2019 Ajo Great Adventure

            The excitement of Christmas still hung strong as Anne and I collected food, crafts, and clothing to load into the RV. Last year we reserved a site at an RV Park in Ajo, AZ. We made a deposit and planned to spend a month or more at the park. As we gather vacation belongings, we are anxious about being able to travel over the Siskiyou Pass, south of Ashland, on I-5. The Christmas weather in the Rogue Valley has been cold and wet. That has meant snow on the mountain highways. Forecasts predict clear skies for Friday and Saturday.

            Friday, December 28, 2018, the RV is packed and we are ready to travel by 10am. Freezing fog covers the valley and travel hazards for the I-5 summit report patches of ice on the roads. We have fuel to buy yet, and the RV is also low on Propane. This should buy some solar thawing time for the roads.

            A few miles south of Ashland we break out of the thinly presented fog and we are greeted by a bright blue sky. As we climbed towards the Siskiyou summit, we can see road hugging frost on the shaded shoulders which made up the slow truck lane. The summit’s break test area is quickly reached. The Oregon side of the Siskiyou Mountain Range is quite short. Reaching the summit is but a snapshot of what is to come before we reach California flatlands. The road is mountainous until we reach Yreka, California.

Although icky driving for several miles south of the summit the threat for our trip was the weather conditions at the pass. We are on the road again; on our 2019 Ajo Great Adventure.

            Each venture south, we seem to always end up making our first overnighter in Corning, CA - specifically, at the Rolling Hills Casino and RV Park. As we approached the RV Park this afternoon, we spotted a “Park Full” sign. Indeed it was a full park. We won’t be staying here.

            The Casino facility is also a full-service truck stop. It hosts a drive-thru fuel station, a mini-mart, and a multi-acre truck parking area. The truck field is paved and stripped. It is also almost completely fully occupied. Trucks and RVs of all varieties are packed like sardines. Generators are running from every other rig. This is a mega travel week. We are going to find similar settings everywhere. A section of the parking field was still available. We found a spot for the night.

            Observing the north bound I-5 traffic as we drove south towards Coalinga it appeared as a two lane ribbon of steel and headlights. I suspect that our lanes looked similar. As we approached Sacramento the two lanes grew to five. The number of freeway exits and entrances increases with the larger cities. Over and under crossing bridges became numerous. Along with the increase in traffic competition there always seems to be an increase in the number and complexity of the freeway’s lane curves. As we drove past the Sacramento metro area there were many up, down, and around curves. This would normally make “fun” driving but not when piloting 60 feet of vehicle being passed by speeding semi rigs. Don’t look. Stay focused.

            Central California is a tremendously rich produce growing area. The I-5 freeway cuts through the middle of this region. On each side of the highway are manicured orchards. There was nothing constant about what the next crop would be. There were orange groves, almond groves, and olive groves. Each crop was closely trimmed. The trees were planted in perfectly parallel lanes which shrunk to distant vanishing points in two directions. I found myself wishing I could stare down each row and spot a flaw in the tree alignment. They didn’t exist.

            Exit 325 took us directly to the Sommerville RV Park, south of Coalinga. This park has been around for a while. The sites are easy drive-thru but the all gravel bases could benefit from having a blade drug over them. Ours had dips in the tire lanes.

            The next leg of our drive is perhaps the worst. The freeway takes us south, to the northern fringes of the LA suburban cities. The number of lanes increases to six and the traffic density grows. We are looking for the intersection with I-210E. The GPS displays four lanes straight ahead and two lanes exiting. We stay to the right and are swept in a metallic flow up and over I-5 and then quickly we were blended into the east bound lanes of I-210.

            While on this interstate highway we see nothing of the cities we drive through. Anne notices a sign which says, “Pasadena, next 11 exits”. We are on this interstate for several miles. Occasionally the traffic gets bottlenecked and we come to a stop. Someone somewhere knows exactly why this happens. I feel lucky, however, the five west bound lanes of traffic are completely packed, and they have been stop and go for a dozen or more miles. That number of vehicles probably surpasses the total traffic on Oregon’s segment of I-5 at any single moment. Where do they all go?

            Our navigation mission is to merge from I-210 onto I-10E. This is done by correctly identifying the exit to CA 57, which is a highway that links the two freeways. I-10 is an east west interstate which will take us to near Phoenix. Exit 44 is for us. The highway is only a few miles in length and it comes to an end with a choice of going left, for I-10E, or right for I-10 west. Two lanes quickly swoop down and under a crossing highway and blend into the east bound traffic.

            I was looking forward to finally getting onto I-10. By that time we will have crossed over most of the high density of LA county and we will begin to creep into the more open southern California desert landscape. On past excursions this transition has brought a welcome relief in traffic congestion.

            We have committed to one more overnighter before arriving at Ajo. Indio has a couple of casinos which offer free overnight RV parking. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is at Exit 144, on the far end of the Palm Springs strip. This casino has a monstrously large, graveled truck and RV lot behind the casino’s hotel. Pulling into the lot, we notice that it is already mostly occupied. I find a large gap between two RVs and we make ourselves at home.

               We are “dry camping” at the casino, so there is nothing to hook up to outside. The casino is about a quarter mile away. I drive us to the casino and find a front door parking spot empty. I join Anne to have a look around the gaming floor. She has her IPhone and she will call me when she wants to be picked up for dinner. I return to the RV, open a tinny, and watch the ABC Nightly News. Ahh, it is so good to be still and to not be continually looking into the side mirrors.

            We pulled into Shadow Ridge RV Park at about 4 o’clock. We were expected, and checking in went quickly. Site # 94 was the one we had reserved and it was ready for us. This site is at the back row in the park. Shadow Ridge has been terraced out of the hillside neighboring Ajo’s main street. Our site is at the top of the hill. Behind us is a row of prefab cabins being used by Border Patrol for agent housing.

            A gentle rain began to fall as we were preparing the outside hook-ups. The graveled site has a small degree of slope to it. This means we will need to use the front jacks to obtain a level cabin. By the time we were finished, the rain had become significant. It was a treat to get inside and turn the heat on.

            While the meatloaf cooked, Anne and I traded wins with dominoes. She prepared a wonderful meal and we enjoyed relaxing afterwards. It is a comfortable feeling knowing that tomorrow we don’t have to once again pull up stakes.

            The last day of 2018 arrived and it was horizon to horizon a bright blue. Evidence of the rains of yesterday was gone. The temperatures were near freezing. The heat pump on the RV prefers more Mediterranean climates. As a result, the system would repeatedly cycle on and off again. It tried, in a very non-frustrated way, to extract a few degrees of warmth from the cold Arizona air.

            We are renting the RV site on a monthly basis. There is a meter on the site’s electrical hook-up post. The meter read 2079.3 when we connected. We will be charged for electricity usage when we check out. Having the RV’s heat pump continuously cycle on and off was not inducing to a low power bill. It was also not permitting an uninterrupted sleep. I arose and shut off the heating system. When I got up for the day I would switch on the gas furnace to bring quick warmth to the cabin.

            Today was a day of adjustment to our new environment. I discovered that the bedroom slide out wall was sitting atop the electrical panel box. All had looked clear when I had maneuvered into the site yesterday. Before lowering the two front jacks, I released the air from the air-bag lifts. This dumped the extended wing on top of the panel box. Last night I had focused on getting completed and out of the rain, I hadn’t done a final walk-around. Lesson learned.

            This meant that everything needed to be undone, and pulled in as if we were readying to leave. With this all accomplished, I drew a line in the gravel near the rear tires. I asked Anne to signal me when I had jockeyed the rig over to the line. The line was a foot away from the rear wheel. This position would keep us away from the power pole. With that done, we pretended we had just arrived and we set up camp.

            This was New Year’s Eve and we planned to spend the night in celebration. After a wonderful dinner, we found ourselves entangled in a contest of who was best at Pinochle, and then at Dominoes. There was no clear dominance. We put the games away and decided to spend the rest of the evening at the movies.

            During the day, I had set up the satellite antenna for the TV. We were in luck. One of the channels was cheering the New Year with reruns of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones movies. I in the lounge chair, and Anne stretched out on the couch; we were ready to sleep through the transition hour.

            The 40 meter antenna has been raised, to work with the ham radio. The middle window pull-down shade has been repaired so that it once again will stay where it is positioned. And, the toilet bowl fill switch has been accessed with wire so that the bowl can be filled before its use. Yes. All of them nasty jobs, but somebody had to do them.

            This afternoon we drove to the central plaza to check in with the Chamber of Commerce for visitor activity ideas. This was a good stop. We came away with a handful of brochures and Anne got information about the local quilting group. We stopped at the Community Food Store, which was on the walk to the library. We popped in to have a look at what the store offered. We ended up carrying out a basket full of food. The store apparently gets it supplies from distributors who have damaged boxes of goods. Name brand products are presented with dents in the cans. These shelf items were being sold by the store at less than half price. Anne and I discovered we were both pretty fond of dents. Soft packaged goods were also plentiful. Quaker Oats breakfast meals, just add hot water, were 10 cents per pack. We loaded the RV pantry for $27.

            The public library was just next door to the food store. We were surprised to see how many patrons the library had. It is very well set up. The book shelves are fully stocked and well labeled. There is a large reading area near the periodical rack. And the library has several tables set up with computers for on-line research.

            While Anne looked for a book to check out, I scanned the periodical rack and I found an interesting short read. A scientific periodical featured a cover question, “What came before the Big Bang?” I found a lounge chair and began to read. The article presented several new theories about the universe’s original expansion and what may have caused it. I will need to revisit the library to read the last page of the piece to discover the punch line.

            Anne had found an Elizabeth George novel and was in the process of getting a library card. One does not need to have a permanent address in Ajo to be given a card. The library’s computer system now contains all the information needed to know where the book may have ended up; if it weren’t checked in by January 21^st.

            Home to Arizona’s first open pit copper mine, Ajo built its economy and identity on mineral extraction. Never incorporated as a city, the community depended on the mine for housing and infrastructure, as well as for employment.

            In 1985, years of labor disputes led to the final closure of Ajo’s copper mine. The town’s population plummeted from almost 8,000 to roughly 3,000, and its identity dissolved.

            Decades after the end of extraction, residents are re-imagining the town in a way that celebrates its creativity and honors its small town roots. And unlike so many small towns across the country that are facing extinction, new residents are moving here.

            Ajo’s charms – welcoming locals and miles of untouched desert – lure adventurous, creative souls who want to be part of something bigger than themselves. These new residents have injected fresh energy into the community.

            In 2007, the historic Curley School was converted into affordable housing for artists; from potters to paper makers. This focused artisan community generates considerable marketable works. There is limited sales opportunity in this small and isolated desert town. Virtually all of the craftwork is sold via the internet.

            Curly School is on the National Historical Register. Aside from the portions of the school which have been converted into apartments, the common areas of the vast school property are open to public use. Classes in many art forms are regularly offered. The large school auditorium is an important feature. Resources like the Curley School’s wood shop and ceramic studio support the act of making Ajo a great place to live.

            The craft based foundation of the renewed Ajo is the reason Anne and I reserved a spot in the RV Park for this winter’s visit. We had spent over a week in Ajo last year. That time was shared with Dave and Joy. During the visit, we received warm greetings from the town’s people and we learned of the many craft opportunities the village offered.

            Ajo is a few miles north of the border with Mexico. US highway 85 paves through Ajo and continues to the border. South of the border is a major tourist development on the Gulf of California called Puerto Penasco, or Rocky Point. In a large part because of Rocky Point, Ajo receives a tremendous amount of tourist traffic during the winter months.

            Due to Ajo’s closeness to the border, it hosts a significant number of families who are employed by the US Border Patrol. Shadow Ridge RV Park has a row of cottages which were built by the government specifically for some of these families.

            I made a few phone calls and I found out where the Curley School wood shop is. Once checked out on the use of the equipment, the shop is open to the public. I drove to the shop and met a man named Jay. Jay is one of the few people who are authorized to open the wood shop for daily use. I filled out a release form and Jay showed me around.

            The shop is perhaps 30’ x 30’ in main floor size. There are a couple of side storage rooms, also. Much of the equipment is older, but still well kept; band saw, lathe, a couple of planes, chop saw, table saw, and a couple of bench grinders make up the floor mounted hardware.

            I had mentioned to Jay that at home I did a lot of work on my lathe. He showed me the side storage room, which housed all of the hand power tools. Jay handed me a box of lathe chisels. I took them to one of the assembly benches and inspected the blades. It was a beautiful, full size set of chisels. A few of the chisels had never been used. The rest needed sharpening. Jay left me to it and I set up a jig on one of the bench grinders to sharpen the blades.

            I guess I passed muster, because Jay asked me to help him reposition the lathe beneath the windows. Jay has never used a lathe, and together we investigated this unit. With a few adjustments the lathe was ready to go. We spent the next half hour constructing a box to hold the lathe accessories. We mounted the box on the rails beneath the lathe.

            Jay is from Colorado. He had purchased a used GMC delivery truck and his Curley School project is to convert the sealed cargo box into an RV. Jay showed me his rig and he explained that he currently was constructing a Murphy bed to fit on one side of the shell. Jay sketched for me how he planned to connect the folding bed to the truck. I now have a greater appreciation of how not to diagram an explanation. He lost me.

            I asked Jay where one bought project wood. He said locally that Olsen’s grocery and hardware store had some construction wood. He drives to Tucson to shop at Home Depot. Jay said he would be more than happy to buy for me when he went there at the end of the month.

            Saturday morning we looked through the brochures we had selected at the Chamber offices. We decided we would drive the Ajo Scenic Loop. From the Plaza the loop is 10.4 miles long. Exiting Ajo to the west we climbed into the neighboring hills on bumpy gravel roads. Ajo is in the heart of the Sonoran Desert and diverse cacti and desert flora flourished. Stately saguaro marched up the hillsides, many with arms which seemed to be calling others to follow. Organ pipe cactus became common as we continued to approach the top of the mesa.

              Cholla cactus became common alongside the road. I pulled over and stopped. I wanted to get a snapshot of the very teddy bear, fuzzy like cholla. I found a nice plant and got my picture. Returning to the car I accidentally brushed a cholla with my pant leg. Oh boy. I was caught. A bulb of the cholla cactus grabbed my pants and held on tight. Its barbs actually speared into my leg. One doesn’t just brush off a bulb of cactus.

          

  We were looking in the boot of the CRV for a tool, when a jeep drove up and stopped. The man in the jeep offered me the use of his large pocket knife. With the knife, I pried off the bulb. Several barbs stayed behind, stuck in my leg. Anne pulled them out. Wow. What a beautiful, but very nasty plant.

            Kathy and David were the owners of the mercy jeep. They had come to Ajo for each of the past 18 years. They, too, stay at the Shadow Ridge RV Park. They, however, have purchased one of the many small cabins located along the perimeter drive. They were on their way to the Indian burial grounds and they offered to show us where it was.

A junction in the loop road took us into the southern bush. This path was not as well maintained and we crossed many arroyos that were filled with several inches of clean, dry sand. We crested a hill and saw the Indian grave yard on the right. The grounds were well maintained. There seemed to be no gravestones. Instead, the yard was covered with proud, white crosses marking the grave sites.

 We stood outside the gate and David told us the history of the graveyard. In past years it had been popular to noodle in the nearby bush in hopes of finding shards of pottery. He wanted to show us another off the map attraction. We followed David and Kathy a mile or so more. We came to an old cattle corral which had been built next to a windmill water pump and storage tank. Some years ago the free range cattle had eaten all of the grass which once used to wave with the breeze over the desert floor. Cattle have since been removed from the region.

The corral and water supply are maintained by the Bureau of Lands. They have installed a water trough a short distance from the corral. The trough is float valve controlled and it is used by the area’s wildlife. The trough was full, and it was a deep alga green. Dozens of bees were filling up on the water’s surface. David advised us later that the bees in this part of the southwest were all Africanized and they were very nasty to be around.

David and Kathy led us back to the main loop road. We followed them back to Shadow Ridge. After thanking them for the tour, we returned to site #94, where we ate lunch and relaxed.

At some point, Anne had snuck in a couple of Big Hunk candy bars. I ate mine as we watched an old episode of Law and Order on the TV. My usual attack on a Big Hunk was to grip an inch or so by my side teeth and quickly jerk the bar down. This would break the piece away without having to gum it off. I then found all of the bits of peanut nested in the shard and I would scoot them to one side of my mouth and chew them up. The small bit of remaining candy would have softened by then and I would chew it into non-existence.

I can typically get five to six chunks of the candy bar using this technique. The method would allow me to remain focused on the TV program I was watching, or on the book I was reading. This evening I was a few bites into the bar. I had captured all of the peanuts, and I had begun to molar the wonderfully sweet piece of gummy candy. Wow. I had missed that piece of hard peanut. I worked the offending intrusion to my fingers and had a look at it. It wasn’t a piece of peanut. It was a filling from one of my molars.

Fillings have come out before. There was no pain created in the tooth when the chunk of metal came away. It did, however, create an opportunity for my tongue to spend hours, in the days to follow, probing the cavity and bringing wonderment about the sharp upper edge of the tooth. Something needed to be done.

Mexican border towns we’ve visited seem to have at least three things in common. Each has potholed streets with curbside vendors reaching out to you with squeegees and squirt bottles. Their arms are spread in a pleading gesture as you slowly drive past them.

A second feature the towns offer is a main street which houses several pharmacies. The pills are packaged differently than they are in the U.S., most of the names are recognizable, but they are spelled with a Spanish flair. Those aspects are OK, however, because one doesn’t seem to need a prescription to secure a refill. A bonus, too, is the low prices compared to the American refills. We have used the border pharmacies in the past, and both Anne and I had a need to get some scripts refilled.

The third thing border towns have in common is the number of dental clinics featuring boldly displayed signage. I have only second-hand knowledge of the quality and cost of the dental services in Mexico. It’ll be a crap shoot. Our insurance doesn’t cover dental work, other than perhaps an annual cleaning. So, it is time to re-visit Mexico.

Ajo is around 40 miles from the border. Highway 85 takes you 12 miles to Why. There you will find a Texaco station and a nearby casino on the junction of Highway 86. Highway 85 then meanders through the desert for 20 some miles and comes to an end at Lukeville and the U.S. border station. Thursday, January 10^th, we drove to Lukeville.

Driving into and through Ajo you see many shops which sell Mexico travel insurance. It is such prominent marketing in the town that we assumed that we needed to get some in order to drive across the border. I inquired at the Shell station neighboring the RV Park about the insurance. They can provide 24 hours of liability coverage for $31. Or, for an extra $5 they will write a total accident coverage policy. Well, if we need this driving into Mexico insurance, then we should just pay the $36 and get the full, all party coverage.

I called our State Farm agent in Medford. He said that the company would cover our travel into Mexico for a distance to 50 miles. He regretted that car theft was just too common an occurrence for the company to cover extended distances. This was great news for us. We didn’t need to by any Mexican driving insurance for our trip on Thursday.

The only thing in Lukeville is the border crossing facility. The crossing compound is built somewhat like a highway toll booth. It presented several lane options one could take in passing. Today, only one lane was open and that lane was covered with 4” high jiggle bars laying every couple of feet. A Mexican border guard waves you forward after he clears the traffic ahead of you. His purpose, as you cross into Mexico, seems to be to just have a look at you as you approach him with the car window rolled down. The machine rifle he has slung over his right shoulder, however, is a bit off-putting. The forward route then takes a quick turn and you are greeted with a bright strobe flash as the border’s cameras log vehicle identification and images of the front seat passengers.

The city of Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico is perhaps a mile south of the border crossing. Highway 85 is now Mexican Highway 8. We are instantly transferred into a scene of an impoverished country. The roadside homes and businesses all seem to have been constructed from remnants of finer structures, now gone. Few of the off-road approaches to the shops have asphalt meeting the side of the highway, most have gravel drives, and many have mud.

Red Stop signs are now off-yellow Alto signs. The Alto signs seem to appear at unusual locations along the main street. I find myself searching for the next one. From a muddied cross street, a dirty pickup truck rolls through an Alto sign and it turns in front of us. Unwittingly, I find myself seeing the local town’s folks as I see their store fronts, and their streets, and the way they drive. I am not impressed by my first impressions, or of how I am interpreting them.

In a few minutes we have passed through Sonoyta and we have re-emerged into the rural, desolate desert. A U-turn is called for. Anne had noticed one particular pharmacy which she thought may be worth having a go at for our refills. I pull to the curb and we get out of the car. A man is standing on the walkway holding a bicycle. We feel his eyes as we pass him on our way to the street corner entrance of the pharmacy.

As we push through the front door, the grubby exterior presentation of the pharmacy is instantly transposed into a brightly lit and sparkling clean interior. Several isles of shelves are well stocked with sundry healthcare products. There is a younger woman wearing a clean white smock at the rear service counter. I am impressed.

Anne obtained a refill for one of the pill bottles she had brought along. The pharmacy didn’t stock the pills I needed in the correct dosage size. While waiting behind another customer at the check-out counter, Anne spotted a candy bar she remembered was particularly good. I just got a quick glance at the $15 price tag as she showed me her find. As we drove north from Sonoyta, I asked Anne to Google the exchange rate for Mexico. Today it is $19.14 peso to $1 dollar. I feel better. The candy bar only cost 78 cents.

Getting into Mexico was a jiggle, but there was no hassle involved. The re-entry into the United States was not as straight forward. We were jiggled to a stop at a checkpoint and we were asked of our destination. We presented our passports, and we received a quick look through the car’s rear windows. Strobes flashed as we left the sentry behind. The crossing’s exit route was once more constructed in such a way that one could not just drive straight through. At least one hard turn was required before we were exposed to Highway 85.

When Dave and Joy join up with us, we will once again cross into Mexico. That drive will take us to Rocky Point, on the Sea of Cortez. Rocky Point is a large resort destination city. I will wait until then to have my tooth looked at, if at all.

I’ve brought along three bows, arrows, and a target butt. The other day Anne and I drove a loop road which took us past the Country Club, the airport, and the shooting range. Last year we stayed with Dave and Joy at the Country Club during the Old Time Fiddler’s Contest. This region, seven miles north of Ajo, was very familiar. My interest on this afternoon was to scout out the shooting range.

The shooting range is well set up and I could use it for my bow practice. We crossed an arroyo on the way to the range. The arroyo had a wide, flat sandy bed. It looked perfect for setting up my target butt.

Sunday, the 13^th, I decided it was time to exercise the bow. I transferred all of my archery gear from the RV’s outside storage bay into the backseat of the Honda CRV. I drove the seven miles north on Hwy 85 to the Mead Road intersection. This would take me past the airport and towards the arroyo.

The abandoned rail freight line parallels Mead Road. A half mile in, I noticed a gravel road which crossed the tracks. I was going to digress from archery for a bit and I was going to walk the track a short distance to look for curiosities. On the other side of the tracks I found a gravel BLM road which ran alongside the railroad. This unused side road would be a better place to practice that the arroyo.

I unloaded the archery gear and then I strolled a ways on the rail bed. The best I came away with were a couple of lumps of slag. These stones had fallen from the rail car as the slag was been being carried away from the copper smelting process. I returned to the CRV where I strung a bow and set out the target.

