Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

01 Apr 2014
3 Comments

Wild Shopping Spree!!

My bud Matt takes a pic of a wolfskin rug with his iPhone.

My bud Matt takes a pic of a wolfskin rug with his iPhone.

I recently drove over to the old downtown section of Scottsdale, Arizona to see friends visiting the area on their vacation. Good times! I have no idea what “normal” is for foot traffic here, but the amount of people wandering about seemed pretty good for a weekday. The span of shop styles here range from cheap tourist trash, to trendy boutiques, to pricey artworks. it seemed as though fully a quarter of the stores handled jewelry.

The carriage ride concession. Apart from the sparkly-painted red hooves, they were great. Here, it's time for a little water.

The carriage ride concession. Apart from the sparkly-painted red hooves, they were great. Here, it’s time for a little water.

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Posted in Daily Life and tagged
30 Mar 2014
7 Comments

Quote o’ the Day

“Education will never be as expensive as ignorance.”

– Fortune cookie at a local Chinese restaurant

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged
26 Mar 2014
35 Comments

Just Out for a Walk

One thing you can't say about this area is that it's barren.

One thing you can’t say about this area is that it’s barren.

I took these shots in the same area, over two different walks I took. I would say that these are just some snaps I took with the Pentax K slung over my shoulder, but the majesty of writing for and publishing on a blog compels me to relabel the effort as a “photo essay”. Yeah, that’s right, photo essay, sure!

Love these things. Don't know why. I feel compelled to name them, because each one is different. Like, this one would be "Fred". Perhaps I should recheck my medications.

Love these things. Don’t know why. I feel compelled to name them, because each one is different. Like, this one would be “Fred”. Perhaps I should recheck my medications.

Just a hillside. Nothing spectacular, but you get the feel of the place.

Just a hillside. Nothing spectacular, but you get the feel of the place.

 

Read more…

Posted in Daily Life and tagged
19 Mar 2014
17 Comments

Wheezing in Wickenburg

South of Wickenburg. I'm noticing that my campsite photos look too similar. Boots on the ground though, they are remarkably individual. Something for me to work on...

South of Wickenburg. I’m noticing that my campsite photos look too similar. Boots on the ground though, they are remarkably individual. Something for me to work on…

The Yuma area was getting a bit toasty already, and although a cooler front was predicted to move in after a uncomfortably hot week, duty called – I’m hoping to intercept a good friend who doesn’t RV, but who travels out west more than I do! Time to head for Wickenburg Arizona, one of my all-time favorite towns.

At an elevation of 2,100′, it drops Yuma’s 90-degree sweatymans existence to nicer levels. Quartzsite would have been acceptable these days, but once I overnighted there yet again on the way here, I realized that the magnificent Imperial Dam LTVA had ruined me for anything else. In comparison, Quartzsite is simply a baked-out stopover for other places having considerably more charm.

My closest neighbor is too close, but directly to the rear. That's okay, since they can't peep me practicing ballet at night.

My closest neighbor is too close, but directly to the rear. That’s okay, since they can’t peep me practicing ballet at night.

Wickenburg is one of those places. Named as one of the top True West towns in the country, Wickenburg pumps its past pretty hard. It has to, because it depends quite a bit on tourism – which is a bit of a thin soup these days. But, it’s still a fact that the area is still peppered with Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged , ,
07 Mar 2014
14 Comments

The Boondocker’s Best-Kept Secret

Would you prefer sun or shade for your beach camping, Miss? Or perhaps a little of both?

Would you prefer sun or shade for your beach camping, Miss? Or perhaps a little of both?

There’s a whole lot more to the Senator Wash Recreation Area than I first supposed. I initially tied nearby Squaw Lake and the south shore of Senator Wash Reservoir together as a couple of two-week-per-month options when using a $75 annual Recreational Fee Area Pass. But wait – there’s more!

Life can be cruel. Or sometimes, not so much. Idyllic camping, in my worldview.

Life can be cruel. Or sometimes, not so much. Idyllic camping, in my worldview.

The north shore of Senator Wash Reservoir is also a Recreation Fee Area that’s included in the same pass. As far as I can see, this little group of dispersed lakeside campsites is the best-kept boondocking secret on the Web. A quick tour through it in February yielded a ton of toes-in-the-water campsites, very few of which were occupied. Policy-wise, this is a van dweller’s paradise, since the area is also liberally peppered with Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged ,
04 Mar 2014
9 Comments

Look Twice As Good in Half the Time

Sometimes, the little things can mean so much.

Sometimes, the little things can mean so much.

