Gadget’s Airstream Chronicles

I didn’t get to post a lot about the weekend’s events. Busy one! I’m wondering if my server is working well enough to even post this now…..we’ll see.

Early in the a.m. on Saturday I decided to take a run into town. The trees are flowering, and they’re really a site! Very pretty indeed. Of course, you’ve got to have the right lighting, and the morning seems to be the right time.

After taking a few photos near the town square I returned to Point of Rocks to play tech support for Gunny. The mission, as I noted last night, was to get his VHS tapes onto his computer so they are not lost and gone forever. We’ve gotten him a long way too!

Like me, Gunny is a Mac user. After reading the second edition of the Digital RV Gunny decided he wanted a PVR for his Macintosh. He wanted to copy a collection of VHS tapes to his computer.

Unfortunately nobody in the area carries Elgato’s equipment (the Mac PVR company). But several stores carry Pinnacle’s PVR’s. After researching Elgato’s software I found that Pinnacle equipment could be used. So, for $99 Gunny picked up a Pinnacle USB converter, and the Elgato software for $79. In the end, a little more expensive than buying a device direct from Elgato.

So, Gunny spent part of Saturday & Sunday copying VHS tapes! And he was pretty happy with how the copies came out.

While Gunny played tech person, I went into domestic mode. Airstream cleaning. Reorganizing once again. 2 years full-timing. You collect a lot of stuff. In my case, BOOKS.

Why did I get on the reorganization kick? Gunny’s trailer. After a few years of ownership he’s finally happy with it. Many initial problems including a severe leak that messed up his insulation when he first bought it.

Over this past winter Gunny ripped out his dinette, put in a new corner table, and re-did the counters with Corian. Really cool. He also change his shower door and put a porcelain toilet in (really cool looking).

After seeing his interior upgrades I found a few new ideas for organizing in my trailer. Honestly, I wish his cabinet guy lived nearby, as I’d rip my dinette out tomorrow and make that wrap around computer desk I’ve been wanting.

Someday……someday…….

As I’d mentioned the other day (when I could post) we decided to head out for some photos in the Dells Saturday night. Fun walk out with Gunny, Lars, & Sadira.

Gunny’s new pup Natchez came along for the hike. For those who remember reading about Gunny in 06′ you know he had a dog named Nana. Well, Nana passed away this winter. Now Natchez travels with Gunny. He’s a good pup, and spent some time with Nana.

Our hike was to a usual spot. Natchez dragged Gunny along, and was difficult at times. An 8 month old Shepard can be a little high strung!

We all had a good time in the Dells watching the sun drop below the mountains. We also got a little cold with 30 - 40mph winds blasting us on the top of the rocks. My hat popped off a few times.

There’s the wrap for Saturday……

I’m tired of typing now…. Go figure. I wish the site had been functional this weekend. Good to see it’s working now!

Sunday was another trip to Skull Valley, and some extra rest. For a weekend off, it didn’t feel like it.

I’ll catch up on Skull Valley later. Promise. Oh, and by the way…… Bert and Janie will be coming in this week! Wow, lot’s of visitors. Let’s see if I can get a day or two off to visit with them too!

Well all, the web hosting company sent me an e-mail stating the server move was a whopping success. Unfortunately on my end, pages aren’t loading properly, pages hang, and my access to Wordpress is limited.

I’ve been trying to post since service was “restored”.

As soon as things get back to normal I’ll create a catchup post. It’s been a busy weekend to say the least!

In a hat.

Several years ago while figuring out why I was so sick I felt like the after image of myself.  Or, like a shadow of myself.  But I haven’t felt that way in a long time.  Good to feel like me again.

But this morning I was checking out my accepted photos at Dreamstime, and one of the accepted shots was titled by the Dreamstime crew as “Shadow of a Man in a hat.“  That shadow was mine, and I just got a kick out of the title.  I know, I get a kick out of strange things.

So far I’ve uploaded 29 shots from the Anza-Borrego trip to Dreamstime.  And the acceptance ratio for that series of photos worked out to be 79.3%!  Wow, that’s really good.  At least, I think it is and I’m pretty excited.  Several Panoramics were accepted, many cool Palm Canyon shots, and of course some slot canyon photos too.

