GSENM

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

The Little Yellow Flowers (LYFs) were doing their thang.

Saturday afternoon, 4/29/23, I drove a couple of miles into Tibbetts Canyon. It was decidedly unexciting and though I made it to The Spring...and beyond, it did nothing but convince me I no longer want to spend my days rough-riding...and Phoebe needs new shocks.

Entrance to Tibbetts

I drove Smokey Mountain Hollow road a couple of years ago and was fortunate to chat with someone who'd just come down Smokey Mtn Road. They said it was a booger-bear. Today, May 1st, 2023, my neck still hurts. 

Amangiri

Exploring Kayenta Rd for potential campsites, I reached the end sooner than expected. Not eager to return to the constant stream on highway 89, I sat for awhile, enjoying the scenery. The traffic through the electronic gate was surprising so I looked at Google Earth. And there was Amangiri. 

As I sat, a helicopter drew close, then passed overhead. I realized I was in the way and moved off a hundred feet. After it landed, a woman drove up on an ATV and officiously told me this is all private property and I needed to return to the highway. I pointed out that the road is public and asked if I could video her telling me I needed to leave. She asked why and I said, "For my attorney." She declined my request and asked if I'd like to speak to her supervisor. I said, "Sure. Whatever."

Aman fragrance

In short order another ATV came down the drive. A stocky young man, looking a bit like a diminutive IZ, ambled over and inquired as to how I was doing. We exchanged pleasantries and he said the helicopter needs about 350 yards of runway. I said I'd move. He said I was welcome to come back -- and here he paused to ask of the woman if they were expecting another flight today. When she said no he turned back to me and continued -- and camp if I liked.

I mentioned to the man my earlier expression of interest -- to the guests who had been looking over at me with mixed curiosity -- in a tour of the whirly-bird, but when he looked he said the pilot was already buckling in. No one spoke up on my behalf. 

There've been a couple of large BMW sedans, one SUV, a Volvo station wagon, but the others, around 20 in as many minutes, have been undistinguished; employees perhaps.

Shuttle

Now, after an hour or so, all the undistinguished came pouring back out. 

Who knows?

Still, it was a nice diversion from 89.

12:57 pm - Sheriff L. Cram, a nice young man, stopped to let me know they called him to come make sure I'm not a gun-toter from Arizona.

The man behind it all...

https://www.janu.com/en/our-story/vlad-doronin/

His Wiki article

Doronin is Chairman & CEO of OKO Group which developed the Una property in Miami, Florida.

And you think a few thousand fools w guns storming the Capitol are a threat? They're nothing but useful distractions to keep people from realizing there're others who really run the show.

Northward

As I was leaving the Shunpiker Camp I passed this person and gave it an admiring look. At the highway the long line of northbound traffic decided me to go back.

I bet YOU can't do this.

Resupplying In Page

It doesn't get anymore mundane. But at the Safeway bakery I needed the bread to be slices. Afterward, watching her balance the loaf on one hand while sliding the plastic bag over it with the other made the whole trip worthwhile. A performance non-pareil! 

I had beef heart to cook and Phoebe's glovebox refused to stay closed. My small propane bottles, the little green ones, had to be refilled.

I had to take the platform out to solve the glovebox....a bit of a job in itself. I got a bath, sharpened the knife, cut up the meat. Washed dishes afterward. Finally started on glovebox. Got platform in only to realize I forgot to replace floor mat. Platform back out...floor mat in.

Then into town. Walmart app doesn't correspond to store layout. Greeter finally admits she doesn't know where item to be found. Fortunately, Native American woman, an employee, seated nearby, overheard conversation and takes initiative; leads me to it.

In electronics, Walmart manager explains online prices are cheaper than instore. I pointed out I set the app to instore availability. After about ten minutes and mentioning I was gonna contact Corporate, he relented. I saved $3.00 on can of compressed air needed to save laptop keyboard. (Electronic devices and sand don't go together well.)

