Rain 1.16.2023

   Another Oregon winter day in Arizona.   100% chance of rain.  high of 52 low of 47.  Mondays are a slow day at the site.  Volunteers have the day off.  There are no programs or tours scheduled.  Our supervisor is off as well.  We are free to plan for that day.  Otherwise, our days off are dictated by the activities that are on the monthly schedule.  This week Monday and Thursday we are free, Last week it was Friday, Sunday, Monday.  It totally depends on when the schools have time for a field trip.  I would prefer to have a set schedule, but this is what it is.

   Rain is forecast through Tuesday and we are scheduled to have 80 4th graders on Tuesday and that many Kindergarten students on Friday.  Oh Boy ( sarcasm). The rain is not a problem in itself.  It's just that most of the trails are dirt, caliche to be exact.  Caliche is sort of dirt, mud and clay mixed together.  Wet, it's a greasy mud that sticks to your tires or shoes .  Ruts and footprints are made.  When it dries it hardens like adobe.  Rural dirt roads can be a real problem.  The tires become laden with the mud so they look like clown tires.  Getting stuck is a distinct possibility.  

   The other danger is when folks do not pay attention to the amount of rain that has fallen and drive through dips on the road.  These dips can be full of standing or flowing water.  It doesn't take much following water to wash a vehicle off the road or at least flood it to stall the engine.  Not a good situation to be in.  Every year someone in Arizona is a victim of such an event.  There are signs that warn, "DO NOT ENTER WHEN FLOODED"  They aren't always read.

   So what are we going to do today?  Hmm  Maybe we could go out to a Mexican Restaurant and have a Mexican Coke, with real sugar, not corn syrup like we did on Saturday.

Sunday Morning 1.15.2023

 We are halfway through January.  Two days ago we took an hour hike on the shoulder of Picket Post Mountain.  It was a beautiful and fun experience

 In a sunny spot we noticed the blossoms are starting show up on the JoJoba bush.  Jojoba bushes are either male or female.  The males produce the flowers and then pollin. After pollination the females produce the nut.  I will show you one when I find a good example.  

Afternoon Light at BTA

 Late afternoon presents great shadows.  There are many photo opportunities here.  This is just one of them.  Ayers Lake is actually a reservoir.  I was walking with the boys and the lake was like a mirror so I could not resist.   The day was as nice as the view.

Monday Jan 09.2023

 When the boys and I got on the trail this morning the yesterday's full moon was going down as the sun was brightening the eastern sky.  The lighting was very cool.  Here is the moon as we got back to the trailer.

Rain in the Desert

 As you know, we are in Arizona.  When I say Arizona to friends in the Midwest or Northwest, most or them think, " Lawrence of Arabia riding his horse down a huge sand dune with a single saguaro cactus nearby.  Nothing is further from the truth.  There are four deserts in the US.  All very different.  All four of them are present in the state of Arizona.  The most prevalent and most beautiful desert in Arizona is the Sonoran.

    So rain, desert.  Do they sound like they go together?  Actually, they do.  The Sonoran Desert has five seasons.  Winter is the rainy season.  the second half of summer is also a rainy season.  It is the time for the "Monsoons", thunderstorms that blow in from the Gulf of California.  The winter rains are slow and nurturing.  The Monsoons are violent, loud, and often cause flash flooding downstream of the storm areas.

We have had three periods of winter rains, one in early December, one over Christmas weekend and one New Year's weekend.  Probably a total of 5 inches over the periods.  The wildflower display this spring is going to be awesome.

Queen Creek has been flowing since December 5th.  Heavey early in the month, dropping to almost a trickle and then building with the Christmas and New Year's rains.  It is good to see water flowing in it.  Notice how turbid the water is.  This was taken yesterday.  Today the flow has lessened, and the water has cleared.

 

Aloe Bloom

 It is the second day of Winter.  I have a bloom to show you.  Because Aloe are from the Southern Hemisphere they are beginning to bloom.  Here is an early Aloe bloom.  More to come.

Where Have We Been?

 Good question, but you know the answer.   On our way down to Arizona.  So here's the trip.

Day 1:(Fri)  Canby to Redmond : (156mi)  Left Canby before 10am  ( very good)  Drive over Santiam Pass was uneventful.  A little snow on the side of the road.  Arrived at RV Park in Redmond about 3:30.  Supper and conversation with Jason and Toni _ Priceless !

Day 2:(Sat)  Redmond to Standish, Ca:  (335mi)   Dry conditions, mixed sun, Arrived at RV park at 4:30.  

Day 3:(Sun)  Standish to Tonopah, Nv:  (308mi)   Sunny, dry, best fuel price (4,75) arrived at RV park 4.  Cool night at 6000 ft.

Day 4:(Mon) Tonopah, Nv to Cal Nev Ari, Nv: (280mi)  Nice dry drive, open skies.  Arrived at 3pm.

Day 5:Tues) Cal Nev Ari to Yuma:  (225mi)  Got going by 9am. This is my least favorite part of the trip (from Cal Nev Ari to Parker. narrow, curvy, "up and down").  Arrived at Quartzite about 1pm.  While fueling up, someone mentioned that one of the tires on the trailer was "dragging".  Thinking about the bearing problem we had two years ago, I checked all the hubs.  (No heat, so not the issue.)  Further searching revealed the back tire on the passenger side was missing one of the treads.  Yipes !  I called a local tire shop and found out that a new tire was in stock. "We can do it today"  Drove over and waited 2 hours until we could get the trailer into the shop.  Further searching revealed the problem; a broken spring.  The other three springs were sagging as well so the trailer's day was over.  All needed replacing.  The shop said they could do it.  The Trailer was unhooked.  We grabbed what we thought would last us the 3/4 nights in a motel; clothes, shoes, dog supplies, meds, cooler full of snacks,  Found a suitable motel with Travelocity on our way to Yuma.  By 6pm we were checked in and unloaded.

Day 6: (Wed) Trip to Los Algodones, Mexico:  (10mi)  Visited our favorite dentist and discovered that the work recommended by our local dentist is not needed.  On day is all that will be needed.  If the trailer was not an issue, we could have driven to BTA on Thursday .  However, the parts were scheduled to arrive on Friday.

Day 7&8 (Thurs) Trip to Imperial Nat. Wildlife Refuge on the Colorado River.  Perfet example of a riparian zone in a desert environment.  There were 3 Desert Tortoises that had been "pets" so could not be returned to the wild.  Each on has it's own space to roam and a den for brumation.  The day we were there one of the areas was being worked on so "Digger" was in a plastic container which he did not like.  

 

Isn't he a cutie?

Day 9  (Sat)  Yuma, Quartzite, Superior)  (250mi)  Picked up the repaired trailer.  Drove east on I-10 and arrived at BTA about 1:30  Set up in the rain.   (but that's another story)