It has been many weeks since I last shot the bow. I have been spending most of my time making gifts in the wood shop for the holidays. My expectation was to shoot at fairly close range, 20 yards, and to expect to be uncomfortable pulling full length on the string. My aim was a bit off, so the close range was a good idea. I was shooting seven arrows with each round. The first few rounds felt pretty stiff. By the time I had shot eight rounds, I was tired and ready to end for the day. I felt good, though. I had only needed to walk down one arrow which had found its resting 100 yards beyond the target butt.

Anne suggested that tomorrow we take a drive to Gila Bend, or maybe to Casa Grande. She wants to find a Walmart so we can collect some of the RV needs that we can’t find locally. I would like to link up with a Home Depot, or maybe a Lowe’s where I can find some wood that I can use on the shop lathe.

Upon arising this sunny Thursday morning, I decided that it was time I got a haircut. I have grown my hair long since we were down here a year ago. I have learned in that year that the daily maintenance that comes with the soft blowing locks is a nuisance. For many years, Anne has volunteered to use the Conair sheers to buzz my ill shaped noggin with a #2 blade attachment. That blade leaves a quarter inch of fuzz everywhere. Well, everywhere excepting the top of my head, which has preferred to go without anything to cut? This is a zero maintenance haircut. Now, I am ready to shower and greet the day.  

Every day, just after sunrise, a squadron of Javalina parades through the park. There are about a dozen of the small, pig like animals which pass two rows in front of us. Javalina have notorious eye sight, but they have a superior sense of smell. As they cross, they stop and sniff at nearby patches of gravel. The Javalina are very social animals. They have scent glands on their rumps which they use to rub in greeting other members of the herd. In this manor, all of the animals in the herd end up having a common scent. Through this method, they are able to instantly detect a newcomer in their midst.

The Javalina are relatives of pigs, naturally, but also of goats, deer and other bi-lobed, hoofed animals. They are primarily herbivores, and they meander in a group as they forage for native plants.

I have wondered how the Javalina are getting into the fenced RV Park. Walking outside the fence, I have noticed that there are a few places where hoof prints lead to the fence. The steel railed fence has about 5” of separation between rails. Somehow, the animals are squeezing through the fence. Today, I discovered where they are coming from in the northern bush. I will try to position myself upwind near their trail head and get some pictures of them coming out of their night time brush. We have not seen any animals returning from the south later in the day. They are either passing after dark, or they are returning to their bush over a different route. That will be a study for another day.

I got up just after dawn on Friday. With a cup of tea in hand I walked to the park’s north exit. Positioned away from the path the Javalina take to approach the fence, I waited. The sun rose completely and there was no sign of any animals in the wash below the side road. I had either missed them, or they were not coming out this morning.

I returned to the RV and reported my failed observations to Anne. Her thought was that the animals came through the park later in the day. As we were reflecting on the time, Anne pointed out the front window. There they were. More than a dozen Javalina were slowly passing one row of RVs in front of us. The time was 0815. Drats!

Yesterday’s drive to Casa Grande was fruitful. Google Maps on Anne’s iPhone directed us to the front door of the nearest Walmart Super Store. We found everything on Anne’s “must have” list, checked out, and then stopped at the in-store McDonald’s for lunch.

Coming into town we drove past both Lowe’s and Home Depot. We also spotted the Harbor Freight store. Boy. What more could a guy want for shopping outlets? I like the Lowe’s store over the Home Depot because Lowe’s seems to have broader selection, and they offer a 10% serviceman discount.

My mission was to find some wood I could use with the Curly School shop lathe. A clean length of 4 x 4 was going to be the best bet. I could plane the edges, cut short lengths, and laminate the pieces together to form large diameter blocks. I sorted through the selection and found the best stock. At that time a pair of store workers approached and asked if they could assist me.

They removed the 8 foot length of 4 x 4 and set it on a cart. I had noticed the store’s lumber saw was nearby so I asked if they would cut the 4 x 4 in half for me. One of them told me the saw was down for maintenance. I asked if they could fetch a hand saw so I could cut the board. This had never come up before and we shared some discussion about how that would be the right thing to do. I explained that the board would not fit inside my small car unless it was made shorter.

One of the workers came back with a coping saw. He said the store didn’t have anything larger. This worker said he had never used a saw and he gave the tool to the other man. The second worker carefully marked a halfway point and began to cut the board. The task was completed and I thanked them.

I was asked at the checkout counter if I had one piece, or two. When I explained how my one piece had become two, the clerk observed and commented on how jagged the cut end was. I refrained and thanked her for the help.

Quilters have noses for finding stores. Anne directed us to the PM Quilt Store on W. Florence Road. She was in search of some fabric she would use to back a Children’s Festival quilt with. For many years, Pat Blair has done the art work for T-shirts which are sold at the festival. She had come up with the dragon theme that has been used each year. Pat is a dear friend, a recognized artist, and she is one of Anne’s former partners in their Hot Pots business.

Anne has obtained a shirt from each year and she is making a quilt with the unique pieces of art. Each shirt displays a caption of the magic dragon. Luck was with her at the store, we came away with a swash of fabric which had a dragon motif. The finished quilt will be presented to Pat in recognition of her founding and of her continuous work in creating the annual Children’s Festival.

One of Anne’s new tennis friends, Lu and her husband, David, suggested that we join them at the American Citizen’s Social Club Saturday evening for a dance. The band, named E Pluribus Unum, has a guitar player who also plays tennis with the ladies.

 We arrived at the club around 7:30 pm. For a Saturday night event, this seemed a bit early. However, upon approaching the front door of the club we could hear the band performing a country and western tune. We were greeted at the front door and asked to sign in. The floor was crowded with couples keeping step and with bodies swinging to the beat of the song. My first impression was that this was going to be an “Okie Stomp” similar to the ones held every Saturday night in Lowell, across from Brinkman’s garage.

In a hall adjoining the dance floor there was a bar and another extended floor. I bought a glass of dos Equis; it was either that or Bud Lite. We returned to the dance floor and looked for vacancies at one of the perimeter tables. We may have captured the only two remaining chairs in the hall.

E Pluribus Unum had a drummer, four guitar players, one mouth organist and a lead singer. The band was very good and they played a variety of old rock mixed with some unfamiliar country. Anne and I observed for a few songs before we ventured onto the floor.

Lu and David were on the floor with nearly every song. Lu was very aggressive with her dance, while David sort of just moved his feet around. We had joined them, also, on Friday night for dinner. The town’s VFW had a fish fry on the first and third Friday’s of each month. During this meal, David filled my ear with his research on the Genealogy of his family.

David is a retired Mechanical Engineer and his career has taken him many interesting places around the World. He sat to my left at the table and unfortunately, my left hearing aid battery had given up its juice part way through his lengthy discourse. I nodded a lot and occasionally grinned when it appeared he was emphasizing a point.

We had fun this evening, too. I suspect that I partook of more aerobic exercise on that dance floor that I would do in a normal week’s activity. I thanked David for suggesting we join them this evening. He extended a sweaty hand, which I firmly shook, and then we left.

Ajo has the VFW, the Elks and the American Citizen’s Social Club. There may be others. We have no idea what the real function of the Social Club may be. However, like the VFW and the Elks, the club is a place to go for inexpensive drinks. My beer cost $3. The main stay drinks being prepared were $3 margaritas. After I had finished my beer, I bought a margarita to see if it was a good tasting value. Both of us nodded that it was. Now we have a couple of social spots we can return to.

Monday, the 21^st, was a busy day. We were up early and out the door by 0730. This is the day Anne flies to Ontario, CA to attend a quilting show. She has made reservations with American Airlines and she will fly out of Tucson. The trip to Tucson is about 130 miles. We are going to drive the Ajo –Tucson highway, Hwy 86, and I am budgeting three hours for the trip. America is experiencing a partial government shut down over the border wall funding stalemate. As a result, a significant number of TSA officials are calling in sick, meaning the security check-in line may take longer.

Anne’s friend, Sue Sullivan, is flying into Ontario, also. They will share the quilting adventure. Sue is leaving from Palm Springs. Both are carrying their tennis racquets, as well as their pickle ball paddles. This trip won’t be all about crafts.

I will pick Anne up on the 29^th. She will also spend a few days visiting with Connie, who lives in Long Beach. Anne will rent a car to make the fairly direct drive from Ontario.

After dropping Anne at the airport, I drove out Palo Verde to the Woodworkers Source. This is a store that caters to the wood hobby crafter. They specialize in their offers of exotic hardwood turning blanks, as well as board feet of the same stocks. The store is well furnished with tools and sundries which the wood worker may need.

The turning stock is presented in 1 ¾ x 1 ¾ square cuts of standardized lengths: 6”, 18” and 30”. I was looking for something different which I could cut and laminate into a larger blank to turn into bowls. This wood wasn’t cheap. The 30” lengths ranged in price from a low of $14 for more common woods, to some species which had price tags of over $30 for the skinny 30” piece.

Many of the species of wood I had never heard of. I chose a blank which displayed prominent, colorful grain. The piece of Canary Wood cost $26. Canary Wood, Tarara Amarilla, is a colorful exotic located in the forests of Brazil and Bolivia. Its heartwood color can be bright yellow to orange with long distinctive streaks of purple, red, and black. Tarara is durable and hard, but also rated as easy to work with.

While handy, I also picked up a bottle of Titebond wood glue, as well as a small container of Super Glue. It was time to find my way out of Tucson and back onto Hwy 86.

 Dave texted me while I was in Tucson. He and Joy had left Quartzsite on Sunday, and they were set up in Coyote Howls West RV Park, in Why. Why is a road junction settlement 12 miles south of Ajo. I wrote back that I would contact him when I got close.

Happily, the return trip was uneventful. I located their Artic Fox 5^th wheel RV and I announced my arrival. We visited for a couple of hours. I invited Dave to join me at the Curley School wood shop. I had turned, and varnished a cup out of Redwood and I wanted to collect it before the shop closed this afternoon. Joy invited me to join them for dinner this evening. It would be convenient for Dave to drive with me to Ajo and back.

I showed Dave around the wood shop. I introduced him to Jay. Jay is the chap who is converting a 10’ U-Haul delivery van into a camper. Dave soon found himself assisting with the sanding of plywood which Jay had cut for pieces of the bench he was building. At a little past 4 pm we said goodnight to Jay and drove back to Why for dinner.

 I had bought a length of 4”x4” pine the other day. Tuesday I decided I would use a piece of the wood to make a second cup. I had been in the shop for about an hour before Dave and Joy arrived. Dave was dropped off and Joy went shopping. Dave set to work finishing the bamboo cutting board we had re-glued yesterday. He then began to turn some pegs to use on the bench I had recently cleaned up. We worked together until ~2:30 pm, when Joy returned to drive them back to Why. I was asked to join them for pre-dinner at 4 o’clock.

On the way to the Curley School wood shop I stopped at the Shell station, which is next door to the RV Park. While I was at the station an unusual customer came in. One of the Park’s neighbors was taking his pet for a walk-about. I asked the man if his animal took regular or supreme. He gave me a saltine, which I held out to his pet. The ass started nibbling at my hand. The controller told the animal not to bite. I noticed that as they were walking away from the pumps the ass kicked up its heels and dashed a few feet forward. I think it favored the supreme.

Dave and I have spent time at the wood shop tending to some maintenance of the equipment. Some belts need tightening, and some of the tools need a few drops of 3-in-1 oil to make movement smoother. This was satisfying. We received complements on the small improvements.

I have made a few mugs with the 4 x 4 timber. To begin with I cut a 6” length and mounted it to the lathe. It takes a few minutes to turn the plug into a smooth cylinder. The next step is more difficult, I need to hollow out the core of the plug of wood. The tools available are not top line pieces. Their shorter length makes carving the end grain of the wood difficult. The amount of leverage available to be used to counter the tool’s drag against the grain is determined by the length and the weight of the carving instrument. The tool’s drag creates a lot of vibration and it is difficult to hold the shorter, lighter tools.

