Moved today, and an amazing sunset....

Our Location: Near Tonopah, Arizona

 

A cold night last night but a nice day again today. A cold start but the day warmed up quickly and we soon were packing ourselves up to make what we thought would be a short move across the wash. 

 

My favourite view is no longer out the door but I can still see it when I step around the front of the Igloo. 

We have a much different view now out the living room window.

 

We pulled out of our spot and headed down the BLM roadway but stopped to chat with a Ranger just before reaching Courthouse Road. He pulled out his trusty map and showed me the BLM land but couldn't really indicate the definite boundaries to me but told me to stay on the south side of Courthouse Road and we would be good. So keeping that in mind we did just that, deciding we would not even attempt the other side of the wash. With possible rain in the forecast next week I feel better not having to worry about the wash.

 

Can you see that area that looks like a possible crease or pass through? I'm going to get myself over there before we leave this spot and see what's back there.

I'm also going to get my feet climbing back there if possible.

 

We travelled a couple of miles before pulling off and getting out to walk around and have a look at a few spots. Sure enough we found a number but we didn't really like them but they would be acceptable and us being us we kept looking for something we would enjoy. We found it, and a short distance from our fellow Canadians from the Winnipeg area. When I say short distance I mean it's a good 3 or 4 minute walk, we can see them but we aren't within shouting distance. We can also see another fellow about a 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile away but cross country. 

 

Now we can see the sunsets.

 

The swirling is amazing to see.

 

We are closer to the busier Courthouse Road but the road noise is not bothersome and we didn't notice it even with the door open for the afternoon. Not as 'road noisy' quiet as the other spot but a much better spot for sure. Very few people, a few Razors and quads going by from time to time as well. We even have spectacular views of the sunsets now. I think we'll like this spot much better than the other. 

 

Some amazing colours.

 

Almost like liquid gold in the sky.

Jack (from around Winnipeg) came up for a walk this evening and a quick chat before leaving us his card and heading off back to his motor home. Jack and Nancy will be back in this area a few times before we actually pull out for points further east but they have a few errands that will have them here and gone a couple of times during our stay. It would be nice to meet up with them again for a chat and a chance to meet Nancy. Jack told us that the 'Friends of Saddle Mountain' club are meeting just down the way in the morning to pick up garbage and I may actually join them if I feel up to it. I do my own little part with each campsite we use but I think it might be nice to offer a bit of a hand for a few hours. We shall see how the morning goes.

 

A wonderful view tonight.

 

Starting to fade now.

 

Jack left as the sun was setting and soon it was time to come inside and construct this post. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a wonderful day where you may be and whatever you may have been doing. 

 

From glowing hot to more darkness around the edges now.

 

The darkness is taking over on the edges now.

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

 

Night has fallen. Goodnight.

 

 

Deb

 

 

 

An outing with friends, wind, and a critter...

Our Location: Joshua Tree National Park BLM, West entrance, California


I slept well last night even though the wind was still pretty strong, and I even slept through sunrise. I can tell you it didn’t bother me too much as I’m tired of listening  to the wind howl and I could hear it so I knew it would be cold outside anyway. It was after 7 when I got up, Miss Riley was already heating the water for our drinks. It’s very rare that Riley’s up before I am. 

Walking the slot canyon again, Sonya, Riley and Joshua..

We enjoyed our drinks, chatting, reading and just kind of getting ready to start the day. It doesn’t take us long to get up and moving when we decide to do it. So heading toward 9 am we started collecting ourselves and getting ready to head out with Sonya, Joshua and Jack (the dog) for a repeat of the slot canyon we found. The wind was blowing hard enough to make it difficult to keep the door in hand while exiting the Igloo and one had to be most careful with the Dogsled doors as they are pretty heavy and could easily hurt you if they were caught by the wind.

I love the high walls here....

