Arizona, We Have Arrived – January 2019

January 2, 2019May 19, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday January 1 – New Year’s Day!

It is about 23 degrees this morning at the Love’s truck stop at the junction of I-40 and highway 95 south of Kingman in western Arizona. In spite of the chill morning, Clifford and I are happy to be out of the snow that is hitting northern Arizona. We have a quick breakfast before heading out on the next leg of the journey.

We stop for supplies in Lake Havasu City, which is situated alongside the Colorado River, then continue southward. The dammed up river is a blue contrast to the harsh, but usually interesting, desert landscape.

Colorado River adds a splash of color to the landscape

Continuing south, a painterly version of the mountains ahead

Between Parker and Quartzsite, there is quite a lot of BLM land, some of it accessible for boondocking, but the land here doesn’t really appeal to me that much.

South of Quartzsite, we reach our destination at La Posa South long-term camping area by mid-afternoon. We head out to where we were camped last year, as my brother Rollie is already there and has fixed up a nice camping area. We find a spot near him and start getting set up, the bitter cold wind making it not so fun to be outdoors, but we are grateful to see a blue sky.

Brother Rollie in the Class A; Carol and Clifford in the Cougar

Even though I’m not totally in love with the spot we have chosen, I do like the area. We are not far from the wash, which is quite wide with lots of trees and shrubs, and beyond that is wild natural desert with more washes and many kinds of cacti and other desert vegetation. I am looking forward to desert outings.

I make dinner for all of us and after dinner Rollie beats me at a game of cribbage. Dishes and writing in the journal wrap up the day for me. We are happy to be here, a great way to start our new year.

Wednesday January 2: I begin my day with the morning routine that I enjoy – making a good cup of French press coffee, reading a poem by Mary Oliver, writing in my journals. I have a Gratitude Journal that is expressly for writing five things that I am grateful for every day and the diary-type journal that keeps me from forgetting what I’ve done with my day-to-day life.

Then I run out to take photos at sunrise. I’m discovering that the cell phone doesn’t take great sunrise photos, as it can’t handle the light of the rising sun, but other than that, I’m enjoying using it for photos that are going to be used via the internet or cell phone.

Today is our settling in day; I organize stuff inside and out, while Clifford gets his ham radios set up. In the afternoon Rollie and I play bluegrass music, with Rollie on mandolin and guitar, and me playing fiddle music on the viola, reading cello music.

Rollie on the mandolin with Ninja for support

We have dinner together, then Rollie and I play a game of cribbage. After dishes, I want to work on a blog, but I’m just too tired and head to bed instead.

Arizona Here We Come – December 2018

December 31, 2018May 13, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Sunday December 30: Snow and forecast for snow storms delay our departure from Monticello, Utah, but we finally make our get-away on December 30^th. We finish packing, say good-bye to our place, and by mid-morning we are on our way. It is 13 degrees and the landscape is snowy, but the highways are clear.

Good-bye to snow-covered Abajo Mountains

Utah formations…
and Arizona formations
Heading south toward Flagstaff

Due to the forecast for a big snow storm in region of Flagstaff, Arizona, we push on through Flagstaff and make it all the way to Seligman, Arizona, along I-40.

Last view of the San Francisco Peaks at Flagstaff

It was a super long day’s drive for us – 350 miles, but we needed to get far enough west to be out of the storm.

A truck stop in Seligman provides a place for us to set up for the night. It is chilly enough that we use the furnace for the first time to warm Cougar up a bit, but we are dismayed that we can’t get the fridge to light. Maybe too cold? I wanted to play viola and write in the journal, but I am too tired. Since the bed is cold, I nap on the couch until Clifford, the night owl, is ready to go to bed.

Monday December 31: I wake up about 7:00, don warm clothing, and walk across the dark parking lot to the restroom at the truck stop. When I get back to Cougar, I am too awake to go back to bed, so start making tea for the thermoses. By time Clifford gets up a short while later, it has started to snow here. That was not part of our plan! So Clifford skips his shower and we pull out as soon as we can.

Mountain in the background, west of Seligman, obscured by falling snow

For the next 50 miles we are driving in a snow storm, which wouldn’t have been so bad except for towing a trailer. Certainly not ideal conditions, but Clifford is steady, and I don’t make any moves that might distract him. We are nearly out of the storm before I feel okay about taking a few photos of this rather scenic drive.

As we near Kingman, the snow lets up and we stop at a Petro truck stop for gas; the gas in Seligman was highway robbery, which we decided not to give in to, but it did mean running a bit closer than comfortable to the empty mark. In Kingman, lunch at Cracker Barrel is a treat and then we stop at Walmart for supplies. What a zoo! We could hardly find a spot big enough to park our rig so we could go in to shop.

