Home on the Range.....

Mike and I continue to downsize with the stuff we have brought along.  This is not always an easy process in fact it can be a little painful as you let go of things you have kept for a long time.  Mike took a huge step on this trip and decided to donate most of his art supplies to the local thrift store in Patagonia.  He gathered some extra tools and contributed those also. 

We left Patagonia after one last farewell luncheon at our favorite coffee shop.  Heading for Tucson, we hit the road to re-supply.  I have found my iPhone to be immensely helpful in directing us. I just plug in the destination and the phone tells us how to get there.  If you happen to miss a turn though the assertive sounding female voice pleads and urges you to make a u-turn ASAP!  OK, lady, we will.  Now be quiet!  

We used Passport America to find an RV Park so we could get some things done in Tucson.  

We stayed two nights in Flowing Wells, the Mobile Home Park capital of the world.  Our RV spot bordered a fence with another Mobile Home Park.  We overheard some meaningful conversations from the other side.  For example:  "I want my $100 now you f#%*!"

                        Kilo resting at Flowing Wells

Living in an actual mobile home park is something we can now cross off our bucket lists!  (Was it ever on our bucket lists?!) This was a dramatic change from Patagonia and we were feeling a bit let down and lost.  So, we got into action.  

We reorganized and cleaned the truck and trailer.  We shopped for supplies and I had my first haircut (Yay!) since finishing chemo.  More stuff was donated as we decluttered our tiny house.  We also paid a visit to the BLM Office in Tucson for new ideas for dispersed camping.  Once again we were not disappointed with their service.  Las Cienegas National Conservation Area was the place to go we were told.  It's a working cattle ranch, Empire Ranch, and it is being restored by the BLM.  Dispersed camping for 14 days is allowed with no fees.  There are other areas nearby to explore such as Gardner Canyon and the Kentucky Camp.  

We decided Empire Ranch would be our next destination.  

Goodbye Flowing Wells!

                                          Map of the Ranch

                                      

The directions to Empire Ranch were easy, another good reason to go there!  It's located a few miles north of Sonoita, AZ.  We drove south of Tucson and before long there was the sign for Empire Ranch.  

The Empire Ranch Foundation working with the BLM have partnered to "Protect, restore and sustain the Empire Ranch historical buildings and landscape as an outstanding western heritage and education center".  

There we're many "Westerns" filmed at the Ranch.  John Wayne, Paul Newman and Lee Marvin were a few of the many actors who made movies there.  We weren't sure how we would like camping on ranch land but we were impressed when we arrived.  Rolling hills, tall, waving yellow grasslands, mesquite trees, the larger cottonwoods and oaks greeted us as we drove in.  

                        

                            Grasslands on the Ranch like the African Veldt 

At the actual ranch house we met the caretaker.  She shared her camping knowledge of the area and we discovered we were both familiar with Forest Road 237 and knew the camp hosts.  When the time came to re-supply she suggested we drive to Sierra Vista.  It would be less of a hassle than going to Tucson and Sierra Vista had everything.  Sierra Vista is also the home of Fort Huachuca (pronounced wahchewkuh not hookahchewka which is how I pronounced it) a U.S. Military base. 

We were invited to see her "tiny house", a modified cargo trailer with three windows built in.  It was totally insulated and had a two burner stove, a refrigerator and bed.  She also had a motor home parked next to the information center and had solar panels for both homes providing electricity - something we should look into?            

   

We met the other caretaker, Bruce, who was busy developing a lizard ladder in order to rescue a large number of lizards stuck in one of the restrooms with no way out.  

We left the information center and followed the dirt road where the dispersed campsites were located.  We camped in Oak Tree Canyon, which is not really a canyon but there were oak trees and we wanted some shade!  

This being free range cattle land there were assorted cow patties about-but because they are grass fed there is no odor to their pies.                                  

                             One of our neighbors

We began to settle in to ranch life.  We rode our bikes up the road and found a herd of cattle congregating by a watering trough fed by a well. 

 

The next morning we were up before the sun experiencing a beautiful sunrise.  You know the old saying: Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.  Red sky at night, sailor's delight.  The weather might be changing and not for the better. It might be a good day to do laundry and buy more provisions in Sierra Vista.  

Mike looked forward to throwing more items "overboard" at the local Salvation Army  as we found little or no use for them.  One of these things was the microwave oven that came with the trailer.  We couldn't use it unless we had electric hook up and that didn't happen very often.  Plus it left us with more storage space!  

In Sierra Vista there was a sign for "Mike's Swap Shop" so of course we had to check it out!  We did some trading and picked up a few more books to read.  While doing laundry we surfed the net and took care of some business.  The weather was cool and incredibly windy.  That night I lay in bed listening to the wind howl praying that those oak trees we were camped under would hold on to their branches!  (They did). 

                                  

                                      Under the oaks.

