The Three Amigos... Sage, Dixie & Wingnut!!!

I haven't even used the two rooftop evaporative (swamp) coolers, one still needs a new fan motor, and I haven't wanted to run the other alone, I want to see how much of a combined effect those two coolers have... so I may not use them till fall, since the monsoon is just around the corner. Evaporative coolers are no good when humidity rises, and I already have these three (former window) A/C units in the walls and running just fine, so I may not use the rooftop units till fall or even next spring. I don't care, these A/C units work great, now that I have all three installed in strategic locations... that's important in hot weather, without that third unit in my bedroom wall I noticed the south end of my home was definitely warmer with the sun beating down on it. I'd walk from the dining room past the bar and into my room, and the temp would rise about ten degrees, LOL. Now I'm STYLIN' with the arctic blast going whenever I kick the units into high gear.

Got an appointment today with a trucking outfit in Willcox, they said they can park a rig at the J-6 Ranch for me, and I would have some easy runs to Buckeye and other locations. Plenty of driving in scenic southern & southeastern Arizona, on highways with little traffic... some loads would be flatbed loads, construction materials and whatnot, which suits me fine, but the regular run would be from J-6 to Sahuarita to Buckeye and back to J-6, loading in a pecan orchard in Sahuarita and delivering to dairy farms in Buckeye. Not a bad run, gotta drive through Tucson twice per run but that's not so bad, nothing like that Phoenix $h!thole, LOL... and the rest of the run is totally scenic, I always liked that uncrowded stretch on I-8 west of Eloy, the backdoor route I will undoubtedly take to dodge Phoenix traffic. I-8 to AZ85 to I-10 and hook back east a few short miles to Buckeye, no worries. The construction material runs go all over southern Arizona, most likely in areas which are yet to be built up, so no problem.

ANYWAY, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MEETING TODAY, MAYBE THIS WILL BE THE PERFECT JOB FOR ME, GIVEN MY CURRENT LOCATION.

WISH ME LUCK, YOUSE HEROES!!! IF I SCORE THIS JOB, IT'LL SOON BE "THUMPER CITY" FOR RIDING TO THE STRONGHOLD, LOL.

Honeybees partying on my birdbath this weekend, looks like Fiesta Time, LOL...



Last shot shows Crackhead mackin' his crunchies... I had some minor woodworking projects laid out on the dining room table, just so I could mark where to drill instead of doing it out in the heat, and Crackhead had to jump up and distract me, probably thought he could get me to make a mistake in my measurements, LOL.

"GOLDURNED CRACKHEAD!!!"

NOW I'M OFF TO SEE ABOUT THAT JOB... WOOHOO!!!

Give em' Hell and good Luck!

Drove a big ol' extended-hood Petercar yesterday, it sure felt good to be behind the wheel of a truck again... trucking gets into your blood, there were times in the past when I had Diesel #2 coursing through my veins, LOL. The owner had it wrong, though, the Buckeye run actually involves picking up powdered limestone from a mine near Sahuarita and hauling it to Buckeye, probably to some builders or building supply outfit. Dunno what other uses powdered limestone has, and I don't really care what they do with it, so long as I'm paid good money for hauling it. There would be dairy feedlot runs too, we did that yesterday while a hand gave me a road test, that's when I got to cruise in the big ol' land yacht down some scenic and deserted highway, 10-4? Think I saw about half a dozen vehicles total during this run, most of 'em going the other way... RUSH HOUR, don'tcha know???

Pretty easy work overall, but of course ya gots the stink & flies in the feedlots, no getting around that... the grain we haul gets dumped into big ol' concrete bays nearby, then a loader and some utility vehicles do whatever is necessary to cart the grain where it's needed. This "grain" is actually the used grains from brewery mash, at least that's what I was told... it's shipped to Willcox in railcars, then unloaded onto trucks in the form of dry grain or powder to be mixed in with cattle feed. I guess there are other runs to be made for this trucking outfit, but my main focus is upon the Buckeye run, since that would be best for my purposes... right now there are only three of those runs per week for two drivers in separate rigs, but that might change and I could get more of these runs, until then I simply pull the feedlot runs on the odd two days per week.

