Packing the camper seemed to take all week, at least a few hours a day, before I could finally leave for the desert where I love to spend the winter. First stop a familiar sight.
Part of packing is first organizing what’s already in the camper. I went through the canned food stash, which I consider mostly emergency food, and threw over half of it away being out of date anywhere from five to fifteen years. I took the limited number of cans out of the 5th-wheel and put them in the stash. Can’t be leaving liquid items behind that could freeze and burst. Back and forth, with reusable grocery bags full of stuff to move.
Goodbye November, hello December. How does a year filled with slow days go by so fast?
Look closely for a busy tail disappearing behind bush, close to center
Coyote went past too fast for my camera.
Bradshaw Mts north to Prescott
Sunset in Skull Valley
Morning temperatures in the low 40s slow me down. It’s not easy to heat the 36 foot 5th-wheel using only two small heaters on 30amp service. But I get it together for a shopping day in Prescott, stocking-up in a big town like I might not see for a few weeks at least. Still, I have to shop with discretion because my camper is a tiny house. And yet, it takes all day to complete the chores. And then I have more packing the camper. Biggest score was 600 count, 100% Egyptian cotton, queen-size sheet-set for $25. I bought two sets, for each RV.
I like to take a day off after a full day in town, but there was a little more packing. And the next day I had a few more chores in Skull Valley.
The dump is only open three days a week and I had a bunch of garbage to get rid of before hitting the road. Also needed to mail the last of the calendars. (Hope they all arrived.) Plus I wanted to check out a marvelous local driveway lined with huge ancient Cottonwood trees in hopes of fall color. Got lucky with that.
Don’t forget me
Still packing on Saturday. A different kind of packing because the big house doesn’t have to be packed away, just no liquids left behind. Yet the back and forth moving of the almost last minute stuff took all afternoon and I thought about putting off leaving one more day.
Time to slaughter (according to my landlord), yet I’d say looking a little lean
Naw, Sunday was good with only a little packing. I fed the pigs my food garbage and had to winterize the 5th-wheel after a shower. Joann was ready and hitting the road Sunday also. We planned to meet and camp in Congress off Ghost Town Road, where I’ve been many times.
Blackie sniffing the metate
Yet I kept dragging my feet, wanting to both stay and go. I finally convinced myself if I forgot something, I’m less than an hour away. It will be alright.
Over my driveway wash
Down Yarnell Hill
Pulled into camp Congress by 3pm where Joann had parked by the huge familiar Saguaro bird condo. She made us salad, spaghetti and bread for dinner.
Ahhhh…… a sigh of relief. No more packing. I am embraced by the desert apricity. It even smells different here. We spent a good part of the day chatting, sitting outside in the sun and shade, sitting inside one camper or the other. We took walks, separately and together.
I walked to the stock tank and a bit beyond under clear skies and 70°. Perfect, except for all the military flyover. Their noise disturbs my harmonics.
Joann likes campfires and gathered enough wood for about an hour pre-sunset burn.
Then time for the moon in alignment with Venus.
Sunrise blazed and a soft orange glow hung over the horizon all day under chilly gray skies. Amazingly the solar panels kept charging enough for my minimal usage and even charged Joann’s phone a couple times.
She has portable solar panels and a solar charged battery plus a 12volt cooler/freezer combination. It held its own that day but never got to 100% charge.
I stayed inside most of the day doing my usual labeling photos and occasionally jumped outside for a photo.
The next morning’s heavy cloud cover limited color then danced all day like stormy seas. Another good day to mostly stay inside.
Later the sun came out and tried to break up the clouds so I went for a very quick walk as it’s cool at 63° with a breeze. Even the Gila Woodpeckers were sticking close to home.
Sunset again spectacular as our evening campfire burned to a bed of coals.
Because Thursday was predicted to rain we had decided to make it our town day. Morning was gray but opened up briefly giving Joann’s solar panels a little burst. Then the sky turned gray and we went to Wickenburg about thirty minutes away. That Goodwill hasn’t raised prices so we shopped and I got a few books. While we did laundry Joann’s battery was plugged in and charged. What a pit place with 90% of dryers out of order. Picked up a few groceries and it rained a bit on the way home. Unpacked just before it started to rain with meaning which kept up most of the night. There were puddles. A special gift in the desert. So glad it wasn’t the snow falling in northern Arizona.
Puddles were gone shortly after sunrise on another chilly gray day. The stay home after a town day became craft day in my camper. Joann already had a flat tree made from garland and a string of tiny battery operated lights. She’d bought a bag of miscellaneous small wooden ornaments at the thrift store. Plugged her glue gun in and decorated the 18 inch tree.
It’s decorating my window for a few days and her camper next. I haven’t decorated any kind of Christmas tree in many years. Lots of laughs and fun.
Moist dry-wash
Mornings are a little chilly in the low 40s but once the sun gets high enough to charge my solar, if there’s no wind, the afternoon is nice to be outside in high 50s/low 60s.
Joann took a walk at least half a mile to the foot of the Date Creek Mountains to our east. Not quite a quarter way up a humongous granite boulder stripped with thick veins of white quartz was calling her name. When she texted me “I touched it.” I zoomed in for a photo.
