It's Not What You See...

It's Friday the 13th...and it is March.


We are still working on posts for adventures that happened 30 days ago...blame it on slow internet, being really remote and being really busy "recreating"!

We've been on the road for over 3 months now...it seems longer than that.

It's been magical.  A life dream realized.

Far beyond our wildest "could this ever happen" hopes.

Sights we never imagined we would ever see.






In addition to being blessed beyond measure...we've come to realize some things during our adventures.  

     It's truly not about what we've seen...

          It's more about what one feels when seeing it...

                ...the emotions...

                    ...the thoughts...

                ...the feelings...

          It's about how each new adventure touches you personally.

     And how one is changed from the experience.

We've watched a condor soar...danced on the rocks...climbed the mountain...hiked in the hail...had the chance to be eight all over again...laughed at our fears...and held on to each other tight.

And adventures do not require a trip to the Grand Canyon.

  ...it can be a moment in time in our everyday...

       ...something that makes us stop and really see...

            ...an event that puts us in the present...

                 ...maybe touching our life in some small way...

            ...maybe even creating a change in direction...

      ...and it is seeing the handiwork of God...

The grace of a bird soaring in flight, the beauty of a sunset, or the sparkle of light in the eyes of someone you love...

And we are done...for now...

We're both ready to see Windy Hill again...

To rest our eyes on the familiar...

So tomorrow we start a new adventure...




We are going home...

We want to stand on Windy Hill and look to our distant hills...

   ...to smell the fresh of spring

        ...to see Maples budding forth

              ...to feel the bright yellow-green of emerging life

        ...to breath in the fresh and growing

   ...to watch a new fawn dance on spindle legs

And to give our family some long-missed hugs.

Let the adventure continue...

Favs...

We were talking yesterday about which has been our favorite adventure...and it's difficult to pick one.  Each has special meaning...sometimes it is a feeling, something from deep within while being present in the moment, sometimes it is the simple awesomeness of the sight.


I might be able to narrow it down to maybe two visits which provided special significance...

Joshua Tree National Park is one...Arches is the other.  And Joshua Tree surprised me when it came to mind.

Down in the south-east edge of California...Joshua Tree and Death Valley NP were the two destinations requiring a stay in California.



Actually, we both very much like California...having spent a fair amount of time there for work, plus Judy visited a few times during one of the engagements.

It's just that there are too many Californians in California.  It's the same as New Jersey.

It's an "I'm the most important person in the world" attitude.

As much as Californian's and New Jerseyan's proclaim they care about illegal aliens...they truly only care about themselves.

We saw it first hand in Joshua Park...although did not allow it to negatively affect our visit.

So obviously, when one visits Joshua Tree National Park...one expects to see Joshua Tree cactus.

They are trees which could have easily been created by Dr. Seuss.



So now you know what a Joshua Tree looks like...and what a Wild Woman looks like.




[No Joshua trees were injured in the making of this picture.] 

But the surprise for me at Joshua Tree are the rocks...big as buses...big as houses...big as office building rocks.

Smooth and piled up, as if a giant child had been playing with them and just got up and stepped away.

A favorite location in the park is called Skull Rock.  

If you look closely at the center of the above picture, you may be able to see why they call it that!

Of course, this is where most of the Californian's were found also...all darting in and out bucking for position to take selfies in front of the skull!!!

But what makes Joshua Tree National Park unique is evident in this picture also.

Many of the National Parks have "stay on the trail" requirements...with reminder signs and tightly bordered trails.

But not Joshua Tree.  People are encouraged to go climb, to go play on the rocks, go explore...anywhere...everywhere!

And imagine 100 plus acres of these big jumbled up play rocks...huge rocks...many of them Seussical shaped.

And just what would you name this big guy, zoomed in from the center of the picture above?

 

It's a place you can let your imagination run free...and it's a place that you can roam free...anywhere you desire!

Joshua Tree and Arches, both parks are where I felt closest to being eight again.

Running from rock to rock...climbing...leaping...no boundaries...no limits...truly magical...and transforming.







And it was not just rock scotching...even technical rock climbing is encouraged at Joshua Tree.

Look closely at the distant slick rock face in the center of the picture below.  It is easily 700 feet high.

And it was easy to miss, even first-hand in person looking at the scene...but there are two rock climbers scaling that rock face.

Look closely at the very center of the below zoomed in picture...the ant looking speck is a rock climber, with another below and slightly right of him on the crack that runs at an angle below the visible climber. 

And on the way out of Joshua Tree, we stopped at the Joshua Tree Saloon for burgers.

Fun place...not that we frequent saloons...but we were hungry for some good "pub burgers".

They may have been the best we've had on our adventure.



And we were famished...which made them taste even better!
















Almost forgot to mention...we nearly lost the Fox on this day also...she thought she'd found her soul-mate.

He said to call him "Sarge".

He's a bit older, and more..."experienced"...

Life is good!

Let the adventure continue...

Where's Clyde...

With the focus on creating hopefully enjoyable content, there can be a bit of delay before a post is published.

And so no one really knows where we are day to day...and even we don't know where we are on some days!!!


So to see our location in realtime, just search for this post titled..."Where's Clyde... "




Update: 03 18 2020
With the continued Coronavirus hysteria, we've decided to get back to Windy Hill a bit faster than originally planned.

People have lost their minds and are giving up their freedoms too easily.  Hopefully we make it back to Windy Hill before Marshall Law is imposed. 

After a short stop at Arden's, we should be back at Windy Hill late Saturday evening.

We're excited about seeing Arden...and getting home!



The continuing adventure...



03 22 2020 Su - On WINDY Hill!!! 
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03 21 Sa - Indiana to Windy Hill (travel) Overnight at Colin & Deb's
03 20 Fr - Tulsa to Indiana (travel) 
03 19 Th - Tulsa Play Day
03 18 We - Tulsa Play Day
03 17 Tu - Armadillo TX to Tulsa OK (travel) Tulsa RV Ranch
03 16 Mo - Holbrook AZ to Armadillo TX (travel) AOK RV Park
03 15 Su - AZ - Putrified Forest NP
--------------------
03 14 Sa - Moab UT to Holbrook AZ - (travel) different one named OK RV Park ($$$*** good park} 
03 13 Fr - Moab - Canyonland NP
03 12 Th - Moab - Arches NP
03 11 We - Loa UT to Moab UT (travel) - OKRV Park [$$$*** good park] 
03 10 Tu - Loa - Capitol Reef NP
03 09 Mo - Fredonia AZ to Loa UT (travel) Fremont River RV Park $$$*** [good park] 
03 08 Su - Fredonia - Enjoying Life
-----------------
03 07 Sa - Fredonia - Bitter Springs Loop 
03 06 Fr - Fredonia - Enjoying Life
03 05 Th - Fredonia - Pipe Spring NM
03 04 We - Fredonia - Bryce Canyon NP
03 03 Tu - Fredonia - Zion NP
03 02 Mo - Pahrump NV to  Fredonia AZ - (travel) Kaibab Paiute RV Campground (Northern AZ) $$$*** [good park - bit remote, slow WiFi] 
03 01 Su - Pahrump - Enjoying Life
--------------
02 29 Sa - Pahrump - Enjoying Life
02 28 Fr - Pahrump - Enjoying Life
02 27 Th - Pahrump - Enjoying Life
02 26 We - Pahrump - Vegas - Penn & Teller
02 25 Tu - Pahrump - Vegas (Clyde oil change and tire rotate)
02 24 Mo - Tecopa to Pahrump, NV (travel) Pair-a-Dice RV Park (Escapees park) $**** [very good]
02 23 Su - Tecopa - Enjoying Life
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02 22 Sa - Tecopa - China Date Tree Ranch and Canyon hike
02 21 Fr - Tecopa - Death Valley NP
02 20 Th - Blythe CA to Tecopa Hot Springs CA (travel) 
02 19 We - Blythe - Yuma AZ Territorial Prison02 18 Tu - Blythe - Joshua Tree NP, Joshua Tree Saloon for burgers and iced tea!  02 17 Mo - Casa Grande to Blythe, CA - Hidden Beach RV **$$(travel) 
02 16 Su - Casa Grande - Walmart and Jo Ann's! 
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02 15 Sa - Casa Grande - Enjoying Life
02 14 Fr - Casa Grande - Happy Valentines Day
02 13 Th - Casa Grande - Quilting and Windy Hill planning
02 12 We - Casa Grande - Quilting, puttering on the Fox
02 11 Tu - Casa Grande - (2 months on the road)
02 10 Mo - Casa Grande - Organ Pipe Cactus NM
02 09 Su - Casa Grande - Enjoying Life
---------------
02 08 Sa - Casa Grande - Enjoying Life (added TPMS to the Fox) 
02 07 Fr - Casa Grande - Bisbee Mine Tour, Tombstone
02 06 Th - Casa Grande - Tonto Cliff Dwellings NM
02 05 We - Casa Grande - Saguaro West NP
02 04 Tu - Casa Grande - Casa Grande Ruins NM
02 03 Mo - Benson, AZ to Casa Grande, AZ (SKP RoVers Roost co-op ***$) (near Phoenix) (travel)
02 02 Su - Deming, NM to Benson, AZ (near Tucson) (travel - dry camp at SKP co-op *****$)
---------------
02 01 Sa - Terlingua TX to Deming, NM (Dream Catchers RV park ***$) (travel)
01 31 Fr - Terlingua - Big Bend NP - West end
01 30 Th - Terlingua - Big Bend NP - Enjoying Life
01 29 We - Terlingua - Big Bend NP - East end, Hot Springs hike, Chisos Basin hike
01 28 Tu - Ft Davis, TX to Terlingua, TX (BJ's RV ***$$) (travel) 
01 27 Mo - Ft Davis - Ft Davis National Monument; MacDonald Observatory
01 26 Su - Lakewood, NM to Ft Davis, TX (Prude Ranch ****$$) (travel) 
-----------------
01 25 Sa - Lakewood - Artesia
01 24 Fr - Lakewood - Carlsbad; treated Fox slideout seals
01 23 Th - Lakewood - Enjoying Life
01 22 We - Lakewood - Pecos Diamond Hunt
01 21 Tu - Lakewood - Rainy day wandering Roswell
01 20 Mo - Lakewood - White Sands NP; Alamogordo NM
01 19 Su - Lakewood - Enjoying Life
-----------------
01 18 Sa - Lakewood - Sitting Bull Falls, Dog Canyon NP, Queen NM
01 17 Fr - Lakewood - Enjoying Life
01 16 Th - Lakewood - Roswell Crash Investigation - We Believe
01 15 We - Lakewood - Enjoying Life
01 14 Tu - Lakewood - Carlsbad Caverns NP, Guadeloupe Mtns NP, Frijolie RanchTX
01 13 Mo - Lakewood - Thaw Out!
01 12 Su - Blanca CO to Lakewood NM (SKP The Ranch co-op ****$) (travel) 
------------------
01 11 Sa - Blanca - Great Sands NP, Zamata Falls
01 10 Fr - Colorado Springs to Blanca CO (*$$) JJ's B'day (travel)
01 09 Th - Colorado Springs - Enjoying Life
01 08 We - Copper Mtn back to Colorado Springs
01 07 Tu - Copper Mtn - Skiing
01 06 Mo - Copper Mtn - Snow Coaster, Tubing
01 05 Su - Copper Mtn - Skiing
------------------
01 04 Sa - Fox at Colorado Springs, Clyde to Copper Mtn, CO
01 03 Fr - Colorado Springs
01 02 Th - Amarillo to Colorado Springs, CO (Foot of the Rockies *** $$) (travel) 
01 01 We - Tulsa to Amarillo, TX (AOK **$) (travel) 

