My Journey

Dougnuts.....Whenever I hear Kentucky I immediately think of lush green pastures, wood rail fences, and sensational race horses. What a beautiful place it is. Thanks for the offer. Also, I've noticed that you've often "liked" my posts and thanks for doing that. I see it as someone saying thank you.....

JD.....thank you. We hope you have a great 2019 as well !

Having now been in and around Lake Havasu City, Arizona for nearly 3 weeks, and not traveling, I thought I might share with you some "short stories" of our life here.....

For the past 2 weeks we've been camped west of town legally (I purchased the permit). Most days an angry, bald headed white man will come by multiple times honking his horn, hanging out the window screaming, patrolling the area, sometimes telling people to leave as he seems to believe that camping is not permitted here. One morning while having my coffee he stood outside the camper screaming profanities towards me. He reminds me so much of the angry, bald headed white man that beat his dog in Colorado and returned the following day with a gun. I've called the sheriff several times, as have others camped here. If I quit posting, Google "drive by shooting Lake Havasu City, Arizona" and you'll know the end of this story.....

Then there was this 73 year old Vietnam War Veteran that I met while walking along the canal near the London Bridge. We walked together for a bit and he told me a little of his life story.....

View attachment 491086

He told me that he met his wife over 50 years ago, had known her for only 3 weeks when they got married, and his love for her is just as strong today as it was back then. He's a father, a grandfather, and a great grandfather that has survived (or as he said many times "I beat it !" ) cancer which he says is the result of being exposed to Agent Orange during the war. And lastly, he said "I want to spend my last days of life making people smile and making them happy". It certainly worked for me.....

He also told me that his dog owns 63 pairs of sunglasses and never leaves home without a pair.....

View attachment 491087

One day while walking in the desert I saw this guy riding his horse and I thought what a wonderful photo opportunity.....

View attachment 491088

The following day we crossed paths outside of Walmart and he happened to recognize Tanner from the previous day, so we talked. We chatted for just a few minutes but what an interesting story he had (or so I thought anyhow). He also was a traveler passing through but he's doing his travels with his horse and 6 dogs. He went on to say that he's also taking care of his friends dog, so 7 dogs in total. Maybe getting another Golden Retriever pup in April isn't such a crazy idea.....

View attachment 491089

I recently found a new spot near my campsite that makes for great hiking and birdwatching.....

View attachment 491090

It's probably a bit less than a 3 mile walk to the shores of the Colorado River from my campsite.....

View attachment 491091

And I sure do love my latest find. Here in the desert you hear the near constant roar of ATVs and motocross bikes, but once you enter the wilderness area and drop down to the shoreline of the river all becomes quite.....

View attachment 491092

I remember this past summer listening to the waterfowl on the Eastern Shore and remarking that it was like a symphony. This hidden spot is much the same as it too is filled with many varieties of birds. And I love it here.....

View attachment 491093

The weather continues to be unsettled, the winds are strong, temperatures have fallen, and it's cold.....

View attachment 491094

Wishing everyone (including the angry, old bald headed white men) a peaceful and healthy 2019.....

View attachment 491096
Not that you were soliciting "Likes" here, but I have really enjoyed reading about you adventures and as a newer member didnt know that we could Like a thread or post.... "Liked"
 
Greg.....the like thing came up with the new software that XP moved to.....

Rocky Mountain Rider.....yea I just wanted to pass out the acknowledgement. There's some good people that participate here on XP. Thanks for the positive feedback..... I really do appreciate that.....

I had a plan in my mind when I posted several days ago saying that I would tell some Lake Havasu "short stories" but all my plans changed last night after I flagged down the angry bald headed white man and we had a chance to talk in person. We spoke for about 15 minutes, he screaming the entire time, me keeping my composure and speaking softly.....

20181231_085301-1600x1200.jpg

He told me of moving here 30 years ago and he spoke of the natural beauty of the desert that he enjoyed for years, just a few miles walk from his home.....

20181225_091631-1200x1600.jpg

20181227_121129-1600x1200.jpg

He told me that there was a time when he loved to come here and walk in the barren desert. He loved the plants and the flowers that grew in the dry sand.....

20190101_154730-1200x1600.jpg

20190101_154515-1200x1600.jpg

He said that the wild burros once roamed this area but they all are gone now. And he said that he'd see the coyotes and the foxes out hunting for the rabbits and the rodents and he just loved it. He said that most of them are gone as well, now replaced by ATVs and motocross bikes, and of course RVs.....

20181230_135550-1600x1200.jpg

20181230_155040-1600x1200.jpg

20181230_155221-1600x1200.jpg

He said he loved the sound of the wild burros and the howls of the coyotes at night. He said the sounds have been replaced by the sounds of the ATVs, the motocross bikes, and the generators that run all night in the RVs.....

