Friday, June 21, 2013

Moving On Up

 

Bright and early Wednesday morning we drove the 100 miles to Scottsdale for Jim’s doctors appointments. Other than a slightly low platelet count, so far all of his blood tests have been normal. They did draw more blood for a few other tests so we are awaiting those results.

He also saw the ophthalmologist, who said that his eyes looked much better. Although nothing grew on the cultures it was apparently some type of bacterial infection that responded to the antibiotics. He prescribed some topical steroid drops to try and get rid of the remaining inflammation, and wanted to see how he’s doing in a few weeks. So I guess we’ll be making another trip to Scottsdale. He’s just happy that his eyes are feeling better and he is not having the fluctuations in vision he’s been experiencing for a good while.

It was way too hot in the Prescott area, and the nearby Doce fire was still raging, so yesterday we headed north to Flagstaff and higher elevations. We saw that the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous was taking place in the Coconino National Forest, about 8 miles west of Flagstaff, so we decided to stop and check it out. It was very shady where most of the group was camped, so we went on down the road a quarter mile or so and found a great spot to park by a meadow with a view of the San Francisco Peaks, with Humphreys Peak being Arizona’s highest point at 12,637’. 

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We love our view. Our site is at 7600’, which means highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, with lows in the mid 40s. Perfect boondocking weather.

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We’ve never been to Flagstaff because it was always too cold when we drove through. This is a picture taken as we passed by in April, 2010.

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Last evening we met Bob Wells, author of Cheap RV Living blog. He’s an interesting guy, and we’ve enjoyed talking with him and taking a couple walks with him and some of the other people here. He puts on a big Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in Quartzsite every January, and a smaller, more informal, summer gathering. He is a big advocate of free camping on public lands, and likes to help others learn to do the same.

This morning we all took a hike to a nearby pond hoping to see some elk. I think there were too many dogs and we were all talking, so we didn’t see any wildlife. Nice scenery, though.

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Some of the group and their pups.

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Bob’s sweet dog Homer, just before he raced off into the water.

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We are really looking forward to exploring Flagstaff. We enjoyed Prescott, with all the hiking, proximity to the National Forest, and a Trader Joe’s. It was also one of the neatest and cleanest cities we’ve visited. One evening we even went downtown to the Courthouse Square for a free jazz concert. We’ll see what Flagstaff has to offer.

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8 comments:

  1. Your weather sounds perfect to me. I would rather have cool nights than these 70 degree nights we are having. Glad you are cooling off:)

    We've only stayed overnight twice in Flagstaff on motorcycle trips. I'll be interested to see what you find. Hopefully, some hiking.

    Glad to hear Jim's test went all right. Nice to know his eyes are feeling better.

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  2. There's an irony to your phrase, "moving on up". It doesn't jibe with your Lazy Daze motorhome at a Rubber Tramp gathering.

    But I guess you didn't mean the phrase in a socio-economic sense. (grin)

    All kidding aside, it says 'well' of the Rubber Tramps that you were welcomed, despite being such a bad fit with the group.

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  3. Thanks for the preview of another area we've got on our list! Love that so many towns have free summer concerts!

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  4. Boonie, there is a diverse group here, a class A, some class Cs, travel trailers, tents, vans, truck campers, and people sleeping in cars. There are fulltime RVers like us, some folks who stay on public lands most of the time, as you do, and others who are just on vacation here to learn about the lifestyle. Our home on wheels may be bigger and more comfortable than some of the others, but we are all consumed by wanderlust and a love of nature. We are enjoying their company.

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  5. Glad you were able to run upon the Rubber Tramps. Sounds like a great group. Good to hear Jim's tests have gone OK so far and that his eyes are much better. Life is so much nicer when we don't have health issues to limit what we can do. Enjoy, I'll be anxious to see some of the other rigs and hear what they are doing. What sort of energy are they all sporting? Do I remember that you guys have solar??

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  6. Happy to read about Jim and his eyes. Glad his eyes are feeling so much better.

    We have never been to Flagstaff either. We will be following along to see the sights through your eyes.

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  7. Looks like a nice area. And, going up in elevation sure helps this time of year. I'll likely want to visit the art galleries in Scottsdale, so I'm guessing it's an easy drive there. Alas, I won't be in the southwest until around November.

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  8. We always end up rushing through Flag...on our way somewhere else. As a kid growing up in Hot Phoenix, I loved going up there, winter or summer. and smelling the big pines.
    Box Canyon Mark

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