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