Category Archives: Scooter

Riding with the Wind

I’ve been running both air conditioners non-stop the last two days. It’s been unusually warm, with the temperature reaching the upper 80s. There’s also humidity as scattered thunderstorms form in the late afternoon. We’ve only had a few stray rain drops here in the park, but I heard thunder and saw rainfall in the area. Yesterday, a nearby storm cell created wind gusts that rocked the coach for several minutes.

Today, the forecast calls for a more seasonable high of 77 degrees. I have windows and the door open this morning. Maybe I can give the air conditioners a break.

Yesterday, I rode the scooter out of the park, five miles north on Redwood Road. I wanted to check out the Pilot/Flying J fuel station. I’d like to to fuel up the coach when we leave here on Tuesday. I was told there was road construction by the station, so I wanted to check the area before driving the coach there. After checking it out on the scooter, I don’t think it will be a problem to stop there for fuel.

I’ve been using an app from the folks at Technomadia, called State Lines. It gives me useful information on various laws and taxes in each state. One of the things I look at, are fuel taxes. If I know we’ll be driving through a state with high fuel taxes, I’ll fuel up ahead of time. Here, in Utah, the tax on diesel fuel is 48.9 cents per gallon. When we reach Montana it will be 52.9 cents. When we head west from Montana I’ll buy fuel in Idaho where the tax is 49.4 cents per gallon. If I wait until we reach Washington, I’ll pay 61.9 cents per gallon in taxes! This app helps me to plan fuel stops.

After I reconnoitered the fuel stop, I went out on my mountain bike. I rode the Jordan River Trail again. I had a tail wind on the ride north. Along the way, I saw a group of people canoeing the river. I don’t know if it was an organized tour or just friends and family. There were about a dozen canoes together.

Canoes on the Jordan River

Canoeing down river looked fun. I wondered if they were going to pull out downriver or if they planned to paddle back upstream.

When I reached the moto-cross track, I was surprised at the lack of activity. No one was out on the track. Then I saw why. They must have read my last post about the dust being kicked up! There were two water trucks spraying water on the track to keep the dust down. The motorcyclists were taking a break as the track was being prepared.

Water truck in the center of the photo

After enjoying the tailwind on the ride down the river, I expected to battle the wind on the way back. I was pleasantly surprised. The wind died down for most of the ride back. The lack of wind made the ride easier, but it also meant swarms of gnats formed along the river. I rode through countless flying insects. I tried not to breathe through my mouth as they bounced off of my face. About a half mile from the park, the wind picked up again.

Later, after I showered and washed a load of laundry, I took a stroll through the RV park. The evening air was beginning to cool. The late afternoon was hot and muggy. I met a couple of guys from Canada. They were on their way back after buying a truck in Arizona. Not just any old truck, but a 1964 Chevy K10. The truck was in excellent condition.

1964 Chevy K10

It had a custom cap on the back and an auxiliary fuel tank. The guy that bought the truck told me he had a 1964 C10 at home and found the K10 online. The C10 is a rear-wheel drive truck while the K10 features four-wheel drive.

This morning, I’m taking advantage of the great wifi here at the KOA. I’m downloading the European coverage of the Moto-GP qualifying and race at Mugello, Italy. I’m looking forward to Donna’s return this afternoon.

Our plan is to pull out of here on Tuesday. Our next destination is West Yellowstone. We’ll stay there a few days and explore Yellowstone National Park.

Coffee Snob

I’m really particular about the coffee I drink. I prefer the bold flavor of dark roasted coffee, such as Italian roast or French roast. One of my favorite coffee beans is harrar, from Ethiopia. It’s been several years since I’ve had harrar though – it’s hard to find.

We converted from grinding our own beans and using a drip coffee maker to the Keurig K-Cup® system a few years ago. Donna did some work for the marketing firm that was promoting the product. They sent us a Keurig coffee maker. Over time, they sent us a few different machines.

We have one in our motorhome. It’s very convenient. It’s clean, doesn’t take much space and it’s a fast way to make a cup of coffee. We usually stock up on K-Cups® at Costco. We buy Kirkland Signature® French roast.

Last week, while we were in Heber City, our K-Cup® supply was dwindling. Heber City doesn’t have a Costco. There is a WalMart there. While shopping at the WalMart, Donna bought some K-Cups® in case we ran out. The selection at WalMart was limited. Donna bought Folgers Gourmet Black Silk® dark roast coffee. Sounds pretty good, right?

