Festivus, the Holiday for the Rest of Us

The time came to call the ceremonial man with the chain saw.  Fetivus would soon be underway.  Festivus is the annual celebration when one does feats of strength and you get to air your grievances.  The Kadizzles celebrate Festivus with a bonfire on the creek every year.  Symbolically an old dead tree is chosen on the creek bank.  The tree represents old pent up anger that has accumulated over the year.  The Chainsaw man is called and he comes in his special red truck.  After Chain saws a Clause has a beer or two he cuts down the old tree.  Dead wood from all over the creek is piled high.   Used oil is poured on the wood to represent all the pollution caused by too much greed and ignoring Global warming.  The fire is set and a few Festivus songs are sung.  Parts of the dead tree are left in very large pieces.  These are for the Feats of Strength.  Sam and Kadizzle wrestle a very large log onto the fire and the women are pleased to know we still have enough strength to climb up the creek bank.  Later one piece of log is so big everyone at Festivus is called upon to move it.  Moving the log is hopeless.  This represents the spirit of knowing what you can do and what you cannot do.  After trying to move the huge piece of timber everyone walks away humble and ready for the new year to begin with the understanding some things should be left alone.

At some point as the fire burns the Festivus pole is cut.  A long straight piece of wood is cut and carefully trimmed.  The pole has two purposes.  First one can hold the pole and air a grievance.  One might hold the pole and say " Kadizzle you always wear your snowy shoes in the House".   The pole is also used to see who has the most skill at moving burning wood into the center of the fire.

An important part of Festivus is to teach people the world is never the way you think it is.  That is why a huge fire is burnt on the creek on top of water.   Now think about it, if someone said they were going to build a fire on top of eight feet of water you would think this impossible.  However, if you cover the water with ice it works just fine.   Most people when they attend their first Festivus see the fire burning on the ice and are sure it will quickly melt through.  It never does.  The next morning logs are still smoking and the ice is intact.

While the older members of the tribe sit by the fire and drink beer,  Sylvie prepares the ice rink.  Sylvie clears snow and scrapes the ice clean with a broom.  Grandpa pours water on the ice and we let it freeze to a nice surface.  The skating begins without skates.  Without skates one can do many fine figure skating moves to the delight of the crowd.

As the fire finally dies down to a manageable size the sun slowly sets marking the end of Festivus. People scramble up the creed bank freed from the anger they harbored all year because they aired their grievances.  The Catholics have their confession and Festivus has the Festivus pole.

Paranoid.

Amazing when you talk to a lot of seemingly normal people how paranoid they can be.  People seem to fear someone is prying into to their life.  One major problem is why.  Really if someone knew virtually everything about you what difference would it make or who would care?  For a lot of people being paranoid makes them think someone actually cares what in the hell they do or say.  The truth probably is just the opposite.

Now for another side of being spied on.  Kadizzle likes to watch Ted Talks.  If you have never sat down and watched some Ted Talks give it a try.  Very intelligent people talk for about twenty minutes on every subject on Earth.  You cannot help but be smarter after watching a couple of Ted Talks.

So last night Kadizzle got in bet with his laptop and cranked up a couple of Ted Talks.  One talk was about the police using their new zippity do da cameras to spy on just about everyone.  If you don't already know the police now have a camera system that they can drive down any street and automatically take down every license number and also take a picture of the car.  This means that the police can check on up to 80,000 cars in one day.  The law enforcement people can drive down a street and the cameras will read every license plate. If anyone has an outstanding warrant, or ticket, the system automatically alerts the driver.  The system goes way beyond that. Because storing data has become so easy and cheap in any large city where these systems are being used you are or can be tracked.  The cameras are not just in the police cars.  Look at the intersections in most towns and you will see little cameras on poles.  Those cameras are recording every car that goes by.  So when you go to get groceries, if the police want to, they can know when you did.  So what? Well it is always fun to fire the flames of paranoia, because after all Obama is coming to get our guns you know.  The day of Big Brother is here.  Get used to it and enjoy.  In London they actually have people manning the cameras on the street, and they have gone one step farther.  The London police can see you drop your coffee cup on the street and shout at you to pick it up with a loud speaker. Now that is progress. Kadizzle wishes he had a speaker and a camera at the intersection of highway 200 near his house. When a simple minded dinger squeals his tires Kadizzle could yell at him with a loud bull horn. " What is wrong with you, you idiot".   Technology, a blessing and a curse.

Magic Glasses

Kadizzle's magic glasses do not let him see through things, or make him any smarter.  The magic is they can appear and disappear.  Kadizzle in his old age senility has been buying glasses in bulk.  Right now the sun glasses are in bloom.  Kadizzle actually knows where six pair of usable sunglasses are.  On the other side of the spectrum are they reading glasses.  They have all disappeared.  Before we left for the south the reading glasses bloomed.  There were a half dozen reading glasses that came back from no where.  No sadly they have all evaporated.  This means Kadizzle will have to buy another pack of four or six reading glasses.  Hopefully the old glasses all found homes in the library, or anywhere Kadizzle took them off for a second.  Remember the old Sanford and Son show?  Sanford would go to the drawer full of glasses and rummage around for a pair.  Today Kadizzle may stop by the funeral home and see if any stiffs came in with reading glasses in their pocket.  Sometimes the undertaker has some nice stuff.  Once Kadizzle got a nice suit coat with a small bullet hole. 

Home to watch the penguin migration.

The plane touched down in Bismarck today and we got to see the polar bears and penguins scurry off the runway.  Thank God global warming has not hit here too hard.  Doubt Kadizzle will be stepping out at 3A.M. in his underwear for a pee in the turf as was the custom in AZ.   Could get some frostbite in bad places.  The Commander wants to go out and murder some pheasants just to vent about the cold. 

Kadizzle got his due at the Denver airport.  A right winger gave Kadizzle more than an earful.  It was like meeting your mirror image.  We did manage to agree on a couple things, and parted with holiday cheers. From Denver north the ground was all white with cold particles.  The Bismarck Airport must be booming.  Even the grass is filled with parked cars.  If the gloom here does not clear suicide may be a good option. Going through the mail for three months and trying to find something good.  Everything has to be reset for next year and property taxes will be a hit.  Apparently the tax relief we have been promised in North Dakota will never come.

Bumping the Budget back

Recently the Kadizzles budget has gone astray.  Six hundred went up in flames when the kangaroo rats attacked the truck, and there has been some frivolous spending.  However, the Bump God smiled on us today on the way back to Bismarck and $1,000 fell out of the sky.  Making the switch in Denver to go to Bismarck we checked to see if we could help because one of United's Planes got stuck in fog in Idaho.  It worked in our favor.  We told United to make us a good deal and we would stay with Erin over night in Denver.  United coughed up the money and we take off tomorrow.  With Erin in Denver the bump game works very well.  We took a bump from Costa Rica  earlier this year and got $900.  So our travel budget is well under control.

Heading Home

Life is stirring early in the Earth Module. Awake at five the occupants stretched and went through morning rituals. Outside the air is remarkably warm.  Rabbits or something keep triggering the motion sensor.  The magic new phone awakens when the hand moves over it.  Occupants get up to date staring at the electronic devices.

Today the module moves to rest in a friends yard while the explorers head home for Christmas.  Early tomorrow the big plane will wiske the Kadizzles into the frozen arctic of North Dakota where people wear coats and scuttle about.  The strange white substance will be everywhere.  Alas we will be able to see the marvelous Ticklepinch, our wonderful granddaughter.  The clan will gather for food and merriment.  

