Wandering Spirit

Four busy days.
My number one reason for coming here was to visit my dad’s gravesite, so the cemetery was the first place I went. We had a nice visit but I’m thinking about him a lot and therefore missing him. He’s been gone since ’81.

I went to San Xavier Mission and spent some time there. The outside is beautiful, called ‘the white dove of the desert’, but inside is just too ornate for my taste…doesn’t seem peaceful to me. (No pictures today because I’m having strange stuff going on with my wi-fi and though there is wi-fi at the RV park where I am, it’s not working very well.)

I’ve been to an AT&T store here twice trying to get answers about my hot spot and wi-fi but they can’t seem to figure it out either. Whatever…

I’ve also been shopping at Costco and Walmart, and I’ve done laundry…not real exciting stuff going on, except…

I did get to scout out my next camping location, and this is a place I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

Back in the late ’70’s when my parents were Snowbirds from Michigan they used to go to a place in Arizona called “Wild Horse Ranch”. My dad especially loved it there …no horses, wild or otherwise, but it was a remote location in the mountains powered by a huge generator 12 hours a day. There were friendly, nature-loving people around, some of whom were rock hounds, out there hunting rocks.

A couple of years ago while I was dreaming my dream for retirement, I started searching for Wild Horse Ranch on my maps, with no luck. My mom didn’t have an inkling of memory about where it was. Amazingly, I was able to find some old mail from them, still in the envelope with the return address of ‘Sasabe Star Route’. Way back when I remember them saying they had to drive down a long dirt road to get there and they also mentioned ‘Three Points’. On the map I found a town called Sasabe. Highway 286 goes between Three Points and Sasabe, and I felt pretty sure the ranch was off that highway somewhere. A year ago on line I found a dude ranch in the area, that claimed to have been there for some 50 years or more. I emailed them and told them my story and asked if they knew if Wild Horse Ranch was still in existence. They answered promptly and told me that, yes, it is still there but now it is called Caballo Loco Ranch! Well dog-gone if there isn’t a dirt road off 286 on my Benchmark Atlas called Caballo Loco Ranch Road. Other maps give it different names, some give it no name, and some don’t even show the road.

At any rate, I was able to find an email address for the place and had some corespondents with the owner, Jim. He wasn’t as forthcoming as I would have liked, didn’t have pictures, and the area on Google Maps just looked weird. All that just made me more curious.

I finally got to scout it out on Thursday! That dirt road my parents talked about…yep, it’s 8 miles long, but most of it is in decent shape. Upon arrival I swear I recognized the club house from pictures they took so many years ago. I quickly figured out the reason that the area looks weird on Google Maps is because it’s on the side of a mountain and has campsites on many levels, most rather random, where they fit, not sitting side by side. There is an area with full hook ups, but the electricity is still supplied by a generator that runs 12 hours a day. There is also an area for boondocking with no hook ups. There are bathrooms, showers and laundry. The water supply is in a huge tank higher up the mountain.

The folks there were great…visitors don’t come along all that often it seems, and not one, but six people came round to help me, give me info, supply Joy and Shiloh with treats, walk me around, and help me find my perfect spot, which I’ll be moving
to on Saturday. I plan to stay a week. They say there is wi-fi at the clubhouse and it’s possible that the Joel Pole may pick it up at my site. My phone, with AT&T showed ‘no service’, but my neighbors with Verizon had a great signal, and cell, is the only kind of phone there is out there.

There’s still no horses, crazy or otherwise.

Instead of a day by day itinerary, I’ll tell you about the three places I’ve enjoyed most here in southeastern Arizona.

1.  The Cochise Stronghold

This is a natural defendable fortress  in the Dragoon Mountains that Cochise and about 1000 Apaches (250 of whom were warriors), called their home place for many years.  The steep cliffs partially surround and protect a beautiful forested area about 5000 feet in elevation.

Approaching the stronghold area

Cochise was a great man of influence, even in Washington, and only quit fighting off the whites when he was able to make an agreement that he and his people would be able to stay on their land and not be ‘moved to a reservation.’

He said, “I am alone in the world.  I want to live in these mountains…I have drunk of the waters of the Dragoon Mountains and they have cooled me, I do not want to leave here.”

He was born here and also died here (cancer is suspected).  He was buried secretly in the area and the only white person who knew the location of his grave was his dear friend Thomas Jeffords.

The area is…I don’t know…Powerful.  I don’t know exactly what I mean by that, except I felt surrounded and infused by a kind of spiritual power, soaking up into me from the very earth and air.  It fed me and gave me strength in my heart.

2.  Chiricahua National Monument

The Apaches call the pinnacles here ‘standing up rocks’.

