The crew and I go back to the Cow Plop Mountain area this morning.
It’s imperative — and boy, do I mean imperative — that I hitch up and take the BLT into town to dump her tanks. If I’m going to hitch up anyway, I want to to see if there’s a better campsite for us to move into when we return.
Note: Today’s photos are from our hike yesterday.
Why return to Darby Well Road?
Well, looking at the weather in the Southwest, this area around Ajo, Arizona, seems to be the best for weather right now, even though cold days are on the way. No sense driving off somewhere else in order to have a night time low of 28 instead of, say, 36 degrees.
I drive the PTV up and around and over several of the BLM roads.
Bridget and Spike walk with me to check possible sites. Nothing seems any better than where we are right now, so I go back to the campsite and hitch up. 
On the way out Darby Well Road, I meet a motor home on the way in.
It stops as I approach and a lady jumps out. She waves hello as if she knows me. Huh?
I stop and she comes over to my window. Her name is Judy and she’s a follower of this blog! I thank her for that.
Her husband Ed is at the wheel. He brings down his window and says hi, too. They’re from the Adirondacks (That’s upstate NY, for those of you who are geography-impaired).
“Are you leaving?” Judy asks.
“No, I’m on my way to dump tanks. I’d help you find a spot if I weren’t hooked up and on my way.”
“That’s okay. We’ll find something. ”
With a “see ya’ around” and smiles, they’re off to find their boondock camp.
Judy and Ed seem like good, friendly people, happy to be on the road to new places.
I go to Belly Acres RV Park, buy propane, dump tanks, and take on water.
After that, I pull across the street to Olsen’s Grocery. Now we’re all set for a while. I back the BLT into the same spot as before, and all is well.
Fasten your seat belts! We’re going back in time!
Remember when Bill and Ann were here, camped across the road from our camp? Well, one day I walk over to see what they’re up to and they’re not home. On the way down their lane I pass another motor home.
“Wait up!” I hear a man call. I look around and see Evan coming toward me. I liked Evan and Wanda right away when I met them a few days prior. “Hi!” I reply.
“I want to ask about your antenna,” he begins.
We both look over at the white “flag” peeking over the palo verde at my campsite. I answer Evan’s questions about the Wilson antenna, and the conversation goes to solar panels, batteries, inverters, waste tanks, LED lights, and other subjects that absolutely enthrall boondockers.
I admire his Itasca motor home.
“Creme de la creme of Winnebago, right?” I comment.
“That’s what they tell me, ” he replies with a modest smile. Hmm . . . I bet Evan can help me out.
You see, I want a Sirius XM radio.
I’ve wanted one for a very long time.
Let me tell you, the winter nights can seem endless.
Especially when there’s no television reception, or, worse yet, when the television picks up seventeen channels, all in a foreign language, except one channel in English which plays “The Simpsons” for HOURS or some hysterical huckster hawks a deep fryer as if his life depends on it.
And I don’t give a hoot if that last sentence isn’t really a sentence and is bad form. For crying out loud. This is a blog. If you want great literature, go to the library. Anyway . . . Sorry about that.
There’s only so much reading one’s eyes can stand after peering into a computer monitor for several hours.
I research SiriusXM radios and subscription plans and docks and auxiliary inputs and antennas and receivers and, good golly, WHY CAN’T SOMEBODY SIMPLY TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO BUY! It’s so dang confusing!
“Say, Evan, you wouldn’t happen to have a Sirius XM radio, would you?”
That’s all I had to say.
Evan shows me how he put Sirius in his truck, how he mounted the hockey-puck antenna on the truck’s roof, the dock inside his motor home, where the wire goes, how he put the antenna on his motor home’s roof with the wire in the fridge’s air vent, what I need to buy and so on. At last I begin to understand. I am one, happy lady!
I think it was the next day that I receive a surprise.
The crew and I are back home from a trip into Ajo. Hey, what’s this?
