Catching up

It occured to us that we haven't blogged for a while. Things have been ticking along just fine here in Congress, AZ and I guess we just got caught up in the mundane little things that make life interesting and fun (not boring) when we have to sit for a while. One of our daily activities is pickleball. If you google this term you will get the history, but basically it was made up by two suburban dads for their summer-bored kids. It uses half a tennis court, oversized ping-pong paddles (made of aluminium mesh, not wood) and a somewhat revised whiffle ball. We practice or play for about 2 hrs a day. We haven't changed our diet since we got here, we do no other aerobic exercise, and we are both losing weight. The game is played with partners. Here is Duane making his shot with Derice watching the ball.

A backhand move. This happens to be an indoor court, but most are outdoor, and chain-link fenced so the ball doesn't wander too far. At this particular park we play at 4pm when the mixed group shows up. Mixed group means mixed levels of play. Duane and I have been playing for a few weeks, but he is better because of his table tennis background. That and tennis give you an edge because the moves translate easily to this court. There are two other groups that play for blood or just to keep up skills, but this group is social. We meet to chat, learn, and have fun.

We took a couple of touring trips on the bike. Cave Creek is a tiny town north east of Phoenix. We went to see their very nice museum. The museum complex contains several rescued buildings from the founding of Cave Creek. The town was founded on gold and ranching, but quickly became a place to recover from tuberculosis.

A tb cottage. At one time cottages like this lined the road into town. Inside is a bed, cupboard, a bed pan and a basin and pitcher.

This church was moved here and is still used for services and weddings.

Church exterior

The complex also included some old equipment from the mine outside. The museum itself consisted of an archeological wing, an artifacts wing, and a town history wing. There was a gift shop and two very nice, helpful, informative, and cheerful docents to greet us.


Another tour we took was in the opposite direction to the little town of Bagdad, the town that copper built. We met in the town community building for our prescheduled tour. We signed waivers, donned our safety vests, hard hats, and safety goggles, and boarded one of two vans. The vans took us a few miles out of town to the open pit mine. Main gate below.

The copper here is not lying around in sheets or nuggets. It is gathered as tiny particles throughout the ore. You can just make out the copper on the two ore samples below.

The ore loosened by blasting, then dug out by shovel and loaded into huge dump trucks. The pix are deceptive. The trucks hold 280 tons which the shovel loads in three bucketload.

Here is the bucket loader with its attendant D10 Cat dozer. The dozer's job is to remove all sharp rocks from the approach of the trucks. A rock can puncture a $20,000 tire causing not only financial loss, but down time as well.

From the rim (where we started) to the bottom of this mine is about 2000 feet. They are still going down. After the trucks are loaded, they take their loads one of several places. The good ore gets dumped onto a conveyer belt that takes it to a grinder. From there it goes by conveyer belt to a processing plant where it is mix with chemicals that leach out the copper. From there it is loaded into tankers and further process elsewhere. Some loads go to tailings dumps and get further processed by acid leaching. The copper resulting from this process is run through electrically charged solution that binds it to copper starter sheets and makes copper plate.

Processing plant

Leaching tailings. Click on the pic to enlarge. You can see small plastic drip lines in rows.

conveyer belt

Copper starter plates start out at 5 pounds and end up about 120 pounds.

Our intreped group outside the computer command shack (to the right). Inside one guy sits monitering about a dozen screens. One set of screens monitors satelite pix of the mine looking for any shifts in the mine walls. The other screens monitor the operations. The computer operator choreographs the trucks movements, telling them where they need to go, and keeping them awake. One of the screens is dedicated to cameras in each truck which in turn watch the drivers' eyes. If a driver's eyelids droop the computer operator wakes him/her up. The drivers only drive slowly back and forth for 12 hr shifts with small breaks. No music to keep them awake, they do nothing all day but drive.

Our tour took us to all of these areas plus the maintenance garage. We got a close look at one of the dump trucks. I am 5'2" for reference. There are 6 of these wheels on each truck.

Louise standing in front of the truck. The front is about 5' off the ground. The ladder aids the driver. Cameras are mounted in the cabs but also under the truck to help detour around rocks.

Shot of the truck with the bed up. An oil change uses 78 gal. of oil which is changed every 250 hours or every six days since the mine runs 24/7. Duane thought that the most interesting part about the garage tour wast that the trucks used 78 gallons of oil--not quarts! Now you can see why it takes so long to change a tire. We thought it was bad when we paid $1400 for all 6 of our tires but don't feel so badly now.

