The transition

Here the Kadizzles sit in the lap of luxury.  We left Arizona from about a 250 square foot RV to wake up this morning in a 400 square foot bedroom.  From the desert to a resort in West Palm Beach Florida.  A life of extremes.  Our little grand daughter is entertaining us all.  She will be two in a few weeks.  Her vocabulary is amazing,  She speaks better than many Trump supporters.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas.  This morning the big thrill will be using the great new toothbrush Erin bought us.  An electric toothbrush. What has the world come to?  Of course some people even have machines to help them breath at night.  If only a machine could just get up in the morning and go to work for us.

Flying to Florida

A nice flight on a full size plane to Atlanta. Sitting here in the Delta lounge soaking up the " Freebies".   Actually not free, but they let us in for thirty bucks, but we get free beer, wi fi, and lots of food.  Now we have to wait until 9:30 to catch the next plane.  We have been very sad thinking about Trump in the White House spending Christmas as he thinks who to fire next. He should be golfing. It would be so nice if he were under the grass.  How can one human be such an evil piece of excrement?  Each day he figures how can he ruin the environment, the economy, health care, education, you name it. His evil never ends.  Silly people think they can control this mentally ill midget.  The Hoopeleheads love him. They guys with the guns, the NASCAR hats, the loud mufflers, and the small IQ's just love Trump. Trump according to them is a man of his word. Well, maybe yes.  He promised to mess things up and now he has.  It was all fine until he attacked Kadizzle's retirement account. It was bound to happen. Leave a dog in the room with the turkey on the table and what do you think will happen.  What does it take to wake up the Hoopleheads?  Anyway we will see our little grand daughter in the morning. That is one of the grand daughters Trump is destroying the world for.   Never has Kadizzle felt so sure there is no God.  Even the most incompetent God would hit Trump with lightening, or at least set his bung hole afire with cancer.  God has plenty of time to starve children, but cannot spare a few moments to infect Trump with some ungodly disease that eats his little brain.

Up in the Mountains

Sun was shining, sky was blue, up to the Sierra Ancha Mountians we flew.  Four members of the trail crew drove up through the pines to the highest mountains around here.  With a magnificent view we could see for a hundred miles in every direction by the fire tower.  The real treat was the herd of Elk down below.   About a dozen Elk were hiding in a small grove of trees sun bathing and grazing.

With the magic key we went up into the fire tower.  One benefit of volunteer work is you get a magic key.  The magic key unlocks every lock in five million acres.  Someone had broken a window in the fire tower so Ken took measurements to replace the glass.  Some old friends spend some of their young years as summer fire tower couple.  That must have been bliss.  Ken told how he was in a fire tower in a lightening storm.

In summary we had a great day.  Jasper, Ken, and Rita hiked down the trail to where Kadizzle left the truck.  Kadizzle hopped on the ebike and rode twenty miles down the mountain, and dropped about five thousand feet.  That is like coasting downhill into the Grand Canyon.  More than once Kadizzle had to stop to let the disc bike brakes cool.  It was a spectacular trip and Kadizzle did not feel safe letting the bike go much over thirty.

Almost homeless

How many people live on the edge? Living the RV life in the winter the Kadizzles see a lot of people squeaking out an existence by living in some type of camping vehicle.  The Republicans want to destroy social security.  Little do they know how many people that will throw into poverty.  A person can live at extremely low cost if they have to by being a full time RV person. There is no property tax, no sewer and water to pay for, no garbage fee, and you are free from so many other things.  Some hard scrabble people move to the Amazon distribution center in Nevada and work like slaves for a few weeks around Christmas.  Most campgrounds rely on the free labor of some old RV people.  In exchange for some lite duties the person gets a place to stay,  maybe electricity,  or propane.   Many of those living the life migrate to the North in the summer.

You can find people in just about every income bracket.  Some are withing inches of abject poverty, others have good pensions, retirement plans or some good source of money.  Likewise you can find people living in tents or half million dollar motor homes.  There are a lot of single people moving about, a lot of divorced, a lot of lonely, and people who just want to escape the rat race.

Shut Down

Our trail crew works for free.  The shut down will shut us down.  Trump's lying is an amazing thing to watch.  A few days ago Trump made a big splash saying he would take credit for shutting down the government.  Yesterday the lying bastard blamed it on the Democrats.  How does anyone believe in the worst president in history?  To top it off his press secretary says he doesn't lie.  No respectable person will work with him.  There have been those who think they can control the errant child, but it does not take long for them to figure out Trump's mental illness is not controllable.

The Kadizzles have been along various parts of the border, Trump has never seen how long or how difficult the border terrain is.  Kadizzle will bet anyone he can drive to the border and walk across in 24 hours.  One day the Kadizzles illegally crossed the border at least thirty times.  The Rio Grande is the border.  Go into Texas get yourself a boat, go down the Rio Grande.  Every time you touch the south shore you are in Mexico. Each time you touch the north shore you are in the United States.

The whole think is much ado about absolutely nothing. It is all about Trump getting his idiots into a frenzy.  Now throw in the stock market.  Trump has demolished the stock market.  This may wake people up.

Read these INSTRUTIONS

First watch the video below, then read the story about Trumps Christmas below where Santa explains to Trump about the solar powered Mexicans.

These Weed-killing Robots Could Give Big Agrochemical Companies A Run Fo...

Santa Brings Trump a gift

Trump was sitting in the Oval Office thinking of something dastardly to do to the American people when he heard a noise over by the fireplace in the office which had been decorated for Christmas.  It was a thud.  There was Santa laying on the floor in the Oval Office.  Ho, Ho Santa said. " You have been a very bad greedy little boy this year, but I have decided to give you one gift, and you get to chose what you want".  The mean old president looking like a rat said he wanted a wall.  Santa looked at him like a parent mad at a child.  " You can't have a wall " Santa said, " but I can keep the Mexicans out".  Trumps evil eyes lit up.  "How will you do it?"  The rat asked.  Santa explained that he had just left Kadizzle's house.  Kadizzle told Santa about a marvelous invention he had seen ( This is real).  Someone had invented a solar powered Mexican.  Kadizzle told Santa about a video he had seen. An inventor came up with a device that looked like a solar panel with wheels.  Out of the bottom of the solar panel little arms came that killed the weeds in a lettuce field.  The little device went down the row and did all the weeding. It appeared it could even pick tomatoes.  " What good is that going to do?"  said the evil rat they called president, or individual one in his court documents.  " Well " said Santa " Here is the plan".   We deliberately bring a few Mexicans to our country and show them the solar powered Mexicans doing their work.  The Mexicans are then returned to Mexico.  Back home they tell everyone about the solar powered Mexicans.  Now there is no point to going to the United States because Mexicans are no longer needed. " What a good idea "  the evil president said. " Now I have an excuse not to shut down the government or build a wall".   Before Santa left though he warned the mean spirited president. " Remember someone still has to do the roofs, and the drywall. "  Trump got agitated and fired a couple of people and then told some lies.  Now,  Trump felt better and had a good Christmas thinking about the food stamps he took from poor children while he played golf.

Shoot em up

Yesterday the trail crew drove to the top of the mountain.  On the way we passed the sign above.  This sign is located in a remote area.  To replace it is a seventy mile trip for two people plus the cost of a new sign.  Hundreds of dollars will be spent just to fix what the gun culture has brought upon us. Then NRA which encourages the gun mentality brings on this nonsense.  Playing to the minds of paranoid little scared men this is what we end up with.  Multiply this sign by hundreds of thousands across the country and you are talking about millions spent to repair gun damage.  These same idiots drag propane tanks, and televisions out into the wilderness just to shoot.  This is what happens when  little brains and big guns are matched up.

French Perfume

A thousand dollars an ounce, supposedly that is what the French perfume cost the add was for.  A film crew showed up to use the bridge here as a backdrop for an add.  The add must have cost at least two hundred thousand for just the part they did here.  At Little MIke's picnic site there were about one hundred people associated with the film crew.  Little Mike was going nuts talking to the French actresses for the commercial.  Kadizzle decided Little Mike needed help managing the rest rooms. It was a ruse so Kadizzle could enjoy the catered lunch for the event.  So all went as planned and we had a good lunch.  Last year they had a film crew doing and add for truck tires.

Today we went up to Oak Flat to clear some trail.  While Kadizzle waited at the bottom of the mountain for the crew to work they way down he encountered a lonely old guy camping in the wilderness from his pickup. Kadizzle offered to show the guy an Indian site and the two took off on a nice hike. The guy looked out of shape, but was a good hiker and Kadizzle had to tell him to slow down.  So here we sit waiting for that idiot to shut the government down over his silly wall.  Trump's silly childish fits cost a lot of money, but the Hoopleheads love the drama.

Good Morning

The sun is up and it looks like a half decent day in the desert. Last night Kadizzle stepped on his laptop so here Kadizzle sits looking at a cracked screen.  A new computer is on the way.  The phone just rang and it was another volunteer. He is upset because the film crew did not show up at his location.  Advertising companies like to use the setting here by the bridge for commercials because it is such a dramatic and scenic site.  Today they were supposed to start filming an advertisement.  Last year they did a Toyota commercial  Of course these film crews treat themselves well with catered meals.  So we had a plan this year.  Kadizzle would put on his Forest Service volunteer hat and look as official as possible.  Then Kadizzle would show up and explain that he was a food inspector.  The food would all have to be sampled before it could be consumed.  Last year the other host and Kadizzle got there just as the food was being put away and missed out on the goodies.

