Sneaky Cactus

This cactus thought it could tiptoe by my place without me noticing...

Californians Adjust To New Life In Texas

Tube of Terror

While looking at videos of professional eaters, I came across the Tube of Terror Challenge where you are required to eat a tube of peanuts with a Scoville rating of 13,000,000 within ten minutes and then endure a five minute afterburn. Checkout these videos of individuals who undertook the challenge.

Purchase on Amazon

Professional Eaters

While surfing the web, I discovered a number of videos featuring "professional eaters", some of which are simply amazing given the amount of food they able to consume in one sitting. Who would have thought you could make a very good living by eating large quantities of food. Here are two channels that hopefully you will find entertaining...

• BeardMeatsFood
• KatinaEatsKilos

It appears the huge football type of eaters have been replaced by smaller, leaner individuals. I believe the thinking is their stomachs are not restricted by layers of fat and have more room to expand.

Burning Man

Burning Man is back after having been cancelled the last two years due to the pandemic. If you would like to see what is going on there this year, checkout the live webcast at http://burningman.org/live-webcast.

Having followed the event on the Internet in past years, I am always amazed at the imagination and creativity of some very talented people. If I were a lot younger, I think I would enjoy the experience. However at my age, I do not think I would like the dust, the heat and the crowds.

Back Home

I cut my Utah trip short and have returned home early. The recent rain and flooding has made a lot of the trails I wanted to run either impassible or so rough as to loosen the fillings in your teeth. I will miss the spectacular scenery...

Goblin Valley

Keith and Jayne had never been to Goblin Valley State Park, so we drove down and had a picnic lunch overlooking the "goblins". Having taken a number of photos in past visits, I did not take any in the park this trip, but did take one on the way back that I liked...

Click on photos to enlarge

While stopping for gas in Green River, we met this couple that were towing a unique vehicle to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada...

That Ford van allows them to drive around Burning Man loading/unloading passengers as they go. It has propane burners that can set the tin roof on fire which should be pretty impressive at night.

Off-road Rescue

Yesterday on our way to Fossil Point, we came across a young couple whose van was stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Even with both our Jeeps piggy-tailed together, we could not budge the van, so we took them back to town where they got a tow truck to come out. That did not work as the tow truck got stuck. Fortunately, the tow driver was able to get his brother to bring a farm tractor out and they finally got everyone out safely around 4:00 p.m. I got a nice thank you text from the couple saying they were okay and spending the night bookdocking in the San Rafael Swell.

Moab 100-Year Flood

For three weeks I monitored the weather in the Green River and Moab area looking for a good time to visit. I finally saw a forecast for sunny skies with a slight chance of rain this week. Well, the weather forecasters here must work for the Biden administration as Moab just had a 100-year flood with several feet of water running down main street. Checkout this video at https://youtu.be/qPh0TizDHJA. Clearly, this will impact our off-road exploring in the area but I am not sure to what extent. Will be extra careful and when in doubt, back out!

Update (8/25/2022): Here is a much better video of the Moab flooding - https://youtu.be/DTZEEi5Pz5E

Coal Canyon Part Deux

Keith and Jayne from the Arizonian have joined me in Green River, Utah to explore the San Rafael Swell. Today, we did Coal Canyon just east of town. I ran this trail back in 2020 and thought it would be an easy half-day ride after yesterday's long drive to get here. However, recent rains and flooding have created washouts that now require a 4 wheel drive vehicle with high clearance. Even that was not enough as near the end of the trail there was an impassible section that required us to turn around and drive back the way we came which made for a much longer trip than I had planned.

Lakeside Property

A strong thunderstorm ripped through the park yesterday afternoon, knocking out power for about an hour. The good news is there was no damage to my park model and I now have lakeside property...

Click on photo to enlarge

Postal Truck In Cemetery

It looks like they have begun delivering ballots...

Animal Cruelty

Toad Armageddon

My air conditioner creates a small pool of water as it removes humidity from the air. In as much as water is a scarce commodity here in the desert, I thought this would be a good place to setup my trail cam. When I checked the footage this morning, I was surprised and somewhat shocked at what I saw...

Here's an informative article on how desert toads are able to live in such a dry and hot environment.

Arizona Sunset

Arizona has some of the most beautiful sunsets in the country. Here's what I was able to capture yesterday evening from my front porch...

Great way to end the day

Salesman of the Year

Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, has been named "Salesman of the Year" by U-Haul...

Toad Invasion

The recent rains have brought out the toads in large numbers. I don't mind the toads as they eat insects, it's what they leave behind on the carport that's the problem.

PS - checkout this monster..

Click on image to enlarge

America's Most Wanted 4x4

For you "High Rollers" out there who want to upgrade your Jeep's powertrain or simply want to buy a new, high-end Jeep, visit America's Most Wanted 4x4.

Costs more than my Jeep

Costs more than my house

Guess I am going to have to buy more lottery tickets!

Late Bloomers

Just when I think all the cacti including the iconic saguaro have blossomed, I discover these late bloomers on my walk this morning...

I find it ironic that such ugly plants can produce such beautiful, almost iridescent blossoms.

Scorpion

When I opened my front door this morning, this was waiting for me on the top step of the stairs...

Where To Grow Old

According to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78.6 years (76.1 years for men and 81.1 years for women). However, in New Jersey the voter rolls have 2,400 registrants 105 years old or older. You may want to move there to extend your life expectancy!

SiriusXM

My new car came with a free 90 day subscription to SiriusXM radio. A couple of weeks before the expiration date, I started getting emails asking if I would like to renew the service. Each subsequent offer was slightly better than the one before it. Yesterday's offer was the best to date and included a free Echo Dot smart speaker (currently sells for $39.99 on Amazon).

I went ahead and renewed the service in part because I wanted to compare the Amazon Echo Dot to my Google Mini. I guess the moral of the story is to wait until the last moment to see if you are getting the best deal.

Free Sauna

No need to join an expensive health club for a sauna. Come to southern Arizona and enjoy the dry heat for free...

The month of May was not too bad this year, but June is shaping up to be a scorcher. Hope to be heading somewhere cooler in the near future.

Golf Course Hazard

Playing golf here at the Arizonian has some unique challenges...

Rattlesnake track across the putting area

Why?

My car is still new enough that I try to park away from other vehicles to keep it from getting banged up. Yet much to my surprise and disappointment, people will park right beside me regardless of where I park...