 

 We were a bit early and I had a few things to check anyway. We have a rodent in the cubbie and I set two traps, he or she cleaned them both without getting caught. One is an old type with the bar you put in the slot, and one is a new type that allows the bar to snap down quickly when they move the little door to the food tray. I also have some pellets out as well. I reset the traps and if that doesn’t work tomorrow I’ll put out a glue trap and try that. I’m sure it’s due to the storage of our garbage in there over night a few nights ago. I didn’t want to keep it inside and should have put in the box of the truck but well, it doesn’t matter now. 

The canyon is a bit wider here....

We packed our hiking bag and Riley put her brand new very nice walking sticks together and tried them out. Thanks again Aunt Janet and Uncle Dennis. They work great and Riley loves them. I can see many more hikes in her future now that she has such fancy sticks.

Heading back to the Dogsled...

Pretty soon Sonya, Joshua, and Jack appeared, since we hadn’t met Joshua before we took care of that little chore, then we climbed into the Dogsled and headed out to Box Canyon Road to our slot canyon trail. They hadn’t been through Box Canyon Road yet so we opted to take a drive out and have a peek at the Salton Sea. A very nice drive indeed. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of that drive. Turning around we headed back to our walking area. We found it again without too much difficulty and we were the only one there again.  We took turns leading and bringing up the rear. It was a nice leisurely walk but we were very aware of the glass shards every where and Jack’s unprotected feet. He however was very adept at picking his way around them. Although he did from time to time come up with a sticker of some kind in his paw. He would pull it out pretty quickly and be happy to continue onward. Jack is pushing 9 years old but did very well on this little excursion.

L to R: Deb, Riley, Joshua, Sonya.

It was the perfect temperature for walking in the canyon, and we had very little wind once inside. We chattered and walked getting to know each other a bit better and the talk flowed easily. A couple of rests along the way allowed us all the opportunity to take in the amazing sights.  The slot canyon was just as fun for us this time as it was the last time. Near the end of the skinny slot there is a tight spot that caught Sonya a bit off guard, stopped everything for a minute or two however once through the narrow tunnel she was fine. Jack reacted when Sonya reacted but it all worked out fine. We walked a little further than Riley & I walked the other day but not much. 

See the dust or haze in the air?

The walls of the slot canyon fascinate me as lower down they are as smooth and hard as can be,  but further up are a bit crumbly to the touch. They tower majestically over head and almost demand attention but yet silently applaud us for passing by without disturbing them. They wind and twist further into the area and while I would love follow the path to it’s end, I doubt I will do so. The slot canyon area is not very long, it widens out a bit but as far as we journeyed it didn’t widen out like the other canyon path. It was still single file walking with sloped sides and gravel bottom, no large boulders that I could see at least. No evidence of people other than their footsteps in the sandy bottom. The wider area allowed more sun and heat, with just the hint of a breeze but not the wild winds of the open areas.

I love the way the sun is shining through the cactus spines...

We eventually turned around and headed back toward the Dogsled once again taking our time and enjoying the adventure. This time passing through the skinny spot was no issue, Joshua lead the way out with Riley a close second bringing Jack along with her, Sonya next and yours truly bringing up the rear. We had to ensure that Joshua didn’t get too far ahead of us so that when we came out of the slot canyon he didn’t turn the wrong way. Joshua travels with his mother, for much the same kind of reasons that Riley travels with me. 

Desert weeds in the setting sun's rays...

We reached the Dogsled with no issues, resting a bit and posing for a group photo. Sonya was interested in the holes/footsteps in the huge rocks she had noticed upon our arrival and I offered to take her just around the corner to the beginning of the dead end canyon we had tried first when we walked here before. Sonya, Joshua and I headed the few yards around the corner only to be brought up short by a car parked sideways at the mouth of the canyon. In the center of the opening a tent, a chair and some people effectively cut off the entrance. I explained that we just wanted to look around the corner at the big rock and the fella waved us on saying it was fine. Joshua turned back and returned to the Dogsled. This gent in the canyon mouth had a long gun across his lap. Two little girls with their heads sticking out of the tent giggled and he spoke to someone around behind the rock. At first I was hesitant but he assured us it was fine. We stepped around the corner, disturbing a young boy and his mother as nature called them. We quickly took our pictures and headed out, again apologizing for interrupting and thanking them for letting us have a look. The fellow was very gracious in saying it had been no issue, not a problem, etc. He was very non threatening and neither Sonya nor I at any time felt unsafe. Once back at the Dogsled I heard the gun going off, and I think he was target practicing. 

