Another quiet relaxing day in camp. Tomorrow we go to Phoenix and Saturday begins 8 days of Cowboy. I figure on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday to get everything settled and Friday I’ll help with set up of the match. It may not end up quite so well arranged but that’s the drift.
Our only photo for today.
Not a really exciting day. Skye came home with a sore pad from yesterdays hike so we stayed in camp today. Did some small chores and sat in the sun/shade reading, walked around the pond a couple times (w/o Skye).
Had a nice 5 mile hike up near Muggins Mountain today. There is a trail that goes around the mountain and we hiked a portion of it. With more planning we could have done the whole trail. Next time. Took several photos.
It was supposed to be 22 minutes from camp. But the map software was not too accurate about the trailhead. We went off down a farm road and went right over the map point. Nothing there. Checked another map and eventually found it. Now, a farm road here is nothing like a farm road in Vt. These are like driving on the top of a levee. One lane wide but 2 way potential traffic. No place to turn off, just hope you don’t meet someone. All roads are a mile long, a neat square pattern. This facilitates planting nice square fields of one section each. Yup, 640 acres of lettuce, or broccoli or whatever. Vegetables as far as you can see.
Nice night, stayed in the high 40s.
Went up to see Mittry Lake today. That is where we thought we would stay when we came over from Tucson. But when we arrived it was getting to be late Friday afternoon (well, 3 PM) on a holiday weekend so we chose Fortuna because it was closer and easier to find.
Mittry is a nice place too. Prettier than Fortuna but more crowded. Also the camping areas are more rugged and uneven than here. We’re happy here. We toured around the lake and into California some too. Checked all the campground possibilities. Saw a couple ultralights over in CA.
Had a couple more walks around the pond, it’s not long but it’s scenic. Sat in the sun and read a bit too. Life on the road is tough. 🤣
Came to Fortuna Lake, a boondock campground on BLM land in Fortuna AZ. Just a ways outside Yuma. It’s a pretty small lake, more like a pond. It is surrounded by the deep green vegetable land of Yuma County which grows the big majority of lettuce in the US.
Once here we found a spot that’s not on the water. Almost all the waterside spots are occupied. That’s OK, the water quality isn’t so good that we want Skye swimming in it anyway. The lake is used as a storage pond by the ag land around it, water recycled for irrigation and runoff comes back here. So we’re told. When we got here we talked for a while with Dan from Michigan. He’s a full time camper with a pick up and tall cap on his truck. Everything he owns is in the truck. 1-1/2 years on the road. Seems quite happy. Medically retired with 4 grown kids & 10 grandkids, widower, yup we talked for 20 minutes and got all that.
Walked around the lake, met a few others. Plenty of old campers and a few newer. A bunch of Canadians from both coasts. Talked with some Quebec folks and some BC too. Several dogs. Skye didn’t get nearly enough play time with them.
We'll probably be here for 5 nights.
There have been planes overhead often this evening. It has occasionally sounded a bit like spray planes, but they don’t work at night! Then we took Skye out for her last walk of the night and saw one such plane. It was flying low at the far end of the ag fields with the landing lights on. Low and powerful. But then the lights went out as it rose. A night spray plane? Nothing I ever heard of. It flew over us, saw our flashlights and on came the bright lights again until it was over us, then dark again. Let’s see, Mexico is 22 miles away as the crow flies, that has just GOT to be the Border Patrol!
Not a real exciting day but a good day. Did some route planning in the morning.
Went grocery shopping in anticipation of going back out to boondock. This time we are headed towards Yuma, down far SW AZ. There are a couple lakes on BLM land where we hope to find good sites for the next 5-6 or so days until it’s time to go to Phoenix for EOT! Got showers done while we have the water for it. Topped off the fuel etc.
Then watched the horse show some more. Skye was big eyed when we walked around the far side of the ring where the spectators and the horse people were hanging out. She was just 5’ from one tall jumper when they walked by us. Skye has seen few horses before this and never up close. She was a perfect lady about it all, just fascinated.
Went for a ride today, up to the REI Store on the north side of Tucson where Carlene got some new hiking boots.
There was a Haz Mat incident on I-10 just north of us yesterday afternoon and the interstate was still closed for cleanup today. Going up to REI we saw traffic backed up everywhere for miles. So we took the long way back through rural country and had a much better trip.
Then back at camp we watch a horse show of jumpers for a while when we took Skye out to walk.
Started out with a surprise today, snow on the truck and all around us. Not a lot but it was still there in sheltered places this afternoon. Forecast of a cold night (26) so the water hose is drained.
