I’m still not anxious to leave this amazing setting in Skull Valley where I watch wildlife right outside my windows, but I did get out a couple times and enjoyed a sweet day-trip with a friend.

My window view frames a remarkable landscape with a spectacular pallet changing from brilliant to drab.  Grassy weeds gone to gold surround shrubby bushes showing warm colors in shades of yellow, orange, and red.  Oak trees mostly holding green all year with patches of brown about to go down.

Cottonwoods, the tallest trees in the topography found near any evidence of water past or present, show the most brilliant yellow fall leaves across the land.  All this mixed in with many shades of green bushes like Manzanita, creosote, and several others I haven’t identified yet.

Stepping outside in the morning may have startled a bobcat yet the view was brief.  After sundown the coyotes often serenade.  Wildlife abounds.  Motion outside the window of something not usually seen catches my eye, even wind blowing a branch or a bird flying by.  Cottontail hopped across the top of the berm.  Coyote moved quickly through the grasses and I took a few photos before it disappeared into the brush moving east behind me where I briefly saw it once more between bushes and then no more.  Really want to put out water just the other side of the berm, out of my sight but animals insight.  Looking for the right container.

Taking walks long or short around the ranch provide a chance to better connect to the landscape.  Every animal trail leads to another secret including boulders and homes for wildlife to hide.  Less than ½ mile in an hour and hundreds more photos.

In the morning as I prepared to head into town a Mule deer strolls through.

“Escape” metal sculpture Sedona

Because I needed to do laundry pretty desperately I figured to also do some shopping in Prescott, about a 25 minute drive from home.  Got an early start so I’d also have time to first meet Joann and go with her to visit a mutual friend in Sedona.  However, on the way I decided to blow off the chores—they could wait—so we’d have more time to play.  Good idea.  I like retirement.

She drove us through Prescott National Forest over Mingus Mountain through Jerome, an interesting old mining town turned tourist.

When I first accidentally drove through Jerome during a 1974 road trip it was a tight curvy road cut into a mountain, and still is.  But then the dilapidated buildings perched on the side of Cleopatra Hill, many supported by pylons and looking to fall off the mountainside, provided a skyward view looking up through collapsed floors and through holes in the roof from every switchback of highway.  Most have been renovated and visitors stroll the sidewalks past emporiums, antique shops, and saloons.

There is reportedly a haunted hotel but it’s not the one pictured, I’ve just always admired the Little Daisy Hotel.  Just last year it was sold at auction for $1.9 million.  Check it out.

Following AZ260 down into the Verde River Valley we scoped out some possible future boondocking options south of Sedona.  Pretty open views with dried grasses and Juniper trees.  Some of the gravel roads were better than others.  Joann’s camp trailer sits low to the ground so it’s important to look at conditions before going there.

I actually preferred the vibe of Jerome over Sedona even though the surrounding landscape is breathtakingly beautiful towering sand stone formations.

Just too hoity-toity for me with the monstrous size multi-million dollar homes painted to kind of blend into the cliffs.

We drove around and stopped at a few overlooks but didn’t have time to hike as we wanted to visit our friend Marty who is trying to adapt to living in a locked down facility as she deals with aging medical issues.  Her stories from the past are fascinating and she shared her visit to Giza as a young woman.

Even though we visited a little longer than planned we took a side-trip to explore more backroads with possible boondocking sites and ended up crossing Beaver Creek.

Because Joann thought she saw the ruins of an old building wall high above the creek we took a short walk and had to laugh when it turned out to be natural rocky wall along the creek.  Created an illusion we fell for because we’re both pareidolias.  Can you see what I mean?

She dropped me off at the truck and I drove over the Bradshaw Mountains to home just at sunset.  A magical day connecting with friends and new landscapes.  Yet I knew another trip to town would happen, after a day off, to actually take care of the chores and shopping.

The next morning’s window wildlife was Raven who found something to eat.  Sadly, window photos are not usually very clear and focused.  But I am keeping the windows cleaner than they’ve been in a while.  LOL!

I drug myself back to town and managed to spend seven hours shopping at a thrift store, lunch at a new Greek joint, laundry, and groceries/stuff.  Turns out some of the later stuff will be returned when I next go to Prescott.  I noticed prices have gone up, on everything, including the thrift store.  Guess I expected to see that as wages rise, which they should but it needs to be done across the board so to speak.  I hadn’t had more than a few pennies’ raise in many years working for the National Park Service and now that I’m retired don’t expect to see a raise again.

It’s not like I get a lot of snail mail but still need a mailing address.  My paid mail service in Wickenburg ends mid-November and I have some businesses that need to be notified about a change of address.  In fact, some things are on hold as I’ve been struggling to get a post office box in Skull Valley.  Even with a note from my landlord which I was told anybody could have written, they want an ID with local address.  Well that’s a catch-22 if I can’t get an address.  Hope when landlord Larry who’s lived here over 40 years goes into the post office with me and my IDs the problem will be solved.

Many days it seems I do a whole lot of nothing, or at least not much to talk about.  I mean like I don’t even take any pictures, though that’s rare.  But probably just as well because I’m still labeling photos from just over a year ago from the end of my 2020 season at Bryce Canyon.  That’s OK, keeps me out of trouble.  But also gets me thinking about traveling.

Hey, I’m almost caught up.  Sure that won’t last long as I’m working on a plan to travel in the truckcamper while waiting for the calendar order to be delivered.  Wonder what wildlife I’ll see out those windows, and where.

Saw this unusual evidence of wildlife on a boulder in my “yard”.  The skull of something including teeth measures about one inch long.  My spooky Halloween discovery.