20181222_154046-1200x1600.jpg

20181222_154045-1200x1600.jpg
 
Last edited:
After seeing the Desert Kit Fox that night, I found myself on the internet wanting to know more about them and their lives in the desert. One thing I recall reading was that they're an endangered species and I remember reading that one of their biggest threats is man and his off road machines crushing their desert dens.....

20190103_082448-1200x1600.jpg

I'm not sure if these are Desert Kit Fox dens but what I do know is that they were made by a desert animal and that there were maybe a dozen holes crisscrossed by motocross bike tracks.....some were crushed in for sure.....

20190103_082523-1600x1200.jpg

Twice while walking in the desert during my 2 week stay I saw a lone coyote.....once on an early morning walk and once on a late evening walk. Those were special moments for me and I truly love to see any and all wildlife. Even the footprints of the coyote is a thrill to me.....

20190101_155603-1200x1600.jpg

As the angry bald headed white man screamed at me I began to see the madness in his rage. This was simply a man that could longer deal with the destruction.....the only thing that this man had in common with the dog beater in Colorado was looks and rage.....

20190103_084154-1600x1200.jpg

The desert that he once loved became nothing more than a playpen for man's toys. Our seemingly innocent trespasses and tracks in the sand had become this man's agony.....

20190103_090209-1600x1200.jpg

There's a fence that separates this area from the wilderness area and beyond that fence, into the wilderness area, it's simply amazing.....

20190101_153346-1600x1200.jpg

This is where the coyotes retreated to when I saw them and one can easily see why.....

20190101_153555-1200x1600.jpg

Here you get to see what the angry bald headed white man wanted to see in his recently lost desert.....

20190101_155036-1600x1200.jpg

I get this guy 100 percent now. I apologized for being a part of the mess that he must live with daily. He called me a "migrant" and I guess in a way he's right. I'm able to drive away while he's left to deal with this huge man made mess that we've made.....

20190101_150020-1600x1200.jpg

I told him that I'd leave in the morning and that's just what I did. Tanner and I took one last early morning walk in the desert.....and then I heard the sounds of the angry bald headed white man as he passed with hands pressed to the horn of his pickup truck. This is his battle.....

The winds blew strong the last 5 days I spent there. One thing I noticed is that the blowing sand quickly replaces the tracks of the off road vehicles. Wouldn't it be nice if the wildlife came back and the plants sprung back to life so quickly.....

20190103_084859-1200x1600.jpg
 
Last edited:

wolfgang92025

New member
Change is hard.
30 years ago he had his own private space and loved it. Ease of travel off-roads, better equipment and ability to get the word out about special places has changed the game.
Man has always been hard on the environment. That is why I get have a hard time understanding why the Utah legislature is so against the FED trying to protect public lands.
God only knows what it will look like in 100 years, but I am not encouraged.

BTW, love you travel log and your travel companions.
 
wolfgang.....thanks and yep I agree change can be tough.....

UHAULER.....I don't know the answer.....that's for sure. I'm just simply a storyteller here.....

20190105_073216-1600x396.jpg

There was a trailer camped in the same general area in which we were camped for the past 2 weeks, and over that period of time that I stayed there, I had talked with the owners quite often. On my last night there I asked the woman why she had 6 metal cages outside her trailer. She said that she trapped foxes and bobcats and said that she collected their hides. I asked her why and she said "I just like them". I asked her how she killed them and she said "I shoot them in the head. That's the only humane way to do it, but some people prefer to just snap their necks". I thought I was going to vomit.....

20190105_072518-1200x1600.jpg

This will be my fifteenth year wandering around.....

Screenshot_20180604-105930_Gmail-1600x778.jpg

And things have been changing.....or maybe it's me that's been changing......but maybe not.....

20190105_105443-1600x1200.jpg

I feel like I've seen big changes in attitudes and behaviors these past few years (just look at what's happening in our National Parks with the federal government shut down). Or maybe it's just that this lifestyle has become so popular.....the RV manufacturers selling record numbers of recreational vehicles year after year....and maybe there's just too many people in this game these days for my likings.....

20190104_074453-1600x701.jpg

The past few days have really had me thinking.....

20190104_170814-1600x418.jpg

It might be time to double up on my efforts to find a small cabin in the mountains along the river.....

20190104_114156-1600x488.jpg

Maybe I've just been on the road a bit too long.....

