Walk, talk, read, and write while camping near Kofa

The temperatures and clouds have been ideal for camping near Kofa.  I walk, read, and write under the most beautiful of light.  Of course, I’m taking photos.  Plus I’ve been fortunate enough to engage in several conversations, talk and type.

I am not more than 100 feet from the Palm Canyon Road and camping near Kofa National Wildlife Refuge on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) public lands.  Yes, there’s some traffic but it’s not rush hour.  It’s lovely and would only be better if I could have Shared the Kofa Light with others on my first scheduled Geogypsy Journey.  Maybe next month.

After the van/bus/RV gathering began to break up, the desert went back to its quiet nature.  The bandwidth also increased but I never expect that to last.  Every day more folks pulled out, some returned, a few buses stayed.  Thought this one was rather unique.  I even had a van neighbor within sight on my “road” for a couple days.

Yet none of that really changes my daily routine while camping near Kofa.  If the wind hasn’t made it too chilly I try to get out for at least a short walk.  You know I’m not working on miles or steps at my sauntering pace.  Instead I meander between the vegetation avoiding the prickliest taking photos of the landscape.  The land is braided with small washes to cross (and look for pretty rocks), dry now but there’s plenty of evidence that water sometimes flows.  Debris caught against bushes and larger rock versus small pebbles tells that story.  Happens when I’m not here.

I often walk in the late afternoon anticipating the golden hour light and sunset.

Startled a Jackrabbit on the way back to camp.  They run and freeze, blending into the dusky landscape.

I also try to spend time every day writing, with help from my assistant.  I’m working on 1000 words a day.  Always journaling (200-400 words/day), often blog post writing (500-1200 finished post), and remember I’m working on a book, sometimes.  Though I will admit the last doesn’t happen daily but in spurts.  I am easily distracted when camping near Kofa.

Especially when there’s colorful sunrises unique to every day.  I am glad first light respects a decent hour during the winter while camping near Kofa.  Although there’s still a chill in the air it’s worth adding another layer and making coffee wait just a little longer.  It’s rather sad that I’m in such a beautiful place and I don’t go anywhere else but instead sit day after day at the same place.  I am happy not to have to move for two weeks. And that’s not really very long in the whole scheme of life.  Yet it’s one of the reasons I miss Joann as a neighbor as she gets me out and is willing to drive as well. Not to mention some very interesting conversation.  So I am glad there’s enough signal for us to chat online, each from our remote desert locations.  Enjoyed an extended phone call from a California cousin.  Even a windy day that pretty much keeps me inside turns out good.

And the sunsets caused me to at least get in and out the door, carefully down and up the step, several times.

Another nice sunrise.

Then later with no wind I walked under cloudy skies but the light was dull so I focused more on close things.

The Saguaro cactus is a known icon of the Sonoran Desert along with numerous kinds of Cholla cactus with spines that seem to glow under almost any light.

But also give wide birth to the red and yellow spines of the Barrel cactus providing an occasional break in color from the olive-green creosote that is everywhere.

I am always drawn to the shape and color of Palo Verde trees.  Their unusual green trunk and branches with scaly bark perform photosynthesis.  I find all this and more camping near Kofa.

As the wind stayed down I watched sunset over a small campfire.  Then the temperature dropped and it was back inside for the night.

Although I didn’t get up for all the pretty sunrises hardly a day goes by when I don’t take a photo of something, usually with the big camera but the phone will do in a pinch.  And even though warm enough for the door open by 11am, I saw a tiny sundog which says the upper atmosphere holds ice.

The calm 70° day was simply made for sitting outside reading in the desert apricity.

I would have been very busy had anybody signed up for my first Geogypsy Journey: Sharing the Kofa Light.  Lesson learned, don’t compete with anything January in Quartzsite and advertise further ahead.  An amazingly beautiful day would have welcomed anybody camping near Kofa, clouds put on a show for days, and the moon…  I did my usual, enjoy the view and spend some time outside photographing and reading.

At one point motion caught my eye and I saw an animal about the size of an over large ciabatta loaf hustling along.  The one photo I took was through a window screen and then it was gone.  I wracked my brain for a bit thinking, it had to be a badger.  Only the second time I’ve seen one in the wild—first at Bryce Canyon—and never in the desert.  Many desert mammals lean toward nocturnal lives to avoid daytime heat.

And of course more sunset.

I do see birds when camping at Kofa, yet not plentiful, and way too fast for my camera.  I hear Ravens and Phainopeplas.  A hummingbird approached a red light cover above the door on the camper before flying off to the one surviving cluster of Ocotillo flowers they prefer.  Guess I could put up my window feeder for hummingbirds.  Gypsy brought a high school friend to visit, along with zucchini bread, and of course I took no photos.  I am terrible about people pictures.

As I worked on this post over the weekend, I got carried away with a ramble about conversations, real time, online, and anytime.  So I posted it separately from here.  BTW, thanks for all the comments.  As Jodee said, I hit a nerve.  No surprise that many of you of similar age identified with my jaunt down memory lane.  And although some would also like more comments on their blog posts, many of you made a good point about too many comments, especially as I answer them all, working on the conversation.  If everybody that read a post, commented on the post, I’d spend all my time responding to comments instead of walking, talking, writing, and reading while camping near Kofa.