Borrego Springs---Continued

Okay, you will have to forgive me. I got our days of geocaching mixed up. Our first day of geocaching was spent getting some of the hides we missed our first time in the area. We headed south of town to get the caches near the sculptures that are all over the desert in Borrego Springs. If you ever visit, make a trip to the Chamber of Commerce in town to get a map of the sculptures. They are definitely worth finding.

 While staying in the desert, we did a lot of grilling, but one day there were some serious winds--enough the we and Larry & Connie pulled in all of our slides. For a 24 hour period there were winds of 25-35 miles per hour with gusts up to 65! We decided we didn't want to grill and eat grit so we drove into town to Pablito's. The drive in was a bit scary, at one point Larry had to slow way down as visibility went to nothing. We arrived safely and had a nice Mexican dinner at a restaurant located in the mall near the grocery store. The food was good and the margaritas were okay. The wind settled down some for our drive back to our rigs.

 Connie and Larry knew the location of the giant desert snake so the next morning we set off hiking to find it. It was pretty close to our camping spot--we just had to hike over the mountain to find it. This is a view of it from the top of the rocks near it.

 Did I mention it was a giant snake? To give you an idea of the size, here I am next to it.

 Also in the area was a palm tree.....

 ....and a flower.

 Someone had messed up the coyote howling at the moon and the travel trailer.

That evening, the winds died down enough for Connie to show us how to cook in the mud oven. First, Larry built a roaring fire in the heart of the oven. When the coal died down to embers, he brushed them and the ashes to the sides and back. Time to make pizza!

 Together we had all the fixings to make 4 small pizzas.

 Once a pizza went in the oven, it didn't take but a couple of minutes to cook.

 Three of the four pizzas were devoured that evening. Larry and Connie kept one for a future happy hour.

 On Monday, Bob's birthday, we all hiked to Palm Canyon at the state park. The wildflowers were beautiful and the weather was perfect.

 It is always interesting to see how the plants in the desert take hold in rocks and grow like they are in soil. This barrel cactus found its way into this cracked rock.

 The palms at the oasis were visible from a ways out.

 We had to cross the stream several times before we reached the palms.

 When we reached the oasis, it was nice to get out of the sun and rest a bit before heading back to the trail head. Just outside the shade of the palms, there was a cholla growing on the rock.

 I think Bob enjoyed his birthday hike and the nice weather. It sure can be windy in the desert!

 That night for dinner we went to Carmelita's, another Mexican restaurant in town. This time the dinner was good and so were the margaritas.

Tuesday we drove to Julian, a town famous for apple pies. The trip was two-fold, we wanted to visit Julian and we needed to help out a fellow Boomer. The Boomer, who was traveling alone, fell and broke her ankle while viewing the wildflowers. She was taken to a hospital in San Diego where she had surgery on her ankle. We picked up her car and took it back to her rig.  We knew we were going to be leaving Borrego soon so Larry and Connie took her keys to the Borrego fire station for safekeeping.

The day before we left Borrego, Larry and Connie took us to Jojoba Hills to drop off clothes for the Boomer. She has a friend who lives at the SKP park who was going to visit her in rehab and drop off the clothes.

We enjoyed our stay in Borrego, but it was getting hot and we needed to move on. Our choice was Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land just outside the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. The elevation may just keep us cooler.

Borrego Springs Revisited

The next stop after Yuma was Borrego Springs. Once again, the drive was a short one. Unfortunately, Sol was 'injured' not long after we entered California. There was a lot of road construction on I-8 and the trencher machine was throwing cascades of rock everywhere. Well, I don't know how anyone escaped having their windshield cracked passing by this machine on a one lane highway. Yes, Sol had her windshield cracked. It is not a large crack and we hope to make it back to Florida before having it replaced.
 
Bob and I originally visited Borrego Springs, California, in December of 2012. The desert was pretty much brown except for Palm Canyon. This time our visit was in April, during a desert super bloom. Oh, yes, that blooming desert. Our campsite this time was a little bit south of our original site. Connie and Larry knew about the mud oven that other Boomers built about 8 years ago. It is still intact and usable. We camped very near the oven this time at the end of the pavement for Rockhouse Trail. The weather was hot and Connie and I enjoyed spending the afternoon in Sol's shade.

 Larry and Connie's rig was parked perpendicular behind Sol.

I was feeling a bit better and so we cooked those Mexican shrimp on the grill. Our shrimp were marinated in garlic Tabasco and olive oil. The packet has sliced potatoes with olive oil and garlic. Dinner was yummy!

I was beginning to feel a bit better, but I didn't want to overdo anything. Bob and I started with an afternoon walk in the desert near our campsite. We saw some of those desert blooms on our walk. This lily is on its way to seed, but it was still pretty.

 The indigo bush was not only a deep purple, but you could smell it from quite a distance away.

 The next day, since I was feeling better, Bob and I decided to go geocaching. Bob found a power line run where we could get about 20 caches if the road was good. In addition to finding caches, we found some other interesting finds. This lizard kept still under the bush so I got multiple photos. I think this is the best one of the bunch.

We also saw large caterpillars. The toe of Bob's shoe should give you an idea of how large this guy was.

