From Shuswap Lake April 6th 2010

April 6th Shuswap Lake (N50 48.775 W119 05.019)

My apologies for burdening you with an excessively long and slightly tedious e-mail but this one pretty well wraps up the winter of 2010 for me and will be all you get for several months.
I returned to the cabin on March 30th, having travelled, on and off, for 8 days from Southern Arizona. The last group-e-mail was dated March 19th from Plomosa Road, near Bouse, so I’ll pick up the thread there.

That same day, I went to Parker (35 minutes) to see if there was anything that I could do with the bike. Gears had been slipping and the chain had developed the annoying and dangerous habit of jumping out of the middle-front sprocket assembly any time I stood on the pedals doing my Lance Armstrong simulation. The owner/mechanic at Rabbit cycle laughed when he took a look at my gears, saying they were as worn as any he had ever seen and needed replacement. However, spending upwards of $200 on the bike may not be realistic since, once one component gets changed, others will follow. His recommendation was to ride it into the ground if I didn’t want to buy a bike right away. Actually he had a dual-suspension, disc-braked bike in the shop at a reduced price for about $500 but I stood firm and will see what, if anything, crops up during the summer.

At one point I had neighbours up the Plomosa 10.5/.81 trail about 500 meters away. Bob and Joy were from Ontario but full-timed in their trailer. He was interested in solar, and came over to ask for a few handy hints (maybe more than a few) on the topic. Having trouble keeping his batteries charged with only an hour or so of generator input every day – not surprising, he was impressed that my batteries were always charged! He had bought one of the cheap, Chinese “Champion” generators (4500 Kw) for about $300 but it made a huge racket and definitely qualified him as a desert “pariah”. When I left Plomosa on March 22nd, Bob was off to Quartzsite to check on solar prices. With luck, he and his wife will acquire some panels and rid themselves of the “generator” stigma
From Plomosa, I travelled up for a quick peek at the Boulder City Bootleg Canyon bike trail system, just outside Las Vegas. To access the biking area (N35 58.865 W114 51.615), follow signs in BC. The road up is OK for towing a trailer but the parking lots are small and on an angle. On arrival, there were quite a number of bikers of one description or another, camped out in tents. Since all were dressed in body armour, I could see the level of biking that was available and, looking up the mountain, one could see single track trails with wooden and earth jumps, ramps etc. Also there were several zip-lines coming from the top of the mountain, and a group of “zippers” walking down with their zipping equipment (slings and pulleys). In general, the area was unattractive to me because the biking seemed designed for high technical levels of skill and would certainly be over my head. Possibly, there were easier trails in the vicinity. If so, I didn’t see them.
Next, it was off through Vegas to join highway # 95, my route north. That night, I stopped in a fairly large flat gravel area at Scotty’s Junction (N37 17.923 W117 03.246), one of the several access points to Death Valley. As roadside camps go, this was quite good, since I could get well enough away from the highway and its noise. I could have carried on except for the critical requirement to have the satellite dish set up in time for the first “Dancing with the Stars” program of the season (as well as “24”).
There were strong north winds all night and the next day, so the trip up to Hawthorne was done at slow speeds. Unless I can keep the truck in overdrive, I tend to slow the pace (mainly to save fuel) and drive at about 50 or 55 miles per hour max. With the wind and a gradual climb from 2500’ to over 6000’ at both Goldfield and Tonopah, it was a very sedate pace. Looking at my topo map, both these towns are riddled with old mines and, particularly in the case of Goldfield, plenty of evidence of a much busier past than today’s ghost-town appearance would suggest. Tonopah is a bit more active but still, many businesses are shuttered and closed. Hawthorne, further north, for reasons that may be related to the nearby military bases, gives one an impression of slightly higher prosperity (at least it has several gas stations, a casino and a new Safeway beside the Shell station at the north end of town).
I decided to give the El Capitan Casino and its free RV parking a miss to land at Walker Lake where I have camped in previous years. Tamarack Beach (N38 44.374 W118 45.975) has an old abandoned RV Park (narrow, paved sites) with pit toilet and signs off the highway that give both a ¼ mile alert and indication of the actual turn-off just before the beginning of a guard rail. Here, I opted to spend a couple of days since, owing to the Boulder City exclusion, I was ahead of schedule. At 4300’, Walker Lake is still quite cool at nights but days were fine (65°/39°). On my “day-off”, I went for a hike into a deep canyon above the camp area.
Two days later, when I arrived at the Klamath Falls fairgrounds (N42 12.574 W121 44.648), it was past closing time at the office, so I just found a spot in their back lot alongside some horse barns on grass and gravel. This is used as a campground when they have events (rodeos etc), so there are hook-ups for power and water. Not being sure about use of those without permission, I stayed “dry”, got about 10 channels on the first successful run of the new TV converter box, walked two blocks to the King Wah Chinese restaurant and watched TV trash for an hour or two back at the trailer. In the morning, I checked in at the office to thank them and pay something if required. They told me no charge for dry camping but $15 if I wanted to connect to power and water. They seemed fine with people camping there and asked, if possible, that one phone ahead to advise the security guy. I never did see anyone whom I recognized as a security person but good to know that I can quote the General Manager’s name on a future occasion. My trip to the King Wah resulted in one of the few occasions in my entire life when I didn’t finish a plate of food - it was massive, so I guess the Klamath dogs (next week’s # 3 combination dinner?) got to eat my left-over rice and veggies. Klamath weather was miserable with rain and wind – I had to crank up my heater for the first time in months.
March 26th, I drove the ¾ hour north to the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino at the junction of Hwys 97 and 62, the road to Crater Lake. Since it was still early and skies not too threatening, I unhitched, left the trailer at the casino and drove the 40 miles up to Crater Lake. All of a sudden, along the road, one goes from grassy fields to 2’ snow banks in the space of a few hundred yards, increasing to 18 or 20’ snowbanks by the time one arrives at the Visitor Centre higher up. Drifts there, and against the shuttered hotel at the crater’s rim were up to the third storey windows (30’?). In addition, a blizzard was blowing, so visibility, even between the high banks of the road, was very flat. This area is a National Park, has spectacular views into the cauldron when one can see them, and receives the highest annual snowfall in the USA - average 45’ (540” or 1371.6 cms), maximum 75’ (2286 cms). This is no place to go in an RV – in fact, anything but a 4 X 4 vehicle, would be foolish as the road plows, while out, barely keep up with the volumes coming down. My truck was up to the task but things were a little slick, even in four wheel drive. Up at the top, I saw that they had one of several giant snow blowers in action at the parking lot. This machine was a huge loader, wheels all chained, with a rotary blower on the front. Apparently, it is capable of throwing snow 75’ in the air, an accomplishment that creates huge, vertical snow banks alongside roads and parking areas. This was quite a change of scene from the Arizona desert where temps were approaching 90° at the time of departure and all plant life was looking forward to the coming of some really hot weather ahead.
This was my second unsuccessful attempt to view Crater Lake over the last 5 years. According to the lone female running the cafeteria at the top, there rarely is a view since it is always snowing and blowing. Anyway, the sight of all that snow was heart-warming for an ex-Lake Louiser and made the diversion worthwhile.
Meanwhile, back at the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino, it was still only noon by the time that I returned from the unviewable Crater Lake, so I decided not to wait for the “fabulous” Friday night seafood buffet, hitched up and drove north up Highway 97. Along the way, one passes through Bend and then up over some high prairie before dropping 2000’ or more into the Columbia River Basin at Biggs. At the top of the escarpment is a wind farm with an amazing number of wind generators stretching out of sight into the distance. Anyone espousing the cause of wind as an alternative source of energy would want to take a look at one of these. One windmill is quaint if your name is Don Q, but hundreds of them are a blight. Despite this, one has to favour the science, since it is completely renewable – I just wish it would blow from behind when I am towing my trailer on these long trips.
I had missed a fuel stop along the way and, reckoning that I could make it to Biggs (on the river), kept on trucking. At one point my fuel gauge went down to ¼ but then rose to ½, a phenomenon that was explained to me by the teen-age attendant at the Fuel-Stop as “frothing diesel”. All I know is that I put 29.5 gallons into a tank that I thought held only 30 gallons and was quite relieved to have done so, given the uncertain driving force associated with “froth”. I guess that it is possible that my truck has a larger tank – something to check in my next free moment.
Maryhill State Park (N45 40.985 W120 49.573) is across the Columbia from Biggs, OR and is quite attractive, being grassy, full of oak and “el garrofer” trees, plus being on the river. This is a place where windsurfers come to enjoy the “Columbia River Gorge”. Winds generally blow from the sea (west) in summer months, from the east in winter and one can sail south and north across the river, always on a downwind quarter beam reach but rarely having to point up into the wind as the current drifts one downstream at the same time (hope that’s right – no doubt, I will hear from someone re: the nautical accuracy of such a designation as well as the literary appropriateness of using all one’s sailing words in a single sentence). State Parks are becoming quite expensive ($27 at this one) and, while I generally shun any camp area where I have to pay, the time was about 6.30 pm and the next stretch of road, to my knowledge, had no handy campsites. Therefore I stopped over, swallowed any lingering boondocker pride and plugged in – even worse, by the time that I wrote up this log the following morning and did a little walking tour of the perimeter, etc., it was closing in on check out time, so I raided the bicycle pack emergency fund for correct change, and booked in for a second night. I guess if there was anywhere nice enough to spend two nights, this was it. I had a 30 amp hot shower to celebrate the decision. Unfortunately, there appeared to be no wi-fi and even my expensive Telus “stick” wouldn’t connect.
One interesting thing about the Maryhill area is that it was, once, a site occupied for considerable time by the Lewis and Clark expeditions(1805/06). Homesteading by white settlers, damming of the river and dislocation of Indian peoples followed, with the result that later treaties were drawn up to deal with the Indian “question”. Local tribes were guaranteed continuation of their fishing rights in the river but their people were relocated to Reservations at remote locations. Thereafter, they couldn’t fish unless they walked, often hundreds of miles back to the river where white people now owned the land and resented any intrusion by these same Indians. Once the dams were put in, the river turned into a series of lakes and effective net fishing (in the rapids and at several waterfalls) was no longer practical. Sounds like a rough world for the Indians once the USA government decided to help them assimilate.
Once in a while, I experience senior moments. A reasonably common word, that I know well, had slipped into my subconscious at one point and hovered for days in front of my eyes. It was “anachronistic”, a word that you all know, and is used either to describe the phenomenon of seeing jet contrails in a western movie or someone like me who concerns himself with the positioning of apostrophes and commas (something, or someone, out of place in time or simply outdated). The remedial solution should be that, as soon as the word in question flashes in front of one’s eyes, one should rush to a bit of paper and jot it down. In my case, I usually “intend” to include it in a file that I have in the computer, a file that is, appropriately, entitled “Words frequently forgotten”. Needless to say, the file is quite diminutive since I usually forget the words before I get a chance to enter them. Incidentally, the first word on the small list is “anecdotal”, used to describe things and events that lack proof but are backed up by a body of rumours. This word clicks on and off in my mind but is rarely there when needed most. Once on the list, I know that I am safe for, though I might forget the actual word again, I always remember that it is on the list.

