Sunday, March 31, 2013

OBLIGATIONS OF THE RETIRED ~ Goodbye Colorado River

Since November we've been enjoying the usually quiet but always scenic geography of the Colorado River and Mohave Valley. Traveling from south of Yuma, Arizona to North of Davis Dam, Nevada with nighttime temps in the low 20's and 100F during the day.  Goodbye Colorado, obligations await us at home, see ya next winter.

Sunrise at Nevada Telephone Cove just north of Davis Dam, NV

Prickly Pear Cactus beginning their bloom in latter March.

Brittle Bush in full bloom ALMOST EVERYWHERE in the desert and

the Desert Locust by the millions ready to eat them and anything else in sight.

Mating dance/flight of the Ring-billed Seagull preform at the cove.

Eat'en good in the neighborhood.  Our crew "on the hill" outside of Earp, CA

Inflated Blister Beetle ~ Thankfully these guys are harmless, except to flowers.

Western Kingbird.  Another "lifer" for me.  Fuzzy long shot but it's a positive ID.

Two courting Sonora Whip-tailed lizards

It's not all fun and games.  Setting up Jackie's new smart phone required two phones, a computer and endless hours of guidance from at least half a dozen Verizon techies.

Good morning in December and good night the last day of March from our home on the hill.


                               Think about it!





