A rock sits on the tray of my stepladder. Underneath is a pencil-drawn schematic of a Sirius XM radio set-up.
Now wasn’t that nice of him to do this . . . .
Before I have a chance to thank Evan, he and Wanda are pulling out in their motor home from across the road. I run past the palo verde and dance around, waving and jumping to catch their attention. I want to wave them a “thank you” and a “goodbye, safe travels.”
But they don’t see me.
That’s okay. Off they go, seeking a new adventure, with eyes focusing on the road ahead and minds anticipating what’s around the next bend.
rvsue
Ooooh, I love XM radio. You’re going to enjoy that – and we’re going to enjoy YOU enjoying that! Good Luck….and I can’t wait to hear (no pun intended) how it all turns out!!!!!!
The radio and its subscription is my reward for all the Amazon work. It looks like Amazon will pay for it all!
Sue and Crew,
Love your blog and especially the pics. Thanks for taking your time to share. I really like my Sirius/XM radio. Before absorbing the cost of purchasing a boom box and other accessories you may want to consider using your laptop and the Sirius APP. Just to see if you like satellite radio. Since I get unlimited minutes that is all I use but that may not work if you have a limited plan. It will give you an opportunity to test out Sirius before any major dollar investment.
Best to you.
Kathy, Arlington VA
The only thing that makes me hesitate to use an APP with my computer is the energy drain. I wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of my blogging!
Best to you, too, Kathy in Arlington, VA!
I see you already taken the plunge into Sirius. Good for you and yeah Amazon!!,
And yay Amazon shoppers! I owe it all to you!
Your welcome. Now you can pipe the Sirius through Word Press so we can listen to music while reading you posts,OK. Love the picture of Bridget on the knoll with the mountains in the background. Beautiful composition.
I like that picture, too. It’s so . . . Bridget.
Love the way she sits… makes me smile every time I see it. Mugsy also has one of those very unlady-like sitting positions. 🙂
When Bridget sits like that, it looks like her excess weight gives in to gravity and her body “puddles” on the ground. I call her “Dumplin'” when that happens.
I can sort of relate…
And did you order your new radio from Amazon. I hear someone on this blog gets rewarded when you do………LOL Enjoy your reward for providing so many readers with entertainment.
Pat, DWR
Oh, I found out something about Amazon. I’m not supposed to order through my links. It makes sense because commission percentage is based on how many sales you make in a month. If I got credit for my own purchases, I could buy up a bunch of inexpensive products in order to make the commission percentage on all my sales for the month go up.
That’s okay. I’m happy to have enough generated by my readers to be able to get the radio. What a difference it will make, especially in the winter when it gets dark so early.
Great posting Sue. I,m happy you are on your way to being a XM/Sirius subscriber. Also, awsome pictures. It looks as though blossoms are ready to happen. Sorry we missed you as we were exiting Darby Wells. The best to you and the crew.
From base camp in Nevada.
Hello, Evan and Wanda! I enjoyed meeting you both and including you in today’s post. Hope all is well at your base camp.
Sue, I have had Siurrius radio for the last 5 years, but I am going to call and cancel it this week. Why? Because I got DirectTV Satellite TV and it is 1000 times better and just a little more money. The start up costs are about the same I paid $40 for a tripod and $25 for a meter to help me find the satellite. That’s about what you will pay for a sat. radio. The first year it costs $30 a month plus $8 for a DVR, the second year it goes up to $54. After that your contract is over and you can start over with whatever deal they have going on.
You can spend about $600 and get a self-finding sat dish but I just got the tripod and find it myself. It isn’t that hard. But you move more than I do so you may want a self-finding. It takes me about 20 minutes to get the tripod set up and locked on. It’s just another chore to set up camp.
I have some blog posts on it if you want to know more.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I certainly will look up the info on your blog. From reading what you’ve written, it sounds like more than I want to set up at a camp site, because, like you said, I move around a lot (in the warm months).
