Anne-Marie and I have been back in Tucson since our trip North to Carson City, Nevada. We’ve been busy getting the house ready for sale in Copper Crest, and only have a few more things to pack up, before the final cleaning. We have toured an art gallery, and I visited the Air and Space Museum with Steve, in addition to several hikes, we just don’t lack for activities. The winter only lasted about two weeks for us, and the weather is back into the mid 70s, and the happy hours are back into full swing.
Back in December, The camera caught a Cardinal on the small brush pile. The Cardinal must have triggered the camera when it flew in, because this series of pictures only had this guy in them.
The trail camera over at Copper Crest is still catching Javelina and Coyote every night, and after owning the camera for a year, I have figured out how to have it take videos. The process of putting them on the blog has taken me over a week. I am having a very difficult time learning anything new.
The Javelina travel in small groups, and sometimes stop to investigate the smells where the birdseed was three nights ago. I scatter bird seed here every three days or so, and these Javelina can still smell it. I haven’t seen the newborn baby since December, and it was with a larger group, and I hope it is still around.
The day this this Coyote was filmed, I scattered two apples broken in half, and some stale bread for the birds, and the Coyote took a liking to the apples. The video shows the Coyote looking right at the camera a few times, I think that they can sense something is up.
Anne-Marie and I were on the verge of driving to Salt Lake City to visit our daughter and family, but a call from her Thursday morning changed our minds. A foot of snow, snowing now, and more to come, not counting that there were over 150 auto wrecks in the Salt Lake City area. The extended forecast for their area was promising more of the same, so we traveled south and back to Tucson. I bought a set of tire chains for the van, just to get out of Northern Nevada. but we didn’t need to put them on.
We spent three nights in Las Vegas, and two whole days in a casino was just too much for me, one day is all that I really needed.
The wildlife count for the trip is 20 wild horses, and 20 burro’s, all in small groups.
The town of Goldfield Nevada has a lot of history, there was 20,000 people living here in 1907, and now there are 268. A fire destroyed most of the town in 1923, but many of the stone structures remain. This is the Fire Station, with an old fire truck displayed on the Main Street.
The downtown area has several places where the residents have placed old trucks and equipment to attract tourist interests.
Anne-Marie was able to take this picture while we were driving. A rugged mountain range, with the snow highlighting ridges and valleys.
This wrecked plane is next to the highway, just outside of Beatty Nevada. Anne-Marie was able to take this picture through the front window of the van, but being the best picture of the plane, we weren’t aware of the red building in the background, being the Angle Ladies Brothel. I only discovered the use of the building after zooming in on the plane to look at the stickers and signs , and I saw that the building has a red neon Open sign in the window.
The trail camera was working for the week and it caught the normal group of Javelina, and Coyote, as they passed through, but a new visitor was this Roadrunner. The Roadrunners are hunters like hawks, but primarily stay on the ground. They sometimes stay in one place for several minutes, but this one got in just one picture, and then he was gone.
The trail camera is still at work in Copper Crest, and I put in new batteries to be sure that it would still be in operation while we travel north for the Holidays.
A week ago the camera caught wildlife in the wash as they traveled their daily routes. I didn’t check the camera for three days, and it had caught some interesting things. This teenage Javelina following it’s mother has a small limb of cholla stuck to its nose. We have been told that cholla doesn't stick to these animals, but the coarse hair must not be as thick on the nose to protect it.
This coyote was caught on camera on Tuesday last week at 4:30PM, and it looks to be quite healthy. The camera catches the animals passing up and back, and they almost meet, with only one or two minutes between each visit.
Anne-Marie and I removed the seats from the rear of the van, and packed it with Grandma Johnsons bedroom furniture, and all of the boxes of stuff that had been set aside from the estate sale. The van has a large cargo area with the seats removed, and we were surprised that everything fit so well. The van, being a one ton chassis, rides quite rough, but with this load it was a smooth ride just like when the trailer is hooked up. We left Tucson on Saturday, spent the night in Las Vegas, and arrived in Carson City Sunday evening, and have been here since.
