Little Trip to San Carlos Reservoir

 Been a long time since we 'talked'.  Lots have happened in terms of Dave's treatment. As you all know,  COVID is still going on, thank goodness that both Dave and I have been able to dodge coming down with the virus, so far.  We both got vaccinated and boosted and we have our second booster shot scheduled to get done.  Don't want to take any chances.

Dave's radiation treatment has just ended, after surgery in 2021 he had a long recoup to do.  And physical therapy. Radiation for 9 weeks (5 days a week for 9 weeks) and now we are waiting for that follow up to see how he's doing.  To say that he's a trooper is an understatement.  

2021 was a bust in terms of doing any trips.  And we are almost 5 months done with 2022 and nothing.  His energy is coming back so we decided to take a quick one day trip San Carlos Lake which is in the north east quadrant of Arizona.  About a 2 hour drive to get there, we had a picnic lunch and folding chairs ready to sit and enjoy the lake.  Pretty drive through small towns and past copper mines, heading north on State Route 77 into Globe.  We saw the charred roadside where wildfires swept thru last summer.  From Globe we headed east on the Old Western Highway, State Route 70, and we entered the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.  Traveled past 2 Apache Casinos, one outside of Winkleman and the other near Peridot. Found the exit for San Carlos Reservoir and headed south on Indian Route 3.  

Yikes!  No water.  Level is so low that the Coolidge Dam is bone dry. Dead fish lined the edge of the dam, just disgusting smell.  My first thought - this is effects of climate change and no rain for the past 3 months.  Yes, that's true but now I realize that on top of the extreme dry weather, the reservoir was drained to help with the largest wildfire going on - the Hermit/Calf Canyon fire.  As of today the fire is 40% contained, and over 315,000 acres wide.  Equivalent of 475 square miles.  And learned that Eagles Nest Lake where we camped in Angel Fire, New Mexico has also been drained.

Normally the San Carlos Reservoir has 158 miles of shoreline but we saw maybe 5 miles of it? the rest was just mud flats, and dead fish.  Can't describe the smell, horrendous!

So, needless to say we did not eat our lunch there. As we continued the drive around the water we came across some wild horses, of course they look very healthy!  And saw the charred remains of last summer's San Carlos fire.  Look like it traveled along the valley - for many miles!

 We continued  the drive around the ring road, caught up to Route 70 again, drove into the town of Safford and had our lunch at one of the city parks.

So what are our plans now that Dave's treatment is done?  We thought hard about getting another smaller RV but have decided to not do that and look into airBnB stays.  We are eyeing one in the mountain town of Greer, Arizona, which is much higher in elevation and cooler.  Up in the White Mountains.  Maybe in July or August we will head there for a week.  In the meantime, we get Dave more energized, get some appointments completed, do some more remodeling of the house (a never ending concept), and then make our reservations for a mountain get-away.  

While we sit and get things done around the house, we have front row seats to the abundant wild life.  Bobcats, coyotes, hawks, javelinas, owls, so many different birds, and first time ever - the Gila monster!

Big Changes, New Chapters to be Written

Little did we know that  when we came back in October, 2019 to Picacho Peak RV Resort, that we would  not be  going back on  the road - for YEARS!!!    COVID19 came around to everyone and we sat still in 2020, hoping and praying that we would not get it.  Luckily we dodged it even tho close family and friends contracted it  (one family member we were with last November, did come down with it the next day!) we stayed as isolated as we could.  Thankfully all those that had COVID did recover.

So - 2020 came and went.  As you know from a previous blog update, we bought a home in Oro Valley, Arizona which is located northwest  of Tucson.  Spent many dollars and much time upgrading it and getting the home  comfortable to our liking. We did think we would head out again come spring 2021 but life got in the way.

We went for our check ups to the family doctor this past fall and Dave had  to do some follow up appointments to other doctors.  By November 2020 we knew that Dave had Prostate Cancer but the schedule that the doctor set up for treatment got delayed because COVID snuck into the  practice and they shut for quite a long time.