At Safeway, Customer Service couldn't sell me a roll of quarters (needed for water dispensor). I asked for $2.50 worth and gave her a five. She gave me $2.00 in quarters and three ones. I had to ask for another dollar's worth. She sighed. 🧐

Gas up the hill - from the highway -- is 20¢ a gallon cheaper. I'm going across the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Last time Phoebe had to be carried the last 15 miles at a cost of $300. At the shop they couldn't figure out why the secondary belt wouldn't stay on. I came back to ABQ and Daniel diagnosed the problem. I've forgotten how much it cost but he was amazed I made it there.

Navajo Mountain

Jerome to Page & New Boots

We started atop a pass nothwest of Jerome leaving camp at an unheard of 9:45 a.m. I usually have breakfast around then. We arrived Williams at 2 pm.

I shot from the car. I didn't want to get any closer.

In Flagstaff I picked two thriftstores to look for boots & discovered, after feeding the meter, the first was closed. The next had nothing but there was a nearby Goodwill. Goodwill's prices seem high to me, but they had the goods. Timberland Mt Maddsen size 13. Big enough to handle the edema. $25.00 for a $120.00 shoes; twice what I wanted to pay. 

The 125 miles acrosst The Rez can be intense. The highway, paved a few years ago, is already worn out. Even when it was spanking fresh there were alot of Whoop-de-dos and bumps. It's the traffic though, that does it. It's a constant stream until you get north of The Gap; and everyone's in a hurry. The speed limit is 65 and you take your life in your hands if you go any slower; people will try and get ahead of you at the least opportunity and even when there's LESS.

But at 5 pm in Flagstaff I could feel the effect of having gone from 4400 feet to 7,000 in elevation and decided it had to be done.

I got to camp a few minutes after 8:00 at a BLM site just inside the Utah state line. 3 hours tuh go 125 miles. A veritable land speed record!

Ankle support, fairly stiff sole for stability and waterproof! We'll see how they wear.

Utah!

HUURRAAAYY! cried the children (excerpted w/o permission from Dav Pilkey's *Captain Underpants* series.

Kaleohano - IZ

I refer you to this post on *Lady Margaret's curlers.* But the link (on her blog) that caught my eye was to this video...

The description below was written by the fellow who put the video on Youtube, MrSrabago.

if anyone is interested.. this was IZ's last live performance. The 3 who came up on stage to his right, was Moon (brother-in-law), to his left were members of the Makaha Sons (the Koko brothers). They were on no speaking terms since IZ's departure of the band and start of his solo career.

The Hawiian in the audience that was shedding tears that they kept panning to is Keali'i Reichel. This was a historic night in Hawaiian music as the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau finally reach reconciliation with braddah IZ.

I'm too young to remember this, but my pops, a Kanaka, 3rd generation, born and raised Lahaina says that this night was more memorable than his wedding night.

           ------ END -------

Kealiʻi Reichel, is a popular and bestselling singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, chanter, scholar, teacher, and personality from Hawaiʻi. He has spent his life educating the world about Hawaiian culture through music and dance.

Kanaka - Native of Hawai'i

Lahaina - The largest census-designated place in West Maui

Translations of IZ's songs. Kaleohano is #4.

https://web.archive.org/web/20091026161743/http://www.geocities.com/~olelo/iz-themanandhismusic.html

WSJ - April

There was a time, at the beginning of my career as a marketeer, that I tagged myself as an Ad Man.

I learned paste-up and layout (using hot wax adhesive), design, copywriting, editing marks from a female master.

To this day I admire the art of attention getting. The ad for the DBX707 drew me in, but it was the online presentation of the Valhalla that held me.

Have FUN with the various color schemes, the rotating view and watch what you get when you tap the small icons in the lower right of the image.

https://www.astonmartin.com/en-us/models/valhalla#

And then, three pages over...

Cliffs of Sedona

What with the Boomers trading their homes for RVs, the myriad van-dwellers, people living in their cars, truck-campers, Overlanders and other assorted flotsam, the hills are alive like carrion w maggots.

Thay's them, the cliffs,

in the background

Airing the Quilt

Forest Road 525 takes the brunt of the onslaught. Two years ago I slipped into a bumpy little slot in a junction from where I watched the parade. See blog:

https://newmexnomad.blogspot.com/2021/11/sedona.html?m=1

This year they, the Forest Service, outlawed dispersed camping and created large holding areas where everyone is forced together cheek-to-jowel.

