Wandering Spirit

Tuesday April 5, we…umm….Take It Easy.  (That is a reference to an upcoming blog 🙂 ) Joy and Shiloh were in the truck most of the day yesterday and they need a break.  I do laundry and clean WS, and yes, I do consider doing those little chores, ‘taking it easy’.  I get some good reading time in too.

Wednesday we are off again, west on I-40 this time, to Walnut Canyon which is on the south east edge of Flagstaff.  This is a National Monument of cliff dwellings who’s residents lived here about 800 years ago.  The elevation here is around 7000 feet, and the canyon is covered in forest, mostly pine.

We all get out and leash up, and then I find a sign that says dogs are not allowed on the trails here.  Back we go to JR, and I move her to a place that is completely shaded for Joy and Shiloh.  Also I leave the windows open.  At the visitor center I let a ranger  know  that my dogs are in the truck, in the shade with the windows open.  It’s not a hot day and I don’t feel there will be a problem.  The ranger agrees.

There are two trails here, the Rim Trail, a little over half a mile and fairly easy, and the Island Trail, just about a mile, that goes down into the canyon.  If you don’t mind walking down 240 steps at 7000 feet elevation….and then back up again….the Island Trail is WELL worth the effort!  You walk right among the old dwellings and are allowed inside most of them.

This is a view across the canyon.  I zoomed in so you can see better.  From a distance it looks more like this below:

The canyon wall is about 400 feet tall.  Water  for the people at the bottom, farming at the top, and living somewhere in-between.  I’d say these people were in pretty good physical shape!

For me it’s just fascinating to imagine what life here in this canyon must have been like!  It was a large settlement too, with many, many homes.

So far nothing I’ve showed you is reachable by walking the trails here, only viewable by walking on the 240 steps, desending 185 feet into the canyon.

Now we come to the ‘island’ which is a small mountain we walk around.  All the way around are ancient rooms.  Some were for dwelling, some were for storage.

Inside looking out at the pine forest.

Some we are not allowed inside of.

We have a lovely paved walk way, but not likely there was any such thing 800 years ago!

Within the canyon were…and are…most all the medicinal herbs needed for health.  They knew them all.  They had much more knowledge about the plants than we have today.  A common name for this plant today would be….a weed!

I thought this windblown tree was beautiful!

Happy little lizard sunning on a rock.

Then up the stairs I climb….slowly, I admit.  Joy would not have been a happy camper on this trail, and had the dogs been allowed, once I saw the trail, I would not have taken them on it.  I didn’t go on the Rim Trail this time, because Joy and Shiloh were waiting.  If I get the chance someday though, I’ll go and check that trail out too.  I am in awe of these peeks into the lifestyle of those who lived here long ago.

Back in our own tiny home, the sun sets on another lovely day!

Monday, April 4 we gas up (we get a small discount on gas here at the Mobil station because we are staying at Meteor Crater RV Park) and head east on I-40, heading towards Petrified Forest National Park, which also includes the Painted Desert.  We stop in Holbrook to check out the dog park.  It’s just a fenced area with dry grass and a fake fire hydrant, but the dogs get a break from the ride.

Then we drive on to the National Park.

I’m making the pictures a bit larger today because there is so much detail to be seen in some of them….and I’ve got free internet.  🙂

What is unusual about this national park is that dogs are allowed on all the trails!

The first place I stop is the visitor center, so that I can get a little education.  Apparently about 216 million years ago this area was hot and humid and green!  These very trees  died and fell into a river.  There, buried under layers of silt, mud, sand and volcanic ash, the mineral laden ground water percolated through the layers, carrying silica from the volcanic ash and other trace minerals.  The absorbent dead wood became saturated with these minerals.  The silica, or quartz crystals slowly (and I do mean slowly!) bonded with the cells of the trees, replicating the organic material in perfect detail.  Eventually, silica replaced the wood material.  Now the petrified forest is not made of wood, but stone. *

The colors represent different minerals.  For instance red is iron.  This piece was in a store and the price is in the upper right corner.  $7000!

Time, and the elements turned wood to stone.

Trees that lived over 200 million years ago.  It’s hard to wrap my mind around that.

Who cut the wood?  It was the weight of the earth over the years.  All the weight crushed and broke the log.  Silica naturally breaks on a clean angle.*

More amazing colors!

This park also includes petroglyphs….

And ancient dwellings.

Traveling farther south we come to the Painted Desert area of the park.  This day in the desert has been all about color!

Then we come back to our little home…

At Meteor Crater RV Park.

And find more colors in nature…brought on by spring.

And the day ends with this….

*Information from “Giant Logs Trail Guide” published by the National Park Service

And here we are at Meteor Crater RV Park!

I might have been hesitant about making reservations at a place with such a name, but I read the blog “Zen On Wheels”, and I remember Michael saying it was a very decent place, and I trusted his word.

It paid off…it really is a nice RV park, and it’s ….well…location, location, location.  Look at a map and you might think…location?  It’s smack dab in the middle of nowhere!

Sometimes the middle of nowhere is the place to be!

“The middle of nowhere!”

In reality, not too distant from us is the meteor crater of course (more about that in a minute), Walnut Canyon (ancient dwellings), the Petrified Forest, the Painted Desert, Winslow (where I can go and stand on the corner), and Flagstaff.  Even Hubble Trading Post in Ganado isn’t too terribly far.

Today I decide to see Meteor Crater.  I go early, since I’ll leave the dogs in the truck (windows open).  It won’t be more than about 60 degrees by the time I’m ready to leave, and I park so the back seat is not in direct sun.

I get $2 off for being old, and another $2 off because I’m staying in the Meteor Crater RV Park, so that brings my total to $14 to get in.

First I watch the movie “Impact”, a brief 10 minute orientation, and then I take the tour which lasts about 1 hour.

I’m fascinated with what I learn and what I see.

It’s believed that the meteor hit here about 50,000 years ago.  It hurtled to the earth at 26,000 mph, and is estimated to have been about 150 feet across, and weigh several thousand tons.  It was composed mostly of iron and nickel.  The force at which it exploded into the rocky plain was greater than 20 million tons of TNT.

In 10 seconds a crater 700 feet deep and more than 4000 feet across was formed.  Imagine 20 football fields on it’s floor, and 20 million spectators viewing from the sloping sides.

This is a rather small crater, as craters go, but it is the best preserved, and loads of research and study have been done, and are still going on here.

There are 27 known craters in the USA, and 200 worldwide, but it’s believed most meteors have landed in the oceans.

Just north west of us….The San Francisco Peaks.

UPCOMING PLANS!

Besides the things I mentioned above, I have more plans coming up.  When we leave here in about a week, we will be going to spend a week in nearby Williams, and then to The Grand Canyon for a few days!  I made reservations there at Mather Campground awhile back, and with the help of the Senior Pass, prices are very reasonable, even at the major National Parks. (and admission is free).   After I leave the canyon, I’ll be heading over to camp at Yosemite National Park for a bit!  When I shared these plans with my friends Laura and Joel (the Joel Pole man), we discovered that we will be at Yosemite during the same time frame, so that should be fun.

Upon leaving Yosemite, we’re heading back to what used to be the home place….the Monterey area of California, for a few weeks….mainly to celebrate my youngest sons 40th birthday! (wait….wasn’t I just 40????)  (guess not!)

From there, we will be heading to Glacier National Park, where we’re meeting friends Shirlee and Doug, whom we met early on in our adventures, in December of 2014.  We have reservations to camp next to each other for a week, after which time we will head into Canada and do some camping there (Shirlee and Doug are Canadian).

Soooo…..that takes us up well into June.  I’m excited!  and looking forward to sharing lots of adventures with you!

This will be short!

Just wanted to let you know I’m feeling better everyday and thank you for all the prayers and well wishes.  Even the Elk sent their regards.  One day lying  in bed…having closed my eyes for a few minutes, I opened them to a beautiful view out the window opposit me.  A band…herd….(not sure what they are called in a group) of Elk were loping across my view!  They took up the whole window and just kept on coming, crossing behind my camp, on a hill.  I don’t know how many but at least a dozen.

I texted my friend Mary to tell her, and she replied, “did you know the Elk is the symbol of stamina, strength, and  stability in Shamanism?”

