It\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve written \u2014the cast of \u201creasons\u201d is legion and irrelevant.\u00a0 Today, I begin again. Today, my photos won\u2019t transfer to my PC.\u00a0 But I begin again, with photos to come later.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m at a RV park in southeastern Arizona \u2013 in a 27.5 foot Lazy Daze motorhome, with my German Shepherd, Misty.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had some health\/aging issues, and in my best imitation of a responsible adult, I\u2019ve downsized and even left my motorcycle in Florida.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go back to Florida in May for a month or so; after lots of PT and expensive tests, I\u2019ve been cleared to ride again.\u00a0 Whew!\u00a0 And before it gets impossibly hot and humid in Florida, I\u2019ll head to the mountains of the West; the bike will be riding in the bed of my truck, which I\u2019ll tow with the motorhome. \u00a0And when I stop, I\u2019ll unload the bike to ride.<\/p>\n
There are untold numbers of RV parks in Arizona, a testament to the sub-culture of motorized gypsies moving around our country, often under the radar of main-stream awareness. In the world of Arizona RV parks, this one is neither large or small; it has about 360 lots and there are no vacancies.\u00a0 I\u2019m one of many who are renting a spot; others have bought a life-time lease and spend as much of the year as they choose on their lot with a casita (\u201clittle house\u201d, in Spanish). \u00a0The casitas are as eclectic as this group of aging nomads. Winter is the peak season, so lots of Snow Birds are here.\u00a0 Though they had a major blizzard in the Northeast last week, in SE Arizona the high today will be 87, the low tonight 54.\u00a0 There\u2019s not a cloud in the sky, and the wind is 4 MPH.\u00a0 Humidity is 13%.\u00a0 It\u2019s warming up rapidly as the sun climbs over the mountains and marches high over the desert.<\/p>\n
When I look east, out the window of my motorhome, I see mountains off in the distance with miles and miles of desert in between. \u00a0When the sun goes down behind me, those mountains come to life in the afterglow. To the west of the park, the desert goes on and on and on.\u00a0 It\u2019s open to hiking, biking, and off-roading vehicles.\u00a0 I heard you can walk through the desert about 2 or 3 miles to breakfast in town; I haven\u2019t done that, yet. \u00a0You can\u2019t see town from the paths I\u2019ve been on; someone promised to show me the way.\u00a0 Apparently you climb down a side arroyo and then wander north a bit.<\/p>\n
I love the stark beauty of this high desert (we\u2019re at 3,600 feet).\u00a0 Last night the train was blowing its whistle as it passed through the small town (Amtrak comes through here), and the coyotes began to answer \u2013 like dogs in town talking back to a siren.\u00a0 The Gambel quail are everywhere in the park, scurrying across the rocks with what looks like an ever-so-tiny parasol bobbing over their heads. There are lots of doves, cooing from above.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen a few hawks and pyrrhuloxia (the first cousin cowboy of the cardinal).\u00a0 I haven\u2019t yet gone on a specific birding hike but will soon.<\/p>\n
Having lived my life in Florida here are some desert rules I\u2019m learning:\u00a0 ALWAYS walk after dark with a flash light, even if the moon is full (rattlesnakes like to keep warm after dark on the dark asphalt).\u00a0 Don\u2019t hike in the desert in tennis shoes.\u00a0 The ground is crumbly, the terrain uneven, and the rocks hurt your feet through those flimsy soles.\u00a0 And that trendy footwear won\u2019t even slow down the desert thorns designed to slice and dice.\u00a0 ALWAYS wear a hat and sunglasses with lots of sunscreen between sunrise and sunset.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ever go off for the day and leave the awning on your RV out \u2013 the winds can do amazing things, rapidly.\u00a0 A dust devil is like a pint-sized hurricane without the water or tree limbs. And don’t forget your water bottle.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve written \u2014the cast of \u201creasons\u201d is legion and irrelevant.\u00a0 Today, I begin again. Today, my photos won\u2019t transfer to my PC.\u00a0 But I begin again, with photos to come later. I\u2019m at a … Continue reading