Sedona/Cottonwood/Camp Verde Boondocking Photos

I'm so behind posting photos - I'm going to put a bunch here that I took in the Sedona/Cottonwood/Camp Verde area when Jeanne and I were boondocking there on Forest Land. The weather was great, and we had a really good time.

Sedona has a Farmer's Market on the weekend and I found some great local honey there.  This is the beekeeper/owner of the honey that I bought.  I've never been a honey person, but there were a couple of booths at Quartzsite, one in the Big Tent and one outside.  They had the BEST honey.  Next year I'm going to buy gallons!  Now I'm looking for local, fresh honey wherever I go, and this man had a couple of kinds that I really liked.

While we were walking around the town of Sedona we walked past some REAL flowers - not desert blooms, but real city flowers like my mom used to grow, and like I had, too, when I had a house.  I had to snap photos:

When I lived in Camino, CA, I had a hillside that was full of these Iris.  It was beautiful when they were in bloom.  I used to cut them for a large vase on the dining room table.  

One day while camping in Cottonwood, it was SUPER windy and Katie had to go potty.  I put her Doggles on her, and she was a good girl and kept them on until she was ready to climb back into The Palms.  It's been a while since we've needed them, but that sand was really blowing!

Here's Katie yawning with her Doggles on.  It's so tiring being famous!

Speaking of Katie, she stepped in a red ant nest again, and here she is holding her leg up in the air.  She was panting like crazy - and looking a little crazy, too - with her ribs heaving in and out.  Her leg was shaking, her tongue was sticking up, and she wouldn't let me near her.  

I prepared the baking soda/water solution in my squirt bottle and waited until she settled down a little.  Every time I tried to get near her, she acted like she was going to bite me.  Finally I got a squirt of the solution on her foot, then more a minute later.  Not long after, she was up and running around.  That stuff is AMAZING!

I had two commenters asking the ratio of baking soda to water and answered them in the comment section.  Thought I'd copy it here for people who don't read comments but could use the info:  "Wil and Zooperson: The recommended ratio is just to make up a paste and apply to the bites. That would work for a person (or a pet that will just lay there and let you smear it on). Since Katie won't let me NEAR her and I do believe she would bite me - she is in so much pain and distress - the first time I watered it down, put it in a clean squirt bottle that's made for ketchup or mustard. I held it above her and just squeezed. She let out a scream when it hit her, but almost immediately calmed down a little, and I squirted more on her foot. The bite was between the pads of her foot, and the liquid landed on the top of her foot, but it dripped down and got the right place. She went from intense pain to normal in an amazingly short time."

We took a drive up to Jerome, AZ one day.  I loved that town, it reminded me of Placerville, CA where I used to live.  It's sitting on the side of a mountain, and all the old buildings have been either kept up really well, or refurbished.  An old, old town which is a tourist attraction now, but there are still homes all around the town.  I'd love to live there.

I didn't see a lot of different birds, but here are a few:

Black-throated Sparrow

Red-tailed Hawk

Verdin - the first bird I checked off in my Field Guide

These flowering cactus plants are the first I saw in 2016.  All of a sudden the plants around us in cottonwood were in bloom.  I thought these were the prettiest:

Now this next picture is kind of creepy, I think.  He looks like a kind of cricket or non-green grasshopper, but he was pretty big.  He blended in well and I'm surprised I saw him.  The "kind of creepy" thing about him is his face.  Don't you agree?

Next - I have to post another hot-air balloon photo.  Everywhere we camped, we saw them, and often they were headed right toward us, or landed on our road.  It was pretty exciting.  They are so large and beautiful, just floating along in the breeze.  I don't get out of bed at the crack of dawn, so I missed a lot of the balloons that other people nearby saw.

And now I have to post some cattle pictures.  It was really fun camping out in the middle of nowhere and having cattle traveling by us.  They would stop, eat, rest, MMMMOOOOOOO, then move on.  I loved having them nearby.  Sometimes I would hear them in the morning, or after I'd gone to bed.

A couple of funny stories:  The first one was when Jeanne and I were camped near some other people and we were all sitting outside in the early evening chatting.  Then we heard REALLY LOUD, AGRESSIVE MOO-ING.  It went on and on, right across the street from our camp sites.  We got up and walked over and saw this huge bull, roaring and roaring and roaring.