I like the idea of a fixed antenna (no bigger than a can of “chew”) and nothing to set up outside. It’s good of you to share another option with us. I’ll look it over.
Beautiful desert pictures. I often wondered what RVers did at night. My vision is not what it use to be and my eyes tire easy so I can’t read for very long…so instead I get the audio books. Maybe you could take up a hobby you enjoy to make extra cash and work on them in winter.
Hello, Rita,
It used to be enough to read. Now that I have reliable internet (due to the Wilson antenna), I’m online for longer stretches during the day. My eyes tire in the evening, too.
I would love to have a hobby that totally engages me. I thought I would take up painting again — and maybe I will. Up to now, my paint brushes haven’t called my name! I do feel a need to create with my hands, something other than putting words together.
“I often wondered what RVers did at night.”
Rita, wonder no longer – many of us go to sleep.
Sirius Classic Vinyl station hasn’t played a bad song in about five years of listening…..good for you!!!! You are going to love it I will bet!!
Hi Janet,
Your comment just kicked my anticipation up a notch. I have to wait until I’m somewhere I can receive UPS packages in order to get the components. I’m looking forward to hearing the news, especially from the BBC and other foreign outlets. Our news is so biased and full of frivolity that it’s next to worthless, IMHO.
I had XM for a few years, but it was such a mess when Sirius and XM merged that I decided to drop it and haven’t taken taken it up again. There are a number of talk stations which are a change from the music.
Beautiful photos this posting. The first one and the one with Bridget are my favs. The area you are in is filled with spectacular scenery. I’d need something besides reading for the evenings, as well. I check out audio books from the library frequently. I preorder them and they are waiting for me at the library, since they are just too expensive to purchase. Looking forward to your upcoming photos when the cactus bloom.
Hello, Beverly,
I want to see the cactus/cacti bloom. Those blooms need to appear before the snakes do! Audio books drive me nuts. Either I get distracted by the voice or the reader doesn’t go fast enough(and I get irritated) or I fall asleep. I’m glad they work for you.
Thank you for the compliment on the pics. That’s classic Bridget.
And if you don’t need the most recent publications, go to librivox.org. These are free recordings by volunteers of public domain books. In the US, that means pre-1923 or something like that.
Love your pics!
Thanks! Nice to hear from you . . . and welcome to my blog!
Great pic of “The Bridge” with the beautiful mountain backdrop!
I’m interested to hear how you like Sirius/XM, once you get it all set up. It’s something I’ve thought about but haven’t invested in yet.
Hi, CT,
Oh, you can count on me blabbing about my new radio when I finally get it going!
Ajo is a good choice Sue. At Gardner Canyon, outside of Tucson, we had temps of 22 and 19 degrees. The 22 degree day we had three inches of snow on the ground when we woke up. Beautiful boondocking, cattle and all, but cold. Thinking of coming back that way.
Hi, guys!
I’ve been thinking about you. I read that the temps were dropping to the east of here. Snow! Come back to Ajo! Spike misses your crew. He visits the bushes at the end of “your” lane to smell their marks and reminisce. 🙂
The forecasters say we’ll have night time lows in the low 30s tonight, but by Thursday we’ll be back in the low 70s during the day and the high 40s for night time low.
What do you use for heat?
An Olympian Wave-3 propane heater… Go to the header at the top where it says Shopping Links. Bring down the drop-down menu and click on For your home. Scroll down and you’ll see the heater.
Sue
As a long time subscriber to XM Radio I have the words of advice: “Pay them by check” Never use a credit card! Their billing practices leave a lot to be desired and have generated thousands of complaints from consumers me amongst them. They have a policy of automatic renewal, not bad unto itself as long as you know what you are being billed. However, they seem to be very arbitrary about their amounts they bill and renew at. For instance you join at $95 for the 1st year, the 2nd year comes along and you get charged $149.00 for the same service. No notice no nothing just a charge that appears on whatever credit card you initially signed up with.
