New York Cheech drops from the sky, The Commander is on the march.

 

Down on the Salt River at Phon D Sutton the planes fly over every night. You can see a string of lights off to the north as a plane comes in every 10 minutes. Last night the big plane brought New York Cheech the Kadizzles famous fashion daughter. On the way back from the airport we talked about the different animals we have seen in AZ. Somehow we got on the topic of Javalina. Cheech said she wanted to see one. As fortune would have it just as we drove into the campground a bunch of javalina were crossing the road. Now Cheech wants a javalina.

The Commander is very particular about where and how we park. Choosing our spot is like picking out a wedding dress. Yesterday when we returned from getting groceries The Commander was furious. Someone had needlessly parked right beside our camper with a truck and a car. With twenty acres of parking they had to park within inches of our camper. We could reach out the window and hand them their fries. Kadizzle did all he could to calm down The Commander, but she was determined to find the violators and tune them up with a good beating.

Preoccupied with putting the groceries away The Commander temporarily forgot about the sinners she was going to beat. Kadizzled walked about the campground and quickly ran into our Canadian friends from Calgary. We had no idea they were here. Our Canadian friends were the ones who parked next to us. Lorna was walking toward our camper after she saw we had arrived. Kadizzled decided to trick The Commander. Kadizzle told Lorna about the parking violation they had committed. Kadizzle arranged with Lorna for her to act like I had caught her and was forcefully bringing her to our site. Looking out the window over the sink all The Commander could see was Kadizzle pulling a woman to the camper. Her view did not reveal it was Lorna. The woman was protesting loudly “Let me go”. Kadizzled shouted to The Commander “ I caught the person who parked next to us”. For a brief time The Commander was fooled until she finally realized it was Lorna.

Now parking problem two. Besides the vehichles parking too close a large class A motorhome parked way to close to our compound. Why this dinger had to park right up against us when there was plenty of space everywhere is another mystery. You can park were you want in this place so there is really nothing you can do about encroachment. However, this was not going to inhibit The Commander. Kadizzle tried to take brass balled Commander out of confronting the dinger, but off she marched. Being Arizona Kadizzle expected gunfire shortly. Politely as possible The Commander asked the interloper to move about thirty feet to the southwest. After looking around the dinger said he might. This morning he still sits there. His buddy just roared off on a loud motorcycle vibrating all the molecules in the universe. Consideration is a key element to making the world work. Even though you can afford to disturb everyone does not mean you should. Hopefully the dinger will give us some breathing space today.

Today we will be entertaining our daughter Megan in the great desert of the southwest.

It don't hurt to ask

 

Yesterday was move day. Barb and Jeff showed up at just the right moment to load the cycle with us. Jeff took Cissie on a ride on their tandem recombinant. Jeff had showed some enthusiasm for the motorcycle so Kadizzle insisted he try it out.

When the camp was folded up we headed down the road to do the laundry and dump the sewage at Jake's corner. Pulling into the area where campers are dumped we approached the doublewide where the dumpmaster lived and out she came. Bored and ornery Kadizzle hopelessly asked Mrs. Dumpmore “Do you get to dump free on your birthday”. Thinking this was just a joke Kadizzle waited for the answer. Mrs. Dumpmore said yes. Kadizzle was dumbfounded and asked if Dumpmore was serious she said yes, but she would need to see some ID with Kadizzles birthdate. At this point Kadizzle had to admit it was not his birthday, but soon it would be. Mrs. Dumpmore said that was not good enough.

This brings us to the point of the story. In Kadizzle's lifetime he has accumulated an endless list of life enhancements simply by asking. From discounts to free rental cars, from left over construction material to all kinds of useful items, the list goes on. There is nothing wrong with asking. Often you are doing someone else a favor. Once we needed firewood. Kadizzle asked the men constructing a bathroom in Zion if he could have the scrap lumber to burn. Sure they said, now they did not have to pay to have it hauled away. While the other campers were paying $5 a bundle Kadizzle was enjoying his cedar fire for free.

Just for asking we got a deluxe camping spot free with electricity in the Calf Creek Campground in Utah. Often a six pack of beer can work miracles. All construction workers are required by law to do anything for a six pack. When we built our house we need the yard leveled and graded. At the same time the street was being put in. Kadizzle asked the motorgrader operator if he would make a couple passes in the yard for a six pack. Of course the grader operator could not resist doing a good job, so he did serval hundred dollars worth of work for a six pack. Kadizzle needed concrete to pour the footings for his deck. Concrete is expensive when you have it mixed and delivered, but every concrete truck carries a little extra when the go out to pour. What do they do with extra? Usually it is a nuisance for the truck to get rid of. So you dig your holes and have everything ready for the concrete. Now you look around town for someone pouring cement. Offer the truck driver a six pack for his left over concrete, and now you have your footings. This has worked twice for Kadizzle.

On the second concrete mooch Kadizzle was working on the Pocket Park he was building in Hazen. Kadizzle needed a little concrete so he lined up the truck with the six pack lure. Waiting for the truck Kadizzle was gabbing with Shiny the local operator of the small art store. Kadizzle saw the concrete truck about to drive by looking for Kadizzle. Kadizzle gave his schreeching whistle and waved at the truck. The guy came down the ally and poured the concrete. It was like hailing a cab. Shiny had no clue the whole thing had been prearranged and told her customers all day long about how simply whistled and had concrete delivered.

Today's assignment is go out and ask for something. Kadizzle used to teach some management classes. Often he extorted the virtue of asking. At some point prior to discussing the miracle of asking Kadizzle would ask someone in the class if they had ten dollars. Without exception someone would pull out ten dollars and give it to Kadizzle. Kadizzle would take the money and just go on talking about some unrelated topic. Later someone was sure to ask “ What about that ten dollars Joe gave you?'. Now Kadizzle would launch into his lecture about how easy it is to ask and receive. Kadizzle would give the ten dollars back, and explain how important and easy asking is.

I once was lost but now am found.

 

The Kadizzlites have become professionals at finding Indian ruin sites. Tenacity is essential. Yesterday we made a second stab at a site and found it. Local knowledge is often critical in finding many of these places. However, directions from the locals can be confusing. Over a week ago we set out to find the Nordhoff-Hope ruin. A local camper told us to drive up 203A until we reached a corral. At the corral we were to follow an old fence line down and over the hill. Once we drove miles along the cliff hanging road we got to the corral, but no fence. The view was fantastic and even though we were thwarted it was a good trip.

Not to be defeated we returned yesterday packed with better information and GPS data. The camper never mentioned there were two corrals on that road. Kadizzle checked the satellite image before the expedition. In the satellite photo you could see the shape of the corral. The shape was unique and Kadizzle sketched it with his GPS information.

Arriving at the second corral it was evident this was the right place and there was a fence line to follow. Shortly into the trip Kadizzle found a pair of binoculars on the ground. These binoculars had been mentioned by someone on the Arizona Trails site Kadizzle checked. The person said they lost their binoculars on the hike to the site. Here they were laying on the trail.

With Jeff and Barb our Canadian hiking partners we got to the site. A well preserved room could be seen in a cliff alcove. The room was well preserved because it was impossible to get to. Jeff was enthusiastic and tried to make a difficult round about climb to reach the room, but failed. Below were many other rooms in lesser condition. From this site you could see a mile below to another site we found in the valley.

Lost Lisa, I once was lost but now am found

 

What we hiked, yesterday we drove today. From Lake Roosevelt, we took the El Oso road up to 5,500 ft. On the way up, we met the usual insane idiots trying to drive down the road in the most dangerous fashion possible. On the same trip a few days back, when Kadizzle took the crew up a simple minded fool came down the road with reckless abandon. Kadizzle expected to see him over a cliff on the way back. Today another one of these goofs was trying to set a new speed record coming down.

Let's put this road in perspective. This is a very narrow, steep, one lane road that always has a cliff on one side. The road winds for 11 miles, and climbs as quickly as it can. There are turns on this road so sharp that our truck cannot make the turn. To make the turn, you have to back up at a switch back. It is impossible for two vehicles to pass on most of the road. Almost every curve is a blind curve. Why anyone would drive too fast on this road is a mystery. Of all the roads we drive in the back country, this is one of the most dangerous.

