Completing the Johnson Canyon Road loop

The Johnson Canyon Road loop takes you through parts of the Grand Staircase Escalante but the turn off from Highway 89 in Glendale is difficult to find so..

North Rim AZ to Kanab UT

Time to say goodbye to the North Rim and start the vacation.  First stop, Kanab, Utah for...

Three years and still addicted to blog

Three years and 879 posts. This is where it all started October 7, 2009, when I introduced myself to the World of Blog.  Read more here.

Getting through Simon’s Town South Africa

I’m really not much of a city person so when I got to South Africa’s most Western Cape I didn’t head for Cape Town. Read more here...

 

Strandfontein Beach False Bay – Cape Peninsula South Africa

Another stop along False Bay with wonderful views and a beach to play on can be read about here...

Ready to roll, again

I had almost given up on getting back to work, which will seem like a vacation.

Thank goodness there’s no snow now but it did hail today, and snow on the North Rim

Got home Friday afternoon. How good it felt to sleep in my big bed in my big new 5th-wheel. Which I had kind of forgotten about as I didn’t live it in very long before being gone two months to Texas, and back twice.

Saturday I unpacked some of my stuff from the U-Haul mostly into the storage shed which is packed from floor to ceiling.

Sunday afternoon, Mike’s brother Max helped me unload the cabover-camper for the last time. I sold it. It’s been good to me and I love it when it’s on the truck but it’s an absolute pain in the ass to get on and off. I have a tent.

Next we delivered furniture, boxes of stuff and clothes to Mom. She seemed rather happy to see her big recliner and plopped right down into it.

I took Monday off. Wow, did that feel good. Went to Prescott with Berta to thrift stores (I really needed that fix) and a few groceries because it’s time to stock up.

Today I packed the 5th-wheel, inside and out and tomorrow I roll as far as Flagstaff 3-4 hours away. Then Thursday to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Yippee!!! I’ll be HOME! And I get to see my sweetie.

Unfortunately, Qwest strikes again and tells me there’s no DSL left on the North Rim. WTF!!!! I’ll be working on that.

SWF – A venue for kettling

Turkey vultures are masters at soaring flight. Along a lonely western Texas highway I saw a venue of turkey vultures kettling over some road kill. Their keen sense of smell draws them in to the carrion.

Further down the road a whole other look at feathers in the sky.

To view more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here. Thanks meme team.

A group of vultures is called a venue and the circling in the sky is kettling.

Road trip through West Texas

Day two on the journey home.

Oscar waited patiently…

…while I strolled around the Hidden Valley RV Park in Del Rio, Texas taking photos.

If it seems like a reverse of the trip south almost two months ago, it is.

Back through the inspection stations.

Across the Pecos River.

Past vast landscapes, ranches from the past and present.

Then finally the hills of northwest Texas…

…and evidence of recent fire just outside Alpine.

Today’s long journey took me 312 miles to Van Horn, Texas. Hoping to cross the Arizona border tomorrow.

Golden-fronted woodpecker

Another lifer on my day to celebrate life!

 

Sunrise & a new day in Texas

After buying and installing two new SOBatteries into my truck (scroll down for that adventure) the next morning I took her for a spin. The charging gauge was pulsing a bit so when I got home I Googled some possibilities and discovered many owners of my kind of Ford had experienced drained batteries from a faulty voltage regulator. I called the recommended local AutoZone and they can test the regulator, part cost $25, and maybe even get help installing if needed.

Sunrise

So I’m up earlier than usual to get this done. Sure hope it’s the last of the electrical problems. What the hell else could there be?!

I plan to leave South Texas in three days, Monday morning, and begin the long journey back to my winter Arizona home. Then in a few weeks head back to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park for the summer.

PS: It’s my birthday tomorrow so feel free to send lots of Happys my way.

It’s a long ways to anywhere in Texas

 Texas is So BIG! Haven’t I been driving through Texas for months?

Today it was Ranch country...

SWF – What a difference a minute makes

I may have stayed a little longer than planned in Alpine, TX due to truck troubles, but the sunsets were sure nice. I took this one a minute before this one.

To view more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

It must be spring!

Texas Redbud

At least it seems like that in West Texas. Trees are budding, the temperatures in the 70s F, and the wind is blowing like crazy.

Left Alpine this morning after a wonderful visit with old friends from my Mount St. Helens Rangering days almost 20 years ago.

Looks like limestone on the bottom topped by shale and some conclomerate

I love roadcut geology.

By Doug J

Twice I saw a Caracara at road kill. (This image is from the web.) A lifer!

Pecos River

Started looking for an RV Park about 4pm near Eagle Pass. All full, mostly with oil workers. Drove another 125 miles until I found a place in Cotulla. Way too many hours for a day but does put me closer to my destination. A little over 200 more miles to go.

