OK, 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.
Meet Ron
I left you at the end of April with a surprise.
Arrived in Congress Arizona May 1st to a not overly crowded BLM site off Ghost Town and Cemetery Roads.
This is a familiar area for my Spring and Fall migration.
Three 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.
Then he invited me for a ride. I grabbed my water bottle and jumped in still wearing my slippers.
Ron 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.
This 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.
The 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!
Now I’ve cursed those noisy, dusty, rude-driven, OHVs forever.
But 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…
Over 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.
We took RR easements and backroads with the side-by-side to Wickenburg then accessed more backroads to ride in a box canyon.
The 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.”
An 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.
I didn’t drink any of the water but did drive through some and even waded just a little.
Monte Cristo mine
O’Brien mine
Gold 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.
I 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.
There was also plenty of time for sky watching from my desert camp.
Bagdad 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.
After three weeks playing in Congress and temperatures rising toward triple digits It was time for me to move on.
I headed north up the familiar Yarnell Hill, through Skull Valley and stopped to visit a friend in Dewey.
Kept an eye on the full moon from a rural yet urban location.
By 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.
Turned out to be a real beautiful landscape of flower-filled grassy meadows and low Juniper trees topped by breathtaking sunsets.
And 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.
Of 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.
BTW, 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.