Happy New Year 2014

                                                              Desert Tarantula

"Finger Mountain" north of Parker, Az

Sunrise over Parker, Arizona

Arizona Barrel Cactus

Dead wood in a wash

                                                           

Another year has passed us by.  At least it seems that way to me.  This past year is a blur when I think about it.  When Richard and I got back from our winter sojourn  of last winter I hit the ground running.  I had sold my home on US 2 in Crystal Falls and I needed a new place to call home.  I found it in Crystal Falls on Harrison Avenue - 822 Harrison Avenue to be exact.  After looking at a few homes and going back three times to 822, I knew it was going to be the one.  The curious thing is this.  When we moved to Crystal Falls in February of 1976 we moved into a cute little YELLOW house on Third Street.  When we found the house that would become home for the next 30 some years it too was YELLOW.  The house on Harrison is.....surprise....YELLOW.  I see a theme beginning.  However, it should end with the house on Harrison.  Hopefully, it will be my last home unless, of course, there is another yellow one out there waiting for me.

The summer passed by so quickly with the work that was being done in the house; packing up the house out in the country, sorting, giving away.  I moved in on Sept 7th and began the unpacking and putting away.  If anyone has lived in one place for well over 30 years you will know how much "stuff" is gathered, boxed and saved and then discovered when one moves. It definitely was a time of cleansing and of letting go.    I am somewhat settled into my new little house on Harrison.  It is not quite yet home, but Jonas my cat likes it so it must be ok.  With the help of some wonderful craftsmen it all came together. My children came “home” one last time to say goodbye to the home they had grown up in, played in, laughed and cried in.  It was an emotional couple of days but good for all of us.  It isn’t the home that I will miss but the land, the trees, the rocks and even the weeds I called the lawn.  It was time, and the perfect young family walked through my door one day and it became theirs.  I think that home will be a happy dwelling as it has (almost) four little children to raise and nurture and protect. This family will be wonderful stewards of the land as Roger and I tried to be .  They love the trees, the pond and even the old falling apart barn.

Richard and I  began our 2013-14 trip on November 24th this year and headed downstate for Thanksgiving with my son and family in Dexter, Mi.  My daughter Anne Marie and her husband, Daniel flew in from Portland, Oregon for the holiday.  It was so good being all together again especially with the little ones.  I stayed through to Safia's 8th birthday and then Richard picked me up and we headed into some of the worst weather we have experienced in the last four years.  We had hoped to get as far south and west as we could without running into extreme winter weather.  Not possible this year.  We wove our way through and around and in between fronts that were coming through.  We had to stop one day at 11:30 AM because of freezing rain.  We were t he smart ones on the road that day it seems.  The next day leaving Mt Vernon, Illinois, we passed several semi-trucks jack-knifed, belly up, sideways, in all positions in the median of the four lane.  We used common sense and got off the road.  The trucks....well, they  just kept on trucking.

The past four years we have always taken “the roads less traveled” literally., The Blue Roads as we call them   to get to wherever our planned destination is.  In fact the journey has always been our destination.  Not this year.  For whatever reason we both felt compelled to bee line it for the south west even taking the dreaded highways to get there.  We pushed and finally arrived where we both felt we needed to be....the desert near Earp, Ca. just across the Colorado River from Parker, Arizona.  We have met other people from all over, and it has become kind of a home away from home.  This year we met a couple from Iron River and spent Christmas together as well as New Years. 

Coming here is like taking a deep cleansing breath and a slowing down of bodies and minds.  The air is dry, the temps are in the 60's during the day under clear sunny skies.  There are huge washes, canyons and small mountains to climb, a road to bike and countless rocks to bring back to Iron County.  This is an excellent place for "older" bones and muscles to lose their ache and to re- find the bounce that got misplaced over the years.

I wish you all a HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

HEADING HOME.....SLOWLY - April 2, 2013

It has been a long time since I posted on this blog.  Been too busy enjoying myself in the desert and visiting with friends we made from last winter.  So good to see them again this year.  We just parted this past weekend with us going south and they heading north to Colorado.  We will eventually turn east and north but want to soak up as much sun and warmth as  possible before we do that.