Reaching the top of the mountain, we headed west along the ridge with the Tundra. When the road deteriorated enough we stopped to unload the Yamaha and continue. A group of ATV people was right where we unloaded. As we unloaded, we exchanged pleasantries, and they mentioned a woman that had walked by earlier. The woman said she had walked from the bottom of the mountain. This would be quite a feat. Before long, traveling west, we came across a cairn in the middle of the road about two feet high. This is not something you usually see. Not long afterwards, we encountered Lisa hiking at a very fast pace down the mountain ridge road. This is a road rarely traveled. Lisa indicated she had constructed the cairn so her friend could find her. Lisa confirmed that indeed she had hiked from the bottom starting at 9 A.M. To make it up 3,000 ft and out 12 miles that quickly takes some doing, but obviously she had done it. The Commander and Kadizzle were a bit concerned about someone hiking as fast as they could and totally clueless about where they were going. Lisa asked if we had seen a silver Toyota as we came up the mountain. We informed Lisa that indeed we had seen a guy shooting his pistol near the start of the road with a silver Toyota. Lisa said this guy would come get her. How would he find her, when she did not even know where she was? Apparently, this had not occurred to Lisa. The Kadizzilites inquired if Lisa had anyway to get in touch with her rescuer. No she said, but she had water, an emergency blanket, and food.

There are many trails and roads on the top of that mountain. Finding someone hiking around at random would not be an easy task, so we offered Lisa the use of our phone. Lisa left a message for her partner, telling him the Forest Service road number she was on. The whole thing had the feel that Lisa had a disagreement with said friend and took off. After offering assistance, and the use of our phone, we took off for a very nice cycle ride along the ridge west of the Four Peaks on a road section of the Arizona Trail. We did not go far before we stopped for lunch. Shortly, Lisa came barreling along. Lunch was over, and we took off west again. Soon we met Lisa for the third time, apparently some kind of common sense kicked in, and she was headed in the right direction back where she came from. Both the Kadizzles were concerned that this was ultimately going to lead to some search and rescue. Worst case scenario, at this point, was that we would meet her on the way back. We were the only people on that road today.

Sure enough on the way back, Lisa was wandering around and her truck friend was standing by the truck. The Commander said he had an evil look and could have played the role of a Gestapo guy. Of course our imaginations ran wild. Why were they there, and why was she just walking around. We surmise he was going to shoot her, but we ruined it by showing up.

When we stopped to check the cycle they passed us and we followed them down the mountain, so Lisa was still alive at 4:30 and the mystery continues.

The most spectacular waterfalls with no water

As usual, The Commander had a fire in her pants that could only be extinguished by dragging Kadizzle's sorry butt two thousand feet up a mountain. So off we headed to find two waterfalls high in the Mazatzal Mountains. The trail led to Edwards Park, but our goal was a detour to see the “wonderful waterfalls”. After traipsing along a long level ridge, the climb started up one hogback after another. Every climbing trail has the same psychological trick. You are deluded into thinking you are near the summit, only to find there is another summit, and another summit. It is a reminder of our Grand Canyon hikes, where this happens all day long. Hiking to the waterfalls made Kadizzle think more and more of hiking out of the Grand Canyon. The waterfall would end up having a total elevation gain of about half way out of the Grand Canyon.

The view kept getting better. Below the valley, Lake Roosevelt stretches for thirty miles. The little rat towns of Pumpkin Center and Tonto Basin are far below. 90% of the people in these towns live in a little prefab box of some sort. Ideally, the yard around the house is strewn with junk of every sort. Local tradition is to periodically go to the thrift store and buy crap, then sell the crap, then go to the yard sale and buy more crap, then sell it at your yard sale. By the time you die, everyone in town has had coffee from the same coffee cup you bought with Martha on you trip to Disneyland. You know the cute one with Micky Mouse.

Back to the hike. Higher and farther into the hike, the sme thought begins to occur. Three miles up means three miles down and back. Almost to the waterfalls, two things start to become evident. First, there is no water. Even though there was a recent rain about a week ago, the desert has dried up, and the prospect of water actually flowing over the great waterfalls is slim. Now, for the second classic problem on epic hikes, we have to get back by dark. Oddly, The Commander who always wants to plunge on no matter what the cost, declares that perhaps we should head back. Happily Kadizzle agrees. After climbing Everest and getting within site of the peak, we turn back. Kadizzle planned from the start to use spring water as part of his supply for the trip. Climbing this began to look like a stupid move, there was no water. Strangely, a little trickle did appear near the top of the hike. A stop was made to filter about two pints of water.

Sitting here this morning, Kadizzle took an expanded view of the topo map. Holy sore legs, we could have driven almost to our destination from a different direction. We would have made the falls, but they still would have been dry.

A Cackle Storm broke out in the campground.

A cackle storm can break out any time.  You stop to ask someone a simple question, and one thing leads to another, and next you are talking about hunting, solar panels,  your trip to Maldivia.  A couple days ago, an old cackler pulled into a spot near us.  The first thing he did was fill his fire pit with cigarette butts.  He was smoking himself to death at a quick pace.  Kadizzle said the traditional hello, and the guy seemed likable.  The next day, he announced his sea captain buddy was coming.  Kadizzle mentioned to the old goat  he had a captain's license.  Old Cackle said we would have to meet.

The sea captain showed up, and Kadizzle walked over to meet him.  Now Kadizzle has held his own in several cackle competitions, but he met his match.  The sea captain started telling endless tales and commenting on every aspect of boating and boat maintenance.  Kadizzle tried to get a tale in here and there, but could not drive a wedge into the flowing bullshit coming from the captain.  Back at the camper, The Commander wanted to go on an expedition.  Kadizzle used this as an excuse to get away from the cacklethon.

Two hours later Kadizzle and The Commander returned.  The old smoking goat and the captain were drinking beer and cackling away.  After the sun went down, the cacklers built a fire and the cackling continued.  It got cold and the cacklers moved inside.  They could still be heard cackling away.

Hens invented cackling, then women took it up.   Now men have mastered the skill.  Kadizzle has always took pride in prolonged cackling, but now he knows there are pro's out there that would put him to shame.  A good cackler can talk about anything.  Knowledge has nothing to do with it.  However, be careful, nothing can ruin a cackle like running into someone who really does know something.

They have to be here somewhere

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Today was more or less a relaxation day, but of course The Commander could not sit still. Late in the afternoon the Kadizzlites decided to go back to a spot we had hiked before and poke around at the trailhead. This was the spot where we met the foremost zombie writer doing a book signing last year.

When you drive back into this area you cannot help but think it would be ideal Indian habitat. It is an area with all the essentials, food, water, and a good spot to live. In the past we have found no evidence of dwellings here. Disembarking from the Tundra we hiked up the rocky road a short way and could hear the water running in the stream below. As we headed toward the sound of rushing water we found a well worn path. The path led to an absolutely perfect swimming hole complete with a waterfall. On a warm day plunging into that pool from the natural diving rocks would be orgasmic. After we stopped to take some pictures we looked to see where the trail continued up the canyon. In a short distance we encountered an old road. Soon the road petered out, but there looked like a promising Indian bluff about a quarter mile away. Kadizzle told The Commander she was free to hike up there, but he was staying put. It took The Commander about 45 minutes to make the summit. To the crew's disappointment The Commander's hike was futile. Although she got a good view of the area, there was no Indian site.

Returning to the truck we headed back to camp. This area was just too nice to be ignored by the primitive people. There was a strange rock wall running by the road that made no sense. Kadizzle thought it might be some sort of water diversion, but it was not high enough to serve any other purpose. As we headed down and out of the area we noticed some piled stones. Of course The Commander insisted we stop and investigate. Sure enough back in the brush the remenants of some sort of dwellings were present. Kadizzle was skeptical and just sat in the truck letting her excellency do the investigation, but when The Commander said she found pot shards the hunt was on and Kadizzle headed for the brush. The site seemed like someone stole a lot of the stone from the walls. We both speculated perhaps some rancher had made the wall we saw earlier with stones stolen from the site. There were many pot shards so indeed it was occupied. The area would have been ideal. It was in a transition zone to the mountain, had water, and could have grown crops.

The Sun came up in the East

Kadizzle and The Commander would disagree on any given subject.  A classic example occurred today.  Kadizzle saw the sun come up the other day and was amazed at the speed the globe of fire popped up over the horizon.  Laying in bed this morning, Kadizzle looked forward to the sunrise out the window.  Kadizzle said to The Commander, look out that window and watch how fast the sun comes up.  Her excellency declared Kadizzle an idiot, and said the sun does not come up in the west. 

The argument ensued.  Kadizzle remembered so well the former sun rise.  Sadly, it turns out Kadizzle had been sitting elsewhere when he first observed the fast rise of the sun.  After the silly argument, and almost a big bet, the Crew got up and got in the morning position.  As Kadizzle looked out the window from his chair, it became obvious how he misconceived where the sun was coming up.

When you live in a vehicle that is moved periodically, your mind becomes confused about direction. You wake up, and have to think about your relationship to the universe.  Your windows do not have the same scene everyday.  This is a good thing. 

Canadians are not like us.

We have visited Canada; we have known Canadians, and they always seem a little different.  They like beer; they seem to enjoy life a little more, and they love the southwest United States.  They are always friendly and sharing,  and they have figured out health care.  The Commander has been driving Kadizzle nuts wanting to do a thirteen mile hike down from The Four Peaks.  Yesterday, in the course of hunting for The Sneaker,  Kadizzle came across a Canadian couple who looked fit and like hikers, so Kadizzle asked if they liked to hike.  Their answer was yes.  Ah ha, these people could take The Commander on the big hike, and Kadizzle would not have to worry about his meal ticket being eaten by bears.  So today, the two Canadians and The Commander did the hike.  When Kadizzle met the Canadians, he saw their feet.  Canadians are like Hobbits. They do not have feet like Americans.  The Canadians were going to hike in their Canadian feet.  Kadizzle wondered how do you hike without arch support.  Do you have arch support when you were born the Canadians asked?  I guess not.  So the bears, Indians, and mountain lions that tracked this group must have wondered what travels in threes, has one normal set of tracks and two Canadian tracks?

Starting at 8 A.M. the Canadian escorts brought back The Commander at 3:30 P.M.   The group faired well, and had come across some new Indian sites in the process.  In the past Kadizzle has come across what appeared to be barefoot human tracks deep in the outback.  Now Kadizzle knows what kind of tracks Canadians leave.  Apparently the males have an orange colored foot, and the females are smaller with a blue color.  If only Mexicans had such identifiable feet, the Republicans in Arizona could catch them so much easier crossing the border to pick the vegetables and do drywall.

Launch The Commander

In the course of the hunt for  The Sneaker (the rotten bastard that stole our generator) Kadizzle met a Canadian couple with similar outdoor interest as the Kadizzlites.  Speaking with the Canadians they mentioned they were hikers.  Kadizzle explained The Commanders desire to hike down from the Four Peaks to the Canadians and they agreed to make the hike with The Commander today.  So this morning Kadizzle will drive the crew to the top of the Four Peaks where they can begin hiking down 13 miles.  Kadizzle is getting too old for such a long slog, and will pick them up at the end of the day.

Kadizzle will spend the day filling the propane tank, and keeping himself entertained.  Doing research yesterday trying to figure out how The Sneaker operates Kadizzle spoke to a lot of locals.  The level of gun ownership around here is astounding.  Almost everyone explains how they will shoot intruders.  A group of old goats was sitting around when Kadizzle pulled up on his cycle to interview them about local degenerates.   As usual Kadizzle heard how thieves would be shot with buckshot.  After listening awhile an old granny chimed in " I gotta gun to".   So when you decide to liberate some property that is not yours in Arizona remember even granny has a blaster. 

Kadizzle is so pissed about The Sneaker he has been spending too much time about baiting The Sneaker.  Kadizzle figures he can make a fake generator with a good alarm system and set it out for The Sneaker to steal.  Kadizzle has a plan to make a special cord that will come from the generator.  The cord will look like a normal extension cord, but will set off an alarm when The Sneaker unplugs it.  The Sneaker is clever and will probably not strike the Kadizzles twice in the same place, so we have to fish for The Sneaker at another campground.   The Sneaker has stolen generators down on the Salt River, and supposedly at Lake Apache.   Who is The Sneaker selling all these Honda 2000i generators to?

Saving The Commander from Herself, and insuring Kadizzles food supply

The Commander suffers from extreme hyperactivity, consequently she must be in motion eight hours a day at minimum. To satisfy her need for movement she cooked up a scheme to hike from the top of Four Peaks down the Arizona Trail for 13 miles. Kadizzle was to launch her this morning and retrieve her later today. By any standard it is a long hike. Laying in bed Kadizzle began to ponder the hike last night. Deep in the woods if anything happened to The Commander she would be difficult to help. Although she would probably be in radio or phone contact the area would not allow a helicopter to land and a land rescue would require a two hour hike from the top or bottom.

Should The Commander be lost in the wilderness who would feed Kadizzle, how would the laundry get done, and with limited brain power who would do the thinking for Kadizzle? Simple task like going in and out the door could not be accomplished. No one would be there to say “ Shut the door”. Well, Kadizzle luckily talked the brave Commander not to go, so at least there will be dinner tonight.

Yesterday we took a vigorous hike, this did not wear out the boss lady. Although she has been talked out of the 13 mile hike she is still insisting we go out on a maneuver today. Kadizzle would be happy to take it easy, but unless The Commander runs wild today peace in the Kingdom is unlikely.

A nearby Discovery

  

The original plan was to visit an Indian site we had found a couple years ago along the Arizona Trail. However, we stopped about a mile up the dirt road and peered at a nearby hilltop. After both of us looked through the binoculars, we decided there were rocks piled by humans on the hilltop. Some discussion ensued, then the Kadizzlites decided to make an assault on the site. Some initial scouting indicated a way we could possibly make it to the top. No matter how we went it would not be an easy point to reach. As usual, the crew could not agree on a route to get there. Kadizzle chose to go down to the creek bottom and take the most direct route. The Commander insisted that her route was best even though it was a long way around.  With warm weather the rattlesnakes have come alive, and our hike was through ideal rattlesnake habitat.  Every step had to be taken with caution and each time you had a rock overhang the rattlesnake buzz was expected.  Fortunately none were encountered

45 minutes later the summit was reached.    Indeed, it was an Indian ruin, and a fairly large one. Many of the rocks in the walls were abnormally large for a ruin site, and must have taken many people to lift. The size of the site was much larger than what is normally found in this area. At least thirty rooms must have been in this ruin. It was a very defensive site with surrounding walls. Pelting attackers with rocks seemed to be the preferred defense. When attacked, you stood behind the wall and threw rocks down on your enemy.

Our first approach to the site seemed to indicate little pottery shards, but as we looked closer many were found. The Commander found some nice black on red, and black on white shards. A matate was found with the grinding stone. A pottery shard shown above with a carefully drilled hole was found. It may have been used for some sort of hanging pot.

All the sites we have visited in this area indicate the people were under siege. The question is who was attacking them? These people seemed to have outlying lookouts that could relay signals by fire to the main areas of inhabitation. If attacked, the people must have retreated to their defensive positions deep in canyons or on the edge of cliffs. In times of hardship, one group must have raided other groups. Much like the castle system in Europe, these people had their strongholds. Since these people always had the high ground you could be assured that rocks would rain down on you as the cost of attacking them. If you were the attacker, it would have been hard to throw a spear uphill, and your chances of hitting someone above you pelting you with rocks would be slim. If these people ever had been attacked, one would think there would be some arrow heads or spear points around. We have never found any. 

This site was in relatively good condition and all things considered not that badly picked over for a site within a mile of a paved road.  What has preserved the site is the difficulty getting to it.  We have been exploring these sites for years, and were surprised to find this one in such a close obvious place.  The Indians chose the site because it was inaccessible, and that is what has preserved it. 

New Neighbors, The Sneaker investigation, and a Visit to Gary

 

Hunting the desert slums for the sneaker yesterday proved hopeless. However, Kadizzle did get a good glimpse of the culture. The towns around Lake Roosevelt are populated by people who “made poor decisions”. Perhaps the people living in the run down trailers, old RV's, and cobbled together houses think they are in paradise. If your idea of paradise is a newer pickup truck, the mandatory ATV, a yard full of junk surrounded with a falling down chain link fence, and living on some type of measly check that comes every month, then heaven has broken out everywhere around here.

All desert people living within inches of the poverty line are armed. When Kadizzle asked the locals about the thieves who stole his generator he almost always got a lecture on how the home owner was going to shoot intruders. Interviewing about six people Kadizzle heard four times how the intruder would be killed and his body would be drug out of the house. One guy said he thought one of his nearby neighbors was a thief. He explained to the neighbor how he intended to shoot anyone inside his fenced compound. The same fellow who was a nice guy told Kadizzle that Arizona permitted people to kill anyone inside a fence around your yard. In Arizona you can legally be shot for farting in an elevator.

Back at camp Kadizzle new neighbors moved in, and the Kadizzles have gotten to know the people down a few spots. One glory of the roving life is the people you meet. The guy down the way is a retired nuclear engineer. Ron and Martha live full time in a pretty small camping van. Periodically they take a month and visit some exotic country like Bhutan. So many travelers are remarkably well read. In the early sunshine the Kadizzles sat with Ron and Martha and heard about their world travels. The subject turned from good books, to politics, and the whole discussion was entertaining and enlightening. Kadizzle invited the new people across the way over for wine and again there was an hour or two of idea exchange. Over the years we have met so many interesting people and learned so much from talking with them.

The Commander as usual was chomping at the bit to go hiking. Kadizzle was worn down from the last adventure. To appease The Commander, Kadizzle agreed to make a trip to visit Gary in his deffered camping spot. The Commander just could not wait to give Gary's dog Sammy the nice bone from our lamb meal. As we topped the hill Gary came out of his reading tent beaming from ear to ear with happiness to see us. Sammy was just as delighted. Kadizzle wondered how things were going with Gary and the new Camera.. Kadizzle figured Gary would have taken lots of pictures. Gary said he took six pictures. Although with a digital camera you could take 500 or 1000 pictures, Gary only took six? Gary said he only found six good things to photo. Living on the edge Gary has become to conservative of everything. Gary invited Kadizzle into his tent so we could see the pictures in less light.

Viewing the pictures Kadizzle was close enough to Gary to hear him breath. Gary has smoked himself to death. Listening to Gary breath shocked Kadizzle. Just the slight exertion of walking around caused Gary to struggle for breath. In Kadizzles humble human assessment, Gary will be lucky to live one more year. Someone is going to come across a dead man in a Coleman tent behind an old blue Ford Pickup. Hopefully the poor soul will expire in his sleep. The good die young. A tragedy will be Sammy. The loyal dog that means everything to Gary will be there alone with her dead companion. In Kadizzles mind the whole scene being constructed was sad. As we drove a way Kadizzle thought about Gary's life. Here is a man who has achieved some remarkable happiness with remarkably little. Gary is as happy with his collection of rocks on his dashboard, as some rich guy is with a ten pound diamond. Gary got to explore the world in books and know the best minds in history. Gary saw and appreciated nature. Although for a good part of his life Gary was a professional thief, in the end did he really take that much compared to so many of our crooked Wall Street guys, or politicians? Gary reformed on his own, and educated himself, you have to give him credit for that.

Looking for the Sneaker, and using Sneaker bait.

Laying in bed awake at 3 A.M.  Kadizzle was puzzling how to rerigg the great alarm.  Ideally when someone pulls the plug the alarm goes off.  Kadizzle is so pissed about the sneaker that stole our generator that he has been conducting his own investigation.  A total of four generators were stolen from the campground the same night.  From interviewing people it seems a degenerate in an older white pickup truck cased the area and lined up what generators the rats would steal.  A woman camping close to us got up at 2 A. M. to use the restroom and saw a truck parked across from our site. No doubt this was the mutant that took our generator. 

There are a couple of slum encampments around the town of Roosevelt Arizona.  Today Kadizzle may scope them out for the white truck guy.  One little town on the other side of the lake looks like it is primarily inhabited by gypsies, travelers, and people living the parasitic lifestyle.

The sheriff said generators are easy to sell at local swap meets, so Kadizzle visited one yesterday in Globe.  The required sleazy vendors were there but no generators.   Kadizzle thought it best to pose as someone wanting to buy a generator.  Kadizzle asked a large lump assed man if he know of anyone who might have one for sale.  The lumper said their was a guy they called Desert Bill who fixed them and might have some for sale.  Kadizzle asked how he could get hold of "Desert Bill".  The lumper said he had no known address, but was there earlier.  Kadizzle told the lumper that he needed a generator quickly for an up coming hunting trip.  Now, the lumper wanted to know if Kadizzle had any antlers to trade.  Sensing an inn with the lumper Kadizzle said his wife The Commander was an antler collector.  Kadizzle left by giving the lumper his phone number.  Kadizzle told the lumper he would give him some antlers if he could help round up a generator.

Yesterday we drove damn near 100 miles to purchase a new generator in Mesa.   The Kadizzlites will be out $500 on the insurance deductible.  A new generator cost $1,100.   Still fuming Kadizzle wants to bait the Sneaker.  Kadizzle wants to get the shell for a Honda Generator and fill it with bricks.  The fake generator will be set out to be stolen and rigged to the alarm system.   The Sneaker will not hit here again for at least a month or two, but if Kadizzle goes to a different campground he may fish for the Sneaker. 

Stealing on a rainy night.

The rain quit and Kadizzle stumbled out of the camper this morning.  Looking under the picnic table where the Honda Generator normally resides was nothing but the green bag we store it in.  Surely The Commander did not put the generator in the truck? Nope, the famous generator thieves cut the cable and now we are without power and a generator.  Hopefully the sun will come out and fill the battery with the solar unit.

What luck, Kadizzle had a good alarm system rigged to the generator, but through a series of errors the alarm was not set up.  The alarm had been set for two weeks steady, but with rain, who would think the thieves would be out working.  Even the sheriff was amazed that the thieves would get wet and cold just steal, usually they don't have that much ambition.  However, the sound of rain on a camper gave them good cover.

Now, back to the alarm.  Kadizzle went on the net and saw a U-tube video on how to make an alarm.  Kadizzle bought the stuff from radio shack an cobbled the alarm together with a model airplane batter, a schreecher, a piece of 2x 10,  some fishing line, and a cloths pin.  The set up had the fishing line leading to a brush used to clean the truck and camper.  When the sneak thieve moved the brush to steal the generator the alarm would be triggered.  Nope, since it was raining Kadizzle decided to soap down the truck and camper and let the rain do the rinse.  This meant Kadizzle had to unhook the brush.  Now comes The Commander who is adamant that the camp be prepared for rain.  The Commander puts the unattached alarm in the camper.  When Kadizzle goes to get the brush to clean he inadvertently triggers the alarm.  Now Kadizzle knows the  alarm is not set, but thinks who would be out stealing generators in this miserable weather?  So while we sleep the thieving dogs come.

Glancing over at the neighbors camper Kadizzle see they got his also.   Well now it is off to town to buy a generator.   This year we have know of three or four stolen.   If you need a Honda generator go to the flea market an buy ours.  Be sure to get a good price, it cost they guy nothing.

Rain in the desert

After 70 days water is now falling from the sky in Arizona.  The smell of creosote is permeating the air.  The desert will explode with color when the sun comes out.  Yesterday, Kadizzle rode the cycle down the road to check on Gary.  Gary is camping on a nice site we found above the lake.  Gary was so happy to see Kadizzle, perhaps because he was lonely, but also because he had his new camera. On $800 a month, Gary has saved enough to buy a nice Nikon camera for $500.  Gary loves photography, and this is his first digital camera.  Gary had been using a traditional camera, and the hassle for him to see and pay for the development of his pictures was a strain.

After Gary emmerged from his tent, he expressed great joy Kadizzle had showed up.  Gary was afraid to insert the SD card.  Gary feared if he did it wrong, the camera would be damaged.  Gary said he had read the manual three times.  So we inserted the card, and got the camera to life.  Kadizzle took the first picture of Gary.  One click and the battery was dead.  The camera has to be charged before it will work.  Off to camp Kadizzle was the next move to use our solar power, and charge Gary's camera.  Gary suggested Kadizzle ride him on the cycle to camp Kadizzle and back.  Kadizzle did not relish the idea of two full grown men riding on a 250 cc cycle down a main highway.  Gary is, as an old friend used to say, " financially embarrassed ".  Kadizzle knew Gary did not want to spend any money on gas to drive his truck.  With a little arm twisting, Kadizzle got Gary to take $20, and Gary agreed to drive to Camp Kadizzle.
While the sun charged Gary's camera,  the subject changed to this and that.  At one point, Kadizzle asked Gary if he had been in the service.  Gary said yes he was forced into the Marines by a judge who gave him the choice of going into the service or to jail.  Gary chose the service.  Kadizzle wondered why Gary had no benefits if he was in the service.  Gary explained that when serving in Vietnam he had been court marshaled. 

With a small group of men, Gary was a forward observer.  They sought out information about what was going on ahead of the troops.  For a long time they operated without a lieutenant.  A young 90 day wonder had been assigned as their leader.  Gary's group came under mortar fire, and were hopelessly outnumbered.  The young lieutenant ordered the group to make a full frontal assault.  Gary told his group to call for evacuation and leave.  In the course of the discussion, Gary put a pistol to the head of the lieutenant and explained to him that they would follow Gary's plan, or Gary would shoot the lieutenant.  At the court marshal, the judge agreed Gary had made the right choice, but he still disobeyed orders.  That is where the benefits went.

The camera finally charged, and Gary and The Commander had a camera pow wow.  Happy as a kid at Christmas, Gary took off in his truck.  Gary is going to go nuts with only the viewer on the camera to see his pictures.  Kadizzle wanted to loan Gary a computer so he could work with his pictures.  Gary insisted he is incapable of using a computer, not to mention the problem of keeping it charged.  Gary is going to have to have a computer.  If anyone has an old laptop to donate please do.

Cherry Creek adventure

 

The bones are tired. 70 miles on the cycle was a lot of motorcycle riding. This morning with Len the great cycle trip started up Cherry Creek. The Commander would take a hike while Len and Kadizzle made the 40 mile trip up the Cherry Creek road. The road is one of the longest Kadizzle has ever taken throuh such a remote area. Perhaps three ranches exist on the entire length of the road. If you drew a map carefully it is probably one of the least populated areas in the country. This was not always the case. At one time the whole valley must have been relatively well populated with Indians. The area has some of the best Indian ruin sites the Kadizzles have visited, and we have visited hundreds of sites.

Once you cross the water of Cherry Creek for the last time at Ellison's ranch, the road deteriorates quickly. On one of our earlier trips, we met the Ellisons. They look like a couple in their early 80's and each one of them carries a six shooter stuffed in the back of their pants. Just by chance this year, we met a cousin of theirs.

After crossing Cherry Creek the road climbs up onto the side of the mountains. Most of the time the road hangs on the edge of a cliff. The view is spectacular and a lot of the scenery seems out of place for Arizona. When you look up into the canyons, the scene looks like something from South American with vegetation hanging from steep cliffs. After cycling for a couple miles, Len and Kadizzle reached the dark shaded cove where one would start the hike for Devil's Chasem.  We hiked up the Chasm last year to some spectacular ruins.  From there, we went on up the valley to the trail head for the two other major Indian sites in the area. Kadizzle tried to explain to Len where our next Indian exploration would take place.

As the trip proceeded and the crew went deeper into the absolute middle of nowhere, the scenery never let up. Hundreds of potential places for Indian dwellings appeared everywhere. One could spend many years hiking these canyons and never get done exploring. As we went up, it became obvious the original occupants of the valley could have access to some sites from the plain above. The whole trip opened up Kadizzles eyes to the possibilities for food gathering. At one stop, the ground was littered with acorns. Knowing the Indians used them as a food source, Kadizzle decided to try a couple. The natives mush have had a way of drying and preparing them. A bitter and drying taste was Kadizzles result, but if you were starving they might have been fine.

Different Planets on the same planet.

Traveling the world we are assigned to one realizes the incredible diversity of our planet.  Yesterday the Kadizzlites took off on an adventure to a fire tower high above the Sierra Ancha Mountains.  These mountains are only about 15 miles from our camp site yet the climate is entirely different and so is the terrain.

Wayne Axtman, from our home town of Hazen, decided to make the hike with us.  After placing one vehicle where the trail would end, we headed to the fire tower.  Two miles up a steep road by foot brought us to the tower.   The Commander and Kadizzle have always thought about serving a term in a fire tower.  The view, as expected, encompassed a large part of the universe and was spectacular in every direction.  We could look down on so many of the places we have hiked.  It was obvious you could plan on being at the base of a lot of lightening strikes if you lived there.  This tower was a little different and had a cement block room at the bottom.   Just imagine being in a room and getting hit by lightening five or six times in one night.  A warning sign said to not climb the tower during storms.  Sort of like don't piss in the wind.  The fire tower was at 7,135 feet, which is high for this area.  The higher elevations get more moisture, so you are in an alpine environment.  Pine trees four feet in diameter are common.

After soaking in the view, we headed four miles down the mountain on what appeared to be some sort of old jeep trail.  Along the way, we spooked a flock of turkeys, and saw a lot of elk tracks.   Acorns were everywhere, and no doubt that is what the turkeys were eating.  Kadizzle ofter wonders about the Indian food supply and how they survived.  This food supply was within about a two day hike for the Indians that had dwellings down where we are camped.   Meat, berries, and a whole different variety of things could have come from the mountains.

Along the way, the trail got sketchy at times, and the group had to resort to map and GPS skills.  About three miles down the trail, we came across a huge dry waterfall.   During the snow melt it would be a site to behold.  This is the first year we have ever gone into these mountains and not encountered snow.   Luckily the day was T shirt warm and very comfortable hiking.   Kadizzle would give this hike an A rating.   If you ever want to do it,  the bonus for those who have not done it is the scary drive up into the mountains.   As you climb by car or truck out of the valley, the road hangs on the edge of cliffs for long stretches.

Today Len and Kadizzle will attempt the mother of all motorcycle rides on Cherry Creek Rd.  We will go on an extremely difficult and little used back road.  Tune in tomorrow to see if we made it. 

Living on $800 a month

As we travel we find many people living on the edge.   Most of them do quite well.  Many couples get a bee in their undies to go on the road and live the traveling life.   A lot of full timers as they are called end up being camp host for all or a good portion  of the year.  Camp host usually get a place to park, some sort of electricity, and in colder areas the Forest Service will provide propane.  Camp host usually tidy up the campground a bit, cut some brush, and perhaps clean the restrooms.  Cleaning the restrooms is the kicker.  Since many people don't want that job the Forest Service often contracts it out. 

The full timers know every angle for cutting cost.  They know when to stay in a casino parking lot, when to park at Wall Mart over night, and where all the free spots are.   The real key to living cheap is a warm climate.  All economy lifestyles follow the weather.   Living in a warm climate save a lot.  Many of the full timers have relatively nice motor homes.  Most of them figured out that you buy your motorhome in Montana, or South Dakota so you don't get taxed.  You also set up a fake residency there.   Then there is wifi, TV, and how to get these services remotely and cheaply.  The full timers all know the tricks.

After full timers come the people living on the edge.   The people on the edge don't particularly care to work, they have a small income from somewhere, and they have to monitor every move carefully.  A lot of these people have quasi mental issues.  A lot just enjoy being free from the encumbrances of society.   When things are tight you live in a very small space.  This could be a tent, the back of a pickup truck,  a small trailer,  or what ever you can get by cheap in.   There are all degrees of living on the bum.   The hard core bummers have no electronic communication.   The hardcores rely on firewood for most of their comfort,  and cut any corner they can.  Being a mobile street person in the great outdoors of America is not a bad life,  certainly better than pushing a shopping cart in downtown big city.   With a lot of these people you find out something went wrong, a divorce, an illness,  a retirement plan that was not much of a plan.   A whole lot of these people do not at all mind being alone.  They make good company, and enjoy company, but are perfectly happy sitting in the sun reading.   Cut off from the outside world reading becomes an important part of the lives of people living on the edge.   Acquiring books in the wilderness is relatively easy.   Most campgrounds have an informal book exchange where you leave one and pick up another.   There are no fines and the book is never due back.

Who are these people?  There are ex airline pilots,  a farmer who turned his manure spreader into a camper,  an old electrician,   a rich old guy who just took off,  retired criminals,   a hotel clerk who wanted to see the country.   So many of these people are motivated by a simple desire to see what is out there,  and there is a lot out there. 

A verse to an old song says it all " living on dreams isn't easy" , but a lot of people do.   What happens to these people when they finally get too old to bum around?   Bud used to be the camp host back at the Goldfield recreation site.  He lived in the corner and had his fire every  morning in the was tub.  Bud made airplanes from Coke cans and kept peace in the kingdom.   This year we came back from the North and Bud is gone.  He just disappeared, like a couple others did. 

A lot of people begrudge those living on the edge, or think they are not worthy.  How mistaken can you be?  So many of these people are very content.  They use of very few resources.  They provide a lot of service for what they are paid.   So many living so well forget that they live well because someone on the other end of the game has made a lot of sacrifices.  You paid less for your house because some guy crossed the border illegally and put up the drywall in you home.  That same guy may have put the roof on your house.  Now,  after you bought the house for thousands less than it would have cost somewhere else you want to throw that guy out of the country?

It is a strange world we live in,  but it does not belong to us alone.   Thankfully the best things in this country are as close to free as you can make them.   So much of this country has been set aside for everyone.  It was one of the most brilliant things our goverment that so many dislike has done.  The best mountains,  the best desert, the best seashore, has been set aside for all of us to enjoy.  As an old goat you can stay in a pretty nice place for $3 a night.  You can stay in Zion National Park for $9 dollars a night.  That government everyone belittles and hates has created some paradises for everyone to enjoy, if you don't do it blame yourself.

Indian site two discovered and explored.

 

Back into the wilderness today to find Indian site number two that was missing. After a little confusion on what road went where the Kadizzilites got within three tenths of a mile of the site by motorcycle. The Commander and Kadizzle drove the truck to the nearest coral and unloaded the cycle.

Len drove his cycle from the pavement. Kadizzle was surprised the site was much more spectacular than he suspected it would be. The site was relatively well preserved considering it's proximity to civilization. If people can get close to a site with jeeps, four wheelers, or whatever, the site will be picked clean. With effort we could find pottery shards, but nothing spectacular. Why people have to push over walls and destroy these sites is a mystery. This site probably had at least twenty rooms and was a surface site. The day was not clear enough to determine if the site had a line of sight to the major ruins in caves across the lake. More than likely they did have line of sight. No doubt these people communicated by fire signals great distances.

When we returned to the truck to reload the motorcycle we explored a mine shaft on an adjacent hill. Hard to figure what they were mining. The shaft was actually an excavated crevice that went down for perhaps 150 feet or more. The bottom of the shaft could not be seen.

Tomorrow is the fire tower hike and the next day will be the mother of all motorcycle trips. Stay tuned.

Jesus appears at an intersection

 

The Kadizzle's moved to Coati camping area. Coati is just another part of Windy Hill. Strangely we are now in the area where people can run generators 24hrs per day, yet they don't and it is actually much quieter. Sadly we left Gary behind. We had no trouble leaving Generator Willy. The camp host said it was OK for us to use the nice handicapped site if no handicapped people showed up. Kadizzle is mentally handicapped so we are somewhat within our rights. In the handicapped site we have a large paved cement area for our wheelchair, which is nice.

The wheelchair comment reminds Kadizzle of a story Gary told him yesterday. Gary even when he was a career criminal has some ethics. Gary and Kadizzle were discussing people who begged which were actually capable of working. Gary told Kadizzle a story about his old days when he saw a bum friend of his sitting in a wheelchair at an intersection begging. Gary knew this was more than even he could put up with so he stopped and told his friend he had gone too far. Gary told him to “get out of the wheelchair, and get the hell out of here”. So his friend went off pushing an empty wheelchair. This whole story reminded Kadizzle of the miraculous cures in the Bible. If Gary had long hair at the time which he said he did he does have a face that resembles Jesus. Kadizzle can just imagine the scene at a busy intersection observed by a fundamentalist. The fundamentalist sitting at a traffic light would have seen Jesus grab a man out of his wheelchair, and send him off walking pushing the wheelchair. Of course the word would have spread quickly through the fundamentalist community that a healing took place.

Today we meet with Len to plan adventures for the rest of the week. There are three major adventures in store. The Commander is going to do a fire tower hike with an old Hazen friend. Len and Kadizzle are going to do a 70 mile cycle ride through some extremely remote country, and then Len, Kadizzle and The Commander will likely assault the Pueblo Indian Ruin to complete the trifecta.

To go where no man has gone before (no sensible man)

The adventure crews went in different directions today.  The Commander took off with some new made friends to hike part of the Arizona trail.   Kadizzle set out with Len to ride far into the back country on two identical Yamaha's.   After unloading the cycles, we blasted down the road until we found the road leading far back into the mountains.  It turned out to be the first day of javalina gun hunting.  The desert was full of pig hunters.  As we got farther in, people quickly disappeared.  The roads are extremely rugged and difficult to negotiate with anything.  When you start up a hill, you dare not stop or you will never get going again.  Len carefully prepared printouts of our route and the expedition went pretty well. Kadizzle had made this run last year, and had a pretty good idea of how to navigate the back roads.  At the summit, Len was confused about where we were, but Kadizzle assured him he knew the way.

Luckily from Kadizzle's past ride through the area, the two of us decided to reverse the direction Kadizzle went last year.  The whole route is treacherous, but the very worst part is a steep canyon one descends into and hopes to get out of.  These trails are so steep and full of loose rocks that  going down is often harder than going up.  On the way into the canyon, Len had a spill, but recovered.  Kadizzle struggled, but reached the bottom with no crashes.   Thinking it best to get it over with, Kadizzle just headed up the other side.  To his own amazement he could see he was going to make it to the top.  Then the motorcycle started to sputter.   Kadizzle first though he had some how run out of gas.  The motorcycle finally did stall, but Kadizzle restarted it.  After another ten feet it quit.  Kadizzle's favorite jacket had become entangled in the wheel and locked it up.  Although ruining the jacket was a tragedy, it was very fortunate that this happened after the worst part of the climb.  Had the cycle come to a stop on the steepest part, it would have been a nasty disaster.

Out of the canyon, we looked for our second Indian ruin of the day. Before we descended into the canyon we found the first one.  Len did a great job of spotting the ruin.  The ruin was a surface site, and  very hard to see.  Kadizzle said he would not confirm it as a site until we found pottery.  Len found a piece that would pass the test, and Kadizzle found a nice small piece of black on red to confirm it was a site.   The second site was never found, but Kadizzle feels sure he knows where it is.  Kadizzle went up the canyon, and found a spring and the ideal spot for habitation.   Another trip and more investigation will have to be done.  One the way back to load the cycles, the first rattlesnake of the year was spotted crossing the road.  Now that the snakes are out hiking takes on a new dimension.

Life is not stranger than you think, it is stranger than you can think

If you have been following these stories you have read about Gary the tent scholar.  Yesterday, Gary related to Kadizzle some of the unfolding of his life.  As Kadizzle suspected Gary came from an abusive home.  His father beat him regularly and also was abusive to his mother.  Gary first ran away at twelve, and then two more times until he finally left home for good at 15.   Gary related a series of stories about how he survived.  One trick he developed to stay on the move was to hitch hike.  As he rode he would break down and cry and when the driver asked what was wrong he would confess he had run away from home, and was trying to get back.  Usually the driver would feel sorry for him and give him money, the reality he was using the money to go farther from home.  Gary was caught breaking into box cars looking for food.  The FBI let him go after they gave him bus ticket home and told him he better not get off the bus.

This morning Gary explained to Kadizzle what a Murphy scam was an how he would pull them.  Gary would dress nicely and go to a hotel where a convention was being held.  He would go to the bar and buy drinks for a couple conventioneers.   After a while he would ask them if they wanted a prostitute.  If they did Gary would give them a card after they paid him and direct them to any single women sitting in the bar.  Gary would slip out of the bar with their money.  Once Gary was pulling this scam on a couple merchant marine sailors.  Gary did not realize it, but he had scammed  the same sailors a year earlier.  The sailors gave Gary a serious beating, which Gary acknowledged was the cost of doing business.

Another con Gary pulled in Chicago was to go into a large nice department store dressed nicely around Christmas time carrying a briefcase.  Gary would find a salesperson new to the job.  Gary would say he was with upper management and wanted to audit the cash register tape.  After the clerk opened the cash register and gave Gary the tape, he would tell the clerk to help a customer.  You figure the rest, both Gary and the money were soon gone.