Heading south out of Kingman, still on I-40, at the junction to highway 95, we pull into a Love’s truck stop for the night. It is cold out, but with the furnace and burners on, we are quite comfortable. We have a restful night here, glad to be out of the snow and eager to reach our destination tomorrow.

Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah – October 2018

October 26, 2018April 20, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Thursday October 25: I take photos as soon as I get up, watching the play of sunlight on the desert scene. This is our last morning here on Mineral Point Road outside Canyonlands National Park. After breakfast, we begin packing up for our move to nearby Dead Horse Point State Park, where we are meeting Colorado Friends.

The spot reserved for us at the state park is small, and although not quite as challenging as our set-up on Mineral Point Road, it is tricky because of a culvert that does not allow for an adequate turning radius to back into the small site. But eventually we are set up and have 110 electricity for the first time since leaving Monticello in July. That certainly is a convenience! And we did save some time and trouble not having to set up the solar panel.

Now the odd thing about being here is that, while the electricity and the nearby flush toilets are quite the treat, we have gone from being surround by acres and acres of sage brush with seldom another camper or person in sight to being in a fishbowl surrounded by campers and people in every direction. I guess that is fine; it just sort of feels weird to me.

Our friends arrive and set up in the site next to us, which makes it easy to visit. We haven’t seen them for awhile and enjoy their company, so end up going to bed quite late.

Friday October 26: Frost on the grass this morning. Looks like fall is upon us.

This morning, I walk to the new campground, which is not far way, to check it out for future reference. It is flat and much more suited to RV’s, but not nearly as pretty.

Back at camp, Clifford is up, but still in his pj’s. I sit outside in the sunshine to write in the journal with my little thermos of French press coffee.

A half-mile trail takes me from the campground to the Visitor Center where I look at the displays and follow the nearby Nature Trail. There is no cell service at the campground, but I can send texts to kids and siblings from the Visitor Center.

A view of the La Sal Mountains from the trail to the Visitor Center

Walking on the Nature Trail at the Visitor Center

Nature Trail as seen from the Visitor Center

Back at camp, after lunch, I do more editing of Emperors and Exiles, my daughter Ang’s epic fantasy. Clifford works on his projects, also. When our friends return from their Moab outing, we all walk down to the Visitor Center again before dinner and more visiting.

Views from the Dead Horse Point State Park Visitor Center

Later, by time I finish my bedtime routine, it is nearly midnight – way past my bedtime.

Last Days on Mineral Point Road – October 2018

October 24, 2018April 9, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday October 23: I walk in the fog again this morning at our camping spot on Mineral Point Road outside Canyonlands National Park. So strange to see the fog in the desert when there is not even a river nearby.

After breakfast, I play viola and write in my journal in turns so as to get more out of each, send texts with pics to my kids, finish the blog I started yesterday, and do some editing on the next book of the Novels of Shannon series, Emperors and Exiles. Clifford is working on the next animation video for the CI website, introducing some aspects of the research in a way that is easy for folks to understand.

Looking west after sunset on Mineral Point Road

Wednesday October 24: Today features many of the same activities as yesterday, but no day is exactly the same. More fog, but not the same fog; more editing and journal writing, but different words; check texts and FB, sending and receiving messages different than yesterday’s messages; and play viola for awhile, but different vibrations than yesterday. Like the wind, never the same wind from one moment to the next, so it is with the stream of activities that are not necessarily noteworthy, but have value anyway.

Today is our last day here. Tomorrow we will be moving to nearby Dead Horse State Park to meet up with friends from Colorado. We have liked being here, but life on the road means moving where the weather and the situation takes one.

Mineral Point Road – October 2018

October 20, 2018March 31, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday October 17: It is cloudy and rainy today and we spend the day at our campsite on Mineral Point Road near Canyonland National Park.

Cloudy and rainy day – can’t even see the La Sal Mountains

I take photos, send texts with photos to family and friends, play viola, and edit Princes and Priests. Clifford is working on preparing his CI lab notebooks for digital copying. While none of this sounds super exciting, it actually is what we want to do.

Thursday October 18: This morning I walk about taking photos of the fog. It is not often in these desert regions that I get to see such.

Cougar like a ghost ship on a sea of sage

Taking photos, making business calls, writing in the journal, editing, playing viola, and blog writing fill my day, a good day for indoor activities with the high only 45 degrees. I start reading “Anatomy of the Spirit” by the medical intuitive, Caroline Myss. Clifford is working on video animations for the CI website, an interesting way to introduce certain papers.

Friday October 19: Frost on the ground this morning! Today is a Moab town day and off we go after making tea and coffee. We have breakfast at Denny’s, then run errands. We also spend time at the library with free power and wifi, which allows for downloading of bigger files, necessary for some of the work that Clifford is doing.

