Border Insanity

The massive amounts of money going up in flames on the border is total insanity. Here you see pictured one shift of the vehicles used in the Sonoita area. Yesterday Lord Kadizzle asked a local person why they had so many vehicles sitting still. The gas station mechanic explained that each border patrol agent had his own vehicle. This was necessary because if they exchanged vehicles they could not know who was abusing them. So good old uncle same has to have two vehicles sitting for each one in use, since there are three shifts. 900 million is being spent for fencing along the border. It simply does not work. The whole system has proven over and over that it cannot defeat crime, drugs, and Tyson Chicken. As the left hand tries to stop them, the right hand pays them to cut meet in the packing factories. Lobbyist make sure there is no effective way to keep the cheap labor out of our country. Mexico is so corrupt it is hopeless. Mexico had one brilliant idea, build tourism in Mexico. The idea was a splashing success in Cancun, and Mexico would like to try it elsewhere. Why not take the 900 million we are sinking into the border fence and loan it to Mexico to develop resorts along the West Coast of Mexico? Let the Mexicans develop their own economy. Would you rather go to Las Vegas or be on the beach in Mexico getting your pockets cleaned? Kadizzle would take Mexico any day. The daily cost of the giant hide and go seek game on the border is beyond belief. When the Vietnam War was in full bloom the United States was spending $150,000 dollars in ammunition alone to kill one North Vietnamese. Someone made the observation that we could bring them to the United States and send them to an Ivy League school cheaper. There has to be a better way to handle the border mess. China is kicking our ass with cheap labor. Mexico is the poster child of cheap labor, why can't they be our next door China? The other day when Kadizzle had a chat with the young border patrol kid from Kansas. The young agent said how much fun it was driving around in a truck chasing people. He loved it. It may be great fun, but it is a great waste of money for a country deeply in debt. Sitting here in the heart of the border game one wonders about the logistics of the silly game. As we hike in the very area where the problem is one can see that a person stationed on each little rise could effectively watch several miles of land. There seems to be no logical approach to this mess. When the communist countries were in the midst of the cold war somehow they managed to keep their borders secure. No one came in or out. How did they do it? North and South Korea have perfected the game. Where is all the electronics in this game? Why not have American Military bases here on the border and let the soldiers guard us from the border crosser's? There just seems to be a phony charade going on. Isreal is at war with the Palestinians yet Isreal has found a way to let the Palestinians come over and clean the toilets. Are they smarter than us?

Elephant peeks in Window

Well, not really, but it could happen. If a person just awoke in our Earth Module and did not know where they were they might guess they were in the Serengeti deep in the heart of Africa. The plain we are camped on stretches for miles in every direction. Live Oak trees and the huge cottonwoods in the valleys however give it away that you are somewhere in the United States. Border Patrol helicopters might also give a hint. The modules are three miles north of Sonoita Arizona camped near an abandoned runway. Over on the runway there are two big groups of campers. First are the piston heads. These are the people that firmly believe man was not meant to walk. The piston heads have every conceivable motorized wheelchair that they buzz through the roads on. For piston heads they are not that bad. The piston heads must fear attack. They have formed a huge wagon circle with a giant fire in the middle. If the gasoline supply gave out they would probably commit suicide.

Next to the piston heads the dog boys have moved in. A hundred dogs are competing for titles finding birds. Quail are planted in the field for the dogs to find. Kadizzle asked the dog man how they do this. The dog trainer explained that they shake the bird and throw it on the ground. The bird is dazed and confused, but according to the trainer unhurt. The bird stays in about the same place. Kadizzle told the trainer if he was shaken and thrown on the ground he also might be a bit dazed and confused, but according to the commander this treatment is unnecessary for Kadizzle. He comes by it naturally.

