linens. The only difference is how high the pile gets. Today’s piles were quite high, we haven’t done laundry since way back at Coyote Howls East in Why.

 

Igloo to the left near the front of the pic, generator guy is to the left.

We loaded everything into the Dogsled and headed out for Buckeye. The reviews said there were two not very far away, one in Buckeye and one in Avondale. The Avondale laundromat no longer took coins, you had to buy a card. and you keep topping it up. I dislike that, I would prefer to use coins since then I only put in as many as I need. So we thought we’d check out the Buckeye one first. The reviews were a bit iffy. It’s old, it’s old, it’s old, all of the reviews stated the same thing. The over all feel I had from the reviews was that it wasn’t that great a spot, but the people were friendly. That came over loud and clear. We weren’t expecting too much and we found it very easily. It is older, some of the machines are quite old. There are many top loads and a number of front loads of varying sizes which is nice. The folding areas were small, and the tops were worn with some of the ‘colour’ worn off the tops. It was extremely clean, the attendant was extremely friendly and the prices were very good. Top load was $2.25, for a squat but wide drum that would easily hold a fairly big load. The small front loads were 12 quarters/$3 per load. The medium front loads were 16 quarters/$4 per load and the much bigger washers I didn’t check the price since I didn’t need use to one. A few machines out of service but not many. We used two medium, 1 small front load, and 1 top load. (there were no more front loads empty).  The place was busy but not noisy and the attendant was always puttering around cleaning something. She even offered to help us carry our laundry into the building.

 

It's a long way down there.

We put every thing in 2 dryers, they were capable of taking 40 lbs or 4 loads each. The dryers we chose (top and bottom) wouldn’t accept our quarters. The attendant couldn’t get them to accept any money either. No problem we just moved to two other dryers. We put the timer at 40 minutes and everything was dry in that time. Dryer was .25 cent for 3 minutes. For future reference the laundromat is Desert Laundry at 705 East Monroe Avenue, Buckeye. Right beside the Family Dollar. 

 

Plantings near Poppa John's Pizza in Buckeye

We left the suds place, heading to Walmart for a quick in and out shop. It wasn’t too terribly busy but busy enough. We got our few little items and hit the sidewalk running to get out there. We were home by 1:30 pm. We had to put the laundry away, as well as the groceries, and prep lunch. We had that all completed in about  20 -25 minutes. I was outside cooking by 2 pm.

 

Pretty flowers...

The fella with the dog was walking by while I was doing my magic with the Weber. He stopped and we chatted. He has now moved into Ernie and Debbie’s spot as it was empty before 8 am this morning. His name is Don and the pouch is Lilly. She’s a sweetheart and wanted to go inside and check out the Igloo. Since the cat was on the inside of the door, I didn’t think that a wise idea. Also some raw sausages were waiting for a chance to meet and greet the grill, I had to keep an eye on Lilly so she didn’t devour our lunch. Don was checking out a new place to park but he didn’t want to go back behind us as the fellow who arrived a few days ago has a generator running from time to time and it’s pretty loud according to Don. We can’t hear it here so maybe it’s only loud if you’re close. 

 

The start of tonight's sunset.

After Don and Lilly left Riley and I enjoyed lunch. Green salad, acorn squash with butter and honey, fresh beans, asparagus and mushrooms with Italian seasonings. Of course we also had Sweet Italian sausage. I can say it was excellent. Although we found the sausage to be too greasy for our liking. We did truly like the honey on the squash and will definitely have that again.

 

It just kept getting prettier...

A quick tidy up, grabbed our sticks and headed off for a walk. Riley walked about a hour round trip back to home and I left her on the road to the Igloo just down the way not very far, you could see it easily. I headed out across country. I walked for while finding myself heading uphill and enjoying the climb. Although it would have been easy to turn an ankle, the rocks were every where.  I didn’t make it to the top of the place but I made it a good half way. I called Riley to step outside and take a pic but she says she couldn’t see me, and since I haven’t edited the pics yet, I don’t know if she managed or not. I headed downward and was home in about 15 or 20 minutes. Just in time to grab my laptop and head out doors to start my post and catch the sunset, which seems very yellow tonight. Still pretty though.

 

And prettier

The high temp today according to the little thingy was 85F/29C but I think that’s because it was out of the wind and in direct sunlight. The truck read 70F/21C on the way home. I think that was more accurate. We wore long pants all day and weren’t too hot so I think it was more in line with the truck.

 

The sky was orangish-red

So that’s it, our exciting day. The earth didn’t shake and the crystal didn’t rattle but it was a nice day all the same. We hope you had an excellent day as well. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to drop a comment.

 

Ended with a blaze of red.

Until next time…..take care, be safe,

Deb