Friday, January 30
No, these aren’t the new members of the canine crew! These fluffy girls (below) belong to one of this blog’s readers, Bob from New Hampshire. Bob is our nearest neighbor at our camp on BLM land west of Yuma.
Bridget, Jenny, and Sam (Samantha)
Bridget and I are wandering around the wash by our camp this morning when we run into Bob and his canine crew. Bob travels in a Class A with a toad. He has three big solar panels affixed to the roof of his rig. Bob has been full-timing for a couple of years, although he had his rig for several years before retiring.
We agree that life is good “on the road.”
Eager to meet the Bridge
Bob invites Bridget and me to come see the action at his hummingbird feeder station.
“I put out feeders wherever I camp, but I’ve never seen as many hummingbirds as there are at this place!”
Bob has a chair and a camera on a tripod (a camera that looks like a cannon and makes my Panasonic LUMIX look like a child’s toy) set up near but not too close to the feeder. (Click this link to read Bob’s blog. His close-ups of hummingbirds are stunning!)
“This camera is so powerful I can’t put it really close,” he explains.
We watch as several hummers come and go.
“Ya’ know, when I was younger I thought bird-watching was the stupidest thing,” Bob muses. Then he laughs. “Now I can sit out here and watch the hummingbirds for the longest time. It’s better than tv!”
I turn to leave and there’s Bridget sitting next to Bob’s chair, right close to his leg like she’s in love with him or something, ready to toss me aside for a man!
Later Bridget and I take a trip into Yuma for supplies.
When Bridget and I return to camp, we find the Best Little Trailer sitting under a very dark sky.
Our camp next to the Cargo Muchacho Mountains, Winterhaven, California
While many regions of Arizona are deluged with rain this day, we receive very little and what we do receive falls conveniently during the night.
I love coming home to the Best Little Trailer
Recently I shared with you photos of the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona near the town of Why and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The Sonoran is called “the green desert” for good reason. And, yes, it’s beautiful, no question about it.
This desert holds a different kind of appeal.
Sure, it’s not as green as the Sonoran. It doesn’t have the variety of plants. Definitely can’t call it lush. Even so, it has a wide-open, expansive feel that I find refreshing. I like the grittiness of the coarse sand that crunches under my trail shoes. This is take-it-or-leave-it desert. No showy cactus here. The ironwood trees are gnarly and the creosote bushes are brown. This is the desert. No apology necessary.
Desert like you mean it.
Saturday, January 31
Windy! The wind makes it unpleasant to hang around outside at our camp. Instead Bridget and I board the Perfect Tow Vehicle and explore the roads to the north of us. We get out for a walk sheltered from the wind. This delights Bridget, no end. She runs joyfully ahead of me, her tail spinning as if she’s an air boat skimming across the Everglades.
“Go, Bridgie-babeeeee!”
When we return to the BLT, we share a snack of cold rotisserie chicken, left over from yesterday.
No-nonsense mountains of bare rock
Bridget conks out on the bed.
I slide in next to her to read, propped up with pillows, pausing now and then to gaze out the window at the desert. Time passes, unmeasured.
Oh my gosh, it’s the “golden hour!” I grab the camera and dart outside.
The same mountains as in the previous photo
This is the life! Yes, this is the golden life.
rvsue
THANK YOU, RVSUE SHOPPERS!
I appreciate every Amazon item you buy through my blog. Click links to view a few of the items recently purchased by readers:
Sporn Pet Halter, Large, Red
GemWraps® Mango Chipotle Sandwich Wrap
Augusta Sportswear Shoulder Strap Pocket Competition Bag
Camco Cylinder Stabilizing Base for 20 lbs and 30 lbs Propane Tank
CMS 50-DL Pulse Oximeter with Neck/Wrist cord
12v Water Pressure Diaphragm Pump for rv/boat/marine
“FLASHBACK”
Bridget at Three Island Crossing, Glenns Ferry, Idaho, August 2012