Once the mug’s cup is formed and sanded, I turned attention to creating a grip. I scrounged the rubbish bin for small pieces of 2 x 4. Using the band saw I cut out a U-shaped handle. The belt sander’s curved end allowed me to contour the ends of the grip so they would match the curve of the cup. With a little bit of Titebond glue, and some tape, I attached the grips to the cups.

A visit to Olsen’s hardware store got me a half pint of spar varnish and a couple of disposable 1” brushes. The varnish will give the mugs a tough, resistant coverage. Once it cures, the varnish will offer a food-safe finish.

 What I was after was a rustic, perhaps medieval functionality. The mugs will be used to present cold ale. It’s fun to come up with something a bit different. The lathe creates round things. It has become difficult to think of ideas for new and unusual pieces.  I look forward to the varnish curing.

The other morning I was told that I was going to get a key to the wood shop. I drove Jay, with his shop key down to Olsen’s to get a copy. Having a key meant that I could come and go on my own schedule. But, it also meant that I would be expected to offer one morning of the week to open the shop for other craftsmen. I signed up for Wednesday’s. I will plan to show up at 9 am, and close at 4 pm.

Tuesday, the 29^th, I drove to Tucson to pick Anne up at the airport. I stopped at the Coyote Howls West RV Park in Why on my way. This is the park Dave and Joy are camped in. I brought with me a package which Joy had arranged to be delivered to Shadow Ridge RV Park for our pick up. The package contained fabric and stencils for making pillow cases.

While at their park, I helped Dave print and re-scan a land sale contract for the Fall Creek property we had inherited. Marketing the 27 acres has gone on for several years. A price was negotiated with an interested party and the paperwork was being processed. It was necessary to have Dave, Sara, me, and Ian each sign and return the papers to our realtor representatives, who are life-long friends of Sara. To keep communications simple, I was chosen to be the one to pass messages back and forth. The process has been involved.

With brother Bill’s passing, son Ian is his father’s personal representative. That is straight forward. Except that Bill’s will is currently going through probate. Bill’s share of the Fall Creek property was not listed as an asset in his will. None of us received a Warranty Deed for our individual shares of the property when our father had passed and his will was probated. It all boils down to what the Title Company will accept as ownership documentation for the land sale process.

It had explained to me that the county did not register probate documents as prima facial evidence of land ownership. They registered property deeds. This meant that our father’s probate process may need to be re-opened in order to generate the individual warranty deeds for each sibling’s property share. The story will unfold.

I left Coyote Howls West a little before 5 pm. Anne’s American Airline flight is scheduled to arrive at 8:41 pm. I had plenty of time to travel the 115 miles to Tucson International. The plan was that Anne would collect her bag and then call me when she was at the curbside. Now, all I had to do was to find a place to wait.

I had passed a Circle K market and gas station on Tucson Blvd., as I had made my drive through the airport arrival loop. The Circle K parking lot would be a convenient spot to park and wait. At the Circle K, I purchased a soda and used the facilities.

Back in the car I was planning to read my story book. It had turned dark and I read under the car’s courtesy light. The hour I had to wait passed quickly. When Anne called I was able to reach her within five minutes. On the road by 9 o’clock, we would be back in Ajo by 11:30 pm.

Thursday Anne and I packed the suitcase. We were off to Tucson once again. This time it was to meet up with Patti and John (Stan) Stanalonis. Patti and Stan were driving from Albuquerque to spend a long weekend visiting with us. We insist on seeing them each time we travel to the Southwest.

On the way we stopped for coffee with Dave and Joy. They were comfortably spending a leisurely morning in their RV. After an hours chat, we began the trek through the desert towards Tucson.

Our GPS took us with no difficulty to the Comfort Suites at Sabino Canyon, 7007 Tanque Verde Road. Our reservations were ready and we were checked into ground floor room 201. Within a few minutes Patti and Stan arrived and they were seen into the neighboring room, 217.

 The Comfort Suite has a very plain stone block exterior. Inside of the building the ground floor is divided into five sections of rooms. Each section features a fountain, with surrounding benches and shrubbery in the center of a circular walk passing the several rooms. The second story walkway is built of rough cut beams supported by large square cut timbers. The effect is very rustic and comfortable.

Each evening the motel hosts a Happy Hour at 5 o’clock. Drinks begin at $1.50 for a bottle of Tecate, to $4.00 for a Margarita. Fritos and salsa are complimentary. We met at the tables near the indoor pool and began our first evening together.

Patti’s cousin, Karen, lives a short distance from the motel and she joined us. Karen was a sales lady on the ground floor when key telephone systems first came out. Karen went on in other sales markets. She has retired now, and she serves a number of customers by walking their dogs.

As we were visiting, Rob Marsh, a former co-worker and longtime friend of the Stanilonis’ called to find out where we were. He was driving through on his way north and he wanted to join us for the evening. Rob was returning from an annual visit to his dentist in Los Algodones, Mexicali, Mexico. We were impressed by the value of care he has been receiving for the past 15 years. Rob lives on Lake Tahoe, in Nevada. I had first met Rob over dinner with him and his 90+ year old father. They were visiting Patti and Stan. I had just arrived in town, too, and I was invited to join them. The year was 2012. I was on a solo trip in the Vanaroo. I was traveling alongside Chris and his family in New Mexico. They were traveling in an MCI tour bus, which Chris and I had converted into a family RV.

Rob and I seemed to hit it off straight away. Both of us had served several years in the USAF Office of Special Investigations (OSI). On a subsequent RV trip to the southwest, Anne and I took Rob up on an offer to visit him on our travels. We stayed for a couple of days at his home on Lake Tahoe. His front drive had enough room for us to pull the RV in off of the highway.

We had a delightful time while with Rob. He gave us a great tour of the highlight spots around the lake. He was a superb and generous host. Rob has offered us an open door for a return visit. The winter months, however, are not very hospitable around Lake Tahoe.

 After a complimentary breakfast at the entry lounge of the Comfort Suites, we decided to try out a couple of Tucson’s casinos. We stopped first at the Desert Diamond Casino which is located on Veronica, near the airport. About an hour was spent in the casino. No one came away with any rewards.

We then drove to the Casino Del Sol, a large complex carved out of the desert a few miles north of the Desert Diamond. We agreed to meet at the entrance in one hour. I left the three to find adventure while I drove next door to the casino’s gas station and mini-mart. My thought being that the reservation fuel station would have the lowest prices. The tribe would not be subject to State and Federal taxes on the gasoline. What I discovered, however, was the price for regular to be 10 cents higher than the more downtown stations charged. Maybe this station just mimicked the décor of the neighboring casino.

When I returned to Del Sol, I sat for a while in the parking lot and read my story book. I watched the clock and met up with Anne, Patti, and Stan at the designated time. The three of them were all disappointed once again. No one came away a winner. It was collectively decided that Friday mornings are not good times to spend in the casinos.

We had returned to Grant Road, which took us from the freeway and led us toward our motel. During the last few miles of drive, Anne had convinced all of us that what we should have for lunch was at Arby’s. I was driving, and I asked Siri for directions to an Arby’s near me. With a guiding map and voice at hand, I followed Siri’s instructions. By way of a convoluted route, Siri led us to an Arby restaurant which was nearly across the street from Casino Del Sol. We had driven 12 miles out, and then 12 miles back. We did, however, very much enjoy our roast beef lunches with milk shakes.

Upon our return to Grant Road and to the Comfort Suites, we rested. When we visited with Karen last evening Anne had received directions to a nearby hair dresser. So, while I read and napped, Anne drove to get her hair done. She returned within the hour with a shortened hair style. She spent enough time in the room to change from tennis shoes to sandals. She was off to get a pedicure. I closed my eyes for a bit more.

It was Happy Hour. I met Patti and Stan at the pool side lounge. They brought along a bag of Dominoes. We set ourselves up with beer, popcorn, and chips and then we began to play 5’s with the Dominoes. In about a beer and a half, Anne re-appeared. We now had a four-some. The game continued for one more beer. At this game, we had all won some.

Friday evening was capped with a dinner at the Eclectic restaurant. The Eclectic is a short walking distance away and within the large shopping center shared by the motel. The restaurant was very busy. They were fully seated inside. We were offered an outside table. This was a nice choice. The table sat underneath an overhead propane heater. This took away the settling desert night chill. Lite meals were ordered by all.

 Stan is an avid large screen sport’s fan. Currently showing in room 217 were the highlights of the Phoenix Open Golf Tournament. Anne and I joined Patti and Stan for a glass of Merlot and a few minutes of golf. We had fun together this day. We were all ready to turn in early.

            Sunday morning we woke up to rain. Tucson has an annual rainfall of approximately 12 inches. The weather, however, wasn’t going to daunt the plans for the day. Anne wanted to go back to the Desert Diamond Casino. Patti and Stan planned to visit the Pima Air Museum. I, having been to both sites wanted to stay behind and loaf.

            Anne returned at 3 o’clock. She reported a couple of good bonus rounds on the slots, but she came away without the $20 she had initially invested. Patti and Stan would link up with us at 4:30 pm. We are invited to Cousin Karen’s home for food and drinks while we watch the 53^rd annual Rose Bowl Game. This year the match is between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.

            Karen’s home is located in a gated village less than a mile from our motel. The homes are single story and they all have the same sandy colored adobe villa motif. She has decorated the interior of her home with large acrylic paintings and bold metal sculptures. Karen boasted of her back yard as being a large one for the village standard. The yard was covered in pee gravel and it contained several cacti. The depth of the block walled back yard was around 15 feet. This was definitely a low maintenance setting.

            The lack of action in the football game is now history. I had chosen to cheer for New England, only because Tom Brady was the quarterback. Stan was on the side of the Rams. A final score of 10 to 3 was not very satisfying. However, Brady’s 6^th Super Bowl victory put him solidly in the record book. I suspect one could comfortably retire on just the value of the rings he has collected.

            We returned to our digs at close to 9 pm. Patti and Stan are planning to begin the long drive to their home in Albuquerque at 8 am tomorrow. We committed to be up to see them off and then we all crashed for the day.

            The morning sky had broken clouds overhead, but it still managed to create a small sprinkle as the Stanalonis’ waved goodbye. We needed to check out of the motel by 11am. In no hurry, we decided to lie on the bed, read, and catch some more Z’s.

            Leaving Tucson in the late morning meant that we wouldn’t be driving in the commuter traffic. It still took us over a half hour to reach the I-19 exit for the Ajo-Tucson Highway, Hwy 96. The traffic soon became very sparse. We listened to an audio CD. After a few miles Anne had reclined her seat and she was watching the red blood cells flowing through the capillaries of her eye lids.

            We arrived at Coyote Howls West at a little past noon. We visited with Dave and Joy and we delivered fabric and a pattern which Anne had picked up for Joy. Joy treated us to coffee and lunch while we caught up on their investigations of possible winter homes in the Why community. They like the small, close village spirit and the many scheduled activities at the Why Community Center. The homes for sale tend to be fairly barren, but they are very inexpensive. A couple of properties have been looked at which are both under a $60K price.

            Early Tuesday morning the wind began rocking our home. The sky over Ajo looked threatening and showers were predicted in the late afternoon. Both of us were up by 7 am. I did some blog logging on the computer, and Anne lounged with her story book. At 8:10 am I took the garbage bag to the dumpster and then I exited the side gate and watched for the Javalina. Fifteen minutes standing in the brisk morning wind was long enough. I think the little pigs knew a good thing, as they stayed in their beds.

