usbackroads™

Ash Springs, Alamo, Nevada

2013-06-12T17:25:00.001-07:00

usbackroads destination--Ash Springs, Alamo, Nevada

This is a warm spring a few miles north of Alamo, Nevada right on Highway 93. It is a BLM recreation site and was unsigned when we were there. It is, however, directly across the Highway from the Shell Station. There is a very short road from the highway to the spring. It your towing it is simpler to park on the Highway shoulder and walk into the springs area.

Click on the picture to enlarge so you can read the "rules".

This is actually the interpretive sign for Crystal Springs which is just a bit farther north of Ash Springs, but located on private property. It does give you a history of the area.

Here is the private property sign for Crystal Springs and the USGS stream gauging station.

But back to Ash Springs!! Here is a picture of the upper pool and rock work.

The health and safety sign gives another set of rules. There is also a sign recommending that people limit their stay to TWO hours. It is a popular place so chose your visiting time carefully. We were there on a Saturday morning and it was packed with people. A magic spot if your the only one here.

Just north of the springs is the Pittman Wildlife area. It is a great spot to stretch the legs and walk around the small lake.

This is the west where Whiskey is for drinking and water for fighting. Well, at least this landowner knows that land without water is just worthless.

The cities of Las Vegas and Los Angeles have been buying water rights left and right in the west to ship their urban areas. Not sure how they missed these 13.5 acre feet of water!!

Ash Springs. A pretty neat area with the wildlife area and springs is worth a stop and at least a couple of hours on your trip through Highway 93 and central Nevada.

Book Read: Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris and the Renegades of Nashville by Michael Streissguth. I am a great fan of traditional country music. So this book seemed like a natural read. The book is fine and focused more on the business side than the music. A slightly boring read, if your into country music. Otherwise a real boring read.

Eastern Washington Fishing Season 2013 Photo's

2013-06-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--eastern Washington Fishing Lakes 2013

Fishing season started late this year due to our delay in returning from Arizona. So most March was spent in Arizona, rather than Washington.

The early fishing trips were to the usual suspects in the Columbia Basin. For more information on why a desert is full of trout fishing lakes.....click on this link: Bureau of Reclamation and God....an unlikely pair of Resource Managers.

As you can see by the pictures the state of Washington's nickname really does need to be changed to the Everbrown State. Fortunately, the wet springs of the past two years were replaced by a more normal weather pattern.

May brought the most perfect weather with temperatures in the 80's and a lake at 3000 feet full of 19 inch fish. There is nothing more perfect than sitting in your LaFuma recliner at 8:00 am in the morning with a cup of coffee and watching a mountain lake come to life in the morning. And for early May those temperatures were very welcome.

Bugaboo is not a great fan of fishing season. Though he did get to enjoy more fishing trips this year as his behavior is getting better. He does have a very bad case of separation anxiety. So he gets to sit in the truck while we fish. Barking gets him a reminder from the "good citizenship collar", so he has developed a low, fairly quiet mournful wail.

The fishing season ends at a cutthroat lake in the basin. Yes, I know cutts can't jump. The scenery is pretty with the cliffs and talus slopes. The warm weather reminds me that fishing season is pretty much over until mid-September for lakes in eastern Washington.

The fishing trips will now shift to mountain lakes with trees and much smaller fish. Many of these require a short hike to the lakes.

So the float tube will have to placed on the back along with the rod, vest, waders, and fins.

Bugaboo gets to go along on the hikes. Usually, he gets to park underneath a shady tree and watch the fishing.

Sometimes he practices his mournful wails while waiting for us to finish fishing.

The pontoon boat is head for storage for the summer.

All that is left are the memories of another spring fishing season in eastern Washington.

Aurora Borealis, Wenatchee, Washington

2013-06-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--Aurora Borealis, Wenatchee, Washington

This display started on May 31, 2013 and continued for a few hours on June 1st.

The farther north you go the greater chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis. The active sun cycle with lots of sunspots also increases the chances of seeing the Aurora. It is best seen from a dark site, however, when a friend calls at midnight and says hey "go outside and take a look". You go outside even if it is your driveway.

This is what a typical Aurora looks like minus the colors. It has to be a dark site with a bright Aurora to see colors. However, camera's are much more forgiving. This Aurora is the best since the late 1980's when an Aurora covered more than half the sky in Wenatchee. At first I thought it was clouds in that case. Unfortunately, this was before digital camera's.

I just got a new Canon 6D camera. These were the first pictures taken with the camera so please excuse the quality. I used a tripod and Canon EOS remote software to take the pictures from my IPAD. I am looking forward to using the camera for more astrophotography in the future.

Green....your eyes are most sensitive to green light. So the first color you are likely to perceive in dark situations is green. The view above is the typical Aurora Borealis view. Green and bands heading up.

As you moved west the green glow faded a bit, however, it faded much more quickly to the east. That is Cygnus rising in the east and you can see the faint glow of the Milky Way.

When I first came outside there was one ray that went from the northwest to the southeast crossing the sky at the zenith.

It quickly faded, however, came back to life about a half hour later and these are the set of photographs from the second "apparition".

The steak in the middle of the ray is the midnight Horizon flight to Wenatchee. They must have had one great viewing platform as they landed at Pangborn Field.

The yellow glow on the horizon is the light pollution from Seattle. It is well over a hundred miles from Wenatchee as the crow flies and on the other side of the Cascade Range. However, as you can tell there are a LOT of people in Seattle that are afraid of the dark and keep their outside lights lit at night for no good particularly reason.

Light pollution has been implicated in accelerating hormonal cancers such as breast and prostrate, limiting pollination of agricultural plants, affecting the migration of birds and large mammal species, inviting vandalism, wasting lots of money, creating road hazards through glare, and of course, robbing people of the view of the universe. However, many people never outgrow their fear of the dark!!

Overhead the ray danced and curved through the zenith.

As the display started winding down it became more intense along the western horizon.

As with all displays they start to fade.

However, there are always the memories and pictures.

Camera used was a Canon 6d on a tripod. Exposures were generally around 15 seconds at f5.6 with an ISO of 6500 or so in most cases. Since this was the first time I used the camera I concentrated on just taking pictures.

As always click on the picture to enlarge!

Minnie Lake, British Columbia, Canada

2013-05-28T20:06:00.001-07:00

usbackroads-Minnie Lake, British Columbia, Canada

The annual spring fishing trip to Minnie Lake.

Four days from May 22-25, 2013. Rain, Cloudy, Sunny and Rain, but little wind. Water temps ranged from 56 to 58 degrees.

Wildhorse Resort and Casino, Pendleton, Oregon

2013-04-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--Wildhorse Resort and Casino, Pendleton, Oregon

The run from Boise to Pendleton is around our 200 mile daily travel limit. You are pretty much on I-84 all the way to Pendleton. Baker City and the BLM Oregon Trail Center are worth a stop. If your traveling in July and August the Anthony Lakes Area just outside of Haines is worth a steep trip up the mountain. Here is the Forest Service link to Anthony Lakes, don't forget that steep trip UP the mountain means a steep trip DOWN the mountain.

The run between Boise and Pendleton goes through Ladd Canyon and of course Cabbage Hill. I-84 is up high for a portion of the trip so check those mountain camera's for conditions. The trip down Cabbage Hill is a six percent grade, but with the exhaust brake it went smoothly.

There is a truck stop right next to the Casino where you can buy a t-shirt that states that you survived the trip down Cabbage Hill. But more importantly, it is a good place to get diesel with plenty of room. We got here pretty late so did not explore the casino.

The campground is just under $30/night. They do have a golf course close and offer golf packages. Lots of sageland around the campground for walking the dog. Here is the official link to the campground.

There is a Pendleton Woolen Mills outlet store on the outskirts of Pendleton. You don't want to haul your RV down there. Pendleton Wool products are very high quality and a unique western gift. One year we did all our Christmas shopping here and the blankets also make excellent wedding gifts. For more information click here.

Here is a picture of the pull through spurs. They are narrow. How narrow, well the step was on the grass and our tennis balls that we normally put on the bedroom slide to avoid bumping our heads found use next to the electrical panel!

Tight, real tight.

However, the spurs had nice grass complete with a picnic table.

Since we are not into golf or gambling this will probably remain just an overnight spot for us. Some of the spurs are NOT level, so you might want to walk the campground before selecting a unit.

