I thought I would slip in a few last minute thoughts for 2008 , as I look back to hitting the road in August , several lessons learned have become everday to me :
You really don't need all those clothes you packed
I can get by on a lot less food than I planned on
The little things you didn't think you need , You will [stamps , envelopes , tape , tweezers , band aids , etc]
A good chair to sit in at the end of the day is a requirement
Just when you think drivers can't get worse , they will
Cities still suck
Good tools can make you very happy when you REALLY need them
Thirty year old plastics on sewer systems is an invitation todisaster
Reading the news everday does NOT make you feel better
The internet is a very cool invention , but it's still a tool not a replacement for friends
Sunrise is as much fun as sunset
Meeting new friends is as much fun as keeping the old ones
Reading other travel Blogs helps you avoid the crush of the next big thing
Terlingua is full of people who could have lived in the Keys back when , New Mexico is where you graduate
Most people don't care who you used to be
Hot Tea taken appropriately will smooth out your day
Politicians are like leopards , you can't change their spots
These are just a few thoughts as I get ready to hit hte road back east in a couple of days , do the Dr. thing and visit a bit then back out on the highway , more than likely back to Rodeo and Rusty's , it's a good spot and nice people with lots of space . Still a lot of exploring to do around here and spring and summer just around the corner .
Have a happy and safe new year , hope to see you on the road .
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
What I've Seen & What I See
Here it is Christmas Eve and I'm getting ready to load up and drive to Animas to make a few phone calls and stop at the little store for some last minute groceries for the dinner tomorrow. It's 8:30 here and the sun is just up over the mountains bringing it's warmth and light to another stunning New Mexico day , clear blue sky , temp is about 60 degrees and thankfully no wind .
While browsing the news off the internet and having a cup of hot green tea , I started thinking about some of the holidays from the past , triggered I suppose by some of the craziness I gleaned from the news this morning .I've seen Christmas where things were pretty lean for my family , a long way back I remember getting bundled up with burlap sacks wrapped around my legs and whatever else to insulate from a bitter Ohio cold to crawl onto a spring wagon , pulled by old Buster the steadiest Shetland we had to make a trek across frozen farms to get enough coal from the local tipple to get us through till after the cold snap broke . This was back in the fifties and I guess we looked at things differently then , there were no sand or salt trucks coming out to the country where we were to bail us out . You did what was needed , and carried on with ther rest of your chores too , the animals had to be taken care of , they depended on us to get them feed and water , they provided us with food and the ability to survive and we did the same for them .
I've seen a Christmas when my family was spread across not only the United States but across continents ,[Europe , Southeast Asia , Spain and the U.S. ] it didn't matter when we got together it was still Christmas because we all were safe and together , the date was kind of secondary . I've seen Christmas when I was so dog tired from working 18 hour days prior to Christmas , I stayed in bed and hardly moved through Christmas day , wound up going to a Denny's and grabbing a couple of cheese bugers for supper and back to bed . The following day was right back to the grind and feeding the tourists and locals and another 18 hour day . I've seen Christmas when I was broke , when I had a lot of money , on foreign soil , from the deck of a U.S. Navy ship at sea and some sitting with my family and extended family[ You know who You are!] it was all good to experience .
Today I see people whining about the various carriers of transportation and why can't they do this , why can't they do that , we deserve to be taken care of , help me , help me , help me ! I have news for these folks these different forms of transportation whether it's air , rail or bus , have about as much control over the weather as we do over the thieves and weasles in Washington . Get over it! Be thankful for wht you have make the best of a bad situation , whenever you do get with family and loved ones , MAKE that Christmas , even if it's in another month ! I'll be heading back across the country soon for a Dr. appointment and stopping along the way to visit my extended family and then to Florida . Guess what ? Whenever I get there it will be Christmas and we share the good feeling of being together and being able to sit down to a good meal and just BE.
I could go on remembering and pointing out some of the falsehoods that have been put upon us by the media and retailers and some of the so called true believers but that would just be another form of whining. So to all of my friends and family , I will see you soon and be well and happy .
For all those who read this and worry about being politically correct , MERRY CHRISTMAS
While browsing the news off the internet and having a cup of hot green tea , I started thinking about some of the holidays from the past , triggered I suppose by some of the craziness I gleaned from the news this morning .I've seen Christmas where things were pretty lean for my family , a long way back I remember getting bundled up with burlap sacks wrapped around my legs and whatever else to insulate from a bitter Ohio cold to crawl onto a spring wagon , pulled by old Buster the steadiest Shetland we had to make a trek across frozen farms to get enough coal from the local tipple to get us through till after the cold snap broke . This was back in the fifties and I guess we looked at things differently then , there were no sand or salt trucks coming out to the country where we were to bail us out . You did what was needed , and carried on with ther rest of your chores too , the animals had to be taken care of , they depended on us to get them feed and water , they provided us with food and the ability to survive and we did the same for them .
I've seen a Christmas when my family was spread across not only the United States but across continents ,[Europe , Southeast Asia , Spain and the U.S. ] it didn't matter when we got together it was still Christmas because we all were safe and together , the date was kind of secondary . I've seen Christmas when I was so dog tired from working 18 hour days prior to Christmas , I stayed in bed and hardly moved through Christmas day , wound up going to a Denny's and grabbing a couple of cheese bugers for supper and back to bed . The following day was right back to the grind and feeding the tourists and locals and another 18 hour day . I've seen Christmas when I was broke , when I had a lot of money , on foreign soil , from the deck of a U.S. Navy ship at sea and some sitting with my family and extended family[ You know who You are!] it was all good to experience .
Today I see people whining about the various carriers of transportation and why can't they do this , why can't they do that , we deserve to be taken care of , help me , help me , help me ! I have news for these folks these different forms of transportation whether it's air , rail or bus , have about as much control over the weather as we do over the thieves and weasles in Washington . Get over it! Be thankful for wht you have make the best of a bad situation , whenever you do get with family and loved ones , MAKE that Christmas , even if it's in another month ! I'll be heading back across the country soon for a Dr. appointment and stopping along the way to visit my extended family and then to Florida . Guess what ? Whenever I get there it will be Christmas and we share the good feeling of being together and being able to sit down to a good meal and just BE.
I could go on remembering and pointing out some of the falsehoods that have been put upon us by the media and retailers and some of the so called true believers but that would just be another form of whining. So to all of my friends and family , I will see you soon and be well and happy .
For all those who read this and worry about being politically correct , MERRY CHRISTMAS
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy | Health and Wellness | AlterNet
While the wind was blowing hard again this morning , I was surfing along and ran across this article and thought I'd share it . Thinking about my lifestyle changes and the contentment it has given me , this piece brings home what I've been experiencing on this trip . Sometimes less is more .
10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/111138/10_things_science_says_will_make_you_happy/
While reading and contemplating this whole fruit and nut basket that this Madoff character has delivered [ Carl Hiassen couldn't come up with a better story !] I was thinking about my recent lifestyle change and the feelings of contentment that have been my reward. Perhaps this latest episode of weasles and investment goings on could be a good thing , people might take a second look at what it is that makes all that money so atractive . After reading several different articles about this sack of snakes , one thing came to the forefront , many of the charities that took a hit from this lying bozo predominately benefitted interests outside of the United States ! Well now , it is their money , and they can do what they please with it . However if more were to stay in country and be used constuctively to educate and train the folks we already have that need skills and a better education ? Sort of like a tax break ? Better yet invest in small business , not as a gift but a low interest loan and make more jobs ? I suppose that would happen about the same time political candidates , take all that money they raise and put it to good use . The other disturbing point was that there were banks investing with old Slippery Sam ! What possessed those ding dongs to take trusted funds from everyday people and invest it with this guy ? Meanwhile back at the ranch the SEC is asleep at the wheel [with apologies to Ray Benson] , Oh well , they have missed everything else too !
Hope the wind dies down soon , I can't take too much more news . But for now the New Mexico sky is blue the temp is hovering in the mid 60s and looks as though the wind is laying down . Time to get out and about , perhaps a trip to the post office and over to the Chiricahua Gallery and see what's new ...
10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/111138/10_things_science_says_will_make_you_happy/
While reading and contemplating this whole fruit and nut basket that this Madoff character has delivered [ Carl Hiassen couldn't come up with a better story !] I was thinking about my recent lifestyle change and the feelings of contentment that have been my reward. Perhaps this latest episode of weasles and investment goings on could be a good thing , people might take a second look at what it is that makes all that money so atractive . After reading several different articles about this sack of snakes , one thing came to the forefront , many of the charities that took a hit from this lying bozo predominately benefitted interests outside of the United States ! Well now , it is their money , and they can do what they please with it . However if more were to stay in country and be used constuctively to educate and train the folks we already have that need skills and a better education ? Sort of like a tax break ? Better yet invest in small business , not as a gift but a low interest loan and make more jobs ? I suppose that would happen about the same time political candidates , take all that money they raise and put it to good use . The other disturbing point was that there were banks investing with old Slippery Sam ! What possessed those ding dongs to take trusted funds from everyday people and invest it with this guy ? Meanwhile back at the ranch the SEC is asleep at the wheel [with apologies to Ray Benson] , Oh well , they have missed everything else too !
Hope the wind dies down soon , I can't take too much more news . But for now the New Mexico sky is blue the temp is hovering in the mid 60s and looks as though the wind is laying down . Time to get out and about , perhaps a trip to the post office and over to the Chiricahua Gallery and see what's new ...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Deep Thoughts / Radical Thinking
Ah yes ! I am still here ! Some have accused me of being lazy and not pushing my drivel out to the populace , not so , I have been storing information and analyzing it to present it properly . How's that for a line ? Sounds like a politician or one of the WEASLES on Wall St. I won't dwell on the current state of affairs concerning the economy other than to relate to you that about two months ago a young guy down in Terlingua told me that Hedge funds were on the brink of disaster and would soon implode ! At the time , I wrote it off as another SWAG by a semi-infomed wannabe sort who read into news what they wanted to see or hear . Surprise ! Read the headlines , now even the rich and famous are getiing bent over the barrel and finding out what it feels like to be put open by thieves and highway men . What a surprise , there are some bad guys out there ! Welcome to our world , Mr. look at how much money I have . While all of us have been paying your exorbitant interests , bank fees , credit card fees , silly little fee for services that are basic to our existence , You have been systematically raped by one of your own ! Plus by the laws and forgiveness loopholes you have created , HE's going to get away with it ! So sad Too bad. That doesn't sound very caring does it ?
Tough !
My life in the high deset has been rather nice lately , got to experience the first snow , didn't stay on the ground long but was on the peaks of the mountains for most of the day . Like standing in the center of a 360 degree post card . Went to a couple of community functions , kind of like a local craft fair . Met some really nice people , and at Animas was sitting with a couple of old ranchers , while eating a homemade burrito , learned that they were fourth generation ranchers in this area . We were at one table and their children and grand children were at the next table . It appears they are going to stay here for a while ! I had lunch at the Panther Tracks Cafe the other day and fell into conversation with a table of hunters and farmers from the area , I received an education about growing chilis and tried to assimalate all the hunting information in case I come down with the burning desire to grab a gun and go forthwith to slay small animals and such . The interesting facts of chili growing were , most of the red chilis grown were destined to go to the processor to be turned into red dye #2 , it's the only place it comes from ! Jalapenos , while an easy crop to harvest only bring the farmer 15 cents a pound ! Green chilis are the best money crop , but must be harvested solely by hand , while the best red chilis are havested for human consumption , they too must be harvested by hand . Chili farming is a year long deal , plant them inFeb. hope they grow enough to take root , hope the wind doesn't come up and blow them all the way to Wyoming , irrigate , weed , trim the browse grass , pray for some rain , hope that there is a market when they're ready to harvest , hope you can find enough workers to harvest them , then along about October start harvesting and go like crazy through January and start all over again ! Think about that the next time you reach for that $1.59 can of chili powder !
Today looks to be a slow day at the ranch so I volunteered to cook some Cuban style pork with black beans and rice for Rusty , Bob and Tim , I got the pork the last time I went to Douglas to witness the desparation exercise in the big stores down there and of course for the ride through this awesome country . The looks I see on peoples faces in those big stores reminds me of the pictures you see after a disaster .Sort of shell shocked and stunned by a sensory overload of too much stuff , badly done , piped in Christmas carols and too close a proximity with other people who are just as warped into the insane consumer frenzy trying to buy stuff they don't need or want , or buying it for someone that's in the same boat ! I wish I had some empathy for them but I don't , to coin a phrase "just say NO ".
. Side trips this week include a run to Poratal to see some paintings on display and a trip to the rodeo grounds to see some bulls , I'll let you know how that goes ! [in case you didn't know SWAG is a scientific wild ass guess ]
Snow pics...
Tough !
My life in the high deset has been rather nice lately , got to experience the first snow , didn't stay on the ground long but was on the peaks of the mountains for most of the day . Like standing in the center of a 360 degree post card . Went to a couple of community functions , kind of like a local craft fair . Met some really nice people , and at Animas was sitting with a couple of old ranchers , while eating a homemade burrito , learned that they were fourth generation ranchers in this area . We were at one table and their children and grand children were at the next table . It appears they are going to stay here for a while ! I had lunch at the Panther Tracks Cafe the other day and fell into conversation with a table of hunters and farmers from the area , I received an education about growing chilis and tried to assimalate all the hunting information in case I come down with the burning desire to grab a gun and go forthwith to slay small animals and such . The interesting facts of chili growing were , most of the red chilis grown were destined to go to the processor to be turned into red dye #2 , it's the only place it comes from ! Jalapenos , while an easy crop to harvest only bring the farmer 15 cents a pound ! Green chilis are the best money crop , but must be harvested solely by hand , while the best red chilis are havested for human consumption , they too must be harvested by hand . Chili farming is a year long deal , plant them inFeb. hope they grow enough to take root , hope the wind doesn't come up and blow them all the way to Wyoming , irrigate , weed , trim the browse grass , pray for some rain , hope that there is a market when they're ready to harvest , hope you can find enough workers to harvest them , then along about October start harvesting and go like crazy through January and start all over again ! Think about that the next time you reach for that $1.59 can of chili powder !
Today looks to be a slow day at the ranch so I volunteered to cook some Cuban style pork with black beans and rice for Rusty , Bob and Tim , I got the pork the last time I went to Douglas to witness the desparation exercise in the big stores down there and of course for the ride through this awesome country . The looks I see on peoples faces in those big stores reminds me of the pictures you see after a disaster .Sort of shell shocked and stunned by a sensory overload of too much stuff , badly done , piped in Christmas carols and too close a proximity with other people who are just as warped into the insane consumer frenzy trying to buy stuff they don't need or want , or buying it for someone that's in the same boat ! I wish I had some empathy for them but I don't , to coin a phrase "just say NO ".
. Side trips this week include a run to Poratal to see some paintings on display and a trip to the rodeo grounds to see some bulls , I'll let you know how that goes ! [in case you didn't know SWAG is a scientific wild ass guess ]
Snow pics...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Playing Catch Up / Manana Disease / Company
It seems it's been a while since I did this , I make no excuses . Time really flys at times , but somehow Idug my spurs in the ground and managed to slow everything to a crawl . My travels form the high desert into the mountains resulted in a near terminal case of the dreaded Manana disease . I'm at a loss to describe the things I've seen and experienced . At the risk of sounding mystical or spiritual , this has to be one of the most fantastic places on earth , the Apaches had some better understanding of the power of nature and whatever resides in this magical place .
The arrival of my friend Gary just before Thanksgiving was a great motivator , after catching up on all the outside world news and the folks we know in common , we had a great Thanksgiving meal here at the park . Food beyond expectations and people , literally from all over the world ! One couple from Germany, a couple from Canada , and the rest from all over the U.S. Most of the residents here are travelers so stories flew fast furious about all the places we had all been , the most astonishing thing was the lack of talk about politics or celebrities ! Truly a Thanksgiving ! The crowd thinned out and we all trundled to our own places of rest .
Friday Gary and I got an early start and we went to Portal first , luckily the little store was open and we could grab a snack , little did we know these would be the last people we would see for the next five or six hours ! Up over the small hill to the entrance of Coronado National Forest and then we started UP , the gradual incline and paved road gave way to an dirt mountain road ! Now to be fair there was a sign that said that the road was not well maintained , and it was very narrow , and could be impassable in the winter . Well , it is the end of November but no signs of winter as yet ! Fortunately for us , Gary is an excellent driver and has experience on mountain roads , plus He has a new pick up with lots of ground clearance ! Friends and neighbors , I mean that road went UP ! Switchbacks , sharp blind turns and some very slippery and soft spots made for a very interesting ride ! Of course the scenery is breathtkaing and if you don't feel whatever you believe in hand on you , you are seriously bent in your thinking .We made it over the top[elv 6800ft] to turn off at the other Dirt road leading down and in the direction of Chiricahua National monument . This also was an entertaining ride as the swichbacks , etc, were now going the other direction ! Rough is a vast understatment for this road I would still reccomend this trip to anytone if you are a good driver and have no problems with heights ! Some drop offs were as much as 800 to 1500 ft sraight down , and there are no guard rails ! This is a mountain road , at the begining there is a sign that warns you NO VEHICLES OVER 29 FEET , yet at least once or twice a month some dipstick truck driver trying to avoid the scales or whatever attempts it and they close the road until they can retrieve all the pieces ! The roadto the National Monument is somewhat better and inside the park the roads are paved and well maintained . However our destination was the Masai point that overlooks the Apache stronghold , and again it was UP ! The arrival at the top , again left me virtually dumbstruck ! How did these people exist in this place ? ANYONE who could find a way rto live in this should be left alone ! I'll let the pictures do the explaining , I was shaking my head in wonder all the waty back home . Leaving the Monument we decided to go to Willcox AR. to get a bite to eat and then head back to Rodeo . Distance to Willcox , about 40 miles , back to Rodeo about a hundred miles . We traveled this in less time then it took us to go over the mountains to the monument ! Distance from Rusty's to Portal , 7 miles , over the montain to the monment , about 45 or 50 miles ! But what a ride !!!
Gary had to leave to take care of business today [Sunday ] but He'll be back ! This area infects you worse than any disease , you can't get enough of it ! Here are a few of the hundred and some pictures I took on Friday ... By the by Masai Elev 8000 ft plus it was right nippy ...34 degrees !
The arrival of my friend Gary just before Thanksgiving was a great motivator , after catching up on all the outside world news and the folks we know in common , we had a great Thanksgiving meal here at the park . Food beyond expectations and people , literally from all over the world ! One couple from Germany, a couple from Canada , and the rest from all over the U.S. Most of the residents here are travelers so stories flew fast furious about all the places we had all been , the most astonishing thing was the lack of talk about politics or celebrities ! Truly a Thanksgiving ! The crowd thinned out and we all trundled to our own places of rest .