They look kind of like people standing there, don’t they?

The visitor center is about 35 miles southeast of Wilcox on I-10.  I stop there and find there is no charge to visit this National Monument.  They give me a map of the area.  I drive the scenic Bonita Canyon, which rises from a sea of grassland and cactus, through the forest, 8 miles to Massai Point which is 6870 feet in elevation.  The views along the way are spectacular, and at the top you can see 360 degrees.

The evolution of this area has created an endless variety of spires, balanced rocks, and other odd shaped formations.  What ingenuity it must have taken for the Apache and those who came before, to live here successfully.

There are 11,985 acres protected here, of which 86 percent is designated as wilderness.

3.  Amerind (AMERican INDian) Museum and Art Gallery

You can’t see it from Dragoon Road, but the sign indicates a turn onto a dirt road. Half a mile

This is a picture of a picture because I forgot to take one when I was there.

down there is this “anthropological and archaeological museum and research center dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Native American cultures and their histories.”

It was founded in 1937.

I’m afraid I walked through the place with my mouth hanging open.  What an amazing collection of beautiful pots and baskets, jewelry and clothing,and other artifacts, going back to the time of the Anasazi!  Various artists were there to display rug weaving and paintings.  Well worth the $7 (senior rate) admission.

These were my high points while staying in Benson.  Tomorrow I’ll be heading over nearer to Tucson.

“You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunshine into our hearts.  Speak American….I will not lie to you; do not lie to me.”

Cochise

I wish he could be our next president.

Monday, February 9

We have been here at Gunsite Wash BLM near Why, AZ for six days.  Peaceful, warm days filled with sunshine, quiet walks in the desert, birdsong, stars, and the sound of coyotes howling.

Still, I feel the urge to move on.  Southeast Arizona is calling and I want to explore there.

I have my first mug of coffee by 5:30 and prepare myself for the day of travel.  We have our walk, close up camp, and are on the road by 8:30.  My drive today will be longer than usual so I want to get an early start.

At the border check point a very serious young man asks me questions like “Where are you headed?”, and ” How many dogs to you have in there?”  His not-so-serious coworker knocks on my passenger side window so I roll it down.  He says ‘this guy here is not an American citizen!”

You may not know but I have a cardboard cutout life size bust of Mick Jagger in my passenger seat, with the seatbelt holding him in place.

Mr. Serious lightens up after that, and they wave me through the check point.  I guess a 65 year old woman with 2 Golden Retrievers and a cardboard Mick doesn’t seem like the type to be smuggling anything or anybody in from Mexico.

I drive I-10 through Tucson.  I saw a Starbucks sign and found myself moaning softly.  It’s been a long time since I sipped a soy latte, but I’m not getting off the freeway now.

Forty miles later we are at Butterfield RV Park in Benson.  One reason I chose this park is because it has its own planetarium with free shows every night, weather permitting.

The University quality Planetarium at Butterfield RV Park

When 6:30pm rolls around I tuck Joy and Shiloh into bed in WS with a nice treat, and off I go to the star show.

It is two fascinating hours of viewing various heavenly bodies through the telescope,  and listening to the presenter discuss them.  Among others we looked at Venus, Mars, Uranus, a comet called Lovejoy 5, a double star, a HUGE star, a very bright star, and Jupiter with four of her moons.

The telescope

When I came back home I greeted my babies, poured a glass of wine, and we went outside to sit and stare into the sky.  I kinda think I was probably the only one who had been in the group who came back home and gazed into the sky with tears running down her cheeks.

I am so in awe of it all.

AND….the Safeway around the corner has a STARBUCKS in it!  This morning I had my soy latte.  🙂

I sit beneath your weather beaten branches.

Your lace-like leaves protect me from the golden radiant rays.

Soft spring wisps surround me, tickling my skin in the gentle breeze.

Graciously you share your shade with us,

Offering comfort and protection,

Standing strong.

Cradling a birds nest tenderly in the crook of your branches.

My house is on wheels and so transient.

Sheltering it near you gives me a sense of stability and sanctuary.

Only you know how many animals including humans have taken refuge, in and under and around your beautiful branches.

I am grateful to be one of those.

I never heard of. “Off network” before, but AT&T sent me a text reminding me that I’m using that service now, and it’s limited, and more expensive. It’s not “roaming” they say. They pointed out that I should notice the words “off network” in the upper left corner of my divice. Sure enough it’s there on my IPhone, hotspot and laptop, however it’s not there on my IPad, just the regular AT&T symbol with 3G and four dots, meaning I’m getting pretty good reception. So I don’t get it, and possibly I can use the IPad without penalty, but I’m not sure.