My only comment was they must have used Forest Service design standards for the campground design!!

The trip between Pendleton and Wenatchee is another 200 mile jaunt and we headed for Confluence State Park to clean up the 5th wheel and see how the homestead survived the winter.

Riverview RV Park, Boise, Idaho

2013-04-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

usbackroads destination--Riverview RV Park, Boise, Idaho.

It was the latter part of March when we came through Boise. We left Jackpot and we were trying to get as far west before a predicted storm with snow hit the mountains. We started surfing the net for an RV park in Boise. We have several retired friends from our past that live in Boise so decided it might be a good stop to wait out a storm.

Boise also has the riverfront bike path that goes through the heart of the city. Unfortunately, the Boise of my youth with its population of 35,000 is long gone. While we were there the Boise Metro Area went past the Spokane Metro Area with a population well over a half million people. It was and still is a great community and city. A little big for our taste to be a resupply town, but worth the stop.

The Riverview RV Park is next to the fairgrounds, rodeo arena, and the Boise Hawks baseball stadium. The RV park is leased from the fairgrounds. So be aware, at times it could be hard to find a vacancy or it might be noisy if the fair is going or the ball games are in progress. It is a typical RV park. The very special part is the bike path right next to the park. Here is the link to the park: Riverview RV Park.

The bike path was a favorite for Bugaboo and Snowpatch. There were lots of ducks, geese, and other animals up and down the bike path. The geese gave Bugaboo a wide berth. There is something about a dog on point that just unnerves geese. However, with Snowpatch they just hissed at him. I guess somewhere between 10 and 100 pounds the geese back down!

The bike path runs all the way downtown and beyond. It even goes past Bronco stadium in case you want to watch a football game on a blue field.

The Boise River is rather special as it flows through town.

Here is the link to the establishment of the greenway:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise_greenbelt.

This link gives you all the bike trails in Boise:

Boise Bike Trail Map.

The bike trail should be on your to do list as you travel the western US. Do not forget to go into downtown Boise for shopping and other city attractions.

It is a nice city. Much more deserving of the biggest little city moniker than that Nevada town!

It is Idaho.....so fishing is always close. Even downtown!

Some people even walk the bikepath. We spent four days waiting for the weather to clear in the mountains. It was nice to see old friends and it is always pleasant to spend a few days in Boise.

Alamo, Nevada to Boise, Idaho--Running Against the Wind

2013-03-22T12:29:00.003-07:00

Alamo, Nevada to Boise, Idaho--Running Against the Wind.

We left sunny, warm Alamo and started heading north and right away started running into cool weather and wind. Is the picture above showing high winds aloft? The wind slowed our speed down to 45 to 50 MPH for stretches at a time. We did notice this sign just outside of Alamo and given the design of the aircraft I suspect it might be a bit more stable in high winds than the box that is our 5th wheel.

There is a rest area right at the junction of Hwy 318 and Hwy 375. Given its location relative to roads it might catch every headlight all night long!

There is a state of Nevada wildlife area adjacent to the rest area, but it appears that camping is not allowed there. Here is the link to information on the area: http://ndow.org/about/pubs/wma/wma_pittman.pdf.

We fought the headwind all the way to Ely, Nevada. It was only about 140 miles but seemed much longer than that!! We opted not to boondock this time at the Sinclair gas station. So we stayed at the Prospector Hotel and RV Park. It was $15 a night for full hookups and wireless internet. Great breakfast in the hotel. Entry and existing was somewhat tricky. I would enter south of the hotel, go around the back and down into the RV Park and the six pull-throughs. I exited by heading north right in front of the hotel. That Texaco station across the street was the last gas for many miles!!

Heading north on 93 we ran into Bugaboo's old friend the Pony Express rider. However, Bugaboo remembered that he did not play with him two years ago so and ignored him. Snowpatch, on the other hand, thought that the Pony Express rider was a friend of that "Giant Quail" in Gila Bend and refused to even come close. Here is 2010 posting on the route to Jackpot. Notice that the rest area has been rebuilt.

We continued north in high winds until finally reaching Jackpot. The review is here. The water was still off at the campground and was not scheduled to be turned on until May. So get your tank filled before setting up. The lower campground does has drinking water that can be used to fill your tanks.

After Jackpot we decided to head to Boise. We took Highway 20 through Buhl and that was a great route hitting I-84 west of Twin Falls.

We braved the traffic and landed at Riverside RV Park in Boise.

Alamo, Nevada

2013-03-17T20:35:00.001-07:00

usbackroads destination-Alamo, Nevada.

We pulled out of Bullhead City heading north, but first headed west to hook-up with I-15 and hopefully stay on it through Las Vegas. An adventure, taking the routes through Las Vegas when your 49 feet long.

We finally felt like we were headed home after turning onto 93 north! There is so much to love about Nevada. The wide open spaces and bankrupt developments or maybe just on the edge. They do know how to spend money on an entrance!!

For Bugaboo, the attraction is he can wander the highways without worrying about cars. However, when I first drove this highway from Las Vegas to Twin Falls in 1978 I believe I saw two cars! It was a lot more crowded today. Had to keep an eye on Bugaboo.

I am a sucker for small towns. Alamo is actually a fairly large town for Nevada, with a small grocery store. A great Sinclair gas station with diesel and great access for truck and trailer. There is a Mexican restaurant named Carlos that was suppose to be good, but we passed and instead went to "the Scoop". This was an real ice cream place with real ice cream. Great stop and a very short walk from the RV park.

I tried to ride the bicycle up to the hot springs five miles north of town on Highway 93, but decided that was a bad deal as there was no shoulder and the speed limit is 70 mph.

So I decided to stop at the local cemetery to pay my respects to the departed. Lots of men in their twenties decided to check out of the earth. There was one gentleman that was an Oakland Raider fan to the very end. He was probably not very happy with the last decade of Raider football.

However, as always the cowboys show style even in death.

I turned around and headed backed to town and cruised the roads of Alamo. Alamo might be a little town, but it is much bigger than many places I have lived.

The RV Park had the basic essential services. The high point was the campground wi-fi system. It actually ran at 3mbps!! This is the fastest internet since we left Oregon is mid-November. We should be back in Wenatchee and our standard 100mbps service in a week. I am so ready.

Alamo serves as the base for exploring the BLM lands just outside of town. We ran into a Canadian couple that have extended their stay from one day to four to explore Lincoln County. Here is the link to the on-line resources of the county: Lincoln County Travel Center Links.

Just south of town is the wildlife refuge that we mentioned in 2010: Places to Camp....Las Vegas to Ely.

Next posting is on the hot springs in the area.

Augie's Quail Trail RV Park, Gila Bend, Arizona

2013-03-13T20:29:00.002-07:00

usbackroad-Augie's Quail Trail RV Park, Gila Bend, Arizona.

Back on the road again and headed home. We got up in Benson, Arizona and turned up the furnace. A little less than 200 miles later we are in Gila Bend, Arizona and running the air conditioner all day and probably most of the night. However, Gila Bend was well within our 4 hours and 200 miles of driving per day. And who would not want to stop in a spot with such a cool name as Gila Bend.

Our choices were the RV park at the Shell Station and Augie's. The Shell Station had good reviews: Holt Shell Station Review by We Call it HOME.

The reviews Augie's were notas promising. Basically really nice folks running a park with issues! Well, the reviews are basically correct.

For $30 a night you get water, electric, and a sewer hook-up. No cable TV and they do advertise Wi-Fi throughout the park, but I was never able to make a connection on the three computers we have with us.
For an overnight stay you are better off boondocking than paying $30 for hookups that you really don't need.

But as the reviews noted the managers are real nice. I hope the owner pays them a good wage since it is probably the only thing keeping the park open. Most of the park is occupied by construction workers in the area. So spots were limited AND the RV park at the Shell Station was fully booked.

There is over the air TV with a grand total of TWO. One is English, and one in Spanish. The English station broadcast Judge Judy and all her legal friends, while the Spanish station had some pretty hot video's and TV shows. I am very curious about the Mexican fascination with blondes. Not many natural blondes in Mexico, but they are all over Mexican TV broadcasts. AND why are Mexican stations broadcasting in the US NOT required to have closed-captions?? Some of that stuff sounded real interesting but I really NEEDED CLOSED CAPTIONS IN ENGLISH. Where is the FCC when you really need them!!!

