From Gunsight Wash February 26th 2017

My coach has an Aqua-hot heating system which can heat the interior, heat the hot water or even heat the engine, depending on how one sets it.

With night-time temps at or about the freezing mark e few times during the winter (only 27 one morning), I would set the thermostat at 48 during the night, just in case it got really cold and the water pipes needed a little thawing (not the case unless much cooler). During the day, after a morning heat-up, I turned the system off, because, by then, sun is coming through the big front windows to warm the coach. Aqua-Hot also heats the water except I rarely use it for that unless having one of my occasional navy showers. Dishes get washed once a day if they're lucky, from water heated in a pot on the stove and supplied from my 5 gal jug that can be refilled from time to time. Overall, I would say the Aqua-Hot system is excellent even though I don't use it to full potential. In addition to heating water it will run in reverse to heat the engine (acting as a block heater) and can run in conjunction with the regular coach heater while in transit during cold weather (rarely, if at all this year).

Early in February, cousin David Asquin and wife Louise came to visit for a night. They were the first couple to test the new “sleeper couch” and proclaimed it acceptable. I had been worried that 48” of width might not be wide enough. Their itinerary brought them from Scottsdale and saw them headed off to San Diego to visit the zoo and Marineland with stops at various golf courses as they travel.

Gunsight was great for about three weeks after which I pulled up stakes, went back to the nearby Casino at Hickiwan to dump tanks again, and did more laundry. Then it was off to Apache Junction to visit Darch and Catherine Oborne. Their driveway is just big enough for me to navigate – one or two cacti had to be consoled after I nicked them with the rear tires but no lasting damage was done. The CC has picked up a few scratches, firstly by threading through the narrow, creosote bush-lined access trails at Gunsight wash, and also because I tried to squeeze into an RV site at Hickiwan Trails where a mesquite tree branch somehow leapt out and caught me.

At Apache Junction, I went to look at an e-bike that Darch had found at his local bike shop. E-bikes would be a good fit for me as they can assist the pedals, or just move the bike along on the throttle setting. This particular bike, I didn’t get but have now ordered a different one to be shipped to me at Apache Junction from Seattle. If anyone wishes to look at it and read some information, then check out Radpowerbikes.com. Mine is the Rad Rover model – looks like a mountain bike but has 4” wide tires and can help push me up hills with minimum effort, depending on where I set the “assist” mode.

From Apache Junction, I followed Darch in his “rig” to a free-camping site at the Picket Post horse encampment.

Darchmobile at Picket Post camp
 

Along with his biking friends Dave and Donna Morter, we were surrounded by people with horses, mules and donkeys. From this spot, a section of the Arizona Trail goes in both directions. I rode it for about a mile and a half while the others rode further and suspect that my days of riding narrow single-track trails are coming to an end. Balance (and stamina) have disappeared to the extent that I am no longer very confident riding along narrow tracks.  When my e-bike arrives, it will stay on reasonably wide surfaces.

Just down the road is the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. This is a very informative outdoor desert museum that displays local plant life and has a self-guided hiking trail of about 1½ miles. That same day, I visited the local Walmart in Claypool/Globe for supplies. Across the highway was an interesting sight. Cattle were grazing on the bank of an old mine tailings slope that had grassed over. This slope must have been at least 50°

and every time one of the cows tried to move, it staggered and nearly fell down the hill. I’m sure no one told those cows to eat there, so they must have had a meeting at which it was decided to ignore the risk in order to get the good grass.

cattle on slope at Globe

From Picket Post, we went north for about 2 hours to Roosevelt Lake, where I camped last year. The price is still $8 per night for a very attractive campground overlooking the lake (Windy Hill – Coati Loop) with hot showers and bathrooms (run from solar).  Scattered throughout are isolated water taps, including one near me from which I was able to fill and refill my 20 litre jug to use for dishes once per day. There is no power and generators are allowed though I haven’t really been bothered much by them. Also, there are a couple of sewer dumps up the road that open each for 2 days per week. This place is ideal for me as I have plenty of water on board (probably 2 months worth) and the waste and sewage tanks can probably hold out for the same amount of time. Power, I don’t need because, by this time of year, the days are getting longer and the sun is high enough to give me all the solar I can use, plus, hopefully, enough extra to charge the e-bike battery when that gets added to the fleet. I now plan to go back to the Oborne’s back yard to await my e-bike arrival.

While here at Roosevelt, I have been on a few short rides and hikes, volunteering once to shuttle the other bikers up to the top of a trail at Mills Ridge Trailhead. 

Sunset
 at Roosevelt

I have also bounced around the countryside in the Jeep, exploring different tracks on my own.  Trailheads visited include Thule, Campaign Creek and Cottonwood (roads 449 449-A, and 83). On the last of these jaunts, I followed Mike Quinn, a new acquaintance, on his dirt bike above the actual trailhead to a ridge from which there was a great view of the surrounding countryside. Mike and his wife, Sissie, volunteer with the Tonto Forest Reserve to do trail work throughout the Park, so they are very knowledgeable about the local terrain. This particular trail was quite steep, rough and worn from erosion but the Jeep handled it all with aplomb.

