LAST ATV RIDES FROM CALIENTE THIS SEASON

We were up shortly after seven Tuesday and I prepared for ATVing with Randy, who is visiting Caliente for a month and is parked a couple spaces up from us.  However, the weather decided otherwise.  We had .36 inch of rain between 8 and 10am, according to neighbour Bud’s rain gauge.  I did go up to the meeting spot but I was all alone!  Randy and I went out Wednesday and the weather was great with no dust.  Two other guys joined us and we had a great ride exploring several trails new to me and one main one that I had ridden only once.  I went out ATVing again on Thursday with 16 others and again it was a great ride.  Tomorrow will be my last ride with the group this season.  I will have to put fuel stabilizer in the tank before parking it in the shed for the summer.

Aileen’s scooter has been malfunctioning for some time and we were thinking it must be the electronics causing the problems.  The batteries died the other day which we had been expecting as we thought the scooter was about 4-5 years old.  Boy, were we wrong.  They were 7.5 years old, doesn’t time fly.  NAPA had to hunt around to find the special deep cycle and when I installed them the scooter seems to be perfectly fine.  Aileen has been using it lots and has had no problems. 

Ken and Char, our friends from Billings, Montana wanted to take us out for supper before we left so on Tuesday we went to PF Changs in Mesa and had a great supper.  They do a super job with gluten free.  I put together a slide show highlighting my three years of ATVing this area and have been sharing it around with the ATV group and other friends.  It is about 17 minutes long and set to music.

For those who have been frustrated trying to leave comments on my blog, you will be pleased to hear that I have disabled the word verification part of the process.  Google has just instituted that two words require interpretation and typing and one is really fuzzy and difficult to understand.  One of the bloggers I follow, Rick, is a computer whiz and he described in today’s post just how to disable the blighter.   I thought I had done it some time ago but perhaps it snuck back in with the new interface that came out recently.

Aileen has been busy doing last minute things in the park model preparing for out departure.  She has also done some typing for the park newsletter.  She is still learning new things about her new computer which I imagine will be a long process.

A view from the Big Spline trail to the pass toward Martinez Canyon

A telephoto shot to the pass above

A view of some of the trails we have to choose from

The spring wild flowers are starting to bloom just as we are preparing to leave

Some one decided to add some colour to this prickly pear

One of our Wednesday stops was at an abandoned amethyst mine where I picked up this fist sized piece  

We happened on these Jeeps playing in one of the washes

Well, he made it around the rock in the above picture

This guy tried a different route.  His rear bumper is digging in the ground.  I think I heard a rumour that my dear sister in law, Anne, is going to let me take her Jeep out playing this summer. 

I find the lichen covered rocks in the Box Canyon area fascinating and I have to say my pictures do not do justice to the actual scene.  I can't portray the luminescence and depth of character that I see in person