The rest of my photos have to wait.  Many have people in them, and I’m waiting on Model Releases before I can submit them.  So, more A-B shots will get some additional exposure, and friends will be part of the Dreamstime experience.  Pretty cool!

Today’s economic nightmares….

Alright, I’m shifting gears now.  If you don’t want to know about economics, and you don’t want to scare yourself any further, you’re not alone.  Go check out my latest podcast, see some happy images, watch some shaky video, and listen to a few tunes.   Skip the rest of this post.

For the rest of you…..well, it’s nice to know what’s coming, isn’t it?

Apparently the Fed is going to take on $200bn in mortgage securities.  Oh good, we’re saved.  Oh wait….where are they getting that money?  Are we printing more?  Are we causing more inflation?  Are we taking away people’s fear of risk?  See, people risk money loaning it out for stocks, home loans, bonds, etc.  On the upside everybody is super happy, and they wrap themselves up in capitalism.  On the down side, when their RISK goes the wrong way they’re socialists, and they want the government to fix it for them.

Now, it doesn’t matter to me if you’re a capitalist or socialist.  But wouldn’t it be nice if we picked a path and stayed on it?  I’m getting sea sick readjusting to what America wants.  Upside, stay out of my business.  Downside, I’d like the Feds in my living room helping my family along.  Ugh.

Just keep in mind…..we’ll all be paying for this one, through taxes, inflation, and the erosion of our savings.  Mad about your 401K’s going down already?  Inflation erodes them too…..  Hey, let’s drop interest rates some more.

Speaking of 401K’s…..

By the way, this is why I’m really wound up this morning.  Folks borrowed against their perceived equity gains in their homes, thought Netscape made them billionaires, etc.  Now we have the next phase…..

Have you heard about the 401K Debit card???  Seriously, you can draw against your 401K today, and we’ve got a wonderful piece of plastic that can help you out.  And no, there’s more than one article on this new financial device.

What kind of commercial could we create for this new card?

Feeling squeezed financially?  Did your Dot Com portfolio tank a few years ago?  Have you maxed out your housing ATM?  Can’t find an Adjustable Rate Mortage any longer due this silly credit crisis?  Credit card balances nearing the national debt levels (fat chance)?  Well, there’s good news!  You can access your last retirement funds quickly and easily……

Yeah, I think that works as a commercial…..

This morning I’ve been uploading trip shots to Flickr.  :)  What’s my Flickr address?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadgetat/ 

I’ll be uploading more over the next few days as I sort the shots and categorize them.  :)  Ah, post processing is so much fun.  Glad I have Lightroom on my computer. 

On other notes…..economics once more.  Just a few links for your reading pleasure.

From the New York Post we have an article on why the Fed Chairman should really start worrying.  Interesting to know about the assumptions that go into our labor statistics….isn’t it?

The second article comes from Bloomberg.  The title?  “Bernake Policy to Destroy US Dollar, Faber Says.”   Ominous.  But true as well.  We’re destroying the value of the dollar trying to avoid recession / stagflation.  The more dollars we print, the lower the rates go, the worse the situation will become.  Any economist can tell you this…..

On other notes, I just need to say something about the talk about mortgage bailouts.  I’ve been reading about them too much lately.  Recently Bernake suggested that banks forgive a portion of mortgages that people have if they’re in trouble.  Wow, talk about a bailout.  Didn’t these folks read the documents they signed?  Didn’t they shop around for a mortgage?  Didn’t they plan ahead at all?  And now we’re to forgive the debt, and put it on the backs of taxpayers?  Wow.

I wonder, where is my bailout?  I paid my mortgage on time, had great jobs, good savings, etc.  Then an illness and divorce led me to living out of my Airstream.  I sure would like a home again you know.  Do I get a bailout for a bad couple of years?  I’ll tell you, I’d love to have a bailout.  But my situation is my responsibility, not yours.  So, I’ll continue to bail myself out, and I’ll keep my hands out of your wallet…..

Ah, back to the usual grind!  Out of the fun trip mode, and into a working mode.  Hmmmm……

Fortunately, yesterday I carried the whole Anza-Borrego experience with me.  Anyone who asked would get a whole story of the fun I had.  And I’d tell them about all the neat places I saw, and about the places I want to see next time I head out there.

It’s nice when you enjoy a trip so much that even when you’re back in reality you still feel like you’re out there.  :)  How nice is that?

The trip to Anza-Borrego is exactly what I was needing.  One year ago I stopped in there, and it was “just right”.  After staying for almost 2 weeks I headed back into Arizona to look at Sedona, and then I planned to move on to Cortez, Colorado.  On my way I passed through a unique little town, Prescott.  And I thought to myself, “Hey, this place looks interesting.”

I spent two days near Sedona.  While there though I kept looking into Prescott, and thinking about Prescott.  It seemed like a cool town.  Maybe a week there would be worthwhile.  So I pointed the Airstream back toward Prescott, found Point of Rocks, and fell in love with the town in 24 hours.

I remember holding back on posting about the spot.  Why?  Because after 1 day I wanted to say, “I found the perfect place.”  But after weeks and weeks here I figured readers got the idea, Prescott was the right stop for me.

I’m still very enamored with the town.  If only there was more tech here.  If only I didn’t keep hearing “over-qualified.” Maybe those changes will come in time.  For the moment, I’ve restored the whole happy feeling I had when I found this town.  And the feeling of exploration and enjoyment from Anza-Borrego is with me again.

I’d say that all of this great stuff stems directly from my little trip.  Glad a short vacation can provide so much!

Ah…..driving is complete.  We’ve landed safely back in Prescott.  Sadira has already headed home, and I’m unwinding from a long drive!  Whew!

But I never finished out yesterday, did I?  Nope, not at all.

After blogging and lunch we decided to take one more walk up into Palm Canyon.  The hope…..a big horn sheep or two.  Unfortunately we didn’t find any sheep.  We did however find a parking situation like Disney on a holiday, and a super busy trail.

A key point for visitors to Borrego Springs, Anza-Borrego, & Palm Canyon.  Confine your explorations to weekdays.  The weekends are super busy!

We decided to head about half way up the canyon to look for Big Horn Sheep.  The sightings we’d heard about put the sheep in that area every day.  And not just in the mornings either.  Mid-day they were coming down as well.

Unfortunately I think I chose to go in a little late.  With the sun lower in the sky it was hard to look at one side of the canyon.  Washed out with sunlight, and difficult to get a good look along the walls.  Every time I scanned the area with my binoculars I blinded myself with sunlight.

The other side of the canyon was lit just right for photos, but from everything I understand that’s not where the sheep are coming from.  Ah well, you win some, you lose some…..

Overall we had a nice hike in, and we sat in one section of the canyon for quite a while.  We watched many people pass in and out of the canyon while we sat waiting for sheep.  I have to wonder if all the foot traffic lowered our chances as well.

It was interesting to people watch.  Hot day, dry canyon, and folks walking up with black hats, black pants, dark purple shirts, and tons of perfume.  Not kidding.  One woman who passed us nearly knocked me over with the bottle of perfume she’d obviously doused herself in.  Maybe she misunderstood where she was going for the day (looked more like an evening on the town outfit than hiking).

90% of the folks we passed carried no water at all.  No packs, no bottles, and clothes that don’t say, “I’m going for a hike.”  Very interesting.  I’m surprised we didn’t see more emergency helicopters airlifting folks out (we did see that the other day too).

Overall, a great hike at Palm Canyon, and a good way to wrap up our outdoor adventures there.

Will I return again?  Are you kidding?  Of course.  I’d go back tomorrow if I could!  The trip wasn’t long enough, but when is a trip ever long enough???

Well, that’s a wrap for now.  I need a nap after the long drive home!

So, let’s get a gallery up, shall we?

How about two?  Anza Borrego….oh, I haven’t even imported 600 photos today….more to come……  :)  Heh!

[Show as slideshow]

Yet another report from Anza-Borrego. Unfortunately, things are wrapping up here. Tomorrow the 6 hour drive home will start, and the regular days will resume. You know, hiking, climbing, off-road adventures back in Prescott.

Oh, wait, that isn’t so bad, now is it?

Today started a little later. A day to sleep in. 6:45 wake up. Nice. The cold has finally backed off, allowing me to fully enjoy a day without DayQuil!

