The dust settles over the desert.
I have a brighter outlook on this camp than on the day we arrived. The OHVers are gone. The crew and I have this place across from Sawtooth Canyon (south of Barstow, California), all to ourselves.
Of course, my better mood is due to the peace and quiet. The comments on this blog helped, too. After a group vent, who wouldn’t feel better?
The crew and I sequester ourselves in the Best Little Trailer until the weekenders leave. Now we’re ready to get out and explore the area around our camp!
Unlike “Camp Desert Retreat,” our previous camp, this is a green desert.
I don’t know what that reddish plant is, but it’s all around here, setting off the deep green of the creosote buses.
Bridget and Spike enjoy the freedom of no leashes.
I look up and notice a rock garden above us. (Added later after a reader’s comment . . . Do you see an animal in the lower left-hand corner of the photo below? A cougar perhaps?)
The photo below shows our campsite’s road crossing Highway 247 and continuing over to Sawtooth Canyon and the campground of that name.
It’s fun discovering nature’s little treasures, like this blue-flowered plant. What a poignant picture it makes, so colorful and cheerful, living precariously among tire tracks.
Yesterday afternoon a pick-up truck pulls up to park near our campsite.
I’m outside with the crew. Of course, Bridget and Spike run at the truck, barking.
A retirement-age couple get out and walk toward me. I meet them halfway. Hmm . . . probably readers of my blog. They look kind of serious though.
“Hello!” The man is wearing a shirt with a running-horses design across the chest. “Have you seen two dogs around here?”
“A black one and a white one,” his wife adds.
“No, I’m sorry. I haven’t. I haven’t seen any dog tracks either, other than those of my own dogs. When did you last see them?”
“Oh, it was this morning when we let them out,” the woman explains. “They didn’t come home for their supper when we called.”
That’s strange. It’s not even five o’clock and they’re worried already. Wait a minute . . .
“I remember your dogs!” I exclaim. “I saw them last year when I camped here. They were running around together on that road down there.” I point toward the campground. “Where do you live?”
“Over there in the mobile home,” the man answers, thumbing toward a white rectangle in the desert near Sawtooth Canyon. “Well, thanks anyway.”
They turn to go.
“Wait . . . How about leaving your cell phone number in case I do see them?” I suggest.
The man goes to the truck.
He returns with a slip of paper with the number on it. I tell them I’ll keep an eye out for the dogs, they thank me, and I wish them luck.
Before they get into their truck, both of them turn and make a profuse effort to let me know I can call them if I need anything, if I have a flat tire or something.
Sweet and thoughtful as the offer is, it tells me a lot about how they see me — a woman alone, camping in the desert, vulnerable.
Like I’ll be totally helpless if something like a flat tire should occur. This isn’t the first time I’ve come across that assumption.
I smile and thank them, and they leave.
Something doesn’t ring true. I bet they used the dogs as an excuse to drive up here to see who is camping in the white trailer. Nice people — no doubt about that — and curious.
I take each day as it comes.
At this point I’m not in a hurry to leave. There are more walks and photos to take. I have a book to read, a blog to hover over, food to eat, and stars to gaze at from my pillow. I don’t feel like going anywhere. Bridget and Spike are happy. I’m content.
I’m glad I waited for peace and quiet to return.
rvsue
THANK YOU FOR BEING AN RVSUE SHOPPER!
I appreciate every order placed through my links. Here are a few samples of recent Amazon purchases by readers of this blog:
Go Pet Club Brown Cat Tree
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Nesco Professional 6-Quart Stainless Steel Roaster Oven with Glass Cover
Benchmark Arizona Road & Recreation Atlas – 7th edition
GOODYEAR MARATHON RADIAL Trailer Tire
“REAR VIEW MIRROR”
A look back to May 18, 2013 . . .
“Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park and Sunglow”
