Camp Congress is a comfortable place to spend time, not far from my Skull Valley home but at least 2000 feet lower in elevation and thus warmer without yet being HOT.
I hid out for five days over Easter weekend hunkered in at one of my favorite camps looking at the Kofa Mountains and chasing shade as the temperature pushed past 95° it felt like time to head a little further north.
After a couple hour drive I settled into camp Congress and was soon joined by a local friend. Gypsy brought banana bread, a cute magnet, camper napkins, some magazines, and best of all her company along with the lovely four-legged Sandy. Don’t ask why I don’t have a photo.
Sadly the air was heavy with smoky haze from the Tunnel Fire northeast of Flagstaff and the Crooks Fire south of Prescott, both human caused.
After a move, long drive, and shopping I like a down day where I don’t have to go anywhere. So even though the signal is worse than iffy at this camp Congress off Ghost Town and Cemetery Roads on BLM I stayed in place. I made a 360°-video of camp, wrote a blog post, sat outside reading but mostly listening and watching birds.
Cactus Wren
I love this location for birding.
The next day I thought about doing laundry, not. OR, just move to the other camp Congress site where I have strong reliable signal and keep working. Hmmm… OR, not move at all. The last seemed the right choice. I am lazy sometimes. So it was much a repeat of the previous day minus the 360 video.
Sunrise
Friday morning felt cold at 58° so when I couldn’t get online at all I battened down and left camp Congress.
Filled propane in case the predicted cold snap lasted then went to Stanton Road looking for camp Congress 2. The main reason I didn’t just drive the hour home was the overnight low close to freezing. No thanks.
Sadly, when considering one site I backed into a tree and now have a hole through the aluminum skin that will have to be patched. One more thing for the growing RVs’ repair list.
Made another 360°-video of camp Congress 2 fighting the wind. In fact wind with blazing signal kept me indoors working on the computer.
Smoke obscures Vulture Peak to the west
And that’s what I did over the weekend, worked on the computer. I took 55 minutes of video driving from Kofa to Congress, edited and cut it to 31 minutes for my first Rambling Road Trip video. My brain never stops while I’m driving so I can always find something to talk about. Hope you’ll check it out. I am totally experimenting with this new medium of video.
After a two-day video editing marathon, brutal wind, smoke filled sky, and temperatures rising, I finally felt like completing this five month road trip and heading home. Time to leave camp Congress.
The drive north along SR89 is familiar. I did something I’ve thought about for many years, took video of the entire four-mile drive up Yarnell Hill. Then I continued to film the rest of the drive home through Peeples Valley, Kirkland, and onto Iron Springs Road to Skull Valley, and made another Rambling Road Trip video.
Blown glass sea turtle suncatcher (sitting on an envelope for scale)
Made a quick stop at the post office where a birthday present awaited. The son of a long-time friend blows glass under the name Wildfire Productions (please check out his website and work).
And, finally, home to my other wheelestate. I took another 360°-video and a short walk before even looking inside the 5th-wheel/Big House where, as I expected, there was mouse poop which meant cleaning before moving back in.
Yet I was in no hurry and simply enjoyed the sunset before making dinner in the truckcamper.
Lesson learned this winter as I readied for retirement, slow down.
Lazy? Nope. Self care. Gives your self a break. Great video of Arizona countryside & 4 mile drive up Yarnell continuing to your home. Blog readers check it out – allow time to sit back, armchair travel & enjoy the ride.
Thank so much. I need to remember “self care” instead of lazy. Sure glad you enjoyed the ride. Keep spreading the word.
Quite enjoyed your rambling road trip video. When we lived in our RV, mice were a constant problem. Took a few years to find all the holes built into it and plug them with steel wool and rodent foam. It wasn’t until I replaced the power inlet to a marine plug and cord system that we finally defeated them!
Thank you for following along. I’ve been working on filling holes for years, but the little rodents find ways in anyway.