Monday, March 25, 2013

AN AMERICAN FARMER AGAINST TYRANNY

~~~~Interrupting our regular programing and asking for your help by assisting a small, family farmer against oppressive government~~~~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2kz0q4m6Ac&feature=share

Watch this Youtube Video and then, if you find it in your heart to help, donate at

WWW.BAKERSGREENACRES.COM

We're all in this together.



Sunday, March 24, 2013

JOSHUA TREE WEE THUMP WILDERNESS AREA

About a dozen miles west of Searchlight, NV we were invited by our neighbors of Iron River, Mike and Bonnie, to come and visit with them, and what a spectacular spot it turned out to be.  We camped about a quarter mile off the highway in a 6,000 acre forest of old growth, Joshua Trees; It was like we had entered another world.

We left the furnace heat of the Mojave, climbed almost 4,000 ft. and now with evening temps dropping into the low 30's, it's too cold so we'll be heading back to the valley where our clothes fit the weather.

Our camp was at the site of an old corral with a windmill long silent. We spent about an hour being good stewards of our land cleaning up the debris and rubble of previous little piggy campers.

Once every couple of years or so the trees bloom when conditions are just right.

This year blooming conditions were perfect.  Almost every tree had multiple flowers almost a foot tall.

Even though birding was poor because of high, gusty winds, I did manage one shot of the Red Tailed Hawk.

Toxins implanted into GM food crops to kill pests are reaching the bloodstreams of women and unborn babies, alarming research has revealed.

A landmark study found 93 per cent of blood samples taken from pregnant women and 80 per cent from umbilical cords tested positive for traces of the chemicals.

Millions of acres in North and South America are planted with GM corn containing the toxins, which is fed in vast quantities to farm livestock around the world – including Britain

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1388888/GM-food-toxins-blood-93-unborn-


Thursday, March 21, 2013

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

A little down on his luck and looking for a position in the solar industry Alex non-the-less sticks with the Right side of the political aisle.  His political beliefs and mine clash but each of us listen respectfully to the others views.  His information comes from right wing news organizations, mine from POTUS, a red, white and blue, SIRUS Radio station.  Our common ground is fear for the long-haul of the US and the troublesome times ahead for the generation we have begat.  He's fine with drilling, fracking every square foot where oil might be found and razing every tree in sight. My want is to not devour all within sight for corporate profit and save something of an aesthetic nature for following generations.  His knowledge of the political system is astute and he delivers his information with the ease and eloquence of any senator or congressman. 

For now Alex is focused on regaining his health after a tripple, heart by-pass and padding his purse for a little travel money.  Unfortunately, when your down and your home is your vehicle, it's ten times as hard to get back up. Wishing you good health, perseverance and good luck my friend.


    Somehow in my squewed view, this seems apropos.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

IT'S ONLY PHLAT ON THE BOTTOM

Jackie said,"Do you hear that hissing?"  "Nope," I replied, turned down the radio and listened with interest. She thought it was some animal, I heard nothing.  I opened the door to the rig and low and behold, a hissing was clearly present.  I stepped out into the dark and felt a breeze on my knees, turned the flashlight toward the rig, and  followed the stream of air toward the tire...Oh my, a hole in the outside, rear dulie tire.  I must have bruised it on a rock somewhere, and between the sun and road miles it had degraded enough to blow a small hole in the sidewall.  

Road Service to the rescue.  Thank God for Ford's little road service gift at time of the rig's purchase.  The fellow that responded from 70 miles away, Bennie, was a one man tire changing factory.  He said he learned the business in Tijuana as a kid without machines and this is what he still does, 40 years later but now he has his own business, Bennie's Road Service, Havasu City, AZ.
A mile and a quarter into the desert is not a good place to have a flat, especially when one is without the proper equipment to lift the axle of a RV motor home, ie. hydraulic jack.and tire irons.


Ended up the spare rim/tire was for the front and wouldn't fit the rear but never fear, Benny was a one-man tire repair.  His year's of training sure paid off handsomely for us this day.  He tossed those tires and rims around like a person that knew exactly what they were doing...and he did.

 What a treat to watch a person in complete command of his skills.  This guy never missed a lick or made a wrong turn and flipped those big pry bars around like a majorette twirls batons.  $200 paid by Ford.

We drove on to Bullhead City, AZ for new tires all the way around. The old tires had almost 40K on them and it was time for new.

Save for one person in the Oil and Tire Department, Walmart drops the ball in Bullhead City.  We waited at least 40 minutes before anyone even approached us as to our needs and that was with no one in front of us and no one in the vacant bays.  The repair boys just wandered around looking like they had been puffing on the sweet-leaf pipe.  The young girl inside that was to take our order was clueless. 

Looking back, I believe we arrived there close to a shift change, from morning to afternoon shift, and they, the morning shift, didn't want to get involved with a new project.

I had a friendly chat with the store manager, naturally.

All is well, we have 6 new tires and a spare full of air.

Monday, March 11, 2013

SPRING RAIN WASHOUT

Turning south off of Highway 95 at Parker, AZ onto Hwy 72 for a few miles and then on to a washboard gravel for 20 miles was a mistake.  Not that we had our directions messed up but we should have called the BLM to make sure the roads were passable.  Our intent was to reach the eastern end of the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge, set up camp and try to spot some wetland/riparian birds.  We made it to within three miles of the turnoff to Mineral Wash, our road to the reserve and saw a sign that read, "4 wheel drive advised."  Oh joy, the road was washed out last year by the spring rains.  We took the turnaround loop provided for the chicken fainthearted and camped about a mile back on a small hill. 

Our home on the hill for the evening.  Look close off to the bottom left and you'll see Jackie with walking stick and backpack out searching for shiny rocks.

You have to admit, if you're forced to pull up short of a destination, a place as beautiful as this ain't too shabby a spot to land.

While there we went out and harvested the big timber, The cactus-like Ocotilla tree, for walking sticks and drum mallet handles.

Final preparation requires removing the thorns, leaves and bark. Gloves required.


Leaving our home on the hill and back out the 5 mph, bumpy road to Hwy 72, we headed south to Bouse (say Mouse) AZ.  We've been here 4 days and in the morning return to BLM Earp, CA (35 Mi) and meet up with our friends from Colorado.


Sunset looking east toward the Plomosa Mountains, Bouse, AZ


Geeze, almost forgot the new lifer-bird that appeared here in the Bouse desert.
              BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER.
Pic is a bit fuzzy, he was a bit shy and didn't want to come any closer.  Doesn't this just excite the dickens out of you~~






Friday, March 8, 2013

FOR BETTER OR WORSE~ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS

From Nevada Highway 165, at 2,500 feet, we descend 5 twisting miles across the Mojave Desert down to Lake/Reservoir Mojave, Nevada Telephone Cove to 650 foot elevation at water's edge.  It’s slow going on the gravel, washboard road but well worth it.

Somewhere along 1951 or so, United States Bureau of Reclamation decided to once again put a plug in the Colorado River.  This new dam backed up the river creating a head of water to irrigate crops, supply millions of electric kilowatts, make playgrounds for boats , camping beaches for vacationers and control floods.  There was a great deal of opposition from the Edward Abbey’s of the day, (The Monkey Wrench Gang) mainly for esthetic reasons but also it would drown 50 thousand years of indigenous history; Not to mention that the whole reservoir would unquestionably “silt-up” and eventually kill itself.  Today, a preponderance of evidence from climate scientists suggests as soon as 20 years the whole Colorado river will most likely run dry from lack of rainfall and the constant draining to water golf courses from Las Vegas to Yuma, AZ and make green the vegetables all the way to the Imperial Valley of California.

We’ve been here almost a week, enjoyed  perfect short and T-shirt weather, met new friends, walked and biked the hills, marveled at blazing sunsets and soothing sunrises and lazed on the shore listening to Ring-billed Gulls, Double Breasted Cormorants, Horned Grebe’s and the quacks of hundreds of ducks.
                                                                             Dawn



  HORNED GREBE IN HIS NON-MATING COLORS

  COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD~Love the mustachio



     WHITE THROATED SWIFT~Best Photo out of a 100


Meet Cal-Dog, a man in search of self, trying to sort out what is essential, taking time away from spreadsheets, numbers, computers and the turmoil of corporate pressure.  “My Chevy Hotel serves me well,” I’ve heard him say twice.  The bed of his pick-up truck functions as bedroom, the tailgate a table, the great outdoors his kitchen. Washing machine supplied by Lake Mojave.

Rain has been bloomingly abundant this spring for the many flowers here in the barren landscape.  Fighting their way to survive in this non-fertile gravel is the “real” Miracle grow.






                                                                    Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard
Mr Lizard pays no mind to the rising or falling of the reservoir and just goes about his everyday concerns of shade and sustenance.  I hope our poisons and progress don’t eliminate his species along with the naked ape.

Friday, March 1, 2013

The Sequestration Is Here ~~ Now What?

Well Damn if I know what's going to happen now that the dreaded Sequestration has arrived, but I do believe the whole thing was orchestrated as planned.  I do know we as a nation spent too much $ in previous years on silver toilet seats and golden hammers, the rich got richer at the peril of the poor and now it's time to pay the fiddler, unfortunately it looks like the working Joe is the one that has to pony-up.  I wish I were more optimistic, but  try as I may, I'm just not seeing anything good on the horizon.  So, while the lights are still on, I'll continue to tap-the-keys and send along a couple of pictures and comments from my little corner of the world.

Woman asking for help to get her rattletrap rig on down the road a few more miles.
It ain't pretty but it's all that's keeping her out of the sun and rain.

Here in the Mojave Valley the Brittlebush is abundant. If it were editable, there would be fewer hungry people.

On the Colorado River, Laughlin, NV.   Bufflehead Duck

Another duck here in Laughlin is the Redhead.  Aptly named, eh?

Across the road from the AVI Casino the Northern Rough-Winged Swallow stares me down.

On the Willow Springs Golf Course this Vermillion Flycatcher stopped long enough to give me one shot. 

Photo lifer-list of birds to date 124.  

Trusting the Sequester isn't as calamitous, with it's meat cleaver approach, to the poor and blue collar as I suppose it will be.  Or....maybe all those people we've elected to do the job of straightening-out our countries fiscal problems really do have a plan.... Good Luck!