Hunting + 'Bug Hugs = Happiness

This morning when we woke up, we walked down to another little plateau right below the spot we were parked at. J' thought maybe if we got a little closer, we would get TV plus, it looked a bit more level and we would have a better view of the water...so we moved on down.

[caption id="attachment_2769" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Love it[/caption]

As soon as we moved I remembered I had put that big piece of Quartz, I found yesterday, by the tire so I walked back up to the 'old' spot to grab it. I asked Savannah to come with me...not on her leash. She's so funny, she is so used to being on a leash with me, I think she thought something was "going on". She was walking behind me with her head down like I was up to something, and kept looking back at Daddy  like, "Do I have to?" She's such a weirdo, as soon as I get the leash out, she's like Heck yeah man and gets totally stoked...crazy dog!

[caption id="attachment_2770" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Like pulling teeth! Come on Savannah!![/caption]

Once I got her over to me...a good 5 minutes later...she looked so pretty so I wanted to take a picture of her. I have never seen a dog dislike pictures as much as she does...as soon as she sees me pick up my camera or turn it toward her, she turns away. And she's so photogenic I don't get it!

[caption id="attachment_2771" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Now, look away...good girl![/caption]

When we got back to the van, I found J' on top of Joon digging some things out of the crates on top.

[caption id="attachment_2772" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Joon Frog?[/caption]

I washed all of our dishes, they were in need of a good overall cleansing and since I was outside I let Savannah hunt alongside me.

We made a romantic lunch of Ramen noodles and I made a little pit for our burner because the wind was blowing a little too hard, it actually blew the flame out!

I was getting a little bored and restless in the van so I took Savannah on a walk, we would both get exercise and we could both hunt...for different things of course! She would be bug/critter hunting and I would be hunting for rocks!

[caption id="attachment_2776" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Scopin' it out[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2777" align="aligncenter" width="300"] And another...[/caption]

During our hunt, I came across some interesting plant life...

[caption id="attachment_2778" align="aligncenter" width="225"] What is this?[/caption]

I even found a big enough rock to put the camera on to take a picture of the two of us!

[caption id="attachment_2775" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Self-po with the baby[/caption]

When we turned around a corner of pretty big plants and bushes, Savannah was hunting like crazy and I wish I had a bulldozer to carry all of these awesome rocks I was finding. I guess pictures will have to do!

[caption id="attachment_2781" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I love the different colors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2782" align="aligncenter" width="225"] These looked metallic[/caption]

We hunted for about an hour, maybe longer. We started back for the van when the sun started to go down. When we got back to the van, Savannah got crabby (as usual) to me, of all people (as usual) and got in trouble... she was told by Daddy to go make-up with da' momma...

[caption id="attachment_2783" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Wasn't expecting a kiss[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2784" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Make up Hug[/caption]

As we were talking about what tonight's feast was going to be along with movie night, dinner and a movie...do I hear date night!? J' said, "Wow, look at that!"

You know it...another amazing sky from Mother Nature!

[caption id="attachment_2787" align="aligncenter" width="300"] To the left of Joon...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2788" align="aligncenter" width="225"] ...to the right of Joon[/caption]

I'm sorry but it just never gets old.

Tonight's movie= The Big Lebowski!

Have a restful night Dude!

PEACE

Flip Floppin' to a Fresh Feast under a Full moon

I really love this spot we're in and even though we're missing "our shows" it's a nice change to not have regular TV...we can always catch up online. On mornings like this, I think we really have to thank ourselves for doing what we want to be doing, instead of what everyone else thinks we should be doing.

[caption id="attachment_2754" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hello Morning![/caption]

After our morning rituals, I decided to take Savannah to the very top of the hill (where we hit the dead end yesterday) to take in the sights of, well...everything and maybe even get some good shots of our spot from up above. It's a pretty steep hill, even steeper than Laughlin's hill, and I was wearing flip flops (when am I not) but we were going to do it anyway!

[caption id="attachment_2759" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pretty good![/caption]

When we finished our walk, I figured it was about that time to "shower" and hopefully the water had had enough time to warm up a bit more...been freezing until almost close to sunset! I never really thought the solar shower wouldn't heat up as much in the Winter, I thought sun is sun...nope, all sun is NOT equal my friends! It's a good thing I've figured out how to be fast and smart at this shower taking stuff! This is what I do when we have a spot that's pretty private (let me think that, okay) unless you have great binoculars: I get in my bikini, fold a towel to put on the ground (for the dirt and sharp rocks poking in your butt!), fill my Charmin box with water and clean my face, refill with clean water to shave, then move over to the Solar shower to wash the bod and hair. This way you're not wet and cold the whole time (it's been windy for the last few months, seems that wind knows when you're wet!) Even with the water being way less than luke warm, it always feels good to be clean and fresh! Oh, and I am definitely going to need a hairscut soon. I think I'm going to grow the top out a bit but keep cutting the back...I miss my hair!

