Saturday April 27 2013

Heading out

Another day on the road.  Today I have to drive through Las Vegas and I am not looking forward to that!!  I am not into a ton of traffic and in these major centres, there is plenty.  I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!!

Bikes everywhere

Vegas

I made it through Las Vegas without incident!!  Woo Hoo!!  Now, bring on Salt Lake City!!  This is a piece of cake just as long as everyone stays in their own lane!!

Home made camper

Marie gassing up

Green grass!

Our spot for the night

Snow on the La Sal Mountains

Sunset

New babies showed up today at our  AZ yard

We travelled six hours today and I was yawning the last 40 miles.  We were going to try and make it a bit further down the road but decided to stop here in Beaver, Utah.
When we arrived, John noticed that I had somehow lost the wheel liner (hub cap thingy) out of the back tire on the passenger side of the truck.  He thinks it was when I hit the rumble strip a few times and jiggled it loose.  That could be as I was busy gawking around.  I guess I should pay closer attention!
It was noticeably cooler here and both John and I were forced to switch into our sweat pants.  Hogan was happy to chase a killdeer without getting ugly thorns in his paws then settled down inside the bus where it was warm!!
It wasn't too long before we were all inside enjoying the warmth of the bus!!
Supper was simple fare and then it was time to just relax and watch a bit of TV.  I text the kids to catch up on their news and also had a conversation with Kay.  I was a texting fool!!
It was then time to head to bed and get some rest.  Tomorrow we travel through Salt Lake City so that means even more traffic.  The only saving grace is that it is Sunday and I am hoping that most of the "town folk" are in church!!

Friday, April 26/2013

We are starting our travels back to Canada today.  It will be so good to get home.
John had a bit of what sounds like a gallbladder attack this morning at about 4:00 a.m. so I am not sure just exactly when we will be headed out.  Hopefully it will be better once the medication kicks in.
While John recovered, I got the rest of the few final jobs done so all he has to do is get the Bus ready and hook up the trailer. We said our good-byes and headed out.  I was a little nervous about driving the truck and camper but it actually handles very well.

Our spot for the night

We arrived just outside of Chloride Arizona for out first night.  There is a huge open boondocking site just along the highway which proved to be more than suitable for us.
Once we were set up, we received a text from Ray and Kay with a picture attached to it.  It showed a rather large rattlesnake.  They found it in our yard and managed to kill the mean, nasty thing.  It is now skinned and ready for tanning!!  I am glad I missed out on this kind of excitement.  There are a few little kids living in the park and a chance to kill one of these snakes is not often missed.

Chloride Mountains

It was really hot when we arrived here but by the time we were headed to bed, there was a wonderful cool breeze sweeping down for the nearby mountains making sleep a much more pleasant affair.  Another day of driving tomorrow so I had better get some rest.  All in all, it was another good day with us making some miles towards home and all vehicles running well.  Life is Good!!

This rattlesnake was found in our yard
after we left.

Nasty biting snake.  They can deliver a world
of hurt. 

Thursday, April 25/2013

Today will be spend putting the final touches on the packing.  We are headed down the road on Friday so there will not be much left to do after today.
The yard is clean and the trailer is tidy.   The fridge in the camper is turned on and ready when I transfer the frozen food from it.  the bus is pretty much ready for "the road".  Hogan needs a bath as he is filthy so that will be done tomorrow.
The travel trailer is packed and ready and John and I took it up to Mitch's for the night.  We will hook the bus up to it tomorrow as there is more room to do it up at his place.
We are pretty much ready.
I walked around the front of the bus in a final check of the yard and found myself face to face with a rattlesnake!!  I think it had just crawled out of the woodpile and was on its way through the fence.  He wasn't too terribly interested in me as he didn't really stop his slithering progress.  He was about 3 feet long and had six buttons on his tail and didn't even bother to use them.  He was not concerned with me at all.  I certainly gave him a wide birth but worried about his whereabouts for the rest of the night.
We all gathered around for happy hour and said our goodbyes to Mitch.  He will be working tomorrow when we take off.
It was an early evening for everyone.

Wednesday, April 24/2013

It is not quite as hot today and since the painting of Mitch's porch is on our agenda, that is probably a very good thing!!
Today will be spent just getting things organized and packing a few more things.  We are supposed to be leaving on Friday so that only leaves two more days to get everything packed and put away.
Mitch's porch got painted then it was happy hour!! Imagine That!!
We sat around until the campfire was lit, chatting and partying.  What a nice way to spend an evening.  Not going to mention any names, but a few of us drank too much and I am sure will pay for it tomorrow!!