Finding Peace in the Desert

How to start the day in the desert? Often one finds the most pleasurable things in life to be the simple little free things.  Old Kadizzle enjoys waking up in the desert. Just waking up when you are old should be enjoyable, but waking up in the desert on a sunny day is hard to beat.  One way to make it better is to put on your headphones and wander around.  In previous post Kadizzle has mentioned his mind has turned to oatmeal and he enjoys Krisna chants.  The chants have a serene calming quality that seems perfect for starting the morning.  The Commander is sure Kadizzle listening to Krisna chants is a sure sign his mind has completely turned to fudge.  Now this is the experiment.  It will work anywhere, but the idea is to get up on a sunny morning go outside in a pleasant place and wander around.  Generally speaking this only works on sunny mornings, but sometimes fog, or rain might make it work.  Try any song you want, but here is one Kadizzle highly recommends.  The song is BY YOUR GRACE, it is on the album by Krisna Das. The album title is Heart as Wide as the World.  After you try this you will be very calm and peaceful, or you will be sure Kadizzle needs professional psychiatric care.

We are alive for some strange reason.  It has something to do with vibrations in the universe. Music is vibrations.   An important aspect of vibrations is resonance.  If you hum while you listen to the right music your body will resonate at the frequency of the music.  The Commander shouts at Kadizzle like a dog when he does this, so make sure you are alone.  If this works for you let Kadizzle know, if it doesn’t take a very stiff drink of whiskey.

The Wagon rolls to Usery

The wagon we live in has returned to Usery Mountain Park.  Ah, the familiar sound of the gun crazies firing their paychecks into oblivion

. Across from the park the gun nuts go wild on Saturday and Sunday.  Every wanta be gunslinger in Phoenix is over there practicing for the day of the attack, or it may be the day Obama comes for their guns.  What ever it is they are spending a fortune on ammo getting ready. The war has calmed down as the day goes on, but the constant pop pop of guns never stops.  Because the gun range is an area full of large boulders a strange sound effect occurrs.  After the scared little man fires his gun there is a whoose like a jet taking off. The loud single crack from the gun is plain, but the reflected sound has a unique quality because of the different distances of the rock reflecting the sound.  Right now they are popping at about $1,300 per hour.  A dinger just let go a round of automatic fire. There must be some vicious targets up there.  Once in a while you here the machinegun open up. Just knowing these brave men are among us gives me a sense of securit.

Kadizzle took a nice ride down Bulldog Canyon on the cycle. The rain last night held down the dust and sand a little.  The Commander is going nuts wanting to buy a mountain bike that will cost about half what my college education set me back.  Such is life, we are in the last quarter of the game and we may as well go for broke. In a few days we head North for Christmas back into the land of the frozen.  It is a little cool here today, but that means it got down to 65 or something.

Drunk on Electrons

Yesterday The Commander and Kadizzle went to the electron liquor store.  At Best Buy we got our biannual new cell phones.  We both feel like we have been had.  Each of us now has a new cell phones.  The Commander stayed loyal to Apple and Kadizzle jumped ship and is now an Android man. The new phones cost us nothing, but now we will pay $480 more for cell service, so nothing has become much more expensive.  It took three hours to buy the phones and the dancing would have made a used car salesman proud.

Now back at the Earth Module this is a short list of what has to be charged, two cell phones,  the Delorme GPS, two hiking radios, two laptops, and about three sets of batteries to back all this stuff up.  Half the weight of our camper is now cords, and chargers.  The insanity of staying connected has left us with a hangover.  Our cost of cable and internet services has now exceeded $300 a month.  Of course there is the cost of all the gadgets.  When you are making a connection payment as high as a car payment you know you have entered a new world.  Keeping this crap charged is like raising chickens.  You put out the solar panels, turn on and off the generator, unplug and plug in the phones, the batteries, and move the crap from the camper to the car.  Now a hike involves a normal GPS, an emergency satellite communicator, two cell phones, and a high powered battery pack plus to GMS radios.  Now, when we are screaming as we fall to our death you will be able to know exactly where we are and perhaps get to see it live.

Cactus in the Ass

Today's adventure involved a difficult motorcycle ride.  Our steed the Yamaha 250 hauled The Commander and Kadizzle deep into Buck Spring.  First we had to go up Mill's Ridge with both the cycle and the truck.  After parking the truck we mounted the motorcycle and headed into one of the most remote areas around. Today we did take all the right gear. Even going downhill it looked like The Commander might have to get off and walk it was so rough.  In the worst spot The Commander hoofed it downhill. There was no question she could not ride up that spot.

When we got to the spring Kadizzle dropped off The Commander and headed farther down the road.  It was a difficult ride but Kadizzle managed to top a ridge and got a good view of where the road went and Lake Apache.  It looked like the road went a long ways farther. It was tempting, but if something went wrong it would be a hell of a mess. So Kadizzled headed back to where The Commander was exploring the spring. By a desert miracle there was a tiny little seep of water that could have saved a desperate man.

After lunching at the spring the trip up the steep road full of babyheads  (that is the nomenclature for rocks about the size of a baby's head littering the road) began.  When the cycle reached the worst part The Commander dismounted.  Kadizzle roared the engine and shot about three quarters of the way up the steep road.  As luck would have it he stalled out and the motorcycle fell on him, forcing his hind quarters into a cactus.  The mini disaster left Kadizzle pinned under the cycle and it did not look good from The Commanders viewpoint. Other than an ass full of cactus barbs Kadizzle was fine, but getting the cycle up and off him required the help of The Commander.  After pulling some barbs out of Kadizzle we checked the cycle and it came through the mess unharmed.  Unfortunately there were two choices.  With the engine running try to make the last twenty yards pushing the cycle with a team of two or go back down and make another run.  Kadizzle decided to make another run.  If he wrecked the second time there was no question he would get the idiot of the week award.  The cycle god smiled and on the second try Kadizzle made it up babyhead pass, with cactus in his ass.

How to drown efficiently.

Today the Kadizzilites set off on a canyon hike.  Remarkably we were ill prepared.  First, Kadizzle thought surely The Commander would have the new super duper rescue device.  Well of course she did not have it.  So we set off up a narrow canyon near Peter Bigfoots hide out.  In no time it all it became apparent this was a water shoe hike.  Kadizzle stripped down to his underwear and water shoes and up the running stream we went.  The scenery was remarkable and the the difficulty of going forward continually increased.  With all the equipment we normally carry of course today we would not have a lot of it. Our amount of rope was limited.  We forgot technical climbing gear, and so on.  However, like the idiots we are we persisted. Our plan was to follow the steep narrow wet canyon until it met the road again.  We came across many spectacular pools and waterfalls.  At last we reached a point that it looked beyond our capabilities to go farther. The rock was slick and steep.  Undeterred we rigged a home made wedge like device and put it in a rock crevice above us.  This took some unique engineering and planning.  Without the aid of a fallen tree component it would not have been possible. We used the fallen tree as a ladder to rig up a suspended rope. The rope allowed us to reach the next level.  Finality some good sense sunk in and we realized we could go no further.

After we turned back Kadizzled was wading down the stream half naked when he slipped and fell into the stream.  The little stream had about the equivalent of a six inch pumps worth of water running down it, but in places is was moving swiftly. As luck would have it Kadizzle fell on his back with his feet upstream.  This worked perfectly to channel a massive flow of water over his head which was wedged between two rocks.  As water rushed in his nose and choked him Kadizzle thought how strange to be in such a fix in six inches of water.  After a brief struggle Kadizzle was free, but soaking wet.  Such is life

Attacked by Kangaroos

Yesterday started as a great adventure. The Commander was going to take a little hike, and Kadizzle was going to do some motorcycle exploring.  As The Commander pulled into the mountain parking lot to meet Kadizzle she informed him the truck was malfunctioning.  The symptoms were familiar.  About five years ago the Kangaroo rats attacked our other Tundra and it cost us over $600.  So one more time we had to have the wires replaced.  We now have $1,200 invested in the war against the Kangaroos.

Kadizzle set up the mother of all Kangaroo defense systems yesterday.  Under the truck the ground has been treated with mothballs, and ammonia.  Under the hood are more mothballs.  On the ground under the truck is a motion activated light, and a small solar light is on all night in the engine compartment. Supposedly Kangaroo rats do not like light.