During our trip we got to see two groups of wild burro’s and Anne-Marie counted five in one and six in the other. Just north of Tonopah Nevada we had a view of this solar tower being built, it’s 540 feet tall, and the dark portion is the solar receiver which will add another 100 feet when completed. The system uses liquid salt that is heated in the receiver, and then stored underground until its needed at night. The liquid salt will be heated to around 1000 degrees and then through some type of heat exchangers, steam is generated to turn turbines generating electricity. Next year the construction of the solar reflecting mirrors will start, and around 10,000 billboard sized mirrors that will track the sun, will be placed within a circle 2 miles across.
This morning in Carson City, we had snow, and this is Ernie clearing the walkway next to our van. Anne-Marie had originally planned for us to travel today, but the slick roads are holding us in town for another day. Our Daughter Sara and family are in Salt Lake City for the Holidays, and we were to have another day or two of travel to see them, but we will hold tight till the roads clear. After the visit with Sara, we will travel back to Tucson, and settle in with our neighbors in the RV Park.
December 07, 2012 Anne-Marie, Steve and I visited the Fourth Ave Street Fair here in Tucson. There is a lot of building and parking structure construction downtown, , and a major street and utility upgrade, and all made it difficult to find the parking structure that is the closest to the street fair.
We had to zig-zag through the construction, and the maze of streets that were still open, but we got there. This is a picture of the street fair from the parking garage, and it looks like there are thousands of people already there at 10:30AM.
A street view, and the general traffic pattern is that the right side travels up, and the other side travels back. Sometimes the crowd would open up and walking would be easy for a bit, and every one had their own pace, and would stop and look at a booth, and drop out of the traffic flow for a few minutes.
Food vendors, were on the side streets, and some had a very elaborate display. The BBQ booth was giving out samples early in the morning, and by lunch time the line grew to almost 100 yards long. We really wanted one of their sandwiches, but the wait was a bit long, we walked another block, and found a smaller food vendor, and we had no wait for a great lunch.
The artists had wonderful and interesting displays, the Robot vendor made his items out of discarded miscellaneous metal parts. The booth with paintings and drawings were largely original works, and priced accordingly.
This yard art booth had a lot of color, and all was interesting.
There were face painting sidewalk vendors, this lady is getting a orange C painted on her cheek. This street musician had just set up and started a song.
This local High School steel drum band was a high energy and big sound group. There must have been 50+ members present, and the stage could only hold 25-30 players at a time. they were very entertaining with the rhythms and dancing in place while they played. We hope to attend the street fair again this spring.
The last part of the Wasson Peak hike brought us down the King Canyon Trail, and gave us views of the petroglyphs in the wash.
Linda and Bill walking down the wash area, every year the sands and gravels change in these washes because of the heavy rains during the summer. Maria pointing out a petroglyph of what looks to be a family. The pictures must have had meant something important at the time, and Steve has said that they all have been where someone could have been in front of a group telling a story, could be so.
There were hundreds of these drawings, and to interpret their meaning, is a little beyond me.
Banners, designs, wavy marks for rivers or waters, or were these made by children, when the adults were out working gathering food? This wash has a damp area close by, and it may have been a water source hundreds or thousands of years ago, and a gathering place for the early people.
This picture needs to be zoomed a little to see all that is happening on it. Rain, an animal, and other designs, anyone's guess.
This flat rock is loaded with swirls and designs and maybe people. The family is on the dark rock upper left.
I can’t help but think that some of these have a profound meaning. Looks to be a snake, animals and people.
After the petroglyph area, we came upon this lizard. It looked interested in us, but didn’t move away. We haven’t seen one like it before, took a few pictures, and left it sunning itself.
Life has been too full of activities for us to be lonely or bored. Yesterday, I checked the email account, and saw a note from our friends Dale and Laura. Dale let us know that they are back in town, and are looking forward to meet up with us for dinner, and catching up with what has been boing on for the last three years. We meet for dinner tonight.
