Since my last travel log from Albuquerque, I was able to get a few more photos of the balloons, some lifting off and some landing.
On Friday morning, 10/10, there was a disaster as one of the balloons was pushed by the wind into power lines with death and injury. It put a damper on the festivities. We did not see this except on the news. That day I helped Karen move stuff from Santa Fe to her new abode. We had dinner at the motorhome after playing with the dogs.
The weather was overcast, windy and cold on Saturday. NO balloon flying this day. I helped Karen move my queen mattress to her place - and I hit a massive rain storm - it got the mattress wet even though I wrapped it in plastic. I didn't expect such a down pour. I will be modifying the MH to use a twin bed and use a desk for a office. It will be much better. I made a frame for the mattress and now she has a real bed. Later that evening There was a tornado warning farther to the south and east of us, thankfully. It still rained with hail and heavy winds that really rocked the motorhome that night. Karen came over for dinner and to take Digit for a sleep-over. They both needed this opportunity to bond again.
Karen brought back Digit on Sunday morning and she did a load of laundry at the KOA while I added more water to the tank. I ran out last night before I could do the dishes. Since I am dry camping I need to keep water in the holding tank. The day was still overcast and cool, but no wind, thankfully. The coach is full of dust from the blowing winds of the past couple of days.
This night I drove north to the San Felipe reservation and the Hollywood Casino Motor speedway. There was a sprint car race of national ranking with named stars. I watched the entire event with excitement and got colder as the night wore on. It was a great event and still worth getting a little cold.
On Monday I spent the most of the day in Old Town. I looked around, had lunch there, and did a little shopping. Karen and her friend Curtis came over for drinks in the afternoon, and then we all went out to dinner. It was a good time getting to know Curtis and sharing time together. Karen also took Digit for a sleepover.
After Karen brought Digit back we left Albuquerque, on Tuesday morning, and were able to drive directly to Tucson and got to my usual RV park by Tuesday evening. It was a long drive so we stopped several times for walks and stuff. We relaxed and had a good night of sleep. The next day I picked up my mail, paid the storage rent and got some stuff from the old RV, to use in the current one. This all kept me busy for most of the day in addition to giving the dogs some attention.
Below are a few photos of some of the sites we've enjoyed during our time in Albuquerque and trip and at our new location near Sierra Vista, AZ.
Thursday we drove to Sierra Vista and met with my new boss at the BLM office. He escorted me the 8 miles to the San Pedro house and my new home for the next 6 months. My new job is at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. The website is www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/ncarea/sprnca.html.
According to Wikipedia: A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a stream or river. Plant communities along the river margins are called riparian vegetation, characterized by hydrophilic plants. Riparian zones are significant in ecology, environmental management, and civil engineering because of their role in soil conservation, their biodiversity, and the influence they have on aquatic ecosystems. Riparian zones occur in many forms including grassland, woodland, wetland or even non-vegetative. In some regions the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, or riparian strip are used to characterize a riparian zone. The word "riparian" is derived from Latin ripa, meaning river bank.
This area is located between Sierra Vista to the west and Bisbee to the south east and not far from Tombstone to the east. There is a map of the area at www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/az/images/san_pedro.Par.45876.File.dat/SanPedroMap.pdf. This will give me an opportunity to explore these areas, learn some of the natural history and geology of the region and just have fun.
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) contains nearly 57,000 acres of public land in Cochise County, Arizona, between the international border and St. David, Arizona. The riparian area, where some 40 miles of the upper San Pedro River meanders, was designated by Congress as a Riparian National Conservation Area on November 18, 1988. The primary purpose for the special designation is to protect and enhance the desert riparian ecosystem, a rare remnant of what was once an extensive network of similar riparian systems throughout the American Southwest. One of the most important riparian areas in the United States, the San Pedro River runs through the Chihuahuan Desert and the Sonoran Desert in southeastern Arizona. The river’s stretch is home to 84 species of mammals, 14 species of fish, 41 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 100 species of breeding birds. It also provides invaluable habitat for 250 species of migrant and wintering birds and contains archaeological sites representing the remains of human occupation from 13,000 years ago.
On Friday, I got up at sunrise, fed the girls and myself. Walked around the nearby area and read some of the literature on the site. I met one of the volunteers who work at the bookstore and a couple who are avid photographers. As expected they are all nice people. After lunch I drove out to the other two sites that I watch, Murray Springs and Charleston as shown on the map. Basically all I do is unlock the gates to the three sites in the morning and lock them at sunset. I am to check the trails periodically and do maintenance as needed. When I met with the San Pedro House manager she gave me a few other assignments to perform:
Raise and lower the American flag at applicable times;
Fill the bird feeders;
Mow the grasses along the front walk and help with the debris pick-up along the paths.
No problems with these additional tasks. I will still have free time between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm.
I have met several of the Friends of the San Pedro River (FSPR) volunteers and have been invited to join on the 'Interpretive Walks' and other educational activities. I will do so as soon as I get my job assignments worked out. I doubt that I will become proficient in naming birds and other creatures or rock formations, but at least I can try.
I hope to learn how to take better photos of the flora and fauna. I also am planning to visit the Ice Age Mammoth burial site as well as the ancient petroglyphs and ghost towns around the area. We will be here at our winter home until April, 2009 and should have plenty of time to make tours. I hope to make our future travel logs filled with interesting photos and descriptions. And so the saga continues.
Bye for now.
Bruce, Molly and Digit
Link back to my "Bruce The Nomad" page.