From Willits, Ca. Safeway Parking lot March 24th 2011

This e-mail comes to you directly from the parking lot of a Safeway store in Willits, Northwest California (N39 24.239 W123 20.942). The last three weeks have been reasonably eventful and possibly more active than my normal slothful lifestyle. I think that I was still in Why at the time of the last e-mail. From there, I decided to go somewhere new, recommended by acquaintances Sue and Walt (the mechanic) Brugger. This was Kelso Dunes (N34 53.192 W115 43.036).



From Gunsight Wash, the trip to Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve took most of the day. Of course, things might have gone a little faster if I hadn’t stopped for the China Buffet in Havasu, followed an incorrect lead given to me by the GPS, which thought that the “shortest route” involved a mountain trail to the Vulcan Mine, and gone by the turn-off to Kelso in the dark, then having to turn around on a narrow road (not easy with a trailer).

Anyway, after arriving near the site, one passes a small parking lot with pit toilet camping prohibited). The Bruggers had told me, however, that there was a larger area to camp 1.1 miles up the road, so I kept on going, finally stopping at the junction of two dirt roads. The main entry from Kelbaker Road is a graded dirt road but with lots of washboard that shakes everything to death. I could see lights from a couple of campfires off to the right so hiked up and talked to a fellow tent-camping who told me to go another short way to a parking area where I could turn around or camp. This I did, found a nice flat place for the night at the end of the road (further access is prohibited by the Preserve). I kept the truck hitched and didn’t bother with precise levelling the first night, preferring to have a beer and relax with a newspaper in the lazy boy after the stress of driving around lost in the dark. News on the radio about the Tsunami warnings on the coast and destruction and deaths in Japan was shocking. I guess my timing was right, since I wouldn’t be on the coast for another couple of weeks, if at all. Cell phone reception at Kelso is very weak or non-existent, depending on exactly where one stands.



Warm days (80) but cool nights (40) make Kelso a good place for this time of year. I attended a guided walk with one of the Park Rangers and got the lowdown on reading animal tracks (scorpions, kit foxes, kangaroo rats/mice, fringe-toed lizards (saw one), sidewinder snakes, Mojave rattlesnakes (highly venomous but not seen until nights warm up a bit), desert tortoises (didn’t actually see one but, heard rumours), black tailed jackrabbits (huge ears and lightning fast) plus many more. Also on the agenda were several species of plant life specific to the dunes area - bursage, Indian rice grass, desert rhubarb, Borrego milk vetch, diamond (pencil) cholla, hedgehog cactus and the ever-present creosote bush (some as old as 11,500 years - at least their seed lines might be that old, not the individual shrubs)



After the guided tour, I climbed to the top of the dunes (by my GPS, approx. 550’ vertical) with one of the couples who had also attended the “walk and talk”- all sand, so heavy slogging at times, particularly where steep. Being an old ski-tourer, I contoured off to one side trying to keep the grade reasonable and ended up on the ridgeline, much easier than tackling the steepest parts. Others hiked the main dune straight up – the Diritissima (sp?) - quite difficult in sand as the feet slide backwards almost as far as they climb upwards. A school group of quite young kids was on the dunes with snowboards, so were sliding down on a side dune. In all, this hike took about an hour up, maybe 20 minutes down. An interesting and reputedly rare feature of the dunes is that the sand makes a groaning sound akin to that of a deep cello or bass instrument when it rolls down a steep hill. With several people striding down a 40°slope, “the hills were alive with the sound of music”.



My campsite in the parking lot that I originally discovered on night 1 remained very satisfactory, given that there was lots of room and a firm, flat base. Kelso Depot on Kelbaker Road is currently a Park Interpretive Centre and is only 10 miles away. It used to be a hotel and train depot on the Union Pacific Line.

One day, I did a milk run to Baker via Kelso Depot, then Cima Road which included The Cima Dome, a huge almost perfectly round volcanic dome that rises 1500’ above the surrounding landscape and that is home to the world’s largest concentration of Joshua trees. Baker itself is a freeway town and is notable for nothing other than being home to the tallest thermometer in the world and a mass of fast food restaurants with a sprinkling of service stations (diesel fuel @ $4.49/gal) in between. I found a water tap at the back of the general store so was able to fill the jugs in the back of the truck. The drive home was 45 miles, a long way for a few gallons of water. Late that same afternoon, the campsite was swarmed by rescue vehicles, including 3 ranger trucks, two fire and rescue trucks and an ambulance. Apparently, there had been a 911 call reporting someone suffering a possible aneurysm or stroke of some description. All the flashing lights must have confounded any desert creatures out for a stroll that afternoon, as they did other campers in the neighbourhood. In the end, I discovered that the patient refused medical assistance, so all the emergency vehicles returned to Baker, 45 miles away. While applauding the efficiency of the operation, it did occur to me that a lot of fuel and cost was spent to cover a non-rescue.