[caption id="attachment_2760" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Fro fro is clean again![/caption]

The days seem to be getting shorter even though they're not. Maybe it's because we are on Arizona time and the sun doesn't come up til' like 8:30 a.m! We do keep getting some pretty radical sunsets though, so I can't complain about the sun going down, just wish it wasn't before we had dinner! Dinner tonight consists of loaded mashed taters, corn and brown rice...yes, we need to go shopping!

[caption id="attachment_2761" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Best bowl of mush out there![/caption]

Don't forget...Full Moon tonight!!!!

[caption id="attachment_2762" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I ❤ You![/caption]

PEACE

Too much to explore to stay in one place

Our curiosity got the better of us this morning, even though we had a pretty decent spot,we decided to drive up the road to see what else was available to us...might even get some TV reception! We drove up the road, mmm, about 5 miles or so and saw another turn off of 95 (there were RV's to the right, so we turned left). We drove up a couple of pretty big, rocky hills until we came to a dead end and had to turn around.

[caption id="attachment_2741" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dead end[/caption]

When we turned Joon around to go down the hill we just came up, we had quite the view (of The Colorado River) and figured this place was just as good, if not better, than any other place so we moved around until we found a flat, level spot and stopped for the day.

[caption id="attachment_2742" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Flat & Level[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2743" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pretty good view[/caption]

I took Savannah on what seemed like a super long walk, but really it was because of the super huge rocks we were trudging through. I felt pretty brave because we were walking off the main road...I don't do that very often due to danger!

[caption id="attachment_2745" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bigguns[/caption]

Really, the only reason I went "off course" was because J' said he wanted to see what was over the edge of these big rocks (you can't drive over there, at least with Joon!) So I walked it with Savannah and this is what we saw...

[caption id="attachment_2744" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Just more mountain[/caption]

Another reason I usually never get off the main road is I am always looking at the ground and hardly look where I'm going, so if I stay on the main road it's an easy out and back. It was a good thing I kept the van within eyes distance this time, due to exactly this...I was too busy scoping out all the rocks on the ground! I had been told there was Quartz just laying all over the ground in the mountains and desert of Arizona but until you see it with your own eyes, you don't really believe it. Let's just say, I might need a bigger "Box o' Rocks" after this trip is all said and done!

[caption id="attachment_2746" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Just one beautiful piece![/caption]

 We sure do have a beautiful camp spot here. We get really great wifi signal with our new Millenicom device (still coming off of Verizon network). We are done with our Verizon hotpsot and phone. The only thing here once again, No TV reception...not even one single channel. I guess its another movie night. It's actually kind of fun doing something different, we watched Fargo last night and tonight is looking like The Running Man! We should have planned better in the movie department, since I brought only two DVD's, and otherwise have been getting movies off of other peoples' hard drives that we've met along the way. It definitely makes for some interesting movie nights, especially when you've never heard of half the movies! haha Just another part of the adventure!

Hope you have a great night!

PEACE

Back to the nature

It feels so nice to be back "in the wild" again! Okay, so we're pretty much right off the highway, but we have total privacy, we are the only ones around, we can't really even hear the traffic on 95 and I can walk my Bug around bushes and nature again. She is absolutely loving all the Nature potty walks, for sure.

[caption id="attachment_2723" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Stop and smell the...cactus!?[/caption]

It was such a beautiful day today, we must have gone on 4 walks! The walks these days consist more of light walking and LOTS of smelling, listening, hunting and light digging. Even though we are in, what seems like, a pretty 'safe' area, we are still in the nature and you never know when something is going to pop up around a bush, a rock or a mountain top so we stay closer to the van...but she still gets her hunt in!

[caption id="attachment_2724" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beautiful day for a hunt![/caption]

In between catering to Savannah, haha I was able to paint my nails, they've been bugging me so it was nice to finally get that done...nice and festive for the upcoming month of December!

