Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge

Cabeza Prieta means "Dark Head" in Spanish, and refers to a peak in one of the mountain ranges around here. Our campsite is actually within the refuge, which is the 3rd largest in the lower 48 states. It encompasses over 800,000 acres, seven mountain ranges, and a variety of habitat for many species of plants and animals, including 6 kinds of rattlesnakes and 212 different kinds of birds. Earlier this week, we paid a visit to the visitor center in town, and left with the necessary maps and permits to go exploring. It's all very wild and rugged country, with absolutely no amenities--like water or road signs.The permit is good for 90 days, but you have to call in each time you use it so they can keep track of visitors. You call in and leave a message, stating your permit number, how many vehicles, and what your destination is. The recording states firmly that you are on your own--they don't want your name, license plate number, or when you plan to return because they aren't going to send someone out looking for you if you don't come back when you said you would. So there!

Tuesday, we set out for El Camino del Diablo (the Devil's Highway). The route was pioneered by a conquistador named Juan Bautista de Anza in 1774, and got its name after hundreds died on the route on the way to the California gold fields in 1848. From where we are, the route goes south into Mexico or north to Yuma, maybe farther. It bumps and grinds along the Mexican border, so we saw a lot of Border Patrol guys. Part of the road is very sandy, and they drag tires behind their trucks every day to smooth out the sand so they can see and track footprints. The "highway" crosses into Organ Pipe Natonal Monument, and at first it was very scenic. Lots of saguaro cacti, with "arms" going in all different directions. Once we left the monument, however, the road lost its charm. The bumps got bigger, most of the plants disappeared, and there was nothing but barren desert. This is apparently one of the areas where good Samaritan groups leave water jugs out for illegals crossing the desert because so many people die making the attempt. We turned around after about 20 miles hot and tired and dusty despite being in a car, with water, Diet Pepsi, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I can't imagine trying to do it on foot.

Yesterday, we took off in a different direction, in search of the petroglyphs at Charlie Bell Pass. It was a 17 mile ride, with good dirt road for more than half of it, and crummy for the rest. We dubbed one part Boulder Highway because, for about a mile, it was nothing but rocks. When we got to the end of the road, we parked the car and started hiking down into the valley on an old jeep road. We saw a snake about 2 feet long, not a rattler, sunning himself on the trail.The volunteer at the visitor center had said it was about a half mile to the windmill and petroglyphs, but it was probably twice that. The windmill was active, pumping water from a well into a big enclosed tank. There was an open, overflow tank that Ellie jumped into to cool off, and a spigot where we could fill up our water bottles. It was a hot day, and Steve and I both took off our T-shirts and got them sopping wet for the hike back up the hill. They were dry before we reached the top. The petroglyphs were inscribed on individual volcanic rocks scattered all over the hillside near the windmill and well. There must have been hundreds. Our guess is that there must have been a spring where the well is now, and the early peoples either came here to get water or settled here because of it.

Although we had brought drinks, we hadn't anticipated being gone so long, and didn't bring snacks. By the time we got back to Ajo, it was 3 p.m. and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We pulled into the Dairy Queen andf chowed down on burgers, fries, and Oreo Blizzards. I'm usually not a big Dairy Queen fan, but either this was a really good one or we were too hungry to be picky--everything tasted great!

Today so far, we're just hanging out. Steve plans to get under the Samurai and secure some tin plate near the muffler that the the roads here have rattled loose. We may do a little excursion this afternoon to some old (not ancient) Indian settlement nearby. Tomorrow, we want to go to the Barry Goldwater Testing Grounds, which are (weirdly) also in the wildlife refuge. First we have to go the visitors center and watch a 25 minute orientation video ("when you see a plane, duck?") and get the password of the day to unlock the gate.

Local Color

Here are some pictures. Tex and John's Hey are best friends. When they aren't biting each others' necks, they are sharing sticks, sleeping next to each others, or chasing each other around. John found Hey in a Wal Mart parking lot, skin and bones, begging food. She was about 8 months old and had already had a litter of puppies before she was dumped. The big dog in the picture of me is Chris's Ollie. He's a Labrador/Catahoula mix. I'm not sure if that makes him a Labrahoula or a Catahoulador, but either weay, he's a big, sweet, goofy guy. That's our Gila woodpecker. He likes the oragnes, but not the lemons.

Pictures

These are the ones Chris took with his new camera. Three finger rock is right behind our campsite--a five minute walk. "Trailer Trash" is self explanatory.

