tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35678137489789047202024-03-16T04:33:28.314-03:00Canadian-TravelerPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.comBlogger2045125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-72904153024723938772024-03-13T16:14:00.002-03:002024-03-13T20:50:26.884-03:00Time To Move North<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">ith the heat reaching 30C (86F) and beyond, it was time to move north. The plan was to camp for 1 or 2 days at Oxbow Camping in the Cibola Wildlife Refuge, but we had to change plans. After we left the Hot Springs LTVA we went to the Holtville Dump Station. When trying to open our compartment door the key broke. So we couldn't get to our water hose. Luckily, another user of the dump station helped us out with his water hose, but we needed to get a new key. So we decided to drive to Yuma to "Wally's World" which is the place to go if you need anything for your RV.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I bought 5 keys(!!!) and after filling up with gas we headed off north directly to Quartzsite.</b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHL8YoFQAHxxuhq9XNUOotvG9clUWtotpmC38E8sMku4vISQU3wDlnXgCnIP2KiUGPVm4wmnssRZOlDNUPhozCRSm4JEiDZx_R5wePzQ5O4zP3RzP-jRNqa-4ayXorwxXYdydyDDLZXzot_UrmA0k8m3AgXbjMY7VGeqSBUmil-UYKbzVVT8i8eMAt3JE/s800/IMG_20240312_134525184-001.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="800" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHL8YoFQAHxxuhq9XNUOotvG9clUWtotpmC38E8sMku4vISQU3wDlnXgCnIP2KiUGPVm4wmnssRZOlDNUPhozCRSm4JEiDZx_R5wePzQ5O4zP3RzP-jRNqa-4ayXorwxXYdydyDDLZXzot_UrmA0k8m3AgXbjMY7VGeqSBUmil-UYKbzVVT8i8eMAt3JE/w640-h282/IMG_20240312_134525184-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-6WljTbLdf2qPI6FZAG0VVtiSkVYt4Q_HZoOJyDnWcuKXx9IhoFHDRxrWsH7LCsOqnGt0laha_jjRBhRmgeupfirUySRATDLRnMT3r3u2nMj1n3Xas7eIQNnLQCJZAvGuaSPbIKoNBJguwJ4sS3huOZmbKc40ALBTCIfqfBLXATuCZD6yhhfoJd6VszL/s800/IMG_20240312_131134930-001.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="800" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-6WljTbLdf2qPI6FZAG0VVtiSkVYt4Q_HZoOJyDnWcuKXx9IhoFHDRxrWsH7LCsOqnGt0laha_jjRBhRmgeupfirUySRATDLRnMT3r3u2nMj1n3Xas7eIQNnLQCJZAvGuaSPbIKoNBJguwJ4sS3huOZmbKc40ALBTCIfqfBLXATuCZD6yhhfoJd6VszL/w640-h202/IMG_20240312_131134930-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The drive along the Kofa Wildlife Refuge is as scenic as it gets. The Kofa Mountains are just so beautiful, and with its formations really special.</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGXCuBOy5UiMFwbHmgBjNqsc78HiP_FrlflHsdjhs_ZmtKTQVR2WmjvNGbcx7OhPKhEKiBiJgjXkTDstT0UCFn4XXYuNUL3OGW92wtdTP6CC2XYNdDbjI3W_MAIjgxdBVXYPoavreSpt1MrDv7a7LvQFdRvRAJ9Y-FKTPymMxFW8yIvFBDxGkn2XfuRSs/s800/IMG_20240312_134640463.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="800" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGXCuBOy5UiMFwbHmgBjNqsc78HiP_FrlflHsdjhs_ZmtKTQVR2WmjvNGbcx7OhPKhEKiBiJgjXkTDstT0UCFn4XXYuNUL3OGW92wtdTP6CC2XYNdDbjI3W_MAIjgxdBVXYPoavreSpt1MrDv7a7LvQFdRvRAJ9Y-FKTPymMxFW8yIvFBDxGkn2XfuRSs/w640-h304/IMG_20240312_134640463.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Along Kofa Wildlife Refuge</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHbp_BYO8tau_avCtVRtyqcXqf94df2F7XJcs_PhW31FcBHjkaoHuvNmLdHXUvJ3zXIY0CqCIzELpOyR8ECE4oJzvGpcpqaEDqx03V5_vhlrpBgNW-dq6lnY6_J2DA3DnUDcGxYaRvRZ4UWNLNGYfkt_Q5V0ZyFrHFtQPtcvrisufupp9t3ThIqOwKH6k/s800/IMG_20240312_134751970.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="800" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHbp_BYO8tau_avCtVRtyqcXqf94df2F7XJcs_PhW31FcBHjkaoHuvNmLdHXUvJ3zXIY0CqCIzELpOyR8ECE4oJzvGpcpqaEDqx03V5_vhlrpBgNW-dq6lnY6_J2DA3DnUDcGxYaRvRZ4UWNLNGYfkt_Q5V0ZyFrHFtQPtcvrisufupp9t3ThIqOwKH6k/w640-h278/IMG_20240312_134751970.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Along the way we saw lots of flowers and, due to recent rainfalls, the desert appeared lush green.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We turned into "La Posa South LTVA" which is our prefered location when visiting Quartzsite. We found a camp spot along the edge, from where the green desert is only steps away. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8Sgp8j7Jqa5hWsy-rSIZ-00eA1cME8TgwqGeyFvzgBd8y4PU1bRuBhpIqv5QsR0C8Hw0TGFhpVaJIhPSYcFTaQSKrCyv9hZgQrWdy-UGMDmIFPHPumUG9DRkKZ-4YkkHabIPCc2io7GkjM-A-eWnfqTmSbYZmeFmou8qlcGekzxxv8-B3FfRyKzcWLDS/s800/IMG_20240312_164909845_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8Sgp8j7Jqa5hWsy-rSIZ-00eA1cME8TgwqGeyFvzgBd8y4PU1bRuBhpIqv5QsR0C8Hw0TGFhpVaJIhPSYcFTaQSKrCyv9hZgQrWdy-UGMDmIFPHPumUG9DRkKZ-4YkkHabIPCc2io7GkjM-A-eWnfqTmSbYZmeFmou8qlcGekzxxv8-B3FfRyKzcWLDS/w640-h482/IMG_20240312_164909845_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And this morning I took Dixie out for a nice walk. I marveled about the plethora of desert flowers. This kind of landscape speaks to me as it reminds me of so many Western movies I have watched. There is no doubt that the Quartzsite area offers a special atmosphere.</b></span><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVslJNIb-YJ1rz4UsBlVDuDHDjtqps1ALU3clnmtS6WmqX7m-8aDNjXfUMqZIrVcXqgxcqrkGfvA9YrI7ShM8D7riHVJl0u1sL_gWu57erOAOdV4erqRrhRZnGLuzIOp11I4p6N7wUiI07dBRwamVKroHe-xI7dIkis6DXofHqoj-zGEJ7_waDTAuW5s7q/s800/IMG_20240313_081241582_BURST000_COVER.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVslJNIb-YJ1rz4UsBlVDuDHDjtqps1ALU3clnmtS6WmqX7m-8aDNjXfUMqZIrVcXqgxcqrkGfvA9YrI7ShM8D7riHVJl0u1sL_gWu57erOAOdV4erqRrhRZnGLuzIOp11I4p6N7wUiI07dBRwamVKroHe-xI7dIkis6DXofHqoj-zGEJ7_waDTAuW5s7q/w320-h241/IMG_20240313_081241582_BURST000_COVER.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBEfCMNN8p7vjEAqYLoT3KiAOaDq4W3zqn6rA0-NTkHcYu2Ncitvcg00hluPxhrLfAuqZ4bVlla-ndmxl_BFFIJZO6WHH0M3UFF-DYrlxiIrI4e0t1zfYEHoJqm_KM2H5hcIfEWB1zpu4RQ5eqlIRI0LR9hL0Li6E6FBUc5ckHKRTNFah8xLGosX5j4MP/s800/IMG_20240313_080817767.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBEfCMNN8p7vjEAqYLoT3KiAOaDq4W3zqn6rA0-NTkHcYu2Ncitvcg00hluPxhrLfAuqZ4bVlla-ndmxl_BFFIJZO6WHH0M3UFF-DYrlxiIrI4e0t1zfYEHoJqm_KM2H5hcIfEWB1zpu4RQ5eqlIRI0LR9hL0Li6E6FBUc5ckHKRTNFah8xLGosX5j4MP/w210-h279/IMG_20240313_080817767.jpg" width="210" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcIOigl0_nU_qdh4_ls2_2LDBnWto7DrU44ZHx81AqIy5emvwFXKWJ-gZjPYNxrNOwJN8cM2ArmZRDv9Zdcj3xtcNfi0BnFKMrKJPpwrLLt-LJxQjURFrnDP37nU28HdWRNMfVr7TDrSwt85LDG6LyyRKi42H3230ExzVM39ZZcpz0jvfTntoipNWRelU/s800/IMG_20240313_080651046_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcIOigl0_nU_qdh4_ls2_2LDBnWto7DrU44ZHx81AqIy5emvwFXKWJ-gZjPYNxrNOwJN8cM2ArmZRDv9Zdcj3xtcNfi0BnFKMrKJPpwrLLt-LJxQjURFrnDP37nU28HdWRNMfVr7TDrSwt85LDG6LyyRKi42H3230ExzVM39ZZcpz0jvfTntoipNWRelU/w640-h482/IMG_20240313_080651046_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPArUVweOM-huVvJ2uJoAvEtpVnIaSVF4NjZijD5kze37ZTljpJij88jlqykbnMRXtYSqIa3k2kH6vEoCXdxQyYxWzsV2-wTLuiJ09aOjjMEItsEZUkEqAwW-McRp78uFFSesQGxTQYfXTjl8olrbHIvIi4BVlNcTO5F6HmYM6caHaPtzKbWi2PrPH2Hu/s800/IMG_20240313_081921162.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="800" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPArUVweOM-huVvJ2uJoAvEtpVnIaSVF4NjZijD5kze37ZTljpJij88jlqykbnMRXtYSqIa3k2kH6vEoCXdxQyYxWzsV2-wTLuiJ09aOjjMEItsEZUkEqAwW-McRp78uFFSesQGxTQYfXTjl8olrbHIvIi4BVlNcTO5F6HmYM6caHaPtzKbWi2PrPH2Hu/w640-h358/IMG_20240313_081921162.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Desert Sunflowers</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhnHM9S0YI7NxayQN8rXepRb0BG0EPtTcZJqX6jtMqxcAbDbJLvH4m74doyyJsgeOkNRol1kTNznnmMIww043ObZzGPC6YrMNYbDVOYYGcwx8XCOVeUtQUibF99-hSmuo6EVPqO3pvi9Q_3aYD_ftwQdQrrcnYmj8pDFsKuBH0OkzqRcO2CQRCvgEqRz1/s800/IMG_20240312_164906561.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhnHM9S0YI7NxayQN8rXepRb0BG0EPtTcZJqX6jtMqxcAbDbJLvH4m74doyyJsgeOkNRol1kTNznnmMIww043ObZzGPC6YrMNYbDVOYYGcwx8XCOVeUtQUibF99-hSmuo6EVPqO3pvi9Q_3aYD_ftwQdQrrcnYmj8pDFsKuBH0OkzqRcO2CQRCvgEqRz1/w640-h482/IMG_20240312_164906561.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And for campers it is also very practical as it offers free fresh water for the RV and a dump station, all close by.</b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cTnt-zGu-ULXhh5bWDdZM-NfkvI8o_HZJqWw1NTHxaAMXJg1ItV_iqEeohiI4JuoHAY6gtWowX4ZeyLtAMeiexxuJvEK-uEExg9ygLLVHtR7YRcadE9j4V4XpiG5rfdB5ubB8QD09G5VslasiMFxiMXH2hNtwbcOKS6ZhqjYZZq42Ud1pOGMGPUT-O9g/s800/IMG_20240313_082517192.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cTnt-zGu-ULXhh5bWDdZM-NfkvI8o_HZJqWw1NTHxaAMXJg1ItV_iqEeohiI4JuoHAY6gtWowX4ZeyLtAMeiexxuJvEK-uEExg9ygLLVHtR7YRcadE9j4V4XpiG5rfdB5ubB8QD09G5VslasiMFxiMXH2hNtwbcOKS6ZhqjYZZq42Ud1pOGMGPUT-O9g/s320/IMG_20240313_082517192.jpg" width="241" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGTvFcyPg6pHF4jB_BKAAuQS4lP1-lutKWfpBjDj28l8HThhs-QYcdgyD6nIElxpqVoGF_n08lr5i9e1j1fN6Mo0oYKgByU-iAXze-muzY_wk9LKKcBCu99D5jvFOOOsdFxOKAJchifskR99C6urQ9avLxQP_BmPXIpsQzHUPB2S-luSfxinkSu6HaO11/s800/IMG_20240313_083110511.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGTvFcyPg6pHF4jB_BKAAuQS4lP1-lutKWfpBjDj28l8HThhs-QYcdgyD6nIElxpqVoGF_n08lr5i9e1j1fN6Mo0oYKgByU-iAXze-muzY_wk9LKKcBCu99D5jvFOOOsdFxOKAJchifskR99C6urQ9avLxQP_BmPXIpsQzHUPB2S-luSfxinkSu6HaO11/w301-h400/IMG_20240313_083110511.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Chicory</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Of course, Quartzsite is extremely busy from January and February when RV sellers and fleamarket vendors are present. But now, from the middle of March, many RVers have already left the area and there is no problem finding a nice camp spot.</b></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsj1EG5mXDoXokvw7N27niRhxZmI2RVFwItAl8EQ4nXkWGbZMKs242d5pyEPucZ9IdKlsUAqxLi8B45pxFArhPY_EkWQ5w1oLdijURR3TIUuQmk_QpqgmQl1ZNXjnuXpjrqE6wr5ynHEFpHmP-unDINemsDVyoa8DrdRQPfe0gWmJE8vNs2Luk5yCwiOUI/s800/IMG_20240313_083354131_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsj1EG5mXDoXokvw7N27niRhxZmI2RVFwItAl8EQ4nXkWGbZMKs242d5pyEPucZ9IdKlsUAqxLi8B45pxFArhPY_EkWQ5w1oLdijURR3TIUuQmk_QpqgmQl1ZNXjnuXpjrqE6wr5ynHEFpHmP-unDINemsDVyoa8DrdRQPfe0gWmJE8vNs2Luk5yCwiOUI/w640-h482/IMG_20240313_083354131_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN067RbXlN2VrRP3GZBFjZpx1qzoNt_jVN-1Wn2yKEX-1wOe3BR5-P0huR8PvxhNkdB3EmoJdxguUFIYU23PVhb-TGZ3mMJLkU1r4MjRPWOdMMVx6g6QGohxfLK_nhEtdMlflkTSYjm_IhfejjDVMEp0oIgKZayX46Daz-SNVK-_otXJ2kZ-pIaMYWwi0/s800/IMG_20240313_083854273.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN067RbXlN2VrRP3GZBFjZpx1qzoNt_jVN-1Wn2yKEX-1wOe3BR5-P0huR8PvxhNkdB3EmoJdxguUFIYU23PVhb-TGZ3mMJLkU1r4MjRPWOdMMVx6g6QGohxfLK_nhEtdMlflkTSYjm_IhfejjDVMEp0oIgKZayX46Daz-SNVK-_otXJ2kZ-pIaMYWwi0/w482-h640/IMG_20240313_083854273.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">45ft of Saguaro Cactus</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-43409797836999918882024-03-10T16:02:00.000-03:002024-03-10T16:02:51.468-03:00With The HotRod Guys<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>HOTRODS & BEER</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>What does it sound like? </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Well, it's a pub-style place where food and drinks are served, and it is located in Holtville.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjut-LENPGlHykzoIFdkwok1-yt529mlV7d1YLOeiEMdKtDX2ohOGHu3WeCmzJfM_DRZyfmvV7JTI0vs2LKsG_qhuQb-fovPi5zyq6vn4NG5fEOx4jyY9hpNLDvchsx82ZXuIADxZCMPqWMD_JY5tmjej02L5nj3saHjF5x4BmxOhPqm7W4COIZI9gi8yOu/s800/IMG-20240309-WA0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjut-LENPGlHykzoIFdkwok1-yt529mlV7d1YLOeiEMdKtDX2ohOGHu3WeCmzJfM_DRZyfmvV7JTI0vs2LKsG_qhuQb-fovPi5zyq6vn4NG5fEOx4jyY9hpNLDvchsx82ZXuIADxZCMPqWMD_JY5tmjej02L5nj3saHjF5x4BmxOhPqm7W4COIZI9gi8yOu/w640-h480/IMG-20240309-WA0004.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The lure was that they have a friday night steak dinner for 15bucks. We learned about it from fellow campers who had been there previously. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now we were going there together with them to check it out ourselves.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMN0TMvlHw2v5W_aofsHRTQwEGk58TQd0oHkKhp2wRxw8vJ0AnJ7Bj9Df85R2AtfnfTu0DrxBds6TT9eYIrRIsp-nbKG2cXBYarWmp3IDIVX4pdqY9e8FJA_CLRRYwE_X-oC9kwgKf35ZcxL7uSV-KHwZCcIxakaXpAi4r7PmmDzYOtDfN6nm1GxSHpYx/s800/IMG-20240309-WA0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMN0TMvlHw2v5W_aofsHRTQwEGk58TQd0oHkKhp2wRxw8vJ0AnJ7Bj9Df85R2AtfnfTu0DrxBds6TT9eYIrRIsp-nbKG2cXBYarWmp3IDIVX4pdqY9e8FJA_CLRRYwE_X-oC9kwgKf35ZcxL7uSV-KHwZCcIxakaXpAi4r7PmmDzYOtDfN6nm1GxSHpYx/w640-h480/IMG-20240309-WA0005.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We are normally not great restaurant patrons, but this place's steak dinner is standing out. The steaks are huge and as a couple you order one portion only with an extra plate so you cut the steak in two and share the rest, which is a salad, green beans and mashed potatoes.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3QGRVz5gvb0kigJeGUTWPqbmH-OV8VugCMl1Kk6bJFEDdOBb8kqtc1N5dkH5w-DAib4vRMeUswo9O2pN8OGn3Tnem8-HSfahusTMp0gGQyI_g1UuP-Wje0ChsVcnU2oJsdTIXokRk3DXXG87bFQZTh735drqMEFVA9-E-1aB0k48dI6Kr0APGR8Ogpjc/s800/IMG-20240309-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3QGRVz5gvb0kigJeGUTWPqbmH-OV8VugCMl1Kk6bJFEDdOBb8kqtc1N5dkH5w-DAib4vRMeUswo9O2pN8OGn3Tnem8-HSfahusTMp0gGQyI_g1UuP-Wje0ChsVcnU2oJsdTIXokRk3DXXG87bFQZTh735drqMEFVA9-E-1aB0k48dI6Kr0APGR8Ogpjc/w640-h480/IMG-20240309-WA0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now, the interior of this place is special as their walls are clad with corrugated steel, then painted with some wild motives. A band was setting up, but didn't start playing while we were there. Instead some boom box system spread a lot of noise, which I would'n be able to identify as any kind of music genre.</b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI4aLSjYX5JEalBzRUhJ1Cfg95J4uQYwJHXdBTzSiR08EmFH9Dw7tYpUwM2ywRlRWY2Y1ibxhEl-KDczF5uZBtZNbXlom6dYb_h4qjhQhS42j_uuG5eEbc0J1ynbm01R2MveaABAFgMw9ptcMkr4jCTUUDGY3oo096NJDvYMQ-kZbGoI5rvuFf8chsnU3/s800/IMG-20240309-WA0009.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI4aLSjYX5JEalBzRUhJ1Cfg95J4uQYwJHXdBTzSiR08EmFH9Dw7tYpUwM2ywRlRWY2Y1ibxhEl-KDczF5uZBtZNbXlom6dYb_h4qjhQhS42j_uuG5eEbc0J1ynbm01R2MveaABAFgMw9ptcMkr4jCTUUDGY3oo096NJDvYMQ-kZbGoI5rvuFf8chsnU3/w300-h400/IMG-20240309-WA0009.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But let's not forget what we came for - the steaks!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>What a treat! Soo tender, soo good, soo tasty. And so reasonable. Last time I checked at the supermarket's meat aisle, steaks of comparable size and quality (?) were around - yeah 15 bucks, and you gotta cook it yourself!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I hope they know what kind of value their chef is producing for them. He should get an award!</b></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq01Mg0r8rqtskQvBv55_pbCR_2tTNp-XSDbQl-ScwWSZ9AmUjYXdaqdq4qkqkkQkaxV6JLPepVfl38bkXzTW6iJXqGQZcYCNAdogGuirbqFthzIkErWYR_GqMCmUvgTPFMvsYKdaKEyW5AgjIbKdBdaeATld4ehf9TuB-xZsGQWKNX3fC8XM7-rGdrGxa/s800/IMG-20240309-WA0008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq01Mg0r8rqtskQvBv55_pbCR_2tTNp-XSDbQl-ScwWSZ9AmUjYXdaqdq4qkqkkQkaxV6JLPepVfl38bkXzTW6iJXqGQZcYCNAdogGuirbqFthzIkErWYR_GqMCmUvgTPFMvsYKdaKEyW5AgjIbKdBdaeATld4ehf9TuB-xZsGQWKNX3fC8XM7-rGdrGxa/w480-h640/IMG-20240309-WA0008.jpg" width="480" /></a></div></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-40656021581996461302024-03-03T00:17:00.000-04:002024-03-03T00:17:14.497-04:00We Moved<p> <span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">hen the temps are rising and there have been rain showers and one has a camp spot near dense desert vegetation, one has to deal with bugs! Bugs come as the nasty "No-seems", which can crawl into your ears, nose hair, short anywhere they desire to be and bite you, and there isn't anything you can do about it, or hordes of flies are doing landing exercises on you or, worse, you get the super-size mosquitoes which have the ability to sit on any skin-exposed area sucking your blood. Neither of those flyin' bastards are especially welcome. And when we discovered that poor Dixie was suffering under the same attacks, we decided to act upon it.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1p3yJ5j3wbdZnH3dk7OeMa493l2tTL-UYR89Flr9j4L-WtoAwr2ChRkI0BooQdc78e7bOpFCDOv4qgdZhWyBbaeaa6cX6wCi3OShQdF4Urp1_REuGoPlgcGpxW9csVDS_WkxJbihdcEUUXpMm5gJaXXTCkCPmKXjXJ06d1D8fS3SuZC9Aaoyk0MUe_usY/s800/IMG_20240302_111239931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1p3yJ5j3wbdZnH3dk7OeMa493l2tTL-UYR89Flr9j4L-WtoAwr2ChRkI0BooQdc78e7bOpFCDOv4qgdZhWyBbaeaa6cX6wCi3OShQdF4Urp1_REuGoPlgcGpxW9csVDS_WkxJbihdcEUUXpMm5gJaXXTCkCPmKXjXJ06d1D8fS3SuZC9Aaoyk0MUe_usY/w640-h482/IMG_20240302_111239931.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Our camp spot was behind a slight rise which was fine to stop the wind but it also meant that insects were thriving there. So we needed to move to a camp spot in more open terrain where the wind could blow and with less vegetation around it.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcdIatC1ghyQ3_PQ7jlXd-M9G9cb3_vIPM1ua_bEGkKh7UE9Dz9fwnFTUE9_5a9wkaOBf5wvpaatknzTaNcTAlXogdY4pJGS9qmMDCK48wk00ALarf-mXsgj2rQ4L5MD4w6EOkPXxYsbMVwoA1xHdlxDvUp1b50EkroIrVfDDivPMzkTM5h80hw06hyphenhyphenV4/s800/IMG_20240302_111120343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcdIatC1ghyQ3_PQ7jlXd-M9G9cb3_vIPM1ua_bEGkKh7UE9Dz9fwnFTUE9_5a9wkaOBf5wvpaatknzTaNcTAlXogdY4pJGS9qmMDCK48wk00ALarf-mXsgj2rQ4L5MD4w6EOkPXxYsbMVwoA1xHdlxDvUp1b50EkroIrVfDDivPMzkTM5h80hw06hyphenhyphenV4/w640-h482/IMG_20240302_111120343.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Such place exist in the very rear of the Holtville Hot Springs LTVA. And today the last and only camper moved out from there. So we rushed to pack everything, hitch on the trailer and move the short distance to a new better spot. </b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj2b2pd0CsKgTjl7y04gVOfJlKqHkqKUblC1VZnttqNtqq63xsUvJzpNMAcK7_eImOm0yXV3P_dzblLRkObdxd7dfuhGlvt8RrKLW7mHuYXmoBRcIbN72MKVhLMVQwe1YDf_2ebW3TJ_QqiriB-OBIwIWXu2T-d2-0nKYqTHhkrMFvF5EO7ElSLRaUMXx/s800/IMG_20240302_111346754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj2b2pd0CsKgTjl7y04gVOfJlKqHkqKUblC1VZnttqNtqq63xsUvJzpNMAcK7_eImOm0yXV3P_dzblLRkObdxd7dfuhGlvt8RrKLW7mHuYXmoBRcIbN72MKVhLMVQwe1YDf_2ebW3TJ_QqiriB-OBIwIWXu2T-d2-0nKYqTHhkrMFvF5EO7ElSLRaUMXx/s320/IMG_20240302_111346754.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Soon we were bug-free and happy established again in a place with lots of breezy air, and we even have a cactus out front. This site used to be occupied by friends from Ontario, which, sadly, cannot take the long drive south anymore. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Dixie clearly was a bit confused as she couldn't access her old spaces anymore, but she will adjust after a day.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>A side benefit of this spot is that it much quieter as we can't hear the traffic from the I-8 anymore. Further, there is less vehicle traffic here, and no other neighbours who are being barked at by Dixie.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGEsTURF_CLQF1z7Weijpivvf0rXdsR13TABfKpwbEP5bQQGb0zw50VvMGa5hrb82Xj82SYe5k1paYzywwSrj6vMq5D83l09KbhnnQPcS8g8BTU30KZqjGBsKdOT292rzIhPkw8ttboRJGJOBtFtM1LzLXzxg3gQfULJvncOok6zFUuaeDDMx7nKedV6L/s800/IMG_20240302_111135062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGEsTURF_CLQF1z7Weijpivvf0rXdsR13TABfKpwbEP5bQQGb0zw50VvMGa5hrb82Xj82SYe5k1paYzywwSrj6vMq5D83l09KbhnnQPcS8g8BTU30KZqjGBsKdOT292rzIhPkw8ttboRJGJOBtFtM1LzLXzxg3gQfULJvncOok6zFUuaeDDMx7nKedV6L/w640-h482/IMG_20240302_111135062.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-49234186915762803172024-03-01T19:26:00.000-04:002024-03-01T19:26:56.873-04:00Into The Golden Past<p> <span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">gain we had reached the time for another trip to Yuma to replenish our supplies of propane and gas. And why not use this opportunity to undertake another excursion.</span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEK1Vff48AF75AFPVMMCpTXpEr-W8iBgs11iBUPlqd5Vz_JYvfcE1BAOC_Lz8shw8PvcjxUQ1JBw2vwRzaWkvI0qZTPsZVi3W8ttAvfUbAWdhYKFkqqLTjmlNtU_Py754jqDC1Rg_nfGs9V_KhFJqwtuESpTV3w5y6aA46wS7v6kGy7zs1ZXKmwV1sMUg/s800/IMG_20240228_123336110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEK1Vff48AF75AFPVMMCpTXpEr-W8iBgs11iBUPlqd5Vz_JYvfcE1BAOC_Lz8shw8PvcjxUQ1JBw2vwRzaWkvI0qZTPsZVi3W8ttAvfUbAWdhYKFkqqLTjmlNtU_Py754jqDC1Rg_nfGs9V_KhFJqwtuESpTV3w5y6aA46wS7v6kGy7zs1ZXKmwV1sMUg/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_123336110.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>This time I had plotted out Ogilby Road, which connects the I-8 with Hwy 78 towards Blythe,CA. Its more technical name is S-34. It turns off of I-8 a few miles west of Yuma. The quality of the road does not make you want to write home about, as its tarmac is very broken and in places downright bad. I wouldn't want to pull our trailer up there, yet many people do it, as the road also is a shortcut to the Glamis Imperial Sand Dunes. We were rather interested in visiting the Golden Past of the area, namely the former gold town of Tumco. <a href="https://www.blm.gov/visit/tumco-historic-mine">(link to mine info)</a></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78iWbhTkWCVBpgPfbDqqVIMZHQsYHwtgaRWMdDC-_oKayAffJff9F9u40bnb-5hZiraOhcVhWb_j2_jgMGQY_m5WwA6LXCyVen68z08pO_pnqeU5dNwB05WvLym1zN6Wl0EX2SvaFCvHH5HKKJwx1gtvF_XMU7nrNNFStpq8lX7e9MlXPJhFFmZ4MuUf4/s800/IMG_20240228_111855128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78iWbhTkWCVBpgPfbDqqVIMZHQsYHwtgaRWMdDC-_oKayAffJff9F9u40bnb-5hZiraOhcVhWb_j2_jgMGQY_m5WwA6LXCyVen68z08pO_pnqeU5dNwB05WvLym1zN6Wl0EX2SvaFCvHH5HKKJwx1gtvF_XMU7nrNNFStpq8lX7e9MlXPJhFFmZ4MuUf4/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_111855128.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I have posted about Tumco once before, but I think every visit to this long abandoned place will leave you with a new different impression.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Here is a write-up by the Imperial Valley Press</b></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>The Tumco Historic Townsite is an abandoned gold mining town located off I-8 on Ogilby Road in Winterhaven, California. It sits on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land amid the Cargo Muchacho Mountains. Tumco is one of the earliest gold mining areas in California with a 300 year history consisting of several periods of success and failure.</i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i><br /><i>Before the gold rush, Imperial Valley had Spanish and Sonoran soldiers, settlers, and laborers all mining gold in the mountains of the southeastern portion of Imperial County, known as the Chocolate Mountains. It is here where the story of the Cargo Muchachos [loosely translated as “loaded boys”] originates. According to early accounts, two young boys were playing in the mountains trying to mine for gold like their fathers. Upon returning to their camp they discovered gold all over their clothes! From then on, the mountains were named the Cargo Muchacho Mountains and word traveled fast that these mountains were “loaded” with gold. Afterwards, numerous small mines were operated and mining companies moved into the area, which purchased claims and developed the mines on a large scale.