Mike and I have been keeping pretty busy while in Tucson. One of the things we did last week was visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Our daughter, Amy, went there earlier this year to see the special exhibit, Chihuly in the Desert. Dale Chihuly is a famous glass artist who does AMAZING things with glass. It was fabulous seeing the art amidst the desert landscape. As a bonus, there were lots of plants blooming, cacti included, and we got to see a butterfly exhibit, too.
I took lots of pics. LOL. I’ll keep this post focused on the Chihuly art. Other interestingness will be shared in a future post.
The place was crazy-busy. I think this is prime season for the facility since so many of the plants and trees were blooming.
Boat full of glass.
Same boat full of glass from a slightly different angle.
These columns of green glass are actually standing outside of the entrance to the gardens.
I didn’t take notes, so I can’t share the proper names for each piece.
This one reminds me of hot peppers.
I tried hard to get shots without people in the background. Those yellow trees were in bloom all over the desert around Phoenix last week.
Here’s another shot of the hot pepper glass with a less-busy background. I think it was about 15 feet tall (~5 meters).
Blue spears amid cacti.
I really like the colors in this one. It could be desert colors or ocean colors.
Colorful spears of glass near what I think might be Organ Pipe cacti (tall plant on left with multiple stalks).
A closer look at the colorful spears of glass.
This big ball of squiggly green glass was about 9 feet across (~3 meters).
Here’s a shot of the same piece with a different background . See the blooming Ocotillo plant beside it? They are in bloom in many places around Phoenix and Tucson.
A real close-up look.
Red spears stacked sorta like tipis.
Purple spears.
This one isn’t as colorful as many other pieces, but I still like it. It wasn’t one of Mike’s favorites.
They also had a number of pieces on display indoors. I didn’t photograph every piece, but I think I got a few good shots.
Blues, purples, and greens are one of my favorite color combinations.
Flattened jellyfish?
Close-up scramble.
Orange stuff.
Two smaller pieces.
Another smaller piece (about 2 feet tall (2/3 meter).
More orange/yellow stuff.
Red tubulas.
I hope you enjoyed the pics. If you are ever in Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden is a lovely place to visit. The Chihuly exhibit will only be there through mid-June, I think. I really do feel like Spring is probably the best time to visit if you want to see lots of blooms, but I bet it is beautiful in its own way any time of year.
One thing for sure, you will see an amazing variety of cacti no matter when you visit. 🙂
As mentioned in my previous post, moto-blogger friend Richard Machida and his wife, Bridget, who are also full-time RVers, arrived at Yellowjacket RV Resort (YJRR) on December 13.
The Machidas, who are from Fairbanks, Alaska, have been full-timers for a few years. They usually spend extended time during summer in Alaska. Earlier this year, they ordered a Jeep (from a dealer in Idaho) to replace the Prius they had been towing. The plan was to pick the Jeep up in August, shortly after returning to the lower 48. Sadly, the Jeep wasn’t ready, so they had to continue their journey through the lower 48 without a toad (RVers slang for a towed vehicle).
The Jeep finally arrived in early December, so Richard had to leave Bridget and fly to Idaho to pick up their new Jeep. That wasn’t a problem for Bridget, it freed-up more time for the two of us to go kayaking! We also went off-roading with their e-bikes through a nearby wildlife refuge. We went exploring one day in the Jeep, too. We had so much fun together, I’ll have to do a separate post to share pics from our “girls’ day out” adventures. Bridget is also a crafter, so we did some crafting together, too. Sadly, no crafting pics to share.
Richard got back from Idaho on December 20. Mike, Belle, and I left for North Carolina on December 22 to spend Christmas with some family. We got back to the campground on December 26.
On December 28, two other moto-blogger friends, Chris and Lori, arrived to spend a couple of nights with all of us. Chris and Lori are from Dahlonega, Georgia. They are in the process of fitting-out an overland expedition vehicle, which they use to RV in really remote places with rougher terrain than we could ever hope to traverse in our more-mainstream big rigs.
Selfie by Lori (lower-left) with me, Bridget, Richard, Chris (waving), and Mike.
Their super-cool vehicle is in the background.
Chris and Lori left on December 30. Bridget and I went kayaking at Crystal River on December 31. We all retired to our coaches well before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
The coolest thing we did as a group happened on January 1. That’s when we rented a pontoon boat from the campground and spent the day out on the river. We even packed a picnic and anchored on the water just south of Fanning Springs to enjoy our little feast.
L-R, Mike, me, Bridget, and Richard
Our boat is on the left. It looks just like the one in the middle.
It was a beautiful day to be out on the water.
I’m not sure if Belle liked riding on the boat, but she doesn’t like being left alone.
This is where we ate lunch. There was more boat traffic on that part of the river.