No I didn’t know that, but those were all things I needed at the moment.  That was my last day in bed, so I think the Elk sent some of their 3 S’s my way as they passed by.

After a final walk this morning we will be leaving Payson and the horse camp here at Houston Mesa Campground.

Stay tuned for reports on where we land, but give me a couple of days to post.

Short answer:  Nothing.

You haven’t heard from me for awhile because I’ve been sick.  I’m recovering now, but it feels like this recovery will be slow.

What IS this?…I asked myself many times.  My best guess at this point is that I have Valley Fever.  When that diagnosis occurred to me I looked it up on line and it totally fits, with time frames and symptoms.

Easter was the worst day, so all I did was lie in bed, as I did the day before and yesterday too.

I have two sweet Golden nurses that don’t want to leave my side.

They literally don’t want to go out except when necessity calls.

Joy and Shiloh have been a great comfort through this!

Shiloh’s version of holding my hand.

I’ve extended my stay here at the horse camp to the full 14 days, so I should leave Friday instead of today.  The campground of 30 sites is basically empty, except for me.

Just wanted to let you know, I’m still kickin’.

For two nights we stay at Payson Campground and RV Resort, where I do ‘chores’ like laundry, buying propane, dumping, taking on fresh water and exploring town.

I’ve reserved a site at Houston Mesa Campground, part of the Tonto National Forest, just outside of town, in the horse camp area.  Most of the other NP campgrounds are closed this time of year.

Why the horse camp area?  The main part of the campground is busy, whereas the horse area is not, so I call the Tonto National Forest phone number to find out if non-horse campers can use the horse camp area at this campground.  After checking, the woman on the phone says yes, it’s allowed at this campground, so I make a reservation with her on the phone.

As it turns out, the horse camp area is across the street from the main campground, in a completely separate area.  The roads aren’t paved here, as they are in the main campground, but the sites are huge and private.  There are flush toilets here and working water spigots too!  I’m happy with my choice.

A woman walks by with her dog, and we talk.  I learn that she is traveling solo with 2 dogs and 2 horses.  One of her dogs is a 4 month old puppy, not walking with her now because of a recent injury.  The puppy, Kiva got in the path of one of the horses and her foot was injured, resulting in the need to amputate a toe!

Kiva with her recent toe amputation.  She is actually VERY active, and I had to wait until she was asleep so that she was still long enough to take her picture.  ****************************************************

When the injury occurred, Jeannie (Kiva’s mom)  left the horses in their pens at camp and rushed Kiva to the vet in town.  When she returned, she learned from the camp host that leaving the horses unattended here is a big no-no.  In the meantime, her fridge has stopped working.  She has a part ordered for it, but needs ice to keep her food cold.  She will need to load the horses in the trailer, just to drive a few miles for ice, since they can’t be left unattended.  I volunteer to stay with the horses while she picks up ice and whatever else she needs,  and a new friendship begins.

Jeannie’s horses, Magic on the left, Ranger on the right.

Ranger, close up!

Later the camp host, Cheyenne, comes by.  He explains that they do allow people without horses to camp here, but normally only in the front campsites, not back here where I am…but since I’m already settled, and since I’m helping out one of the horse campers (Jeannie already told him apparently), I can stay.

Gosh, they need to let the reservation department in on their rules!

 Jeannie’s dog, Chevy.

More horses, and a burro wearing a dog back-pack!   ***********************************************************

Anyway, here we are until after Easter, nestled in among the Pinion Pines, Junipers, and the horses!

With all the freedom  this wandering lifestyle brings, often the dogs are not so free.  Leash laws are most everywhere, and for good reason, but dogs need to be able to full out run!

True, RV parks sometimes have ‘dog runs’, but often they are small and dumpy.  The RV park I’m in now has the worst ‘dog run’ ever.  They boast two of them.  Here is one:

  They have another one about the same size next to the dumpster!

But yay!  The city of Payson has a dog park and it’s excellent, located at Rumsey Park,  in town with baseball diamonds, tennis courts, etc.

Extra bonus…when we show up there are friendly dogs in it. (Friendly people too).

There is an area designated for small or less active dogs:

This is a good sized area by itself, but then there is the rest of the park, and that is HUGE.