Come January 2021 we were back on schedule to get preliminary tests done and schedule surgery which went forward the first week in February. There is a regimen that the doctor is following - recoup from surgery, get shots to stop testosterone from being produced, follow up, go forward with radiation.  But.  Follow up did not go well and we are in a waiting mode, more doctors, PT, etc.  Bummer.  

So, March 2021 we started  to discuss the possibility of selling the RV.  Why should it sit in storage for another summer, having baked all last summer while we hid from COVID?  Dave set up a Craigslist ad for the RV and within 6 weeks we had a good offer and BOOM it was sold.  The new owner should pull out for parts unknown this coming week, we will sadly say good bye to a great RV.  

Will that be the end of our dream?  Heck  no.  We will get healthy even if it takes us the rest of this year, and then we will start looking for another RV, this time smaller, and with the understanding that our RVing will be quite different than before.  We will go out for a month at a time, return, regroup, head out again.  

So, finished another chapter of our lives.  Chapter on tent camping, to sailboat owning and sailing all over Lake Erie, to living right at the edge of Lake Erie and enjoying the kayaking, on to chapter owning an RV which was a fifth wheel with big diesel truck and then changing that into a motor home.  Selling the home on Lake Erie and becoming homeless since 2009, to owning a winter home called a park model located in Picacho, Arizona, and current chapter being homeowners again.  Our next chapter will be facing the treatments and all that entails, then future chapters to be written is finding the next perfect RV and heading out again.  Stay tuned!

Wildlife and Update in Oro Valley, Arizona

When we decided this past winter to change our winter home location to Oro Valley, Arizona which is just north of Tucson, we thought by moving into the city we would lose the ability to be around and experience nature.  Boy, were we wrong!  Of course, with the COVID19 among our midst, we used this summer to work on the place making upgrades and changes.  Things we were going to do this coming winter but since we are here, lets get them done so hopefully next summer we can get out of Dodge.  

Great Horned Owl visits every night

Coyote spotted while walking around

Morning mist blankets out mountains

King Snake - a 'good' snake

Oh my!  That's rain!

The summer was horrible - we hopefully won't spend another summer here.  Record setting temperatures for almost every day in August - every day was 105 plus, nothing lower.  Night temperatures never dropping below 80.  Not fun.  We are the kind of people who like shades open to let the light in as well as having windows open.  Not during the heat.  Found by 8am we were closing the shades (windows could never be opened since it was way too hot) to make the interior darker.  Ugh.

Lizards are common

Tarantula - big boy

Pic from internet - Mexican Grey Wolf 

Another wildfire - a week ago - thankfully
put out within 3 days

Dave would go for early morning walks (out by 6am) while I did the stationary bike.  I had broken my foot in May while out on one of our morning walks, so I decided that biking was better.  When he got back, we would and have coffee on the patio out back and he would show me pictures of animals or birds he saw along his walk.

Pusche Ridge - view looking from our patio

Javelinas - view from our front side yard

Almost every evening at dusk and during the night, then at daybreak, we would hear the coyotes howling away, sometimes the pack racing by us.  The Great Horned Owls (we have seen 3 at one time) would come sit on our neighbor's chimney right across the street from us, hawks zooming in and out, so many different birds visiting the back yard, javelinas strolling by or coming onto our front porch, Mexican grey wolf strolling by, Dave has seen a number of bobcats and I have seen one in our back yard fence, snakes, tarantulas, lizards, so much wildlife here.  We never imagined this.

Quails come by to see what's to eat

Got a visitor the other night - skunk tracks

Quail - cute, very social, noisy!

So, we plod along, have done so much already inside -  things we thought we would be doing this winter, but got it done now.  Like new hot water tank, total inside window treatment, bug screens and sunscreens installed outside, all the windows were serviced - some we could not open, the pergola in the back has new drop down shades, inside completely painted included cupboards and closets, plumbing upgraded, windows replaced (inspection showed where 3 windows had failed), new ceiling lights throughout, Dave installed ceiling lights in the kitchen where there was none at all and also installed a light over the kitchen sink, new fridge and microwave, a/c checked out and tweeked, man-door in garage replaced, reinvented the kitchen closet so now it is a true pantry where before it was a catchall junk closet, garage door tweeked. I am missing many projects but you get the jist of what we have been doing - Home Depot, Lowe's and our neighborhood ACE Hardware have consumed a lot of our money!