Anyway, it's a good lead, I still have to clear a few minor obstacles like getting my MVR from the DMV in the Socialist Republik of KaliMexiFornia... ugh. That's why I'm in the public library, had to get on Wi-Fi to bag the number so I can call those DMV fooliots when I get home... I'll be sure to grab a few cold beers outta the fridge as I wait on hold for the wanks, LOL. Otherwise, it's home rehab city with a few piddly tasks to complete on today's agenda. I already took the p!ss test for the company yesterday, so now we're basically waiting for the MVR from Kalifornia. Can't do anything till that arrives, that's just the way it is, but no worries, I still have some money left, I just hope this Buckeye gig falls into place, since it would be ideal for me, given my location in Benson, by God, Arizona, LOL.

HERE ARE SOME SHOTS OF SOME HIGH DESERT ROCKS IN TEXAS CANYON, WHICH LIES BETWEEN BENSON & WILLCOX:



Those rocks and crags are LARGER than they appear in the photos... hey, in that last pic, you can see a truck in my mirror, I undoubtedly just blew past it before taking the shot, LOL. Interstate highway speed limit in this area is 75 m.p.h., and that suits me fine, 10-4?

Here are some shots of breakfast time in the kitchen, with Crackhead lording it over the others by eating on the counter, LOL. We also gots some shots of Phoenix & Tiger on the slab under the metal awning on the east side of our home, all the kittehs love the concrete slabs in the shade because they're relatively cool, compared to the blazing sun in the yard, LOL.



That little Phoenix sure is a cutie, but she's still very shy, though she's slowly coming around and playing with the others... all three kittehs chase each other round the yard now, damn fools rocket around like friggin' meteors, LOL. They do the same thing in the house at night, I'll hear their stampeding paws running from one end of the house to the other at 0400, the knucklehaids!!!

Last but not least, we have a shot of the raft-up in my birdbath this morning... danged honeybees treat my birdbath like it's their private resort, LOL. While I was doing last night's dishes at the kitchen sink this morning, I saw one bee hop onto one of those wooden cheese knives... the morning breeze and the windage on the bee itself caused the cheese knife to "sail" across the pond, I tried to get a picture for the sailing forums but the bee took off as I arrived at the birdbath, camera in hand, LOL. Meh, there will be other times, I'll have to keep the camera handy, out of its case and ready to go, that way I don't gotta dig around for it while time's a-wastin', ya know?



ALRIGHT, YOUSE HEROES, TIME TO HEAD BACK TO THE OL' HACIENDA AND MAKE THAT CALL TO THE DMV... THEY'LL PROBABLY BE OUT TO LUNCH (b@stards are ALWAYS out to lunch), WHICH MEANS I GET TO DRINK MORE BEER WHILE I'M ON HOLD, LOL. BONUS!!!

CHEERS, MONKEYBIKING HEROES & CRUSTY MINI DEMONS O' DIRT!!! HASTA LUEGO!!!

Alright, looks like I'm in... the company didn't care about the CA MVR, since I wisely bought a 10-year AZ MVR, even though I've only been in AZ for three years, maybe a bit less. These folks are clued in, they know how messed up Kalifornia is, LOL. They laughed when I told 'em how I had six months of my life ripped off when I was falsely charged, it's just the sort of thing which convinces 'em that the Socialist Republik of KaliMexiFornia is TOTALLY F#%D UP, 10-4???

