ROADRUNNER FEB. 2016 CAMPOUT

 

We parked or RVs at the Pima Country Fairgrounds south of Tucson in an area just opened for RV parking with full hookups and 50 A service. It was a bit remote from the city, but the price was right.

On Friday we visited the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum for a few hours.

 

At the entrance to the museum was parked this nice looking station wagon. What is its make, model and approximate year?Answer at the end.

In the cave exhibit we learned about bats in Arizona, and Herb had the opportunity to pose with bat ears. I prefer hearing aids!

 

The rest of the guys posed with vulture wings. Above is Wayne Mitchell, I am below, followed by Mike Williams. I guess that the ladies were too reserved to avail themselves of the photo op!

 

 

And here is the boojam tree. A sign explained that when an U S botanist saw one for the first time he gave it an English name  after a mythical tree in a poem The History of The Snark by Lewis Carroll. The tree is found only in Baja California and  a few in Sonora.

 

 

We walked into the hummingbird aviary to get close to the tiny birds. A little patience and sitting still paid off with these shots.

 

 

 

 

Friday night we went to El Chorro Mexican Restaurant in downtown Tucson for their good food. The restaurant has been in business since 1922 and is still operated by the same family.

Above are Wayne and Terry Mitchell and Mary and Herb Fust. Below are Jo Strong and Barbara and Mike Williams.

The car is a Studebaker Lark, circa 1960.

QUARTZSITE 2016 AND SNOW ON FOUR PEAKS ROAD

 

Here are a couple of our January activities.

  

  Peter and Sue Hanewall from Beloit  visited us in January, and we took them for a ride over Four Peaks Pass. A winter storm had come and gone, and I expected the road to be fairly clear. But the higher we got, the more snow we found.  Here at the top the snow was 6 to 8” deep. Other vehicles had packed the snow on the road, so we did not slip around much. Here we had traveled 18 miles from highway 87 and had 10 more to go to drop down to highway 188 at Roosevelt lake. Duane Steen accompanied us in his yellow Jeep with a guest. We had lunch at Ma’s Kitchen near Roosevelt Lake.

 

 

 

Our Roadrunners group was at Quartzsite late in January during the annual RV Show. The number of attendees and of vendors seems to be shrinking every year. The proprietor of the Main Event area had a little car show and a “Hit or Miss” engine show. The latter turned out to be mainly an antique tractor show. Interesting.

 

Here are a couple of the custom vehicles The one below billed itself as a Rat Rod.

We have seen this tractor before. It is controlled  from the cart as one would control a wagon pulled by horse.

 

 

 

 

I had never noticed one of these before – restored Sears Roebuck tractors  powered by a Model A engine.

 

 

Here is another one I had not seen before – a large Ford tractor.

VISIT TO FLORENCE AZ

 Monty and I visited Florence AZ in December 2015 and took in some interesting sights.

I tried a case in the Pinal County courthouse  in the 1970s, and during a lunch recess I wandered into a local museum.  I was somewhat shocked to see dictation equipment there identical to that used by my mother when she worked at the Freeman Shoe Corp. in Beloit in the 1940s.

 

The same  Ediphone equipment remains on display in a museum in Florence,  but in a different building and much better shown. Dictation was recorded on a rotating wax cylinder, which was played back by the secretary to transcribe it.

 

They also had the shaving machine, used to shave off the wax on the outside of the used cylinder so the cylinder could be re-used for more dictation.

Here is the old courthouse, nicely restored and still in use for some county offices. The courts have moved to a much larger building.

 

 

The interior was decorated for the Christmas season.

I now dress much more casually than I did  the last time I was there!

MONTANA MOUNTAIN 4 WHEELING WITH STRONG COUSINS

Cousin Marilyn and Paul Uselding visited us in Mesa in mid October, and Jim Strong flew down from Kennewick Washington to join us. After our day of 4 wheeling on our favorite run for visitors, Montana Mountain, the Useldings took Jim with them  to Tucson to visit cousins Margie, Caroline, her children Todd and Justin,  and their families.

 

 

I am at the left, Jim Strong, his sister Marilyn and her husband Paul Uselding at the back our our Jeep  at our coffee break. Jo’s son Jeff Clyde went with us, and Paul was quick to accept a ride with Jeff whose Wrangler Unlinited is at the far left.

 

There is a natural arch along the road which often is hard to pick out, but the light was right to see it this day . It is the dark arch at the tip of the tallest saguaro cactus.