Life in Ajo

The weather has finally turned consistently warm. Low to mid 80's during the day and low 60's at night. Steve actually had to turn the Royal Palms around so our "patio" was on the shady side. It was way too hot sitting outside in the sun. (I know that all you Salt Lake folks are feeling sorry for us). Chris was here for the weekend with his big dog, Ollie, and his new camera. He took the pictures for this post. If they had captions, they would be "Red Tailed Hawk," "Three Finger Rock," and "Trailer Trash." The "trash" (except Big John) are all zonked out from a mountain bike ride earlier in the day. Dogs too.

This morning we were awakened by a Gila woodpecker. He was scolding us from the palo verde tree where his breakfast ought to be, reminding us that the oranges sections wee had placed there were all dried up and he wanted some fresh juicy ones.. Last year, we had three or four of the little guys fighting for the goodies we hung in the tree outside our window. This year, only one so far. He lives in a giant saguaro nearby; you can see the little round hole he's bored out, and he perches on top, proclaiming that this is his territory, or maybe trying to attract a girlfriend.

Oops! The picture files are HUGE and blogger doesn't want to take them. I tried to get them resized, but the website I use for that doesn't seem to be working this morning. I'll try again later.

Ajo!

Ajo is about 160 miles from Yuma, an easy drive, and most of it quite scenic. Steve drove us right to our camping spot from last year, and we settled in. We drove around a little and found John and Hey, camped along a bigger road. He has to go into town for water today, and then will move over here in a spot next to us. Chris will be coming down from Tempe tomorrow to spend the weekend. Thanks to Steve installing an aerial on top of the Royal Palms before we left home, we can now get an internet connection right from our campsite. Last summer we had to go into Ajo and use the library computers. When we got here yesterday afternoon, the temperature was 78 degrees. I put on my shorts! It's still a bit crispy at night, but we're not complaining. And oh, the stars at night!

I need to run into town this morning and pick up some maps at the wildlife refuge office, and then we plan to go exploring this afternoon in the Samurai. I'll take some pics of our campsite and the area and add then to the next post.

Yuma area again

We got back to Pilot's Knob on Sunday. Steve had gone into Holtville on Thursday to order the master cylinder that the mechanic was going to need for the Samurai brake problem. It came in on Friday, and our friend John had a complete set of the tools Steve needed to give it a try himself, so he figured "Why not?" If he failed, he could still keep the appointment with the mechanic for Monday. But, no worries, mates! He was able to put the part in and get everything working correctly. What took the longest was bleeding the brakes. I got to help. My part was sitting behind the steering wheel and pushing the brake pedal down and letting it up when Steve commanded. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. About two hundred times. Per wheel. Very boring, but it did the trick. And saved us at least a hundred dollars in labor.

We spent Monday in Algodones, getting all our Mexican chores done. Both of us went to the dentist. We each had an exam, our teeth cleaned, and Steve had a filling. Total cost--$70. Then to the farmacia for Steve's Alboz (omeprazol), which was $6.49 for 240 tablets. Then to the eye doctor for new glasses for Steve, then lunch. Fish tacos and shrimp tacosfor $1 apiece. Yum! Then to the liquor store, where Steve got some rum and I got a bottle of Bailey's for about half of what it is in the states, and a container of Bailey's-filled chocolates. Then we had to go stand in line to get back across the border. Longest line I'd ever seen. It took us 2 1/2 hours for us to snake around and around. It was so long that Steve was able to go pick up his glasses inste
ad of having to go back the next day.

Yesterday I drove into Yuma and did laundry and got my nails done, then got together with Jim and Emily (our Quartzsite friends), who are also staying here while they're getting their dental work done in Algodones. Today we went exploring with them on the dirt roads just north of here. Lots of interesting things to see. Patton's desert training camp is close by, and we stopped at the historical marker commemorating it. That's Jim and Emily and their dog, Heidi, in the picture. Heidi is nine, and a real sweetheart. If she looks like she's squinting in the picture, it's because she lost an eye to cancer last year. Not far from the Patton memorial, we came across the somewhat bizarre display of religious statues. It was out in the middle of nowhere, with no exlanation of what it was or why it was there. The areas was carefully delineated with white rocks, with little paths surrounding a central area with a big mound of rocks and a statue of an angel on a pedestal. Other angels and religious figures, also on pedestals, were arranged in a formal manner all around it. Steve's best guess was that some guy created it for his wife to make the desert look beautiful and civilized so she'd live there. I couldn't come up with a guess at all.

We were headed out to someplace called Pichaco State Recreation Area, way back on a dirt road, when Jim's Samurai started acting up. That's him under the hood, trying to get it going again. He was able to get it running again eventually, but didn't want to risk being even farther out in the boonies, so we turned around. Stopped and had a picnic lunch under some trees in a wash, then made it back to camp with no problems. Tomorrow we are headed to Ajo. John and Hey are there waiting for us, and our son Chris may join us as well. Jim and Emily were going to come too, but they don't want to take their Samurai any farther from hoime until they figure out what's wrong. We've really enjoyed getting to know them, and hope to meet up with them again. We're trying to talk them into going to Mexico with us next winter.

