A day that went from stones to diamonds

I had an agenda today.  I left the rig at 8:00 to drive about 30 some miles to pick up Kevin and Ruth in the Imperial Dam LTVA BLM (Long Term Visitors Area  in the Bureau of Land Management).  I had reserved two spots for them on the 10:00 am guided hike of the Painted Desert Trail on the refuge.  Well, I got about five miles down the road when the low tire pressure light came on in the car.  Ugh!

The last time this had happened, a bolt had punctured one of the tires.  I could drive five miles back to the refuge, or try to limp my way 35 miles to Yuma.  I decided to go back to the refuge.  Not a good way to start the day.  Kevin and Ruth were to meet me at the Christian Center after riding their bikes two miles from their rig.  Uf-dah!  They have no phone, and my AT&T phone doesn’t work here anyway.

A couple of the guy volunteers helped me pump up the pressure on all the tires, and it turned out that was all that was needed.  No flat tire, but it put me an hour behind time.  Luckily, Kevin and Ruth were still waiting when I finally arrived, and we were off for a day on the refuge.

I headed straight for the Painted Desert Trail, and they were able to catch up with the hiking tour.  I chose not to go since I wasn’t sure I could keep up with them.  That’s Kevin in the lead, and Ruth behind him as the group came out at the end of the hike.  We enjoyed a picnic lunch before heading out to ‘do’ the overlooks.

Weather wise, it was a glorious sunny day.  Lots of ducks and geese on the lakes and ponds.  I brought the scope along so we could get some closer views from above.  Lots of chit-chatting going along as well.

Had to have the blog photo as well with the lake, mountains, and painted desert in the background.  Before you know it, the afternoon had marched on, and we headed back to the VC.

On the way back we found a couple of Harris’s Antelope Squirrels running in and out of a dead tree.  First time I’ve seen this critter.  Cute little things.  They’re one of the few desert animals that is very active during the heat of the day.  When they get overheated, they just lay spread eagled on the ground in the shade to lower their body temperature. 

While they went through the VC, I went back to the rig to let Emma out for a bit.  Digger, one of the desert tortoises, came out of his six week hibernation(?) in his burrow today.  That was an occasion to finally see him again.  Then it was time to take Kevin and Ruth back to the LTVA since I don’t drive after dark.  We had to drive through the Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG), and the Army was training their paratroopers.

Finally got to see ‘our’ boys dropping out of the sky.  My oldest son, Daniel, was in the 82nd Airborne, and I could never imagine jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.  The YPG is all about the sounds of Freedom, but this was a very silent tribute to those that defend us.  Wish I could have thanked them all for their service.

So even though the day started on a sour note, it turned out to be one of those diamond days… a great time with friends and America’s finest.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy