Red Rock Country After the Storm

What a day...

Fact is... yesterday is running into today... and it's going to take maybe five posts on the different parts of it... to do it justice.

Uh Huh... still have part of yesterday to do today! ;) buuuut... that's gonna have to wait for its proper time! :)

We stayed here... knowing a storm was coming... as many others bailed for "safer"?? environs. Trouble is... you do that... and you can miss a lot! We rode out the lil' storm... 

... and we woke up to fog. Thick grey fog that you couldn't see maybe 75 or a hundred feet... We dawdled around camp near Cottonwood figuring to let it lift... not realizing it was already lifting, and making for some special photographs over by Sedona.

Aw well, lesson learned. You can be early and wait for a picture... or you can be late and never get it! :)

*The fog still hanging over Cottonwood down in the low lands*

... anyhoo... once it began lifting here, we took off for Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon... Kinda like when we went racing 'cross Arizona a spring or so ago 'cause there was a storm coming to Zion, and we needed to be there to capture it!

*Fresh Snow on the Black Hills above Cottonwood, Arizona*

Coming into Sedona we kept saying... "They need a pull out HERE!... No HERE!... Why don't they have a pullout for pictures HERE! ;)

Off to the south we spotted a road climbing the side of a flat topped mountain and found our way to it. THAT gave us the perch I needed to get the view I wanted...

You know... Sedona, Oak Creek and a whole lot of Arizona is a lot different than when I was a kid chasing wild cows in the Santa Ritas, the Bradshaws and along the Mogollon. It's changed.

I miss the Arizona I knew as a kid... but... the Arizona that lives today is still one of the best places the Boss ever made.

I wander to Montana, the Oregon Coast... the Islands in Puget Sound. I itch to see the plains of Wyoming fading in the distance before me... I hunger for the Tall Trees in California and those spiritual places along Big Sur. There's no argument that those places are gorgeous, spirit expanding, soul healing places on earth.

But... on this Earth... Arizona will always be my Home.

*Snow in the pines above Oak Creek Canyon*

*at Slide Rock State Park*

*Snow and Red Rock Jeweled Sedona Arizona*

There's kind of a comical thing in Sedona... The "Vortices"... there's claimed by some to be some sort of a thing called a "Vortex" here... a spinning, focused bit of energy that whangs into your head and spirit and changes your life... yeah... Ok... Woo Woo Woo! :)

The thing is this... Folks always have to put a name and a theory and an explanation on things...

The simple fact is... The Boss created a place of such beauty and serenity that even the settling of too many thousands of people in, around and on it... can't erase the serenity that seeps into your soul in a place like the Red Rock Country of Sedona.

No Special explanation needed. The Boss knew what he was doing... You don't feel good in this country because of no dang vortex. You feel good here... because this special place... among these red rock canyons... is one of the better GOOD places on earth.

*The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona*

If you go to Arizona... no matter the season... you miss a lot if you detour around Sedona. This is one of those places, if you're tired... if something inside you aches... go here... walk quiet... stand and breathe...

You need not go into her many shops... although a coming story will show you the fun of that! ;) just get out on one of her trails... look up at the sky and the cliffs, and the life around you... let a fresh perspective seep into your head... no special sensitivity to vortexes required! :)

*Deep in Oak Creek Canyon after the storm passed*

Come to Arizona people... leave your preconceptions at home... come with an open mind... and soak up the beauty my glorious Home State will offer those willing to see it.

Home Again
Brian

What Does a The Tomb Raider, Dumb and Dumber, and The Cost of RV Boondocking All Have in Common?

ME! :))

Ha ha. Ok... it goes like this... Let's see if I can keep this in some vuh-rye-uh-tee of crony-law-jiggle order...

So... yesterday, knowin' a blow was comin'... we went in to town, did our laundry, did some grocery stockin' for a couple days of bad weather. I was already knowin', from past marks left in the dirt that this place was Arizona gumbo when it gets wet.

That means if you're a wheeled veehickle... ya'll ain't goin' NoWhere... 'thout tearin' things up.

So... With that in mind we go to town... and what does my forgetful mind leave behind? The empty fuel can for the generator. As good as our Solar system works... it can't make much juice on cloudy, stormin' days. We'd be needful of running Ol' Squeal N' Belch to keep the batteries hummin' during two days of bad weather.

Leavin' the gas can behind = DUMB. and all probably 'cause I'm gettin' so squeaky cheap that my procrastinatin' sub-conscious was likely payin' attention and tripped my memory that was tryin' to take the can along, in a self-flagillatin' effort to cut my paradoxical spendthrift ways!

Yup... bein' me is a full time job!

... and that = involving the Cost of RV Boondocking! Which is pretty comical on the face of it since the rent right where we're living today is ZERO! ;)

The whole deal got stirred up 'cause this was what was on the way...

The weather man predicted a 1/2 inch where we're at... we got according to the same fellers... about an 1 1/2" of liquid sunshine... it's what we in Arizona call WET!

Now, down here they got this clay that when it's the right consistency, drivin' on it is kinda like an epileptic tryin' to roller skate on greased marbles.

But... since we WERE in town anyway... and it had got down to past three in the O'clock... we ran by the Town Cemetery to pilfer a few six gallon jugs of water! ;) and that = Tomb Raider! :))

I have no recollection of ever sneakin' our water out of a cemetery ever before! :)

Well... the storm blew in right on schedule and of course the batteries; with the heater runnin' and the computer burnin' up eel-ek-trawns with all my button tappin, I found it necessary to take the truck to town for some genset gas...

Well, enter that Arizona Gumbo...