There is plenty of shade to play in, and for the humans, plenty of benches and picnic tables.

Cold water for canines and for humans:

There are poop bags…

And the humans can learn about dog related activities going on in the area:

Last but not least, free live entertainment is provided….in the form of enticing, teasing squirrels:

Can you see the squirrel in the tree?

Joy and Shiloh can!

We will definitely be returning for more play time here, while we are in the Payson area.

 Joy relaxes in the shade.

Picacho Peak State Park has been a beautiful home in the desert for a week, but the heat is returning to much of Arizona, so we need to find some elevation.  Here are a few parting shots.

Previously I showed a picture of the sun rising behind a Saguaro. Here is the sun setting behind another one.

Lots of blooming cactus.

Tall Saguaros…cactus make me think of life forms from another planet.

Non-cactus blooms too, but no poppies here.  I asked a ranger about it and she said it’s been too hot for the poppies in this area this year.

This hardly looks real, I suppose because I zoomed it so much, but I wanted you to see the two birds sitting on the very picky Cholla.

I zoomed for this too…the train going by….many many times a day and through the night. I love seeing it.  From the park the sound was a low rumble.

I use my IPhone to take pictures, then I make them as small as I can so I don’t use too much data, otherwise I run out of data before the time is up and it can get very expensive.

I decide on Payson, with an elevation of about 5000 feet.  The temperatures there have been running from in the 30’s at night to the 60’s and low 70’s during the day.  We like cool weather, and we NEED cool weather whenever possible because Joy has developed a condition that causes breathing problems when she’s overheated.

The drive to Payson is about 150 miles.  I take a route that keeps me out of Phoenix, until I come to Hwy 87 which winds through the mountains.  It’s a beautiful drive, although I realize I’ve been gripping the steering wheel too hard when fingers on my left hand begin to cramp.  Ok….relax….almost there….

We are staying at an RV park for two nights, where I’ll do laundry, get water, dump, explore town, and then move on to a campground in the National Forest for awhile.  Looking forward to lots and lots of trees!

Shiloh, feeling frisky in the cooler climate.

Since my chance meeting with RVSue and the Crew a few days ago, this blog, One Wandering Spirit, is in the process of a substantial growth spirt!  Gosh I had no idea what a recommendation from Sue could mean.

It’s great that a LOT of folks have signed on!  Thank you Sue, and for the newer people here, WELCOME!  Joy, Shiloh and I are happy to have you along for the ride.

I feel like I need to let you know who I am, and how  this all started for me….in a brief way!

I’ve kept a diary/journal since I was a child.  It started with one of those little plastic covered books with a tiny key…remember those?  I was always something of a loner, and as I got older, writing became my therapy.  Until close to 2 years ago, it was always private, but then as I approached retirement and the plan for my new life began to unfold, I had a desire to share my thoughts, feelings and experiences, and this blog was born.  Fast forward to now, and I’ve posted about 200 blogs since I began.  I love sharing what I’m learning and feeling and seeing.

The first post was entered at the end of May, 2014, a little over 2 months before I planned to hit the road.  My retirement from nursing became effective August 1, and I rolled away from what had been my home on the morning of August 10.  There was a beautiful full moon that night at my first camp.

Joy and Shiloh are my much loved traveling companions.

These are my sweet fur babies that are always by my side.  They are getting up in years and so where we go, what we do, and how much we do is all about them now.

My Casita is literally our ‘little house’.  Wandering Spirit is a 2011 Freedom Deluxe that I bought used in October of 2013.  It had seen little use, and came with goodies like solar on the roof, a Honda 2000 generator, a sound system, and some other nice mods done by the  original owners.  Since then I’ve had a few more mods done by Larry Gamble  (Little House Customs) and Konrad Szelock (Little House Customs Arizona),  and a lovely internet antenna my friend Joel (of Laura and Joel) created. (Affectionately called ‘the Joel Pole’).

I tow with a 2012 Ford F150 that I bought new.  It’s the 6 cylinder EcoBoost version, with the deluxe tow package.  It sees regular servicing but the only thing I’ve replaces are the tires.  It’s getting close to 50,000 miles on the odometer.  I’m totally happy with it.

