Marooned at Cochise Stronghold – March 2019

March 17, 2019September 16, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday March 13: Very windy and overcast this morning in the Dragoon Mountains of southeast Arizona.

View to the east from Cochise Stronghold dispersed camping area

I feel bad for the folks in tents with all the rain, and especially the family who packed up their tent last night, but couldn’t get out as the creek crossing was impassible, and spent the night in their car. They did make it out this morning, but an RVer who watched them said that it was real iffy. The young fellow in the maroon van parked near the van ladies leaves but comes back shortly. Rollie goes out to get propane and he makes it through the crossing with his little 4-wheel drive S10, but on his way back, the fellows from Santa Fe with their big Ford F350 are stuck in the crossing. Luckily, he is able to pull them out. We later heard that the Forest Service guys coming out to check on things got stuck there also. Our musician neighbors, Jerry and Sonja, stay inside their little camper much of the day. Later, Rollie and I walk down to the creek crossing closest to the dispersed camping area, usually a mere inch or less across the road, but we can’t even get across without getting quite wet – and this is not even the main creek crossing.

The creek below the usually shallow crossing

Other than the disruption caused by the high water, our day proceeds with the usual activities of study, editing, blog writing, email, and so on. Rollie comes over for dinner – chicken and rice – and I win a game of cribbage before doing dishes.

Staying cozy in Cougar: basil, sprouts, kombucha, and tea in the corner

Thursday March 14: I go out first thing this morning to get photos of the light on the mountain moments before the sun rises and the color fades.

Rollie drives himself and me to the main crossing to see how high the water is. It is quite high, though not quite as high as when the Santa Fe guys got stuck. We meet more of the neighbors throughout the dispersed area who are walking or driving out to check on the crossing, including the fellow in the maroon van. We chat with him a bit and after awhile he decides to see if he can make it out. We wish him good luck and off he goes. The van ladies, Beth and Sally, had planned to leave today, but when I show them photos of the crossing, they decide to stay another day. I also show the photos to Jerry and Sonja, and they also decide to stay. Crossing with so much water could cause damage to rigs or vans, so almost everyone in the dispersed stays put and we don’t see any traffic to or from the campground further up the road.

Creek crossing – not as high as yesterday

Barricades moved aside by brave or foolish travelers

In the afternoon, it is warm enough that Rollie and I play music outside with our neighbors, Jerry and Sonja. The van ladies come over, as does a friendly guy camped in a van and a guy on a bicycle. Clifford is outside playing his dulcimer, but puts it aside to be a part of the blue-grass audience. We really have quite a good time, having more musicians and an audience. Being marooned and getting to know people has been interesting.

Later, Rollie fixes Beth’s Mr. Buddy heater. Rollie is really a great camping companion, having saved our hide a time or two. Editing, journal, and posting a blog fill in the rest of the day. I fix tacos for dinner and lose the cribbage game. It was a fun day getting to know people a bit more and playing music with the neighbors. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet up with them again sometime.

Last Days at Cochise Stronghold – March 2019

March 17, 2019September 18, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Friday March 15: Lots of people are leaving Cochise Stronghold today, as the creek is down enough to be safe. The van ladies and the musician neighbors are among those who are leaving. I will miss them.

Clifford and I work on some CI projects, taking care of email and writing a fund-raising campaign for the book project — the story behind Carnicom Institute. Tacos for dinner again and lose at cribbage again and do dishes again. After running the generator awhile, my laptop can be used and I edit photos for the next blog, a good ending for the day.

Saturday March 16: After breakfast, Rollie and I take our trash up to the campground and visit my camp host friend, Jimi.

Cochise Stronghold is at the base of that mountain

When Rollie and I get back to our camping area, Clifford and I run into the little town of Sunsites, only to discover that the post office and the little market are closed. We are able to take care of a couple things, but mostly it was a waste of time going in. The fun part of the outing was going to Marcia’s Garden again to buy a couple more items. It is a tiny, but delightful shop and I enjoy spending a few minutes there.

Nachos for dinner tonight and my turn to win at cribbage. After dishes, I post a blog of our camping in Capitol Reef in October.

Sunday March 17: I am up in time to take photos of the golden light and then walk down in the ravine to see if the water is still flowing… and it is.