From my cell phone, I talked to a series of very slow-to-understand Telus operators. In preparation for my return to Canada, I was attempting to reinstall land-line service at the cabin, as well as get my cell phone off the flat rate I use when travelling (North America 75). I thought that my arguments were reasonably well presented but these thickly-accented ladies were painfully unhurried in their efforts to understand what I was trying to tell them. In the end, I used up a lot of my roaming minutes and still had to call back when I got over the border. Changing a phone plan isn’t quite rocket science but there were moments when I felt that, if not precisely on the moon, my erstwhile Telus agents could have been speaking from half a planet away.
Campground observation: At Maryhill, the site adjacent to me vacated and a new unit moved in. On arrival, the lady of the “house” hopped out and, evidently acting in an official capacity for the first time that day, began to assist in the reversing process. Making sure that she was visible in the mirrors to the driver, she commenced to rotate her signalling arm in a clockwise manner, thus indicating her intent to have the steering wheel act in a like manner, thereby causing the Motorhome to move its rear to the right and thence into the nearest tree, or me, whichever came first. The driver, obviously a person of experience in matters not only of the heart but also of Motorhome reversing, backed correctly into the spot without a word, either understanding, or ignoring, her obviously incorrect commands . Presumably, she felt that her contribution had been helpful, since the Motorhome ended up where it was supposed to. Hopefully, there will never be a crisis in which her directions are critical.
March 29th Maryhill to Omak via Yakima, Ellensburg, # 97 to Wenatchee and up the Okanogan River (note spelling) took approximately 6.5 hours, including a breather at Lincoln Rock State Park to grab a sandwich. The Omak Walmart almost seems like coming home, since it is often the first stop in December heading south and one of the last returning North. A recent feature of camping there is that the Macdonalds, across the street, now offers a strong Wi-Fi signal. The parking lot is quite a gathering point for Canadian Snowbirds. From there, I could easily have made it home, but, not wishing to waste any of my expensive medical insurance, I drove 1.5 hours to Spectacle Lake (N48 48.608 W119 32.721) - west of Tonasket and south of the Nighthawk/Chopaka border crossing and Keremeos, camping there for my last night south of the border. The small patch of BLM was quite crowded, with most of the units having a somewhat permanent appearance (possibly a by-product of the U.S. housing crisis?). In fact, the Motorhome nearest me, flying a huge American flag, remained vacant all night. Anyway, I had a pleasant night by the lake and pulled out in reasonable time next morning, trying to be one of the first to pass through the single-agent border post. As it happens, one trailer got there first and the couple had to go inside the little hut to do their business. Basically, they just disappeared for about 20 minutes. When my time came, I recognized the elderly agent from a few years ago, so felt we had some rapport – until talk turned to spirits (the bottled type). I declared to having about 2.5 litres in three different bottles of “leftovers”. We agreed that, even though I had one cheap bottle of rum (almost empty) and one a little more expensive (almost full), he would, as a favour, work out the duty based on the cheaper variety that I valued at $9.00 (it could have been $9.00, had I bought it on sale). Excise tax, plus B.C. Liquor equivalency tax, plus GST and PST, added another $19.30 to my original purchase, still cheaper than buying booze in BC Liquor Stores but a far cry from prices in the US. In the excitement, I forgot all about mentioning the full cardboard box (5L) of cheap wine that I had on board.
I was home at the cabin at about 4.00, so had time to transfer some food, hook up the TV receiver and get the fire going. The next day, in went the water pump with no problems and I did more hauling. For all the work I do transferring stuff between cabin and trailer, I should just maintain two fully stocked locations for heavy things (canned goods etc) and not bother carting everything up and down the path twice a year.
Salmon Arm Golf Course has opened already, very early for it, so I have already played a couple of times. My plans call for a trip to Vancouver Island on or about April 20th to visit my mother, assist her in boarding a plane to England on May 1st, then returning to the Shuswap in early May. Sadly, I shall be skipping the reunion planned at Lake Louise in a week or two. Hopefully, one or two of you will find your way to the Shuswap between now and next winter.
JW

From Plomosa Road March 19th 2010

March 12th 2010 -

I was away from Mica Mine Road – destination, Algodones, Mexico, to get

a spare pair of glasses. On the way, I stopped at Gila Bend Shell where fuel was $.30 cheaper than in Ajo. Good sailing to Algodones Road west of Yuma where sits the new Quechan Casino Resort (N32 44.371 W114 43.395). This is operated by the local Indian band and has a huge parking area with room for RVs. In the afternoon, I still had time to drive (truck only, having parked the trailer at the casino) to the border, park along the road, and walk into Algodones.

Once there, I checked with two Optical stores where my glasses (frames, progressive, transitional lenses and a hard coating (not poly-carbonate) would have cost either $139 (Algodones Optical) or $149 (Ja Bal Optical). One could get a pair of cheap bi-focals for as little as $59. In the end, I chose Algodones Optical because the young fellow there (Uvaldo) spoke perfect English – in case I got into trouble with my rudimentary Spanglish. I also checked in at one of the many pharmacies to discover that eye drops ($45 at home) were $30 and Diclofenac, an analgesic that I occasionally use for hipache, was only $1.75 (50 X 100 mg tablets), compared with a lot more at home.

The line up to exit Mexico and return to the USA was just over an hour, relatively short according to people in the know with whom I chatted. Since my last visit years ago, the sidewalk authorities had installed a sunshade overhead and some benches along the side to minimize the number of returning “Norteamericanos” who faint in their tracks under the hot sun. In addition, one can shuffle one’s packages along the bench as one inches along to the two or three US Border Agents remaining after budget cuts,

Meanwhile, back at the casino, one is expected check in and obtain a “Player Card” (free) from the Player Card desk, then goes next door to the Security desk to get a camping pass for two days. If one uses the card to spend money at the casino (gaming), then they will renew one’s camping approval for a further two day period. The cards are “Smart” cards and keep track of everything (money wise) that takes place in the casino. Included with the initial acquisition of a Player’s Card was a $10 credit, so even though I rarely gamble, I thought that I would try a slot machine in order to qualify as a “user” and thus be able to extend my stay in the parking lot if necessary. The first problem was that I couldn’t figure out how to insert the card in a machine to take advantage of my free benefit, so I got a friendly casino employee to show me how. To impress her, and spend the obligatory $1 minimum to get things started, I inserted $10, thus giving me a total $20 credit. Almost immediately, the machine let out a yell (bells and whistles), showed three bars in a row and rewarded me with another $10. Feeling flush, I cashed out and moved on to other machines to see if I could get them to work as profitably. The whole casino is a network because anywhere I inserted my card, machines recognized me by name, knew my playing credit status and were quite helpful with instructions as to how exactly one could lose money as expeditiously as possible.

As one who doesn’t really like gambling, smoke or noise, my primary motive for stopping at casinos, other than the attraction of large, free parking (read camping) lots, would have to be the excellent buffets. All three meals were offered with a $2 discount, once one obtained a Player Card, so I pigged out. All in all, my casino experience was fine and I would go again just for the food if ever I need another pair of glasses.
Friday, March 12th, was glasses day, so I went early to Algodones, and then had to wait because the Shop did not have the correct frame that I wanted. A courier was dispatched to another outlet and came back with a pair that, while not perfect, will do the trick. During my 2½ hour wait for processing, I walked the town, noticing a lot of seemingly unemployed young men loitering. I also encountered a man who alleged to have been jumped by some locals who then stomped on his camera and laughed at him. As it happens, I did have my camera but restricted any shooting to panoramas and views of those who seemed either small or infirm. Back at the border, the wait was only about 50 minutes and the only item of interest was that one lady with a Canadian passport was escorted back into Mexico, ostensibly, according to wait-line scuttlebutt, because she had bought more than a three month supply of medications.
March 13th. I was away from the casino by about 8.30. The staff at the registration desk evidently missed the Customer Service manual chapter on helpfulness because, when I inquired about the wi-fi signal that I had detected on my computer, the woman stated that she “was not a computer person” and that any wi-fi benefit would only be for hotel guests anyway. The drive north through Quartzsite and up to Plomosa Road (MM 10.5) was about 2 hours, so it was still quite early when I pulled in. I chose a site ar which I had stayed two years ago, not far from the Mudderbach Mine/Mount Ibex trail system. There were only two other units in sight along the access trail of about a mile’s length, including one which, I am sure, is that same guy who kept driving by at a high rate of speed and covering me with dust the last time that I was here. I have a week to plot my revenge before I begin the trek north. Projects while here include inquiring about bicycle gear repairs and truck servicing in Parker (about ½ hour away). The library in Bouse is only ten minutes down the road for wi-fi access.

Since my Telus “stick” does work with a strong “Evdo” signal (5 bars) at the present camp, I tried it to check e-mail, thinking that I could waste $3 on a megabyte of information. In doing this, I may have committed a fatal error by forgetting to disengage the Windows Updates and Virus Protection plans which download automatically in the background. I was horrified to see that my “Watcher” meter registered 70 megabytes ($213) in the 20 minutes that it took to check e-mail. Normally, such a large amount of data couldn’t download in such a short time. In a subsequent phone call to Telus, they agreed to give me a “once in a lifetime forgiveness dispensation”. I talked to a helpful lady at Customer Service who made the agreement, then transferred me to a not-so-helpful Tech Department guy who questioned her authority to do that “because Data was not her department”. He was, at least, able to confirm that her notes about the rebate were on record. Seems that Telus has a little “One-up-personship?” going on in the ranks.

This same man was very reluctant to give me any advice on how best to minimize chances of a repeat occurrence by manually shutting down relevant programs. Following these conversations, I tried to call Symantec (Norton Utilities) to make sure I had the correct procedure for shutting down any possible use of data downloads or uploads. After being kept on hold two days in a row for a total of 45 minutes, I gave up, deactivated all categories that I could find on the Settings page, disengaged the Windows Update feature and tried the stick again. This time, I managed to read several e-mails, check the weather and my bank statements for 1 megabyte – hopefully, this has solved the problem, though if anyone out there is aware of a more efficient manner in which to prevent this sort of accidental use of data in the future, please advise. The next day, Telus sent me a text message offering a new cell phone if I agreed to participate in a survey – which I did, and then texted back and forth for a while answering questions about how I felt their performance stacked up. How and when I get a new cell phone remains uncertain – guess I’ll have to wait until someone lets me know.

Regarding this issue, one has to remember always to shut down Windows Updates, Norton Live Updates etc when roaming in the US with the Stick and then reactivate them immediately after so that the protection is there when on Wi-Fi.

Dust Man - Several years ago, when I camped at the same site, there was someone further down the trail that kept driving by at a high rate of speed, thus sending clouds of dust my way under certain wind conditions. The same man is here again and even came to visit. Through the dust, he had noticed the Satellite TV dish mounted on the hitch of my trailer and wanted to check it out. As the story goes, he uses a mount that is close to the ground and which his dog uproots every time he chases a lizard that scuttles under said mount. In the end, he seemed reasonably pleasant, so I didn’t rehash the dust question with him on the grounds that time has passed and wounds have healed. If, however, he gets up to his old tricks, I now have him in my sights. I suppose simply tying up the dog would be an ineffective solution to his TV problem? I have noticed that “Dustman” drives in and out of his camp 2 or 3 times per day – where he goes, no one knows, though Bouse for coffee or breakfasts would be a reasonable guess! Once I get set up, it is often a week before the truck moves anywhere and then only on milk runs.

Being somewhat leery of using my potentially very expensive “stick” on the computer, I did drive into Bouse for e-mail at the library. I was looking for a folding table for the BBQ a la Camping World’s model, but no luck. Driving home, I decided to keep on going and have a last look at Quartzsite before heading north. The town is almost deserted with most vendors closed for the season. A few remained so I picked up the annual headlamp ($7.00), bike tubes at Herb’s, work gloves at a tool tent and other miscellaneous items, including video cables with which to attach the Analog/Digital TV converter that I bought in Ajo.

I have decided to forego skiing and visiting Lake Louise this April, in favour of going early to visit my mother before she flies to England at the beginning of May. This means that I shall miss carving a few turns with some of you, as has been my custom over the years, and will also have to pass up the opportunities for “rekindling acquaintanceships” presented by “the first ever” Lake Louise Reunion. My hope is to see some of you at the Shuswap during spring or summer months.

JW

From Mica Mine Road March 10th 2010

March 10th Mica Mine Road 1.77/245 (N32 19.836 W112 54.055)

I haven’t budged since the last group e-mail but am preparing to pull up stakes and make my next move to the Yuma area and Algodones (Mexico) to get some cheap spare glasses. Often, lengthy stays at any given spot in the desert can be a by-product of low staffing levels at the BLM Ranger Department as no-one has been around to check on me for quite some time – hence, no enforcement of the two week maximum-stay regulation. Anyway, life on Mica Mine Road has been very pleasant with no one else in sight, no road noise other than the odd ATV in the distance, occasional Warthogs passing overhead (no, pigs don’t fly but Jet fighters do). Lower down the road is still a little congested with most available spots being occupied. It is possible that the majority of RVs don’t wish to tackle the upper reaches of MM Road due to steep dips, washed out sections and the possibility of digging the stern ends of their rigs into the dirt. Anyway, for me, the less the merrier. I have seen the Richards several times for campfires and once to advise C. as to how best to transfer G-mail messages into her Word program on the computer. Otherwise, Hugh has to hang over her shoulder to read e-mails when down in the Oasis Internet Café in Ajo.
After having my pressure cooker lid welded at the local Napa Auto Parts store, I took some time to read my pressure cooker manual, written in 1954. This was an age pre-dating political correctness in that the Presto Pressure Cooker manual addresses itself only to American females of the era with little thought that male hermit boondockers would join the “millions of housewives getting new homemaking thrills from their exciting Presto appliances”. As the lid on my cooker is quite hard to turn at the best of times, I’m thinking that those ladies of the 50s must have been fairly robust of arm.
The same visit to town brought about another scrabble loss. It seems that my “personal best” of the previous week may have been a career high with the remainder of the season being all downhill. Speaking of which, the Arizona Republic of a few days ago had an article focussing on the glitches associated with the Vancouver Olympics. I’m sure that you are all familiar with the Olympic flame cauldron arm that failed to rise during the Opening Ceremonies, not to mention the Zamboni problem at the Speed Skating Oval (what exactly was that? Reports talked about the wrong machine being on site and that the correct one had to be imported from Calgary). These, and several others, reminded me of my days at Lake Louise and those (rare) occasions when lifts broke down. It was often a mystery as to why auxiliary motors refused to start, despite regular testing – with the result that people had to be evacuated by the Patrol. Anyway, my general impression of everything at the Olympics, except the weather, Gretzky’s ride through the rain in the back of a pickup truck to light the Harbour cauldron (now fenced – another glitch?) as well as the tacky looking Mounties, beaver and moose at the Closing ceremonies, has been quite positive. Seeing Cypress Mountain one day with zero snow and the next, holding mogul events, was impressive, I thought – also the near perfect condition of the Downhill runs after days of cancelled training due to soft snow had to be admired.
Hugh R. arrived with an American Scientist magazine in hand, the reading of which brings one into contact with some great thinkers, none of whom I can fully understand. For several days, I have, without much success, been trying to master the math behind construction of Apollonian gaskets. I think my time is better spent reading historical novels.
The BBQ drama has not quite ended. At one stage, I had it repaired, or so I thought. After inserting a tube to connect propane bottle to the Q, gluing with Gorilla Glue and covering with a coating of marine putty, I propped up the connection with a piece of 2” X 6” to give it some solidity. Imagine my surprise when looking out the window to see a huge glow as the wood caught on fire and everything went up in flames. Luckily, only the bare earth got singed as I tossed the flaming wood into the firepit. Everything has now been disassembled and rebuilt again without wooden components. It was a good thing that this little glitch occurred out on the desert floor rather than next to the trailer or even on the deck at my cabin. Marine putty, by the way, is a remarkable product. For those who don’t know, it comes in a stick, is made of two chemical elements the consistency of playdough which, after a section is broken off and rubbed together, can be molded to any shape and then hardens into a tough skin. I think that it might also work under water but am not really in the right environment to test that theory.
Following information received from Hugh and Christine, I dropped in at a used-tool shop on the main street and bought a short pick for digging trenches under the upper-side trailer wheels, plus a flaring tool for making copper pipe connections (not sure when I’ll use that) and some pop rivets, all for $17.00.
Hugh and I took two trucks out into the desert to obtain firewood from a site that I found on the bicycle. BLM regulations state that, while fires are allowed, wood should only be gathered from “dead-fallen” timber as opposed to “dead-standing” timber. There is plenty of wood that appears dead but is still erect and may not really be dead – simply waiting for enough rain to bring it back to life. Anyway, we sawed up two truckloads of legally acceptable wood for our respective campfires and had ample amounts for a couple of weeks.

Feb 25th - Darch Oborne arrived at Mica Mine Road in his MH with son James and his girlfriend Maggie in tow. The younger folk are staying only a couple of days on break from school (UBC), where he is in Geological Engineering, she in Chemical Engineering. James says that the break was timed so UBC facilities could be taken over for the Olympics. Other than one short bike ride, no major activities were undertaken during their visit. On the mishap front, I managed to splinter the seat post on one of Darch’s very expensive, high tech bicycles. Going through a dip, I guess that I bounced on the seat with too much gusto, not to mention possibly a little extra weight, causing it to snap. Luckily, I wasn’t gelded by the accident. In this case, hose clamps provided the temporary fix until a new post can be found. With dual suspensions and fat tires, Darch’s bikes provide a much smoother ride than mine – possibly, we will have to do a little horse-trading so that I can acquire one of his spare bikes?

Tom Wenger arrived at MM Road approx March 1st. Tom is a friend of Darch from Calgary days. His trailer (Jayco Designer) is 35’ long and did some scraping on the road-dips on the way in. When all slides are out, Tom’s trailer is huge with center slides opposite each other. He has a 32” flat-screen TV, mounted on a flanged post that he made, installed with swivels on a cupboard shelf. This TV weighs very little and is only 2” thick. On the normal crank-up antenna it receives free off-air broadcasts by making use of a “black box” converter that changes signals into crystal-clear digital pictures. Surprisingly, here on MM Road, he received 11 channels, mostly from Tucson, so we watched many Olympic events in his rig. Darch went to town and bought a box for himself at a cost $30 at the New and Used store, the same place where I had bought several odds and ends. I am thinking that perhaps I should also get one of these boxes for occasions when, while in transit, I don’t want to bother with the satellite dish. Since I had never seen this technology before, I was amazed at how effectively it worked. The two of them had identical Honda 2000 “duelling generators” competing against each other for sound supremacy in their respective RVs. Tom appeared to enjoy what was evidently his first foray into the world of Boondocking and may be a future convert to the solar lifestyle.

On a trip to town, Darch bought himself a 45 gallon bladder for hauling water. Despite instructions that were specific in their warnings about carrying this bladder on the roof of his Suzuki “toad”, Darch filled it up, watched the car roof sag, and had to empty half the contents out before returning to camp. In principle, bladders are an excellent way to carry water, if one has a vehicle that can carry the weight. I’m sure that there will be some system redesign prior to the next water mission. My own acquisitions at the local hardware store included some ¼” brass fittings with which to continue my education and practice in assembling copper pipe connections using the flaring tool. By the time I get home, I should be able to repair almost anything related to water lines and copper connections.

Surprisingly, there are still no flowers blooming in the desert - this despite significant amounts of precipitation in December, as well as the first two months of the year. Nearly all plants (even the ocotillos) have a green covering of leaves, however, so one would have to thing that the flowers aren’t too far behind.

March 3rd – Tom and Darch left camp for points north, Darch is going to meet Catherine and then run in the Las Vegas Marathon (hopefully, his substantial research into the neck of my brandy bottle didn’t excessively impact on his training regime). When I drove down the road an hour or so later, it appeared as if a grader had been at work as Tom’s trailer dragged earth into the dips.

Back on the podium as I squeezed out two scrabble wins in Ajo at the Weyers’ house. This time, I think a combination of my good letters and poor ones for the hosts, plus a deliberately “thrown” match on compassionate grounds by Gayle, were the contributing factors, rather than any particular proficiency on my part. March 4th, I cycled down to the Richards/Lewis campsite and got invited to supper. Concerns about riding the bike home in the dark (I had my headlamp) on a road possibly teeming with smugglers and other scoundrels resulted in a ride home in Hugh’s truck. One night, Gerry Percy called from Why. They are en-route to Algodones for dental work and will camp at the gravel pit north of the Veteran’s Camp off Highway 95 outside Yuma. I also plan to go to Algodones to look into buying a spare pair of glasses - Tom got a pair of bi-focals with frame, lenses and sight test for only $59.00. My thought is to leave MMR tomorrow – will do a weather check first as I don’t wish to be blown backwards along the freeway to Yuma

In the paper, two articles of note stood out this past week. In the first, a group of illegal immigrants were attacked by smugglers out in the desert but retaliated, killing one of the assailants. All parties (including the dearly departed) were then returned to Mexico, there, no doubt, to continue their dispute. Another story discussed the new US Air Force F-35 replacement jet fighter for the “venerable” F-16. Hearings are being held in Tucson to protest use of this plane at a nearby Air Base because, apparently, it makes anywhere from two to four times as much noise as its predecessor- which is a lot of noise, based on my observations of the flypasts overhead every morning as planes fly out on training flights. The Air Force refuses to issue actual statistics on the noise issues, claiming national security concerns and Real Estate people, who wish to develop adjacent lands, are unable to obtain permits while the whole process is tied up in the courts.

Mar 9th MM Road

For the last night on site for Hugh and Christine, as well as Gail and Dave, we had a BBQ in a strong storm. Normally, one would use the firepit but, with heavy winds and rain again, Dave had the Q operating in the lee of his fifth wheel. While others bring steaks for these events, I usually bring a “chunk” of meat, chopped from some economy roast. These are usually quite tender after a day of marinating. On my way home up the road, washes were running with water but not too deeply. Of the several years that I have travelled in the south, this has been the wettest by far, probably also the coolest with temps rarely exceeding 65 (we should really be in the 80s by this time of the winter). Every month has experienced a significant storm with high winds and heavy rains which, to date, have contributed the annual average rain to some parts of Arizona with snow at higher elevations

I haven’t quite decided which route to take home (up Nevada # 95 or possibly west to the Oregon Coast being two options). The plan, in any case, is to cross the border on March 31st, when travel insurance expires.