 This caterpillar was stretched eating his noon meal.

 The most noticeable blooms in the desert were the ocotillo shrubs. Usually the branches are brown with long thorns. When these plants get just a little bit of water, they sprout green leaves which cover the thorns and they develop gorgeous blooms on their tips.

 Here is a close-up of an ocotillo bloom.

 Also blooming in the desert at Borrego were the cacti. This is a beavertail cactus with a pink blossom.

 The barrel cactus had yellow blooms.  Notice the barrel is in close proximity to a pencil cholla.

 Also blooming was Bob's favorite cholla. And yes, the cholla got both of us on this outing. I got a pod stuck in the sole of my shoe and Bob caught one on his ankle.

 We enjoyed geocaching and seeing the desert in bloom. I think I am ready to do more.

The Tucson Area and Escapade

Our drive to Desert Diamond Casino was a short one. We filled our tank with diesel before arriving since we knew we would be boondocking for at least 8 or 9 days and might need to run the generator.

Bob and I parked behind Larry and Connie, hoping there would be enough room for all those who wanted to caravan to Escapade with them. At one point they thought there would be 8 rigs, but some people decided to go early. I think there were 5 rigs that drove in together so we could all park with Boomers. There were 971 rigs at Escapade--the fairgrounds were packed!

Well, I have to tell you, I didn't enjoy the casino or Escapade as much as I would have liked. It seems the cottonwoods at Sierra Vista were shedding their pollen and my sinuses didn't appreciate it. At the casino, things only got worse as the desert was in bloom and the casino was extra smokey. I did win $100 at the casino which was nice.

On Sunday we drove to Pima County Fairgrounds for Escapade. My head felt like it was going to explode. I only went to 3 seminars---all very informative and I can't wait to get a good Internet connection to try some of the things I learned! One evening I tried to last through the entertainment--a Beach Boys wannabe band that was no match for the originals! The next night I tried the talent show, once again I didn't last. I did win one of the door prizes, a three night stay at KOFA Ko-op Park in Yuma and a $25 gift certificate. After I won, at intermission, I went back to Sol to rest.

We stayed at the fairgrounds until Saturday before heading to Yuma to use my free nights. Larry and Connie had never been to KOFA, so they went, too.

After we arrived and got set up, it was time for a soak in the hot tub--maybe the steam would help my sinuses. After relaxing, it was back to Sol for dinner. The next day I felt good enough to walk the area and get a few geocaches, but that did me in! The blooming desert and I don't get along!

On Monday morning, I was able to get a doctor appointment and finally get some relief. I got the infamous Z-pack, cough medicine, and prescription nose drops.  While I was at the doctor, Connie and Larry went to Mexico and bought some huge shrimp! Guess what was for dinner? Not shrimp, I didn't feel like it. On Tuesday, armed with medications, it was time to move on to Borrego Springs, California. We planned to boondock in the desert until Larry and Connie had to leave for Seal Beach to visit family.

I was hoping we would have good Internet so I could update the blog since it seemed everyone at Escapade had Verizon and it was running very S-L-O-W. At KOFA, we had good Internet, but I didn't feel like updating the blog. As you can see, quite a bit of time has passed since I last updated--mostly due to Internet connections. Hopefully I can get caught up once we get to Borrego Springs and everyone will know what we have been doing.

A New Place to Explore---Sierra Vista, Arizona

Our travel days have been short and this day was no exception. We drove about 80 miles from Whitewater Draw to Sierra Vista, Arizona. Bob and I know friends who have been stationed at Fort Huachuca, but we have never visited. This would be our first campsite with full-hookups since we stayed at Betty's RV Park at the beginning of this trip. We had reservations and were glad we did because this is a popular winter stop for a lot of retired military.

We had a great site at Apache Flats. 

Once we got set-up, it was time to do laundry! Funny how those dirty clothes seem to multiply when you are boondocking! Once laundry was done, Bob and I took a walk around the nature trail at the campground.

The next day was a geocaching day for Bob and I. We went north of Sierra Vista to Huachuca City and found Arizona Land (permit needed to enter) and cached in the desert. We found all but one of the caches on our list. Unfortunately, since it was desert, there was no established trail and we had to fight our way through small mesquite trees to get some of the caches. For those of you unfamiliar with these trees, the have very small 

 Another day we drove south with Larry and Connie to Coronado National Memorial. It is located near the Mexican border. The visitor center had examples of the armor used by Coronado's men when they explored the southwest. Connie is modeling the helmet and shield.

The visitor center is small, but filled with information. We had a picnic lunch in front of it before heading to Coronado Peak.

 This is a panoramic view to the east of Coronado Peak.

 In this picture, the dark line running from the mountain to the east is the wall separating the U.S. from Mexico. It was built quite a few years ago.

 Bob and Larry took advantage of the shelter on Coronado Peak while Connie and I took photos of the views.

 One thing that is ever-present in the desert is cholla, a type of cactus that literally jumps on you. Bob gave this cholla plenty of space as he snapped its picture. Any time we travel west, Bob ends up with cholla somewhere around his ankles or shins. So far, so good...no cholla bites!

