Warm weather

The weather has changed.  "Normal "desert weather has arrived.  Sunshine and 70's for the next several days.  The heat felt good.  This is why we come to the desert.

These are two photos of Organ Pipe Cactus.  Notice the cristate growing on one of the lower arms. This is an anomaly that is rare but not unheard of.  No one  knows just what causes this to happen.  

You will also see cristates in Saguaros as well.  This one is located near Bird's Eye Point on the Ajo Mountain Drive

Mom's Home

R and I work split shifts.  Because I don't mind getting  up, I work the morning shift.  At the end of the day, the boys heard the truck approaching.  Mom's home.  Yippee !

Senata Basin

This is why it is called the Seneta Basin.  It is a place where you can stand among all three columnar cacti of the Sonoran Desert....

Saturday Morning

   Saturday Morning and I am here in the Sanora Building (volunteer building) for a few minutes.  I just put a small load in the washer.  It is odd not being at work.  As a couple we are allowed to split our 32 hours per week so being that R is not a morning person, I usually take the am session ( 7:45 - 1pm ) and R takes the afternoon.  However, the morning is when the van trips are scheduled.  The park offers narrated van tours on the Ajo Mountain Drive.  Up to ten visitors are picked up at the campground and driven around the loop with a ranger as a guide., telling them about the flora and fauna, history and geology of the desert they are viewing.  In the past we volunteers conducted many of these tours but there are too many rangers so we don't get the chance this year,  But we go get to drive some of the tours and also drive another van that takes hikers out to certain locales and drops them off 4 days a week.  There are lots of hiking possibilities at ORPI.
   Another beautiful, but cool day.  The wind has been blowing night and day for several.  It has kept the temps from rising the way we would like.  The forecast is showing a warming trend which will be greatly appreciated.  70s will be great!

Sunny but cool

The clouds have disappeared.  The blue skies have returned.  But it was a bit cool this morning.  37 showed on our outside thermometer.  The Sonoran Desert gets about a dozen nights where the temperature goes below freezing but only for a few hours.  The plants here, especially the Organ Pipe and the Senetas do not like cold temperatures.  The Organ Pipes do best on the south side of the hills among the rocks.  The rocks store the heat of the day and help to keep the area a tiny bit warmer.  The Senetas are more cold sensitive than the Organ Pipes and tend to grow in the southern area of the National Monument.  The Seneta Basin is the best area to visit because you can see Organ Pipes, Saguaros, ans Senetas growing right alongside each other.  It is fun area to visit in the park.

ORPI

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, ORPI for short.   The National Park Service has a four letter code for each of it's parks.  It usually takes the first two letters of the first two words of the name.  Thus ORPI.  Fort Vancouver is FOVA .  Petrified Forest is PEFO.

  ORPI is as beautiful as ever.  I think it is the most beautiful desert in the United States.  Lots of interesting flora and fauna.  The campground has not changed.  We are in the same spot as we were two years ago.  The VC (visitor center) looks the same as well.   j

  What has changed is the management and the management attitude.  This is our 5th or 6th year as volunteers here.  We loved this place for its beauty and the great amenities that are provided.   However, the real reason we loved it was the fact that we were given the opportunity to do many varied activities; give evening programs, lead hikes, give patio talks, drive the van for the van tours, be the guide for those van tours.  Those activities gave us the opportunity to interact with the public, teaching them about this great desert, and establishing relationships with some.  Every week 3 or 4 programs were conducted by volunteers on subjects from cacti, to Roadrunners, Coyotes, Desert Tortoise, "Ouchy Things", Vultures, history of ranching in the area.  We were spending several nights a week at the amphitheater learning and enjoying one another.  Usually those events were followed by desert in the volunteer building afterwards.
   Prior to coming down here I communicated with the volunteer coordinator that we would, in fact have those same opportunities this year.  I had told him that if this was not true, we were not interested in returning.  When we had our arrival interview with the interim coordinator( the previous coordinator has left) we were told that we would not be giving programs this years because they has hired several seasonal rangers and "that was their job."  So it looks like our 3-4 month stint here will consist of working in the visitor center answering questions and pointing to the bathrooms and driving the vans for the van tours.   Have you ever been promised something by a retailer or friend and then it turned out not to be what was promised?   That is us.  We are not happy campers.