</i><br /><br /><i>In Imperial Valley the first local to discover gold in the area was Pete Walters of Ogilby, who first discovered a gold vein at Gold Rock on January 6, 1884. Gold can be deposited in many ways, but gold veins are a miner’s dream! Gold veins are solidified streams of high-grade minerals, ripe for the picking. From here the first gold camp commenced, originally known as Hedges, which reached its peak development between 1893-1899 with about 3,200 residents. Hedges was abandoned in 1905 and later renamed. Tumco stands for The United Mines Company that bought the mines in the area in 1910. Unfortunately, in 1911 it was once again abandoned after costly efforts and diminishing prospects of gold.</i><br /><br /><i>Although little can be seen of Tumco today, during the boom time of the 1890’s, it supported a population of at least 500 people and the 40 and 100 stamp mills of the mine produced $1,000 per day in gold. Ultimately, over 200,000 ounces of gold was taken from the mines in the area.</i></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfczad9TL78XXrIF7ztOC2XPkzxjqqMw1rvEDJCX8FLVtDDmYJhfOJMy1CLt7O73D9D8et7EFxPg-Us8jIlZlf6Mhd0N7IF7eaXcEUaDvcdnMYbusmU-IOhHLeYEz1zkir44Ke77dk1VJxaHilHYfCQdNm1cR7BUkepu49-QRMkV1mWi-81_G_ouJwB7cX/s800/IMG_20240228_112002583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfczad9TL78XXrIF7ztOC2XPkzxjqqMw1rvEDJCX8FLVtDDmYJhfOJMy1CLt7O73D9D8et7EFxPg-Us8jIlZlf6Mhd0N7IF7eaXcEUaDvcdnMYbusmU-IOhHLeYEz1zkir44Ke77dk1VJxaHilHYfCQdNm1cR7BUkepu49-QRMkV1mWi-81_G_ouJwB7cX/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_112002583.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuOFM4dy7Of6AtszWUYNeVUWMqn0QuPI8y7kfIpqL8rK6KIqPHmANDA3upCKKp1kSXe86-Sq8FTgJE8ga8rl_qaMSC4vbLzMd8RZkymOJJcsDvHmqHuQqWwGV3BFv7_adRJuf-nzph28xnp8L336DJMOjmhMg0M_aRTkv5Cq00x8mxquKPcDBXR38elQZ/s800/IMG_20240228_124956609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuOFM4dy7Of6AtszWUYNeVUWMqn0QuPI8y7kfIpqL8rK6KIqPHmANDA3upCKKp1kSXe86-Sq8FTgJE8ga8rl_qaMSC4vbLzMd8RZkymOJJcsDvHmqHuQqWwGV3BFv7_adRJuf-nzph28xnp8L336DJMOjmhMg0M_aRTkv5Cq00x8mxquKPcDBXR38elQZ/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_124956609.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><b>We arrived there at about 10:30 and drove to the small parking lot from where a foot pass leads the visitors into the mining area. The "road" to the parking lot requires extremely low speed. </b></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmj5da1_jkFXXGefXnSW279mKxIbvpyBB9sC65tMDECbDDKrMTGdQwgUrkplSg3my-TYTGCjmaYuZypwHtIDi-2pKv07vC8i2aThuv1_Eu29jJvdvT7bWQItji3X9dFLe0sm1CbfsfMlZ6WNyVavNuZ8rxt6I8iJsCWOzj8S5dqScbu9aFIH2iOIws5Bc6/s800/IMG_20240228_112405250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmj5da1_jkFXXGefXnSW279mKxIbvpyBB9sC65tMDECbDDKrMTGdQwgUrkplSg3my-TYTGCjmaYuZypwHtIDi-2pKv07vC8i2aThuv1_Eu29jJvdvT7bWQItji3X9dFLe0sm1CbfsfMlZ6WNyVavNuZ8rxt6I8iJsCWOzj8S5dqScbu9aFIH2iOIws5Bc6/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_112405250.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OH9H7nzzcDL_8nrSRQa-HrcFErqsy1KUTE1OvcqXheJixNCsaW28Y-79OB0xeF54kqL-lJf8v8lFdzPT75bw5Nfx0aPbfPLhdAuzgprcNqV-MlO2SA_cxNKbm76faiskkcQe2eZ5GyZnsuby8oDhSUmtmcWY_tP0dOc-F6FamxnUezrl1qEO21Zjs7CW/s800/IMG_20240228_112408869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OH9H7nzzcDL_8nrSRQa-HrcFErqsy1KUTE1OvcqXheJixNCsaW28Y-79OB0xeF54kqL-lJf8v8lFdzPT75bw5Nfx0aPbfPLhdAuzgprcNqV-MlO2SA_cxNKbm76faiskkcQe2eZ5GyZnsuby8oDhSUmtmcWY_tP0dOc-F6FamxnUezrl1qEO21Zjs7CW/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_112408869.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">With Dixie on the leash we started our hike which led us to some huge old water tanks. These tanks were used as water storage for the mining operation, but today are filled with sand. The combined weight of the sand and rusting steel brought made these tanks burst open.</span></b></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sczAV6Ug4dZ_u_cJaoMEdrys7QbBqcgmLo7FTyCuTUFu5hfqn2q6AbDoI5ZRgqCesDk64YKMxi5abijHMM1Rw3IXkcfUC5eMO7M4qIM3Eh5sYAlucdBetoIOkmyPJC3jq8ExzYV4yhUhOyf988pZC4RO7wsT7DtgYV23P98WW5CL-S9bkx498f0OkiVN/s800/IMG_20240228_112335210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sczAV6Ug4dZ_u_cJaoMEdrys7QbBqcgmLo7FTyCuTUFu5hfqn2q6AbDoI5ZRgqCesDk64YKMxi5abijHMM1Rw3IXkcfUC5eMO7M4qIM3Eh5sYAlucdBetoIOkmyPJC3jq8ExzYV4yhUhOyf988pZC4RO7wsT7DtgYV23P98WW5CL-S9bkx498f0OkiVN/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_112335210.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The hundreds of workers which once slaved for the mining company, lived in small primitive cabins throughout the area. Within those old foundations a few rusty tin cans witness about human activity. Thinking of the hustle bustle of the long-gone days the eerie quiet of this place is almost depressing. Wind gusts are picking up some fine sand just to drop it again a few yards away. Nature has taken over here, yes, the humans took gold and they took cyanid, but the surrounding mountains and the sandy plains beneath have continued to be what they've always been, a part of the huge south-western desert.</b></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D24ZDEDV33FbyeHomFmz3x_YzI-QuUD-Iv4i7hi69n9zKe9SScyLyqoX1w_p80rS_ck3MNlsS67p_-eHNOShEQnYZV_3xn7mEcPj3_FZvj3ASwdInpf00Hw45vlYobfxAVeVoFq4Z189oxHhD9i-WwKdgn6ShdLW8E-uZ0bvHhUh7VM41kNB8O8Vtc4i/s800/IMG_20240228_113817618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D24ZDEDV33FbyeHomFmz3x_YzI-QuUD-Iv4i7hi69n9zKe9SScyLyqoX1w_p80rS_ck3MNlsS67p_-eHNOShEQnYZV_3xn7mEcPj3_FZvj3ASwdInpf00Hw45vlYobfxAVeVoFq4Z189oxHhD9i-WwKdgn6ShdLW8E-uZ0bvHhUh7VM41kNB8O8Vtc4i/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_113817618.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>As we rounded the tanks we noticed a horned desert lizard scurrying away from us. It's color is the same as the sand. Hadn't it moved, I wouldn't have noticed it.</b></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZDeu30LflH9GmxML7X159L5TdDceYsC-mX-ECSiqqPsCvlvXaN8vvH3PbbHH_IuXCVtSH3kLNNFAi7V8egyqeta09DtDQ7PV9xcmg38VXBDJeDDVydhhfzPrKomTGO74JvmYbPBi8NWmRcBTfodblvKB_1qATStJ5PaCLR9G20-EXIWwto9ls3emZ9fq/s800/IMG_20240228_111850720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZDeu30LflH9GmxML7X159L5TdDceYsC-mX-ECSiqqPsCvlvXaN8vvH3PbbHH_IuXCVtSH3kLNNFAi7V8egyqeta09DtDQ7PV9xcmg38VXBDJeDDVydhhfzPrKomTGO74JvmYbPBi8NWmRcBTfodblvKB_1qATStJ5PaCLR9G20-EXIWwto9ls3emZ9fq/w640-h482/IMG_20240228_111850720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The one-way distance of our hike wasn't even one mile, but already we noticed that we got thirsty for water. It is extremely important to carry water on every hike into the desert. If one falls and breaks an ankle, it can take a long time until help arrives. Waiting without water may then turn out to be far more serious than breaking the ankle itself.</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Back at the van we all indulged in our lunch package, Dixie drinking a lot of water. </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Want to check out my previous posting about TUMCO?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>https://american-traveler.blogspot.com/search?q=tumco</i></b></span></div></div></div>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-80509553829754450102024-02-27T00:20:00.000-04:002024-02-27T00:20:10.316-04:00Did You Hear The Coyotes Last Night?<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GmMr362Cq4j8LPatjEzLeSjtZ8jq4PtZ57v05LauqyBaKr6fdijK_5jzJAgfBOB2KRSUQKjxSFPS2mV1g-cPDOIFt5hFquqb3-kesW82fnftqTpdz0Qvf1R713Q5DdxTtGjhVOmTLKj_mHxs9Vqwu0XqBAXFireMsyIw4J790SmFlSWmRery-G5FDWZU/s800/IMG_20240225_080654068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="800" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GmMr362Cq4j8LPatjEzLeSjtZ8jq4PtZ57v05LauqyBaKr6fdijK_5jzJAgfBOB2KRSUQKjxSFPS2mV1g-cPDOIFt5hFquqb3-kesW82fnftqTpdz0Qvf1R713Q5DdxTtGjhVOmTLKj_mHxs9Vqwu0XqBAXFireMsyIw4J790SmFlSWmRery-G5FDWZU/w640-h334/IMG_20240225_080654068.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-size: large;">t was after bedtime and Bea was already halfways in dreamland, when I heard the familiar yapping and howling of a bunch of coyotes not too far from our trailer. By then the moon had come out behind the clouds and it gave me that very special feeling of being in close proximity to nature. There are coyotes on Campobello Island as well, but we never see or hear them. Here, in the southern desert, these animals are so much more present. In fact we have seen a single coyote many times under our walks with Dixie. And once, we walked along the canal, Dixie found one sleeping in the bushes and chased him up. Luckily, Dixie has no interest in pursuit, so she is more than willing to turn around and come back to us. Besides, she is bigger than the coyotes around here.</span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74Hvf8yCgJzXtSFxNmSDmF5ww83MdlJ3A49zcUKMeSgxoiD32kBYaLZKS-JAOedfZOFGRUXuySptvHXUdNN6kA7JncPNH4bBWopV_rbeHF8YkQ12gk0QYozPRfQfojSyBS1EvM565LLilgKY3Ca4ujajVlp0eeaatnjhJkLr9GptOcsqaN6VECHSL1FnQ/s800/IMG_20240225_081949489_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="800" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74Hvf8yCgJzXtSFxNmSDmF5ww83MdlJ3A49zcUKMeSgxoiD32kBYaLZKS-JAOedfZOFGRUXuySptvHXUdNN6kA7JncPNH4bBWopV_rbeHF8YkQ12gk0QYozPRfQfojSyBS1EvM565LLilgKY3Ca4ujajVlp0eeaatnjhJkLr9GptOcsqaN6VECHSL1FnQ/w640-h336/IMG_20240225_081949489_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Free in the desert</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now, that day temperatures have been rising for about a week, we can find other desert creatures as well, most often tiny small lizards. They are so incredibly fast that whenever Dixie sees one it is already gone before she gets her snout anywhere near it. Of course, we are getting a bit leary about Dixie finding a rattle snake. As even night temps are now above 10C (50F) snakes can be expected to be around in the open after dark or hiding in the shade of a creosote bush during hot day hours.</b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6irZWsWoGBrZkXS4eoSasEvqupNejPeOFZramOa7o8AuK6OKF6HsbHOcenRpriv_c3vBY6NbnC4GLIKKeBvIVBgVImSAF2hM6aeYf97mT-1G5HD4EywNNCO9BxOsd8OiqGduZhtE9EmMDy0z9FsqssPx4Hv3-nr54lxFipaTBNNVg_GplVJvSpn7YBk-/s800/IMG_20240225_082001866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6irZWsWoGBrZkXS4eoSasEvqupNejPeOFZramOa7o8AuK6OKF6HsbHOcenRpriv_c3vBY6NbnC4GLIKKeBvIVBgVImSAF2hM6aeYf97mT-1G5HD4EywNNCO9BxOsd8OiqGduZhtE9EmMDy0z9FsqssPx4Hv3-nr54lxFipaTBNNVg_GplVJvSpn7YBk-/s320/IMG_20240225_082001866.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fresh green in the desert</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So yes, that's the other side of being near nature. We know it and we have spent many winters in this desert environment. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We enjoy daily walks and are meeting wonderful people with similar interests.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Our plan for the next month includes a stay at the Cibola Wild Life Refuge, Quartzsite, the Wild-West town of Oatman and Petrified Forest Nat'l Park. Being back home at around April 15 would be sufficient to start work in the garden. Are we looking forward to a delightful warm northern summer? You bet we are!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5E1YYDXgAruQztTCjP5CiX3vrlrUF4Dq0YOrm7tL2DcicCj61y_WBXOFwHB5baqDEDisRV4v_GRrJOuSJHGGM62mxt1wac8KaE3xjpFh1P_qBUH2exe_Yr_6Xyv2sq-O5wopygqMtM6XLwtnoWKKXqzNJXaC-gFFg14Gt-kRonwVkJURdvi-UDn6De2g/s800/IMG_20240224_131140939_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5E1YYDXgAruQztTCjP5CiX3vrlrUF4Dq0YOrm7tL2DcicCj61y_WBXOFwHB5baqDEDisRV4v_GRrJOuSJHGGM62mxt1wac8KaE3xjpFh1P_qBUH2exe_Yr_6Xyv2sq-O5wopygqMtM6XLwtnoWKKXqzNJXaC-gFFg14Gt-kRonwVkJURdvi-UDn6De2g/w640-h482/IMG_20240224_131140939_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;"><b>And when someone has a birthday we gotta have a party about it</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuQgIZGiQpjnh3bwyzwUSDGr5tifuJLPJZjY5Wm9XhB92ysaFpFgyGW3jQ2Cxxd4iZNlaNBHUuf2qM4d70Ls9f0z6KhrkqoG2iJSPHEvoHnU77nSePsDQybyBOqhdV3SiRIDR-isUeO7KQHvgPX_iakqmm4BWZ8J3nkGrYini_pHfU4YlN7r2jCUy5LJq/s800/IMG_20240224_143014811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuQgIZGiQpjnh3bwyzwUSDGr5tifuJLPJZjY5Wm9XhB92ysaFpFgyGW3jQ2Cxxd4iZNlaNBHUuf2qM4d70Ls9f0z6KhrkqoG2iJSPHEvoHnU77nSePsDQybyBOqhdV3SiRIDR-isUeO7KQHvgPX_iakqmm4BWZ8J3nkGrYini_pHfU4YlN7r2jCUy5LJq/w640-h482/IMG_20240224_143014811.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">No lack of cakes here</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchtWFhgirNsY_0RAiSZA72ipXLqXdv07rShAfPHIfzjLoG070PRI0S8LV_LBBhfuK9BrQRcx0hwMzXdyA1tBLx0xWm4af1V8VBWsKyW3jSpBCavmhw3REhirRB5_-LSMNYpkw32JwSaCfbaiLnI46eSL3WDg2Q7HROo_RGJme992KAPeSJ4rfRYtuo8sh/s800/IMG_20240224_162039736_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchtWFhgirNsY_0RAiSZA72ipXLqXdv07rShAfPHIfzjLoG070PRI0S8LV_LBBhfuK9BrQRcx0hwMzXdyA1tBLx0xWm4af1V8VBWsKyW3jSpBCavmhw3REhirRB5_-LSMNYpkw32JwSaCfbaiLnI46eSL3WDg2Q7HROo_RGJme992KAPeSJ4rfRYtuo8sh/w301-h400/IMG_20240224_162039736_HDR.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">A large birthday crowd gathered</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-37739140436240176222024-02-14T01:48:00.002-04:002024-02-14T01:48:55.205-04:00Adventurous Tuesday<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb8SDgehvZnztKc0UokF6epYgHFLmGl2Y_010-urEdlsHVJvqf4N-o9__7cMh1lpLrBSkEzP-jX4SEdhTgczxsI55IX8PHbAYUVMO0wyXUgeZxY2eCoUb6cloDUtm2_L4I2ws0B_xOgwntmc5A9_hEsRuireGdczXMCuYzO6Pdnj2QCqmUH8qZU0Z5Ekr/s800/IMG_20240213_144942710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb8SDgehvZnztKc0UokF6epYgHFLmGl2Y_010-urEdlsHVJvqf4N-o9__7cMh1lpLrBSkEzP-jX4SEdhTgczxsI55IX8PHbAYUVMO0wyXUgeZxY2eCoUb6cloDUtm2_L4I2ws0B_xOgwntmc5A9_hEsRuireGdczXMCuYzO6Pdnj2QCqmUH8qZU0Z5Ekr/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_144942710.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-size: large;">t was time to get a refill of propane and gas for the van. Since both items are considerably cheaper in Arizona than in California, we had decided to take a drive to Yuma. Because of it was a beautiful blue-sky day, we ventured on and took a trip to Martinez Lake and the Imperial Nat'l Wildlife Refuge, an area we had never seen before.</span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJH8C2FCq4DkgiXRkbXuuXlJOyDs8gy0-9xm6rj1xFivdUTxDTBoZcRBY6l2otbosdYwhUXYlF427C6SKysDK4avLhrVqrc6g7DQcTLeBsRpIKqgMbP0khZJ7JC9G6y40Y1AIu4-pWHG-jWx7xIx6T9pn1esLKbvqMin5iNMe9wFNnY6dmTIEAliE8QrE/s800/IMG_20240213_194643652-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="800" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJH8C2FCq4DkgiXRkbXuuXlJOyDs8gy0-9xm6rj1xFivdUTxDTBoZcRBY6l2otbosdYwhUXYlF427C6SKysDK4avLhrVqrc6g7DQcTLeBsRpIKqgMbP0khZJ7JC9G6y40Y1AIu4-pWHG-jWx7xIx6T9pn1esLKbvqMin5iNMe9wFNnY6dmTIEAliE8QrE/w640-h514/IMG_20240213_194643652-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">A few miles north of the East Entrance to the Yuma Proving Grounds, t</span></b></span><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">he Martinez Lake Rd turns west off Hwy 95.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The road is of excellent standard all the way to the Imperial Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. </span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGyIIIImN5Vl-sAZdeggr46R6CawRTVGuNwKI_B-8DI98orm5XRrFSK-cNUUb9mvHD5Vx74ILSQusSOxQpE0NhzoRGDZ_N2HMIRouKXhX99LuJbJT3gyeuYcG8z7TOIEYmMR4un9tCnN3BxBhVAN0W6PytzuRFK6oUtl5cbMXcPR6HwjS4495OBVUId7Y/s800/IMG_20240213_123333492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="800" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGyIIIImN5Vl-sAZdeggr46R6CawRTVGuNwKI_B-8DI98orm5XRrFSK-cNUUb9mvHD5Vx74ILSQusSOxQpE0NhzoRGDZ_N2HMIRouKXhX99LuJbJT3gyeuYcG8z7TOIEYmMR4un9tCnN3BxBhVAN0W6PytzuRFK6oUtl5cbMXcPR6HwjS4495OBVUId7Y/w265-h179/IMG_20240213_123333492.jpg" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0PsBDDgsPpXDE_wYSlT_LFtr8XpQKS_I3hRLXwkSMRi-6ZcnwlOTiawsyGFWUuC8NmYvPlymSpktmhegJ6P8rlrZWASnOOAxCbMqgG4x3eQk0cScQafC4-1Biqa4Briqff2-xXFypTqHtk_tmbDUU9bPgjjz3HmyuKTaKjntedXqK3ODoXhGL5LpLhkY/s800/IMG_20240213_123351331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0PsBDDgsPpXDE_wYSlT_LFtr8XpQKS_I3hRLXwkSMRi-6ZcnwlOTiawsyGFWUuC8NmYvPlymSpktmhegJ6P8rlrZWASnOOAxCbMqgG4x3eQk0cScQafC4-1Biqa4Briqff2-xXFypTqHtk_tmbDUU9bPgjjz3HmyuKTaKjntedXqK3ODoXhGL5LpLhkY/w232-h175/IMG_20240213_123351331.jpg" width="232" /></a> </p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Imperial Nat'l Wildlife Refuge was established in 1941 to protect habitat for a variety of migratory birds and other wildlife. It encompasses 30 miles of the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California, including the last unchannelized section before the river enters Mexico. The river and its associated backwater lakes and wetlands are a green oasis, contrasting with the surrounding desert mountains.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Visitor Center exhibits offers great insight into the biodiversity of the area. Unfortunately, the fellow who was staffing the center had no interest in speaking to the visitors. He prefered to look into his Smart Phone, while several people were walking through the center. My guess is that he is a non-motivated volunteer.</span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tZoYrCcCnAD7quw460tzgN4Sm1-E2KAe-LTwvrxgSyERjrv53JAiw9Pljm7JN6d3KygnjGMbhYSGOcJtTbPYZWNOBKYN0Cptq_x_Vou6Md3J9CKDx4Ke6QvuZaBKcI2Rr8vyjS12aFQZxJO0n_qpAKVdBp3trK6mNNPQ0cS92j45ifEUI-zbkf6b4Kd0/s800/DSCN2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tZoYrCcCnAD7quw460tzgN4Sm1-E2KAe-LTwvrxgSyERjrv53JAiw9Pljm7JN6d3KygnjGMbhYSGOcJtTbPYZWNOBKYN0Cptq_x_Vou6Md3J9CKDx4Ke6QvuZaBKcI2Rr8vyjS12aFQZxJO0n_qpAKVdBp3trK6mNNPQ0cS92j45ifEUI-zbkf6b4Kd0/w640-h480/DSCN2378.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Spring has come to the desert</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Outside of the building they had 3 desert tortoises which could be observed from a walkway.</span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ydW4l6BBCbSh1tfrKc0HXlZIlpB-3BuH4U1szSwlmWZqXSX6i4mOVV8G9lsXl9R7RzjyL1z-3habvupqcm8cjpELrrQVfdM9N0HBf6dJtJcxHdZ7WeCx-ue_aw2GDzDW3b28Cm5Khdv_wfifzRkcrLtmEbhCDwIXSalRc2ha5SFrh22ojwWkC1A0KBan/s800/IMG_20240213_124649332_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="610" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ydW4l6BBCbSh1tfrKc0HXlZIlpB-3BuH4U1szSwlmWZqXSX6i4mOVV8G9lsXl9R7RzjyL1z-3habvupqcm8cjpELrrQVfdM9N0HBf6dJtJcxHdZ7WeCx-ue_aw2GDzDW3b28Cm5Khdv_wfifzRkcrLtmEbhCDwIXSalRc2ha5SFrh22ojwWkC1A0KBan/s320/IMG_20240213_124649332_HDR.jpg" width="244" /></a></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4QtrOrLY7FAou3ai6uE1B3UIQfavHH9NL5_0gH7ZzTJFaSa-E2wPWLlCrfYAbinCSps11LcjCVfyxz2owJf-hzmPIpWFoxf19MmQWXFET3pxC0ZXHD2ER0GSfRJoOtaBSC6j7Oik-6ZLSqe2O2xlFKL2weV-0R8ifPJYfYYeyUEIGPW6CWSdtamK5T69/s800/IMG_20240213_131727111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="800" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4QtrOrLY7FAou3ai6uE1B3UIQfavHH9NL5_0gH7ZzTJFaSa-E2wPWLlCrfYAbinCSps11LcjCVfyxz2owJf-hzmPIpWFoxf19MmQWXFET3pxC0ZXHD2ER0GSfRJoOtaBSC6j7Oik-6ZLSqe2O2xlFKL2weV-0R8ifPJYfYYeyUEIGPW6CWSdtamK5T69/s320/IMG_20240213_131727111.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">There is also a covered picnic area with benches where we ate our lunch.</span></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWv4U0I3oDzdtpbQFlTNN-D2Bxk9waBpsqPUQyFz8u7xfY5XXpR_O5k9ujbPOyF-SzxrPOOsluDtT6y9Ra0uL9c1jrTHsF23qq7DAyFXjp9p7lmrAAGBZ9YAnMmoMRkIsoIVM7wsAXTW14mc4g8DQme9wOyMFoSrDGyJc8sk5FHAaRqSjk0G1pgLiEDueQ/s800/IMG_20240213_130047413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWv4U0I3oDzdtpbQFlTNN-D2Bxk9waBpsqPUQyFz8u7xfY5XXpR_O5k9ujbPOyF-SzxrPOOsluDtT6y9Ra0uL9c1jrTHsF23qq7DAyFXjp9p7lmrAAGBZ9YAnMmoMRkIsoIVM7wsAXTW14mc4g8DQme9wOyMFoSrDGyJc8sk5FHAaRqSjk0G1pgLiEDueQ/s320/IMG_20240213_130047413.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Waiting for a handout</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Afterwards we followed the</span></b><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Red Cloud Mine Rd. west into the desert mountains. Three view points can be accessed by vehicle. The last one, called 'Ironwood View' also marks the ending of the maintained road. For further travel a 4x4 high-clearance vehicle is recommended. We parked at Ironwood View and hiked down the 4x4 road until we reached a hilltop with truly magnificent views. It might be possible to continue on the dirt road with a 2WD, but it would probably depend on weather conditions. And we saw several bigger rocks in the middle of the road. </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Red Cloud Mine</span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKfHDQmuuXizkvpy7Se6tzt77Szp1z24Hb06wtvZbs9KbNBX5EylNMWcC3OE59T-sy0YTHFAjDjnp-gCZeMsAFteKflIJC6nteCTLq6qtcsHlPmZVzRB0qAYE38s0x_kr8PbHGH1VMXPAzi4Nt5PbXvewVcTDfLt0_B1kVs4jb_YGv6av5kYaF7MZOKJh/s180/Wulfenite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="165" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKfHDQmuuXizkvpy7Se6tzt77Szp1z24Hb06wtvZbs9KbNBX5EylNMWcC3OE59T-sy0YTHFAjDjnp-gCZeMsAFteKflIJC6nteCTLq6qtcsHlPmZVzRB0qAYE38s0x_kr8PbHGH1VMXPAzi4Nt5PbXvewVcTDfLt0_B1kVs4jb_YGv6av5kYaF7MZOKJh/s1600/Wulfenite.jpg" width="165" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Since 1877, the Red Cloud Mine has produced the highest quality Wulfenite specimens in the world. For a fee people can search and collect beautiful gems in the mine.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The different ground colors of the area are mesmerizing and the rock formations astounding. </span></b></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wSESPsAAxshcs2mPHtM5IUmnhMp5Icv-DGUB7irSRonlxa84g5BskVrL72sVuM2n_Ctgcrcso5rkvooIcrAtXFPrRC0-O0dkF-R4ZaeRTkFMmzCVdH-_Jul9dnZF2nF5ZdPC6b1oZUiT5_KEFrDOfh0uk0RegBga8V6qy5nm82vhxnjQdQt_Rd5sA1lW/s800/IMG_20240213_144752914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wSESPsAAxshcs2mPHtM5IUmnhMp5Icv-DGUB7irSRonlxa84g5BskVrL72sVuM2n_Ctgcrcso5rkvooIcrAtXFPrRC0-O0dkF-R4ZaeRTkFMmzCVdH-_Jul9dnZF2nF5ZdPC6b1oZUiT5_KEFrDOfh0uk0RegBga8V6qy5nm82vhxnjQdQt_Rd5sA1lW/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_144752914.