All of a sudden Kadizzle got an additional brainstorm for the rat war.  Why not give them a dose of bear spray.  Kadizzled figured if some of the bear spray stuck in the area they liked it would make them think twice.  With a fellow camper standing nearby Kadizzle disarmed the bear spray.  Never before has it been used, so it was a new experience.  The nasty yellow liquid shot out in a massive torrent and filled the air. Kadizzle and the other camper quickly found out how potent the stuff is.  Just the small accidental amount that drifted our way gave us a very bad breathing problem.  Kadizzle is convinced the spray would kill a person with asthma.  Kadizzle felt like a bit of an idiot after the experiment.  It is clear when you use the stuff you are in as much danger as a bear.   Kadizzle has a much more enlightened view of the police spraying people in the face with the stuff.

Who Knows?

Well as the sun came up we awakened in our new spot.  The Commander is full of pickle juice and wants to get going.  The morning coffee has been brewed and the Kadizzles are getting up to date on the laptops.  The NEW YORKER has an insane article about how the Republicans are saying our current good economic situation is some sort of trick by Obama.  If Obama brought Jesus back it would be a trick.

The Commander wants to go up and hike at Peter Bigfoots compound.  Kadizzle would prefer an exploratory motorcycle ride.  So the immediate problem is designing an adventure for today.  Hopefully they will either turn up the heat in the solar shower or the day will be hot enough to make it a little better.  Otherwise we will shower in the Earth Module.

Who is on first, or life among the crazy people.

In the last two days Kadizzle has had conversations with a couple of the hard core residents of our campground.  Briefly Bloody Mary had a conversation with Kadizzle two days ago.  Bloody Mary the only female bum in the gang made it a point to inform Kadizzle Duane was a mental case. Today during an encounter with Duane he pointed out that Bloody Mary was a mental case.  So we live in a neighborhood were most of us think the rest of us are crazy.  Gary who is the most professional bum is helping Bloody Mary pack so she can spend some time with her son.  Bloody Mary told Kadizzle another woman screamed when she walked in the shower the other day. The showering woman thought Bloody Mary might have been the "Pervert".  According to Bloody Mary "The Pervert" walked into the women's shower.   This story seems kind of like a spinner or urban legend, but such is life among the crazy.  Duane recounted overhearing PTSD ranting to Gordon the Camp Host.  Of course PTSD had to go rant to Gordon about Kadizzle taking the handicap site.  Duane said PTSD was lucky he did not come around him. Duane is a gun nut and of course he would love to blow someones head off.  Duane said he never goes outside his tent at night without the 44.   So here we sit among the 8 to eighty blind, crippled or crazy.  The Commander just said for Kadizzle to get off his ass and grill dinner.  Here we go.

The Rest of the Story

As the camp host drove by The Commander told Kadizzle to get his arse out there and talk to him.  The hot water in the solar shower needs to be turned up.  Also Kaddizzle had to give him an update on PTSD.  The host said he had already been visited by psycho.  Kadizzle agreed that we should move to keep to keep peace among the mentally ill.  PTSD is gone, but we have to move for diplomatic relations. No big deal. It is a shame to see such a nice site sitting empty.  The host commented that it was strange for a disabled person to engage in tent camping.  Kadizzle noted that the man had no sign whatsoever of being disabled. He did not even have a handicapped sticker in his car.  His main disability seemed to be in getting the amount of beer he needed.  Kadizzle respects the disabled, and veterans, but guys like PTSD give the whole thing a bad name.

The litter of the past

Today we headed into the wilderness above Lake Roosevelt.  Our theory was that the recent rains would bring out artifacts.  It turned out to be so true.  We revisited an old spot we have been to many times.  Amazing how many new pot shards came to the surface.  You could not look anywhere without finding the tupperware of the ancient people.  High above the lake we found some nice black on white and some nice large pieces of pottery.

One interesting find was a large piece that confirmed what brother in law Ned had said.  About two weeks ago we discussed how pottery was made. Ned mentioned that baskets were used as forms.  One large piece Kadizzle found today confirmed this.  Clearly on the pottery you could see it had been formed in a basket.  Pictures will follow if The Commander will let me use the other computer.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Wealth Gap (HBO)

Without question this is brilliant.  It perfectly sums up everything Kadizzle has preached for years.  If you don't get it after this explanation you never will.  Normally Kadizzle tries to stay away from politics on this blog, but this is just too good.

A Major Kerfluffle

The Commander thought the rapping on the Earth Module door was Typhoid Mary,  the female bum she did not want visiting, but that was not the case.  As The Commander opened the door a stout little left over from one of our wars with a possible case of PTSD was standing there ready for battle.  Now, an explanation.  When the Kadizzles first came to our camp site last year we asked the host if we could use the handicap site.  The handicap sites have a few extra amenities, and no handicap people ever use them. So expensive sites sit empty 99% of the time. How many handicapped people in wheelchairs camp in the winter?  The Kadizzles assured the host that if a handicapped person showed up we would leave immediately.  Well that guy showed up enraged.  After explaining to the disabled veteran, who had no visible disability, and was walking, standing, sitting and moving about just fine, that again the camp host had giving us permission, and we would gladly move, the confrontation escalated.

The man threatened to call the Park Ranger, and on and on.  Kadizzle told mister grumpy he could call Jesus if he wanted to, but we had permission to use the site.  The commander acted as a calming agent. The Commander kept in mind that most nut cases are armed in AZ.  Kadizzle offered to move immediately, but Mr. unhappy said that was not the point.  The point was that we needed to admit the gravity of our sins.  At last it occurred to Kadizzled that a disabled veteran might drive into the camp site and not think to check with the host about the availability of the site.  This was a legitimate complaint by PTSD and Kadizzled agreed it could be a problem.  Kadizzle's problem was the horrendous waste of resources being wasted on sites that sat empty.

Things gradually calmed down and Kadizzle thought he might invite PTSD in for a drink.  Just as the thought wafted through his mind PTSD said " Aren't you going to invite me in for a drink?".   The Commander then said" would you like a beer?"  It took some time for PTSD to decide which kind of beer he wanted since The Commander always has such a good selection.  Now everything changed and the group became convivial.  Although PTSD was disabled he insisted on sitting down in a lotus position on the pavement.  Kadizzle and The Commander could not convince him to take a chair.

The conversation then took the typical routes and the group discussed everything under the sun.   Finally PTSD was convinced to sit in a chair.  All parted on good company.  After all was said and done Kadizzle kept thinking the whole thing was a ploy for PTSD to get some beer.

Now, here we sit still in the handicapped spot.  It is a moral dilemma.  We have permission to be here.  In two years no one has ever wanted the site, but it should probably be available for the purple heart veteran when he comes.  Although we insisted we would deal with the camp host, PTSD insisted that the camp host should be turned over to the higher authorities for his crime of using common sense.  This would be a shame, the camp host is a nice person trying to act rationally.  However, the law and common sense do not always mix, and who knows if the camp host actually is authorized to give permission.  The Park Ranger, and The Sheriff have often driven by and seem to have no problem with the arrangement.  However,  it seems our wisest choice would be to select a different site in the future.   A side note.  Most of the time handicapped sites are right next to the restrooms, which makes sense.  This one is not.  The only real accommodation for a handicapped person made at this site is pavement around the fire pit.  Unless you were wheelchair bound the pavement would be of little value.

Sometimes a diamond, Sometimes a stone

Her majesty The Commander has concluded after one night that Saguaro Lake is not her cup of tea.  The Commander has problems with the noise, too much light, and supposedly fumes from boat engines.  So although the place has so many wonderful attributes, we will load the wagon and head back up to Roosevelt Lake.