The hippie buses are trapped between forty-foot motorhomes that're wedged between pannier-laden overlanding moto-guzzis that're stuffed betwixt sedans of varying vintage, some with missing windows, no plumbing, not even psuedo, and throughout are all the rest in their AWD cars w rooftop tents out for a weekend or short vacation. It's ALMOST worth charging admission.

I've been at this long enough to have my own places. But they too are getting crowded. Today I drove 40 minutes instead of twenty and came home to a hilltop with a view of the main attraction, but far enough to obscure the swarming teems.

As always, the picture just serves as a reminder. There's no camera that can do it justice. A beautiful nail-paring of a moon gleams from nearly straight up.

Secret Benefactor

Food City in Cottonwood, Arizona has panela cheese, block-cut monterey jack and beef heart. Most of its patrons are Spanish speakers and the conversations in the aisles and the mothers' directives to the children are in that language. There's a calmer "vibe" to the place compared to Fry's, another grocery chain where mostly English is spoken; people shop instead of grab-and-go.

Returning with my purchases of all of the above, I noticed an anomoly on Phoebe's window sill; it looked like money.

Sure enough! Two five-dollar bills tucked in. Their multiple crinkles across the short side suggests they may have come from a change purse rather than a billfold.

Kindness and largesse elicit deep feelings of gratitude in me. I'm reminded of those summer days decades ago, when, out in the middle of Kansas on I-70, a car would pull alongside, I was driving my 1950 Buick hearse, and someone, with a smile, would hand out a lit joint. 

Resistol - $15

My maternal grandfather was a surgeon at Ft Bayard Hospital down the road from Silver City. When he died

of a heart attack at age 55 it was said you could've eaten off the motor of his Cadillac.

Suddenly without income and quite poor, my grandmother, my mother and her brother went to Memphis, Tennessee. 

I never found out why they went there, but Mom told how they, Catholics, were turned away by one charity after another until finally St Vincent D'Paul helped them.

Now, over seventy years later, the legacy of their largesse prompts me to go to their thrift stores first. In need of shirts and boots, I couldn't pass up this Resistol "cattleman" in my size for $15.00.

This is the third application of the Meow Wolf logo. Using my best British accept to mimic Ringo in Yellow Submarine, I go around saying, "Eye've gawt a hōel in me head."

They, St Vincent D'Paul, are in Cottonwood, Arizona.

Dominion Wins Suit Against Fox News

In a break from my stance of apoliticalness, here's a link to a National Public Radio article about Fox News settling out of court with Dominion Voting Systems. In so doing, Fox avoided a media frenzy and further loss of credibility...as if they ever had any.

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/18/1170339114/fox-news-settles-blockbuster-defamation-lawsuit-with-dominion-voting-systems

Dominion Voting Systems CEO John Poulos, third from right, leaves with members of his legal team, including Davida Brook, left, Justin Nelson, third from left and Stephen Shackelford, right, from the Leonard Williams Justice Center in Wilmington, Del., shortly after Dominion reached a $787.5 million settlement with Fox News.

Alex Wong/Getty Images
As you may be aware, defamation is RARELY litigated as the laws are such that it's extremely difficult to prove. The fact that the judge recognized several counts against Fox should give the reader an idea of their level of egregiousness.

Camp Verde - A Memento

Intimacy

Thrill-Rider

Li'l Yellow Flowers (LYFs)

Daniel Chamberlin

https://danielchamberlin.com/?page_id=4

(You may have to sign in or create a Wordpress account. Aside from the inconvenience, it's benign)

https://danielchamberlin.com/?page_id=850

Daniel Chamberlin
untitled (lead glance) (2020)
digital photo collage
8.5 in x 8.5 in

untitled (lead glance) (2020) is a collage of photographs of galena crystals. The work represents the tangible vibrations of terrestrial radio: Waves transmitted through Earth’s atmosphere for anyone in range to receive.