Purchase Prompts Kadizzle to join Motorcycle Gang

Life on the road presents its opportunities. Today we had to go to town to have a flat fixed for Rodger. At the gas station Kadizzle was able to aquire his Hog. It will do 0 to 20 in an hour. It has the mean roar of a coffee grinder, and my Bitch has her own seat. We are getting our gang emblem made which is a marshmallow with a skull and bones symbol.

Ruth spots the Elegant Trogan

The Commander wandered into the brush with Ruth on Ruth's first exposure to bird lunatics. The group was in search of the elusive Elegant Trogan. After hours of searching the group finally saw the one Trogan known to be in the area. When Ruth spotted the bird an old time birdbrain asked her if it would now be on her "Life List". Ruth being a novice had no idea what a "Life List" is. For birdbrains a life list is the list of every bird you have ever seen in you life. The old birdbrain said "Well it is now". For Ruth this is like your first plane ride being on the space shuttle. Not that many birders ever get to see the Elegant Trogan. It is a rare Mexican bird that makes a tiny dent into the United States. Ruth's life list will now start from the top down. Ruth seems to be becoming a birdbrain in short order. Ruth is talking about working her life list from both ends, now she wants to fly to New York and see the Elegant Pigeon in Central Park to get the other end of the list started.

Kadiizzlites at Patagonia Lake State Park

Heave for Rodger will have hot showers that last for ever. Last night Rodger got to enjoy a long hot shower at the excellent facilities here. Earlier we made the trip to Nagales for a few necessities. A Wallmart on the border is another experience. There was some confusion when we checked out. The cashier did not speak English. So with some hand signs we solved the problem. As we left town there was a full size billboard offering twenty five thousand dollars for information, about who shot Gonzalas. The victim appeared to be some innocent high school kid.

Back at the lake bird watchers were thicker than flies on my underwear. Lake Patagonia is a good spot, and everyone is talking about the Elegant Trogan which has been sighted every morning. The Commander and Ruth are on the bird walk right now looking for the bright orange bird.

Last night a couple of gentleman our age or a little older invited us to their camp fire. We swapped stories and good camping sites. This morning we were laying out plans for them to do the Little Missouri. Both are from Montana, so it might work well for them. That's the news from Lake Patagonia, were all the days are warm, all the women good looking, and the hot showers let you use as much water as you want.

Mining maddness at Slavin Gulch

Slavin Gulch was a fantastic hike yesterday. A scenic waterfall appeared every hundred yards, and of course the scenery was terrific. Kadizzle was mentally set for a harsh hike, but was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the hike was an old mining road. The road wound through some very difficult terrain. The Commander and Rodger made it all the way to the mining site and The Commander claims she found gold. According to the advance team there was a fairly significant operation at the top of the road with many punch holes and one large entry. Kadizzle would highly recommend the Slavin Gulch hike. History says Cochise moved his band into that area fearing an attack by whites at the Council Rocks site. Cochise had the best Indian site Kadizzle has ever seen, Cochise had it all scenery, water, protection, and a good supply of wildlife. You can see how it was easy for him to hold out so long.

Today the Earth Modules move to Patagonia Lake State Park.

Crawl out the window, or Call Rodger? No good choice

Last night The Commander watched the temperature drop on her bedside digital thermometer. At three in the morning The Commander decided to do an inspection of the Earth Module. All the water would run but in the shower. To add to her consternation, the refrigerator seemed to have stopped working. Reluctantly Kadizzle was forced out of bed to address the crises. To be on the conservative side the generator needed to be started so the heater could work at top efficiency. In the first attempt to open the door on the Earth Module it became apparent we were frozen in. The door would not open. Faced with the prospect of damaging the door there were two options, alert Ruth and Rodger and try to get them to open the door or have The Commander crawl out the window. Crawling out the window is not a simple maneuver because the window is small and about five feet up. Waking up Ruth and Rodger seems like the best option. So we called Ruth, but she did not get to the phone in time. Then it occurred to Kadizzle that he could open the small window by the door and throw some hot water on the outside. Before this plan could be implemented Ruth called back, and Rodger came to the rescue. A little hot water on the door seal did the trick. Kadizzle also had another insight about the shower. The shower can be shut off like most showers two ways. The Commander never considered that the shower was shut off at the shower head. It turned out there was no real problem except the refrigerator. As the sun warms up the roof more than likely the snow on the vent will melt and the refrigerator vent. In retrospect there was no real problem. The Commander was fidgety all night and sleeping was not easy, but we all have awakened to a gorgeous day with about an inch of snow on the ground. Another day on the border waiting for the border patrol to make the morning rounds.