Speaking with Niels this morning, the other person here that works with Dave, it was interesting to find how many of the same people we know.  After being on the Salt River for so many years it seems everyone gets to know everyone.  It turns out Niels was the person who had two of his generators stolen while he was playing cards with his wife and friends.  Niels told the story yesterday.  When he heard the generator stop he assumed it had run out of gas.  The next morning he found they had taken both his Honda 2000's.   Although this site seems very secure it is one more of The Commanders concerns.  Kadizzle was a bit amazed about how many people were launching boats late at night and there did seem to be traffic all night.

Our New Home

Today we move to our new home with a multi million dollar view. Yesterday we visited our friend Dave who has been volunteering at Lake Saguaro.  Dave suggested we might try volunteering.  The idea seemed very appealing considering the wonderful site he had overlooking the lake.

Kadizzle and The Commander have an ongoing dispute about the probability of anything happening. The Commander said " There is no way they are going to just let you move into that spot, it will take days, and lots of paperwork".  Kadizzle always tells The Commander " Go toward success, not failure, when you set out to do something assume you will succeed, not fail".   So we quickly took off for the Forest Service Headquarters in Mesa.  Even to Kadizzles surprise the manager said we could move in right away and take care of the details later.  Of course this is just one more lesson in "It don't hurt to ask".

So today we pack up the wagon and head up to the lake.  Hopefully we will be happy in our new home, but we do have wheels under us so that problem is easily solved.

It Don't Hurt to Ask

It was time to do some restocking so Kadizzle set off with The Commander to go to the mother of all organic grocery stores.  While The Commander started admiring the cabbages Kadizzle decided to do some exploring of the other nearby stores.  First to catch his attention was a oil change shop.  Kadizzle needed some oil for his motorcycle and kept forgetting to purchase some.  Kadizzle meandered to the oil shop and asked if they had any oil he could buy in packaged quarts.  The manager said he did, but he did not know what it cost.  Kadizzle could see they were not in the business of selling packaged oil.  Puzzled Kadizzle said "So you cannot sell it to me?". The guy said " I'll just give it to you".   This seemed a great deal.  We looked around for 10W 40 in a container, but there was none.  Then the guy offered to fill a container and give Kadizzle the oil.  Since it was too messy a process Kadizzle declined.

Next Kadizzle wandered into a thrift store.  At the thrift store the owner said he would buy used CDs for 75 cents each.  At home Kadizzle has about 200 he could ship to this guy.  Meanwhile back at the grocery store The Commander was busy gathering goods.  The Commander insist Kadizzle follow her around as a cart lackey.  After awhile The Commander asked Kadizzle if he had put a bunch of stuff in the cart.  Looking at the cart Kadizzle saw a bunch of stuff he had not put there plus a shopping list.  Soon it became apparent someone else had put stuff in our cart.  Kadizzle took the stuff out and put it into a little hand basket.  Kadizzle gave it to one of the store clerks who searched for the rightful owner.  After we walked around awhile Kadizzle spotted a cart with the fish and meat The commander had bought.  So when the dust settled it turned out The Commander was the culprit, she had been the one who put food in someone else's cart.

Back at the ranch Kadizzle changed the oil in the motorcycle.  The crew at Darch's went to dinner at the Handlebar restaurant and bar.  It is a great place to eat outdoors with radiant heaters, but heat alone did not solve the problem.  The rarest commodity in the desert, rain, fell from the sky.  With ingenuity the owner rigged up a tarp over our table and a good meal proceeded.

The new safety miracle

Yesterday Kadizzle sent The Commander into the wild with Kathrine.  The new super duper tracking device sent updates to the Map Share program and Kadizzle could see the progress of the hikers.  If anyone wants to see our hikes in progress they can log on to the Delorme Map Share program and see either a topographic map or an actual aerial photo.  As the hikers moved yesterday the day was getting late and Kadizzle wondered if they would get back to the car before it was dark.  The system worked great and was a good way to eliminate problems. A note.  If you do want to log in the password is Quinn. This is the link https://share.delorme.com/dakotaquinn

Again last night we had a great dinner with the off road bicycling group.  Fine wine, food, and conversation filled the night.  One downside to hanging around with this group is The Commander now thinks she needs an exotic mountain bike.  So now The Commander is on ebay bidding on expensive bikes.  New, these pedal bikes go for 6k, so you can see the danger to the budget. https://share.delorme.com/dakotaquinn

As Usual

As usual we have about ten things going at once.  Last night we had a great supper with our Canadian friend Darch, and his biking friends John and Janet.  Kadizzle asked Darch to play the role of wine critic.  Kadizzle's favorite wine lately is Apothic Red.  Kadizzle asked Darch to give an honest opinion of the wine. Darch called it Apothigetic Red.  He called it a plebeian wine and was not impressed.

Today The Commander and Kadizzle may try a dirt bike adventure.  Our friends have the finest bikes imaginable they will lend us and it may be fun. Also we want to visit our old friend Dave who is working as a volunteer.  Still trying to learn the new emergency device we have.  Our electronics are overcoming us we have so many cords and converters that sorting them is a night mare.

I will buy your used diabetic test strips. Really?

As we restocked the Earth Module the Commander and I drove around Mesa.  At the corners were signs offering to buy used diabetic test strips.  Kadizzle's curiosity got the best of him. What in the hell is this about he thought.  Kadizzle thought used meant already urinated on.  Well that is not the case.  What they want are the extra ones still in the box.  How insane can American medicine get? Kadizzle went on line to find out.

A person with health insurance buys the strips for ten dollars.  The insurance company is billed for forty dollars.  The company with the sign shows up and gives the insured person $20 for the strips he paid $10 for.  Now, a person with no health insurance goes on line and buys the strips for $30.  This insane scheme could happen in no country but this one.  It would be so much simpler to insure the person in the middle than to pay the other two people to carry out the fraud, but that is how it works in the free enterprise system.  Absolutely insane.

Where did that come from

Yesterday we moved into our Earth Module.  The module has been resting in Darch's yard.  Darch is a good Canadian friend who is an avid off road bicycle rider. Darch spends the summers on a nice catamaran in the Northwest.  As we pulled up to his place the gate was unlocked and Darch himself had just arrived. His Jeep looked like wild gypsies.  On the back rack of the Jeep in the trailer hitch Darch had three mountain bikes, and a motorcycle.  The weight just about had the front of the Jeep pointing to the moon.  Late last night when Kadizzle went out for some air he noticed a huge motorhome also pulled into the yard behind our pickup.  We have not yet met whomever it its, but even Darch must not have known they were coming, because he never mentioned we would have company.

Today will be a day of reloading, and perhaps a motorcycle ride with Darch.  Maybe we will drive over to  the Salt River and see what old friends are hanging around.

Changes in latitude Changes in attitude

The life of luxury ends today.  No more starting the day with a soak in the hot tub.  No more all you can eat wifi.  No more electricity dripping our the outlets.  No more soaking hot showers.  It is back to the Earth Module.  Our gracious friends let us store the Earth Module in their yard, so today we have to restock it with clean cloths, food, and recharged everything.  At this point we have no hard plan for where we will go. The Commander wants to head back to the Roosevelt Lake area.  Last night we sat by the fire pit and went over plans with Ruth and Rodger, thinking about trips we could make this winter.  According to The Commander Organ Pipe National Park has been upgraded and we could head that way to stay warm.  We could go down to the Dragoons near Tombstone.  New Mexico has been off our radar too long, and Ruth and Rodger said they came through some nice places in Texas.

Help, I have fallen and I cannot get up.

Kadizzle and The Commander hike in some pretty out of the way places where phone service is non existent.  Should we have a disaster, which we have managed to avoid up to this point and after thirty or forty years of hiking, we now have a new super duper satellite communicator.  Kadizzle has been studying how the Delorme Explorer works.  In a dire emergency you can flip a switch and just push a button. The device will send a signal to a satellite rescue system.  Hopefully help will be dispatched. The device automatically sends your GPS location.  In addition to the basic service  you can also text people, or have the device constantly update people as to where you are. Hopefully we will never have to use it in an emergency, but since Kadizzle is now taking some long lonely motorcycle rides it might do the trick when  you break down or run out of fuel.  Also it will be a nice deal on the boat.  Often we have no phone signal on the boat.  It would be nice after sinking to have someone come get you.