Another day, I went again to the Kelso Depot, toured the exhibits and attended an interesting video presentation about the Mojave Preserve. Staff were very friendly and helpful. No water, other than drinking fountains or bottled, is available. On the loop home, I visited Mid-Hills campground which, at 5600’ could be cool and contained small sites not appropriate for RV camping. After that it was off to Hole-in-the-Wall camp. At 4300’, this was better suited to RVs and offered dry camping for $12. At Hole-in-the-Wall, there is an Interpretive Centre (closed on Mondays) and the very entertaining “Rings” Trail. This hike is only a mile long but cuts through a very narrow cleft in the mountain where steel rings have been installed in the rock to assist people to clamber up short chimneys and over boulders that block the passage. Hole-in-the-Wall has several water spigots, so one could fill jugs on another visit.

About the only thing in the trailer other than air conditioning that won’t operate off the inverter is an electric hair clipper that I inherited from my father. To give myself a clip, I have to fire up the generator, so one day, I did just that – and vacuumed the trailer at the same time. I rode the power line trail up to Kelbaker Road (250’ rise in elevation), thinking that if I got off the main road, I might see a Desert Tortoise or rattlesnake - no luck; Both animals remain elusive as advertised. On the next to last day at Kelso, I loaded the bike in the truck and went up the road to Vulcan mine, then carried on the top of a short (2 mile) but steep ride to Foshay Pass. Back to the highway, I made a mistake by taking the powerline trail – very rough and very steep in spots; every wheel of four-wheel drive was tested.

On March 20th, I made my move to Bakersfield in southern California. Very strong winds on the way – at one point I had to pull over and park at a gravel place next to the freeway, head into the wind. Basically, every other RV on the road did the same thing. After a while, the wind eased and the rain started. This then turned to snow, then heavy snow at the top of Tehachapi Pass (at only 4060’, snow has no business falling this far south). When it snows in the coastal ranges, it really snows, so the road was getting covered in slush, not pleasant with the trailer behind. Anyway, I think that I was about 30 minutes ahead of the time when they closed the highway. As soon as I crested the summit and began to descend, all was well, snow melted and I had a smooth run into Bakersfield. The trusty GPS took me to a Walmart parking lot (Rosedale Highway branch - N35 23.090 W119 05.779) where I stayed two nights.



Bakersfield is quite sizeable (+/- 450,000) and has several Walmarts. Driving through, it seemed pleasant enough with lots of green areas and bike paths (my criteria for pleasant cities). Southern cities attract lots if homeless people. One guy set up an elaborate shelter every night, using the Walmart Cart-Return, a bicycle and some garbage bags to keep dry. While in Bakersfield, I finally did what I had been intending for some time – went to a Verizon Store (2701, Ming Ave – agent Michael Still - 661 342 9287) and got one of their Mi-Fi gadgets for Internet access. The device was free (+ California tax of $27.00) and I will pay $35 per month on a contract. I will break the contract when I get home, pay the penalty of $175 so that I own it and can go on a month to month (“pay as you go”) basis in subsequent years. The whole process of setting up an account with Verizon was very complicated and involved using a friend’s home address (thanks Ted), a New Mexico Zip Code, a fictitious American social security number as my Verizon I.D. (issued by Verizon, not me!). Because of the age of my laptop, this gizmo only works for me when hooked directly into a USB port but still beats the system of paying for my Canadian Service, running the risk of a huge data overload and having to turn off all possible download programs every time I want to check e-mail. The Mi-Fi also acts as a Wi-Fi Hotspot, so others can hook into the signal. Hopefully, there will be no duplication of payment as I only use one country-appropriate device and suspend the other at any given time.



March 23rd, I moved north again after collecting my new toy, this time making it as far as Los Banos, whereat the GPS located yet another accommodating Walmart (N37 03.225 W120 52.079). The next day, storm and severe winter weather warnings were being proclaimed on the radio but my trip to Ukiah was uneventful along the very picturesque Highway 20 (west from Williams, Ca). Again, I stopped at a Walmart but here, the parking area was full of shifty looking people, loitering and leaving their garbage all over the place, not very appetizing, or secure, for that matter, so I drove 28 miles north to Willits, home of the Sherman Valley Casino (N39 23.637 W123 21.671), where I arrived as it was raining cats and dogs. Most casinos are fairly lavish but this one was very low end, and so too were the clientele, possibly the parents of the homeless crowd in Ukiah. Anyway, I had a fish n’ chips at the café, then blew $10 on the slots to appease my conscience for having parked in front of a no-parking sign (unseen in the dark) and preventing the Gambling Commission President from parking in his accustomed spot the next morning. In reality, the parking area was quite small overall and not suitable for large RVs.