2019
12 31 Tu - Tulsa - New Years Eve (Arden & The Fox)
12 30 Mo - Tulsa - Enjoying Life
12 29 Su - Tulsa - Enjoying Life
----------------
12 28 Sa - Memphis to Tulsa, OK (Tulsa RV Ranch ***$$) (travel) 
12 27 Fr - Asheville NC to Memphis, TN (Tom Sawyer ****$$) (travel) 
12 26 Th - OBX to Asheville, NC (Wilson RV *$$$) (travel)
12 25 We - Christmas in OBX
12 24 Tu - OBX - Enjoying Life
12 23 Mo - OBX - Enjoying Life
12 22 Su - OBX - Enjoying Life
-----------------
12 21 Sa - OBX - Enjoying Life
12 20 Fr - OBX - TJ's B'day
12 19 Th - OBX - Enjoying Life
12 18 We - OBX - Enjoying Life
12 17 Tu - OBX - Enjoying Life
12 16 MO - OBX - Camp Hatteras RV Campground (lot 72 ****$$)
12 15 Su - Fayetteville, NC to Rodanthe, NC (OBX) (travel) 
-----------------
12 14 Sa - Fayetteville - Dana & Julissa's
12 13 Fr - Richmond, VA to Fayetteville, NC (***$$) (travel)
12 12 Th - Windy Hill to Richmond, VA Bass Pro (dry camp) (travel) 
12 11 We - On Windy Hill since late October

The "REAL" Big 'Ouse....

We ended up going back into Arizona from California for a day trip.


The Yuma Territorial Prison

It was the last place you ever wanted to visit back in the day.

It was a wild time in the Arizona Territory back then...pre-statehood...and the Civil War was over but not forgotten.

A time of dry dusty ranches, sharp cactus and sharper long horns...renegades...raiders...Mexicans...and cowboys...banks and stage coaches...

And little Law to keep them all separate.

And it was an even tougher existence in the Territorial Prison. 

Six stinking criminals sharing an 8 x 12 foot cell.

All the hard cases...crooks, murderers, rapists...even a few polygamists.

It was hard labor every day

A #6 wash tub bath provided only once a week

No electricity...no AC

And no color TV!

But they did provide all the rocks you could bust with a sledge hammer...

But in spite of the prison hardships, they also offered some unique retraining programs...like the opportunity for an inmate to learn how to read and write.

The prison had assembled the best library in the territory and even loaned books to people out in the Yuma community.

Inmates were also taught construction trades...carpentry, rock masonry and black-smithing...all the skills needed for the inmates to build more cells at the prison!

In spite of the shoot-to-kill mandate for sharpshooters in the guardhouse, there were still a few successful escapes.

With the prison just a few miles from Mexico, heading south seemed to be the right place to go after an escape.

Unfortunately for the escapees, most were captured and constricted into the Mexican Army.

The feedback from those who escaped was that being in the Mexican Army at the time, was even worse than being an inmate in the Arizona Territorial Prison!

The Prison did have two extreme methods for maintaining discipline for those in prison.

The hot cell - an iron cage, out in the open in the middle of the prison yard...110 degrees and no place to find shade...and it could get into the 40's at night...with no blankets to keep warm.

And then there was the black cell

The worst of the worst misbehaving were shackled inside a 5 foot by 5 foot by 5 foot cage...bolted to the floor in a totally dark cell.

No light...no way to stand, no way to stretch and nothing to sleep on.

Guards sequenced through two solid entrance doors to access the cell, closing the outside door before opening the inside door to enter the cell.

That kept it continually dark for the inmate inside, so no clue about time of day...or to measure the passing of time.

The inmates said a day in the dark cell felt like a week in hell...

Oh, no unshackling for potty breaks either...or facilities for...well...to get rid of the "stuff".  Although the black cage was supposed to be cleaned out every 2 weeks...by the persons inside.

And even worse, there might be more than one shackled inside the cage depending on how many were breaking the prison rules at any point in time.

Duration in the cell was based on the offense and how many previous times the inmate had been assigned to the dark cell.

Seems like not much for a misbehaving inmate to look forward to!!!

The prison was operated in a manner to create a reputation of severe hardship with the objective of trying to convince the meanest hombres in the territory to stay on the right side of the law.

Wonder how behavior might improve if we returned to some of those old ways...

The guide also mentioned prison guards were paid twice  what they could earn working on the outside.

It was done so inmate bribery would never be a risk.

And I found that out first hand.

I attempted a bit of bribery for one of their most incorrigible inmates.

But it did no good...

They still let her out!!!

Let the adventure continue...