In 1894 Indian physicist Jagadish Chandra Bose was the first to use galena – a common sulfide mineral also known as lead glance – for detecting radio waves. In the 1920s this technology was adapted for crystal radios, simple unamplified receivers that played a role in the popularization of broadcast radio. 

This collage was created with photos of galena crystals taken by mineral collector Rob Lavinsky (iRocks.com) and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. This work is offered under the same Creative Commons Attribution terms.

This image was created for the 2021 Indiana Public Radio calendar.

Interesting essay (in my, MFH's, esteemed opinion)

More...

TRANSMISSIONS

Daniel's substack profile

Crowded

No sooner had I shut off the motor at 7 pm than someone started shooting. It was hard to tell how close they were but I decided to take the hint. Besides, the highway noise was too loud.

I scouted two other places; they were all full. Turning into my last-ditch effort, it was nearing last-light as I headed down a rocky trail away from the near-highway-horde. About a mile out I came across an intrepid in the nice spot next to the juniper; we kept going.

A half-mile later we were crawling up the far side of the valley avoiding the gulley that'd formed where the road used to be. At a breather spot I switched into 4 whl low and we commenced to climb. It's true, I'm a lightweight when it comes to four-wheeling but I've had one passenger get out and walk when I KNEW we were okay. Still, I don't have the cash for a rescue or breakdown so I drive accordingly.

We came out onto the sweetest little grassy hilltop since Heidi. And it wasn't occupied.

Camomille

As we all know, camomille is supposed to calm the nerves. Unfortunately, it's never held appeal, though I sure could've used a calmative. The place was swarmimg, SWARMING I tell you, with ATVs and shootists.

The first set showed up bright and early at 8:30...a mere 200 feet away! To get revenge I got out the accordion. Thing was, it sounded pretty good. I suspect I was more surprised than they, but it worked; they soon left.

Too exhausted from the excitement of Phoebe's repairs and meeting Sherry in Benson to contend with the onslaught, I put in earplugs, took off my clothes, except for a white shirt to protect from the sun, and ambled up the hill across the way (see video. Fear not, I'm not in it.).

That held 'em off for awhile, but once back at camp I was no longer so obvious and it wasn't long before another batch showed up.

Finally, around 4 pm, with them blamming away, I managed to pack up and leave. They tell me on Tuesdays and/or Wednesdays I'd likely have it to myself.

The View From Above

Chitina or Bust

In Wager With the Wind: The Don Sheldon Story, it's told how Don took his new bride to Chitina because it embodies the beauty of Alaska.

Reading about Don inspired me to think about visiting Chitina. And now that Canada is open, my having only gotten one of the two-shot Moderna doses is no longer an impediment.

Looking ahead, I googled Chitina which led to Spirit Mountain Artworks which led to Art's jewelry site on Flickr. It's some of the most original work I've seen and as of today, April 14, 2023, has only had 837 views.

Tapping either of the images below will take you to the site.

Phoebe is now feeling better than James Brown and tomorrow, after collecting mail in Sahuarita, we can head north.

Phoebe's New Knees

Mr. Tadeo called 'em "half-shafts." I referred to 'em as CV joints. $520 including a $40 tip.

Some years ago, back when I could amble to the tops of hills, I discovered an amazing echo. Like the Lost Dutchman Mine, I've not been able to find it again, but I've kept trying.

This attempt had me closely scrutinizing the topo map to see where it might be. But standing in the road looking up, I had to acknowledge my days of ambling "uphill" are over.

It's a bit of a trek from Douglas to the National Forest and whoever owns the land is adamant about keeping people off; it's posted all along the 10 miles or so.

I camped next to a corral -- in the National Forest -- only to have the rancher appear, on his side-by-side, out of the dark. We exchanged pleasantries though it took a few seconds to assimilate his pronunciation of "water," which, when I asked, he clarified with, "a pipeline." He'd been unsuccessful at repairing a tank's plumbing and commented that the store was two hours away. After expressing my sympathy, we bid each good evening.

In the morning I noticed anothor of the odd lugnuts. Without the means to remove it and being out of range of roadside assistance, I, like the rancher, had no choice but to return to town.

