Crossing the Line

This morning started like every other one here along the American Girl Wash. I did my daily inspection tour of the desert as the sun came up, and then it was back to Dogpound Anywhere (DPA) for a bit of breakfast. About mid morning our neighbours from up the wash a piece came down and we slid in behind them. They led us down to the parking lot north of Los Algodones, BC, that's Baja California, a little Mexican border town just south of the extreme SE end of California and just across the river from Yuma, Arizona. We have been across the border here a few times in the past, but never with such a big gang, in total we numbered 8 folks, Deb and Ryley, Tom and Deb, and Kim and Ken, all Canadians hiding out from winter here in the Southwest, except for Tom and Deb who call the Upper Peninsula of Michigan home, so they are damn near Canadians.

We didn't have anything special in mind, just a little trip for lunch and a few drinks. Oh yah, and a chance to see about augmenting our drug stockpile, prescription drugs, but just like last time I had a look, most of them are cheaper in Canada than down here in Mexico. We did pick up few Z-paks of antibiotics just because, but other than a cool shawl that Brenda bought and a couple pounds of shrimp we just carried lunch and a few drinks back across the border. The line at the border was pretty quick, so that was a bonus as well.

Left to right, Ken, Kim, Deb, Ryley, Brenda, Deb, and Tom at our last cantina of the day. Once we got across the border Brenda and I ran into Winterhaven to the local pot store to pick up a few things that seem to give her a little relief from the trials and tribulations of CRPS. Then it was back out along the American Girl where we rejoined the whole group for Happy Hour up at their spot a half mile or so farther up the wash from our location. I have been shooting some hummingbirds here the last few days so I will throw a couple of shots in of these little critters.

What's Up

Since my last entry we have just been chilling here along Ogilby Road. The weather has not been the greatest, a little windy, a little cool, but the last couple of days it seems to have turned around and maybe winter along the Mexican border is almost over.

New Years Day we joined our friends from Dease Lake, Bill and Margaret at the Texas Roadhouse to celebrate Bill's birthday, he was a New Years baby way back in the middle of the great depression, so you do the math. That said he looks like he hasn't aged a day since we first met back 10 or 15 years ago.

The next day we had visitors out to rig, Skip and Jean are staying over in the Pilot Knob LTVA and ran over to chew the fat with us and see our new outfit. Hopefully we cross trails with them later in the winter again.

Then it was off to Mexico with Bill and Margaret, while Bill visited his dentist the rest of us wandered the town. Brenda got some puffers for Rebecca, and I got my Sunday go to meeting boots all polished up for Ryan and Lisa's wedding later in March this year. We stopped and grabbed some lunch at a pretty good little restaurant down there and then while the rest of them headed off to grab a spot in the line to cross back over the border I ran back and bought a bushel of shrimp from the Sea of Cortez. Despite Donny's threats the border was still open and we got back on the north side without issue.

Since then we have just hung out here and done the regular stuff like hitting the laundromat and Wally World to restock our larder. We needed to reprovision as we are heading towards Quartzsite tomorrow, we think, to join a group of folks who have rigs similar to ours for a little rally.

I have been hanging out shooting Hummingbirds and the odd sunrise.

A dogfight at the feeder

Tough little guys to catch sitting still

Sunrise over the Cargo Muchacho Mountains

Desert Days

Lewis's left yesterday so we have just chilled for two days. The two days we spent wandering around Los Algodones took a toll on Brenda and her muscles are revolting so for the next few days we are just going to take it easy here. I have taken a spin around the neighbourhood on Blue II and the dogs have been snooping in the washes near camp, but with their new collars they seem to have recalled that when they are to far from home they get in trouble. Nice to be able to stop them from dashing off to get into mischief or run out in front of a vehicle although out here most vehicles are moving pretty slow, so as not to raise a cloud of dust near each others camps.

Skip and Jean and their Boston Bulls, Louis and Sophie, I think stopped by for a visit this morning and then the rest of the day I spent reading. Late in the afternoon a fellow, Bill Cash, stopped by to ask about our lifestyle and I told him it was a pretty free and stress free existence, probably only available for the most part in the Western parts of Canada and the USA.

Here are a few more pics of Los Algodones that we took while we were down there.

You can get your drugs and your vanilla all in the same store.

Not sure what kind of electrical system is down here but it seems kind of freestyle.

Happy New Year to one and all.

California Dreaming

We headed out of Gila Bend a few days back and made for the California line. After getting through the traffic congestion at the Fruit Police stop on the border we made our way out to Grays Well Road and exited the freeway for a moment then headed back east to Ogilby Road. The overpass at Ogilby Road is having some work done so it is closed so there is no exit from the westbound lanes. We found us a quiet little spot north up that road about 4 odd miles and got set up for a stay here.

Blue and I took a spin looking for some folks that Ivan had told us were in the neighbourhood and met Skip and Jean and then Wandering Willy and had a visit with those good folks.

The next day our friends Mike and Shaunna Lewis and their horses/mule and well-trained mutts joined us here.

We headed south of the border to Los Algodones to order some glasses for Brenda and I and a new sign for Mike and Shaunna. Along the way, we managed to find a lunch and a Margarita and a Cerveso or two. Our glasses wouldn't be ready till the next day so we decided to pop back down the next day to have lunch and a few more Margarita's as well as make another run into Walmart for some necessary supplies.

Camp dogs

Back Yard

Lewis's sign

Algodones is always a great place to visit, the people are friendly, and so accommodating and very enterprising, it is nice to see, although the culture is a little different than north of the border. Good food, good music, and apparently good Margaritas.

Back in camp we enjoyed chewing the fat around the campfire both morning and night and were sad to see Lewis's pull out to start their journey north to the northern ranges this morning. Happy Anniversary you two.

Beginning the long journey home

Sunrises and sunsets in Arizona are spectacular and change so quickly, these two were taken with moments of each other this morning.

They are both panorama's made up of 3-5 separate shots but the colours are pretty much straight out of the camera. And this last one was taken just a short while later. Later in the afternoon Ivan himself came by for a little chin wag.