Heavy rain all night turned to heavy snow in the morning. The Indians were quite pleasant but asked me to move the trailer to create the extra parking space that they required. Any time I move, it takes about ½ hour or more of preparation (putting everything away, retracting slides, recovering power cable from the inverter receptacle, moving levelling planks etc). By the time I did all this, it was snowing hard (very rare in Willits at only 1347’), so I knew that slipping and sliding my way north was not the best plan, opting instead to go to the local Safeway (N39 24.239 W123 20.942), where I found a pleasant spot overlooking a stream (quickly becoming a raging torrent) just behind the loading docks.

Power was out (not at the Safeway) and highways closed everywhere in the area from snow at first but later flooding and mudslides with, according to the forecast, more storms to come,. The Safeway supply driver told me that highway 101 north (my route) was deadly and that the police had made him install chains before closing it – no place for me. Anyway, my Safeway stop gave me time and opportunity to update the trip log, from which this e-mail is based, go for a walk in streets fast becoming flooded (cleverly having remembered to pack gum boots), chat with the city manager and a local policeman that I met along the way about local events (they were pumping out the basement of the library) and mop up water that entered the trailer in the form of snow and ice when retracting the slides.

My reason for choosing the California/Oregon coastal route home was partly to see the Redwood Forest National Park as well as the Oregon State parks, so hopefully, the weather will improve in time for that. I do have 150 days of supplemental insurance this year (instead of the more usual 120 days), so can dawdle past the customary April 1st return date if necessary. Safeway employees were in discussions as to where to stay overnight, given that many roads were closed and, in some instances, homes had no power. To think that, when I left the Ajo area three weeks ago, temps were pushing the 90 degree mark!

March 8th- from Gunsight Wash, Why, Az (N32 14.390 W112 45.318 - El - 1778’)




In the several weeks that have passed since the last group mailing from Las Cienegas National Wildlife Refuge, I have covered a few miles, now ending up at Gunsight Wash. One of the regular winter stops near Why, Az., GW is about 12 miles south of Ajo, just north of the border with Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and also roughly 30 miles from Mexico.



Meanwhile, back at Las Cienegas, I had been camped with the Obornes, Darch and Catherine, with Darch’s sister Kathy and her husband, Bert also on site. There, amongst other things, we discovered The Arizona Trail. Stretching from somewhere in Northern Arizona to the Mexican border, this is similar in concept to the Trans Canada Trail, though mostly single-track - prohibited to motorized traffic and designed for hikers, bikers and horses. Darch and I did two rides in the area of AZ Trail. One loop, starting at Kentucky Camp, was only about 7 miles but had plenty of ups and downs with most of our ride being off the actual Trail. The other covered almost 11 miles, all single track, some steeps, switchbacks and single track swooping – very enjoyable but still a bit of a grind with some climbs in the “walking” category for me. The AZ Loop, I would do again, likely not the Kentucky Camp Loop. A post bike ride day trip by Jeep to inspect Parker Canyon Lake to the south was about 30 miles from Sonoita along a narrow paved road. Occasional care had to be taken for sudden dips, potholes and rough spots but this road is quite passable for RVs at moderate speeds. The campground at Parker Canyon Lake ($10), located at 5500’, is quite picturesque but suffers from chilly nights at this time of year. Las Cienegas, at 4650’ also experienced freezing nights but daytime highs were up in the 70s.



High winds, a few rain spatters and a threat of more to come marked my last day at Las Cienegas. Hardpacked dirt could quickly turn to muck if heavy rains arrived, so I made my move on Feb 20th – direction Ajo, the shortest route being through Tucson. Darch and his entourage had moved to Patagonia State Park near Nogales a day or two earlier in hopes of sighting an “Elegant Trogon”, America’s only indigenous parrot (unsuccessful, I believe). In the final couple of miles before Tucson, winds became very strong from the west so I was glad to hole up on the paved parking area at Casino Del Sol again with my nose pointing into the storm. Needing to replace a bike tire tube and also wishing to find another pair of bike shorts, I drove by way of Ajo Bikes (possibly, the best bike shop in Tucson). I got the tube but no shorts available to fit my Diet-Coke-belly-fat physique. The casino and its parking lots were quite crowded (holiday weekend) but generator fiends held off until 7.30 in the morning. That night, I returned to the slot machines to use up the $6.50 credit that remained on my ”Club Sol” card from the previous visit. This disappeared quickly, along with another $5, partly because I never did understand exactly what game I was playing or how much I was betting and just hit buttons at random to get rid of the credit and escape back to the trailer. Sooner, rather than later, lights stopped flashing, all indications were that my stake was reduced to zero and the machine appeared dormant. How the old ladies with vacant stares and cigarette ash dangling down to their shoulders manage to navigate through the bells and whistles is beyond me – nothing personal to some of the younger, non smoking and very attractive ladies who may read this.



