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Photo/journal 2006: 4 December 2005 –
February 2006.
On
way to Tucson, AZ . . . . .to_tucson
Tucson houses . . . . . . . . tucson_houses
Iron
Mountain Monument . . . .desert
4 December 2005, Ft. Bliss in
El Paso, Texas at dawn. The annual
Whittaker Christmas Party was on 2 Dec.
The National Weather report showed a snow cold front dropping down from
Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. So if I
left on 3 Dec and drove straight through to Texas I would be ahead of it by
hours. So I did. Arriving in Dallas at rush hour I avoided a
traffic jam by taking an exit; tired I found a subdivision construction site
and napped till mid-day. Had late lunch and was informed by a nice interstate
rest stop worker of ice storm due there in a few hours; so I drove fast to El
Paso. My aunt and uncle Whittaker
buried in the Fort Bliss cemetery, I opted to pay my respects. I had AIT training in nuc-missles there in
1968. Uncle retired there and then
died, 1990s. Aunt died in Denver,
CO. I tried to visit his grave in 1998
with Cage and Becka but misread the gravesite map. We only found an infant Whittaker stone. Becka and I bought groceries in PX, they
wouldn't let Cage in. I dropped them
off bus station in Sacramento CA and called Aunt June, she told me that Uncle
Dwight's son, my first cousin Dwight jr."No wakey, wakey", had died
the day before while we slept in the camper on a street in San Francisco, CA.
I-10 New Mexico, the C. Divide on flat
desert. This business was abandon;
skeleton in VW. Motorbike and rider in
shade. Railroad runs nearby
I-10 mountains of southern New Mexico.
The interstate only dotted with gas stations every 50 miles, no towns for
hundreds of miles.
Cute name for desert town: Road Forks, AZ. Finally the flat ground turns to mountains
thou the sandy dirt remained for hundreds of more miles
I-10 mountains covered with large
boulders, ever ready to roll down upon the unexpected traveler. Southern
Arizona, 100 miles from Tucson, 5 Dec 06
I picked a small one-bedroom apartment
2 blocks from daughter Alaina. For 3
weeks I painted 13 Christmas cards and this discarded lampshade.
Then found an old stand up lamp with
round table in middle of pole. Covered it with silver paper and painted shade
and gave it to Alaina.
Arrived the second week of December
2005 40 hours of driving my recent purchase 1997 GMC truck with sleeping camper
on the back.
I then spent two weeks walking every
day around the neighborhood, to grocery store. Found pool hall and poker game
weekend nights.
More photos of the small houses where I
stayed. Aprox: 2 mile by 4 miles square of homes. Bordered by 5 lane roads with
businesses. Dec 05
On both sides of the 5 lane major roads
was a "bike lane" 3 feet wide asphalt. I was about everyday and saw bicycle riders everywhere. Some had
motors
31 December 2005 I was getting real
sick Horrible Arizona Flu Fever, deep cough 10 days of bad bad thought I might
die. Didn't; after a week of gradual recovery I drove out to see the desert, 33
miles north of Tucson, AZ This is the
flattest part of Iron Mountain National Monument In distance is the lowest hill I saw, went to check it out.
From my parking spot oft the old
two-lane road that lead to the copper mine, it was a good mile walk to the base
of steep hill. This cattle path was
neat. Never did see a live cow, but
there were warning signs. Also four
wheelers' tracks I saw 3 house flies, 2 butter flies, a flock of quail and the
bouncing ears of a jack rabbit (twice)
The hill was much higher than I had
imagined; I had to stop and rest and catch my breath every 20 feet. The slope was 45* - 65* and covered with
loose boulders, large and small; every step required care. Here at the top some
kids had made a fort with heavy wooden beam.
After I returned to my truck
lungs hurt & legs sore. I
knew I would survive.
January 2006, glenn H. whittaker,
jr. explores the desert 30 miles N.W.
of Tucson, AZ in Iron Mountain Monument.
The cactus is over 150 years old, said a park ranger to me. Temperature
was 70 during day and 45 at night. Coldest night was 30 for only a few days.
15 feet tall slender "bush"
has many thorns but no leaves. I saw town houses use these cut limbs as yard
fences Unfortunately I did not get one for my garden.
In distance is Iron Mountain
Monument. I was shocked, fields of
cotton growing. Their white hulls/seeds
dot the irrigated fields.
One afternoon while rock collecting on
the flats of Iron Mountain, a gang of gas powered four wheelers roared past. Ten minutes later two Park Rangers pulled
up, told me I couldn't rock hunt there, had to go to a different place, north.
Got a map at Land Management. I-10 north 35mi, then right for 5 miles on
rock/sand road to the Public Lands. Bumpy sand paths off hard road led to
proper rock gathering designated area.
On left, "Christmas Tree
cactus" daughter calls ‘em, has millions of thin needles like fishhooks,
pain and won't come out easily. I have one in my garden, but last winter’s hard
freeze killed it.
Look closely: On ground in tree shade
is skeleton of horse or maybe a cow.
Head was gone and hide too. No smells; nothing left but dried out bones.
One of the few shade trees around so I made camp there.
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