Rat infestation

Sister Patty showed up at the luxury estate.  One problem, she brought three Chihuahuas.  Kadizzle likes dogs, but three yaping rats is too many.  Grandpa is always referring the dogs as rats.  Sylvie is in love with the dogs and does not like Grandpa calling them rats.  Sylvie informed Grandpa that she needed to talk to him privately. Grandpa was marched to Sylvie's room/office and told to sit on the floor. Once on the floor Grandpa was given a stern lecture on being nice to dogs, and not calling them rats.

Falling into the lap of luxury.

The Kadizzles have gone from one extreme to another.  In Gold Canyon we rented a house for a week to spend Thanksgiving with Erin, Fran, and Sylvie.  The home has a nice hot tub and pool with a waterfall, WiFi, TV, wine cooler, nice tile work, a fire pit, and lots of other amenities you don't find in the Earth Module.  To top it off there is a separate mother-in-law suite with its own kitchen, shower, and sleeping accommodations that will work great if sister Patty comes.

To top it off the house in in an area where some of our North Dakota friends have homes.  We bought the biggest turkey that every walked.  The Commander says Kadizzle is the biggest Turkey that ever walked. The Commander said she wanted left overs.  Nothing beats some good turkey meat slathered with mayonnaise and soaked with Worcestershire sauce.

Shortly we go pick up the gang and the Holiday begins.

Tomorrow is the Big Day

Tomorrow the Earth Module will pull out of Dodge.  Today we have loaded the cycle, and done a lot of task to get ready to go.  Tomorrow we have to dump the sewage, and head out.  For a week the Kadizzles will rent a nice house in Gold Canyon and meet up with Erin, Fran, and Sylvie.  A week by the pool and hot tub sounds good.  The laundry will get caught up and there will surely be some good eating. So far the weather looks good.  The bums back at camp will be on their own, but they seem to be doing well.  The camp host moved down by the lake for a drunken Thanksgiving. The host left Duane the NRA nut in charge. Duane's first move was to lock the women's rest room. That should save some cleaning.  The whole campground is sparsely populated.  Ryan drug up and headed to the casino in Tuscon.  Mary still has Cissie's prized cooking pot, and she better get it back or a range war may break out.  Seems very strange the campground is so lightly populated.  Perhaps the economy has caught up with people. Either they have enough money to stay home, or they don't have enough to leave.  None of the big bucks gang with the diesel pushers are around.  Most of the people are the just gettin by gang. 

Saving and endangered species, BUMS.

Gary is one of my favorite bums. Yesterday at the bum campfire Kadizzle looked at the water in the dog bowl. It was green with algae.  The poor dog was drinking some pretty bad water.  On inquiry Gary disclosed that his water jug was contaminated with algae.  Kadizzle explained to Gary you could not let water sit in the hot sun for days and not expect something to go wrong.  However, even that should not happen with campground water.  After some questioning Gary explained that to save water he took the melted water out of his ice chest and put it in the jug.  Now you have the perfect set up for growing everything including algae.

To solve this problem Kadizzle explained to Gary how he needed to clean the jug with Chlorox.  So this morning Kadizzle went over and cleaned the jug for Gary.  Once again seeing the dashboard of Gary's truck Kadizzle had to take a picture.

Now in the old days people used to have a "Plastic Jesus" on the dashboard.  So here is a song you need to know

Well, I don't care if it rains or freezes,
Long as I have my plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Through all trials and tribulations,
We will travel every nation,
With my plastic Jesus I'll go far.

{Refrain}
Plastic Jesus, plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Through all trials and tribulations,
We will travel every nation,
With my plastic Jesus I'll go far.

I don't care if it rains or freezes
As long as I've got my Plastic Jesus
Glued to the dashboard of my car,
You can buy Him phosphorescent
Glows in the dark, He's Pink and Pleasant,
Take Him with you when you're travelling far

{Refrain}

I don't care if it's dark or scary
Long as I have magnetic Mary
Ridin' on the dashboard of my car
I feel I'm protected amply
I've got the whole damn Holy Family
Riding on the dashboard of my car

{Refrain}

You can buy a Sweet Madonna
Dressed in rhinestones sitting on a
Pedestal of abalone shell
Goin' ninety, I'm not wary
'Cause I've got my Virgin Mary
Guaranteeing I won't go to Hell

The Sun gives us clean, warm, free enery, but we prefer soot filled carbon.

 

That same sun that warmed us while we hiked heated the solar showers that will be ready for us when we get back. The Commander says she is going to do a three or four pusher. What is a four pusher? For each push of the button you get about a three minute nice warm sun water shower. Kadizzle got by on a two pusher. Traveling in the winter is deluxe because you have giant facilites all to yourself, and the facilities are clean and well maintained since they are under little public pressure.

Also you get to be handicapped in the winter. Since no one is using the handicapped facilities in the winter the park people don't care if you use the handicapped campsite with a paved play pen, nor do they care if you use the handicapped shower with two nozzles. Now, back to that sun , that sun that is warming the shower, is also charging the Earth Module batteries. Solar power in the Southwest is real, and works. The sun rains clean energy down on us every day, but so many people insist that their power comes from dirty old coal, or some other poisonous substance that will fry the planet.

Since old Kadizzle worked his entire life in the energy industry he can assure you 75% of the energy produced in this country does no useful work. At a giant power plant most of the coal burned goes up the chimney and out to the cooling towers as waste heat. In the process we are cooking the planet. Solar on the other hand either charges your batteries, your shower, or just harmlessly warms up the ground. Conservation is a dirty word in our country where we have a six thousand pound truck with one person in it driving down the road at 75mph. It is our right. We heat a huge home where most of the rooms sit empty. Kadizzle is guilty as hell. Our house is sitting empty at 55 degrees burning propane and a little electricity. In Europe the people live well on about a third less energy than we do. They have mass transit, and many simple solutions to energy use.

When we visit New York to see our daughter it is so noticeable how they do without cars. People walk, and unbelievably there are not as many lump asses as we have in North Dakota. Energy efficient people are generally thin, and the tattor tot gang usually is burning up fuel just heating the tator tots.

The Trifecta Pickup truck, motorcycle, hike

Another day another hike.  Today we drove the Tundra up the road as far as we could, then we unloaded the Yamaha, and drove it as far as we could, then we got off and walked as far as we could.  All this took us up above the Tonto National Monument.  Kadizzle figured for sure this close to such a renowned site there would be something to find. However, we found not a trace of occupation.  The view was spectacular, we could see miles in every direction from the Four Peaks to Pinto Creek, and all of Lake Roosevelt.

Kadizzle and The Commander on a Yamaha 250 can be a little scary at times.  It takes a lot of concentration to ride a dirt bike with two people on the worst trails imaginable. Then add The Commander giving advice in your ear while you try to avoid a crash.  At any rate we made it up and back.

Would you, could you, be my neighbor, if I gave you a beer?

It was a slow day at camp.  First we had to patch The Commanders tire.  The Commander has an idea we should work for the Forest Service so she spent a good part of the day dealing with applications. It may provide us with a free pickup truck, and electricity.  The job would be checking hiking trails.  The idea is to get some benefits for what we already do.  Most people think the government is inefficient, but when you see it in action you know the tax payer gets a pretty good deal. Volunteers do most of the work for little or nothing. The real employees drive around and act busy.  For every real employee there are at least two volunteers.  The volunteers are old geasers trying to live cheap.