I picked out a campsite with a really cool sculpture of a quail.

Bugaboo just ignored the bird. However, Snowpatch the dog that chases quail and pheasants was suddenly faced with an apparition of a quail 20 times his size. His reaction....well just look at that tail.

And the first chance he gets.....he is off and running in the opposite direction!! Notice the tail.

We are following Comet PanStarrs. Here is the link to the Sky and Telescope web site: Comet PanSTARRS. As Sky and Telescope says "It's certainly not the spectacle we once hoped for — but it's there, and it's becoming less difficult each evening." It is bright and easily visible in binoculars. So look to the west in the twilight with your binoculars and see one of natures spectacles. There might be a much brighter comet next fall, but this one is pretty nice. If you have a friend with a telescope it looks even better.

The road continues north tomorrow.

AND final shot of the RV park. The Verizon tower is in the park so phone and data services are pretty good in the park. They did slow down in the evening when everybody fired up their Verizon modems.

Boquillas Ranch Trails, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, BLM, St. David, Arizona

2013-03-08T11:34:00.001-08:00

usbackroads destination--Boquillas Ranch Trails, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, BLM, St. David, Arizona.

In 2010, we visited this area, but explored the Fairbank Historic Townsite. You can view the posting by click on this link: Fairbank Historic Townsite. This trip we focused on the trails that are in the area. From Highway 82 there are trailheads on both sides of the road.

The northern trailhead is a single track trail going north past Fairbank Cemetery, and the Grand Central Mill site. Where the trail reaches the San Pedro River it loops back to the Fairbank townsite. The entire trail is about three or four miles in length. We did it on our bicycles, before we got Snowpatch's panniers.

He does look a little skeptical about the entire backpack thing.

The first half of the trail (eastern half away from the river) has only a few sandy spots and is fairly easy to bicycle. After the turnaround point the trail has some substantial sandy spots that are difficult to bicycle. The score for the entire trip was SAND 4, SUSIE 0. Since she was behind me I did not get to witness the dismounts. Some were rather impressive according to her.

Snowpatch and I stayed upright.

This is a good walking trail. I probably would not bicycle the riverside part of the trail due to sand, but it would be a wonderful loop walk.

The southern trailhead leads to the Boquillas Ranch which is now owned by BLM. This is a gated road. Some washboards, a couple of sandy washes, but a much better trail to bicycle.

The original ranch property is still pretty much intact. There is a cool barn, a couple of houses, workshops, water tank, and all the other necessary ranch goodies.

For Bugaboo and Snowpatch the real attraction was the San Pedro River. Bugaboo looks good wading the river, Snowpatch on the other hand appeared to be a drowned white laboratory rat. A couple of hawks watched him with intense interest, but then decided to move on.

Snowpatch did enjoy his new mode of transportation. We did the north half with Snowpatch in a backpack and the south half with his new shiny panniers. He seemed comfortable with the panniers, since it was them or the kennel in the truck.

The ranch is a good spot for a picnic lunch. You can follow a faint trail to the west to reach the river. It is possible to bicycle from Charlestown all the way to the trailhead. However, a bicyclist reported that the trail was "rather technical" in some spots and there were some sandy washes that also had to be crossed. He was complaining, but his girlfriend that was running the entire route said little. I suspect they were military from Sierra Vista and being in their twenties that fact convinced me to stop at the ranch and leave Charleston for another day.

I am not sure what BLM's plans are for the area. I could not find a management plan on-line for the Conservation Area. The ranch would make a dandy environmental learning center. AND since a campground is NEEDED inside the Conservation Area, the ranch with its water supply and facilities would make a dandy spot. The road can remain gated and closed except campers and others staying at the environmental learning center.

The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is a special spot. We are still exploring new areas on our second year in the area. Great spot, close to Benson, Sierra Vista, St. David, Tombstone and other communities....which really should be linked to the Conservation area with bicycle trails. Oh, I am starting to think like I am still working. Have to leave that for the other folks!

Hot Well Dunes, Safford, Arizona

2013-03-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

usbackroads destination--Hot Well Dunes, Safford, Arizona

Two years ago, we called BLM for instructions on how to find this recreation site. We were informed that the "Hot Wells" were no longer artisian and that the BLM was looking for funding to "fix" the wells and recreation facilities.

The original "hot wells" came from oil and gas drilling way back in the 1920's. Instead of oil, they hit hot water and these became the "hot wells". Another benefit of America's oil and gas industry!! The dunes over the years became popular with the ORV crowd and I am sure that between the "hot wells" and ORV party crowd it must have been quite a spot over the years.

BLM did find the funding from Arizona's ORV fund and I suspect some government funding. But I suspect the ORV crowd funded most of the reconstruction of the recreation facility and "hot wells".

The site is split into basically four areas. The first is a day use picnic site with a natural hot water pond. The second is the "rustic" campground. The third are the "hot wells". And at the end of the road is the ORV parking.

The picnic area is the quiet and far from the ORV area. It is worth a stop. The fee for using the recreation facilities is $3 per day. So if you are camping area it is a $6 per night fee. Half-price discount for federal access and senior passes.

For this you might get a picnic table, parking area, garbage can, restroom and access to the "hot wells".

Quite the bargain for $3. As always, click on photo to enlarge.

Signs, signs everywhere a sign. These at least have some information on them. Here is the sign at the picnic area. For some reason I never did get a good picture of the area, however, click on the sign for the basic information.

These are the campsites. As you can see the campground is rustic and fairly undeveloped. Well in keeping with BLM's low key approach to recreation. What more do you need?? I like these type of campgrounds in the right setting.

Well, the campground was an easy "recreation planning" problem. The "hot wells" were more difficult. How do you design a hot springs to be rustic, safe, durable, and cheap to maintain. Here are the pictures. What do you think??

This is the picnic area and parking lot at the "hot wells".

This is the toilet facility.

This is the solar pump house to keep the "hot wells' flowing. Well, I probably would have mated the toilet with this building to minimize the number of structures.

And here are the "hot well tubs"!!

The sign on dogs was a little unclear. We first thought, it meant no dogs inside the fence portion of the tub, however, on later reflection I think BLM meant keep dogs in the parking area.

The hot tubs are 106 degrees F. and quite comfortable. There is a very faint sulfer smell and little bits of algae floating around. However, quite nice for a hot springs out in the wilds. Don't let the cement and fence fool you.....this is no motel pool hot tub. I suspect I would worked a bit harder for a more rustic design for the simple reason I would not want to answer the letters about "unclean" etc. etc.

Just to be sure you do mistake these for hotel hot tubs there is this sign.

Now a simple little Honda 2000 generator would let those tubs fill in darkness!! All BLM would need to do is provide a plug to the Honda generator.

Then it dawned on me that ORV's, hot tubs, alcohol, and hot desert nights probably lead to some interesting activities which I am sure that BLM has NO INTEREST in seeing happen on Federal land.

So...hey no sun. No hot water for people to sit in and get wasted. Clever, very clever. IF I was still working I would do the same thing in a heartbeat.

Finding the Hot Wells Dunes is best done from Bowie rather than Highway 191. You could tow anything in from the Bowie side. The 191 approach is fine, but narrower and with less reassurance signing. One warning. We came in from Highway 191 and left via Bowie. But our GPS unit wanted to send us off on some interesting roads on the desert floor.

Stick to the main route. From Bowie you will go through paved and unpaved, but very wide road that makes sharp turns through pecan orchards. Guess they just followed property lines!

When you hit the BLM managed lands. The road narrows, but is covered with chip seal.

BLM rules regarding dogs are under voice control or on a leash. Bugaboo, all 100 lbs of him, is fine with voice control. Snowpatch, all 12 lbs of him, has never even considered the concept. So here he is in the middle of somewhere on a leash. Oh yes, he did run off at Hot Wells Dunes to chase quail. I guess he does not believe bird season is over. The picture gives you an idea about road quality. I suspect the road is like this all the way to Safford. It might be interesting to ride the road on a bicycle. Little traffic.

This is what the land looks like in the area. BLM Big Sky Arizona.

We did see this sign just west of the Hot Wells Dunes. Not sure what it means, but if you area interested in dispersed camping near the Dunes you might want to call BLM. We did see people in hunting camps several miles north and west of the area. Click on picture to enlarge.

Here is the link to the BLM office in Safford: Safford Field Office Web Page.