My idea of dark roast coffee and Folgers definition do not match. Their coffee is acidic, like most light-roasted coffee. When coffee beans are roasted, many of the starches are converted to sugar. Dark roasting at temperatures near 400 degrees fahrenheit, carmelizes these sugars, giving a sweet, smooth flavor. The dark roasting process also causes the bean to expand, decreasing its density. The result is a lower caffeine content in the brew.

Yesterday, the only coffee we had on board was the Folgers. Two cups of that had me jittery. It’s not dark roast. The caffeine content was higher than I’m used to. For me, this stuff wasn’t enjoyable.

I was on a mission yesterday to find dark roast K-Cups®. I looked up Costco and found one about five miles from here. I mapped out the route and rode the scooter there. The Kirkland Signature French roast comes in boxes of 100 cups. I bought two boxes.

The boxes are too big to fit under the seat of the scooter. In anticipation of this, I brought along a plastic bag. I emptied one of the boxes into the plastic bag. Now I could fit 100 K-Cups® under the seat. The other box went into a cloth shopping bag that I hung between my knees. Good to go. This morning, I’m enjoying good coffee!

I took a different route back to the KOA from Costco. I wanted to explore. The route I took wasn’t interesting though – it was mostly industrial. At one point, I was stopped at a railroad crossing. The train was so long and moving so slowly, I shut off the scooter engine and waited. After five minutes, the freight cars on the train began bumping and jolting with loud banging sounds. The train was coming to a stop. I couldn’t see either end of the train.

There were several parallel train tracks at this crossing. A pair of diesel-electric engines sped down one of the tracks in the same direction of the train. A few minutes later the freight cars jolted again. The train started moving back in the direction it came from!

I thought this would be a long wait. The train began to pick up speed. As I looked down the track, I realized what was happening. When they stopped the train, they must have switched to another track. They disconnected cars and split the train. The engines I saw coming by were now connected to the back half of the train, pushing it back the way it came. They were clear of the crossing after a couple of minutes. The logistics of train transport boggles my mind.

Yesterday, the temperature topped out at 92 degrees. We had partly cloudy skies and I heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. It didn’t rain at the KOA, but the wind picked up in the afternoon. I moved Donna’s plants inside and put away the table cloth, before the wind relocated everything.

I practiced guitar inside the coach. I plan to play guitar every day while Donna is away. I’ve been lax about practicing.

Today, they’re calling for partly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures. The high should be in the upper 70s. I have tentative plans to meet up with our friends, Brett Miller and Cheri Alguire for dinner. They’re here for a convention and they’re about to begin the full-time RV lifestyle.

Unexpected Finds

Donna and I rode the scooter to the City Market in Fruita on Monday. She stocked up on groceries – mostly produce. We had a full load of goods when we rode home. Afterwards, I rode to the Liquor Barn and replenished my beer and vodka supply. I don’t want to deal with it while we’re traveling through Utah. The alcoholic beverage laws in Utah are so restrictive, and it’s expensive there. I spent most of the afternoon getting the trailer squared away and loading everything in it.

I was up early Tuesday morning. Donna had set an alarm for 7am. However, someone in the RV park fired up his Harley (equipped with straight pipes) and let it run for five minutes at 6:15am. Really considerate. I got up at 6:30am. I’d already dumped and flushed the holding tanks the night before. We had everything buttoned up and fired up the engine a little before 8am.

We made a five-mile loop through the area before pulling into Diesel Services, Inc (DSI) – right across the street from the RV park. I did this to get the transmission temperature up before they drained the fluid. Hot automatic transmission fluid (ATF) drains faster and more completely than cold fluid.

I dropped our trailer in their lot and then went inside. The service manager, David, had me back our coach in front of one of the service bays. The shop was full of commercial equipment being worked on. So Andrew, the mechanic assigned to the job, had to work on our coach on the ground in front of the service bay.

Old ATF filters removed from transmission

Andrew rolled under the coach on a creeper and recorded the serial number of the transmission. He did this to ensure that the right filters would be installed. DSI gets the filters from an Allison wholesale distributor nearby. He drained the fluid and removed the old filters. Andrew didn’t mind me watching him work and we talked as he went about his business. He told me the old fluid looked and felt like the TranSynd® synthetic fluid. The old filters looked good – there was no visible sign of debris. In the future, I’ll have fluid analysis performed to ensure that the fluid is good and no contaminates are present. Certain contaminates can indicate failure of various components.