So today is laundry day.  It is sad when the mind goes and Kadizzle is worried about his.  Yesterday Kadizzle got distracted while putting on his shoes. Kadizzle started out with slippers on and began to put on his tennis shoes.  Halfway through the process something must have come up.  Kadizzle ended up going out the door with one tennis shoe and one slipper on.  In his state of confusion  he totally forgot about his footwear.  After awhile Kadizzle started to think one shoe was untied because of the different feeling on the right foot.  Kadizzle thought to himself he should tie that shoe when he got a chance.  'After driving to a trail he was going to work on Kadizzle decided to tie the the shoe.  To his surprise he looked down and saw two feet that did not match.  What the hell he went to work anyway because the other shoe was back at the Earth module.  After awhile a friend came hiking down the trail.  Shortly after the conversation began she saw the mismatched feet and commented.  Feeling like a senile idiot Kadizzle tried to explain what had happened.  Next Kadizzle happened upon another volunteer and again got into a cackle session.  By this time Kadizzle had forgotten about his odd attire. Back at the Earth module he realized the man must have wondered about the mental capacity of Kadizzle.  Now it is time to put on my shoes today.  Hopefully it will be two shoes that match.

No tablets once more

Kadizzle took the ebike up the mountain yesterday. It was steep and the battery did it's best to get the lump on the seat up the mountain.  Even with the assist it seemed like a heart attack was eminent.  On the top of the mountain is an old asbestos mine.  Once in the past Kadizzle tried to ride the motorcycle up to the mine.  The road was in such bad shape it was impossible, but someone has worked on the road and now it is doable.  Since it was late in the day and the ride was exhausting Kadizzle turned back before he got to the top.  Coming down a steep grade on a bike is not easy.  As the bike approached the truck Kadizzle smelled burning brakes like you do from a truck.  Kadizzle touched the disk brakes on the bike and got a good burn on his finger.  The brakes had heated extremely lowering the lump down from the mountain.  If only that energy could be captured.

Now for the political update.  Checking the Bismarck Tribune today Kadizzle came across a letter to the editor.  The letter from one of Kadizzle's critics was titled " Quinn's letter crosses the line".   The writer claimed that calling Trump a liar is not fair.   The writer of the letter said that Trump did not lie about the wall on the border.  When Trump said he would build a wall and Mexico would pay for it. Trump did not mean Mexico would pay cash for the wall.  What Trump meant was Mexico would pay because they could not export drugs and immigrants.  The original letter Quinn sent criticized evangelicals for electing Trump.  The critic took up their side by saying what an honorable man Trump is.  Thank ya Jesus the Bismarck Tribune is more decent than most newspapers in the state and does print a variety of opinions.

Stealing Christmas Presents.

Yesterday was the annual Christmas Party for the Forest Service at Lake Roosevelt.  It was fun and a strange mix of people.  At the party you had the fire fighters, the volunteers, and the regular employees.  The head man played the violin to entertain.  Everyone brought all sorts of food and goodies and it is always a feast.

The best part of the party is opening gifts.  Until the Kadizzles came to the Forest Service Kadizzle had never seen this game of giving gifts.  Each person brings a wrapped gift.  All the gifts are put in a pile. The first person on the list selects a gift from the pile.  Publically the person opens the gift.  Now the second person on the list gets to either open a new gift or " steal " the gift of the first person.  On it goes.  Each gift can be stolen three times.  In the end everyone has a gift, but it is a lot of fun to see the stealing process.  Someone else got a nice blue tooth speaker.  The speaker was stolen by another guy.  Kadizzle wanted the speaker and stole it for the second time.  Sadly someone stole it from Kadizzle.  When the dust settled everyone had a lot of fun Mrs. Kadizzle managed to steal a bottle of brandy, and Kadizzle ended up with a nice little tool set. 

Republicans love to paint the government as a terrible thing full of terrible people.  If only people could work with or for the government.  They would see a different picture.  They would see some very dedicated good people trying to do the best they can with the little resources they have.  Volunteer for the goverment, for a charity,  or some good organization.  We have known so many wonderful volunteers in so many organizations.  Yesterday a Canadian stood up at the party an wished everyone a nice Christmas.  Here is a Canadian volunteering to take of American parks, because the Canadians use our parks.  Could we have a worse human for president than Trump who lives and breathes greed, the destruction of the environment, and the goal of destroying health care.  It is so refreshing to see the  other side of our country, a room full of good people doing what they can to truly make America great.

Republican Pizza

One day my childhood Republican friend and I decided to make some money cutting grass.  He had a lawnmower, and I did not.  At the end of the day we decided to buy a pizza with some of our lawn mowing money.  When the pizza came he told me he would eat three quarters of the pizza and I would get one quarter of the pizza.  Inquiring why this was the case my Republican friend said it was his lawnmower so he should get most of the pizza.  I explained to my friend that I would like to have more pizza.  My friend told me that tomorrow we would cut two lawns and order a bigger pizza.  So the next day we cut two lawns and I got to eat one quarter of a larger pizza.  It seemed like my friend did not need to eat so much pizza and we could have shared in the prosperity,  but that is how I learned about Republican pizza.  No matter how big the pizza is the lawnmower owner always gets three quarters of the pizza.  Now this system was great in the 1960's when the CEO thought he could get by on 47 times what the factory floor worker was being paid, but some how now the CEO is paid 350 times what the factory floor guy gets.  Walmart has perfected this system.  The old lady who is on welfare and the greeter at the Walmart store is paid minimum wage, which is about eight dollars per hour.  The CEO of Walmart is receiving eight thousand dollars per hour.  The solution is very simple. The lady at the door should simply use the money she inherited to open her own Walmart.

Another Day

After another night of extremely strange dreaming  Kadizzle awoke to the trail crew routine. Mrs. Kadizzle was going to head up into the mountains to work with a chain saw crew clearing a trail we have been working on. Cliff and Kadizzle went back to the Grapvine campground to work on the very first trail Kadizzle did about five years ago.  After lunch we started to work on the local trails.

Kadizzle got bored and took off on the electric bike.  It was a good chance to explore some of the canal system that was built in conjunction with the Roosevelt Dam. The hand work that went into the system was astonishing. 23 miles of canal were needed to move water to the hydro plant for the dam. Then entire project was a big undertaking. It required countless tunnels.  So off on the bike he goes. At the first tunnel encountered Kadizzle headed up the hill.  On top of the plateau Kadizzle was amazed to what he had stumbled upon.  There were very large expanses of extremely level ground. The ground was unlike any around.  The ground was flat, free of brush, and had a short grass growing on it. Very much it seemed like an area ancient Indians had raised crops on. The flatness and lack of rocks was astonishing for the area it was in.  After some exploring the trip finally took Kadizzle back to the highway.  However there was one last obstacle. Kadizzle had to get the electric bike under a fence. This turned out to be more difficult than first thought, but we managed.

So now the day is ending and two new Netflix CDs showed up so we will have entertainment tonight.

Individual #1

Trump and his mental illness is mind boggling.  If you missed his meeting with the Democrats leaders yesterday you missed a good show of the chief lunatic.  Only Trump would televise his insanity. Trump makes public a meeting where he has no clue what he is going to say.  The Donald comes of as an incompetent child.  The real question is how do people rationalize supporting him?  In front of television camera live they accuse Trump of lying.  Of course he is lying.  Well if he shuts down the government we don't have to work next week. Go Donald Go.

Love Life on the Run

The Kadizzles have been married for over 42 years, but that is not the case with every person living the RV life.  About half the people roaming around are single.  In our little group we have two married couples, and three single people.  The single people are all divorced, sometimes more than once.  The singles get lonely, but can't seem to stay hooked to long.  As a married couple the Kadizzles just sit and watch the mix and match.  In today's world some use the internet to find a partner.  It is amusing how many seniors we know that find mates online.  Then there is the ground hunt.  As observers we see these things start and end, sometimes pretty quickly.  Once people are alone they get used to having things their way pretty quickly.  This does not work with two people.  Life is a compromise, like it or not.  So the current soap opera involves male A who got female B to come down to our crew last year. Female B was younger and just a friend.  Female B is off somewhere on the hunt.  This year male A brought a girlfriend back from the summer job, Female C.  That did not last long.  Now male A found Female D.  This is all a little awkward with all of us living in close proximity.  So Female C is now trying to decide if she wants to have a companion which would be Male E. 

Kadizzle and Jasper certainly do more than their share of squabbling, but it is far simpler than getting into the senior blender. 

The Placebo effect

Old Grandpa is very proud of his Sylvie on the right.  With her friend they won the science fair and will go on to the state science fair in Colorado.  The experiment was about the placebo effect.  The two little scientist gave the students in their class Gatorade and told them it would improve their memory.  It worked.  Sylvie is very fortunate.  She goes to a good school, has great teachers, wonderful parents, and a system that supports learning.  A young mind is a terrible thing to waste.

This kid grew up under much better conditions than Kadizzle did.  In one year more was spent on her child care than Kadizzle paid for his entire college education.  Sylvie's first nanny was her aunt Katy who did a wonderful job.  Next she had Carlie an art instructor care for her during the day for years. Sylvie has been to countless museums, art galleries, musicals, and even traveled to foreign countries.