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the sun was burning down on us and even though temps were not predicted to reach 70F, it was very hot in the sun. </span></b></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnodNy2P6DpTQj_OejF3udYMkvqQl3HDJe5Axopw_ckkn6tfG9Az3I_V6VBr6CgnIquWN9AShegu4kIqei0a5pE_Ws86ryBxFiM4Pd7JwggpyDiakxBTxuQc2KiseaVlBsOIfIdkM7Gi3cwOxQd6q6hrSRstFfe8r-wCTMaLW9uWxmizjx2eaZTKW6dk-/s800/DSCN2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnodNy2P6DpTQj_OejF3udYMkvqQl3HDJe5Axopw_ckkn6tfG9Az3I_V6VBr6CgnIquWN9AShegu4kIqei0a5pE_Ws86ryBxFiM4Pd7JwggpyDiakxBTxuQc2KiseaVlBsOIfIdkM7Gi3cwOxQd6q6hrSRstFfe8r-wCTMaLW9uWxmizjx2eaZTKW6dk-/w640-h480/DSCN2362.JPG" width="640" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4IRexJTKiC51cSztSWJKUWHoR-W2v9bBTiK6o-D4B33aaEtHaOcj6thlFovcdJGR0WpqXUCFI3gyd3MhIS80HrD8T0rALmKMZm9Ghon7Edyp_THw0hFR59lkEwEjEjjw1tQYR0A50ONWa-QnXaZNOyij5h7fjFpMtotdfviDrCUjjECSjmQRVKGjYJQI/s800/DSCN2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4IRexJTKiC51cSztSWJKUWHoR-W2v9bBTiK6o-D4B33aaEtHaOcj6thlFovcdJGR0WpqXUCFI3gyd3MhIS80HrD8T0rALmKMZm9Ghon7Edyp_THw0hFR59lkEwEjEjjw1tQYR0A50ONWa-QnXaZNOyij5h7fjFpMtotdfviDrCUjjECSjmQRVKGjYJQI/w640-h480/DSCN2365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNwO01fvU2Bw0qEROYkmmWMMjYpcZW3JPTgDXXH0HlW-GoCjokEEO9LjA-NASUnFm1qokBg2ZWRtAJtUaoK2-UyKRADrQQAk1fpwe-W-7r77s_i2VUJqQI-qLaT8TjHYinssyropZ8IkU409pGzuU-Xcdu99RwMW3AnjwjvcuBlregZN0mkOFnLHl2ZKr/s800/DSCN2368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNwO01fvU2Bw0qEROYkmmWMMjYpcZW3JPTgDXXH0HlW-GoCjokEEO9LjA-NASUnFm1qokBg2ZWRtAJtUaoK2-UyKRADrQQAk1fpwe-W-7r77s_i2VUJqQI-qLaT8TjHYinssyropZ8IkU409pGzuU-Xcdu99RwMW3AnjwjvcuBlregZN0mkOFnLHl2ZKr/w640-h480/DSCN2368.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3FK0iqQhcTs8Bip4_CeMfnA0-RpP1-mZUMVFosTV1SEFr9XWMA93i-yK-vT5UKo_SwkbXHLWeIbPf_CKszBPxq5R3hF1_uGsbGGarRHP6dHOvnCYenLINLqNr470jrvUE0vZTwsXNe6gWfKUPuqN0Wm-oFvH0yY2Mb6GFJv-W9hyphenhyphenmTMyE2AbeL_LIUMOn/s800/DSCN2370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="800" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3FK0iqQhcTs8Bip4_CeMfnA0-RpP1-mZUMVFosTV1SEFr9XWMA93i-yK-vT5UKo_SwkbXHLWeIbPf_CKszBPxq5R3hF1_uGsbGGarRHP6dHOvnCYenLINLqNr470jrvUE0vZTwsXNe6gWfKUPuqN0Wm-oFvH0yY2Mb6GFJv-W9hyphenhyphenmTMyE2AbeL_LIUMOn/w640-h388/DSCN2370.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuf4DZos645AhxpHiMOqWRJ9YJ94u5u5FVTbIpquf3dZU-Tza5lTlWP4715STjeWVxWhErRfH6GDcZul6vEpbVq4UW0qHfAXKkeIZNvbGnzjZalzyrKOkxF_LviFcONuGlgVEERGU6k8lypwQlOjqvuKXG8FlByzPvwpe8wzTihi8EbOsg2ZCKmkgveLm5/s800/DSCN2371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuf4DZos645AhxpHiMOqWRJ9YJ94u5u5FVTbIpquf3dZU-Tza5lTlWP4715STjeWVxWhErRfH6GDcZul6vEpbVq4UW0qHfAXKkeIZNvbGnzjZalzyrKOkxF_LviFcONuGlgVEERGU6k8lypwQlOjqvuKXG8FlByzPvwpe8wzTihi8EbOsg2ZCKmkgveLm5/w640-h480/DSCN2371.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgXu1t08-_9bVoiRDSIFBXe50ab5Qijtc22IvHP31LddGdLxRYDdoQfIst7t_KI14lNdXT2HD8mToKO7NgQaVoa1eCvVnIWvVg4B1h6_rt3J_hp1NrcX4Wthd_sAUy7OA4VUsRv2ErYO_IwiNomakUX9iwlccldolf3ntKMTnkaOGmfgUSKuCmcldp4qE/s800/DSCN2380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgXu1t08-_9bVoiRDSIFBXe50ab5Qijtc22IvHP31LddGdLxRYDdoQfIst7t_KI14lNdXT2HD8mToKO7NgQaVoa1eCvVnIWvVg4B1h6_rt3J_hp1NrcX4Wthd_sAUy7OA4VUsRv2ErYO_IwiNomakUX9iwlccldolf3ntKMTnkaOGmfgUSKuCmcldp4qE/w640-h480/DSCN2380.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRSZ4EyfS0g_AUEEOQqiMVj-7Br9vHTQs2GnGtZ6RkB-bUV9Ji6-u1P3dLGeT6gOBTblGVm3FzB9jsLbAdH-Z9yP8C2T4lklzY1lWFMJM2oJIBlKbhldQv54Q9yi3V4NRaWYZcSFNyOV1Tk1zgeORcS-pAm9E0Ipch6NyY1AsN7nKW5droI2QhFYS0mn8/s800/DSCN2385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRSZ4EyfS0g_AUEEOQqiMVj-7Br9vHTQs2GnGtZ6RkB-bUV9Ji6-u1P3dLGeT6gOBTblGVm3FzB9jsLbAdH-Z9yP8C2T4lklzY1lWFMJM2oJIBlKbhldQv54Q9yi3V4NRaWYZcSFNyOV1Tk1zgeORcS-pAm9E0Ipch6NyY1AsN7nKW5droI2QhFYS0mn8/w400-h300/DSCN2385.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">Anything more to eat here?</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b><p></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our van was parked on the top of a hill and we had to hike back up. Almost reaching the van I looked at Dixie and got concerned that this was too much of a strain for her. Once we had her back in the van she drank some water and started to relax. The whole hike had not been more than a 1km (0.6miles) one way, but it is easy to underestimate the body's need for water.</span></b></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqYdB7iaGhuCxeTOLu21tNH9yQ4gWEHZtN4g9BTTyjXuKGM4qNN53-5AK9lHasuBcCIRB7E54ZfpEJcPRFQQSlc2TS_cqYlORd-EQ3vbc2iCn8nRjstpSEoSz-GPAB8sxQ1PoyVVAycCoLC_R4uU41FILiNUYkKYSONjd_E95SPckYnUUZQjZepFCN5CM/s800/IMG_20240213_132507717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqYdB7iaGhuCxeTOLu21tNH9yQ4gWEHZtN4g9BTTyjXuKGM4qNN53-5AK9lHasuBcCIRB7E54ZfpEJcPRFQQSlc2TS_cqYlORd-EQ3vbc2iCn8nRjstpSEoSz-GPAB8sxQ1PoyVVAycCoLC_R4uU41FILiNUYkKYSONjd_E95SPckYnUUZQjZepFCN5CM/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_132507717.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Leaving the Wildlife area, we explored the old village of Martinez Lake. Originally, a fishing village in the fifties, it turned into a vacation spot, when the waters of the Colorado declined. We were not impressed about Martinez Lake Village. The entire area seems to lack planning. In between houses (they were all vacant) old crappy trailers had been set up. The whole place looked like a slum. Some people had built nice quite large homes, but the neighbourhood witnessed about decay and abondonment. The little marina was mostly empty, except a few old decrepit boats, one being a destroyed still floating houseboat. </span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pph2UII4rKxtXc6hjaoh3kRMWJOkOIGZda_tlYaukKgvPECEpRZS8mNvahDzg7btZBkKBqSt07mTduFy6BPge6V4m_lhG79TZ5e9VtMN1WoJmRBddOmAKZFDXYEn4011peo2rk-9Z-8tw6Q7v9zrUXT6l47PkoygokZetBK3-eGBiGPHbXNp3pRo1KoT/s800/IMG_20240213_122435877_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="800" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pph2UII4rKxtXc6hjaoh3kRMWJOkOIGZda_tlYaukKgvPECEpRZS8mNvahDzg7btZBkKBqSt07mTduFy6BPge6V4m_lhG79TZ5e9VtMN1WoJmRBddOmAKZFDXYEn4011peo2rk-9Z-8tw6Q7v9zrUXT6l47PkoygokZetBK3-eGBiGPHbXNp3pRo1KoT/w640-h518/IMG_20240213_122435877_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWxF2NEtVXqQ4cFSFDgEK9YXnYNjOmz7Wx2cbrHXXkUEBX1FWO6PYYhoVAfg-LMQRQD6Ht5K2lf2Jhi2DeuiOWKPb_4XnqscapM_JTKzW2qkv1x0Di7yebOzMlovDwKYEngM-Px8lOY2-HDGVpBrHBzvSpFqxCxswpfIJPuSh8lfKZV1jCQkq_JrYiOch/s800/IMG_20240213_121803442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWxF2NEtVXqQ4cFSFDgEK9YXnYNjOmz7Wx2cbrHXXkUEBX1FWO6PYYhoVAfg-LMQRQD6Ht5K2lf2Jhi2DeuiOWKPb_4XnqscapM_JTKzW2qkv1x0Di7yebOzMlovDwKYEngM-Px8lOY2-HDGVpBrHBzvSpFqxCxswpfIJPuSh8lfKZV1jCQkq_JrYiOch/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_121803442.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdjY6tB5Q_WX12Ojpbf4_LDbJymaz8FJCswpZj49tswnd-C_qkDI7e1IGcdXcf_BO7EQS4VQOHedtDHxxZ0Y-2FDy6L7lpPUTmq1Mc5kCmTOR1Soe2dNsXWq8mS4BcmttpoPfOSZhQvZQxXTzZ8pSi5TN-KUgy-HLjAU7ROPE5P2uWFfJD4UCtDumI2lI/s800/IMG_20240213_121811879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdjY6tB5Q_WX12Ojpbf4_LDbJymaz8FJCswpZj49tswnd-C_qkDI7e1IGcdXcf_BO7EQS4VQOHedtDHxxZ0Y-2FDy6L7lpPUTmq1Mc5kCmTOR1Soe2dNsXWq8mS4BcmttpoPfOSZhQvZQxXTzZ8pSi5TN-KUgy-HLjAU7ROPE5P2uWFfJD4UCtDumI2lI/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_121811879.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgry2dtkomBicIIE3GYE_K1R5OdqyQjtnhClPr5WQdIA1kNMRXLSNpbZoOzx1jVzVvfLDncxcolp4c-3-z9LQTGpk7Nvs08ah2TpdaHiWlR4XroYxBnk63nF7Bjx7lq5yOqVoORgRO17aDkniSYOvC05ZzMe1dIMI5bmlV6UgNcwc9BSHT9FDReACaSFvay/s800/IMG_20240213_121846536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgry2dtkomBicIIE3GYE_K1R5OdqyQjtnhClPr5WQdIA1kNMRXLSNpbZoOzx1jVzVvfLDncxcolp4c-3-z9LQTGpk7Nvs08ah2TpdaHiWlR4XroYxBnk63nF7Bjx7lq5yOqVoORgRO17aDkniSYOvC05ZzMe1dIMI5bmlV6UgNcwc9BSHT9FDReACaSFvay/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_121846536.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6B95LKy4lTIdgDP-XrS-Lf8c2aH7r_iNc9QlHVlrfzAGIn9qQTq1NB0JAZdZ-Xr8nUpCmdfYLX2ORYvt7oFqUKMgnUyzcJwq0vVRpN0lDk7BHsRtSY3VVoypI0blKECfFxhQ0MsJmijkvQbKTebE-4FG5sv-g06ORuWyZ8mRcpLTCgBzzcfE7Xj6PrxD/s800/IMG_20240213_123308998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6B95LKy4lTIdgDP-XrS-Lf8c2aH7r_iNc9QlHVlrfzAGIn9qQTq1NB0JAZdZ-Xr8nUpCmdfYLX2ORYvt7oFqUKMgnUyzcJwq0vVRpN0lDk7BHsRtSY3VVoypI0blKECfFxhQ0MsJmijkvQbKTebE-4FG5sv-g06ORuWyZ8mRcpLTCgBzzcfE7Xj6PrxD/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_123308998.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTF0AdhF4vPhKT-CnQYkFuv_NEirFHzmeI3CVMbGripQo8bAQdhEROevnBurFakmOhcPYTH7H7K_BO4ldJl41OG8wnFIggoQxbr6dAX3jQ_RZrqquQ8ShPgad7iXu03n1nk1r3U0pMjXMYtg4O6oe93wLX7CdJzJYAfIYcn-pcZKd-WJRWNtO2Z4cp_RM/s800/IMG_20240213_130329616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTF0AdhF4vPhKT-CnQYkFuv_NEirFHzmeI3CVMbGripQo8bAQdhEROevnBurFakmOhcPYTH7H7K_BO4ldJl41OG8wnFIggoQxbr6dAX3jQ_RZrqquQ8ShPgad7iXu03n1nk1r3U0pMjXMYtg4O6oe93wLX7CdJzJYAfIYcn-pcZKd-WJRWNtO2Z4cp_RM/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_130329616.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Colorado River is supposed to be at the foot of these mountains</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQgOQ18mZfwjyf4b-EOL3AvxBF0U_S69dO90mscb0qwdAQe92q6n7X5j5sNgthdJjsbOJ2H0N7UxeTa3MaAMIS6QR-TfgFbG67Ewl9sdrHzxh6goG4jzyrYdmiZlJioO7TWXLJzwJNle_aMuUMAFVRznYbVt0-yB2FwgilU4VtpD38pZUQ_n3WKKgCoYE/s800/IMG_20240213_132512277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQgOQ18mZfwjyf4b-EOL3AvxBF0U_S69dO90mscb0qwdAQe92q6n7X5j5sNgthdJjsbOJ2H0N7UxeTa3MaAMIS6QR-TfgFbG67Ewl9sdrHzxh6goG4jzyrYdmiZlJioO7TWXLJzwJNle_aMuUMAFVRznYbVt0-yB2FwgilU4VtpD38pZUQ_n3WKKgCoYE/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_132512277.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55dcWlvNK0dcdHNOObEPp7t31olJDvWlnSdVpaDaVjUY8rCCMurGZWnuVHp6rBru2PoIgXPdPL9riODZ021ZcLkfKh0y00yR791NvDDeF18fF_DBEGHM7Ir0frx3JRpEcKIYp4j28OQzduDtrfYh-sxUcCiRB_bFk9MiAkrl-lmgelNq8nDtOhCqEHfJV/s800/IMG_20240213_132522992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zO3vLphDu8YNy4wNrDYteSg3hFkv0-RCmMqi0DsAXDesiXv_AZ6jwQlDRg6Z5WV02olKnF_wjX-cCG_JZxiniIzfdQ3ODBCv-o9lri2k5CtRHhvLYdHbtJbBW7_wapBHN0cuCiuQuCBfWEvQqJ2H3ldk2K4zmdgpmV9s_FAsAEBP9OJHaw9rba9CmF63/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_140200654.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtlouHk8e7ZZBSvlUcunO9w09vUxKi4XJC7hF1H-zIGb7nFC5Mky-sKLCFbr7B3GXUlljEaLXIzhV40uVK21wgp_lNnbmdgKX_5s5KqZBW1eU5Uk4VpE1WgUKlrKJt4b4pR92sfpazL-Dc6l_e-KcxM36wGoqYUb_AQFGEzF0Q-fbDSTp7mgv8p31n4ae/s800/IMG_20240213_140342697-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="800" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtlouHk8e7ZZBSvlUcunO9w09vUxKi4XJC7hF1H-zIGb7nFC5Mky-sKLCFbr7B3GXUlljEaLXIzhV40uVK21wgp_lNnbmdgKX_5s5KqZBW1eU5Uk4VpE1WgUKlrKJt4b4pR92sfpazL-Dc6l_e-KcxM36wGoqYUb_AQFGEzF0Q-fbDSTp7mgv8p31n4ae/w640-h448/IMG_20240213_140342697-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixllVUkhPUMJevmiEcJchj-2Dmaw3YZ3QXbzGwylEVk-oMkWNQn5qFYSJ5JoKqYTR_dJ1ji0J0F8qy78FY03ObrGPO7hXImagEU0a_VAz8OmfJwCf6Lli-YgJOVV0BqCxPvlwXnQ5-BKAq4A7x5LP9kIvRmZy1XeZqdid1nVjUS3W8swzCkUhD-V39xQRa/s800/IMG_20240213_141207737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="800" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixllVUkhPUMJevmiEcJchj-2Dmaw3YZ3QXbzGwylEVk-oMkWNQn5qFYSJ5JoKqYTR_dJ1ji0J0F8qy78FY03ObrGPO7hXImagEU0a_VAz8OmfJwCf6Lli-YgJOVV0BqCxPvlwXnQ5-BKAq4A7x5LP9kIvRmZy1XeZqdid1nVjUS3W8swzCkUhD-V39xQRa/w640-h272/IMG_20240213_141207737.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3dFN_Rc6S3xSLmBPSHiEyd6W9ZaoQ6VuC09-SvYQgY_HnXxLYm7ePtEOCLOtMYQ92eKr2zkHTiv1Yif5WFy40-gCAb8O_u4wPiD9BDWZ-Orti6c-VXJ8c7tauxYxJcwwJSbYemB5BgFuwO1PEld2Yx82_v8Sx0eoxBzGDYthAbxbNSZ6I2o4p3qzaHcJ/s800/IMG_20240213_141315304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3dFN_Rc6S3xSLmBPSHiEyd6W9ZaoQ6VuC09-SvYQgY_HnXxLYm7ePtEOCLOtMYQ92eKr2zkHTiv1Yif5WFy40-gCAb8O_u4wPiD9BDWZ-Orti6c-VXJ8c7tauxYxJcwwJSbYemB5BgFuwO1PEld2Yx82_v8Sx0eoxBzGDYthAbxbNSZ6I2o4p3qzaHcJ/w482-h640/IMG_20240213_141315304.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">American Irony</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OFxYhLBNEKANphwO4BLdncLl3qOrI6BxEpOGs1Jq_gurt880se2Ol4jlocKooRLD9bLYskvpmWn62Qz52E2U_OwqUfi6GBiqgf5huLJTISvKHnKEm82Zswf4Me1V-fJXoCUTE2PhrNE1zlYMxtzn_c-cLF6LWgbBbLs5PJ6g1Az5CyWE4MJEWP8N1yXr/s800/IMG_20240213_143726684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OFxYhLBNEKANphwO4BLdncLl3qOrI6BxEpOGs1Jq_gurt880se2Ol4jlocKooRLD9bLYskvpmWn62Qz52E2U_OwqUfi6GBiqgf5huLJTISvKHnKEm82Zswf4Me1V-fJXoCUTE2PhrNE1zlYMxtzn_c-cLF6LWgbBbLs5PJ6g1Az5CyWE4MJEWP8N1yXr/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_143726684.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfBFktwgG3mv1vYxIYr-ujQ06_mJvaqXW740GaBZwCemPpIMn4pXiW5RWrZ780mf6C5W4CVPXyzC6yIY_rkUr_38D3TtGpSdeNCLWleX2arCwUuJNtLNJB7wSNmhigxqh4r0tvD-_wSuueFidkC1sY6Dvhun9WUi5tYq1cIqrPr_IbtlYGM1PJakZks9h/s800/IMG_20240213_144947073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfBFktwgG3mv1vYxIYr-ujQ06_mJvaqXW740GaBZwCemPpIMn4pXiW5RWrZ780mf6C5W4CVPXyzC6yIY_rkUr_38D3TtGpSdeNCLWleX2arCwUuJNtLNJB7wSNmhigxqh4r0tvD-_wSuueFidkC1sY6Dvhun9WUi5tYq1cIqrPr_IbtlYGM1PJakZks9h/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_144947073.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Eta0Q7s3UwpsJXMrnet57K8VD5XkiSHOLTqZ2mdUHGQYOLuxIUg8QxPiTMgooIGHf54TdRU-wIXVOsszvrmbbkCf7WZTdd3J_mSEC3ZVgRvEFpUIYdl9zKR1sYwJ0LPO-7uTHsExlHOg55xfpl8AQT6btZ8dvipCQrzXNRQUO0S_AvUAYk4zC4sQ3Ao3/s800/IMG_20240213_144949902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Eta0Q7s3UwpsJXMrnet57K8VD5XkiSHOLTqZ2mdUHGQYOLuxIUg8QxPiTMgooIGHf54TdRU-wIXVOsszvrmbbkCf7WZTdd3J_mSEC3ZVgRvEFpUIYdl9zKR1sYwJ0LPO-7uTHsExlHOg55xfpl8AQT6btZ8dvipCQrzXNRQUO0S_AvUAYk4zC4sQ3Ao3/w640-h482/IMG_20240213_144949902.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-52154764445391588542024-02-10T23:41:00.012-04:002024-02-10T23:45:10.363-04:00The Carrot Capital Of The USA<p><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="font-size: large;">o you like carrots? Carrots are said to be very healthy for us. Regardless, I like carrots. And so do the residents of Holtville California. In fact, they love them so much that they created their very own Carrot Festival.</span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTv9KrN34O4ye4FwfPikbPZKJyjpa9B7GLAkiwk0NUygXN3ogzuem9kmbTMLpSs_M72XDh7bFbdjKA0QydoACll2WCleMoE6htALeBYxAJJWDcjC2Kbf4hf8pl5R9FaFNnQ3XI0XKrdPWhQC7m0ffWIlKpTNDZ-eIRxEHcCoXub49TU4UhkZcUCMSKHl9/s800/IMG_20240210_101937983.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="800" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTv9KrN34O4ye4FwfPikbPZKJyjpa9B7GLAkiwk0NUygXN3ogzuem9kmbTMLpSs_M72XDh7bFbdjKA0QydoACll2WCleMoE6htALeBYxAJJWDcjC2Kbf4hf8pl5R9FaFNnQ3XI0XKrdPWhQC7m0ffWIlKpTNDZ-eIRxEHcCoXub49TU4UhkZcUCMSKHl9/s320/IMG_20240210_101937983.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And they have celebrated it for 77 years. Carrots are growing here in large fields in the Imperial Valley, and they are harvested now in february.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Today, on february 11 at 10am the annual parade started going down Main St. and of course, we had to go see it.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We found parking near Main St. and took our chairs to set them up together with hundreds of others along the curb.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Unfortunately it turned out to be a very cold wind and the sun was constantly seeking to hide behins a nasty dark grey cloud. I was not dressed for this and was longing for my fur-clad winter jacket. This has never been so cold before. </b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoCiXagXgUlPZMFVyBBZ0B1N-Dt-9CnCmtCZNcbMD260q_Ms4x2RHzsupqtUxroITJ3y6RGi0SADm7NtSz39g-1wuSnLucUSnF-5PYA4wSMKvUjlteYtF7LCax3ZGTQhGFRPg7S5zzsSh-f8GeZt-0vb_7_a3waczetdvg8dtrA_ZZ8gdPcigyCS-0YBK/s800/DSCN1977.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="800" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoCiXagXgUlPZMFVyBBZ0B1N-Dt-9CnCmtCZNcbMD260q_Ms4x2RHzsupqtUxroITJ3y6RGi0SADm7NtSz39g-1wuSnLucUSnF-5PYA4wSMKvUjlteYtF7LCax3ZGTQhGFRPg7S5zzsSh-f8GeZt-0vb_7_a3waczetdvg8dtrA_ZZ8gdPcigyCS-0YBK/w640-h156/DSCN1977.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now, the parade lasted almost 2 hours and by the time it was over, we had only one thought - getting back in the van and turn up the heater!</b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xKV_9k4HfYIpWKUhqRhYAOFiyT1Sw8Psl7XWqkiv_dL6Ki-YsXZPdKz2QZ5_AkBfJs4KdSrg9oOk4mJU3VIq86LLQaLQCNyJxDUMOSKfrVAHuqqeo_cHRP86jCfqRWi9dXB4su1N9hDVCf0uzYfCqj3i4Uu1lJUYb10zpU3S51u3HrcFMY8NphoMTKku/s800/IMG_20240210_100256971.jpg" style="clear: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xKV_9k4HfYIpWKUhqRhYAOFiyT1Sw8Psl7XWqkiv_dL6Ki-YsXZPdKz2QZ5_AkBfJs4KdSrg9oOk4mJU3VIq86LLQaLQCNyJxDUMOSKfrVAHuqqeo_cHRP86jCfqRWi9dXB4su1N9hDVCf0uzYfCqj3i4Uu1lJUYb10zpU3S51u3HrcFMY8NphoMTKku/s320/IMG_20240210_100256971.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Color Guard</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But watching the carrot parade and it's spectators is always a fun thing to do while staying here. During this weekend the town is also sporting a big fair event, which I <a href="https://american-traveler.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-big-carrot-festival.html">blogged about last year.</a></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihITB8C4BqiT58o7Q850zko90q6Wh-90ayp-AcGjpFXNQzu0yBdHKZglnRY-If0sb6AxUIyHbToEJtFt-tfBhsxY_YOyb6XUgxKgcocCD_mZAA9hhXMnxv2DgtyoQtAZ7tFQ8M_SoiFZkI_eSwViTtNsu-MB2o3jRsgeYYpxCU3QTouq_LLX997c3SQAJQ/s800/IMG_20240210_102755818_HDR.jpg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihITB8C4BqiT58o7Q850zko90q6Wh-90ayp-AcGjpFXNQzu0yBdHKZglnRY-If0sb6AxUIyHbToEJtFt-tfBhsxY_YOyb6XUgxKgcocCD_mZAA9hhXMnxv2DgtyoQtAZ7tFQ8M_SoiFZkI_eSwViTtNsu-MB2o3jRsgeYYpxCU3QTouq_LLX997c3SQAJQ/w640-h482/IMG_20240210_102755818_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thousands are lining Main St.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOfFxTy1mkBhqeqP5zMW13PE2ijrNi1GvXP8u6mLI-yO-mBEikhs5hcZ66f5_6ipid3o3TY-9oYhEwyjEUTNrJKhW5HmPu8E8MqaCMv0sOkX9Ae1TcTS_yI4ifTyTTPMoQo5cWjMDziNQJNSCjzqRGUliAzvxaRuSrj03WIKeHvDkajs0RzhLCU6S928k/s800/DSCN1996.JPG" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOfFxTy1mkBhqeqP5zMW13PE2ijrNi1GvXP8u6mLI-yO-mBEikhs5hcZ66f5_6ipid3o3TY-9oYhEwyjEUTNrJKhW5HmPu8E8MqaCMv0sOkX9Ae1TcTS_yI4ifTyTTPMoQo5cWjMDziNQJNSCjzqRGUliAzvxaRuSrj03WIKeHvDkajs0RzhLCU6S928k/w423-h317/DSCN1996.JPG" width="423" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Mexican dancers</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIklGif3k9W3MBt719gD14liKrfSybhgFOJA-khQdhTBvN_NCrfN4uOvQ0Pib1dXXM7-uQh6SptZmmUFX-g8Gw0ok3HiSONuOBlJPdI_y0pCEk7Rcczy2VhRfjaLv4nyWkbDVtKpQU6aIi5v6lIicUbEiu51eND8jmzblffF3CXD0oHCQ5gobdF5eDEQdj/s800/DSCN1998.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="304" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIklGif3k9W3MBt719gD14liKrfSybhgFOJA-khQdhTBvN_NCrfN4uOvQ0Pib1dXXM7-uQh6SptZmmUFX-g8Gw0ok3HiSONuOBlJPdI_y0pCEk7Rcczy2VhRfjaLv4nyWkbDVtKpQU6aIi5v6lIicUbEiu51eND8jmzblffF3CXD0oHCQ5gobdF5eDEQdj/s320/DSCN1998.JPG" width="122" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> </b><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEhROKZ5JEPI53SqJRtef8pjMCNZHr_-IZXOvLIUSuecAMbDFw32dBsreg95QM7ZTuKalzUZqgxs8-33FsvwBBdZDHf9wgZM-CRcgBx4tFmyIh71OcvKAKqnsqhv7ksgncszsTMkS8Hc7nPXMwoji4DkHbgfVZtSzDfqt919kmIfGtRwBGXMGa89OTZG2/s800/IMG_20240210_103724278_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="800" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEhROKZ5JEPI53SqJRtef8pjMCNZHr_-IZXOvLIUSuecAMbDFw32dBsreg95QM7ZTuKalzUZqgxs8-33FsvwBBdZDHf9wgZM-CRcgBx4tFmyIh71OcvKAKqnsqhv7ksgncszsTMkS8Hc7nPXMwoji4DkHbgfVZtSzDfqt919kmIfGtRwBGXMGa89OTZG2/w640-h352/IMG_20240210_103724278_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjizzVp1aGlirwBipD6hGSF3H12K950Hj8Bo7av6G2jJXfxsCjecckv_Ho1wAT4ZamLlBHotvjT7MbMkMEvyT1-2QodWztU-sLExCrS8gSEJCcxDsnlSP2MZEu586w03BnCdW_fg8jDro2bTjNSl96svefcHOXYRuy1UwBahjgrEsJpsdJns09aIdM9AYq/s800/IMG_20240210_103226654.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjizzVp1aGlirwBipD6hGSF3H12K950Hj8Bo7av6G2jJXfxsCjecckv_Ho1wAT4ZamLlBHotvjT7MbMkMEvyT1-2QodWztU-sLExCrS8gSEJCcxDsnlSP2MZEu586w03BnCdW_fg8jDro2bTjNSl96svefcHOXYRuy1UwBahjgrEsJpsdJns09aIdM9AYq/w640-h482/IMG_20240210_103226654.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSYZHB7AlS3YZDe32HHnzQSbIpvAjG3cwobPcpmzwH1VGGbUB30p6ZQXmtFqInf6bZcH99LDVjhozx1RJ8FMqVlDbIakqJdn9X5JHE8YE_jQqumuuQRx3jLW_0ll5FJTf2bYeHrda8eF7yQm_Okl1EcknfkD1uFsqQ-T9nEXFU1QtaZvPGGlZ-1wsh8Jy/s800/IMG_20240210_101636094.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLltHbgu8dW_NElAViU-GGoDs2vs2-L2Zp1UQt0KWNV0s7OqeblwLkFk99HR15MRI2TdShFhhRwfJDRt8kzm6godsFrh2ib_rvsFVLdWlN8yiAux26mAgDsx5iExVfWMHlMLugZKZEydiO2FqJlPYMsInEbaPCxgE6uuVaJOYo2fqi3REIG615lBeaQzL5/s800/IMG_20240210_101441038.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLltHbgu8dW_NElAViU-GGoDs2vs2-L2Zp1UQt0KWNV0s7OqeblwLkFk99HR15MRI2TdShFhhRwfJDRt8kzm6godsFrh2ib_rvsFVLdWlN8yiAux26mAgDsx5iExVfWMHlMLugZKZEydiO2FqJlPYMsInEbaPCxgE6uuVaJOYo2fqi3REIG615lBeaQzL5/w287-h216/IMG_20240210_101441038.jpg" width="287" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="800" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSYZHB7AlS3YZDe32HHnzQSbIpvAjG3cwobPcpmzwH1VGGbUB30p6ZQXmtFqInf6bZcH99LDVjhozx1RJ8FMqVlDbIakqJdn9X5JHE8YE_jQqumuuQRx3jLW_0ll5FJTf2bYeHrda8eF7yQm_Okl1EcknfkD1uFsqQ-T9nEXFU1QtaZvPGGlZ-1wsh8Jy/w270-h233/IMG_20240210_101636094.jpg" width="270" /></div></b><b style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLRzLzDd3OCt3h8DcPWfapmd9PGRTLv4-TpFiIGeyp6ZN-ZORzAAvarI5-oOl9T6WOvPaEcB8A7Z0TmUBupBNChbqrkO_R6NkTLG5bNQrpgQyK7Rag3mR_4y8djmFExST5AFxq_cDZXfJ9y90Uborj-ETaVyZlTvCTK8a81_vILkY3uIspbTLQvoDM-zQ/s800/IMG_20240210_101250174.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLRzLzDd3OCt3h8DcPWfapmd9PGRTLv4-TpFiIGeyp6ZN-ZORzAAvarI5-oOl9T6WOvPaEcB8A7Z0TmUBupBNChbqrkO_R6NkTLG5bNQrpgQyK7Rag3mR_4y8djmFExST5AFxq_cDZXfJ9y90Uborj-ETaVyZlTvCTK8a81_vILkY3uIspbTLQvoDM-zQ/w640-h482/IMG_20240210_101250174.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX12CYa40yMcPvKFZFfTlqV5KuayfjCCe5X0oCsQHMkNY68oXAT2DoYV4koPa8VK4oCS7lcJ1UjMV3mh27VmxJVRd8dZA_gT1o1BpGs-VfzBwvD7hE0yIihHigzu8Pfj65i8_Xnd_lEydyBkL2nniHhJxWQuraxNlpkaMD3FrIDrgbPikXbKoCO95ey5U/s800/IMG_20240210_100537830.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX12CYa40yMcPvKFZFfTlqV5KuayfjCCe5X0oCsQHMkNY68oXAT2DoYV4koPa8VK4oCS7lcJ1UjMV3mh27VmxJVRd8dZA_gT1o1BpGs-VfzBwvD7hE0yIihHigzu8Pfj65i8_Xnd_lEydyBkL2nniHhJxWQuraxNlpkaMD3FrIDrgbPikXbKoCO95ey5U/w640-h360/IMG_20240210_100537830.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoBjnsVSUt6bGne1pwmUCdF8DNnfNtDfWeAxAIE92sTtYHu0NPFLesDfBZVZ94WE0cGpnngRT9_fgoouWNek4a9GgdfaY4zo4L2kiUzihOjnWpkil4iMprVRjKdn87qCHLPGeKuTU_vUva60qpm3xKa6mW8LTxIaNWT3d4uuZxzmPObLGp23NwlEvu0xw/s800/DSCN2062.