Still hanging out in Holtsville

Life is good. In the mornings, we take the dogs on a hike or bike ride or have them run along in front of the Samurai (Ellie's favorite!). When they're worn out, we bring them home to crash, we and spend the day puttering (Steve), knitting and sewing (Sandy), or reading (both). We have a standing 5 p.m. date with John every evening at the hot tubs. Then supper, a DVD or more reading, and bed. Our son, Chris, gave us the entire Planet Earth series for Christmas, and we've just started watching that. The photography is amazing. Each segment also features a Planet Earth Diary, essentially a "making of" that episode. These are as interesting as the actual Planet Earths, showing all the camera work, high tech equipment, and just plain persistence and hard work that goes into each episode. One guy sat in a blind on the side of a mountain in the Himalayas, 6 hours a day, looking for snow leopards. After seven WEEKS, one finally showed up! Weatherwise here, it's been cool again--60's during the day and 40's at night. but we have lots of quilts, so we stay toasty, even without the furnace running.

Yesterday we drove into town to get the brakes on the Samurai looked at. Whatever is wrong with them (as yet undetermined) is something Steve can't fix, especially out here in the desert with no tools, so he made an appointment for a mechanic to do it. The soonest we could get in was Monday, so it looks like we'll be here till probably next Wednesday. John and Hey will be moving out of the LTVA tomorrow or Saturday to camp with us out here in the boonies. We'll have dinner together Saturday night. My turn to cook and his to bring dessert. He's going to El Centro on Friday to for a Costco run, so that means caramel apple pie or New York cheesecake. Yum!

Just a quickie

This photo didn't make it in the last post, but I thought it was pretty cute and wanted to include it. For those of you who haven't been formally introduced, the tri-colored border collie is Ellie and the one with the great ears and silly markings is Tex. He is a cattle dog mix.The photo was taken yesterday after Tex's bath. This morning, after we let them out, Tex came home after getting in touch with his roots again. Steve has been out scouting for the odiferous attraction but hasn't been able to find it. Sigh. Another bath. If Tex could sigh, he would too.

Holtville Hot Springs

We arrived here yesterday afternoon, a day late. More electrical problems, this time with the levelers, which are the "legs" that come down from the bowels of the Royal Palms at the touch of a button and make us stand level on uneven ground. We got all packed up to leave camp, Steve pushed the button, and nothing happened--the levelers refused to retract. Steve checked all the fuses. Twice. He replaced all the fuses anyway.l Nothing. He crawled around under the motor home and checked for loose wires. Nope. He emailed the techies on the Skinny Winnie website and got their two cents. Still nothing. Oh, and did I mention that during all this, it was raining? The only rain we've had since we left Salt Lake. We couldn't call a tow truck or emergency road service because, with the levelers planted on the ground, we couldn't be towed. Finally, Steve crawled underneath (wet, cold, rocky ground), and was able to reach up and manually raise them. By then it was 4 p.m., so we just stayed where we were for one more night. Now that the levelers have been retracted manually, they won't go back down--they have to go into an authorized dealer to be serviced. The nearest dealer is actually not all that far away--Glendale AZ, near my parents,' so we will take it there for servicing when we get back that way, in about a month. Steve says it will probably be expensive, as they are no longer under warranty. There goes any income tax refund we'd planned on. Sigh. Till then, we'll be leveling the Palms the old-fashioned way, with boards and rocks.

Yesterday, we hopped on I-8 and drove about 40 miles to the Holtville Hot Springs BLM area, one of our favorite places from last year. The campsite we had last year was taken, but Steve found us an even better one. Someone, or a series of someones, has made a lot of effort to make this "home." We have a palapa (a few palm frons included) with a little flagstone patio, a rock garden, and a sparkle garden made up of bright bits of glass, all carefully delineated with stones. We are tucked back in away from the dirt road and out of sight. The dogs can be off leash and will bother no one. Tex has already taken advantage of his new freedom by finding possibly the only pile of cow poop in the area and rolling in it. Ewwww! Luckily, I keep a big bottle of doggie shampoo for just such occasions; Tex got a bath. He wasn't happy about it, but the rest of us were.

Last night, after Tex's bath, we drove the two miles to the hot springs and went dipping with John, who is camped just across the road from there. He's invited us over to his place tonight for chicken stew. I'm bringing salad and dessert, which means a quick trip to Holtville, 9 miles away.
No problem, as we need to fill up with propane anyway, and are low on a few groceries and other odds and ends. Including a kitchen sponge. Tex ate ours. Adorable as he is, I'll be relieved when his puppyhood is behind him.


