Week ending Nov 30, 2017 Casa Grande to Safford

Friday, we did the Casa Grande Mtn Radio Tower walk. It is a steep climb up the road that leads from the valley to tower.

Our objective for the day

About a third of the way up, the road gets steeper, and to give vehicles traction, they laid  thick textured concrete base, which made walking a bit easier than the gravel and loose rocks at the beginning.

Concrete road up to the tower

Casa Grande Mountain is one of the 'Islands in the Sky' that we described last year in the Tucson area.  There is a huge area of 'level' gravel for miles around it, so the views from the tower are extensive. 

View of Casa Grande

Saturday, we walked a loop at the south end of Casa Grande Mtn Park.  Much quieter today.

View of Picacho Peak 

Sunday morning, we did two mile walk in a square around the vicinity of the campground.  We couldn't believe how much trash was scattered in the area.   Later we watched Toronto steal the Grey Cup from Calgary with an interception in the end-zone. 

Monday, went to a store to get Joan an extra pair of eye glasses.  It turns out here prescription expired last month, so they couldn't use it.   In the afternoon we tried to put another 30 days on our Verizon phone using their app, but got blocked because it wouldn't let us enter a Canadian MC billing address.   We also noticed that our US Mastercard expires in February, before we head back.  A bit inconvenient.    It never occurred to us, since we got these cards in the summer a few years ago.

Tuesday, we had a nice breakfast at IHOP, with lots left for lunch.  Then we went to the Verizon store and bought the 30 days.  Then we went to the Casa Grande 'Farmers Market'.   We were tempted to ask where their farms are, since the thing that might have had anything related to 'farming' was jam.   Only about 4 little tables.  Very disappointing.  Then we walked through the historic area of town.   It was underwhelming.   Then we checked out the Museum,  but it is only open on Thurs thru Sun from 12:00 to 4:00.    Once we got back to the RV Park, we did 4 mile walk around a crop across the road from the RV park.  We couldn't tell what they were growing.   We were surprised at how green the crop is, since all of the irrigation canals around it were dry.
 

Crop across the road from the RV park

The plants

Along the side of the road, bits of cotton were caught on plants.

Bits of cotton along the edge of the road

While we chatted with a couple back at the park, a roadrunner posed for us.

 

Roadrunner

Wednesday, we parked at the north end of Casa Grande Mountain Park, and walked a loop from almost to the loop we did the first day we were here.  It was interesting to see the lichen on the rocks even in dry area like this.

Lichen

We had a chat with a couple of guys we met on the trail, one who is a full time RVer.  He uses his ex-military privileges at many of the RV parks that are available on bases for service people.  In the afternoon, we did some cleaning to get ready for moving on to Safford tomorrow.   We paid for our electricity for 10 days, only $14.  We were a bit frugal with it, using propane for heating and hot water. 

Thursday morning we drove 200 miles east along I-10, then up Arizona Highway 191 to Safford.  This is in a historic mining area at an elevation of about 3000 ft.  We got set up in Lexington Pines Resort, which is primarily a Mobile Home Park with about 40 RV sites.  We paid for a week, and found out that the site is available until after Christmas if we decide we want to stay longer.

Week ending Nov 23, 2017 Vicksburg to Casa Grande

Friday, we did a 6 mile walk to the Glory Hole Mine.   This was another overcast day, several we have had since we got the additional solar panel.

Overcast Day

It was different than most of our hikes, as we had to climb up over a headwall, then down to a base camp, before climbing back up between a couple of hills and then up the side of one them.

Rock and Cactus Squirrel

Vistas

Small mine entrance along the way

Ocitillo Planters (old tires)

Vehicle Skeleton

 About 300 yards from the mine site, we came to a washed out bridge.   John decided to scramble down one side, then back up the other side to get to the mine.