As the day progressed it was mostly social duties.  A bullshit session with Gary.  Gary told one old story and one new one about his love life.  Gary used to have a girlfriend only on weekends.  Apparently it worked well for four years.  Talked some stock trading strategy with Ryan. Contrary to all the warnings Kadizzle is thinking about trying to play the market timing game.  Next a sunshine bottle of beer with Ryan when the NRA dinger showed up.  Old NRA hates Obama and is about as right wing as you can get.  Kadizzle's devil was urging him to bring up politics with old NRA Dwane, but Kadizzle managed to resist.  When NRA Dwane showed up Ryan and Kadizzle were already drinking one of The Commander's beers.  It was apparent NRA Dwane wanted a beer he showed up holding a beer can insulator with no beer.  The Commander would go berserk if Kadizzle gave NRA a beer.  Soon Ryan wandered off with NRA and offered him a beer at Ryan's camp.

The Commander made some great vegetables and pork roast.  Kadizzle has invented a new game called "Stinger".   Each time one of the crew says something out of line they are dealt a card.  After five cards you get no more.  The person with the best hand wins.  Kadizzle has been taking a sting card when The Commander does a good deed just to be fair.  So far The Commander has won about three out of five hands.  If your hand wins before you get all five cards you are the winner.

Since today was a rest day, The Commander is considering some adventures for tomorrow.  One possibility would be to do some motorcycle adventure on the upper end of Cherry Creek.  At any rate it may be a hike and ride day.

Super connected.

 

We live in a super connected world. Sitting on the throne 1500 miles away from home this morning Kadizzle viewed the inside of his home live via the internet. Kadizzle can actually move the camera and see the temp displayed at home. The Commander and Kadizzle have come to realize the importance of radio communication. Hiking we always carry small two way radios because often there is no phone service. Additionally we each carry a GPS. The old radios are not working well so we just ordered some new ones. To top off the electronic list will be the new Delorme satellite emergency system when we get it. Getting confused and lost is easier than one thinks. Even in open country where it looks easy to move about and know where you are, often you are surprised. Yesterday for example what appeared to be the easiest way back to the truck from the mountain top turned out to be more of a chore than imagined. The creek we walked down wandered around more than Kadizzle thought. It is amazing that we can stand on top of a mountain in the middle of no where and instantly send pictures to our daughters.

At the camp site all is quiet. On our loop it is just the Kadizzles and Ryan. Mary stopped by to borrow a pan last night. It was pretty cold last night so we fired up the furnace this morning. Today Kadizzle needs to rest his bones a little after yesterdays assault on the mountain, so maybe a visit with Gary to shoot the breeze. Surely The Commander will get antsy and need a mission. The sun is up and things are warming up quickly. Hopefully it was so cold last night the snakes decided to quit for the season.

Living on the Edge

People living on the edge are more interesting than those living mundane lives of security. A favorite saying of Kadizzle is "Most men live lives of quiet desperation".  On the road we meet a lot of people living lives of pleasant desperation.  Traveling the Kadizzles meet a constant stream of interesting characters.  Warm climates attract people of limited means, and often these people are living out of a tent, a car, a van, or a pickup truck.  Our current crop includes Gary, Ryan, and Mary.  The other day I suggested to Gary who is living down the way trading penny stocks, that he might meet Gary.  Gary is living out of his pickup and a tent across the way.  Gary and Ryan became friends and made a grocery run together yesterday. Every chance to save gas is important.  After they returned it was time for everyone to have a hand rolled cigarette.  It was pipe tobacco.  The Commander is a good roller from the old days and did the honors.  Of course Gary is an expert.  Nicotine is killing Gary at a quick pace, but he is sure the vitamins he ordered for $200 will bring him back to life.

Now we got Mary an ex teacher living out of her SUV in a tent.  Women are not as common in the band of bums on the road.  The Kadizzles invited Mary in for a glass of wine and the cackling was strong.  Mary came to the south west on some sort of elder tour and has now joined the bum community at Windy Hill.  The Forest Service is under pressure to reduce the bum population so in the future fees may go up and a reservation system will be put in place.  Mary commented on another itinerant named Dwane.  Kadizzle has not met Dwane, but according to Mary, Dwane is up to his neck in right wing politics.  In Dwane’s world if there is an oil spot on the road Obama caused it.

One thing you learn as you meet the people living on the bum is that they are not ignorant.  Most of these people read a lot and are well informed in a variety of ways.  

Yesterday Gary told a good story about how he has never paid income tax.  At some point Federal Marshalls gathered Gary up and took him to the IRS.  The IRS agent threatened Gary in every way possible.  First they said they would garner his wages. Gary said he would quit an take another job across the street.  Next, they told Gary they would throw him in jail.  Gary responded that he had already been in federal prison and it was no big deal.  He told them if he went back it would give him time to write a book.  Perplexed the IRS agent said nothing for a few minutes so Gary got up to walk out of the room.  The federal marshalls blocked the door. The IRS agent gave up and said let him go.  Amazing that the government would try to squeeze a bum while billionaires rip off the government for millions.

New way to track our location.

What do you do when the big one comes?  Out hiking in the middle of nowhere and you get hurt, your heart explodes, or you just plain get hopelessly lost or stuck.  To solve this problem Kadizzle ordered a satellite communication device.  Many times out in outback there is no phone service.  The device will let you send text messages via satellite, and call 911 if needed.  The one we bought is made by DeLorme and has some nice features including the fact that it can be used as a GPS while hiking.  It will cost about $11 a month for the service, but perhaps our lives or health are worth it.  The Kadizzlites have become pretty good with map, compass, and GPS, but all that does you no good if your leg is broken.  Yesterday each of of took a fall. It is no big deal, but as you get older it becomes more of an issue.  The Kadizzles have hiked easily over a couple thousand miles in some of the most rugged terrain imaginable.  Amazing there have been no serious incidences.  Looking back Rodger once dislodged a boulder that flew past Kadizzle,  once The Commander took an interesting slide on some slick rocks on a steep slope and got scraped pretty good, but all things considered our hikes have been safe.  However, you cannot control everything.  In the jungle last August snakes were a big deal.  Seeing the little rattlesnake yesterday reminds you they are around.  A snake bite in the middle of nowhere could be a big problem.

A bonus to the whole thing is that you can set up the tracking device so anyone can follow your adventure.  If we get killed before we can push the emergency button maybe someone will notice we are stuck in a canyon for a week.  The devices has not been delivered yet so we will update when it comes.

Looking for a nest, and a little hike.

Yesterday the Kadizzles headed to Payson to look for a new home.  On the way we picked up a young couple from Alaska hiking the Arizona trail.  Their map said there was no water on the next segment so they decided to skip ahead and needed a ride.  Checking out homes in Payson it was not long before we ran into Kieth and Patty in front of their almost finished home.  Last year we met them and they helped get us interested in buying a lot in their neighborhood.  They have built a home with an incredible view and many of the custom features they put in the home turned out very well.  Before we had dinner with them we looked at some homes near the airport.  The Payson airport is set up so people living there can taxi their plane home and park it in their own hanger. Each home has a huge hanger door so you can park your plane.  Signs on the streets warn planes will not stop for cars.

Today we headed up to Oak Flats for a hike. Up the stream we went and then took off into the wilderness. The Commander wanted to keep going up the mountain, but Kadizzle thought he spotted a good site where a ruin might be.  As we approached the ruin pottery shards started to appear. The Commander spotted a small snake and was taken aback a bit. It was hard to tell if it was a small rattlesnake.  A little later she got a quick glimpse at another one.  Usually the snakes are bedded for the winter by the time we hike, but seems they are still out.  The Commander became very cautious where she stepped.  The site seemed very large and some large pieces of pottery were all around.  We found one strange all white piece with no markings on either side.

This morning Kadizzle met one of the neighbors in the campsite.  We meet all kinds of people and one thing you learn is never preguess who you are talking to.  The young guy down the way has been living in his van for five years making a living trading penny stocks.  During the conversation with him on the way to the John, Kadizzles asked "What do these companies make".  Ryan said " Nothing, they just hype bullshit".   They make up a story and when it is good the stock goes up, as the story fizzles out the stock goes down.  Ryan manages to use the internet from his van to play the bullshit market.  On our trips we have met several retired airline pilots, an escapee from a federal prison, a nuclear physicist,  doctors,  and all kinds of strange people living on the road.  A lot of these people live on practically nothing and enjoy the solitude.  As they say "Everyone has a story".  It turns out to be so true when you wander around and meet all the strange people living on the road.

