Unexpected Discoveries are the Best

Posted on Tuesday, 2020-Jan-7th by ralph

I have not really talked about what the desert is like here yet. In my defense, it was Christmas, there was more socializing, and less blogging – a good thing! But let me fast forward to two days after Boxing Day, where I got out for a little more ambitious hike to the main wash the runs down this valley, with a little surprise encountered along the way.
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Two New Stars are Born on Christmas Day

Posted on Monday, 2020-Jan-6th by ralph

Let me start with a real time (as of a day ago, by the time I post this after coming back online tomorrow) update. I’m in Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. Cell signal is shit. SMS only, but that has allowed me a lot of time to compose offline, both on blog and brain time. So, I’m now WAY behind. But the good news is, there is a lot written in the queue now – just need to load the photos I processed and post. So, you’ll be getting much more frequent posts for the next while. Now, onto Christmas day only eleven days ago as I write this!

I’ll be honest – Christmas is not my holiday at all – the spirit of giving has been corrupted into a frenzy of buying. It certainly influenced my decision to NOT be anywhere near my home for the holiday. About the only good thing about it is spending time with friends and having a good meal. Family is dependent on if you have family, and if you want to spend time with them. I inherited family through my Dad’s second marriage, they are a sane and intelligent bunch for the most part – no problems here!

But today, in the desert was going to be different. VERY different.
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BLM Dry Camping aka Boondocking Around Quartzsite

Posted on Thursday, 2020-Jan-2nd by ralph

I left Quartzsite, heading south for “BLM Roadrunner” Campground. BLM is the Bureau of Land Management, the US government department that manages public land in the USA. “Campground” is really not what this area is, other than the sense that you are camping on it. No facilities provided, other than a bunch of informal fire rings that people have cobbled together.

Campfire Rings Roadrunner BLM SR601618
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My First Travel Day

Posted on Monday, 2019-Dec-30th by ralph

My time in White Tank Mountain Regional Park was at an end today. I could have stayed another day and hiked a few more trails I had not been on – leave that for next time. You may be wondering where the name comes from for this county park. The water erodes into the large blackened rocks, leaving holes that can eventually become small pools. The granite underneath is white, leaving the impression of a white tank of water built into the stone. Thus the name of the mountains surrounding me, and the park I was leaving today. But I had to make one tourist pit stop along the way.
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Waterfalls with no Water and Many People

Posted on Sunday, 2019-Dec-29th by ralph

I proceeded up the trail from Petroglyph Plaza, joining what seemed like a throng of people after my previous day with hours of not seeing anyone. But it’s not crowded by city standards at any rate.
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A Zen Moment at the Petroglyphs

Posted on Saturday, 2019-Dec-28th by ralph

After a long hike, I figured a short hike was in order to not push the muscles too hard. Not to mention, the other big loop was super long, probably a bit beyond my current capabilities. So, I decided to hike to Petroglyph plaza, and beyond to the waterfall – water-less unless a recent storm had passed by. Little did I know, I was about to have a strong zen moment visiting the area!
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Ford Canyon Hike

Posted on Thursday, 2019-Dec-26th by ralph

I figured since I was doing a big hike, it was fitting I have a big breakfast, especially since I had had a glorious sleep and was feeling awesome to start the day, who wouldn’t feel inspired seeing this sunrise?
Desert Campground Sunrise SR601501
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Cooking in a new no space

Posted on Monday, 2019-Dec-23rd by ralph

To finish off the vein of “nothing is the same anymore” we get to cooking. I’m going to need a good hearty meal for my upcoming hike tomorrow, plus we need to figure out how to cook in this small awkward space.
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Nothing is the same anymore

Posted on Saturday, 2019-Dec-21st by ralph

If you know where the quote the title of my post came from, then you are a person of impeccable taste. If you need to Google it, good luck, it’s not that obvious. But it fits my first day in White Tank Mountain Regional Park. I arrive at 9ish, having successfully finished making coffee, and thus being able to proceed with my day. “Making coffee” in an RV was a BIG milestone, I actually did something in my RV! Other than driving, of which I have had enough, at least stuck in traffic on the freeway.
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Travelling OK, shopping – not so much

Posted on Friday, 2019-Dec-20th by ralph

For the first part of my adventure, I went with something easy and booked myself a nice campsite at White Tank Mountain Regional Park. So how did I end up parked at a Walmart for the night?

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