Scramble down to get around washed out bridge

What is left of the bridge

Glory Hole Mine Entrance

Quartz boulders that came off the hill above

Nice Sunset

Saturday, was a sunny day, good for the solar.  We did a short loop around the flat area to check out a side road that has been a popular camping spot when we were here before.

Sunday, we did another short loop in a different direction, before watching CFL division finals, the Nascar Championship race, and  Grand Slam Curling.

Monday morning we packed up to head to Casa Grande to RoVers Roost SKP Co-op.  On the way we stopped in Gila Bend for lunch at Humberto's Mexican food.  We had always seen a lot of people parked here for lunch on our previous visits.   We had a big burrito, and  cheese quesadilla.  Then we continued to RoVers Roost in Casa Grande.  They don't take reservations, but we got a site. 

Tuesday, we shopped at the K-mart in Casa Grande, which is closing over the winter, so it had discounts on everything.  We had loaded potato skins and a southwest salad for lunch at McMashers Sports Bar and Grill. The found was good and the service very good
 
On Wednesday morning, we couldn't find the socks we bought yesterday anywhere in the trailer or truck.  We stopped at K-mart to see if we had left a bag there with the ankle socks and a bag of Werthers we bought yesterday.  They couldn't find them, but happily replaced them for us. 

Then we went to Casa Grande Mountain Park (city park), where we did a 3.4 mi hike along the Ridge Trail, a moderate section,  and returned on the easier Spine Trail, lower on the mountain.  They were quite organized, with trail markers at every major intersection, and GPS markers along the way that can be used as reference in case of an emergency.   We saw more people on these trails in the first half hour than we saw the whole time we were in Vicksburg.

Junction Markers

GPS Marker

On Thursday, we headed to Walmart to pick up a few things before they closed (maybe) for Thanksgiving evening.   Cheese-and-garlic pizza for dinner.

Week ending Nov 16, 2017 Vicksburg BLM

Friday, we hooked up the trailer and headed to Parker to stock up on groceries.   Then we continued to Vicksburg, where we have boon-docked a couple of times before, including this spring on our way north.   We were  surprised to see that a permanent little old class C parked just past the railway tracks on a site marked as private property was gone.  It had been there since we started coming here.   We were shocked that there was only one other RV in the area, as there were quite a few units here the other times.  The other unit was parked closer to the beginning of the area than we have ever seen anyone.

Saturday,  we walked from the trailer on a route toward Calcite Mine, a trip we had planned but not done in the spring.   We confirmed a good place to park the truck, where it would be off the road and easy to turn around.   We went about another mile  along the route before heading back.

Deer tracks near canine tracks

We saw this post with tin can nailed to it.  We speculated that they only had enough wood for one post, so nailed a tin can on it for donations to buy more posts.  

Sunday, before watching the NASCAR race from Phoenix, we took our lantern so we could go into the tunnel at the Desert Queen Mine.

Remains of Winchesters' house

We walked into the level tunnel for about 60 paces, before a side tunnel, about 20 paces.   We continued down the main tunnel for about another 40 paces, where it split into two branches.  Up to this point, there was light from the beginning, which faces south.  

Entrance to the mine

Tunnel from near the entrance

Chute in the mine

John scrambled up the hill above the tunnel, then around to the back of the hill, where it looked like there might be another entrance into the mine, as there was a tailings pile on that side too.   This entrance was not as accessible as the south facing one.  It may have been partially covered by a rock slide.

Opening on the back side of the hill the mine is in

Joan found a good website regarding the Desert Queen.    Due to the discovery of gold here being announced in Phoenix in 1909,  the town of Winchester, created at the mine,  is possibly the most well-established, shortest-lived mining town in Arizona’s history.  Most of the people left after a couple of months, as they thought the gold had run out.   The Desert Queen Mine stopped production of GOLD in 1942 when the United States Government no longer allowed mining of non-strategic minerals (including gold) during World War 2.

