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

Time is Passing Quickly

Not a lot of exciting stuff happening here at Dogpound North. We have had a taste of winter and some Indian summer but history tells me that there will be more of the former than the later in the future. I see from the blogs that there are a lot of folks packing and checking their lists making sure they are ready to run for the sun. We are no different here at DPN. Our trip south is a little different as a lot of the stuff is already waiting down at DPS so it is just a matter of packing up the fridge, Brenda's baking things and some clothes and we are ready to run. Over the next week or so we both have a visit with our docs, a date with the boys at Fountain Tire to make sure the truck we are leaving behind is well shod just in case this winter and then it will be time for me and the pups to head south. As has become our habit of late, I will drive down, and Brenda will fly at a later date. That date will be a little later than usual as she has a trip to Toronto planned to attend a conference on rare diseases like her Complex Regional Pain Syndrome that will keep her busy till mid November.

Last week I had our LQ into my local fabrication shop in Sundre to get a few things changed around a little. While they were doing that work I took a spin out past Bearberry and then up to Burnstick Lake for a look see. It was a kind of gray day, but even those days have their moments.

Burnstick Lake (Boat Launch)

I stopped by a friends place on the way home, but Ivan and Hailey were off wandering around British Columbia on their pre-migration expedition. They have since been back home and it wouldn't surprise me if they have already unloaded the camper and hooked up to the 5th wheel to follow the sun. Hope we get a chance to catch up down south.

Last week I mentioned we are not taking our horses south, but Arizona is a beautiful spot and to really appreciate it you have to get off the blacktop. Towards that end we have acquired a new mount, I have annoyed everyone I know with one of these asking all the dumb questions I could, bothered a bunch of sales folks, climbing in and out making sure a guy of my generous proportions fit, negotiated equipment and prices, changed my mind about a dozen times but finally made a decision.

Blue II

Our new toy is a Can-Am Commander XT and our LQ has been converted from a living quarters horse trailer to a low profile toy hauler. That meant removing a couple of stall dividers and installing some tie downs to hold the side by side securely. Hopefully it all works as advertised.

Didn't do much more than get it unloaded as Clayton, Lacey, and the girls were coming for a short visit and to drop off their trailer for the winter. Clayton and I took it for a short spin around the hay field, maybe tomorrow I will take it out to the hills and see how it works