Back at camp, we find new neighbors in the spot right next to us; we are glad they found a place to camp. We have learned that it is fall break and thousands of people flock to the scenic camping areas of the country, like the national parks of southern Utah. We are happy to have found a niche to call home for a couple of weeks.

Painterly view of evening light on La Sal Mountains

Saturday October 20: Another coolish morning, but after tea and coffee we go for a drive further out the road to look at other possible camping spots. There is a good one not far from us, should it be available at some future time. We are fine with staying where we are for the time being, however.

After a late breakfast, I edit photos, edit Princes and Priests, then sit outside to write the next blog (Sedona in March). Later I put the text and the edited photos together and publish the blog. We are lucky to have that much cell service when camped out in the boonies like this.

Boondocking with cell service via La Sal Mountains

Clifford continues with his projects, mostly the animation, but also plays his dulcimer, and works with his ham radio. After dinner, reading and playing viola finish out the day for me.

Mineral Point Boondocking – October 2018

October 16, 2018March 29, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday October 13: It is 32 degrees, clear and windy this morning at Beas Lewis Flat, west of Capitol Reef National Park. The sunlight on the mesa at sunrise is amazing!

Clifford has been watching the weather forecast; a storm is coming and he figures we should leave. I want to stay and hike in the park as planned and leave after the storm, but my brother Rollie has had enough of chilly weather and is also ready to move on south. So, we pack up and head out, even though I think moving to a popular area (Moab for us) on a Saturday is a bad idea.

We arrive at Horsethief Campground outside Canyonland National Park in the late afternoon and sure enough, there is not a single site available. We keep on going out Mineral Point Road, as we know there is some dispersed camping about a mile further on. When we reach this dispersed area, we discover that it has been closed. We continue on and it seems that every available pull-out is taken. Finally we choose a spot that is small, hard to get into, and close to the neighboring campers, but the best we can find. We are barely off the road, the ground is far from level, and the sand is soft. It is one of the hardest parking and set-ups we’ve ever done, but at least we have a home for the night.

Sunday October 14: It is a windy chilly day here in this sagebrush desert. We had thought we’d move to Horsethief Campground this morning, but decide there really is no point in doing that since we are set up here now. It is very peaceful here and the neighbors left, so we don’t feel so much like we are crowding someone. And interestingly enough, we have better cell service at this location with the slightly higher elevation and a view of the snow-covered La Sal Mountains (cell service is better when there is line-of-sight to La Sal Mountains).

Since we are not moving this morning, I walk down the road to take photos, send texts with photos to family and friends letting them know where we are, redo the fire ring at the campsite, and rake out unsightly tire tracks. In the afternoon I edit, making good headway on the revised and updated version of Ang’s epic fantasy, Princes and Priests. Clifford has kept himself busy with working on video projects for CI, ham radio, and his dulcimer.

Monday October 15: It is 25 degrees outside and 34 inside! That is a bit chilly for an inside temperature, but we can’t run the furnace without electricity. Ah well. Making coffee and cooking a big batch of applesauce with the last of the wild apples warms Cougar up.

Applesauce made from the great wild apple tree

Clifford continues working with the video project and his ham radio set-up today, and I continue editing.

Tuesday October 16: Another chilly morning, but luckily Cougar’s living space is small enough that it warms up adequately with making coffee and breakfast. Today we go to Moab for errands and a stop at the public library where we can use power and free wifi. I post a blog of our brief stay at Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona on our way north last spring. Clifford always has research to do when the opportunity presents itself.

Back at camp, we have a late dinner, and even though it is near bedtime by time dishes and cleanup are done, I take out the viola and play for a bit. Sending texts with photos rounds out the day for me, while Clifford stays up to listen to the radio.

Another Visit to Capitol Reef National Park – October 2018

October 12, 2018March 26, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Friday October 12: The low last night was 32 degrees, but the morning is calm with some puffy little clouds against a blue sky, a nice day for an outing.

I make sandwiches and thermoses of tea, and then we – Clifford, Rollie, Ninja, and I – head off to Capitol Reef for another day of sight-seeing there. First stop is Twin Rocks, right alongside the highway, then Chimney Rock where we hike up the trail a ways. Photos can’t do justice to the enormous size of the mesas here.

Photos can’t do justice to the enormous size of the mesas here. If you look closely, you can see Clifford where the path drops off.

Panoramic Point is next and we walk out onto the rocks for the panoramic view of the colorful striated mesas, imagining the tremendous geological activity that took place eons ago to create such a landscape.

At the Visitor Center we sit on a bench to enjoy our sandwiches and fruit cups. While we are there, I cross the highway to get a better shot of the iconic rock formation.

Iconic rock formations near the Visitor Center

After lunch, we visit Gifford House, once part of the original farm settlement, now renovated and operating as a living demonstration of the life of the early Mormon settlers. Pies, candles, soaps, and such are made and sold at this “home.” We visit the nearby orchards, 200 acres of fruit trees. One orchard has been designated as available for tourists to pick an apple. We walk through the orchard, but it has long since been thoroughly picked over, so my thoughts of eating a freshly picked apple do not come to fruition, so to speak.