Monday, we drove the truck up the road near the Desert Queen, and walked the route from there to Calcite Mine.   As we were heading out, John noticed the battery in the GPS was low.    We dug into our packs and found a few batteries, which were stronger, but still used.  We knew the general route, so turned off the GPS, turning it on at junctions to make sure we took the right direction, and then more often as we got close to the mine site.  

Colorful hill

We startled a hare, but were lucky to see him trying to be inconspicuous near a tree. 

Well camouflaged except for the ears

There were many digs near Calcite, with different colors than we have seen at other mine sites.   They mined calcite (of course) which is the principal constituent of limestone and marble.  It is used in construction materials, abrasives, agricultural soil treatment, pigment, pharmaceuticals, etc.  There was also kyanite here.  It is used to manufacture a wide range of products, particularly refractory and ceramic products like bricks, kilns, sinks.  It is also used in electrical insulators and abrasives.    Not as exciting as gold mining, but probably almost as profitable.

A calcite pit (we think)

We stopped at a 'waterfall' location on the wash below the pits to eat our lunch.

Dry waterfall in the foreground

On our way back, we saw some artistic displays, surprising to see in this valley.

Modern Rock Art

Aliens below a cave

Up close

We were able to keep the GPS on all of the way back, by putting in our last used battery.

When we got back to the trailer, we put new batteries in the GPS and a spare pair in the pack. 

A while later a local stopped by on his ATV.  He had seen our trailer from the highway, and was surprised that we were able to get the trailer in as far as we had (exactly the same place we parked in March) since there had been heavy rain this summer, and the road had been washed out.  Some work had been done on it, but he hadn't figured it was good enough for a large trailer.   He told us that if we had concerns about getting back out to the highway to come and get him to bring  his tractor to grade the wash.   We told him we would be okay, unless there was a flash flood.   It would take a lot, since when the road got washed out, the ground had a lot of water in it, so the next rain all ran down from the hills instead of soaking in.  We also found out that the owner of class C just across the tracks died this summer.  A couple of other locals also passed away this summer.

Tuesday we walked down our route back toward the highway to make sure it was as easy to get out as it was to come in.   Looks okay. 

Wednesday we went into Quartzite.  We took our garbage to the waste transfer station.   We found out that the towing and vehicle repair shop in town takes stale gas.  We have been trying to find somewhere to take it for quite a while.  We took the refundable bottles to the museum, since they take them to California, about 30 miles away, to get the refunds.   We had breakfast at Sweet Darlene's Restaurant and Bakery.   Good food for a reasonable price.   We stopped at Discount Solar, since our batteries have been getting too low this week.   When we described the issue, they recommended that we add another 160w panel.    We were very pleased with their patience explaining the rational.
Then we headed to the markets to look for another bin and a cover for the phone.    Everyone recommended Amazon for the phone cover.   Most of the vendors don't arrive until January.  Apparently there is one vendor who only sells phone accessories.  We did find the bin we wanted in a dollar store.

When we got back to the trailer, John connected the wiring to the batteries for the new panel.    Thursday morning, John finished the connections at the panel.   Then we headed to NAPA in Salome to pick up a few screws to attach bits of one of the eaves troughs to create a stand for the panel.

Week ending Nov 9, 2017 Provo to Mohave Valley, AZ

Friday,  we decided to carry on toward Arizona instead of going over the hills to Moab.   Christmas must be around the corner.  We had a DQ candy cane blizzard in Beaver, Utah.   Then we went to Mesquite for one night.

Saturday, we drove through Las Vegas, then headed south to Mohave Valley south of Bullhead City in Arizona..  We stopped at Crossroads RV Park, on Boundary Cone Road, the road that goes east to Oatman.   The sites are a decent size, with room to park the truck beside the trailer.

Sunday morning, we did the walk around the park.  We chatted with a few couples.  Then we watched the NASCAR race from Texas.