So, I should be making at least three runs per week from the mine in Sahuarita to some builder's supply outfit in Buckeye, taking the easy backdoor route along I-8 to AZ85 to Buckeye, which means no Phoenix traffic, LOL. The other two or three days per week, I'll be hauling used brewery mash grains from the railyard in Willcox to a dairy farm feedlot on Highway 186, the dried grain gets dumped into big concrete bays on site, then a loader and some utility rigs distribute it among the cattle.

That's the run I made during my "road test"---the dairy farm feedlot run. I guess I'll do several of those per day when I'm on that gig, but I'm really looking forward to the Buckeye runs, I love that deserted stretch of I-8 between Eloy and Gila Bend, that's some easy cruisin' there with nice scenic vistas in every direction. Sure beats dodging bullets while looking at that Phoenix dump, LOL.

As y'all might guess, I'm VERY HAPPY to be getting back behind the wheel of a truck again, it has been awhile and so much negative crap has happened in between, but now my life is quiet and hassle-free, just the way I like it. Truth be told, Arizona has been good to me in many ways, the personal freedom out here is fantastic, recreational opportunities abound in numerous venues, most of the folks are cool and the pace of life is enjoyable. Having a good steady job will be the icing on the cake, I can live the life of Riley here in Benson and have a blast, aye?

And where else could I buy a primo home on 1/4 acre with a heller view for only $41K total? Sheeeeee-it, ya can't buy an OUTHOUSE in Kalifornia for $41K, LOL, so I'm WAY AHEAD of the game. If I had more cash, I'd be buying up properties here in Benson, they're still cheap and the values will only go UP over the years. Heck, my home has probably DOUBLED in value just with the work I've put into it, no lie... but I don't wanna sell, there's too much good offroading, climbing, wilderness exploring, etc., to do here, a lifetime of it, no worries.

I'm still debating whether to buy a mini or a big ol' thumper for riding to the Stronghold on the west side approaches... I'm leaning toward a thumper, but the minis still tug at my heartstrings, LOL. Thing is, that pit bike went down so fast in Show Low, I think I may have better reaction time on a thumper... but I'll be going even faster on the big bike, LOL. Helmet, gloves, boots & pads on every ride, for sure... gettin' too old to chew rocks and dirt and get thrashed, 10???

ALRIGHT Y'ALL BE GOOD, I'M OFF TO THE OL' HACIENDA TO CRACK A BEER, THINK I'VE EARNED IT TODAY, LOL... CHEERS!!!

Went to Sierra Vista via Tombstone today, I wanted to pick up some field guides & topo maps from the USFS Ranger Station, 10-4? Threw down about $100 but I scored some excellent laminated menu-style field guides for wildlife & whatnot, plus a few good maps of areas I want to know better. I even scored a decent topo map of the Stronghold, though I'd like to find one in a larger scale... might have to visit the Summit Hut in Tucson to find a map with more detail, but no worries, I'll be driving through that burg regularly here pronto, LOL. Anyway, here are some pics of the guides & maps I bought today:



Those maps also show a $h!tload of dirt roads & trails for riding purposes, so I'll be putting them to good use when I'm aboard the thumper, WOOHOO!!! That snake guide was an unexpected bonus, I've been trying to identify the "medicine snake" that brought me the trucking job... did I tell y'all how that happened? The other day, a snake crossed my driveway, and I went out to see it... it had draped itself across the lower branches of a mesquite bush out front, cooling itself in the shade while holding most of its length off the hot ground, aye?

I decided then and there to find some field guides, so I went back inside and started calling around... broke out the thin Cochise County phone book which arrived in the mail about a week ago, and while I was casually running through the Benson listings I stumbled across this trucking outfit's number. I called the company on the spot, one thing led to another, and now I'm gonna start driving for them, probably on Monday... MEDICINE SNAKE!!!

From the guide pictured, the snake looks to be a Coachwhip, classic Western name for a cool-looking snake... thing sure was funny, staring back at me from a distance of seven or eight feet, its head resting on a fork in the branches of the mesquite. Dude was over 6' long, with a head larger than my thumb... when I first saw it crossing my driveway (I was in the Pool Room), I knew right away that it wasn't a rattler, seen plenty of those in my climbing days and this snake did NOT fit the profile, particularly with its smaller streamlined head.