JW

From Mica Mine Road Feb 17th 2010

From Mica Mine Road Feb 17th 2010

On the morning of Jan 28th, I made my move from Mica Mine Road, near Ajo, to the Hickiwan Trails RV Park (N32 14.550 W112 43.394) El – 1850’, just east of Why, Az.
This Park is adjacent to the Golden Hassan Casino, a venture of the Tohono O’odham Indian Band. For $16, one can plug in to 50 amps, dump tanks, get fresh water, have the benefit of free wi-fi and use the microwave at full power (on the inverter, microwaving takes a minute or two longer than normal to heat the morning latte because, once started, batteries droop under the 100 amp load). I could have done the same without power and site hook-ups for $8.50 at the Coyote Howls Park up the road but the Richards, Hugh and Christine, were in the next slot, so that was worth something. Moreover, the ability to flush water through the plumbing system multiple times without having to worry about creating a line-up behind me or carrying dripping wet buckets of “extra flush” water into and through the trailer is always an unaccustomed luxury. For one night, staying in an RV Park and compromising my “boondocking-only” principles was quite comfortable, though lack of a view other than the white walls of my neighbours, along with dog, people and traffic noise certainly reduces the enjoyment of desert camping.

On the 29th, waste tanks emptied and fresh one full of water, I shifted over to Gunsight Wash (N32 14.402 W112 45.371) El 1754’, only 3 miles south by road. This is one of the regular stops on my winter circuit. While not actually crowded when I arrived, many of the prime locations were occupied. In due course, I found a spot not too far from a Nordegg, AB camper and set up shop. As soon as I arrived, he walked over to make sure that I wasn’t going to run a generator. Unfortunately, once dusk arrives, the BLM area lights up with a cacophony of generator noise, including one fellow with a really noisy one. Nordegg and I may have to mount an expeditionary force to incapacitate the offender if he stays around very long. It is one thing to have a new Honda or even a big diesel generator such as those used in modern motorhomes, since both these are relatively quiet. Bringing an old one, with muffler missing, off the farm and camping in the middle of an area that is otherwise peaceful, deserves some sort of retaliation.

Gunsight is very different from Mica Mine Road in that the desert is a flat plain (llana/llanura) with South-west Mountains in the far distance. The horizon extends for miles and thus the sunsets are often colourfully “Arizonan”. Vegetation is also quite different with scrub trees in the washes (ironwood, catclaw acacia and the ubiquitous creosote being the dominant varieties here with an occasional mesquite thrown in for good measure). There are some saguaro cacti and a few palo verdes but not in such great numbers as at Mica. Bike riding here is less mountainous and more “desertlike” but there are plenty of trails to keep me amused. Temps night/day since arrival - 45°/75° (that’s a hyphen, not a minus sign)

For the first few mornings in camp, I had my “Birds of North America” book out to identify various species that perched in a nearby dead tree. Included were a cactus wren, sitting next to what I believe to have been one of many breeds of red finch; also a pair of phainopeplas and something that I am designating for now as a curve billed, or possibly, Leconte’s thrasher until further research proves otherwise. These guys have, as the name implies a great curved bill and are extremely melodious. Phainopepla (picture attached) eat berries from the mistletoe, a parasite that grows in the ironwood tree next to my table window in the trailer. One morning, there sat a pair of these birds crossing beaks with little sign of modesty. On another occasion, a loud drumming sound turned out to be a gila woodpecker trying to peck through my bicycle rack on the rear of the trailer. Also, some very skinny cattle appeared at Gunsight and seemed content chewing on Ironwood leaves (see picture).

Feb 3rd was a town day that included a milk run and visit in Ajo with Gayle and Don Weyers for the weekly drubbing at scrabble. This time, scores weren’t even close, so I had to return home licking my wounds - once again! During the high winds of the previous week, the BBQ was blown of its table and broke the linkage between propane bottle and the actual “Q”. I drilled out the broken insert; then found some scraps of brass and copper tubing of similar size at the Ajo hardware store. These I will try to fit together, apply lots of glue and hope nothing explodes during the next cookery session. The only other item of interest on my town day was the fact that Olsen’s IGA store was selling a dozen large eggs of a particular brand for about $2.50. 18 large eggs of the identical brand cost only $1.99 – what’s up with that? This same incongruity often occurs with gallons of milk that can have huge variations in price, though, more typically, this happens with competing brands involved.

Up on the trailer roof to raise solar panels, I removed some old wiring dating back to the “pre Handy Bob” refit era and discovered that there was a large hole in the base of the refrigerator vent. This would explain my internal (to the trailer) water intake from the previous week’s storm. After dismantling the lid, I filled the gap with a piece of solid-foam insulation that I found somewhere, used plenty of rubber sealant, replaced the lid and am now hoping for the best. RVers should all carry a caulking gun and some form of sealant for the roof as well as another sealant (possibly silicon) for other areas that need repairs while on the road. For the moment, most things on the trailer are up and running, so I can stand down, go for a few bike rides and continue with my ornithological identifications.

Twice since being at Gunsight, I made use of the truckload of wood that I brought with me from Mica and cooked over an open fire – anything to save on propane costs. There seems to be added taste (in addition to that of charred meat) when cooking with desert wood. The allowable two weeks at Gunsight ended on Feb 13th, making it “semi-legal” to return to the Mica Mine Road area. I say “semi” because, according to BLM regulations, one may stay at a particular location for two weeks and then is expected to travel at least 25 miles (as the cactus wren flies) before resetting camp. The total distance involved here is only 12 miles or so in a straight line but much further by road, so my conscience is clear! This small sampling of southern pettifoggery defies explanation other than as a general effort to discourage people from establishing permanent settlements in the desert. At Gunsight, there are volunteer hosts who check one in with a dated ticket whereas at Mica and most other places, only the ranger pops by occasionally, if at all, in which case calendar restrictions are a little more relaxed.
Gunsight in my last week, started to get quite crowded, with other rigs encroaching on what had been my personal space. At the end, I was surrounded on all sides, making it very difficult to find a conveniently private shrub to water.

Despite heavy rains of almost two weeks ago, the desert offers little or no colour yet. Temps may have been a little chilly, so things could bloom up with warmer weather. I have now repaired the broken BBQ connection with a combination of plastic tubing, glue and marine putty. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.

And finally, a great moment in sport – Against all odds, I won at scrabble with the Weyers’. Constant distractions in the form of frequent visitors and phone calls, including one that required Don to go out and give someone a jump start, were, no doubt, contributing factors. Anyway, as Canadian athletes are wont to say – it was a personal best and we’ll take what we can get – almost an Olympic moment after 4 years of defeat!
On Feb 13th, I opted to “enjoy” another transit stop at Hickiwan RV. Pressed between other units and backed up to within inches of another, I felt like an interloper. The neighbours had been on site for two months and were enjoying an afternoon in the sun on their concrete pad. I arrived to make lots of noise, block their sun with the trailer and hook up stinky sewer connections next to the man’s deck chair – I guess that’s the difference between staying in parks and boondocking. In the end, it was nice to have almost unlimited hot water (on electric), interference-free TV (because of the shore power), ability to flush holding tanks several times, along with a very weak Wi-Fi signal – all for $16. The downside of the equation and main reason why I rarely camp in RV Parks (other than cost) would be highway noise, presumably deaf seniors yelling at each other on the adjacent site during happy hour, less than spectacular views of someone else’s Motorhome and people trying to stare into my windows while I try to stare into theirs.

Feb 15th - back at Mica Mine Road 1.77/250 (N32 19.836 W112 54.055) El – 1949’ (594M).
Meanwhile, in the mountains South of Ajo, most of the lower road sites were occupied on arrival but my site from three weeks prior was available, as was the one at the next entrance toward Sunset Pass. Because of the possibility of others (Richards, Oborne?) coming, I thought it would make sense to pick an area with extra space for additional arrivals and, therefore left a fairly large flat space vacant while backing myself into a gap between saguaros on the left side of the trail, a spot that I have enjoyed more than once in the past. I noticed a giant saguaro on its side in the nearby wash – this, a result of the big storm in late January (see picture).
I had a shock when I turned on the inverter to set up the satellite. The battery monitor was reading close to 30 amps of output, even though I had nothing turned on – or so I thought. It turned out that, because I had stayed in the RV Park en route, had switched the fridge over to shore power and forgotten to turn it back to propane, it was still operating in AC mode. The last thing one wants is to have major appliances on battery power, since the drain is enormous. Anyway, I got that sorted out after a few minutes of head-scratching and turned my energies to more productive things.