If ya'll been 'round here for any time at all you know how I feel 'bout bozos tearin' things up with their 4 by's! and there I go... boxin' myself into a corner where I have to lock'er in 4by to get out... and I'm out there in that ol' dodge... uh huh... cuttin' some pretty good tracks through the muck just barely finding enough traction to move... when I SHOULD be sittin' inside warm and dry and NOT makin' ruts!

I'll have some shovelin' to do as soon as things dry off enough to move the dirt and before it sets up like concrete and repair the damage I done... an THAT = DUMBER!

The only thing that matched my mental lapse is a guy near by drivin' a big rig outfit... he's got a big class eight tractor pullin' a GI-Normous fiver...

He tried to move THAT tractor around to hook up in this slip N' slide stuff. The front end mired in when he pulled around to back in... He was out tryin' to dig the front out when I left. I figured to see him still strugglin' when I got back.

I was surprised when I turned off the pavement and came up the lil' two track to see the tractor had in deed got in under the trailer...

He actually managed to get the parts of his rig together without tearin' things up worse than I did. I'm guessin' he must have some of the same feelings 'bout things I do... cuz if ya'll look close at the photo above... he's over there on the left... trying to fill in the ruts with a board where he'd mired the front axle. This would be DUMB #2 :)

At this point whoever his friends with the lil' car were loaded 'em up and hauled 'em away for a while. That's a good thing. If he'd tried to haul that monster out of there in this weather he'd be stuck deep... somewhere between where he's parked now... and that lil' bush on the far left! :))

So... properly self chastised for senile foolishness and careless dispopulation of my fuel can... We broke out the schnaps... heated up some of that Cemetery water! mixed 'em all up with a special, magical brown powder... and warmed up the cold afternoon!

Something in the process must have tickled my writing parts. On top of a couple of blog posts I banged out in the morning I assembled a couple of thousand words on the next Ben Jensen Novel... and then had this post done prior to 9pm last night!

I sure hope bad weather isn't what's required to keep my literary gears crankin'!

Juuuuuust 'bout Done for the day!
Brian

Give it a Day and Things Will Change

Knowing that changes were comin' we walked a couple miles down the "trail" yesterday mid day.

From a nice sunny camp... Yesterday...

*Looking toward Jerome (just above the truck) from camp*

We walked down this road that passes the camp headed for the river... and sees little traffic this time of year... (nothing passed us either way going or coming)

*Access road to the Verde River below our boondock camp*

 Before this came in during the night...

 The same view from camp but standing behind the rig between squalls...

*You Can't even see the mountains let alone Jerome*

Nope... can't even see the mountains this morning...

It's about a mile to the Verde River from camp. The difficulty for lazy folks is that it's all down hill. Easy going down... doubles the distance coming back up! :)

It flattens out near the bottom...

... and allows for a pleasant stroll in the winter sunshine. The sort of quiet walk that lets your head slow down and the knots unwind... The sort of walk that's good for your mind... not just your body.

Once you're in the bottom, if you look back to the east a ways there's a hill that sticks up... Up on top, if you look real close you can see the posts of a new vineyard that's being built... Alcantara I think is the name of the place...

It'll be easy to find... just go down the Thousand Trails road east of Cottonwood and follow the signs. There's supposed to be... or going to be a "Tasting Room" there... hmmmm.... guess maybe I should do more of those Brewery tours and get in on some Beer Tastings! ;)

Down along the Verde River in late winter... even if the trees aren't leafed out... it's a quiet and nice place. The spring run off is already filling the streams coming off the high country of the Mogollon Rim to the north.

*Late winter along the Verde River in Arizona*

Lily had a bit of excitement the day before this walk... Heidi took the dogs for a walk while I was riding to Jerome...

They were right about here... or at least Lily was

Heidi was walking farther on, just the other side of that lil' tree up the bank ~ when she heard a PLUNCK! When she looked back; "Where's Lily?"... and then she saw her floating down the river...

In the flat it don't look to be flowin' hard does it? Looks can be deceiving.

She brought up 75' or so down stream against the bank in that lil' eddy on the right side just before a lengthy section of choked down pretty quick water. It's maybe three or four feet deep in that hole...

A lil' bit of a close call. Apparently she leaned over the bank to catch a drink... her back end let go and kerplunk! in she went. Trouble is THAT dog don't care for the water and has NEVER gone swimming. The most she'd ever done was wade ankle deep. ;) got herself a bit of a swimmin' lesson at 14 years old!

As quiet as this stream might look now... if you look around the evidence is pretty plain that she ain't always... quiet...

If you look at the trash hangin' in the trees in the picture of the spot Lily got back to the bank... and the following pics...

... You can see the high water marks of the gully washers and major winter run offs... Now THAT would NOT be a good time to swim in this lil' bit of Arizona riparian paradise! :)

... and is why it's a poor idea in this desert country to set your camp in river bottoms, gully country or narrow drainages... a cloud burst miles away will send your camp downstream in a most uncomfortable way. ;)

That's ok. I'm not much into swimmin' anyhoo... and we still had to have the ambition to climb back up out of the river bottom to get back to camp!

*River bottom trail along the Verde River*

Today and tomorrow, according to the weather man will be a pair of days, tailor made for staying inside, in camp... writing... Unless you're one of those rare souls who giggles and dances in the rain...

Me? Not so much... Many thanks for the invite... but I'll stay dry and close to the coffee pot.

Well...except for... during yesteday's chore run to be ready for the couple days of stormy weather ahead... somebody forgot to take the gas can for the generator...

I expect I'll need to run ol' squeal and belch a time or two since it's chilly and overcast... and between the heater keepin' us comfortable and the clouds keeping the Solar Panels from doin' much... We'll need a lil' electrical assistance... So... I'll have to carefully wade out through the Arizona mud to get a tank full...

Tap Tap Tappin' the keyboard with Arizona Rain on the Roof
Brian