I'm also posting a few pictures I found from our brief stint at Imperial Dam. I don't know if I mentioned the wild burros, but they were pretty cool. There was a herd of about 12 of them wandering around. The two you see in the photo are standing on what passes as a landscape there--nothing but volcanic rock. I have no idea what they eat or drink. They would wander through the campground. On one of his morning walks, Steve spotted one standing right next to a woman who was sitting in her lawn chair next to her RV. Now THAT would have been a picture! Unfortunately, Steve didn't have the camera with him. The tepee in the other photo was very cool. Steve has always wanted a tepee.

More Catching Up

It;'s Friday. We're at the library, sitting side by side on a pretty tiled bench in the sunshine outside the library, sipping lattes and typing away. I just posted the previous blog entry.

John and Hey suprised us yesterday evening by showing up at the LTVA. He had been to Algodones for some dental work and decided to come find us afterwards. he used the dentist we recommended (the one from last year) and was very impressed. He got an exam, teeth cleaning, root canal, and crown for $400. Our dentist doesn't do root cfanals, but her cousin does, so she called him and he came over and did it in her office! Amazing!

We picked up our new aircard at the ATT store this morning, did a little shopping, and will head back to camp after we finish computing. Tomorrow we'll head for the hot springs, about 45 miles away. We have a "date" with John to meet him in the hot tubs at 5 p.m.

Catching up in Yuma

We are currently at at the LTVA (BLM Long Term Visitors Area) at Pilot's Knob, just over the California border, one exit south of the border crossing into Mexico and about 6 or 8 miles south of Yuma. We've always camped at the short-term area (free) just down the road, but we had some days left over on our LTVA pass from Quartzsite and Imperial Damso we thought we'd give this a try. It doesn't really have any more amenities than the free area, except a trash dumpster,but it's larger and the RVs are more spread out, and it's set back farther from the freeway, so there's less noise. Like the Imperial Dam area, it's extremely barren and rocky; almost no cactus, just a few greasewood bushes. Haven't seen a rabbit nor heard a coyote--I don't think anything lives out here! Still, it's close to civilization, and the tempperature is in the high 70's during the day and low 60's at night.

We've been having technical difficulties with our power, which has been difficult to sort out. Although our solar panels do a great job of charging the RV batteries, the batteries have been going down faster than they should. At first, we thought it was a bad battery, but we had them checked when we got to Yuma and both were fine. Now we're thinking that it's the internet routerthat Steve installed this trip.He put it in so both of us could be on our laptops and the internet at the same time, since only one person at a time can use the aircard. Bad idea. two computers "thinking" at the same time ended up blowing a fuse. Even one computer at a time seems to drain down the battery more than it used toso the router must be using up way more power than we thought it would . So we switched back to our old way of doing things--one person at a time on the computer, using the aircard for internet access. Nothing. No signal. First we thought we were just out of range, but then Steve figured out that the aircard was broken--some teeny part inside was rattling around in there instead of doing whatever it's supposed to do. Yesterday we took it to an ATT Cellular store in Yuma. They don't sell aircards there, but ATT agreeing to replace it under warranty, and will be shipping a newone to the store for us to pick up, hopefully by tomorrow. Till then, our choices are 15 minutes on the library computers or bringing our laptops to the library and hooking into their Wi-fi system. We did #1 yesterday and will try #2 probably today.I'm typing this in a Notepad program on my laptop, so may have to do some serious editing once I copy it into the blog. Turns out mylaptop came without a word-processing program. Never even occurred to me that it wouldn't have one pre-installed, until I went to use itand it wasn't there.

The photos are from our trip to the Castle Dome Ghost Town and Museum, a very interesting place. Mining was active therefrom the mid-1860's until well into this century. Initially, they mined silver, then lead for the war effort during WW I and II.The last resident left in 1979, though there are apparently still some active mine claims in the area. The ghost town has more than 30 buildings, either restored or recreated, all furnished with items donated by former residents' families or found at the bottomof the mine shafts, including a pair of Levi Strauss jeans authenticated to 1890! Very nicely done.

We'll probably be here for a few more days, waiting for our aircard, and getting dentist appointments in Algodones. Then it's on to the hot springs near Holtville,CA, about 50 miles down the road. We hope to meet up with John and Hey again there.

No Worries, Mates!

This will have to be a quick one, as we're at the library in Yuma, and we only get 15 minutes! We made it to Imperial Dam and met up with John and Hey. Wasn't much of a place-barren and windly. But there's a herd of burros there that ws fun, and we wnet to a ghost town and musuem at the old Castle Dome Mine that was very interesting. Our air card is broken and a new one on the way, so we can't compupte from our campsite. Tomorrow we'll come in to town with our laptops and write more.