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Category: Bagdad

14 July 2024

Moving on to May in Congress Arizona

last light valley from Date Crk Mts Congress AZOK, so I only seem to blog monthly these days, maybe that’s because I’m exceedingly busy, and also working on videos.  I did a bit of moving around in May, starting with Congress and ending near Ash Fork, but still haven’t left Arizona.

Gaelyn & Ron in side-by-side Congress AZMeet Ron

I left you at the end of April with a surprise.

RV Congress camp AZ

light & shadow Date Crk Mts Cemetery Rd BLM Congress AZ

desert Date Crk Mts sunset Cemetery Rd BLM Congress AZArrived in Congress Arizona May 1st to a not overly crowded BLM site off Ghost Town and Cemetery Roads.

desert light Date Crk Mts Cemetery Rd BLM Congress AZ

Date Crk Mts sunset Cemetery Rd BLM Congress AZThis is a familiar area for my Spring and Fall migration.

dead rattlesnake Cemetery Rd Congress AZThree days later Jerry stopped by to tell me he’d accidently run over a rattle snake nearby.  It was dead and I wanted the rattles.  So I grabbed a pair of scissors that could have been sharper and as I approached the obviously dead snake a man rode up in a side-by-side OHV.  I handed him my phone with video running and said point it at me please.

side-by-side ride Date Crk Mts valleyThen he invited me for a ride.  I grabbed my water bottle and jumped in still wearing my slippers.

side-by-side ride Weaver Mts

side-by-side ride Weaver MtsRon is a friend of Jerry’s, and a local to Congress for many years.  We went places I would never otherwise see.  Some where distinct two-tracks, others not so much.

Gaelyn at mine adit Weaver Mts AZ

Weaver Mts mine shaftThis has been mining country since the 1500s when the Spanish arrived from Mexico into what is now Arizona bringing along donkeys to carry the loads.  These sturdy creatures easily survived the harsh conditions found in the desert SW.

opening donkey corral Date Creek Mts Congress AZ

stone donkey corral Congress AZ

arrastra grinding stone Weaver MtsThe dry stack walls of this donkey corral is evidence of their use during mining when they would pull the grinding stone called an arrastres over the ore laden rock.  Fascinating!

Gaelyn side-by-side Congress AZ

Date Crk Mts Congress mine AZNow I’ve cursed those noisy, dusty, rude-driven, OHVs forever.

town view Congress mine AZBut after several fun and amazing trips into the surrounding country on roads that might not be roads, I’m kind of hooked.  Well, not enough to buy one, however…

side-by-side ride Date Crk Mts Congress AZ

side-by-side Date Crk Mts Congress AZOver the next several days that became weeks I saw so much of the land I’d never drive to in my RV, or any previously owned vehicle.

side-by-side ride W RR easement to Wickenburg AZ

RR tressel Congress AZWe took RR easements and backroads with the side-by-side to Wickenburg then accessed more backroads to ride in a box canyon.

side-by-side ride Hassayampa R Wickenburg AZ

side-by-side ride Hassayampa R Wickenburg AZThe Hassayampa River originates as a small spring just south of Prescott Arizona and flows 100 miles to the Gila River near Hassayampa.  Sometimes it flows underground and thus the Native name meaning “river that flows upside down.”

side-by-side ride Hassayampa R Wickenburg AZ

Hassayampa R box canyon AZAn anonymous poet wrote: Those who drink its waters bright — Red man, white man, boor or knight, Girls or women, boys or men — Never tell the truth again.

side-by-side ride Hassayampa R Wickenburg AZ

Gaelyn RZR Hassayampa R ride Wickenburg AZI didn’t drink any of the water but did drive through some and even waded just a little.

Monte Cristo mine Constellation Rd WIckenburg AZMonte Cristo mine

O'Brien mine bldg Constellation Rd Wickenburg AZO’Brien mine

Gold Bar mine Consellation Rd Wickenburg AZGold Bar mine

Another backroad took us past several old mines, some inactive but still held by a claim.  Ron knows a lot of these old miners and got permission to explore on their property.

Bloo Nelley mine Constellation Rd WIckenburg AZI got a private tour of the Bloo Nelley mine and the owners are working on several projects open to the public.  I took video of the tour and it will be posted eventually.

storm clouds Date Crk Mts Congress AZ

storm clouds Date Crk Mts Congress AZThere was also plenty of time for sky watching from my desert camp.