 This cholla (pronounced choy-uh), the one Bob photographed, has already bloomed and the blossoms are turning into more segments of the cactus.

 Another day Bob, Connie and I visited Tombstone, Arizona. Bob found out there was a brewery and we had to visit. It was a small tasting room with good brews.

 To vary our activity, our group took advantage of the special bowling prices on base during the weekdays. None of us had bowled in quite a while and we enjoyed ourselves trying to get those pesky pins to fall.

On our last day in Sierra Vista, Bob and I went to the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area. It is a huge area that follows the San Pedro River. We hiked and geocached near San Pedro House Visitor Center.

 As with most desert riparian areas, the cottonwood trees were huge!

On one of the ponds we spotted these turtles sunning themselves.

 Yes, there were geocaches in the area and we found all of those hidden in the area of our hike

We enjoyed our stay (8 days) in Sierra Vista and hope to return to explore more of the area. It was time to head to Tucson to get ready for Escapade!

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Management Area

Whitewater Draw WMA is located south of Willcox, Arizona. As the crow flies, it is about 90 miles from Hot Well Dunes. Needless to say, our travel day was not long and drawn out. Bob and I arrived at Whitewater in time to eat lunch. Larry and Connie needed to run some errands in Willcox before joining us. At first we were parked in the area with the pit toilet and the main crane viewing area, but there were a lot of rigs for the small space. Bob and I took a look at the map and found two other camping spots for the wildlife area. One was north of our location, the other south. The one south of us looked like it had an easier entrance and a lot more space for large rigs.  The one north had a gate which looked narrow and it also looked like it could be quite dusty if the wind was blowing. We chose the south camping area and texted Connie notifying her of the change of location. She and Larry joined us within 45 minutes.

The reason most people visit Whitewater Draw is because it is the winter roosting place of sandhill cranes. Soon they will return to their nesting areas, but for now they are at Whitewater Draw. On our first visit to the roosting area, we spotted these three cranes away from the others. One may be a juvenile, but we couldn't see if his head was still grey. Only adult cranes have the distinctive red forehead.

Later in the evening, Bob and I took a walk toward the roosting area, but the sun was already below the mountains and the air was chilling more than we liked. I did get a picture of the lone tree near our campsite with the sunglow behind it.

The next day we all wanted to explore Cochise Stronghold--the area where Cochise hid from the army after the Bascom incident at Fort Bowie. The stronghold is located in a section of Coronado National Forest. The campground is nice, but it is not big rig friendly. The maximum length recommended for this campground is 26 feet.

 We hiked the nature trail and the history trail. The rock formations are reminiscent of some of the smaller rocks in Chircahua. This mountain range is called Dragoon, but you can see the Chiricahuas from here.

It amazes me how the vegetation changes as you change elevation and enter the mountains.

Particularly pretty on the nature trail were the pointleaf manzanitas. The bees were also enjoying them!

When we returned to Whitewater Draw, we checked to see if all the cranes had returned. Each morning the cranes take flight in search of food. They begin returning to the roost area around noon. Some leave again in the afternoon, but all remain in the area overnight. As you can see in this picture, some of them had returned, but not all.

The next day we traveled to Bisbee, Arizona. It is an interesting mining town built on the side of the mountain. One of the tourist attractions is Queen Mine. We have all visited Bisbee before, but none of us had toured the mine. Today's activity---tour the mine. Once again, when traveling with Larry and Connie, we had to don special apparel for our activity. The last time we were together, we looked like oompa loompas as we got ready for our whitewater rafting experience.

This time, we looked like we were ready to direct traffic at night in a construction zone.

To get into the mine you have to ride a train.

The tour guide unlocks the 1915 door and into the mine you go!

The mine began production in the 1880s and closed its doors in 1975. What copper was left was not deemed enough for the expense it would take to extract it from the ore.

Question: What did the miners do when they needed to use the facilities?
Answer: They used the two seat portable potty!

Yes, it is mounted on wheels so the mules could pull it out of the mine for emptying!
After our tour, we went to Bisbee. Since it is built on the side of a mountain, there are a lot of steps. So many, that every fall, there is an ironman race to the top!

Another event held in Bisbee is the welcome back festival for the turkey vultures....yes, you read that right!

As we were walking around town, we took a wrong turn and ended up climbing about 100-200 (we didn't count) stairs! The view from the level we reached gave a good view of the town.

We found our way down and made it to Old Bisbee Brewery for lunch. I got the sampler with 7 beers. One of the most interesting was Salut! which was made for customers who like white wine. Connie ordered it as you see in the tall goblet to the right of me (my glass is in the center). If I look lost in thought with my cell phone it is because I am registering all the beer on Untapped.

While we were eating, the brewery received a delivery of hops.

I am standing in front of the tasting room and the brewery is in the small building behind me.

We enjoyed our trip to Bisbee, but it was time to return to Whitewater to check on the cranes. They had returned! This is only a small portion of the thousands of cranes roosting at Whitewater.

When we were at Whitewater Draw, there was a camera keeping track of the sandhill cranes. The camera has since been disabled because the cranes leave during March for their nesting areas.