After breakfast I drive up to the campground to talk to Jimi, as we had tentatively planned on a hike today. However, Clifford and I have to pack, as today is our last day at Cochise Stronghold and hiking isn’t fitting in well. In the afternoon, Rollie and I play music and have a campfire. Dinner is a little of this and that, as left-overs need to be used up before we leave. Cochise Stronghold has been a great stay, but it is time for us to move on.

Waterfalls in Cochise Stronghold – March 2019

March 12, 2019September 15, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday March 12: The rain that started yesterday evening here in the Dragoon Mountains of southeast Arizona continued throughout the night and into this morning. From where we are camped in the Cochise Stronghold dispersed area, I can hear the waterfalls roaring off the mountainside. I run outside first thing to take photos of this phenomenon. While I am taking photos, I see Sally, one of the van lady neighbors, also taking photos and I show her a different vantage point. While we both take photos of the amazing waterfalls, we strike up a conversation. She is about my age and has recently begun the nomad life in her van, but she has had great independence of thought and action as a sailing captain.

After coffee, journal writing, breakfast, and new kombucha tea, I go out to take photos of the creek, which before the rain was a dry wash, but I can’t find a spot that I like. As I’m poking around for a better view of the creek, I end up near the “gnome home” spot and find the water running off and through the boulders to be quite interesting.

Rain plus rocks…
create flowing water…
with many miniature….
waterfalls

Going on, I slowly make my way up the mountain until I am right at the largest waterfall. Some young guy is there, also, and as I’m heading up and he’s heading down, he offers to take my photo by the waterfall. Okay, good – proof that I actually made it this far up the mountain. I find a different route down to avoid wet sliprock faces.

Approaching the waterfall
Proof I was here in person

Back at camp, I tend to the usual business of posting a blog, checking email, doing some agent research, and other such stuff. Later, Rollie and I go for a wet walk through the campground and talk to the group of guys from Santa Fe who are camped not far away. They tell us that the water is high at the creek crossing between us and the outside world. Camp host friend, Jimi, was going to come visit us today, but the creek crossing between us and the campground further up the road is also high. We are all sort of marooned at our various locations.

In the afternoon, Rollie and I play bluegrass in his rig – a nice-size motorhome with room to invite the van ladies, Sally and Beth, over to listen. Later we have nachos for dinner, I lose a game of cribbage, and finish out the day writing in the journal.

Hiking Cochise Trail – March 2019

March 7, 2019September 9, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday March 7: It is windy and overcast at Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains where we are camped in the dispersed area. After breakfast I send texts with photos to family, review a memoir that I’m editing, and fix snacks for our hike. About noon, Clifford, my brother Rollie, and I head to the campground to meet up with our friend Jimi, the campground host.

Today we are hiking the Cochise Trail to the Half-Moon Tank, about two miles up the trail. There are lots of stops as we hike, catching our breath and me taking photos. Except for the white murk in the sky, it is a beautiful day for hike.

As we begin the upward climb, we notice the rock formations beside the trail as well as those on the slope across the creek from us. We can see many places where caves could provide homes or hiding places for people or wildlife.

Jimi looks through a rock formation…
alongside the trail

We spot an interesting formation and a cave on the opposite slope

We stop at the spring, about a mile in, taking a moment to enjoy the lovely creek. As we head onward, Clifford goes ahead of the rest of us. Unfortunately, he has my water bottle. Luckily, Rollie was carrying a spare, so I was able to keep hydrated on the uphill climb.

Rollie and Ninja….
and Jimi relaxing

Beyond the spring, the trail winds around the mountain, revealing the fantastic boulder formations.

Near the tank, Clifford waits for us so we all arrive at the tank together. There is no doubt some history as to why a tank was built here, but we can only guess at what that would be. We find a spot on the nearby sliprock hillside where we can have our picnic. It is a pleasant time of relaxing before we head back down the trail.

At the spring, we stop again, giving ourselves a little more time to be here in this magical place.

Cochise Trail

Back at camp, it is already time for dinner, so I make nachos – quick and easy. Other than washing the bean pan, I let the rest of the dishes go for tonight. Rollie is too tired for cribbage, so I go back to editing until my laptop battery is used up. Clifford and I are both kind of tired out from the hike, so early to bed for us. Hardly anything on the to-do list got done today, and that is okay, as what we did was much more fun.

Cochise Stronghold – Arizona – March 2019

March 6, 2019September 9, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Sunday March 3: Packing up is easy this morning, as we didn’t unpack much while here at the SKP RV Park in Benson, Arizona. Our destination today is Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains of southeast Arizona.

Approaching Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains

We are surprised when we get there to find that the dispersed camping area is full. Since we know the area, we are able to find a rather hidden spot to back into, once a road along the ravine, now mostly overgrown. It takes considerable wrangling to get in fairly level with room for the antenna and the slide out. Once we are in place, with the awning out, the table and chairs in a sandy area behind, lanterns hung up, and some of the tall dead grass cut back with scissors, the place looks quite homey and comfortable.

I go say “Hi” to the neighbors, as they were kind enough to offer to share their large space, which we declined. They are musicians, so maybe we will get together for a jam session one of these days.

In the evening I play viola while Clifford has a call with his brothers. Dinner is late, just soup and sandwiches, as I don’t feel much like cooking and cleaning this late in the day. I write in the journal while he plays dulcimer, a nice way to end the day.

Monday March 4: I am delighted to see the gold morning light, which only lasts a few minutes, on the Dragoon Mountains. This rocky section of the mountains is known as Cochise Stronghold, as it is here that the Chiricahua Apache chief, Cochise, managed to evade US soldiers for a number of years.

Morning light turns the rocky mountainside golden

This morning I walk the length of the dispersed camping area, both for exercise and to see what’s available for my brother Rollie when he gets here. There isn’t much available this morning, so we’ll see how it looks later. Back at camp, after breakfast, I make coffee and sit outside with Clifford while he plays his dulcimer.

In the afternoon I drive to the regular campground a couple miles up the road to visit my camp host friend, Jimi. We have a nice visit and plan for a hike later in the week. During the afternoon, a large party leaves the dispersed area, so there is a good big spot for Rollie when he gets here.

Once he is set up, I invite him over for dinner. After dinner, I barely win a game of cribbage and then play viola before tackling the dishes. Too late to write in journal tonight.

Tuesday March 5: Down to 34 degrees this morning, a bit on the cool side, but not nearly as cold as the -16 degrees that our siblings are experiencing in Montana.

Morning at Cochise Stronghold – Artistic Rendition
Morning at Cochise Stronghold – Artistic Rendition

Today is a camp day, building a fire pit, playing bluegrass music with Rollie and the neighbors, sending texts with photos to family and friends, domestic chores, and in general enjoying being retired.

Wednesday March 6: As soon as I get up, I go walking, taking photos of the great morning light on the stone mountain behind us.

Today is a day of taking care of email, texts, phone calls, and trying to get a response from FB to reestablish my connection to my account. Clifford has a couple of business calls and works with his radios. Getting antennas just right seems to be an ongoing issue. It has gotten warm, 78 degrees, so we are able to do many of our activities outside. In the afternoon Rollie and I play music with our neighbors.

Dinner, cribbage, dishes, and journal wrap up the day for me. Clifford, as usual, stays up later listening to his ham radio.

Cacti Forest to Tombstone – February into March 2019

March 2, 2019September 6, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday February 27: What a switch from Atlanta back to Cacti Forest, from millions of people to a mere handful within walking distance of our campsite at Cacti Forest, where Clifford has been camped this past week while I was in Atlanta visiting my daughter Becka. It is good to be back “home,” but I do miss the fun and comradery I had with Becka.

We make a trip out to get a few supplies and when we get back to camp, we begin packing up, as we will be leaving tomorrow. In the evening we sit out and watch the sunset. This has been a good place for us and maybe one day we will return.

Thursday February 28: We finish packing and leave Cacti Forest, heading to Benson, east of Tucson, where we will stay at SKP Saguaro RV Park. Dry camping is limited to three days, but only $5 a night. We are lucky to get a campsite at the back of the lot with the desert behind us and a small cacti garden beside us. While Clifford naps, I walk through the grounds of this place, mostly comprised of streets of tiny homes and RV’s, with beautiful desert landscaping. Very civilized.

Carol, Clifford, and Cougar at SKP Saguaro RV Park.

Metal javelinas look almost real in the small cacti garden

In the evening we go to the laundromat, which is in the centrally located Community Center. It is necessary to get the laundry caught up before our next destination, and I also make good use of free wifi while I am there.