I’m from California, but since I’m full-timing, home is where I park it.  My domicile is South Dakota.

This is home right now.  Picacho Peak State Park, while the sun was setting last evening.  The whole sky turned pink and blue!

I love nature, and I am constantly amazed at the beauty I find….everywhere….just everywhere!  I can’t seem to get enough.

 More of last evenings sky!

The road has been winding and beautiful and there have been some bumps and even some boulders to work around, but we keep on rolling and I’m thankful for every morning that I wake up.  I’m enthralled by this wandering life!

So those are the basics!  I’m honored that you have chosen to ride along with Joy, Shiloh, and I!  I can’t wait to see what is around the next corner and over the next mountain!  It just doesn’t get old.

If you would like to introduce yourself, please just open up the comments section!

 Shiloh on the left, Joy on the right.

On Wednesday, March 9, we arrive at Picacho Peak State Park, which is off of I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson.  My intention is to stay 4 nights, (at $30 a night!), but after our evening walk I find myself feeling so good about this place that I decide to stay a whole week.  No, we won’t be hiking the wonderful trails here, but there are plenty of paths and low-traffic, paved roads to walk on, and it’s a pretty desert surrounded with mountains.

We have an electric hook-up, there is water here and a dump station.  There are clean, huge showers.

We take our morning walk early on Thursday because it’s going to be a hot day.

Our campsite here at Picacho Peak State Park.

The sun rises behind a stately saguaro.

As the heat increases we retreat to the cool, comforting air conditioned Casita!  I read, while Joy and Shiloh nap.  Well, I nap a little bit too.  🙂

When the evening begins to cool we head off for another walk around the park.  Meandering down the road I see another woman walking towards me with two small dogs. As we draw closer, my attention is on the dogs as it usually is, making sure all dog vibes are good between my kids and those approaching…..but wait….these dogs are familiar….that littlest one looks like….and the other one…..

Oh My Gosh….could that be….yes it is!  Reggie and Bridget!

I look up at the woman.  Knock me over with a feather!…

SUE??   I ask…

Yup.  RVSue and the Canine Crew!  ( http://www.rvsueandcrew.net )  I explain that I’ve been reading her blog from almost the beginning and we stand, talking.  She’s already snapping pictures of Joy, Shiloh, Bridget and Reggie as they greet each other.  I take 2 pictures of the crew, but I’m rather excited and they don’t turn out well.  Here’s one though.

Well…a lot of us like our butts left out of pictures anyway, so I think Bridget would be pleased with this picture.

We continue on our walk together and talk about things that full time RV/ solo women/dog moms/ bloggers, find interesting!

So as you see this meeting was completely accidental.  Sue has made it very clear on her blog that she doesn’t want people to seek her out.  She loves her privacy and alone time, and has a huge blog following.  I totally understand that, and gave up the idea that I would ever meet her a long time ago, because how likely is it that someday I would be walking down the same road that she would be walking up??

But there we were, and it made me very happy because Sue has been a great inspiration for me, as well as a teacher, and it was nice to be able to tell her that in person.   Her straightforward ‘can do’ attitude, helped me realize I ‘can do’ it too!  I’ve written about her here before ( first time was an early post I wrote called “A Blog About A Blog”).

Sunset with Sue.

Bridget and Joy are both beginning to fade from their walk as we approach WS, so Sue and I go our separate ways.  She plans to leave the next morning.

So glad the planets aligned and brought us together for a little time…I sure enjoyed it!

One other thing I want to tell you about today….I’m UN-damning the Clam.

See, I have the Clam up again.

I decided to just be rebellious and NOT follow the instructions when I put the Clam up this time.  I PULLED one side out, but then I fought my way inside and PUSHED the other sides out, and ….presto…..it went up pretty quickly!  Including staking, it took me approximately 5-7 minutes this time, down from 45 minutes (along with cursing and tears) the first time.  The video on You Tube shows a big guy doing it in 45 seconds, though that doesn’t include staking.

As I post this, it’s Saturday, March 12, the weather has cooled down to comfortable, and I’m as happy as a…..CLAM.  🙂

The peak for which this park is named….Picacho.