Just say no to Cholla!

The Bichon Brothers and I went for a walk this morning. I was trying to watch so they didn’t step on any Cholla but while I was watching the younger three, Charley found one. I heard him make a distressed little yip, and turned to see him trying to bite a Cholla pod that was on top of one of his front paws. It took me a few minutes to get the Cholla pod off of him. By that time his paw and his mouth were full oh Cholla spines. I pulled out what I could, but by then Charley was freaking out. I put all four of the Bichon Brothers in the truck and headed into Yuma, an hour away. I found a veterinary clinic that was open on my smart phone. It was the Desert Center Veterinary Clinic. They got Charley right in and took care of him. It was getting dark as we got back to our camp.

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TGIF?

Really, Thursday was much nicer!  Wind gusts are rocking the trailer and it is a little on the cool side. The Bichon Brothers and I have been outside and decided that inside was a better idea.

There are some high clouds, but there is no rain in the forecast. The weather is pretty much the same from one place to another in Arizona. With the exception that if you get into higher elevations, it gets colder. So, I guess we will stay put for now. I guess I could was the dishes…

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On the Kings Road!

After going into Yuma for water and supplies, we are back out on the KOFA National Wildlife Refruge. This time we followed highway 95 to a place called The Stone Cabin, and turned onto a road to the right. A sign said 15 miles rough road, so of course we took that road. We only traveled about five miles before stopping. It is pretty remote here, so I let the Bichon Brothers outside off of their leashes. They stayed reasonably close and came when I called them.

I forgot to get the empty propane tank filled, but the other one is full. It should be good for a week. We aren’t far from Quartzite if we run out. We will decide whether to go somewhere else tomorrow. It is pretty nice right here.

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Cool & Clear

It is 43 degrees and sunny here in the KOFA NATIONAL Wildlife Refruge. Today is supposed to be a little warmer than yesterday, which only got up to 56.

Last night’s sunset was beautiful. The Bichon Brothers  have been enjoying their walks, even though the ground is pretty rocky in some areas. We try to pace ourselves with frequent snacks and naps.

For anyone who is trying to pinpoint our location, I found this sign on one of our walks. We aren’t far from a few old mines. Vehicles pass on the gravel road a couple of times a day, but nobody is camped here but us. Maybe I should do the dishes today. Wait! There is still more coffee left in the coffee pot…

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Free at last!

Boondocking in the KOFA National Wildlife Refruge. There is nobody near our campsite. We are nearly surrounded by hills full of old mines. The one up the road we are camped next to is called The Big Eye Mine. There is also a mining museum not far from here. The pavement ended several miles back and the road isn’t too rough, but not smooth either. We can stay here free for 14 days. We can move to another area in the park and stay for another 14 days after that. Not sure what we’ll do, I will have to talk it over with the Bichon Brothers.
It is 55 degrees and windy out. We are keeping warm and dry in the Casita. I hope tomorrow is warmer. Guess I will be reading more on my Kindle for now.

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Saved by libertatemamo!

My apologies for any mispelling. After going in circles for days, I got my installment of Wheeling It from the aforementioned author.

I was in Parker, Arizona, yes again! When I decided to go back to Ajo, via Quartzite. During the drive, I decided to stay overnight in Yuma, rather than getting to Ajo in the dark. So I am sitting in the Casita with the boys staring at me while I read my email. I wonder what the little Bichon Brothers think about all of the circles we have been going in.

I drove past KOFU today, thinking it looked like a great place to camp. I decided that it probably wasn’t allowed. Then I read the wonderful review of favorite camping places in Wheeling It and found a wealth of information.  I was right on top of a couple of great places in the past few days and drove right by them! My thanks to libertatemamo! Tomorrow, I am off to KOFU.

The Bichon Brothers think that I am crazy… What do they know!

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Heard it never rains in sunny Southern California…

I must have gotten  that wrong, cause it is cold and rainy here today. We are camped a few miles North of Blythe, California.

New tires for the Casita have been ordered and should be in tomorrow.

The Bichon Brothers are all napping. A good thing on a cold wet day. I think I will read some more Sheriff Longmmire on my Kindle. More later…

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Where the heck are we?

We traveled in a big circle, roughly speaking. After we left  Organ Pipe National Monument,  we went to Why, Arizona and turned NE toward my brother  Joe’s place in Fremont. We enjoyed his hospitality for a couple of days, and then traveled North to Camp Verde. The altitude is a little higher there, and the temperature at night was much cooler. I had a few modifications done there by Conrad at Little House Customs Arizona. He was gracious and accommodating. I showed up at his home on New Years Eve, and he worked all day on New Years Day to get my Casita mods done. I can’t say enough about how good he was to work with!

The Bichon Brothers all got baths and trims before we left town the following day.

Weather reports for rain and cooler temperatures convinced me to head towards Parker, Arizona, near Quartzite. We ended up staying overnight in Parker at the Walmart parking lot. Today we navigated our way to some BLM camping area South of I10, between the Chocolate Mountains and Palo Verde. If you know where I am, can you please explain it to me?

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Sunny Arizona!

Sunny and cold! This is a picture out my window. The Bichon Brothers took me on a walk around the campground right after the sun came up. One report said that it was 30 degree and another said 32. It felt cold! The high today might get to 58…

I had dinner in a small cafe in Ajo last night. I was amazed to find a picture of my brother, Bob hanging on the wall. And it didn’t say anything about him being wanted either.

I can’t remember if I showed this before, but this is what an Organ Pipe cactus looks like. They can grow very tall. I am guessing that this one is around twenty feet. There is a huge variety of cactus plants. The Bichon Brothers step on little pods with what looks like needles coming out all over from the center. The boys just wait with the paw in the air until I pull it out.

I have to drain the tanks on the Casita today, and fill the water tank. One propane bottle ran out last night, so I will get it refilled tomorrow when I am in Ajo. The propane furnace comes on frequently due to the cold. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer.

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Christmas Day

Oop! That was Christmas Eve’s moon. When I got back to the Organ Pipe campground the boys walked around the campground loop with me. It was much brighter than the picture looks.

The little town of Ajo has a small but beautiful park, and every year a nativity set is on one end of the park. Ajo is not a wealthy community, but it is clean and we’ll cared for.

I went to a meeting in Ajo last night where I met people from North Carolina, Maine, California. The visitors outnumbered the regulars. It was a great place to be on Christmas Eve. And after the meeting, I called and talked to my wife, our children, and the grandchildren. They were all celebrating Christmas together. I really missed being there with them.

This is what an Organ Pipe cactus looks like. I don’t know how big they get, but all of the ones I have seen tower way over my head. I am guessing about 20 feet tall.

Our campground. This is one of the cleanest and best maintained campgrounds I have been in. With my senior pass, it is eight dollars a night.

And this is Sonny, sticking his tongue out at me. A terrible little dog.

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