A Bike On The Boise Greenbelt

Nothing much to report today except I deep-cleaned the RV carpets (thank you very much Mr. Rug Doctor), and I biked 15 miles on the Boise Greenbelt (thank you not quite so much from my buttocks). My rather sore derrière will remind me of this ride for the next several days, but for the rest of you who are not quite so lucky I figured I would just give you a simple gallery of some of my shots. All-in-all a superb day and fabulous bike-path. It’s hard to believe this thing goes through downtown Boise…

Catalina Mountain Moods….And We Meet The Good Luck Ducks!! Tucson, AZ

Sunset by the campground

This week may possibly be the most lazy week that we’ve had since we started RVing. We have done none…and I mean absolutely nada of the many wonderful sightseeing trips there are around Tucson. Instead we have rested our padded behinds on our camping chairs enjoying unobstructed views of the lovely Catalina Mountains, sipping on selected fortified drinks and occasionally going for hikes and bikes. I can only blame our lovely camping spot….or perhaps the cats (I mean they’re always an easy out). Between the 2 days of snow and all the varied hiking/biking in the area we haven’t felt any need to get out.

The lovely Catalina Mountain Range, as seem from camp

Well, except for one time…

Outside Blue WIllow restaurant w/ the Good Luck Ducks, Annie & Roxanne

Annie & the lovely Franklin. Photo credit: Good Luck Ducks

There is really only one thing that could get us out of hibernation and into civilized company, and that is the GoodLuckDucks. I’ve been following these ladies ever since I discovered their blog on boondocking in Florida last year (and, like you, my first question was “WHO the {{quack}} boondocks in Florida???!!!”). Well these young ladies did…and have….and continue to do so. In fact they’ve boondocked their way through most of the US!

I started following them initially out of morbid curiousity which was rapidly followed by fascination and then finally got dragged into full-blown blog addiction thanks to their always unusual and quirky humour. Somehow I always end up happy when I read the Ducks….although I don’t always understand why

So we were followers and finally stalked them down like blood-hounds on a duck trail here in Tucson where we convinced them to meet us for lunch. They recommended Blue Willow restaurant and we all joined in a few days ago for a lovely afternoon of socialization and chatting.

A very unsure doggie. Photo Credit: Good Luck Duck

And success!! Photo Credit: Good Luck Duck

The Ducks won me over not only with charm but because they’ve recently adopted a stray doggie (collective “ahhh, how cute” sigh please). Having volunteered in dog rescue as a trainer for many years, and being a TOTAL sap for this kind of thing, I immediately offered up a few training tips as well as a follow-up on-site training session (I mean after all, this is WAY more fun than sightseeing). So not only have I now met the Ducks, I’ve met their clan of kitties and their lovely new doggie Franklin. He’s a soft and adorable personality, obviously with some abuse history, but with such a superb soul and finally in the place he was meant to be. The cats accept him, he accepts the cats, Roxanne & Annie love him…and he’s gorgeous. Talk about a dog finding the right owners, I tell you!

So maybe I’ll just go ahead and blame the dog now…but it was TOTALLY worth it!

Why go anywhere else? View from the 50-year trail in Catalina State Park

We roll out of here tomorrow AM where we will finally (possibly) do some sightseeing before we head further south. In the meantime I leave you with moods and shots of the lovely Catalina Range, all taken on-site during our lazy and wonderfully relaxing stay here.

Biking on the trails in Catalina SP

A late red glow on the mountains

Playing by the creek in Catalina

A lovely and inviting back-country trail

A particularly luminous sunset

A beckoning trail

Prickly Galore & Desert Adventures -> Usery Mountain Regional Park, AZ

Pretty sunset by the Cholla tree

Paul left a few days ago for Miami so I’ve been on my lonesome here in Usery Mountain Regional Park. Although I’m missing the hubby already, it’s nice to have a few days of alone time too. It’s pooch, 2 cats and a Dane loose and alone in the desert…very exciting stuff I tell you (I swear if I had a mask I could yodel “hi ho Silver” and make a film out of it), but the reality is that we’re just having some great, lazy days and taking advantage of the TON of stuff there is to do here.

Usery Mountain Regional park is 3,648 acres of desert goodness set at the western end of the Goldfield Mountains just east of Phoenix, AZ. The sites don’t have quite the majestic valley views of McDowell (the spot we stayed at last year), but they’re spacious with lots of natural surroundings and some fabulous hiking (around 30 miles of it) not too far from camp. Plus the park is conveniently close to shopping and the like. I’m pretty stoked we managed to get 2 weeks at this place.

Panoramic of the campground from the Wind Cave Hike. Lots o’ space here!

Yes, it’s me & yes, that’s my biking outfit too (and yes, those are cactus in the background -> get used to it).

EARLY morning hike to Wind Cave on Pass Mountain

Polly and I have been totally digging the trails, taking time to meander around the valley plus tackling the more strenuous ~3-mile “Wind Cave” hike up Pass Mountain to the views near the top.  The nature and views are fabulous, but one thing we’ve discovered is that we need to get our butts out early to avoid the crowds…and by early I mean around 8AM. By 9AM people start coming in and by 10AM most of the trails are teeming with hikers. It’s not too surprising I guess. If you don’t learn to hike early in the desert you don’t hike much. The heat will get you just about any time of year by ~mid morning.

But I’ve been expanding my outdoor repertoire too. Many of the trails here are multi-use so I’ve been mountain biking too!

Polly poses in Wind Cave

Now I should specify that I use that term in it’s veeeery loosest sense. I may well be the only mountain biker (in the US?) who rides the trails in hiking pants, a straw cowboy hat and slip-on Keens…this being my standard go-to outfit for just about any outdoor excursion. I may look like a redneck and, at the pace I ride, just about anyone short of the age of 90 can easily overtake me, but I sure do enjoy the time to stop and smell the cactus.