Mr. Tadeo explained how these odd nuts have a cover that sometimes falls off when subjected to the torque of a pnuematic wrench. I 'splained how "I didn't do it!" in my best 8-year-old voice and as with the whole car, I got taken to the cleaners.

I found Joey's cat in an alley. I've always enjoyed alleys and went down this one to get to The Blueberry Cafe.

Trump's Wall Pt II - Naco, AZ

Notable as the location of a contingent of Buffalo Soldiers, I was amused, though I'm not sure why, by the new sign in Spanish.

The other info-boards extoll, though almost too faded to be readable, the virtue of preserving this remnant.

In recognition of the futility of

the effort of keeping 'em on their side,

the fort was eventually closed.

Brian A. Terry was a Black man. I've yet to ferret out who made the decision to name the station after him, but he was killed while President Obama was in office.

Between the two walls

Brian A. Terry

Border Patrol Station

Why Two?

Why ONE?!!!

Tough Steel

The Kretinizer

 

Use only as directed...YAH!

From one of the guys that did Negativland.

Mark Hosler, one of the creators of Negativland, speaks about the lawsuit by the band U2

https://youtu.be/J2h1TOfeVFA

Trump's Wall

Heckle & Jeckle just came by. They'd run up the mountain -- an increase in elevation of 1500' -- across the top of the ridge & were making their way back down. Hearing them blathering away, I was awestruck.

They cautioned me that I'm in a high risk area where groups of evil men running fentanyl would see me as a "picnic basket." 

When I pointed out The Wall, they slavered in delight at its 380 miles and lauded the man for having done more than anybody before to keep 'em out.

I'm just not fast enough to say, "Except the groups of dangerous fentanyl runners, eh?"

But they were all good cuz, and he patted his shoulder harness affectionately, they have guns. 

Initially, I was so impressed I'd asked for their photos. After five minutes I realized they were pathetic and was glad when they left.

That dark line running from the upper left toward the center of the image is it.

Bisbee

We came here together the first time on February 22, 2018.

On February 18, 2020, the manzanita were blooming and the odour was almost cloying.

Today, April 9, I'm by myself. I was lucky to find a small spot next to the road; all the others are taken.

We're, Phoebe and I, enroute to Tadeo's Auto Repair in Douglas. Phoebe has a torn CV boot and may need new brake pads.

Intimate Pleasure & Procreation Day

IP&P Day! A celebration of enthusiasm & fecundity as exemplified by Rabbits.

On Morning Amble

It was around this time, in the northern hemisphere, when people recognized the arrival of spring. Unlike christians, many enjoyed multiple intimate relations and celebrated the natural attractions and new growth everywhere seen in nature.

Rabbits have, for eons, been revered for their amazing procreativeness. Below is an excerpt from this article....

A single female rabbit can have 1-14 babies per litter, but let's be conservative and say that the average litter size is six. We'll also make the assumption (remember, this is all hypothetical) that only half of those are females, and we will calculate the potential fecundity of our bunny population only from these hypothetical three females per litter, since females are the limiting factor in a population when it comes to making babies. We're also assuming no mortality, since we're talking about potential reproduction with no set environmental carrying capacity. (Since a rabbit can easily live seven years and beyond, this isn't unreasonable.)

From ABQ yard

Rabbit gestation lasts 28-31 days, and 31.581288,-109.523916 they are induced ovulators, mother rabbits can be impregnated again within minutes of giving birth. This means that mama could, hypothetically, have one litter per month if she is constantly with a male rabbit. (Poor mama!)