So this is just to let you know that all is well and yesterday we went to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I’d gone half heartedly, not expecting much for some reason, but it turned out to be quite beautiful, and despite the rocky dirt roller coaster road of the 21 mile loop, I’m very glad I went!

Today we are at the dog park in Ajo, I also stopped at Olsens, and in Why got propane, (at a store called “Why Not”) since one tank went dry.

Two nights ago I saw UFO’s. No doubt activities related to the military presents all around here, but it was weird, went on for at least 20 minutes, and for me at least, they were unidentified, they were flying, and they were objects of some sort.

I’ll write more and share pictures of Organ Pipe when I have normal reception again.

As in  ‘six months’.

It was with the full moon six months ago that I began this journey.  August 10, 2014.   Tonight the moon rises in the east while the west, north and south are bathed in pink, peach and orange sunset colors.  (Pictures just don’t show it with my ‘camera’.)

Six moons on the road….I feel grateful and blessed.  I’m near Why, AZ now on BLM land, totally boondocking and totally loving it.  Electricity and loads of hot water are nice, but I’ve had my fix now for awhile, and in this moment, nature, with stars and the full moon rising, feeling close to the earth mother….that’s all I want.

Pictures of our camp.

Gosh, and it’s all for free!  🙂

We awake early, as usual, and I make my coffee and get back under the covers to drink it.  I love to start my day that way.  🙂

A dog walk is next, and then I get ready to have breakfast with Ed, a fellow blogger.  (His blog is called “The Peregrinating Graybeard” at edwardfrey.com.  And yes he does have a big ol’ gray beard.  🙂  You may have seen his comments here from time to time.  We talk over breakfast about the full timers life, our dogs, our RV’s, and the like.  I get to meet his girl Patches, and he gets to meet Joy and Shiloh who are waiting patiently in JR for me.  I also get a look at his Class C RV which compared to WS, is a mansion!

After we say so long, I head over to the post office to pick up my mail.  I have two boxes of it!

Ajo Post Office

Getting a months worth of mail at once can be daunting.  Especially since I’ve retired, moved my residence, changed my vehicle insurance and health insurance.  There is always something to clear up with phone calls.  But this time it wasn’t so bad because I have Christmas in February!

Some Christmas cards and presents I just received in the mail! Fun!

After taking care of all the business its lunchtime, and then Laura and I talk on the phone for a good long while, catching up since we were together at new years.

Next it’s time to wash JR at the do-it-yourself car wash.  JR is way overdue for a bath, even with all the recent rain.

I want to see the mine that Ajo is famous for, the New Cordelia Copper Mine.  I drive just over a mile to the museum, and there Louie, a retired school teacher talks a blue streak about the history of the mine.  He walks with another couple, their two kids, and myself through the place showing…explaining….answering my questions.  I’ve been hearing that “Ajo” means “garlic”, and I was surprised because there is no garlic around here.  Louie explained that “Ajo” is a corruption of another similar word that was the Native American’s word for “red.”  It turns out that they were mining this area long before the Spaniards came and mined copper and silver, but the Natives were mining for red rock to use as paint.  Thus….this became Ajo.

The Museum

I love Native American pots and there was a nice display of them at the museum

I leave the museum and go to the area where you can look into the open pit mine.  It’s huge….just a big whole in the earth.  There is some water at the bottom now.

Open pit copper mine at Ajo

After I finish at the mine, I head to Olsens Market again, and then home where we have a leisurely  dinner, and have another dog walk.  I go talk to Amy at the office here, because I see that I have run over the sewer cover at my site, and broken it.

Here are a few more pictures around Ajo.

The main business here these days seems to be selling Mexico insurance!

This must be ‘organ pipe’ cactus

A church in town

At the dog park. Shiloh is on the picnic table!

Joy finds a soft pillow…Shiloh’s butt!

January 28

After a walk with Joy and Shiloh, we set out early to start exploring the area. Too early, because the Ajo visitors center isn’t open yet. I don’t feel like waiting around…so off we go to find the two main BLM camping areas nearby.

First we come to Darby Wells Road. No problem to find it, since there is a big road sign a short way out of town. We drive down the road a bit before I start to see an RV here and there. There are not many, yet there is one in every space that is fairly ‘convenient’, and won’t require pulling WS over a difficult road area.

I’m not feeling good about the place like I thought I would, which is a disappointment. I’m learning to go with my gut though (thanks Gibbs, NCIS). 🙂

I get back on the main road and head south towards Why which is less than 10 miles from where I am. Ajo is small with a population of less than 4000, but Why is infinitesimal with less than 200 folks.