The Final Road Day

Woke up to sunshine.  No big deal in Barstow.  Had a waffle and some juice at the motel.  Stayed there because of the lack of RV spaces in the area and in was a long way the next town, Needles.  Stopped in a rest area along I-40 and tried to adjust the headlights.  I had purchased new bulbs at NAPA with help from a clerk, but they just would not fit in properly.  I was very frustrated.  It was going to get dark before we arrived in ORPI so I needed to get the problem fixed.  I remembered that two years ago when we stayed at Buckeye for a couple of nights, a new Ford dealership was being built.  Stopped there.  A tech could not get the bulbs installed either, so I purchased official Ford bulbs.  They were about 1/4 inch shorter than the NAPA bulbs.  They fit with no trouble.  Problem solved!!
   Back on the road about 4pm.  Stopped in Ajo at Olsen's IGA for a few groceries and continued south another 40 miles to our destination.  Pulled into the volunteer campground about 7:30 and set up just what was needed to be secure, ate supper, and went to bed.  Have spent the next several days getting all the added things done.  Out side lights., tire covers, dish aimed,flower banner put in front.
I think we are officially set up now.

On the Road, Still

Ok, we got going on Saturday.  After spending the week reloading the trailer, I figured we could get out of town by at least 9am.  No so, Grasshopper.  One or two more items, then a couple more shits, or a couple of food items.  "I need to vacuum the house before we go."
   So 10:30 finally found us sneaking out of town before we thought of something else. Sundown found us south of Medford.  Do we stop now or do we trudge up over the Siskiyous.  Because it was our first night out, we stopped.  I set the trailer up no problem, but when I hooked up the water hose.  R yelled, "We're leaking in the bathroom! ." Sure enough the water hose running up from the floor into the toilet was leaking water from the connection to the toilet.  I did not have a wrench that worked on that hose.  So no water tonight!  The low temp was forecast for 28.  The trailer, having been sitting in out driveway with outside temps in the teens, made for a cold habitation.  Running the furnace and two space heaters attempted to raise the heat, but we slept with many blankets aSaturday night.
   Sunday morning up and on the road.  One mile south of Asland the road starts its assent.  Dry road, thank you, Lord, but 123 miles of mountains, curves, and roadside snow, we finally got into warmer, sunny weather.  South on !-5 to Sacramento, then onto Calif Hwy 99. Spent the night in a RV park in Manteca, Ca.  The low temp was 35.  Yipee!
   Monday morning, we continued our journey south on Hwy 99.  There are two choices when going south.  I-5 and 99.  I-5 travels through the middle of the valley.  99 (which has been there forever) goes through the backyards of all the major San Joaquin Valley cities.  It is not a pretty trip.  Warehouses and loading yards, box stores, fast food, car dealers.  Scenic drive it is not !
     Stopped at a RV repair shop in Fresno and got the water hose connection tightened.  ( A few minutes with the right tool is all it took.)  and we continued on.  Bakersfield, turn onto Hwy 58 and up over Techachapi Pass.  As we drove East R tried to find an RV park in Barstow.  No luck, so we are in a Super 8 in Barstow.  Good bed, hot shower and a quicker start in the morning.
    If our luck holds, we should get to ORPI tomorrow afternoon/ evening.  I am ready to be in a warm climate and to be stationery for a while.  As we drove along today R read from a book that we sell in the gift shop telling visitors about the Flora and Fuana of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI).