Darch and Catherine arrived back at Casino Del Sol, so we dined out at a Chinese Buffet and rode paved bike trails along the dry-bed Rio Rillito (park at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park). Darch became somewhat agitated with the day of driving around in Tucson and chose to vent spleen at the nice English lady-robot (Emily) voicing directions on the GPS, demanding that she be silenced. In fact, the GPS had led us slightly astray on the way to our bike parking at Brandi Fenton Park by routing us along a side street with lots of stop signs, rather than along a main thoroughfare that would have been faster. As it happens, I had it set to “shortest” mode, rather than “fastest”, which might have made a difference – more research on this is required.



On Feb 23rd, I packed up, had a last discount breakfast at the Casino and headed west along Highway 86 to Gunsight Wash just south of Why (approx. 2½ hours). Camping here is easy on mostly flat terrain and access is provided by fairly well-marked trails. This is a hosted area, so, on arrival, volunteers fill out forms for the BLM, issue a pass and monitor to see that campers don’t overstay the two week maximum. Gunsight was relatively busy with about 45 units spread over the 2 mile BLM area. I found a nice spot by a small wash about 0.3 miles in from the gate and hope that the neighbours are solar, not generator oriented boondockers. The co-host (Ev – very friendly) organized an Astrology night run by an amateur astronomer who identified various constellations for us (all named by early Greeks) as we sat in our deck chairs staring up at the stars. He brought along a large telescope and some equally powerful binoculars for public viewing but line-ups were long, the session appeared to have stalled and I went home without a view of Jupiter’s moons.



Feb 26th - strong winds with rain shook the trailer but did no damage other than letting in a little water through the fridge vent. I am now leaving the solar panels flat as they put adequate juice into the batteries without tilting them up. Once we reach mid-February, this seems to be the case every year. I guess that, for those who do not wish to climb up on their roofs to mess with panels, having an extra one, leaving all flat and avoiding the hassle of tilting is one way to go – more expensive because of the added panel, but safer! Ev, the host, noted my bike on the back of the trailer and remarked that someone camping at the BLM had fallen on a creosote bush and ended up with 32 stitches. Generally speaking, the ubiquitous creosotes are quite mild-mannered with no thorns. However, they do splinter when attacked and get damaged, as witness my ripped tire of a few years ago, as well as the biker’s face, so best not to drive over or face-plant into them.



As usual, there is a Border Patrol Post on Hwy 85, about 2 miles south of Gunsight – one can see the lights shining at night. According to Ev, the host, very few “Illegales” have been sighted near camp this year, mainly, one supposes, due to increased patrol activity and agent numbers, as well as the U.S / Mexico fence. As it happens, I have twice seen Border Patrol agents arresting young men. They (the agents), often park their vehicles in dry washes and wait for the Mexicans to fall into their trap. Sometimes, they even have K-9 “officers” with them. Penalties are not severe, as the invaders simply get returned to Mexico unless they also happen to be in possession of large quantities of drugs or other contraband. While I rarely carry money or ID with me on bike trips (not wishing to get mugged and lose them), no one has ever asked me to identify myself. I guess my less than swarthy features mark me as a gringo and therefore harmless.

Having spent much of the winter camped near Bouse and travelling east of Tucson, this is a relatively short visit to the Ajo/Why area. I have been humbled once so far and anticipate another loss in the weekly Scrabble games with friends Gayle and Don Weyers in Ajo. Ghetto Blaster radio reception at Gunsight is quite poor, so I have discovered that, if I use a small inverter and hook the satellite to the main radio speakers, leaving the TV unplugged, I can listen to CBC 2 (or any of 30 other stations) all day with very little power consumption.

This takes about 2 amps vs. 4 amps for use of the large inverter with radio speakers or about 8 amps if I turn on the TV. I have also discovered that the TV, when off (but still plugged in), eats up more power than all the lights combined! It is a mystery to me why the only CBC-1 signal (from BC) that I can get on the dish has to come from Prince Rupert rather than Vancouver, Victoria or the Okanagan.



Off riding one day, I had a flat tire but couldn’t find a thorn or other cause. Two patches and three different tubes later, I determined that my bicycle pump was leaking air at about the same volume as it was introducing air into the tires, so rode home with less than 10 pounds. A new tire and use of a larger pump have rectified the situation but the mobile pump will have to be replaced. At the same time, I lost two spokes and had to remove the entire rear gear cassette to fit in substitutions - thanks to Lynn Wilson, at home on his one day-off-a-week from curling, for providing teleconference advice on how to remove the cassette.