I use Allstays on my iPad to find the BLM area that I’m looking for. When the dot that is ‘me’ gets to the spot on the map where BLM area is I pull over and look around. Between piles of gravel and dirt by the side of the road I see the way I should go…I see the cattle guard I need to cross and then I see RV’s dotting the desert. I already feel better here! I see a sign board and a group of people and their dogs, talking. No the dogs aren’t talking, I mean the people are. I’m not in Narnia. I stop to talk, too. I tell them I am scouting for a spot and they tell me there are lots of spots, and they give advice as to which roads to try. They tell me there has been a lot of road erosion here in the past couple of years.

The roads I try are ok, the desert is beautiful, and there are enough people and RV’s around to make me feel comfortable, but not so many as to make it seem crowded.
This place gets my vote!

I also stop into ‘Coyote Howls’, a unique RV camping area nearby. It has two parts with about a half mile between them. ‘West’ has hookups and is small. ‘East’ has no hookups and is 200 acres of land, dump sites, water spigots, showers, laundry, and trash removal. East is $9 a night, $40 a week, or $130 a month.

We head back to Ajo and now the visitor center is open. I stop in for maps of the area, and ask a few questions. The most pressing is, “I’ve heard there is a dog park in town. Where is it?” I’m shown Bud Walker Park on the map and off we go.

We spend two hours there! When we arrive, the other folks there are gathered around the picnic table. Turns out they are all from the same RV park where I’m staying. While throwing balls we compare notes on travel. The dogs are enjoying themselves and it’s a nice visit for the humans, too.

Before going back to camp I stop at Olsens Market, mostly too look, though I do buy some greens. Oh, and some chocolate. :-). It’s a grocery store that doubles as a hardware store. I make two more stops before heading home, at resale shops. I end up with two books.

Speaking of books, I’ve just finished “The Children Of First Man”, by James Alexander Thom. It’s the third book by this author that I’ve read. This story is a Native American history (fiction based of fact) that takes place between the years of 1169 and 1838. Thom does a huge amount of research for his writing, so there is a lot to be learned by reading his books. More than 20 years ago I read his book “Follow The River” which is just excellent and left a lasting impression on me. The other one I read recently was “Panther In The Sky”, which I also enjoyed.

Anyway, back at the RV park I’ve decided to stay here for a full week, mostly due to rain forecasts. I go to the office and pay up! $144 for the week. After the rent I’ve paid in California for so many years, $144 for a week almost feels free.

My current plan…next week head out to the BLM near Why! In the meantime, explore the area near me and spend lots of time at the dog park!

January 25

It’s not leaving Q and the dust that is so hard, it’s leaving our friends Shirlee and Doug that is hard for Joy and Shiloh and I.  I wish I could explain to Joy and Shiloh that we plan to see them again sometime…but maybe they understand somehow.  I hope they do.

Joy and Shiloh have grown so attached to Aunt Shirlee and Uncle Doug!  Every morning has been all about them coming out of their door and joining us for a walk.  Treats and pats and hugs from them here and there have been the high points of their days.  Shirlee and Doug walked them, baby sat for them and almost every evening has been spent in their home on wheels with good smells, treats, cuddles and love.  The last night was very special.  We even got a funny invitation.

The ‘heavy petting’ is petting of the dogs, of course! 🙂

Joy and Shiloh in their favorite spots at Doug and Shirlee’s house.

We take our final morning walk, and as has become routine, stop by their house before coming home for a little doggie snack.  How quickly they came to expect this!

I’m in no hurry to leave since I plan to drive only about 75 miles today.  Another cup of coffee..preparing this blog…visiting…picture taking…

Sad to leave new friends

Just before 11 I start getting ready to roll.  We don’t say ‘good bye’, instead we say ‘see you later!’

A little after 1pm I’m checking into Saddle Mt RV Park in Tonopah, where I’m going to wait out the rain.  They have 2 dog runs here, and a huge, clean laundry room.  The rest of the day is spent between those two places.  There is even another Golden to play with at the dog run.  I think Joy may have played to hard though, and she will probably be sore tomorrow.  In that case, waiting out the rain will be a good, restful day for her.

January 27

We leave Tonopah and arrive in Ajo at the Shadow Ridge RV Resort.  I’ve found that I like to stay at an RV park while I scout around for good boon docking areas.  As soon as I get to this park I have really good  and positive feelings about it, more so than anywhere I’ve been, I think.  Very nice little place, and Amy, the owner, couldn’t be nicer.  We will walk the area today, and drive the larger Ajo/Why area tomorrow while we stay here.  I’ll let you know what I find!