Spring in the Sonoran Desert - Tucson

It's nice to have a good think, or a good non-think, outside in the morning air. That's what I thought.

Franklin Whitey still hangs around here day and night for some reason (Trader Joe's Lamb and Rice), and he's a good non-think companion, until...

He loves to chase cows. Who doesn't? They run from him - WHEEEE! - until he barks. That's a gamechanger; a steer stops, turns around, and chases Whitey. WHEEEE! Whitey remembers where I am! WHEEE! Whitey comes to find me! WHEEeee...?

 Lesson for today: We're all always wearing a bathing suit.

No pictures!

 Spring makes you take pictures of birds. Just try to stop yourself - can't be done.

 I waited so long for this ocotillo to leaf it's like I birthed it. Hope you're all birthing something great.

Annie's away again having a crown adjusted. I think she's feeling like royalty.

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Tail of two kitties - an animal story

The Truth About Franklin

 There are things dogs will make you look at: morning.

Franklin the Dog settled into the Duck and got more comfortable. That's when he started attacking cats. It wasn't the Disney version; more like Wild Kingdom. Jim pulled the wild dog off his prey, and I stayed in the Jeep narrating.

Franklin has mad walking skillz

We got him away from them, and then we were distressed and sad. What do we do now? We can't re-abandon a dog in the desert. We can't keep him inside at all, which means we can't keep him at all. That was a very tearful night.

Very, very early the very next morning, Annie walked Franklin on a lonely, deserted road and met Emma. Emma is 14, had missed her bus, and was walking several miles to school. Franklin recognized her! Then he got sheepish; he had been made.

"Is this your dog? He looks just like Whitey!" Emma spilled Whitey's entire story. He has an owner nearby, but he casts a wide net in search of companionship and kibble. At least two people (that we know of) feed him when he shows up. Why was he so thin when he got here? I don't know.

He fears a leash because he only wears one when he's being loaded into the car (he hates that).

 He still hangs out here, outside the cat pen (the motorhome). Now that he's been outed, he's a different dog. Happy, carefree, relieved that he can live openly as himself. He won't go with us when we leave, and we'll be sad all over again. There's bitter with the sweet.

Annie meeting Emma on that particular morning was a very happy coincidence. We know we could give Franklin "Whitey" Jackson a posher life, but I'm not sure it would be happier. He is never perkier than when he's chasing a wild cow for sport, and we just could never provide that kind of rodeo.



The Desert Isn't Deserted

Traffic here is very quiet, and must happen at night. Maybe these are hyper-obvious geocaching clues.

Other Dogs Make Us Feel Better

Polly when she's not Wheeling It

 

Polly and Nina came to comfort us. Franklin was hanging out at one of his other houses.

Stumpy and Cyndi

These guys were hanging out at their house by the casino. We sat in the sun, and I was warm for the first time in two weeks.

Cyndi told me that, while you're staying for free in the parking lot, you can use the casino pool and spa. WHAT. Could I drive the Tracker over there, park in the lot, and do the same thing? Could I ride my bike? Could I just be passing by?

Windows to the soul

Stumpy and Cyndi just got back from the Rubbertramp Rendezvous, and had great things to say about it.

Al Gore. Gore Vidal. Leslie Gore. Stop me if you've heard these.

When I was little I thought only boy cows had horns. I'm pretty sure someone told me that. Maybe the same person who produced Barnyard.

Camping on top of the world.

We're living the good life now. Close enough to town to see city lights at night, but seeing only earth and sky during the day. Earth, sky, and migratory animals.

I used to say that corn and cows get the best views. Now I'll add "boondockers."

These guys get pretty close.

You may say they're herbivores, but I don't care for the way they chew while they look at me.



We're on a rise, so our horizon is big. No, our HORIZON.


We can even get bad TV.


 

Sometimes people visit the wilderness without their potty. It happens. Some people who only use conventional toilets think that poop and toilet paper vanish magically when they flush. RVers can correct that notion. Toilet paper abides. The rain is not going to melt it. Wind and sun will not disintegrate it. Pulling up your pants and walking away does not dissolve it. You may as well be wiping with Tupperware.

  Desert-pooping doods: bury your dookie. Pack out the Charmin, or burn it, if conditions are safe. You know how you don't want to look at it or touch it when you're done? It's like that.

It's cold enough tonight for us to be in thermal pajamas and have Mr. Heaty on. Tomorrow night will require 10° more thermal protection and another log on Mr. Heaty.

Levonne Gaddy and her husband spent three years full-timing in their RV and volunteering at California state parks. Now Levonne is involved in a creative project around her experience, and she is making you a Decent Proposal. Read about it HERE.

Let me know if you have a shop or service you'd like me to mention in our RV holiday round-up. I keep calling it that, so I'll probably stick to it. I'll post it around Thanksgiving, either before or after Walmart employees have to get up from their turkey dinner and get to selling flat-screen TVs. 

Which boosts me onto my soapbox (grunt) to remind you that buying from artisans and independent vendors means that you're actually supporting a real person's efforts. They're taking that money to the Piggly Wiggly, or they're buying a few gallons of gasoline, or they're filling their propane tanks. In return, you're receiving a product that you will not see everywhere else. When someone admires it, you will say Thank you - it was handmade by an artist I found in _____. Which is 1000 X cooler than saying you got it at Walmart. And you won't have to get up at 4 AM to buy it.

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I could bite today on its soft, pink underbelly.

We gathered up our cameras, water, and unjuiced vegetables and headed out. I had Mormon Lake on my mind.













 

I wanted to see what Happy Jack was; it isn't anything. Annie was upset that they could give something a name that isn't a place. But, we did see something weird just over the treetops, so we checked it out:

Discovery Channel telescope!

Feeling encouraged by the signage.

Annie says I feel "privileged." I disagree - I just feel "authorized." I could see they didn't want us to drive up, so we walked.

She thought one of us should wait at the bottom, and whoever was interested in seeing the observatory should go on up the hill. 

I was pleased to get some shots of the building, but when I got to the top I nearly quacked myself:

A trail of cowpies? Oh no, I won't be fooled a second time.

We went looking for our next home.









 

We asked the camphosts about this spot we wanted. They were polite, but resolute.

 
Very resolute.

Oh today, nice job!