This well lighted dune buggy was heading down the roadway tonight...

Now that I think about what I actually seen, they weren’t set up for camping.  They weren’t there when we left the Dogsled on the way in. There was no evidence of ‘settling’ or setting up camp such as bbq, toys, tables, lawn chairs and such stuff. As I passed by the tent I remember just the little girls, no bedding or other things, just the empty floor. No coolers, or evidence of anything except a quick place to allow the children to get out of the sun, wind and have a place to play. I’m certain now that he blocked the canyon so no one could get hurt while he was target practicing.

Gamble Quails feeding...

We arrived home within 15 minutes, parting company with Sonya, Joshua and Jack for the day but we will meet up again in the morning for another little outing. We’re looking forward to it! Sonya and son Joshua will be leaving this area shortly heading off to met up with friends again from the Quartzsite area at a destination further south and at a lower elevation.

As you can see the rigs are plentiful here tonight...

Back home it was noon and an early hour for us to eat but we were both hungry. Riley cleaned up the left over stir fry and I made myself a large salad and finished off with a fresh grapefruit. So now the fridge is empty of left overs, yeah. After that we both kind of just fell down on to our beds and the afternoon rushed by while we relaxed with deep breathing exercises. Okay we may have checked out the inside of the eyelids as well but I’m happy to report that no holes were found in any eyelids and the deep breathing exercise was a success. We feel more rested now!!

Allen's orange Jeep no longer has the flu and appears to be roadworthy once again...

It was shortly after 4 pm before we finished all of that checking. I immediately took the camera and headed out for a walk, determined to catch the sunset and get a bit of exercise as well. I managed to put in around a mile in each direction before dark. I snapped pictures here and there along the route and enjoyed my time alone. I didn’t enjoy the wind though but it seems to have died down a bit and hopefully will do so for a while. 

The desert looking southeast.....

Back home I edited pictures, and worked on this post. Riley is off doing whatever she does in her end of the Igloo. It’s pretty quiet, only the click, click of the keys on her computer. Of course now that the wind has died down there is only the tick tock of the clock and the click, click of my computer keys as well. It’s truly quiet for a little while. How wonderful is that?(As I get ready to post this the wind has again picked up, the Igloo is rocking, the wind is whistling once again)

Looks like something has taken a few bites out of this cactus....

So there you have it, nothing exciting but a fun, entertaining day for us. Spending time with some new friends and once again visiting a place that we enjoy. It was a great day for us and we hope tomorrow will be as well.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your time here. Please feel free to leave a comment, I enjoy reading them.

 

The moon made an appearance this evening...

Until next time… take care, be safe, 

Good night from Joshua Tree National Park BLM.

Deb

 

Another great day with Janet, folks from Saddle Mountain, great gardens....

Our Location: Joshua Tree National Park BLM, West entrance, California


An excellent sleep last night. Even after my nap late in the afternoon I was able to drop off to sleep very easily just shortly after 10 pm. I stirred once and when I looked at the time it was 6:15 am. Time to get up anyway. Out the door within a few minutes I caught a very nice sunrise this morning. I chatted with my sister Jan this morning for a bit, catching up on all the gossip. We'll be happy to see her again when we finally make it home to our summer location.

Sunrise this morning at Joshua Tree National Park....

Back inside for hot drinks and a quick light breakfast we loaded up the Dogsled with a change of clothes from heavier stuff to lighter stuff as it’s usually warmer in Indian Wells than it is out here in our little neighbourhood. That proved to be the case, in fact it was 10 Fahrenheit degrees warmer there when we arrived. We were sitting at 54F/ 12 C and they were resting comfortably at 64/17C at 10 am. They also had no wind compared to our very windy conditions.