Hitting the Road

Finally, the departure day is nearing.  We are leaving tomorrow morning.  The trailer is mostly packed.  How many t-shirts do I need?  How many flannel shirts or jeans?  (It seems we always take too much)  Exceptions are food, refrigerator and freezer items.  My swimming suit and towel are in the dryer and when they are dry, they go in a packing tub and into the basement storage area.  There are no swimming pools near ORPI, so we have to wait until we get to Tahoe.
   I am anxious to get going.  My mind is going ninety miles an hour thinking of the route and fueling spots, overnight spots, etc.  I would much prefer to go over Willamette Pass and down through K Falls, Reno, Vegas.  Too much winter in the Cascades.  The passes are snow covered and chains required.  No way am I going that way pulling a fifth wheel, so it is the grind down I-5.   :(  Lots of traffic, California prices, but it gets us on our way.  By for now.

Another Winter Storm

Is this number 5 or 6.  This is very un-western-Oregon-ish weather for sure.  Winter in this country is clouds and rain with temps in the high 40s and low 50s.  Not this season.  Tuesday night we went out for our time with our granddaughter Ellie.  Coming out of the shopping center, I was surprised ( I guess I should not have been) to see it was blowing and snowing.  So we had a quick supper and took her back to her house.  As we drove south the temperature hovered at 34 and the moisture was a mixture of snow and rain.  I walked the boys when we got home and the rain increased to heavy by the time a got around the block.  It was still raining when we went to bed, but 15 miles north in Sellwood it was snowing vigorously.   I woke up at 3am and thought that I had left the back light on because it was so bright outside,  Nope, just snow.  Portland received 10-12 inches.  We got 2.
    It is still around.  The daytime temps have been near 32 and the sunshine has cleared the main streets but the side streets are still patchy.  The real danger areas are the parking lots and sidewalks.  Walking around the neighborhood I bet less then 20% of the sidewalks are shoveled.  Lack of shovels, age or sickness, but I would guess mostly laziness.  The forecast next week is for "normal" weather (rain, 50's) so the current crop of snow ans ice should disappear.

Another Winter Storm

     We have had our fourth snow event.  Like the others, it did not amount to much.  Maybe a little more than an inch.  This one came up from the south so the amounts and the effects were greater from Eugene to Salem.  Although the snow totals were low the effects, the media made it sound like it was the storm of the century.  We have friends who live on the other side of town (less than 2 miles) cancel their trip to our house yesterday because of the snow.  :)
    Now, as  I type this, the temperature outside the kitchen window has zoomed up to 33.4 degrees so the melt has started.  I can hear water dripping down the gutters.  I haven;t heard that for several weeks.   The streets of the neighborhood are no longer white, but silver gray, slippery wet ice.
   The high temps in the balmy low 40's and rain for the next 3-4 days will bring back "normal" conditions for western Oregon.  Will I welcome it?   Hmmm.....

Loading

Started loading the trailer in earnest yesterday.  The floor areas were emptied totally because we had new carpeting and vinyl installed.  After ten years it was time for new.  It looks very nice.  So it is time to put everything back in.  Of course the while area needed to be vacuumed to take up the carpet "strings".  Today I will remake the bed and load the storage area beneath it.  This is always an exciting time.  It is less so this time because R is still spending 4-6 hours a day in the CPM machine and doing other exercises recommended by the physical therapists.  It is not an especially fun time for her right now, but now is the time to do it.  The muscles and tendons are not wanting to be stretched and pulled but it has to be done.  She is determined to more flexible than she was prior to her surgery.  I am very proud of the work she is doing.

Winter in Canby

A few photos taken on a walk with the boys

The weather has remained COLD since the last snow so some is still around.  Today is sunny with a high of 31 and a low near 20 so it isn't going to melt today.  The forecast is for a few more icy days and then rain by next week.  Should I say "Yippee" ? 

New Years Day

Got the trailer back yesterday afternoon.  It took longer than we wanted but it looks really good.  Actually, it does not delay us because of R's knee.  We have decided to take two more weeks of therapy and exercise which means we plan to hit the road on the 14th or 15th.  We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Today I was tempted to open the slides so that I can start reloading the rig, but decided to wait until tomorrow.  I am glad I did because we have been surprised with another snow storm.  I didn't check the TV forecasters, but my phone apps did not see this coming.  Maybe I won't open the slides tomorrow either.  /The boys, especially Hunter really liked walking in the whiteness.