Tuesday, April 23/2013

The sun is once again shining and another hot day is ahead of us.  I have to scoot into town today to pick up a few things and fax away the paper work required for "exporting" the Ford truck we bought into Canada.
With that job done, it was time to just sit in the air conditioning and wait for happy hour!!
The heat of the day finally abated and I was able to go outside and actually get something done.  I had put through two loads of laundry and that is now all put away then, I got the window cleaner out and did the windows of the Ford truck.  Now it has nice clean windows for me.  John finished making the mirror extensions and they are now painted and on the truck and I can now finally see down the sides of the camper.  Much safer for the drive home!!
John and Ray walked over to the storage shed to see if the jeep would fit into it and I think we will be leaving it here for the summer.  That would be cool and the jeep would be inside.  Ray has no problem storing it for the summer.
Mitch arrived from work and then Marybeth arrived shortly after that  The six of us sat around until dark chatting and enjoying each other's company.  It is nice to be able to sit around with friends after a long day.
The javalina arrived but not till it was almost dark.  It was the "twin" gang tonight.  I think the two "gangs" take turns coming for their treats.
John started a fire tonight and we sat around it for a while.  Soon it was time for supper.  I had a chicken in the slow cooker and that, combined with potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and gravy made up out meal tonight.  Yummy!!
Mitch wants to get his porch painted before the summer so I think we may be helping him do that tomorrow so,  I had better get my rest.   Good Night!!

Monday, April 22/2013

Once again, I am up early and already the sun is shining so it looks like we are in for another hot day.  It was 88 F (31 C) here yesterday and Kimmy just text saying it was -14C (6F) yesterday at home.  Today it is a balmy -11C!!   Gosh, will it ever warm up at home?
Once I got the bus straightened out, tidied up and the dishes done, I gathered up the linen and headed to the laundromat.  Luckily, I was the only one in the joint and got the big washer (it holds 6 loads) and stuffed the thick quilts into it and then sat down and read my book.  90 minutes later, the linen was done and I was headed back to the bus where I remained inside, in the air conditioning until the early evening.
Happy hour starts at 4:00 p.m. and I was ready to venture out by then.  Kay and I started, then, were soon joined by Ray and John.  Mary Beth got off work around 5:30 and let us know when she was home so that Kay and I could go up to her place and get her Tiki Bar.  She wanted to get rid of it so John decided that we could use it on the deck next year!!  It is a cute little thing and should look good on the deck.
Mary Beth then joined us and Mitch arrived from work shortly after that.
The javelina arrived - it was the "triplet" gang.  They got their treats and then actually hung around outside the fence relaxing for quite a while after that.  Several of them actually laid down and just "chilled" for a while.   I got some awesome pics of the adults licking the babies.  It was too cute.  See....even stinky little piggies love their children and make sure they are clean and sparkling!!
Eventually, it was time for folks to head home.
I headed in for a shower and when I got out, I found John and Kay playing cards so was convinced to sit in for a game.  As it turned out.....I won!!  Woo Hoo!!
What a great way to end the day.   Life is Good.

The Javelina relaxing

Busy hummingbird with lazy javelina in background

Sunday, April 21/2013

Since I was one of the first to leave the campfire and head to bed last night, I am awake early this morning.  It is only 6:15 and I see the javelina are out milling around and if I wasn't so lazy, I would go throw them some food.  They will return later today so that is when they can get their treats.
I see a cardinal sitting on my new feeder stand and that is a good thing.  The birds are finally getting used to it.  I am out of birdseed and have no plans to buy more as we will be leaving here in a few days.  Ray threw some of his seed onto the stand so that is what is drawing the birds to the feeder.
Today, I will continue to tie up a few more loose ends as far as getting things ready for our departure.
It was 88F today and the air conditioning in the bus came in very handy!!   It wass too hot out to do anything in the sun so I did manage to get a few more cupboards cleaned and ready for travel.
Once the heat of the day abated, we all sat outside enjoying a few drinks.  MaryBeth had brought over some shrimp and we snacked on those until the early evening when both she and Mitch headed home as they both have to work in the morning.
Ray headed into the house and John got busy finishing the job of organizing the travel trailer so now that job too, is done.  He also finally got the hasp lock on the shed so it is ready for the padlock when we finally leave.
Steak and baked potatoes were on the supper menu tonight and once that was out of the way, it was time for Hogan and I to call it a day.  I think the bed linen is on the agenda for tomorrow.  I will take it to the laundromat as Mitch's wash machine can not handle the large quilts and blankets.
All in all, another good day.

Kay's sun - with the flash on the camera

Kay's sun lit at night.  It is Awesome!!

