Well, we didn’t
leave today. Reports of what’s going on
back home are keeping us here a couple more days. But the thing is, my mindset
was in the ‘shut down, wrap up’ mode, thinking of what needed to be done to get
us on the road today, etc. It’s strange to suddenly change mental gears.
It feels almost like
2020 when the pandemic hit. Our reservations were through April 1st,
but when life shut down back in Michigan, we decided to stay out in Arizona a
bit longer. Everything was so unknown…the
campground felt like a safe place to while away a couple of extra weeks. The Ice Storm of 2025 has thrown me into that
same type of uncertainty, except this time it’s about waiting for the electricity
to be restored and not an unknown virus. Another difference between then and now
is that during the pandemic, life around here was grinding to a halt also. Public
spaces were closing down for safety; hiking/walking and driving around in the truck
were about the only things to do. This time, we aren’t limited to what we can
do, thank goodness. Just a matter of figuring out what that might be.
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Before we left the
camp today, we closed everything down because, starting at 1 o’clock, the wind
symbol was back on the forecast. We’ve learned to take it seriously when we see
that symbol. Also put the telescope
under the overhang of the unused 5th wheel that’s next to his
imaging area. Kim was lucky when it got blown over in the dust storm that there
was no damage…didn’t want to see if he’d be that lucky a second time.
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Two encounters of the unusual kind:
1. As we were making our way back to the parking lot, a man
approached and asked, “Would you like to pet my dog? He’s a Therapy Dog and
needs to get used to people.” Usually it’s the other way around…people ask the
owner if it’s okay to pet their dog. But as a Therapy Dog In Training, the dog has
to learn to remain calm around people as
they touch him. When I asked how he
finds situations that the dog can be useful, he mentioned there are several
groups available that coordinate that type of thing. As we walked on, I heard him approach the
people behind us and ask if they wanted to pet his dog.
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Went through Coolidge
on the way back to Picacho. Had to do an errand then we stopped at a food truck
for a late lunch/early supper. This time Ofelia’s was parked in the prime spot
by the Shope’s IGA. And they had Fry Bread tacos on the menu. Love me a fry
bread taco! Ofelia’s was a new food
truck for us and both of us agreed that
we’d go there again.
Oh, and the new
Wendy’s is open. We didn’t stop there
but Coolidge has another fast food option, along with McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and
Dominoes Pizza.
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True to the forecast,
the wind picked up early afternoon. Approaching Coolidge, we could see dust along
the horizon. Leaving Coolidge we could see dust blowing across the road in front
of us. It appeared to be blowing from the west, so I assumed it wouldn’t be a
dust up of epic proportions like the last one. The wind was heavy from the south
that time. Although maybe the wind
direction doesn’t have anything to do with how severe a dust storm becomes. I’m
certainly no expert on the subject just because we got caught in one.
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When we got back to
the camper, the wind was still strong and the camper was hot and stuffy from
being closed up. So, even though it was
cooler outside, we had to turn the A/C on to cool things down. Opening the
windows would have cooled it down faster but it also would have invited the
dust to come in and make itself comfortable on every surface. When the wind calmed down and the threat of
dust was no greater than on any other day, we opened the windows and turned the
A/C off. Not only was it cooler but it was quieter, too.
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I needed the wall
clock to be a proper timepiece until April 1st, our day of
departure. Well, it kept the correct time up until today, which is April 1st. When we got back from our walkabout at Gilbert,
it was 15 minutes slow.
Kim reset it and we’ll see how it does the next couple of
days. Easier to keep resetting it than finding another one, although I’m sure
Walmart would have a cheap clock of the size we need. But no need to spend the
money now when we’ll be leaving soon.
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A javelina squadron was
on the Nutt Rd. camera Saturday night; one javelina seemed to be nudging the
camera, one did a walk-by in front of it and three or four more were in the
background. They missed their chance at potatoes as the ground squirrels and
rabbits made short work of those.
The wind sure had the camera popping off today for no visible reason. Sometimes it’s a weed that sets it off and sometimes it’s just the jiggling of the camera. My guess is the wind jiggled the camera and poof! we got lots of pictures of nothing.
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