WEATHER, YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

As most of this portion of the journal is about weather and there are few pictures of us sitting in the RV, I have included some of my favourite flower shots throughout the trip which were left out of previous blogs.

Weather reports are indicating cold temperatures during the day and near freezing at night so we made the decision to by-pass New Mexico and head for Balmorhea State Park in west Texas. It has a warm spring fed pool and thought there might be an opportunity to canoe. However, we got there after dark after stopping for a Mexican supper in a quaint family restaurant in the small town. The other culinary offerings were a hamburger stand and a gas station with a heat lamp and roller hot dog grill. Our meal was most enjoyable.

We were able to plug in at the Park for heat which was required as when we awoke, the sky was grey again and temperature was definitely near freezing. The pool was supposedly a comfortable 78 deg F but we couldn’t come up with the intestinal fortitude to handle the ins and outs of it. After making a batch of chocolate chip cookies for comfort and warmth we decided to head on down the road towards the rising sun.

Another long day of driving and rain on very desolate roads. We pulled into an isolated truck stop late in the afternoon, had a high cholesterol trucker’s dinner as too tired to cook and bedded down for the night next to the big rigs. It was wet through the night but even though we were above 4,000 feet we didn’t get snow. The tire chains Marty bought one snowy night in Butte Montana after crawling over the Continental Divide in November, still haven’t been put to the test. Should have left them with Alaskan bound Val.

 
 

We had been heading for San Antonio, however, due to the weather conditions, we changed our minds again, made a right turn and headed to the coast where hopefully the weather would be better, being influenced by the Gulf. Drove all day in the rain again. Pulled into Corpus Christi and after doing laundry, we were searching for a place to stay again in the dark. We toured through the high end real estate section overlooking the water in our search for South Padre Island. Finally got to the island but no RV parks in site, after seeking help we finally found the County Park across the street from where we had stopped. Temperature on the island was about 10 degrees warmer than the mainland but the wind came up and we were still rocking even though we parked between two big rigs.

We are on the beach. The wind is howling but the rain has finally stopped and the sun is poking through the clouds. We are staying a second night as we need to recuperate from all the driving.
It is good to see green grass and trees again, but there are things we will miss about the desert such as the constant presence of beautiful and varied hummingbirds around (and once in) the RV; sunrises and sunsets that turn a light cloud cover into a brilliant sky mural of Dante’s Inferno; the profusion of birds; the absence of bugs and the beautiful mountain vistas; wearing shorts and T-shirts while looking at snow-capped mountains and views that go on forever (not smoggy Phoenix though) and the multitude of different shapes and types of cacti that show the beauty and determination of nature to survive in such harsh conditions. What we will not miss are the three changes of clothes per day as you wake and dress for the mornings’ nip, peal for the warmth of the desert sun and bundle back up as the temperature drops with the sunset.




THE NATIONAL SEASHORE

Drove 10 miles to the National Seashore and camped on the intercostals side of the island. Weather is supposed to be warmer and thought we might get the canoe in the water again. However, little did we know we were camped at the wind surfing capital of Texas. Go figure it might be windy. So the canoe stayed on the roof and the bikes came off and we peddled about 4 miles to the visitor’s centre, hiked the beach on the gulf side, picked up a beautiful piece of coral and peddled back four miles. This is Valentine’s Day and we had BBQ’d steak and ice cream for dinner and the sun was a beautiful red ball sinking into the lagoon. The bugs came out at supper time and the mosquitoes were huge due to the massive amounts of standing water after all the rain. The ground is saturated in east Texas and the water has no where to go.

It was still warm at 10:00 p.m. and then WHAM!!! Winds came up at gale force from the north and the temperature dropped like a stone. We were forced to turn the van’s nose to the wind for fear the side on winds would get under the canoe, test the tie downs and give us a sway impossible to sleep through. We had wind blowing in through the stove exhaust vent and had to wrap the filter with cellophane in order to keep some of the cold out. We had shared the space in the RV for the night with the outside chairs and rug after a quick grab in the dark saved them as they headed south. Opening the outside storage lockers in the dark and in that wind wasn’t an option. It continued all night long and in the morning we found pieces of the bike rack down the beach.


