“Don’t push the river.’
— Julie Merrick
Monday, Lark and I finally got our Thai lunch. It was delicious, and Tuesday we went for our final Mexican dinner (and MY final margarita of the visit). I sometimes get take-out when I drive into a town for supplies, but it is a rare treat to actually eat out in a restaurant. During my stay in Barbara and Lark’s driveway, I had sushi, Thai, Mexican food and margaritas (3 times) and Domino’s pizza. I cooked lentil soup one night and eggplant lasagna one night, so we certainly ate well during my visit.
Wednesday morning, I packed up and continued my journey north. I’d delayed my departure from Prescott Valley because there was a severe heatwave and the spot I was heading next was once again in triple digit heat. It subsided (a little bit—only reached 93⁰) on Wednesday and I headed to Camp Verde where I stay each spring and fall at a tiny RV park. It’s a full-time, 55+ community, but they allow me to park remotely at the far end, up next to the pool, showers and hot tub. It’s a hardship, but I endured.
I hung out for two days. In spite of being in an RV park, I saw no other humans, except for the staff driving by occasionally in their golf carts and doing routine maintenance. I guess the residents all just stay inside their air-conditioned rigs. Fine by me.
Friday morning, I packed up, stocked up in town (prices in Camp Verde are outrageous) and headed north to Coconino National Forest, just southeast of Flagstaff. I found a beautiful spot, but it took me quite a while to get level due to all the ruts and rocks. I finally got level and enjoyed the breathtaking view.
I made lunch and sat outside and enjoyed the cooler weather. Cosmo and I took a walk, and I later paid the price for forgetting that May in the forest is prime time for chiggers. Within a few minutes I was itching, and within the hour I was covered with welts on my legs from ankle to knees and on my forearms. I washed with alcohol wipes and applied a lotion I made with Helichrysum essential oil which gave me at list a modicum of relief. For those of you who have never encountered chiggers (I managed to avoid them for 70 years until I came to the forest in Flagstaff), they are like mosquitoes on steroids. Invisible to the naked eye, the larvae hides at the tops of tall grasses, and “hop on” as you pass. They inject you with digestive enzymes that break down cells into a sort of soup that is then sucked up for nourishment. It is an itch like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’ve put on long pants every time I have gone outside since then, hoping for the current bumps to subside and trusting to encounter no new ones.
The new moon and distance from civilization offered a beautiful dark sky. We (souls of planet earth) should be in the correct tilt to see the Milky Way again starting this month, although I think this early in the season, it will be most prominent at about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. I’ll have to go out and look if I wake up in the middle of the night. The altitude and cool night air make it very conducive to a solid night’s sleep.
Lessons From The Road: My path since early April has been dictated by unusual weather patterns. Even now as I head toward Flagstaff, I see that there is a possibility of freezing temps at night. It’s blazing hot in southern Arizona, and still freezing at night in the mountains. In search of “mama bear weather,” I detour to southeast of Flagstaff and set up camp in the forest near Mormon Lake. It looks like the weather will be more tolerable in Flagstaff by next weekend, but I just realized that is Memorial Day Weekend. That means hoards of tourists flocking into Flagstaff area for camping. I DREAD summer holidays in Flagstaff. So I’m planning to stay put where I am. I could encounter some off-road traffic on the trail near my current site, but there are no clearings close to mine and my site is not big enough for anyone to consider pulling in with me. I should be spared most of the noise and grief that the Phoenix crowd will undoubtedly unleash on Flag next weekend. My lesson is to be flexible, go with the flow, and try not to force what would very likely to be an unenjoyable outcome.
That’s all I got
Love you like a dog.
See you down the road,