Let a little sunshine into your life

 

Sunshine falls out of the sky everyday and usually gets scattered all over the place. The trees figured out hundreds of millions of years ago how to capture that sunlight and use the energy. Now the Kadizzles have caught up with the trees. The Commander just could not wait to harvest sunshine today. Before Kadizzle finished his coffee The Commander rushed out and set up the solar panels.

By the end of the day all the little devices will be charged, and there will be enough power until tomorrow. The guy up the way is doing it the old fashion way with a generator. The peace and quiet of the sun doing the generating is worth the price.

There is an old saying, “Nothing focuses the mind like the prospect of being hanged”. Nothing focuses the mind on how much energy humans consume like living off the grid. There is no question we could live just fine with half the pollution if we made even the smallest attempt. Humans are frying the planet by burning fossil fuels it took millions of years to deposit. It is total insanity to think you can put as much carbon into the atmosphere in one hundred years as it took to remove in 200 million years. Science and math are not popular, but harvesting energy is like gardening it can be a hobby.

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Can Jewish Girls find Jesus?

The wagon rumbled into Lake Roosevelt about five yesterday.  By the time we got set up the sun was down, but The Commander had to take a bike ride.  When Kadizzle opened the door to go out there stood The Commander in a state of excitement. “Guess who I found?”,  Since The Commander is of Jewish heritage,  Kadizzle could figure it was not Jesus, but the guy did have some resemblance.

The Commander had found Gary, our old itinerant scholarly friend from last year.  Gary was living in his tent not more than six hundred yards from where we nested.  The next morning it was great to see old Gary coming down the road with his dog Sammy.   Our speculation had been that Gary would be camping in that heavenly campground where the campers have wings.  Last year when we left Gary was hacking and coughing from his chronic smoking and it seemed for sure he would be called home soon.  However, Gary actually looked pretty good and said he managed to cut back on the nicotine devil some.

So this morning we caught up on Gary’s travels, and what he has been reading.   Hopefully more of our old camping buddies will show up so Kadizzle has some duffers to ride the back roads with.  The solar panel is up and cooking and things are warm and comfortable.  Kadizzle would still like to catch the generator sneaker who stole our generator last year.  The generator is now bolted to a piece of plywood and that trailer sits on the plywood.  The sneaker will have to move the camper to get the generator.  Who knows that sneaker is pretty clever, but there is also an alarm.

Fire has some benifits

The Commander insisted we spend another day in the Cochiti Lake area.  A big debate took place about how to explore.  Take the cycle, take the truck, take both, take one part way and the other the rest of the way.  In the end we just got in the truck and drove into the mountains.

The road was very steep and had some classic cliff hanging parts.  The area we hiked into had all been burned in a huge fire last year.  Now you could see many features that had been covered by brush.  Our goal was to hike about three miles across two canyons to find some archaeological sites.  On the way we came across a very high waterfall. Unfortunately there was very little water.

Since we got off to a late start we were running out of daylight and had to return.  On the way back Kadizzle heard voices and noticed three older women hiking off a Plateau.  After we asked them about ruins in the area they pointed us toward some field house ruins.  We should have noticed them on the way out, but thought we would be looking for cliff like ruins in a canyon.  The field house ruins had some good pottery shards.  After inspecting them we headed down the mountain.

Cochiti Canyon Flood - Dixon Apple Orchard

Kadizzle and the Commander hiked up this canyon yesterday.  We found a lot of Indian sites and more pottery shards of higher quality than we have ever found.  The internet here at Cochiti Lake is driving Kadizzle crazy.  If Kadizzle can get the right connection more will be added to this story.
With high winds we got stuck at Lake Cochiti.  To burn up time the Kadizzles decided to do some hiking.  As luck would have it we stumbled upon a creek that led up into the Dixon Apple orchard.  First we ran into an old dog lady.  A dog lady is similar to a cat lady.  The dog lady was on the road we werer exploring.  The dog lady had three dogs she rescued and was walking them.  Dog lady suggeste the Kadizzles might walk up the next stream they encountered.  Taking dog ladies advice the Kadizzles set off up the stream.  Not far up the stream the Kadizzles came into the Dixon Apple Farm, which had a very interesting history.  The farm had recently been hit by two disasters.  First a fire, then a flood.   Walking up the stream the Kadizzles could see there had been the mother of all floods.

As we walked up the stream the damage that had been done by the flood was amazing. When we got to the Dixon Apple Orchard it was sad to see how these people had been wiped out. Some of the trees however were still producing and we ate some very good apples.

Exploring the area we found an astounding number of excellent pottery shards. The shards were often large and had white, red, and black paint. Kadizzle found one very unusual one and my be able to post a picture later. Walking down the canyon there was a place where a stream had eaten through an old site. Many artifacts were scattered around.

After the hike we took the truck up a very rugged mountain road with a great view. Today the plan is to unload they Yamaha and ride it back up that road and explore the top of the mountain.

Sleeping with Krisna

One of the best things about life are the strange twist it takes.  Way back in the sixties Kadizzle can remember the Krisna cult.  The Krisna people as you will remember used to dance around and chant. Begging in airports was one of their specialties.  What really made the Krisnas special was that they settled in the hills near my hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia.  Kadizzle could write a page about the marble edifice they built and the strange stories that go with it.  One quick instance always comes to mind when Kadizzle thinks of them.  Years ago when Erin was only about six or seven she went for a walk in Moundsvill, West Virginia with her cousin while we were vistiong my brother Tom.  

Cindy and Erin walked by the State Prison witch was a very scary and intimidating place.  Inside the prison was one of the Krisna’s imprisioned for murder.  In front of the prison the Krisna followers were protesting with an elephant.  The elephant marched back and forth with a large sign that read “Free Swami”.  Ironically, my bother in his construction business had done work for Swami, and sold him some equipment.

Now, back to the present.  Kadizzle likes to bed down at night with some peaceful music in his headphones.  With the Spotify service you can select a genre.  After choosing meditatiion it was not long before Krisna music came up.  Strangely Kadizzle has come to like the Krisna chants.  There is something about the chants that create a tranquil state.  Forty years later Kadizzle can see how these people were sort of self hypotised into a state of bliss.  So the next time you see someone in an orange sheet dancing in the airport look closely, it could Swami Kadizzle chanting.

World Travelers

My daughter Megan landed in Hong Cong last night on a business trip.  It made me think how my children have been able to see the world when poor Old Kadizzle rarely gets out of the country.  Megan has been to London, Paris, Italy, and will go on to Taiwan.  We traveled to Ireland with Megan and Erin Years ago.  Erin has traveled to Portugal, London, Paris, New Z eland, and most recently to Costa Rica with us.  Erin's husband Fran goes around the world about three times per year and his list is too long to put down.

Erin and Fran travel in the United States so much that they have visited just about every major city.  Both of them are weary from traveling so much.  It is a lot of time away from home.  Erin represents publica entities like Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Port of Long Beach.  Fran does contract research often traveling for Microsoft, and various other large companies.  Megan is in Macy's fashion design department and has to check out the fashions in other countries, and check with suppliers.  The big bonus is they get treated as royalty by the airlines.  Erin and Fran are able to take a free trip to Hawaii every year with frequent flyer benefits.  Kadizzle does not care much for sitting on airplanes for hours, but it would be nice to have someone else pick up the tab for a trip.

Lake Cochite

Very nice sunrise at Cochiti Lake.  Too windy to drive today.  Looks like a day of exploring the area and enjoying the warmth.  The Corp of Engineers campground here is very nice, and it is a great place to stop on the way to AZ.   Tent Rocks is a very neat placed nearby and we have hiked it in the past.  If you wanted to explore Albuquerque, or Santa Fe this would be the perfect spot.

