Skip to main content

Long Winter Journey To The West - Part 5

This is part 5 of this trip. For other parts use these links:

Part 1: http://www.barefootwalk.net/2023/06/long-winter-journey-to-west-part-1-al.html

Part 2: http://www.barefootwalk.net/2023/06/long-winter-journey-to-west-part-2.html

Part 3: http://www.barefootwalk.net/2023/06/long-winter-journey-to-west-part-3.html

Part 4: http://www.barefootwalk.net/2023/06/long-winter-journey-to-west-part-4.html

Part 6: http://www.barefootwalk.net/2023/06/long-winter-journey-to-west-part-6.html 

----------------------------------

December 2022

Moving north in Arizona the weather was getting cooler again but still very nice and pleasant. On my way, I stopped at a thrift store in Phoenix and purchased the only radio they had. I suppose I had too much silence over last few weeks and this crappy radio was the solution. It kind of worked, the main problem was on/off function and the volume, basically they will work unpredictable but tuning was solid nice. Made in August 1992! It's antique I suppose.


Four Peak mountains and Superstition wilderness are popular here. This particular campsite was mostly for ATV and shooting practice but this cold weather was a good reason many people stayed home. We didn't see many people apart from a few occasional visitors driving slowly on the dirt road.


The next morning was a strange day. First thin in the morning I receive a call informing me that I have been chosen to visit and have on-campus job interview and this was super-exciting! He told me someone will call me to schedule my visit. I headed on the road after this delightful news. I was driving towards Phoenix that I noticed White Dwarf doesn't have enough power and in one of those hills it stalled. It would crank but nothing else. There was no network coverage. The new SOS option in iPhone did the magic (iPhone 13 doesn't have a satellite emergency call but it offered boosted call). Well long story short I was able to call 911 and they managed to send a tow truck and I spend the next two days in Phoenix waiting for the fuel pump replacement. I had a chance to rent 4Runner though, and spent a night in suv, without any accommodation of-course, just to save a little more and afford this super-expensive break down.


Soon after repair we were on a road again and we continued north.

Flagstaff is always a surprise. I don't expect to see a higher elevation and cooler weather in Arizona but there is always descent amount of snow and cold weather.


The next campsite was my magic place. I love this campsite so much that it easily ranks top 3 in my list.









The next destination was Navajo Monument, that is at a higher elevation, therefore I expected colder weather.






And my usual grumpiness when I see tourists! 





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DIY ultralight pyramid tent for 2+ or 1+dog or 1+ bike

 This is my new DIY project. I have been making tents for last 5 years and I've tried different types. When I started backpacking I purchased a double wall, fully enclosed tent  (so called ultralight tent; market crap).  Most people don't really need these tents and they are not ultralight at all. I switched to a tarp when I started thru-hiking and I fell in love with it's simplicity. Tarp is fantastic. I tried copying zpacks solo tents then. It is a great design.   This time I was looking for a larger tent that can fit my dog as well and it's not as miserable looking as a tarp (people think you are broken!). I always resisted the idea of using a pyramid tent but after a lot of thoughts I settled down with a pyramid tent and I must confess this design offers fantastic features. Here how I did it.   Materials: I ordered all materials from:  https://ripstopbytheroll.com/   but I have used https://www.questoutfitters.com/ in the past and I enjoyed doing ...
Post a Comment
Full Story »

Summer with Twyla- Part I- The Road Trip

It was just an idea. I could put it in one sentence, not a summary, the whole idea and plan and thinking was just a sentence: A summer with Twyla. Well, it is not even a complete sentence, but you get the idea. I didn't do anything specific for the preparation, except buying a Dometic fridge. I also made modification to the power system. Basically I moved the monitor and the control unit to the camper. These proved to be very important updates. Cover photo: This trip in a song: Map: 1- Sunday, May 18, 2025 Mile: 29 Grant WMA, Georgia I cleaned up the house and my office. Packed all I need for me and Twyla, for at least a month and after waiting for the storm to pass, we left the house at around 1:30 pm. I stopped at Walmart to get a few missing items and made it to a small pond in Grant national forest.  It is nice after rain here. Finally after another short drive we arrive at the first camp. It is warm so I just eat peanut butter banana sandwich for lunch. We enjoy the quiet and ...
Post a Comment
Full Story »

Summer Solstice- Long Days Journey

Summer officially begins after the sun reaches the summer solstice, however people consider the time between the Memorial Day and the Labor Day as summer. The delayed warmth kicks in after the longest day and around here we are talking about temperatures above 100 F. From astronomical point of view there are two important reasons for this heat: the sun is higher in the sky and it remains in the sky for longer time because days are longer. These two effects combined, produce higher temperature. This is not a comfortable temperature or sometimes it is not safe for hiking. Thankfully I have so many projects to complete. For example I just finished sewing a new roof-bag. It turned out nice and we will see how it holds against elements. The fabric is ballistic nylon so my only concern is stitches and webbing. I may post a how to tutorial in future. Twyla and I are enjoying two walks a day and she can actually swim twice a day. What a blessing having her!  Another notable event is the su...
Post a Comment
Full Story »