The Richards have arrived back to Mica after their foray into Tucson for a refill of social contacts, plus shopping, bead shows and other manifestations of civilization. They found a nice camp about a mile down the road from me, so we will, no doubt, enjoy a few afternoon campfires in the next week or two. My project at the new site has been to construct a firepit, the shape of which I based on a design written about in a book describing the building of rock and earthen fortifications in medieval times when King Henry 5th laid siege to the town of Harfleur (Le Havre) on his way to an amazing victory at Agincourt (thanks Travis). Basically, a sheer wall is backed by a 45° rock ramp for stability. (attached picture). The inaugural BBQ, however, proved that charred is charred, whatever shape the surrounding rocks. The meat and veggies may have tasted a little medieval but a slight modification in grill height should fix that.
JW

From Why Az Jan 28th 2010

Jan 28th from Why, AZ
Hickiwan Trails RV Park (N32 14.550 W112 43.394) El – 1850’
This morning, I made my move from Mica Mine Road, near Ajo, to the Hickiwan Trails RV Park just east of Why, Az. This Park is adjacent to and owned by the Golden Hassan Casino, a venture of the Tohono O’odham Indian Band. For $16, I can plug in to 50 amps, dump tanks, get fresh water, free wi-fi etc. I could have done the same without power and site hook-ups for $8.50 at the Coyote Howls Park up the road but the Richards, Hugh and Christine, are here, so that must be worth something, plus, the opportunity to run fresh water through the plumbing system multiple times is an unaccustomed luxury. The plan is to stay here overnight after which I shall relocate to Gunsight Wash, 2 miles south of Why

For reasons beyond my comprehension, the solar black bag water bag (shower) that refused to heat for its initial 3 day “warm-up” is now working fairly well – in fact, temps one day reached 120°, the maximum on my old ski patrol thermometer, so I had to add cold water to make it bearable. The small bees that inhabit this part of the world also love the shower bag, gathering around the water outlet and sucking away. I think it conceivable that they might have a group-mail network or their own- this because on the first day of black-bag operations (black ops?), there were quite a few flying around the leaky water spout. On the following day, those “few” had turned into a swarm as hundreds gathered to sip the now warm waters.

Efforts to improve the setup scheme for the black bag shower became a major task with ropes and pulleys attached to the trailer roof rack. These held the bag at a level where the shower head sat well above one’s head. Unfortunately, the bag, holding 5 gallons of water, weighs in at about 50 lbs and overpowered the stanchions holding the rack to the roof. Metal got bent, screws pulled out, the rack pulled loose and the project had to return to the drawing board for re-evaluation. The next step involved throwing a rope all the way over the trailer and securing it to the stabilizer jack underneath. In this way, I was able to provide an adequate belay to hold the bag. Then, all I had to do was go to the hardware store in Ajo and get some longer, thicker screws with which to repair the roof and rack – the bees, unaware of this ongoing drama, continued to shower and drink quite happily. Over a day, I noted no significant loss of water, so I guess volume loss is a non-issue. With the water being so warm, the little bees seem to get slightly groggy and make themselves easy targets for the swatter. The saga of the black solar shower bag has now reached what I hope will be its final phase. I have dismantled all my exotic systems of ropes and pulleys for elevating the bag and now simply attach it to one end of the awning roller, then lift that up to a suitable shower position.

On January 4th, I went into Ajo, parked on the hill above Shadow Ridge RV Park and was immediately accosted by a local woman who drove up the road in her car. This was the second encounter with this person and I would have to say that her disposition hadn’t improved much from the first time. She muttered out her car window something along the lines of “you people think you can (the rest was unintelligible)….. . .” Summoning up my best Customer Service voice, I inquired as to what issues she had on her mind, who she represented and upon what jurisdiction she felt I might be infringing . In addition, I asked if she managed or owned the RV Park from whom I was receiving a wi-fi signal. To this there was no response except a petulant look as she departed in a cloud of dust. A year or so ago, I visited my friends who were staying at the park, talked to the manager and got the OK to use their signal – on that occasion. Since their signal is unencrypted, I feel quite justified about using it and under no obligation to report to some unidentified woman with a churlish personality.

On this occasion, I had managed to get my group e-mail out, discovered that one or two regulars had been self-deleted from the Hotmail group address list (sorry about that Mckendricks, Medidart and Landerkin.) This happened earlier in the season and I have no way of tracking the fault unless someone writes to grumble about the lack of correspondence. Of course, there may be those who have been deleted for cause. The likelihood of them writing for any reason is quite slim, given that lack of writing rates high on the list of reasons why names disappear from the address list in the first place.

On the same trip, I dropped by Tru-Valu Hardware in town to review the latest trends in bicycle parts and found an inner tube, manufactured by the Slime Company. This is pre-packed with green “slime” and is very difficult to puncture as the slime flows into and seals any penetration created by a cactus spine.

The Richards, Hugh and Christine, left the luxuries of civilization behind (they had been at Shadow Ridge RV in Ajo) and came back to the desert. Deciding not to take up a spot on my entry trail, being a little small and difficult in which to manoeuvre, they took up residence in the same location that they had occupied last year when I usurped their favourite spot just a mile or so down the road from me. The three of us, plus dogs, went on a wood-gathering expedition near Valentine Well. I had previously located a “mother lode” of downed and dead Palo Verde trees, so cutting was plentiful and their firepit had its hunger sated for at least a week. During the process, I managed to graze up against a catclaw acacia bush. This species is one of the most aggressive, arm-lacerating shrubs in the desert so; once again, I was covered in blood.

I biked (4 minutes downhill) to Hugh and Christine’s new camp for the inaugural firepit using our recently acquired wood, then returned to my own cooking pots before dark. I’m not sure what the Border Patrol reaction might be to see bicycle traffic after dark on a remote road known to be a transit pipeline for Mexican visitors and drug smugglers (though I haven’t actually seen any traces of same since my arrival to MM Road). I have heard rumours that George Bush’s 800-mile fence and increased Border Patrol resources may have slowed business in this area. On this same topic, an article in the Arizona Republic newspaper contended that smuggling is often fairly brazen because, under Border Patrol policy, if not US law, those carrying less than 500 pounds of drugs are not prosecuted in the U.S. Also, a person driving drugs across the border in a car not belonging to him or her can claim ignorance of the cargo and get off the hook on the grounds that they didn’t know what they were carrying. A recently developed procedure, however, is to return some of these people to Mexico to be dealt with by the Mexican court system, which has none of the scruples associated with freedom of rights and other democratic principles that get in the path of primitive justice - “the way it used be”! Whether Mexican ”justice” is swift of even exists might be a reasonable question to posit.

The Richards and their friends, the Lewises, found chalcedony (SiO2) in the neighbourhood of the RV Park here. Chalcedony is a type of fibrous quartz often considered a gemstone when in combination with other stones such as jasper, agate or onyx.

One day in early January I took a trip to Ajo for the first of my annual series of defeats playing scrabble with Gayle and Don Weyers. At one point, I enjoyed a commanding lead due to an early game spurt but Gayle, in a last minute, dark horse-like surge, came from behind and showed why she is the tournament player and I am not. I was able to access wi-fi from the house, so had no opportunity to renew my acquaintance with the self-styled wi-fi monitoring lady from the previous week.

On Jan 12th, Dale Carpenter, the BLM ranger, came by my camp on Mica Mine Road, logged me on his notepad and stayed to chat about the eating habits of javelinas (bean pods of Mesquite trees being a favourite) and other desert trivia. Once the “heat” knows about you, the two week maximum-stay regulations kick into gear.

Hugh, Christine, Corgi Penny and I rode down past Valentine Well to the “dam” and back. I have been there several times but cannot quite figure out its function. There is a berm-like structure several hundred yards long, lying across the general downslope of the desert plain and having rocks on the north side with sand/clay on the south. As a diversionary dam, it could take flood waters and direct them to other reservoirs, either left or right of our trail. With so little water here on a year-round basis, it’s hard to imagine the need for any sort of water diversion at any time in this part of the world where rainfall is very sparce. I may have spoken too soon – keep reading.

