Las Cienegas NCA, Indian Pass, Bees, Snakes, Earthquake!

A few pronghorns we spotted at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.We spent a few days exploring around the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, then decided to keep on heading further east.  We found some propane at the general store in Arivaca, then continued eastward, through yet another Border Patrol checkpoint till hitting I-19, and headed for the Mexican border.  There are hundreds of huge trucking warehouses lining both sides of the highway as you approach Nogales.  It must be a major transportation hub for good going to and from Mexico, and one of the busiest border crossing areas.
We got within about a half mile of the border in Nogales, where some re-stocking was in order at the Walmart.  Not surprisingly, at least one in three licence plates in the parking lot was from Sonora, Mx.
From there we headed further to the north-east and passed through Patagonia, but did not stop this time through.  We drove through Sonoita, then entered the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area via the south entrance.



One of the designated camping areas provided a base to explore the area and do some visiting in Sierra Vista.  The hummingbird feeder went out and very soon attracting a bad crowd!  Never saw a hummingbird, but the feeder was soon covered in a mass of buzzing raiders.  Normally, I would have waited till they departed overnight and then remove the feeder.  But with several hours of daylight left, I was scared of how many more may show up before then!  So, I carefully unhooked the feeder from where it was, then set it down on the ground quite a distance away – then covered it completely with a pail.  The swarm was reluctant to move on, but after several hours they gave up and moved on.  No one was stung in the process!

The truck needed a new fuel filter, so we got that done on a day trip into Sierra Vista, then hooked up with a friend from there and visited Tombstone for a drink and supper.  The next day, we wandered over to Patagonia for a great lunch.  On the way back to camp that day there was a snake on the road.

Not sure what kind of serpent he was, but he was not at all keen to leave the roadway, where it must have been a bit warmer.  We had to pick him up carefully with a stick and move him off the road to prevent him becoming run over.
The weather forecast was not good for the next few days with some possibly freezing temperatures and even maybe some snow to look forward to.  With no better outlook in eastern Arizona, the next day we packed up and cruised back through Yuma to the Ogilby road area.  There were a few showers and a bit of rain along the way, so it was good to get back to the sun. This time we went further north on Ogilby, then a couple miles down Indian Pass road.

Just having morning coffee one day when I heard some traffic outside.  Looked out to see seven (7) Border Patrol trucks roll into my camp area and park.  They then proceeded to unload and ride off on 10 quads – on a dusty training run!

I was watching a hockey game on TV one night when a few strong gusts of wind started to rock the rig.  Except, there was NO wind!  And there was no one else around.  It wasn’t till I got a text msg that I realized that Hailey and I had just ‘survived’ an earthquake.  No beer was spilled.

 

There was a bit of rain in the forecast, that resulted in multiple Flash Flood warnings coming over the phone and radio.  I wasn’t worried though, as I had my boat all ready to go!

To help combat the shortage of toilet paper, I have decided to just try and grow my own.  This is my first crop growing nicely in an undisclosed location.