Spotted my first bear

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Getting settled into job

I am finally getting into a good routine with my camphosting job. My day is busy but I am able to schedule all my duties without killing myself. I make 2 rounds of each campground checking to make sure everyone has paid and are in their correct sites. Then there is 2 pit toilets per campground that must be attended to. Also each campsite must be cleaned and raked after each camper leaves.

But Washington is so beautiful and it makes my job so much better. Everything is really green up here and when there is no rain it is fantastic. It is so nice to be parked here for the entire summer.

Hi Yogi

I saw my first bear while driving on the road just about a 1/2 mile from one of the campgrounds I am responsible for. He/she was going up a ravine just to the side of the road. I didn’t have my camera handy so couldn’t get a pic. Bummer! I am sure that is not the only bear I will see up here over the summer.

I did come within 10 feet of a deer and he did not appear to be the least bit frightened of me. He just strolled off into the bushes.

Checked out a forest service road

There was a forest service road across from one of my campgrounds so had to see where it goes. I get a lot of hikers wondering where are some good hiking trails so I do my best at finding the trailheads just off of forest service roads. This one was just a one lane dirt road that lead way up the mountain.

I followed this road up about 3 miles where the road ended. The scenery was magnificent.

Relaxing in the sun

This is Chica’s favorite spot. She loves laying in the sun.

Weekends are busy

On the weekends the campgrounds are almost full. This past weekend was a free fishing day. Not sure what that meant but there were certainly a lot of fishing people. Then on Sunday night everyone goes home and it is usually slack through the week. However July 4th is approaching and it should be very busy.

New Jetpack

I just upgraded to the latest hotspot Millenicom offers in the hopes that my connection would improve. I had one of the very first hotspots they sent out. It was a Samsung and there was another upgrade after that which I didn’t get. Using my sleek I do have 4G occasionally but not very often and sometimes even the 3G was quite slow. Not enough to upload pics. I will find out later if there is an improvement.

Mono Lake

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Windy morning

I got up this morning to a lot of wind. I checked the weather and it was blowing 10-15 mph. I was debating whether to stay or head out into the wind.I checked the Weather Channel and it said windy today and windier tomorrow (15-25mph). If I stayed here I would need to stay two more days. I needed to get a few items at Walmart so packed up and headed to the Walmart in Ridgecrest, CA. The wind wasn’t too bad so decided to head out. My destination was Mono Lake where I know a great boondocking spot.

There were a few times when the wind got very gusty, but overall it was OK.

Stopped in Bishop

I had to stop at the Schat’s Bakery to pick up their famous Sheepherder’s bread. However they were completely sold out. BUMMER!!! Instead I got a loaf of Sourdough Rosemary bread which I am sure will also be very delicious. I couldn’t wait so just buttered a slice and it was really yummy.

Mono Lake

I am boondocking in the same spot I had when I came up here in 2012. It is a great spot overlooking the lake.

This is a pic of some of the beautiful wild flowers growing right outside our door.

Some pics taken in different directions surrounding our campsite.

There is still snow on the surrounding mountains as we are up 8,000 feet. The temp is supposed to get down to 35 tonight so Chica is already warming up on my jacket. Looks like we will run the heat tonight.

Chica’s Birthday

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Chica’s Big Day

Yesterday we celebrated the day that Chica and I first met each other. It was on February 25, 2013 that we both came into each others’ lives. Since that day we have traveled in 2 countries, 2 provinces, and 10 states and almost 10,000 miles. We have been in 100+ degree heat in Libby, MT and -4 degree cold in Fernley, NV. But it has been a wonderful experience for us both. Her she is trying to play with her friend Elvis.

I bought a big cupcake for her and we lit the one candle.

I’m not sure she knew what was going on but she was sure hamming it up for the camera.

Then I got the presents out. I am not sure she is too keen on a new collar, but I’m sure she will like it better then the one she has. She also got a small beaver and a small ducky. She really likes both the beaver and the ducky.

It was really a fun day.

Produce Stands

One big advantage of staying in the Yuma area is the great produce stands they have. We got to going to one that was not too far from us and had very fresh produce and really good prices. I didn’t really stock up as I wanted to cook it when it was really fresh. So I might go into town and stop here on the way home. This one was located on Hwy 95 just south of 7E.

Martha’s Gardens

A couple days ago we all piled into Jim and Gayle’s car and decided to check out Martha’s Gardens. They have all types of dates there in many sizes of boxes. It was very nice with lots of places to sit and eat.

