Gunsight Wash January 18th 2018

From Gunsight Wash Jan 18^th 2017

JW and Rad with CC at Gunsight camp

Stayed at Hickiwan for 2 nights and went over to Gunsight Wash on Dec 30^th. There I met Ted Webber from Las Cruces, NM. The BLM area, one of my regular haunts, is very quiet with lots of vacant spaces, so I had no trouble manoeuvring  in to my favourite site in the shade of an ironwood tree

Lunch in Why at Granny’s Café was on the agenda a few times. Ted also has an E-bike (Rad-Mini) so cruising the desert trails in search of lunch was a worthy project. I found that, on relatively flat terrain, I don’t have to use my e-motor much, if at all, so the battery can last a long time (50+ kms at a guess). It charges quite quickly on the motorhome inverter and only draws about 7 amps while doing so.

Ted departed Gunsight on Jan 8^th for Gila Bend and points west while I remain to soak up the Gunsight. Daytime temps are back close to 80F, though nights can be cool (high 30’s).

Being at Gunsight means that I am in proximity to Ajo and my friends, Don and Gayle. Wednesday scrabble trips become the norm for a- week or two. Am proud to report that the first game, while Gayle was under the weather with a cold, I pounced, and won. Since then, I have been trounced several times.

At some stage earlier on one headlight on the Jeep stopped working. I ordered a new wiring bridle at the Ajo Napa which seems to do the job. I don’t drive much, if at all, at night but one should have both eyes open, just in case.

Much of my time at Gunsight seems to be spent fixing bike tires. I have been getting goat thorn-punctures. Green slime in the tubes is a pretty good preventative measure but I have ordered two extra tubes and a second spare tire to be delivered to the Oborne house in Apache Junction. Also on the list is a warranty replacement bottom bracket. Mine has come loose and clunks all the time. The big problem is getting the pedal handles (crank set) off so I can get at the bracket to fix or replace it. On a desert ride of 10 miles, I got about 3 miles along when the pedals started to seize. Somehow, the bracket cap ends had come loose and got jammed which made pedalling quite hard. I reckoned that this was a good occasion to test the battery and so motored home the remaining 7 Miles, partly uphill on a gentle grade. Everything worked like a charm – lots of power, though I didn’t max out (the bike goes too fast for desert scrub).

Think I am going to have to get a piece of pipe to use for extra leverage on the crank removal tool. When I go to stay in the Oborne driveway, we can go to the local bike shop and see if the professionals have an answer.

The plan is to go to AJ on the 23^rd, stay for a short while and then go North-east to Roosevelt Lake, where I have been going for the last couple of years. Sounds as if Darch might come as well, though he will have to find riders more dynamic than I to accompany him on his challenging rides.
Christine Richards has been down to the desert to visit a couple of times with different friends and her new dog, McKenna. She and a friend from Vancouver Island drove her motorhome south and are staying at a Park in Ajo.

I find it amazing that California areas, only a few hours away on the freeway, should be

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

suffering such devastating conditions, first wildfires and recently, floods and landslides that have killed a number of people. Here in southern Arizona, touch wood, nothing ever happens. I heard about an hour of rain one night a little while ago. Other than that, every day is sunny and every night is clear. The coastal weather stays to the west and AZ gets spared - which is why people come here, of course.