 

 

We had lunch at a nice spot near the end of the ridge.

Jim, above, Marilyn below and Paul relaxing at the lunch stop.

 

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JEEPERS CREEPERS RUN - TELEGRAPH CANYON Feb. 11, 2016

 

Our Jeepers Creepers group had a great day running the Telegraph Canyon road southwest of Superior AZ. We began with 8 vehicles; the Carlsons could go only part way as they needed to be back in the valley by 3 PM.   Covert Bailey was the trail leader and I was the tail gunner. We were the only two  with CB radios. Only two other members of the group had traveled the road before, so it was  a new experience for most of us.

 

With all of our little side trips and stops for coffee break and lunch, we were on the road over 6 hours. I would rate it as a 2.5 difficulty mainly due to the many rocky stretches and washouts. Most of the rocks were rounded, but some seemed a foot tall that we had to go over.

Here is where we turned off Highway 60 in Superior. The camera station is on U S 60 looking west. Picket Post mountain is in the center.

 

We are viewing the east side of Picket Post mountain here. The road continued around its south side.

We found this wide spot in the road for our coffee break.

Here is the table for goodies.

 

This is typical of the terrain we crossed. Lots of saguaro and prickly pear cactus, with brush on both sides of the road to give us more Arizona pinstripes!

 

Covert took us on a short side trip to see an abandoned stock watering tank and this multi-armed saguaro – very unusual.

 

On another side trip we found this old cabin. Trail leader Covert is in the middle and Robertsons are at the left.

 This shows all 7 of the  vehicles making the whole trip – our Grand Cherokee (left rear) two Jeep Libertys, a Toyota FJ  and the rest 2 door Wranglers. Matt Peak and daughter Meagan were in the open Jeep.

 

Lunch time! From the left – Jay and Diane Olson, Fred Scharringhausen, Chuck Severt,

 

Meagan Peak, Matt Peak, Covert Bailey, Tom Gerken

Beyond Tom Gerken in white is daughter Diane, then Linda and Steve Robertson.

Several parts of our road are in this shot. We wished that it was all this smooth.  Only three of us aired down.

SILVERTON AND DURANGO CO DOINGS

On Oct. 1 we took a ride to Silverton and over Red Mountain Pass to pick up the Corkscrew Gulch road in Ironton. We took it  over Corkscrew Pass to Gladstone.

 

 

 The well-maintained road climbs  and climbs

 

 

and climbs to well above timberline.

 

 

At the top one gets to look almost horizontally at the top of one of the Red Mountains

 

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Descending into the Cement Creek (Gladstone) valley, we came across the evidence left by the EPA caused blowout of 3 million gallons of mineral laden water from the Gold King mine a few weeks earlier. The water had to escape sooner or later, but if released at a lower rate and treated on the way downstream it would not have caused as much anguish and publicity.

 

The EPA built small temporary water treatment ponds below the blow out, to be replaced with a larger one downstream which would be accessible come winter as the Gladstone road is maintained only to the site of the lower pond.

 

The blowout caused this staining along the banks of Cement Creek.  Cement Creek feeds the Animas River at Silverton. The same staining was present on the Animas River as it flowed through Durango.

While in Silverton I got a Rocky Mountain Brass Band annual tee shirt for 2015. Its color was first called Burnt Orange. After the blowout, it was renamed Animas Red’'.

 

On Oct 3 the Durango Cowboy Gathering parade was held on Durango’s Main Street, Above the marchers are in ladies of the evening costumes.

 

 

Even llamas got into the parade.

 

Rarely does one see a longhorn steer being ridden in a parade like a horse.

This is typical of a session of cowboy poetry and singing – several entertainers taking turns at the microphone.

 

Here is one poem recited by one of the entertainers.