One of our other activities (when we are not touring or doing mundane chores), is riding the bike. The bike came with a stock seat which is fine for riding around town or other short trips. For long rides Duane needed a back rest and I needed a wider more level seat. The old seat caused muscle cramps on long rides and slid me into Duane whenever we stopped. This is our new seat. Ahhhh, much more comfortable.

We also mounted our GPS unit on the bike so we won't get lost.

Another thing we did was talk about future trips. We had learned from our travels that our Chevy truck was underrated for pulling our rig. We shopped around for more pulling power and found this 2010 Ford F450 super duty that is rated to pull anything we can manage to accumulate. Below is our whole rig (bike included) to date.

This truck is basically the same size as the Chevy but a little higher off the ground. It comes with built in GPS which allowed us to use our Tom Tom on the bike. This truck also has a tailgate backup camera which is nice. The rig is parked on our site here at North Ranch, so you can see how nice our spot is.

That's what we have been doing for the last three weeks. We hope you have enjoyed your last three weeks as much as we have ours.

Later,

Louise and Duane

Biking, pickleball and workcamping

We have been keeping ourselves busy here in Arizona. Last weekend was "RV Boot Camp" here at North Ranch. There were 40 some rvers here learning all about the lifestyle. When an event like that happens, our hours change to accomodate the needs of the event. We worked the same 20 hours a week but they were spread out a lot more. I worked 5 short days in row making sure the restrooms were clean and supplied. I had to trim a tree back so a large rv could fit into one of the few spots we had left. There are 111 sites here and all but 3 were filled. Now that boot camp is past, things have returned to normal for now. We will work Monday and Tuesday, then have 5 days off to play. That's the work part.


On my days off, I go to the pickleball court at 8 in the morning to play with the intermediate players. I seem to be the last player choosen...lol... but I have a good time other than getting beat almost every game. Louise and I go back at 4 in the afternoon to play with the beginners group, hey, I shine in that group....lol, makes me feel better about all the losing I do in the mornings. We really enjoy the game and I have even lost a little weight in the process.


Now for the biking part. I ride the motorcycle almost every day, if only to the store. Yesterday we joined the Harley Owners Group, "H.O. G." for a group ride. Louise and I rode the bike to Surprise, AZ, about 50 miles, met with group, then rode back past our campground to a dinner about 10 miles north of the park. It was a short ride home after lunch.

Louise in blue coat next to our bike in middle of pic

There were 15 bikes on this ride. We met at Starbucks in Surprise. The ride leaders held a meeting telling us the route we were going to take and the hand signals to be used on the ride. After the meeting, it was "kickstands up".

Louise took these pics going down the road.

In formation

The ride lasted a little over an hour. We arrived at the diner and it was "kickstands down", the end of the ride. Most of the rides end at the destination. Some of them are round trip rides but this one was one way. After lunch everybody went their seperate ways. We headed back to the rv, about 9 miles down the road. This was the second group ride I have gone on, Louise's first. I am not sure how many of these we will do as I would rather travel at my own speed. It is fun to visit with the other bikers but I find the ride a little stressful. You have to stay in a staggered formation and always be aware of the rider in front and the one behind. I like to use the whole lane to set up for the curves; you can't do that in formation. That said, we had a good time and a good visit with the others.

Today is a work day, so I better get going.

Till next time

Duane and Louise

Roamin' around AZ

Duane and I have been having fun seeing the sights around Congress. We have been up and down Yarnell Hill several times and enjoyed the ride and the scenery every time.





Typical beautiful sunset at North Ranch

On one of our trips we stopped by the Shrine of St. Joseph in Yarnell. The shrine is situated at the bottom of the hill. The Way of the Cross is a nice paved trail up and down the hill with a full sized crucifix at the top. Also along the way are several more full-sized plaster castsShrine plaster cast of St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus

The agony in the garden

Last week we took the bike to Quartzite. We had never been there when all the activity was going on. We went on Friday to visit friends John and Anita Laffey and check out the flea markets. We stayed with them overnight and went to the big tent for the first day of the RV sale. Big mistake! The tent was wall to wall people. We just shuffled along trying to see what was for sale and just catching glimpses of the goods.

In spite of that we had a great time. Duane got a new pair of cold weather riding gloves and I got some home made jelly. John scouted around for a few needed rv items and Anita found some new clothes. She has a whole collection from around the globe. John and Anita are a really fun couple to hang around and laugh with, and we always enjoy meeting them along the road.