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoBjnsVSUt6bGne1pwmUCdF8DNnfNtDfWeAxAIE92sTtYHu0NPFLesDfBZVZ94WE0cGpnngRT9_fgoouWNek4a9GgdfaY4zo4L2kiUzihOjnWpkil4iMprVRjKdn87qCHLPGeKuTU_vUva60qpm3xKa6mW8LTxIaNWT3d4uuZxzmPObLGp23NwlEvu0xw/w271-h204/DSCN2062.JPG" width="271" /></a></div></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2aBJVBiV0nfm1FxY37hc_EH4iotC7-6xyO5HMMjJctyDWz44AZcvy-UtXbLOeBAaQPkULtaqV4HqJdc68iSaFXfdhut4Fu2PlknbqAUkD19qZCt6T3k72-Qwh5U5O4guo1zatHA_Z6oLOtZ7P5V8T9w0zmI185G-yGT_OtC1G3T0Zp69LQxEVOs0cXCk/s800/DSCN2060.JPG" style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2aBJVBiV0nfm1FxY37hc_EH4iotC7-6xyO5HMMjJctyDWz44AZcvy-UtXbLOeBAaQPkULtaqV4HqJdc68iSaFXfdhut4Fu2PlknbqAUkD19qZCt6T3k72-Qwh5U5O4guo1zatHA_Z6oLOtZ7P5V8T9w0zmI185G-yGT_OtC1G3T0Zp69LQxEVOs0cXCk/w221-h200/DSCN2060.JPG" width="221" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJPonzAv3d2_jZqLNZ_-Cj0DnMOscB3qElV_njJ-U1loGPRv7M8msO-bsC-HI8i7u0dhfwx7ULWHRYp044ex4MJQFtqwzKdYtg4Mkcum9jnqBRYI63e2mk-T0S8AqTZDt74p40EtARf-mk139T5jaDAETAdG0I6tEM8qilSQApf6_osJE6W8gaynx4y3I/s800/DSCN2059.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="800" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJPonzAv3d2_jZqLNZ_-Cj0DnMOscB3qElV_njJ-U1loGPRv7M8msO-bsC-HI8i7u0dhfwx7ULWHRYp044ex4MJQFtqwzKdYtg4Mkcum9jnqBRYI63e2mk-T0S8AqTZDt74p40EtARf-mk139T5jaDAETAdG0I6tEM8qilSQApf6_osJE6W8gaynx4y3I/w640-h490/DSCN2059.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">Three strong Ladies</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88Ky6WaaJpkyaE6hGpsn8am-4nxsVyXtnJdh7XGG2DeFnBKiHlYPh3Zq9iZKTbzpGm4QZCuaXofZqDRNv9f9iwNZ6WcNczh5ZTnLGItxbsr0YgjiZGXGnJeKUPrHjqgL8y_K3o9SQeNFeATRJzOPAkDOOEbRb1MWiMixSnlY__l3HyHYI-k-26g4gsDyE/s800/DSCN2024.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88Ky6WaaJpkyaE6hGpsn8am-4nxsVyXtnJdh7XGG2DeFnBKiHlYPh3Zq9iZKTbzpGm4QZCuaXofZqDRNv9f9iwNZ6WcNczh5ZTnLGItxbsr0YgjiZGXGnJeKUPrHjqgL8y_K3o9SQeNFeATRJzOPAkDOOEbRb1MWiMixSnlY__l3HyHYI-k-26g4gsDyE/w640-h320/DSCN2024.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">We were wondering whether these girls were getting cold</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoIR2tl4TVXAgp70W74B8iJ0LdptuiikJ2T7mYHrTGfYtHIgSuGQLfT9J03IQLV3OMYkwvKZXZokPLsUhwdlQOAv4lGZRXPxJlWwz5DarQDeg6Csvxfs_b_K_e8ablmLEaFssZQKLQyeDUessDJ1mp0Sg-PpyMS4utZLJwXzYZW4iD8O24PUHzBOxWsow/s800/DSCN2015.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoIR2tl4TVXAgp70W74B8iJ0LdptuiikJ2T7mYHrTGfYtHIgSuGQLfT9J03IQLV3OMYkwvKZXZokPLsUhwdlQOAv4lGZRXPxJlWwz5DarQDeg6Csvxfs_b_K_e8ablmLEaFssZQKLQyeDUessDJ1mp0Sg-PpyMS4utZLJwXzYZW4iD8O24PUHzBOxWsow/s320/DSCN2015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Holtville was founded by Swiss settlers. The name Leimgruber stands for the Swiss heritage on a day like today.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3LvnH0MctMBbAJCs6BhHrnS4Do0BYgfWnWuGZp1QWHwpq48ZON_Dyqpo8WulzY1khCRioztafQsknhl1Vhct6f7o0v8mTXVd7ZbTt0qkkODecjj6h9QP0Hg87LDhMMtNLTg-1a9o1Lf7GU85fCE_RWcTdC-qdTUJ6_fPrMA4nVXO0WxDtxy8cgXcyH7W/s800/DSCN1992.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3LvnH0MctMBbAJCs6BhHrnS4Do0BYgfWnWuGZp1QWHwpq48ZON_Dyqpo8WulzY1khCRioztafQsknhl1Vhct6f7o0v8mTXVd7ZbTt0qkkODecjj6h9QP0Hg87LDhMMtNLTg-1a9o1Lf7GU85fCE_RWcTdC-qdTUJ6_fPrMA4nVXO0WxDtxy8cgXcyH7W/w262-h196/DSCN1992.JPG" width="262" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci5YOo2lVvNuMgWHxGcQW86SIrOQgZxRU0m9cRrrhDDK9YtxYNYRFSS51uOaFf0BP03fqfHZ-t2mU-TfhKwmAAarklSqhTuBKGlfxjb9Mxoj7vuwVaOHsX1EokH4wH0AyjI8e7d1tVYWvhmy4PU4fL3ChOp8-76HCqaCm7dXK39wA9wXfPgGlHdTa62D8/s800/DSCN1971.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci5YOo2lVvNuMgWHxGcQW86SIrOQgZxRU0m9cRrrhDDK9YtxYNYRFSS51uOaFf0BP03fqfHZ-t2mU-TfhKwmAAarklSqhTuBKGlfxjb9Mxoj7vuwVaOHsX1EokH4wH0AyjI8e7d1tVYWvhmy4PU4fL3ChOp8-76HCqaCm7dXK39wA9wXfPgGlHdTa62D8/w261-h196/DSCN1971.JPG" width="261" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;"><b>Left: The carrot majesties of former years and right: </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;"><b>Her Majesty the 2024 Carrot Princess</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIDi0pSHRnAdxT1X94zNBdaTyjprYKeYQq3LMaFBsR5l9HS4WuhBc3CKR_yB246Y8aVKtkiFsGLqFoSkzj21T4M5loYi8zZ1qSSSjP5zn3j18UVaHhouNBdQjOJW581CFdRAXR9UVSg4LrZTdq5jXisYMdsvXs6DKFINdI59uwNoU7byyU8C0XEoTg3QS/s800/DSCN1970.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIDi0pSHRnAdxT1X94zNBdaTyjprYKeYQq3LMaFBsR5l9HS4WuhBc3CKR_yB246Y8aVKtkiFsGLqFoSkzj21T4M5loYi8zZ1qSSSjP5zn3j18UVaHhouNBdQjOJW581CFdRAXR9UVSg4LrZTdq5jXisYMdsvXs6DKFINdI59uwNoU7byyU8C0XEoTg3QS/w640-h480/DSCN1970.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_g1M7cjnEb0nEFCxJ_pLl_U31pVr7MQJQ1dMH_3E4UBv5gOhrY9p2d6YL5tnGR5bytuDnGjDLzvHwl-IIh7kyEBoEZVcoo-60Xy7yPVk1Lf7qfW7801mpiRuRdE7VQUcfGGVKeUZFnJkdZ3_xdA9eSvhhcFkgJyGB4CxNKD1QWdgcp6v97FsjoP_GBZC/s800/DSCN1989.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="800" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_g1M7cjnEb0nEFCxJ_pLl_U31pVr7MQJQ1dMH_3E4UBv5gOhrY9p2d6YL5tnGR5bytuDnGjDLzvHwl-IIh7kyEBoEZVcoo-60Xy7yPVk1Lf7qfW7801mpiRuRdE7VQUcfGGVKeUZFnJkdZ3_xdA9eSvhhcFkgJyGB4CxNKD1QWdgcp6v97FsjoP_GBZC/w640-h496/DSCN1989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1EC5dLhS2eOcscWg7Fu7kpdQgMsbrnnOdS4HgMOhH9gFS-0yjIbbaTApWDkNl4Du-kXcrI8P7z1X-WcOS_Ml-h5o9dnKs-AlNoc3HKb6i6qvklpsd0DGBDi7t6TQcvUJqaM8nMNeTewE6G8gLgveko65tqMaseIpCH61VL1DQpASTRzSDO-zJXZAlz1j/s800/DSCN1984.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1EC5dLhS2eOcscWg7Fu7kpdQgMsbrnnOdS4HgMOhH9gFS-0yjIbbaTApWDkNl4Du-kXcrI8P7z1X-WcOS_Ml-h5o9dnKs-AlNoc3HKb6i6qvklpsd0DGBDi7t6TQcvUJqaM8nMNeTewE6G8gLgveko65tqMaseIpCH61VL1DQpASTRzSDO-zJXZAlz1j/w640-h480/DSCN1984.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEaXjg06vdIIDx6oAZIXnt1NhelpOapPrW0yfvdutRUV18OFux4qlsmqmkX4xN3Jl9pnvQA2JV5hl49GoTz4NZdz7eQibwp4Vpt-e_x4vz43mbztU0wYeginK9YpFfIOYDB-yGphNkVB0ENH_F4K-2eobK-rSk0F-o8MqvHAUug79vf_HNUUQ-7jCMx4c/s800/DSCN1983.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="800" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEaXjg06vdIIDx6oAZIXnt1NhelpOapPrW0yfvdutRUV18OFux4qlsmqmkX4xN3Jl9pnvQA2JV5hl49GoTz4NZdz7eQibwp4Vpt-e_x4vz43mbztU0wYeginK9YpFfIOYDB-yGphNkVB0ENH_F4K-2eobK-rSk0F-o8MqvHAUug79vf_HNUUQ-7jCMx4c/w640-h582/DSCN1983.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZAlx9xR_0ah1pv99rh4Jc1e4E7ob8DS5ER0r2xXTjBIvXYj0QBSuXnFUUxqinoZhHh_Q2pdM13xpDKDki8SP4p-9MEhPgH9EyasYJB0apTi_UOjb02p4aO4ceyG0_nvJz1bmjZDU43CHUKwk_5WIStSX34vk_bQ1y0dFeQjRyUoMnhu9Mi4eK4mtEN2r/s800/DSCN1967.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZAlx9xR_0ah1pv99rh4Jc1e4E7ob8DS5ER0r2xXTjBIvXYj0QBSuXnFUUxqinoZhHh_Q2pdM13xpDKDki8SP4p-9MEhPgH9EyasYJB0apTi_UOjb02p4aO4ceyG0_nvJz1bmjZDU43CHUKwk_5WIStSX34vk_bQ1y0dFeQjRyUoMnhu9Mi4eK4mtEN2r/s320/DSCN1967.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></b></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-4440327077219016332024-02-08T00:28:00.000-04:002024-02-08T00:28:20.146-04:00Exploring A Bit<div class="separator"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span><span style="font-size: large;">ver the years we have been staying here at the Holtville Hot Springs LTVA, the area has mostly stayed the same. A few new houses came up early, and except for one they got finished. The Hot Spring itself has seen some recent upgrades with a new fence and last year's cattle trough used as a third option for taking a soak.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But beyond the northern end of the BLM Camp area a large solar farm is under construction this year. It has brought a lot of truck traffic along Evan Hewes Hwy. The project has been built on the grounds of a former farm.</b></span><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> Once operational, Vikings Energy will produce 137 megawatts (MW) of solar energy, coupled with 150 MW and 600 MW-hour of battery energy storage and be able to power 90,000 households in the San Diego area.</span></b></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vk3UYi_9AeliyoiE2qgC_EZuZqvQfUYbIBZMq8fSAVzSoaTU1VDYOYyH6X0HqeEudrgjEw9LKrCzxRVkWXoM6AiL0hT99050paRIOFgcu6JikATJsiKRsQ04pfXDtWmHidWuobXrhlIrVPgjvCIQh_Cgnhl6uPrzP5aARxL5SMKZvLAu3OYFkXKkCk11/s800/DSCN1934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vk3UYi_9AeliyoiE2qgC_EZuZqvQfUYbIBZMq8fSAVzSoaTU1VDYOYyH6X0HqeEudrgjEw9LKrCzxRVkWXoM6AiL0hT99050paRIOFgcu6JikATJsiKRsQ04pfXDtWmHidWuobXrhlIrVPgjvCIQh_Cgnhl6uPrzP5aARxL5SMKZvLAu3OYFkXKkCk11/s320/DSCN1934.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Today we took a little side trip from the main BLM road and started a hike north eventually following an ATV trail through the desert.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We got on top of a rise and were offered a great view in all directions. To the east we could see the Imperial Sand Dunes rising above the desert flats, north of us we made out the solar farm and the power poles they had installed, and finally, way over to the west, capping our line of view, the mountains of the coastal range bathed in early sunshine, the highest tops covered in snow.</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCTcujCnbEj-0RCRi8M8OgryqocPMW8vp-LshJFnGnwcMqtT25LXjw-FRZLnNwWz5E8N7Xcj6GzsvFL-_6sFe2kuR1dvehPr_FYVD0jwjjTYrJSP4PCyltBky-Kf_IBog7Uu4CRTyPDX00tjjK3nUqqcE1TKRsHDZk1ENU1Y8EGozCTHGNoPjDE2hsaeJ/s800/DSCN1930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="800" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCTcujCnbEj-0RCRi8M8OgryqocPMW8vp-LshJFnGnwcMqtT25LXjw-FRZLnNwWz5E8N7Xcj6GzsvFL-_6sFe2kuR1dvehPr_FYVD0jwjjTYrJSP4PCyltBky-Kf_IBog7Uu4CRTyPDX00tjjK3nUqqcE1TKRsHDZk1ENU1Y8EGozCTHGNoPjDE2hsaeJ/w640-h348/DSCN1930.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Coastal Mountains approx 50 miles away</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>In between the entire southern part of the Imperial Valley with hundreds of green agricultural fields.</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7hhfdgX-h4iGGaGu1tAOGFb5gG9IXACn5xN1bYdXa05bQB2Y5z5UMGa-KDJCJhKxSmM5DD2lwQGyDgqHj_l7Z7QlKQAefemb1X5wQQ6HF0vGs01PLtkPcui6-BwgoSpS2wJhovRiD0CgXbRT6YsMxbpAxBkTFf_Fd67bArUc5CdLkJoysXmiRKkfUKM0/s800/IMG_20240207_081703490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7hhfdgX-h4iGGaGu1tAOGFb5gG9IXACn5xN1bYdXa05bQB2Y5z5UMGa-KDJCJhKxSmM5DD2lwQGyDgqHj_l7Z7QlKQAefemb1X5wQQ6HF0vGs01PLtkPcui6-BwgoSpS2wJhovRiD0CgXbRT6YsMxbpAxBkTFf_Fd67bArUc5CdLkJoysXmiRKkfUKM0/w640-h482/IMG_20240207_081703490.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Morning Clouds<br /><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJvvSh9Ten2rtmd_92e1zqpHcwBlo90Q0A-BEI6Nt4BJCPPgnN7tCont7z_1N_-3B5_A_XUoVmQXB90FznQJhtPtSWvjcFS7d7t583hH-VFYnZJXjwdwTXZcHkkqTX57WdvGm8H6PPLAd-3sUeIc0Rw7x7zmWe54AffUU_hC2jRKe0G_5FJTESVthfcFC/s800/IMG_20240207_081723444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJvvSh9Ten2rtmd_92e1zqpHcwBlo90Q0A-BEI6Nt4BJCPPgnN7tCont7z_1N_-3B5_A_XUoVmQXB90FznQJhtPtSWvjcFS7d7t583hH-VFYnZJXjwdwTXZcHkkqTX57WdvGm8H6PPLAd-3sUeIc0Rw7x7zmWe54AffUU_hC2jRKe0G_5FJTESVthfcFC/w640-h482/IMG_20240207_081723444.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>BLM Camp Road</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnYKjlRTfbIxE-CzHbOE8i87GewhlYh8qaabjD4VgQYyrtpuF7wC4rf7sY4D3MedLqzMR24YdTmP0JgB1PvzMH0cXPYGYjjPY8YoTpoPDRRlD_8hQaa9wAUH40xbvrGiwpChZJblbuGRUuk71Po1muoPJOw6d6CiwqG5v-N7TxvYgM7AsV6qzMY3BzEZ8/s800/IMG_20240207_082758851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnYKjlRTfbIxE-CzHbOE8i87GewhlYh8qaabjD4VgQYyrtpuF7wC4rf7sY4D3MedLqzMR24YdTmP0JgB1PvzMH0cXPYGYjjPY8YoTpoPDRRlD_8hQaa9wAUH40xbvrGiwpChZJblbuGRUuk71Po1muoPJOw6d6CiwqG5v-N7TxvYgM7AsV6qzMY3BzEZ8/w222-h295/IMG_20240207_082758851.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>After recent rains the desert floor is showing green spots. Soon flowers will show up as well.</b></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfL66HO9B1ZdvkbTNEs9fcTj9hDWr3Ja1xqzN6b7avJAtJbC_xG_Av5pOr1_8hEcYOKkNrGa9PvDT3N2WsU5MYZpGnH0h2OaJbTwC7jLqeEoWkDm0oGQwQEOaTJBO0oV9muC9LIrFb44YSmqp-vuUNywu12t_ldWbO1IrmDmKDswridZwctg-qiUOZdo_/s800/IMG_20240207_084245377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfL66HO9B1ZdvkbTNEs9fcTj9hDWr3Ja1xqzN6b7avJAtJbC_xG_Av5pOr1_8hEcYOKkNrGa9PvDT3N2WsU5MYZpGnH0h2OaJbTwC7jLqeEoWkDm0oGQwQEOaTJBO0oV9muC9LIrFb44YSmqp-vuUNywu12t_ldWbO1IrmDmKDswridZwctg-qiUOZdo_/w271-h203/IMG_20240207_084245377.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr4T2E3KHdZXczz4kVuYrXVAz24QnQK5_PxVG6AkDuTQpAFHH-M-4ltQXY05hvAf-XUGH5ZwSCPuFsNr0rrtu-EGXaGao4pRHz38BetNmTbXq3sjcvNJkuKo8oBNNwBaJOvfOu2A_bTBhccYJeBfIurBLP1OhwxQ2FJTaNy3K0Eo7DRfyt4q6Twsd1cNz/s800/IMG_20240207_084304978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="800" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr4T2E3KHdZXczz4kVuYrXVAz24QnQK5_PxVG6AkDuTQpAFHH-M-4ltQXY05hvAf-XUGH5ZwSCPuFsNr0rrtu-EGXaGao4pRHz38BetNmTbXq3sjcvNJkuKo8oBNNwBaJOvfOu2A_bTBhccYJeBfIurBLP1OhwxQ2FJTaNy3K0Eo7DRfyt4q6Twsd1cNz/w640-h168/IMG_20240207_084304978.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Panorama View west</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk9VGxXhBv3X8OsW62QU9lWmEWC-AGG64_ct7UxtAcDZ593doEyIFQMMP9bJF6fmrY46w3AGfNWxoB3O0NQw3Q76bfMK29HisV2pSqHwT5GUWut0esZY272o_nDMkWQ3Zw9hnfKXI4QKEIrppPIEhM3NRt6aDJXVLeBKhWUPKm-ZJ2gMOfZCuFTjgfIaS/s800/IMG_20240207_084338363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk9VGxXhBv3X8OsW62QU9lWmEWC-AGG64_ct7UxtAcDZ593doEyIFQMMP9bJF6fmrY46w3AGfNWxoB3O0NQw3Q76bfMK29HisV2pSqHwT5GUWut0esZY272o_nDMkWQ3Zw9hnfKXI4QKEIrppPIEhM3NRt6aDJXVLeBKhWUPKm-ZJ2gMOfZCuFTjgfIaS/w640-h482/IMG_20240207_084338363.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc64OtuFyvY91LgDDntfBMAeCGSC1Z_eBCjQVxLpk_1K2QVaNRYr-UYm6sIGNg7l5RBrEEZzvLlA4U2MdVzMdj74gAWrMc1X1ZnwZhb2I0OutlbxqVf6JU4bLrhjxQm7FVnkTD82Fsz3dgENsgczbBDypV5KCWA6sxWIyDYShQmsEUVGi6pMqwzqP9gxnm/s800/IMG_20240207_084341249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc64OtuFyvY91LgDDntfBMAeCGSC1Z_eBCjQVxLpk_1K2QVaNRYr-UYm6sIGNg7l5RBrEEZzvLlA4U2MdVzMdj74gAWrMc1X1ZnwZhb2I0OutlbxqVf6JU4bLrhjxQm7FVnkTD82Fsz3dgENsgczbBDypV5KCWA6sxWIyDYShQmsEUVGi6pMqwzqP9gxnm/w640-h482/IMG_20240207_084341249.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxW83f1Szd97m-DXNm83hiv7BGPi9fXWKevmuc4cOSlpQzXbTeSI0-CR9wmPOItxogFkR4Z5u94aDTsNdR3VTq3y6h1WOuUusQ8_O47V6HkyrcFGvRnOFwrx72vOfE1jVzzf16VeRodH21H5vZUd9RIzlz37fn0nL75GGDsIpKi1vwXrdpOvkNPs5rPvK/s800/IMG_20240206_175209915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxW83f1Szd97m-DXNm83hiv7BGPi9fXWKevmuc4cOSlpQzXbTeSI0-CR9wmPOItxogFkR4Z5u94aDTsNdR3VTq3y6h1WOuUusQ8_O47V6HkyrcFGvRnOFwrx72vOfE1jVzzf16VeRodH21H5vZUd9RIzlz37fn0nL75GGDsIpKi1vwXrdpOvkNPs5rPvK/w400-h300/IMG_20240206_175209915.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">When Night comes</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaynjucByFBULNg0Qwplhva1eemaO72XPbkw6Ct3yXTb9X9fjf8h6OSEfGiXrfA2LWW4-r-bY80q0zqkHjs6CuiwVQzrdyrM1kESxhIteXxhyjYyqh_y8ddTFWbqh5RRYBGe3RTy9XYaWSJ9rHlw5bNQ1QKSXcPbnRHBcreOHY0G-4YixUmJyKn4akQUbD/s800/IMG_20240206_175251863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaynjucByFBULNg0Qwplhva1eemaO72XPbkw6Ct3yXTb9X9fjf8h6OSEfGiXrfA2LWW4-r-bY80q0zqkHjs6CuiwVQzrdyrM1kESxhIteXxhyjYyqh_y8ddTFWbqh5RRYBGe3RTy9XYaWSJ9rHlw5bNQ1QKSXcPbnRHBcreOHY0G-4YixUmJyKn4akQUbD/w400-h300/IMG_20240206_175251863.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p></div>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-15939961247581617842024-01-30T00:11:00.001-04:002024-01-30T00:11:04.296-04:00Wow, A Truly Gorgious Day On The Lake<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">hen you travel to the same spot year after year you get to know special places which you love, and others you avoid.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Mittry Lake, not far from Yuma is a spot people tend to like and revisit time after time.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorYGhzgIKaaRdxYe9sw2bp9IGf1fH6evoPxeDAayo_uKGYi-9zYLrKk09kCF2AuXUWs7BhwV10-ZPk2R8AcLrDvpN3un6gkQtZbUr3vyiwQIOAO8sGOZv9qvo4EeDQUUEAuLtQdE344G7a5Tvnd61AEKnQLofvhJ_jwYuQVbuRsM2aQu1zhiK2MJWbEGV/s800/IMG_20240129_105455883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="800" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorYGhzgIKaaRdxYe9sw2bp9IGf1fH6evoPxeDAayo_uKGYi-9zYLrKk09kCF2AuXUWs7BhwV10-ZPk2R8AcLrDvpN3un6gkQtZbUr3vyiwQIOAO8sGOZv9qvo4EeDQUUEAuLtQdE344G7a5Tvnd61AEKnQLofvhJ_jwYuQVbuRsM2aQu1zhiK2MJWbEGV/w640-h374/IMG_20240129_105455883.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And because we have been at Mittry Lake several times we chose it as our destination for this beautiful day when temps reached 26C (78.8F). </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We had called friends who would meet us there around noon. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But we try to combine pleasure with useful things, so we had loaded up 2 empty propane cylinders and 2 empty jerry cans. Both propane and gasoline are significantly cheaper in Arizona than in California.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So first stop was at the propane place where the owner lady had just finished with another customer when we pulled in. Of course, after many previous visits she knows us and our van. This time she even asked where we were from. I think she was surprised by the distance we had traveled from home.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Next on the agenda was a quick stop at Walmart to get 6 of their great donuts. Last point on the list was gasoline. Here I want to say that we enjoy 25cts off the pump price at Circle K, as we have registered our cell phone #. This rebate runs for 5 visits, but as we have 2 cell phones we are having 10 fills (Gal. unlimited) with that rebate. Today that rebate came to $7.50.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>16Street in Yuma runs straight east out of town and eventually becomes AZ-Hwy95 north to Quartzsite.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We made our turnoff to Mittry Lake which runs along agricultural fields planted with cabbage, lettuce and cauliflower. Many of the fields had already been harvested, while others had just started when the recent big rain turned the fields into muddy pits, where machines couldn't go anymore. Those areas are now representing sizable losses for the farmers.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfwNQEhBOlnYln0uTLE88Oa5cRQqoe6wnbOA8wW_-7-RWvfDqEKnap9RUPhGBmCgdwJ2wgb_ZUJMSM-u6MFCJbIsPbzggEXKIhVyj2M9eUH4r2GSMkxGPHqc15gkraYJ7rxIMZQiALrFIoJs5eh12MsOXK80UWS2CdSWDpKn8HoyArBYUXy3pBkH7bZH1/s800/IMG_20240129_105952150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="800" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfwNQEhBOlnYln0uTLE88Oa5cRQqoe6wnbOA8wW_-7-RWvfDqEKnap9RUPhGBmCgdwJ2wgb_ZUJMSM-u6MFCJbIsPbzggEXKIhVyj2M9eUH4r2GSMkxGPHqc15gkraYJ7rxIMZQiALrFIoJs5eh12MsOXK80UWS2CdSWDpKn8HoyArBYUXy3pBkH7bZH1/w640-h294/IMG_20240129_105952150.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Soon after the paved road turns into a gravel road, the lake comes into view. It is a beautiful natural habitat for birds, administered by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Bureau of Land Management.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBF8mHpTDuGjeVyZl67Sp_XxEwUlUibJ-3F3xDoPO0Z3fqBWqwnWjUy-2t4-Rx_H7ClDGNiZuXh1yeLfiyPpUXV2ybTX9Y6R4aIB_xkrprrKZNb0ZGFDXAuDJLhrbh5nZ0QwcYAr9t7rhavgWxJmpaPIjOY9e1_lXixOYOwJv1YXVySelErAIf-MhcRo4/s537/Mittry%20Lake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="537" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBF8mHpTDuGjeVyZl67Sp_XxEwUlUibJ-3F3xDoPO0Z3fqBWqwnWjUy-2t4-Rx_H7ClDGNiZuXh1yeLfiyPpUXV2ybTX9Y6R4aIB_xkrprrKZNb0ZGFDXAuDJLhrbh5nZ0QwcYAr9t7rhavgWxJmpaPIjOY9e1_lXixOYOwJv1YXVySelErAIf-MhcRo4/s320/Mittry%20Lake.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span><b style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, the traffic of off-road vehicles has grown out of proportions and is seriously disturbing the otherwise peaceful surroundings. Motorized outdoor recreation has become a major problem in the area. Obviously it is also allowed to use very fast going speedboats on the lake, and one doesn't need to wonder about the dire consequences for the many species of water fowl living on the lake. </b></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9a72VxdRs8Rzrposcq8NgZIsBhTyYCTdPAkZsa5U35OQ1a75hoOlEjgsjtC1Znl3amRbKb-rwSJcuy2vMbC8UDBtyr7yqmvULl5nX0GqngWIseJ8OKJGwFzQAzytRVczb3qysjbC17XUNbUGv9dVm-uWr0r7weRCvuhkKTtDMb2TMMYW4vMohOaMmvee/s800/IMG_20240129_113211070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="800" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9a72VxdRs8Rzrposcq8NgZIsBhTyYCTdPAkZsa5U35OQ1a75hoOlEjgsjtC1Znl3amRbKb-rwSJcuy2vMbC8UDBtyr7yqmvULl5nX0GqngWIseJ8OKJGwFzQAzytRVczb3qysjbC17XUNbUGv9dVm-uWr0r7weRCvuhkKTtDMb2TMMYW4vMohOaMmvee/w640-h220/IMG_20240129_113211070.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Way back in 2008 we had camped a couple of nights along the lake. There was less traffic back then. </b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2_e1vuj1N289ep6Ffr3WhEoQuOyqprhajUoDz8fJn8V6gveq1F22vWFE_E58JtLcIAE3Xydc6dnx7MoZY3AQ4xj_B_vvz6hY6TGvIKeqqUOlDWdq0Komk-srPbPydnVqJnfbrsUGXb0BrR9vP4I-xV6BI_1f8QPJXl56wbPqG1J5GczvKYuK33iYjILZ/s800/IMG_20240129_120055807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="800" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2_e1vuj1N289ep6Ffr3WhEoQuOyqprhajUoDz8fJn8V6gveq1F22vWFE_E58JtLcIAE3Xydc6dnx7MoZY3AQ4xj_B_vvz6hY6TGvIKeqqUOlDWdq0Komk-srPbPydnVqJnfbrsUGXb0BrR9vP4I-xV6BI_1f8QPJXl56wbPqG1J5GczvKYuK33iYjILZ/s320/IMG_20240129_120055807.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>It is still nice to spend a couple of hours at the lake, but camping would be out of the question for us.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirRKv8_nQXLmMUkRAecUjga2s3JjnLGR2G-wq8ErNyjs_ts0YfGSCmYY8ql-u6vDaZoPsca9rlhEo5GxE8xzYhIusQR_uSzgJdzQyiqNcZbLntsj2smiq_9VWJ7mzKVK4QDrbEEyQoC3PaUbVb_GbKf_6nxNrSF3Whd-_V-e8CdcCX3VI5i0RWF-AW2Sh/s800/IMG_20240129_113216194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirRKv8_nQXLmMUkRAecUjga2s3JjnLGR2G-wq8ErNyjs_ts0YfGSCmYY8ql-u6vDaZoPsca9rlhEo5GxE8xzYhIusQR_uSzgJdzQyiqNcZbLntsj2smiq_9VWJ7mzKVK4QDrbEEyQoC3PaUbVb_GbKf_6nxNrSF3Whd-_V-e8CdcCX3VI5i0RWF-AW2Sh/w640-h482/IMG_20240129_113216194.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhow6I0x5PT0fHC0kHIKw6YHuYUlJNH34TMuUe8u-xx_mwd56fBUqtLdqL4tmu-FKMTxFQ59_emSRL3GnSTZXbDAGRFABv4gZzrW-GAI177d-3ZRhcWffO6LMuwgTkWd71C0CaP62jMdzpCyl4KNKVOvv6CE-jSuyNHjXpesmsLk6GLng6FJcc3DI46j55a/s800/IMG_20240129_130354715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhow6I0x5PT0fHC0kHIKw6YHuYUlJNH34TMuUe8u-xx_mwd56fBUqtLdqL4tmu-FKMTxFQ59_emSRL3GnSTZXbDAGRFABv4gZzrW-GAI177d-3ZRhcWffO6LMuwgTkWd71C0CaP62jMdzpCyl4KNKVOvv6CE-jSuyNHjXpesmsLk6GLng6FJcc3DI46j55a/s320/IMG_20240129_130354715.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We stopped at one of the jetties sticking out into the lake. After our friends arrived we sat on the outer end of the jetty just enjoying the beautiful view across the lake. We had brought sandwiches, coffee and --- the donuts!!