Joshua trees rest area US93 AZ

flowering Saguaro SR97 to Bagdad AZ

flowering Saguaro SR97 to Bagdad AZ

flowering Palo Verde tree desert rd off Bagdad Hwy AZ

Bagdad mine AZBagdad mine

A long-day loop-drive went through a Joshua Tree forest, past a few flowering Saguaro and lunch in Bagdad Arizona before returning to Congress.

bumper rock collection Congress AZAfter three weeks playing in Congress and temperatures rising toward triple digits It was time for me to move on.

clouds Yarnell Hill SR89 N AZ

Iron Springs Rd Skull Valley AZI headed north up the familiar Yarnell Hill, through Skull Valley and stopped to visit a friend in Dewey.

full moon rise Dewey AZfull moon rise Dewey AZ

Kept an eye on the full moon from a rural yet urban location.

light on grasses trees clouds FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

Orange Mallow flowers grasses Juniper tree FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZBy the end of May I was ready for some quiet time out in the middle of nowhere so I headed north on SR89 to find a camp on the Kaibab National Forest south of Ash Fork.

Orange Mallow flowers grasses Juniper trees FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

orange Mallow flowers bee FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

tree sunset FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

trees sunset clouds FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZTurned out to be a real beautiful landscape of flower-filled grassy meadows and low Juniper trees topped by breathtaking sunsets.

flock sheep FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

flock sheep RV FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

RV flock sheep FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

flock sheep FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZAnd four-legged visitors, who set up a little dust but just moved on past, several times during the rest of the month and into June, which will be part of the next post along with a two-legged visitor.

sheep FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZ

sheep FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZOf course I have since moved on to a couple more forest camps in June and July and will share them eventually.  I do recommend checking out my YouTube channel and subscribing to see more of my adventures, even though admittedly I’m not current there either.  Guess I’ve just been busy enjoying life.

last light grasses & flowers trees FR35 Kaibab NF Ash Fork AZBTW, I’m starting to think about a 2025 calendar.  How about you?  Please let me know if you see some photo worthy of including and if you’re interested in purchasing a calendar.

 

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Arizona, Bagdad, Congress, Kaibab National Forest, Places I've been, United States, Wickenburg OHV, RV life 20 Comments
31 May 2022

Days to play after going to town


Geogypsy

Thursday is town day, avoiding most working people’s weekend, and leaves me six days to play every week.  This retirement thing just might work out.  Especially if I only have to go to town every other week.  That’s my goal leaving more days to play.  I mean why is it, when I lived 2 1/2 hours from shopping I only went to town every 3-4 weeks, and now only 30 minutes away I go weekly.  Ugh.  Not my cup of tea.  Speaking of tea, note my new profile pic to match the rest of my struggling new Geogypsy brand on YouTube.  More about that coming.


Prickly Poppy Skull Valley AZ

Anyway, another reason for Thursday to town includes stopping at the dump weekly.  One 13 gallon bag, and sometimes something else, ranges from $1-$3, depending on who’s there or maybe a whim.  I don’t know.  It’s cheap enough.  That also being the southern direction for this town day about an hour away to Wickenburg.  It would be warmer 2200 feet lower in elevation so I took off early for me.

Prickly Poppies at the gate

repaving Iron Springs Rd Kirkland AZOf course the road is being resealed, it’s summer around here.  Stopped along the way at Peeples Valley Market and bought local ground beef plus filled the camper’s propane tanks to refrigerate my groceries for the return journey.  Drove through Yarnell and took video driving down the Yarnell Hill on SR89 because I’ve wanted to for a long time.  Haven’t shared yet.  Made a thrift store donation of—dare I say—outgrown clothes, and bought a couple summer tops and shorts.  I haven’t needed summer clothes in many years as I usually wore a uniform.  After stocking up groceries for an anticipated two weeks, I returned via Congress to meet Gypsy for lunch.  Two hours later, I discovered the local laundromat closed.  Minimal hand wash would get me through another week.

sunset clouds Skull Valley AZNice way to end a long day.

Sierra cat on desk Skull Valley AZFirst of six days to play often becomes a down day, recovery sort of from all the running around from town day.  I’m not entirely lazy as I work on the computer and online.  Why do I call it work?  Not used to retirement so I have personal work that I’m going to start calling play.  What the heck, nobody’s paying me to do this, yet.  I loved my work for so many years it’s a hard habit to break.  OK, I will admit to a lot of reading on the couch, with my feet elevated.  And thus, the only photo taken, from said couch.

sign Please Close GateBesides, the next morning was another early rise to beat the heat as I met Joann at the gate around 7am for a day trip in search of flowering cactus.

horses feeding fence mts AZJust the other side of Brushy Mountain from where I live, in the Lower Kirkland Valley a gravel sideroad caught our eyes.  We stopped regularly to take photos.  This is ranch country, horses and cattle.

