Today’s post also could be called a mishmash.
Bridget and I are still boondocked in the Sonoran Desert near Why in southern Arizona. I love it here!
I haven’t made The Sign yet.
You know, the obnoxious sign I proposed, the one to guard my privacy that says “Absolutely No Visitors. This Means You!” Well, it hasn’t been necessary to paint that sign. This heavenly boondock already has a sign that provides the same effect!
In the week or so that Bridget and I have lived here, not one vehicle — not one person — has come down our lane. No one has come anywhere near our camp. I grin whenever I think about that. Seclusion, to me, is like living with a protective shield all around. Quite pleasant.
On a related note . . .
I make sure I leave a jug of drinking water outside whenever Bridget and I leave the Best Little Trailer. I’d hate for someone to come along desperate for water and have them find nothing.
No sign of coyotes around our camp.
I haven’t seen or heard any at all. No coyote scat. No evidence of digging around rodent tunnels. I have come upon numerous tracks in the sandy wash behind our camp. I can identify several rabbit tracks. I’ve seen rabbits darting among the bushes, too fast for me to tell if they’re jackrabbits or the cottontail type.
Water is very scarce, as you would expect. We had that brief rain the day we arrived. It wasn’t much, not enough to form a puddle for a coyote to take a drink. I imagine the rabbits enjoyed the droplets off the leaves of the creosote and brittlebush.
I’m intrigued by the hoof tracks that come from the direction of the neighboring hill, go across the lane, and pass close by the outdoor mat. Two-towed hooves, only one animal . . . a deer? pronghorn? javlina? sheep?
If you’re interested in identifying animal tracks in the desert, look at the clear, simple guide at this site: www.in-the-desert.com.
And if you’d like to compare the sounds of a javlina to those of your spouse eating dinner, click on this link. . . . javlina medley.
Really. It sounds just like my first husband! (Make sure your computer’s volume is turned up.)
Before going inside for the night I’m going to lightly smooth the ground near our camp with my rake. Then in the morning I’ll check for tracks.
The next photo shows the golden light that falls upon our camp at sunset.
Let’s see, what else can I talk about . . . Oh!
Bees are still happy. I fill their plate of water every morning. At this rate I’ll be giving them names.
Wandering around Amazon I came across a product called “Campsuds.”
I’ve long wanted a shampoo/soap that I could use near or in natural sources of water without contaminating the environment.
This Campsuds product is biodegradable. You can use it for dishes, laundry, spot cleaning, bathing yourself and your dog, and shampooing. It’s highly concentrated so a bottle should last a long time.
Have you used it? Do you know of anything better? I’m not bringing this up in order to make a sale. Remember, I started full-time living on the road without any camping experience at all.
Anyway . . . . If interested, here’s a link: Campsuds 8 oz.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
We haven’t driven to the monument since my aborted attempt the other day. We will go before we leave this part of southern Arizona.
Within Organ Pipe, Ajo Mountain Drive is a one-way loop around the Diablo Mountains. I want to be in the mood for stopping and taking photos along the way. I assume there are pull-outs to allow for that.
The weather has been perfect!
I can step outside in my sleeping clothes, first thing upon waking, and the air is delightful. The birds seem to think so, too!
I sit in my lounger with my Paperwhite, reading about Red Cloud and the places pertinent to his life and to the many tribes of the high plains and mountains of the West.
I frequently set aside the Paperwhite and pick up my Benchmark atlas of Wyoming.
It’s fun to refresh my memory of the locations of Fort Kearny, Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, and so forth, as well as the Tongue River, the Powder River, Chugwater Creek, the Bighorn Mountains, to name a few, while associating them with the story of Red Cloud.
The crew and I drove by many of these historical places. I want to go back, now that I know more about them. In the meantime I’ll continue educating myself.
Bridget and I head into town again.
It’s always a pleasure to drive into Ajo.
Our first errand is to pick up the mail I had forwarded by my mail service, America’s Mailbox. The postal clerk surprises me with a box of mail, rather than the flat mailer I expect. Darn insurance books mostly. Income forms for taxes. Junk.
Best of all . . .
I find a card from Casita Travel Trailers among the mail. Inside is a check for $200! Thank you, Phyllis, for mentioning me when you ordered your best little trailer.
Here’s a photo taken across the green from the post office. A cute little TAB trailer is parked in front.
Next we stop at the water vending machine. After that, we motor over to Olsen’s. Well, I can’t go into town without stopping at Olsen’s!
I do have important items to pick up.
I need matches for lighting the stove and also meat for the Bridge. Boneless chicken at $2.99 a pound. I could’ve bought the bone-in for $1.99 a pound, but I’m too lazy to mess with that.
Here’s Bridget with another delightful expression of gratitude on her face . . . . for the meat I cook and serve to her every morning, for sharing my comfy bed with her, for taking her on walks, for buying her a pretty sweater, for never leaving her alone at camp, for rubbing her belly, for telling her sweet nothings . . . .
Well, that’s enough for today. A jumbled post. Congratulations for making it all the way to the end!
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