Goofing off at breakfast

Last week we took a trip to:

Bagdad owes its existence to the local copper mine. The copper bar sculpture below is a tribute to the mine, its owners and the miners.

There is another place to eat in Bagdad, but we opted for the first place we saw, the nice little retro diner below.

This week (Wed.) we rode through Yarnell and on up the mountain to Prescott.

View from near the top

We intended to eat lunch and visit several of the museums. We visited the information center first then the Harley boutique on Whiskey Row. Next door was The Palace, one of the historical saloons in Prescott and one of the better class of saloon in the late 1800's when it was built. Of course the original burnt down in 1900 by a careless miner's candle, along with most of Whiskey Row. Its said that patrons carried the 1880's Brunswick bar across the street to the courthouse plaza and continued drinking the night away. In 1901 the Palace Hotel and Bar, Chinese reataurant and barber shop was back in business. Today the building has been restored to the grandeur of 1901, with added dining. Prices are in line with the other eating places in the courthouse square, but the Information Center offered a 10% coupon for lunch so we went to the Palace. It was interesting that I walked where the Earps, Doc Holliday and other famous people walked. Several scenes from several films were shot in the Palace.

Tribute to the ranching heritage of the area

View from the courthouse plaza of Whiskey Row and our bike....

After lunch we walked two blocks to the local history museum. After inquiring we decided that we needed more time so we shelved that plan for another visit. We jumped on the bike to finds the Indian museum, but couldn't find it or the old fort museum either. Since the day was going, the sky was overcast and the wind picking up, we decided to go home through Skull Valley. Back home we were in time for a few games of Pickleball before I had to go play cards. The days are just packed!

More later, (including us playing ball, I promise),

Louise and Duane

Moved again

After a nice stay and visit in Benson, we headed to Congress, AZ and the North Ranch SKP Park. This is the park that we will be working in starting the middle of this month. This is a really nice park with a lot to do in the area and at the park. Sorry I have fallen down in the picture department, guess I just got lazy about that. We arrived here on Tuesday of last week. As soon as we got settled I got on the bike (motorcycle) and headed out for a ride. Louise stayed at the trailer so I headed north on 89 to the hill. I had never riden in the mountains, so I wanted to ride that road by myself first. I rode up the mountian going around a lot of tight 20 mph curves, to first flat area then turned around and rode back down. I was a little nervous but made it just fine. I will wait 'til it warms a bit before Louise and take the ride to Prescott at the top of the mountain. Since arriving here we have taken a ride every day but one.

Sunday, we took the truck to Apache Junction for a visit with friends John and Thelma whom we met in Deming. After chatting and catching up, Thelma drove us up in the Superstition Mountains to Tortilla Flat, an old mining town with a really nice cafe and a couple of gift shops. It is a very popular spot for locals and bikers. The ride up the mountian is very curvy and scenery is beautiful. We had good lunch and a lot of good conversation, then headed back to their rv, then home.
Yesterday, we rode to Tonapah, AZ. for lunch. The ride took us down Vulture Mine Rd. through the low mountians. Lots of long sweeping curves and rolling hills. We were the only ones on the road for the most part. I think we may have had 4 cars pass us going the other direction. What a great, peaceful ride of 110 miles round trip. We rested a bit after our ride, then it was off to the pickleball court for our first lesson in the game. There is a guy here in the park that REALLY likes his job of teaching people to play the game. He is very animated in his method of teaching and very good at it. We had the court for a hour and I think we learned a lot about game. For those who have never heard of Pickleball, it is played a little like tennis and a little like ping pong. It is played on a small court like tennis, uses large paddles, like ping pong, and a softball size wiffle ball. The game is played in a lot of rv parks around the country. Some rvers only stay in parks with pickleball courts. This is the first park we have stayed in that has a court so we had to give it a try. It is great exercise and a lot of fun. We will get another lesson on Monday. We shall see how much we play after that.
Today we are going ride the bike to a living history museum about 50 miles away. I will try to take some pictures to dress up this blog.
That's it for now
Duane and Louise

Made it to Arizona!

On Tuesday Dec. 26th we said good-by to Ohio and trucked on south. With son Duane Jr. helping with the driving, we made it back to Van Alstyne by 11pm. Next day we picked up our house and headed west. We stopped at Santos and Pecos (TX) overnight, and stayed at Deming, NM for 5 days resting from driving and visiting with the friends we made there this past summer. On our entire 5000 mile journey from Deming through Texas and Louisiana, to Ohio and back to Deming, we had no problems, no accidents, and only a few hours of rain. Pretty good, we thought. Friends said that on the way to Congress, AZ (our next work camping job), we needed to stop and see The Thing!