Early on we learned that Larry & Bill would be extending their stay one more night. Too funny! They decided to head home tomorrow, just like us. We’ve seen so many Airstreamers here this weekend, but it’s great to see them again. After all, we met up here last year same time. Wouldn’t be the same without them. And yes, Rich Luhr was missing, but we tortured him good with phone calls, pictures, and post cards….. Hey there Rich!

Larry had mentioned that some Airstreamers from a local chapter were heading to Hawk Canyon to view wildflowers. Apparently the word was the flowers were really popping over there. So Sadira and I decided to take a morning drive over there to check it out. While we found no amazing wild flowers, we did find a super cool off-road ride, and an interesting canyon that will be re-visited by me some day (soon I hope).

We made our way into Butte Wash (please, not juvenile jokes gang), but not very far. A group of off-road Jeep folks were totally blocking the road. 4 Jeeps, parked 2 wide, with one guy standing on the hard top of his Jeep watching in the distance. He was watching for someone, and it wasn’t us.

Finally the roof top Jeep owner noticed us, and flagged us around. Fortunately I saw a “path” where someone else had once driven around, so no major damage to the desert flora. Still, it was 5 degrees beyond rude in my opinion. I’ve found that often with people, whether it’s yielding the trail to a hiker who’s going up while you’re going down, or folks off-road on a dirt path which can only fit one vehicle, nobody is willing to yield. I always step aside as a courtesy, but if I didn’t there’d be a problem, as nobody else seems to notice others around them.

Kind of like people hiking up a trail talking away on their cell phone about last night’s sexual escapade. They just don’t seem to even know people are around them.….

Making our way around the fun four by fours with the idiot owners we headed off in search of Hawk Canyon. It was a cool ride in with lots to see. One thing we noticed…..all the cholla cactus are dying off out there. They’re all black, as if they’ve been burned. I saw one that had green on top, but the base was black, and clearly dying. I wonder what’s happening with those plants in that area.

We finally made it to the parking area for Hawk Canyon, and we found a ton of cars. No flowers, but many cars. And a few people around. Apparently a Cub Scout troop was in hiking the canyon, and 2 eight year olds were currently missing. Hmmm…..not a great sign.

As we got ready to head into the canyon our Jeep friends came rolling in. Sure enough they were waiting on friends with another Jeep, and one person on a dirt bike. I’m glad the road blocking tactics they employed helped find their missing friends…..

We were about to head into the canyon when we saw the big group also walking in. Extremely loud for 10 in the morning, and each with a tall boy beer in their hand.

It’s at this point I should mention the importance of hydration in a dry and hot climate. You’ve got to stay hydrated out here, or in AZ for that matter. And there’s nothing that says hydration like a Coors Tall Boy Silver Bullet. Or maybe two. I’ve heard tell that Camel Back Water packs are now endorsing Budweiser for their hydration bags……and that Gatorade is working on a new Miller Light / Sports drink combo.

Given how loud the crew was going in, we decided to take a ride further away from the rowdy group and see what types of views of the badlands were available. We didn’t have to go far either. Amazing views, but still a little haze in the sky. Nice morning though. We parked near the end of the canyon, and soon from within the canyon we heard our new found friends whooping it up. Ah, they made it through….how nice.

We decided to head back up to the canyon entrance and give the hike a whirl for ourselves. Given how quickly the other crew went through we knew it was a short hike.

We made our way back to the parking lot (a big open dirt area) and learned the lost scouts had been found. Good news! We strapped on our water packs, rounded up our cameras, and made our way into the canyon. And no, I didn’t have any beer in my water bag….I can’t have beer. If I did have beer it wouldn’t be swill like Coors. It would be a tasty Bass Ale instead…..to stay hydrated you know.

As we made our way into the canyon we were both excited. It was really cool, and downright stunning! It was also a few degrees cooler than up above, so we didn’t have to bake so much in the sun. Bonuses all around!!!

We wound our way through the canyon and soon enough heard a loud group coming back up. Our well hydrated Jeep friends no doubt. They were all happy, and proceeded to make their way through as we let them pass. I noted that several were carrying not one, but multiple crushed beer cans and looking a little glassy eyed. Nothing like starting the day off with a smile in mother nature!