Children are our greatest resource.  Planting the seeds of curiosity in a young person does not take a lot of effort.  As our country pisses away money on the military and border walls maybe people should think about the return on investment in children.

Mind Boggling

Kadizzle has traveled about the country quite a bit.  On two occasions the sight of trains has struck him. The first was in Wyoming.  There he watched a unit train fill with coal.  It was an epiphany.  The amount of coal being burnt in this country is staggering.  Your average person has no concept, but we are burning about one trainload of coal every 15 minutes.  What is a train load of coal?  Each car on a unit train holds 100 tons of coal.  There are 100 cars on a unit train, do the math.  We are creating a problem at an unimaginable rate.  Kadizzle used to work at a coal mine.  Just at our mine we had two shovels, huge pieces of equipment.  Each shovel would fill your living room with coal with one scoop. The coal was being burned as fast ass we could get it to the power plant.  We are cooking the planet with pollution.

Now to train story two.  Yesterday Kadizzle and Jasper were in Winslow Arizona.  Kadizzle asked some old guy how many trains per day went through there.  The old guy said maybe six.  He did not pay much attention.  Four trains went through in just the hour Kadizzle was there.  Kadizzle asked another person with a functioning brain the same question that person said as many as 200 trains a day went by.  The latter figure is likely more correct.   As we ate breakfast at the La Pasada train station and looked out the window you could see a train go by about every 15 minutes.   Most of these trains are carrying containers from China or some other country on the other side of the Pacific.  It is just unimaginable that each one of those thousands of containers if full of stuffed animals, televisions, cell phones,  furniture ready to fall apart, you name it.  The bottom line is we are consuming crap at a rate that is insane.  How much of that crap will be in a city or county landfill withing weeks?   Train after train over a mile long hauling crap, junk, nonsense.  As trainloads of stuffed animals from China head to Walmart people somewhere don't have a home, don't have electricity, or a pot to piss in.  Insane is the only description that works.  Poverty is the result of the wrong priorities. 

Rooming with Dorthy Lamour.

Will Rodgers is down the hall and Jackie Gleason is in the room right across from ours.  Well they would be if it were back in the day.  The Kadizzles spent the night at the La Pasada hotel in Winslow Arizona.  The La Pasada was part of the train station when everyone took trains.  Last night Kadizzle sat in the lobby with a Navajo musician.  Normally he just sits there and plays classical guitar.  After engaging him in conversation he mesmerized me with his historical knowledge of the hotel.  It felt like a Navajo story teller was in front of me. His delivery was unique and so fascinating.

Dorthy Lamour stayed in our room.  On most days the Kadizzles are close to the Lake Roosevelt dam in Arizona.  My Indian story teller explained that when the dam was completed the laborers were out of work so the famous Mary Coulter who designed the place hired them to build La Pasada.  Here technique for designing was unique.  She made up a fantasy and it involved a story about a Spanish family.  The story turned into the building.

Smart Juice

Kadizzle takes such great joy in his granddaughter Sylvie.  With great excitement we spoke to here and got to see her on the phone. Sylvie won first place in her class science project, and second place in the school. Sylvie will get to go to the state science fair.

One has to laugh when Sylvie explains the experiment.  Sylvie's experiment was about the placebo effect.  Sylvie gave the teacher a list of nonsense words to read to the class.  After hearing the words the class was told to write down as many of the twenty words as they could remember.

Next the classmates were told they would be given a special concoction that improved their memory. (It was Gatorade).  Again another list of nonsense words was read to the class and the students were asked to write them down.  As expected the placebo effect worked. The statistics said the magic juice worked.

Lady Long Rider

The coffee is making that gurgling sound which means it is about done.  Rain on the roof last night.  A dreary day, but we will head to Holbroke to see Lady Long Rider.  That is the woman that has gone horseback across Canada and the United States.  She has traveled 30,000 miles on her horses.  Last year Jasper Littlebottom rode with her.  Lady Long Rider wrote a book and is promoting it.  After the book signing the Kadizzles will head to Winslow to enjoy the La Pasada hotel and train station.

The chainsaw crew came back from the mountain and got about twenty five trees cut and removed from the trail.  Cliff and Kadizzle worked around the campground.  The highlight of the day was going to Ma's for lunch.  Ma's has good food, and good prices.  Wow, the hamburger was huge, and delicious. Like the waitress said if you go away hungry it  is your fault.  Whatever they serve you there is plenty of it.  The place is decorated in late 50's Arizona slum style, but the food is great.  The town of Roosevelt looks like it was designed by some famous southwest ghetto designer.  Each house has a chain link fence, crap scattered all over the yard, a nice rusting RV, or some pile of bricks scattered about.  Just being warm means so much to people they don't give a damn about anything else.  As long as you got your gun, a case of beer, and the pickup has gas,  god is in heaven, and Trump is president.

Russian ignorance bomb.

The Russians figured it out.  Why spend billions on nuclear weapons when you can bomb the United States with stupidity? Americans have become so dumb we supposedly elected Donald Trump.  Trump showed us 40% of our population is hard core stupid. The Russians know this, Fox news knows this, and so do all the crooks, and con men like Trump.  So what do the Russians do?  The Russians feed our appetite for stupidity.  Trump or Fox News starts some childish idea that scares the simple mined. Russian hackers use our social media to fire up the nonsense.  The Russians realize chaos is the best weapon to confuse idiots.  How does the lion attack the herd?  The lion just charges into the herd and creates chaos.  With the confusion the lion gets the opportunity to prey on one of the herd.  The Russians realized Republican greed is destroying the United States, so the Russians just use social media to hype up the Republican party and what they are doing. Republicans are destroying the country with debt.  The Russians realize tax cuts for the rich create debt for our country.  So the Russians get a stooge like Trump to help run up the debt and the Republicans go along with it.  Fox News, Rush, and the other right wing medial pumps up the trickle down theory.  Look at the damage Trump has done to everything in our country.  Trump has destroyed race relations, the environment, science, education, and on it goes.  Trump was helped along in all this by Russian hackers helping to dumb down the dumbest among us.  So it will not be radiation that kills us, it will be stupidity.

The Sun is setting

Here we sit in the Earth Module. The sun is going down and the sadness of losing George Bush has worn off a little after two bourbon and eggnog's. The Forest Service shut down to honor the loss of such a good servant for the rich. 

Dave stopped by yesterday with a carton of zucchini and about six watermelons.  We live in a strange world where some people starve and other crops are left in the field because they are the wrong size. Imaging someone starving and thinking about Yuma, Arizona where a cauliflower that is too big is left to rot.  Fortunately some of this food is recovered and distributed to poor Forest Service volunteers.

It was a nice day and a wasted day, but the rest was earned after a hard hike yesterday.  As you have surely figured out Kadizzle is obsessed with the rotten president.  The day God strikes him down will be a national holiday.   Satan will welcome him with joy.  Such a crooked rotten man has never wrecked havoc on such a scale.  Trumps thievery will set new records. Kadizzle just read where the Arabs rented 500 hotel rooms from him to the tune of $270,000 bucks.  Ah yes, what a thieving bastard he is, and this is just the tip of his crooked ice berg.

So tomorrow the crew goes back up in the mountains to do some chain saw work.  A very pleasant evening.  Jasper Littlebottom is thinking about a camp fire.  Life goes on hope all is well with the good people we know.  Keep informed or delude yourself with Fox News, but stay happy.

Imagine Trump's funeral

What if Trump died?  Imagine his funeral.  Who with an once of decency would show up an lie about this man who has done more to destroy the country than anyone in our life time?  What could people say good about him?  His thieving will be exposed.  Here is a man who set out to destroy the environment, the economy, education,  social safety nets, you name it.  How do you honor a dishonorable man.  Trump should be buried in a marble dumpster.  There should be a statue of him kissing Putin.  Imagine a Trump memorial a huge orange dollar sign.  Think of the quotes we will have from him biggly.  What do you do when a rat is caught in a trap and you have a dead rat to deal with? Donald Trump the hero of the greedy, the immoral, the insane.  Maybe we could make Trump the patron saint of liars.

Find the Trail

Up into the wilderness we went early this morning.  Way, way back on a high mountain road with steep cliffs. Kadizzle let Jasper, Ken, Rita, and Dave out to hike to the bottom  of the trail nine miles away. Kadizzle would pick them up on the bottom.  A fire about a year ago obliterated the top of the trail.  Their goal was to find the trail and mark it so we can take a chain saw and re open the trail

Coming in from the bottom Kadizzle hiked in an finally established radio contact with the gang coming down.  Kadizzle was a little concerned we would not get out before dark so he called Red Chief our boss and let him know not to get excited.  Things worked out fine and the crew cam down the trail about three, we made it back before dark.

So tonight we sit in the Earth module watching Netflix.  A story about the Irish Rebellion in 1920. Well could the day end without saying something about politics? The George Bush stuff is driving Kadizzle crazy.  If you know the history of Chile you know George Bush played a role in letting Chili fall back into the hands of Pinoche.   When the United States destroyed democracy in Chili to protect American Cooper companies a lot of people were killed in the process.  This is all swept under the rug as we praise Bush.  Bush was just another Republican stooge for the rich. Bush went along with the whole Republican agenda which evolved into the Trump mess we have today.  Why do we pretend like history never happened.

