Empire Ranch 3

 Another slow start today.  Nice sunny day, just had some minor things to do around the camper.  It really felt like a regular day at home!  This morning made 4 weeks on the road.  It doesn’t feel like it’s that long yet it feels a bit timeless too   

Then we took a drive to a pottery store.  Now right off that may not sound like us.  But this was a Mexican pottery place, everything made in Mexico.  Carlene bought a pot, nice orange base color but with many designs and colors.  

Then we explored some roads.  The map shows that there are residential roads not too far beyond the pond where we had lunch in Road Canyon 2 days ago.  We found that you can’t readily access it from that end.  

When we returned to camp we found that the neighbor had left.  We never did meet him.

So we went out on a cross country hike with Skye to the west from camp.  We kept going along side of the Cienegas Creek wash.  We found. A blanket, a fire ring way out beyond where vehicles can go so it must have been someone just packing in on foot or hoof.  About a half mile out we met up with a heifer, seemingly alone.  That felt like far enough so we came back to camp.  

Back here we met a new neighbor, Sandy from Tucson, and her dog.  Car camping in a mini van for the night.  She said she had some scrap wood and came out here to get rid of it in a campfire.  Later she came over and invited us to join her fire.  We had a very nice evening at he fire!  She has done a great deal of traveling in her life.  She’s just a couple years younger than me.  We talked about Alaska, Italy, Guatemala Mexico and many states.  the wood ran out about 9.

Although wrapped up for the trip home you can see the basic colors

Yucca

Empire Ranch 2

 Slow start this morning, no reason to rush anything.  Later in the morning we went out on a hike in front of camp.  Road Canyon runs a few miles to the east of camp to a small earthen dam with a bit of water in it.  We did this hike last year too.  It’s a little over 5 miles round trip.

Skye was off leash and found a couple of mud holes that the cows use.  yup, what a mess.  The pond at the end was cleaner water and she had a good time in that all the while we ate lunch.  She just stayed in the water.  There was one more water hole fed by a pump for cattle to drink.  We made sure she stopped there too, then it was back on leash while we got past the mud holes.

We met a guy from Durango CO who is camping in a small van with his dog.  The dogs were a good sociable pair but didn’t get into full play mode.  Then another couple, Dale & Michelle, from WS with a big Class C and a trailer containing their Jeep.  We compared notes on hauling rigs and they have a bit more turn around problem than we do due to the nearly equal length of their tow vehicle and trailer.

Finishing off the afternoon sitting in the rockers in the partial sun.  Not as warm as yesterday, it was still very comfortable.  It was shorts & T-shirt for the hike but not for sitting around.

Couldn’t see the snow last yesterday

Mt Wrightson, 9455’

These horse trailers were parked at the start of the road we walked up

Never did see them.

The cattle thought we were interesting 

Skye likes Sotol, dead ones, they rip apart well

Swimming off some dirt at our destination 

Swimming off more dirt at the water hole

Empire Ranch 1

 Travel day from Deming NM to another One of our favorite places.  Only 222 miles so we took our time and still arrived at 2.  

This is the Empire Ranch in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area near Sonoita AZ.  This is probably our fifth time here and we are again lucky enough to find a site in our favorite location.  There is a guy in our top pick site but this is just as good.  Same views!   You’ll see a lot of it in the next several days.  We should be here at least 10 days.  BLM allows 2 weeks and we’ve done that here before. Depends on water consumption.  And sometimes weather.  We’re at 4567’ (yes, that’s what the topo says) and last year right after we left we could see snow up here from down in Tucson.  

A few parting shots of HVR:

Not sure if I posted this sign in front of our camp.

The clubhouse

My morning lap dog

If this is camp, when do I get out?

Out for a walk before sunset

Deming 6 & last

 First thing this morning Carlene showed me the petroglyphs in the rocks just outside the gate.  Nice batch of ancient rock writing.  

Then off to lunch  at the Adobe Deli a few miles out of Deming with Roy, Tom & Carol.  Great place!  Wait till you see the photos and you’ll know why we liked it.  And the food was good too!  And talk about big servings.  I got my BBQ Brisket sandwich and said “I didn’t know I ordered 2”.  We had the second half of our lunches for supper tonight.

A visit to the grocery store followed after that.

Back to camp for some utility work, drain the waste tanks and fill the fresh water tank so we can go boondocking.  Wouldn’t you know, the neighbors invited us for a beer while I was doing that so it got delayed a bit.  Just a bit.  It was done before dark.

Off to The Empire Ranch in Sonoita AZ, about 30 miles south of Tucson.  We’ve been there several times.  About 220 miles from here so it won’t be a long day.

Petroglyphs:

Looking back to the ranch

We we went over to see the goats, sheep and this heifer came to meet us

At Adobe Deli:

Front door of the deli

Got a good final sunset at the ranch

Deming 5

 What a fine day, fairly warm and totally sunny!  Tim, Roy, Jerry, Smokey and I went out quail hunting again. This time a half hour north and another half hour on dirt roads out into the desert to go after the critters.  This time in two hunts covering a couple miles each I was the only one to see a quail, I shouldered the shotgun but couldn’t get the muzzle on it so it got away.  That was it. We were tired, the dogs were tired, so we were going home.  On the way out we were at a ranch gate and a covey flew up from 20’ off the road.  We jumped out to pursue the only birds we had seen in 2 days.  One came over me and I missed.  We crossed the road and Belle pointed at some brush. Out pops a quail and both Tom and I fired within a quarter second.  Long story short I now have a quail and Tom has offered me a second one from his freezer so Carlene and I each have one for dinner one of these days.   

Meanwhile she and Skye went hunting too.  This morning I realized the binoculars I keep on my waist pack were missing.  Presumed that the pouch broke and it came off the belt.  They backtracked the route we took yesterday and soon Skye came up to Carlene saying “look what I found”!  Yup.  She found them!   What a great dog!  And yes the stitching on the case had come apart and they fell off the pack.  

After I got home we went to the camper across the street to meet some old Vermonters.  They had lived in Guilford in far southern Vt. Chip and Paula have been here for five years.  He does all the landscaping in the park and she has more artistic things going than I can recall. Embroidery, weaving, sewing things…

This evening we have live music in the clubhouse.  It’s the same couple we heard last year, very good, a lot of original music. 

Hunting scenery:

There was one place where we had to drive through a cattle pen to continue to the hunting grounds.

Literally had to push and honk our way through the herd.

When they saw us they thought we were there to feed them!

Jerry watering his dog

Scenery from Carlene’s hike

And the evening entertainment: