Clock

Just a cool clock i found on the net!

Rovey's Needle and Cat Tail Cove with Cathy

Roveys Needle and Cat Tail Cove with Cathy

On Sunday May 24, Memorial Day weekend, Linda and I took Cathy for a little off road adventure.  We decided that we would take her to Roveys needle.  Linda had some coordinates for a trip further past the needle, and we thought we try them to see if they were accurate.

I had to put the back seat in the Jeep (it hasn’t been in since we bought it), we got some supplies and off we went.  Cathy had never been off roading before, but she said she had complete faith in our off road skills.  Boy is she trusting!

Once we got to the starting point, we aired the tires down and started on our journey.  We went up a rather large hill and I thought it might shake her a bit.  She didn’t even flinch.  She figured if we tried it, it must be okay.  We stopped at the top and took photos and showed her the cache that Linda and I planted in honor of our Dads, Allyn & Ted.

We then ventured toward the needle.  We took a different way there from the way that we have gone in the past.  It was pretty exciting, especially the climbing the hill and not being able to see the other side part.  No sweat, we made it just fine.

Once we got to the needle, the three of us hiked up to the eye.  It was cool under the rock overhang.  It is really amazing the beauty of the rock and all of its catacombs that were made by erosion.  We took a lot of pictures there.  Linda and I climbed thru the needle.  Cathy thought it better just to look through it.  I found a hawk feather on the ground and looked up to see where the hawks nest probably was. 

We took off again and headed down the trail toward the Bill Williams River.  Since it was hot, all we could think of was getting close to the water to cool off.  We drove over some really tough stuff.  At least it seemed tough.  Linda spotted me once and we got thru just fine. 

We went as far as we could go and parked.  Again the water was calling to us.  It had to be about 108 degrees and the cool water of the Bill Williams River would sure feel good.  We gathered our items and lunch and headed off toward the river.  We had to hike up 2 hills.  Once at the top, we saw that we were not going to get to the water.  If we hiked down we still had to go thru all of the pampas grass to get to the water.  A little disappointed, we found a little shade (and I mean a little) and had a great lunch of PB&J sandwiches and some cookies.

After lunch and a rest, we took some last pictures and headed back down the hill back to the jeep.  Cathy took a bit of a fall, but she was okay, just a scrapped elbow. 

We got back to the Jeep parking lot and headed back.  All of the “tough” things we encountered while going there, suddenly didn’t seem so bad.

We got back close to the highway and aired back up and headed home.  It was a fun adventure and were glad Cathy came along.  She is now a real 4 wheeler!

  

Survival Night Out - May 22

On May 22, Linda and I decided to have our survival night out in the desert.  If you’re not familiar with this scenario, we decided to try some of the survival skills that she had learned from her on line class.  And she also found new and unusual ways to cook meals.  We were out geocaching a few weeks before and found the perfect place.  It was secluded behind a hill so that you couldn’t see it from Route 66.  There were 2 mines very close to this area as well.

Since the 22^nd was her last day working before summer break, and since my sister Cathy was here to watch Zoey, we thought we’d give it a go.

We packed a few things in the Jeep and headed off.  We got there around 5pm and it was still comfortably warm.  We found our camp and began to unload the Jeep.  We set up the tent and unrolled our bags (well, it was survival with a bit of comfort, and I emphasize a “bit”).  We also brought the small camp stove rather than make a fire (Linda is great at making fires and I am the King of smothering them).    Once we were set up, we took off to look at the mines.

They were marked off and one was filled in.  The second mine close to us was partially open and you could see into it.  It was really interesting. 

We decided to go back to camp to eat.  Linda had brought foods that could be prepared in her “pouches” that she made for this.  We had “Bagsgiving dinner’ which consists of dry stuffing and powdered gravy that you mix with boiling water and canned chicken.  It may not sound like much, but it is delicious.  Linda had the vegetarian version of this meal.  We had brought minimal items with us.  After all, if you’re forced into a survival situation, you might not have much.

We took a lot of pictures and also walked up the hill to look out.  We found some rocks that look remarkably like tools, but Linda said they're just rocks.  Pretty cool rocks I think.

We went back to our camp and goofed around a bit and decided to turn in (about 10pm).  It had gotten pretty windy during the evening, and so we decided to keep the tent open for air flow.

It was a challenge to sleep with the wind blowing so much.  And were really not used to sleeping on a little foam mat on the ground with a sleeping bag on top of it.  I figured that the wind stopped at about 4am and we did get some rest after that.

I was up at 6 am to see the sunrise over the desert.  It was really beautiful.  Linda got up about 6:30 am and we had instant coffee and a breakfast concoction that she had made so we could use the pouches again.

We took a few more pictures, broke camp and headed for home.  All in all, I believe that our night was a success and that we could really survive in the desert if we had to.  We’ll be doing this again, but probably after summer when it is a bit cooler.

We headed for home at about 8:30 am and hit a few caches along the way. 

 

Havasu 4 Wheeler Peach Spring run & Company Picnic

On May 9, 2009, Nine Jeeps and one Toyota FJ with 20 members and two guests left Terribles at I-40 on a very warm, beautiful, and clear Saturday morning. We picked up another jeep with members Mike and Cathy Howe at our fuel stop in Kingman, bringing the total to 24 members and guests. There was a lot of pavement to cover before we got to the trail.

We stopped in Hackberry at the Hackberry General Store. Quite a few of our group had never stopped there before to check out all of the memorabilia that the owner has collected over the past 40 years. Everyone had a good time at the store and was amazed at all of the items that the owners had collected. Bill Mitschele took a picture of an outhouse and said,” I wonder if there’s a Montgomery Wards catalog in there”. Sure enough, he opened the door, and there it was, with pages missing!!

We continued on to the Havasu Lodge to obtain our permit (it cost each member $16.05 per person to go). I had arranged to have the paperwork all done in advance. I went in the lodge, met with Chanelle, the concierge, and paid for our group. It went off like clockwork!

We aired down and began our descent into the canyon. The road was a bit washboard, but we all made without losing any kidneys. We did stop for pictures occasionally and the group stopped to look for the actual Peach Springs. We found some burro trails but no peach trees.

Two miles before we arrived, we ran the Diamond Creek. We crossed water several times before we arrived at the bottom. The Colorado River was beautiful today, and the water was very blue.

Immediately, we set up for the cookout. The cooks, Charles Leipart, Bill Mitschele, Dennis Callighan, Bob Scholl and I cooked the hamburgers and hot dogs. Everyone brought something to share with the group from salads to desserts. Everyone had enough to eat and, of course, there was great company.

All the moms were presented a rose, in honor of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10.

When we were done, we all packed up and headed out of the canyon. Everyone made it out and headed for home.

My thanks to everyone who attended brought food to share and some extra shade. Thanks to Dennis and Charles for helping me plan my first run as a trail boss. Also, thanks to Vince and Diane Davis for Tail Gunning.