It's up and starting work, it had a lot of work to do today here with the windy conditions....

As we were getting ready to head out Riley asked if I remembered Sonya and her son Josh along with dog Jack from Saddle Mountain, Arizona. Of course I did. She said she was pretty sure it was them in the Camper Van a few spots over. It’s been here for a number of days now. I didn’t think so, and we debated since I was certain it was a man and his dog, that’s all I’d seen around there, but she insisted it was them. She was certain she’d seen the lady outside. So with a closer look at the van I agreed it  very well could be and in fact I was convinced by that time. 

Riley and Aunt Janet at Sunnylands garden....

I was outside tossing a few things into the Dogsled, when I looked up sure enough it was Sonya outside doing a few things. I walked over and we chatted for a few minutes. Since we didn’t have a lot of time it was a short chat but we’ve made a few plans for tomorrow. Riley & I are looking forward to spending a bit of time with Sonya & Josh.

Beautiful infinity/reflecting pond, various cacti, and the famous president bench in the back right corner...

We climbed into the Dogsled heading off to see Janet again for the day. It was very windy but as we started to drop into the Coachella Valley the wind lessened greatly. In fact there was very little wind at all. We found our way once again, using different directions that we remembered from leaving last week, much less ‘city’ traffic. 

Beautiful gardens with multiple plantings of each variety, some mixed beds as well.

We arrived exactly at 10 am. How perfect was that timing? We sat inside enjoying our coffee while Riley opened her birthday gift. A very nice set of Walking Sticks with changeable feet for different terrain. We then discussed the rest of the day.

Mixed varieties of cacti in this garden....

We once again let Janet be the driver as she knew where to go and I was once again blessed with being able to gawk and stare around. We went to an amazing garden called Sunnylands. Long story short, the grounds are stunning with cacti gardens, green space, infinity ponds and a small art/museum center in a very large glass encased building. The various cacti were planted in waves, with some beds containing only one variety and other beds a mix of varieties but always more than a single plant of each kind. You’ll see by the pictures.

This little hummer and a bee on the same plant, but different buds...

From there we headed off for lunch at Tylers, a very famous burger joint in Palm Springs. It’s a very small place with a number of tables and the only inside seating is at the ‘bar’ area which is very small with only about 10 stools. Not fancy stools either, but inexpensive looking yellow four legged stools, no backs. A very small kitchen area no more than 15 X 6 open to viewing by anyone at the bar, plus about 20 tables outside. Very busy, you sign your name and wait for a table. The food was excellent and very well priced. We each had a burger, we shared cole slaw and fries, Riley & I had a strawberry milkshake as well, plus Janet surprised us with an Ice Cream Sunday complete with a candle for Riley’s birthday. It was a very nice lunch and we truly enjoyed it. Thanks very much Janet & Dennis. 

Moroccan cactus, aren't they cute?

From there we walked around the area known as Walk of Fame where famous folks have their own star on the sidewalk. Very cute little stores dotted the sidewalks, with some very southwestern flavour showing. Clay tile roof, adobe buildings, bougainvillea’s every where, in full bloom with their amazing red/pink flowers. Some places had covered sidewalks, cobble stone streets and cacti in various places. Palms of course lined the streets everywhere, well trimmed, with numerous flowers blooming everywhere you look. It was an amazing sight. We wandered around a small museum in the area, it showed the early times in Palm Springs, the many movie stars and big name entertainers that graced the area with their presence back in the day. Some faces included of course Bob Hope, Desi and Lucy, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Dinah Shore, Rock Hudson, Elvis Presley, etc. Also were numerous pictures of presidents Eisenhower, Regan, Clinton, both Bushes, Kennedy, Obama, and probably a few I’ve forgotten. 

I love this knobby looking cactus..

From the little museum we moved to the little General Store where  the exhibits were collected by one single man. Many were still in original UNOPENED packages. Popcorn in the popcorn maker from 1950, pickles in a crock that were 80 years old, and so on. It was an interesting collection to say the least. The lady also had a small 9 week old dog. Very cute and cuddly.