Settling in at Empire Ranch was easy!  Bird sightings included: the Canyon Towhee, Say's Phoebe, White Crowned Sparrow, and the Ladderback Woodpecker.  I listened to an owl hooting one night and nearly every morning or evening there were yodeling, yipping coyotes.  Taking Kilo for a jog one morning, two coyotes appeared on the road ahead of us.  I stopped to admire them and called out "I see you!" They hadn't seen us up until that point and they quickly exited the road. It's wonderful they have this beautiful land to live on.  

                                          

                 

   

Steak dinner!

                                                               The shepherd!

We met BLM Bob one day.  He is an officer for the Bureau of Land Management.  He was very informative telling us about the Ranch.  Apparently, the head cowboy will shoot a dog that is bothering the cattle.  Kilo did bark at them and sort of herded them away from the campsite.  Bob said that's ok if he's staying around the campsite.  He also explained how to clean up the campsite before we leave.  It should not look like a campsite.  Break up the rock fire ring, spread the dead ashes around, and be sure all trash is picked up.  

Mike asked him about poop etiquette and proper disposal.  Here is what to do:  dig a hole six to ten inches deep, do your business and bury it and the toilet paper.  BLM Bob has lived in Cochise County since 1969 and has a special place in his heart for Empire Ranch.  We did not want to let him down since we loved it too.  

                                  

The news impacting us most in the next couple of days was a storm coming our way.  It was important to be prepared being in a remote area so we went to Sierra Vista, stocked up on supplies and did some laundry.  The weather was already looking sketchy and we were anxious to get back.  Things needed to be covered up or put away.  Good teamwork enabled us to get the job done quickly and we hunkered in and waited for the rain.  The rain started early next morning and continued for another day.  

When it cleared up we were curious to see Gardner Canyon and Kentucky Camp, just to the west of us.  Gardner Canyon also offers dispersed camping so we set out to look at it.  

View heading in to Kentucky Camp

First of all, this area was not much of a canyon, secondly the dirt road was washboard!  No, this would not do at all and the campsites were nothing special.  We changed direction and headed for Kentucky Camp.  This had been a gold mining camp, probably named by miners from Kentucky. (You think?)  We walked a quarter mile to the camp and saw that restoration was being done to the buildings.  There is a rustic looking Bed and Breakfast that can be rented for up to five people.  Across the road there is an activity hall with a wrap around porch.  The adobe brick was really impressive.  We took photos and then hiked back to then truck.

                                                 

Kentucky Camp

Kentucky Camp restoration of adobe building

On the ranch there is a riparian area known as Empire Gulch.  We spent a morning there walking the trail up to the Ranch house and then looking over the various ranch buildings and their history.

                                  Empire Gulch

This has been a fascinating experience for us and we regretted having to exit Empire Ranch but our 14 days were up.  It was time to head for Phoenix, the holidays were upon us.  

                  Hiking around on the Empire Ranch

                        

Our next backyard.....

We woke up a wee bit perturbed with the mystery rain shower from the night before.  Mike got busy setting things up to dry using tree branches and our drying rack while I started breakfast.  I had a little "meltdown" during this process.  There's a learning curve to cooking in the trailer.  We have a two burner propane stove - bacon on one burner and eggs on the other - suddenly the smoke alarm goes off!  Jumping out of my skin (it's incredibly loud in a small, confined area) I cursed loudly and pulled the batteries out of the detector.  Then I realized that the butter I had set out to soften was melting rapidly across the counter and the cord for our coffee grinder was caught in one of the burners and was also melting.  What a cluster-cuss!  

As we quietly finished our bacon and eggs we realized we would need to leave that day.  The food inventory was getting low and Mike was also stressed out (and rightly so!) about actually getting down that rough road without getting stuck again. It was about 2:45 when we finally pulled out-ugh, another late start! We did manage to maneuver the trailer to be facing the right angle so we wouldn't have to take Stace's advice and drive away and turn around.  Mike had done some road repair to avoid another problem.  We did get stuck but drove forward removing that pesky door step and stabilizer with sheer force!  It was a very bumpy ride! 

The view leaving Aravapai.

Driving back through Klondyke we realized we had a decent cell phone signal.  Mike pulled over and called his daughter and I suddenly had an incoming call!  It was my brother, Dave and my Mom.  I heard all about Mom's 85th birthday party and a good time was had by all.  I'm looking forward to spending time with my Mom when we arrive in New Hampshire on our journey. 

Since we had started out so late and spent time chatting on the phone we realized we better use our Passport America and find an RV park to spend the night.  I got the book out and found an RV park in Willcox about 60 miles away.  They offered electric hook up, water, free coffee and waffles in the morning and hot showers.  Just what we needed.  We do have a shower in the trailer but right now it is completely filled with toilet paper and cleaning supplies.  (Please note, don't buy in bulk from Costco if you are planning to live in a small trailer!)  