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1Wsai78O7ombqR8h6xpsU7LaNejrC_bY52ja63OAiLxZlgWLGTRoACoy7zh-zH-BAtMrJHCA0TtKW0mZvk6lVvrXX3zyhFgf_zw_tGWYn7Y1KLz3lB2NqJQHepwLVHnCGvJELKg5ezTtXQQXStKQluCx2Ii0idlSsfXEd48weVMFUgrcKcMMPl8Q3kZl/s800/IMG_20240129_113304275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1Wsai78O7ombqR8h6xpsU7LaNejrC_bY52ja63OAiLxZlgWLGTRoACoy7zh-zH-BAtMrJHCA0TtKW0mZvk6lVvrXX3zyhFgf_zw_tGWYn7Y1KLz3lB2NqJQHepwLVHnCGvJELKg5ezTtXQQXStKQluCx2Ii0idlSsfXEd48weVMFUgrcKcMMPl8Q3kZl/w640-h482/IMG_20240129_113304275.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tJArSqAw9odaGzs2zAjeWEIzBCVxhRPFt6cnMvVz3vTnRxIjwrxKFKS4eZsAUboKUBinv4ob4B5z2fTi-Tyfp3CKd76zkdXwLMlyMSkG5a8L445eOgn3roOtaJIPVrK8hQu0s4_nL85P0y72GoU-DBJXPDD1B657qQS8CP4kNgRaRVynfWIosoOutx_F/s800/IMG_20240129_135027241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tJArSqAw9odaGzs2zAjeWEIzBCVxhRPFt6cnMvVz3vTnRxIjwrxKFKS4eZsAUboKUBinv4ob4B5z2fTi-Tyfp3CKd76zkdXwLMlyMSkG5a8L445eOgn3roOtaJIPVrK8hQu0s4_nL85P0y72GoU-DBJXPDD1B657qQS8CP4kNgRaRVynfWIosoOutx_F/s320/IMG_20240129_135027241.jpg" width="272" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Dixie also had a great time, after sleeping a round on the jetty, she started to walk around always looking over the edge into the water. It seemed she was listening to something, and eventually we figured out that most likely it was the sound of the small waves lapping against the jetty which had caught her curiosity.</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCg5DGJUqenw7dtgmsR5Sr2AI3QpRgTc6drcdgvhdToSpFofjG6nAoEmSNk1U3CJlRJ1uPMskynsYMCPtQPkv9FXV51iftHA8TuSSBScjiOEiRJRuCpgBRv9h_uVy0SrhMT3vUFf0ythgVS1otPnCZb6C4mfQzQvCpjoJwb9mKsGasb5_JnBaid9z-5okZ/s800/IMG_20240129_123602558_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCg5DGJUqenw7dtgmsR5Sr2AI3QpRgTc6drcdgvhdToSpFofjG6nAoEmSNk1U3CJlRJ1uPMskynsYMCPtQPkv9FXV51iftHA8TuSSBScjiOEiRJRuCpgBRv9h_uVy0SrhMT3vUFf0ythgVS1otPnCZb6C4mfQzQvCpjoJwb9mKsGasb5_JnBaid9z-5okZ/w640-h482/IMG_20240129_123602558_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">B<b>ob is always having a good time with Dixie</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikx6IWM_lC1vN8d52ifJwKTY0hM_Y1q_kqcJcwXYef2aqb5B5kOgFZ4B0NbQLr_hRkuQ1xppF7pzrM-VMPvUwKQtkpLF-pOxZ7xvhp5-gV3_1IVW2Ry65hek7ZvI9WDqKDeC9Zqfico_sD64dL7MtgUV8JP1h9yZOGrB_imgmHJQWbJne8NUw4ggZdhyphenhyphenD/s800/IMG_20240129_131950122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikx6IWM_lC1vN8d52ifJwKTY0hM_Y1q_kqcJcwXYef2aqb5B5kOgFZ4B0NbQLr_hRkuQ1xppF7pzrM-VMPvUwKQtkpLF-pOxZ7xvhp5-gV3_1IVW2Ry65hek7ZvI9WDqKDeC9Zqfico_sD64dL7MtgUV8JP1h9yZOGrB_imgmHJQWbJne8NUw4ggZdhyphenhyphenD/w640-h482/IMG_20240129_131950122.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was good catching up with our friends Bob and Karen som are from PEI and have an even longer travel route than us, though they don't bring down their RV as that is parked year-round in a local RV-Park.</span></b></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg7XyimIf8oWVvd33CQCgWp0POY9J3MjNA23vGOd2tgoc6-2bjkCGffI_XyXy1qeX5zuaX3e6PD0I3H8NvgWrGfdpXzvMcTO-laYQnkVnezcjGZZt1yFbDOehqbf0pZz5pqvXPyaZF0ST3n839-4EAokc1SoILoqj2l2UCKE6YFPQdd1Ag4ChNFPuF1j0/s800/IMG_20240129_151927197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: 400; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg7XyimIf8oWVvd33CQCgWp0POY9J3MjNA23vGOd2tgoc6-2bjkCGffI_XyXy1qeX5zuaX3e6PD0I3H8NvgWrGfdpXzvMcTO-laYQnkVnezcjGZZt1yFbDOehqbf0pZz5pqvXPyaZF0ST3n839-4EAokc1SoILoqj2l2UCKE6YFPQdd1Ag4ChNFPuF1j0/w640-h482/IMG_20240129_151927197.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></b></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">We said Good Bye to them for now, but plan to meet again next month.</span></b></p><p><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JKsPqcMBVPtS5MaxI72UW-mu_u3reTPqwzzDr6RJ2Fgm7KMsMYyXZPhNQSX3OptbWx8HMj9j8NqL1vmV11vIIiGjfGHsh4fZVNSqXlyynFVB-xa0X-3FNqnaPf5T7t-lNHUVGYcWjtDgnZeNihE77mkGASPsoWIbGLEjpWpJ3lv3O8i-bs9fkhTEgdlS/s800/IMG_20240129_135303509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: 400; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JKsPqcMBVPtS5MaxI72UW-mu_u3reTPqwzzDr6RJ2Fgm7KMsMYyXZPhNQSX3OptbWx8HMj9j8NqL1vmV11vIIiGjfGHsh4fZVNSqXlyynFVB-xa0X-3FNqnaPf5T7t-lNHUVGYcWjtDgnZeNihE77mkGASPsoWIbGLEjpWpJ3lv3O8i-bs9fkhTEgdlS/w640-h482/IMG_20240129_135303509.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></p></div>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-37074796526376100792024-01-22T19:21:00.001-04:002024-01-22T19:21:58.649-04:00California Rain<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">e knew it would be raining today, Monday, but what we got was close to a flood. It was still dry and only cloudy when I looked out the window at 6:15am, but the first rain came shortly before 10am. We had rolled up our awning yesterday evening, just in case. Now we were happy about it.</span></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ_YPXmGy-Ktdm3B4MgV3q9G1THse2frl75p9XyvAaCt13o-w0aJO6KM4SeD_JtC29GfBn1Dun7qoUDoYgee5cwFNnIE5gI1bF4FuAjjab37ioqPEnnh14nEahh3FxZAxEKcyzKR5vZ-s7gzeoD7Uj6HIZRxX4thyISApyGvrzceJQpNj95bK3XKYUuLZ/s800/IMG_20240114_100841453.jpg" style="clear: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ_YPXmGy-Ktdm3B4MgV3q9G1THse2frl75p9XyvAaCt13o-w0aJO6KM4SeD_JtC29GfBn1Dun7qoUDoYgee5cwFNnIE5gI1bF4FuAjjab37ioqPEnnh14nEahh3FxZAxEKcyzKR5vZ-s7gzeoD7Uj6HIZRxX4thyISApyGvrzceJQpNj95bK3XKYUuLZ/w385-h290/IMG_20240114_100841453.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Tomorrow we've got to enjoy<br />sunshine again</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The drumming on top of our roof drowns out the rumble from our generator outside. It is quite dark and gloomy outside too,</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And since there was nothing else to do, and because we are out of cake, I grabbed a cake mix from the shelf and proceeded with it in the kitchen department.</b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv658gk6NIIF6lht2b2r6-W2ls62VFktsTxVNVcc5zPbtke5J12fiUBkhkxtFa42euH0vYVqgbxJYsbttsNM6GL5AYBBL_A8SkFSvVQhT2wK2vkjHZ8bwooTK3RIU_fwY6JGBurOGWTkZFVCguaROsuHxAvI7UMtXaIBRi6d8yBwLSuk4xDxfoIJUEkrVa/s800/IMG_20240122_104600850.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv658gk6NIIF6lht2b2r6-W2ls62VFktsTxVNVcc5zPbtke5J12fiUBkhkxtFa42euH0vYVqgbxJYsbttsNM6GL5AYBBL_A8SkFSvVQhT2wK2vkjHZ8bwooTK3RIU_fwY6JGBurOGWTkZFVCguaROsuHxAvI7UMtXaIBRi6d8yBwLSuk4xDxfoIJUEkrVa/w196-h260/IMG_20240122_104600850.jpg" width="196" /></a></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLoTt5FUSuBaxXP1golbOZfYvEbcfWGUwN3ZB8ceUZQcylCMZgAB-r7gziX50vt4rB9XlAuXNo916oqVQWeSTYSX9hYtHOUNDTL5kY-Xlg_j2NHzIE9Hbs4sAq9d4XtaVXYBCts9qxx2RH_wO3JQsfHgvEKj5O4x6UOUU1jl3hnL3YfCoLkmpixCGnoS3/s800/IMG_20240117_173204994_HDR.jpg" style="clear: right; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLoTt5FUSuBaxXP1golbOZfYvEbcfWGUwN3ZB8ceUZQcylCMZgAB-r7gziX50vt4rB9XlAuXNo916oqVQWeSTYSX9hYtHOUNDTL5kY-Xlg_j2NHzIE9Hbs4sAq9d4XtaVXYBCts9qxx2RH_wO3JQsfHgvEKj5O4x6UOUU1jl3hnL3YfCoLkmpixCGnoS3/w317-h239/IMG_20240117_173204994_HDR.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have been doing some outside cooking <br />with our oldColeman gasoline stove<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br />Meanwhile, Bea relaxed in the bedroom as she was still feeling a little weak after almost a week of battling a nasty cold. But this morning she appeared much happier as her stuffed-up nose had cleared and she could breathe again freely.<br /><br />She had done a Covid test and it turned out negative. Strangely, whatever virus she had picked up, it never attacked me, which is remarkable in such confined enclosure as a trailer.<br /><br />The other day Robert, a fellow camper, came by. He is always accompanied by Tina, a tiny Jack Russel. </b></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5z0HAhNSNMA" width="320" youtube-src-id="5z0HAhNSNMA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Tina is a bundle of high energy and whenever she eyes Dixie, she starts that Indian dance performance, which obviously annoys Dixie to no end. Yet, being the gentle giant Dixie is, she never bites or even growls at Tina. She must be wondering what's wrong with this jumpin' squirrel.</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Sooo, we just have to wait until this rain is over. Afterwards we won't be able to walk along the canal for quite a few days as the trail there is mostly soapy clay, which will stick to our shoes.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">OUR OASIS</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfVrsV3gkPcLeEbUtEuTbNdwbgoACfTDB3FnVGb8wM64Hvw5VAoGmNAY2g5Ct4d4P_Z4zw86JBQa6Cst9z4YwGADRtR6mMuTGzvomTZGL2oAJyULdOKggeUxIysNU71lw7L-znDYQJDNo1KW-cTzaf3_XkTdBAA1n096xulam5dY670WWa4fjkyDGWq8D/s800/IMG_20240119_102608709.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfVrsV3gkPcLeEbUtEuTbNdwbgoACfTDB3FnVGb8wM64Hvw5VAoGmNAY2g5Ct4d4P_Z4zw86JBQa6Cst9z4YwGADRtR6mMuTGzvomTZGL2oAJyULdOKggeUxIysNU71lw7L-znDYQJDNo1KW-cTzaf3_XkTdBAA1n096xulam5dY670WWa4fjkyDGWq8D/w482-h640/IMG_20240119_102608709.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAtPtxiiBHgw6rdQ9w5c5s0jBin-PlNkImg5TzkSUBu7fTyxM_w2TO2b7fCvbl4MfqM5FqiBuKi9U_5yuefHZrpdnvzDathe9IuP_MtvvX_KRH8pUlt0ibwfrnrTM-ILIl1Hm-8P6hgNTKNoRJQ3gMnft7qXoSOOaEzgFeLoPiBRlIY7F8zsL4D8Ul5AG/s800/IMG_20240119_102622862.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAtPtxiiBHgw6rdQ9w5c5s0jBin-PlNkImg5TzkSUBu7fTyxM_w2TO2b7fCvbl4MfqM5FqiBuKi9U_5yuefHZrpdnvzDathe9IuP_MtvvX_KRH8pUlt0ibwfrnrTM-ILIl1Hm-8P6hgNTKNoRJQ3gMnft7qXoSOOaEzgFeLoPiBRlIY7F8zsL4D8Ul5AG/s320/IMG_20240119_102622862.jpg" width="241" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhgaEete8iH6TRqk2xrjIh38I-3qsOsxC9ZjnOZ08BlajZfbplGm9QY5XMAeiFaFj89iTPNWLpRSPRErVt09PGpMJGABr5bSLs5KsVIrXzfaxsZ7U8G5_DsIrPiVukN1UlQqrhCJ117N3oEM1K9XauiSiggEpDkoQ9bUyoMw4dmgM-ifAO2qDScB5M6kn/s800/IMG_20240119_102653927_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhgaEete8iH6TRqk2xrjIh38I-3qsOsxC9ZjnOZ08BlajZfbplGm9QY5XMAeiFaFj89iTPNWLpRSPRErVt09PGpMJGABr5bSLs5KsVIrXzfaxsZ7U8G5_DsIrPiVukN1UlQqrhCJ117N3oEM1K9XauiSiggEpDkoQ9bUyoMw4dmgM-ifAO2qDScB5M6kn/s320/IMG_20240119_102653927_HDR.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqqylBdZtujM3WMNQZlpacZ2Uds5oYZCuuE3ghxbuJKXunjVZyaIKZ-suQCB0BQeQpYB7vuThWnIDb5GMdHfMZc8a5FvvAtzbsXBdIdy9XLo8iN6vYj5yd_STwGG4kE3YXRtlCIjJcWfwCeFyJzUYC7V720Zwa1l17Lbqgl-BQ38p2COGdUj9ztLKC3Bl/s800/IMG_20240119_102837736.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqqylBdZtujM3WMNQZlpacZ2Uds5oYZCuuE3ghxbuJKXunjVZyaIKZ-suQCB0BQeQpYB7vuThWnIDb5GMdHfMZc8a5FvvAtzbsXBdIdy9XLo8iN6vYj5yd_STwGG4kE3YXRtlCIjJcWfwCeFyJzUYC7V720Zwa1l17Lbqgl-BQ38p2COGdUj9ztLKC3Bl/w502-h378/IMG_20240119_102837736.jpg" width="502" /></a></div></span>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-79179796485824936042024-01-11T14:44:00.000-04:002024-01-11T14:44:24.291-04:00Hold On To Your Hat!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBpfXMAG5K1Sg3-e9pWB-zuTcfgdX9sQGfIyB55rkAYjH9ZnKFWl9X3aBZok6q10OXjTgZ9DET1vY8zir_BbI43jFkq_2tSy3_4VinQyPaKZ7JTKVKJxv3lvpwQymEZxYgQKpxkRu2jMU9CgV9Kzw-O-3AaQa6kd3-jxwWONmaf9m3ie87pL04Fpp_N28/s2271/IMG_20240109_082845143%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="2271" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBpfXMAG5K1Sg3-e9pWB-zuTcfgdX9sQGfIyB55rkAYjH9ZnKFWl9X3aBZok6q10OXjTgZ9DET1vY8zir_BbI43jFkq_2tSy3_4VinQyPaKZ7JTKVKJxv3lvpwQymEZxYgQKpxkRu2jMU9CgV9Kzw-O-3AaQa6kd3-jxwWONmaf9m3ie87pL04Fpp_N28/w640-h210/IMG_20240109_082845143%5B1%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span><span style="font-size: large;">he weather forecast was wrong for today. Well - partially wrong, as it did predict the wind, but not the clouds, and certainly not the rain.</span></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CYRe6557ss6GC0BY_zfHqgJRQqIgfSKniLvLx-cFMLpY6BP79FBb0aFCrR2nrh_YmSwvOnXITCEKgx-_p0R-kY-KW9PS32nIMSrDHUO__lgdHfnMno-RcOjVOi8A7ZcOyk2y2_Zi5_cS4CsWGifNzTWqPeaSPB5_Kkr8jC6zYCfo_JaZRkkbG6toxwz8/s712/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-11%20at%2010.33.53%20AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="712" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CYRe6557ss6GC0BY_zfHqgJRQqIgfSKniLvLx-cFMLpY6BP79FBb0aFCrR2nrh_YmSwvOnXITCEKgx-_p0R-kY-KW9PS32nIMSrDHUO__lgdHfnMno-RcOjVOi8A7ZcOyk2y2_Zi5_cS4CsWGifNzTWqPeaSPB5_Kkr8jC6zYCfo_JaZRkkbG6toxwz8/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-11%20at%2010.33.53%20AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFi0PWAvGS3jvzOvzPavgWiazVDau5nT7doajmrOiC6a2yqHqLc63jlnq2cnbyV10UKPRG6EKdWaWVcr70zS_wYrOMxF87ZSWbuoM9lKm3v54oReh1XYAxUiRfVAYzhy4UcvbnQeUe-Kn7EJV68x5QqkJ-4CFW2I0ju8tCDslq2f4PbxuKIRQaBOrC6j_x/s800/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-11%20at%2010.34.18%20AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="391" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFi0PWAvGS3jvzOvzPavgWiazVDau5nT7doajmrOiC6a2yqHqLc63jlnq2cnbyV10UKPRG6EKdWaWVcr70zS_wYrOMxF87ZSWbuoM9lKm3v54oReh1XYAxUiRfVAYzhy4UcvbnQeUe-Kn7EJV68x5QqkJ-4CFW2I0ju8tCDslq2f4PbxuKIRQaBOrC6j_x/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-11%20at%2010.34.18%20AM.jpg" width="156" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>As usual, we got out for our morning walk with Dixie - down the campground then up again along the irrigation canal.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>A little sun once in a while, then clouds again. As we got over to the canal we were hit by massive wind gusts whipping up big waves showing white caps. I have never seen white caps on the canal before. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy0gIa7RFHPmVS0pMOFvUp_MgFwb9iSC2BRbV3T7_iTMxcfcCevKNsvtji_52SALuHZJxAIPWQmjQtKtrNsoA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The most powerful wind gusts started picking up sand particles and we got peppered with it. Soon, I had sand between my teeth. Twice I also had to recover my hat which had flown off into the bushes.</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv2DKEySzpsYFpTg4i1-adZ63Z0-4eNmjBrM80fGuXIerd_s6GNaTtJmpDyQYkhtJJGVmqYAHRcDUg6G6VenjSjaFjkYzGQ6xHOWl0SykWG3xL2TZfZOsTPMHASSf9jls5UMY5LncAkGjpVyjcZIXo2nVIEAHFcEPtwi6dYlmqqpOfD_5kTQ73b4UpWIJ/s800/IMG_20240111_091120620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv2DKEySzpsYFpTg4i1-adZ63Z0-4eNmjBrM80fGuXIerd_s6GNaTtJmpDyQYkhtJJGVmqYAHRcDUg6G6VenjSjaFjkYzGQ6xHOWl0SykWG3xL2TZfZOsTPMHASSf9jls5UMY5LncAkGjpVyjcZIXo2nVIEAHFcEPtwi6dYlmqqpOfD_5kTQ73b4UpWIJ/w640-h482/IMG_20240111_091120620.jpg" width="640" /></span></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Even a rainbow showed up...</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Getting back to our camp, we saw clouds of sand racing down the camp road.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We had barely made it inside when heavy raindrops started hitting the roof. Dixie had moved into her bush-cave, but I decided to get her inside. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6BGv96USTSc3XmZV0Zj5IMwy7uCpCB-QDOJXExLdMy2oYl_fbQHv9dQy0P12f5pSQjrZrYm2FMNw0NVJZL9gwSUOPtq-Ao17ou6vuw9ehxTjgBQAmwU73kJUzbz0nRvEmeLZ_V8jnH9K3gWo7LPpMMyUaGfoq1GaFnfpvtklsXU9zACE3D9wbyo_BuJo/s800/IMG_20231212_131018529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="800" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6BGv96USTSc3XmZV0Zj5IMwy7uCpCB-QDOJXExLdMy2oYl_fbQHv9dQy0P12f5pSQjrZrYm2FMNw0NVJZL9gwSUOPtq-Ao17ou6vuw9ehxTjgBQAmwU73kJUzbz0nRvEmeLZ_V8jnH9K3gWo7LPpMMyUaGfoq1GaFnfpvtklsXU9zACE3D9wbyo_BuJo/w400-h396/IMG_20231212_131018529.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Sand on a wet dog is not what we desire to get into the trailer.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>If we can believe the weather forecast for the rest of the day, we hope that the wind will slowly die down again during the afternoon.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPoVAq21r7VCYEpYnCpcZfT3C4KkwY7oMIIRYtI15Wa2JSURm2CgcWVPB04zxHHk8RIQsILGPs3W9-4qTI2pW8aBD3-Sz3n11dhH-YKqOSnp-6k3X-GAd0Rr1ce07_YzRFiKItYxMQ61zW0z4IxIoXF6Zo3CxO-jwBD4yh0acGhX2outf2pcQdrL2M40R/s800/IMG_20240111_091627704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="800" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPoVAq21r7VCYEpYnCpcZfT3C4KkwY7oMIIRYtI15Wa2JSURm2CgcWVPB04zxHHk8RIQsILGPs3W9-4qTI2pW8aBD3-Sz3n11dhH-YKqOSnp-6k3X-GAd0Rr1ce07_YzRFiKItYxMQ61zW0z4IxIoXF6Zo3CxO-jwBD4yh0acGhX2outf2pcQdrL2M40R/w640-h469/IMG_20240111_091627704.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9sTVMy-dD1DaPBadofMT-WFSklEhSuC3F87aQLgE-WuLCFiG8MK7G05i-Vsps_aT_cBBZJDcVenRwKX9NYoyPtcAK5JqbdNyA2ejVtChKEERlbWEi_pRsEUnZY1MqRzA1cNTlpDMVVJt_VO7dXlQutHeUK3YVGZVuVbIXvVF6wua_S1y4JQrdksSpRRe/s800/IMG_20240111_092455274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9sTVMy-dD1DaPBadofMT-WFSklEhSuC3F87aQLgE-WuLCFiG8MK7G05i-Vsps_aT_cBBZJDcVenRwKX9NYoyPtcAK5JqbdNyA2ejVtChKEERlbWEi_pRsEUnZY1MqRzA1cNTlpDMVVJt_VO7dXlQutHeUK3YVGZVuVbIXvVF6wua_S1y4JQrdksSpRRe/w640-h482/IMG_20240111_092455274.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-32410501101146229922024-01-02T01:15:00.002-04:002024-01-02T01:15:47.055-04:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvyaKPn875WFVxjHYwOSn6MA9ogfm-0uxMGAe17qe5aNhVdLF5UCCpjrsvjKnyb_Lrpf7at_gVyWJOg_A9QXSEEMziqkGXGXFMqjQs3gYOFAJ7qvvdqY-j6kmPkrN6SxVv0whQXHSly_1iIiPPxb8O1CN6PD10gu87cMckCG9d_aufdaKpODbS-JXmptW/s720/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-01%20at%208.56.38%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="720" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvyaKPn875WFVxjHYwOSn6MA9ogfm-0uxMGAe17qe5aNhVdLF5UCCpjrsvjKnyb_Lrpf7at_gVyWJOg_A9QXSEEMziqkGXGXFMqjQs3gYOFAJ7qvvdqY-j6kmPkrN6SxVv0whQXHSly_1iIiPPxb8O1CN6PD10gu87cMckCG9d_aufdaKpODbS-JXmptW/w400-h309/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-01%20at%208.56.38%20PM.jpeg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">e keep saying the same thing every year, and yet, we will never see it happen. I am talking about the ":Happy New Year" wishes. Of course as a single individual we can feel that we are happy and we should, really! But the world, our world will never be at peace. Ever since I have been born, which is awfully long ago, there hasn't been a single day that the world has been at peace. Wars and armed conflicts have been raging on at all times, dominating daily news and costing the lives of so many people.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>2023 was no exception and 2024 won't be either.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Evil forces tend to grab power in countries all over the world, and as long as we the people, permit this to happen it won't stop.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I have recently been following a series of travel documentaries. What all these have in common is that the people who travel have met extraordinary kind and friendly people, whether that was in war-tested Africa or in central Asia or in South America. People you meet there are genuinely friendly and will smile at you. But many of those governments are bad, driven by corruption and greed.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Personally I wouldn't want to live in any of those places, but those who do have to deal with it - or they flee - to other countries to find hope and a better life. For who can live in a country when bombs are destroying the homes, the cities, the fields where crops should be growing?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Sorry, to bother you with my thoughts today, but for me the first day of the year has always been a day, not only to rejoyce for a new year and more hope, but also for reflection on how things are going and how they might be going in the coming months.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Back to our camp life, we are still enjoying our nice weather, the blue skies and friendly people-encounters.</b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmnJ-f4ff35cPjUyokKyGq4Jj3iRdjZZZqmZHKr0ZFv0qSWNkwmCOlS0nFkutktupA2xBlh88TJq0LlpKShrDbRaVyNbCWMa0UTCd2MFSWQcEMv75EIT_1RTzOkD1NhA0Xe0DQBRXj5oTJD20lprGNTabQ2T4Jn2-ukeyLetfZTtUPXmuYP1tNKJM7WfC/s4080/IMG_20231230_154829684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmnJ-f4ff35cPjUyokKyGq4Jj3iRdjZZZqmZHKr0ZFv0qSWNkwmCOlS0nFkutktupA2xBlh88TJq0LlpKShrDbRaVyNbCWMa0UTCd2MFSWQcEMv75EIT_1RTzOkD1NhA0Xe0DQBRXj5oTJD20lprGNTabQ2T4Jn2-ukeyLetfZTtUPXmuYP1tNKJM7WfC/s320/IMG_20231230_154829684.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>There are lots of dogs in camp and they all seem to be friendly fellows. Meet and greet is what they do and then we humans talk to their owners and we find more friendly people. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Naturally, we have sent New Years greetings out via Facebook, Whatsapp, Email and texting. Modern media are making it truly easy to stay in contact.</span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa_TSXD850pAlo6J7WEUeXOxi9xP5jz493bmHrFeZdpt8LS8CBQL8qL1Al7T7zCPVtTten76hMGCMLM0bRVVe4244MvXMrrDUpq50cRwsgg6V_Gj3Tr8TQMfgtgu9cvWcq84M4S4hrqr5pBGH49s6pzIwDkXgekzPadRo-T8jdE2FCkHN_1vU7a5osVOp/s4080/IMG_20240101_100628330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa_TSXD850pAlo6J7WEUeXOxi9xP5jz493bmHrFeZdpt8LS8CBQL8qL1Al7T7zCPVtTten76hMGCMLM0bRVVe4244MvXMrrDUpq50cRwsgg6V_Gj3Tr8TQMfgtgu9cvWcq84M4S4hrqr5pBGH49s6pzIwDkXgekzPadRo-T8jdE2FCkHN_1vU7a5osVOp/s320/IMG_20240101_100628330.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> </b></span><b style="font-family: arial;">And true to family tradition we watched the annual New Years Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Ochestra in Vienna. Couldn't see it life as that happened while we were still in dream-land, but the ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) always has it available after the event. </b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRKVcleHH-LjKcTmFWor7FdqN3w9vBnUOjhw0zLO0WVGW4w7Cp1VbI7E6DhyphenhyphenCsoBwyffZrjtymOHDbrrWW8zJN8U79qzqw50BZPi8TeYyrwpD51AWF0ZlaxYhr9HXIP0xhl7rt3WHZsUSZHl4A7k76dLkuxcre7evI7bgy6AgOGvkv4vsYVCEPxfSeyMs/s4080/IMG_20231231_202121930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRKVcleHH-LjKcTmFWor7FdqN3w9vBnUOjhw0zLO0WVGW4w7Cp1VbI7E6DhyphenhyphenCsoBwyffZrjtymOHDbrrWW8zJN8U79qzqw50BZPi8TeYyrwpD51AWF0ZlaxYhr9HXIP0xhl7rt3WHZsUSZHl4A7k76dLkuxcre7evI7bgy6AgOGvkv4vsYVCEPxfSeyMs/s320/IMG_20231231_202121930.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>New Years Eve was spent by watching an old German New Years Show from 1979. Oh my - the memories, the old and known song artists - the melodies we listened to when we were young. And - by-the-way - what transpires from US TV from Times Square is not even worth looking at. I have never seen anything so incredibly boring. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Well, I guess this is it for today. Let's do it again: HAPPY NEW YEAR to you people!</b></span></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-85306205714655499262023-12-28T00:53:00.000-04:002023-12-28T00:53:44.637-04:00A Crown Went To Waste<p><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">t's time to restart blogging again. Christmas, sort of, got in the way. But I need to go back prior to Christmas.