High Winds & Dust

Would you believe that after having my RV and truck washed and waxed yesterday, I would drive into a massive dust storm in northeastern Arizona. At times, visibility was down to less than a hundred yards. Near the Utah state line, a class C motorhome was turned over on its side, presumably, by the wind. Fortunately, I had no problems.

And that fine red powder gets into everything including the inside of the truck and fifth wheel. It reminded me of Ken Burns' documentary about the "Dust Bowl" during the 1930s.

My original intent was to spend the night in Tuba City but the conditions were just too miserable so I drove on to Goulding's Monument Valley Camp Park in Utah. It's still windy but the dust is not as bad. It appears I will be rocked to sleep tonight.

Speed Painter

Video has a surprise ending...

Desert In Bloom

The past two winters I left Arizona before the cacti bloomed. This year they started early. The following photos were taken here in the RV park...

The first saguaro I have seen with blossoms

Sugar Shack

Jimmy led us to the "Sugar Shack", an abandoned cabin near the Reymert Mine south of Highway 60. Click on photos to enlarge.

A room with a view

Greg & Merry checking out the interior

Old smelting facility nearby

New Friends

One of the things that I have enjoyed most about the RV lifestyle has been the opportunity to meet and make new friends. The vast majority of people I have met have been friendly, outgoing and have one or more interesting stories to relate. Plus, it gives me an all new audience to tell my tall tales to.

The crowd your mother warned you about - the fun ones

Climb, Climb, Climb

If you are interested in doing a lot of vertical feet in a day's ride, then "No Name" and "2359" are the trails for you. Just as you think you have reached the top, you start all over again and continue climbing. Added bonus: spectacular views from the mountain ridges.

Here are the highlight photos of the day...

Natural arch

Becky & Gail making sure the mountain does not fall on the guys

Death defying feat

ORV Flag

My kind of off-road vehicle flag...

Play On Words

• When chemists die, they barium. 
• Jokes about German sausage are the wurst. 
• I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time. 
• How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it. 
• I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me. 
• This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore. 
• I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down. 
• I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words. 
• They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Type-O. 
• PMS jokes aren't funny; period. 
• Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations. 
• We are going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz. 
• I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me. 
• Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils? 
• When you get a bladder infection urine trouble. 
• Broken pencils are pointless. 
• I tried to catch some fog, but I mist. 
• What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus. 
• England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool. 
• I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest. 
• I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx. 
• All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on. 
• I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough. 
• Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes. 
• Velcro - what a rip off! 
• A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy. 
• Venison for dinner again? Oh deer! 
• The earthquake in Washington obviously was the government's fault. 
• Be kind to your dentist. He has fillings, too.