It went on forever, and then he walked around behind our campsites:

Still making a LOUD roaring moo-ing noise.  He was obviously in some distress and wanted us to know about it.  Finally he moved on.

A day or so later, look who I saw right below our sites:

There he is - with a cow and new-born calf.  I think the cow was below him in the valley giving birth when he was up on the ridge of the valley across the street making all that racket.  Worried, proud, warning us off?  If I spoke Bull language, I'd probably have a REALLY good story to tell you, but this is as good as it gets.   

Then the other cattle story was when I was going into town and headed down our road.  I had to stop for a real-life cattle crossing:

There was a car in front of me, and when it was coming down the road, some of the cows backed up to give it room to pass.  The other cows just stayed where they were. They weren't moving an inch - look at their faces - "Can't you see we're trying to cross the road?"  They had some calves with them, too.  You can see a white calf hidden behind the large black one above.

After the car passed it was so funny.  The little one started out, then they all just stood there looking at me.  I decided I had all day and was enjoying watching them, so I parked there taking photos until they were all across the road and walking away:

And finally, a beautiful moon-rise one evening.  there were so many gorgeous sunsets and moon rises, but I especially liked this one:

That finishes the pics I wanted to post from Sedona, Cottonwood and Camp Verde in Arizona.  I loved boondocking in all the places we found and I'm sure I'll be back.  There was at least one camping area I didn't travel to, but that's on my list, too, for next time.  It's a beautiful, interesting area with lots to do, and just perfect for doing nothing, too.

From me and Katie, have a wonderful Monday, everyone!  :)

Some sad news

I have some sad news to report - Since Jeanne doesn't post anymore on her blog I asked her if I could let her friends know and she said yes.  She lost Riley yesterday, June 1.  I know a lot of you know Jeanne and her dog, Riley.  He was a Sheltie, a rescue dog, and a beautiful boy.  We called him Mr. Chill because he was so low key, nothing bothered him, and he was so well behaved.  Everyone loved him. 

Riley at Ridgway State Park in Colorado

I've got one quick story to tell you about Riley that was pretty funny. He never caused any problems that I ever saw except this once.  Jeane and Riley and Katie and I were up in Camp Verde a month or so ago boondocking on National Forest Land that was open to cattle.  It was late afternoon and I was in The Palms and suddenly heard Jeanne screaming at Riley to STOP!!!  COME HERE!!!!,  @#*!#&!!!!!  I ran outside to see what was going on.  I've never seen Jeanne so upset.  She was running frantically across the campsite, and across the road to get to Riley.  Yelling all the way.   And there went Riley, running across the road on a mission - he was going to "herd" three LARGE cows who were standing there, grazing.  Talk about an Oh, My, God situation!

At first it looked dangerous, but it turned out to be so funny - not the Jeanne/Riley part, but the cow part. The closest cow was the biggest, and when he saw Riley racing toward them -  he was almost tap-dancing, trying to get out of Riley's way, running into the other cows to get behind them.  Then Jeanne grabbed Riley's collar right before he got to them.

I can still picture that scene and it makes me smile every time I think of it.  Jeanne was worried about Riley getting hurt, and it turned out the cows were afraid of HIM!

Of course, Riley was a herding dog, and that was probably his first chance to test his skills.  And he was looking pretty good!  And pretty darn happy!  Jeanne grabbed him and brought him back to her campsite.  Even though he was in big trouble, I'll bet Riley had many wonderful dreams of that evening.

And honestly, those of you who knew Riley would have been surprised at him.  He's always so quiet, lays down and waits if we stop and talk on a walk, or waiting for another dog to pee.  And here he was - Herding Dog Riley.  I was proud of him.  

Jeanne with Riley in Katie's stroller.  He was always so agreeable, and sat nicely for this photo.

Riley had been having seizures and on Wednesday Jeanne brought him to a Vet, who did what he could to treat him, but the seizures wouldn't stop and Jeanne made the only decision she could for Riley.  He was 14 and had a good, long, loving life with Jeanne. 

Not all my friends believe in God, but I do, and I believe He loves the animals He created.  I'm sure Riley is young and healthy again in pet heaven, playing with Bennie and Jake and all his other friends, and hopefully herding some cows, too. 