One of the ENORMOUS Cholla Trees in the park. Wind Cave is near the top of that mountain in the background.

Empty trail at ~8AM…perfect!

Which lead me to the cactus…oh yeah…there’s cactus here. Massive, stupendous specimens all around creating a near-infinite landscape of prickly galore. This is cactus country and you better like it!

The “jumping Cholla” don’t just jump here, they grow to the size of friggin’ trees and seed entire acres of desert with their deadly offspring. Saguaro’s aren’t just around here, they propagate like bunnies into “Saguaro forests” that go for miles and soar 40-feet into the air. Thankfully doggie is a well-versed desert pooch and avoids most of the traps, but hiking with a set of pliers is a necessity just in case. Oh and if you don’t like cactus pictures you may be disappointed in the blog for the next month or so….just letting you know…

Still I won’t be alone for long. I’ve already met a very cool fulltime family (Boyinks4Adventure) who are hosting here in the park, plus buddies are coming down for a long hike tomorrow. So, social activities will once again be on the agenda. Until then, I leave you with some cactus shots…..enjoy!

Cholla are almost luminous in early AM sun

One of the many cool hiking trails in the park

On the biking trails in the park

Saguaro shadow

Just another fiery desert sunset

Taggart enjoys the afternoon sun at our site

Sitting Pretty In The Big City – San Diego, CA

Our new backyard is not too shabby either

So we’ve gone through a bit of transformation which thankfully, as RVers and nomads, we are very good at doing. Departing our expansive natural digs in Borrego Springs for an asphalt parking lot in San Diego has been….well…an exercise in mental and physical adaptation. We arrived on Wednesday dusty (and no doubt smelly) from the desert and slotted back into civilization and two days of solid rain in San Diego. The hookups were a boon, as were the hot showers (although they may have benefitted our neighbors more than anything else), but the rain and the density of people took a bit of getting used to.

Sunset on Mission Bay

Parked at our fav doggie spot, Fiesta Island

We’re staying for a month in Mission Bay RV Resort which I’ve always described as a so-so park in an awesome location. It’s one of the two parks we prefer (the other being Santee Lakes) when we’re in the area. With winter low-season the park is less than half full and if you add in the decent monthly rates and the location (right by the water) it’s a pretty sweet deal. I totally dig being able to walk out the RV gate to the sound of lapping water and the sweet, salty smell of the bay. Plus there are alot of very good reasons to snowbird in San Diego.

Walking the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market with Alex & Ellen

Alex taste-tests some awesome kimchi

Despite all this it’s always weird being back in a “big city” especially since we’ve spent the majority of the last 9 months in state parks or smaller areas. I mean we started our RVing adventures in San Diego three years ago and I really do love this town, but the more time I spend in the boonies the more my longings take me away from my city-roots and back towards my nature-roots. But don’t think I’m complaining….oh no…it’s just a change is all and I am more than happy to cozy up in the RV for a month in the city. We’re here for the cats (the $8,000 cats, in case you missed the story last year), some rather exciting RV mods (more to come on this…), Christmas socializing (there are no less than 6 RV couples we know in the area) and enjoying all the food, sights, sounds and beaches of San Diego. Oh, and the young surfing dudes add a nice little extra visual bonus to the whole package.

Sunset by the RV Park in Mission Bay

Although we’ve only been here a few days we’re already well into our month of activities. The cats have already had their first vet appointment ($$$ aaargh!), we’ve taken Polly multiple times to romp around on nearby Fiesta Island (my absolute top pick of best beach-spots to take dogs in San Diego), been shopping at the Farmer’s Market (there is one every single day somewhere in this town), done a few excellent bike rides around the extensive trails in Mission Bay and met-up with our RV buddies Alex & Ellen who’ve slotted into the spot behind us.

We’ll be making the most of our month here before we (most likely) head back into the boonies….jello RV plans ya know. And of course I’ll be keeping you up to date on our various socializing dates and RV mods, assuming we don’t mess them up too much. In the meantime I’ll be hoping for sunny days, and sitting pretty in the big city.

Hiking Fiesta Island

Another great afternoon by the bay

Mountain Air, Gunslingers and…weed? (Glenwood Springs, CO)

We had a lot of expectations coming into Glenwood Springs. It’s the final resting home of notorious gunslinger Doc Holiday, is located just south of upper-class Aspen and is set in a winding canyon right alongside the Colorado river. All this we knew and were prepared for. When we arrived the glorious cliffs did not disappoint, the Colorado was roaring in all it’s glory and the glossy local magazines reflected there’s money in the place.

What we did not expect was the weed.

Slipped in amongst the historic 1893 Colorado Hotel (a favourite of President Roosevelt in his time) and centuries-old vapour caves used by the Ute Indians (now a posh spa) are over 100 dispensaries of local ganja, freely advertizing up to 50+ different strains of medicinal weed. It’s an odd mix and we can’t quite get a grip for how it happened, but I guess these parts have always attracted the eccentric.

Glenwood Springs also surprises in other ways. Despite a mere ~8,000 population it’s got the feel of a big city in a small town. There’s an active theatre scene, plenty of downtown restaurants and a local brewery. Add to that endless options of outdoor activities including hiking, river rafting, rock-climbing, biking and riding…and that’s just the summer roster. It’s a fine melange and the first place we’ve come across outside of CA where we could envision settling down. But then again, we’re a bit odd too….

Biking along the 16-mile Glenwood Canyon Recreational Trail

Late afternoon light on the mountains in Glenwood Canyon

Dandelion in morning light

Polly and Paul on the trail

"green" medicine in downtown Glenwood Springs