So we did. It only cost a dollar apiece and was worth the stop and the price. Anyone traveling on I10 just west of Wilcox, AZ should take the time to see it.


After enjoying this stop and a brief lunch, we motored to Benson and set up for three days in the SKP co-op park at Saguaro. We arrived in time for social hour. After saying hello to friends and fellow class of '06ers Diane and Dave Jones we chatted for a liesurely hour and a half. The four of us continued our visit at a local resturaunt, before heading home for our "Gibbs fix." (NCIS viewers will understand).


This morning at 10am we joined the bikers club for a day ride. Most people had other things to do, so only Don and Sue Gilbert showed up. The four of us enjoyed a ride to Bisbee for coffee and hot chocolate, then to Douglas for lunch at the Hotel Gadsden. This building is a national historic site. After lunch we roamed around the hotel. Below we are posing in the beautiful double stairway. Louise is pointing to a chip in the marble. Supposedly the damage was done when Pancho Villa rode his horse into the hotel and up the steps! On either side of the mural are beautiful stained glass windows depicting the desert the width of the wall.

Between these steps and the front desk, there is this skylight.

View of the lobby from the top of the steps.

Closer view of the mountain lion at the top of the steps.

After viewing numerous pictures portraying the history of the hotel, we saddled up and took back roads home to Benson, arriving in time for social hour. We traveled 175 miles, the most that Louise had ridden to this point. Our friends the Jones' weren't at social hour so we decided to stretch our legs for a bit before heading back to the clubhouse for movie night. We hadn't seen The Help at the theater, so now was our chance.

Time to go!

Louise and Duane

OHIO FAMILY TIME

After our doctors in Shreveport we took the rv back to Van Alstyne, TX to leave it at a friend of our son's til we got back from Ohio. Thanks to him we were able to relax and enjoy our trip knowing our house was safe. We brought our son Duane Jr. back to TX with us so he could back to work. His wife Brandey and the twins Emma and Ava stayed in Ohio to visit longer with family. Jr. will fly back to Ohio in a couple of weeks and drive them back home.
Our first stop in Ohio (Mon. afternoon) was the home of Gene and Donna Emrick. Gene was the first plumber I worked with when I started my apprenticeship in 1966. We have close friends every since. Then it on to Barbara Harmon's house to spend the night. Barbara is the widow of my best friend who we lost in an auto accident some years ago. She and her friend Gene joined Louise's sisters Martha and Marycarol and friend Dave at Marion's, our favorite pizza joint. The next morning it was off to stay with our daughter Rachel, her husband Benji and children Maddy, Simon and Judah. This would be our base till Christmas. Wed. we had lunch with friends Pam and Eddy Shouse. Dec. 23 we went to visit daughter Stacy and her partner Ruth Ann in Cincinnati. We were joined by son Jr and his family.
Stacy and Ruth Ann fed us well, we opened gifts and played with the girls.

First painting experience!

Dec. 24th we went to brother Dennis and sister-in-law Pat's house for Wegley Christmas. We ate more delicious food, opened gifts and played games. Of course, Stacy, Ruth Ann (Woof to the girls), Jr, Brandey and the twins joined in the fun and games.

Dennis and Pat and family.

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning we were present for the Latimer family bedlam.

Santa was here!

Stockings first.

Judah has the Stiff-Arm-Paper-Throw down pat. He is 1 1/2 mos. older than the twins. Two year olds are always fun at Christmas!

Simon (4) is the Bomb!

Gifts all around. (Louise is on the couch.)

Wolverine and Spidey put in an appearance.

Maddy loves her new clip-on earrings.

After gifts, Benji cooked a delicious breakfast. We ate ourselves silly then played a new board game with the children. Soon it was time to pack our bags and give Maddy her room back. We headed to (Louise's) sister Martha's house for dinner with Marycarol and Dave, niece Teresa and her son Shawn, and Uncle Paul and Aunt Ronola. A couple of hours later, all partied out, we headed out to spend the evening with Jr and family. Next morning it was time to hit the trail back home to Texas. We arrived safely around 11pm and headed for bed.

All in all we had a good time. Even our drive to and from Ohio was enjoyable because the weather was good (except for several hours of rain on the way back) and we had no accidents. As with any trip away from home it was stressful, but we managed to come back with only slight colds. Louise even managed not to gain any weight!


Enough is enough!

Louise and Duane