Moving further into the canyon we found things becoming tighter and tighter. At two points my backpack caught on rocks and I had to stand tip toe in order to get through a tight squeeze! Wow, pretty interesting. A little disconcerting too.

I’ve been in caverns and caves. Been in places with no sunlight, and been through points in caves called the “Lemon Squeezer” that other family members could not pass through. And I’ve never had an issue with tight spots…..until today.

We got further into the canyon, to a point where the walls were so close no daylight was coming in. It was like a winding cave. And I thought to myself, “You don’t have problems with tight spots. You’re fine. And suddenly with that thought, I was uncomfortable. Ah, now I know why beer was necessary in the canyon.

I turned around, told Sadira I was turning around, and shortly we out into a wider spot. Ah, better! Where’s my beer???

So, a claustrophobic reaction. Not good. I decided to head in once more. This time we made it further, and I was fine. Until we got to a squeeze where the pack would have to come off. For some reason that made me really uncomfortable. At that point I decided to head back out. Save the full canyon tour for another day, and give me another reason to return once again (with plenty of beer in tow……just kidding).

While a little disappointing, I did get well into the tighter part of the canyon.  Who knew a random thought floating by like, “I never have problems in tight spots….” would suddenly unnerve me.  I’ve had a similar experience un-clipping from a climb and pulling rope up to rappel.  It happened once, and I hung there wondering if I’d be ok.  I reminded myself I’d done this dozens of times, and there was no reason to get nervous, but it happened all the same.  Sometimes the most familiar thing can rattle you.

The hike out of the canyon was fun.  We found other slots and walked up to see where they went too.  It wasn’t a fast hike out, and in the wider areas I was fine.  Even in the mildly tight spots it was all ok.  I think the lack of sunlight and overly tight area was the thing that really spooked me.  Next time I’ll head back in, no random thoughts, and happily get through.

After popping out of the canyon we decided to return to the Airstream.  Lunch, and then a hike up into Palm Canyon once again looking for Big Horn Sheep.

But I’ll save all that for another post.  Yup, only covered the first part of this long and fun day.  Just writing about it has tired me out.

Man, I need a Tall Boy Silver Bullet…… 

Friday night before going to sleep I took my ZipDee awning down.  The winds here can really kick up, and they were starting in.  Best advice on a windy day?  Take your multi-thousand dollar awning in.

It’s a good plan, and I strongly suggest it in windy spots.

Unfortunately, something occurred.  One of the hooks that holds the awning together shattered when I closed the awning.  I’ve always known the arm was too tight against another arm when closing, and the pressure of 4 years of being over tight finally won out over the piece of metal.

Looks like I’ll be calling ZipDee next week to see how to permanently repair it.

I was a little concnerned about the return trip home.  The arm won’t stay in position, so I devised several ways to deal with it.  None were to my satisfaction, so I sat out in the sand for a little while looking for the other piece of the arm.  After 10 minutes of searching I finally found the hook piece more than 30 ft away.  I broke out some super glue and duct tape and went to work.

The temporary patch worked so well that I could actually put the awning up!  Hooray for duct tape!!!!

While doing my work, Bill sat outside his trailer and connected up to my wireless network to do his first posting from the field.  See, Bill & Larry are new to Mac, so we’ve been doing a little tutoring here and there.

After all the morning fun was done (Zip Dee repairs and IPhoto instruction) we looked into cancellations in the park.  And guess what?  There were cancellations!  So we decided not to head out into the desert to find a random spot.  It’s so nice here at Anza-Borrego, why move?  Plus staying allows for another easier try at finding Big Horn Sheep.

Once we knew we weren’t moving I stopped packing and reorganizing.  Instead we headed out to Font’s Point to get a view of the Badlands from above.  It was a fun ride out, off road, with super light sand.  4 wheel drive was necessary, and if you took a regular car out I think you’d have trouble.

The ride out was fun.  Several Jeeps were playing “off road” adventure in front of me, driving in the super soft sand, going really slow and back and forth.  So I passed them (we all know how speedy I am).  I didn’t feel like playing “off road”, I wanted to see a cool view.