The lagoon has gone from clear to brown and from blue ripples to caramel, not white, caps. This spot was not going to offer the canoeing we thought it would so packed up and headed to Port Aransas for hot showers, electric service and tennis courts.

ADIOS ARIZONA!

Picacho Peak S.P. is between Phoenix and Tuscon and we stopped here for two nights to climb the peak. We managed to get three quarters of the way up. Didn’t get to where the ‘pull your self up’ cables are installed as the trail got too rough and steep for this old girl.

We stopped at a steep mass of smooth rock that I thought I might get up but was uncomfortable about the thought of negotiating back down. We turned around at that point. The trail was 3.1 miles (one way) so I figure we did a total of about 4.5 miles return. On our R & R day following the hike we saw a cactus wren and black throated sparrow.

We have decided to make our way slowly east to Florida and take Father out for his birthday supper in March.

TUBAC

Last time we came through the west, we missed the Tubac area so this time we wanted to make a stop. We had feared it was nothing but a tourist trap but wanted to see it as it does have a history, being established as a fort in 1752. It is now an artisan’s village with high quality native and contemporary art work, including, pottery, painting, basket weaving, bronze and copper sculpture and of course lots of jewellery. I had one and half days of shopping. Marty did a hike along a river trail and through one of the newer subdivisions and got some architectural ideas.

There is a resident red tailed hawk that flies from telephone pole to telephone pole at the entrance to the village. He adds a nice touch to the setting.

We stayed in a nooky little trailer park for two nights, (The Trailer Tether) right in the village centre and were pleasantly surprised at the reasonable rate. The trailer park seemed to be a haven for geriatric hippies from the ‘60s and has some ‘tripping’ landscaping and decor. This fit quite well with the village’s artsy motif. Even found one or two items of interest in the town that were reasonable. Of course, there was a beautiful pot for $5,000 and bronze sculptures up to $148,000 but we enjoyed looking without touching. This is a place where you tell your kids, “You see with your eyes, not your hands” but there is a tremendous variety of really interesting pieces. Well worth a stay.

OLA, SI SENOR!

Left Tubac behind and drove south for a walk across the border into Nogales, Mexico. The shopping was nothing like it was four year ago. We didn’t feel comfortable walking the streets and the vendors were so desperate for sales, they would try to drag you into their shops. The number of visitors is greatly reduced this year due to the US economy and news stories about gang wars and shootings in border towns over control of the drug trade. The town was also very dirty and we left after only a couple of hours. Unfortunately, the line up to return to USA was nearly an hour long, mainly Mexicans going into the US. My back teeth were near floating by the time we got back to the RV and a washroom I knew was clean. After lunch, we headed for Lake Patagonia State Park which is about 30km to the northeast.

Fortunately, the next day we had warm weather, favourable winds and we paddled the canoe around the lake. Of course, we saw lots of coots, but we had one from Nogales that was quite tame and he came right up to the boat. These birds are usually very skittish and do a combination run/ fly off across the water when you get within 25 feet or so of them. We knew this one had to be from Mexico because of his persistence in following us, looking for handouts (which he got).

After lunch we went for a hike into the wetlands where the river joins the lake. We saw the brown headed Gila Woodpecker, Teal Winged Duck and later came across the very rare Elegant Trogan. The Trogan is from Mexico and Lake Patagonia is the northern most point of its range. It has very colourful and unusual plumage; emerald green back and head, grey wings, a white V-band on the upper chest with orange below. For colour, he is at least a rival to the brilliant painted bunting which we saw in Florida last year.

Next day was cold and rainy and we made it a travel day and Casino night by the Airport in Tucson. Another really good meal. The dining room offered prime rib for $9.95, but the buffet also included prime rib carved to your liking, together with a multitude of other dishes and of course desserts. We chose the buffet at $8.55 and shuffled back to the rig with our shoulders well to the rear of our centre of gravity, to balance the load. This is a Native Casino on Reserve land. It is our experience that their culinary presentations far outshine most of the Pale Face Casino presentations and you don’t get scalped on the price. Far from it actually.