The new filter kit included the filters, cover gaskets and new O-rings. Andrew did a thorough job of removing the old gaskets and cleaning the sealing surface. Once the new filters were installed and drain plug replaced, he began pumping TranSynd® ATF into the transmission. This led to a moment of confusion. The filter kit indicated that 16 quarts (four gallons) were required to refill the transmission. The Allison wholesale distributor said to put 17 quarts in. Overfilling the transmission would not be good. If it’s overfilled, the ATF gets aerated and foams, reducing its ability to lubricate and cool the transmission. Once overfilled, the drain plug would have to be removed and replaced before too much expensive ATF is drained out.

Andrew cleans the filter covers and preps for installation

Andrew pumped four gallons of fluid into the transmission. We waited a few minutes for it to reach the sump, then I started the engine. At high idle, I put the transmission into gear and cycled it between drive, neutral and reverse to pump fluid throughout the transmission. Checking the ATF level can be a bit tricky. The dipstick is marked for checking cold and has another mark for checking when hot (the fluid expands with heat). The dipstick showed the fluid level to be inbetween the two marks. This seemed about right to me. Andrew and David agreed. The transmission was neither cold nor completely up to operating temperature. I paid the bill, including $42 for an extra gallon of TranSynd® ATF to take with me.

We stopped at the visitor center in Fruita, parked the coach and walked to El Tapatio for lunch. Then we drove west on I-70 into Utah. We stopped at the visitor center in Utah near Thompson Springs about an hour later. This is a nice stop. The center has attendants who can answer questions and they gave us a Utah road map. There are hiking trails leading off into the hills behind the center.

While we were stopped, I checked the ATF level, now that it was fully up to temperature. The level was low. I added about a quart of TranSynd® and we got back on the road. Our next stop was at Green River. Our plan was to check out a boondocking spot there, just outside of town. It sounded good – within walking distance to restaurants and a brewery.

When we pulled into the parking area, which looked to be an old, out-of-business gas station, the lot was fairly level. However, it was right next to the highway and railroad tracks. It was also totally exposed and the wind was blowing hard. To cap it off, there was a construction crew across the street with heavy dirt-moving equipment. It smelled like they uncovered a tar pit. We decided to move on northbound on US6. Before we moved, I checked the ATF again. Still low. I added another quart, bringing the total volume to 18 quarts. The transmission level is now at the full mark. I confirmed the ATF level by checking it electronically. The Allison shifter is electronic and it can check the fluid level through sensors. Apparently, we had a very good drain of the ATF. It’s always hard to tell how much fluid is still in the transmission before refilling.

The driving was tiring. We battled gusty wind all day. The wind was coming from the west, shifting to the south at times. On I-70, it was mostly headwind. On US6, it was a cross wind, occasionally shifting to a tailwind. I was tired by the time we reached Price.

We were planning to go to the only RV park we could find in Price, but then we saw a sign for fairgrounds which we decided to follow. We stopped at the RV dump station next to a ball field. Donna called the fairground office and obtained permission to camp overnight. The woman told her that from where we were, we just needed to continue on down the road to the fairgrounds. We drove out of the dump station, east on Fairground Road. We soon found ourselves back in town. Apparently, we were supposed to go the other way on Fairground Road. I turned around in a large parking lot and drove back the way we came. When we got to the fairgrounds, Donna phoned again to clarify where it would be permissible to park. The woman in the office was very nice. She gave us directions and told us we would be fine for one night – no charge. She gave Donna her cell phone number and told her to call if we encountered any problems.

We found a level spot in front of the grandstands. Ours is the only vehicle parked in this area. The restrooms are open. They have running water and are clean. There’s even free public wifi! Off to the west of us, there’s a motocross track. A couple of guys were riding on the track when we arrived, but they left a little while later.

After we set up, we took a stroll. We found another motorhome back in a dirt lot, hidden by a large metal barn. We didn’t see anyone around though. This morning, I saw it pull out.

Today, we’ll move to Heber City. There’s another county fairgrounds in Heber City that has full hook-ups for $15/night. Nice! Our plan is to stay there for five nights before heading to Salt Lake City where we have reservations at a KOA campground.

Clean Machines

I rode the scooter into Grand Junction on Saturday. I went to a self-serve car wash and washed our scooter. This works well. I bring along a few microfiber cloths and wipe down the scooter after I power wash it. The car wash had a soft water rinse, so there weren’t too many water spots to deal with.