[caption id="attachment_2726" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Purty[/caption]

Savannah found a new spot, so she's not in Daddy's way but she can still window hunt. Good thing she's small or this would either never work or look super funny!

[caption id="attachment_2725" align="aligncenter" width="225"] She's goin' Pro![/caption]

It's funny too, because I make her a seat on the chair but she climbs up to the top of her perch and watches...funny girl!

It's so great to see amazing sunsets again too. I think we missed quite a few in Laughlin due to all the bright lights.

[caption id="attachment_2728" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Everything around us was PINK!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2730" align="aligncenter" width="300"] She did NOT want to take this picture![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2729" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Wow![/caption]

I have to say, being in the city and around other people has its place, but there's nothing like being wherever you want to be, being able to watch Mother Nature work her magic with the sky and being able to get in our fort at night to snuggle up with the one(s) you love. It's so nice to be in the nature once again to fully appreciate everything that's out there. For all of you out there hoping for something different...if you can't get out and truly do what you want maybe you can do things a little differently. Go a different route to work, talk to new people, where mismatched socks, help someone, eat something different for lunch, wear your hair different, sit and watch that sunset even if your favorite show is on, set your alarm in the middle of the night for that meteor shower. If you always do everything the same way, you'll never find out what you're missing.

I hope today brings something different to you in a great way!

[caption id="attachment_2731" align="aligncenter" width="300"] She put on her pigtails today![/caption]

PEACE

 

 

 

 

 

We're baaaaack!!

Holy Goodness! We're back! After four full days of being 'down', arguing with Host Gator, figuring things out, J' having my computer trying to figure things out and lot of stuff in between...it looks like I'm back up and running with images and everything! Phew. It is a major load off my back and J's as well. Now I have a lot of catching up to do, so although I am posting this as today, please go back in the next couple of days to read the last of Novembers' posts into the beginning of December. I will try to get them up as soon as possible. Today, my computer went on its own little rampage and decided it wanted to put malware on it, so J' spent the majority of his day fixing it for me, after I tried for a while. Just need to get my head back in the right space to write and there will be much to read and look at and all that fun stuff...so bear with me folks.

It's soooooo good to see you all again and I want to put a HUGE thank you out to all of you for sticking around and not leaving me...and another HUGE thank you to Teri, for being there for back-up (literally). I would email you but with all of the shenanigans, your comment got deleted and I do not have your address so again, thank you. You guys and gals are the best readers a girl and her tribe could ask for. You all are so helpful and were so worried... It really made me feel good to have everybody emailing me letting me know things weren't right on the site. So for the hundredth time, thank you my loyal, radtastical readers and friends...You rock!

See you all soon, we'll catch ya on the flip side yo'!

PEACE

Nope, it's not a mirage...We're really leaving Laughlin!

It is true...we are back on the road! Woo-frickin-hoo! Did you ever think it would happen? For a minute there, I didn't... so thanks for putting out your good juju for us to get ♫ 'On the Road Again' ♫ Isn't it funny (in this lifestyle) when you're in a spot for more time than you were anticipating it's like...tick tick tick, c'mon man, the impatience is enough to drive you (almost) insane!? Okay, well for us it gets like that...some places are easier than others, mainly BLM or places where there aren't a lot of people. I think lives are so very different...this is how we live but there are some people who are born, raised and stay in the same little bubble their entire lives and never wish or want to see new things or expand their horizons. They are very happy in that...Good for them! Sorry but not this girl and her tribe, I've got the gypsy blood running so deep through my veins that for years I thought something was "wrong" with me. That is, until I met my babe...he's got the same "issue".... we must move around, it just suits us. We may not have much, (depending on who you are and your outlook on life) but we have each other, our sense of wonder and our love of travel and experiencing new things. Even if we're not rollin' like a baller...we're rollin' and when we get that urge to move...we move. It's simple. We're just doing what we have always wanted to do and what the Universe has always told us to do. We'll catch up with the rest when we're supposed to, but for now we are cruisin'.

Now, onto the rest of our day. We started the day with a feast...

[caption id="attachment_2697" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pizza...I love you![/caption]

I'm sorry, but I don't think you can ever go wrong with a $5 dollar pizza from Little Caesar's....they are filling and so scrumptious...and this girl loves pizza! My belly almost fainted...it hadn't been that full in a minute! We ate the pizza in the Wal-mart parking lot as we made our "run-in-grab-it-and go" list. After shopping, we refreshed our water and ice and happily rolled down the road. Oh and we found gas for $3.27 a gallon...the cheapest in town by .24 cents! We headed down 40, through Needles, took a wrong turn ending up in the front yard of a lady in her nightie taking out the trash...because, nobody else takes out the damn trash! haha Turned ourselves around, hopped on 95, seeing some cool things as we rolled down the road...

