Where has the time gone, and what have I been up to all this time? Well, it appears that we were still camped at Saddle mountain blm area near Tonopah, Az.
We spent Christmas in almost the same spot as last year. There was a lot of wind at times and some dust storms to make being outside not that pleasant. Then on the nice days, there were enough bees or wasps buzzing around the door to make that less than enjoyable as well.
But, it was time to move on anyway. The weather looked slightly better to the south, so it was decided to head for Tucson and beyond. It was Sunday when we pulled out, but the thought of downtown traffic through Phoenix was enough to turn us south for the route through Gila Bend and I-8. The great Shell station on the corner provided the dump, fill, and propane, so we were set to travel. We blasted on through Tucson, and were surprised to see all the overhead signs warning of blizzards in New Mexico!
There must have been a carpenter’s convention in the area too?
At the same time, friends of mine who were down in Big Bend NP, Texas were sitting under 6” of fresh snow!
I was able to make contact with a friend down in Sierra Vista, so we street-camped and spent a couple days visiting and catching up on news. While there, I visited a tire shop to get a couple of my trailer wheels swapped around to even out the tire wear on them. As happened to me a long time ago in the same situation in California, when it was time to pay the bill, there wasn’t one! Fortunately, having my fridge parked on their lot, I was able to contribute a bunch of cold canned beverages for the staff at the end of the day!
After a couple of cool days in Sierra Vista, my snowbound friends from Texas were able to make good their escape, so we arranged a meeting at Bowie on the I-8. From there it was only a short drive to a cute, tiny little rec area called Indian Bread Rocks.
We headed off to hike into Fort Bowie historic site one day, but found a rather large Class A stuck in the ditch along the road on the way there. After piling rocks and planks under his wheels, my tow strap was put to good use, and the big GM had him back on pavement in no time! Too busy towing for photos! And it seems that the only photo I took along the hike to the fort ruins was a shot of the cemetery.
Back around camp, we hiked up into the hills and found numerous holes in the rock that had been used for grinding nuts and grain by earlier civilizations. We also found many of the rocks were precariously balanced and in need of some additional support!
It was Sunday again when we parted, and I headed up to Hot Well Dunes, hoping that most of the ATV’s would be leaving for home. I met a lot of toy haulers on the road, but there were still a few there till late in the day. Finally, they were all gone, and I think I may have been the only one in the campground that night. In the morning it was cold and overcast, so my camping costs for this season were kept to $3. as we pulled out and drove in some rain on the way over to Tucson.
I met up with the same friends again for a night at Snyder Hill, just west of Tucson.
They headed for the Desert Museum, and I took off west in the morning for Why, and ended up on Bates Well Road just south of Ajo.
The usual air show was on with the military, the border patrol, and the local hunters.
There were some good soaking rainfalls as well as some decent thunder and lightning, and I’m sure the desert will appreciate the moisture and will no doubt soon transform into a green jungle.
And of course there were some great sunsets!
After this, I think the next destination will be Yuma for a while, before heading up to Quartzsite for the big show later in the month.
Doesn't the Quartzsite show start next weekend?
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