While I was out, I stopped at the Liquor Barn. I found a potato vodka made in Idaho. It’s called Blue Ice. They market it as “Handcrafted American Potato Vodka – made from Idaho russet potatoes.” It’s priced right, so I thought I’d try it. It makes a great martini. This is my new standard. I think I’ll stock up before we head back to Utah.

Donna spent the afternoon preparing for a video shoot. We shot a demo video of the Reliable Steamboy PRO T3 steam mop. We use this steam mop on the wood floors in our motorhome. It’s also perfect for tile or linoleum and can even clean grout and freshen up carpets. The video we shot will be sent to Reliable’s PR firm for review. Ultimately, the video will be used in Camping World’s online catalog. We have a couple more products to demo, but we’ll see how this one works out before we produce another video.

After we finished the video, I checked the lug nuts on the cargo trailer. I’ve written about this before. Trailer lug nuts need to be checked periodically. I don’t know why, but they have a way of loosening. I set my torque wrench to 100 ft-lbs and checked the tightness of the lug nuts. Three out of 10 nuts moved slightly before the torque wrench clicked. If you tow a trailer, please check your lug nuts.

We both had a late lunch, so Saturday evening, we just snacked. Donna set out an hors d’oeuvres plate with sun-dried tomato and basil hummus that she made along with veggies and shrimp cocktail.

Saturday night snack dinner

Yesterday, the forecast called for the temperature to reach the upper 80s by late afternoon. Donna went out for a bike ride early to beat the heat. She intended to ride 30 miles, but ended up riding out to Highline Lake State Park. She checked out the campground there, then rode back home. The round trip was about 45 miles and she really enjoyed it.

While she was out, I decided to wash our coach and trailer. I saw a guy washing his coach the day before and talked to him. I thought I remembered seeing a sign in the office that prohibited washing in the park. Many RV parks prohibit washing your coach, trailer or vehicle on site. He told me they will allow you to wash on site if you buy a $10 wash ticket. Ten bucks for the privilege of washing my own coach! I paid the fee and got started a little before 10am.

I used a soft bristle washing brush on an extendable handle to reach the top of the coach. I washed the entire coach and our cargo trailer. Then I got the ladder out and did the windows. Donna found a new product from Brillo called a bug scrubber. This is a sponge-like pad that’s intended for use on windshield glass. It works like charm. The bugs came off the glass easily with the scrubber. It’s a new favorite product. I detest the usual battle trying to remove the bug remains and smearing the glass. It took about three hours to finish the entire wash job. Our coach is looking good!

Afterwards. I relaxed and read for awhile. By the time Donna returned from her bicycle ride, I was watching the Moto GP race from Le Mans, France that I’d recorded. A few years ago, Donna and I attended the Moto GP race at Indianapolis. Moto GP is the premier series worldwide for motorcycle road racing. There are two other GP classes that serve as feeders for Moto GP – Moto 2 and Moto 3. While we were at Indy, I told Donna to watch a kid in the Moto 2 class, Marc Marquez. This kid was fast. He made the most daring overtaking maneuvers.

Last year, Marc Marquez graduated to the Moto GP class, riding for Honda. He won the championship in his rookie year, becoming the youngest Moto GP World Champion in history. This season, after five races, Marc Marquez qualified on pole all five times. He’s won all five races. He’s only 21 years old and he’s destined to smash all of the records. So far, the only rider that’s been able to even stay close to him is nine-time champion, Valentino Rossi.

Last evening Donna prepared pork tenderloin, dry-rubbed with fajita spices. I blackened the tenderloin on the grill. It was superb! Donna also made a red potato and egg salad to serve on the side, which was a real treat.

Pork Tenderloin with fajita spice rub

Today will be another warm day. I have a few errands to run, then I need to pack the trailer. I want to have the trailer packed and the holding tanks dumped by the end of the day. If I have everything done, we can pull out early tomorrow morning. The first stop will be at DSI to have our transmission serviced. Then we’ll head west, back into Utah.

Colorado National Monument

I rode the scooter to the Cummins Rocky Mountain Service Center yesterday. It’s in Grand Junction, a few miles from our location. I picked up a fuel filter and air filter for our Onan 7.5 KW Quiet Diesel generator. The filters are due for replacement after 500 hours of run time. We have about 470 hours on the generator now. So, I picked up the parts while it was convenient and will do the maintenance work later.