The next day took us to Kartchner Caverns east of Tuscon, another spot we missed four year ago. They are very significant in the fact that they are “live” meaning they are wet and the water is still dripping and forming the stalagmites and stalactites. There are straw shapes as long as 25 feet which are also unique. The caves had been kept secret by their discoverers for years until they could be prepared for tours with a minimum amount of contamination. Due to the amount of rain this year, the amount of water in the cave was very high and the dripping was way faster than other years so it was a good time to visit. There are no pictures of the cave as cameras are not allowed.

We have probably had our fill of caves for awhile as we have now seen caves in Barbados, Gibraltar, Mammoth Cave in Tennessee, Colossal Cave in Arizona, and the best of the bunch, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Hanging out in caves too much can drive you batty.

COLORADO, COOTS, COYOTES & CRANES

Further up the Colorado River we went to Oxbow Lake and the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. Did the 3 mile nature drive (They won’t let you walk or bike because that disturbs the wildlife) at the Refuge. The preserve was very extensive and remote. However, the lower end lakes for canoeing were closed in winter for nesting purposes. Farmers are allowed to sow crops in the fields but have to leave some standing for the birds. Saw an American Kestral, 2 coyotes, gnat catchers, Canadian and Snow Geese and the Sand Hill Cranes.

The Cranes were in the fields in enormous numbers. Even caught some dancing their mating dance which is repeated hops into the air with wings spread wide and necks extended towards their prospective mate. Mother Nature must have popped a bit of avian into the homo sapiens gene pool since men also crane their necks when a looker strolls by. An ostrich gene also shows up in the married ones, right after wifey catches them craning.

We were able to put the canoe in the water, paddled up the lake and drifted down with the wind. Still saw nothing but coots and two lonely egrets. Made one more stop over north of Blythe at a county park on the Colorado River, after tennis in Blythe. However the flow was too fast to paddle upstream and we were not interested in drifting back down to Yuma some 50 miles south of there, so the canoe stayed on the roof again.

Said goodbye to the Colorado River and headed back into Arizona after tennis once again in Blythe. Made a brief stop in Quartzite to say goodbye to Val who we won’t see until perhaps August as she will be heading to B.C. and Alaska in the spring.


WICKENBERG

We decided to leave late that day and travel up towards Wickenberg and try to get as far as a county park in Salome that we had heard had a tennis court. At sun down, along the way, we found a section of abandoned road off to the side and above a new route for the highway. Decided to pull in there for the night. Nice secluded spot and we slept well.

We had been anxiously awaiting news about whether mom and dad were able to head to Florida. Finally, we got cell service while driving the next morning, made the call and received really good news. Father’s test results had come back from the Lab and he has been cleared to go to Florida. His bad blood counts were down and the rest of his counts were so high that his doctor advised him he was good to go, but the results indicate one new life altering risk may pop up….The Dr. recommended that, to manage this risk, he should go shopping at his local pharmacy’s family planning section, just to be safe. As the old saying goes, you just can’t keep a good man down!

We continued up the road in search of the county park. We had stopped just 6 miles short of it the night before. The tennis court was in very poor condition and we were glad we hadn’t come in late the previous evening. The approach road had just been plowed that morning where a wash crossing over it, to clear a foot of mud deposited by flash flooding. As it was still early we drove on to Wickenberg. After we picked out our camp spot we went into town, played tennis at really nice courts right next to the scenic main street. (This time I beat Marty) Then we shopped at Frys for some groceries and went back to camp. We had a spectacular sunset that night and a really orange, full moon rising.

Next day I found the Quilt Shop and browsed while Marty booked an afternoon appointment to get the oil changed on the vehicle. While waiting for our appointment, we went into the Western Desert Caballeros Museum. This is a world famous museum which houses art from some of the most famous western artists and one of the reasons we like to stop here. Also the tennis and hiking are really good. The desert itself is more pleasing to the eye with lots of saguaro, cholla cactus and desert trees and bushes. After all the rain we have been having, the desert is starting to green up and we can see grass growing under the bushes. If we get some warmth, we may see desert flowers yet.

Another beautiful sunset and moon rise. We are on a hill overlooking part of the town, close to the rodeo arena. Next day we did a three hour hike through the hills.