Friday March 1: Today is our Tucson day – taking care of errands in the big city. I am still trying to figure out the FB issue, as, at this point, I no longer have access to my FB account, my Quiet Walk Photography page, or any of the groups that I was admin for, on either the phone or laptop. It appears that the problem is not related to the phone per se, even though that is where the problem started. Nothing is resolved at the Verizon store. Other errands include Bookman’s, Trader Joe’s, and Southwest Strings. Then back to our campsite at the RV park in time for the Mardi Gras parade, a big community affair with much honking of horns, and candy and colorful strands of beads flung about.

Texts with my siblings include plans for a July sledding party, since they still have lots of snow and more on the way. They figure there will be enough left in July to go sledding. Haha.

Saturday March 2: Today is Tombstone Day, as it is much easier to get there from Benson than from Cochise Stronghold, which is what we have done in the past. This time we go to Boothill Cemetery, which reveals a way of life with many violent deaths.

Fight at the Okay Corral
Prompt justice

Then on to the old town, parking in our usual spot. We browse our favorite clothing store awhile before I buy a skirt and Clifford buys a top for me.

We have lunch at the Longhorn Saloon, a great burger and sweet potato fries.

Lunch at the Longhorn Restaurant; stage coaches wait for passengers

At the honey store we learn more about the history of the area from the old-timer there, and a lot about killer bees. Killer bees are aggressive, but they are also resistant to the toxins and disease that are killing regular honey bees… and they produce honey. I buy a pint of killer bee honey. We walk to the courthouse, but decided to skip going in this time and go instead to the Rose Museum. This museum boasts the largest rose plant in the world. The trunk is huge and gnarly, the branches supported on a trellis covering 8,000 square feet. It is not in bloom now, of course, but a post card shows off this incredible rose bush when it is covered in blossoms.

The huge gnarly trunk of the largest rosebush in the world at the Rose Museum

Clifford is engaged in an extended conversation with the owner, whose grandfather was a settler here. The museum owner has written numerous books about the area, so is a source of information – the “inside scoop,” so to speak.

Then a trolley ride around town, always learning something new, but I prefer the horse and stagecoach version. We finish out Tombstone Day with homemade ice cream and then head back to the RV park. I make notes of highlights of the day and will write in the journal later. It was a fun day, but long, and soon time to head to bed.

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

February 18, 2019August 27, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Sunday February 17: It is a very cool but clear morning at Cacti Forest, the dispersed camping area we found northwest of Tucson, Arizona. I am up early enough to get a few photos at sunrise, then make coffee and write in the journals.

However, there are increasing clouds throughout the day, so charging the batteries is limited. Projects by necessity include activities that don’t require use of the cell phone (which I don’t have) or laptop once the battery is dead. Viola, journal writing, reading, writing postcards, and taking photos are some of today’s projects.

Monday February 18: Another cool and cloudy day in the Cacti Forest.

Morning at Cacti Forest

Today I pack and repack and repack my backpack for the trip to Atlanta to see my daughter, Becka. We are both very excited. Even though I work on some of my editing and writing projects, today’s focus is mostly on preparing for the trip. Clifford learns how to water the herbs, leftovers are used up, and the backpack repacked once again. I go to bed late, but don’t sleep very well.

A Very Cholla & Saguaro Day – February 2019

February 16, 2019August 25, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday February 16: It is a cool, breezy, mostly overcast day here in Cacti Forest northwest of Tucson. Whenever the sun breaks through, the cacti are illuminated and I run outside to get a photo or two before the next cloud takes over. Later in the day I walk east to the cattle tank, taking more photos, surprised at how chilly it is.

Cholla and Saguaro dominate the landscape

Luckily, the afternoon sun on the solar panels is enough to get the batteries charged and, therefore, my laptop charged. I work on projects, including downloading and organizing photos from the cameras, since I don’t have a cell phone at this point. Clifford keeps busy with his projects, also. In the evening, I play viola for a bit and Clifford plays his dulcimer while I do dinner dishes. This has been a very peaceful and productive day for both of us.

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

February 15, 2019August 19, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Thursday February 14: I am up too late for sunrise color, but make coffee and get ready to go walking. Since I am walking in a place that I am not familiar with, I take a radio for communication and the knife my son Tye made for me. First I walk north, keeping an eye on the tallest saguaros. The thick growth of cacti is very disorienting and within minutes I could have been totally lost. It is certainly much different than walking in La Posa South where I walked in the desert every day, never losing my sense of direction. I continue walking, keeping a close watch on the tall saguaros, until I arrive at a large wash with lots of animal tracks in the sand.