However they were very expensive so we decided to buy dates at the smaller produce stand shown above. The dates there were very good.

Yuma Water

The water we got from the RV park was not very tasty and we heard that water in the area is not really good. That must be the reason that you see water stands everywhere throughout the Yuma area. Normally you get 5 gallons for a $1. We even found one stand where you get 5 gallons for $.50. What a bargain. Here we are getting a supply of drinking water.

Jim, Gayle and Debbie depart

I have had a wonderful time with Jim, Gayle and Debbiie. Thanks so much for showing me such a great time. Chica had a great time with Sophie, Elvis, Rupert and Elliot as well. They left this morning for more adventures in California. Chris and I are left. I have a couple more dental appoints the first week in March and will probably head to Phoenix/Mesa area the second week to meet up with my son and attend some Spring Training games.

The weather here has been fantastic since I arrived here on the 3rd, however it is scheduled to rain this weekend so that will help keep the dust down. It should also bring out the desert flowers. I will take a few hikes before leaving to get more pics.

Wild Horses on White Mountain

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Picked up prescription at Walmart

I made it into Rock Springs and located the Walmart via my GPS where I picked up my prescription. I also want to get my RV serviced as well, but the place was closed. I didn’t want to spend the night in the Walmart parking lot as there were many big trucks and RV’s already parked there.

I checked my GPS and found a BLM area about 15 miles west of town. I recently downloaded the complete list of campgrounds located throughout the US. You can purchase and download the complete list for only $6.95 at Ultimate campgrounds. I downloaded it and added it to my POI’s in my GPS. Now it will show me everything in a given area.

It sure comes in handy while you are driving and need to know where a nearby campground is located and how to get to it. I have also added the rest stops, Walmarts, and Diners and Drive-ins to my GPS as well. I would highly recommend doing this as it makes it very convenient.

Anyway I decided to camp in the White Mountain BLM area so followed I80 west a few miles then took 53 north. You are soon on a good gravel road that continues up and up. I finally reached a plateau where I was nice and level so made it my home.

The next morning I got up and took a hike around the area. I didn’t realize how high I had climbed but this next pic shows the railroad and I80 in the distance. You can’t even see the cars.

The next pic was taken with my telephoto lens.

Here are a couple of pics showing the surrounding scenery.

Wild Horses

There are wild horses in the area and I was lucky to get these shots of them. Most were taken with my telephoto lens.

Fantastic clouds and sunsets

In the afternoon the huge clouds would roll in. A couple times I got big raindrops but never any measurable rain.

The sunsets were also spectacular.

I spent five days up here on the White Mountain BLM area and would have stayed longer had it not been for my running low on water and the grey tank almost full.

I saw many cars pass through and some even stopped near where I was parked to take pics of the scenery. One family even had a flat tire on the road right in front of me and I helped them change the tire. They were from Luxemburg, Germany and had already been through Yellowstone and the Tetons.

I will be leaving here to head back to Rock Springs to get my RV serviced and then head on over to Saratoga, WY where I have my mail being sent.

Pawdicure on the way to Gros Ventre, WY

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Chica’s Pawdicure

After leaving Riverside campground we headed to Idaho Falls, ID for a couple of things. I had to stop in Walmart to pick up a prescription and supplies and Chica needed a pawdicure. She last had her nails trimmed in Mesa, AZ shortly after we found each other.

They were getting too long so we headed to a Petsmart where you didn’t need an appointment. I also mentioned in my last post that she was going to get her teeth cleaned. That was wrong. She was only going to get a breath freshener. Here she is waiting to get her nails down.

Am I next Dad?

It took quite a while and two people to complete the job. I don’t think she was too happy at the time.

I thought this was a pawdicure not a two-on-one wrestling match

On to Gros Ventre

After the pawdicure and the stop at Walmart we made the drive to Gros Ventre campgrounds. It is northeast of Jackson, WY. I figured I may be able to fill up with propane there. No way Jose! Jackson was slammed with lots of traffic, both cars and campers. I decided to head on out to the campground as I had enough propane to last me a few days.

John and Linda had talked to the camp hosts and they were reserving a spot right next to them. The cost of camping here is $21 per night, but only $10.50 with the geezer card. This is a bit more then I have been paying, but they have the beautiful mountains and lots to do as well. It is really a great bargain.

The next day John and I drove into town to fill up my 5 gal. tank with propane. On the way we saw this herd of bison crossing the road. They had been down to the river and were no heading up to graze. Needless to say it stopped traffic.

Kayaking on the Snake River

The following day seven of us decided to go kayaking. It was a long drive to where we started and we had several cars. It was really great fun even though I started off facing the wrong way in my kayak. DUH!!

This is where we put into the water.

John and Linda with all the inflatable kayaks blown up and ready to go.

This is John and Linda on the water.

It was a great time and it gave me a chance to practice my kayaking skills. ???

Farmer’s Market in Jackson

The next day was spent checking out the fabulous farmer’s market in Jackson. John and Linda drove me around Jackson and we walked around the downtown area. The farmer’s market was held in a park downtown.

The entrance to the park was made entirely of antlers. How cool!

Let’s Party!!

On Friday everyone got together for a party with lots of great food and conversation. We invited the camp hosts in our campground as well as Shannon, who is another camp host at Jenny Lake. She and I worked together at Amazon last winter and saw each other at Apache Junction last spring while she was camped there. It was really good to see her again and we had a lot of catching up to do.

After dinner, we all sat around the campfire and Ally roasted marshmallows and made us all Samores. It was a great time. I also saw Tony who I had also worked with at Amazon.

I plan to stay at Gros Ventre until after Labor Day. There is lots of great things to do here and terrific friends to do them with.

Beginning our journey north

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Meeting friends at Salida, CO

My next stop was Salida, CO where I will meet up with John and Linda and caravan up to Baker City, OR for a rally there and then begin our Canada adventure. I had a bit of trouble finding the place John had designated to camp and eventually meet, but a couple of calls to John straightened me out. It is the Arkansas River Recreation Area and runs all along the Arkansas River. Here is my no hook-up site.

I was watching out across the river and spotted this car driving near the railroad tracks. I thought it a bit odd since it’s trunk was open and it had a Dominoes pizza delivery sign on top of it. There was a guy walking along the tracks guiding the way and several people in the trunk dangling their legs out the back just enjoying the ride. Maybe he was delivering pizza to the railroad. HA!

Here is a pic of the sunset that night.

John and Linda meet up

The next day John and Linda came down and they treated me to a great pizza at Amico’s in town. That pizza is soooo delicious.

Then we took off and our destination was a winery at Palisade, CO. We had to go over the Monarch Pass. It was 7 miles going up and 9 miles going down. Very slow going both ways. I took this pic at the summit which was 11,300 feet.

It was pretty smooth sailing once we got over the pass. We stopped at the American Legion Memorial Park in Gunnison, CO for lunch and to let the dogs run. It was a beautiful day.

Final stop

Our last stop of the day was at the St. Kathryn’s Winery in Palisade, CO just outside of Grand Junction. It was a beautiful winery and after the long day some wine tasting was in order. They had some really great wines.

Then we pulled up our chairs and had wine and cheese. Thanks Harvest Host for finding us this great spot to spend the night.

Long day…

It was a long day but it was good. Tuesday we will have even a longer day driving, but then it will be some short days after that. Our goal will be to reach another winery outside of Santaquin, UT.

Love Trader Joe’s and the Apple Store

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Off to the Apple Store…

I entered the Apple Store on my Garmin and it said it was about 16 miles from the Enchanted Trails RV Park. I had scheduled my appointment online for 2:00pm. I got to the store at 1:00pm so I went to the Genius Bar hoping they could take me sooner. No such luck. They are very busy and told me to come back closer to the time I had scheduled.

The Apple Store is located in a very high class shopping area know as Uptown. Lots of very expensive stores. I did find a Starbuck’s and stopped in there for a coffee and “Very Berry” coffee cake. Then I just walked around until my appointment.

The Apple Store is really a very friendly environment. I walked to the back where they checked me in and then they found a seat where I could sit until they could wait on me. They had all my information regarding my speaker problem with the phone. Within a few minutes I was showing another guy my phone and he was writing all the information into an IPad. Stuff like what I had done to see if the speaker would work, etc.

He took my phone and said they would check it out in the back and replace the speaker if needed. He mentioned it could take about 25 minutes. Within 10 minutes he was back with my phone and demonstrated that the speaker now worked. GREAT!! I can now hear when someone is calling me. That is what a phone is for, isn’t it?

They were very professional and when I asked if there was any charge he said absolutely nothing.

Trader Joe’s in the same shopping center….

I walked out to my car and happened to notice a Trader Joe’s on the other side of the parking lot. I haven’t shopped at a Trader Joe’s for a long time and had to go.