Such a beautiful boy.  Rest in Peace, Riley. 

Well shoot - I almost got a speeding ticket going 12 mph :(

Katie and I are back in New Mexico for the summer!

We had planned to spend the summer boon-docking on BLM and Forest lands with Jeanne and Riley, but that got knocked off the rails.  We were doing fine, enjoying ourselves and the great free 14-day sites in Cottonwood, Sedona and Camp Verde, AZ, with plans to head north in a few weeks.  (Jeanne is a great planner and found some great spots.)  Our original plan was to travel around Arizona looking for a place for me to buy for a home-base.  But after looking at some places, I decided I wasn't ready yet.

Then we were joined by a few other people... I didn't really know them very well and got a weird vibe.  I wasn't comfortable camping with the group and decided to head back to New Mexico. When I told Jeanne, she said she might meet up with other friends traveling the northwest, a trip she has been wanting to take. She would rather do that than re-do New Mexico, and the timing was perfect.  So we headed off in different directions, but we'll meet up again, hopefully before the end of the year.  :)

About the almost speeding ticket:  I'm at Riverside Campground at Caballo Lake State Park minding my own business and obeying all the rules.  (I thought... !)  This afternoon I left my campsite to dump the tanks at the upper campground area.  When I was driving back into Riverside, a Park Ranger followed me.  It's a short drive down a paved road.  Normally speed limits in campgrounds are 10 or 15 mph, and that's what I usually do whether it's posted or not.  There's no speed posted here, so I usually go around 12 to 13 mph, right in the middle.  There are two speed bumps with a "5 mph" sign right there and I always slow to 5 mph when I drive over them.  You kind of have to slow to 5 mph - especially in an RV.

I didn't think anything about the Ranger truck following me, hardly noticed him.  Until I drove into my campsite and he followed and blocked me from driving out.  Not that I was driving out - I parked, got out, plugged in to the electric pole, and he was still there.  I couldn't see him through his dark window glass, but figured he was doing something not not pertaining to me.

Then he got out and walked over to me with a smile.  He was really nice, but apparently he was following me because I was speeding.  I asked him what the speed limit is and he said 5 mph.

I asked, In the whole park???   Yup, in the whole park.  I said, usually it's 10 or 15 mph, and I thought the 5 mph signs were warnings to people that there were speed bumps right there, and he said no, the signs were there because children could be crossing the roads and it applies to any roads inside the campground.  So of course, I apologized and thanked him for the information.  I felt like an idiot.  Then he said he was going to give me a citation for speeding, but since I was staying in the park, he'd let it go.  His original intent wasn't to warn me, he was going to ticket me.  I would have been so upset if I had gotten a speeding ticket. And even more upset at myself because I guess I would have deserved it. 

Maybe it was more obvious than I realized - maybe I missed previous signs and just noticed the ones at the speed bumps.  (I'm going to have to check the other NM State Parks as I enter to be sure what the speed limits are, because I haven't been driving 5 miles per hours in the other ones.  Just in case they are all the same.)

My next door neighbor came over after the Ranger left and I told him what happened.  He said, "Well I guess I'd better slow down, too, and everyone else here!  No one is going 5 mph, even on the dirt road in front of our campsites.  The loop is a one-way two lane road, and we have neighbors who go the wrong way, they'd better watch it, too!"

So beware - the rules are being enforced to the letter in this park and THE SPEED LIMIT IS 5 MPH.

The Ranger couldn't have been nicer, but it's a bit unsettling that he was planning to ticket me.  Wow, that was close!

Here are some photos taken in the park and at Elephant Butte Lake SP in the last few days.  The Rio Grande is really up and it's just beautiful:

Someone has been doing a lot of work here at Riverside Campground - it's much cleaner than in previous years, bushes and trees have been trimmed, there aren't tons of squirrel holes and mounds, etc.  Really nice.  

And some critters:

Bullock's Oriole

Gambel's Quail

Roadrunner

Robin

Squirrel - lots of these running around

There's one bird I saw yesterday, and previous years while camping here, that's bright red.  I see him flying from tree to tree, always when I don't have a camera with me.  I am bringing my camera with me all the time again, I WANT a photo of that bird.  He's beautiful, and if nothing else, I want a good close look at him.  A lot of times I only see what a bird really looks like when I get the photos up on my laptop. If they are too far to see clearly, I use the zoom lens and get a "close up" look that way.  