 

The Bear Tale

I was up in the Sycan Black Hills Camp
   workin' for old Z-Cross,
This was my own piece of country,
   I was cook and crew and boss.
The afternoon of that year
   was comin' on as I recall,
Meanin' summer'd hit the cap rock
   and slid right down into fall.
The days was warm and pleasant
   though the nights were kinda sharp.
I had a nice snug little cabin
    to keep the cold wind off my tarp.
Aspen leaves was turnin' yellow,
   bees was buzzin round the hive,
And it was just one of them there days
   when it was great to be alive.
So, I'm a-ridin' along that mornin'
   lookin' out beneath my hat.
I thought I'd make a little circle
   down through Silver Dollar Flat,
And maybe brand some big slick yearlin'
   with the address of this farm,
Because I sure did need to limber up
   my old stiff ropin arm.
I'd been just kinda' travelin'
   down this little open draw
When I came around a corner
   and I's amazed at what I saw.
I pulled my horse up, sat there a-gawkin'
   and my eyes went plumb agog,
'Cuz there's a big old brindle he-bear
   diggin' ants out of a log.
My old heart commenced to poundin'
   and I couldn't get 'nough air,
I knew I'd never have a better chance
   to rope myself a bear.
I was trying to jerk my rope down,
   my old horse began to dance.
Hell, old Bruin, hadn't seen me,
   he's still busy diggin' ants.
I got my rope tied hard and solid
   so I said a little prayer,
Then I let out a cowboy war whoop
   and I built right to that bear.
The old beast heard me comin'
   and he beat it for the trees.
They weren't no moss a-growin' on him
   and he sure did split the breeze.
But I pulled right in behind him
   and like that bible story told,
I cast my bread upon the water,
   and it came back a thousand fold!
Well, I pitched the slack right at him
    and I turned my pony neat,
And I heard him grunt as he hit the ground
   as I jerked him off his feet.
Then I towed him toward the timber
   just the way it should be done.
Hell, there wasn't nothin' to it;
   ropin' bears is lots of fun.
In the timber I got busy
   dodgin' limbs and brush and such,
And I ain't had time
    to check up on my cargo very much.
I'm gonna start by breakin' him to lead
   or at least that's what I hope.
Then I looked back and here that bear come
   hand over hand right up my rope.
Well things sure started lookin' different
   so I tells him, "OK Bruin,
I'll start payin' more attention
   to this little job I'm a doin'.
"I'll just zig and zag and circle some
    now you just follow me
'Cuz you're about to meet your maker
   on some big old Jack Pine tree."
Well I zigged and zagged and circled
   but it seemed to no avail
And next time I checked,
   old Teddy's right behind my horse's tail.

About that time, why, my old pony
   made a funny little jump,
And that old bear he started climbin'
   up my rope, across his rump.
I yelled and squalled and hollered
   and I slapped him with my hat,
But that old bear was plumb determined;
   he's comin' right up where I'm at.
You know, I've knowed a lot of people
   in the hills and on the plains,
and nobody ever told me
   I was over blessed with brains.
But it didn't take no Einstein
   with no special high IQ
Nor no call from God to tell me
   what that bear was gonna do.

I know a coward's way out's a bad one
   in most anybody's book,
But that's the only route left open now
   so that's the one I took.
I just bailed off and checked it to him,
   but a big rock broke my fall.
Old boy, I said, it looks to me
   like you just bought it all.

As they went crashin' through the timber,
   why, I realized, of course
That I'd just lost a damn good saddle
   and the company'd lost a horse.
And how's a man supposed to tell it
   with the boss astandin' there
You took a plumb good horse and saddle
   and just gave 'em to a bear!

These thoughts and lots more like 'em
   kept a-runnin' through my mind
As I went limpin down that cow trail
   tryin' to leave that wreck behind.
My clothes was sorta tattered
   and I'd lost some chunks of hide,
But my body wasn't hurtin'
    near as much as was my pride.

Then I heard a noise behind me
   and the sound began to swell,
Back the way that I'd just come from
   and I wondered what the hell?
Then I seen my horse a-comin',
   steppin' lively down the slope
That old bear's up in my saddle,
   got a loop built, swingin' my rope.

COLORADO FALL COLORS

On September 28 we left Denver and headed to Durango on US 285.  At the top of Kenosha Pass we encountered a traffic jam of leaf peepers admiring the turning aspens. Aspen colors around Silverton were much better. Below, the aspens had begun to shed their leaves.

 

Traffic jam on Kenosha pass from motorhome.

 

This view from Molas Pass of the San Juan mountains near Silverton always impresses me.

 

 

These aspens are in nearly all phases of color – green, yellowing, yellow, gold and orange. This was taken on Sept.29 looking south toward  Molas Pass.

 

Closeup of the above picture of aspen colors.

 

 

This was on the Coal Bank Pass road with Engineer Mountain in the background.

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This stand of aspens with Engineer in the background was even more impressive in its color. But the leaves are beginning to drop here. By the time we left the area on Oct. 1 the great color was almost gone.