Fire & Ice, day 2

Second day at Cowtown’s Fire & Ice match.  Another sunny day, a bit warmer too.  

I had a very good day.  2 misses in 4 stages isn’t great but times were good.  A cap under the hammer broke my streak of all 30 something times, but it was clean.  I “won” Frontiersman category, uncontested.  With 200 or so shooters I thought there would be another, but it doesn’t matter.  It was for the practice.

Carlene went for another hike with Skye, a few miles NE of camp.  Skye and I went back to the Daisy Mountain Tr.  We had more time today, so we did the 4 1/2 mile loop that we started yesterday. Today Skye noticed the four wild burros and sat observing them with interest. The high today was 77° with a slight breeze. 

This afternoon many of us got our registration packets, signed up for Warm Up mini match and met up with more old friends.

Than to camp and cleaning guns.  Those won’t be used for 2 more days since tomorrow and the next day are the Wild Bunch match.

Fire & Ice, day 1

First day of Cowboy Action Shooting, a warm up match at the Cowtown club about 8 miles west of EOT.  It was the usual warm sunny day with a good crowd of cowboys & cowgirls.  I met up with a big group of New England friends!  Lots of howdy & shake.  My posse was a mix of new and old faces.  None of the friends I just mentioned but that’s fine.  In this game everyone is a new or old friend.  I had a fine day, shot well, not perfect but this shoot is all about getting the bugs out after a long time not shooting.  I haven’t been to a match since Oct.

Carlene and Skye went for a hike.  We did a three mile hike that started at the edge of a housing development.  We quickly left the neighborhoods behind and headed into the hills. These trails are used by hikers, runners, bikers, horses, and off road vehicles. We met only hikers some with dogs, runners and one ORV.  

Back at camp with plenty of time to clean guns and get reset for tomorrow.  Out neighbor Thomas, behind us is a German who came here for his first EOT, he says it’s the dream of a lifetime.  Today his daughter, Nadine, joined him, arriving from Hanover, Germany this afternoon.  Her English is very good (she went to college in TX) his is a lot like my Spanish!  He is having a tussle with ATF, his guns are in San Francisco and he has no clue when he might get them.  150 year old designs but they’re hassling about bringing them into the country.  He already has offers to loan him guns.

Long line getting into Cowtown

I met Cimarron Sierra and her father & sister about 3 years ago. 

Sierra is really getting good at Gunfighter

There is talent in that family, she was the Young Gun Girls World Champion last year..  

Her sister Cimarron Sonya is the ‘24 Overall Ladies World Champion.

Sonya is away at college this year.

Skye is just keeping an eye on my gun cleaning progress

Skye made a new friend with Nadine

And from Carlene’s day:

Wild burros

Set up 2

Worked this morning on set up.  We had to reset some of the facade panels that another crew put up yesterday.  It blew down in the wind this morning!   They had t put in as many braces as we did in our section.  

Then some fencing around the outhouses, kind of a disguise, can’t see as much of the modern stuff.  

Then out on the road for some errands. 

Back home to get geared up for the Fire & Ice shoot tomorrow.  That’s at a club a few miles down the road. It’s a warm up for EOT.  

Carlene and Skye had a quiet day in camp

Looking at the main tent from the dry camp parking lot

Some scenery from the road

Nicely artistic overpass.  They do this a lot out here. 

Set-up day 1

I had to do the unpacking first, that took until 1030.  But all the outdoor stuff is outdoors, all the cowboy duds are hung up in the garage, all the ammo is out of the truck and under the table.

I spent the rest of the day working with a crew assembling a facade in front of the main tent.  That’s to disguise the tent.  I mostly worked with three Mexicans who were contracted through the tent company.  That was kind of fun since two of them spoke very little English.  They were a great crew, just get it done.  Climb up on top of step ladders, and I mean the bar above the top step, crawl on top of tents or whatever.  Anything to get it done. They probably look at American safety rules and think we’re a bunch of wusses.  No idea what I’ll be working on tomorrow.

Carlene did some laundry whale I was working.  They have a small laundry here on the grounds.  Along with showers.

Then a relaxing evening with supper outdoors.  We did move into the sun as it was setting.  When the sun is on its way down it gets cool fast.

View of the garage with the back door open

While unpacking the truck I found where I had put Skye’s birthday gift.  She was just happy to get it.

The crew\

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Arrived Phoenix

The Ben Avery Shooting Facility, 21 miles north of downtown Phoenix.

Drove up from Arivaca to Phoenix today.  The first 1/3 of the drive was the best.  Up through a western section of Saguaro National Park.  I first saw this section when I was in Yuma for a training session and then rented a car to go to Tucson area to watch the AZ State CAS Shoot and drove through this area.  I was immediately taken with AZ.

Then onto I-10.  That was OK, lots of open country.  The drive through Phoenix.  Never a fun time.  Lots of traffic and after a few weeks of boondocking off interstates it is always a shock to return to that.  

We didn’t get any unpacking done but did get the errands done.  Meds, propane, groceries.  I’ll unpack in the morning and then go help with setup.  I have to unpack enough to go shoot Saturday morning!

We saw these two ravens on our way out of camp

Driving through Saguaro NP

At EOT.  This lot will be full next week.

Sunsets here are alway great.