20190105_073012-1200x344.jpg

I always check out Driven To Wander's blog on XP (their recent picture of the waterfalls in Patagonia is sensational) and I follow their travels in South America https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/driven-to-wander-vancouver-to-patagonia.168481/. Maybe I should unload this rig and replace it with something smaller, and head south as well where I'll find that sense of adventure that I crave.....

20181231_134547-1200x1600.jpg

The screaming bald headed white guy sure got me to do some deep thinking. It's good to have moved on.....one thing about this lifestyle, you definitely live one day at a time.....

Screenshot_20181122-185211_Gallery-1600x778.jpg
 
Last edited:

Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
I know a few people who have done the PanAmerican, you would love it I believe. Patagonia, is unbelievably beautiful. So much out there, to see. I have only flown in and done parts, but enjoyed Mexico,Columbia, Argentina and Chile. There is a good group of people on the road, and they are all willing to help one another out. If your thinking about it, attend NW overland rally, you can listen to those who have done it, meet them, and ask lots of questions, network. Also a really good FB group, for pan am travelers. You'd be fine in you truck and camper, it has been done it larger and smaller rigs. I could put you in touch with a few people if your interested.

My brother did all of it in his truck and camper, and then part by motorcycle with me. A great resource, among others. His blog Runningfrommonday.com

There are also those who have done it with their dogs, and have first hand knowledge of how that process works.
 

GregSplett

Adventurer
Things have changed immensely in the last fifteen years. The internet more exactly the speed and ease that information can be shared and made available. We are doing it right now. Growing up here on the Olympic Peninsula, I used my longings and maps to explore. Now I watch the local hiking communities website to see what of the last of secret spots have fallen. It is just a lot easier now so more people are doing it. I miss wondering. finding a paper map, loading up the rig and lacing up the hiking boots to go find out. Now I can just google it in my underwear. Is what it is and I am very thankful to have known life before Al invented the internet and after.

I got my internet ******** chewed the other day.I Commented to our local backpacking community that I was happy that a certain Olympic national forest service road was still closed.It washed out, four miles from a very popular national park entrance fifteen years ago. In that four miles was a forest service campground a beautiful section of the Dosewallips River. My reason for being happy it was still closed was that it was not getting trashed and covered with human waste like the rest of the forest here. The people that had to get out of there cars and hike in to appreciate this area did not trash it. I was told by the professional internet arguers that our forests were not getting trashed. Made me wonder if that they believed this and if this was the new norm for them.

Why am I not surprised that a man who climbed all over the Andes is bored with exploring the states and needs a bit more of that something something?
 
PNWY.....thanks for chiming in and it is always appreciated, and I always enjoy your friendly input. But as I've spoke of in the past, I've got a fair amount of experience traveling in South America. I've hitchhiked across Venezuela and Colombia, I've traveled from Panama all the way to Chile (but not Patagonia), I've lived for a stretch in Ecuador, I've climbed in most of the Andean nations, including Argentina. Your post got me to thinking about my modes of travel while I was there.....as best I recall they include but are not limited to foot, horse, car (in the 70's we traveled in a Defender that people here would have absolutely loved.....camped under the stars), van, truck, buses (from old school buses filled with farm animals to some fairly nice ones), train (from Cusco, Peru to Machu Picchu on the hard bench train with more farm animals !), kayak, small aircraft (these were owned by the missionaries and transported us to the jungle.....we actually did a crash landing once !) and even dug out canoes (these transported us from the jungle runways to the jungle villages). I've ridden on top of buses, and in the beds of old trucks. I've spent a few months living in a van and sleeping in a tent while climbing in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. I don't know it all and I hope it doesn't come off as I think I do. But I feel confident in myself should I choose to return. Regarding the NW Overland Rally, those events don't really appeal to me. Facebook the same. You know what they say, different strokes for different folks. I will definitely check out your brother's blog as it sounds quite interesting. Regarding a truck, I'd prefer a much smaller gasser like a Toyota if I was traveling there (and my current truck has the ULSD availability issue). Thanks again.....

Greg.....anyone that denies that litter isn't a massive problem just about everywhere (except for maybe gated communities) must have their head stuck in the sand. It's hard to believe that people would even debate that issue. Often when I'm picking up trash I'll see human waste and toilet paper near the trees and shrubs. So many people traveling in their SUV's have no system for their human waste. Not frequent, but I have seen it, RVs will dump their black and grey tanks out in the woods or desert so that they can save a $5 or $10 dump fee. It's disgusting. Like you, I often see roads that I wish that our government agencies would close. I'd prefer to be denied access than I would see the land be abused the way it is. You and I.....we are on the same page.....

This is from the National Park Service / LA Times.....