Up Early

Ten minutes until five A.M. and the Kadizzles are up.  Today the plan is to drive deep into the mountains and let the crew out at the top. The trail crew will try to find their way down the mountain and re establish an old trail as they go. We may encounter two problems.  There may be snow up there, and the road may be closed.  Kadizzle will drive back to the bottom of the trail and pick up the trail crew if this mission succeeds.  The plan is ultimately to go back and clean up the trail with a chainsaw.

Now we are sitting here have early coffee.  Reading the New York Times it is just one more day and thousands of more words more  of information about our crooked president.  Cohen turning on Trump takes the cake.  Trump is just a mafia king.  How does any person who reads support Trump.  Trump is an amazing example of how a low intellect liar can prosper.  The abundance of ignorant people in our country is shocking.  Trump is like an IQ thermometer.  He can show how poorly informed and educated we have come.  As a meat thermometer stuck into Fox News Trump shows us the meat has been cooked in a slick oil of deception.  Why be surprised?  Look at television and the nonsense people will watch.

Click on this.

When C.E. O. s Cared about America

Some one way better than Kadizzle put his thoughts into words in the New York Times today.  Read the article "When C.E.O.s Cared About America" in the NYT today.  The reality is very simple.  The working class in our country has gone backwards in every regard.  The rich have walked off with all the cheese.  The best part of the article is that it was a C.E. O. in the forties who advocated running companies for everyone, not just the share holders.

Looks like a nice day here.  Will have to fire up the ebike and work off some fat from yesterday.  Sick of all the George Bush crap on the radio.  Bush was just a lickspittle for he rich.  Kadizzle never realized how many deaths Bush was responsible for in Chile.  Bush was a key in over throwing Allende who was a democratically elected head of state.  Of course a murderous dictator replaced him.

Sad abandonment

What if someone gave you forty million dollars and said build some recreation facilities. That is what happened here where we spend the winter in one of the abandoned campgrounds.  When the Salt River Project decided to raise the dam ninety feet somehow forty million showed up to mitigate the damage that would be done by flooding such a vast area.  Jasper Littlebottom and Kadizzle have traveled most of the United States.  Nowhere are there a collection of camp sites on the scale that exist here.  There are 1,200 very nice camp sites along Lake Roosevelt.  Very nice rest rooms with running water and flush toilets are everywhere.  Huge parking lots for hundreds of boats and cares sit idle at the deluxe boat ramps.  Dozens of nice solar showers are scattered about.  On and on it goes. This place has such an excess of everything.  The idea was that people from Phoenix would flock here to camp.  They don't.   Ironically the heaviest used area here is on the beach where there are no improvements.  People drive their RVs out on the sand near the water and park.  The Forest Service has dedicated a huge section of the area just for use and the other volunteers.  About ten  campsites are used of the three hundred.  We have plenty of space and facilities all to ourselves including a couple solar showers.  It is just so sad to see so much waste of such nice facilities.  If you ever get near here we can put you up for free for a few days.  As volunteers we can have guest.   Even if you have to pay the daily fee it is a nice place to stay.  All those people sitting in Phoenix, Flagstaff, and the rest of the country staring at computer screens while this place sits empty.

Going Home

About a month ago I returned to Wheeling to participate in a memorial service for my sister.  Things have changed since I left in 1976. It is always fun to tour the home town and see the changes.  Most amazing is how the whole place has shrunk. It is like it was put in the dryer and everything shrunk.  The problem is I have been living in the west for most of my life. There is so much room in the west that houses are not squeezed together.  The sky is vast in the west and you can always see for miles. Back in Woodsdale where yards used to seem like they had some size now I realized how small the play space was.  At the end of the street where the new Woodsdale School is the park seem tiny and unused. That park was so important for make up football and softball games. Where the old drug store stood on the corner there is now a gas station convenience store.  We used to go along the hedge of the park and pick out the pop bottles. You could get a nickel for a big 7up bottle, and that would buy a candy bar at the drug store. Vance Church looks pretty much the same. We used to have Bible School there on Wednesdays and Charlie Jones would always throw my Bible out the second floor window.

The interstate has eaten Wheeling alive.  Bridges have sprung up like weeds. One of my first jobs was as a highway inspector when they put the interstate heading South through East Wheeling.  So much was obliterated. South Wheeling also took a major hit from the highway construction. With my little sister I stood atop Wheeling hill by the old castle.  You could see down where Blaw Knox used to be. I remember when they dug up the cemetery in Fulton to put the interstate through. My little sister and I stopped where Elby’s used to be and had breakfast. Long ago there was a roller rink across the creek from there.  I remember when they tore it down. Down the national road the old car was is still there. I remember when my mother kept her foot on the brake and busted the chain at the car wash. The car wipers went nuts, but my mother was not going to move until the fog cleared on the windshield.  It seems like the famous DiCarlos Pizza is gone. Someone must have bought them out.

The abandonment of downtown is amazing.  It was an active place in the old days. I remember going to Stone and Thomas to marvel at the Christmas stuff.  Up on the hill in Woodsdale across from Vance Church there used to be some kind of old brick building, then there was some sort of quarry or mine. Now there is a hotel that overlooks Wheeling college.  The general condition of the houses in Woodsdale have gone down hill. The people with the cheese have moved farther out into the hills.

We had the memorial for my sister at the old Wheeling Country Club.  As close as we lived to it, I never was there in it’s glory days, but every doctor in the old neighborhood was a member.  I remember hearing tales of drunks getting out of hand there. Also I will never forget about the story of my grandmother hitting the jackpot there on the slot machine.  She held her dress out to catch all the coins.

After living in the west so long it took some getting used to driving on the narrow cow paths.  Seeing how all the businesses evolved into something else is interesting. One of the saddest things in Wheeling is how all the grand old mansions, and houses have disappeared. Wheeling had so many elegant homes that no one could afford to upkeep.  The homes have been turned into apartments or torn down. The old saying is “ You can’t go home again”. That is so true, it is just not there. It felt like a Civil War soldier going back to a battlefield only to find it is a shopping mall.

Nuclear Lies

This morning the NYT has an article about Trump's lying, and how he surrounds himself with liars.  The truth has disappeared with this presidency.  Trump has taken lying to a new plateau.  Fox News whhich has made an industry out of lying works with Trump to work up the Hoopleheads into a frenzy.  Sadly it works.  40% of Americans are hopelessly stupid.  All Trump has to do is juice that number a little to get what he wants.  When you play against a team that always gets forty yards free it is hard to win.  Well informed, truthful people are in the minority.  The Hoopleheads don't understand science, math, or any real data. That is why they side with a president who doesn't have any understanding.  Read the article.  What is scary is how Trump insist those around him lie and support his lies.  Russia sits back and laughs with joy at how Trump has destroyed our system.  Russia got a bargain when for the price of a few hackers they destroyed the credibility of our country.  The Republicans don't care they got their tax breaks.

Globe Arizona

Today we head to Globe.  Globe is a shot up mining town.  Some woman told Kadizzle the streets were laid out  with a snake.  The town seems like someone planned it on a napkin and lost the napkin.  The genetics in the town is about the same.  Someone put DNA in a blender and spilled it on Globe.  Globenians are a mix of Indians, Chinese, Mexicans, and wandering Americans.  The boom and bust nature of the town is evident.  Cooper is the key to the game.  The cooper mines have ups and downs. When people make money they buy a pickup and a new trailer.  When the mines collapse drugs are the answer.  Like it or lump it Globe is where we have to go to shop. Globe does have its charm.  It has the best Halloween parade on Earth,  some of the art is unique, and a lot of it is based on cooper.  Winky is going to an art show there today.   Mexican food is also good, and cheap in Globe.   Grocery shopping is like spending time on another planet.  When the Indians get paid there is a line around the block of people waiting to cash checks.  They only let a few in the bank at a time.  The town is surrounded by the tailings from the mine and several headstocks can be seen from anywhere in town. 

Cooped up in the Earth Module

Jasper Littlebottom and Kadizzle are stuck in the Earth Module.  After weeks of perfect weather the rain has come along with chilling wind.  Our two computers are eating up the gigabytes.  Cliff came over this morning and we all went to Ma's for a big breakfast.  Kadizzle did make a brief run on the ebike around the trails.  If you need some exercise the ebike is the answer.  Watching the slow melt of Trump is the main game.  Having a mafioso for president is amazing.  The little electric heater keeps the module warm.  This year we get free electricity so we can stay cozy for nothing.  The Cliff Dwellings will have a special Christmas celebration with the roadway lit with lanterns or illuminates.  Normally the entire universe is our living room, but today it is the little module.  Yesterday the Army was dropping people in the lake from the C 130.   Working on the trail one of the helicopters buzzed old Kadizzle.  A gloomy day in the desert is unusual, but we got one today.

Kadizzle is a Democratic Socailist

Simple minded people are easily confused about communism, socialism, and democratic socialism.  For Republicans it works great to confuse people.  Republicans hate sharing and want tax breaks so it is in their best interest to give socialism a bad name.  The simple minded have been taught to equate socialism with communism.  Republicans cannot admit that democratic socialism works.  However the countries with the best education, health care, longevity, and happiness all embrace democratic socialism.  Now you can dance, and sing, and pretend like this is not true, but just show the statistics to prove it.  You can't, so instead Republicans just lie.  Republicans say we have the best health care. Sure we do if you are filthy rich.  We have the best of everything if you are in the one percent. That is why the one percent does not want to embrace socialism. 