I usually buy my groceries from a list that I create on my IPhone. Whenever I think of something I immediately write it down. I usually don’t buy anything else unless it is on the list. It usually keeps me from overspending.

However I only had a couple items on my list when I entered Trader Joe’s, but went ahead and shopped the entire store and bought my items that weren’t on my list. I love eating seafood and if you check out the seafood in Walmart it is rather bleak. Most times I usually buy any seafood from a good grocery store instead.

However, I did see some great seafood items at Trader Joe’s that I just had to have. That and a packet of sushi that I used to enjoy many years ago. I had the sushi for dinner that night. YUM! YUM!

I also bought my favorite Italian Roast coffee. I used to drink this coffee for many years before fulltiming.

Very windy…

The rest of the day was very uneventful. I was glad to get home after shopping as the wind was blowing very hard. New Mexico winds can get rather gusty at times.

Billy as in Billy Goat…

When Jim and I went 4 wheeling in Rockhound State Park he suggested a name for my Suzuki Samurai. He said it was just like a Billy goat since it could go just about anywhere. So Billy it is!

My Lazy Daze “The Breeze” as in the song by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Billy. That sounds cool. They make a great pair.

Will leave here on Saturday…

Saturday we will be heading north. I didn’t want to travel on Friday because Amazon will be calling for my interview. I missed the last time they called because my IPhone speaker wasn’t working and didn’t even here the call. So they rescheduled it and I really need to get it right today.

I am leaving in the morning and found a Harvest Host winery that I can stay at for the night just north of Albuquerque. Harvest Host offers many great places to stay like wineries, farms, and orchards and it doesn’t cost anything. These places are located in every state even Canada and Mexico. They don’t have hookups but with solar panels who cares anyway. Besides I need to try a different wine for a change.

Visiting the Gila Cliff Dwellings

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Guard the rig Chica!

I left Chica in charge of guarding the rig while I made a visit to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. It is only 26 miles from our campsite, but it was all mountain driving. I stopped along the way at an overlook and took the following pics. The area is really beautiful.

I stopped at the Visitor’s Center before heading up to the cave dwellings. I always like to get the history of the area first and see the many displays they have. They had a show film on the history which is a must see. The Visitor Center is rather small but very nice. I took a couple of pics of their displays.

Then off to see the cave dwellings.

The Gila Cave Dwellings were free to those like me that have the Geezer card (America The Beautiful Senior Pass). That card sure has saved me a lot of money!

You cross a bridge over the Gila River and head up a canyon that leads to the caves. You will cross many of these small bridges as you continue to go up in elevation. Then you reach a rather steep spot, but it is still easy going and then you reach the caves.

There is an easy path to follow from cave to cave. Some of the smaller caves were probably used by a family. There are also rangers at the caves that can answer any questions you might have.

There are also steps you must climb and ladders to descend to move from cave to cave.

It is really interesting to see the many rooms the Mongollon Indians who inhabited these caves built. The rangers pointed out many of the rooms used for storage and living.

This is the view looking out to the other side of the canyon from a couple of caves.

The entire tour of the cave is about a mile. It wasn’t difficult at all except for carrying the camera. There were only a few people on the tour so I pretty much had the place to myself.

Beautiful Mountains…

I stopped at this place on my return and took a couple more pics of the mountains. I bet it would really be neat to travel through these mountains on a horse. I did see several corrals while traveling through here.

Chica did a good job.

Chica was really glad to see me. I think she mostly sleeps while I am gone, but who knows. She was a very happy girl. We went for a walk and I told her all about the cave dwellings, but all she wanted to know was where was her dinner.

Camped at Walmart in Silver City

I am camped for the night in the Walmart parking lot in Silver City, NM. I was thinking of traveling the 130+ miles to Rockhound State Park, but we had already traveled down the mountain which took over an hour of very winding roads. That plus the wind was really blowing so we decided to hunker down in Silver City instead.

Early start tomorrow…

I hope to get an early for me (HA!) start tomorrow and head south. I just hope there isn’t too much wind.

Gila National Forest

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Boondocking in the Gila NF

I left Deming and headed north to Silver City. I have never been there so wanted to see what it was all about. My trusty co-pilot Chica decided she wanted to do the driving for a change.

I decided that this time I was not going to let Chica lie in her bed unprotected while I drove, but put her in her carrier instead. You would think I was killing her the way she screamed. She yelled at me most of the way to Silver city although there were some times that she must have realized that I wasn’t going to give in and decided to sleep instead.