I wanted to get a picture of that snake after I got a close-up view of it, so I went back inside to grab the camera... but by the time I returned, the guy was gone, he's a fast mover, LOL. So I went back in and started calling those numbers for businesses which might offer field guides. I like those menu-style field guides, the laminated kind which quickly unfold and show all the critters in color, those are better than leafing through a book trying to find the critter ya want, yeah? I even bought a "Geology" guide which shows common Arizona formations and whatnot...

Here are some pics of an old school "hearse" in Tombstone, complete with skeletons, LOL:



Typical Tombstone tourist cheese, 10-4? But there's still plenty o' history in that burg, and I love drinking beer in those old saloons and historic buildings!!!

BTW, I scored a new ride today, a later-model rig to replace the Mighty Camry... only cost me $1500 on top of the trade-in, LOL. Whaddy'all think??? Did I SCORE, or WHAT???



Should be a big hit with the ladies, some of these redneck country gals are surprisingly sophisticated, ya can't just pick em up in ANY old rig, you savvy??? My new ride will certainly make a statement when I pull into the trailer park to pick up my latest date...

Here's a classic "Tie-Dyed" VW, it even says so on the plate, LOL:



Pretty trick paint job on that Bug, but the headlight lashes need to go... too gay, LOL. The paint job can be attributed to some old hippie, no worries, but the lashes? [Loud denial buzzer sounds here.] Stick with the tie-dyed theme, genius!!!

ALRIGHT, YOUSE HEROES, TIME TO GET BACK TO THE OL' HACIENDA AND PULL MORE HOME REHAB... FIRST THING I'LL DO WHEN I GET THERE IS CRACK A BEER, I'VE BEEN DRIVING AROUND THE COUNTY FOR SEVERAL HOURS, LOL.

"O, what a beautiful morning... O, what a beautiful day!!!"

LOL, no I'm NOT high on crack, just enjoying a fine morning in Redneck Paradise!!! The mornings here are so pleasant and cool... I even climbed onto my roof to take a few shots of this little burg, so don't say I never do y'all any favors, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Here we go with the shots:



Man, the quality & excellence of the light & sunshine are AMAZING out here, with skies so clear that astronomers put an observatory up on Mt. Graham, not too far from my home. I think that peak is in the Pinaleno Mountains, where there are also cool mountain lakes and campgrounds, aye? Once I'm fully established in Benson (i.e. have a steady f#%ng job, LOL), I will drive to Mt. Graham with friends and check out the recreational opportunities in that wilderness area. All the nearby mountain ranges have BLM land, state and/or county parks, etc., so there's PLENTY to do in terms of goofing off and having fun... heller offroading too, with countless dirt roads and trails to bomb down with the bike I'm gonna buy. Got my eye on a Yamaha YZ450F, that might be just the ticket for the Stronghold and other venues.

Hey, one of those pesky bees STUNG ME this morning as I was watering, the blasted varmint!!! Got me under the arm, just below the bicep, so it hurt for a minute or two... then it began to itch like the devil so I scratched it, now the whole underside of my arm is bright red, LOL. I don't have any allergy to bee stings (or anything else, for that matter), but the little f____r got me pretty good, right in a sensitive area that normally sees no action, LOL. My arm isn't quite tomato red, but it's close... if it happens again, I'll hafta bust out the hydrojet, make like the "THE TERMINATOR" and blast the bees off my birdbath. Might hafta add insult to injury: "GET A JOB, YOU BUMS!!!" Yeah, that'll go over well with the colony, they'll probably start stalking me and vandalizing my property, just like the punks in Coronado, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Stoopid unlocal tards!!!