Stay at Home Dad

While the gang is going up another mountain today Kadizzle is going to spend one more day working on the trails around the campground.  The campground where we stay is an amazing boondoggle. At some point in time The Salt River Project was blackmailed for forty million dollars. That was in 1990 when forty million was a lot more cheese.  With forty million there was more money than they knew what to do with. The money was to mitigate the land taken by Lake Roosevelt.  The dam was raised ninety feet.  Recreation facilities were built anticipating huge crowds from Phoenix.  There are one thousand three hundred nice camping spots here, each with a little ramadas and nice solar showers and restrooms.  Well nobody every showed up to camp.  So slowly all of this is deteriorating.  This place has deluxe boat ramps, parking lots, you name it this place has it in spades.

Our home Lake Sakakawea is fifteen times larger than Lake Roosevelt, and Lake Roosevelt has fifty times the facilities.  It is heart breaking to see all this going to waste. Worse yet they are actually tearing down some of the nice facilities because of the cost of maintaining them.  Our job is to help keep going what is left, which includes miles of gravel paved trails.  If you ever need a good cheap camping spot come on down. In fact if you visit us you can stay for free.  As Forest Service volunteers we can have guest stay for free.

No Success on the Mountain

Yesterday like so many days Kadizzle hiked up a mountain.  Now for the bad news, there were no burning bushes, no tablets, no messages from God.  This all got Kadizzle wondering.  Why did Moses have to go up a mountain to talk to God?  Did God have poor cell phone service?  When you examine the Bible there are so many strange illogical things that make absolutely no sense, yet people pick and chose what nonsense to believe.  One of the most mysterious things to Kadizzle is prayer.  Why do you have to ask God to do what God should do anyway?  Why pray for God to stop the Republicans from tear gassing children on the border when God should just give Trump cancer of the bung hole? Why do we ask a multitude of people to pray for a sick friend?  Does God respond to numbers?  Is it like a vote?  What was God thinking when he made people in different flavors?  God had no idea it would lead to hate and misery?   What book would you pick up and believe that made no sense what so ever? Would you believe " The Cat in the Hat" and study it every Sunday?  Would you believe Gullivers Travels?  Look at the Mormons.  Joseph Smith comes along and writes a new fantasy playing off the old one.  The Mormons buy it hook, line, and sinker.  In Mormonism everyone eventually gets to be a God and have their own planet, you wear magic under wear, and can have all the wives you want. How can we expect to have civilization when we have so many people so easily sold a fantasy. Trump knows you can sell fantasy so here we go.

Read it

If Kadizzle could insist people read one source of information it would be the New York Times.  Today's New York Times tears apart the rotten scoundrel and those who support him.  There are a couple of articles relating to the crooked immoral things the Republicans and Trump promote.  It is scary how depraved our government has become.  Trump is the mafia in action. Trump has no regard for the truth, or for humanity for that matter.  The planet is burning up and the Republicans don't give a damn if they can get tax breaks and help each other rob those foolish enough to still believe in honesty.

Trump's refusal to make public his tax returns tells the whole story.  He is a tax cheat a profession he learned from his father.  If you want to start the day depressed and hopeless read the NYT today.  The paper explains how on every front the Republicans and Trump are filling the swamp.

Ebike conquers the wilderness

Kadizzle took off on the ebike and went about fifteen miles.  It was over a road normally done on the Yamaha 250.  The bike handled it well.  The bike is very nimble and has the power to solve problems.  The nicest thing is the silence of an electric bike.  Of course you also get some exercise. More than once it took some hard breathing to keep going.

Back in the land of the Earth Module we had a few socials with Rita and Ken.  The day ended with happy hour. Dave said he put three hours on his pedal only bike.  Cliff is off chasing a new mate somewhere.  Tomorrow is a work day and Kadizzle is clueless about what we will do.  Our leader Red Chief is away and we lack guidance.

Three good meals

For the third day in a row the Kadizzles ate well.  Down in the valley we had a nice meal with Ruth and Rodger.  The biscuits were to die for.  Going to have to get Winky to make some.  It is a day off in the service of the Forest Service.  We took a nice bike ride yesterday along the paths that encircle the camp ground, restocked with ice, shopped in Globe last night, and now we are ready to face three days of trail work.

There are a lot of single people living the traveling RV life.  Watching them mix, match, and mingle gets complicated.  It is kind of interesting to see seniors using the internet to find each other.  Kadizzle is glad he has a mate.  It would be hard to sell this fat old shot up body to even an old lady. 

Trail Turkey

The trail crew celebrated Thanksgiving with left overs and June Berry Pie.  Ken and Rita have moved into their spot and everyone caught up on tales of the summer.  The peace and quiet of the Earth Module are welcoming.  Slowly the trail crew needs to get going under our leader Red Chief.  With day after day of sunshine North Dakota seems so far away.  The weather here has been very nice and it is hard to imagine the other parts of the country suffering from climate change.  The planet is in peril and no one seems to care.  As a society we need to address the future not run from it.  Sadly Trump is the worst possible person we could have for a leader.  Trump takes such great pleasure in destroying progress that took so many years to make.

Leave the lap of luxury

Today we leave the lap of luxury.  No more TV in every room, deluxe show,  expensive views,  or home with every imaginable convince.  Back to the Earth Module.  The Earth Module has it's virtues.  There is a lot to be said for the peace and quite of the middle of nowhere.   Sedona is nice, but overrun with tourist.  The worst aspect of Sedona is the traffic.  Every wanna be rents a four wheel something or other and drives like an idiot.  The trial we took yesterday was like the traffic, jammed with people.

Fribble shops are what amaze Kadizzle.  Tourist must buy fribbles.  What are fribbles?  Fribbles are silly little things you really don't need.  Usually they are shiny and useless.  Ideally they must remind you of the trip you took.  Perhaps a T shirt, or maybe a rock that looks special.  Look closely at your fribble and it may have come from China.  Indian jewelry is a classic fribble. Probably 90% of it is fake and made in China.  The worst thing in the game are the Pink Jeeps.  People who never rode anything but a subway car come to Sedona and take a Pink Jeep ride.  Some guy who dresses like a cowboy fills them full of BS as they travel on rough bumpy "scary" roads.  Once we were here and near a jeep driver.  This guy actually had six guns.  I asked him why he was armed.  Rattlesnakes was his reply.  Of course this gives the rubes a thrill to think there are rattlesnakes everywhere.  We have never seen one after hundreds of miles of hiking around here.

Well back at the ranch things will be peaceful.  Kadizzle discovered to his dismay that ebikes are banned on so many of the trails here.  There is really no difference between an ebike and a full pedal bike.   Apparently the purist fear people will go too fast on ebikes.  News break.  Kadizzle is almost 70.  The young wooper snappers ride their bikes over three foot rocks.  Old Kadizzle stops and pushes the bike.  One answer to the purist would be to allow anyone over 65 to use an ebike.   The electric assist allows old goats to get some exercise.  There is always a conflict in any pursuit between the purist and the lazy.   There must be a better word than lazy for people who do not stick to the strict diet of yuppie life. 

Turkey day in Sedona

Had the best turkey ever, a hike, pumpkin pie, and some wine. Hope everyone else had a good day

Change is possible

This morning Kadizzle noticed a letter in the Bismarck Tribune.  It was written by an acquaintance.  The man has always been a hard core Republican, but his letter implies he has seen the light.  Both he an his wife have gradually moved toward the left. Their children may have led the way.  Another friend has finally opened his eyes on the terrible mistake he made voting for Trump.  There is hope.  In both cases these people somehow found themselves on the other side of the fence.  Once you experience discrimination or you are the victim of a corrupt system you have a different view.  If suddenly you were poor, you would have a different view of poverty.  If you were suddenly hit with huge health care expenses you might see health care differently.

So today it appears we will experience the first cloudy day in weeks.  It almost seems strange.  Last night there was a ring around the moon. Seems somewhere Kadizzle heard that is a sign of changing weather.  Sylvie and Grandpa watched a youtube video on math.  Grandpa was amazed the little bumpkin seemed to enjoy it and may have learned a few things. It sure beats watching some simple minded slime video.  The cooking crew has been busy making pies and turkey for the feast. Little Joey is jumping with anticipation.

Presentation is everything

With a loud scream from Sylvie dinner began.  With the terrible shriek of a nine year old the shrimp Scampi cooked. Somehow Fran managed to create a fireball six feet in diameter. Sylvie screamed ran to her bedroom to rescue her teddy bear and ran out the front door.  The fire alarms blasted.  Grandpa's first thought was Sylvie was burned.  Grandpa ran to the kitchen and remembered the fire extinguisher he had seen that morning.  Fran got the fire out, and the meal began.  It was delicious and the presentation could not have been better.  Prior to the dinner it was a wonderful sunset with a wood fire and a hallow around the moon.  Good wine made it even better.  Now to sit down for some June Berry Pie.  Life will be complete and there is really no reason to go on living, except the Thanksgiving meal is coming up so we will all continue to live and breath.

