One of the coolest places on earth...

One of the coolest places on earth, plus a disclaimer!

First, a disclaimer!  I apologize if this post is not as humorous as the past two have been.  Dave – the source of much fodder for my past two blog posts – has been behaving himself and hasn’t had any “Hey, watch this!” moments lately.  That is both good, and bad.  Uneventful is good, but it also means no good belly laughs at Dave’s expense this go-round. 

 Now, one of the coolest places on earth…

 

We left Patagonia Lake after seven glorious days.  We got in two most excellent days of kayaking during our stay, and would certainly go there again.  Our next destination was to the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Management Area, near McNeal, Arizona, where we were fortunate enough to experience one of the coolest things either one of us had ever seen.  Up to 20,000 Sandhill Cranes roost there every year, some coming from as far away as Siberia.  The birds spend the night standing in Whitewater Draw’s shallow waters to evade predators, and then each morning fly out to feed and socialize in the surrounding fields.  They return to the draw in the late afternoon and early evening hours. The sunsets and sunrises at this 1500-acre preserve, set to the cacophony of thousands of Sandhill Cranes jabbering with each other, is really something quite special.

We got up before sunrise each day to witness the incredible sights and sounds of these cranes, and made sure to plan our days around being out at dusk when they returned for the evening.  They make a constant chortling noise which is incredibly loud when multiplied by the thousands of cranes present.  Sandhill cranes are beautiful, graceful birds and it was truly breathtaking to experience this place and these birds firsthand.  Beautiful sunrises and sunsets just put the frosting on the cake!

 

 

 

We also visited Tombstone, famous for the shootout near the OK Corral between the Earp Brothers and the Clantons.  While there we visited the BootHill Graveyard, where the five victims of the OK Corral shootout are buried.  Tombstone was a roaring mining town in the early 1880’s and there were many violent deaths.  Outlaws, and their victims, are buried in the BootHill Graveyard as well as suicides and hangings (legal and otherwise), along with the hardy citizens and refined element of Tombstone’s first days.  There are about 250 gravesites, many of them marked “Unknown.”  When authorities could not identify a person who had died, they would lay the body on a piece of sheet metal, with ice underneath, and prop it up in a store window.  If, after two days, nobody had recognized and identified the body it would be buried at BootHill in a grave marked “Unknown.”

 

We had burgers and fries at Big Nose Kate’s saloon whilst listening to an old cowboy and his country western music, and then toured the old Courthouse.  Tombstone was the county seat of Cochise County from 1881 to 1929 (when the seat was moved to nearby Bisbee) and the original Cochise County Courthouse has been restored to its former glory.  The Courthouse was built in 1882 in the shape of a Roman cross; the two-story Victorian structure still stands tall and proud.  The building stood vacant from 1929 to 1955, when it was rehabilitated and developed as an historical museum that continues to operate to this day as a state park.  Fascinating exhibits, including a replica of the original gallows, and thousands of artifacts tell the story of Tombstone. 

Our stay at Whitewater Draw was memorable not only for the sunrises and sunsets and fabulous birds, but also because of the cold and, once again, the fascinating people we met.  The last evening we were there, the temperature dropped down to 27 degrees, and the wind absolutely howled.  We were packing up to head out when a fellow camper came over to chat.  He and his son had spent the previous evening in a tent, and another fellow’s motorhome pipes had frozen.  It had been a very cold evening!  We got to talking with him, and learned he was Chris Decker, a retired school principal from Maine who was providing chase support to his son, Corey Decker, veteran of the 82^nd, who is riding his bicycle across the country to raise awareness and support for the war against veteran suicide.  They began their journey in San Diego and it will end when Corey reaches Fort Bragg, North Carolina in a few months.  Chris shared with us that he was blogging their cross-country journey and how the school kids back home were following his blog.  Corey’s cause is called Mission22, which is representative of the 21.5 deaths from suicide amongst veterans each and every day in this country. There is a facebook page – “Decker – The Ride” where you can follow Corey’s trip across the country and you can support the mission at www.mission22.com.  Chris’s blog is http://www.campahedu.com.

After three days at Whitewater Draw (the maximum; and it was free!), we headed to Quartzsite in search of warmer weather.  Quartzsite is a small town in western Arizona, just 20 miles east of the Colorado River.  With a population of only 3,677, it attracts more than 2 million visitors a year and January and February are the prime months, when the temperatures are typically in the 70s and the sun is full on fabulous.  It may very well be the “boondocking” capital of the world.  There are thousands of acres of BLM land open for long-term visitors and you can literally park wherever you want as long as you are self-contained.  We paid only $40 for a 14-day stay and for $180 you can stay six months although I don’t think anybody does that.  After March, the temperatures are categorized as “extreme heat” and some of the businesses close down from March to September.  Summer temps in excess of 120 degrees are not uncommon. 

One of the advantages to this kind of RV’ing, living “off the grid” is that if you don’t like your neighbor, no problem.  Easy enough to move!  We had a great spot and had been there a couple of days when some yahoos moved in nearby, commencing to run a very loud generator almost constantly which unfortunately was not quite loud enough to drown out their voices.  We put up with that for a day or two, and then we just packed up and moved to quieter environs.  Easy fix!

Many retirees come here each winter for the huge RV show, swap meets, and a 2-month long gem and mineral show.  The Sonoran desert setting, just 879 feet above sea level, holds its own mystique.  The surrounding Dome Rock Mountains on the west and the Plomosa Mountains to the east add a mystic beauty to the landscape as well as playing an Oscar-worthy supporting role in the fabulous sunrises and sunsets.

Quartzsite is the burial place of Hi Jolly, an Ottoman citizen of Greek-Syrian parentage who took part in the experimental US Camel Corps as a camel driver.  The US Camel Corps was a mid-nineteenth century experiment which was abandoned when it was interrupted by the Civil War and the camels were sold at auction.

Situated on the Arizona Peace Trail, Quartzsite will be a major hub in an OHV trail which, when completed, will link Quartzsite with Bullhead City to the north and Yuma to the south, and will be one of the longest signed and mapped OHV trail systems in the country.  Immediately surrounding Quartzsite there are old mines to explore, petroglyphs to wonder at, and miles and miles of trails and roads perfect for Off-Highway vehicles.

When we first arrived here in Quartzsite, the entire country was experiencing colder than average temps and Quartzsite was no exception.  The wind was howling so hard one day it was insane.  We were over browsing at the RV Show, trying to find refuge from the wind, and had taken a break to enjoy a quick hot dog lunch.   While I was waiting for Dave to return with our lunch, I had observed a fellow nearby wearing only a shirt and no jacket at all.  I was in a down jacket and was still cold so I thought to myself that this must be one tough guy from Minnesota or somewhere equally frigid.  Dave was wearing a BPA jacket and on his way back with our lunch, this gentleman walked up to him and said, “I know you!” The fellow was Jim Nelson, whom Dave had worked with for many years when they were both PSC Craftsmen at BPA.  It is a small world!  Jim and Dave got to catch up on all the folks they knew in common during their careers and we plan to meet up with him and his wife to go do some desert exploring nearby.

The cold weather has passed and we are now enjoying the weather Arizona winters are so famous for.  Yesterday we got in a nice long bike ride on dirt trails, in shorts and t-shirts.  It was a fine day under beautiful blue skies with a few wispy clouds.  I believe the high was about 75.

 

This is just one of the sunsets that God had painted the sky with for us.

Life is good.

More later.

Diana