Well, I gotta run to WallyWorld, I need a few things to see me through this weekend, and YES, that includes a 30-pack of beer!!! Meh, my place is a bachelor pad, and what's a bachelor pad without a FRIDGE FULL O' BEER??? LOL. There ARE a few tinnies of Bud and bottles of Pacifico left in there, but ya never know when someone might drop by, and I like being a good host to friends, 10-4? Besides, once I start driving again, I'm gonna want a cold beer the minute I walk through the door, just to cut the trail dust... LOL. While I'm at WallyWorld, I'll look for some bee sting medicine, though the librarian gal just told me that applying mud immediately to the sting site will help draw the venom or toxin, go figure. Should've slapped some mud on there as I finished watering the fruit trees I planted, gotta keep those trees alive & well till the monsoon arrives.

WELL, HEROES, I'M OFF TO WALLYWORLD... Y'ALL BE GOOD, TALK TO YA LATER, HASTA LUEGO!!!

P.S. Bike should be blue if it's a Yamaha YZ450F, LOL...

Beautiful and unspoiled!
The high desert is a undiscovered Gem, there are herds of wild Mustangs that roam free out around near here, burros too!

Do not feed them though, its a big fine! Let us know about the new bike

Holy cr@p, that bee sting stuck with me all weekend, only started loosening up this morning, and it's still a bit red and puffed up... must have been one bad@$$ bee, stings of any sort never bothered me much in the past. I hope this doesn't mean I'm gonna be allergic to bee stings for the rest of my life, now that I have 50 million bees in my friggin' yard.

I expect to hear from the trucking outfit today, we're all waiting for the results of the drug screen (which should be negative). Got a lot done yesterday at the house, bee-stung arm be damned... finished the exterior trim on all A/C units, painted the interior trim on the remaining two units, and FINALLY cut in the "floor lines" in the kitchen and both bathrooms, a PITA but necessary for a smooth paint line round the perimeter.

So I'm gonna check out smart phones at WallyWorld this morning, if I get this new job I may very well need one... it'll make life a little easier, and I gotta drag my tired @$$ outta the Stone Age sooner or later, might as well be now IF the job comes through. If the job does NOT come through for whatever reason, I'll get some more use outta my Verizon Star Trek flip-phone, LOL. Master of procrastination...

Took some shots of the kittehs this weekend, I'm still trying to decide what to do if the job comes through: since I'll have some early morning starts, do I let the cats out early when it's still dark? I'm talking 0130-0200, as there will be days when I have to load in Sahuarita at 0300... this is a dangerous time for cats to be outside, due to the goddam coyotes. So do I keep the cats in the whole time I'm gone? Tough decision.

I don't wanna lose any more kittehs, and the youngsters are naive when it comes to the predator situation here... if I let 'em out that early, it'd be like ringing the dinner bell for the blasted varmint coyotes. But if I lock 'em down, they'll go stir crazy for hours while I'm gone till midday or even later... wish my one neighbor were here, she'd probaby let 'em out for me once the sun was above the range, but she's in the UP of Michigan.

So I'm in a quandary here, don't know which route to take but I know I don't wanna lose any more kittehs, and it's only three times per week for the time being, IF the job comes through for me. I want the job, that's a no-brainer, I just hafta figure out how to do this... remote control cat door lock? Star Trek transporter to beam the kittehs from house to yard? A little help here... tell me what y'all think.

ANYWAY, HERE ARE THE SHOTS, AIN'T PHOENIX A LITTLE CUTIE LYING ATOP THE DRESSER? NICE MAP O' MARS ON THE WALL, LOL...



When I feed the kittehs in the morning, each cat gets his or her own plate, but sometimes I'll throw an extra can out in the afternoon or early evening, and I'll just dump it onto one small plate and let the kittehs hit it as they wish. Guess they were all hungry when I took this picture, LOL. Phoenix sure is pretty... Tiger & Crackhead were goofing off by the shed when I took those last two pics, the knucklehaids!!!