Captain selfie!
I liked watching Belle’s ears flying in the wind.
It was such a nice, leisurely ride. We saw alligators, numerous kinds of birds, and even a river otter!
Alligator
Ibis
Wood Stork (center) and Ibis (right)
Alligator
Bridget captured this nice pic of Belle.
L-R, me, Mike, Richard, and Bridget (photographer)
Bridget captured this pic of Belle, ears flapping.
I took my captain duties very seriously. Looks like Richard was at ease with me at the wheel.
We docked around 3:00 for a quick potty break. Mike opted to stay at the coach with Belle while Richard, Bridget, me, and their dog, Leinen, headed back out on the river to use-up our final boat time.
Richard, Bridget, and Leinen
As for boating, I think Leinen felt the same way as Belle did. He wasn’t loving it, but it was better than being left behind.
We spotted this small gator downriver from the campground.
Bridget captured this cool picture of the hawk that liked to hang out in the trees between our campsite and the river.
That evening is when we learned that our son-in-law had tested positive for COVID a few days after we left North Carolina. As soon as we learned that we’d been exposed, we let all of our friends know. We were careful to keep our distance for the Machida’s remaining days at YJRR.
Richard and Bridget left YJRR as planned on January 3. Since I’d been feeling extra tired for a few days, I decided I should probably test, too. I couldn’t find any at-home test kits, so got an appointment scheduled for January 4. Despite being fully vaccinated and boosted, I tested positive, too. Mike never did test, but assumed he had COVID, too, since he had a sore throat and mild cough. I had a slight sore throat, too, but that was it.
Thankfully, none of our friends tested positive. Only two of the five family members we visited tested positive. Those who were sick had very mild symptoms, thanks to being vaccinated, and all of us are fully recovered.
I’ll share pics from the outdoor adventures Bridget and I shared in a future post.
Getting used to living full-time in an RV and not working has been a bit of an adjustment. One or the other of those two things would itself be an adjustment. Actually, there’s another thing… adjusting to Mike not working.
We really don’t do a whole lot. Every now and then we’ll go somewhere just for fun, but usually we just sorta hang out. Mike usually rides his bike once a day for exercise. Then he reads, or listens to podcasts, or maybe watches some TV. I like spending time outside, so I either sit outside in our “yard” with Belle or, if I feel like I need to move, I’ll take a walk or a bicycle ride. I also take Belle for short strolls throughout the day (she doesn’t like to go far from the camper). Yesterday, I put the top down on the Mini and took Belle for a ride to the other end of the island and back.
I’ve taken the kayak out a few times. And I hope to use it again a time or two before we leave here at the end of November. I also do some sewing. With the holidays approaching, I’ve been working on some gifts. Some days, like today, I paint my nails. I also cook dinner most days, too. Simple stuff that can be cooked outside and/or heated in the microwave/toaster oven (to minimize strong food odors inside of the coach).
I’m not complaining, just trying to keep it real. It sounds dull, I know. We both seem to be enjoying the low-key life. Really, the best thing about RV life is just being able to live in such a wide variety of different places and meet people from all over the country. The worst thing? Sometimes it does feel a bit lonely. There are lots of folks to chit-chat with, but I find it hard to find people who are good at real conversation.
I’ve really enjoyed island life. I think Mike has, too. But I’ll be ready to move on to Florida in 10 days. Especially since some friends will be camping in the same place we are for a few weeks and at least one of them likes water sports and doing crafty stuff, too.
I’ve been making more of an effort to watch the sunset every day. I usually ride my bike to the public beach at the east end of the island to do that. It’s quicker than walking to the beach. Here’s a pretty sunset photo I captured yesterday…
Friday’s sunset.
I do enjoy being in such a beautiful location surrounded by water. I’ll miss the East Coast beaches and abundance of water for sure, once we head west at the end of January.
Mobile Bay
Interesting textures and my bike on the beach.
Life in the desert will be the next big adjustment for us, I think. We may be spending the first part of 2022 in the desert southwest. Time will tell…
Tomorrow, the moon will be full. Last night, thanks to some very clear, almost cloudless skies, the moon really lit-up the night sky.
For kicks, I decided to walk out to the beach last night. I took a flashlight, but didn’t keep it on for long. In fact, as soon as I got past the start of the path where I know there are lots of tree roots waiting to trip me, I turned the light off.
It didn’t take long at all for my eyes to adjust. The light-colored sand almost made it feel like I was walking through snow. Except it was only about 60 or 65 degrees, which isn’t really conducive to frozen precipitation.
One of the cooler aspects of such bright moonlight was the shadows that were cast onto the ground. The moon was almost directly overhead, so the shadows weren’t very long.
