Return to Start Page

My good friend (and previously AJ's Scoutmaster) David Ellis is attempting to traverse the US from border to border without motors, and AJ accompanied him through part of the trek. AJ talked of hiking 11 hours through the flat top mountains in Colorado on two granola bars, a piece of black licorice, and a package of ramon noodle soup. Does that sound like fun? When they left, their return date was essentially unknown, with estimates varying between 1 month and 4 days. In actuality, the trip lasted about a week, and when he returned, AJ claimed the scales suggested he had lost 15 lbs on the trip. They had hiking, floating, and possibly horseback riding planned, but only accomplished the hiking part. Ask AJ to describe crossing the "Devils Causeway." Supposedly photos are forthcoming, but have not yet arrived.
I have found that I continue to enjoy bicycling. A couple of Saturdays ago we had planned a 100 mile ride (downhill, of course), but as it turned out, Barbara wasn't quite up to it. Instead, she picked me up after I rode to Winkleman (distance= 33.4 miles, average speed = 20.4 MPH), we went on to Globe, then around to Superior (they have a Dairy Queen there), and back through Winkleman. Behind me in this photo is the Pinto Valley Operation of what was Magma Copper Company. I don't think this was included in the purchased of Magma by BHP, but I don't know its current status. The blue "stuff" on the bicycle handlebars started life as a flotation "noodle," the kind used as a toy in a swimming pool. When I took my 800 mile cross country ride in 1969, the little and ring fingers of each of my hands became numb. The feeling gradually returned over the next few months, but now whenever I mount a bicycle the numbness returns within a half hour or so. A padded handlebar and padded bicycling gloves help some, but do not completely allay the problem. I do, however, get some "quaint" looks.
Mineralization is often associated with mountainous terrain, and the Globe-Miami-Superior-Winkleman area is a prime example. This drive took us over, through, and around a fair bit of "spectacular" real estate. I'll bet building this bridge was a labor intensive enterprise, but probably not as hard a circumnavigating the area before it was in place. How would you have like to freight supplies from Phoenix to Globe using a wagon and team of mules on the roads existing in 1880? I can just make out the old road snaking down the canyon in the background.
The Phelps Dodge mine near Kearny is also visually impressive, with overburden dumps dominating the skyline. The processes of erosion are hard at work, but accomplish their tasks over a geological time scale, so at this point, impossible slopes still exist. I think of it as "eye-candy." The main "visitor overlook" is closed (and being buried under fresh overburden) but I find this relatively small dump site to be impressive. Note the large vertical gullies.
I have always like animals, though I have enough of my mother in me to think they should live outside. Occasionally, a person stumbles on one that has unusual attributes. The pupils in this cat's eyes are round (not the usual vertical slits) and if you look closely, you can see the fires of Hell burning there. Although Barbara disagrees, I have long thought this beast needed another home. Given the fact that she can no longer jump up onto the arm of a chair (but instead claws her way up the fabric), it probably will not be long until she goes to a better place (if there is such a thing as kitty heaven).
Between Winkleman and Globe, the road passes near what appears to be a fissure, where an old ridge seems to have had its end broken off. I have often thought I would like to explore that area, but haven't until this year. Recently, I took my third trip there, this time climbing all the way to the top (a distance of perhaps 800 yards [Are you impressed ?]).
I am generally impressed by vertical real estate, and there is a plethora of it here. I wouldn't want to be a roommate to that cactus, but then I guess plants experience neither vertigo nor acrophobia. But what a view! Look Ma, no hands!
I make no pretense to understanding geology, but based on the fossils present, I suspect this point in the sky was once at the bottom of a body of water. It is not intuitively obvious which of these pieces used to belong to the same organism, but if they all came from separate individuals, there are at least 50 carcasses represented in this photo. I missed it when examining the rock, but in the photo, I noted a branched worm. Again, paleobiology is not my specialty, but I suspect that may be a tad unusual.
No "nature walk" would be complete without flowers, so here is the obligatory photo. Note the amount of pollen that has accumulated in the bottom.
AJ resents me even thinking this thought (much less committing it to paper [or the electronic equivalent thereof]), but recently my "Found On Road Dead" lived up to its name. Barbara was driving it at the time, and a "blaming festival" still holds center stage here. I have yet to determine if the problem is a cracked engine component (head, block, or gasket), or merely a blown radiator hose. I (actually AJ) removed the thermostat, thinking that an unplanned passage way between any of the combustion chambers and the cooling water could be diagnosed by observing (upon starting the engine) gasses exiting the radiator with some degree of vigor. That did not happen. What I did observe was water dripping from an area under the engine near where the lower radiator hose leaves the engine, but I have yet to determine the cause. It seems that the older I become, the longer it takes to amass the motivation necessary to lie on the ground under a vehicle. Maybe one of these days in the not too distant future (when the rains stop and the mud dries)...
On August 12, Barbara (in conjunction with parties unknown to me) arraigned a celebration of the August birthdays. We had the traditional cake with relatively non traditional candles. I thought the cake tasted good, even if Ethan was a little "wet" blowing out his candle.
Nathen likes his new trailer, and (needing to give it a little exercise) brought down a piano for Sabrina (much to Braxton's chagrin [floor space issues]). Since it was already coming, Barbara impressed the trailer into service, and borrowed some scaffolding from Glen Johnson, allowing us to put siding on the east end of the house under the eaves.
Scaffolding makes a big difference in repair projects. Trying to install sheeting using two ladders would have been as difficult as it is dangerous. As it was, the sheeting went up fairly easily (of not exactly quickly) and the finished product looks good (at least it does if you squint you eyes just right and ignore certain gaps along the top edge next to the roof [for those of you who don't already know, the fussiness I inherited from Grandma Bates is alive and well...]). The only real problem we encountered was sawdust from cutting the pressed board sheeting product getting into eyes. That was just plain nasty until Nathen found his goggles. I don't have much use for most safety equipment, but on occasion it is not only useful, it is absolutely necessary.
With apologies to Ameilia, I enjoy looking at (and photographing) symmetries in nature, and occasionally I am going to include one or two photo I find visually appealing. Wouldn't this make great wallpaper for your computer's desktop?
AJ is selling part of his paintball equipment on ebay. Nathen helped list it Saturday, and to this point there are no bids. I don't expect there will be until near the end of the auction. There are literally hundreds of paintball guns (the politically correct term is "markers") listed there. Hopefully AJ will do OK on the sale.

Return to Start Page