Critters like to find a warm dry place, and your wheelestate is a perfect shelter. We’ve had them too. I have since placed dryer sheets in all the compartments and Irish Spring soap outside. So far so good …
Does Sierra catch the mice?
I’ve been stuffing holes with steel wool for years. Sierra is not usually a mouser. However, she caught one the other night and left it in the middle of the living room to display proudly.
One day we may get to be able to see your videos but for the time being we will just read about them!! I love that turtle it is gorgeous. Glad you are back home. Hope you will take is slowly for a while and enjoy being there.
Sorry about the tree jumping out behind you but these things do happen. Take care, hugs, Diane and Nigel
If I go any slower, it will be backwards. LOL sort of like your internet service. Seriously, if I try to do one thing the action requires a dozen other actions first, seems to take all day. Dang tree. Will have to play with the patch. I love the turtle.
Hi Gaelyn, Glad you enjoyed your journey home. I just watched on Utube. Rambling Road Trip Home. I have a question. do you drive on the right hand side of the road ?. Here in Crete we drive on the left hand side which took me a while to get used to.
Thanks for coming along on the ride. Yes, we drive on the right. I struggled a little driving the left in South Africa, especially shifting.
I really enjoy your descriptions and photos of camps, each place unique and scenic and this time also felt a sense of freedom and leisure. I did think of a great off road of Route 62/Date Creek from Congress you may like that looks right up at Weaver’s, though don’t know about reception. No people and pretty. A tree met my back Jeep bumper I think camp hunt off Senator Hwy; now have interesting bend for license plate, but Jeep held:) Welcome BIG home.
Thanks. Is that the road towards Hillside? Those darn trees. Feels good to be in the Big House.
Slow down was the best lesson I learned after retiring nine years ago! Lovely desert skies, looks so peaceful out there.
I’m liking it.
Learning how not to rush things has been one of the things I am still continuing to learn.
We can work on that for the rest of our lives. 😉 No rush.
I remember Congress from the Bayfield Bunch. Bet they wish they were still there.
I just hate all these fires in the west, tornados in the Midwest. When are we going to stop ignoring the changing climate?
I’m with you on wanting a down day after a move. I hear you on the lazy thing.I think it’s become my middle name. How did I ever work and live my life too?
SO SORRY to see your hole. I finished my 8th month of trying to arrange and getting repairs.
58 sounds great to me for a low! That sea turtle is gorgeous. What a fantastic birthday present! And how sweet to have two wheel estates. Glad you are back “home” safely.
Getting kind of warm in Congress, but that’s the nature of deserts in the summer. Just like tornados, hurricanes, fires… been happening a long time and climate change is making it worse. Sometimes, I question our species intelligence. Went to town today so I’ll be useless tomorrow.
Fun reading about your trip home. And yes, I did watch the video, but without sound because I didn’t want to turn on the speakers to disturb Mo in our office who was doing videos. LOL So I saw the drive, and have to admit I did fast forward a bit. But I subbed so I am at least on your list. Such a bummer about the hole, but as they say…sh***t happens. We were backing the MoHo into her RV building here and somehow didn’t have the door up as high as it was supposed to be. The sound of crunching something is pretty awful. Lucky for us, it wasn’t the air conditioner, but we mashed the domed skylight over the shower to smithereens. Hopefully we will be a bit more lucky than Sherry at finding the part to replace it and getting it done. Sigh. Stay cool and lazy up there at Skull Valley. That is what retirement is all about. Filling time with sitting and looking at the sky, the birds, or reading a book. Nice that you got a bit of time offline. I love it when that happens, but don’t try to do it on purpose because I always think I have to be connected. It is a gift when we aren’t.
Thanks for subscribing. That video was way too long. I’m learning. Bumping things with the camper makes me feel foolish instead of mad. Wasn’t the first time. Maybe I need a backup camera. Do hope your parts are coming quicker than Sherry’s. I sometimes wonder what I did with my days before internet.
Mispoke. Mo was doing bills, not videos. LOL
Even more important not to be disturbed.