Sleeping Like In McGregor, Making Relish, Cleaning, Finally Finding The Problem and A Hidden Jewel.

Our Location today is North Ranch, Congress, Arizona, U.S.A.

We are not quite sure what is happening here but for now It’s Okay. Every night since we’ve been in the southwest we struggle to keep our eyes open. Trying to upload the pictures as they take ages to load doesn’t help either because we find ourselves falling asleep just waiting for that to happen. The last thing we see before turning the lights off at night is the clock set at MST saying we’re still getting to bed by McGregor Time. We are basically going to bed at the same time we would back home. Where the problem is that we are actually sleeping later in the morning then back in McGregor. The extra sleep is helping Kathy to shake whatever it was that plagued her since we’ve been on the road but this is a lot of sleep. 

Kathy entering the Desert Garden

For breakfast we had a lite snack rather then our usual cereal because we would then end up having to stop whatever we would be doing to have a lite lunch later. We did stick to having our Coffee/Tea at the Computers before moving on to other things. 

Kathy and I will be joining in the Thanksgiving Celebration here at North Ranch on Thursday. Everyone attending pays $5.00 and the Park supplies Turkey and Ham. Rather then bringing a Potluck Dish that could feed the entire room we were told to only to make enough for the Eight People at our own table. The advantage to that is if there are any leftovers you won’t be eating it for weeks after the celebration is over. 

Kathy signed us up to bring an Ambrosia Fruit Salad for dessert but decided to add her Homemade Cranberry/Orange Relish to go with the meal as well. Not having a Food Processor on board Kathy was going to simply cut the Cranberries in half and then mash them. I convinced her to let me chop them much finer. It was a good thing we did that because trying to mash them was not working. With all the ingredients mixed together the taste blended so well it’s doubtful that there will be any Leftovers for us to bring Home. 

The timing was perfect when we finished with our Food Preparation and it was then lunchtime, so we just used up the few Leftovers that we didn’t want to spoil from the Fridge. 

Kathy wanted to continue cleaning our Home today so she didn’t waste any time getting started.

Trimmed to look like they are in pots but are not.

I wanted to resolve the issue of the Driving Lights on the Trailer not working. I again verified with the meter that we had power to the Plug in the Truck-Bed and that the Cable from the Truck into the Trailer was working but why weren’t the Driving Lights.

This trench runs under the Bridge to drain the Wash

I mentioned that I added Signal/Markers on the side of the Trailer to warn people driving next to us of our intention of changing lane or turning. Removing those Light-Fixtures from the side of the Trailer I finally found the problem. 

The Light-Fixtures were purchased at the Love’s truck stop in Quartzsite but not installed until after we were home in McGregor. When the package was opened there were no wires coming from the Lamps which meant they required a special Pigtail (Plug with Wires coming from it) to be able to connect them. Looking around the local Husky truck stop and all the Automotive Stores only got me frustrated. We finally located the Pigtails at Bogar’s Truck Service and Parts in Windsor, Ontario. The only problem was that the way they plugged into the back of the Lamp was extremely tight and the Coloured Wires were different then the wire leading to the Contact inside the Lamps 

We had the lights working properly before leaving but then they suddenly stopped which cause the Fuses under the Hood of the Truck to blow. That normally happens when there is a Short, a Grounded Positive Wire. Remember the Tight connection? Somehow the Contacts inside the Pigtail (Plug) melted together inside the rubber they were molded into. After disconnecting the Pigtails from the Lamps, the remaining Driving Lights then worked perfectly. We’ll be returning to Wickenburg tomorrow so we’ll see what we can find there to finish this repair. 

They look nice,

but they bite.

Kathy finally finished her cleaning and came outside to sit for a while. The outside temperature was 79 F (26 C) and if you were in the direct Sunlight you were melting. If you sat in the Shade it was actually quite chilly. After a brief rest we decided we needed to go walking as a form of Exercise. The other day our neighbour told us about a Walking Path with a little Bridge and a beautiful Desert Garden right here at North Ranch that she and her husband stumbled across by accident while out for a walk. Kathy remembered reading about this garden in other Blogs so what better to do then go explore the Park. 

We had to walk down to the end of our lane in the direct sunlight and were feeling the heat in that short a time. When we reached the entrance to the trail it was shaded and the temperature felt 20 F (11 C) cooler. The Park is laid out around a Wash used to collect Storm Water. That left a lot of barren useless ground around the Wash. A woman named Maye Huslage took it upon herself to start creating a place where people could just stroll through and enjoy nature. She encouraged others from North Ranch to get involved in the project. Even in her memory others continue to add and maintain her gift to the Park. 

We enjoyed our walk and enjoyed seeing a number of different types of Birds along with the Rabbits that enjoy the tranquility and protection from predators the Park affords them as it surrounds the Wash as well as abutting desert land next to it. We know a few people that have tried to recreate just a small portion of this Park on their own property because of the Tranquil Effect and we understand why. 

For supper we grilled a couple of Hamburgers to go with the Asparagus and Chips that Kathy had for sides. Tomorrow we have some errands and then we’ll see what else we get ourselves into. Thanks for following along, feel free to leave a comment and click on the pictures to enlarge them. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Joke of the Day

Q: What do you call a veterinarian with laryngitis?

A: A hoarse doctor.