Saturday, April 20/2013

The sun is shining again this morning and all seems well in this corner of the desert.  Hogan has been out and about and has checked out the empty acres outside our fence and has managed to put the fear of God in at least one cottontail bunny!!  He gave chase but,  realizing he had no chance of ever getting close, soon abandoned that idea!!  He returned to the yard knowing all dangers were gone.
Today, we are having another "community" supper.  Mitch was determined to have a BBQ for John and I before we head home so we have decided that today would be a good day to do that.  Instead of a BBQ, we decided to have Ray cook a pork loin in his "pit".  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!
Kay and I headed into town to pick up a few things for supper tonight and then we headed over to the high school to watch MaryBeth's son Gage in a baseball game against the town of Salome.   The Wickenburg Wranglers won the game and it was good to sit and listen to the bantering from the dugout.  The guys really cheered each other on, often making the spectators laugh.  These young men obviously enjoy playing together.
Once we returned to the park, we got John into gear and made him take us out onto the same trail that Kay and I did yesterday.  She  managed to drop her koozie on the trail and we are hoping to find it.
With this in mind, we headed out.  We decided to do the trail backwards and soon found the koozie.  Since we were out there already, we decided to explore another trail just to see where it would take us.  When it spit us out,  back into the big Monarch Wash (as we suspected) we then took John over to the rock waterfall we discovered yesterday.
Here we sat and had a beverage then got back into the jeep to head home.  Unfortunately, the jeep was not as cooperative.  Initially, it started then kept stalling.  John said it was as if we were out of gas.  Well, Kay and I had just filled up so that was definitely not the problem!!
As it turned out, there was a split in the fuel line and air was apparently getting in.  With some fancy fixing. we were soon up and running and heading home.
Back at the park, Ray had returned from helping "big" Duff with his underground water lines and had the pork loin ready.  He had put it into his "pit" about four hours earlier.   I quickly got the caesar salad ready along with the gravy, buns and dessert and before too long, we were enjoying the food.  MaryBeth and Mitch came over and the six of us sat around and chowed down.  The roast was beyond delicious.
John got a campfire going and we sat around it for a while before calling it a day.  All in all, it has been another great day.

Refreshment stop at the rock waterfall

Could only get so far then, had to walk 

Wickenburg Mountain with Vulture Peak in the background

Friday, April 19/2013

The sun is shining this morning and it looks like it is going to be an awesome (and wind free) day!!  It is early and despite the sun, it is chilly in the bus this morning.  In fact, it is warmer outside that it is inside at the moment.
The javelina were here around 10:00 o'clock this morning.  It was the bunch that have "the twins" with them.  Last night,  it was the group with "the triplets" that came for treats.  While I was sharing some of the fruit that MaryBeth gave me, I noticed that the Mom with the brand new twins (they are only about as tall as a beer can) off in the distance.  She is not yet ready to bring them closer to the fence during the day although she did the other night under the cloak of darkness.  John and Kay were able to see them but it was way too dark for me to see them.  Bummer!!
Kay and I decided to take the side by side, go across the road and check out the hawk nest down along the trail in the wash.  With Hogan sitting with us, we headed out and were soon irritating the Mom hawk with our picture taking.  She was not impressed with us being there and flew past us a few times trying to convince us to leave.  I got a few good pics then we carried on.
We took a trail that ended in a rock waterfall and thus ended the trail.  We turned around then accessed another trail that eventually took us over to Monarch Wash.  We knew that Monarch spit us out on the highway about a mile from our park.  Being that is was getting late, we hit the highway and got home in no time.
When we arrived back at the park, MaryBeth joined us and we decided to BBQ wieners on the grill along with coleslaw and beans.  It was good and certainly "hit the spot".
The javalina came for a visit (the triplets gang) and I threw the last of Marybeth's treats out to them.
Once supper was done, everyone was ready to just relax.  Marybeth and Mitch went home, Ray and John went into the house to watch the capture of the Boston Bombers on TV and Kay and I started a fire so that we could sit around it and unwind from the day's activities.  Eventually, John did come out and join us for a while before we all finally headed to our beds.
Sitting around the fire was a nice ending to another busy day.

Red Tail Hawk nest (she is sitting on the nest)

Checking us out

Desert flowers

Mexican Poppies

Red Tail on the Saguaro.  She is not impressed with us by
her nest.

Cholla flowers - such a pretty colour

Hedgehog Cactus

Today's trail

Barrel Cactus

Growing right out of the rock!!

Henrietta, waiting on the trail by the rock waterfall

Blooming Ocotillo

The Ocotillo Flower

Thistle Flower

Another Cholla Flower - this one red 

Tons of colour in the desert.  It is amazing!!