WELL, Y'ALL BE GOOD, I'M OFF TO LOOK AT SMART PHONES COMPATIBLE WITH MY TWO SAMSUNG 6 SERIES SMART TVs...

CHEERS!!!

The other "space cadet" poster in my master bedroom, LOL... I took some shots of it for the sailing forum, aye? No word yet on the job, guess my drug screen results are taking forever to find their way back to the trucking company office.



Pretty cool poster, I think it came out of a National Geographic magazine---dare I say it?---many MOONS ago, BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn, I must be jonesing for entertainment to crack a bad joke or pun like that, somebody SLAP ME!!!

IF A GOOD-LOOKING GAL SLAPS ME HARD ENOUGH, I JUST MIGHT HAVE TO PAY HER, 10-4??? LOL...

CHEERS, YOUSE KNUCKLEHAIDS!!!

Got a special treat for youse heroes... but first, we gots to get the Ford truck outta the way, LOL.



That fake vanity plate was on another vehicle in the Safeway parking lot, I went ahead and snapped a shot for the heck of it, 10-4? The other pics show me prepping dinner yesterday afternoon... in order to prep dinner, one must first prep the cook, LOL. I like that "Slap Ya Mama" seasoning, if I remember correctly it has salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper & garlic... not a bad blend when it goes on rice, chicken, fresh vegetables, and half a pineapple which was kicking around the fridge for the past few days.

Okay, y'all have heard me squawk about Cochise Stronghold and the world-class technical rock climbing in that venue... I FINALLY scored a good topo map of the Stronghold, and I bought another set of Tanya Bok's excellent climbing guidebooks after some wanker at the local radio station in Benson ripped off my first set. Who the f#% steals climbing guidebooks?!? Bad karma will catch up to the kook when he peels off some gnarly climb and falls to his death, LOL. Now for the USGS topo, here it is:



Pretty cool map, aye? Look closely and you can see details of the huge natural stone fortress where Cochise hung out with his Chiricahua Apaches, thumbing their noses at the Union troops who unsuccessfully attempted to shell the fortress with cannons. The Injuns would rest up there too, it's a primo wilderness venue in which to spend time. Later, I will post shots of riding a dirt bike out to the Stronghold, the crags, domes & spires make for a dramatic background, as you'll see in the following rounds of pics. Oh, BTW, that last pic just shows the web address of the mountain shop in Tucson where I ordered the new guides and topo map, in case any climbers see this post and wanna bag the essentials, LOL.

And now for the guidebooks, these are perhaps the best climbing guides I have ever seen, very well done with primo pics so readers can get an idea of what lies out there in that bad@$$ fortress. Here are some introductory shots, I took a few rounds of pics here so y'all can see just how amazing this climbing venue really is... and it's not just the climbing and the quality of the rock, but the insane vistas one can see while actually on the rock, many such views go for 50 to 100 miles, no lie. Check out this action:



Pretty sweet guidebooks, huh? The gal sure did a fine job compiling all the beta (info) on the climbs, and the marked routes are easy to see, with good descriptions to boot... and the photos ROCK (no pun intended, LOL), there are some difficult climbs up there, but in many cases the rock is totally solid with excellent holds. Just looking through this set of guides brought back some cool memories from my "climbing daze"---in fact, I intend to use these guides when I climb at the Stronghold, doing some long moderate routes in light of my age and a couple of permanent injuries. I have my eye on a route called "Ewephoria"---it's on the Sheepshead and all associated routes are named with sheep in mind, LOL. Anyway, let's look at some more shots...