We found the RV Park and checked in.  While I checked out the bathroom/shower, Mike hooked up the water and electricity.  When I got back Mike was busy inside the trailer cleaning what became known as the "Great Soy Sauce Disaster".  After that very bumpy ride getting out of Aravapai Canyon the fridge door opened and a bottle of soy sauce loosened its top and poured out over everything.  Our trailer smelled like a Chinese buffet!  Also anything left hanging on the walls had come down.  We managed to clean up and get to bed knowing our free coffee and waffles awaited us the next day!

After our breakfast I enjoyed a hot shower and Mike got on his bike and took Kilo for a trot.  He took a tumble when Kilo, with no warning, stopped abruptly to poop.  The good news was they made it back and Kilo had a good long run!  Next it was on to Safeway to re-supply.  

Ahhh...there was a Starbucks there!  While sitting and drinking our coffee we happened to notice five mullet hairstyles.  Is Willcox, AZ caught in an 80's time tunnel?  We decided we better not stay to find out!

We took off on I-10 heading west and decided to re-visit Patagonia.  A small town surrounded by the Coronado National Forest.  That means more free dispersed camping!

Driving into the Forest via Hershaw Road we began our search for our next "backyard".  About six miles in there was a dirt road on the right with a sign stating "This road not maintained for passenger cars".  We knew this had to be the right place for us!  

The road was indeed quite bumpy but we found a nice spot where we even had good cell service!  This campsite even had some firewood left behind by a previous camper-sweet bonus!  

"Gonna Tie My Pecker to a Tree". Yes, this a song - Google it!  It did get stuck in our heads while in Patagonia for some crazy reason.  

Can you see the praying mantis in this photo?

In the morning after coffee time and oatmeal we decided to do some exploring of our new neighborhood.  A bike ride with Kilo was the best way to do this!  Continuing up the road we came in on we passed some free range cattle and started climbing a bit. We had to abandon the bike riding but continued hiking up the road.   The views kept getting better and better.  We were very happy to watch Kilo trotting up the hill ahead of us only to trot back to us many times doubling the amount of exercise he was getting!  (A very typical dog behavior when off leash) Realizing we didn't bring enough water to make a bid for the mountain summit we turned back. 

Mike hiking in the Coronado National Forest

Later it was time to explore the actual town of Patagonia.  We drove down the Main Street and found a coffee shop.  Coffee and cookies seemed like just the thing after our hike.  The atmosphere was pleasant and the staff was helpful and friendly.  We discovered the town library and used books for sale!  I had been reading two books a week so I needed to re-supply!

We spent seven days at our campsite in the Coronado National Forest.  During that time for daily activities we hitched Kilo up to Mike's bike and rode down Hershaw Road a mile and back.  This is another great way to tire out a dog by the way.  

One morning we thought we had trekked part of the Arizona Trail.  The Arizona Trail runs 800 miles from the Mexican border to Utah.  Part of the trail runs through Patagonia.  However when the trail ended abruptly we knew something was wrong. We trudged back to the parking lot and this time actually read the sign that was posted there.  We found out the trail started across the street!  Wonderful, we just spent 30 minutes on a cow path.  We hiked a Nature Conservancy Forest trail in town that would have been a great Halloween adventure in the dark.  It was thick with over hanging trees creating a canopy that shaded us from the afternoon sun.  

Kilo's ears and Jeanne on the trail in Patagonia

Patagonia is very bike friendly.  We rode all over town with Kilo trotting along with us. We rode into the Sonoita Creek Preserve, a wonderful area for bird watching. (Unless you have your dog with you!) Kilo does receive lots of compliments in town.  We met Pam, who invited us into her yard so she could get better acquainted with him.  

Clothes washing was done for the first time on our journey in Patagonia.  Tiny Bubbles was a two-washer two-dryer unattended laundromat where we managed to do our laundry.  We had a couple competitive games of dominoes at a picnic table outside while waiting.

One afternoon we continued driving on Hershaw Road past the turn off to our campsite to check out our "neighborhood".   We encountered nothing but ranches, one right after another.  Some of the Forest Service signs we saw stated "illegal immigration and smuggling may be encountered".  After all, we were only about twenty miles from the border.  It did make me a little paranoid at night but after touring the area I knew I had no reason to be fearful.  Besides there was a heavy Border Patrol presence in the area.  

View from our campsite off Hershaw Road

A Game and Fish Officer (Matt) visited our campsite along with a college student who was experiencing a "ride-a-long".  We chatted with them about hunting (it was white tail deer-bucks only season) and the variety of wildlife in the Forest.  There are mountain lions in the area but Matt told us our barking dog would keep them away. He knew of a small poodle that had actually treed a mountain lion with its barking!  We complained to him about the large number of bees about and how Mike had been stung.  He reminded us that in Arizona there are many things that will poke, sting or bite you! That is the truth! 

After seven days we knew our trailer's water supply was getting low and that can make camping life more difficult.  We felt we had experienced Patagonia and it was time to move on.