My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Biker Eagle.....thanks and I sure do appreciate the compliment but honestly I found myself wondering why I saved so many. I'll bet less than 400 of them were cherished.....such as my Tanner puppy pictures. Ace Brown once posted on this thread something that read like this: "hundreds of dog pictures and finally you post a picture of yourself". I sure hope I did do that.....

Masonjar.....that did not even occur to me. I think I've got fox on my mind these days while I'm here in the desert southwest.....


We arrived just a bit south of Lake Havasu City yesterday afternoon, and then headed directly into Sara Park (I just love hanging out here), where I had plans to watch the initial mass ascension of the hot air balloons in the evening. Yukon seemed to be happy hanging out in the camper.....



.....while Tanner and I did a 3 mile warm up hike into the canyon.....





Yukon just didn't have it in her to hike this day, so later in the day Tanner and I woukd hike to the summit of Lizard Peak ( aka Tabletop Mountain ).....



Now after all these weeks speaking of unsettled weather, the weather had finally changed and it was phenomenal this day. Could the timing have been any better ?



We reached the summit to find not a soul on the mountain.....



I had stressed over the fact that it might be crowded on the mountain with balloon watchers but I guess when you're 6 miles from the launch site that's just not a worry.....



The heat from the early evening desert sun was fantastic. We kicked back in the rocks to watch the inaugural launch.....



Yes, we were too far away to really enjoy the balloons as opposed to those who were much closer, but honestly I wanted to be nowhere else.....



We stayed on top of that mountain nearly until the sun set. It was a wonderful evening and I was so thankful for my patience.....waiting as long as I did to attend my first ever balloon festival.....

 

[CaptainChaos]

Personally, I think the woman who trapping the bobcat and foxes should be checked up on by a game warden. Trapping isn’t the issue for me, I wonder how many she has poached.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Captain Chaos.....I actually think that the guy that was so upset was onto them. He as much as said so. Oddly enough (or was it), they were camped near the boundary of the wilderness area and far from most all the other RVs.....


That night we drove south of town and spent the night in my least favorite spot of the BLM lands. And then up so early this morning and anxious to see the 7:45 a.m. mass ascension. This time I would park within a few miles of the launch site and walk along the canal attempting to photograph the balloons.....



There's the first balloon, and then the sky begins to fill.....





I counted upwards of 50 balloons at one point.....



I've been tiring of the bland colors of the desert lately.....the tans, oranges and browns, so the bright colors of the balloons was such a welcomed contrast.....



I spotted an elephant balloon in the far distant, and a dog balloon nearby.....



I then walked to the London Bridge as I had noticed the balloons passing by at such low altitudes.....





Wells Fargo Bank was well represented with 2 balloons in the flotilla.....



But no balloon came even close to giving me so much pleasure as did the zebra balloon.....more to come on that.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The morning sunrise at Lake Havasu.....



Now I'll admit that I didn't know a damn thing about balloons prior to this event, so there was a steep learning curve for me, but as it turned out there were plenty of knowledgeable onlookers more than happy to give me an education.....



Apparently most of the balloonist launch north of the London Bridge, then from there many of the balloonist attempt to float south along the canal's channel, then rise ever so gently, as low as possible, over the London Bridge.....



The zebra balloon without a doubt gave the best show of this that morning.....what seemed like within the reach of an arm, they passed overhead.....

The white haired fella was shouting to the crowd " I hope you're having a wonderful day.....I sure am !" Plenty of banter was had between the balloonist and the many spectators lined up along London Bridge.....



How could you not think that this was not the real Santa Claus floating overhead ? What an interesting character he looked to be.....



They passed over the bridge and then quickly dropped to the surface of the canal, then dragged the weaved basket across the water which drew such excitement throughout the crowd.....



The canal was filled with boaters that quickly maneuvered out of the way of the descending balloons.....



It's such a party atmosphere and was such a great experience.....I left wanting more.....



And totally switching gears here.....the lady that sold me Tanner sent me this picture of her last litter.....what a saleswoman she is as she wants me to add another to our family.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The remainder of the day was spent wandering around the desert peaks and canyons. My love of wandering, in all its forms.....its appeal never escapes me.....



For a second straight day Yukon chose to hang out in the camper.....another afternoon spent only with Tanner. We started out on the Trashcan Trail.....initially I thought we would return to the summit of Lizard Peak and watch the evening balloon show once again.....



Funny thing about wandering though.....whether wandering on foot, boat, car or whatever.....wandering tends to get into the way of plans. We heard the persistent echoes of a distant hawk.....kee-eeeee-arr. We almost immediately changed directions and pursued that wonderful sound.....and left the markings of the trail and our plans behind.....