Bougainvillea plants are in bloom everywhere we looked..

From there we headed back to the car, heading home we passed Bob Hope’s Palm Springs home way up on the hill. We also passed numerous sights that are too many mention. 

Bob Hope's Palm Springs house, high on the mountain.

Back at the house we enjoyed a few minutes chatting with Dennis and heard about his golf day. Always nice to chat with Dennis, he has some interesting stories to tell. The sun was down behind the huge rock wall behind them and it was time for us to head out. Hugs, and well wishes with tentative plans to perhaps see Janet in a couple of weeks when she’ll come visit us in the desert. I hope those plans work out, it’ll be such fun to be host next time. After picking some fresh grapefruit from their tree,  Riley & I headed for the Igloo at 4 pm.

Looking North in Palm Springs....

Looking south in Palm Springs....

We headed straight home arriving just about 4:30 pm. We unloaded the Dogsled and spent a bit of time doing a few little things. Grabbing the camera I once again headed outside to catch the sunset. It was a pretty nice one!! 

Riley and Aunt Janet picking fresh pink grapefruit just outside the front door...

Back inside to edit pictures, and write my post. It’s now shortly after 7 pm. We have had a fantastic day with Janet. Truly a wonderful lady, we love her dearly. Thanks for the birthday gift, wishes and lunch!!!!

Nine very fresh grapefruit...

It’s been a long day and we’re both going to sleep well tonight. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit, feel free to leave a comment, always interesting to hear what you have to say. We hope where you are and whatever you’ve been doing that your day has been a good one as well.

The sun has finished working for another day.....

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

The reds in the sky are stunning....

Deb

A quiet day, meeting new people......

Our Location: Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, Arizona

The stars last night were bright and near at hand, one could almost touch them. The crisp desert air sent us inside after a few minutes of star gazing.

 

A hint of sunrise this morning..

Awake this morning around 5:30 am,I  finally got up just before 7 to catch a less than spectacular sunrise.  Here the sun rises behind a long ridge of mountains and if there is no cloud cover it seems to hover with a line of orange, then a quick hint of yellow and after that the sun seems to simply pop up with no fan fare. Still nice though to see the skies lighten and brighten. No clouds this morning, should be a warm day. Cool again last night, 36F/2C but we’ll take it. We just pull up the duvet and give Mr. Heater a few minutes and before long we are toasty warm. 

 

From here it just turned completely yellow within a few minutes

A hot chocolate in hand I caught up on my blog reading and comments. Some days there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get things accomplished. Riley heard me stirring around and came stumbling out a while later. We both had some thoughts about the day and after cleaning up and getting ourselves ready to face the day we started prepping lunch. Today would be BBQ Bourbon Chicken, a mixed veggie medley and some acorn squash. Of course I had my salad as well. 

 

A bit closer than usual.

After that I headed out for a walk by myself. I headed back to the  mountain that is very prominent in my photo’s around sunset time. I love the way the sun catches all the crags and crevices and today I wanted a bit closer look than I had the last time. I headed out on the road and stuck pretty much to some form of road except for one little jaunt through a wash that was kind of blocking my way. I didn’t want to walk all the way back to the road and then back up the other side, so I headed off through this somewhat significant wash. It was over 5 feet deep as it was over my head so that’s how I know that little bit of information. 

 

I walked back along this wash for a while. It's much more rugged than it appears in the picture

 

I managed to find some very nice camping spots if I can just figure out how to get the Igloo back there. I’ll have to check out a couple of the other roads before we leave. One is at the very bottom of the mountain, on a slight bit of a climb but not too high. We’d need to use low gear to get up but we do that already at our summer location so it’s not a big deal. I took some pics that I’ll share with you in this post. 

 

I followed this hint of a path for a while along that wash.