The highlight of the day came when Donna and I rode the scooter through Grand Junction to the east entrance of the Colorado National Monument. We brought our America the Beautiful National Parks Pass. Without the pass, there is a day use fee to enter the monument. When we pulled up to the entrance kiosk, it was closed. There was a sign directing us to pay upon exiting the park. Seemed strange, but we rode in and immediately began climbing a steep, twisty road.

At one point, we entered a tunnel and felt the coolness deep inside the rock. After passing through the tunnel, we stopped at Cold Shivers Point. The elevation was about 6,200 feet – we’d climbed nearly 2,000 feet in seven miles. Cold Shivers Point overlooks Columbus Canyon. I took many photos, so today’s post is picture heavy. However, I couldn’t capture the enormity, the steepness and the depth of the canyons.

View from the road climbing from the east entrance

Looking towards the head of Columbus Canyon

Looking toward the head of Columbus Canyon

The walls of Columbus Canyon are sheer drops of several hundred if not more than 1,000 feet. I’ll admit that parts of the overlook were frightening. You can stand on the edge of the canyon wall, unrestrained and look down.

We continued riding westbound along Rim Rock Drive, stopping at view points along the way. This is a road you don’t want to make a mistake on. It snakes along the rim of the canyons with no guardrail between the road and rim. At times, the shoulder is only a couple of feet wide before the terrain drops vertically.

Donna at the Red Rock Canyon Overlook

Narrow Red Rock Canyon, looking north

Again, the photos do not capture the scale of the landscape. The floor of Red Rock Canyon covers a few miles before it drops away to the Colorado River to the north. The juniper and pinon pine trees on the bottom are mature and much larger than they appear.

Colorful rock on the south side of Rim Rock Drive

The largest canyon in the Colorado National Monument is Ute Canyon. We stopped at several view points overlooking this enormous canyon. We hiked down a couple of trails that had placards identifying the plants and some of the animals found in the park. The road topped out at 6,640 feet above sea level. We began a gradual descent along the rim of Ute Canyon. I’ve run out of adjectives to describe the view. Below are a few images of Ute Canyon.

Ute Canyon

View from Artists Point

Coke Oven Overlook

Monument Canyon view

Monument Canyon

There are a number of hiking trails throughout the park, many of which are described as “difficult.” It’s also a popular cycling route that requires lights on front and back to travel safely through the tunnels.

We stopped briefly at the visitor center, then made the rapid descent to the west park entrance. I pulled up to the kiosk, ready to show my park pass. It was empty. There was a sign posted that said “Temporarily Closed.” I guess entry into the Colorado National Monument was a freebie yesterday.

We rode on CO340 into Fruita. We stopped at Suds Brothers Brewery downtown and had a cold one with a plate of hummus and veggies with warm pita bread. The Red Monkey Butt amber ale was very good, full-bodied and well-balanced.

Last night I grilled teriyaki salmon on a cedar plank. Donna served it with pineapple salsa and sauteed spinach.

Teriyaki salmon with pineapple salsa

Today, Donna will catch up on some work and then get out for a bike ride. I’ll see if I can make arrangements to have the transmission in our coach serviced next week.

Fruita Loops

I was surprised when I realized today is Thursday. I lose track sometimes. I thought we arrived in Grand Junction on Monday and today would be Wednesday. I lost a day somewhere. We actually arrived here on Tuesday.

The temperature reached the upper 60s yesterday with light wind. Very agreeable weather, perfect for Donna to take a bike ride. She followed the back roads and ventured into the foothills north of here. The roads are really quiet. Cars passed her occasionally, but she said they gave her plenty of room.

We’re on the western slope at an elevation of about 4,600 feet above sea level. The mighty Rockies rise east of us and the peaks are covered in snow. The local terrain is fairly flat with some rolling hills. It’s semi-rural. Most of the houses around us have horses, cattle, Llamas or other livestock on the property. Donna shot a few pictures while she was out on her bicycle.

Cattle along the roadside

BLM land to the north

Colorful with snow covered peaks in the background

Colorful landscape with snow-covered peaks in the background

Donna followed 21 Road north, away from the town of Fruita. The roads are laid out on a grid. The north/south roads are numbered. The east/west roads are given alphabetical designations. This makes it easy to find your way around.