After a minor crash on the ebike this morning Kadizzle went to sister Patty's house in Cottonwood.  There he shortened the seat by two inches.  The second trip on the trail was more successful.  However, there was one problem.  In the morning Kadizzle thought the sign prohibited motorcycles on the trail. In the afternoon a closer look revealed it was electric bikes they were banning.  Oh, the hell with it he went anyway.  The symbol for electric bikes is a bike with an electric cord and plug coming out the back.  Why do they ban them?  Old fat guys need help from electrons.  Got to go now that pie is waiting.

The Mafia runs the country

One of Trump's buddies had a journalist dissolved in acid in Turkey.  So what? We sell the guy a lot of stuff.  The deficit is going through the ceiling because we no longer collect taxes from the rich.  So what, no one likes paying taxes.  It was always the job of the mafia to supply what we want.  If you needed a prostitute or some drugs it was the mafia who got them for you.  Now the mafia is in the White house and the prizes are better than every.  You want to pollute, no problem, you don't like regulations, we can fix that too.  Just stay in a Trump hotel and you will be amazed how things go your way.  Now what if we combined the Russian mafia with our own?  Wow, the results would be a Republican victory.  So join the family and shut up.

How does he do it?

Another nice day unfolded. Kadizzle took off for an adventure on the ebike.  A fun thing about the ebike is knowing people are thinking " Wow that old fat guy can peddle".  The ebike looks so much like an ordinary bike.  The real fun is at a traffic light. Put the ebike on full power and pull away from the pickup he man.  Kadizzle took the bike on some very tough trails today. He really should not have. He did not have any protection. You could really get hurt barreling down a trail and over confident.  Once you crash into a bolder with no protection they will have to pick up the parts.  Fortunately the brain prevailed and no injuries occurred.

So here we sit with a nice selection of wine.  After a fine meal it is time to relax and enjoy. Sylvie hiked a long ways with granny today. She is an amazing hiker, and con lady.  Grandpa had to buy her some drawing paper at Staples. In no time at all Sylvie was suggesting early Christmas presents that we buy now.

Now for a little side story.   In the town of Sedona there is a real estate broker.  He grew up in Wheeling just a few houses up the street from our home.  Little sister knows him.  Kadizzle hardly knows him.  Little sister related the story how the kid feared Kadizzle when he was the mafia leader of the neighborhood.  Kadizzle saw his add in the local real estate magazine selling multi million dollar homes.  The thought went through Kadizzle's mind to pay him a visit in Sedona and put on a mafia persona.  It would have been a good spoof. So two bottles of wine into the evening, Kadizzle should sleep well.  Perhaps tomorrow a purchase of some knee pads, and elbow guards will empower Kadizzle to take on a trail.

Morning

The household has awakened. Sylvie has started jumping around doing cart wheels and hand stands.  It looks like a hike in the scenic surroundings is in the process.  Every need must be addressed when you suffer from acute prosperity.  You must have alarms, lights that dim and come on by themselves, and all the other magic of modern technology.  For a good read today pick up the NYT and read about how quickly China is surging ahead. With an idiot like Trump leading us backward it is scary that a mentally ill president who is incapable of telling the truth has captured the admiration of the uneducated.

Should Kadizzle take a bike ride this morning?  Maybe not if we are going to hike.  My crazy grand daughter is obsessed with slime.  All she can think about is slime and conning grandpa into buying slime.  She is such a smart little girl, and how she has become addicted to the slime idiocy is puzzling.  It seems like this is common among her age group.  Marketing people have figured out how to exploit this insanity and Sylvie is constanly bugging Kadizzle to buy her some new form of slim.

The queen of slime is some goofy Australian woman who goes nuts selling slime to kids.  Her name is Julian Bower.  Kadizzle will post a Julian Bower video if you want to see insanity in action. The video is below. Sylvie will give Kadizzle a shoulder rub if he plays a Julian Bower slime video. We may have to take her to a good child psychologist if her obsession with slime does not end.

4 Easy DIY Slimes WITHOUT GLUE! How To Make The BEST SLIME WITH NO GLUE!

Back in the saddle

Morning has broken in Sedona.  The electric bike has new tires.  Supposedly bullet proof. The cost was insane.  Ninety dollars a tire for bike tires? Such is life.  Grandpa was conned into watching slime videos.  Sylvie is addicted to watching some nitwit make slime on Youtube videos.  It is very puzzling what the fascination is, but apparently young girls love to make slime.

As the day unfolds Erin is picking through pricey things to do. Horse back riding, a balloon trip, what next.  Hopefully we can stay on Earth and just take a hike somewhere. Kadizzle is anxious to give the electric bike a try on the trails here.  Some of the trails here are very spectacular.

In the educational department Kadizzle read an interesting article in the NYT about China.  China has made amazing progress, and is ahead of our country in a lot of important areas.  China has lifted just about everyone out of poverty, the education system has been getting good results, and of course the manufacturing is amazing.  While we are stuck with an idiot for president who is taking us backwards China is leaping forward.  The speed that China has changed is hard to believe, and they way they have done it is baffling.

Well it looks like the coffee is about ready, so have a good day.

The Good Life

A couple times a year the Kadizzles kick it up a notch and live like the one percent for a week. Today we landed at our rental estate in Sedona.  If only the house in Hazen were this luxurious. It almost turns Kadizzle into a Republican.  Moving from the Earth module to a million dollar home is a big leap in one day.  We drove up from Lake Roosevelt and hopefully by five Erin, Fran, and the Snoochel will be here.  This is the land where you stare out the window at the unbeatable landscape.  Although this house has some extremely nice outside features it is lacking the usual hot tub an pool.  Oh, no we must be in the path of the helicopter tours.  Sedona has been kind spoiled because of the onslaught of tourist, but you can get to some good places where the throngs don't go.  Actually we have spent many wonderful days here about ten miles south out in the middle of nowhere.  One could argue it is as nice as the lap of luxury.  The bathroom for the master bedroom probably has as much floor space as the Earth Module.  Can't wait til Sylvie and her parents come booming in. They drove from Denver down through Moab.  Sylve got to see Monument Valley today and some petroglyphs we pointed them to near Bluff. 

GOP Jesus

Hours of nonsense

Today the Kadizzles along with a bunch of other old farts will be lectured by people half our age.  Today is the day all the volunteers get together to be welcomed and told all the rules.  When your children tell you wipe your nose, brush your teeth, and pull your pants up it is a little old.  The young people who are paid to work will tell the old goats things like wear gloves when you handle a cactus.

Last year the sheriff's deputy told us we are not allowed to shoot people unless they are throwing something at us we caught them trying to steal from us.  You cannot shoot the guy in the back who is trying to steal your generator, even in Arizona.

The good news it will be a pot luck and usually there is some good eating.  There will be food left over. Kadizzle last year suggested the left over food be given to the prisoners who do so much of the work around here.  That was over ruled, you are supposed to be mean to prisoners, so we just let them watch us eat. 

Kadizzle loves the electric bike, but it has one major problem at this point, flat tires.  You cannot ride a bike in the desert and hope to keep air in the tires.  Tomorrow when we get to Sedona Kadizzle is going to try to get bullet proof tires.

Again it looks like a nice sunny day.  Arizona spoils people.  Every day is usually clear and sunny.  Pity the poor people back in the snow in North Dakota, but they voted for Kevin Cramer, so let them be stuck in the driveway and have icicles on their testicles.

His bolts are loose

Trump has been saying you need a photo ID to buy groceries.  His cult members do not find this strange. Kadizzle is 69 years old and has never needed a photo ID to buy groceries.  How does this mental patient who became president get away with such insane lies?

Ah the hell with that stuff.  Nice day here in the desert. We slept a lot and took it easy.  Winky and Kadizzle took a mountain bike ride.  Kadizzle had the electric assist and poor old Winky had to pedal. If sure felt like cheating. We went by the horse camp.  Winky got a book today about Lady Long Rider. She is the woman we met last year at the horse camp.  She has ridden about thirty thousand miles across Canada and the U.S.

Saturday we meet Erin, Fran, and Sylvie in Sedona to live a week of luxury.

Chilly

The mornings have been chilly.  Kadizzle went down to the outhouse and heard coyotes so close he did not know if they would attack.  Off to Oak Flat today to do some more trail work. Yesterday we went up Sycamore Canyon to the water fall.  Water in the desert is amazing . The water come up out of the ground, goes back in, then comes up again.  Sitting at an Indian site Kadizzle realized the Indians knew where the water would come up and made their home there.

Looks like another crystal clear day.  On the way to the long drop the stars are out and one planet is shining like the space shuttle.

Kadizzle has read several articles on Donald Trump's mental illness.  Trump uses his mental illness to be the cult leader for the delusional.  People want someone to reinforce their delusions.  Gathering a large group of people who watch Fox and listen to Rush is Trump's secret.  Just tell the cult followers what they want to believe.  It always helps to play on their fear.  When your typical cult leader uses religion to play on fears Trump uses immigrants, minorities, and liberals.  Trumps lying is the amazing thing. The man lies with every breath, yet it does not bother his cult at all.

There she stood

For a few supplies and dinner the Kadizzles drove to Globe, Arizona today.  With a little time to spare before we were to meet Cliff at Roberto's for Mexican food we decided to stroll Main Street.  The street was blocked with police cars and a girl stood on our side of the police barricade.  She held up a bright green sign that said " Stop the Hate".   Puzzled Kadizzle drove up to her and asked what was gong on. Almost in tears she explained her cousin was killed last night in a bar shooting.  Later we found out from Cliff three people were killed and one wounded. What happens when you let every drunk have a gun? Apparently a drunk was thrown out of the bar and refused any more drinks.  He came back with his gun and killed three people.  Guns, guns, and more guns.  The good guy with a gun never seems to get the job done.  The NRA is far and away the biggest terrorist organization we face. The NRA took money from Russia.  What does that tell you? When Russia supports the NRA and Trump, and you just cannot figure it out, you have a problem.