Cochiti Lake

Today we sit at Cochite Lake.  Was a warm day, but not too long a drive.  A nice view from the camper surrounded by mountains in every direction.  Every year a big battle ensues with Verizon, their service is hopeless when you travel. Here we sit withing a thousand feet of their tower, and the internet is slower than molasses running uphill.  We may be stuck here an extra day because tomorrow will be too windy to travel. However, for ten bucks a night this place is hard to beat.  So tomorrow may be a cycle ride or just some local exploring.

The people camping next to us came over and asked for advice on how to be warm and have electricity, in a nice place all at low cost.  First we told them to get to a lower elevation, then Kadizzle tried to explain that unless you have a generator and can get off the grid low cost is not an option. There are plenty of really nice places to camp  if you do not have to be plugged in.  Most of the really nice spots are free, or three dollars per night, but you need a Honda generator, or a good solar set up.  We do have amazing TV here.  We are get free digital TV over the air and have about thirty channels to chose from.  The internet finally seems to be working a little faster so we will have a couple of entertainment options tonight.  The Commander said we are having grilled lamb tonight, so it is time to grill.

Landed in Denver

The Kadizzlites landed in Denver to see our little bug Sylvie.  In Denver we resupply groceries, and buy some of that $2.85 gasoline.  The Commander plans to stock the camper with meat, liquor, and other items.  Kadizzle is having a serious debate with himself about buying a location device from Delorme.  The device would enable the Kadizzles to send an emergency message from any place via satellite.  The question is are our lives worth $300 up front and $11 a month?  Often we are miles from nowhere in some steep canyon or on some desolate cycle trail.  If things go to hell and something breaks, or someone gets hurt help is hard to come by.  The device is pretty nifty.  You can send text messages and let people know where you are.  Might be convincing myself.

Today we will head down to Chociti Lake. It is a Corp of Engineers campground and pretty nice.  Already we are enjoying the warm weather.  The drive down along the Eastern side of the Rockies is not bad. Since it is Saturday we may luck out and not have much traffic.  The truck has been getting absolutely terrible gas mileage.  With new tires at 80 psi one would think things would improve, but we are only getting between 7 and 8mpg.  The good news is gas prices are low.

Sounds like Sylvie is up and time for Grandpa to go see the bug.

Light the Fire

The house has been dusted and scrubbed immaculately.  The list has been checked, and checked, and checked once more, but one hundred miles from home we will realize we only have one shoe or something.  Tomorrow the engine will start and may we have a tailwind heading to warmth and old friends.

More than likely the Earth Module will land in Wheatland, Wyoming.   A half day drive will then end in Denver to see my little Sylvie.  From Denver to Chochiti Lake in New Mexico.  From there not sure. Packing has been a week long process. Trying to shave every once of weight out of the rig has been a careful exercise in restraint.  Hopefully the new tires at 80 PSI should get us a tinch better mileage.  The free trial Sirrus radio should be a nice addition for the long drive. We will miss the long hot showers, good internet, simple minded television, and lots of space.  Cold hopefully will be a thing of the past. Waking to sunshine, a T shirt, and mountain views will not be hard.

Load the wagon

It looks like it is time to load up and get going.  $1,200 worth of new ten ply tires are on the truck.  Yesterday The Commander and Lord Kadizzle hoisted the fifth wheel hitch into the Toyota and bolted it down.  The name of the game is to keep the weight down, so today Kadizzle may rig up a small plywood tailgate to replace the real one.  Every once counts.  Even though we use computerized list things are still forgotten.  A lot of items create a problem.  Should we carry a hydraulic jack?  Should we take an extra deep cycle battery?  So many times you realize you have been lugging stuff around for years you never use, but then you think what if?  The what if's are endless.

After the rotten scoundrel stole our generator last year we have instigated new security measures.  Buying a game camera was one thing strongly considered and still may happen.  It would be nice to capture the sneak thief on the camera.  If God is willing and the creeks don't rise the intrepid travels will head south on Thursday.

The Jihad

Years ago we moved to North Dakota.  Kadizzle was impressed with the general cleanliness of the German population.  As time has gone on and industry has thrived the newcomers to Hazen have let the culture of the south flourish. Junk is appearing everywhere.  To counteract this mess Kadizzle has started a Jihad to get the city commissioners off their rectums and enforce the law.  No one wants to make waves, but unfortunately the time to act has come.  So Kadizzle's latest hobby has become embarrassing the city commissioners into enforcing the law.

Boredom is sprouting everywhere.

Back home feels good for the first day or so, and then the boredom starts to strike.  What can we do today in Hazen?  If the big truck pulls into the grocery store we can go watch them unload.  Watching the snow melt is fun, but even that will be done soon.  The big event today will be going to the library to see if the one magazine that is any good came in.  We toured main street twice, no noticeable changes.  The creek beside our house is really high, now you talk about excitement.  Just cannot get the enthusiasm to start any home projects, how unusual.  For some real excitement we may go see how the boat made it through the winter.  Almost forgot the biggest event of the day, the mail lady will come.  We may get some neat stuff to throw away.  The only hope in the near future is it may be warm and dry enough to give the motorcycle some exercise.  We could do some painting and watch it dry, but that sounds like work. 

Another unusual home

As Kadizzle types this the Earth Module sits in front of the high school in Buffalo, South Dakota.  After searching Spearfish,  and Bellefusche with no luck, we headed north to Buffalo.  Using an old trick of our pilot friend we tried the airport.  In every town in the United States except Buffalo the feds have spent a bundle on little airports.  The airport was not the deluxe deal Hazen has with a nice lounge, and rest rooms.  All that was offered was a muddy mess.  The Commander had the brain storm to try the parking lot at the new high school.  As luck would have it the local parents were at the school getting ready for the prom.  Even better luck was the first person we talked to happened to be the wife of a school board member.  Her husband said we could spend the night.  Kadizzle asked him for the local police number to make sure it was OK with them.  Yup, the police said we could stay.  After driving all day from Denver we are nestled here drinking wine and beer.  Apparently we beat the prom kids to it.

The most important outlet to the outside world.

The Denver clan is headed for Hawaii.  Sylvie is so excited she can't sit still.  If God is willing and the creeks don't rise the Earth Module will be on it's way to the arctic regions of North Dakota.  One big problem, word from home is our sewer line leading out of the house is frozen.  The Commander has ordered all local forces to solve this problem, which at a minimum will cost $250 bucks.  Kadizzle thinks given the chance he could solve the problem, so needless to say there is disharmony in the crew.  Only in North Dakota can the ground freeze six or seven feet deep.  If the weather does not cooperate it may be impossible to get home.

Did you notice my birthday?

Kadizzle comes from a family of nine kids.  Birthdays were not a big deal. If my parents had to plan for nine birthday parties like the one my granddaughter is having it would have been a full time job.  If Kadizzle was lucky he got something for his birthday.  Kadizzle remembers one birthday where his father put a wrapped pen knife in a big glass gallon jug for Kadizzle to get out for a present.  Once Kadizzle's grandmother took him to the toy store on his birthday.  Most birthdays just were not noticed.

Now we come to Sylvie's birthday.  This may require as much planning as a wedding, and cost almost as much.  Apparently the plan is to rent the Art Garage and have all her friends show up for an art project.  Sylvie may well grow up as an only child.  She is a great little girl, but someday she will be faced with the reality the sun does not rotate around her.   Kadizzle learned very early there were eight other planets in the universe besides him, and he was pretty close to the smallest planet.

Cycle ride on the Casner Trail

Another person did this video, but it is the same trip Kadizzle recently took with Al on the Casner trail.  On the steep part going up the spine Kadizzle stalled out and had to turn around.  It is a fantastic trip and if you go over the edge it is your last trip.