We never located that hawk although we searched for quite a long while. Sometimes I think the desert plays tricks on you.....I scratched my head wondering where that guy was.....



As we wandered I'd been noticing small caves along the mountainsides so we decided to have a look.....why not.....



It was quite a chore making our way up the cliffs. Tanner did great and was thrilled to find a pool of cool water left over from those recent rains.....



The cave I chose was small yet large enough for me to crawl inside. I found myself sitting there on the damp cave floor, reflecting on my life.....taking in the grandeur of the desert floor.....



The desert has a way with man.....there's no debating that fact.....



This was a good day in our lives and I remember sitting there in that cave thinking how grateful I am. It was late evening when we returned to the camper.....

 

[GregSplett]

Ya made my wife drool with the balloons. I learned this morning that she has a bit of air time in a past aquaintances ballon and dreams of an event in Mexico. I am building a van for us to do some traveling in and I think that we might be down there next winter. I just backed up the pics on my laptop as it is getting worn out. Although they are fun to look through I realized that a bunch could be culled. I am just too lazy. Another dog maybe? I have a little Yorkie mix you can have.LOL Wife owns a dog grooming business and a long time client had a stroke.........Happens a couple times a year. Absolutely breaks my heart when I see the lost look in their eyes. It is terrible to have to say goodbye to a dog but our nightmare has become them ever having to say goodbye to us. Oh yeah definitely coon prints.

 

[Rob-C]

Hi Jerry,

Long time, first time. I've been following you since I joined. I'm sorry about your photo loss but wait... maybe all is NOT lost. Google the following:
(Recover lost photos on Galaxy S9+ ) and read what you'll find. If you aren't comfortable with the instructions get yourself to an independant phone
or computer repair shop. These people have seen it all and have likely recovered photos for customers many times. In the meantime, use your phone
as little as possible as each time something is saved it may be overwriting your lost stash.

I've got my findgers crossed for you! ;^)

Rob

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Hopefully you are able to recover some of the lost images. She is good, those pups sure are cute!

We have a balloon festival about 50 miles from here, I should find time to make it. Those pictures were pretty cool.

Any tips or tricks, you have for the dogs in the back seat? When the camper is on, it is Cordels new spot; he has adapted to seat dog quickly. This is the first time ive had a dog inside, so am learning. I did click the child lock up on that side, just in case he was able to unlock and open it...that would be bad.

I finally got my thread done, from this years South America trip.

Happy Trails & Safe Travels.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hanging out in the camper on this cold, rainy morning in the Arizona desert.....a morning made for a good book and a steaming hot cup of coffee.....





Greg.....we're a family of Retrievers so if another dog happens to come into our lives, it more than likely, almost positively, will be another Retriever. I'm so close to Mexico right now but just can't quite get to the finish line (border) once again.....

Rob.....I did the same thing (Google) after deleting the pictures and I saw some of the software that's available but I'm just an untrusting kind of guy when it comes to loading that stuff on my smartphone. I'm guessing the chances of some type of malware being on that software is high. I spent quite a bit of time over the phone with the IT guys at Verizon and they tried 3 different approaches but to no avail. I'm trying to put it behind me but admittedly it does suck. I haven't quite got it all figured out quite yet, but somehow that event must play into my goal of living in the moment. A little off track here but years ago when I got into mountain climbing, I discovered Buddhism. While it's something I've never fully endorsed, I've tried, and am always trying to learn and practice from the teachings. This may be a lesson. ....

Some people may recall the Bigfoot camper in 2017. One of the few things that survived that fire was this book (you can see the soot from the fire).....



In that same cabinet where that book was placed, was my cherished 2004 Rand McNally Deluxe Road Atlas that also didn't burn (more soot). Many of the roads I've traveled over the years and places I've slept are marked in here, and many travel tips are scribbled on these pages.....



Odd as it may be (to me anyhow), this little book (and yet more soot and still to this day the book smells horrible) did not burn either. It's called "As You Think" authored by Marc Allen. The original book was first published in 1904 "As A Man Thinketh" authored by James Allen, but Marc Allen has updated it by changing language that has become dated or obsolete. I love reading it from time to time....touches on Buddhism.....



So Rob.....what was your question again ?

PNWY.....just a few tips I guess. I keep the rear windows locked. I prefer to have control of the windows as opposed to the dogs having control. Sometimes the dogs unknowingly would step on the control switch and open one of the windows. My only other thought is to store enough stuff in the back seat that it will raise the floor level so that your dog can lie down and watch out the window. My dogs always love to lay their chin on the window sills. I added padding and several blankets for their comfort. The 3 pictures show you what I did.....the dogs love it.....