If our "starter bunny" begins reproducing at six months of age (again, not an unreasonable estimate), and has babies for seven years, then by the end of the first year:

One mother rabbit x 3 female babies x 12 months = 36 female babies (plus your original mama makes 37) Let's add the new babies to the reproductive population at the beginning of the following year. At that point, their average age would be six months--the time of their first litter. (This works if you consider this to be averaging the new females' reproductive output.) If--starting at the beginning of Year Two --each of the Year One female rabbits produces an average of 3 female offspring per month, then by the

• End of Year Two:
  37 mother rabbits x 3 female babies x 12 months = 1332 female babies
  (plus your original 37 will equal a total of 1369 total)
• End of Year Three:
  1369 mother rabbits x 3 female babies x 12 months = 49,284 female babies
  (49,284 + last year's 1369 = 50,653 total)
• End of Year Four:
  50,653 x 3 x 12 months = 1,823,508 female babies
  (1,823,508 + last year's 49,284 = 1,872,792 total)
• End of Year Five:
  1,823,508 x 3 x 12 months = 67,420,512 female babies
  (67,420,412 + last year's 1,872,792 = 69,293,304 total)
• End of Year Six:
  69,293,304 x 3 x 12 months = 2,494,558,944 female babies
  (2,494,558,944 + last year's 69,293,304= 2,563,852,248 total)
• Year Seven:
  2,563,853,248 x 3 x 12 = 92,298,716,930 female babies
  (92,298,716,930 + last year's 2,563,852,248 = 94,862,569,180!)

That's nearly 95 billion female rabbits in seven years!

Remember that we haven't even included the males. On average, there should be as many males born in each litter as females. We didn't include them in the multiplication, since "it takes two to tango". But each year, as many males as females are born. So that adds up to another...

• Year Two: 1332
• Year Three: 49,284
• Year Four: 1,823,508
• Year Five: 67,420,512
• Year Six: 2,494,558,944
• Year Seven: 92,298,716,930

Add that to the females, and it means that first mama and her female descendants will have produced

184,597,433,860 rabbits in seven years
END OF EXCERPT

-------------------------------

Big Rocks

Though "making like rabbits" was once a popular phrase, these days, with 9B humans and a doubling rate of somewhere between 20 & 40 years, it's hopefully about the pleasures rather than making more humans.

It's spring! Let the festivities begin!!

Image co-opted from HERE.

Greta's Earth Army

 

On the left is owner-builder

Greta Thunberg's Wiki.

New Stove

The wind was fierce, but despite its roar I heard the crash. I pulled over and gave Phoebe what I thought was a thorough look-over. It wasn't until the next day's morning coffee that I discovered the stove, formerly lashed atop one of the roof boxes, was no more.

As part of my hope-springeth-eternal aspiration to do some overnight backpacking, I'd bought a small single-burner. I retreived it from the pack and have never looked back. (Rolling Steel Tent also uses a single-burner.)

It does just fine as long as I don't need the hashbrowns to be ready at the same time as the eggs.

$22.00...check it out. With two adapters for differing kinds of fuel bottles.

Gotta love the Chinese...making $2.50 an hour?

Wild Mechanicing Pt. II

See previous post for Preamble.

Around 1pm, prior to jacking, I tried loosening the lugnuts only to discover someone put an oddsized one on the right front and me without a spoon.

At the Autozone in Green Valley we found that not only was it odd but it was cross-threaded. And once the kind young man with a bag of personal tools got it off, there was no way to put another on...the stud needs replacing. 

Back at camp intending to do the brakes I discovered someone had tooken the rocks I collected to chock the wheels. They'd kindly left the 4 x 4 though. This being an erosional bajada, the only rocks are out on the main road where the grader leaves a few.

Back with chock-rocks, I jacked her up to realize I've completely forgotten how to do it.

While puzzling, I discovered a torn boot that looked like it was (had been) protecting the CV joints...WAY beyond my ability.

A call to Tadeo's in Douglas let me know they're closed tomorrow for Easter but they can look at it Monday. 

Thinking to take the scenic route from I-17 through to Alto and thence to Patagonia, I went south to Elephent Head road (paved road with turnoff to Whipple Observatory). Maps led me toward Whipple and FR 149....which goes to Alto. It's dirt and not as bad as some, but more than I want to subject whatever that boot was protecting to.

So now -- at 5:25 -- it's back to Sahuarita for tonight. Then out to I-10, east to Benson, then south to Tombstone, Bisbee & finally Douglas...139 miles.

So much for Wild Mechanikin'.

The longer days are making it easier.