Out of curiosity, I decided to try capturing an image with my iPhone 12 Mini. It automatically set itself to a three-second exposure. I thought the effect was kind of interesting.
The picture of my shadow is cool, but you can’t really appreciate how the camera rendered the light. The shots that follow are better examples of the interestingness I ended up with.
Dauphin Island’s east end public beach.
The lights on the water are from the natural gas rigs in Mobile Bay.
Beach adjacent to the Dauphin Island Campground.
As I walked back to the camper, I decided to see what the ferry landing area looked like at night under the light of the almost-full moon, too. I actually like these pics a lot better.
Mobile Bay Ferry, docked at night.
Snack shack near the ferry landing.
Bait boat at night.
I have really enjoyed our time here on the island. It feels safe and secure, even roaming around alone at night. I would not feel comfortable roaming around our next campground at night, but that’s because it’s in the woods along the bank of a freshwater river. I think alligators can be active at night. Perhaps I should do some research before we move there in December.
I hope y’all enjoyed this peek of Dauphin Island at night.
Things are going great, mostly. The not-so-great thing? I am STILL struggling to find my missing writer mojo. You know, that hard to describe thing that makes a person want to write. My writing muscle! I’ve apparently lost the desire to use it. I have also run out of rational explanations and plain old excuses to explain the problem.
Rather than waste any more time trying to understand why, I’m just going to move forward.
I figured I would try and ease my way back into blogging by combining two crafts that I enjoy; writing and photography.
Recently, I’ve come to realize that photography is really just a lazy way of capturing and sharing memories with people. When I look at one of my own nature photos, I “see” more than an image. I can usually remember the feeling of the place, too. And why I took the pic in the first place.
I’ve always just assumed others look at my images and experience the same thing. I figure people see my photos and either can see/understand why I took the shot or can at least appreciate the photo for its quality.
Turns out, I may have been wrong.
Right or wrong, as a form of exercise for that atrophied writing muscle of mine, I’m going to start doing posts about particular pictures. I can only share one image per post and I need to write something about the image. I’m thinking the writing will happen in the morning, so the pic may be from the day before. I may throw in some old pics, too.
The rules are loose and may change. Why create pressure? I want this to be fun for me and, hopefully, something others will enjoy, too.
Wish me luck as I struggle to get back into shape. 🐸
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Harry the Heron
We’ve been at our current location for about three weeks now. We are staying at a campground on the eastern end of Dauphin Island near the mouth of Mobile Bay in Alabama. The campground is adjacent to the beach AND an Audubon Bird Sanctuary. It’s also across the street from the Mobile Bay Ferry landing.
When we first arrived on this small barrier island and I visited the beach, I was delighted to see large bird footprints in the sand. I thought that meant this was a “wild” beach. As it turns out, those tracks were Harry’s. He is, indeed, a heron, but he’s not particularly wild. He is a regular on this beach. So much so, that campers know him by name. I see him on the beach often.
The other day, while walking around with my camera, I was taking pictures of a heron on the beach that I thought was Harry. I even said, “Hi, Harry,” as I snapped some pics.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I heard some honk-squawking to my left and turned to see the real Harry gesturing wildly at me from the water’s edge.
That other heron was an imposter! Or an interloper. Maybe both.
Harry made some crazy poses for me and then, after I had had time to snag a few pics, took off.
He is a proud, handsome fellow, isn’t he? Not only did I capture a great pic, but a fun story, too.
About this time yesterday (Wednesday) we were motoring along at the 70 m.p.h. ( 113 km/h) posted speed limit on Interstate 81 northbound. It was a lovely day for a drive. We’d left our previous campsite at Big Stone Gap, Virginia around 9:00 a.m. headed for Pocahontas State Park near Richmond on the eastern side of the state. It should have been about a 6.5-hour drive.
I was enjoying the scenery, doing some shopping on Amazon, texting with friends, and thinking about how much we’d enjoyed our stay in Big Stone Gap. I was even pondering a blog post all about the Big Stone Gap stay, which I’d planned to write last night after we settled in at Pocahontas.
Unfortunately, about three hours into yesterday’s drive, we had a tire blow-out.
There’s not much left of that tire.
If you have never experienced a blow-out, you probably don’t realize how LOUD it can be. A little scary, too. Or a lot scary, depending on who you are. It can also be dangerous. Having any tire fail is bad, but having a front, steering tire blow is the “worst nightmare” scenario.
For us, it was the right-front tire that blew. It’s a steering tire, which is pretty much located directly under the passenger seat where I was sitting. First, there was a very loud bang, followed instantly by the coach jerking to the right. That movement was accompanied by an enormous amount of shaking/vibration and loud thumping sounds as stuff started flying forward inside the coach (we decelerated rapidly) and the shredded tire wreaked havoc on the body of the rig.