Gary had a sad childhood with no affection from his father whatsoever.   Gary was not allowed to speak to his father.  He could approach his fathers chair and wait for his father to address him.  He was beat if he did not get strait A's and just about for every infraction.   When he ran away the last time his father told him never to come back.  Gary said he would never come back unless he found out his father abused his mother, then he said to his father "I will come back to kill you".  

Over the years Gary always called his mother to check on her.   After many years he called and his father answered.  His father asked if Gary was living with anyone.  Gary said no.  Gary's father told Gary his mother was dying of cancer and he should come home to see her.   Gary complied.  When the day came for Gary to leave, his mother and father had to go some where before he caught the bus a noon.  So they said their goodbye's.   Gary hugged his mother and wished her well.  His father shook his hand and went out the door.  As Gary sat there his father came back in and hugged Gary, and kissed him and told him " I love you".   Gary said he forgave his father that moment.

Gary keeps a journal, and after all his reading, he should surely have some concept of how to write.  Kadizzle suggested to Gary he write about his life.   From what little Kadizzle has learned about Gary,  the book would be very interesting.

Every morning on the way to the office to fire the cannon, Kadizzle stops at Gary's campfire and we have a chat.  Before Kadizzle left the Earth Module today The Commander said " I can't believe you and Gary were both comparing notes on how to rob a bank yesterday".     For better or worse Kadizzle finds he has a lot in common with Gary.  Remember the old saying " But for God's grace there would I also be". 

Laundry Day (click on pictures to make them appear correctly)

Logic prevailed and the lost shirt from the motorcycle ride was there in the middle of the remote road right where is was supposed to be.  The cycle ride up and down the famous road by Lake Apache early in the morning was splendid.

Kadizzle had to stop and take a picture of some tire tracks.  You could see where a car had actually gone over the edge with the tires by a few inches.  After the sandy edge of the road the cliff falls for hundreds of feet.  The tracks showed that about an inch or two of the tread was actually in mid air.  Why the sand did not give way and send the car over the cliff is a mystery.

After the great motorcycle excursion it was time to take action with Generator Willy.  Kadizzle wrote a note to Generator Willy and put it on the door of the camp host.  The plan was to have the anonymous note delivered to Generator Willy by the camp host.  The note simple asked Generator Willy to show some consideration and not run his generator all day long and late into the night.  After we returned from the laundry expedition Kadizzle checked with the camp host.  The camp host had delivered the note addressed to site 289.  Generator Willy claimed he was having all sorts of electrical problems and he had to charge the battery on the boat.  Of course you need to charge the boat battery every day.  The Camp host suggested to Generator Willy he move to the section of the campgrounds set aside for electrical addicts.  One camp area allows the generator gang to run 24 hours a day.  Well the curse continues with Generator Willy and it looks like our final choice is just to move ourselves.  It is sad when one person moves in and six have to leave.

Into town and get the laundry done.   The highlight of the laundry was the gun slinger.   In Arizona you need to carry a gun into the laundry mat and the grocery store.  The puzzle is the threat.  When Kadizzle saw the old codger in the grocery store with his 45 he wanted to ask " What vegetables are dangerous?  Is it the carrots, or the lettuce?  Gun slinger came over to Kadizzle at the laundry and said he was missing a sock.  Kadizzle was unarmed and feared this could turn into the classic western gun fight scene.  Kadizzle did not know what to do.  If Kadizzle said I don't have your sock the guy might say " Draw on me".   Kadizzle then thought he might just offer the guy a sock.  The gun slinger then said "I am always one sock short when I do my laundry".   I told the gun slinger to check his feet.  Kadizzled suggested maybe he only had one foot and so he should always come up with an uneven number of socks.   This was meant to humor Laundry Tex, but the joke had little effect on him.  Kadizzle agreed to leave town and the matter was over.

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Six Tooth Philosophy

Yesterday Kadizzle got caught in a cackle storm early in the day.  The plan was to go on a cycle ride with Len, but in no time Len and Kadizzle were in a severe cackle storm resolving all issues of the universe.  Although Kadizzle tried to end the conversation and start the ride a couple times on it went.  It took three hours to get the cackling done. 

With the cackling done the motorcycle was loaded and the three of us decided to head down the Salt River to Apache Lake.  Len and Kadizzle planned to make a run up a back road and do some exploring. The Commander, after she unloaded Kadizzle's cycle went on to visit an old acquaintance on Lake Apache.

Len has modified his cycle so it is geared lower than Kadizzle's.  Otherwise the cycles are identical.  When the cycle adventure came to the first obstacle which did not take long, it was decided that Len would attempt it first.   A little overconfident, Len headed with great gusto up the hill for of pool ball sized rocks.  Len came to a stop as he spun out, and Kadizzle thought he would have to rush by foot to help Len.  Len managed to get his cycle turned around.  Next by foot, Len and Kadizzle went on up the hill and scouted.  It was hopeless and the cycle adventure had to turn back. 

Meanwhile The Commander returned to the two foiled cyclist.  The Commander ran in to two other cyclist camped at Burnt Creek.  She suggested they might have local knowledge of a good ride.  Kadizzle quickly found them and inquired about their knowledge of the area.  It turned out they knew very little.  Foiled, Kadizzle and Len returned to camp.  Somehow Kadizzle managed to have his expensive shirt blow off the  back of the cycle during the trip, so today he has to go back and find it today.

Prior to the great cycle expedition the philosopher in a tent, Gary, invited the Kadizzles for a dinner of fresh large mouth bass.  Gary hates killing anything so he wanted Kadizzle to cut the heads from the fish.  Neither Gary nor Kadizzle are great fish cleaners so together they butchered the fish. 

After the fish dinner Gary and his companion dog, Sammy, came over for a cackle session.  As usual the conversation ranged all over the universe.  If you have been following this blog, you have met Gary.   Discussing life with Gary, both Kadizzle and the commander were taken aback by this self educated man quoting Jean-Paul Sartre.  As Gary quoted the other day " The key to knowledge is doubt".   If so many people stuck in one way of thinking, a religion, politics, or whatever they believe would take a good sprinkling of doubt and re-examine their thought process, we would all be better off.  Gary is living proof things are never what they seem.

Jean-Paul Sartre

By Truck, By Cycle, By Foot, the treasure is found.

Phase two of an Indian site hunt was completed yesterday.  Phase one is getting information from knowledgeable locals.  Kadizzle found the source, and The Commander did the interview to find out where the Coon Creek  ruins might be found.

Actually finding and getting there was another matter.   Early in the day we loaded the cycle into the back of the truck.  Next we drove about 15 miles up the Cherry Creek road.   After parking the truck and unloading the cycle, we headed up the hill to seek out the road into the wilderness.  With no forest service road signs getting on the right road took some doing.   The chosen road was not the best roadway for two people on a 250cc motorcycle, but the skilled Kadizzle guided the cycle with The Commander on the back farther and farther into nowhere.   On several occasions the explorers had to stop look at the map, and argue.  The Commander insisted the sites we were looking for were one place, and Kadizzle said it was not the right place.  In several places the road was so rough and steep The Commander had to get off and walk.  At one point while The Commander was walking Kadizzle went ahead on the cycle to explore.  As Kadizzled topped a hill he saw a vehicle below leaving a primitive campsite.  In order to try to get some leads from the people, Kadizzle pursued them on his cycle.  The jeep went up an extremely steep incline with loose rocks, and the cycle could not follow. Later in the day we met the people coming back and found that they too were exploring for sites.

Reunited with The Commander, Kadizzle thought he had found the right spot to start the foot trail.  A short walk down a stream did reveal a path and the first ancient dwelling. The first dwelling was just a small cave with marvelous rock coloring.  The rock in the cave looked like rock rainbows.

Farther down the stream and below a cliff on Coon Creek we found the main ruin.   One portion of the roof was intact, which was unusual.

Next we were on to our second search of the day.   This time we went to the very top of the universe on the cycle.  On a narrow winding mountain road with the cycle straining to carry two people, we gradually made our way to a corral which would be a departing point for the hike.  Stunning views were every direction from the top of the mountain, and the view could not be captured on camera or adequately described, but it is one of the best scenic areas the crew has been exposed to.

A futile search did not lead to the ruins, and the daylight was running out, so faced with failure we headed back.  However, both members of the crew were delighted.