Recognizing that we are now into March with hot temperatures just around the corner, I am thinking about the next move. One option is to see if Walt (the mechanic) and Sue are still camped at Kelso Dunes (approx. N34.53.520 W115 41.958) in Mojave National Preserve. Located between Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks in California, this area could be a launch pad for a return to Canada via the Oregon Coast. I did that years ago and enjoyed the trip – quite a change travelling and camping by the ocean after being in the desert all winter. Anyway, that decision is yet to come. I still have another scrabble session, possibly a flat tire or two and a few days remaining at Gunsight Wash.

From Las Cienegas Wildlife Sanctuary February 15th 2011

From Las Cienegas Wildlife Refuge ((N31 42.342 W 110 35.465)




I departed my Plomosa Road campsite of exactly two months’ duration on Feb 6th, heading east toward a rendezvous with friends Darch and Catherine Oborne in Tucson. Up until that point, life in the desert at Plomosa had been moving along quite smoothly with one or two notable exceptions.



Back in late January, Ted Webber and friend, John Porter, were on site with me, both in their respective Motorhomes. Ted and I went golfing one day at Emerald Canyon, north of Parker. This is, in my view, an exceptionally scenic but tricky course with lush green fairways and greens winding their way through narrow rock canyons – quite challenging for those of us who lack golf ball guidance systems.



On the bike, I went for a 19 mile ride to The Four Peak’s thumb, then back over some steep hills to what I call the South-West Plomosa Pass. Continuing on, I went to visit Handy Bob (Bob Shearer) at his site about 1½ miles to the North of us. He is still in the installation business for solar equipment and even had a box full of Tri-Metric Monitors on hand. He said that he didn’t really want people coming to his campsite (just in case they owned generators?) but, with a good reference from someone he knew, would be willing to visit them. Preferably, potential clients would see him at his summer property near Roundup, Montana. I always suggest that anyone with interest in solar, get a monitor (Tri-Metric) first, since it gives all the information needed to know about the power and battery requirements of their RV. Bob seemed, if anything, to have hardened his assessment toward commercial solar dealers in general and the Quartzsite ones in particular. In fact, he managed an almost continuous rant all the way from his trailer to mine during a bike ride.



Bob can be a little testy (to put it mildly) but his information is good. I had been experiencing lower than normal amperages from my solar system, along with heating near an in-line fuse connecting the positive cable from the solar controller to the battery. Bob told me to change out the fuse holder because they can develop a resistance that makes the controller think that the batteries are charged long before they actually reach that state, thus telling them to slow down the charge. Anyway, I changed the holder and immediately gained about 3 amps – very satisfying!



Re: Telus Internet Stick – It seems that, with everything turned off, I can do an e-mail session, check the weather and look at my bank information for about 3 Mbs ($3.00). “Turning off” includes: (Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services)

Disable

Automatic Updates

Google Software Updater

Google Update Service

Kodak Camera Connection Software

Windows Media Player

In Internet Options, go to Multi-media and clear boxes for;

Show Pictures

Smart image dithering

There may be other things that one can do to minimize the data costs but I have yet to think of any and would appreciate any advice from those of you who have suggestions. At the point when Google (my home page) opens, I read only 67 Kbs download and 6Kbs upload. When I open Hotmail, that number changes to 670 Kbs and 110 Kbs but rises with each move to open a new e-mail, move back to the Inbox, go to Contacts etc. If I only do this a couple of times a week, it saves a drive to the local wi-fi place.



The sewer pipe has been dripping out the end-cap, which means that the tank valve is stuck partially open. I dug a pit, drained off a pipe load of liquid and have tried to shut the valve. This is counter to desert etiquette but, as no one else is nearby, I won’t lose much sleep. I guess if one can justify use of an outhouse at home, then pouring a little sewage in a desert hole has about the same environmental impact. Since performing the operation above, I have attached a blade-action valve that I have been carrying for some time onto the end of the drain pipe. This should work unless the new fitting gets knocked off on a curb or rock. Ideally, the original valve needs to be loosened – I suspect that it is just jammed with crap and paper (to put it plainly).



Walt and I pulled out the landing leg for a second time to replace a small nylon bushing that had been missed on the first effort. This time, the operation proceeded quite smoothly as the ground that I had to dig was already soft. The bushing was designed to keep the leg and gears straight without too much play under tension. Plomosa experienced a few chilly nights, one down to 20° with the advent of a large high pressure system passing by.