Monday morning, we checked the internet for hikes in the area.  One site described the Mohave and Milltown Railroad Trail, which runs from milepost 9.  The trail follows an old railbed that was only used for about 1 year, running from a gold mine down to the river.   However, we got the description backwards, and instead of heading down the valley, we followed the BLM road on the north side of the road.   It turned out this was a good choice as it headed up into the hills.  We followed  the road for about half a mile until we came to a road heading into the hills.  After about 2 miles we came to an intersection with a better road.  Just past this intersection was a large group of trailers.  The road to them had an open gate, with a 'No trespassing' sign.   We headed down the better road, which eventually intersected with the road we had started on.  The walk was about 4 miles, and took us 2 hours.

Mohave Valley from the hill

After stopping at the trailer to change shoes, we went to the Black Bear Diner in Bullhead City.  The last time we were here, it was closed for repairs after a fire.  It was a little tough to find something without meat for Joan, but she was prepared to make an exception with a chicken taco salad.  John had the Blazin' Bear Sandwich with Seasoned Tri-Tip.  This is a roast beef sandwich with Papa Burn sauce, the strongest of Baby Burn and Momma Burn.

 On Tuesday morning, we headed toward Boundary Cone, (mtn), and did a 4 mi walk down into a valley to Alcyone Mine, then toward Peerless Mine.  Across the valley from Peerless we saw Oatman United Mines.   Just before Peerless Mine, we saw 4 wild burros up the hill from us.  They watched us intently.    On the way back, close to the truck we saw a covey of quails, and a rodent.

Burros

Rodent

Quail

In the afternoon, our next door neighbour asked if we could move our truck, so the guys washing his RV would have more room to work.  We found out that the fellow on the other side of us was having them come on Thursday.   We asked the washers if they could do ours. They told us to phone their number (on the side of their truck), and they would let us know when they could do it. 

On Wednesday, morning, we did another mine hike, a few miles further south of Boundary Cone.  We walked up to Green Quartz Mine, then to Black Range Mine.   There were a lot of other little shafts along the route, and at one point, there were two tunnels running into opposite sides of the same wash. One of the tunnels ran at least  hundred yards into the hill.

Mini Arch

from inside tunnel

tiny gecko

Just as we were getting back to the trailer, the mobile wash guys called to say they would be here tomorrow, and would do our trailer after the one next door.

Thursday morning, the mobile wash guy came out and washed the whole outside of the trailer.

Week ending Nov 2, 2017 Arrowwood to Provo Utah

Saturday, we did a load of laundry in Vulcan, picked up our pills for 6 months. That was a challenge since on Tuesday, they had only gotten approval for 100 days, and we asked for 180.  So they said we could pay for the extra 80.  However, when they put them through, Blue Cross paid for them.  Not sure what difference 4 days made. 
Once we got back to the trailer, we called Koodo to get Joan's phone unlocked so we could get a USA prepaid plan to use on Joan's phone.

Sunday, the weather forecast was for snow starting on Tuesday, the day we had planned on heading to Milk River.  We decided to leave Monday morning to get ahead of the weather, and spend an extra day in Milk River.  We did a short walk around town, then watched the Nascar race.

On Monday morning, we checked the weather in Helena. It was good for Tuesday, but 1 to 3 in. of snow was expected for Wednesday.  We got the trailer hooked up ready to leave.   While we were finishing up, the town guys were already at the campground to turn off the water (we had run into one of them on our walk around town on Sunday and told him we were leaving Monday morning).   Then we went over to the Centre Street Eatery for breakfast (with enough to take away for lunch).    We stopped in Lethbridge for diesel on our way south.    Once we got to Milk River about 12:30, we phoned our travel medical insurance people and found out that we could get our trip start date changed from Nov 1, to today, and since we also asked to move the return date 2 days earlier, it didn't cost us anything to change it.  So, we headed for Helena.   Around Great Falls we saw several herds of 20 to 30 antelopes.  Through the Missouri Breaks, we also saw several large herds of deer, with one sharing a field with cattle.    We arrived at Lincoln Road RV in Helena about 5:30.  We didn't bother unhooking the truck.   Then we got a 30 day plan for our t-mobile hotspot.   Fortunately Joan has good problem solving skills after a long day, and was able to figure out that we could update our plan, by first actually turning on the hotspot device (not just connecting it to the computer to get it charged), which enabled us to connect to the internet on the t-mobile site, and then figuring out that the day pass option didn't just mean one day, but one, seven or 30 days.