Eventually she climbed to a trail head at the end of the road. From there, it’s BLM land. There was sign with a map describing the permitted use of the public land in the Special Recreation Management Area.

BLM sign

Two girls riding horses approached. Donna took their picture. Horses are very popular around here.

Out for a ride

While Donna was putting in 25 miles on her bicycle, I went out to explore on the scooter. I rode east into Grand Junction. I found a shopping mall. I crossed over the Colorado River and followed highway 340. It’s a scenic road with a high butte to the south and the river bottom on the north. The Colorado National Monument is on the butte. We’ll take the scooter and tour through the monument today or tomorrow. I put in about 30 miles, but I didn’t get the exercise that Donna got!

For dinner last night, Donna prepared sweet and spicy garlic chicken.This was a new recipe. It was spicy and tasty!

Sweet and spicy garlic chicken served with smashed Klondike rose potatoes

The news out of San Diego is frightening. We saw some coverage on the news last night and also have been following it on Facebook. There are a number of wildfires burning in San Diego County. My thoughts go out to those who’ve suffered losses or are threatened by the fires.

Wahweap Bay

Donna went hiking yesterday morning up on the mesa overlooking Lone Rock Beach. Here are a few photos she took.

Sand dune and rock

Wahweap Bay

Sand dunes and Lone Rock

On her way back, she stopped and met our neighbors. Rob and Bettea are from the Netherlands. They are on a five and half month tour of the USA in their 4-wheel drive Toyota camper.

Rob and Betty

After lunch, we took the scooter down US89 to the Wahweap Bay Resort and Marina. This is more of the Glen Canyon Recreational Area. We were able to enter with our annual pass, otherwise we would have had to pay a daily use fee of $15.

They have an RV park there with full hook-ups. Full hook-up sites are expensive though – $48/night. We checked out the RV sites. Very nice, but our $10/night site is working for us.

They also have a marina dedicated for houseboat rentals. Cars can be parked for up to 14 days while you cruise the 180-mile length of Lake Powell in a houseboat. Sounds like a good time!

View from road to Wahweap

Another view from the road to Wahweap

Last night, while Donna was hoop dancing, I managed to get one last shot of Lone Rock. As the sun was setting, the rock was lit perfectly.

Sunset on Lone Rock

This morning, we’re packing up and moving on. We’ll head back to Page and stock up at Walmart. Then we’ll take BIA 98 over to US160 east. At US19, we’ll head north to Bluff, Utah.

Dinosaur Footprints

Yesterday, Donna and I put on our hiking shoes and went for a walk. Donna had looked at Google Earth and saw what looked like hiking trails across the road from the RV park. Before we left, I walked to the office and asked about hiking in the area.The woman there told me that most people hike across the street on the trails Donna saw. She said she’d never hiked there, but heard tales of dinosaur footprints fossilized in the hills.

We crossed the street late in the morning and followed the trail. It was directly across from the RV park entrance. We hiked down into a wash then started on an uphill path. I put my hand on Donna’s arm and said, “Stop!” There was a snake sunning himself in the trail a few feet in front of us. It was a harmless western patch-nose. I told Donna that snakes are cold-blooded. Since the temperature was in the low 70s, he probably wouldn’t move all that fast. I stepped forward to take a picture of it. He took off like shot and disappeared into the brush. So much for my theory of cold-blooded reptiles being slow at that temperature.

The trail meandered up and down. Sometimes we were hiking in the bottom of the wash, other times we were climbing the hillside. There were many wild flowers blooming along the trail. I didn’t try to photograph them because the were all moving with the wind. I didn’t think my Samsung Galaxy would capture a good image. Along the wash, we were walking under eroded limestone walls.

Limestone cliffs

As we climbed up a hill, I saw motion on my right. We watched as a rock squirrel, startled by our arrival, scrambled up the steep hill side. He disappeared up in the cliff above us. Rock squirrels are the largest squirrel species in Arizona. Unlike most squirrels, they are omnivorous. They will climb in trees and ocotillo cactus to feed on buds and they will also catch and eat birds, rodents and reptiles.

Bottom of the wash

There were trails that crossed the wash. We climbed out of the wash on one of the trails. It led us up to the top of a ridge where it suddenly ended. We took a look around and walked back down. We followed another trail up to a hill top. From there it looked like the trail went on for miles. We turned back.