            We ate a warm oatmeal breakfast. After which, we visited with Bella via Facetime. The streets in Fort Wayne have a temporary reprieve from the snow. This means that Bella can drive her car to seek necessary repairs which are needed. She incurred front end damage when a driver caused her to swerve on an icy road. She ended up smacking into a tree. Injuries were only to the car.

            Today, Anne is going to spend time sewing Kleenex pocket pouches. Once a week she goes to the Ajo Quilt Club to share current projects and ideas. This week the club is organizing a Quilt Show in Ajo. Anne is making the Kleenex pouches to donate to the club for booth sale at the show. The monies received will go towards club activities.

             The local newspaper is the Ajo Copper News. The paper is produced weekly and it contains what one would expect of a small town rag. The value of the paper for us is its listing of scheduled events in and around town. Last week’s Annual Fiddler’s Contest, held at the Country Club, is the front page feature on this week’s issue. We had enjoyed the contest last year. We had shared the shows with Dave and Joy.

            The Copper News has an article about the Quilt Show and when it is being held. Anne and Joy have volunteered to tend to one of the booths at the Quilt Show on Saturday. Friday night the VFW/American Foreign Legion is open to the public for a fish fry. Monday evenings all are welcome at the Elks club for Bingo. The Elks’ are also hosting a Valentine Dinner on the 14^th.  Each Sunday the VFW hosts a breakfast meal. It would seem that most of the meals are being hosted by either the Elks or the VFW

            Tonight we planned to meet Dave and Joy at the VFW club at 4:45pm for the fish and chips dinner. Joy had been told by a patron at the Quilt Show that an early arrival at the VFW was the only way to guarantee we would receive a serving at the 5 – 7 pm affair. As Anne and I drove into the parking lot, we noticed that all of the few vehicles present were parked to the rear of the building. An “Open” sign was lighted in a window near the street side entrance.

            When we last ate at the VFW we had entered through the front. We had ordered our food and we were sent to the rear bar for our drinks. Dave had called and said they would meet us tonight in the bar. We entered the rear door and we found Dave and Joy visiting with a couple of ladies sitting on padded stools at the bar. It soon was evident why all of the vehicles had been parked near the rear of the building. The rear door is the main member’s entrance.

            It must have been a misprint in the Ajo Copper News. There is no fish fry this Friday evening. As a result, since we were not members of the VFW or of the American Legion, we were not supposed to be being served at the member discount bar. A non-member exception for service is made if one has been invited by a member. Joy and Dave had made acquaintances with two women who were Auxiliary Members of the VFW. One of the ladies told the bartender that we were her guests tonight. Even though the bartender knew exactly what was going on, she needed to hear a member of the club tell her that we were guests.

            Dave shouted the round of drinks. The four of us moved from the bar to a side table. While we were visiting, one of the elderly women approached Dave with a membership application.  She explained to us the difference between VFW and American Legion memberships, the AJO club serves both. When she had returned to her bar stool Dave was asked why he was interested in becoming a member. It turns out that the Mayor of Emmett, ID, where Dave and Joy live, is a VFW member and he has encouraged Dave to join.

            We finished the drinks and then drove to the Agave Grill for our dinner. The diner was near filled to capacity tonight. The ladies both ordered grilled chicken for their meals and Dave and I had hamburgers with onion rings for ours. The meal for Joy was delayed because her serving of chicken breast was very grisly. Anne and Dave both took bites and they agreed that the bird wasn’t edible. A new breast was ordered, and we waited.

            We all eventually ate, and we waited. The attention of our server was noted when we rose to leave our table. At that time she quickly began to prepare our meal tickets. The server had mislabeled our tickets. Dave and I quickly tuned into the fact that correcting her documentation wasn’t worth the trouble. The bills were settled and we left. The Agave Grill had a couple of strikes against them tonight. However, my Jalapeno Burger was quite delicious.

            The other morning Anne made us oatmeal for breakfast. I was raised with the tradition of sprinkling a spoonful of brown sugar atop the serving. The brown sugar had morphed into a brick while it had set in the RV pantry. I managed to scrape a few small lumps from the resilient mass of unneeded calories. This experience at breakfast gave me a new mission for some of my time at the Curley Woodshop.

             I decided to make a mortar and pestle. This wasn’t a kitchen tool Anne had often wished she had, but it was going to be of use while on this trip. Dave and I worked together on the design of the pestle. He was fairly new to wood turning and he enjoyed doing the lathe work for the pestle. While Dave was turning the pestle grip, I cut and glued two pieces of 4x4 pine to make a blank large enough for a mortar. The pestle was finished and sanded. I would turn the mortar the next day, when the Titebond had set.

            Prior to the long weekend with Patti and Stan, I had ordered a new wood turning tool from Amazon. This tool had an 18” total length, and the ½” square blade had lots of mass. The tip of the tool had a very sharp and replaceable carbide steel disk for cutting. This is the tool needed to work the end grain of the cups.

            The new tool made quick and easy work out of turning the mortar. When both pieces had been finished, I gave them a coating of spar varnish. The varnish would cure to food safeness in a couple of days.

            Occasionally a person would drop into the wood shop and inquire about fixing this or that piece of work. Steve drove up to the parking lot in a golf cart. He brought in a round disk of rubber and asked if we could form it into a ½” thick rectangle. This was an unusual request, but sure, we had the tools to form the rubber piece. Steve took me to his golf cart and showed me the application for the rubber. The seat of the cart lifts up. It came with two rubber bumpers where the seat meets the steel ribs underneath. One of the bumpers had fallen off. I finished the piece of rubber and installed it.

            Steve was very thankful for the service the Curley Woodshop had provided him. He rewarded me with a Scratch & Sniff lottery ticket for my contribution. The ticket was fun, but it came up a zero for me. Steve also ordered a replacement blade for one of the band saws. These were his way of contributing to the cause.

            The cups that I had made were sitting on one of the assembly tables. Steve was very interested in buying them from me. I had not thought of selling them and I told him that I didn’t have a price for the cups, but I would consider working one up. When Steve left, Michael visited with me about how he prices the fancy boxes which he makes. He offered me space on his craft table at the Saturday Market, if I wanted to try to sell some of the cups. For the 10% fee charged by the market for goods sold, this could be a fun experiment. Any cups sold would quickly pay for the wood used and for the new lathe tool.

            On Friday, the 8^th, I was busy turning more pine for additional cups when Steve returned. This time he had brought with him a bamboo cutting board. He wanted to cut the board in half. He told me that with the two smaller boards, he and his wife could each use one to eat their cooked meat off of. I set up the table saw and asked Steve if he would like to make the cut. This he did. I then took him to the router table and showed him how to add a rounded edge to the new cuts. Steve was once again very thankful for the assistance. He presented me with another Scratch & Sniff. When I scratched this card off, I had won a dollar. This had paid for my work. 

            Saturday night on the town, in Ajo. At 5pm we met Dave and Joy at the VFW hall. Tonight the VFW was serving a pork loin dinner. When we entered the front hall, there were two men in the room. We followed them to the service counter, where we became order #3. Dave and Joy carried the #4 flag back to our table.

            The pork was cooked perfectly. It was bacon wrapped, and it had been smoked. Pork normally seems to always cook dried out, but this meat was very juicy. The plate had half a large potato that had been whipped, refilled and covered with cheese. A dessert cup held strawberry shortcake. The VFW hostess came to our table and added whip cream to the cups.

            During the dinner we sat next to #1 and #2. Joy found lots of questions to ask them about the life style, and living in Ajo. What the weather extremes are, what home maintenance was involved in the up-keep of the older mining town cottages, and what months are they living in Ajo? Both men are VFW members. When they were finished with their meals they wished us well and retreated into the bar. We left soon after and we found our way back to our RVs.

            Tuesday, the 12^th, we all took a trip. I had received a call from Costco in Tucson that my hearing aids were ready to be picked up. Last year in Albuquerque I had bought new aids from Costco. Recently, they had been turning off, and then turning on again. When in Tucson, earlier with Patti and Stan, I took them to Costco to have them fixed or replaced. They were now ready to go.

            Anne and Joy prepared shopping lists for each of us and together Dave and I would drive to Tucson. The ladies, in the meantime, had made plans to drive to Phoenix on the day I went to Tucson. Their mission was to visit the city’s largest fabric store.

            I had been asked by Michael to open the wood shop for him on Tuesday. This meant that I would need to be there until someone else came in whom I could turn the shop over to. Dave and I would have a late exit to Tucson. Anne and Joy enjoyed an early departure for Phoenix.

            The presence of the wood shop is indicated by some chalk writing on the metal entrance door. For passersby, the entrance door is shadowed by a small, bushy tree, making the chalk writing unreadable. There is some discarded plywood which I could use to fashion a sign to set on one of the window ledges. That is what I did this Tuesday morning while I waited for someone to come to the shop.

            It was 11:30 am and I had finished my sign. The lettering was not expertly balanced on the plywood, but if not rejected, the shop’s presence will be obvious. I decided to lock up the building and pick Dave up for our drive to Tucson.

            Shopping at Costco took a bit more than an hour. We didn’t find everything on our lists, so we drove to the nearby Walmart. Wally’s world filled the remainder of our shopping lists. Across the street from Walmart is the Lowe’s store. Dave is making a light box. The box is used to trace patterns for quilting. What was needed at Lowe’s is a small sheet of opaque Plexiglas. He found the exact piece for his need.

            We needed to load the truck with fuel to make the trip back to Why. Dave used his fuel app and located a Shell station on Speedway Blvd. This was convenient and we stopped and filled up.

            Traffic was stop and go from the Shell station, onto I-10, on I-19 and for a few miles on the Ajo-Tucson Highway. We discovered it was all because the Ajo highway had one of two lanes shut down for maintenance. The traffic was obliged to merge into one lane. That it did not do very well. After that delay, we had smooth driving to Why. Joy and Anne were waiting at Coyote Howls West with dinner for us. We pulled into the RV Park at 10 pm. Anne and I got into bed tonight at midnight.                  

            Anne had announced that instead of going out for a Valentine dinner, she would make spaghetti and meat balls. She had made the sauce early in the morning. At 9 o’clock Joy and Dave drove up. Anne and Joy were going to do hand sewing in the club house. Dave and I had projects to complete at the wood shop.

            Dave created a 45 degree template for the table saw sled. The template would permit cutting precise 45 degree angles for things like picture frames. I applied a second coat of tung oil to a spindle back chair. The chair had been brought to the shop for repair. The owner of the chair is a 91 year old man. The chair had been left outside for some time. It had a cracked seat and the finish on the wood had become very flaky.

            My task with the chair was to glue the seat back together and clean and paint the wood. The man didn’t care what color was chosen. I worked one whole day sanding away all of the old finish. What I discovered was a beautiful hardwood core. I didn’t want to spoil the wood by covering it with paint. I bought some tung oil at Olsen’s and applied two coats. The chair will be unrecognizable when the man picks it up.

            At 12:30 pm Anne came to the shop to pick me up. We discovered that Coyote Howls East RV Park hosts a pinochle game afternoon every Thursday. On this Valentine’s Day Anne and I invited ourselves to an afternoon of cards. We were made welcome at the Club House. Two tables were set up. The rule was that each table would play four hands. The winning couple after four hands would move to the other table and play with the winner’s from that table. The winning and losing partners would be split up with the move. Another set of four hands would then be played.

            Pinochle was normally played from 1 to 4 pm. Today the play ended after two hours. This had been a fun diversion from our usual afternoon activities. We returned to our rig and Anne finished her preparation of the Valentine dinner.

            Dave and Joy arrived for dinner at 6 o’clock. The day had turned to fairly constant desert rainfall and it was comfortable to be inside. The rain pattered on the skin of the RV during our entire dinner hour. After the meal we sat for a few games of dominoes. Joy had brought a desert. When the winners and losers had been determined, we enjoyed a tasty version of chocolate brownies. Anne had surprised each of us, as well, with a chocolate take away treat.   