Friday Gary and I got an early start and we went to Portal first , luckily the little store was open and we could grab a snack , little did we know these would be the last people we would see for the next five or six hours ! Up over the small hill to the entrance of Coronado National Forest and then we started UP , the gradual incline and paved road gave way to an dirt mountain road ! Now to be fair there was a sign that said that the road was not well maintained , and it was very narrow , and could be impassable in the winter . Well , it is the end of November but no signs of winter as yet ! Fortunately for us , Gary is an excellent driver and has experience on mountain roads , plus He has a new pick up with lots of ground clearance ! Friends and neighbors , I mean that road went UP ! Switchbacks , sharp blind turns and some very slippery and soft spots made for a very interesting ride ! Of course the scenery is breathtkaing and if you don't feel whatever you believe in hand on you , you are seriously bent in your thinking .We made it over the top[elv 6800ft] to turn off at the other Dirt road leading down and in the direction of Chiricahua National monument . This also was an entertaining ride as the swichbacks , etc, were now going the other direction ! Rough is a vast understatment for this road I would still reccomend this trip to anytone if you are a good driver and have no problems with heights ! Some drop offs were as much as 800 to 1500 ft sraight down , and there are no guard rails ! This is a mountain road , at the begining there is a sign that warns you NO VEHICLES OVER 29 FEET , yet at least once or twice a month some dipstick truck driver trying to avoid the scales or whatever attempts it and they close the road until they can retrieve all the pieces ! The roadto the National Monument is somewhat better and inside the park the roads are paved and well maintained . However our destination was the Masai point that overlooks the Apache stronghold , and again it was UP ! The arrival at the top , again left me virtually dumbstruck ! How did these people exist in this place ? ANYONE who could find a way rto live in this should be left alone ! I'll let the pictures do the explaining , I was shaking my head in wonder all the waty back home . Leaving the Monument we decided to go to Willcox AR. to get a bite to eat and then head back to Rodeo . Distance to Willcox , about 40 miles , back to Rodeo about a hundred miles . We traveled this in less time then it took us to go over the mountains to the monument ! Distance from Rusty's to Portal , 7 miles , over the montain to the monment , about 45 or 50 miles ! But what a ride !!!
Gary had to leave to take care of business today [Sunday ] but He'll be back ! This area infects you worse than any disease , you can't get enough of it ! Here are a few of the hundred and some pictures I took on Friday ... By the by Masai Elev 8000 ft plus it was right nippy ...34 degrees !
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Vapours / A Language Barrier
After contacting the home front yesterday , I mounted a trip to Douglas partly for supplies for the weekend and partly for the ride . I don't get tired of driving the roads around here , always a new view with a different perspective depending on the time of day . Dipping down off the pass into Douglas , a quick stop at the gas station to fill up and check the air in the tires , and then down to 5th st and the land of big stores . Foregoing the Safeway and a couple of others I trundled into Wally World to find a parking spot within trekking distance to the door! As soon as I stepped through the door the first indication I had that they had released the vapour that day were evident , several women clustered around a display of eerily ornamented paper plates and cups vaguley reminiscint of a scene from Macbeth , except with Christmas overtones , turning sharply away from this disturbing scene and down to the area I hoped would bring relief and a new blanket , I did a controlled crash into what was considered the Holiday area ! A good 1/4 acre dedicated to ... yes Christmas ! More evidence of whatever vapour the fiends had released on their customers , women drifting slowly about like leaves in the wind with that deer in the headlights look so often seen on heavily over served bar patrons late at night , the men leaning over the shopping carts offering mute supplication to whatever gods there be to deliver them from this torture . I had to flee! . Back to the one place there would be none of this cruel assault on my visual and audial senses , the Automotive department ! Huddled beneath the cans of oil and STP I caught my breath with the sweet scent of floor mats and hydraulic oil . Peeking from this sanctuary I saw that I could make it to the camping dept. without encountering elves or reindeer , [there were enough Rudolphs to power the Space Staion in that store ] , I snagged the little cooking pot I wanted and sped towards home furnishings to grab the spare blanket I wanted . Steady Jim , Steady , almost done , a dash across to the food section , grab some Gatorade , a couple packs of hot dogs , a loaf of fresh bread , some apples and down through the gauntlet that passes for a check out line ! A stroke of luck and I caught the prettiest little cashier in the place , with a smile and and quiet Hola Senor she rapidly got me out of there !
I was at my parking spot when I heard the voice drifting across to me on the wind , a woman on a cell phone two rows over , obviously wound up about something , whatever , I loaded up and was walking arund the cab and had nearly gotten inside when a nice looking truck pulled in beside me . Not new just nice looking and well taken care of , turning in my seat the cell phone harriden was just launching her cart across the row and still screeching getting into her SUV , the cart of course took dead aim on my row and with nothing to impede it was drawing a bead on the unsuspecting truck next to me ! I heaved myself back out and caught the cart prior to any damage being done . Standing there I felt a hand on my arm , I turned to see a well dressed Latin man and smiling and saying Gracias Senor , he then unleashed an invective towards the cell phone woman's genral vicinity and I can assure you that even with my faulty and limited command of Spanish it was colorful ! I told him as best I could I just was trying to stop the cart from hitting the truck and he replied " Si , Yo entiende , con permiso Senor , and he held the door for me while I crawled back into "A" , Buenos Dias Senor , Adios . I fired up the Dodge and was backing out , I looked at the plates on the truck SONORA old Mexico ! A language barrier ? Don't think so .. The vapours went away .....
I was at my parking spot when I heard the voice drifting across to me on the wind , a woman on a cell phone two rows over , obviously wound up about something , whatever , I loaded up and was walking arund the cab and had nearly gotten inside when a nice looking truck pulled in beside me . Not new just nice looking and well taken care of , turning in my seat the cell phone harriden was just launching her cart across the row and still screeching getting into her SUV , the cart of course took dead aim on my row and with nothing to impede it was drawing a bead on the unsuspecting truck next to me ! I heaved myself back out and caught the cart prior to any damage being done . Standing there I felt a hand on my arm , I turned to see a well dressed Latin man and smiling and saying Gracias Senor , he then unleashed an invective towards the cell phone woman's genral vicinity and I can assure you that even with my faulty and limited command of Spanish it was colorful ! I told him as best I could I just was trying to stop the cart from hitting the truck and he replied " Si , Yo entiende , con permiso Senor , and he held the door for me while I crawled back into "A" , Buenos Dias Senor , Adios . I fired up the Dodge and was backing out , I looked at the plates on the truck SONORA old Mexico ! A language barrier ? Don't think so .. The vapours went away .....
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Colors / Music / Ridin Around
I can't get over the array of colors in the desert ! Watching the sun come up this morning the differences between the higher elevations and down on the desert floor , at the tops of the peaks the background cobalt sky faded down the slopes to a verdant green and at the foothills were a light green and tan , the desert floor at first light was an entire spectrum of greens and blending with the lower brushes and grasses of anything from a dark brown to a khaki color . Closer up where I could actually see the ground a blend of dark granite to reddish agate rocks and stones , so unlike the Texas hard pan caliche that was almost alkali white .
Yesterday took a ride over to the phone booth to catch up on staying in contact with the rest of the world and seek an appoiuntment with the VA doctors , successful in one a complete bust on the doctor thing ! Afterwards I turned the nose towards rt 338 to Lordsburg , driving through ranch and farm country , fields of chili peppers being harvested and on towards Cotton City I came upon a haying operation . Stopping to watch for a bit The smell of that alfalfa abouut knocked me out , the hay was so green it had bluish tinges to it and seemed to roll on for a mile or more . I had the Robert Earl Keen cd cranked up and listened and watched the bales appear for a half hour or so then up the road to see what was next . I cruised into Lordsburg not really looking for anything in particular , the place is a typical sleepy New Mexico town , even though it's on the interstate there isn't much to give it a tourist flavor . One block away from the exit and it returns to small town America ,I stopped at Saucedo's grocery to grab a few supplies and then headed back to Mickey D's for a cup of coffee . One more phone call and on the road back to Rusty's via route 80 and down through the pass to regroup after a day out on the road . I didn't take any pictures , I'll leave that to the theatre of your mind ! It was a beautiful ride ...
Yesterday took a ride over to the phone booth to catch up on staying in contact with the rest of the world and seek an appoiuntment with the VA doctors , successful in one a complete bust on the doctor thing ! Afterwards I turned the nose towards rt 338 to Lordsburg , driving through ranch and farm country , fields of chili peppers being harvested and on towards Cotton City I came upon a haying operation . Stopping to watch for a bit The smell of that alfalfa abouut knocked me out , the hay was so green it had bluish tinges to it and seemed to roll on for a mile or more . I had the Robert Earl Keen cd cranked up and listened and watched the bales appear for a half hour or so then up the road to see what was next . I cruised into Lordsburg not really looking for anything in particular , the place is a typical sleepy New Mexico town , even though it's on the interstate there isn't much to give it a tourist flavor . One block away from the exit and it returns to small town America ,I stopped at Saucedo's grocery to grab a few supplies and then headed back to Mickey D's for a cup of coffee . One more phone call and on the road back to Rusty's via route 80 and down through the pass to regroup after a day out on the road . I didn't take any pictures , I'll leave that to the theatre of your mind ! It was a beautiful ride ...
Monday, November 10, 2008
News / Defining Relaxed
The weekend sort of did a sneaky Pete on me , while adjusting my attitude to fit into the slow time drift that defines southern New Mexico, I must have over compensated and suddenly it's Monday ! Clear blue skies , moderate temperatures , surrounded by extraordinairily nice people , good food , an abundance of scenery that takes your breath away no matter what direction you turn , hmmm... Wonder how that happened ? Saturday did prove to be special as I finally got my act together to do some outdoor cooking . Got my trusty dutch oven out and built a fire early in the afternoon . After the coals were down to where I could manage them put on a pot of pinto beans with ham hocks , sausage , chilis , and onions . Let that slow cook all afternoon while I played a little guitar , watched the mountains and listened to some tunes . Bob came over about 5:30 and we swapped lies for a while and had a bowl of beans together . The conversation turned to growing up and how different things are now as opposed to several years ago . He proceeded to tell me about growing up during the Depression in Wyoming , and what his father and mother had to do to keep the family fed and under shelter . If I could I would have the stories published and made required reading for every person under thirty in America ! Not that they would learn anything , but at least to know how little it takes to get by . As the hours slipped by I considered how lucky I am to have had the upbringing that I did . To be able to sustain myself with what I have and to be content and comfortable is more than a lot of folks get to realize in their life . The media keeps pounding on theAmerican dream and buy this , buy that , buy it on credit , buy it even if you don't need it , you have to have a house , you have to have the newest car , doesn't matter they are poorly built pieces of crap . One thing the media has got right , if you continue to be satisfied with the crap and continue to go in debt and feel you are entitled to more , you deseve it ! The dumbest coyote in New Mexico doesn't go back to where it was shot at the first time ! Keep on America , but quit whining about how bad things are , if you don't like the way you are living then do something about it .
In the rest of my adjustment over the weekend I guess you could say I have reached a level of contenment that defines relaxed , a lot of stuff that used to bother me to no end , now seems pretty trivial . The bozo's in Washington can't be helped , the weasles on Wall St. can't be helped , the folks who keep electing or retaining corrupt officials can't be helped . I can , however, be happy with my situation and what I do .
Here are a couple of pictures of the beans while cooking , they were and are REAL good .
In the rest of my adjustment over the weekend I guess you could say I have reached a level of contenment that defines relaxed , a lot of stuff that used to bother me to no end , now seems pretty trivial . The bozo's in Washington can't be helped , the weasles on Wall St. can't be helped , the folks who keep electing or retaining corrupt officials can't be helped . I can , however, be happy with my situation and what I do .
Here are a couple of pictures of the beans while cooking , they were and are REAL good .
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Geting What You Need/ Not Neccassarily What You Want
Well now ! Here we are after the farce that passes for electing a leader for our country , the old saying comes to mind "be careful what you wish for " comes to mind . My buddy Bob and I were discusssing the goofiness of the last few months and he mentioned that we had just elected a president that had the ability to borrow or cajole money out of people who could least afford it ! Doesn't matter that neither candidate has a good grasp of what is actually going on in this country or how business or taxes work . Bob is 78 and has been around the block a time or two , another point we discussed was that the last time this much hoorah was made over an election was back at the beginning of the Kennedy era and before that was FDR back in the thirties , both precluded some really tumultous times for this country . One thing is for sure SOMEONE always has to pay the fiddler ! Myself I still think there are going to be an awfully large number of young and disenfranchised followers of our new Pres.
For now I'm on the mend from whatever this bug was , feel better and this morning loaded up and made the trip to Rodeo to the little store there . Now, this little place doesn't have a whole lot of stuff ,but they did have a bottle of antacid and I didn't care what it cost ! It seems to have done the trick and I spent the rest of the day shooting the breeze with Bob and watching old Gunsmoke on the big TV in the office . The wind has once again come up pretty strong and while I did have places to go , there was nothing that important . So , returned to camp do a little clean up , a short power nap and figure out what to do about something light to eat .
Tomorrow if the winds prevail my take a ride to see what kind of trouble I can stir up , again may not have been the day I wanted but I got what I needed .
For now I'm on the mend from whatever this bug was , feel better and this morning loaded up and made the trip to Rodeo to the little store there . Now, this little place doesn't have a whole lot of stuff ,but they did have a bottle of antacid and I didn't care what it cost ! It seems to have done the trick and I spent the rest of the day shooting the breeze with Bob and watching old Gunsmoke on the big TV in the office . The wind has once again come up pretty strong and while I did have places to go , there was nothing that important . So , returned to camp do a little clean up , a short power nap and figure out what to do about something light to eat .
Tomorrow if the winds prevail my take a ride to see what kind of trouble I can stir up , again may not have been the day I wanted but I got what I needed .
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A Slight Setback / Recovered ?
To explain my abscence for a couple of days , some kind of bug or virus or maybe Aztec voodoo laid me low ! Just plain wiped me out , didn't even fire up the coffee pot and that's something for me! Don't have a clue whay caused it , couldn't eat , stomach ache , weak and couldn't get enough water . Spent yesterday in bed and really didn't move until last night , then made some chicken broth and finally today I feel almost human again . A strange experience to say the least . So , today looks to be a trip to Lordsburg to look around and get some new reading material , hopefully I can avoid all the election madness , I foresee some troubled times for us , no matter who wins ! One side expects the arrival of free bubble up and rainbow stew , a chicken in every pot and no one has to work any more ! While the other side believes we are doomed and taxes are going to be so high to bail out the fat cats and take care of more loans from foreign countries we won't be able to maintain . Then you have the true crazies who promise armed insurrection no matter who wins ! Fortunately the desert doesn't pay much attention to all this and people seem to concentrate on survival and doing what needs to be done to get by . Seems like a good spot to be for a while .
Here are a couple of pictures from the front of the park , it's a nice place to hang out , and relax , neat little koi pond , waterfall and front porch with shade ......
Here are a couple of pictures from the front of the park , it's a nice place to hang out , and relax , neat little koi pond , waterfall and front porch with shade ......
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Mercantile / A large Phone Booth
My travels yesterdy took me to Animas again , I needed to investigate the store I saw before called The Animas Mercantile .It's an easy trip across the basin and up over the pass , a slight rise of 700 to 1000 feet involved , with a gently rising road and open curves with good visibility . The store itself is in a large metal building and while I expected some building materials and whatnot , I found a complete hardware store with just about anything you need to make stuff work ! In true mercantile tradition they also had a rack of goodies such as candy bars snacks etc . I asked the lady if they had a problem keeping the treats fresh and she said "just watch " , I was there while 5 or 6 customers went through and every one of them grabbed something , no problem with freshness ! In the course of our conversation she informed me most of the guys drive 30 to 40 miles just to get there , needless to say they need a snack to get them home . I found an extension cord , a pair of ranch gloves and some fly strips and traps , before I contained myself and quit making up projects that I probably would never do ! Bob later told me the local ranchers own the place , so what you see is pretty much what you need .
A quick trip around the corner to the little store and gas station for a cold drink and a popsicle . What ? You didn't think I was going to go without my popsicles did you ? The store was full as Humberto's bus was there a legal importer of Mexican labor , these guys ride that old school bus 120 miles each day for work around here on the ranches , Friday is payday and they stop to get their cold drinks and snacks to get them home , usually they go from work directly to the border and that's it , whatever it takes to make a living .
The other reason for going to the store was I can get a great cell phone signal there , sort of like a very large phone booth ! The view from the parking lot streches for miles in every direction , so well worth the trip if I just sit in the parking lot and have a popsicle ! The ride back was once again a slow easy drift down to the basin , 15 miles pretty much coasting and didn't see one car !
the pictures are from just sitting around my campsite trying to learn the camera better , taken from about 5 in the afternoon till just after sunset , they show the light on the mountains as evening comes on us . The one of the bird on the ground is a Glover's quail , can't get over the size of them . Remember ,to see the pictures full size , just click on them ,I shrunk them as much as possible to get them all in .
A quick trip around the corner to the little store and gas station for a cold drink and a popsicle . What ? You didn't think I was going to go without my popsicles did you ? The store was full as Humberto's bus was there a legal importer of Mexican labor , these guys ride that old school bus 120 miles each day for work around here on the ranches , Friday is payday and they stop to get their cold drinks and snacks to get them home , usually they go from work directly to the border and that's it , whatever it takes to make a living .
The other reason for going to the store was I can get a great cell phone signal there , sort of like a very large phone booth ! The view from the parking lot streches for miles in every direction , so well worth the trip if I just sit in the parking lot and have a popsicle ! The ride back was once again a slow easy drift down to the basin , 15 miles pretty much coasting and didn't see one car !
the pictures are from just sitting around my campsite trying to learn the camera better , taken from about 5 in the afternoon till just after sunset , they show the light on the mountains as evening comes on us . The one of the bird on the ground is a Glover's quail , can't get over the size of them . Remember ,to see the pictures full size , just click on them ,I shrunk them as much as possible to get them all in .
Friday, October 31, 2008
Geronimo / Douglas Arizona
Yesterday I decided on a trip to Douglas , Arizona . Had to scratch that itch to move a bit , down highway 80 , a few miles and enter AZ , afew miles further and I spy an historical marker sign , almost passed when I see Geronimo Surrenders , I'll catch this on the way back ! Down the highway the road streches for miles ahead of me with long slow curves and a steady rise towards the mountains , up across the pass and down to Douglas a nice little border town with some very cool stores and a real grocery store and even a Walmart ! Shopping done I headed back to Rodeo by way of getting turned around on something called the PanAmerican Highway and spent a delighful hour getting turned around on the goat track that passes for a frontage road between Mexico and the U.S. The border guards didn't laugh too loudly and were actually pretty cool . NOTE :a PASSPORT is a good idea when dicking around in this part of the country ! Back on the highway I decided to fuel up , the only time you have too much fuel in the desert is when you are on fire ! Sipping on a fresh cup of coffee and tooling down the highway I see a sign that says Bisbee 22 miles , Oh shit ! Daydreaming again ! Turn around head back the other way soon a sign that says Lordsburg 74 miles , that's better , at least it's the direction I need . Back over the pass and soon here's the sign . I pull over and sure enough , here is where Geronimo surrendered , it's hard to imagine what it must have been like back then , ther ain't shit here now ! Wild country to be sure , the explanation lays to the other side of the road , the road bed of the Southern Pacific RR is still visible running straight as an arrow from Douglas to El Paso . Yes sir arrest those red devils , stick them on a train to Florida ! The actual surrender was in Skeleton canyon across the way , and I did drive back up in for a ways , it IS NOT where you want to take a motor home , but interesting all the same . From what I see now there is plenty of room for everybody here now , but those pesky fences and mines do make it hard to live off the land . At any rate I snapped a few pictures and then returned to Rusty's and made a dinner of pork and sauerkraut a southwestern specialty I have mastered, today I believe a trip to either Portal or over to the Animas Mercantile is in order ....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)