Just Chillin'

After our headlong rush to southern climes we are just cooling our heels here waiting for Brenda's Scrambler Therapy treatment to begin tomorrow. That usually eradicates her nerve pain, and that means one less thing to cause her discomfort. There are still other symptoms of her CRPS but anytime you can lessen the load that is a good thing.

We were into Gold Canyon to pick up a few groceries the day after we arrived here, so we haven't been going hungry. Christmas Eve some old riding friends, Dave and Linda Modahl put together a dinner, we contributed cheesy potatoes and although all the baking she did, and prepping the spuds wore Brenda out, I went and had a good time visiting and telling stories about the good old days. Mostly true too, but maybe a little better with age.

The view out of our door

Christmas Day we had a relaxing day, a tea fire in the morning and BBQ'ed some chops in the afternoon. The dogs are enjoying staying here where they are not having to be chained up all the time.

The sun is still out there

It's cool at night and the wind has a bad habit of cooling things off in the day time. Christmas Eve it rained most all day, and yesterday there was intermittent downpours interspersed with sunshine so the solar system was cranking all day. Our batteries are on their last legs so even with the solar we are having to run our Honda from time to time.

Sunset Christmas Day

Why, of Course

Blogging is a little different on a Mac than a PC when you are away from the internet. Sure miss Live Writer so I am trying writing this in the note App on my Mac and copying it over to blogger when I get online.

Well the deal is done, Dogpound South is no more, and Dogpound Anywhere has slipped her bonds. We pulled out of Thunderbird Farms early Saturday morning and headed for the desert. We started our boondocking adventures back in 2008 with friends at Gunsight Wash near Why, Arizona and thought why not go back there. It is on the road to Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco, Mexico just north of the Organ Pipe National Monument. The highway south is a little busy throughout the day but at nights there is nothing here but the foxes and a few high flying fighter jets using the range to the north.

A-10 Warthogs

Once in a while the A-10 Warthogs make a run on our rig, I do think they use us as pseudo tanks as they sometimes are only a few dozen feet above our satellite dish. We have a few neighbours here but as usual in the desert they are a couple of hundred yards away as most folks out here are refugees from RV Parks and like their space. A couple of days ago we wandered over and had a visit with some folks from Alberta who were hiding out here in the desert to kill a week until they were allowed back into their membership park over at Yuma Lakes.

We also ran into Ajo to do a little grocery shopping although I think the prices there drove Brenda away. She said butter was over $6.00 a pound and as our longtime readers know Brenda does know her butter so it she says that is outrageous it is outrageous. The only thing I noticed was a bottle of Crown Royal that was $19.95 in the Walmart in Maricopa was going for $30.95 at Olsens IGA in Ajo, pretty high markup so I am glad I didn’t need any.

I took a run about 10 or so miles west up the wash yesterday with Blue II, it is a nice drive, smooth, if a little dusty. Lots of shady overhanging trees but nothing that got in the way. I didn’t see a soul out there but did spot some far off dust that might have been Border Patrol folks. One thing that is different than a few years back, we are not seeing many Border Patrol units heading out into the desert here. Years back when it was full moon they were back and forth all night, even hauling horses out past our rigs. Maybe the traffic has moved elsewhere or slowed down considerably.

We are not sure how long we will be here or really where we are heading next although we have never really been down around Bisbee country before so might like to wander over that way for a look see. Time to figure out where the Bayfield Bunch and Ivan and Hailey hung out down that way. Close enough to see the sights but far enough off the beaten path to miss the crowds at night. One thing about the desert the sunsets and sunrises are pretty nice as well as the Super Moon

Sunrise

Sunrise

Super Moon setting

Sunset

Boondocking

We headed out of Dogpound South last Wednesday towards a spot over near the La Paz Valley. We have been there before but it was a long while back, in fact almost 6 years ago was the last time we left there. It was great to get back to that wonderful spot. It is quiet and off the beaten track and although the madness that is Quartzite in January is only an hour away it doesn't spill over towards our spot. Although this a great spot for chillin' and riding the Can-Am it would not be so good for the ponies as it is pretty rocky. I spent some time riding some old trails that I had walked extensively 6 years ago, but although Blue II can cover a lot more ground in a lot less time than Shank's Pony he is restricted to existing trails where on foot you can roam wherever your mind tends to lead.

Some of this weeks trails

My riding partners changed on an almost daily basis, sometimes Brenda came along, but when she opted to enjoy the peace and quiet in camp Max was more than willing to climb aboard and see the country.

Max along for the ride

 He is probably wondering where to get some of those Doggles that Emmi from Montana has for riding the desert.

Our low profile toy hauler

Camp along the wash

Great for an ATV but not so great for horses

A Panorama from atop TV Hill

 Long time readers will recall some shots from atop this hill taken back in January 2011. I am here to tell you it was a lot quicker and certainly easier on the lungs getting back up here on Blue II rather than Shank's Mare. If you click on this shot and enlarge it the red arrow is pointing at our site this year.

 This quartz outcrop is just poking out of the desert.

Just a shot of a small hill along the trail

Sunset with what I call TV Hill in the centre.

Blue II waiting patiently for Brenda and I to investigate a mine flooded with water. 

Doing our part to repatriate some Carbon back into the atmosphere

Max and Maya chillin' in camp.

An old Mine Site

A beautiful vista

An interesting piece of wood, looks like a leg roast

 I stumbled on these store fronts along the trail, I have no idea how or why they came to be there. Out back are pens that look like stabling but not much sign of critters being held there.

Star Struck

An interesting piece of wood that I found along the wash.

We thoroughly enjoy our stay in the desert, I think between Brenda and I, we consumed about 7 or 8 books and still saw a lot of country. Although we didn't see to many other folks out there it is obvious that we are pretty pokey when it comes to ATV'ing, we rather enjoy moseying along at 6 or 8 miles an hours snooping in every nook and cranny and watching for the things that those hurtling along at breakneck speeds might miss.

Everybody is going somewhere. Those are all trails in the sky

Companies Coming

January has been a pretty laid back month for me, but Brenda has been out and about. She made a trip back to Canada to see her dentist and doctor. She picked a week that the temps were down around -30C so she was glad to get back to DPS. And she brought her sister, sister-in-law, and best friend since she was 10 back with her. Cheryl has been a huge help to her when she has to make her periodic trips back to the North Country and we are glad she took the opportunity to come on down to DPS for a visit. The weather here has been typical for mid-January but a whole lot warmer than back on the Northern Ranges.

Enjoying a fire at DPS

Me, I've been doing a little swimming and some riding in the desert with Blue II and taking a few photos along the way.

Got lazy for this one, it is taken from the patio at DPS

Sunset at Lookout Point

Sunset Lookout Point

And yet again

And one final sunset from what I am calling Lookout Point

I found this Road Runner running in the Wash

It is a quick run from DPS to Lookout Point in Blue II, and running back after dark is pretty quick also. It wouldn't be near as fast on Ol' Blue himself. I did get out a day or two for a ride in the desert with Josie Staden, my friend Phil is laid up with a strained back, but is getting back in the saddle this weekend for a ride at Picket Post. A few team ropers here have asked me to lead them around the mountain, and Phil is letting me use one of his ponies for that gig.

Cheryl is heading back north on Monday so she and Brenda have a busy weekend of shopping, casino visits, etc. planned for the next few days.

Stay tuned for some upcoming travels, if the weather holds and Brenda is feeling up to it we are heading back into the past for a little boondocking at one of our favourite spots ever. Click on this link for a peek into the past. We might even catch up with few of the bloggers on our sidebar over at Bloggerfest.

Fireworks? Cacti?

Desert Rain

Yesterday I headed into town to Fletchers Tire for a 12:00 appointment to get my summer tires balanced and installed. I headed next door to Dave's BBQ for lunch. Great rack of ribs, and big enough to bring some home for todays lunch. It was pretty slow getting the tires done, took three hours. Once that was done I headed home. Donally's invited me to dinner with them Connie and Les Volk and Rene' from the Pinal Country Cowboy Church. The dinner was excellent and the company great.