Gifford House
Orchards

As we head back to camp, I am able to get a few more photos of the scenic landscape through the open window, but no more stops.

Mesa near west entrance to Capitol Reef National Park

Back at camp, dinner is sloppy joes. Cribbage with Rollie, dishes, and journal round out a very full day for me.

Camp Days at Beas Lewis Flat – October 2018

October 11, 2018March 24, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

is Wednesday October 10: A very windy and rather chilly day here at Beas Lewis Flat west of Capitol Reef National Park. Too chilly for this early in October, in my opinion. Big hurricane, Michael, is in the gulf and hitting Florida, so guess I don’t have much call to complain.

Beautiful first light renders the landscape to the west an awesome rich golden color, but soon the moment passes and usual daytime color returns. I make my French press coffee and then go over to my brother Rollie’s rig where it is warmer while Clifford is still sleeping.

Later, Clifford and I go to the nearby town of Torrey for errands and the laundromat. Back at camp, I do some editing before starting dinner. After winning a game of cribbage with Rollie, I do dishes and then play viola for a bit. Start putting away clean clothes until I reach our pj’s, and then off to bed. The rest of the clean clothes can wait until tomorrow.

Thursday October 11: There was some rain in the night and this morning is overcast and calm. After breakfast, Rollie gets out his fire pit and we have a little campfire, but being outdoors is still kind of chilly. Some sun broke through for a bit, followed by more clouds and a little rain. Definitely a fall-ish kind of day.

Light on the mesa to the west near sunset

In the afternoon we all go to Red Cliff Cafe in Torrey and have pizza, a fun thing to do on a chilly day. Back at camp, I continue with a reorganizing project that I started this morning. Rollie and I play music at his rig in the later afternoon before having a light dinner, since we had a big lunch today. Cribbage, dishes, and journal writing finish out the day for me.

Visit to Capitol Reef National Park – October 2018

October 9, 2018March 22, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday October 9: It is 32 degrees this morning here at Beas Lewis Flat Road outside Capitol Reef National Park, but it is not snowing and the blue sky shows off yesterday’s snow on the mesas. I make coffee and then go visit my brother Rollie for a few minutes.

After breakfast, Clifford and I make a trip to the nearby town of Torrey to pick up our mail. We stop at the market; it doesn’t have much, even for a small town, but there is a bakery in the back, so the bread is good and fresh. We get water and propane, and then we stop at the Visitor Center to use their wifi to check email and post photos on FB.

Back at camp, I make tuna sandwiches for a picnic and clear a seat in the Suburban for Rollie and Ninja, and then off we go to Capitol Reef National Park.

After a stop at the Capitol Reef Visitor Center, we drive through the campground, reminiscing about camping here in December of 1997. The scenic drive takes us to several view points…

Rollie takes photos along the scenic drive in Capitol Reef National Park

and then we rush back for the ranger program at the Fremont Petroglyph Site. We learn about the Fremonts, the Native Americans of the area who began incorporating farming into their hunter and gatherer lifestyles about 1,300 years ago.

We then drive to the east side of the park to explore BLM dispersed camping outside the park boundaries. Although we find several places that could be used, we like our spot on the west side of the park the best.

Driving to the east side of Capitol Reef Park

Formations on the east side of Capitol Reef

Back at camp, I make “breakfast” for dinner, play cribbage with Rollie, do the dishes, and then tidy up. Keeping tiny homes (RV’s) neat and organized makes living in a small space comfortable, especially when being full-time or nearly full-time nomads as we are.

Snow at Capitol Reef – October 2018

October 8, 2018March 21, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Monday October 8: The overnight low is 36, but it gets colder and begins to snow by 9:00 this morning.

I go have coffee with Rollie, as his rig is warm, and then walkabout to take photos of the snow. Coat, hat, and gloves are thoroughly wet by time I return.

After breakfast, Clifford and I go over to Rollie’s to play music – a good day for it. Later I go for a longer walk up to the big rock feature on the north side of the road, and to the highway, to the rock quarry that is further in on the road, and back to camp. Quite muddy, but I picked my way carefully.

Rollie wants to get out, so I walk the road with him, again picking our way carefully so as not to get too deep into the mud.

We have homemade soup and rice for dinner, taking it over to Rollie’s so he doesn’t have to come out again. This chilly weather is hard on him. After we eat, we play music again. When Clifford and I get back to Cougar, we discover that the propane ran out while we were at Rollie’s. The burners were on low to keep the place warm, so now it smells bad in here and we have to leave the door open for fresh air in spite of the chill outside. Not he best way to end the evening!

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