My walk was closer to camp looking for down and dead branches for our evening campfire. We even tried burning flat dried cow pies that worked quit well with no smell. It’s actually just as available as wood in this rather picked over camping area.
Joann left her trailer and returned to Prescott to take care of some business so I’ll be on my own for a few days. I can handle that. The sun is shinning with only a few wispy clouds. I’m done packing and in the desert. Sure feels good.
Sounds like you had a good journey and took some really nice photo’s and, you had some nice company. Love the Xmas tree. Enjoy whatever you are going to do next Gaelyn and stay safe.
Feels good to be in the desert, even under gray skies.
Of course I really liked those great scenic photos around Camp Congress and especially seeing Vulture Peak again. An oh my,,,,,the Saguaros. ‘Be still my heart’
Thanks. Your old place in Congress looks good too.
You are back to camping again. I think you kind of like it. I know I like reading about it. Living your best life!! I love how you saved the booze and tossed the out of date food. Way back when my parents were still around when we would visit, Heather would get a trash can and toss all the out of date food making my parents very nervous. I pointed out that some of the spices they had had manufacturers addresses without zip codes.
I love your campfires with the cow chips. I have heard about that but never seen it.
Keep on geotrucking!!
Yea, it’s more like glamping, and I do love it. I’ll use cow pies again as wood is scarce.
Sounds like Joann has a crafty, creative streak. Nice photos.
Thanks. She is artistic in many ways.
YEA! You’re back on the road and boondocking in some of your favorite spots.
All of us in the southwest are hoping for more rain.
Feels good to be here. Thought was going to rain today but now they say no. 🙁
Love that it sounds like you’re home. Great sunset picture and cottonwood lane is so pretty. Great collection of creatures around & about too! Cool bumper rocks!
Thanks. I’m pretty much home wherever I park.
The desert looks good! Kinda wish it wasn’t more than 1000 miles for us to get to where you are. Sigh. But no matter where you go, there you are I guess. We are cozy and warm, dry and content here at home. Heading for the coast for the light show and of course it is raining, raining, raining, snowing now and then, and yes…puddles everywhere.
You might not like this desert at 36° this morning, but no snow. Enjoy the lights and coast.
Out on the road again. The adventure begins.
‘Teeny’ house. In today’s architectural descriptors, a Tiny house is a trailer of usually about 200- sq. ft. Plus. Not a fan. Too heavy and often too expensive. We used to call them ‘mobile homes’.
I spent most of 8-years of my life doing contract Field Engineering around the seven western states while living on the road in my 8-1/2′ camper. One of the best times of my life. Got to see a lot of the west, and with only a few hours of work a few days a week it was like being on an epic vacation in the mountains and desert.
Managed to get home about once a month for a few days, just enough time to do repairs and go into the office and consult with the engineering department and production then back to the adventure.
Firewood; I had a small trailer to haul the man-lift, so collected firewood wherever I could. Camp fires are a treat, when safe to light up.
Pics wouldn’t load so can’t comment on them. The issue is my connection.
This camper is about 90 sq ft, that’s tiny compared to my 5th-wheel at over 300 sq ft and it feels like a palace though this is plenty adequate. I don’t usually do campfires when alone but nice to enjoy with a friend.
I would rather be in the desert than under the 7″ of snow that fell yesterday. Very white and bright outside. I am sure you are not missing Washington’s weather. Enjoyed your blog!
No way I could handle that much snow, but it was only 36° this morning. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Looks like you are in your element back in the desert for winter, Wow that shot of the cottonwoods is amazing. Nice to have a fire even if it is not freezing. I have put up a few Xmas decorations, not sure why for the two of us but they are cheery. 🎄🎅 Keep safe and have fun. You will soon be wondering how on earth did you have time to go to work!! Hugs Diane
Thanks. I do love the winter desert but woke to 36°F this morning. That feels like Christmas without the white stuff.
NV you being in the warm for the Winter. I’ve never winterized before. Never had to until this year. Do you blow out the pipes? You seem to have it down to a science. Mighty fine sunset pictures especially the one with the cactus. So nice to have a friend to camp with. Lucky you
Not so warm this morning at 36°. Check YouTube for winterizing instructions. I don’t have a way to blow out the pipes as somebody else has winterized for me the last few years. Thanks, it is pretty here and nice to have company.
Love overhanging Autumn, sunny saguaro, the coyote! and interiors to see how that works. And familiar spots too. Desert ground squirrel rock:) Even though you told me, that lizard did look like a snake! Nice visit. One question. Coming down Yar’hill, did you get to stop… or slow down for that shot?
Thanks. I do stop occasionally at the Yarnell Hill overlook, but that shot was just a slow down. I’m a street photographer because I take photos while driving. 😉 Thanks for the great visit.
I love the word apricity and your observation asking how slow-paced days can race so quickly past!
Even with sunshine I’m not feeling the apricity this morning at 36°F. Does time change as we age?
Happy to see that you moved to slightly warmer climes, though I still think it’s too chilly for you. It almost blew us away here in the mountains yesterday. I was surprised that some of our trees didn’t come down. Stay warm and well, Gaelyn. Happy Christmas.
I knew that wind was headed your way. Thought it was going to blow me there as well. Not quite as warm as I’d like it but warmer. Enjoy the beauty of the snow and Merry Christmas to you.