Decades ago on the Saturday Night Live TV show, Billy Crystal did an ongoing characterization smacking of actor Fernando Llamas, complete with faint Hispanic accent. This character always seemed to live in cocktail lounge booths and dark steakhouses, wore sunglasses and neck scarf under a dress jacket, and presented an “appearances first” aura. Dispensing self-absorbed advice, one of his oft-heard phrases was, “It is better to look good than to feel good – you know what I am saying to you?”

Having come from an era where a suit and tie was de rigueur (“prescribed or required by fashion, etiquette, or custom”) among career professionals, I won’t debate that care in appearance makes a big impact on perception by others. And, that need not be based on added accoutrements or bling. I remember once wandering into a drawing file room with another engineer to find an engineering intern slumped over a drawing file, asleep. He was a likable young guy who enjoyed late partying, and I was glad no manager had discovered him. He awoke in a fatigued but good-natured way, and while we spontaneously reviewed his previous entertainment choices, what instantly stood out to me like a spotlight on a stage was Read more…

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged , ,
03 Mar 2014
7 Comments

Squaw Lake Recreation Area

This shot is a bit distant, but it's the only way to get much of this lake in the frame!

This shot is a bit distant, but it’s the only way to get much of this lake in the frame!

Squaw Lake is adjacent to Senator Wash Reservoir at the Imperial Dam LTVA (Long Term Visitors Area). The facility and access to it are 100% paved. Squaw Lake is a Recreation Fee Area, which means that there is a day use fee of $10 and overnight camping at $15. The camping duration limit is 14 days in any 28-day span, and then if you wish to return after your 14, you have to either pay for a two-week pass at the Imperial Dam LTVA, or go at least 25 miles away for two weeks before returning. Unaffordable for the common mortal? You bet. But there are pleasing alternatives.

At center, the main parking lot offers access to fun if you have a boat, and superb surroundings if you don't.

At center, the main parking lot offers access to fun if you have a boat, and superb surroundings if you don’t.

Squaw Lake has a lot going for it. Besides the usual picnic tables and restrooms, it offers hot showers. A swimming area is there, and a paved boat ramp offers access to the Colorado River. The views are magnificent for 340 of the 360 degrees around, and the only drawback – a significant one for me – is that Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged ,
25 Feb 2014
5 Comments

Ferguson Lake

The west end of Ferguson Lake.

The west end of Ferguson Lake.

The BLM’s road to Ferguson Lake heads northward from the Imperial Dam LTVA near Yuma, Arizona. This BLM800 gravel road carries the Ferguson name and heads discreetly into the hills. An impulsive desire to see what Ferguson Lake is like quickly leads to wonderment, because the road soon goes up hill and down dale, coming close to needing 4WD in the nose-heavy Ford pickup at times.

The east end of Ferguson Lake, from the same high vantage point.

The east end of Ferguson Lake, from the same high vantage point.

I was going to write that, “aside from washboard and rocky bumps here and there, this road is not unduly rugged since high clearance and 4WD are not required”. I was going to write that until some motorhome campers I know here tore the Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Tourista! and tagged ,
18 Feb 2014
14 Comments

Mittry Lake

Your invitation to some great free 10-day campsites.

Your invitation to some great free 10-day campsites.

This will be a slightly odd post because my not-so-trusty Nikon pocket camera lost battery power while touring Mittry Lake Wildlife Area just when I was starting to record campsite variations. So, I have just enough photos to make a quirky article, but not enough to make a well-rounded one.

There are a few non-lakeshore campsites on the way in, level and large.

There are a few non-lakeshore campsites on the way in, level and large.

Mittry Lake Wildlife Area is administered by the Arizona Fish and Game Department, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation. The free camping limit is Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged
12 Feb 2014
14 Comments

The Return of Spartan Luxury

At one time, The American Dream was being free to live in the way you wanted to, rather than being the opportunity to go from rags to riches.

At one time, The American Dream was being free to live in the way you wanted to, rather than having the opportunity to go from rags to riches.

You asked for it, and here it is: the sequel to Spartan Luxury and Update to Spartan Luxury, with additional detail provided from interviewing Charles, the owner of this surprising little rig that’s built to boondock in more remote areas. I have to admit, I figured that this quirky little trailer, being not much over six feet square, would be akin to a broom closet inside, as far as living space goes. I figured that a converted cargo van would be a mansion in comparison.

I initially thought it must be too small to do any more than weekend in.

I initially thought it must be too small to do any more than weekend in.

Wrong again. It’s quite the other way around. Yep, the exterior has a kind of ramshackle practicality that doesn’t build much expectation for the interior. Yet once the door to the inside is opened, the aura of Read more…

Posted in Camper Nirvana and tagged , ,

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