"Joshua Tree National Park will close to all visitors Thursday because of damage to the park during the partial government shutdown, now in its third week. Without rangers on hand, visitors created new roads by driving off pavement and defaced the park’s namesake Joshua trees, a park spokesman said Tuesday."

"Other parks have felt the strain of visitors pouring into their unstaffed facilities without paying entrance fees. Yosemite National Park shut the popular Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and two campgrounds because of human waste and trash on roadsides that pose a public health hazard."

And this where there are no rangers ever.....not too far from where I'm camped right now.....

20190108_141023-1200x1600.jpg

Since last posting, we drove only about 35 miles south of Lake Havasu City, Arizona and have been hanging out on some desert land owned by the Colorado River Indian Tribes located on the northern fringes of Parker, Arizona.....

20190108_074925-1600x349.jpg

The plan was to stay here for 6 nights and then return north once again. There's an annual festival that I plan to attend and that would be the major reason that we've slowed down to such a crawl lately.....

20190108_160950-EFFECTS-1600x1015.jpg

We've laid out a nice route here in the desert to continue our miles and miles of walking. Maybe a mile of our route is along the banks of the Colorado River.....

20190108_083039-1600x578.jpg

The reeds along the riverbank reach upwards maybe 20 feet toward the skies.....

20190108_144224-1600x341.jpg

This morning someone came through and installed these signs along our route.....

20190108_090750-1200x1600.jpg

I'm guessing there's a baja style race coming soon.....

20190108_082044-1200x1600.jpg

Last night we were awakened by the howling of a pack of coyotes. Now I just don't know how to describe properly the pleasure that I get from those howls. I tried in the past and I just feel like I failed....

20190108_114506-1600x1200.jpg

We hit the road soon.....

20190108_100305-1600x345.jpg
 
Last edited:

ClayH

Adventurer
Just caught up on your posts. I really missed reading it but I have had a bit of bad luck with my health and have been busy since last August trying to not be dead lol. Im back in the saddle and glad to see your still in yours too!
 

ITTOG

Well-known member
I agree that the sound of a pack of coyotes is cool to hear. I imagine a pack of wolves may be even cooler. At our family deer hunt last year we had several deer hanging in camp and it was so cool to hear the coyotes circling our camp trying to find a path to the deer without us in the way.

ClayH, I pray things are turning the corner and are back on the path to strengthening your health.
 
Clay.....geez that sucks so bad.....since August ! I'd say I can't even imagine but after dealing with the severe reaction to antibiotics, maybe I can. It was just a few days ago that I inadvertently deleted 5,200 unbacked up pictures on my Galaxy S9+ phone (I was reacting to a message that I received on my phone that said to clean up my storage or temporary files or something like that), and afterwards I found myself saying that it's just not that important (after crying for 5 minutes first) so long as I have my good health. Good luck with your battles, get well, and hopefully you're on the mend. Good to have you back.....

(Self portrait after deleting 5,200 unbacked up pictures).....

20190110_075647-1600x1200.jpg

Littlehouse.....yes that's it. I have friends in Montana that also have a place in New Mexico and every year they send me a few pictures from the balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I've always thought that it must be an amazing event to attend. Once I found out that Lake Havasu City had one as well, I made the decision to stay nearby so that I could attend.....

ITTOG.....I've seen wolves several times in my travels near Yellowstone. Like coyotes howling, there's no way for me to even come close to describing the exhilaration that I experienced.....


We were out walking yesterday and came across the guys that have been putting up the signs along our route.....

20190109_092232-1600x1200.jpg

And I was correct about a desert race.....it begins tomorrow (Friday) and last for 3 days.....my timing couldn't have been better as we plan to depart from here this morning.....

http://bitd.com/best-in-the-desert-announces-2019-race-schedule/

20190109_092303-1600x1200.jpg

The weather in this area has continued to be unsettled, and this being my third winter in the southwest I have yet to see one like this.....

20190109_091133-1200x320.jpg

Often its been quite cold, sometimes, and often lately, the mornings are damp, and we've even had a few days of rain.....not a dry heat for sure. Walking in the wash underneath the highway bridge where the damp sands record everything.....

20190109_093330-1600x1200.jpg

.....I came across lots of tracks.....I'm guessing these are from a fox.....

20190109_093427-1200x1600.jpg

The sunset last night was superb as many have been with the cloud filled skies every night. This was taken from my campsite.....not a superb picture but believe me the sunset was perfect.....

20190109_180333-1200x1600.jpg

On the road again.....

20190110_080245-1600x435.jpg
 

Masonjar

New member
Foxes have four toes, like dogs. Those tracks look like raccoon to me, although the lack of elongate prints (rear feet) is a bit puzzling. I suppose it may have been moving at speed...

Andrew
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,545
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top