            Five and one half pounds of beef, five and one half pounds of pork loin, ten pounds of potatoes, five pounds of carrots, one onion, some parsley, and twenty four nine inch Pillsbury pie doughs. Some of these ingredients were purchased in Tucson and some were bought locally. Cooking was to begin in the club house at 8 am Saturday morning.

            Jay, from the wood shop turned out to be quite a well-rounded man. He grew up in Wisconsin until the age of nine. He shared a story about how his grandmother used to put together Cornish pasties. Pasties are perhaps Jay’s most favorite food dish. He told us formula for the pasties he loves to make. We thought it would be fun to have a pasty party.

            Dave and I gathered the raw materials and Anne reserved the Shadow Ridge RV Club House for Saturday morning. We needed normal sized ovens and the club house has two. Friday evening I sat at the picnic table and peeled the fifteen pounds of veggies. That task being done saved a lot of time on Saturday.

            I loaded everything into the CRV and drove to the club house. Jay drove up as I was unloading. Jay’s transportation is a ten foot GMC cargo van, of U-Haul fame. The van has been resprayed white, and Jay is in the process of building it into an RV. The van is his home. Dave and Joy arrived soon after.

            Joy and Anne busied themselves dicing carrots and potatoes. Dave, Jay and I cut all of the meat into bite sized pieces. We brought along a stack of mixing bowls; however, all of the ingredients actually filled a plastic soap bucket. There was no way to mix all of the chopped up food. Anne drove to the RV and brought back a roll of plastic garbage bags. Two of the five gallon bags were combined and the bucket was emptied into them. Anne and Joy held the bags open and Jay and Dave reached inside to toss the ingredients. Satisfied that all was well mixed the bag was placed on a table.

            The nine inch pre-rolled pie doughs were passed around and the pasty building began. The mixture was spooned onto the pie dough. Enough mix was added until the pie dough would just fold over and still permit sealing around the semi-circular edge. These were large pasties. Each would be enough to eat for two people at dinner time.

            We were limited on the size and on the number of trays to cook the pasties on. We could manage six to seven on each cook cycle. The baking was done at 350 degrees, for 45 minutes. This would not be idle time.

            Joy and Anne went to the Saturday Market, at the Plaza in Ajo. Anne came away with two loaves of Mike’s fresh baked bread. Dave made a run to Olsen’s IGA to pick up two more pie crust packages. While my Batphone kept track of the cooking timer, Jay and I played a couple of games of pool.

            When cooked, the pasties were off-loaded onto sheets of tin foil. They were double wrapped and stacked. Another batch went into the ovens. More pool was shot, dominoes were played, more batches were cooked, and we ran out of pie crusts – too much mix for the amount of dough we brought to the show. The left over will make a great stew mix.

            The plan was for the pasty proceeds to be split into thirds. Each of us was to take seven pasties to our freezers. Joy volunteered space in her freezer for Jay’s use. Somehow Anne and I ended up with nine pasties, as well as the remainder of the mix.

            The cleanup of the kitchen was done. Jay drove back to Why and Anne and I returned to the RV and restocked all of the pots and pans. I then drove to the wood shop and selected some wood to use for a cutting board. We needed one in the RV. When I returned to the rig, Anne was in the process of pan frying the left over pasty mix. She added some brown gravy mix and made a pan stew. A steaming bowl of pasty stew and a couple of slices of Mike’s bread made a terrific late lunch/dinner.

            During the last several visits to the wood shop it has been spindle chair repair. An elderly gentleman came in with Steve. He brought with him a spindle back chair that had been sitting in the elements and needed refinishing. The chair had a cracked seat and it couldn’t be used. I applied some Tite Bond glue to the open seat lamination and clamped it together.

             The next day I began sanding away the weathered, flaky varnish. After several hours of work, I was presented with a chair that would look very nice if it were coated with Tung oil. I applied a coat of oil and let it dry overnight. A second coat of the Tung oil finished the chair with a nice shine.

            I called the man who had brought the chair to the shop. In a couple of days Steve returned with him. He exclaimed that the way the chair looked was way better than he had expected. With each of Steve’s visits he would bring me a Scratch & Sniff for work I have done for him. The ticket this day was not a winner.

            There are two broken chairs in the shop. Each is taking up more floor space that desired. Dave and I decided it was time to fix them and perhaps offer them for sale at the next Saturday Market at the Plaza.

            One of the chairs is a tall back spindle with a missing leg. We removed one of the other legs and turned to the lathe to replicate it. Dave measured and marked the blank with start and stop points for the lathe chisels. The leg turned out to look exactly like the one we had removed. The only difference was the new leg is pine, and the original legs are oak.

            We re-glued all of the legs and each of the cross braces. I sanded the foot of the new leg so that the chair sat stable on all four points. Staining the new leg to look similar in tone with the oak legs was difficult. This chair is now a very solid one. However, with the small difference in tint of the new leg, the chair will never be used in a fine home. It would be perfect, though, as a student’s desk chair.

            The second chair which needed attention is a spindle backed, platform rocker. Two of the under seat rocker rails had broken. Dave dug up a couple of lengths of hard wood and he made copies patterned from the broken pieces. We re-glued all of the pieces back together and let the rocker assembly set up overnight.

            Today is February 20^th. Dave and I reassembled the platform rocker. He had gone to the local hardware store first thing this morning and purchased some missing nuts and washers for the rocker. Everything he had manufactured went together perfectly. The next step was to sand the chair and to prepare it for some Tung oil. This was going to be my job. At the end of the day the chair sat atop the workbench. It was newly coated with oil, and it looked great. I will apply a second coat of Tung oil to the arms and back tomorrow. Now, it is time for a tinny.  

             Rain came to the desert at around 12:30 pm. Anne and I were on our way to Why. We are going to join in on the Thursday afternoon’s pinochle games at Coyote Howls East RV Park. The RV Park is laid out on flat acreage. By the time we had driven the 11 miles to Why the park had become flooded. Between the cement parking bumpers and the sidewalk in front of the club house there ran a significant stream of muddy brown water. My longer legs made the leap with no difficulty. Anne, however, had a near miss.

            We spent a couple of hours enjoying the card play. The flooding had become worse while we were inside. The rain led us all of the way back to our RV. It rained hard all evening and well into the early morning. The RV is a comfortable home to be in when there is weather like that. However, the fiberglass outer shell communicates the awareness of every single drop of rain to the inside. I don’t remember ever having the TV volume turned up as high as it was last night.

            Anne and Joy left early on Friday to Tucson. They are going to attend a quilting show. There was some concern that driving across the many arroyos which cut over Hwy 86 may be hazardous. Rain had stopped falling several hours before they began their trip. The arroyo washes would be drained before they reached them. What they didn’t expect was the very cold weather and the snow it brought with it as they approached Tucson. They stopped to capture some photos of the cactus with a light dusting of snow.

            At dinner, with pasties, we heard the story of the Tucson Quilt Show. Anne was more impressed with the Tucson show, as compared to the California show she visited in Ontario. Using their Bat phones they captured photos of all of the displayed quilts. Most of the quilts were modern in their themes. A few quilts were replicas of 19^th century covers.

            Saturday morning Anne was on the road again. This time she was driving to Casa Grande to another quilt show. She took along a friend from the RV Park. Deli and Anne are both active in the weekly quilting bee in Ajo. Deli owned a quilting store for many years in Idaho. Today was full of sunshine and the ladies had a comfortable ride.

            The Casa Grande show was held at an RV Park. Last year we stayed at one of the parks and it was enormous. Those parks have all of the small scale convention center facilities necessary to cater to programs such as the quilt show. Anne’s report was that the show wouldn’t compete with the Tucson presentation, but for the size of the city it was an excellent show.

            Dave and Joy want us to join them for pulled pork dinner at the Why Community Center. Dave had just dropped me off at our rig when Anne drove back from Casa Grande. Dave and I had both worked at the wood shop, late morning and early afternoon.

            We picked up Dave and Joy at their RV. The parking lot at the Community Center was packed. We checked in at the front door and found four empty seats. We had been seated less than five minutes when a waiter brought us our plates. The food included: a large bun filled with pulled pork, a cup of baked beans, a small hill of potato salad, and a slice of orange white cake for desert. All of us were impressed with the service, and the meal. We had been fed and we were home by 5:30 pm.

            Dave joined me at the wood shop after he returned from church service at the Community Center. I have been turning, and assembling four new legs for a spindle back chair. Jay asked for a chair which would allow him to sit at the work table and to be at a comfortable height. We had measured the necessary height of the chair’s seat. The legs needed to be 24” long.  

           

The legs got turned with no problems. Dave set up a drill press jig to be able to drill angled holes for the leg’s supporting cross members. I was able to finish the drilling and the glue-up of the support pieces. When the glue had set on the legs, I glued the legs to the bottom of the chair. I will be able to give the chair a test sitting tomorrow morning.

            TaDa. The tall chair turned out well. It is strong and stable. I’m not going to fuss with it any further. My shop focus today was on completing a jig for use with the bench grinder. This jig will have adjustable angle support for putting new edges on chisels and lathe tools. The jig turned out to be a little too tall when placed in front of the grinder. After I made a height adjustment it worked well. I sharpened a set of chisels and a number of lathe chisels. The jig allowed me to replicate the factory angle of the blades.

            The repaired platform rocker and the spindle back chair are ready for market. Michael is buying a booth at Saturday’s Plaza market. He asked me to put a price on the two chairs and they would be presented at his booth. Michael is going to be trying to sell many of his custom made jewelry boxes at the market. We hummed and hawed about what the prices should be. I finally settled on $75 obo for the rocker and $25 obo for the chair. Here’s hoping. These should be very good prices.

            Shortly after lunch today, Steve returned to the shop with his three picture frames. He had had the True Value hardware store cut glass for each of them. He bought push-in holders for the back of the glass and picture. He also brought some small eye screws and a package of hanging wire. He asked if I could make the pictures ready to hang. This I did. Steve also brought me a scratch & sniff lottery card. Drats. This one came up zero. No worries. Steve will be back with another fixup to do, and he will bring me another game card.

            Saturday, March 2^nd, the town was hosting a shindig at the plaza. The shindig was a normal Saturday market with the additions of music, native dancing, and a variety of sponsoring agencies. The BLM was represented, as was the Air Force. There were several booths presenting views on the immigration of folks from the south.

            Michael, from the wood shop set up a booth to sell his boxes. He asked Dave to bring the chairs we had repaired so they could be sold. I also had the cups that I had turned being presented for sale at Michael’s booth. One of the first things that happened was an overly sized man plopped down into the platform rocker. His presence broke away the piece of wood that held the seat springs. Dave later took the chair back to the shop for repair.

            The chair that I had turned a replacement leg for was sold for $25. I also sold one of my cups for $5. Michael told us later that those were the only two items which sold. His boxes were priced too high for the non-Christmas market.

            At 4:15 this afternoon the four of us drove to the BLM Field Office. One of the rangers scheduled a drive to the top of the western hills for a view of the desert sunset. He led a caravan of about 10 pickups up a dusty, gravel road to the location of the Ajo Air Force Station radar site. On a brim near the radar dome was a shelter, picnic tables and a large barbecue.

            The plan for the early evening was to wander about the peak looking at the Sonoran Desert from in all direction, cook a meal, and sit in our chairs while the sun settled for sleep behind the far western hills. This was a warm, partly cloudy day. The colors off the few clouds should be bright.