Looking up to Mount Lemmon's Observatory - from front porch

Moon rise near Mount Lemmon

The big project Dave is working on right now - making an indoor garden with LED grow lights out of a small den. This is major - the room was originally supposed to be for washer/dryer but instead previous owner used it for a den - not big enough for a single bed, it's that small. Dave has upgraded most of the lights inside throughout the house - wiring was crazy in some rooms. We have not tackled anything outside - figured that will be our winter project - and it's been too hot to be outside.  Plans to make the backyard into a serene desert garden space.  

We were glad we were here during the heavy rains - we saw were we need to install some type of drainage away from the house in the back and direct it away.  Puddled water near the house is not a good thing.  I am sure we will be doing so many more projects - you always want to make your space your own!

Update on BigHorn Fire in Tucson

Can't believe it has been a month since the fire started near us from a lightning strike on the Catalina Mountains.  As of this morning the fire is at 58% contained, over 118,000 acres burned, still burning on the east and south of Mount Lemmon.  At one point there were over 1100 personnel assigned to the fire, not all firefighters, but in support, logistics, pilots, supply personnel, etc.  Still a lot of people.

Smoke in the distance is the BigHorn fire

Fire retardant being dropped

Every morning we would log onto the Bighorn website and hear the morning report, explaining what transpired during the night, the plans going forward for the day.  In the evening a community meeting would be held with media, broadcast on Zoom, to give a more detail explanation of the fire.  Very very impressive with the information, the level of intensity, the whole process.

Every day we would watch/hear the large helicopters taking off or landing not far from us - they are the helicopters that carry people and supplies plus dragging a bucket of either fire retardant or water up to the fire hot spots.  Airplanes of various makes and sizes flying overhead lining up to dump from their bellies.

As I sit here and look out the window, I see huge red stripes on the mountain where retardant was dumped.  Will probably stay there as reminder of the fire long after the fire has been put out.  I believe when the monsoons come - which they are predicting any day now - those rains will wash the red gashes away.

We have the Northern Rockies Incident team here, the best of the best as it was described to all.  They are part of the National Incident Command Center which is headquartered in Boise Idaho, but the Northern Rockies group are out of Missoula Montana.  Years ago we toured that facility and was impressed with the center, now they are here.  The BigHorn fire is also the largest fire currently going on in the United States.  A few days ago some 200 personnel were moved to the north east area of Arizona, just south of Canyon De Chelly National Monument where another wild fire was going on.

We continue to stay put, not going camping at all for the summer.  Today it was reported that in Arizona, the COVID19 cases is the most reported of all the states, in one day it grew 40%.  Don't want to temp fate.  It has been hot - 105 plus for the last 4 weeks, we have managed to stay inside in the air conditioning, doing projects, keeping busy.   Dave has come up with a new project - sort of a 'in-dition'.  The concept sounds pretty cool - taking a small room that was designated in the original builder's plans as a utility room where the washer/dryer was planned to be to now being used as the 'cat's room' where the kitty litter and box and their food are - and his plans are to make that room into a herb/gardening room equipped with grow lights, etc.  The rest of the place is in country motif, and that room will have a faux barn door (mainly to keep the cats out of the dirt and pots).  Love projects.

Quail

Mexican Gray Wolf

We can now add another new wild animal to our list of what we see here - great horned owls.  3 of them.  Every morning before sunrise one if not 2 are sitting on our neighbor's chimney.  Sometimes a third one flies up and one or two fly away.  Sometimes one of the owls is sitting right on top of the tree up against us, and one on the chimney and they call back and forth to each other.  Pretty cool.

We have seen a Mexican Gray wolf strolling right past us, in the middle of the road - just stares at us as it goes by. And javelinas have been at the flower pots in the front and the planters have now moved to the gated back yard where they cannot eat them.  Something - we think a coatamundi - which is a small animal with a long tail and it's ringed, was chewing on the bushes in front early yesterday morning.  Boogers.  Quails are very abundant - families with their kids come to the back yard and eat the quail food we have put out.  Cute little things with their top-knots.