[caption id="attachment_2698" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Looks like a small Hoover Dam[/caption]

Finally crossing into Arizona...

[caption id="attachment_2699" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Welcome to Arizona baby[/caption]

2012 is also the Centennial Celebration (did I say that right?) for Arizona...they were founded in 1912. Cool. I know I'm just a plethora of information! I thought it was really funny because we are driving to Lake Havasu City and we come over a ridge and J' says, "Whoa, there's a lake or some sort of body of water...it's pretty big." Hence...LAKE Havasu babe! haha Now, he is never the one to say these types of things...that's MY job. Man, was it funny though.

[caption id="attachment_2700" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Is that a lake? haha[/caption]

 We drove around, scoping the town out and started driving through and almost out of town...when we see Bureau of Land Management Field Office! Score! We zip in to get some info...

[caption id="attachment_2701" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Like an Angel standing on the side of the road[/caption]

We talked to the, well I was gonna call him a Ranger, then J' said clerk...I told him that word would not be used in my post...too bland. Anyway, we are going with, The Public Land Pimp (PLP) who bitch slaps camping fees for a living! So, we talked to the PLP for a good long while about all of the BLM areas in and around town, North, South, East, West and some not even in his jurisdiction...he (David Hancock) really knew his stuff. We walked out with a bunch of really good info and even a BLM map (only $4 and very worth it). Thanks for the 'bitch slap' David!

[caption id="attachment_2703" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Now I really am a plethora of info![/caption]

Inside of the office they even have, what I'm going to call, a Fossiltorium (for lack of a better word). I must say, it creeped me out a bit when I really started to think about what I was looking at...

[caption id="attachment_2704" align="aligncenter" width="300"] What would you call this?
And not a case with bones in it...[/caption]

but then I turned around and saw this little guy, he was just snoozing away, he never opened his eyes...

[caption id="attachment_2702" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Coolest Gila Monster Everrrr[/caption]

I went back for a second viewing and to show J'...he had moved so I know he's alive, but still sleeping away.

[caption id="attachment_2705" align="aligncenter" width="300"] He says, "Let me outta here!"[/caption]

We finished with the PLP and went on our merry way to our new campsite...now we are armed with a BLM map...Watch Out!! As we drove down the road, we saw a bunch, and I mean a bunch, of RV's and campers (almost looked like a smaller RTR)...we kept driving! We drove until we saw a turn off on a dirt road, of course with a couple of U-turns to get back to it, and drove back a little ways to make sure we weren't encroaching on anyone else's spot. Once we saw (or at least figured) we were the only ones here, we parked for the rest of the day. It's super peaceful here, you can't see us from 95 (although you can hear the traffic just a bit), we even get a full (3g) signal...we'll take it, it's great. The one and only downfall...absolutely no TV reception...booooo!

I'm sure Savannah is happy to be in the wild again, but she will be on a tight tether and closely watched, especially after all of the stories the PLP had told us about the coyotes in the area. Just to give you one, he told us of a lady (not too long ago) that had her baby in its stroller in their front yard, she had left it for a moment and she came back out and there was a coyote dragging the kid by its head out of the stroller! Ummm, WTF! 'Scuse the language but are you serious!? Yeah, my little munchkin butt is not getting out of my sight or my reach for one single milli-second. Crazy!

....

About two hours after I wrote that last part...

Savannah has a new thing where she will go on her potty walk with me but she hunts and will not go to the potty. This means I have to take her out in the dark before we move into the fort for the night. This totally freaks me out, I will not venture more than like 10 steps away from the van and she will just stand there staring at me like, "Mom, let's go...I need to hunt, now!" I came back inside and got J' this time, he came out with another flashlight and he will now be the "sprayer" (bear spray) so I can have both hands to handle my little beast. It's a lot of work being in the dark, watching for wild animals, trying to tame her while staying close to the van, holding a flashlight and also be ready with the bear spray in case something comes out of the darkness... too much for this girl to handle. No thanks. He will just have to get used to going on nightly "stands" for potty time, 'cause I don't need that kind of stress right before bed!

With that, I say Good day....I said Good day! (~Fez)

PEACE