          

  A short walk to the east from the sheltered lookout is a poster which describes the Air Force’s training mission over the Sonoran Desert. The Air Force uses a very large portion of the Sonoran Desert as a training range for its F16 student pilots. They fly air-to-air combat missions against one another. Live ordinance isn’t used. They shoot at one another electronically. The Barry Goldwater Range is also used for bomb training flights. For these exercises the Air Force uses some live explosive devices. At the shindig earlier, the Air Force booth displayed some of the ordinance which the pilots dropped on the range. The active bombing range is marked as off limits for civilian passage without a special permit. Even then, hikers are warned not to approach unexploded pieces found on the ground. They are asked to report the device’s location so that it can be safely removed.

            Near this poster location there is a Palo Verde tree. Palo Verde means “Green Stick” in Spanish. They have a smooth green bark. These trees are also known as “Nursery Trees”. Beneath their thinly leaved overhanging branches the saguaro cactus begins its long life. The slow growing cacti receive shade and protection from the tree until the saguaro is well established. Saguaros are very slow growing cacti. A 10 year old plant might only be 1.5 inches tall. The average life span of a saguaro is probably 150 - 175 years of age. However, biologists believe that some plants may live over 200 years. Saguaro can grow to be between 40-60 feet tall. When rain is plentiful and the saguaro is fully hydrated it can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds.

            Late spring is the time of the year when the Saguaro cactus flowers. The flower only opens up for less than one day. During this short period, bats, bees and birds pollinate the flowers. They then mature into a bright red fruit. When the fruit ripens, it opens up to spill out over 2,000 small black seeds. Bats, birds and others will eat the fruit, and in turn help spread seeds across the desert. From the limbs of the Palo Verde tree the seeds are eventually deposited. The life cycle of new saguaro plants begins.   

            Anne and Joy had each packed a picnic basket for the evening’s meal. Anne had brought potato salad and four very large sausages. Joy had prepared a bowl of cold slaw and their basket carried a box of merlot. The ranger got the barbecue fired up and announced to the crowd when it was ready.

            Dave and I were the caretakers of the sausages. One other couple also used the grill. They put on two very small hotdogs. I turned the snags every few minutes until they were sizzling and cooked all around. The ladies prepared one of the picnic tables with plates and the side dishes. The sausages and the salads went down very well with some Dijon and a glass of merlot.

         

   Having finished our meal we retired to the picnic chairs we had brought along. The hill top was covered with a scattering of dark black volcanic rocks. The brim of the hill dropped steeply on its western edge down to the vast flat valley floor. The bush covered blanket spread for miles in all directions before us. This valley had once been part of the inland sea.

            With orchestrated slowness the sun lowered below our hat rims until our shadows were cast the width of the hill top behind us. We took many photos, each of us not sure which picture would turn out to be the best one for this sunset. Eventually, the sky to the east had turned from a pinkish tone to the onset of darkness. The experience had been fun, but we did not receive any dramatic “OOH, AHH” moments created by this evening’s dusk event.

             On Wednesday March 5^th it was a 7:30 am wake up for our trip to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mx. We will pick up Dave and Joy in Why on our way to the border at Lukesville.

            While Anne got her packing done, I went next door to the Shell station. There I purchased a three day Mexico travel insurance policy. The cost was $63. This insurance package is mandatory for vehicle and passenger coverage when driving in Mexico.

            Anne and Joy had reserved rooms for Wednesday and Thursday nights at the playa Bonita Resort. The resort is on the beach of the Sea of Cortez. We are in Room 205. The small deck has a full beach view. This will be nice.

            The drive to Puerto Penasco is about 100 miles. We were waved through the Mexico entrance at Lukeville by the Mexican sentry. The Highway 8 was well maintained and the ride seemed like it was downhill all the way.

             Once established in our resort rooms, the first thing to do is to go shopping. Rodeo Drive is to the north of the resort on Rocky Point. This particular avenue hosts the most complete tourist shopping options in the city. All of the shops are open to the street and most have sidewalk displays you need to weave your way through.

            Shop, after shop, after shop; when you walked into one you felt like you were being swallowed by a whale. The whale’s cheeks were lined with brightly colored, cheap ceramic pieces. The isles darkened from blocked light by the ceiling high shelves. Pocket flashlights were used to view the shop’s stock at the far reaches of the whale’s belly.

           

We had walked the length of Rodeo Drive on both sides. It was time to stop for some refreshments. Near our parking spot is the Mariachi & Margarita Bar and Restaurant. We each had a well-deserved drink while we shared chips and salsa.

            The return to our hotel took us to Rocky Point. This is where the Old Port of the city is found. The main drag of the city is through the port was very congested. It is Spring Break and the clubs and restaurants are hopping. All parking spots are taken. Cabs stand idle waiting for fares to stumble through the bar doors.

            The old port is definitely the place to go for choices of fresh seafood dinners. Tonight, however, we will settle for a location with a bit less chaos.

            Back in the room it is time for rest and read. Dave rested his back and took a short nap. The ladies took their books to the deck. There they read while basking in the 70F sunshine. The early evening sun was too bright to enjoy head-on. I was able to do some writing and to upload a few photos to my laptop. We’ll wait to see what the plan will be for dinner.

            Puerto Penasco is in the northwest of the Mexican state of Sonora. The population is ~ 63,000. The city shares the northern shores of the Sea of Cortez on the small strip of land that joins the Baja California peninsula with the rest of Mexico.

            Puerto Penasco is called Rocky Point, in English. It has been nicknamed “Arizona’s Beach” as it is the closest beach to cities such as Tucson and Phoenix. Tourism and fishing are the most important economic activities of the city.

            We met for dinner at the resort’s dining room. The ladies each had shrimp. The serving sizes were large, but Anne felt she was in heaven. Somehow she managed to clear her plate. Dave shoes fish tacos and I had a plate of fish & chips.

            The dinner had a live entertainer He played a keyboard and he sang. One day I will learn the secret as to why some entertainers feel they need to chip paint off of the walls with the volume of their pieces. With near shouts we were still unable to hold a conversation at our table.

            Despite the destruction of the ambiance of the beachside evening meal, the food was wonderful and the service was very cordial. We walked the raised pathway past the outdoor pools and the pergola covered hot tub back to our rooms.

            Sunset brought a wide band of reddish-orange which rested over the distant hills of the Baja Peninsula. The attempts to capture the true beauty of a scene such as this with a snapshot are never realized. Some of nature’s wonders just have to be experienced live.

            When at the shops on Rodeo Drive, Dave bought a bathing suit. At around 8 pm he and I decided to dress down for a session in the hot tub. Earlier we had been watching six kids splashing in the hot waters. The tub was now ours to enjoy.

           

Thursday morning Anne and I were early, dressed and going for a walk on the beach. The tide is out and the beach is wide. Locally, the beach has wide reaches of sand, and then there is a strip of volcanic rock. The surf is very shallow and the tide had come high up onto the flat beach.

            We hopped around the pools of water that had been left floating clear in the recesses of the lava sheet. Barnacles clustered on nodules of the black and crusty surfaced stone. We walked a ways on the beach and we met a couple who were collecting rubbish. This was something they did each morning. We visited about the seashells we had found. The man told us of another beach which the visited to collect shells. The strip he described was Playa Enconto.

            Playa Enconto is about 30 minutes south on Sonora Highway 3, or Freemont Blvd. This beach is mostly private. It has very limited points of public access. We followed an 8 km stretch of hard packed sandy road from Son 3 to the access road serving the walled condos of Playa Enconto.

            The man at the beach had told us to turn left just before the guarded entrance. There was one opening in the tall cement wall which looked like it could take us to the shore. The sand was well packed on the trail going past the wall. Following this path, we ended up at a large parking area at the top of the beachside dunes. This is the place.

            The beach at Playa Enconto is much steeper than the one at our resort. High tide had left a wide line of shells exposed. As we walked this whit and colored band of shells, we selected and placed them in our carry bags. Exactly what we would do with our collections is unknown.

            After a time of collecting we sat on the dry sand atop a quilt Anne had carried to the beach. I watched the surf as it tried to drop its load of dark kelp onto the beach sands. Try as it may the kelp bundles were carried back into the sea with the recessing wave’s undertow.

             A man walked up to us carrying a display of jewelry. There was a natural resistance to his sales effort. However, Anne looked through his case and she asked if he had anything small enough for an infant’s wrist. She knew that he did not.

            Enoch was his name. He asked Anne how big around the wrist bands would need to be. When she showed Enoch the size, he said, “No problem”. He then asked Anne what strands she would like to use for the wrist bands. When selected, Enoch opened the bands and he then reassembled them into the size Anne had asked for.

            This beach encounter was not unpleasant. Enoch told us of his earlier gang life in L.A.. He told us how he had been abandoned by his mother and by his immediate family when his father had died. The two of them had been very close. Enoch’s father had been an alcoholic and he had committed suicide.

            Enoch learned life through hard-knocks. After a couple of near death experiences, he chose to give up a bad life style. His youthful encounters with gangs, drugs, and alcohol was not what he wanted by the time he had matured more.

            We bought his jewelry for the great granddaughters, and we bought the story he had shared of his earlier life. His history was sad, but what he could share about the causes of his early troubles was very enlightening. Enoch has learned through counseling that his gang association stemmed from his family’s abandonment. He had sought appreciative association and he had found that in gang membership. This had been a choice made from unwitting anger he had held about losing the love of his family.

            Alas, Friday March 8^th, and we need to head back to Arizona. We left Puerto Penasco mid-morning. Traffic going north on Hwy 8 was light. However, we had a lot of head-on traffic coming to the beaches for the weekend. Anne retrieved crossword puzzles from her carry bag and she collected responses from the clues she read. Time to the Lukeville border crossing passed quickly.

            There was a 15 minute line of cars waiting to pass through the U.S. border check point. I handed the Border Agent our passports. He reviewed them quickly and he waved us through. Further up the highway towards Why there is a must stop at border checkpoint. At this stop we were asked if we were American citizens. With an affirmative answer, the agent waved us on. Our next stop was at Granny’s Restaurant. At Granny’s we had the last meal of our short get-away.

            Following the trip to Mexico we loafed over the weekend. On Monday, Dave had an eye appointment at a doctor’s office in Mesa. He picked me up at 9 am for the hour and half drive. Joy brought her sewing project and she and Anne kept each other in stitches.

        

    Each morning I have been taking the rubbish out to the dumpster. While I was there, I would spend a few minutes watching for the herd of Javalina. They come from their condos in the northern bush, just outside the Park’s fence. I haven’t been able to be there when they have made their trek through the Park.

            As I exited the RV this morning I noticed animal motion a couple of rows in front of us. It was the Javalinas. I quickly hoofed it to the end of the row and waited for them to approach. Several animals had already passed, but as I stood on the bricked common area one Javalina walked near me. I will still get up and try to photo them climbing through the fence. But, if I am unsuccessful at that, at least I got them one time.

            We arrived in Mesa too early for the eye appointment. Dave is making a wind vane at the wood shop and he needed some supplies at Lowe’s. We spent an hour waling the isles collecting odds and ends.

            With a little time to kill before his appointment, we crossed the parking lot to the Subway Sandwich Shop. We enjoyed the lunch and the short time we got to sit down. The GPS led us to the business street housing the eye clinic but it did not tell us which of the dozens of look-alike buildings was the one we needed. I used Google Maps on my Batphone to hone in on the exact location. That is truly some amazing technology.

            Dave returned to the pickup with both of his eyes dilated. I became the designated driver for the trip back to Ajo. Rush hour had begun. Traffic on the streets was bumper to bumper. It took over half an hour to get away from the greater Phoenix traffic snarls. Once back on Hwy 85 we were easy driving through Gila Bend, and on to Ajo.

Following the trip to Mexico we loafed over the weekend. On Monday, Dave had an eye appointment at a doctor’s office in Mesa. He picked me up at 9 am for the hour and half drive. Joy brought her sewing project and she and Anne kept each other in stitches.