Today Century Link was coming to work on our internet, it has been a little slow so they figured it needed a tune-up so I was home for the morning till they got done.

After lunch I thought Blue II and I should head for the desert for a look see at what was happening out there.

There's a roadrunner with a rider in that tree somewhere.

There was a storm rolling in from the south but it looked like I had time to make a loop out the wash then back in on the road. I dawdled along checking out some side trails and I guess I should have saved them for another trip because once I got around to the road that storm was moving fast in our direction. We jumped up into High range for the road ride back and Blue II is a lot faster for a lot longer than the original, but we still got caught in a downpour the last few miles home. Needless to say with rain and thunder the dogs were glad to see me home. It is still raining lightly an hour later but it is clear and sunny off to the south so I expect we will start drying out soon.

Gone to DPS

Yep, it is November and we have flown the coop and left winter behind at Dogpound North. Last week I loaded Blue and Wink and pointed the truck south. We had found a weather window that gave us a good shot at getting down to Dogpound South (DPS) without hitting to much weather along the way. Late season trips to the south place mean your travel plans need to be flexible and as we slid across Montana we started hearing reports of an incoming storm in Southern Idaho, mostly high winds but some snow and that led us to change our first overnight stop from Dillon, Montana to down near Idaho Fall, Idaho. And to ensure that we beat the winds out of Idaho we made an early (2:30AM early) departure from Idaho Falls and headed for Utah. The early start got us out of Idaho and into Utah so that we were through the Salt Lake City rat race before most of those folks got out of bed. As we rolled south across Utah the roads were good, at least until we hit the junction of I-15 and I-70, at that point they went downhill in a hurry. Although the temps were up around 45F we came over a hill in the middle of a pack of transport trucks to find a State Trooper jumping up and down in the middle of the highway. Sure wish he had gone a mile or so farther north as that might have given us a chance of getting slowed down a little before we hit the packed snow and ice covered highway ahead. Now anyone who has driven the ice roads in the Arctic knows how much fun it is to be on solid ice when the temperature gets above freezing. Hard enough to stand up let alone skid our big LQ down the highway while trying to get down to a more reasonable speed as well as not cause any issues for the surrounding transport trucks. Eventually the truckers and I managed to slip our way between the ditches, which were full of four wheelers, and get our speed down to a still too fast 15-20 mph. The ice and snow only lasted for about 3 miles, but they were an exciting three miles.

We called it a day once we wound our way down the Virgin River gorge and through Mesquite towards Logandale. Logandale and the Clark County Fairgrounds have a great spot to stop with horses. Brand new box stalls, pens, and even a place to plug in the LQ for the night. Even with all the excitement we were all settled in by mid-day and probably could have made DPS if we had been so inclined, but the horses had two long days in the trailer and it was better to let them get out and move around a little and get an early start the next day.

Day three we were up and on the road again early and through Las Vegas before rush hour and well into Arizona when the sun rose. One stop for fuel and it was all downhill in the Valley of the Sun. We were at DPS around noon and got unloaded and stretch our legs, all 18 of them. I never mentioned the dogs but they are great travelers and slept most of the way down.

Things here at DPS are pretty well setup so it was just a matter of hanging a water bucket on the rack and turning the tap and we are ready to go.

Thursday, Brenda was up early back in Canada and onto an airplane headed down to join us here at DPS. We gathered her up and stopped to pick up a few supplies on the way back out of the city. The last few days have been spent getting settled in here and restocking the larder.

We've spent the last few days getting settled in and trying to get Brenda not to do to much. When it comes to the former we have been relatively successful, but the latter has not been that great a success. She has raked and swept and cleaned both inside and out, so DPS is looking pretty nice.

And back at Dogpound North it is looking like "we are glad we beat it."

Just in the Nick of Time

I was reminded this morning that I still have a blog out there in the ethernet and that Brenda checks it daily to see if it has been changed. The last time I updated this journal it was the summer solstice and here it is about to be fall so I guess it is time. We have had an eventful summer, not much riding, but a lot of other things going on.

Beginning back where I left off oh so many months ago, we had a couple of our favourite visitors for a weekend at the end of June.