We stopped on our way out of town to take pictures of the bronze statues on the downtown streets. We have an old prospector, the first teacher and the first black lady to own a business in Wickenberg who designed, opened and ran the first brick hotel in town.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It has been ages since we have written anything here and some of this is going to seem like ancient history. If you get bored, just skip ahead to the pics. We have been relatively stationery over Xmas and the New Year. We met up with friends (Jackie/Tim and Val) at Mittry Lake, just north of Yuma. We previously enjoyed our stay here and looked forward to having the water for a view. Camping here is boon docking with no water or electrical hookups; the BLM allows you to stay ten days per year free of charge.

We camped along an irrigation canal west of the lake, 3 Roadtreks one after the other and proceeded to prepare our Christmas dinner. We combined our efforts and had a very tasty dinner including BBQ’d stuffed turkey breast, tons of veggies from Val and delicious desserts from Jackie. While at Mittry Lake we did a 3.7 mile hike and saw a big horn sheep and a great horned owl. They were both too far off for a photo though.

The previous day Val had accompanied T&J on what was to be a short hike but they took the wrong trail on the way back. It brought them very close to our camp site but, unfortunately, on the opposite side of the canal. This is mountainous country where cross country hiking without a trail is dangerous for a 20 year old experienced climber and suicidal for those of our vintage especially when carrying several extra pounds of residual turkey. After back tracking to find the right trail, their short hike turned into a 4 hour ordeal. There was no camp fire that night as they were in the sack right after sun down. Dam good cure for the turkey hang over (as in belt) though!

Marty and I made a brief stopover in town and hooked up for an afternoon and evening with family. Ken, Cora and Cory provided gracious hospitality especially after dropping in almost unannounced. They gave us Chinese dinner out at Panda Express (best fast food franchise we have experienced), and a home cooked, gourmet breakfast the next morning. The full size shower in their guesthouse was also a treat. It was good to see them again after such a long hiatus. They have a very interesting adobe style home and Ken has done some amazing renovations and landscaping.

CAN-OE IMAGINE!!!!!

Having a canoe has been on Marty’s mind for some time and he has been determined to find one to explore the surprising number of wetlands in the desert. In preparation for buying a canoe, he had to come up with a way of transporting one. He has been running back and forth between Home Depot and Lowes for material, so much so that he is now on a first name basis with all the cashiers at both stores. Each day, he has been fitting together his pieces for a roof rack. Half of the roof rack was finished at Mittry Lake and we were then driving around with all these bits of plumbing on the van roof. Did I fail to mention that the canoe rack is being made out of PVC plumbing fittings????!!! Yes, well now we get the weirdest looks from people and lots of “What on earth is that up there?” from passing strangers. And so we started our quest for a canoe--- in the desert. Sounds impossible to me but what do I know.

LO! AND BEHOLD! Marty has found what may be the one and only canoe around for miles. Not only do we get a canoe, but also two paddles, an anchor, a motor mount and a dolly with two flat tires. It has classic lines with wooden gunnels, ribs and seats but a fibreglass skin instead of the painted canvas typical of this antique design. We went away for a discussion on whether to purchase the canoe or not. The discussion was very brief, how much will we offer below the asking price. The owner said yes to the offer with no hesitation, like it was meant to be.

After another day’s labour, a couple more trips to Lowe’s for a few more plumbing parts, the rack is custom shaped to the canoe’s profile, finished and fixed to the roof of the van. On our first effort at mounting the canoe, it gets hung up on the bicycle handlebars, then the nose gets stuck under the rack’s centre cross brace. With a few more stumbles along the learning curve, this thing almost 10’ above the ground is successfully mounted, without dropping it through the windshield. Now people are looking at the plumbing parts as an inspired feat of engineering--- no longer a “What is that?!!!). The rack tilts forward and with a tug the canoe easily slides off. Of course, we’re there to catch it.

We had to wait a few days to get back to Mittry Lake but finally on January 12 it is LAUNCH DAY! The big test! Will the canoe be as easy to get up and down as Marty has planned? Since the canoe went up, there has been a rearrangement of the bikes on the rack. The canoe should no longer get caught on the handlebars.