Yamaha exploration day

Yesterday Kadizzled hopped on the trusty steed and headed out into the desert and mountains.  In the name of the Queen (her excellency The Commander) Kadizzle sought new trails to conquer.  Tule trailhead was the fist mission. The road in looked good, but it looked like there was some flatland hiking before the elevation started.

After checking out a nice dead end road that went up toward the Arizona Trail Kadizzle came back to 449A and headed toward the Peter Bigfoot Sanctuary.  Although the first part of the ride has several miles of sandy wash the last part of the road into the Bigfoot compound is very pleasant. All of a sudden the scenery takes a complete change and you are in mountains and streams.

Peter Bigfoot has established and Oasis of Solitude.  Kadizzle rode to his gate which had a sign offering fresh spring water.  It seemed best to leave the cycle at the gate and walk the last few hundred yards to maintain the tranquility.  As Kadizzle hiked the idyllic trail he came across the firt Yurpee.  What in the hell is a Yurpee?  A Yurpee is a dwelling invented by Bigfoot that combines a Yurt and a teepee.  Going farther into the compound it felt like walking into an abandoned village.  There were dwellings and objects everywhere, but there were no people.

Finally when Kadizzle got to the large garden which is a major feature of the place he saw a woman weeding.  Then a tall woman in her forties came out of the village meeting house and greeted Kadizzle.  Eventually the conversation revealed that she was Peter Bigfoot's companion, which seemed a bit strange given the age difference.  Bigfoot is seventy.   Patrica offered or almost insisted Kadizzle meet Bigfoot.  Bigfoot was supposed to be in the orchard pruning trees, but he was no where to be found when we got there.  The trip to the orchard gave a chance to observe all the different attempts to chisel out a nirvana in the middle of nowhere.   A vineyard was along the trail and it was completely covered with wire mesh to protect it from birds.  It seemed like every tree was labeled with a large number.  In the orchard there were all types of fruit trees. 

No human habitation was anywhere near the sanctuary, and it reminded Kadizzle very much of his early days in West Virginia.  Prior to their blissful wedding Kadizzle and The Commander spent several summers in a remote valley in West Virginia at the Quinn family vacation farm deep in the hills.   Just like Bigfoot's compound Bonnyville as we sometimes called it was very hard to reach. Neither Bigfoot nor Bonnyville  had electricity.  Not sure how to spell Bonnyville,  but the idea was it was out in the Bonnies. 

As usual The Commander woke up full of piss and vinegar and is anxious to find a new hike today. 

Pinto Creek (Click on picture right away to see entire picture)

Many of the faint hearted would never have made it over the road leading to Pinto creek.  In a couple places the gravel road was washed away to the point only the width of the trucks wheels would fit as we crossed a swail on the top of a steep precipice.  After finally reaching the creek, we tried to decipher the instructions to find the box canyon we were looking for.   The directions implied you would go up the creek.  We were "up the creek" as they say, it was the wrong direction.  As we made our way back to the truck we saw another vehicle coming into our parking spot.  With great clamor The Commander got the gentleman to stop so she could ply him for knowledge of the creek.  The young guy had his two sons with him, and he also intended to hike the creek.  Luckily, he brought the computer print out with the hiking instructions.  One key thing in the instructions gave away the direction.  The instructions said the hike had a net loss of 75 feet in elevation.  That meant we had to go down stream.

Pinto Creek was on The Commander's bucket list so off we went down the creek.  Since the instructions said there was no real trail Kadizzle figured the hell with it and just started getting his feet wet walking down the creek.  Later on the way back we found a better trail that would have kept us out of the water half of the way of the down the creek.  It turned out to be a perfect day for the hike.  As we went down stream, the canyon got more narrow and the rocks in the stream kept increasing until they reached the size of small houses.  You could see that as the water sped up during floods nothing but big boulders could remain in place.

When we finally got to the narrowest part of the canyon with steep, high walls, the huge boulders just about made it impossible to go on.  There were many wonderful pools of water that would make great pictures for a great photographer with a great camera. We lacked several of the required elements.

The Commander came across the most elegant pool of water and suggested Kadizzle jump in.  The water indeed did look wonderful, but it was deceptive.  The water in the pool had a chance to settle out the cold molecules and the pool was much colder than the stream had been.  Very shortly Kadizzle realized the family jewels were in peril if he stay in very long.  As Kadizzle jumped in, he realized he could see no way to get out.  The sides were all steep.  Fortunately around the bend where The Commander was waiting to take a picture, there was a natural way out.  Kadizzle was baptized in cold, clear water,

and his sins were washed away with freezing water. 

Prester John and Magellen

Kadizzled rarely has the patience to read an entire book, but he got involved in the history of Magellan's voyage around the globe and read about half the book yesterday.  Like today the people of Magellan's time could be sold just about any bullshit story.  How the world actually worked and was laid out, and how the world was perceived were two entirely different things. 

Until reading about Magellan Kadizzle had never heard of Prester John, but in Magellan's day people believed in Prester John much like people believe in Jesus today.  Apparently embellish lying had a way of becoming truth in the old days even as it does on some news stations today.  Marco Polo claimed to have met Prestor John.   Next is an excerpt from Wikipedia about Prester John in case you want to know more:  You can skip the details if you please and go on.

The legends of Prester John (also Presbyter Johannes) were popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries, and told of a Christian patriarch and king said to rule over a Christian nation lost amidst the Muslims and pagans in the Orient. Written accounts of this kingdom are variegated collections of medieval popular fantasy. Prester John was reportedly a descendant of one of the Three Magi, said to be a generous ruler and a virtuous man, presiding over a realm full of riches and strange creatures, in which the Patriarch of the Saint Thomas Christians resided. His kingdom contained such marvels as the Gates of Alexander and the Fountain of Youth, and even bordered the Earthly Paradise. Among his treasures was a mirror through which every province could be seen, the fabled original from which the "speculum literature" of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance was derived, in which the prince's realms were surveyed and his duties laid out.^[1]
At first, Prester John was imagined to reside in India; tales of the Nestorian Christians' evangelistic success there and of Thomas the Apostle's subcontinental travels as documented in works like the Acts of Thomas probably provided the first seeds of the legend. After the coming of the Mongols to the Western world, accounts placed the king in Central Asia, and eventually Portuguese explorers convinced themselves that they had found him in Ethiopia, which had been officially Christian since the 4th century. Prester John's kingdom was thus the object of a quest, firing the imaginations of generations of adventurers, but remaining out of reach. He was a symbol to European Christians of the Church's universality, transcending culture and geography to encompass all humanity, in a time when ethnic and inter-religious tension made such a vision seem distant.

The lesson in this whole exercise is how readily people can be mislead.  Magellan's attempt to circle the globe was made infinity more difficult because myth interfered so much with reality in his time.  The amazing thing is how little has changed today.  Progress is stifled by peoples willingness to believe nonsensical lies widely held.

News from our Planet

Finally got some good pictures of Gary Vigneau our local camp scholar.  The worst curse of life in a campground is the wretched generator.  With a long weekend the blue collar crowd with construction generators has showed up.  Honda makes a nice quiet generator, but lured by the cheapness many people buy noisy generators that disturb the entire universe.  Poor Gary got surrounded by the generator gang.  Hard to understand why anyone's idea of camping would be to go to a nice quiet place and listen to a pathetic engine run.  The Kadizzles are not without sin.  This year we have upgraded to solar power, but we need more battery storage.  However, we are working toward the silence of sunshine.

The hike scheduled for yesterday never took place.  Somehow the day dribbled away.  One encounter did pay off.  In order to charge the computer Kadizzle had to read a book by the rest room which had a power outlet.  During the charging session Kadizzle struck up a conversation with a man who had grown up as a rancher in the area.  Naturally these people are a wealth of information about what is where.   The gentleman gave The Commander some great leads on Indian sites later in the day. After some conversation about the various Indian sites in the area it was discovered this man was a cousin of the Ellesons.  The Ellesons Ranch is at the head of Cherry Creek and the Kadizzles had happened on them a year or two ago with Ruth and Rodger.  They were an old couple who each had a six shooter stuffed in their pants.  At that time the Ellesons gave us good instructions to some of the incredible Indian sites in Devil's Chasm.

Today the plan is to make it to Pinto Creek.