Lessons from life on the border

Just finished a conversation with one of the nice young border agents that drive by every so often. Kadizzle asked why they don't just round up the illegals at the places they work. Answer, lobbyist make sure they cannot. Tyson Chicken is the worst offender, and some other big corporate interest make sure once the illegals are there to be exploited the border patrol cannot interfere. The right wing insist we put up 900 million in fences, but we don't simply arrest the corporate people who are putting out the cheese to attract the rats. The border patrol agent told me about an agent who got ambushed and killed by illegals. Not all illegals are bad people. It is sad to see people die in the desert and border patrol agents get killed just because lobbyist can pay off politicians and make sure we don't simply solve the problem.

Next topic. Energy use. Living in an Earth module in the desert makes one quickly become aware of how much energy we use, and waste. The electricity to warm us, light us, and provide for this computer all comes from our little Honda generator. If every American could hear an engine roar when they made toast, or ran the microwave our energy problem would be solved. When you are self contained you quickly realize how much water you use, how much sewage you produce, and how much energy you need. Habits change, you are willing to be a little colder. You change you schedule to do things when the generator runs, you turn out the lights quickly, and you don't leave the water run for an extra second. Strangely life without as much waste is not that bad. If the average American could stand beside the pile of coal burnt in their name, and oil burnt in their name, they would be amazed. However, our hear no evil, see no evil life style makes us oblivious to what we actually do.

Lunch with Cochise

The Kadizzlites standing in Cochise's living room

Today Lord Kadizzle probably sat on the very rock Cochise often sat on and had lunch. Under a huge bolder that served as his home in the mountains he loved was a wonderful lunch spot. Not far away was where he signed his doom, and what was a worthless treaty. As we wandered around a maize of boulders Ruth discovered some petroglyphs. Behind another bolder Ruth discovered one of the scarce pottery pieces we found today.

The whole area looked like the classic setting for a western. It was easy to see how the area was a perfect home. In the mountains above one could find shelter, and game. Out on the prairie below it would have been easy to drive game into a box canyon.

Click on this picture to enlarge it so you can read the text on the sign. The sign is directly in front of Cochise's living spot

Let's Cheat the Indians

Today the Kadizzlites will search for Council Rocks. "It was at Council Rocks where, in 1872, Cochise signed the Broken Arrow Peace Treaty, agreeing to cease waring attacks. In return, the government granted to the Apaches a vast reservation, including the southeast corner of Arizona, including the Dragoon and Chiricahua Mountains near the Mexican border. However, in 1876, two years after Cochise died, the government broke its promise and moved the Chiricahua Apaches 100 miles north to the San Carlos Reservation on the Gila River." Cochise loved the mountains around here, and if you ever see them you will know why. Cochise was falsely accused of a kidnapping he had nothing to do with, and the whole thing spun out of control. Cochise got along fine with the local whites until they needed a fall guy. If all goes well we will find the very spot on the side of the Dragon Mountians where Cochise was tricked into signing a worthless document that allow him to be robbed. If Wall Street bankers could only have been there, to get their share.

