January 2019 – 2DogsTravel.com

Madd Jax. And Charlie Does the Unthinkable

Dec 30th. It has been getting into the 30s.at night and a strong north wind has been blowing. I decide a day in town is in order to get out of the dust, cold, and wind so the boys and I leave the cleanup camp and head to Blythe, just across the Colorado River from Ehrenberg. I get the oil changed in MissAdventure and do laundry at Madd Jax’s place. Madd Jax has a mean streak in him; his establishment is equipped with a pay toilet. Drumming up extra business that guy is.
At Smart and Final I score one of the two last grocery carts to be had. As the power doors swing open to allow me and another gal into the store I casually mention , mostly under my breath, to get ready, this is going to be hell. She hears me and agrees as someone behind us sniggers and says, “Yep”.
The Chiweenie Brothers, of course, are left in the van, and they have their paws full keeping everyone away from their home with fierce, loud, vicious barking. They are sleeping by the time I get back to the van. Poor tired little guys. Being guard dogs is hard work!
To top off a busy week Charlie B did the unthinkable. New Year’s Eve morning while making coffee and still half in a coma, I hear a whirring sound and can’t place it. I keep hearing it off and on, then nothing. Charlie is doing something in the front of the van, and I feel I need to see what it is. I pull back the curtain that separates the cab area from the back of the van. Charlie is worrying something, and immediately picks it up when I pull back the curtains. When he drops it I notice a long, slim, tiny bill. It’s a hummingbird. Oh no, Charlie!! Oh nooooo. I am devastated, but I can’t be angry with him; he’s just being a dog and doing what dogs do. All I can do is silently encourage him to HURRY UP and get it over with.
The cleanup crew plans a big party for tonight. I decide I want sleep and to get away from the dust instead and we move a few miles down the highway to Tom Wells Road. Goodnight.

Photos from our stay near Bouse. Gosh, I forgot to put these in the Christmas post.

dsc_0090sunet bouse blm camp

dsc_0088luscious sunset cloud color from the east as the sun sets
Happy New Year! Hugs, Shawna

Christmas, BLM Land Cleanup Gathering

Dec 25th. Today I stayed in my jammies all day. The boys and I are in a nice boondocking area near Bouse. No cell service here, so I called family before Christmas. Plan on spendng Christmas with the ancestors organizing the family files I brought along and making a list of what I will work on this coming Friday when the Bouse Genies meet.

On Saturday The Chiweenie Brothers and I head for Ehrenberg where we meet up with the group from freecamping.net who have organized a trash clean up event on BLM land nearby. One large dumpster container (the biggest they make) was filled the first day and another one has been brought in. There are piles of stuff to burn as well. How sad that people can’t be responsible and remove their trash. It’s even sadder that they are so lazy they can’t be bothered to take their garbage to any transfer station in La Paz County which are FREE. Rumor has it that the couple of old motor homes that had been left behind were meth labs, so that explains a piece of it, but not all of it.

dsc_0101trash dsc_0106trash heap at ehrenberg az cleanup event

dsc_0098rigs at the cleanup in ehrenberg

Just a few workers remained when this shot was taken. Many left when inconsiderate ATVers refused to slow down passing the encampment and not once but many times left the area shrouded in a blanket of choking dust.

During a walkabout after several hours of picking up trash I find some rock art

dsc_0097rock art, panda

dsc_0095rock art, heart

dsc_0100quartz art, ehrenberg az blm land

And beauty amongst the trash, this bird enjoying the bounty of the desert

dsc_0102bird enjoying some winter berries

Thanks to freecampsites.net for organizing this cleanup. It was an honor to be a part of this event.

Thanks for stopping by 2 Dogs! Hugs, Shawna,

CURRENT READ: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman

Boondocking Bouse

Once we leave Fortuna Pond we head north toward Q. Things are going to start getting crowded once Christmas is over and I am not interested this year about fighting the crowds. Not even sure I want to attend the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) as it gets bigger and bigger every year and the information dispensed is pretty much the same: How to boondock, how to care for the land, tips and tricks on living in small spaces, and traveling full time.

I drive right through Q and continue north on Hwy 95. At the Bouse shortcut road, La Plomosa Rd, we head east and into town where I purchase some food items, get water and ice with the general plan of staying out in the desert over Christmas. I do come back into town for the Bouse Geneies’ meeting and spend a lovely morning and early afternoon with the group of genealogy buffs. The Chiweenie Brothers enjoy off-leash dog park time.

Purple Mountain Majesty as the sun begins to set

DSC_0087Dramatic Red Sunrise in Bouse Camp — Sometimes they’re dramatic

DSC_0125Moon Set Dec 23ed — Sometimes they’re soft

DSC_0100Moon Rise with Tree Branches — Moon Rise

DSC_0097Moon Set Camp Near Bouse — Moon Set

And there are always pretty rocks to be found. More, I think here, than near Quartzsite where everything seems to be picked over.

DSC_0126Rocks Found Near Our Camp 4 Miles from Bouse

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs, Shawna

Ch, ch, ch, chhick …

At least that’s how I think one would spell the sound of the tiny ratchet wrench the implant doctor uses to set the molly screw-like pins into my lower jaw after drilling two tiny holes. Once that’s completed Dr. Cochran sets my crowns. It’s interesting that the zirconium, unlike porcelain crowns, are adjusted by grinding off the top rather than removing the crown and taking off product from the bottom, putting the crown back on and removing again if it isn’t right. This process goes so much faster. And, according to Dennis (the dentist) I can now chew nails! ;-).

Richy takes me over to the pharmacy and I get antibiotics, pain killers, some ibuprofen, and a bacteria killing mouth rinse. All that is left is to return next fall to have the crowns put on the then healed bone. If it weren’t so dang hot here in June they could do it then as the bone will have filled in and anchored the screw within six months, but it is too hot and The Chiweenie Brothers can’t be left in MisAdventure in June!

Leaving Los Algodones, the boys and I head back north with a friend we met in Q and ran into at the dog park in Yuma. Ann has two pups and is living in her Rialto. She’s from Nebraska (and a very interesting person if I can get her to let me post about it!) and never wants to go back. She wanted to cross the border with us, so now we are headed to Fortuna Pond where she will catch up with us there after she resupplies.

DSC_0039Sunrise Over Fortuna Pond — Sunrise over the pond

Fortuna Pond is on BLM land and is a small fishing pond for locals. It’s a bit tropical looking with sunny spots on the north side and shady spots on the south side, a few palm trees, and lots of green reeds. Guess which side we choose? *smile*

As we are walking around the pond and pass a passenger van I hear, “Shawna, is that you?” What the heck? A small woman with short black hair and a wiry little tan colored dog walks around the front of her van, extends her hand, and introduces herself as Sherry.

“Sherry! I know you! Through the blog! How nice to meet you in person!” I tell her. It always astounds me to cross paths with a reader. It will be fun to get to know her.

DSC_0054Blue Heron at Fortuna Pond — Heron with sun gilding the tops of the reeds. Love this shot, but wish the blue heron had been clearer

Love this camping spot! I will be back before this winter is over.

Thanks for stopping by 2Dogs! Hugs, Shawna