Unfortunately, the smog from LA rolled in late morning.  I’m not kidding, the air became thick, and I didn’t feel super.  You could see the stuff rolling over the mountains, spilling into the valley below.  And that smog really took away from our views of the Badlands.

We wrapped up early, and headed back to the Airstream.  A light lunch, and then a trip to Ghost Mountain was next on schedule!

Hitting the Airstream I felt super lazy about cooking.  So I broke out the Tofu Patties and Tater Tots.  Anime was put on, and the winds were picking up ever so slightly.  Hmmmmm……wind in the desert, who would have thought?

Sadira was interested in heading by the local outfitter.  It’s been super sunny, and super hot during the day, and she was determined to find a hat and one of the UV proof shirts like the one I’m always wearing.  So we popped over after lunch, and she found a few good deals.  Glad she did, as our hike up Ghost Mountain was much longer, and would have us exposed to the sun for quite a while.

After the little shopping spree we rolled back to the Airstream to pick up Bill.  He was very interested in a return trip to Ghost Mountain, and revisiting the Marshall South home.  He’s read up on the history of the family that lived atop Ghost Mountain for 16 years (before the Mrs. of the household had enough and walked out with her kids in tow).

I too became familiar with the family’s story last year, but that wasn’t why I was heading over there.  For me it was a fun hike with an interesting destination.  More walking time, neat views, etc.  The family’s story has never been my primary draw to the site.  As a matter of fact, if I were picking a remote spot to build my home, I’d pick a site with fewer rocks where I could grow food, a ready water source, etc.  A desert mountain top just doesn’t sound like the right place to try and go it alone……at least not for me.  I have the feeling that might be part of why Mrs. South finally left!

The drive out takes about 45 minutes from A-B.  The hike in well under an hour.  Super fun getting atop the mountain.  And it wasn’t hot.  The winds were kicking up!

By the time we reached the summit the winds were really cranking up!  We got to the former South home site and I hid behind some rocks and ate beef jerky.  Bill wandered off to take pictures, and Sadira wandered around talking about the people who lived up top.  “If my husband made me live on top of this mountain and lug supplies up over a mile, I’d leave him too!”

Well put!  They didn’t even have a driveway!!!  No thanks.  Pretty spot to visit, poorly chosen home site.  There’s my 2 cents. 

I finally rose from my munching and started looking around for interesting photos.  The water cistern?  The remains of the adobe walls?  A few used up cans here and there around the edge of the site?  Yup, got them all.

Oh, and of course the spring bed that had been lugged up the mountain, but never removed……

If you want to know more about the experiment of desert living, check out Bert’s Blog and Bill’s Blog.  They’ll fill in the big details, and give you links to other places that talk about the Souths.

Once we finally determined to head back down we realized how windy it truly was.  The winds blasted us as we hiked down the mountain side.  I kept one hand on my hat at all times.  It was bad.  The plus though was that we kept cool the entire walk.  I can only imagine what hiking the PCT must be like, as it passes through the same range (and we drove across it).  I bet it would be an interesting hike to say the least.

We reached the truck safely, and returned to Borrego Springs before dinner time.  As we approached our campsites I was thrilled that we decided to put the Zip Dee away before leaving.  Winds were easily 60 mph gusts.  I had a tough time controlling the truck when the winds came at it from the side.  Quite the wind storm, and it lasted into the night.  Wind howling outside an Airstream……doesn’t quite soothe you to sleep, but ah well

This photo is a little surreal.  Bobbie & Bill are to the left, Danine, Elise, & Larry to the right.  A big truck for towing in between.

What’s going on?  Before Bobbie & Danine departed Bill broke out his new musical instrument and did a quick song rendition with Bobbie.

Larry & Danine off to the other side chatted away.  I watched momentarily as I prepared to head up to Julian, but couldn’t help myself and had to break out the camera to document the street side musical.

One more photo is required to document this odd scene, because it goes a step further.

The big question for readers should be, “What’s on Bill’s head in this photo?”

The answer…….. A US Postal Stamp.

Why is a US Postal Stamp on a person’s forehead?  Bill needed a stamp to send a postcard to Rich Luhr.  I brought one out, gave it to Larry, and he put it on Bill’s head as Bill strummed away.

Yes, the postcard got sent.  No, Bill did not get mailed…….