Review of Arkel Bicycle Panniers

2013-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

usbackroads product--Arkel Bicycle Panniers

After we purchased the electric bikes the challenge was to find a front pannier rack and panniers to fit the electric bicycles. The rear rack on the electric bicycles is 10mm in diameter. REI had only one set of panniers that fit 10mm racks. The panniers made me long for the panniers of the mid-1970's. Unfortunately, they also did not fit the electric bikes.

The first priority was to find a front pannier rack that would fit the electric bicycles. Well, it looks like Susie's FX has standard attachments, while my bike appears to have never been considered for mounting front panniers. Long, long searches and we finally found the Axiom front pannier rack!!

It missed fitting Susie's bike by about a quarter inch!! It fit perfectly on my bike, if installed backwards!!.

So there it is installed on my bike and if you notice carefully the rack is angled TOWARDS the bicycle fork rather than away from it.

At least, it fits and is level.

The issue then was to find a pannier that would fit an installed backwards rack. If you look closely at the picture and the two raise knobs on the top rail you will notice that the right side is flush with the fork.

That makes it tough to fit a pannier.

At this point our priority shifted to making sure a small white dog could ride in the pannier.

So this was Snowpatch's riding position for a couple of trips.

It worked great until at 15 MPH he decided to bail out of the backpack.

I did not get to witness the double flip and head over heels roll down the bicycle trails, but Susie did. So did some hikers that thought it was cruel and unusual punishment for a small white dog.

So this was the end of Snowpatch's bicycle trips until we could find a more satisfactory arrangement to insure that Snowpatch's days would not end on a bicycle trip.

The hunt was on for a set of front bicycle panniers that would hold Snowpatch and make any crashes more survivable for a small white dog.

I went to bikeforums.net and asked for advice on the best panniers. The recommendation came to Lone Peak Packs and Arkel Packs from Canada..

The Arkel Packs had a adjustable cam system for holding the panniers to the racks. Since I still had my "Big Red" Holdsworth bicycle from bicycle touring in Europe in 1976, and my Cannondale mountain bike I needed a set of panniers that would move easily from one bike to another. Here is a picture of the cam system. Notice that the hooks are also adjustable. So they fit on the "short" front pannier rack from Axiom.

Here is a complete picture of the rack mounting system.

Arkel sells many different sizes of panniers. My criteria was to find a pannier that could function as a front or rear pannier.

Oh yeah, it also had to carry a small white dog!!

I ended up with the Dolphin 32 pannier since it could be used a both a rear or front pannier.

It has more room than my Kirkland panniers from 1976. I was guessing at sizes when I ordered through the web site.

I does seem like it has a bit more room than Snowpatch needs for comfortable touring.

After the first "nervous" trip in the panniers he has settled down and seems to actually enjoy watching Bugaboo running ahead.

The bicycle actually handles better with Snowpatch in the right front and with the liquid refreshments in the left front pannier. I did put a small sheet of plywood in the bottom of the pannier so he could ride in a level position.

We did take Snowpatch and Bugaboo on a backcountry bicycle tour in the San Pedro River Riparian National Conservation Area. Bugaboo and Snowpatch enjoyed romping in the San Pedro River. They were particularly happy about finding a gut pile complete with small intestines that seemed just yummy to them!! Bugaboo also found a dead skunk that he tried to roll over so he could be "more attractive" the ladies.

Pictures of that trip coming next. However, if you want to see pictures of the Arkel panniers as they were meant to be used....here it is. You can see that the two water bottles and Susie's screaming yellow zonkers bicycle jacket fit perfectly. Here the jacket is in the outside pocket not in the main pannier.

Desert Snowstorm, South-East Arizona

2013-02-23T08:34:00.001-08:00

Desert Snowstorm, South-East Arizona

The first clue the weather was changing when all the folks from the mid-west started getting alerts on their smartphones for a blizzard warning for Tucson and the surrounding area. Their were a lot of comments about a blizzard in Tucson, and the National Weather Service quickly started at issuing clarifications. Seems their alert system is "county-wide". However, the blizzard warning was only for those above 3000 foot elevation. The National alert system must have be devised in the eastern part of the United States where elevation does not change much within a county.

In our case, we are camped 3800 feet so we were waiting for our first blizzard in well over 50 years or so!!
In eastern Washington, blizzard warnings are very rare since you need WIND and SNOW to create a blizzard. Oh, we get WIND and we get SNOW, but hardly ever at the same time. Most of our snow gently swirls as it falls through the atmosphere under completely calm conditions.

We also get very little moisture from the sky in Wenatchee. Quite a bit, however, comes via pipes from the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers. God, after all made rain for those people without developed irrigation systems. The annual precipitation is 9.2 inches compared with 11.4 for Tucson. Not sure if we had to spend year-round in Tucson if we could handle to 20% plus increase in precipitation!!

So the blizzard was a new weather event for us. The previous nights warning found a warm and sunny morning once the sun rose in the east. Then about noon the temperature went from 55 degrees to 30 degrees in less than an hour. The wind started and the official start of the blizzard was announced by the power going on-off several times during that first hour.

Ok, it was not much of a blizzard. However if you notice the picture of the cactus at left.....the snow is on ONE side only. Notice no snow on the top of the cactus.

For a blizzard of about a couple hours duration it was interesting. The wind was more of an issue than the snow.

One thing about desert snowstorms. The ground is usually still above freezing, so any snow falling on the ground and road services tends to melt fairly quickly.

It takes a longer duration snow event to pile up enough snow to cover the streets and desert floor.

That event took place that night.

Throughout the night it snowed "gently". Much more like the storms in Wenatchee. That morning there was enough snow to coat the desert floor.

Notice that there is more snow on the plants than on the ground!

For Bugaboo this did not even register as a snowstorm. Normally, at home after a snowstorm he runs outside, flips on his back and rubs the snow into his fur.

He then lays for hours in the snow. Must be that German blood in his veins.

Here he just ignored the snow. That ball up in the tree has had his attention for over two weeks now. He can see it, but there is no way for him to climb the tree to get it.

So every time we start our desert walk in the morning he heads for the "ball tree" and sees if the wind had brought the ball down during the night.

No such luck even if after the Arizona Blizzard of 2013!

Still the desert was fun to hike in the snow. We did see that the jackrabbit population is a bit higher than we previously estimated by the tracks in the snow. Definitely, looked like only the rabbits were moving about and everybody else was waiting for it to melt. No other tracks. Even the coyotes decided to sleep in.

I worried a little bit about Bugaboo not seeing the cactus spines in the snow. But he came back cactus free.

By noon, the great Arizona snowstorm was just a fond memory. And the best part was NOT having to blow or shovel snow!

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, Douglas, Arizona

2013-02-20T17:57:00.001-08:00

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, Douglas, Arizona

We headed down to Douglas, Arizona to purchase a telescope for use while down here. I decided to pass on the telescope. Douglas is a small town on the Mexican border, more Mexican than American. Interesting place to visit. It is easy to get around in town since everything is posted in Spanish and English.

We ended up eating lunch at the Grand Cafe which is a Mexican restaurant. Reviews were mixed. Our food was fine, but not great. However, the entire place is decorated with Marilyn Monroe posters and photos. This has been my year for Marilyn. It seems like every other e-book I have read this year has included her in one form or another. See review at end of the posting!!

We headed north out of Douglas and started exploring the valley. We ran into this sign, that at first I chalked up to a lonesome Canadian.

Bugaboo was taking no chances. Moose are dangerous animals. However, the rear of the sign revealed a sadder reason for the sign.

As a roadside memorial this one was different.

On the map we noticed a Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area and decided that might just be the place for Bugaboo and Snowpatch to stretch their legs. Navigating along the back roads we came to this sign. Great public land closed to the public!!! You know my thoughts on that one!!

We detoured around the sign and wondered if there was public access to the public's land. After a couple of mile detour we heard such a squawking that we wondered what lay in store.

Sandhill Cranes. Thousands of them. And thankfully the land is managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department not the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. That meant public access.

We have been partial towards Sandhill Cranes as for the past eight years we have had a mating pair show up every spring at Camas Meadows. In 2009, we finally understood why the Sandhill Cranes came to Camas, but never nested at Camas Meadows. Click for the complete STORY. Pictures of the cranes in 2010 can be found HERE. So now when we travel we keep looking for our cranes.