The mail box at Picketpost Mountain

No mail delivery is more strenuous than the one the mailman makes to the top of Picketpost mountain. Roder and Kadizzle made the hike a couple weeks ago. With a hurt leg Kadizzle climbed for three hours to check the mail. The site offers a fine view in every direction, but it is one of the steepest nastiest hikes Kadizzle has taken. The mail box is sort of a geochache. If you look closely at the mailbox you will see a condom taped to the top of the box. While Kadizzle was doing geocaching elsewhere with Rodger we found two other geocaches with the trademark condom. For those who do not know the custom, when you find a geochache you take something out and put something in. Rodger is in a group called the Screw Ups, so they always leave a screw. The first geocache Kadizzle found with Rodger had the condom and a whistle. Rodger said I should put on the condom, and blow the whistle. Being a little tired Kadizzle decided not to try it, but if a pretty little thing came out of a bush it would have been interesting. However, it is also possible the sex of the respondent could have gone either way, which may have forced Kadizzle to admit he had blown the whistle by accident. Who knows what you will find in the wilderness.

A Strange find in at Cochise's Stronghold

The band of explorers and hikers set up the Earth Modules as close to the West Side of the Cochise Stronghold we could get to. Even so it was a long five mile ride over your typical high desert road to the trail head. The trail on the west side takes a steep mile and a half up to the divide. Before we got to the top the Kadizilites broke off onto a side canyon, and headed up a creek. As usual The Commander's backside was on fire and she had to run wild like a hunting dog that just got out of the car. Lord Kadizzle decided to go at a slower pace and soak in the wonderful rock formation made up of huge boulders. As Ruth, Rodger, and The Commander scrambled down the canyon Kadizzle got bored and decided to go up one side of the canyon. There is something about a big pile of boulders that attracts kids and idiots to the top. Falling into the latter category Kadizzle had to scramble to the top. On the way up to the lookout atop the boulders Kadizzle came across what appeared to be a hidden cache placed there by hikers. Sometimes people on a long hike store goods rather than carry them for the whole trip. It appeared a little strange because as far as Kadizzle could determine it was some water, a very nice camera tripod, and a tent. One aspect of the cache was puzzling. It appeared as though it had been there a long time, and gave the impression no one was ever coming back to get it. A collapsible gallon water bottle had deteriorated from the sun and was laying in pieces.

When Rodger, Ruth, and The Commander returned they came up to view the find. Kadizzle looked closer into the waterproof bags and opened the container he originally thought was a tent. The tent turned out to be not a tent, but a very nice spotting scope. This was exactly what Rodger wanted for his birthday. However, wrapped around the scope was a bright pink card that explained this material was not lost, it belonged to the Forest Service and was hidden here to observe peregrine falcons nesting. Indeed there were falcons flying high above. Disappointed the material was replaced and rehidin. Maybe in a few years we will check to see if the material is still there.

30,000 Sand Hill Cranes head for breakfast

The Kadizzlites were up early awaiting the departure of the Sand Hill Cranes. These are the same guys that fly over North Dakota. Last year The Commander and Lord Kadizzle tried to shoot at a couple of them in North Dakota. Hopefully they don't recognize us here. If they told all their friends to release their droppings over our camper we would be six feet under. No border crossers showed up this morning. We are just fifteen miles North of the Border.

A moral dilemma on the border

Americans are milling about watching thousands of Sand Hill Cranes fifteen miles north of the Mexican border. In their midst is one illegal Mexican who must have crossed the border last night. The Mexican is sitting on a park bench beside an American who has no clue he is illegal. Earlier the illegal asked Ruth for a ride north. Ruth gave him a sandwich and a bottle of water. Later Lord Kadizzle managed to procure a banana, an orange, and a piece of pizza for him. The north bound man offered Kadizzle some large bill to drive him North. Kadizzle refused. After awhile the poor man headed north across the desert. What do you do? Here is a man who probably slept last night in some very cold weather with no shelter. He is bound to get caught by the border patrol a little north of here. The prevailing attitude seems to be live and let live. What if he does not make it and freezes or dies? Should we have called the border patrol? The whole situation is sad. Amongst Americans teeming with wealth one man sits while rich Americans bird watch. It is almost like having someonne die in your midst and not noticing. There is something strangely wrong in this world. You cannot put your finger on it, but when you see it first hand, it just strike you as strange. It is like going to a hanging, and saying, "My that was a nice rope they hung him with", but you took no notice of the guy at the end of the rope. A very strange world we live in. While we watch birds a guy heads off in the distance and disappears into the desert. Will we be asked about this in our next life?