On Feb 6th, I left my happy home for two months and headed for Tucson. I decided not to meet Darch and Catherine at a casino in Maricopa as suggested since they wouldn’t have been there until late in the evening. Instead, I went via Gila Bend to Tucson, where I found the Snyder Hill BLM area (N32 09.492 W 111 06.945), just off the Old Ajo Highway on San Joachim Road. This is a small patch of desert with some shade trees, quite near road noise but satisfactory for a short visit. In fact, the area was supposed to be closed due to pipeline construction nearby but the warning sign had fallen (been thrown) into some bushes.



Next day, it was only a ten minute drive to our new rendezvous point at the Camino del Sol Casino on Valencia (N32 07.793 W111 04.935).

Camino Del Sol is quite large with paved parking lots – very friendly to RVs with no time limits. A free Club Sol Card gets one a t-shirt and $10 credit to play slot machines, plus a15% discount on food (two breakfasts at Moby’s Restaurant). Inside, the Casino smelled quite smoky and constant buzzing and ringing noise from slot machines is extremely bothersome, Staff from the (? Yaquis nation Indian Band) were very friendly everywhere. In the parking lot, some people ran generators most of the night, evidently not converts to the Handy Bob Lifestyle. With plenty of RVs parked, one has to think that these people just don’t care. Unfortunately, I have no instrument of punishment with which to vent my generator rage, so the “parking lot pariahs” kept on generating undisturbed. One problem with camping with others in a well-lit casino parking lot is that there is no access to an open desert style “peeing tree”, meaning that waste tanks fill more rapidly than is their custom. The trailer remained hitched to the truck as we had Darch’s Jeep for excursions, starting with the local Walmart for groceries. Darch and Catherine had arrived from Phoenix by early afternoon. The next day, a bike ride at “Fantasy Island”, along the east border of Davis Moynihan Air field. Along the route, I managed to bounce my bike a little heavily and bent the seat post, thus requiring a replacement. We had dinner at “In N Out”, a protein burger special consisting of a meat patty in lettuce (no bun). Afterwards, we went to Voyager RV where Christine was giving a presentation on the Indian Ocean leg of their sailing trip. Hugh had had to fly home to BC because of serious health issues. Christine called me later in the evening to say that she had talked to Hugh; he was undergoing a number of tests and treatments that would preclude his returning anytime soon. Their son, Nick, has apparently volunteered to fly to Tucson in the next week or so to drive the rig home with Christine.



Feb 9th it was off to Ajo Bicycle Shop for new seat posts (2), windshield repair on the Jeep and a ride on the Tucson Mountain trails. This last was quite rough and only semi-enjoyable for me with lots of loose rock on steep slopes (plenty of walking). One somersault causing significant bleeding but no real damage from one forearm (nothing new) added to the satisfaction of not having damaged one of my hips. Darch went to ride the dreaded Amorigosa? Trail from part-way up the Catalina Highway to the bottom at Snyder Road. This would have been well above my level so I shuttled the Jeep. During the 3 hour wait, I went off to see about replacing the GPS that I had lost while packing up our bikes from the Fantasy Island ride. I did find, and buy, a Garmin Nuvi 1390 LMT GPS at a Radio Shack down the road. This was not actually a replacement for my portable off-road GPS but rather one that operates mainly in the truck, particularly useful when navigating through cities such as Tucson. With this GPS, I simply enter a destination and it leads me along, even speaking in one of several available voices. For now, I have programmed “British” English as my language of choice. While driving back for Darch, I received a call on my cell from an RV dealer who had found the lost GPS on the ground, some miles away from where I must have left it on the bumper of the Jeep. How it rode that far before falling off is a mystery but I was very glad to get it back. Now I have two GPSs, both with a use of their own.

Feb 11th, we drove to Whitewater Wash Wildlife Refuge (N31 33.636 W109 43.131) to meet Kathy and Bert in their new diesel-pusher Motor Home. Bert is very sensitive (read paranoid) about driving the MH anywhere off pavement, so he was less than ecstatic about the small amount of washboard and large quantities of dust at this site. The parking lot (free) was small (4 RV spaces) and dusty but the birdlife was quite spectacular. Nights were cool with lows of -17°F (-6C) but days were in the 60s. Huge flocks of grey Sand Cranes (80% of the entire US population), along with shovel beak ducks and teal live here and wade around in the shallow lake. On a day drive up to the Chiricahua National Monument, we saw thousands of these cranes in flight, wheeling around in circles and presenting a dark, constantly shifting cloud in the sky. The Chiricahuas were worth the visit – exotic rock formations carved out of the original volcanic materials included spires and balancing rocks. There is a camp on Pinery Road area just outside the park – not very attractive, so probably not one for the list.

Feb 13th was moving day for Darch, Catherine and I – Bert and Kathy stayed at the Refuge for an extra day of bird watching. The plan was to inspect the old mining town of Bisbee en route to camping overnight at the Las Cienegas (marshes) Wildlife Refuge. Since the mine closure, Bisbee has been transformed into a narrow-streeted tourist town full of antique, jewellery and souvenir shops, certainly worth a visit as the entire town (very picturesque) is situated in a narrow valley near the huge pit of the mine. Houses dating back to the mining era are perched on and under rock formations with most buildings having weathered at least a half-century of use.



Along the way, we stopped at several spots that Darch was interested in for future biking purposes, then found Las Cienegas (N31 42.342 W 110 35.465) before dark. There are two official campsites 2½ to 3 miles down the trail here but we chose to park in an “unofficial” clearing in the prairie a few hundred yards from the highway along a fairly smooth dirt road. With an elevation of 4625, I was concerned about cool temps overnight but we bottomed out at only 27° (-3°C). Overall, this site is grassy and very pleasant. From its look, it might be somewhere in southern Alberta.



Kathy and Bert arrived on the 14th. Bert managed to break his electrical connection holder for the car while entering our camp spot, so was unhappy about that. They have a satellite dish with Internet connection but, even with the code, I don’t seem to be able to connect. My Telus stick has a strong signal, so I shall turn off all the programs that download and give it a try. We spotted a herd of antelope or deer nearby but not as many birds as one might expect. Nighttime temps 27° but daytime highs in the 70s.



JW

From Plomosa Road January 27th 2011

Since the last episode was written a month ago, this chapter begins back in late December, 2010.



December 30th, snow could be seen on the +2000’ hills west of Parker, winds gusted from the North at 30 mph and nighttime temperatures dropped below freezing at Plomosa Camp. Water jugs in the back of the truck had a layer of ice to reinforce the impression that winter wasn’t too far distant. This was short-lived, however, as more typical weather returned a day or two later. The Richards (Hugh and Christine) are now long gone but at some stage they became the proud owners of a water transfer pump, the ultimate in back-pain-relief-technology. Heavy jugs no longer have to be manhandled between truck and trailer. And a spare pump with intubes, outtubes, and a switch, does the rest. We went off to Parker to get all the bits and pieces, assembled it all the next day and had a successful demonstration forthwith.



Breakfast by bicycle to Bouse (5 miles one-way) was a highlight of the penultimate Richard’s day at Plomosa. Hugh and I rode down. Christine and I rode back, doing a desert loop en-route to inspect Handy Bob’s camp area, 1.5 miles to the North on a different desert trail. On Dec 31st, I rode west to the Pass overlooking Highway 95. Up from our camp some NRA types were shooting rifles and I’m sure that they were aiming to miss my blue helmet by only a small margin. Tempted as I was to ride at them in a full frontal assault, age and numbers appeared to be on their side, so I kept on with my tour. On the bike, I went for a 19 mile ride to The Four Peak’s Thumb, then back over some steep hills to what I call the South-West Plomosa Pass. Continuing on, I went to visit Handy Bob (Bob Shearer) at his site. He came back with me on his bike, chatted with Ted and returned home. Once again, he seems to be in the installation business for solar equipment and even had a box full of Tri-Metric Monitors on hand. He said that he didn’t really want people coming to his campsite but, with reference from someone he knew, would be willing to visit them. Preferably, potential clients would see him at his summer property at Roundup, Montana. I always suggest that anyone with interest in solar, get a monitor (Tri-Metric) first, since it gives all the information needed to know about the power and battery requirements of their RV. Bob seemed, if anything, to have hardened his assessment toward commercial solar dealers in general and the Quartzsite ones in particular. In fact, he managed an almost continuous rant all the way from his trailer to mine during the bike ride.



Bob can be a little testy (to put it mildly) but his information is good. I had been experiencing lower than normal amperages from my solar system, along with heating near an in-line fuse connecting the positive cable from the solar controller to the battery. Bob told me to change out the fuse holder because they can develop a resistance that makes the controller think that the batteries are charged long before they actually reach that state, thus telling them to slow down the charge. Anyway, I changed the holder and immediately gained about 3 amps – very satisfying!





Jan 5th 2011 Bouse Library

Saga of the Bouse Library Wi-Fi Router

It would seem that the Bouse Library has become a hotbed of political intrigue this winter, at least as far as its Guest Services Department is concerned. In my last E-mail, I mentioned that the Internet Router for Wi-fi had been on the fritz for the better part of 10 days. Power failures, California storms, staff competency and other issues all received the pointed finger. At some stage, the technician arrived, pressed a reset button and voila – the signal returned. This was greatly appreciated by the assembled desert dwellers, people like me who only come to town on occasion and look forward to their exchanges with the outside world. One day in early January, however, and just minutes before I crossed the threshold of the library, the system crashed again. Four volunteer ladies clucked and bustled around but none had the nerve to enter the inner sanctum in which the router was shelved. On this occasion, however, I took advantage of my carefully fostered relationship with this clutch of pleasant but unskilled assistants, and was invited in to take a look. When in doubt, turn things off and turn them on again. I unplugged, then replugged and lo, the system hummed to life. Applause was muted but I expect a goat will be sacrificed somewhere.