Lots of flying about and all the squawking!! Not sure what all the noise was about, but you could hear it for miles.

Of course, the ducks ignored all the noise. Seems they were just happy that duck season was over.

Bugaboo said "duck season is over??....wait, it can't be....all we did was chase pheasants....next year, we are NOT leaving for Arizona until duck season is over".

Here is more information on Sandhill Cranes. As always you can click on the picture and it will come up full screen so you can read the text.

They are huge birds. With a ten foot wing span they get your attention. However, they are all WING. The body of the crane is only about five pounds.

There is an early crane hunt in November and early December on the wildlife area. So if you do not hunt you might want to plan your days around the shooting days.

We were there on a raw, cold windy day. Maybe, that is why all the squawking was going on. Seems this winter has been warm and sunny for a few days and then cold and windy before heading back to warm and sunny.

A great spot for a winter time trip in Arizona. Here is the link to the official site: Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area.

A pretty special spot that we discovered just by looking at a map and taking a several mile detour. We will be back to see if our "Sandhill Cranes" are winter snowbirds in Arizona.

Best news is that you can even boondock here. Camping is permitted in the upper parking area a little distance from the wetlands. No facilities except for a toilet.

There is a sign giving wildlife viewing hints.

We came to a couple of dead ends and had to wander around to find the 1500 acre wildlife area. Worth the detours. Be sure to bring binoculars or spotting scope, bird guide, and EAR PROTECTION if your here when the birds are in the area.

Book Read--My Story by Marilyn Monroe. This was an e-book. It is actually written by her and covers her life up to the honeymoon with Jotltin Joe in Japan and Korea. You can actually read her writing getting better and better, but then unfortunately just as she reaches her writing style. She stops. Short book. Like I said it has been the year for Marilyn Monroe books. At least this one is written by her!! The Joe DiMaggio book mention previously is better overview of the their relationship. Just read the last three chapters of her book to gain her perspective.

Yal-Ku Lagoon, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

2013-02-10T15:17:00.001-08:00

mxbackroads--Yal-Ku Lagoon, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

When we first looked at the home exchange we thought it was a Akamul Beach area. The owners of the house we traded for recommended Yal-Ku Lagoon at the end of the road in the Akamul Beach area for snorkeling.

There is an admission fee to the lagoon. It is brackish (half salt-half fresh) water which is clear and sheltered from the wind and surf. So a real good spot for taking kids out snorkeling for the first time. If you are at all slightly uncomfortable being in the water this is a good place for you to try out snorkeling. The facility is well run with lunch and beer available at a fair price.

As you can see from the picture you can snorkel by just standing on shore is viewing the fish swimming.

It does get crowded at the lagoon. It is a developed park experience. It even comes complete for modern art to admire.

You will be sharing an entry spot into the lagoon with other visitors. There are steps that let you climb in and out of the water easily.

For $20 US you can rent a waterfront cabana for the entire day. These come complete with a table and the all important hammock. Providing shade and a great place to hang out all day. My recommendation is to come early and grab a hammock as soon as you can!!! Each cabana has its own entry into the lagoon.

Yal-Ku Lagoon is a great place to spend a day. Bring your snorkeling gear and rent a cabana for the day. Be sure to have a good book to read. Wander back and order some lunch and maybe a beer. Really no reason to rush around to another place.

Book Read--There is a lot of interesting stuff on ageing in the media this days. Spinach for Breakfast by Sam Almond is an attempt to cash in on the media stories. Short book, with little useful information but some great opinions. Your better off going to your public library and getting some of the recent articles on Ageing in Wired magazine. The future is better for those of "us" growing older.

Xcacel Beach, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

2013-02-08T12:10:00.001-08:00

mxbackroads--Xcacel Beach, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

This beach is just across the highway from the Chan Chemuyil. It has been set-aside as a turtle birthing area. That is turtles come up the beach to lay their eggs in the dark of night. The sites are marked with make shift sticks and tape. For this reason the beach does close at dusk. There is a 20 peso fee for admission to the beach.

When we first came the Chan Chemuyil the beach was empty. Then towards Christmas and New Years more and more tourists started arriving and things go a little bit more crowded. Our hope for an uncrowded beach after New Year's disappeared with the Mexican school holidays which started right after the 1st of January.

You can still get your beach walking in, just have to share it with more people than usual.

There is a crystal clear cenote at one end of the beach. You go south from the entrance at the beach and it is signed. It is a popular place and for many people a good place to get started on snorkeling.

The water temperatures of the cenote's stay at 77 degrees and are generally crystal clear. Almost all the cenote's have small fish swimming. I guess they could be acting like nurseries similar to oxbows and sloughs up north.

The beach is still the attraction. This is the view looking north towards the point. That is suppose to be the best place for snorkeling, however, every day we showed up at the beach the swells were just a bit much for snorkeling. Cloud watching was pretty good.

Here is a close up view of the north end of the beach. The Mexican wardens that patrolled the beach and collected entrance fees did not want you going around the point on either the north or south end. Given the surf conditions there were warning flags flying on most the beach area.

Nice beach. It is even worth visiting on black and white days.

Book Read--One of the disadvantages of having e-books available at your library is that you will checkout books against your better judgement just to have something to read. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo is a book about a kids near death experience. This is his fathers book on the event. His father is a minister and this is a religious book. Nothing wrong with that, but please this is more about FAITH than an actual kids near death experience. So just make it a book on FAITH.

Cenotes, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

2013-02-04T19:25:00.001-08:00

mxbackroads--Cenotes, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The Yucatan Peninsula is famous for its Mayan ruins and beaches. However, one more natural feature should be added to the list and that is the Cenotes.

Here is the definition of Cenote from Wilkipedia.

A cenote (English: /sɨˈnoʊtiː/ or /sɛˈnoʊteɪ/; Spanish: [seˈnote] or [θeˈnote]; plural: cenotes; from Yucatec Maya dzonot or ts'onot,^[1] "well"^[2]) is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. Especially associated with the Yucatán Peninsula, and some nearby Caribbean islands, cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings.

The book 1491 did comment on the practice of using cenotes for human sacrifices and then drinking the same water. Seems that was not the most healthy practice.

Here is the link to the complete Wilkipedia entry on the subject: Cenotes.

The Cenotes vary considerably in attraction, but they are all fascinating from an eclogical perspective. On your trip to the Yucatan leave a couple of days or more for exploring the Cenotes.

Most use snorkeling gear to explore the cenotes, but there were many scuba divers that explored through the underwater tunnels and traveled from cenote to cenote. If all else fails you can use water wings or just swim.

Here are some pictures from the Grand Cenotes which is on the road to Coba. Crowded and many of the more attracitve cenotes do charge admission.

The story is that the water table in the Yucatan is ten feet deep. That means that any sinkhole deeper than ten feet has water in it. Now think about all those septic systems. Think they are feeding all the sub-surface flows. Be careful about drinking OR swimming in the water in Mexico.

Here is a picture of a shallow cenote. It had small fish and clear water just like the deeper cenotes. The local urban myth story is that there are crocodiles in the cenotes, but it doesn't appear that the food supply is enough to support a crocodile. The other story is a parasite that crawls into your ear and can cause severe pain. Not sure about that one.

The cenotes are worth exploring. Many have been exploited by extreme commercial development, but even there you can see a unique part of the Earth's ecosystem. Yes, the beaches and ruins are great but don't forget the Cenotes. You can plan a pretty interesting trip just around them.

This cenote was in a cave along the road to Chan Chemuyil. The photo does not do justice to the colors. The story is that there was a croc living there, but all I saw were bats. A special spot as the rope on the right side shows.

But my favorite cenote was in Chan Chemuyil. Here on early mornings I brought my coffee and ipad and connected to the world with Benito's wireless internet. On the park bench next to the cenote the world seemed like a much better place. Even the igauana's came to the cenote in the morning to start their day.

On a trip to the Yucatan the beaches and ruins will be an important part of your trip. However, the cenotes will be the special surprise that you will long remember.

Book read--Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. One of my criticisms of history is that it is generally focused on individual persons. However, as any leader knows it is important to find a parade and THEN pretend to be its leader. This book by Jared Diamond was the first to intergrate ecology, economics, sociology and its role in historical development. It was so popular that even PBS started a TV series based on the book. I missed it. Must have been during one of those no TV reception periods in my life. Don't miss the book. It is similar to 1491 and 1493, but much easier to read. Just look at it as a thriller of book. How a small population of people know as Europeans on the edge of extinction take over planet Earth and the reasons why. Interested??

Coba, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

2013-02-01T13:59:00.002-08:00

mxbackroads destination--Coba, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

This destination is just 44 km west of Tulumn. It was one of the larger Mayan cities and covered lots of ground. Here is the link to the wikipedia entry on Coba. There were further details on Coba and its relationship to other Mayan cities in the book 1491. It appeared to be still a functioning city when the Spanish arrived in the 15th century.

The google earth view got me really excited about visiting the city. Those lakes, however, were more impressive from space!!

The best way to tour Coba is to rent a bicycle for 35 peso's and ride the walking trails from site to site. We were fortunate that we were there on a cloudy day. On a sunny day, you would definitely want to be zinging around on a bicycle. There are guides that can explain the history of the various structures.

The advantage to the bicycles is that you can keep up with the bicycles and thereby avoid becoming an accident statistic. Check out that parking lot for bicycles on the left.

A few of the trails are separated so that bicycles and walkers do not mix.

The main attraction is Nohoch Mul pyramid. The rumor was that come January 1st the pyramid was going to be off-limits to people going up the steps. Since we were there a day or two before the first we might have been one of the last public to climb the pyramid. Along with thousands of others.

That rope down the middle was just to separate the uphill crowd from the downhill folks. The steps were steep and a perfect thigh master workout.

Here is the top. This is where the killing was done.

What a beautiful view for your last seconds on earth or to kill somebody. So I am not a fan of human sacrifice. Still bothers me that history books just gloss over the killing part of these religions. What on earth possessed people to kill innocents for their gods?? That is another smaller pyramid in Coba that is also part of the city. In the background you can just barely see the lake.

Only part of the city has been reclaimed from the jungle. It was interesting to see how completely the jungle takes over even stone structures. You need a timber sale just to start the archaeological work.

This is what it looks like without any clearing.

As with any Mexican historical site there is a gateway plaza complete with sellers of all sorts of goods.
I liked this one better than at Tulumn.

A beer and some Mexican food were in order after the miles of walking the pathways through the jungle.

All in all a great cloudy day for walking among the Mayan ruins. On the way out of town we saw a open air Catholic church that was definitely worth a stop. However, traffic and a lack of a pull-out made us miss it. That would also be worth a visit. It is on the right side of the road.

When I was a kid I can remember looking at my history books with pictures of the Mayan ball courts with that funny ring on the top of the playing area. It was worth the visit just to see a ball court in person.

Book Read--IPad for Dummies by Baig and Levitus. This is one of the dummy series of books. They are pretty good at getting at the basics of whatever the subject matter of the books. I learned that the files are stored with each app in the IPad. Lots of other stuff in there. It is worth STARTING with one of the dummy series and then moving on to other more in depth books.

Tulumn--Yucatan Pennisula, Mexico

2013-01-29T08:07:00.000-08:00

mxbackroads--Tulumn--Yucatan Pennisula, Mexico

Tulumn is towards the end of the tourist highway so in a real sense it is where the backroads start and the tourist tend to finish up. It is smaller than Cancun, but very crowded and busy due to the beach and the Mayan ruins just outside of town.

Our daughter rented a car here and there is large grocery store across the street from EasyWay and Avis rental that carries fairly good Chilean and Argentianian wines.

The main attraction in Tulumn is the Mayan ruins. People drive the highway south to visit the ruins and the cruise ships at Cozumel take tour buses so it can get very crowded when visiting. So the picture without people is the exception. Take plenty of shade and drinking water since the ruins are out in the open.

The approach goes through a "gateway" area. In the United States, the environmental community talks about the economic benefits of gateway communities to the National Parks and public lands. Save the "visit" to the gateway area for the end of your tour of the Tulumn ruins.

There is a shuttle service from the parking area to the entrance. From there you have to walk. There is an entrance fee. In fact, on this trip to Mexico there was an entrance fee to EVERYTHING.

Here are some pictures of the area inside the entrance gates.

The ruins at Tulumn are said to be NOT significant from a historical Mayan perspective. Well, from my perspective ruins are ruins and visiting Tulumn is just as exciting as the significant sites. So enjoy your visit to Tulumn!!

And if you get bored with history the beach is nearby.

Of course, the picture up top is what your going to get. The picture below took some artful cropping to get a deserted beach at Tulumn. However, it is a nice beach.

On the way out you might want to stop and get a Corona or some other liquid refreshment. For food there is always Subway!

There are Mayan dancers with some interesting colors, but I am sure the Mayan's did not have the wheel!! Oh well, always need to watch the background when taking photo's.

We also drove down the beach road south from Tulumn as Susie wanted to check out a highly rated beach restaurant. The road was five or six miles long with one lane and typical Mexican road traffic. Really not a bad trip.

Nice lunch spot. A little to "special" for my taste. I rather prefer our
little Mexican lunch spot at a beach about ten miles north of Tulumn.

However, Tulumn is a great place to visit. Busy and crowded, but small enough to easily get around. Lots of tourists, but few American's mostly Europeans and Canadians. It was more to our taste than Cancun. I would return to Tulumn.

Book Read--Catch of the Year by Brenda Hammond. This book was made into a movie and got good reviews. So I found it in the new e-books in the library que and downloaded it. If your a guy....PASS ON THIS BOOK. If you are forever puzzled by why woman read romance novels reading this will not provide you with anymore information. If your a woman I am not sure if this is a good romance novel or not. It is the only romance novel I ever read and it was a struggle to finish it!!

Chan Chemuyil--Yucatan Pennisula, Mexico

2013-01-25T19:23:00.003-08:00

mxbackroads-Chan Chemuyil, Mexico

This was home for three weeks in the Yucatan Pennisula. We did this as a trade for our home in the Wenatchee Valley. They came last March and we decided to spend Christmas and New Years at the Yucatan. Only later did we find out the we were ground zero for the end of the world!!

This is an North American style subdivision originally built by the Fox administration to house the workers in the tourist industry in the Yucatan. There are various stories that the houses were too expensive for the workers and some hints of corruption (in Mexico??). I suspect the design of the subdivision did not work with the Mexican culture. Very few public places for mingling and definitely a design for privacy and little social mixing.

Anyway the entire subdivision was sold for dirt cheap by the government and promptly bought mostly by Canadians and a few Americans. The "early pioneers" called it Little Beirut given the condition of the subdivision.

All the homes are little boxes completely similar so residents have painted and landscaped to set them apart from the neighbors.

We thought the location was closer to the beach and more undeveloped, however, by the time I closely checked google earth we were committed to the journey. Here is the google earth picture:

If you zoom in on the image you can see the grid pattern. So it is just a subdivision carved out of the jungle. Just to the north is the Mexican village of Chemuyil. We walked there for grocery shopping, beer, ATM, and other needed services. No grid pattern in the village.

And where the subdivision ends the jungle starts right away. I still have the welts from where a very short trip into the jungle resulted in a plant touching my calf. The locals said that the cure for the welts was another plant growing close to the first plant. I think I will just go with Cort-Aid.

But the good news is that it is also a community. We got to attend the end of the world party as well as New Years party.

And there were even Christmas carolers on Christmas eve.

Those Canadians will not miss the caroling season for anything. Of course, all the residents were giving the singers shots of tequila to ward off the cold I suppose. It was definitely a party bunch and staying sober was a difficult task.

Staying in one place for three weeks does have its advantages. You become a "part" of the community, but outside enough to not be involved in all the drama. On a first day we decided to walk the jungle road to the Mexican community of Chemuyil which is less than 1/4 mile up the road. As we were walking we were picked up by a couple of residents of Chan Chemuyil and that turned into an afternoon of beer drinking, touring, and a lobster dinner.

Every community has its characters and Chan Chemuyil proved no exception. Alex did help print lost dog posters for Bella the Italian dog that probably ran off in response to the fireworks being set off for Christmas. The good news was that after a week, Bella was dropped off without a word at her residence. She's not talking about what she did that week. Maybe she just needed some quality time by herself.

For my part I really enjoyed drinking coffee and sitting by the cenote connected to the outside world through wi-fi. It was a great place to check e-mail and watch the iguana's.

Carlos, John, Katharine and Paul and others may the stay much more enjoyable. And I suppose in the end the best part about traveling is the people that you end up meeting.

Book Read--The Ernesto Che Guevara School for Wayward Girls by William F. Gavin. This is a hysterical political satire. Susie got it as a fiction book. She said it started fast and then slowed, but I would probably like it since it was a political satire. It is a very funny book and if you like politics you will just not stop laughing. Does not matter if you are left or right on the political spectrum, there are enough laughs on both sides. However, if you are one of the political elite then this book might not be so funny.

usbackroads destinatiion--Cancun Staging Area, Mexico

2013-01-23T17:44:00.001-08:00

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usbackroads destination--Cancun Staging Area, Mexico

Cancun a usbackroads destination? Well, maybe. All backroads destinations require a staging area from which to launch into the backroads.

So when we were offered a house trade in the Yucatan we said sure. It sounds like a backroads destination without the us in front of it. More on this later.

In all expeditions, there is a staging area where you get ready for the trip into the backroads area. In the case of Lewis and Clark it was Wood River, Illinois. Well, a trip to the Yucatan in 2013 does not quite measure up to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

However, we have always find it useful to find a "staging area" prior to leaving for backroads destinations.

The criteria is that they had to be close to the airport, fairly inexpensive, and provided an opportunity to gather needed supplies and intelligence to continue the journey. With the exception of the airport it was similar to the requirements for a staging area for the Lewis and Clark expedition.

All those years working for the Forest Service and others emphasized the importance of a good staging area. On a bike tour of Europe in 1976 it was a week in London, buying the bicycles, maps and other needed supplies for a bicycle tour of Europe. The Forest Service always planned a staging area for work trips into the back-country. So after a few years it just became a part of our trip planning.

OK, Cancun is a lousy staging area. But it does have some advantages. We booked the trip through Costco. They were able to negotiate a discounted airfare. So by our calculations the three nights in Cancun cost us $75 per night for ALL FOOD, LODGING, and ALCOHOL. For both of us. Good food. Acceptable wine. Decent view. We even had a hot tub in the hotel room.

The temptation was high to stay a bit longer. In the past, we have done this on trips to Mexico with Alaska Airlines and found the same good locations and deals.

We learned that the Yucatan is very popular with Europeans who insist on "all inclusive" vacations.

One price for everything. Show up and leave without spending an extra nickle. Our observation was that most Europeans did exactly that. They came for the warm weather and spent the entire time by the pool drinking pre-paid booze.

So we enjoyed our time in Cancun even though it was not a backroads destination. It did give us time to get ready for the rest of the trip.

We got to see a lot of stuff just from the hotel room. People frolicking directly below.

People executing some pretty important decisions. Not sure I would do this in Cancun.

Then again, you get to share the beach and everything else with thousands of people. I believe somebody once called it "industrial tourism".

It was however, an enjoyable three days. Great service from Angel at the Seafood restaurant. It was actually pretty good food and by the third night Angel did bring special foods for each to sample.

So that all inclusive deal is pretty good as long as you know what your going to get. Industrial tourism. Nothing bad about it, but definitely not backroads.

It was fun to walk to beaches of Cancun and I did learn a lot on my short walks along the beach.

Now going "au natural" is a backroads proposition for Americans. Well, for the Europeans it is a part of the vacation. So maybe that qualifies Cancun as a usbackroads destination?

Nah.

I did learn a few things. Now up on ski slopes they "groom" the slopes prior to the skier showing up. Well, guess what in Cancun they "groom" the beaches prior to the sunbathers showing up. So really, the only natural part of the beach at Cancun is the "au natural" part.

Across from our hotel were some Mayan ruins. We decided to pass on those. Walking along the beach we noticed this next to our hotel.

It takes thousands of years for Mayan ruins to become a tourist attraction. The "hotel" managed to become a ruin in less than 30 years. Any bets on it becoming a tourist attraction??

After three nights we were ready to get to our backroads destination. A few bus changes and four sets of luggage to haul around and we should be there in four hours. A taxi driver convinced us that for $50 US that would be shortened to one hour and fifteen minutes with door to door service. That and a couple of quesy stomachs convinced us that the taxi ride might be the better deal. It was, a great ride talking about the Yucatan with the driver was worth the price alone, not to mention that door to door service.

More on the Yucatan soon. mxbackroads??

Book Read: Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier. The author has three strikes against him. The first is graduating from Harvard. The second is writing for the New Yorker and the third is being in love with the Slavic culture of east of Poland. However, in spite of those handicaps he has written a very good book on the current state of Russia and Siberia. Reading the book you will get a very good picture of life in current day Russia. Not the life of Moscow and the oligarchs, but the life of the everyday Russian. If you want to get a sense of life on the other side of the planet read this book. It does get slow at times and yes he makes plenty of excuses for the culture. But if you want to try and understand today's Russia this book is a good place to start. It is about Siberian backroads and matches my experience in the Russian Far East.

usbackroads destination--Yucatan Pennisula

2013-01-09T11:38:00.002-08:00

usbackroads destination--Yucatan Pennisula

At one time, not so long ago this was a backroads destination. Then in 1970 the Mexican government decided to develop the sleepy village of Cancun with its 177 residents into a major tourist destination.

Tourist development really got going in the 1980's and 90's with development spreading all the way down the coast to Tulumn and beyond.

We got here by trading homes. I will post additional information in a future blog on how this works. There are advantages to living in areas where people come for vacations. One of those benefits of being a professional Forester that I just missed in my early years!

Mexico is one of those places that we have visited often in the past, but as Alexandra got to her teen-age years travel with her parents was not a priority. However, now that she is 24 she did come down for 10 days on this trip.

Drugs, guns, and a government that is slightly sketchy is Mexico's current reputation. It has had an impact on American travel to Mexico. On this trip, American's were definitely seldom seen. Lots of middle class Mexican families, Canadians, Europeans, and people from Latin America.

As near as I can tell tourism is the ONLY industry on the Yucatan and the local government does an excellent job of protecting and managing the industry. We were warned about some scams and I noticed that the government posted signs about these scams and said they wanted to hear about it. We did not encounter any of these scams and the business people were polite and friendly. Somehow, the government even got the timeshare salesmen to ramp down their sales pitch.

We enjoyed eating the local food at the small restaurants. I am not sure what this fish is called, but we bought several pounds from the back of a pick-up truck. The fisherman lived in Reno for over 25 years and had moved back to Mexico in his retirement years. The fish was excellent and we also found it at a very small beachfront restaurant where nobody spoke English.

The local Mexican and Mayan people were friendly and gracious. Speaking Spanish does help quite a bit once you get outside the tourist zone. The backroads on the Yucatan are out in the jungle rather than along the shore. To be fair, the Yucatan has never been a backroads destination except for a few hundred years after the Spanish invasion.

For a very long period of time the Mayan civilization was the most advanced on earth. Yes, aliens would have gone to the Yucatan before dealing with those savages from Europe. Almost forgot we were there for the end of the world, which just turned out to be the end of one sequence of the Mayan calender.

The beaches and Mayan ruins are the draw in the Yucatan. The weather was hot and humid. I am fine with hot, but the humid part does not sit well with me. However, if you found the right beach spot those breezes kept you cool and calm. This spot is where we had the fish shown above. The Corona beer commercial was filmed just a 1/4 mile from this spot. They did not sell Corona's so we had a Sol beer instead with the fish.

It was the best, most perfect day on the Yucatan.

Books Read--1491 New Revelations of the America's before Columbus by Charles C. Mann. I have always been interested on the ecological impact of native American's on the landscape. The fire landscape of the Sierra Nevada's was shaped by Indian burning and there is evidence that the impact extended throughout the America's. This book covers the Inca's and Mayans and other civilizations that existed prior to the visit by Columbus in 1492. It seems that smallpox and measles introduced by Columbus reduced the Indian populations by 95%. Good book to read while exploring the Yucatan.

Sophie's Flat Trailhead, Wickenburg, Arizona

2012-12-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

usbackroads destination--Sophie's Flat Trailhead, Wickenburg, Arizona

The reason for today's trip to Wickenburg was to fix the KEY FOB from hell. The truck is at 35820 miles so I called up Dodge to make they knew I still had a problem with KEY FOB. They told me to head for the Dodge dealer in Wickenburg and make sure he enters it into Chrysler's national computer system.

I am a great fan of Arizona weather in winter. There is nothing like sitting outside typing this blog in 75 degree weather in early December. I guess I am not a desert rat.