I have no desire to attempt to cross the wash, so make my way back to camp and then, crossing the road, I walk south, a gradual downhill with fewer saguaros to use as landmarks and more cholla… and javelina tracks…. so I don’t go all the way to the thicket ahead.

Back on the road and walking west, I go beyond the point where Clifford and I had walked together when first looking for a spot to camp. The cattle tank and the highway are to the east, so I skip that for now.

Back at camp, we open our mutual Valentine Day card and then I make smoothies for breakfast. I stay busy with email, writing blogs, editing, and playing viola while Clifford works on his projects.

Afternoon in the Forest with clouds moving in

In the evening it starts to rain and we have a chance to try out our collapsible water-collection buckets, filling them all with rain water.

Friday February 15: The morning is overcast with mist and drizzle; temperatures are in the 50’s all day.

In connection with his research, Clifford is making contact with a lab in Phoenix today. The drive with all the traffic and the rain is stressful and I have to remind myself to breathe easy. Once we arrive at the lab on the far side of Phoenix, Clifford talks to a lab technician there and comes away with an idea for the next step of this aspect of the research.

Heading back to our campsite, we decide to stop at Cracker Barrel in Casa Grande, south of Phoenix, and after lunch we take my defunct cell phone to a Verizon store. It is verified that it did not get wet, but just died, and a replacement will be sent to me. That is good news!

Back at camp, we sit out in our little “patio” area and relax before I make nachos for dinner. The day was a bit stressful, so having this quiet forest is especially appreciated.

Birthday in the Desert – February 2019

February 11, 2019August 12, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Saturday February 9: Kind of an overcast and chilly day here at La Posa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona, where we are camped. Pretty sunrise color, but my phone won’t turn on and I don’t have time to dig out a camera before the color fades. With laptop and hotspot, I do some research on the phone situation, but nothing seems to fit. Bummer.

No long desert walk this morning, partly because of the cell not working, but also I want to be here when Clifford gets up. He has been in a lot of pain, very worrisome to me, but he has done research on gall stones, as he thinks that is what’s going on. He is feeling some better when he gets up, but not what he should be.

We cancel running into Quartzsite to get the right Mr. Buddy heater hose, but at least he is able to start the generator in the afternoon so I can charge my laptop and get some work done. He sleeps most of the afternoon, getting up when dinner is ready, but not feeling like eating much. My brother, Rollie, joins us and after dinner, he and I play cribbage before the evening cleanup and journal writing.

It was a weird off-day with Clifford being in pain and no cell phone.

Sunday February 10: Quite chilly in the night and windy all day. Clifford was restless and up in the night with the gall stone pain, so our sleep was disrupted. However, in the morning he tells me he thinks he passed the stones in the night and although he is weak, he is feeling better. That is certainly good news.

Plans for celebrating my birthday – an outing to Palm Canyon and pizza at Silly Al’s Pizza – are put on hold, as he is not up to either, but at least he is feeling better, which is the best birthday present.

I work on email, write a blog, and do some editing. Rollie and I do music in the afternoon, and I fix a good chicken dinner, followed by a game of cribbage. I start packing for my trip to visit my daughter, Becka, in Atlanta. For photos, the camera is bulky compared to the cell phone, but it will have to do. Very awkward to not have a cell phone when traveling, however.

In looking at the weather, we will have to move a day earlier than planned to avoid high winds. Rollie is leaving tomorrow and heading to Texas to visit our cousins, so guess it works out for all of us.

Monday February 11: Today is our last day here at La Posa South.

We say good-bye to Rollie once he is packed up and ready to head out.

We run errands in Quartzsite and then pack up as much as we can outside and in. We have enjoyed our time here in the desert, but now it’s time to move on to new venues.

Quiet Walk Photography

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Tag: RV Camping

Marooned at Cochise Stronghold – March 2019

Last Days at Cochise Stronghold – March 2019

Waterfalls in Cochise Stronghold – March 2019

Hiking Cochise Trail – March 2019

Cochise Stronghold – Arizona – March 2019

Cacti Forest to Tombstone – February into March 2019

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

A Very Cholla & Saguaro Day – February 2019

More Cacti Forest – February 2019

Birthday in the Desert – February 2019