Donna taking a look over the ridge

It was nice to be able to get away from civilization by taking a short hike across the road. Once we were back in the hills, we didn’t hear anything but the sounds of nature. I wish we saw more wildlife, but it was an interesting hike nonetheless. Donna enjoyed all of the wild flowers. We didn’t find any dinosaur footprints. I’m not sure if I would recognize fossilized dinosaur footprints if I saw them.

Later, I rode the scooter over to the town of Camp Verde. I went to Basha’s grocery and picked up a case of water and some Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon. On the way there, I passed signs for Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well. These are national monuments. We’ve visited Montezuma Castle before. It’s a 20-room cliff dwelling. We may go there again today.

I made reservations for us at J&H RV park in Flagstaff. We’ll go there tomorrow and stay for a week. It’s been windy here, but the wind is supposed to calm down again tomorrow. Flagstaff weather looks good for the week ahead.

J&H RV Park should be interesting. They have strict rules. No smoking on any part of the property. No motorcycles or ATVs. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. I’m thinking it will be a quiet place. We’ll leave the scooter in the trailer and rent a car.

Last night I grilled a pork tenderloin that Donna prepared with a chili-maple syrup glaze and sweet potato hash on the side. It was excellent!

Chili-glazed pork tenderloin with sweet potato hash

I start packing the trailer this afternoon. We would like to be out of here around 10am tomorrow. So I doubt if you’ll hear from me tomorrow.

Lonesome Saguaro

While Donna was out riding her bicycle yesterday, I rode the scooter down to Wickenburg. I went to the Basha’s grocery store to pick up a few things. I brought bungee cords with me so I could secure a case of bottled water on the back seat. I had everything loaded nicely and I made an uneventful trip back.

Scooter loaded under seat, on rear seat and in front

For lunch, Donna made tomato basil wraps filled with scrambled eggs, black forest ham and sharp cheddar cheese. I wanted to go for a bike ride, but thought I should wait for a while after eating. I walked over to the clubhouse to return a book I read and select another one. The were five guys there playing music. One guy was clearly the leader. He played a weird four-string acoustic guitar through a small amp. They played old country/folk music. Pretty basic, simple music, but they sounded good. The guy with the four-string guitar sang really well.

By the time I got my gear on and headed out on my bike, it was 2pm. I went out to the same trailhead as before, but this time I took a different trail at the four corners crossing. I saw a trail called Lonesome Saguaro. I wanted to see if a saguaro actually existed out there. I found it a short time later. This is puzzling to me. The saguaro looks to be at least 50 years old, judging by its size and the arms starting to form. The terrain it’s growing in doesn’t look any different than the surrounding desert. I wonder how this lone saguaro survived here when no other saguaros are to be found in the area.

Lonesome saguaro

I rode out to Martinez Wash. The ride to the wash was difficult. It had a few short, steep drops and climbs. Most of the drops into little washes had soft sand or decomposed granite in the bottoms. A few times, my front tire dug in too deep and I had to hop off the bike. I made the return trip past the cattle and water tank. I saw tracks in the soft sections made by one or two other mountain bikes. Now that I think about it, I think it was one bike going out and back. The tracks looked pretty squirrely through the soft stuff.

I’d waited too late in the day to ride. The heat was oppressive and I wasn’t feeling well by the time I got back just after 3pm. I took it easy for the rest of the day.

Donna saw a new neighbor pulling into a site behind us. She said it looked like an older coach, but she didn’t know what it was. I looked out the window and saw another Alpine Coach. This one is an older single-slide model. That makes five Alpine Coaches currently here in the park. Before coming here, I had only seen two Alpine Coaches – one in San Diego when we still had our Gulfstream and one in Usery Park.

Last night, Donna and I grilled chicken breasts and skewered fresh strawberries. Donna made a balsamic reduction to put on the chicken and drizzle over the strawberries. Grilling the strawberries brought out the sweetness. This sweetness combined with the balsamic reduction was a great combination. This was the first time we tried this dish. I’m sure we’ll have again at some point.

Grilled fresh strawberries and chicken breasts with balsamic reduction

Donna remarked yesterday how this place is growing on her. It’s so quiet and the hiking and mountain biking paths are easy to access. This morning I awoke to the sounds of doves cooing and quail calling. It’s not a bad place, but it will be too hot here next week.

Today, the forecast calls for a high of 77 degrees with winds from the southwest picking up to more than 20 mph. There’s a 50% chance of rain by tomorrow morning. It should calm down and clear up by the time we pull out on Sunday.