            Each morning I have been taking the rubbish out to the dumpster. While I was there, I would spend a few minutes watching for the herd of Javalina. They come from their condos in the northern bush, just outside the Park’s fence. I haven’t been able to be there when they have made their trek through the Park.

            As I exited the RV this morning I noticed animal motion a couple of rows in front of us. It was the Javalinas. I quickly hoofed it to the end of the row and waited for them to approach. Several animals had already passed, but as I stood on the bricked common area one Javalina walked near me. I will still get up and try to photo them climbing through the fence. But, if I am unsuccessful at that, at least I got them one time.

            We arrived in Mesa too early for the eye appointment. Dave is making a wind vane at the wood shop and he needed some supplies at Lowe’s. We spent an hour walking the isles collecting odds and ends.

            With a little time to kill before his appointment, we crossed the parking lot to the Subway Sandwich Shop. We enjoyed the lunch and the short time we got to sit down. The GPS led us to the business street housing the eye clinic but it did not tell us which of the dozens of look-alike buildings was the one we needed. I used Google Maps on my Batphone to hone in on the exact location. That is truly some amazing technology.

            Dave returned to the pickup with both of his eyes dilated. I became the designated driver for the trip back to Ajo. Rush hour had begun. Traffic on the streets was bumper to bumper. It took over half an hour to get away from the greater Phoenix traffic snarls. Once back on Hwy 85 we were easy driving through Gila Bend, and on to Ajo.

            This morning, Wednesday, March 13^th, is the last day that I will unlock the wood shop for the day’s “Man Cave” activities. Dave and I worked today on building a between the seats box for Jay’s RV conversion. He wants a box that is the same height as the seat so that he can slide from his driver’s seat into the rear section of his adapted U-Haul van.

            We left the shop early today so we could be on time for a salmon barbeque dinner which Joy was preparing. The meal was delicious, as was expected. We visited a bit and then we said our good-byes. We will see them next when we join them at Fort Lewis, in Washington. Col Skye Duncan is being sworn in as one of the Fort’s Commanders in July. We are all very proud of Skye’s achievements during his career in the Army.

            Anne and I are pulling up stakes at Shadow Ridge tomorrow morning. We have been here for two and a half months. On our drive back to Medford we will try to stay at some interesting places. Our first stop is going to be Sedona, AZ. Where we go from Sedona, and how we will get there depends on the northern winter weather conditions.

            We have both enjoyed our stay in Ajo. There have been constantly many things that Anne and I have found interesting to do. Anne has made some good friends through her quilting and with her tennis. I have enjoyed the several new friends that I have made with my work at the Curley School Wood Shop. And we have both delight in sharing parts of each week with Dave and Joy. Today, Anne settled up with Amy at the Shadow Ridge office for the portion of March that we have used. She also reserved site #94 for our use during the same period next year.

            The drive this morning began at 10 am; north to Gila Bend via AZ 85 to I-10E. The I-10 freeway led to Loop 303N. The loop is a wrap-around the greater Phoenix metropolitan area on the western side. This loop bypass seemed to go on for many miles before it finally intercepted I-17N. This is the main route towards Sedona and its suburbs. Once on I-17 we came upon a rest stop with an overlook onto the valley below. We had climbed a few thousand feet by the time we reached the Sunset Overlook.

            We are headed to Distant Drums RV Resort in Camp Verde, AZ. Distant Drums is operated by the Cliff Castle Casino. It is a very modern Park with 154 sites. We ended up in site #78. This is a pull-through spot. The casino offers a quick response shuttle between the Distant Drums’ office and the casino. This may be a good ride around dinner time.

            Friday morning we discovered that the Camp Verde valley region has a lot of history that we would like to sample. Just a couple of miles from us is Monetzuma Castle. The early explorers thought this structure was created by Montezuma, however it was not. This residential facility was constructed by the Southern Sinagua. Sinagua is a generic description of Native Americans of the period who were largely early farmers.

            Montezuma Castle was built by the Sinagua around 1150. The building was erected within an existing deep alcove high up on a limestone cliff. The opening provided an overhead shelter for the multistory tribal habitat. Below the castle several other single family dwellings were built in smaller alcoves. The mortared stone walls of many of the home sites are still present.

            At the base of the cliff a five story complex was built. The floors or ceilings were held up by long timbers. These timbers were held into the cliff’s wall by boring holes to hold the inside end. All of these tribal homes were near the Beaver River and close to fields where corn, beans, squash, and cotton were grown. Irrigation of their crops was done with the digging of irrigation canals.

            The limestone at Montezuma Castle is fairly soft and it splits unevenly. Yet Montezuma Castle, protected from the elements, was so well built that it has stood for over 700 years. It is one of the best-preserved prehistoric structures in the Southwest.

           

The Southern Sinagua migrated away from their pueblos by the early 1400s. The move from their homes of a few hundred years is speculative. It may have been over population, depletion of resources, disease, conflicts within or between groups, climate change, or spiritual beliefs. Whatever the reasons, many Southern Sinagua likely migrated northward to pueblo villages. Others may have stayed in the Verde Valley and returned to hunter-gatherer ways.

            At the base of the tall cliff grew the Arizona Sycamore tree. This is an enormous hardwood specie. A deciduous tree, the Sycamore reminded us a lot of the Australian Gum. The bark is light in color with many shades from white to dark gray. The different shades are presented in a small mixed patch-like pattern. The effect is that the smooth bark looks amazingly like the camouflage patterns on some military uniforms.

            Saturday is the last day we will have to visit the city of Camp Verde. The day broke clear and crisp. When we visited the historical Cottonwood city yesterday, we had stopped at one of the many wine tasting rooms fronting on Main Street. I enjoyed a flight of red samples and Anne had a visit to a few of the shops nearby. The host of the 101 Tasting Room told me of the Camp Verde Pecan and Wine Festival. This event was taking place this weekend.

            The Pecan and Wine Festival is what we decided to experience today. The festival was being held at the Camp Verde City Park. With the exception of the occasional music from an artist on the park’s grandstand, everything about the festival was vendor oriented.

            The morning turned warm as we browsed the many booths erected on the grassy field. There were food booths for every taste, jewelry vendors need to occupy several spots in these affairs. There were a couple of true crafter’s booths. One that I liked particularly was presenting wooden pieces made from wine barrels. The local Chevy dealer captured some turf with his display of Corvettes and pickups.

            A large tent with several openings was used to cover the wine sellers. As we entered the central passageway into the tent we came to a wine tasting ticket selling table. For the price of $15 I bought tickets for eight wine tastings. The tickets came with a complimentary glass and a $10 slots coupon for use at the casino. The tent was used for a few pecan vendors as well as for the wineries.

            I selected my first sample of Merlot and we went outdoors to find a table in the sun. As I returned for samples from different wineries, Anne sat patiently and reviewed some of the purchases we had made for gifts. At lunch time she went to one of the food vendors and came back with pork tacos for herself and with a Sonoran Dog for me. We enjoyed the lunch as we watched passersby drooling over the T-Bar Corvette that was parked near our table.

            The casino is passed on the short trip back to the RV Park. Anne wanted to be let off at the casino. She would spend the wine coupon on the slots and she would catch the shuttle to our camp. On the hill opposite the casino is the nearby Chevron station. I drove to the station to investigate if the RV could be filled there. The station has very convenient in and out access. We will stop at the Chevron on our drive out tomorrow.

            I didn’t want to drive through Los Vegas after a full day of travel. We thumbed through the Casino Camping book and discovered a casino which offered free RV and Trucker overnight parking. This was at the Railroad Pass Casino and Resort. Located on US Hwy 95, just south of Bullhead City the casino would be a perfect stop for Sunday night.

            We arrived at Railroad Pass late in the afternoon. Our experience has told us that past 5 pm popular and convenient parks get filled up. There was one pull-through spot available when we pulled in. The neighboring RV had left one and a half parking spaces for us to use. Anne guided me in so we were close to the side curb.

            When you dry camp there is nothing exterior that needs to be set up. When we extended the bedroom there ended up enough space to walk between our slide out and the neighbor’s bedroom slide out. My hope is that they don’t snore loudly.

            It had been a long drive today. Anne asked if I wanted to go to the casino with her. I told her that I just wanted to relax and have a tinny. She called me a few minutes later from the casino’s bar. They were showing the Indian Wells Tennis finals on their big screen TV. It was the last set of the match and her favorite, Federer, was playing. She told me later that he had lost. She also let me know that she, too, had lost. Anne came back to the RV $20 lighter than when she had left.

            While Anne was at the casino I was on the internet looking for RV parks near Hawthorne, NV. There is a casino park in Hawthorne, but it is small and it charges a fee. Whiskey Flats RV Park is just outside the town, and it has full hook-up facilities. This is where I will program the GPS for tomorrow.

            Anticipating rush hour traffic if we left early for our drive through Los Vegas, we took our time and even walked to the casino for breakfast. With the two of us fully loaded we readied the RV and stopped at the casino’s Chevron station to satiate the RV’s hunger. We had discovered yesterday that our GPS didn’t recognize the section of I-15/US Hwy 95 that approached the casino. This was a portion of the highway that had been re-routed since I had last updated the GPS. The Railroad Pass exit had been well signed on the highway.  

            We found our way onto the I-15 and headed towards the interstate chaos that I knew to be Los Vegas. I-15 merged onto I-515 which spent some 17 miles skirting the city. Conveniently I-515 split eventually into US Hwy 95 and I-15 once again. We had made it across the city. At this point I was ready to stop for a break, but that wasn’t going to be possible until Hwy 95 had once again become a two lane road many miles north in the Nevada desert.

            During the trek to Hawthorne I pulled to the side several times for a walk-about. I have become very aware of when I am becoming drowsy from driving. From our last stop it was still 40 miles to Hawthorne. We checked into Whiskey Flats at 5:15 pm. After a quick and partial hook-up it was time for a Monday tinny.

            Hawthorne is home to the Hawthorne Army Depot (HWAD). The depot covers 226 square miles and it has 600,000 square feet of storage space in 2,427 bunkers. HWAD is the world’s largest depot. Hawthorne Army Depot stores reserve ammunitions to be used after the first 30 days of a major conflict. As such, it is only partially staffed during peacetime, but provision has been made to rapidly expand staffing as necessary. When the United States entered World War II, the depot became the staging area for bombs, rockets, and ammunition for almost the entire war effort. The depot is run by an independent contractor under an agreement with the government. The depot began its life as the Naval Ammunition Depot Hawthorne in 1930. For a long time the depot was also into munitions production. That ended in 1994.

            Tuesday’s destination is the Susanville RV Park. We have stayed there in the past and are looking forward to the revisit. That’s the good news. The bad news is that snow is expected for Mt Shasta and the southern Cascade mountains on Wednesday. We will not be able to avoid those highways on our final drive to Medford. We need to decide tonight whether to get off of the less traveled, but scenic Hwy 95 and head west to link up with I-5N.

              The drive to Susanville was over a road we were familiar with. We had returned this way on most of our past trips south. We arrived at the RV Park a little past 1 pm. I had begun our hook-up when we paused to once again check the weather report for the night. Snow was forecast for the mountains. I was not too tired yet, and I felt that I didn’t want to be stuck this close to home for an undetermined number of days. From Susanville, Medford was only 217 miles away. That meant it was only four hours away.

            I asked Anne to walk to the Park office and tell them that we had changed our mind because of the weather. The attendant agreed with the logic and refunded our night’s fee. We had no difficulty with the remainder of the drive to Medford. This turned out to be an eight hour day of driving by the time we pulled to the rear of our home at 6:05 pm.

            We have a lot of fun memories to share with family and friends about our 2019 Ajo Great Adventure. It will take us a couple of days to re-acclimate to living in our house once again and to unpack the RV. We are both looking forward to our revisit to Ajo on our 2020 holiday.