We left our favorite camping spot  which we fondly call 18 Wheeler Hill because  a semi pulled in here last winter and gave everyone camping here all kinds of crazy ideas as to what he might be up to.  One group called the Sheriff and the California Patrol.  Both agencies showed up, broke the man's window just as he came walking out of the mountains wearing  a purple back pack.  He was rock hounding during his mandatory 36 hours of rest from driving!  All our imaginations were quickly dashed.  He dumped out his "contraband" at the feet of the police. No drugs, just large rocks which he cuts or slices and polishes to inlay into coffee tables and other pieces of furniture.

No 18 Wheeler this year but this area is one of the greatest for rock hounding and hiking. There are relatively  shallow canyons and  huge washes that are dry this time of year and are great places to find Agate and Jasper, Quartz and sometimes Rattlesnakes.  Many snakes were sighted this year but none by this writer......darn.  Always had the camera ready but all I got were lizards and bugs and butterflies.  The absolute best quality of this home away from home was quiet.  Only bird song and an occasional jet overhead.  No highway noise, no hum of high power wires and no TV.  It was truly amazing watching the desert come alive after a couple days of good soaking rain.  The ground became like green velvet and just a couple of weeks ago all the cacti and other desert bushes began to bloom.  This was the first time we have seen so many things blooming. 

We did leave our "home" a few times for other camping spots.  My next favorite would be down at Telephone Cove on Lake Mohave (think Reservoir).  We made friends with people and ducks!!!  Beautiful place on the water with few people.  

Yesterday  we left the Mohave Desert to enter the Sonoran.  We are just south of Wickenberg, Az in (hopefully) Bureau of Land Mangement territory......if our map is correct!  Lots of Ocotilla, Saguaro (my all time favorite cactus); Teddy Bear Cholla, Jumping Cholla (I came home today from a hike limping)  One of the Cholla thorns went right through the sole of my hiking boot into my foot  and Richard had to pull it out with pliers!!  This area is a little higher in elevation making it a bit cooler which is a nice break from the high 90's of the past couple of weeks. 

We will move on tomorrow but for this day and night we are resting  in  the surrounding desert.

                                                          

                                               Prickly Pear near Earp, Ca (18 Wheeler) 
                                                            

                                  18 Wheeler land - (camper top right)

                                                       

                         
                                       Almost full moon at dusk on 3-26

                                                        

                                    

                                        Last campfire with friends  3-30-13

                                                           

                                        Last sunset over Earp

                                                         

                                          Telephone Cove on Lake Mohave

                                 Richard feeding the "Odd Couple on Lake Mohave

                                      Male is a Peking and female is a Mallard  

                                                               

                                           Sonoran Desert south of Wickenberg. AZ

                                                            

                                         Today in the desert

                                                      

                                    One more of our "ducky" friends!

BOONDOCKING CONTINUED!

                                                        

                                               Birds of a feather???

A few years ago I had no clue what the term “boondocking” meant.  I knew that I lived in the “boondocks” – you have to admit, Crystal Falls, in  Iron County is situated right in the middle of the boondocks!  As mentioned in prior posts; Boondocking is simply pulling out into the desert or other public land and staying for as long as you have water and supplies.  The rule is: Pack it in and pack it out.    Perhaps that is why I so enjoy “boondocking” in camping.  I do not like large cities and I also do not enjoy staying in the mega-huge RV parks that are plentiful in the southwest. If you like being able to pass sugar through your window to the camper next to you then they are great.   They definitely have their perks with many parks offering classes in everything from art to zoo keeping.  They offer tennis, sometimes golf and many social gatherings.  One of the biggest draws is that they offer community which can be missing when camping out in the desert alone.  However, Richard and I have found community these last  couple of years in two of the areas that are our favorite boondocking  sites.    Both are just across the Colorado River from Arizona into California.    At present we are on the California side of the Colorado River  across  from Parker, Arizona in a location that is named Big River.  We met people from Colorado last winter and hope to see them here  once again this year.  We have also met a few others and find ourselves getting together at least once a day to visit (me to get my dog fix from a couple of people who have dogs) and  often we have  campfires in the evening to chase away the chill that accompanies the setting of the sun in the desert.  Boondocking is not for everyone , but for us it is the best  way to find peace, quiet, the wonders of nature and warm dry air during the winter months  for “older” muscles and bones.

                                                          

                                            Green in the desert

                                                                  

                                               A new friend - Blue tailed lizard

                                    Our camper in upper rt corner(I was hiking)

                                       Hidden pool of water in boulders

                                          Hillside of Jasper or Agate

                                              Rain coming in from the west

                                        Breakfast in the sunshine

                                                   

                                        Sunrise over our campsite