Round #2 of guidebook pics:



Some of those hardcore gals can climb better than most guys, LOL. And they don't look bad either, all fit & trim, 10-4? Did I tell y'all before that remote camping is free on the West Side? I stayed out there for awhile when I was waiting for escrow to close on my home, I even had Sage & Crackhead with me... poor ol' Sage, he survived all that just to get picked off in town, go figure, that is if he DID get picked off by coyotes, guess I'll never know what happened. But he hung tough under the Stronghold in an area THICK with coyotes, the blasted varmints!!! He was one tough cat, and little Crackhead did pretty well out there too, despite having a black coat which had to be easy to spot in the wilderness.

Round #3 of guidebook pics:



The "Lebowski Wall"---BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Sonofab!tch is BIG enough, why NOT call it the "Lebowski Wall?" Man, the Stronghold has SO MANY ROUTES on both sides of the range, there's literally a LIFETIME of climbing to be done out there... and my home has a MILLION-DOLLAR VIEW of the West Side, where I will probably do most of my moderate routes, since there are fewer badges on that side. More dirt bike trails too, including USFS roads... you'll see those later with the Stronghold towering in the background, LOL.

Round #4 of guidebook pics:



F#%NG RADICAL, AYE??? Like an ADULT PLAYGROUND minutes from my house, LOL. Well, with the ride in on a dirt bike and all, I can be hiking up toward the crags within the hour... works for me!!! If I can't have the ocean here, I might as well have a BAD@$$ CLIMBING VENUE with heaps of hiking, trail riding, camping, partying in the wilderness with no badges in sight, etc. Funny thing, I didn't really consider the Stronghold as a factor when I chose my home in Benson, but I've come to appreciate it more and more, enjoying all those fine "reverse sunsets" when the afternoon sun illuminates the crags with a golden orange glow... it's a very beautiful area, the Stronghold & the Dragoon Mountains, yet I have at least four or five other ranges within striking distance for recreational purposes, LOL. But first, the Stronghold... my heart is set upon it.

Round #5 of guidebook pics:



Man, those domes & spires are AWESOME!!! And the whole place is so uncrowded, totally unlike Yosemite where ya hafta take a number and wait in line to climb a route, LOL. I LOVE Arizona!!! This state has been good to me, 10-4???

Round #6 of guidebook pics:



Dang, that gal there could be my future ex-wife, she can wear the pants in the family and I'll do the cooking, LOL. That's a rad climb she's on, but I like that "Riding The Rails" route even better, if my injuries don't hold me back maybe I can try that climb. These shots should give y'all a clue about the world-class climbing to be done here at the Stronghold... it is truly a special place, a magical place for wilderness enthusiasts!!! And ya don't have to be a climber to enjoy it, there's also hiking, camping, wildlife photography, trail riding down below on the West Side, plenty of activities for outdoor types... oh, yeah, don't forget BEER DRINKING, LOL.

Final few guidebook pics, and something else too...



There's that gal again, she definitely has STYLE, LOL. Moi, I'll always be a better small craft sailor than a climber, but I like being out there on the crags in primo wilderness venues, that's the draw for me. In my prime, I could do some decent routes, 5.10d and 5.11a, but two friends of mine were much better, they were long, lean, lanky guys over 6' tall who had the reach necessary on many tough routes... but I can still outsail 'em, LOL. Outride 'em too on a dirt bike, not so much on a skateboard anymore, due to my geriatric condition, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn. Hey, that last pic is the screen saver for the movie I watched last night. if you haven't seen it yet be sure to watch this movie, it is HILARIOUS!!! Okay, that's all I got for today, hope y'all enjoyed the whirlwind tour of the Stronghold, courtesy of Ms. Bok and all those skillful climbers... now, when y'all hear me squawk about the Stronghold, you'll know just how RADICAL it is, "10-DASH-FO'???" CHEERS!!!

P.S. Any Monkeybiking Heroes & Crusty Mini Demons o' Dirt who want to ride out there, yer welcome to visit my Stronghold Base Camp (as I call my home in Benson, LOL), just don't forget the beer & BBQ!!! I'm off to see the wizard... y'all hang loose!!! HASTA LUEGO!!!