 

I managed to hike part way into one of the washes that went between two of the mountains, but didn’t go too far, it was far too rocky with just me on my own and I didn’t want to twist an ankle by myself. The gorge was fairly deep and I’m certain the water is moving very rapidly when it comes down there. A number of large rocks and deposits of sand could be seen along the bottom of the area. Up close and looking at that big mountain it was evident that it is pock marked with small holes and places where rocks have fallen and left spaces. A few cacti growing up there as well tells me that there are some deposits of soil of some kind with enough depth to allow these cacti to root and grow to a fairly significant size. I would like to explore further but not on my own.

 

As you can see, it goes for a long way.  This is also the back of the campsite I would like to slip into next time we're in the area.

 

I headed back home as I’d already been gone for some time. I managed to follow roadways the entire way, although some were barely considered roadways, more like ATV trails perhaps. I did move some of the more razor like looking rocks on the road way just in case I decide to take the Dogsled over that way tomorrow. I would love to take the truck to the campsite spot and check it out before hauling the Igloo in that direction. It might be a bit tight on the turn but it would be wonderful to get there. It’s not a place I would park at this time of the year but later in the year when we head home it would be a nice spot to sit for a few days. It is literally at the foot of the mountain. 

This is a partial view from that same campsite.

 

Back home I checked the time I’d been gone just under 2 hours. I didn’t necessarily put in a lot of miles but I did enjoy the exercise and the views. I puttered around outside taking down a few little Christmas things when Kim and Taz (a small dog) were walking by. Kim comes from a couple of roads over, and is our nearest ‘distance’ neighbour but not our closest reachable neighbour. Two big washes make it difficult to cut cross country to reach Kim’s place. Kim and her husband Marty are from Washington and are heading toward Texas where Marty has a brother. They have a nice little travel trailer with an Add-A-Room that they make a lot of use of. She chatted and asked to see inside the Igloo, and after the grand tour she headed off with a bag full of movies as we had thinned out our selection. She told us to drop by to check out the Add-A-Room anytime. 

 

The view from a little further down the roadway leading from the campsite

 

Back inside I washed up, enjoyed my salad and then just needed to nap. I slept for about an hour and a half. Riley cooked lunch which was excellent in case you were wondering. She thoughtfully covered mine and I ate it when I got up. We added a couple of oatmeal cookies to the end of the meal, they hit the spot.

 

More like trails than roads...

 We both grabbed our sticks and headed out taking the same route as yesterday. We were just passing Kim & Marty’s trailer when we met Kim and Taz, she invited us in and we chatted for a few minutes, meeting Marty and enjoying the visit. We were soon on our way once again heading back the way we’d come and arriving home within 20 minutes. 

 

A survey stick but I loved the sun's rays...

I stayed outside to catch the sunset but too much cloud cover prevented any kind of show tonight. I did however gather a few dead sticks while waiting for the light show and tomorrow we’ll have a little fire and enjoy the smells of the desert wood. 

 

 

Sonya, Josh and Jack left today as I was coming back from my walk. We didn’t get a chance to say good bye but we do wish them safe travels. 

 

Looks different up closer.....

That was our day, nothing spectacular but it was interesting and fun. We enjoyed meeting Kim, Marty and Taz. Perhaps we’ll run into them further down the road or perhaps at another time back here in this area. It would be nice. The day wasn’t warm enough for short pants and I wore a light weight pull over for part of my morning walk and again this afternoon. Not a bad day but not overly warm either. 

 

 

Last night I called my buddy Ron in Kansas to find out that a friend of ours from Benton Harbor, Michigan who  winters at Magic River Campground, Long Beach, MS passed away yesterday during emergency surgery. Mac McKinney (Mac was his nick name, I don’t recall his given name) was a fixture around the place all winter. Mac was an early riser and could be counted on to be around the fire pit between 5 - 5:30 am pretty much every morning. Mac will be greatly missed by all who enjoy the Magic River Campground hospitality over the winter seasons. Our condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace Mac. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. We hope you’ve had an excellent day as well. 

 

Until next time…take care, be safe,

Deb