Paying by check stops this seedy practice and you’ll receive a bill for the next year in plenty of time to renew without missing any service, BUT Wait! You’ll get even better offers by just being patient. My 1st bill for renewal was $149.00, the second bill for $125.00 and the 3rd bill for just $95.00 I paid on the 3rd bill. You will have to pay a $2 service charge for the billing, but at least you get to decide what you’ll pay and not them.
I love the Radio but hate hate the company. Protect yourself and watch out for the shady billing practices. And thanks for helping me get the Wilson antenna figured out. I’ve ordered all the parts via Amazon from your link.
Karen
Hi Karen,
I consider your information about Sirius’ dubious practices a thank you for the Wilson antenna information provided by Mick and me. And thanks also for ordering through my Amazon link.
I’m stunned that Sirius can operate this way. I’ve always hated automatic renewals for the reasons you stated. I will heed your warning!
This is why I cancelled XM, They started insisting on a credit card number and I refused because I saw the problems that could occur… as Karen has had.
Until you get fixed up with Sirius, to kill some of the long night remember the OTR (old time radio) site on the computer. Lots of things there to keep ya company, Sue. Great pics as usual. Maybe you could teach Bridget or Spike to play cards??
Thanks for the reminder, Jim.
Oh great.now, I too, want the Sirius Radio. Wondered how all that worked…sounds like pricing is doable. I can feel music being a nice touch for the evenings. Oh we got the carpet…gheez its huge! Went back to check the sizing on your link….pretty excited how much room there is! I can do somersaults from one end to the other for some early morning stretching entertainment :O) Wish my maps would get here soon so I can drool!
It is a big mat. When I say it will make an outdoor room under an awning, I do mean ROOM. If I put my awning out all the way with the supports anchored in the ground, I place the length of the mat perpendicular to the side of the BLT. Otherwise I run the length parallel to the BLT. I like the size because you can make a conversation group of 3-4 chairs, comfortably.
It’s okay to drool over your Benchmark atlases, just don’t make a mess of your maps! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how much information each atlas contains and how helpful the landscape maps and the recreation maps are.
We just missed being in the same vicinity by a couple weeks Sue. Maybe we’ll see you again next year. We got a Siriusxm radio for ourselves for a xmas prez and its fantastic. Shoulda had one years ago.
Be careful which model radio you buy as its very confusing. There are Sirius receivers and XM receivers and SiriusXM receivers. You want the SiriusXM receiver as it is programming from the merged company. The model we got is the EDGE. Again it uses both Sirius and XM channels. Like I said confusing. The EDGE kit comes with all you need for one vehicle, and you can buy a kit to setup another vehicle, so you can swap the receiver back and forth. One thing you may not know is you need a radio in your Casita with an auxillary port to plug the SXM into. That being said I think there are also house kits you can buy that that are integrated with with an amp and speakers. Also you can get internet SiriusXM on your laptop but of course that’ll eatup your bandwidth. If you already know all this stuff…nevermind. Safe Travels Sue.
Hi Chris and Caron,
At this point I’m thinking the SiriusXM house kit. As I understand it, having Sirius in both the PTV and the BLT would entail higher subscription cost.
I primarily want it in the BLT. I don’t care about it being in the PTV. I am one of the few people on the planet who prefers silence when driving. I don’t like to be distracted from the passing sights, such as looking for wildlife.
I never heard of EDGE. Thanks for all the good information.
What? Wait a minute….Judy and Ed live here in the Adirondacks with us and didn’t invite us to be snowbirds with them? At least someone was smart not to be here in the winter.
Everyone I know that has XM Sirius absolutely loves it. Nice of Evan to leave that information for you. Isn’t the RV community wonderful? Everyone helping each other….genuinely friendly…and probably not going to see them ever again.
Enjoy your evening.
Hello, Cindy and Jules…
I thought of you both when they said they were from the Adirondacks.