</span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Last you remember, I was just getting ready for a crown on my tooth. Well, meanwhile, the tooth is gone and the crown went into the waste basket.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The day I was to return for getting the crown, the pain had returned to the area and I was not convinced that the crown should be glued on until the reason for the pain had been found.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrWy2MdVQyu8zPnBEfaKcVEoh05YemrEuV7IYB8ZVXEea-QrEkfn3oZ5ym_KIFrOwt0caox_Mjf4tPz--uzdFjxE6MJRmQkyjHtShsb77ubl5qcYBMHnQmz47THKZKRWIAn_OoIIq0rcNe-PEFK9euXFobv__If5SKS_CzXXX5d6nKSJA9_BFzQQzUcBQm" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrWy2MdVQyu8zPnBEfaKcVEoh05YemrEuV7IYB8ZVXEea-QrEkfn3oZ5ym_KIFrOwt0caox_Mjf4tPz--uzdFjxE6MJRmQkyjHtShsb77ubl5qcYBMHnQmz47THKZKRWIAn_OoIIq0rcNe-PEFK9euXFobv__If5SKS_CzXXX5d6nKSJA9_BFzQQzUcBQm" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">Border to Algodones</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So I called and canceled my appointment to see whether the pain would continue to the next day, which it did. with a new appointment the next day, I returned to Algodones. After another x-ray, now without the crown, they found that my tooth had a crack. Only solution was to an extraction. Honestly I was happy with that, for who wants a continuous problem lasting over Christmas. Checking out I paid $60 for the extraction, but ending up with another $80 for the prescription medication. Just the meds would probably have run at $200 on the US side.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPN1GqQe1lKSBIzjfKcWy-OQHwjpPPmOkrnJl1i0V7VYRUT1yixWUZVxHD8ThVk8IbLr0mNqzo36F0HkqAyD6Nu4mFZpyP9dbaq0duHCHv8cQdQodM393333YrE3cMmtuwUQT9R9fk9dwPuKWMGw4FM35JK_6mzSovVUTjWoe1aGSazv6KMD2atZ-fsYZH" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><b><img alt="" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="603" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPN1GqQe1lKSBIzjfKcWy-OQHwjpPPmOkrnJl1i0V7VYRUT1yixWUZVxHD8ThVk8IbLr0mNqzo36F0HkqAyD6Nu4mFZpyP9dbaq0duHCHv8cQdQodM393333YrE3cMmtuwUQT9R9fk9dwPuKWMGw4FM35JK_6mzSovVUTjWoe1aGSazv6KMD2atZ-fsYZH=w640-h440" width="640" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><b>By getting to Algodones early and getting out early one can avoid these long waiting lines</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhapKzD6rybhRpWOrKJeFJ1lY73OPxgyhUHnMu_GszTpBqaI9L9Tug30p2BIil34IVXwJkDaHLHREtfuYsW6yJV-9N8At3d-P4LLdidmANYUaVq3Ds8xnyBBGsZOhROao5ajh97yaK_8CiMiPjivzHeRjVrB46-UYZZzt6vLTfvjWs7b4qoMiWLGHcTch_l" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="800" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhapKzD6rybhRpWOrKJeFJ1lY73OPxgyhUHnMu_GszTpBqaI9L9Tug30p2BIil34IVXwJkDaHLHREtfuYsW6yJV-9N8At3d-P4LLdidmANYUaVq3Ds8xnyBBGsZOhROao5ajh97yaK_8CiMiPjivzHeRjVrB46-UYZZzt6vLTfvjWs7b4qoMiWLGHcTch_l=w640-h304" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b><b>Fast forward to today, I am a happy camper once again. We are done with Christmas, the weather is still wonderful, and today we even received our lost/invalidated bank cards in the mail. </b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxFXe2kX-urnC7sLd6gTRl6rOmdLESHy8YU6tKbQ0g598xHK0JgEbuvPZyz4NavSjK-HiIbVmhPQfA8SE_SBWRCMDp_IG5sTdLrW97ZG4SlCqQ-JOFr7n6c_A2Hzk4qQ_fIA5nwAJhkHWf0sOOiIdznc2dwfJGj-krOqbgI_83W4zJ2XvLDLE2WeZPp2m/s4080/IMG_20231225_083921383%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxFXe2kX-urnC7sLd6gTRl6rOmdLESHy8YU6tKbQ0g598xHK0JgEbuvPZyz4NavSjK-HiIbVmhPQfA8SE_SBWRCMDp_IG5sTdLrW97ZG4SlCqQ-JOFr7n6c_A2Hzk4qQ_fIA5nwAJhkHWf0sOOiIdznc2dwfJGj-krOqbgI_83W4zJ2XvLDLE2WeZPp2m/w400-h301/IMG_20231225_083921383%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We are still doing our morning walks, though a heavy rainfall a few days ago made it impossible to walk along the canal, as the ground there is mostly clay, which gets really sticky and builds up under our shoes.</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Today, we also did a trip to El Centro, mainly for laundry and stocking up on a few groceries. When dropping in at ALDI, I was really disappointed to discover that all the good German Christmas goodies had already been cleaned out. Nothing left but terrible tasting Hershey products. Yukk!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>In a few days we will enter another year. 2024 will most likely not get any better than 2023. The world is at odds with wars, unrest, unhappiness, and I don't believe that any thing good could possible come out of that. There is no reason whatsoever for any optimism. So it will rest on ourselves to make the best of it for us and others.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Thanks for stopping by again!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQZ5MtZX8ax5PY_BoBYXr83r20xDLV6WAlWvgUHRAmKunJW9rqpmOUWhLizfuzmIplvXBLKwLhomDs8ZOKlRwfcBkAWj2IO-AxgW7KtiN6nVW7aLpyORrYrSdVm2_WRnnB511KkZ3pPSv31Xx05otIbcyz21TkP3vmc_Asmu_IOg_KfucrKt1dg7bIhdOJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="800" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQZ5MtZX8ax5PY_BoBYXr83r20xDLV6WAlWvgUHRAmKunJW9rqpmOUWhLizfuzmIplvXBLKwLhomDs8ZOKlRwfcBkAWj2IO-AxgW7KtiN6nVW7aLpyORrYrSdVm2_WRnnB511KkZ3pPSv31Xx05otIbcyz21TkP3vmc_Asmu_IOg_KfucrKt1dg7bIhdOJ=w640-h304" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-55066412358033655752023-12-19T22:48:00.000-04:002023-12-19T22:48:50.636-04:00Tuesday Evening Blues<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-size: large;">t shouldn't really be of any concern. I mean what day of the week we have. Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday etc. It's all the same. They are days spent in the desert, sometimes meeting people - new people or people we know. Some just give us a wave, others stop by for a chat and yet others show up for coffee at the adventure rig.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But some days stand out, as they are are getting filled with off-routine. Like f.ex. today. It's Tuesday and I became aware of it as I woke up at 3:30am and had a toothache. Damn.... what's next?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now, I have had a feeling that something could be off with my tooth health. And my hunch had made me book an appointment in Los Algodones,MX for Wednesday. But now I got a toothache of sorts and I couldn't sleep anymore and it was only Tuesday!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So, as quietly as possible (the floor is squeaking) I tiptoe into the bathroom, shut the door, switch on the ceiling light and reach for my 800mg Ibuprofen, which are remnants from a 2-years ago visit to the Mexican dentist and a brutal extraction lasting 1.5hrs that time. (another molar)</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But the pills are sooo big, I need water and lots of it. drinking glasses are in the kitchen - or wait, I could use my coffee cup still on the counter. I need a light there too. Unfortunately in the dark I rake the trailer keys from the counter while fumbling after the light switch. With an ugly too loud noise they hit the floor. Hm...I hope Bea didn't hear that.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>After I have the pill down my throat I drink most of the water from the coffee mug. That will get me making frequent visits to the bathroom for the rest of the night. Yup!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Back under the covers, I decide to change my dental appointment. I got to get rid of this problem. Hate to be up during the night nursing some toothache.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I am amazed when I wake up and see daylight filtering through the blinds. The dental office opens at 8:30am Mountain time which is 7:30am Pacific. I gotta get up and ready for a phone call.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I am lucky and get an appointment for 11am Mountain Time. (they call it Arizona Time there)</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I arrive 15 minutes early and start wandering along busy crappy looking streets in Algodones. The town never invests into any upgrades of the outer appearance. It has been looking exactly the same over the last 17 years, which was the first time we went there.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Making my way to the side street where the office of DENTAL SOLUTIONS is located, I am constantly being talked to and showered with offers for the cheapest pharmacies, the best dentists and the greatest selection of eyeglasses. And I have to watch out so I don't stumble over older women holding out little containers hoping that some coins (or $$-bills) will drop into hit. It's Mexico and it makes me a bit sad, course it shouldn't be like this, as it shouldn't be in the US or Canada either. Yet, I am afraid it will not go away, but rather increase.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Inside the office, I am beckoned into the narrow hallway serving as a waiting area. I find a seat in a comfy looking white couch. After 45 minutes it's my turn. Xrays follow and the doc is dumbfounded as the corpus-delicti-tooth already has a root canal, meaning there is NO NERV to be inflamed. Where does the pain come from?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>They focus on the crown of the molar, which is subject to pressure from the bridge which was installed on the lower gum a year ago. We decide the crown has to go and be replaced with a new and lower one. So I am moved to another room for getting an imprint. From previous visits I am used to getting some soft pliable material shoved into my mouth followed with the command "BITE". Then the softball in my mouth used to harden and serv as a form for an imprint and the final crown/bridge. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Not so today!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Technology has just done another major step to make these dental visits resemble a vacation from home. The beautiful Mexican girl I have by my side has now placed me in a chair beside of a huge computerscreen. She appears to handle a sort of very thick electronic stick which she starts moving around and around in my mouth. To my endless surprise I see my entire tooth assembly appear on the big screen. What in the world is this? I ask. "I scan your teeth. It's a scanner"!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXyaE3VtvbGUcMlm0_RnGMWAeCGMBabgunriZHHxSbrPUKDwZPSGrRiJ6d5yKVJJ3-wefaRQZfpin8XkhwsbPiwfVy7lOytRm1AwsEKmPal6UZfkhahFr0kialpEaiHddktBtB6N4h5RNQn000Eiye7WNjX6GvI1A1Nr7Kkrc6TfR2ncCnVIqqHSZUUwck" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="360" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXyaE3VtvbGUcMlm0_RnGMWAeCGMBabgunriZHHxSbrPUKDwZPSGrRiJ6d5yKVJJ3-wefaRQZfpin8XkhwsbPiwfVy7lOytRm1AwsEKmPal6UZfkhahFr0kialpEaiHddktBtB6N4h5RNQn000Eiye7WNjX6GvI1A1Nr7Kkrc6TfR2ncCnVIqqHSZUUwck=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And that dear readers, marks the end of my visit to the dentist office today. The tooth scan (call it the toothfairy) is now giving those dentists an exact idea of how to form the crown which will fit perfectly tomorrow at noon. Other than in Canada, where people have to wait for such luxuries for a week and longer, these Mexican experts have the replacement ready the next morning. I call that expert service delivered at a much lower price than in the US or Canada. Next please!</b></span></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-18676140746873910832023-12-14T23:10:00.001-04:002023-12-14T23:10:59.869-04:00As Christmas Is Slowly Settling In<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: large;">ome readers who know me from previous blog postings (aka Christmas postings) are aware of me being a total Christmas nut. Matter of fact I have been exposed to sooo many beautiful Christmas celebrations that Christmas has become an integral part of me. Beginning in my early childhood days with parents who knew how to create the Christmas spirit for their son, I have carried these rich traditions with me all my life. I need Christmas music and candle lights like I also need daily food on the table. </span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLVjDmFUr8jIyobjC6rHmm1HLXIR0qDRwmD-D6sfldmhO8aJMU96wGMUiyiMa3BhF45c6A_Snfgil_k0WZaFJVZISAB7jgje90_BO4XlDVGdSDW4oeCmj0jaLymNd0ackoXjx9HEmOQrTFnJA-XK72rGampjSMyHi8bWGjyI-mxTmyzUoQ2B1iZX1qgPc/s800/IMG_20231210_090336233.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLVjDmFUr8jIyobjC6rHmm1HLXIR0qDRwmD-D6sfldmhO8aJMU96wGMUiyiMa3BhF45c6A_Snfgil_k0WZaFJVZISAB7jgje90_BO4XlDVGdSDW4oeCmj0jaLymNd0ackoXjx9HEmOQrTFnJA-XK72rGampjSMyHi8bWGjyI-mxTmyzUoQ2B1iZX1qgPc/w640-h482/IMG_20231210_090336233.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Naturally, snow and deep forests would help, but I have gotten used to this southern climate where I can greet Christmas in shorts and T-shirts. And when the sun sets on the western horizon around 4:30pm and darkness comes after 5pm, our outside Christmas tree decorated and illuminated with solar LED lights starts flickering its lightshow for the passerbys. Inside we are having a light chain around the dining slide-out to throw a golden shine around. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzt0YKr1g09IESawDjlHnRcV1BRNhTlp-komaOxkrgLCHTWmYT5tdmhYK5pOaggpBv8nBZeEUNMEA-uaCgKDyImSqu57NrjqDc05OfSfe18zzaanqBy0XuoKtykxdBpjlY9lcTBvOlPtCRM6RUaYmRZ_zV9ZghBiRioObrli5BJ4RvabBt5sDvZO1I6fF/s800/IMG_20231214_185523442%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="800" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzt0YKr1g09IESawDjlHnRcV1BRNhTlp-komaOxkrgLCHTWmYT5tdmhYK5pOaggpBv8nBZeEUNMEA-uaCgKDyImSqu57NrjqDc05OfSfe18zzaanqBy0XuoKtykxdBpjlY9lcTBvOlPtCRM6RUaYmRZ_zV9ZghBiRioObrli5BJ4RvabBt5sDvZO1I6fF/w400-h341/IMG_20231214_185523442%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Tonight we are also having a very thin sliver of the moon in the south-west. </b></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFd_y6xp4s6IOF3quMM837hjdosh55vUlXvGUFr4pZdvYYkc4wyKC7gm37LZsp9pYGuH07hBiQhsP3hNCPpoXrQXgno9ZIjFNx-a-n1khwXpbbOtp77Wjrb3XNS0WwoBH9AlIJJNkPHG9Ja1y6CBHx1aPsuh36AdAL210fCV8896YE39GXbW4in6NELAgh/s800/IMG_20231210_090326244.jpg" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFd_y6xp4s6IOF3quMM837hjdosh55vUlXvGUFr4pZdvYYkc4wyKC7gm37LZsp9pYGuH07hBiQhsP3hNCPpoXrQXgno9ZIjFNx-a-n1khwXpbbOtp77Wjrb3XNS0WwoBH9AlIJJNkPHG9Ja1y6CBHx1aPsuh36AdAL210fCV8896YE39GXbW4in6NELAgh/w640-h482/IMG_20231210_090326244.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Looking west towards San Diego</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I think the combination of warm days with beautiful walks along the scenic canal with the alure of Christmas has a special attraction for me.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And Bea is always on the look-out for the rare bird she hasn't yet taken a picture off. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So you see, Christmas happiness has arrived with us. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And today we are especially happy. After a week of having trouble with our Schwintek bedroom slide-out, we were able to solve the technical challenge. First we had to replace one of the slide-out motors, once that was in place it turned out that the whole thing had to be synchronized to pull in and out evenly. I finally figured out how to do this and this morning a call of victory went out from the bedroom. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Together with the repair of the water heater these do-it-yourself repairs have saved us a couple of thousand dollars.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>When I experienced my recent arthritis attack, it became clear that it is imperative that Bea also knows how to drive and handle this trailer. Otherwise, any emergency could end with us getting stuck with this rig in the south. So Bea's trailer driving lessons are to be scheduled and once that is going on, you will find another posting about it.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiuWYTpBgLl0AnCEcdCf9on4AwBHMQbadt3XgoBS-T0GNWjWCr48wAaEwtadXR3wL4Mj0LhG9_0Gd5IX7cW4wBhnnH0ZVNJ37zrMJfT-6_UBnYJn9tkLMVoOeoYp2I-S48ZqSFUGn1vSKinNw1XJVfOfmB9kJ5bDLcnhkP6o1SnAwTqMFUkjBesvx-rS3/s800/IMG_20231210_090632002_BURST002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="800" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiuWYTpBgLl0AnCEcdCf9on4AwBHMQbadt3XgoBS-T0GNWjWCr48wAaEwtadXR3wL4Mj0LhG9_0Gd5IX7cW4wBhnnH0ZVNJ37zrMJfT-6_UBnYJn9tkLMVoOeoYp2I-S48ZqSFUGn1vSKinNw1XJVfOfmB9kJ5bDLcnhkP6o1SnAwTqMFUkjBesvx-rS3/w640-h408/IMG_20231210_090632002_BURST002.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-35324180010666042342023-12-13T23:59:00.000-04:002023-12-13T23:59:40.566-04:00We Had A Visitor<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">H</span><span style="font-size: large;">er name is EMMA and she's just 10 months old. Her owner and fellow camper had to travel to LA for the day and so we were dogsitting EMMA.</span></b></span></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwvUQT3nwGuDrI4KNqut-kTvz1hHThgVp_Al2YWO3OTWHQtpDI5WWM9lHV11vZ0S4IaV6wHsH02lAZgHME9z1U_BRoFOYxzOYhqefvxttpZtjiZSEXmtHOLcuyvUu8ToDHskZXeseCXopIrWhZDD_SRHHdO2TvimZsjd6z6W_UKHb2TBl7wG7bwLHda9M/s800/IMG_20231212_141034029_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwvUQT3nwGuDrI4KNqut-kTvz1hHThgVp_Al2YWO3OTWHQtpDI5WWM9lHV11vZ0S4IaV6wHsH02lAZgHME9z1U_BRoFOYxzOYhqefvxttpZtjiZSEXmtHOLcuyvUu8ToDHskZXeseCXopIrWhZDD_SRHHdO2TvimZsjd6z6W_UKHb2TBl7wG7bwLHda9M/w482-h640/IMG_20231212_141034029_HDR.jpg" width="482" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We had been a little curious about how Dixie would react to a small charming dog in our trailer. Amazingly, it all went very well. That is, as long Emma would keep her distance from Dixie's bed. Obviously, that was where Dixie said ENOUGH of this!</b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25k-TZigQp9XYeYJECSag7SSKMHOofns65KnMLktJbfr25lbPniRUMoUp6nM7VIOcNNpJBYkgjPH03HR8OXeLXm_bVIHKAsOD6nfMCvk4H17i1OURG7z2zRoPoho36ng7sIhqMhYMwcBMXfa8f39lfs82kKFAXBY_Gwnoh92oCZZI9ujy_nPwLdygxJ12/s800/IMG_20231212_141023374_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25k-TZigQp9XYeYJECSag7SSKMHOofns65KnMLktJbfr25lbPniRUMoUp6nM7VIOcNNpJBYkgjPH03HR8OXeLXm_bVIHKAsOD6nfMCvk4H17i1OURG7z2zRoPoho36ng7sIhqMhYMwcBMXfa8f39lfs82kKFAXBY_Gwnoh92oCZZI9ujy_nPwLdygxJ12/s320/IMG_20231212_141023374_HDR.jpg" width="241" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But Dixie is probably one of the most accommodating and friendly dogs you would find. She just about gets along with any dog unless she meets aggression from a counterpart.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Emma was dropped off at our place shortly after 7am, and after realizing her owner was gone she began to cry. </b>B<b>ut it went over after half an hour. after which she crawled up beside the bag containing her food and leashes. And she stayed there until she got bored. After she decided she was done mourning, she came out and was looking for us and Dixie. Emma began a charme campaign and let me say she was very successful with that. She is just such a cutie pie.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>She also came along when it was time for our 2.5-mile daily morning walk. </b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0oRo-YBcnkk9SMW0AgpcjR1i6X-UntzOmektiPlAtViXMHtSdPl5JXZ0d0mn-5WRIruhzIOgG-r5eOW-C6Ykfm6X7F3EXFvR2ricen6c-pw8wZxeQ2XwesAO9bhkHNV9IWUEHKzwbmUEvt7zK4-zj6y7C9X9kU_w8muA6w6lJ0j5hR-oGbHI4s2G-qQ1/s800/IMG_20231212_164550910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0oRo-YBcnkk9SMW0AgpcjR1i6X-UntzOmektiPlAtViXMHtSdPl5JXZ0d0mn-5WRIruhzIOgG-r5eOW-C6Ykfm6X7F3EXFvR2ricen6c-pw8wZxeQ2XwesAO9bhkHNV9IWUEHKzwbmUEvt7zK4-zj6y7C9X9kU_w8muA6w6lJ0j5hR-oGbHI4s2G-qQ1/s320/IMG_20231212_164550910.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>During the afternoon she slept on our couch and after dark she placed herself confidently between Bea and myself probably dreaming of her owner returning to pick her up again. And he did come at around 9pm. Emma was beside her self when she saw him come through the door.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So much fun to have a visitor like her putting a highlight on our day here.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk1015jVDVS10eGDoH3nPE-wYzj15lEJo6vCywL_FmgVJgS4CVFA7KzCFM4rZ-zIDkNJADI0fQHhAAxUhbi1nds32WmUtRY-HWiiMRyVOSnc2qk8CP4eBLj8jkr3psmXNeYsFuOHtzMkZ3qT4YZbRV6MTm6mHz4LnNnpM5_x-0ls_deXNMl6k-I39zIq-/s800/IMG_20231212_202516514-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk1015jVDVS10eGDoH3nPE-wYzj15lEJo6vCywL_FmgVJgS4CVFA7KzCFM4rZ-zIDkNJADI0fQHhAAxUhbi1nds32WmUtRY-HWiiMRyVOSnc2qk8CP4eBLj8jkr3psmXNeYsFuOHtzMkZ3qT4YZbRV6MTm6mHz4LnNnpM5_x-0ls_deXNMl6k-I39zIq-/w301-h400/IMG_20231212_202516514-001.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">Cuddling up with my reserve dad</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVmZ1oH2YNU_ftvMl09LKSOZYRJ2jQUd81QELcRxM3OJISrnmxqQ5R9UK97fx4h5KALsbSsQ8n6IzTJCQFEAIEPxoNNB0dRRqYEQHtagch-ncyggVvDnEf1YGJH8-wj-KIzvB3Cnedhbi-v7kMY0Ty6lhqnI4mHqApOFSyrDm1aeeughdVUUPEYS1h6y5/s800/IMG_20231212_131018529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="800" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVmZ1oH2YNU_ftvMl09LKSOZYRJ2jQUd81QELcRxM3OJISrnmxqQ5R9UK97fx4h5KALsbSsQ8n6IzTJCQFEAIEPxoNNB0dRRqYEQHtagch-ncyggVvDnEf1YGJH8-wj-KIzvB3Cnedhbi-v7kMY0Ty6lhqnI4mHqApOFSyrDm1aeeughdVUUPEYS1h6y5/w400-h396/IMG_20231212_131018529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I wonder whether Emma can find me here?</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSqcQg8_Cqd4b3AhxRZQ67fBCFDO7-j-xSUyoykKOUGBlLtrf3QvfhgXf3mYpCeGYUqP1bqHEhR0qMwnA0h_Cq9ovsf3rqBHXKazVSPw-BCPOxSAd1XN4j5myxeMQR3LJnVkZEsDpnDvNC3Fz29qmCld4yIURhMxsV2i7FHFiv5iOppOdP8nU_OCA9V2b/s800/IMG_20231208_132838336-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSqcQg8_Cqd4b3AhxRZQ67fBCFDO7-j-xSUyoykKOUGBlLtrf3QvfhgXf3mYpCeGYUqP1bqHEhR0qMwnA0h_Cq9ovsf3rqBHXKazVSPw-BCPOxSAd1XN4j5myxeMQR3LJnVkZEsDpnDvNC3Fz29qmCld4yIURhMxsV2i7FHFiv5iOppOdP8nU_OCA9V2b/w400-h301/IMG_20231208_132838336-001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-42027249326669403622023-12-05T23:17:00.000-04:002023-12-05T23:17:16.896-04:00The Ongoing Recovery And Life Returns To Normal<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span><span style="font-size: large;">his year's trip south has been a rollercoaster of sorts with all kind of unexpected things happening.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The more I think about it, the more I also can enjoy "normality" again. Our days are now following a routine which was built years ago when we first arrived here in 2005.</b></span></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back in 2005 I was just 53yrs., and we were both the youngest around here. Everybody around us was much older. Now the tables have turned. A new generation of campers is coming here. Recently, we have seen very young people with small children here. I guess they have remote work, so they don't need to live in a permanent brick and stick home.