Drivers side.....(notice the brand new Honds 2000 generator thats never been used.....purchased February 2018.....solar is the way to go).....



Passenger side.....



The perfect bed to watch the world go by.....



And the world is amazing.....

 

[Grenadiers]

The comment you made of not pulling the Mexico trigger is something my wife and I can relate too. We were set on the Yucatan, but life interfered, we were to spend a month at her mother's house in the Florida Panhandle that turned into nine weeks. Sucks the travel bug out of you, or to us anyway! The decision was made to send mother in law back to the midwest for assisted living. At 88 years old, it was time. The weather in SE this winter has been cold, wet, a few warm days, repeat. The hassle of moving her stuff up north, buying more stuff to outfit her home here as a vacation home, ugh, at 60 for the both of us, not fun. Now that's done, time to think ahead; not sure where to go now. Wife doesn't want to go to Mexico, we have till May! Need warm weather though!

The other thing you mentioned, possibly buying land/cabin in Montana. One thing to consider, is that the winter will force you to travel south. Summers will probably keep you there. We have the same situation since we moved from Northern Arizona last April to NW Wisconsin. Both places are resort-like, where getting away is difficult, so much to do in your own backyard. Traveling out west in our beast during the summer is on the list, but having friends and family coming up for boating and fishing, and my wife's cooking keeps us there! Not that I'm complaining, I like to fish too! Our German friends in their MAN overland vehicle were in the SW up to BC, up to Inuvik last summer. Their report basically said that the popular spots in the west are over-run with tourists, so they had to skip quite a bit of that area.

 

[ITTOG]

That Atlas is probably worth a lot of money given the notes and campsites you have added to it. I bet it would be pretty interesting to thumb through it.

I can't help you on recovering your lost photos but if you want help on backing your photos up to the cloud let me know. I can walk you through several options to choose from and even help you set it up. I am willing to get on a phone call with you if you are interested in it.

Happy travels.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[ROKTAXI]

This is what you need to save all your px to w/o using the cloud. They have 'em for the S9 or other configurations as well. The micro card in the S9 is not handy to insert / remove, but this plugs into your charging port. Just use it when you want to transfer the px.

 

[furbucket]

Dogs in the backseat- this seams the way to go... my buddy travels with two [big] dogs back there and they love it, and it protects the seats too, just search backseat dog hammock:

via Tapatalk on an evil pocket calculator with a flashy screen

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Grenadiers.....Mexico is still be on the radar for me but each day it becomes less likely. I've been waiting on a Mexican insurance agent that I dealt with previously to provide me with a "special price" on my truck camper as the rates I'm being quoted are fairly high on the entire rig. And yes, I'm very aware of the harsh winters up north which is why I am here.....

ITTOG.....I appreciate the offer for sure but it's not a lack of knowledge (surprisingly) that caused this issue but just a lack of getting it done. Regarding that road atlas, it has nearly 15 years of travel notes scribbled amongst the pages. I know of a few people that have expressed interest in having it once my days are done.....

ROKTAKI.....I almost bought one at the Verizon store the same day that I bought the phone, but being wise with the penny I decided to wait to buy it at Walmart and unfortunately out of sight, out of mind.....

Furbucket....I like that but I don't see a way to remove the cover to wash it. Am I correct ? My system isn't fancy but the blankets are removable and go into the wash.....


The following morning I had hoped to be up early with a plan in my mind to launch one of my kayaks into the lake and paddle the few miles to the London Bridge so that I too could take it all in from yet another vantage point. That plan was squashed when I awoke with dogs nuzzled on either of my sides.....I was just too happy to move.....



Eventually we made it to the lake and caught the sun rising over the calm lakes surface.....



It was looking to be a great day to watch the balloons in the sky.....



As you can easily see, the details of the Darth Vader balloon were quite amazing.....



My favorite, and it seems a crowd favorite as well, the zebra balloon returned once again.....



This day was much like the previous day as he began the descent to the waters surface of the canal.....



And then he would drag that wicker basket across the water.....



I also liked the Mexican skull art on the New Mexico balloon.....



Eventually I would make my way down to the walkway along the canal in my attempt to view the balloons from a boaters point of view.....



I thoroughly enjoyed my first balloon festival and they tell me that this was the largest showing of balloons yet for Lake Havasu City. The weather was excellent as well so what more could you ask for.....



But now the time had finally come to move on and further south.....to find me a quite place in the desert to enjoy a bit of solitude.....

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Than you for the tricks and tips with the dogs, that looks like a great system. And one that has been field proven over and over again.

Happy Trails and Safe Travels