Mike heroically managed to get the coach safely over to the shoulder and stopped.
View of hill where blowout occurred.
It was terrifying when it happened. It happened REALLY fast, too. The scariest part was that, since we were approaching a bridge/exit, there was a guard rail angling toward the shoulder and the “escape” space we had was dwindling extremely quickly.
Screen capture of Google Maps satellite view. The blow-out happened when we were at about the upper-left corner of the image.
If you look closely at those screen captures, you can see the guard rail angling closer and closer to the road.
Screen capture of Google Maps satellite view. The red bar shows about where Mike brought the coach to a stop.
This is where Mike brought the coach to a stop.
Below, I have shared text from a forum post Mike wrote describing the experience…
Cruising along I-81N today in the right lane, at the speed limit (70) when I had a blowout on the right steer tire.
Yes, I’ve read posts here [on the forum] …”get rid of the Good Years! They are an accident waiting to happen.” I wish I had listened to that sage advice.
I was able to keep it under control and coast to the very narrow shoulder, but when the tire let loose, it took some of the bodywork with it (the fiberglass fender is shot). When the nose dropped down, the steps grabbed the ground and were bent back so much that they won’t close, and the metal door frame was bent outward when the fender was blown out. There was so much vibration during the blow-out and coming to a stop that three of the headlights were knocked loose (one of them disappeared completely), two of the marker light covers also disappeared, and both of the front “C” accent lights popped partially out. The “wall” between the batteries and the wheel well was obliterated. I’ve not crawled under the coach to see if there was any additional damage.
The good news: The toad (2021 Mini) seems to have escaped unharmed, although the bicycles mounted to the rear of it were shaken loose.
We’re alive – we survived a terrifying incident on a major interstate highway.
Complete Tire in Wytheville, Virginia was stellar in getting on the scene and mounting a temporary tire to get us off the highway and to a nearby campground. They’ve ordered two new Michelin RV tires that will (hopefully) be in tomorrow so that we can continue on our way.
We really were very lucky. Angels were watching over us for sure. Belle was sleeping in her bed between our seats and Mike and I were both belted in. The toaster oven that usually rides on the kitchen counter ended up in front of Belle, resting on the floor against the dashboard. We don’t know how that thing missed hitting Belle, but we do know the toaster oven will be well-secured on future trips.
Belle, oblivious to the danger we had all just barely escaped.
Staying in a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of a busy interstate highway full of big trucks moving at high speed is one of the worst things you can do, so we all (me, Mike, and Belle) left the coach and waited on the grassy area adjacent to the shoulder, about 50 feet (15 m) away from the coach. (Belle was happy. The shoulder had quite a few raspberry and blackberry bushes full of fruit and there was bear poop for her to sniff and [almost!] roll on.)
Mike called Coach-Net and waited on hold, and waited, then waited some more. Meanwhile, I called the State Police, who dispatched a highway safety vehicle and a state trooper, both who arrived pretty quickly and sat behind us, lights flashing, while we waited to talk to Coach-Net. The trooper called a local tire repair company — Complete Truck Service, Inc. — to come and help us.
I was on the phone with Complete Truck Service when Coach-Net finally got on the phone with Mike (“only” 41 minutes of hold time later!). The rep was actually happy to hear that we were working on the problem ourselves and agreed to pick up the tab for the service call and costs associated with travel for the rescue vehicle. We will need to pay for the new tire. As for the rest of the damage, we are hoping insurance covers that. There is an insurance deductible, of course.
Destroyed fender.
Our rescuers, Complete Truck Service, Inc., brought a tire we could use to get off of the interstate and to their shop.
The images that follow, show some of the damage.
Headlights were shaken out of the frame.
Marker lights were shaken loose.
Another missing headlight.
Mike duct-taped the fender back together.
Fender and steps are duct-taped in place.
Closer look at temporary repairs. (Even the metal door frame was bent.)
Fortunately, there was an RV park right around the corner from Complete Truck Service. Oddly, it just happens to be the same RV park where we camped for the first time when bringing the new-to-us coach back from Kentucky.
Our new tires are supposedly being delivered later today. Hopefully, they will be installed first-thing tomorrow (Friday) so we can continue on to Pocahontas State Park.
Coach sitting at tire shop with temporary (donut) tire in place.
The good news is that we missed Tropical Storm Elsa, which, by the looks of the weather radar, appears to be impacting Pocahontas State Park as I type this. That means we are missing out on torrential rain, flash flooding, and potentially damaging winds, which would have been a huge concern if we were parked at a campsite surrounded by trees.
All in all, things could have been much, MUCH worse.
This is more of that stuff we say is “all part of the adventure.” Both of us could, however, use a little less excitement.