Close to the middle of no where

As Kadizzle stepped out of the Earth Module in the dark to view the star filled sky a feminine voice asked "Is that you Mike?". Kadizzle always thought God was a man, but he answered yes. God turned out to be Ruth out having coffee looking at the stars at 6 A.M. Morning was going to break soon at the Senior Center parking lot with the sun coming over the Chirichua Mountains we had hiked two days ago. The Seniors invited us in last night for spaghetti and pie. The Commander picked up some local history from the natives.

The hike yesterday too us into Chochice's Stronghold. It was easy to see how Cochise could control the area with a few key lookouts. The climb to the pass was gentle and senic. Rodger's GPS showed the exact location of the stronghold. Unfortunately for Rodger there was nothing there after he made the strenuous hike to the GPS point. From below it appeared there may have been a cave.

Today the band moves 25 miles south to a birding area. Hopefully more free camping and then on to the west side of the Stronghold.

9 Miles of Vertical Smiles

The soreness is soaking Lork Kadizzles body today after the nine mile hike yesterday through the Chiricahua Mountians. The Commander and Kadizzle had been there before, but it was nice to see it again. Finding a place to camp was a bit of a problem because the Denny camper was low and long. With a bit of luck the Park Ranger agreed to let us stay in the horse camping area. As we arrived a helicopter was just leaving the ambulance which had hauled a hiker with broken bones down from the mountain. Hiking it was easy to see how the person slipped on snow and ended up with a compound fracture. The weather was perfect and many streams were running that had been dry for years. Now the band is watching the sun come up at the Senior Center parking lot in Sunsite AZ. Looks like another great day and another long hike to Cochise's Stronghold.

Adventure Team heads to Chiricahua Mountains

If all goes well the team will head to the Chiricahua Mountains today. Hopefully we can find a nice spot to dry camp. It has been many years since the Kadizzles have been there, but the hiking there is great and there are some interesting rock formations.

North Dakota Team completes assualt of Picketpost Mountain

With severe weather conditions and temperatures in the low 70's, Lord Kadizzle and Rodger began the assault of Picket Post mountain in bright sunshine. Having been turned back in an earlier assault do to confusion about the route they were determined to make the mountain theirs. With a game leg the fate of Kadizzle was uncertain. Rodger had a plan to roll Kadizzle down the mountain if he became crippled. Rodgers plan gave Kadizzle great incentive not to injure the already weak leg. When it looked like the trail could not get steeper or harder to find, it did. On the way up the Dakota team met one despondent climber coming down who lost the trail near the summit and gave up. As the snow did not fall, and the wind did not blow the team climber higher and higher in the severe 72 Degree weather. Constantly in the back of Kadizzles mind was the fact that they would have to come down, which is always harder. Near the summit Rodger began looking for a geocache. After a little searching he found it. When we reached the summit and Rodger started to look for the next geochache, his GPS went dead. On the way down we realized finding the trail was just as bad as going up. With no spare batteries we made it by following our firm belief that the bottom was downhill. On top of the mountain the view was spectacular.

Commander Peanut leads assult on canyon

Strange Cactus

Famous cresalated catus near our camp

Music in the Campground

When The Commander and Lord Kadizzle returned from today's hike, what a pleasant surprise. Right behind our Earth Roamer was a wonderful live concert. Life is good.