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now, we are up with first daylight (or some times earlier) having a nice European breakfast with rolls, jam, eggs and coffee. Next is our morning walk half around the campground and up the irrigation canal. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Back home again we usually clear up the trailer for the day, or run a few errands to town, which we did today. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Afternoons are lazy time, with napping or puttering around outside. Between 2:30pm and 3pm it's coffee time. Some times neighbours show up for a chat. After coffee it's time for a Dixie-walk again and from 4:30pm the sun will be gone behind the western horizon, 30 minutes later it's pitch dark.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now it's time to think of preparing supper. Bea made a delicious pasta with meat sauce today. What a delight!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>While these days are flowing one after the other, my personal recovery is taking place. I have become a pill eater which sort of manifests that I am officially old now. Never thought of that and it still seems foreign to me.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I still feel just a tad of the pain, early in the morning, but it's only in a finger or two. A little tingling...barely.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>When the drama is over - peace is soo much more valuable!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhil-AWixxeQVdaiTuQIZNgRl9uDHp6saAQLZ4DEfxLmeV41jjss9HivN_osh9NHijp2Ei09ZeRaYUin94KyKS8HBkJoWWWUiwy4lzUufJ8E2D8bKl7PZuAmI2LUO4CTO9lJ9c-ykkWjzN-Xe0k3wYD6SpBrrQL5zGWnl1zelfVIXa0zHrplQyrxdsK9hei/s800/IMG_20231205_075818890_BURST000_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhil-AWixxeQVdaiTuQIZNgRl9uDHp6saAQLZ4DEfxLmeV41jjss9HivN_osh9NHijp2Ei09ZeRaYUin94KyKS8HBkJoWWWUiwy4lzUufJ8E2D8bKl7PZuAmI2LUO4CTO9lJ9c-ykkWjzN-Xe0k3wYD6SpBrrQL5zGWnl1zelfVIXa0zHrplQyrxdsK9hei/w482-h640/IMG_20231205_075818890_BURST000_COVER.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our every-day morning walk, Bea finds a lot of birds around here, while Dixie is looking for sticks she can carry home and I am just enjoying being here.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTbSmTmJTbtR3x21piRGgMvsENapgGuNjAJvh0vWNc-mQ9vqBHn_c-y1vaC9osac-f424l24yDN0RUWLZT7k__mPeOiIsWD1vTHZTbjoLrtlVYDX06oAOMA4RynyjqsOxGdrPMwqN-zrijfwXEgHMBlyIpmghxp7D8auNivDWFQ3dmoqgsWPPQcg5SHOI/s800/IMG_20231205_075952117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTbSmTmJTbtR3x21piRGgMvsENapgGuNjAJvh0vWNc-mQ9vqBHn_c-y1vaC9osac-f424l24yDN0RUWLZT7k__mPeOiIsWD1vTHZTbjoLrtlVYDX06oAOMA4RynyjqsOxGdrPMwqN-zrijfwXEgHMBlyIpmghxp7D8auNivDWFQ3dmoqgsWPPQcg5SHOI/w640-h482/IMG_20231205_075952117.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-72158402258710806112023-12-02T23:40:00.000-04:002023-12-02T23:40:17.418-04:00Hello, Life Is Good Again And We Celebrated With Donuts!<p> <span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span><span style="font-size: large;">oming back from Yuma yesterday, we were in a better mood. My swelling had started to go down, the pain was gone and I got a prescription for meds to help me negotiate this problem to its end.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I ran over to the pharmacy in Holtville to fill the prescriptions so I could start treatment right away in the morning.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The big question in my mind was, would I be able to sleep through the night? </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>With the pain gone and feeling reasonably tired after a long day, I was in bed at 9pm. Within minutes I had entered into a deep sleep. The pain did not return, my hand healed over night and at 6am the next morning I was back to normal. Got up, made myself a coffee and a warm porridge breakfast and relaxed on the couch awaiting full daylight. At 7:30 I drove down to the Hot Spring and put myself into one of the hot pools. Could heaven be sooo wonderful? I felt just great. Beside of me was a gentleman from Minnesota. It turned out his name was Peter. Haha....Over the next 30 minutes Peter and I had a great conversation. Coming down from Minnesota, Peter was of Norwegian heritage. Minnesota is full of them Scandinavians. So why not meet one of them here in the pool?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The day turned out to be wonderful with lots of sun, and feeling so invigorated, I decided to drive to El Centro to pay a visit to my favorite grocer in town. Of course, it's the German ALDI market. Not only do they have the best prices on most groceries but they also import the WINTERNACHT Christmas collection of goodies from Germany, whiteout which we cannot celebrate Christmas.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCeu9EcnuN16ewwT7bza6oJaDKxCCTObz1NarEld5XgQ8jWLNXUujEjx0bJJkO7tv3Jvb4YO8jbvW1FnEWKSeHmDdhW2vlDxr3viF5YdC5GKRy20O3vljTGHBNPfxARixLDsAMnmb7wji2Epl8Bmzvk_AEM0L3hsrEmGBdukLIIXBqVT66QoEB-8uIHEd/s800/Winternacht.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCeu9EcnuN16ewwT7bza6oJaDKxCCTObz1NarEld5XgQ8jWLNXUujEjx0bJJkO7tv3Jvb4YO8jbvW1FnEWKSeHmDdhW2vlDxr3viF5YdC5GKRy20O3vljTGHBNPfxARixLDsAMnmb7wji2Epl8Bmzvk_AEM0L3hsrEmGBdukLIIXBqVT66QoEB-8uIHEd/w640-h482/Winternacht.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;"> ALDI'S display of German Christmas Goodies</span></b><br /><b style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxkEdml9Nf2Uq6eM2WBY-vGI9EOJDE2X0cqlYCYgyo4lYrn5P-zC9GgRtxrgEsH4A3tNG4gBXX65Eu0ocjxCHhbvTqWGcj2jycLNIrW27eIoBH-ehLu4ZH_3_tre8ymZLIUFA5ZdwdFiGisYlKU4LV0U50bTtjxJxoQDdA-2taVYIP66gPlheV-r2hsWZ/s800/IMG_20231202_113043782-003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="800" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxkEdml9Nf2Uq6eM2WBY-vGI9EOJDE2X0cqlYCYgyo4lYrn5P-zC9GgRtxrgEsH4A3tNG4gBXX65Eu0ocjxCHhbvTqWGcj2jycLNIrW27eIoBH-ehLu4ZH_3_tre8ymZLIUFA5ZdwdFiGisYlKU4LV0U50bTtjxJxoQDdA-2taVYIP66gPlheV-r2hsWZ/w640-h336/IMG_20231202_113043782-003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And my very own selection of it. BTW. the little Stollen in the front came in a package directly from Germany</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So I went a little overboard with this today, telling myself that after all, Christmas is only once a year.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But I also went to Walmart, which is only a block away from ALDI. I steered right into the bakery section where I grabbed a box of 12 wonderful looking donuts and another bag of 24 of our morning rolls. Walmart is the only one having these treasures. </b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44O6K2v9o8rkHQrz3Fke65L1NfOw35eTokT0pbqGUQ-P2uUtYrOQU7kq8qc0cSwc8l0lOlX3dwpEhQRIiQkIRn_U1hyCVgTosWbCWgcCdDG1aayCAfexbLcOppZEBFtZvm3KnaFzZG4BRWaopA4f9BkwLppDF6j_jKGCwGqB7ug3ED_tRfW5ZmJOa51sK/s800/IMG_20231202_131509184.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44O6K2v9o8rkHQrz3Fke65L1NfOw35eTokT0pbqGUQ-P2uUtYrOQU7kq8qc0cSwc8l0lOlX3dwpEhQRIiQkIRn_U1hyCVgTosWbCWgcCdDG1aayCAfexbLcOppZEBFtZvm3KnaFzZG4BRWaopA4f9BkwLppDF6j_jKGCwGqB7ug3ED_tRfW5ZmJOa51sK/w640-h482/IMG_20231202_131509184.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>All set for the party</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yajahYace_Jr__0H4ttbJkThJVkk7q8vjE8a4Z2PLE0y9wh57XmhMZTTIbeXgPYkJPv8XxrpQsqu1Qbxwz5HX5UyQyUkLGOounJmDpdD3soPsxc9G9bhffWU830OrwO5lemZLqDB0mX1XCJPwaUlrPJLiu_Xs68kdWAJbvhWILpDQ1h-wT0alFLw4qRD/s800/IMG_20231202_151208869_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yajahYace_Jr__0H4ttbJkThJVkk7q8vjE8a4Z2PLE0y9wh57XmhMZTTIbeXgPYkJPv8XxrpQsqu1Qbxwz5HX5UyQyUkLGOounJmDpdD3soPsxc9G9bhffWU830OrwO5lemZLqDB0mX1XCJPwaUlrPJLiu_Xs68kdWAJbvhWILpDQ1h-wT0alFLw4qRD/w640-h482/IMG_20231202_151208869_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And here are they, except two who already had another invitation</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We had invited all of our friends for a get-together at 2:30pm for a Donut Party. Needless to say we had a great time together. </b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MfDLvbmdF9p7hqyQTXSl0x_SNJIukFSOt1l2yyGjrJcn_Zbt0JG4ZRDbf1mQvK9gHxsUsqjQoWqL-Ek3i1X3-pgEzT_2b7sinA3b0D6Pks0iyce7jsGxysV_OVKpbY4tm6E6Z6fMwRHhfYpNgnzOrw7pa5pPwLF-MiN5Nj_-lHmTPcAc7v2khzdJQEUf/s800/IMG_20231202_151218394.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="800" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MfDLvbmdF9p7hqyQTXSl0x_SNJIukFSOt1l2yyGjrJcn_Zbt0JG4ZRDbf1mQvK9gHxsUsqjQoWqL-Ek3i1X3-pgEzT_2b7sinA3b0D6Pks0iyce7jsGxysV_OVKpbY4tm6E6Z6fMwRHhfYpNgnzOrw7pa5pPwLF-MiN5Nj_-lHmTPcAc7v2khzdJQEUf/s320/IMG_20231202_151218394.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And high above, I had hung the sign of last winter's unfortunate Cherry Pie production. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now off to vacation time, cause it's about time</b></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-56683906634829028522023-12-01T23:11:00.003-04:002023-12-01T23:14:01.796-04:00Congratulations Sir, You Got Osteo-Arthritis<p> <span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">hen a nurse or doctor had asked me, I always gave them the same answer: "No, I don't take any medications". And they all had seemed so surprised. A guy of my age not taking any meds on a regular basis seemed unheard of.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>But that has now changed for ever. After another "night from hell", we both had gotten enough and decided to drive to Yuma for paying a visit to the ER at the Yuma Regional Health.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglwscd2KdLu57XFMnHPBrp_BY41ZZwRcOYMVaLvd1n6Cz_7rzRUdtFHlXV-mw1mhTaA-ebnAC7-LMFUMp2RdTuJ9IhliBh88goFDAFbR29Y_P6Q1q9YutcURKnEdGSjiYubSNDWa84nyn0jQAEeAlFIGk0q4W8DpiXxGXPCiPd6FkfaowwT0njuzASGh3N" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglwscd2KdLu57XFMnHPBrp_BY41ZZwRcOYMVaLvd1n6Cz_7rzRUdtFHlXV-mw1mhTaA-ebnAC7-LMFUMp2RdTuJ9IhliBh88goFDAFbR29Y_P6Q1q9YutcURKnEdGSjiYubSNDWa84nyn0jQAEeAlFIGk0q4W8DpiXxGXPCiPd6FkfaowwT0njuzASGh3N" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEho54WJEPRNlgGibUfFh99nEDSajQSP4rc2rMG0dwxNmZ7wgPIJVUiyPLlQnHinNn5a0ijJiEjscA3v5lnaqanVYptsf7_T6bTdf-jVV-OSAQhlmjxp8AgfuLxH91lShc2g5Nl2DXTPEiBAq2Bd45MYAzwlkHJ7iE_MD2EFPjHiYJfOgHwRwHywC8eJRHfH" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="860" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEho54WJEPRNlgGibUfFh99nEDSajQSP4rc2rMG0dwxNmZ7wgPIJVUiyPLlQnHinNn5a0ijJiEjscA3v5lnaqanVYptsf7_T6bTdf-jVV-OSAQhlmjxp8AgfuLxH91lShc2g5Nl2DXTPEiBAq2Bd45MYAzwlkHJ7iE_MD2EFPjHiYJfOgHwRwHywC8eJRHfH=w640-h334" width="640" /></a></div><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn5xfyj-yLbQyAYzUusdLLMZiCRMMAgxnfUYpgpNvJ-ubn6Xzrtdu2ysBQkDK0-fbAv707I8mGtYzOORADSQvpjsaSeep9Br0DDapu8OhNoxQiOorQ1pZgX238m9Gq1XF-FmcHMjKqUc8tVw1B3qurfJGZ8A_T2q9IX7_hW1eXGbUdbdUErTai3ntIMoJf" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="828" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn5xfyj-yLbQyAYzUusdLLMZiCRMMAgxnfUYpgpNvJ-ubn6Xzrtdu2ysBQkDK0-fbAv707I8mGtYzOORADSQvpjsaSeep9Br0DDapu8OhNoxQiOorQ1pZgX238m9Gq1XF-FmcHMjKqUc8tVw1B3qurfJGZ8A_T2q9IX7_hW1eXGbUdbdUErTai3ntIMoJf=w640-h342" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span><b style="font-family: arial;">And we made sure we got there early in the day. Entering into the ER-unit itself was impressive. It was a huge waiting hall with maybe 7-8 people waiting in a space where there could have been room for hundreds.</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Positive surprise right away!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>After 30 minutes of waiting I was called in. I will spare you all the details, but this facility is the best hospital I have ever seen. Modern, well-equipped and stocked with friendly and competent people. I just wish my province of New Brunswick would sport something like this.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>When the tests had ended, I saw my doc again and he had no really bad news (all the tests seemed fine) BUT the diagnosis confirmed what I had been expecting all along:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Sir, you got Osteo-Arthritis,</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And there you have it. Cold and clear. Better adjust to it, boy or else...</b></span></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-2875048181187155472023-11-30T22:45:00.003-04:002023-11-30T22:45:47.272-04:00Maybe This Is The Year We Should've Stayed At Home<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> Of course, you have been wondering why blog posts were interrupted. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>There is a very reason to it: I am sick!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I think it all began on the 3rd. day of our trip. I had body aches when getting out from behind the wheel and my fingers had been tingling after hours of driving.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>From there it went all downhill. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Excruciating pain in my right hand, especially at night, depriving me of sleep for 4 nights, as of now. The hand is all swollen up and feels "on fire". and I still have body aches all over. Words like ARTHRITIS, GOUT and other scary scenarios are spooking around in my brain. This goes along with unreasonable chills, having me looking for my jacket even when inside the trailer. Monday will find me in an ER and hopefully, we will know more by the evening. Meanwhile, I got a numbing cream to put on my hand to douse the pain, which I hope will allow for some sleep again.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Bea is taking this very heavy and has thrown around ideas of going home. It even affected her nightmare scenarios. But that doesn't look too attractive, especially in my current condition. I'd rather fly home and get it checked out, but Bea and Dixie would have to stay behind. So for now, we have landed on the ER-visit on Monday.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with our friends and enjoy the company of all those people, many of which we have known for years.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Using this key board hurts my swollen fingers, so I'll call is quits for today.</b></span></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-39463653411805618922023-11-24T23:57:00.002-04:002023-11-24T23:57:31.755-04:00What The Other Half says....<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> if you click on the following link you can get the actual view of my better half with some updated infos about how this adventure is going now. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>https://gosidewalk.blogspot.com</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TU4_LCSmgpD9giA_zdmKLSAywhJt3O6S2irKlmcTDcQ2uU4ChFXhtSbpCLLpQPgEh2rIalDRyiWTHz7FSsHVFsnhXylUfZm2E1t5n0L1Oy1y0LZ1PtNo42JqA1C5AQHbiu8jDier4-3pgJLvHI0-FM30uWg_tUN2QiWiKDiftBEofxXxtQ7JtqHrZzdT/s4160/IMG_20221130_144332312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TU4_LCSmgpD9giA_zdmKLSAywhJt3O6S2irKlmcTDcQ2uU4ChFXhtSbpCLLpQPgEh2rIalDRyiWTHz7FSsHVFsnhXylUfZm2E1t5n0L1Oy1y0LZ1PtNo42JqA1C5AQHbiu8jDier4-3pgJLvHI0-FM30uWg_tUN2QiWiKDiftBEofxXxtQ7JtqHrZzdT/w640-h360/IMG_20221130_144332312.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-66053819296813555452023-11-23T01:54:00.003-04:002023-11-23T02:00:30.355-04:00We Were ridin' Into The Sunset<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyub2Zw6VxnUvSE15YiOL4sY0HR1gAuIjInwoKL9LBEF2fnOVepTGRbuADXQ0wzmXYk9UUZw1WkS3979wSZP9oYD9RjO5F7JU_p4YDvhW5NbRilSG7_qExKttNH2hT2JwiyyoxxAcfWsX9JI5fBSNvOqy3Cvh3oIZVHnuj2XYpZeYo3qvvx-LWRM7wVChE/s800/DSCN0276.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="800" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyub2Zw6VxnUvSE15YiOL4sY0HR1gAuIjInwoKL9LBEF2fnOVepTGRbuADXQ0wzmXYk9UUZw1WkS3979wSZP9oYD9RjO5F7JU_p4YDvhW5NbRilSG7_qExKttNH2hT2JwiyyoxxAcfWsX9JI5fBSNvOqy3Cvh3oIZVHnuj2XYpZeYo3qvvx-LWRM7wVChE/w640-h504/DSCN0276.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">Little Baby Tarantula</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table></b></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>A miracle happened this morning. Something so unbelievably unreal, that all I could say "WOW".</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>My phone rang and a glance onto the display read "NAPA Auto Parts". Now, was it that they had given all up on the van or did they already close for Thanksgiving???</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>None of the above. The lady said "Your van is ready".</b></span></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hntczM_aX4BZYGTCkJLwSHF_S7AziZ-qy5cRYDR_8wOpcdiyb9hRcgmNHV-N68gQHT69yjBEqXgoV-NAJnfE0aHMQ9fZgVBRPtq-VmIFhQbU2io34IaGVFl75sp6OeYRFEwYJrtN1LMzWXB4wtm_Fe3opZJTK-NuNMRJkKxfGw2f3Wx8nQjAlLZmAeAR/s800/DSCN0269.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hntczM_aX4BZYGTCkJLwSHF_S7AziZ-qy5cRYDR_8wOpcdiyb9hRcgmNHV-N68gQHT69yjBEqXgoV-NAJnfE0aHMQ9fZgVBRPtq-VmIFhQbU2io34IaGVFl75sp6OeYRFEwYJrtN1LMzWXB4wtm_Fe3opZJTK-NuNMRJkKxfGw2f3Wx8nQjAlLZmAeAR/w400-h300/DSCN0269.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">WOW!</span></b></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">There it was. Our adventures along US Highways could continue.</span></b></p><p><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I told Yves about it, and his eyes lit up. Ready to go? Ready to go!</b></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rYsvmFjqLz0en5ziBzvj4gI78wIOqbb1Mtl0MW3PfSfp43-VuN2wEnDHjYFhWX8OAL6rNnczhCvY3DdUr9K4sdI-j02IdMM2GAx7S7ujfLilAYeIjAzuo81YURf5pT-8lxM620ETbTVkEypdcox07hn8iuNpcBQZGpBNuRmBqMv-MjnOgq10c89WatCd/s800/DSCN0277.JPG" style="clear: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rYsvmFjqLz0en5ziBzvj4gI78wIOqbb1Mtl0MW3PfSfp43-VuN2wEnDHjYFhWX8OAL6rNnczhCvY3DdUr9K4sdI-j02IdMM2GAx7S7ujfLilAYeIjAzuo81YURf5pT-8lxM620ETbTVkEypdcox07hn8iuNpcBQZGpBNuRmBqMv-MjnOgq10c89WatCd/w640-h480/DSCN0277.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Last evening in WHY</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Arriving at the shop I saw the van parked outside the gate. It was like an apparition. After 8 days in the shop, it was finally ready to serve us again.</b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlArAa7M3MCGs5-qmerclY2sIE9Jr9WZc06oyWk_Zt2LwfQqRl8LzVZNy6EblBzkxj2jA4QvZuiyBzhMrP3ZmMVFM5UuuTzJKiYXTc0bWjFmOJqw5FIgtpgA8b6Hu7PaKt2DjIBjeeBJ1E-JObfMgxyQNb31AghJtUhjE8Xg8axLZf7Hv_2oman3JWB9fI/s800/DSCN0281.JPG" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="800" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlArAa7M3MCGs5-qmerclY2sIE9Jr9WZc06oyWk_Zt2LwfQqRl8LzVZNy6EblBzkxj2jA4QvZuiyBzhMrP3ZmMVFM5UuuTzJKiYXTc0bWjFmOJqw5FIgtpgA8b6Hu7PaKt2DjIBjeeBJ1E-JObfMgxyQNb31AghJtUhjE8Xg8axLZf7Hv_2oman3JWB9fI/w640-h172/DSCN0281.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I quickly crawled under the van to check on the cables - they were all shiny new. I tried the shifter.... it worked just fine.</b></span></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSsjB3H0rALyY7_1pZZBbpTClWbHiSnRUY2SLFwF6QvIHcepIrDVnW42KVckIGu_0GIZXE6BXkZW-DGVIvAkKQG-claMjk09nRu7m_zg5uii0fHoAuUz0BSaTl6YlKCkMaz5aUH0U3qG4N_B__Zemz_EgqIrD0azmPp-oVFu0SfGcW-IQxhwE2YPcpRSv/s800/DSCN0283.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="800" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSsjB3H0rALyY7_1pZZBbpTClWbHiSnRUY2SLFwF6QvIHcepIrDVnW42KVckIGu_0GIZXE6BXkZW-DGVIvAkKQG-claMjk09nRu7m_zg5uii0fHoAuUz0BSaTl6YlKCkMaz5aUH0U3qG4N_B__Zemz_EgqIrD0azmPp-oVFu0SfGcW-IQxhwE2YPcpRSv/s320/DSCN0283.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08p5c0SK7gwJQHXYlZqD9nJRcbCH9GEqbfs7alrMPeuunhsMNqYY-b70leyFhlUdSSnrfhPnis4haZo3RGxp2LyIR2DoS19ZWiWyreJ6Eyigg4RudPX56UWi_cJAsg0HTleFT4Ehk0ciGueft-58n3btn7YYWxKeoXuO5jRqI8OLTeoJIdSqANXXCY8Nt/s800/DSCN0337.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="800" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08p5c0SK7gwJQHXYlZqD9nJRcbCH9GEqbfs7alrMPeuunhsMNqYY-b70leyFhlUdSSnrfhPnis4haZo3RGxp2LyIR2DoS19ZWiWyreJ6Eyigg4RudPX56UWi_cJAsg0HTleFT4Ehk0ciGueft-58n3btn7YYWxKeoXuO5jRqI8OLTeoJIdSqANXXCY8Nt/s320/DSCN0337.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>After paying up (it wasn't so bad) I drove over to Olsen's groceries, filled up 2 5-gal water containers got a few more groceries and made it over to the gas station. Compared to other places in AZ, Ajo takes the cake when it comes to the highest gas prices. Cheapest was $4.05 (minus my rebate). Even out in Gila Bend, which is notoriously expensive, the price of gas was significantly ($3.59) lower. But we needed a fill-up.</b></span></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGHDHvQsy9ogSoZ5cRfoic_KoNxQxZ7quGRLZbXkZuLc0O_evd6CTE6Vi-2KJon9KIGLuq2bkU2WtiL4GNL9ldIp6fcJe3j2Agfe6afFlZakZNm9LcMe3-ZX5gaaKWbBnA9Epa8SDC8kGJ_hZH1fWmKseafl1UZ8e7u0FO1ymaTDyCCiH3RCy6xlqXrXe/s800/DSCN0292.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGHDHvQsy9ogSoZ5cRfoic_KoNxQxZ7quGRLZbXkZuLc0O_evd6CTE6Vi-2KJon9KIGLuq2bkU2WtiL4GNL9ldIp6fcJe3j2Agfe6afFlZakZNm9LcMe3-ZX5gaaKWbBnA9Epa8SDC8kGJ_hZH1fWmKseafl1UZ8e7u0FO1ymaTDyCCiH3RCy6xlqXrXe/s320/DSCN0292.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>We also needed a fill of a 7gal. Propane tank. There was a station on the other side of the road, and that's where I went. Price tag said 4.89/gal. What?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I know that even in California propane is $3.99. What on earth is wrong here in Ajo? I guess local town council has decided to take advantage of the fact that the town is enroute to Mexico, thus increasing local taxes and that everybody needs to stop for fill-ups. Well, I wouldn't want to stay there for the winter. </b></span></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQSc8P8X7oVCJv6lBGVcQEM3J1vA-rSyxS4sF9iW2nEYnv_GLFX-mYrnm6LY3asxfxlwNFnCUh6vimhaWI8P99pwAITnzyF-wZ238ILPTQuKu_HWMlEmVu4uGfykvtkKqS33jrfcGGTJgj89h_4zqmQpQjiEPM4Yo4M2TByaZgRIosNk2K-EAMYRxureJ/s800/DSCN0313.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQSc8P8X7oVCJv6lBGVcQEM3J1vA-rSyxS4sF9iW2nEYnv_GLFX-mYrnm6LY3asxfxlwNFnCUh6vimhaWI8P99pwAITnzyF-wZ238ILPTQuKu_HWMlEmVu4uGfykvtkKqS33jrfcGGTJgj89h_4zqmQpQjiEPM4Yo4M2TByaZgRIosNk2K-EAMYRxureJ/s320/DSCN0313.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXRtCU5ZaGprbSIG1xq0fEkVorFzyOoMDLDnwRNxW42fv8_bdFEArX0aMEMY9Apqf-XqXIBeL80_W1cduXN51_t0URRLMTkRhZGyGyffyfZnRRMvahOHg3p376tYNSbPrhNpQk5b4eP2tvs-Mxh9V3V_eQU_mTVw3vsiprj2k-kheOT3jFa1LkYTw42WQ/s800/DSCN0304.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="800" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXRtCU5ZaGprbSIG1xq0fEkVorFzyOoMDLDnwRNxW42fv8_bdFEArX0aMEMY9Apqf-XqXIBeL80_W1cduXN51_t0URRLMTkRhZGyGyffyfZnRRMvahOHg3p376tYNSbPrhNpQk5b4eP2tvs-Mxh9V3V_eQU_mTVw3vsiprj2k-kheOT3jFa1LkYTw42WQ/s320/DSCN0304.