Alle and Grandpa

Lounging by the poolside

Alle Kitten

The girls telling Grandma a bedtime story?

 Then it was off to Crimson Lake in July for Ella's 6th Birthday party, 6 where has the time gone, it seems like this was just yesterday.

Now she is a grown up little lady. Her birthday celebration was a beach party and the kids and I had a great time swimming at the lake and then eating her ice cream cake.

The next weekend was a celebration of Cheryl Brydens birthday her girls and our girls all came for a campout at Dogpound North. We ate well and stay up late around the campfire telling stories.

 And of course it wouldn't be July in Alberta without a little snow on the ground. Well really I guess if was hail, but frozen water is frozen water.

 But it does make for dramatic skies and some great photo opportunities

We finished up July with a visit from Mark and Jolene on their annual western swing. Always great to see Jolene and sure was nice to meet Mark this year. We did manage to spirit them away for a little drive in the mountains also.

The Bow River in the Stoney Indian Reservation near Morley

That takes us into early August and then we were off on an adventure in Upper Canada or Ontario as the natives call it. We were going down to Brenda's nephews wedding and decided to include a few other stops along the way.

Niagara Falls looking across the American Falls to the Horseshoe Falls in the background

The locks on the Rideau Canal between our Hotel and the Parliament buildings

Our digs in Ottawa on the left

Ashley, Madeline, Adam and Lukus, well the top of his head anyway.

Granny Doak, Donna and Danny Doak, Adams Dad

Mr. and Mrs. Doak and their kids, Madeline and Lukus

Aunty Brenda and Adam

The Doak clan, L to R Danny, Lukus, Ashley, Granny, Adam, Madeline

 After the wedding we headed off to meet some RV friends who have settled down in Smith Falls. Gordon and Sandra are also Facebook friends who capture some pretty nice photographs. Gordon, in his former life, was a graphic designer and is quite the Photoshop expert. I asked him to do his magic on this photo I stole off their page. To my eyes it appears that he did a great job on Brenda and Sandra but has managed to add a few wrinkles and a lot of gray hair on himself and I. So for those who don't really know us all that well, be advised that we both look much younger in person.

Those who have been to DPS before know that there used to be a patio roof running all along this side. It was blown off in a windstorm this summer and now currently resides in our neighbours yard about 300 yards away.

Once we got back to Dogpound North from our Ontario swing I headed south the Dogpound South to review the damage with our insurance folks and some contractors and initiated the process to get it repaired. That took about 10 days then it was time to come home for a couple of more birthdays. Our granddaughter Everly turned 1 and her brother Kashton turned 4 so they had a little soiree for their friends and family at Becky and Ved's place.

1 year cute

Kashton in the centre supervising his Dad's pinata installation

 While we have been fluttering back and forth across the continent Bob has managed to get all the hay put up here at Dogpound North and a portion of it sold. Seeing as how I didn't have any part of that I thought I had better get working on some other things around here. 30 some odd years ago when my Dad bought this place we needed to replace the fence along the road on the west side and lo and behold it is time to do it again. I spent a couple of days removing wire and with Matt's help got all the old posts hauled away. Another neighbour of ours is pounding posts and stringing new wire so soon it will be a nice shiny new fence instead of a tumbled down eyesore.

And the construction at DPS has begun so Brenda headed south to supervise that process. She has a much better sense of colour than I do, or so she says, so I agreed that she was the right person for that job. The patio roof is back up and from my daily report the painting is completed today. Now just to repair the door and the wall damage inside from an botched burglary and she should be able to come home. That could take another couple of weeks though so if you are in the Phoenix area give her a shout.

The dogs and I are looking after ourselves up here at DPN and although the cooking is not up to our usual fare we will probably survive. I have managed to get out a couple of days and take some photographs of both landscapes and some night scenes so will include a sampling of those shots to end this long, looooong update.

Some Northern Light dancing over Dogpound North

Looking back at the LaFarge plant at Exshaw

The Milky way from our deck at DPN

Mt. Kidd looking across Wedge Pond

The Kananaskis River running past Canoe Meadows

And finally a shot of Venus rising on the eastern boundary of DPN