I stopped at the Gila National Forest Ranger Station and inquired as to where we could camp. They suggested a few campsites about an hour from Silver City in the mountains. That sounded good to me so I headed up there past Mimbres, NM and pulled into the Sapillo Campground. It was all primitive sites but there were outhouses and water available.

I found a nice site and we stayed there for the night. It is a beautiful area among the Ponderosa pines.

A trip to Roosevelt Lake

The next morning I decided to check out some of the other campgrounds close to here. I unhooked the Sami and headed off. I didn’t take Chica because I new I wasn’t going to be gone too long. It was only about 3 miles to the Mesa Campground where they had electric/water sites. The place was packed and it was not the place I wanted to spend the next couple of days. Plus it is not on the lake so that was out. The second campground was called Land End. It was nice but the remaining few campsites were not very level. So I guess we will stay where we originally stopped. Besides the price was right and the campsites were very far apart with lots of Ponderosas everywhere.

Before heading back I turned into the boat launch area at Lake Roosevelt. There were quite a few fishing boats on the lake and several people fishing from the shore.

On the return trip I stopped and took a couple pics of the beautiful rock formations. They were really magnificent.

Moved rig to a more level spot…

Upon return I decided to move the rig to a more level campsite. Chica and I went for a good walk in trying to locate a better site. We finally found a nice spot and moved everything over to it. It is a nice spot and close to a trailhead where we plan on hiking.

No Internet or cell phone service

The park ranger in Silver City had told us that there was no Internet or cell phone usage where we were going. I even turned on my wifi booster but still couldn’t get any connection. Thursday night I got out my Kindle Fire and did some reading. It is really quiet out hear at night. During the day there is a group with some ATV’s but they do not really bother us.

Friday night I decided to hookup my Satellite TV and see if I could get any reception. I am in a small clearing and it is surrounded by tall Ponderosa pines so I didn’t think there was too much chance I could get any reception. But it was amazing that I was able to get a lot of channels. I couldn’t get all the channels and some of them were not HD but I could watch a movie at night. By the way I do not have the dish on the ladder as I normally would. I do not want to travel with it up there and even though it is rather lightweight it is very awkward going up the ladder holding that as well. So I laid it on the ground.

Since I don’t have Internet I am writing this post and will upload it when I move.

Staying for a few days…

I will be staying here until Monday and then maybe head over to see Old Town Silver City. Then I am going south to Rockhound State Park where I will meet up with Jim and Gayle of Life’s Little Adventures. I plan on spending a few days down there before making my way to Elephant Butte State Park outside of Truth or Consequences, NM.

Below is a view taken on a short hike from our campsite.

Chica loves to go on hikes and is very curious about all her surroundings. I would love to let her go off leash, but am concerned about any other dogs or other animals, even hawks overhead, that might look at her as if she was their lunch.

Life is good!

I am camped in a beautiful location with my “best bud” Chica. The weather is perfect and we have enjoyed many short hikes around the campground. Then when I am kicking back I can enjoy reading a good bock with Rascal Flatts or even Mark Koepler playing in the background. I was also able to watch the Masters Golf Tournament. It just doesn’t get much better then that.

A visit from my son

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Jim Melvin

My son stops in for a couple of days…

My son Curt is traveling from California to Texas and stopped in to see me for a couple of days. We went out to dinner at Gordon Biersch Brewery in downtown Tempe. It is a great restaurant overlooking Mill Street.

We also walked around the Mill Street?University Drive area. It was a great place and lots of people out.

Off to see the MIM again…

He hadn’t seen The MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) so I suggested we go there on Tuesday. We spent most of the day walking around this fabulous museum. They have an “Experience Gallery” where you can experience playing the many instruments they have on display. Or should I say trying to play them. HA!! It was a lot of fun. Here are several pics from the Experience Gallery.

While there I found several things that I had not noticed in my prior visit.The first was instruments made out of cans.

Bamboo

and even a brake cylinder. It is amazing the different instruments that people use to make music.

I can’t imagine paying $27.45 for this organ, but back in 1902 that was probably a fortune.

Gourmet meals in the MIM cafeteria…

After touring the museum we were hungry so stopped in their cafeteria for lunch. What a pleasant surprise. The lunch was all gourmet meals. I couldn’t believe it. Someone had commented on my previous post about the delicious meals so I just had to see for myself. What a pleasant surprise. Of course I had to have a Monkey Shine ale to wash it down!