Much of the USA has been under a blanket of cold air lately. According to the Arizona Republic newspaper, iguanas in Florida are so cold that they are falling out of trees and onto the ground. I guess this is a case losing one’s grip.

The last few days have been marked by heavy rains (3 to 4”) and very strong South-westerly winds (+/- 50 mph, according to the radio, gusting to 65 mph). Given that total precipitation for the 2009 calendar year was only 3’’ in this area (average is about 7”), this was a lot of precip. for a single storm lasting over the better part of two days. The howling gale certainly seemed to threaten the stability of the trailer that was broadside on. However, despite plenty of shaking and swaying, I stayed upright. Small amounts of wind-pressured water entered the trailer via the fridge vent as well as somewhere else leading to one of my electrical outlets (maybe the same spot with water running down the wires). I was able to keep ahead of the flow with some rags. Over in the Tohono O’Odham Indian reservation, 15 houses were apparently destroyed, power was out, schools closed and a local state of emergency declared. Masses of snow (48” fell in the Flagstaff area, Interstate highways closed in Northern AZ and the tents blew down at one of the classic car auctions in Phoenix. Mica Mine Road washes (normally dry stream beds) suffered quite a bit of erosion. At the height of the storm, I donned my sailing rain gear and, in gumboots, went for a hike down an adjacent wash, then around the nearest mountain (about 4 or 5 miles in all). At times I could barely stand against the wind (that’s saying something with my concentrated center of gravity). After several days of this, the sun shone again and storms were just a memory. The immediate damage assessment for me consisted of a snapped golf ball-retriever/wind sock-holder, uprooted wind-break, ripped outdoor carpet, overturned bicycles, missing wheel chock and deck chairs blown under the trailer – in all, nothing too serious. Later on, I discovered that the fridge vent on the roof had a good sized hole in it, whether from recent events or some earlier maintenance by the people who installed my solar panels is hard to say.

Darch Oborne in his new MH, with sister Kathy and husband Bert in their own MH, rolled in on the 18th. Initial impressions of Bert were a bit negative. Because of the roughness of the road, Darch’s speed in leading the convoy and the fact that Darch charged ahead of them into a spot (the trail up to my campsite) where they couldn’t turn around without unhooking tow vehicles, he was quite unhappy.
In the end, everyone got sorted out into a campsite below me but on another trail – lots of space in which to turn around and a giant-sized fire pit built by some previous occupant. In general, it’s not a bad idea to do a little reccy - prior to venturing on unknown desert trails with large vehicles. Later on, Bert managed a wry chuckle (or maybe it was a lingering grimace) all the while swearing that he would never follow Darch again – anywhere!


Since that time, we had some dinners, one at each MH, as well as a campfire in howling winds one night. Kathy and Bert had an Internet dish (Hughes) that also downloads Star Choice TV but, with her encryption (WPA2), my Hawking device would not connect – even when armed with the appropriate code.

On a sunny day between storm systems, Darch and I climbed Ajo Peak in search of the elusive Geocache that is supposed to reside there. This was my third attempt over several years and, again, no luck as the GPS took us right to the top of the NE shoulder and onto fairly exposed cliffs without being able to narrow the gap to less than 50 yds. On the Internet, the instructions talk about a fairly strenuous hike and location at 2450’ (starting below at 1977”) but this led us out in what appeared to be thin air. Anyway, we managed to avoid falling off the mountain and lived to try another day.

In the department of coincidental happenings, the Arizona Republic had an advertising insert for Fry’s Electronics.com the other day. All the HD TV sets (a whole page of them) contained a nice picture of the Lake Louise ski trails with the Chateau in the foreground. I thought this was quite an effective and distinctive way of marketing, even though it may have been purely accidental.

On the day following our big winds and rain, I ventured out for a milk and propane run into Ajo. When I tried to start the truck, I discovered that the storm had, somehow, turned on my running lights, causing the batteries to drain. It took a while of messing around with jump-start attempts before Darch noticed that the lights were on, despite no key in the ignition and all switches off. In the end, I took out the running-light fuse and, with cables to the battery of Darch’s Suzuki plus a hook-up to one of those Canadian Tire Eliminator battery starters (thanks to Bert), the truck started.

The night following the storm I broke down and fired up the generator. Batteries were still at 68% but, as the guests (Darch, Kathy and Bert) were coming for a mushroom pork dinner, I decided to use a few lights and get charged up at the same time. This would have been four consecutive days without much sun or battery input. In actuality, I’m pretty sure that I would have been fine without the generator but, once in a while, It’s nice to turn on all the lights.

Great success as Darch and I tackled the NE exposure of Ajo Peak in search of the elusive geocache. This was quite a steep climb, mostly loose rock but also some places where we had to grab on to hand and footholds. My titanium hip, oiled with a Naproxen (Aleve) tablet, proved up to the challenge and, while the other one groaned a little, both made it to the top. The Geocache location (N32 20.128 W112 54.364 - “A is for Ajo”, on the website) was a bit lower at 2450’ than the actual ridge summit and inaccessible from the top of the ridge proper (or so it appeared). As camp is located at an elevation of 1986’, this was a hike of 469 vertical feet. We approached on a traverse from the North. When the GPS announced that we still had 60 yds to go, Darch went ahead along a fairly narrow ledge; Kiki, the dog, and I “stayed” in place until we heard him shout that he had found the cache. This was an open-topped, lidless plastic candy jar, buried under a mound of rocks. Inside were various artifacts for exchange. I think that Darch took a carabiner while leaving a piece of petrified wood that he was carrying around for some reason. Our descent was also very steep with some exposure down the SW face (Looking up, go to the dead-cat gravesite in the first col above camp to the west, climb vertically to the pillar of rock (west of the SE ridge, east of the Thumb notch), scramble up to its west side and behind it, then follow the fall line to the cache on the main ridge. I can’t help but think that there must be easier ways of approaching this Geocache, something that a future expedition will give opportunity to explore.

Darch and crew departed on Jan 26th for Phoenix and/or Tucson areas. It is possible that we will meet up again in a few weeks

With all the storm water received, one would expect to see flowers blooming in the desert before long. On previous occasions, this phenomenon has taken about two weeks, post rains, to occur, so hopefully we shall see plenty of colour soon.

JW

From Mica Mine Road Jan 4th 2010

Jan 4th, 2010
From Mica Mine Road (N32 19.953 W112 53.976 – El 1986”)
Entry from MM Road at N32 19.837 W112 53.924 – El 1945’ - 1.76 miles/2.83 kms from Ajo Scenic Road at local Route marker 8113I

Last time we “spoke”, I was camped at Upper Craggy Wash, near Lake Havasu. My present campsite off Mica Mine Road is located south of Ajo, Az.

Dec 14th – made my move from Upper Craggy Wash to Plomosa Road (MM 16.6 / 1.28 (N33 53.275 W114 02.910 - El 1136’), not too far from the not-so bustling community of Bouse, Az, a trip of about an hour and a half. Because I am now carrying two bicycles, I put the stepladder in the back of the truck. Foolishly, I placed it on its side along the starboard wheel well, leaving part sticking up in the air, above the truck rail. I didn’t think much of this because there seemed to be ample space between the bottom of the 5th wheel overhang and the upper section of ladder, a judgement that proved to be flawed. While exiting the relatively steep entry-ramp out of Upper Craggy camp (aka Craggy Heights), the trailer and truck tilted in opposite directions at one point and contact was made. I ripped out about 30” of the weather stripping along the bottom side of the trailer, something that I repaired after getting materials at Lifestyles RV in Quartzsite. The second bike, incidentally, was one that I bought at Walmart for Malcolm Koch, who flew down for a quick visit here at Ajo between Dec 26th and Dec 31st. We had discussed a rental (difficult, as Ajo has no bike shop) or other method of getting him a bike, including a thrift shop purchase or even a desert “special”, abandoned by Mexican travellers. While wandering aimlessly through the Walmart back in Havasu, I happened upon the bike section and there, on the top rack was a mountain bike for $79. It looked to be shiny and new, had 18 gears only but front shocks and good rubber. I reckoned that it ought to last a week or so and bought it. Since that time, Malcolm has been and gone, the bike performed well and only developed its first flat tire after he left.