Landscaping

Jasper Littlebottom is so proud of her new yard. Jasper loves to line up rocks and make borders.  Now our camp site is all spiffed up.  Jasper has endless energy.  With pride she pointed to her wood pile this morning. 

Yesterday we had the grand opening for our new toilet facilities.  Kadizzle sanitized and sparkled the government long drops.  At the grand opening lines formed, prizes were drawn and the crowds cheered.  We like our spot of years passed, but have been delighted with our new spot.  Our old spot is overrun with dogs.  In all four of the deluxe spots we had last year there are twelve dogs.  Dog barking is out of hand and it is so nice to be here where it is peaceful.  Here we have a lot of space around us. We don's have a nice view of the lake, but we do have a nice view of the Four Peaks.

Kadizzle may take Jasper up near the mountains for some mountain bike riding.  The new electric bike does have a problem with flat tires. In two days, two flats.  Riding in the desert is tough on tires.  Kadizzle is going to have to invest in some puncture proof tires.

Bike Ride back from Peter Bigfoots

The Kadizzles dropped off Frank at the trailhead near Peter Bigfoots.  Frank will hike about three days to Superior.  Alex, last years rescue left the Bigfoot compound in September.  Alex must have some serious mental problems. His time at Bigfoots was well spent, and they enjoyed having him.  Kadizzle however was shocked when Peter said Alex actually believe the world is flat.  Something must have go into his brain such as drugs, but the damage must be permanent.

Kadizzle buzzed the whole 17 miles back from Bigfoots on the electric bike. It performed like a champ. Kadizzle passed an ATV on an uphill grade.  The road back from Bigfoots is a good test. It is up and down sandy, rocky, steep, and everything in between. 

Imagine

What if there were alternate realities?  Today we will haul Frank up to Peter Bigfoot's.  Frank is the man who spends his life hiking. Frank had his entire family killed in a car wreck.  What if that happened to you.  What if you were living two realities. In one your family got killed in a car wreck. In the other you had a close call, but no one got hurt.  Then what if you met yourself.  This is confusing, but what if Frank is Kadizzle in another reality? What if I am taking me back to the trail today?  All things are possible, just not probable.  What would you do if you lost your family in a flash?

Up to Peter Bigfoots we will go today.  What will be interesting is if Alex is still there.  Kadizzle rescued Alex from the trail last year and found him a home at Peter Bigfoots.  Today will be an interesting day.  Stay tuned for the report tomorrow.

Pulling a tooth

It was as painful as having a molar removed, but Kadizzle removed the money from his wallet and bought himself a nice electric mountain bike.  If you have not tried one you should. The bikes are made in all configurations from road bikes, commuter bikes, and everything else.  It appears as electric cars and transportation changes take place people will be using bikes and scooters to make the final mile or two.  Today Kadizzle will do sort of a mileage test.  The bike should get at least 25 miles on a battery charge, but with peddling may do a lot better.  The idea is to get some exercise in the process.  Why sit in a gym on a stationary bike when you can see some scenery and enjoy the outdoors.

Had a great conversation with Dina yesterday.  Dina is one of the Bad Ass Grandmas that kicked some ass in the North Dakota election.  Now the rotten lobbyist and bribe spreaders have to come clean and report who they are bribing.  Of course they are furious.  What gives Kadizzle great joy is the KFYR mini Rush Limbaugh could not stop the grannies.  Scott Henned is the worst lickspittle imaginable.  His little brother is Rob Port.  The two of them spew right wing Republican Propaganda like bird feed.  The Hoopleheads usually eat up the constant stream of lies these two produce, but the Grandmas overcame their nonsense.  Kadizzle has been friends with Dina for a long time an is so proud of what she has done.  Dina considers herself a Republican.  Maybe she is a recovering Republican, but she is the only one off hand Kadizzle can praise.

Now Winky has a job for Kadizzle today, clean the outhouse. Well it is not really an old fashioned outhous, but it is a publican one near us.  Since we do our volunteer work from a closed campground there is a locked up toilet nearby.  The idea is to clean out the mouse droppings and use it to store some of us stuff.  The big problem is Hanta Virus.  The virus is spread by mice so we have to attack the project carefully.

Looking for the Tablets

The Trail crew took off again up into the Mazatal Mountians.  The Barnhart trail is the premier trail in the area. It has a nice rate of climb and amazing geology.  You can sit and wonder at the rock formations everywhere.  Something strange happened there.  Kadizzle kept thinking it looked like a meteor hit somewhere.

Today may be the day Kadizzle pulls the trigger and buys an electric bike. It will be a big purchase for a cheap guy like Kadizzle, but life is too short to deny oneself a prize now and then. 

Still ruminating over North Dakota.  Good friend Dina, and the rest of the Bad Ass Grandmas did a great job getting their measure one passed.  Now the rats will have a hard time bribing their buddies.  That was the good news.  The bad news is North Dakota miserably failed the IQ test. The dolts won.  Oil won the day.  The state is now 100% sold out to oil and energy interest.  Maybe there is some more good news.  Scott Hennen the supreme rat belittled Dina's effort every day.  She smacked him in the face.

The Day After

The Trail crew made it's first foray into the wilderness on the day after North Dakota declared total insanity.  Four of us hiked up the trail to Four Peaks.  In the parking area as we left were two ramshackle bum like people, a man and a woman.  The man was huge and wearing a filthy set of sweat pants, and the woman was dragging on a weed.  Since Kadizzle has cleaned that parking area many times of trash he hoped they would clean up their mess.  They used one of the large rocks bordering the parking lot as part of their fire pit.   Interviewing the degenerates Kadizzle found out they intended to hike to an abandoned amethyst mine.

After the trail crew put in a hard day of work clearing brush from the trail Kadizzle returned to the truck ahead of the rest of the crew.  About half way back Kadizzle ran into the lumper and his girlfriend on their way to the mine to search for treasure.  Apparently it took them about six hours to hike three quarters of a mile.  There speed would need to be reported using decimal points.  Kadizzle never saw the woman without a cigarette in her mouth.  Kadizzle could not help but notice the frying pan hanging from the pack. It appeared the people had never cleaned it and they had been frying tar. 

The views from the peak area are incredible in every direction and it was the first time Kadizzle had been up there in about ten years. 

What are the odds?

Early today Kadizzle took the garbage up to the dumpster.  On the way an older man that did not look like he belonged in our area was walking with a hiking stick. Kadizzle said hello and exchanged a few pleasantries.  About two hours later in a state of boredom and elation from such a wonderful day Kadizzle took off for a little motorcycle adventure around Windy Hill Campground.

Riding on a ridge Kadizzle saw an interesting road by the lake to explore. It appeared someone was on the road walking.  Exploring the road Kadizzle came across the same man hiking.  Again Kadizzle stopped for some conversation.  Suddenly during the conversation we both realized we had met before.  Five years ago Kadizzle met Frank. If you search the archives here you will find the story. Frank lost his wife and kids in a car wreck in Montana. All he does is hike the trails.

For both of us to be in the same place at the same time five years later purely by happenstance was beyond belief.  It seemed impossible, but when we compared notes we had indeed met on the Arizona trail five years ago.  Frank hiked up here from Apache Junction. He came through the superstition mountains.  How many guys 70 could make that trip by themselves?  The whole experience has filled Kadizzle with a sense of wonderment.  There is something going on in this universe that cannot be explained.

Frank say he want to hike to Superior back through the wilderness and he wants to start on Campaign Creek.  If you follow these writings and musings you might recall an incident when Kadizzle rescued Alex last year and got him a home at Peter Big Foot's.  Well today's plan is to go to Globe for supplies. Frank needs supplies to get back to Superior.  So Kadizzle and Jasper will take Frank to Globe with us. If Frank wants a ride to Peter Bigfoot's that will work out perfect, because Kadizzle needs to check on the last trail orphan Alex.  Life is stranger than fiction.

National IQ Test Today

Election results will give the best reading of the National IQ possible.  Kadizzle fears we are as stupid as Trump says.  If decent people do not win today the country will be on a long slide downhill.  Laying in bed the other night Kadizzle thought about how Rome declined, was it like this?  When there are so many idiots who listen to Trump and Rush Limbaugh the scale tilts in favor of disaster it is scary. There have always been poorly educated and informed people.  The powerful have always exploited them.  It seemed in the past there was a limit.  Presidents did not lie at a record breaking pace like Trump does. Corporations did not own the government, CEOs had some decency.  Those day seem to be gone.