Since the Richards’ departure, much has happened on Plomosa Road. Mainly, I am still here - I guess that is not actually a “happening”. This is as nice a place as any to spend time and the ranger has not been to visit or to issue eviction notices. Also, the trailer has been standing, like a heron, on a single front leg minus a set of bevel gears in the port-side front landing leg. These are the gears, attached to an electric motor, that enable the trailer to go up and down when levelling or to position it on the truck hitch when readying for travel. A skipping/grinding sound over the last year or so has turned out to be a case of extremely worn bevel gears inside the landing assembly. Luckily, a camping neighbour here on Plomosa, Walt from Prince George, happens to be a mechanic who rebuilds, amongst other things, antique VW Bugs, race cars and anything else that moves, including, apparently, fifth-wheel landing legs. He volunteered for the project and whipped out the old gears in very short time. He is a small, wiry guy of Swiss descent, who can fit in the forward compartment of the trailer while twisting his wrenches. I will have to work on my Rum and Diet-Cokeless diet a little longer before I fit into anything smaller than the back of my truck.



Ted Webber (friend from Las Cruces NM) has been here for a couple of weeks in his Motorhome. He and I went golfing one day at Emerald Canyon, north of Parker. This is, in my view, an exceptionally scenic, but tricky course with lush green fairways and greens winding their way through narrow rock canyons – quite challenging for those of us who lack golf ball guidance systems. Ted has his computer hooked to the Internet via a Verizon Mi-Fi gizmo that gives him a slow connection most of the time but is still quite usable and affordable, unlike my own system with Telus.



As the Quartzsite RV show dates approached, there was a noticeable change in the desert. Previously unoccupied tracts of land became campsites for thousands of RVs, often arranged in groups according to type and model or club, as in Escapees etc. Our end of Plomosa Road is still lightly populated with most RVers choosing to camp nearer to Q.



My parts for the landing gear did arrive and Walt managed to put it back together without any leftover nuts and bolts (an accomplishment in itself). We had to remove the leg assembly and mechanism from underneath, so I had an opportunity to use my second-hand-store pick and shovel to dig a pit in the appropriate spot to make room for the extraction. At one stage, I had been a little worried that the parts would be delayed, Walt would move on to greener pastures and I would be stranded in the desert on one leg (literally). Now, the heron again stands comfortably on two legs; I can hitch up to the truck at will and make a move when the time comes.



I have changed my phone plan from the Telus North America rate, at $75/month for 250 minutes, to the Telus Voice Pass which costs $20 per month, plus $0.25 per minute, still excessive in my view but more appropriate to my limited long-distance conversations. This plan has to be renewed by phone or Internet each month on the 25th. I have also changed the Internet plan to one that costs $10 per month on top of my regular Canadian plan but then only costs $1 per roaming minute, still potentially dangerous if there are heavy data downloads, but better than the $3 per minute plan that I had before. This plan has to be updated each month on the 6th. I have learned how to go into Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services and disable most of the sites that are likely to create large data downloads. However, nothing seems to prevent Hotmail from accumulating several Mbs of data, each costing a dollar, even while doing short e-mail checks. I am thinking of getting a Verizon “Stick” like my Telus “stick” and enabling it only for the months that I am in the US. If anyone has a reasonable alternative on this topic, please let me know.

We have been to check out the vendors and RV dealers a couple of times in Quartzsite. Massive crowds make this an enterprise only to be undertaken by resilient shoppers who enjoy dodging dogs in baby strollers pushed by obese people in larger strollers, ever-present cigarette smoke and line-ups at all the popular booths which happened to include most in which I had an interest. .Chowing down on colossal, 1 Kg plates of curly shoestring fries (more than any two, possibly three, people can eat) at the burger place where we lunched, may have been the challenge of the week. We met up with Gerry and Heather Percy for our lunch stop – they are camped near Q at the Scadden Wash area, a shorter drive or bike ride into town but too crowded for my liking. My purchases included a few LED light bulbs to replace the regular incandescents located in the chandelier above the table. These are incredible, casting about the same amount of light but using only a small fraction of the power. For those of us attempting to save the world by living under solar, these lights are quite a revelation.



I think my time at Plomosa is drawing nigh. Ted plans to move out soon, possibly to visit the Vulture Mountain camp area on his way home to Las Cruces. I may or may not go, depending on whether an expedition to camp over near the Chiricahua Mountains with Darch Oborne, sister Kathy, and possibly others, is mounted.



JW