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Went to Coolidge this morning to do some grocery shopping...we have a
small amount of space and find we have to shop more often. The ride served a dual purpose...get groceries
and get Mom away from camp. Getting out
to preserve mental and emotional well-being is allowed under Arizona’s current
stay home order as long social distancing is observed. Mom stayed in the truck reading while we went
in the store. Besides she’s never going
to see a roadrunner if she stays in camp all day.
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Kim switched out his scopes today...put the big one back on because he
wants to image a galaxies. The smaller scope is good for imaging nebulas. When he left tonight I asked him what his
target was going to be. He said, “Focus...I’ll
be happy if I get the scope focused.” He
assures me that before we leave here he’ll have the new camera figured
out. Hope so.
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Rode out IR 15 to Gu-atchi Trading Post.
This time we weren’t going for nachos; by the time we got back it would
time to make supper so it was just a ride destination today. Good thing we weren’t hungry because it was
closed due to COVID-19. Huh! I really thought it would be open because it’s
a small convenience store with gas pumps and every time we’re there it’s a busy
place. I read the Proclamation
concerning the Tohono O’odham Nation...Individuals and businesses were
prohibited to enter any boundaries of the Tohono O’odham Nation except those
people deemed ‘essential’. Since ‘two
friendly motorcyclists’ didn’t make the list, we were officially trespassing. Oops! Quickly drank the water I brought and headed back the way
we came.
At first I thought it meant that we weren’t allowed on tribal land at
all, meaning we were in violation as soon as we turned on IR 15. Since the road wasn’t closed at the point we
crossed onto tribal land I realized the ‘boundaries of the...Nation’ wasn’t
about driving on the road; it was about being on property that wasn’t the road...or
at least that’s what I hoped. Otherwise
we were in about 46 miles of some serious violation. Besides, wouldn’t the
agents at the border patrol checkpoint have warned us that we were trespassing?
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Oddly
enough funerals and wakes are allowed to proceed with the recommendation of adhering
to the 6 ft. social distancing norm.
Also the family has to provide hand sanitizer or have an area set aside
for the attendees to frequently wash hands. Next item on the list was that hugging
and shaking hands should be limited and then alternatives were listed: fist
bumps, elbow bumps or giving the peace sign.
Flash the peace sign at a funeral...I
like that. We’ve noticed from the
bulletin board that funerals and death anniversaries are important tribal community
functions and apparently COVID-19 isn’t going to interfere with their custom of
honoring the dead.
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On the way back there was a rattlesnake in the road...didn’t realize
what it was until we were past it. Kim got
on the radio to see if I had hit it. I didn’t think so because I hadn’t felt
anything ‘thump’ under my tire. We
turned around to go check...it was still very much alive and according to Kim
it was a beauty. We studied it for a
minute...me from farther away than Kim but then I have a good zoom lens on my
camera.
Kim went looking on the far side of the road for something with which to
shoo it into the weeds...didn’t want it to get hit. I was standing behind the bikes watching from
a distance the odd
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I kept telling Kim to keep his distance and at one point because it
changed direction, I was a little vocal in my concern that it was going to come
back underneath Flame and get Kim’s ankles.
But it thought better of that and opted for the safety of the
weeds. Whew! We’re back on the road and Kim comes on
the radio with “What you have to realize is that I was never in any danger from
that snake.” To which I countered “What
you have to know is that I really don’t believe that.” 😟
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Another 10 miles or so Kim saw another rattlesnake on the
road and wondered if it was dead or alive.
He turned around, I stayed put...it wasn’t very far back so the
communicators stayed on. I heard Kim’s
amazement that this was a different type of rattlesnake...different pattern and
different rattle. He thought I should
come see it...I turned around, parked by Flame and walked over by Kim in time
to see the tail disappearing into a hole.
So I didn’t get to see the whole snake...Oh, darn! 😏
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Realized last night that my legs
are getting reacquainted with a childhood friend...freckles. 😎 While
I wear shorts in the summer I’m usually not in the sun enough for the freckles
to pop on my legs...they usually just decorate my arms and face. I’ve been spending a fair amount of time
walking and while I try not to walk in the heat of the day it’s hard to escape
the sun...except at night and I’m not a night walker. And while I sunscreen, it doesn’t stop the
freckles, it just stops the sunburn. I've made peace with the fact that I don't tan...my skin just burns and freckles when exposed to the sun.
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Bike miles today: 134
Total miles: 2465
 |
| Saturday's route x 2 |
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