At first, I thought it was just that I did not understand the desert. Having a degree in Forestry means that you can pretty much figure out how landscapes function be they forested or grass. However, desert landscapes have always been difficult for me to decipher. Seems parts of the landscapes respond to elevation and others to soils. So I have bought some books on desert ecology and hopefully will be getting a better understanding of the various deserts in the southwest and their vegetation.

For right now, the weather is the draw. Susie likes the desert sunsets. I must admit that they do put the mountain sunsets to shame. Every once in awhile you get a spectacular mountain sunset, but it seems to be a daily event in the desert.

Just east of Wickenburg, just a few miles out of town is a trailhead on BLM that allows overnight camping. The name is Sophie's Flat. The trails in the area are interesting. There is a very large area for camping that will fit just about any size RV. The access road is paved except for the last mile or so.

It looks the area is popular with various trail users including horseback riders. You might have some company on weekends.

The area also hosts a small astronomy group on the new moon weekends. They set up in the day use area by the SST (Sweet Smelling Toilet) provided by BLM.

Nice area well worth spending some time exploring and very close to the town of Wickenburg.

Just outside of town at the rodeo grounds there is dry camping available for $5/night with a seven day limit. There is no charge for camping on Sophie's Flat Trailhead and I assume the 14 day national BLM limit applies.

Here are some pictures of the camping area at the rodeo grounds.

As always, click on the picture to enlarge. You might even be able to read the regulations on the sign!

Book Read: Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer. A book about Joe Dimaggio's life. Much more than a baseball book. The baseball portions are here because baseball was so much a part of his life. So it is worth reading if your not a baseball fan. The most interesting parts to me were the early years in San Francisco and the chapters that covered his relationship with Marilyn Monroe. Not the type of book that you cannot put down once you start, but interesting enough that you will finish it.

Davis Camp Park, Bullhead City, Arizona

2012-12-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Davis Camp Park, Bullhead City, Arizona

UPDATE March 16, 2013

We stopped here again for a two night stay before heading farther north. Same campground, a little more crowded and showing a bit more sign of wear.

I did make it to the bicycle trail on the other side of the river. Take the sidewalk back into town. At the first stoplight....cross and then head into Laughlin on the south side of the bridge. There is no sidewalk or path on the north side of the bridge. In Laughlin, go down the main drag and you will see a parking area and restroom on the west side of the road. That blue colored overpass is the bike trail to Davis Dam overlook. The trail is about 2.5 miles and worth the easy bike ride.

Keeping with the 4 hour and 200 mile rule we left Newberry Springs and headed for Katherine's Landing inside of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. There is a campground up from Lake Mohave. I worked for the National Park Service on Lake Mohave the summer of 1977 and winter of 1978 before transferring to the Forest Service. If we are around southern Nevada I always try and stop in to see how the area has changed.

We took Highway 95 and headed toward Searchlight, Nevada my work station in 1977 and home of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Please read the previous post on the weird residents of the Mohave Desert. It hasn't changed.

Highway 95 in California has the railroad crossing from hell. The road sign merely announces BUMP ahead. It is more like a bucking bronco than a bump. Here is what the rear of the 5th wheel looked after the "bump". Like the table top sitting on the battery?

Damage except to the table was minor. Got lucky on that one. Happiness is seeing the California state line in your rear view mirror. I remember when California was the rich state and Nevada the poor relative. Not any longer...as soon as you cross the roads into Nevada you feel like your crossing from the third to first world.

The idea to camp at a National Park Service campground was subject to change. The whole rig is 47 feet long and it is hard to find a NPS spur that long. So we made the trip around the campground and headed back to Davis Camp Park which is run by Mohave County.

Here we did get a pull-through site with complete hook-ups for $25. The park was a pleasant surprise the only downside being the traffic noise from the adjacent highway. There is a LOT of traffic in Bullhead City.

Davis Camp Park is a old town housing the government workers that built Davis Dam. And you can ride you bicycle right up to the base of Davis Dam.

It seems Mohave County has been having an adventure cleaning up the campground from year round residents. Things are looking better, but a few RV's are "interesting". Here is the link for their website: Davis Camp Park.

It is a great place for riding a bicycle. Here are some of the views around the RV portion.

Portions are a little rough, but the good design of the original town site still comes through. You can even rent some of the original government housing as a vacation home. For Susie, the concept of government housing being a vacation home was hard to understand. Check out the web site and see if you want to pretend to be a government engineer!! Monthly rates start at $800.

We did ride our electric bicycles into Bullhead City for a quick dinner at Panda Express and learned that Sam's Club will let you buy alcohol, pharmacy products, and eat at the cafe without membership. So we made an "emergency" wine purchase. But be warned...Sam's Club does not take VISA. They were more than happy to take an Andrew Jackson and Lincoln for the wine.

There is a bike path on the Nevada side of the border, but we did not have the time to ride from Davis Dam south. Its there, but there does not seem to be much information on the web.

We would stay here again. If you do not need sewer hook-ups RV-A is the quietest and would be our first choice. For full hook-ups RV-D is a nice area as are the riverfront sites in RV-B.

We stayed in RV-C and would NOT do that again.

Would we come back? Absolutely. Check out the picture on the top of the blog. Crystal clear water, warm temperatures and great places to ride a bicycle plus your next to Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Book read: Scorpions for Breakfast by Jan Brewer, Governor of Arizona. This her book on
SB 1070 passed in Arizona. Well written book and as a result easy to read. If your interested in SB 1070 from Arizona's perspective well recommended. If your not interested in SB 1070 give this one a pass. Guess its appropriate to read now that we are in Arizona.

Newberry Mountain RV Park, Newberry Springs, California

2012-12-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

usbackroads destination--Newberry Mountain RV Park, Newberry Springs, California

One of the disadvantages to going to the University of California at Berkeley is that people seem to think that all the weird people in world live there. Well, that is not true. All the really weird people in the world live in the Mohave Desert. More on this later.

Holding fast to our 4 hour and 200 mile rule means a stop somewhere along I-40. We looked into finding a location just off the freeway, but decided to help the local economy in Newberry Springs by stopping for the night at the local RV park.

So the towns claim to fame is a German movie set in Newberry Springs. Susie even remembers watching it on NetFlix. So here are the important details: Bagdad Cafe. The cafe is open from 7:00am to 7:00pm so hardly the party place in town. My ride down Route 66 which is the road through town featured barking dogs and a couple that gave chase. The dogs were surprised to see this old man outrun them on his mountain bike. I suspect they did not notice the battery hanging off the back.

The RV park is trying real hard to make your stay pleasant and comfortable. For that, they deserve a nights lodging. The spurs are rather short, but have all the hookups. Cable TV reception was rather spotty. You would probably do better raising the antenna.

We did not try the wi-fi, but Susie's IPHONE provided great 3G service as a hot spot. So far this trip it has worked much better than last year. Must be all those folks switching to 4g and free up bandwidth on the 3g network.

The one drawback to the park is I-40. You do get to hear the traffic noise. The town and neighboring areas are decorated in typical desert landscaping and accessories.

Here is a picture of the campground. Lots of room, we had only one other RV pull in during the night.

We did get the site with the only picnic table.

The RV park does have a very small pool.

And a caboose!! Well, worth looking inside. Now there was a boring job.

The real attraction at the park are the two ponds. The water is pumped from the Mohave aquifer into the two ponds. The local ducks appreciate it and the story is that the ponds are stocked with catfish.

Now getting to the weird people in the Mohave Desert. I lived in the Mohave Desert for just less than six months. Ah, the people living in Berkeley were quite normal in comparison.

So that pond in the first picture. The picture does not do the water justice. It was taken late in the day, so the brilliant glacier blue bordering on aqua does not show well. It put all the glacier fed lakes I have seen in my day to shame.

So I had to ask "Is there copper in the water or some other chemical that causes that aqua blue color". No, the answer was much simpler than that. Seems the owner found a large supply of non-toxic blue coloring. So he decided to color his ponds.

Berkeley is normal compared to the Mohave Desert and its residents.

Book Read: Wild...from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. I am a sucker for hiking books. This one is about a hike on the Pacific Crest Trail by a novice hiker. Really more a story about her relationship with her mother who died suddenly at age 50. Decent read, more about a relationship than hiking. Probably more of "chick" book, but the hiking stuff kept me going!