  
 

From Gunsight Wash January 26th 2017

From Gunsight Wash (32 14.409 112 45.394)

Jan 4^{th -} I pulled up stakes at Plomosa after 6 weeks in the desert. All utilities still had plenty of water and propane reserve, plus space available in both waste tanks to last at least another two weeks. However, a change is as good as a rest so I aimed for another regular spot to the south-east at Why. I was thinking it would be nice to do my laundry, have a shower without having to turn off the tap between shampoo and soap or collect any excess water for the dishwashing pot, so went to the Tohono O’odham Indian Casino RV Park (aka Hickiwan Trails RV), a mile east of Why. Best of all at Hickiwan is the price. $19 gets you a night of full hook-ups but $85 buys a week ($12.14 a night), no tax included as the park is on the reservation. So, I chose the latter and for very little money, enjoyed showers using unlimited water every night, practiced making exotic dinners in the convection oven and did my laundry – all without leaving home!

 As a stepping stone to the next boondocking stint in the desert, this place is ideal. I can drive over to Gunsight Wash in the Jeep, about 3 miles away, to scout locations for my eventual move. With the big coach, one has to be a little picky about sites and access to same as it was built for pavement and resents most of my incursions onto small Jeep tracks leading to remote campsites. Reconnoitring ahead of time minimizes the odds that I will have to turn around or back up (tough to do with the Jeep attached). 

 

On the way to Why, I had an “incident” with the Jeep.

Windowless Jeep

This happened on Freeway I -10, eastbound about 100 miles west of Phoenix. First, I heard a heavy thump by the coach door and, having some experience with heavy thumps, stopped to investigate – to discover nothing amiss. However, I failed to look as far as the rear of Jeep since the noise in question was closer to the front (and only) door on the coach. Later that day, after arrival at the RV Park, I discovered a totally shattered back window on the Jeep with the rear inside covered in small fragments of glass. How this happened is a mystery though speculation would have it that I was targeted by the sonic boom of a US forces’ jet. Alternatively, someone in a fit of “road rage”, having taken exception to the fact that I was driving at 10mph under the speed limit, took a shotgun pot-shot from behind. Likely, I shall never know. After a few phone calls, I arranged a repair/replacement in Ajo and also got ICBC to pay for the damage, (minus my $300 deductible).

Sunset at Gunsight Wash
 

 

My neighbours at Hickiwan are Ev and Joan, ex-hosts at Gunsight Wash down the road. I was able to pass on to them a few books that I had been given by Walt and Susan. I don’t think anyone I ever meet actually buys a book – trading seems to be the norm. Most Parks and even the BLM at Gunsight have a book exchange.

 

Somewhere near the park is a herd of wild burros. One can hear the braying at night and hikers have encountered as many as nine animals in one herd. Apparently, burros/donkeys are becoming something of a traffic hazard as they are very difficult to see at night and a number have been killed.

 

The Jeep window repair took a couple of hours at the Napa store in Ajo – I was amazed that they were able to acquire such a window in so short a time.

CC at Gunsight Wash Camp
 

 While they were working on that, I walked up the road to the Cabeza Prieta (dark head) Interpretive Centre to look at desert pictures and even watched a video all about the Sonoran Desert. The Cabeza Prieta is a National Wildlife Refuge and encompasses a large swath of the desert area running along the Mexican border, up to Ajo in the north with Yuma on the west. This is an unpopulated area and seems dedicated to the preservation of the pronghorn antelope, a species on the edge of extinction that the government is trying to rebuild by keeping all the humans away from them. It is also an area that sees plenty of illegal immigrant traffic migrating north from Mexico. Given the extremely harsh environment, it was not surprising to see an article in the local Ajo newspaper stating that the remains of 155 people had been found in the desert in 2016, 2700 since 2001 – that’s an awful lot of people who, presumably just ran out of steam. Local organizations try to cut down on the deaths by providing water stations and other assistance but that is just a drop in the bucket.

 

At the time of this writing, sunny but cool weather has returned after a week of clouds and even some rain. Night-time lows are down near freezing – a good opportunity to test my fancy Aqua-Hot heating system.

 

The other day, I attended a presentation put on by the local Border Patrol Post in Why. They toured our group of 25 people around their big new HQ compound and gave us a rundown on the workings of their organization. It seems that the combination of George Bush’s fence and increased members has slowed the regular traffic north in this area. Drug smuggling is another matter and they still catch lots of people. A couple of days ago, a plainly marked Border patrol truck roared through our Gunsight Wash campground, to be followed by a low flying chopper. I could hear the chopper hovering about 5 miles away and then the truck returned with 8 or 9 unhappy-looking men in the back, presumably picked up after having completed 50 miles or so of their 100 mile hike to a better life.

 

Darch and some friends came by last weekend, so we went for a bike ride up Mica Mine Road. My bike (through no fault of my own) somehow managed to bend the rear derailleur which made it inoperable. Luckily I was able to coast most of the way downhill back to the car. Darch has taken the bike to a shop in Apache Junction where they will replace the damaged parts. I am also giving thought to acquiring an e-bike. This is a normal bicycle with a battery-operated motor to provide pedalling assistance. With my various aches and pains, I find that pedalling up some of the rugged trails down here is becoming a chore. The next task is to find out if I can recharge the bike batteries from my coach inverter, since, by this time of year, I am starting to have surplus solar energy from my panels.

Gayle Weyers at work
 

So far this season, on the scrabble front, I am batting zero against friends, Don and Gayle in Ajo, Though my determination has been fierce, I don’t seem to be able to remember my list of Chinese-based two letter words beginning with “Q”  and not requiring a “U” at the right time and place.

 

 

 

I expect to stay here at Gunsight Wash until after Feb 5^th when there is a possibility of my cousin David Asquin and wife Louise dropping in for a quick overnight visit.

Cousin David and Louise