Ray arrived back home from his motorcycle trip and by all reports, it sounds like it was a chilly ride. He came home with a lot of windburn and was pretty darn tired by apparently, fun was had by all!! They were supposed to try out their hand at camping but it sounds like motels were in order with the chilly weather.
We headed over to the little stone house (or what is left of it) this week for a wiener roast. Both Tyler and Kelsey joined us and Tyler was busy checking out the surrounding area. He climbed a nearby hill and I told him to watch out for snakes as the warmer weather will surely be bringing out the rattlesnakes. Lorne, Marilyn, John, Kay and I and Kelsey sat around enjoying the weather while Tyler was on his adventure. Lorne got the fire going and we all enjoyed the wiener roast. It was a good day in the desert!!
Being that the Hassayampa River was still flowing, we decided to take the quads up towards the canyon and see how far we could go. We were hoping to find a spot for another wiener roast on the river. We thought that Tyler and Kelsey would enjoy the change of scenery. Kay and I had taken the truck up to the end of Rincon the day before so we knew the water was passable but we would need the quads to go any further.
The following day, Lorne dropped Tyler off and him and John climbed into Kermit and Kay and I took Henrietta and away we went.
The river was still flowing pretty darn good but we did manage to traverse the flowing water at Jack Burden Road without incident. We then accessed Rincon Road and headed to the end of it where the Hassayampa once again claimed the road. We then headed down towards the canyon kind of travelling beside the flowing water. It was flowing quite quickly and that alone gave on pause as the fast flowing water held all sorts of traps in the form of holes and quicksand!! No good would ever come out of that if one was to encounter one of these issues.
We were able to go about a mile up the wash before the water and the sinking sand stopped us. John tried to cross but quickly became stuck and that is when the winch came out and he was winched backwards back onto the gravel. It just happened to be in an area with a sandy outcropping that would be ideal for a wiener roast. We were all set for tomorrow.
We made it back to Rincon Road and took Blue Tank Road on the way back. Tyler was in awe of the desert and said more than once how incredible it was. He was full of questions and truly took an interest.
When we arrived back at the yard, the rattlesnake was ready for skinning. Ray had one snake in the freezer from last year and Tyler wanted to be taught how to skin one. It just so happened that it was a mojave green rattlesnake and that was even more special as they are notoriously more venomous that a western diamondback rattlesnake. Tyler was in his glory. The snake skinned beautifully and Kay got the tanning solution ready. The skin was then put into the tanning jar and all we now need is a few weeks for the tanning process to complete. It was a great day for Tyler.....he got to ride the river and skin a snake!!
Friday found us here at the yard getting the side by sides ready for our river trek and wiener roast. We are going to spend the day on the river enjoying the sun and the water. We wanted to take Booko with us so that he could enjoy the day by the water so John took the jeep as well. Once the vehicles were packed, we headed out. We travelled the same route as yesterday and got to the wiener spot without incident. We were the first ones in the wash so the spot was vacant and that is probably a very good thing. We had a ringside seat for anyone that wanted to try their luck at crossing the swift flowing water. It wasn't too long before we had entertainment and stuck vehicles. We watched the winching all the while enjoying the beautiful weather.
Booko absolutely loved the water. He bound through the flowing water like a spaniel!! He couldn't get enough of it. Hopefully he will love the lakes back home as much he is loves the flowing Hassayampa!!
Our week ended with yet another campfire. Lorne and Marilyn entertained Tyler and Kelsey during the day and always came over for happy hour. The local wildlife made an appearance most evenings and I was especially happy when Thelma the wild turkey showed up. Now, that was awesome. The javalina, the deer and the bunnies all brought smiles to our faces. The buzzards also have returned and just watching them soar of the wind currents is incredible. The kids were especially pleased to see the brilliant red cardinals. They too brought smiles to their faces. There were several kodak moments and the cameras were used often.
All in all, it was another good week. Life is good!!
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| At the old house site |
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| Stuck! |
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| Tyler the swamper |
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| No one made it across |
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| Pool time |
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| Tyler and Kelsey |
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| Add caption |
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