St Paul, MN Cathedral

 Yeah! I have good internet so I can put more than two pictures up.   I visited relatives in Minnesota and got a chance to walk through the Cathedral in St. Paul.  It is beautiful with lots of alcoves full of statues and stained glass.  It was built in the beginning of the 20th century and my great grandfather was involved in the construction.  I was in this cathedral when I was young but didn't remember much from that visit.  I have to say I have been to the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. and I found that cathedral a very sterile and uninteresting building.  St. Paul's cathedral is a much more interesting and beautiful church.  

I flew to Minnesota while Jim stayed in Yuma.  I had a great visit and got to see lots of relatives and a few friends that I haven't seen in quite awhile.   Flying is kind of a chore with having to wear a mask from the minute you step into the airport until after you collect your luggage and leave the building at your destination.  It was a little "cool" in Minnesota being the end of October and fall colors were all but done.  I saw a little snow and scraped a little ice off the windshield.  It was a good reminder of why I prefer winter in the southwest!  

Before and After Monsoons

 I took the top picture when we first got to Clay Springs.  It was June and the temps were in the 90's.  It was hot and very dry.  We thought we would be up in the cool mountains riding trails in a national forest.  We thought we would at least see some green in the forest but they had had a very dry year.  So everything was very brown and dead looking and crunchy.  There had been no new spring growth because there had been no snow or rain to give plants some moisture.

After it started raining after fourth of July it was amazing to see the change.  I took the bottom picture in August and everything was so green and lush it was hard to believe the difference.  Water can do amazing things and it is wonderful how nature can bounce back.

We got to Yuma a week ago and found large weeds growing in the lot we rent.  Usually the owners beat us down here and have the lot cleaned up but we got here first.  They had had enough rain in Yuma that the weeds grew.  There are leaves on the ocotillo bushes so it must have rained enough for them to sprout.  The hummingbirds were buzzing around our windows soon after we got settled so Jim put up the post I hang my feeders on and I got to work making sugar water for them.  I have hummingbirds, finches and a verdin (a small yellow headed bird) all trying to get at the feeders.  

Its nice to be back in Yuma for the winter and the weather is very nice now with only one or two 90 degree days to put up with and then its 80's for awhile.

Ant Lions

 I am fascinated by these insects called ant lions.  They make these tiny funnel shaped traps in sandy, shady spots.  We had these traps by one of the trees on our RV site.   The ant lion waits at the bottom of the trap for ant to fall in and become its prey.  I've watched an ant fall in and they cannot get back out.  They try to climb up the side of the funnel but they just slide back down on the loose sand.  These funnels are only an inch or so wide and only an inch or so deep but they work well for trapping ants.  I couldn't feel sorry for the ants because they were invading my hummingbird feeder so I was rooting for the ant lion.

We are now in Quartzsite and its still in the mid 90's during the day but it cools off into the low 70's high 60's at night.  We have been going out gold prospecting at 5:30 in the morning while its still dark so we can get set up and ready to run dirt before the sun rises and it gets hot.  Now that its October some snow birds are starting to come in to the park.  We are also seeing a lot more RV's on the highway heading to Yuma or Phoenix or Tuscon for the winter.  

All the Pretty Horses

 

 We really enjoyed watching the wild horses.  They know where to eat and drink and find shade.  They always looked so much happier than the ones penned up in small fields waiting for their owners to throw them some hay.  The wild ones always have something to graze but the "tame" ones have nothing left to graze on in their fenced yards.  

The weather was very nice in Clay Springs most of the summer.    Temps were mostly in the 80's which is very nice for a summer in Arizona.  When we left Clay Springs we stopped for a few days in Williams by the Grand Canyon.  The temps were nice in Williams.  It would be a nice place to stay in the summer.  Lots of 4wheeling to do in the area and you can go all the way to the Grand Canyon if you want.

We are in Quartzsite now and its in the 90's and mid 70's at night so a little too warm.  We have been out gold prospecting and have found a little so that keeps us motivated.  Not many people here, its too early for snow birds.  Our entertainment is going to the Dairy Queen and people watch.  Its a truck stop and also has a Subway so its a hub of activity.  Its probably the busiest place in Quartzsite this time of year.  

 

Northeast of Clay Springs

 Once the monsoon rains came the whole forest greened up and flowers of every kind were blooming.  Lots of Orange Mallow flowers and lots of different yellows, reds, purples.  Everyone said it was the greenest and prettiest it's been in years.  One old timer from the area said "It's so green it hurts your eyes".   All of the critters are happy with so much to eat and lots of water holes full of water.  

This pronghorn was all by himself.  Earlier in the year we saw two of them together all the time.  Not sure what to make of him being all alone.  

We said goodbye to Clay Springs and are on our way to Quartzsite for a month of gold mining.  It's still hot there so we will only be able to go out early in the mornings for a short time.  We spent a few days in Williams, Arizona by the Grand Canyon.  Friends were staying there so we stopped and visited with them.  It is nice and cool most of the summer in Williams, like Clay Springs, because of the altitude.  

We are now in Kingman, Arizona for a few days starting to adjust to the heat.  We love the Kingman Airport Cafe for breakfast so we had to get at least one breakfast while we are here.  

Alpine Area

 We took advantage of having a loaner car while our truck was in the shop and took a day trip.  We went to Alpine, Az.  Alpine is a small town - very small -- with a few RV parks and a cafe, a few cabins and summer cottages.  It's at 8000 feet so its nice and cool in the summer.  We thought we would check it out as a possible summer getaway place.  We decided it was a little too remote but it was a very pretty area.

We went a little farther - almost to the New Mexico border and found a pretty lake.  You can see the egrets and herons fishing in it.  We saw quite a few folks fishing along shore and from boats and canoes.   We stopped at another small reservoir and I got pictures of this hummingbird moth.  I've never seen one with so much color to it.  

Water Tanks

 At the height of the drought there was no water within the forest by us for a good ten square miles.  The only water available was water troughs set up by ranchers for their cattle grazing in the forest.  The wild horses weren't close to most of those tanks so a group of horse lovers were hauling water to tanks they set up for the horses.  The owner of our RV park was filling the tank in the top picture which holds 500 gallons and hauling it into the forest to several troughs like the one in the bottom picture almost everyday for several weeks.   He was one of many doing this as part of the Equine Well Being Rescue.   They pay for the water and drive their own vehicles to get the water into the forest.  They don't get any kind of reimbursement.

We rode out there one time just to see how many horses were enjoying the water.  There were several big herds not too far from the water.  The effort saved them and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the monsoons started.  The rain filled up all the catch basins, creeks and any other low spots that would hold water.  Now the forest is green with flowers of every kind blooming.