The weather has been great here - we've had some sun, some wind, some rain, some thunder and lightning, pretty much everything.  That makes it interesting, and it hasn't started heating up too much yet.  

That's it for now - I have some photos from the time Jeanne and I spent in Arizona - Sedona/Cottonwood/Camp Verde.  It's a beautiful area, for sure, and I'll post some of them next time.

From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!  :) 

Steel wool can spontaneously combust - here's the reason

Remember when I posted that I was filling possible critter entrance holes in the cab of the truck?



I had no idea how they were getting in.



I was using fine steel wool, which was working just great fitting into any small spaces.  Then it started smoking and seemed to spontaneously start on fire.  Scared the heck out of me!  I thought at first it was a live wire that the steel wool touched.

This is what I wrote on March 16, 2016:  "Oh, yeah, and I've caught six mice.  Some in The Palms, some in the engine.   I've pretty much spread snap and glue traps across the inside of the engine and in front of and under my driver's seat.  They get in through the engine into the driver's foot well, but I can't find the hole they are using.  I got some fine steel wool and stuffed it into areas that looked like they might be openings, but the steel wool caught fire and I threw it outside quickly.  Luckily nothing ignited except for the steel wool.   I don't see any exposed wires up there, so I don't know what caused it to ignite.  Spontaneous combustion?   Scared the heck out of me, though, and I won't be doing that again."



Shortly after that post I received an e-mail from Andy Baird with the answer to why my fine (#0000) steel wool started on fire. This is what he said:

"Barbara--steel wool can spontaneously combust, especially if it gets even slightly damp. The finer it is (e.g. #0000), the more likely this is to occur.

http://fretsnet.ning.com/forum/topics/spontaneous-steel-wool-combustion

The reason: rusting, which is oxidation, gives off heat, like any oxidation reaction. Normally you don't have to worry about this--your RV frame isn't going to catch fire, because the amount of heat generated is small compared to the mass of metal. But rusting occurs at the surface of a piece of steel or iron, and thanks to its fine filaments, steel wool has a huge amount of surface area in a small volume. Heat can build up as it rusts, and you've seen the result. Please warn your readers to use copper "mouse mesh," not steel wool."

I clicked on the above link which he also provided and promptly put my #0000 Fine steel wool outside, ready to take to the dumpster.  I didn't want it in The Palms.  But I do have some #3 Coarse steel wool which I'm keeping.

Thanks, Andy!

I meant to post this right after I got that e-mail from Andy, and started a post that turned into a draft, and I forgot about it. I just found it, and wanted to be sure to pass along this info.  So, if you have that super fine steel wool around somewhere, be advised that it can be dangerous and can actually start a fire.  Handle and store it with care.

My plans for the summer have changed and I'm working on some photos now that I'll post soon.

In the meantime, have a wonderful day, everyone! 

Happy Easter and the Lamb Cake!

The Easter cake above is one my Mom used to bake on Easter.  Now my daughter, Kristy bakes one for her family on Easter.  This year my granddaughter, Lauren, baked it and iced half the lamb's wool, and arranged the flowers below it and the Easter eggs on the table.   Isn't it a darling cake?  Yummy, too.  A wonderful Easter tradition that is being carried on. 

Below is Lauren.  She has long blond hair and won't let Kristy do anything with it, unless it's pulling it back for gymnastics.  The other night Lauren and her friend Emma had a "Girls night in...nails, hair and scary stories to finish off the night." with their moms. If I had a mom who could "do" my hair this beautifully, I'd be as happy as a clam!  In fact, Kristy taught me how to French Braid my hair.  Isn't Lauren beautiful? 

Here is Kristy's hair-do, I bet Lauren was the "hair-doer."  Very intricately done, Lauren, good job!

 Love the nail color, girls!  (Notice the hulu skirt - they both had them on.  Very fancy.)

And the spooky ending to the evening.

I love this idea, a nice way to spend the evening with the kids and friends, fun and easy.  Making memories, for sure!

From me and Katie, whether you are a believer or not, have a wonderful Easter Sunday, everyone!