Turkey Vulture birds perched Kirkland AZ

Turkey Vulture bird roosting Kirkland AZTurkey Vulture bird roosting Kirkland AZ

                                                                           Hello handsome

A wake of Turkey Vultures alerted us to a small wetland.  They perched at the top of mostly dead trees, some exposing stretched wings to the morning sun.  There was very little water.

Willows nursery log Kirkland AZGrowing out of a nursery tree

pink Desert willow tree flowers Kirkland AZYet enough to support the Desert Willow with showy blooms.

rd desert mts SR96 AZ

gate frames moon AZBack on pavement it was not long before a wide shoulder with a closed but not locked gate beckoned.  It appeared to be State Trust Land presumably “leased” to graze cattle. More about that in the video.

yellow Prickly Pear cactus flowers AZ

bee inside yellow Pickley Pear cactus flower SR96 AZbee inside yellow Pickley Pear cactus flower SR96 AZ

I was glad to see even sparse flowers on the Prickly Pear cactus though many were already gone.  Lots of pollinators doing their jobs.

cactus boulders SR96 AZ

Saguaro cactus flowers & buds AZWe continued westward, downhill through a curvy canyon noting the limited shoulder parking for the return drive.  Certainly in Saguaro country and just starting to flower.

gravel rd AZ

Santa Maria R AZAnother gravel sideroad drew us along 13 miles according to a sign, sometimes following the Santa Maria River/dry wash.  Almost turned around a couple times, but what’s just up ahead pulled us on.  Plus, even without looking at a map the direction would dump us onto a known highway.

broken windmill abandoned ranch Santa Maria R Rd AZSaguaro cactus buds Santa Maria R Rd AZ

Stopped at an abandoned ranch which I included in the video and saw more Saguaros covered with buds but only a few flowers.  Just a little early.

valley below Bagdad AZValley below Bagdad

Sure enough, we ended up on US93 and went north a short ways then looped back to SR96 and took a left to Bagdad for lunch.

cabin AZ

abandoned house desert AZTurned around and closed the loop with an additional stop for yet another abandoned building (again in the video).

wrinkled Saguaro cactus SR96 AZOnce back on the road towards home, thought I saw a cristate or crested-like Saguaro.  Located high above the road without a good place to park I merely snapped a few quick shots.  Once the images were on the computer and I could zoom in an extremely wrinkled cactus appeared.  I was told by a Sonoran Desert Ranger friend it’s a wannabe cristate.

It took nine hours to cover 180 miles of fun and still had four days of play left to my week.

Raven bird walking Skull Valley AZI spent the entire next day playing with photos and making a video of the previous day’s adventure.

trees boulders Skull Valley AZHad to balance out all that sitting at the computer so dragged my butt out for another early morning walk.

meadow trees boulders Skull Valley AZGone for 1 1/2 hours and barely walked half a mile.  I feel a little guilty even calling it a walk.  Especially as I’ve been watching two friends walk the 500 mile Camino de Santiago.  But for me this is good.  It would take me a lifetime to walk that far.

Cottonwoods Skull Valley AZWalked west through the gravel pit and to the big wash that had just a little bit of puddle water.

dead tree boulders Skull Valley AZOf course I took video and haven’t done anything with it, yet.  It’s an interesting balancing act carrying the big camera and using the phone for video, but I’m getting better at it.

Whiptail lizard Skull Valley AZWhiptail lizard

I am easily entertained by my window views and think I live in Lizard Land where there seems unlimited days to play.  So many different species.

Gamble Quail birds Skull Valley AZThe Gamble Quail strut by every morning, and if not within sight of each other call back and forth, and back and forth, and…  Repeat that show in the late afternoon.  Could be a nest nearby but I haven’t seen any little ones.  I continue to dream about summer travel.  Yet may have to be content with days to play on the ranch.  It’s not a bad place to be.

old car Skull Valley AZI know, I’m pushing the videos.  Trying hard to set some goals which include continued traveling on a limited Social Security income.  I didn’t plan for retirement because I figured I’d have to work until I die.  Seasonal employees for the National Park Service don’t earn retirement.  It was a trade off, but retirement reality is setting in.  I have skills and should be able to earn supplemental income doing what I love, travel, write, photograph, share stories, and now video.  So, I’ve taken on a new job called play.  And I’ll share more about that coming up.  In the meantime, I created another video introducing myself to the YouTube world.  And then ran out of days to play because it was Thursday, and you know what that means.  I didn’t make it two weeks between town runs because I HAD to get the laundry done.

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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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