MWT - Colossal Cave Mountain Park

Colossal Cave Mountain Park provides an interesting tour through a 70F cave filled with formations & a long history including the CCC & movie making.  Read more...

Road trip to Texas, or hell

Every thing has been wonderful, until Saturday. Before getting ready to roll in the morning from Little Vineyard RV Park in Deming, New Mexico I checked the oil. Full. Then started the truck and it made an unusual noise. I opened the hood to look around, not that it would do much good, and no parts flew out so I closed the hood and put her in gear.

Leaving Deming, New Mexico on I10 east

Good thing I was barely rolling. NO brakes. OK, I exaggerate a little. More like when your power brakes have no power. So I coasted to the park’s office, went in and asked if they knew a mechanic open on Saturdays. The lady behind the desk made a couple phone calls and, surprise, the local Ford dealer’s service department was open. (I won’t divulge the dealer’s name yet.) I described what happened and the mechanic said “it’s the vacuum pump, bring it in.” I carefully drove about 3 blocks to the dealer, they ordered the part, put it on and I was back on the road within 1.5 hours. Not bad, except for the huge hole left in my pocket. (No, I don’t need a bail out, but of course donations are always gladly accepted.)

About an hour down the road every bump, and there were many, would cause some gauge(s) to bounce or idiot light(s) to blink. Hmmm…. I said to myself, what does a vacuum pump for brakes have to do with dashboard electronics? I continued on down the road.

Just out of El Paso the oil pressure gauge started bouncing on L(ow) erratically which made the engine light blink on and off. Now that could be a problem. So I pulled over and let the engine cool (no it was not running hot) to check the oil. Still full. Hmmmm….. Called Mike for a second opinion about screwed up dashboard and he concurred. So off I went again.

Spent Saturday night at KOA in Van Horn, Texas, which BTW, serves excellent catfish in their Kafe.

Sunday morning I again check the oil which was full.

Then down the road I’m still watching the gauges bounce and lights blink but the truck is running great. This could drive me crazy.

I am heading for Alpine, Texas for the night. Friends from long ago live there but must be gone for the weekend.

I decide to take a little side trip to the Woodward Ranch where plume agate is found. It’s closed because Mr. Woodward died on Saturday. My condolences.

So I’m heading back to town to find an RV Park for the night when Slam and Wink, all the gauges peg somewheres and the brakes give out. I down shift and pull over slowing down with what little bit of brake is left.

The welcoming dog at the ranch 

Everything electric is not working, so I don’t turn off the engine for fear it won’t start again. Look under the hood, nothing changed there, no smoke. Engine is still running strong and I’m only four hilly miles from town. Pumped the brakes and they worked.

Rock shop

Plus two miles to the Lost Alaskan RV Park where I made it safely. When I finally got leveled and ready to turn off the truck it wouldn’t turn off. Disconnected both batteries and she ran on. Then a fellow camper pulled the plug on the alternator and she fell silent. I called Good Sam and they will send out a tow truck in the morning and take me to a mechanic.

Someone commented that my photos are looking dark. If anyone else notices this could you please let me know.

Saguaro National Park West – Tucson Mountain District

I thought I’d seen a lot of saguaros in the Sonoran Desert, but Saguaro National Park is a forest of giant cactus people.

Sunset from camp

I arrived in the late afternoon so stopped first at the visitor center where I watched the orientation film and picked up my Junior Ranger book. Then I went to the recommended Gilbert Ray campground in Tucson Mountain Park for the night.

Great place with lots of private sites in the middle of the desert all with electricity for $20.

Hohokam Road

In the morning I returned to the visitor center to get my Junior Ranger badge and some information.

Ocotillo and Avra Valley from Sus picnic area 

President Franklin D Rosevelt first established Saguaro National Monument in 1933. Then in 1961 President Kennedy expanded the monument to include Tucson Mountain Park. In 1994 congress established Saguaro National Park.

Birds nest

Saguaro National Park is composed of two distinct districts, the Ricon Mountain District east of Tucson and the Tucson Mountain District to the west.

To many these giants symbolize the American West yet saguaros only grown in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

Saguaros can grow to 50 feet tall and are the largest member of the cactus family in the US. They normally live for 150-200 years.

For a saguaro seedling to survive, it needs the protection of a nurse plant which provides protection from the sun and freezing temperatures.

Fishhook barrel cactus

I saw many of the parks 25 species of cactus along the .5 mile Signal Hill Trail.

Which took me to a rock pile with various petroglyphs left behind by the Hohokam people.

Imagine pecking away at the desert varnish to leave a message behind.

Looks like some modern folks decided to leave their messages as well.

There’s some very crazy cactus out there, but that’s for another post.

In the mean time, I had a Very important lunch date with fellow blogger Susie of Arabia at El Molonito in Tucson. We talked for at least three hours just like old friends. What a treat to meet this amazing woman who moved with her husband to his so culturally different homeland.