The canoe came off the rack like a dream, went into the water, floated and stayed dry inside. It has a lovely wide beam and very comfortable caned leather seats. (Mine has a back rest.) We are both very happy with its performance. Not only that, we loaded it back up with ease in less than 2 minutes. It is very easy for Marty to paddle while I sit back on my back rest with my feet up and the camera ready for all the wonderful wildlife we are now going to see from out on the water. On Mittry Lake, however, all the wonderful wildlife consisted of American Coots (seen too many Coots to give a hoot) and I was forced to paddle for awhile as the wind came up on the nose on the way back to our launch site.

IMPERIAL DAM

Now that we have a canoe, we are actively seeking out wetlands for our canoeing playgrounds. Best choice here has been the Colorado River, with its various lakes above all the many dams. First stop was at the Imperial Dam. I was surprised to see how this dam functioned. There are 4 channels on the down side of the dam dividing water into all the irrigation canals that fan out over Arizona and California. The smallest amount of water is directed through to a 5th channel, the original river channel going into Mexico.

First day we arrived at Squaw Lake we had Launch Day 2. Launch 1 wasn’t a fluke! The canoe performed perfectly on a trip across the Lake to the main river channel and back. Imagine finding a canoe in the desert. As father would say, “Who’d a thunk it?!!” Got back just in time to batten down for high winds and a dust storm.

Squaw Lake camp ground was sparsely populated when we first arrived with a parking area for large rigs and a second nearer the water for small rigs. There is a boat launch area and a beach front to land kayaks, canoes and small fishing boats. Lots of picnic tables and 4 clean washrooms with private unisex shower rooms; 5 minutes for 4 quarters and another quarter for each additional minute and half.

Marty and I did a ‘You wash my back, I’ll wash yours’ joint effort for a buck and a quarter. It felt great as we had been without a shower at Mittry and had to be content with a sponge bath. As we were drying off, Marty noticed that there was light shining from the coin slot in the coin machine. He put his eye to the slot and said, “You can see a good part of the back service room through this slot, which means that someone in there could see just as well into this room. I don’t mind being peeped at if it means having a good shower, but it doesn’t seem right to have to pay the peeper while he’s doing it.” I felt like telling him to clean up his act, but since he had just finished doing that, I let it go.

Next day was still too windy to go out on the lake. We rode our bikes around the Senator’s Wash Reservoir. I don’t even want to hazard a guess as to the number of miles we rode on a dirt/stone road, across a dam and up and down several deep washes, but it took us three hours. After the bike ride, Marty (ever a bear for punishment) took a hike in the hills to see if he could find a canoe route through the reeds into Clear Lake which is on the far side of the peninsula just north of the camp ground. He found a route another camper told him about.

The next day we both went on an extended version of this hike and circumvented the entire peninsula. This was a very scenic and dramatic hike. The peaks rise hundreds of feet right out of the reed beds and the lake, with rocky bluffs and jagged slopes. The trails are well developed but often only a foot or two wide, cut into the side of a 45 degree rock slope. There were many different vistas on all 3 sides of the peninsula.

We launched at 9:30 the next morning for a 2 hour paddle around to Clear Lake and back. Our hike the day before had shown the precise route and we made good time. We had just got the canoe put away when the sky filled in with cloud and the wind came up again. We still saw plenty of coots, however, this trip we were surprised by a trio of raccoons swimming across a small channel. We hurriedly tried to get closer for a picture, however, you can only see the tail of the last raccoon as he leaves the water and gets deeper into the weeds. (And that’s if you blow the picture up about 10 times.)

During the 19th through 22nd, the worst storm here in 10 years rolled through. Torrential downpours, high winds and flooded washes. A tornado touched down north of us, roads were washed out. We were confined to the vehicle throughout the storm and were somewhat worried that the reservoir, 80 feet above us on the other side of an earthen dam, would come crashing down on top of us.


During our ten day stay at Squaw Lake, we had high wind, dust, torrential rains and unseasonably cold weather. We were able to put the canoe in the water only twice in the ten days, had a hike on the peninsula and an exhausting dirt road bike ride. Some times having fun is far too much work!!!

AFTER THE STORM