Off Plomosa Road, the site chosen was the same as that in which a few of us camped last year in December, 1.28 miles up Cattle Gate Trail from Quartzsite/Bouse Road (Plomosa). This is a good location for three or more units, since Dave and Gail (Lewis) arrived on the 15th with Hugh and Christine Richards. They have a 5th wheel rig as well, without solar though, so their generator runs for a fair bit of the day and night (Handy Bob would not approve). Since their arrival, we made several trips to Quartzsite for miscellaneous Flea Market shopping and lunch at Sweet Darlene’s, Bouse twice by bicycle for breakfast at the Bouse Cafe (9.5 miles round trip – I guess that one cancels the other, speaking calorically). Three meals out is more than I eat the rest of the year, so I’ll have to tone it down a bit or hermit status will get revoked. In addition to the breakfast rides into Bouse. On a trip to Parker, I acquired, at Spanky’s RV and Marine, a solar bag for heating water. This could save me some propane as it is supposed to heat up to 120° (C 49°) or so when propped in the sun for a few hours.

I made several bike circuits up toward the mountains, one being a loop of 13 miles to visit Cave Hills above camp, over to the Plomosa Pass, around 4-Peaks mountains and back. At some stage, a group of ATVers (there were several) came by – a woman took a look at my arms and legs, crusty with old blood wounds and scars from a tree cutting expedition, and said “you don’t fall off much, do you”, to which I responded that “yes, I fell off frequently but this particular blood came as a result of a slight disagreement with some thorny trees. She then said that she admired me (whether for riding my bike in such an out of the way place, the blood, acquiring firewood with my saw, or simply a general attraction that I often exude when covered in blood, sweating from a steep hill climb and huffing and puffing, all at the same time. Anyway, she rode off on her ATV with a gleam in her eye.

One day, Dave, Hugh and I made an expedition with two trucks, a generator and the little electric chainsaw, coming back with enough wood (mostly dead Palo Verde trees and some ironwood) which lasted the week or so remaining. Surplus wood was carted down to Ajo for the next installment. The rest of the crew went to Shadow Ridge RV in Ajo on the 22nd and will stay there until Jan 5th, after which H & C may come to my little outpost in the hills.

On a ride one morning, after walking up a steep pitch and remounting his bike, Hugh hit a rock and toppled off into a pile of very nasty looking rocks. As he is a double hip replacement survivor, this could have been serious but, in the end he came away with a wounded finger and several other battle scars but no permanent damage. Fortunately, I carry a first aid kit, so was able to staunch the flow of blood until return to camp and capable repairs from Christine were made.

I made the move from Plomosa to the Ajo area on Dec 23rd. En route, a stop at the Gila Bend Shell for a free sewer dump and water load, plus fuelling, took up about ½ hour of the 4½ hour journey. The station still required a zip code to operate the fuel pump, so one has to leave a credit card indoors with the large, unsmiling lady at the till while pumping fuel outside - a system that creates significant angst regarding the security and wellbeing of one’s credit card. Someone once told me that there was a way of substituting numbers for the letters in Canadian Postal codes as a placebo to hoodwink these machines into thinking that they have a legitimate Zip. If anyone out there remembers this, please advise, since I have been attempting all sorts of combinations without success.

On arrival at Ajo, most of my previous camp spots were occupied but I located a new one high (405 yds from the road) up a trail near the top of Sunset Pass on Mica Mine (Cemetery) Road. This site may be my “new favourite” as it has everything that I like (a view, relative isolation, plenty of Sonoran desert vegetation (Saguaros, Palo Verdes, Cholla (not so popular), Organ pipes, brittlebush, limberbush, Ocotillos and, of course, the ever-present creosotes. In addition, it is located in mountains under some scenic rock formations, is on a dead-end trail and has plenty of bike trails radiating in all directions. I do have a couple of neighbours camped within sight. One of them, Lyle, arrived one morning on his electric bicycle to introduce himself. He has a dog who is deaf and mostly blind, a tough proposition in this land of spiky cactus.

Once again, I dug in my portside tires to lower them against the slope of the hill. I think that I am going to hunt for a cheap pick axe as some of this desert ground is beginning to bend my poor old shovel. There are only two radio stations available – classical out of Tucson and a local Indian radio station run by the Tohono O’odham tribe out off Sells, AZ. These last folks specialize in endless playing of what I sense may be the single tribe-owned accordion, accompanied by a bass fiddle, all backing up tribal chanting and request submissions. My favourite shows are when the DJ talks in native tongue, a language much more smoothly spoken than his or her tortured English. I have discovered that the Telus Internet stick does not function here, despite having a signal-strength of two bars. The cell phone, however, works reasonably well though it too shows only two bars on good days.
By the end of day one, I had a fire pit constructed as well as the sundial that is now a fixture at every stop. For those of you trying to find me, the Canadian wind sock flies proudly, high above the trailer on the end of its 19’ golf ball retriever.

On Christmas Day, Gayle and Don Weyers, along with some of their family, convinced me to go with them, via Valentine Well trail, to “John the Baptist’s Campground and Lime Hill, south of camp by a little over ten miles. John the Baptist (no relation to he of “Revelations” distinction), was a local character who camped in the middle of nowhere back in the 30s or 40s. I suspect that his camp, located near a wash with plenty of trees and shrubbery nearby is a present-day waypoint for itinerant Mexican hikers and drug smugglers. Lime Hill, a little further south, gave us an excellent view over the surrounding desert, including the ranch at Bandeja Well. I was on my bike for the 10 miles there, but returned with the Weyers in their Jeep – a good Christmas day was had by all.

Malcolm Koch was with me from Dec 26th through 31st.. I met him at Olsen’s Supermarket in Ajo and was surprised to see a Mitsubishi sports car (his rental) pull up beside me in the parking lot. Never having seen Malcolm in anything but a pick-up truck, this came as something of a cultural shock. He said that the rental people just pointed to a lot full of cars and told him to pick what he wanted. In the end, we decided that its exotic look did not translate into quality as it seemed quite “tinny” – or, since there was very little actual tin involved, perhaps “Walmart plastic” might be a more appropriate label. Anyway, it made it to the desert and, hopefully, back to the airport, so that’s what counted.

While Malcolm was in residence, we enjoyed an action-packed, bike themed visit, being as he had to justify the cost of his half of the Walmart bicycle that I had purchased several weeks before. The hope was to see as much of the surrounding locality as possible and even take in any available cultural events. To this end, we biked, hiked, hunted for future firewood sites, golfed at the Ajo Golf Club, visited the museum, viewed the New Cornelia Copper Mine (largest in Arizona at its peak but now defunct), cooked over the campfire and packed as much boondocking experience as possible into the short period of time that he was here. Malcolm even had opportunity to test his mechanical skills on my bicycle chain after it broke. In fact, we spent the better part of two days perfecting chain removal and replacement techniques until we got it right. In the end, the diagnosis was that the middle gear on my bike was wearing excessively, causing the chain to jump off when under conditions of extreme torque, this likely a result of me practicing my Lance Armstrong simulation with too much zest over too many hill climbs during too many years. I have decided now to relax my pedalling style (if that’s possible) as a chain-saving measure. I could also drop 40 pounds but that would mean less avocados ($.40 each) in the Caesar Salads.

The Ajo golf course is interesting because it is only half constructed on grass (very dry and thin), with the remainder being gravel. It is also the only place that I have seen tame roadrunner birds that walk (run) on the fairways with little fear of golfers. The locals and those with rental clubs ($1) hit from wherever they happen to lie but those of us who have our own clubs and don’t wish to ruin them take generous free drops to avoid the gravel. Some might question the fairness of this technique but I take the view that all’s fair in golf and war. The course was full length and quite enjoyable, even though conditions were far from lush.

On December 30th, Malcolm and I circumnavigated the Ajo Mountains on bikes (13 miles). At one point, we had thought to include the town of Ajo in our travels but found that the trail (via Little Thule Well) went through a gate into the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Reserve (“official vehicles only”), so we had to turn back. Our route back to camp involved a “short-cut” up a narrow Wash (arroyo) for about two miles. This was mostly unrideable due to soft gravel in the stream bed, so we walked. The adventure was quite scenic as a diversion and something worth doing once, or, possibly not at all, if any of any of you happen to follow our tracks.

For its first few days of operation, the new solar shower proved to be a bust as it maxed out at not much more than luke-warm, even in direct sun. However, refined techniques and warmer temps, up to 75° in daytime, 35°/50° at night, have improved its performance to the point where it now reaches 120° (max on my thermometer), so hot that I have to add cold water.
Am including a few pics – hopefully, they get through
Keep in touch
JW