The house in Copper Crest has had another offer on it, and now I am having mixed feelings about the sale. Our emotions have been hitting most all corners on the subject of should we buy it our selves, or let it go and travel some more, and settle down later. Is it too late to stop the sale, or do we rush in and buy it now. The thought of a winter home is attractive, but the idea of continuing house expenses during the summer is not. The next few days should get it settled out for us.
The group of us went on another hike nearly two weeks ago, and the goal was hiking 10 miles while summiting Wasson Peak.
Anne-Marie provided transportation to the trailhead for the five of us. The first part of the hike was a climb to get up on the ridge, and we had views on all sides of the mountain. The first picture shows a huge balanced rock on the ridge, and the second is a unique wind carved formation that looks like fingers or toes.
The last long steady climb to the top ridge, if you expand the picture, the saguaro cactus ahead of Maria and Bill is straight, and the slope and steepness of the hill are accurately shown. We met a lone hiker on the trail, and he followed along with us to the top. The picture of todays group on top of Wasson Peak, Myself, Bill, Linda, Maria, and Steve.
Every saddle of the ridge, had views of the valley and beyond, this is looking south towards the RV Park. Linda is looking at a stone build that was built by the CCC, back in the 1930s, I walked around the building, and at first it looked like a jail or something, but a look into a open door and I discovered that it was built to be a restroom.
This is a 360 view from the top of Wasson Peak, with our group tired from the climb, and eating lunch.
A pause for rest in the shade, and not shown well, but there is a abandoned mine shaft close by the trail. It’s amazing that so many mining operations just quit and walked away from these open shafts.
Our life has been a blur of activities, Grandma’s house and prepping for sale, our group of walking/hiking friends, and the Wi-Fi system at the RV Park. I’m able to write a story, just about anything, every morning, but it takes a certain emotional state of mind to get started. If I get up too early, like around 4:00AM, and then when blog writing time comes around later in the morning, I’m tired and need a nap, but some days I can just push right through and share my thoughts.
My life has always been planned for me, and I just need to show up when I’m supposed to, but my energy levels aren’t always at the highest peak. Nap time, when needed, and happy hour, have been a regular part of our lives since we have been in Tucson. Just yesterday, Anne-Marie said “You know, we could get a lot more done during the day, if we didn’t have to get back to the RV Park by 4:00PM.”, “But I like a little structure in my day” I thought.
Monday, last week, our gang of friends went for a walk to the multi-armed saguaro cactus. Anne-Marie broke loose from the group to keep it a easy on her knees, before we left the flat ground, and took a shorter detour to avoid the rocky steep wash of a trail. I didn’t know all of the plans about the hike, and when we got to the top, Maria dug into her pack, and started to pull out the red stocking hats for all of us to put on.
This was a planned photo opportunity, and it was fun. This is the best that my camera took. Steve, Myself, Maria, Linda, Bill, and Lloyd, all with our Christmas hats.
Hills and vistas are available, just a short walk outside of the RV Park.
Way off in the distance, is a range of mountains, and the little bump that is alone on the right, is Ragged Top Mountain in the Ironwood Forest. Anne-Marie and Steve and I visited the area last month, and it’s about 40 miles away. As dry as the desert should be, most of the plants are green, except for the seasonal grasses, this picture shows the greens well.
This area had a lot of mining activity during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Most of the abandoned mines were just that, simply walked away from, and the mine shaft left open. This mine is one that had the hole covered, and is save to walk around. Steve found a bright turquoise colored sample of copper ore here, but we really don’t know if that was what was the reason for the mine.
On the walk home on a abandoned mining road. Copper Crest Development is in the distance. This is the back yard to Steve’s new home, in Copper Crest.
We aren’t sure, but we think that this is a grave for someone's pet dog. In Loving Memory of Brandi, Friend, Companion, Protector, April 13 1955.
