Defying Orders (1 Viewer)

[pappy]

OK, I'm a rebel, a curmudgeon, a royal pain the butt. I challenge authority. So, here we go ...

Per the New Mexico Governor: "All New Mexicans are instructed to stay at home except for outings essential to health, safety, and welfare."

Is this bending or breaking the rules? I think this kind of outing is essential to maintain my health, safety, and welfare.

​

This is a little tease. I just came home and I'm starving. Not as much this time.

 

[pappy]

Since Baja is off the table for now, I decided I needed a Sonoran Desert fix. Logistically, I had only five days. After making a hasty decision where to go, I decided to head to the Kofa Mountains in western Arizona. I haven't been there since 1989. First road I come to I'm met with this sign. Note it's a BLM sign. Crap.

I would have to double check the maps, but I think this road might have gone all the way through the Kofa Mountains Wildlife Refuge onto BLM land on the other side. But, I was burning daylight, and it was getting late. I needed to make a decision. So, I continued south to Kofa Palm Canyon Rd. I make the turn, and the road is lined on both sides with RVs. Lots. Clearly this was a camping area, but I'm not liking what I see. I continue up the road, and finally enter the Wildlife Refuge. Sign says camping permitted. The main road went up to Kofa Palm Canyon. I decide to take the smaller spur to Kofa Queen Canyon. Just as the road entered the Refuge there was a small road that looked more ATV than anything. It's on my map. It's on BLM. So I take it. After a half mile I encounter a FJC with a roof tent. I reset my trip odo and continue. Four tenths later there is a small track to a raised area. I take it, and it's perfect. A flat area of desert pavement.

Normally I look for more remote places, but this almost had the feeling of remote. At least my neighbors were tenths of a mile away, and the ones I could see were few. Normally I would pick up in the morning and move on, but I decided to stay put, for four nights. Three solid days of doing nothing except stress out if my solar panel was not pointed toward the sun. Well, almost nothing. I did take several walks to see what desert wildflowers were in bloom, and knock the cobwebs off my brain cells trying to remember what they were. Of course, I took a few pictures. But, because I didn't change location I didn't take as many.

So, off to a few pictures. Like I said, not as many this time.

 

[pappy]

Lots of cholla, so I took pictures of cholla.

This one was infected by a virus. Of course, I didn't see the alien on the sensor until I downloaded the pic to the phone the next morning. Sucks, it was a nice image.

 

[pappy]

Brittlebush. I'm amazed how far phone cameras have come.

Of course I have to include at least one flower image. Beavertail cactus.

 

[pappy]

"All New Mexicans are instructed to stay at home except for outings essential to health, safety, and welfare."

Lastly, I will argue that while I wasn't at my New Mexico address, I was home. I've decided my roof tent is an upstairs apartment, and the awning is the veranda. This "home" was equipped with a gas stove, electric fridge, pantry, running water, and because of the location I even had Wi-Fi. Plus, I had a great garden to wander into.

 

[BuckarooBanzai]

Beautiful pictures!

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.”
-Edward Abbey

I too, am a desert man.

 

[demoj]

YOU BASTARD!!! I♥U.

 

[Aragorn]

Challenging a politicians orders?!?!? You patriot you!

 

[krazykat69]

I consider my daily outdoor exercise as essential to my health and welfare. So, I do it . I avoid other people for a while, and get much needed outdoor time.. You, Pappy, are doing the same thing, only a little further from your other home.
Practice common sense hygiene in areas where a person might need to be around other people, such as gas stations, grocery stores, and they should be fine. One has to have a certain self sufficiency about them to do this well. Group activities are a different story , right now.
Thanks for the pictures and story. Looks like a nice place to hang out , for a while.

 

[alia176]

Pappy - comment regarding the solar panel aiming as the sun moves. If you permanently mount it to the top of your RTT, is that REALLY gonna stress you out because it'll be out of alignment as the sun moves?

Thanks for the pics dude, I'd like to re-visit the Sonoran desert before too long.

 

[pappy]

Pappy - comment regarding the solar panel aiming as the sun moves. If you permanently mount it to the top of your RTT, is that REALLY gonna stress you out because it'll be out of alignment as the sun moves?

Thanks for the pics dude, I'd like to re-visit the Sonoran desert before too long.

I will still carry the 45W. Thing is, the big panel is 100W. Even at 50% it's still more than my suitcase. My 45W had no problem keeping up.

 

[pappy]

Thanks for the pics dude, I'd like to re-visit the Sonoran desert before too long.

If was wasn't limited to 5 days I would have gone down to the bombing range. I suspect the population would have been real low and the possibility for seclusion is great there.

 

[demoj]

Did some wheeling before the big crackdown with my new friend....."s" in Cuba side of Jemez.
I dug her son out, twice, with a 3x5 spade... Think I am getting pretty good at recovery, thanks Jemez-AGAIN.

 

[pappy]

Back out for another few days to social distance with the cows. Chasing poppies in southern NM, followed by a butt freezing night in the Gila (21 degrees).

 

[Mauser]

Back out for another few days to social distance with the cows. Chasing poppies in southern NM, followed by a butt freezing night in the Gila (21 degrees).

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Nice pictures! We have poppies that start blooming about the end of May up here around my place. I have never seen them anywhere else.

I collected about a billion seeds last year

 

[pappy]

Nice pictures! We have poppies that start blooming about the end of May up here around my place. I have never seen them anywhere else.

Nice. As I recall those are from the eastern Mediterranean region.

 

[pappy]

Back out. Part 3. Three nights in the Cabazon area.

 

[pappy]

Two off the DSLR.

 

[evanz80]

Those turned out nice!

 

[BionicCruiser]

the Az pics are not too far from where I grew up! I am working from home, but am working pretty hard. I can't get away like I'd like, as you are. good job! I retire next year and will be doing this a lot!