If anything inspires Kadizzle it is his children.  To see the world wrecked for Republican greed is a tragedy Kadizzle will not stand by idly and watch happen.  The worst thing Trump and his gang have done is to the environment.  You can fix a lot of the messes he has made, but the damage to the planet may be permanent.  Trumps war on science, and education will be a long lasting wound.  When the pain starts from the mess Trump has made people may wake up.  Kadizzle always thinks of Germany when they lost.  What did people think when they walked around a fire bombed city in Germany.  The had to ask how did we do this to ourselves.  As Trumps idiocy takes it's toll the day will come, unless today is the wake up day.  When my hard core Republican neighbor repented, Kadizzle knew there was hope.  This is like a tent revival. You have to shout and spread the word of decency.  Talk to a Hooplehead and see if you can breach the curtain of fear and greed.  Maybe good people can win today and defeat Fox, Trump, Rush, and the likes of KFYR.   It would be so nice to go to bed tonight with my head on a pillow of hope, rather than despair.  So many people worked so hard to get our country to this point.  To see Trump and the Republicans push us backwards is an insult to all the veterans, the civil rights marchers, and the working people who built this country.  Trump represents the worst in humanity.  He is a pathological liar, narcissist, racist, and a greed driven fool that has no concept of economics or diplomacy.  As if this were not bad enough he admires dictators and advocates preying on women. Could he be worse?

Oh what a beautiful Morning.

Jasper Littlebottom is buzzing around anxious to start the day.  Jasper made a nice omelet with the leftover sausage. Today we sign up with the Forest Service and the routine may start.  We have been gradually seeing all our old Arizona friends.  Of course some have gone on and there have been changes.  The facilities at Lake Roosevelt are the most elaborate we have seen anywhere, and it is sad to see how little use they get.  Last year we tried to promote the area at the REI outlet in Phoenix.  Something needs to be done to get the word out an attract a younger crowd.

Back in the Saddle again

First camp fire tonight. Got settled in. Water, electric, and sewer hooked up.  Walked around and met all the other volunteers.  Rode around on the bike a little.  Since they raised the rates here the place is pretty empty.  Big day tomorrow when we see if Satan and his Trump gang are set back.  Big shout out to Diane Baseflug.  Diane is a Russian hacker working for Trump. She helps handle the Russian propaganda program for Putin in North Dakota. There are 45 Russians and 31 unknowns following this blog.  Hope we have some Chinese and North Koreans on board.  Why in the world that would be the case is strange.  If you follow the news you know Russian hackers promote chaos in our country and also support the Republicans.  North Dakota is a good hunting ground because you have people ripe for cheap propaganda. KFYR radio may as well be owned by the KGB.  Tomorrow is the big day when we get to see if the work of the Russian hackers has paid off.  It will be a sad day if Russia has used the technology our country perfected to defeat us with a man like Trump.  You have to give Putin credit for manipulating Trump.  Who knows if Putin has blackmail material on Trump, but the most likely scenario is the Russians have lent Trump money.  Trump will not expose his tax returns.  That would lead people to his Russian money trail.  This is all speculation, but I am learning the technique from Rush, Rob Port, and Scott Hennen.  Just throw out anything and see if it works.  It is like fishing, just see what they are biting on. 

Earth Module lands on planet Lake Roosevelt

Here we sit in the Earth module.  Cliff just introduced us to the new member of our trail crew.  The Forest Service has us in a different campground, which might be a nice change.  All the trail people are together.  We have plenty of space around us and are away from the nasty fellow of years past.  It is not the same level of luxury with a patio, but we do have a better fire pit, grill, and free electricity.  So our utility cost is zero. 

The lake is low, but the desert seems relatively green.  We are allowed to have guest stay with us for free.  So anyone, is welcome to visit. It will cost you nothing to camp if you visit us.  There is excellent hiking, and lake activities here. Remember there are four lakes in a row on the Salt River.  The ones below here are more in the canyon and a little more spectacular for the kayak crowd.  Ken and Rita will be here next week.

The silence here is golden.  One of the best features is the silence, and the wonderful sleeping.  Bad news bulletin.  We have always liked our camper mattress, but it has the Trump brand on it.  If anyone wonders why Kadizzle is delusional, that may explain it.

Tomorrow is make or break day for the universe.  Kadizzle keeps discovering what Trump has known all along.  The supply of dolts is limitless. Yesterday, while we filled with gas Kadizzle encountered a black man having a cigarette.  He was a trainee truck driver returning to California.  He had just made a 12 day trip from California to Maine and was on his way home.  Kadizzle asked him if he was going to vote.  Yes, he said.  Kadizzle asked him if he was going to vote the Republican rats out of office.  No he was a Trump supporter.   A black person voting for the plantation owner?   After Kadizzle explained to the fellow how social security works to take money from the poor and give it to the rich with the social security cap the man was dumb founded.  Look it up on the internet Kadizzle told him.  He said he would an if what Kadizzle told him was correct he would vote democratic. 

There are an astonishing number of people wandering around that barely know what day it is.  They are broke and have no clue why.   Back to the truck driver.   He was in fear of the caravan headed our way.  No here is black guy who police shoot for target practice and Trump has him worried about a caravan?   Can you be any more confused than that?

The most important election of our lifetime

Neighbor Bob gave me the most encouragement ever for this election.  He admitted what a lying disaster Trump is, and said he would vote for Heidi.  This is a miracle. To see a hard core Republican come to the light and denounce Satan is a religious experience.  Two ministers in town have come out of the closet and are supporting Heidi.  So perhaps there is hope to overthrow the vile men who represent the Republicans in this election.  Kadizzle is in this for his children and grand children.  Trump has done everything in his power to destroy the common good, spread hate, make lying acceptable, ruin the economy, the environment, education, and just common decency.  Never has such a fraudulent con man occupied the White House and used it so well for his personal gain.  How, how, can any thinking, reading person fail to realize that an agenda of greed is his only agenda.  The saddest part of all is Trump's willingness to play on fear, paranoia, greed, and take advantage of the poorly educated.  If the American people do not reject the mess Trump has created the country will be a long time recovering.  Please get anyone you can to go out and vote against the worst people who ever ran for office. Please support Dina's measure one.  North Dakota is better than Kevin Cramer, Kelly Armstrong and the sad man they are puppets for.  Please show you care about more than money.  Please think about what the Trump gang wants to do to your children, and their children.  Please, please, speak to someone.  Decency can prevail if each of use will do something.

Delayed blast off

The Earth Module ended up in Denver for an extra day.  One more day with Sylvie. Sylvie is infected with her granny's hyper active gene.  Sylvie is constantly dancing around doing cart wheels or out front in the common area running with the gang.  It is good to see kids in shape and active instead of glued to an electronic device.

After we get Sylvie off too school the module will head south.  Tonight we should be at Cochiti Lake.  Once more through the southwest.  Breaking free from the traffic south of Denver is a relief.  Hopefully no snow on the way.

There seems to be hope on the horizon the country may break through the iron curtain of stupidity.  Read Paul Krugman in the New York Times today.  Lying has become an integral part of the Republican Party.  Someone wrote correctly that about 40% of Americans are completely divorced from reality.  Trump has ratcheted up his insanity by sending troops to the border to defend us against women carrying babies.  Of course there are rapist, terrorist, and diseased people in the ominous caravan. 

In North Dakota some prominent Democrats may show up in Hazen to help Heidi fight the Hoopleheads.  Joe Biden will make a stop at Stacy's flower shop.  Wow, that will be interesting. It will be like a ray of sunshine in a dark room.

An Old Coal Miner

Yesterday Kadizzle was supposed to talk to Sylvie's class about coal mining. All the Halloween excitement at school made it impossible, so the mission was accomplished this morning.  As the kids lined up outside yesterday Sylvie's fourth grade girl friend was standing beside Sylvie disguised in her Halloween outfit as a cheerleader zombie.  Strangely the little girl fell to the ground.  Kadizzle thought it was part of a zombie act.  She fell again and seemed to be having some sort of seizure.  This caused a great deal of commotion and Kadizzle did his best as an ex EMT to try to help the little girl.  The ambulance was called a with the parents the girl was taken away in the mist of several hundred school kids dressed in their costumes.  Ava seems OK today.  However, it scared a lot of here friends.  The other kids all donated candy to her today to make up for her missed Halloweening last night.

Sot today Kadizzle did talk to the class about coal mining.  A fourth grade boy asked Kadizzle if he ever encountered Tommyknockers.   Well it was surprising the boy knew what they are.  Maybe you don't, but there is a legend started by the Irish coal miners that there are elf like creatures in mines called Tommyknockers.  Kadizzle never met one, but we had fun talking about them.

Get other people's stuff

Republican's biggest fear is someone is going to get their stuff.  Last night Kadizzle handed stuff to little kids in costumes.  When Kadizzle was a kid he lived in an upper class neighborhood.  The people from less fortunate areas came at Halloween to get better and more candy.  Erin lives in a nice neighborhood and the same was happening as we sat on her porch handing kids from all over town candy.  It is a pricey proposition.

Trump is going to send troops to the border because people are coming to get our stuff. In the world we are the rich neighborhood.  Other people want stuff like healthcare, education, and safety.  Too many times we forget we took their stuff.  England figured it out long ago. You colonize some part of the world and steal their stuff.  Poor people all over the world make everything for us from jeans to ipads. As a country we don't mind stealing their stuff even if we have to set up a dictator to help us  do it.  Cuba got mad because we were stealing their stuff.  Look at the results.

Maybe sharing would make the world a better place.  Maybe instead of giving the poor candy Republicans could give them decent schools,  health care, and their own safe neighbor hoods. Maybe if we made manufacturers pay decent wages in other countries those people would not head for our border and scared The Donald.  Maybe the caravan is just trick or treat on a larger scale.