Then we tried to add the 30 day ($45) roaming add-on to Koodo for voice and text in the USA.    They no longer offer this plan.  They have 'Easy Roam'.   You add this option to your plan (at no charge), and then only pay $7/day for only the days the phone is used in the USA.   Potentially much more expensive, but it is capped at $100 per month, so only a bit more than twice the cost of last year.  However, if we are careful, and limit the number of days we use  the phone in a month, it could be cheaper.

Tuesday, we got up early heading for Fort Hall Casino.  We took a different route from Helena, taking highway 12 up the Missouri Valley to Three Forks, where the Jefferson, Madison and Gallitin Rivers join to form the Missouri.  Near Townsend, we saw a moose crossing a field toward the river. At the junction of highway 12 and Interstate 90, we stopped at Wheat Montana Bakery and Deli.  We picked up a whole wheat loaf.   They have one of the widest selection of cinnamon buns we have seen.  We opted for one apple flavored bun.   It was large enough that we each had a quarter of it each for breakfast for the next two days.

We carried on to Dillon and stopped at Safeway for diesel and restocked the fridge with meat and vegetables.   Then we stopped at Fort Hall Casino RV Park in Idaho.  Again we didn't unhook. 

On Wednesday morning, we headed off in the dark to beat a windstorm into Utah.   When we got to Provo, we found out that they were just closing the Utah Lake State Park, so we stayed at Lakeside RV Park next door.  Although this park has a lot of trees, we were able to get a satellite signal between them. The leaves are starting to fall here, so that helped.

Thursday, we headed to Best Buy to get the scoop on prepaid cell phones.  They recommended the Verizon sim card ($10) and a $60 prepaid monthly plan, which gives us unlimited international talk, text and 10GB of data (2.5 times what we had on Koodo for $60 CDN).   Hillary, a nice young lady, went through the process of unlocking the phone, with the code we got from Koodo.  This seemed to work okay, but when she called Verizon to get a number for the phone, it would get Verizon service for a few seconds, then 'no service'.  After a Verizon tech tried a few things, they concluded there must be something else in the way Koodo had set up the phone that was keeping it from getting service, perhaps because it was setup as a 'Canadian' phone.  The other option was to buy a new 'prepaid' Verizon phone.  They had a $40 clearance discount on the Samsung J1 that took it down to $32.  Then Hillary found out from Verizon that they had a $30 prepaid discount.  The new phone, including sim card, only cost us $2, less than the sim card for Joan's phone.  After Verizon got the new phone activated, Hillary kindly set up our Google account on the phone and imported all of our contacts from our account.

When we got back to the trailer, we used the Verizon phone to call Koodo to take Joan's Koodo phone off our plan, and put it away for the winter.  When we mentioned the problem getting the phone to work on Verizon, they said it must be something wrong at Verizon's end.   Figures!

We spent part of the morning looking at the best route to get to Moab from here tomorrow.  Both routes take us over the Wasatch range east of the valley, and according to Google Earth, over fairly long steep passes.  We will decide where we are headed by tomorrow morning.

When we started the truck to head to Best Buy,  we the check engine light was on again.  After lunch, John used the vehicle diagnostic tool he had bought in Canadian Tire after the last time the light was on.   Another glow plug(#2) problem, the 3rd in the last couple of months.   Since these aren't critical, we figure we'll wait another couple of months and see if we can wait and get a few more fixed at the same time.    We'll just have to check every once in a while to make see if any other problems crop up.