Discoveries in the Desert

Rodger found the Geochache and then the Kadizzle crew went back to recover the unknown device. Pictured above who knows what it is? The strange thing has fins, but the fins are not configured in the normal fashion. Kadizzle speculates it is some kind of arming device for a rocket or missile. A lot of helicopters are tested around here and many of them are the Blackhawk type. If you think you know fire us a message.

What Did Kadizzle find in the Desert?

Yesterday Kadizzle took his first geochache hike. The hike was fun and a good way to practice GPS skills. According to infomation at the cache it was the oldest in Arizona. On the way back from the cache Kadizzle decided to take a cross country walk back. On the way back Kadizzle found a strange looking device made from stainless steel. It had fins on it in a strange fashion. It looked like a component of a detonator for a missile or bomb. If Kadizzle gets time he will put a picture of it on here today. Although Kadizzle did not bring it back, he did mark on the GPS where it is. Perhaps today Kadizzle will go get it.

Bud, Beer Cans, and Justin Time

Sally Greased her Wooden Leg

When Kadizzle was young he used to work with his brother for an old farmer. Lutrel Davis was always telling stories and singing songs. A favorite was "Sally greased her Wooden leg". I guess Sally was a pretty good dancer with enough grease. Poor Kadizzle may have to get a wooden leg so greasing it is a real possibility. Yesterday Kadizzle re-injured his left leg. The leg origionally went bad during hunting. Today was going to be a great hike for eight miles through the Superstition Mountains. Now, it looks like Kadiz will end up sitting in the library and doing chores.

Massive Bullshit in the Desert

Kadizzle got caught in a couple of cackle storms today. Usually Kadizzle accuses The Commander of getting into a cackle storm, but Kadizzle had his own today. First a round with Bud the camp host. Bud's dad was an oil field rough neck, so that got us going in all directions. Then on the way back from the morning visit to the executive suite Kadizzle ran into the old logging dozer man. Dozer man had not been seen for a couple days. Dozer explained he had ear balance problems that were making him sick. This launched into an hour long conversation into his exposure to radiation and a host of logging, mining, spying, lying, and everything else. Of course Kadizzle had an abundance of stories. The BS quota has been met for the week. Bud was up early and The Commander and Kadizzle heard the distinct squeak of the gate at 6 A.M. In not time Bud had the fire going. Yesterday while hiking with Barry he told me he called his wife the commander also. Barry, his wife, and my Comander made an eight mile hike. Kadizzle dropped them off and picked them up because of the bad leg. Barry told me what it was like to hike with two commanders. He was well instructed.

Discussing my AIDS and VD at the Library

Kadizzle is sitting at the Apache Junction Library. A very nice facility. In order to use their internet you must get a card for a dollar a week. When I got in line for my card the young woman insisted I get in line. At the time I was in line there was just one person there besides me, so it was obvious I was second in "Line". I explained to the young woman that my leg hurt, and I wanted to lean against the counter. She insisted I get in "line". Then she proceeded to explain to me people had to stand in line because they discuss very private things with people seeking to use the internet. In my mind I just wondered what could be so private. When my turn in line came the woman asked me what I wanted. I explained I wanted to discuss some private things, my AIDS, and my venereal disease. The woman who was in front of me was packing up her stuff and heard the whole conversation, she began laughing, but poor little library lady was just wound so tight she glared at me.

Wild Horses at the door this Morning

On the way to the executive suite this morning the wild horses came through our campground.

Mourning at Bud's camp fire

Soon after the sun comes up it is time to see how Bud is doing. Bud is the camp host. He gets three dollars a day and a few benefits. Bud gets up early and fires up his old washing machine tub full of Mesquite. A warm fire takes the chill off the morning. With the bright sun coming over the mountains the desert looks lush, and another wasted day begins.

Hiking the Superstitions

Yesterday the crew had a nice hike in the Superstition Mountains. With the recent rains and water running it was a very nice hike on a perfect day.