Yes, very thoughtful people. I’m not so sure I won’t see them again somewhere down the road . . . Enjoy YOUR evening….
We’ve had our Sirius XM radio for about 5 years now, Wouldn’t leave home without it:))
I know you love music, Al!
Sue–I have XM in my car and couldn’t go anywhere without it. I haven’t had any problems with the automatic billing on my credit card. You will LOVE the Classic Radio station. It plays the old radio shows like Gunsmoke and Dragnet. It is my favorite thing to listen to when I am on road trips.
If I have to choose, I’d put it in the trailer, just because the winter nights are so long and that’s when I’d most want to listen.
Leo’s gift for Christmas this year was a Sirius XM radio (he installed it in our car) and love it!! Often I sit outside in the sun and turn it to a Blues or a Jazz channel……it is so nice. I didn’t get an expensive one but it provides the music that I like and channels that Leo enjoys as well NASCAR…..NFL…… I appreciate the comments about the billing issue good to know. Love the picture of Briget!
I saw you coming back from town on Sunday and two toots on our air horn to welcome you back to the neighbor!! I was to far from the road to wave you down…..:)) Had to chuckle when I read your comment about Judy stopping you on your way into town.
Hi Merle!
I heard those toots and never suspected they were meant for me. I can’t remember where I heard them. . .
Hi Sue
I just thought of another useful item for the road – we have a Scangauge for all of our vehicles. It tells us all kinds of information about the state of the vehicle and also gives us an average on our fuel economy, so if the econmy is lower than it should be, we can be forewarned of possible issues we need to fix. It’s available on Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/ScanGaugeE-Multifunction-Computer-Customizable-Real-Time/dp/B004SK5I46/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360679892&sr=8-2&keywords=scanguage+ii
Your readers might appreciate this add-on.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi Sue, hubby and I listened alot to our Sirrius Radio when driving T/T. Great talk radio, diverse music stations (I loved the Spainish/Mex music !) old time radio stories. Have been thinking I’d like to get one installed at some point.
I’d also like to get back over to Ajo, as there is more i’d like to see there. I just posted a moonlit desert painting if you get a chance to look. Has the story behind it,
Take care. maybe see you and the crew again….
Hi Sunny!
That’s one of your best paintings!
You know the Andrew Wyeth painting of the young woman in the grass crawling toward the house. I remember an art critic commenting on the power of the brush of red on her shoulder. I thought of that when I looked at your moonlit painting. A whole new, powerful dimension is added with the tiny, lit cross on the mountain in the distance. Wonderful job capturing the mood, outside in the dark, in the very early morning hours!
Yes, come back to Ajo . . . There’s so much to paint here!
Thank-you, Sue. I value your opinion very much, as you would know the area quite well! I’ll let you know if/when I head over. Right now my brother n’ s-i-l are planning their maiden camping trip to a lake down route 19 and of course counting on me to go with…
Sue, SiriusXM costs $175/year plus a $15 activation fee. But a few times each year they run this 2-week free preview: http://www.siriusxm.com/listen1 At the bottom of that page, see how to get your first 6 months for $25, with no activation fee. After those 6 months they will automatically charge your credit card and renew your subscription at full price, so call them a couple of weeks before then and ask to cancel. Say you like XM but can’t afford it, etc. Be firm and eventually you will be offered a much better price. See this forum for more info:
http://slickdeals.net/f/5827248-SIRIUS-5-MONTHS-FOR-25-is-back
Enjoy your satellite radio.
Thank you, John. Sheesh, why can’t they just offer honest service for an honest price? I’m not a very good hoop jumper. I appreciate the information.
The Squeezbox Boom radio from Logitech is not just an Internet radio.
“It’s hard to believe, ” says Randy Gilbert, host of “The Inside Success Secrets Radio Show”-an Internet radio broadcast which has been “airing” for
several years. Raima has options to limit individual file sizes
in the preferences dialog.