Stuff in the Desert

We extended our stay here at North Ranch Escapees RV Park until Sunday. That will get us through the wind forecast for tomorrow and the cold front over the weekend.

I got my mountain bike out of the trailer and went for a ride. I haven’t been riding since I hurt my shoulder. I thought I could ease back into it with a short ride. I wanted to check out some of the trails Donna has been hiking.

The trailhead is accessed through a gate at the east end of the park. There’s a sign there showing which way to go to various points of interest. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Trailhead sign

There are a few more of these signs at trail intersections in the desert. The trails are wide enough for use by ATVs. The surface is mostly good with some soft, sandy sections and few sections of loose rock.

Wide trail

I rode along a ridge to Inspiration Point. The view from there was a wide desert vista. I took pictures looking different directions from the point.

Looking east

Looking north

Looking northwest

There’s a lot of wide open BLM public land. I’ve said it before and it’s evident in these photos; the desert is never as flat as it seems. At mid-day you don’t have visual cues such as position of the sun and shadows to give you a sense of direction. It’s easy to get turned around out there.

I turned at an intersection and the trail lead me to a large wash. The trail down into the wash was very steep. I could see where the trail led out of wash on the other side, at least a half-mile away. I saw cattle in the brush down in the wash.

The big wash

I decided against crossing the big wash. I didn’t want to overdo my first bike ride after a month of rest. I turned back and followed a different trail. Sometimes you find unexpected things in the middle of nowhere in the desert. I came across bee hives set up on the trail.

Bee hives in the middle of nowhere

I didn’t want to get too close. I could see and hear bees buzzing around the hives. I’m still bothered by the bee sting on my right arm from last week.

I turned around and found another trail to follow. This one led me to another unexpected find. Parked behind some brush was a Komatsu bulldozer. It looked like it had been sitting there for awhile, judging by the cobwebs inside.

Bulldozer in the desert

I wondered who would leave a piece of expensive equipment out on public land and why? I rode on.

My next find was a herd of open range cattle. Ranchers get grazing permits on BLM land and the cattle roam free. Eventually, cowboys will round up the cattle and haul them to market. The cattle had ear tags and brands on their hides to identify ownership.

I don’t think they’ve seen too many people on bicycles. They stared in my direction, then most of them began moving away. Three stood their ground and looked like they wanted to charge. I wasn’t too concerned about the steers, but I saw a large bull lying in the shade of a tree. I won’t challenge a bull. I’ve told the story of my experience with a bull here.

Open range cattle

In the photo you can see the water trough for the cattle. A little way down the trail I came across an odd sign. Camping is allowed on this section of BLM land. However, the sign stated that it was illegal to camp within a quarter of a mile from any waterhole or trough.

Further along the trail, I came across another water source. This was a large cylindrical water tank that was tilting like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Water tank

From there I continued on and looped back to the trailhead. I was out for about an hour. Lots of interesting and curious finds out in the desert. One thing I didn’t find was saguaro cactus.

Saguaro cactus are found throughout the Sonoran desert. It’s the only place they’re found. When you don’t find them in the Sonoran desert, it can only mean one thing. It gets too cold in that particular area during the winter. If the temperature drops below freezing for more than three or four consecutive nights, the saguaro will die. This area must have cold nights in the winter due to the elevation.

In the hilly desert to the northwest of here, you can see saguaros growing abundantly, then they disappear half way up the hillside. That marks the frost line of the hill.

In the afternoon, Donna looked out the window and said, “Our neighbors are gone.” I looked out and sure enough, Dave and Lynda’s Alpine Coach wasn’t there. But they left a bicycle near their picnic table. I went to the office to see if they could contact Dave and let him know he left a bicycle behind. They told me Dave and Lynda didn’t leave the park. They extended their stay due to the weather forecast and moved to a different site. They found an open site with trees and shade.

I went to their new site and chatted with them. The shade may be handy today, but I don’t think the trees will be desirable if the wind is as strong as expected tomorrow.

This morning I’ll take the scooter to town for a few provisions (beer). I think I’ll take another bike ride in the desert later.

Flying The Koop

…from real estate to wheel estate and back again

Category Archives: Scooter

Riding with the Wind

Coffee Snob

Unexpected Finds

Clean Machines

Colorado National Monument

Fruita Loops

Wahweap Bay

Dinosaur Footprints

Lonesome Saguaro

Stuff in the Desert

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: