Tuesday, October 14
Around 10 a.m. the Perfect Tow Vehicle carries Bridget and me out of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We travel a few miles on Hancock Road to the entrance of Ponderosa Grove Campground.
The campground is between the state park and Route 89 which goes to Kanab.
“Whoa! What is this?”
Huh? What does this mean? The PTV is 17 feet and the BLT is 17 feet and together they are 34 feet.
I park the PTV on the side of the entrance road.
“I’ll be right back, Bridget.” She howls as I walk down the road to investigate the campground.
I don’t go far before facing an RVSue guard!
Also known as a cattle guard. I cannot walk across a cattle guard. I realize there’s no way I can possibly fall between the metal bars. Nevertheless, I can’t force myself to walk across.
(For readers who’ve never ventured into free-range grazing country, a cattle guard is a bunch of parallel bars with spaces in between. Cattle will not walk across them. In this case it keeps the cattle from strolling into the campground.)
It does not, however, keep ME from strolling into the campground. I find a section of fence that I can squeeze through and continue on my way.
Hey, this is a nice, little campground. Only $2.50 a night for geezers. Sweet!
Hmm . . . Only one camper here and that travel trailer looks longer than the Best Little Trailer.
A man is fussing around the storage bin of his travel trailer. I ask him about the sign and the wording of the length restriction.
“I think that means per individual vehicle. My trailer’s 24 feet. We’ve been here six days. I haven’t seen a ranger in all that time.”
I walk back to the PTV and drive us into the campground.
I back the BLT into a pretty spot. It’s a short campsite so I immediately unhitch and park the PTV sideways.
Later I have a conversation with the man.
I introduce myself and he tells me his “self-inflicted nickname” is Boma.
“Hmm… Boma… I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with the name of Boma,” I remark, smiling.
“I didn’t know its meaning until I met an African,” he elaborates. “In Africa a Boma is an enclosure in the middle of a village. Animals are kept there for safety with the huts all around in a circle. When a woman has a problem with her husband, she runs out of her house and goes into the boma. When the other men see a woman in the boma, they come out and hold court, right there on the spot. They bring the husband out to the boma, hear both sides, and the situation is resolved.”
“Gee, great system. We could use bomas here in this country. Put them in the middle of apartment and condo complexes,” I joke. “So your name means . . . . ”
“A place of security; safety,” Boma finishes.
Boma tells me he and his wife have been at Ponderosa Grove Campground for six days.
He’s attending a symposium on rock art held in Kanab. I question him further and learn that he’s enjoyed a career as an archaeologist studying petroglyphs, petrographs, geoglyphs, art on pottery, and so forth. The conversation fascinates me.
“What a wonderful mix for a career,” I respond. “Archeology and art.”
One meets such interesting people while living “on the road.”
After lunch Bridget and I board the PTV for a trip into Kanab.
On the way we stop at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary!
I sign up for the nine o’clock tour tomorrow, October 15th. Bridget and I won’t ride on the tour van. Instead we’ll follow in the PTV which will allow me to take photos out an open window.
A tour of the sanctuary will be my birthday present to myself!
Bridget and I continue on our way to Kanab.
Highway 89 takes us through beautiful red-rock scenery. Between the traffic and no place to pull over, I only manage one photo.
Here’s a view of downtown Kanab . . . .
I remember a little grocery called “Honey’s Marketplace” from our visit here in May 2012.
I pick up a few groceries and head back to camp.
Wednesday, October 15
Bridget and I wake up with just enough time for breakfast before taking off for our tour at Best Friends. It’s a beautiful day! On the way I stop for a few moments to watch a curious deer family in the bushes along Hancock Road.
A few more miles and Bridget and I arrive at Best Friends.
The tour is fun and informative. Rather than describe it in words, in the next post I’ll show you my photographs and they will tell the story.
Several of you are wondering if I found another crew member. I won’t tease you any longer. No, I didn’t adopt a pal for Bridget. I would’ve consider a new crew member from the sanctuary if it were as simple as pointing and saying, “I’ll take that one.”
It isn’t that easy.
I know from my experience with rescue organizations that great care is taken before placing an animal in a new home. It’s unlikely that I would pass the adoption requirements. Just imagine a home visit at our campsite — “Um, no, I don’t have a fenced in yard . . . . .” Plus the process takes time and we need to continue moving south for the winter.
Sorry to disappoint! We will find the right crew member, all in good time.
Bridget and I celebrate my birthday together.
We share left-over rotisserie chicken at our picnic table. The chicken makes a delicious sandwich for me and Bridget enjoys a few chunks on a paper plate.
Then it’s birthday cake time! I break open the plastic container holding one serving of white cake with white frosting. I mark it with “66” and take a photo.
“Sorry, Bridge. You don’t get any. It’s all mine.”
As I sit in my lounge chair savoring each bite, I recall the many birthday wishes sent to me through this blog, as well as the many kindnesses I’ve received over the past year.
The leaves of the cottonwood tree across from our campsite flutter in the breeze.
I imagine each of the heart-shaped leaves as readers of this blog wishing me a happy birthday.
Thank you for sharing my birthday with me!
rvsue
NOTE: I can’t tell you how much I agonize while reading your comments and not being able to respond to each one. I’m encountering the worst connection issues ever. This post took several trips searching for signal over two days. The connection broke many times during the writing process requiring rewrites.
Please don’t think I’m unappreciative of your many good wishes for me and Bridget. Your thoughtfulness and your loyalty to my blog, even in my absence, means a lot. Bridget and I will move soon and, once we do, I hope I’ll be able to post and respond more often.
Thanks for your messages of concern regarding Bridget’s leg injury that flared up again. I’m still restricting her activity. She’s still limping. Apparently it will take time.
AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