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Btw. the BLM in Why is a great place to stay for the allotted 14 days, we loved the views and the walks and lately even some friendly people stopped by to say hello.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>But the camp can never be home for us. Simply because "Home" for us is at the Holtville Hot Springs BLM.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>After we had dumped our waste water at the Coyote Howls RV Park ($12) we hit the highway 85, first north to Gila Bend then following I-8 via Yuma,AZ all the way to Holtville.</b></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKpFY0aFstzZizf__dkQUGhO5Xe-lJPhbXUB1zliuJCvBkjoRq-RKXaM4X2ZoRs5uWnUSgOa7WkZxWm0o-ShfymS_g1qfm_tGIE3liNMYp8nIH6JFL3MQpBH7Mkao34aNpPy9qUvqjkHE2baoWBClpA2Op2GTjqEkz3Kahab-aQUpcjipzmBiIwBa6iPt/s800/DSCN0340.JPG" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="800" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKpFY0aFstzZizf__dkQUGhO5Xe-lJPhbXUB1zliuJCvBkjoRq-RKXaM4X2ZoRs5uWnUSgOa7WkZxWm0o-ShfymS_g1qfm_tGIE3liNMYp8nIH6JFL3MQpBH7Mkao34aNpPy9qUvqjkHE2baoWBClpA2Op2GTjqEkz3Kahab-aQUpcjipzmBiIwBa6iPt/w640-h260/DSCN0340.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Mural in AJO</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx952LDwuqljIQe5HOHu5uJC8CsEun8pC67DfLUCT3s9ryVdc8sznaPcqyx45QhVISXNo_Of9tZvakNYUY_g3T6VTxF7h9Iknc2RH5u5PcmexKy7GDuMM7wUZB2wCnKbX8cOEdUYgYuLltgQH-YNpCx4bqRNCW3dDV5R64zHaFvi6wTDVqZi8IeN4jD9u/s800/DSCN0345.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="800" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx952LDwuqljIQe5HOHu5uJC8CsEun8pC67DfLUCT3s9ryVdc8sznaPcqyx45QhVISXNo_Of9tZvakNYUY_g3T6VTxF7h9Iknc2RH5u5PcmexKy7GDuMM7wUZB2wCnKbX8cOEdUYgYuLltgQH-YNpCx4bqRNCW3dDV5R64zHaFvi6wTDVqZi8IeN4jD9u/w658-h309/DSCN0345.JPG" width="658" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I can get a kick out of Bea's comments when we are approaching the BLM Camp. "I can see the water tower" "Now I can see the Power Plant", and needless to say I can't but getting excited myself and now I have to control my gas foot, cause in CA vehicles with trailers cannot exceed 55mph.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctrhViOrnGEEB7vw6xIZARwHMC-kQPsZ6bhNo6dBaahsTljqQs9dECc53-pjz4QSLz9FNef469CyVCys0Sz-tNp3mBEv2buNd-bBEXEobHJ0gL4flWt9aqOEO5lWUUmQMCmBXSePLBIzo9kWcv3B2GhZh9-BhoPZIp4SoZMSGNtBDRqizLx6QHYHkay1b/s800/DSCN0348.JPG" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="800" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctrhViOrnGEEB7vw6xIZARwHMC-kQPsZ6bhNo6dBaahsTljqQs9dECc53-pjz4QSLz9FNef469CyVCys0Sz-tNp3mBEv2buNd-bBEXEobHJ0gL4flWt9aqOEO5lWUUmQMCmBXSePLBIzo9kWcv3B2GhZh9-BhoPZIp4SoZMSGNtBDRqizLx6QHYHkay1b/w640-h224/DSCN0348.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>We had started from Why around 1:30pm and were now heading west against the setting sun. Minutes after the sun had gone below the mountain range in Mexico, we arrived at the LTVA. (Long Term Visitor Area)</b></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjD-TZz4AMY7UbJ0wYADCC_cXOfY0Eoaqa-0ca4X5sI5ZBNoR23Yks1VIxKTJ4W5QEVliAx1n3UacjRRVAF3Rk919bqPkdDP7Rx3WmbBVk1QzzEy2S6Xr6ErBawD3h2Sp60RavRQCdJp44t5AxdyX30xTDCQaelumsPwqSiiY78LHJMlg-kvnsL3CA3kw/s800/DSCN0394.JPG" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="800" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjD-TZz4AMY7UbJ0wYADCC_cXOfY0Eoaqa-0ca4X5sI5ZBNoR23Yks1VIxKTJ4W5QEVliAx1n3UacjRRVAF3Rk919bqPkdDP7Rx3WmbBVk1QzzEy2S6Xr6ErBawD3h2Sp60RavRQCdJp44t5AxdyX30xTDCQaelumsPwqSiiY78LHJMlg-kvnsL3CA3kw/w640-h348/DSCN0394.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Thanksgiving traffic on I-8 near Yuma</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSohvpzC-mbwOvINn38HuG0GgoYqpQn5gu9864blEJt9DXoFOkzSx2PHlY96kgqi_8uwqzeMnL-mWBm2M3y0vryN4z_SbJmc2UsvUGoHJEfVFIZWA1Muk7NDGLBzlTE7xzPNf_NXtldq48aZxm_TTqyfdFiCyl4Zws0cummcLcY2x3CdnqvxteOF_Zxyg/s800/DSCN0404.JPG" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="800" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSohvpzC-mbwOvINn38HuG0GgoYqpQn5gu9864blEJt9DXoFOkzSx2PHlY96kgqi_8uwqzeMnL-mWBm2M3y0vryN4z_SbJmc2UsvUGoHJEfVFIZWA1Muk7NDGLBzlTE7xzPNf_NXtldq48aZxm_TTqyfdFiCyl4Zws0cummcLcY2x3CdnqvxteOF_Zxyg/w640-h440/DSCN0404.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Our Turn-off</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKbsjcK_Y3tC10S47FyJ-CW-feeT7Zg5Lw85pM-J5UCUe4zUqHJhLG3K-3P0zlpjSCyiycQI-zL0UOrK9jipgNYPav566nZUHLn_KbyFqRDmTk_Ksu1bq2xlfSbHvk1FxJQ7nSrkxqtzxmRoh-1FcVab6nNdAcUrfe_XpoAdE22xuEFE9nQoTy-go89Ft/s800/DSCN0351.JPG" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="800" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKbsjcK_Y3tC10S47FyJ-CW-feeT7Zg5Lw85pM-J5UCUe4zUqHJhLG3K-3P0zlpjSCyiycQI-zL0UOrK9jipgNYPav566nZUHLn_KbyFqRDmTk_Ksu1bq2xlfSbHvk1FxJQ7nSrkxqtzxmRoh-1FcVab6nNdAcUrfe_XpoAdE22xuEFE9nQoTy-go89Ft/w640-h198/DSCN0351.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>We found "our spot" marked off with lights and a funny reminder of a disastrous pie I once made: "The Cherry Chisel Cake". How sweet of friends to remind me that I should not mess around with pie baking anymore. :-))</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Even after it got dark, friends came by to welcome us in camp. It was just wonderful.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>We are tired now, but I need to say that we are not the only ones being happily back here. Dixie went to inspect her old spots right away and I am so amazed with her ability to remember certain geographical locations.</b></span></span></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-50674535959222385522023-11-21T22:40:00.000-04:002023-11-21T22:40:29.774-04:00The Continuing Saga<p> <span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">ah...this was to be THE morning where we would receive a call letting us know that our van would be ready for pickup. After breakfast we did our Dixie-morning walk. It was a bit chilly when starting out, but warmed quickly so that I got rid of my sweater. The sky was super blue, not a single cloud to see.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Returning to camp site, Yves and Louise were up and outside with their coffees enjoying the nice morning. Chatting away with them the time flew by quickly. Since I had had a bad sleep last night, I napped a bit on the couch.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Before I knew it, it was lunch time. Hours ago, I had wondered why the shop hadn't called yet. So now I grabbed the phone and dialed their number. The news I got was simply devastating. The part from the GM-dealership had not arrived and after talking to the dealer it became clear that it was never shipped either.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>What in the world?????</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Yes, we would have to wait yet another day, but tomorrow, Wednesday, the part would definitely be in Ajo.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Honestly, I have given up all hope of getting the van back before Thanksgiving. Wednesday will be the last day before everything closes until Monday or even Tuesday which will then mark 14 days here at Why, when the plan was 3-4 days only.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>I am furious about such sloppy business attitude and wonder whether I have landed in a desolate part of Africa or whether this indeed is the United States.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>So here we are awaiting another day in the Arizona desert.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3R8XawOeBUmqlpyIRYbEWzjYtfZIU8EuVwSC6NmCrECDY_httwVTbifoMtjHgoKz0YMeISTrEryqu0rIXwMsDD8fFxOc-rhxfFKe4B5HimZ2keFTo16iN2Ft5bA4roOYcvFac96W9fGBbI7NdM2vZ3SqN8VyNvhQpfsOruLowHAnaSJ8j8TWqF36RbyD/s800/8ddfed26-53f1-48c7-b748-555547d1c3b4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="800" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3R8XawOeBUmqlpyIRYbEWzjYtfZIU8EuVwSC6NmCrECDY_httwVTbifoMtjHgoKz0YMeISTrEryqu0rIXwMsDD8fFxOc-rhxfFKe4B5HimZ2keFTo16iN2Ft5bA4roOYcvFac96W9fGBbI7NdM2vZ3SqN8VyNvhQpfsOruLowHAnaSJ8j8TWqF36RbyD/w640-h386/8ddfed26-53f1-48c7-b748-555547d1c3b4.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwX_PnLjR6Xe7IjktwxuElSbztmmUbaYTeL7id8ihUesru6jbOrpLBlgfZtfwl6dauhZyBclk_JtAXeE8kcTWcPQWcRIzRJJ9GI4gF5T3r3HGm4zy5cO0qUWFnw9ak7JsXmOZt7qbzXp_qgIK_VdZ_sapzVZ88RyTVo6wijU34Gj6jcTPr80Jxr59sY7s/s800/11471bf1-ca23-4bf8-abfd-15e94a25566e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="800" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwX_PnLjR6Xe7IjktwxuElSbztmmUbaYTeL7id8ihUesru6jbOrpLBlgfZtfwl6dauhZyBclk_JtAXeE8kcTWcPQWcRIzRJJ9GI4gF5T3r3HGm4zy5cO0qUWFnw9ak7JsXmOZt7qbzXp_qgIK_VdZ_sapzVZ88RyTVo6wijU34Gj6jcTPr80Jxr59sY7s/w640-h358/11471bf1-ca23-4bf8-abfd-15e94a25566e.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVClKH_lnEREqRBN2_AObSMjVxAu0WKvk4VvdYlM7V08EhqQYuTNwwwtCqCvZI1_NMpEWRitTe-52LEff0t3dh0NW4ErDlBOBu4X6eLONFWulfbwQ49YmdUBryzla7IUhbcveqekrhKcRQLMznA39lfGsCcUdMCXFQha9Rmug1NNQDtS8cey_5EQsDyEGN/s745/b1e73036-9b4a-4351-8246-6fc0bdf8a61a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="745" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVClKH_lnEREqRBN2_AObSMjVxAu0WKvk4VvdYlM7V08EhqQYuTNwwwtCqCvZI1_NMpEWRitTe-52LEff0t3dh0NW4ErDlBOBu4X6eLONFWulfbwQ49YmdUBryzla7IUhbcveqekrhKcRQLMznA39lfGsCcUdMCXFQha9Rmug1NNQDtS8cey_5EQsDyEGN/w640-h360/b1e73036-9b4a-4351-8246-6fc0bdf8a61a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-63068785801471898862023-11-21T00:26:00.001-04:002023-11-21T00:45:52.439-04:00We Still Haven't Made It To California<p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And you might just imagine why we are still hanging out in WHY,AZ. Of course, it is the ongoing drama with our van.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9aDFT6oFqmwFKCojzBBQhiTKZRgsMrQo5uTegM2Vumuiz0bClY5KbXVhnFGry61NX8rv_Jt2eC4sCEAa5qbrXNj8NcZinNN6y3UpuAOFWUEu3qZ5VumpysFmHnmPwS7ZHqX6Q0ZJW6Bl9lVII1d8ZnOPTEVaGlN25sUXlmSVugSJUXHZDAQezi8BxrXc/s4080/IMG_20231119_093346060%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9aDFT6oFqmwFKCojzBBQhiTKZRgsMrQo5uTegM2Vumuiz0bClY5KbXVhnFGry61NX8rv_Jt2eC4sCEAa5qbrXNj8NcZinNN6y3UpuAOFWUEu3qZ5VumpysFmHnmPwS7ZHqX6Q0ZJW6Bl9lVII1d8ZnOPTEVaGlN25sUXlmSVugSJUXHZDAQezi8BxrXc/s320/IMG_20231119_093346060%5B1%5D.jpg" width="241" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Today was supposedly the day when our van would be fully repaired, with transmission shifter cables installed. After calling at 8:15am I learned that the parts had arrived. At around 12:30pm I called again and was told the van would be ready in another hour. Half an hour later our friend Yves drove me to town. After getting some drinking water and a few groceries, it was time to pick up the van. </b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We quickly found out that the van was still on the hoist. Oh boy!</b></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFoMyzf4na2ZwN7DXiXF2Cd3K7fT7bcmMINjcdeT27dEiVtzZtmT9L7a6i60OkmUeRUhq1bJ-pPaMqOLPDqhB087m0AwsJBRs97isKN75xya2CHCgl8z3M93HxXu4pG75kE6voa5gN0yRSBeGxK3zZhGOEEo8ZSknnYXM8FnGVFi72_V2Mo8bcIk3wyaY/s699/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.14%20PM.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="699" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFoMyzf4na2ZwN7DXiXF2Cd3K7fT7bcmMINjcdeT27dEiVtzZtmT9L7a6i60OkmUeRUhq1bJ-pPaMqOLPDqhB087m0AwsJBRs97isKN75xya2CHCgl8z3M93HxXu4pG75kE6voa5gN0yRSBeGxK3zZhGOEEo8ZSknnYXM8FnGVFi72_V2Mo8bcIk3wyaY/w124-h124/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.14%20PM.jpg" width="124" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Then we were told that a tiny safety washer clip was missing. It was a crucial part as it would hold the 2 wires together. It didn't come with the new cables and Napa didn't have it. Needless to say, I was very disappointed.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We went back to the town center where we had a coffee and a pastry. (yummy! ]</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiBcdRuyxj3xCcYwuIF5oqPpEU8b6f8P-y6tkrBxRb1n92cZ1gj_tGA6d_jNeS0wij2Vh35kHJ_yrPcON4cW7LyP8zb-qzlpjiP-bVW9279CJRwNvwpmA9Ckr925cHEdrHZN5YwNWEzaHSIQHw3YkqMkj2vuAZe-vvVfR0vQBgN5sfd3q4ivlLHYKbJzD/s800/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.14%20PM%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="800" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiBcdRuyxj3xCcYwuIF5oqPpEU8b6f8P-y6tkrBxRb1n92cZ1gj_tGA6d_jNeS0wij2Vh35kHJ_yrPcON4cW7LyP8zb-qzlpjiP-bVW9279CJRwNvwpmA9Ckr925cHEdrHZN5YwNWEzaHSIQHw3YkqMkj2vuAZe-vvVfR0vQBgN5sfd3q4ivlLHYKbJzD/w640-h312/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.14%20PM%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLxN5CpYUkk84y5BQyclDxCIpfsetnWRAIWz5gBuetvrQn3NoKUd7ngyRfebWazJD_AKKTln9koDSe1ITyOo1Fhnyg_xSnPXlDTT5rY9hr41eF0XL1ARfXGfwwIGkytjnZYwkUv2sdybI_6VouzrXxL2fcuhJglzNFODpqzF1plP7gAfIVh262RQo8hz9/s800/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.15%20PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLxN5CpYUkk84y5BQyclDxCIpfsetnWRAIWz5gBuetvrQn3NoKUd7ngyRfebWazJD_AKKTln9koDSe1ITyOo1Fhnyg_xSnPXlDTT5rY9hr41eF0XL1ARfXGfwwIGkytjnZYwkUv2sdybI_6VouzrXxL2fcuhJglzNFODpqzF1plP7gAfIVh262RQo8hz9/w640-h482/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.15%20PM.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>We did a walk around the old Spanish plaza, then I called the shop again. They had now ordered it from a GM dealer (in Phoenix?) and it would be in Ajo in the morning.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Naturally, I am wondering why there hadn't been this washer clip when the cable had been taken out? Did the mechanic lose it? (it's really tiny) Or hadn't it been there at all? Questions without answers.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>What we did get an answer for is that the lower cable had never been replaced at the Chevrolet Dealership in Freehold, NJ. That makes a lot of sense, as I discovered the cobber wire which I had put on it, was still wrapped around the gear lever at the transmission, when it failed again here at the BLM.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The shifter cables made by DORMAN come with a really crappy bushing. So NAPA has replaced it right away with a better bushing.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Now all we have to do is wait for another day, and another attempt to pick up the van.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Interestingly our van hasn't been the only vehicle which got in trouble out here.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Yesterday late afternoon we saw that another van had pulled up not far from us. What was strange about it was the position with the rear hanging sort of down in a hole.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Shortly after I was approached by the owner of said van, a young German lady who was in dire need of help. It turned out that she had tried to drive through a small wash, but underestimated the climb on the far side. Since her van was an extended Ford Transit with a long rear overhang and on top of that a mounted Bike rack on the receiver hitch, she got hung up in the rear, in the process damaging here waste water pipe as well.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Yves had a shovel and we dug like crazy to free the rear from the hard gravel she got stuck in. At the end, we tried to throw rocks and pieces of wood incl. a chain under the rear tires, but nothing helped.</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDe1PYv_9ktV1yED0dfof5t7HpS5f-R6IyvarSfTIV_W04u7eWwPt7aDlyLTdgmygCkBOhCYJbPRQNeUhTxppDwnTgoCDCR3NQrlJzrmPl1yRgTgbL3HUxgY3V2PR_Btn23Yceo_1WhbzVrUMs5xOmWkSseqKwwrNRpnDQ2m_QTsbJ78M7CEUtkqaOkhiT/s800/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.16%20PM%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="800" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDe1PYv_9ktV1yED0dfof5t7HpS5f-R6IyvarSfTIV_W04u7eWwPt7aDlyLTdgmygCkBOhCYJbPRQNeUhTxppDwnTgoCDCR3NQrlJzrmPl1yRgTgbL3HUxgY3V2PR_Btn23Yceo_1WhbzVrUMs5xOmWkSseqKwwrNRpnDQ2m_QTsbJ78M7CEUtkqaOkhiT/w640-h336/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-20%20at%208.51.16%20PM%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>The Transit just getting pulled out</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Bettina, got stuck there for the night.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>This morning she called the same company I had used last Monday and a lady driver operator showed up. With the help of a winch the van got out of the ditch and Bettina looked much happier.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Afterwards we had a little chat with her and learned that she was on a one-year adventure trip in North America, starting her trip in Alberta, Canada where relatives gave her the van. Talk about an adventurous lady!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>And this, dear readers, were the doings of the adventure team, Bea, Peter and Dixie for today. But I am sure there is more to come.</b></span></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3567813748978904720.post-15688776690288489502023-11-17T22:02:00.000-04:002023-11-17T22:02:32.146-04:00The Sunsets Of The Deserts<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">e have heard it several times: <i>What are you doing in the desert? Why are you staying in the desert?</i></span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The questions deserve an answer. First of all, there is the weather. Dry and warm air persists throughout the winter.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Rain is extremely rare. And when it comes in February/March the desert turns into a flower garden.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The Desert is not overcrowded like f.e.x Florida is during winter months. If one seeks solitude, one can find it in the desert. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The areas S.California, Arizona and partly Nevada offer BLM areas, where folk may set up camp, either in 14-day free-areas or with a permit valid for 7 months for $180. This is by far, the most budget-friendly solution for camping. Just 2 - 3 days in an average private campground could cost you the same amount. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Most areas are so spacious that you will not have to park anywhere near "the other rig". Eastern states do not offer BLM areas for camping.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Deserts are natural and in most cases undisturbed areas where the view and experiences in nature are abundant. And part of the latter are stunningly beautiful sunrises and sunsets.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVZKwnCCtVzZVjaiG_uLhVOCb8yg9ZjfbNBNTg1pRmqmMQZP-S2kTOLDI2dmsTgyDyQNQP8mJZdei2VsMH9dQYu14YpoXGUaijaTzIRfqSqXXkYV-eS2r-7rGK2cbCQy7q72TReWIZK3MtVep8ioZuSJk_43PDZK75ZHXVr_LPEQyL8ReeYrJi8A7b2vp/s2040/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.34.59%20PM%20(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2040" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVZKwnCCtVzZVjaiG_uLhVOCb8yg9ZjfbNBNTg1pRmqmMQZP-S2kTOLDI2dmsTgyDyQNQP8mJZdei2VsMH9dQYu14YpoXGUaijaTzIRfqSqXXkYV-eS2r-7rGK2cbCQy7q72TReWIZK3MtVep8ioZuSJk_43PDZK75ZHXVr_LPEQyL8ReeYrJi8A7b2vp/w640-h482/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.34.59%20PM%20(1).jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHU7Zv9wXFvcx_boJxfQXbbb6LQVVEwRzDpBNwNd2WO2SUmCV7t-BmzBSisw1NoWMDFtt9FeCJbZKDqDq5t6TQMW1avdVYHUE7gt-8oW3U6Ydullbt2ljnl9FLU1RwzGfAs5T7o2uc12EdvFMwrYT_JFWIKN51cqaPRNz-f6iUWRqGvJkFceEDQIk7rsW/s2040/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.34.59%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2040" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHU7Zv9wXFvcx_boJxfQXbbb6LQVVEwRzDpBNwNd2WO2SUmCV7t-BmzBSisw1NoWMDFtt9FeCJbZKDqDq5t6TQMW1avdVYHUE7gt-8oW3U6Ydullbt2ljnl9FLU1RwzGfAs5T7o2uc12EdvFMwrYT_JFWIKN51cqaPRNz-f6iUWRqGvJkFceEDQIk7rsW/w640-h482/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.34.59%20PM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOqFM8a8ot9ifhGbQJYVv59s-Yf7JC2tbMPNNsIVvrpsaUacwYohrMZKaE3pu748tPWrwZM1ByKswZjZGNxYGMliovYdl-yV3FmzZhz4dSl32Too7IbcT6kIA6U5YdmbpHFaj-x9bViwlsSIBujd05KHIn6TwTdH55DBEqakkitEzLt-XVL_avGMrLVss/s2040/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.35.00%20PM%20(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2040" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOqFM8a8ot9ifhGbQJYVv59s-Yf7JC2tbMPNNsIVvrpsaUacwYohrMZKaE3pu748tPWrwZM1ByKswZjZGNxYGMliovYdl-yV3FmzZhz4dSl32Too7IbcT6kIA6U5YdmbpHFaj-x9bViwlsSIBujd05KHIn6TwTdH55DBEqakkitEzLt-XVL_avGMrLVss/w640-h482/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.35.00%20PM%20(1).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK0A-I6qVIo1gR4vZTITJY8WdTv9EY8Cg51m5HrqO3dxQhuAMvgr6kd2RKmNMe1W-lbF5ki21RJLtw5oC7dzaOx0-AF8W7bbzYZpdclAxgzr1qQv9cF5D4TrBBuYCtQvxyz6YfLg68GUcJcRkUeCWq5yAHXIPwi8JnPBoRvBxrKqhde3YDe9ZkqPTsq4O/s2040/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.35.00%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK0A-I6qVIo1gR4vZTITJY8WdTv9EY8Cg51m5HrqO3dxQhuAMvgr6kd2RKmNMe1W-lbF5ki21RJLtw5oC7dzaOx0-AF8W7bbzYZpdclAxgzr1qQv9cF5D4TrBBuYCtQvxyz6YfLg68GUcJcRkUeCWq5yAHXIPwi8JnPBoRvBxrKqhde3YDe9ZkqPTsq4O/w482-h640/WhatsApp%20Image%202023-11-17%20at%206.35.00%20PM.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><b>What I haven't mentioned yet: We have always met our best friends in the desert. There we find folks with similar interests, most of whom pursue a simple lifestyle close to basic needs.</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Another thing why we really like to stay at BLM is the personal freedom. Naturally, common courtesy is required also in a BLM camp, but the limits are generously set. You want a campfire at your site? Go build one and invite your neighbours. Look up in the dark sky and you'll see millions of stars. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>The desert invites to desert walks. With open eyes you may see and follow natural life on the ground. Special insects, coyotes, birds, lizards and so much more lives on the desert floor. And yes, snakes are part of it, but there is no reason to be afraid of them. During cooler winter days they hibernate. Night temps are cool or even cold. The ground doesn't retain the higher day temps, and snakes and lizards become sluggish to immobile and don't appear in the open during winter days.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>These are the most prevalent reasons why we and others are seeking the desert, rather than doing camping in a strictly regulated RV Resort, where the yearly fees can be thousands of Dollars.</b></span></p>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01197108331214049357noreply@blogger.com2