Grocery day and my first tortoise sighting

Sunday, March 5, 2017

My location:  Saddle Mountain BLM near Tonopah, Arizona

Woke up to a cloudy and blustery morning.  As I sat drinking coffee, eating little white donuts and reading blogs, I made the decision.  Since it is overcast and cool, I will take Yuma with me to the Walmart in Buckeye this morning and leave him in the Jeep.  Yuma would like that better than being cooped up in the MH.  We left at 9:45

It was a 45 minute drive to and from Walmart and I spent an hour hunting for everything I had on my list.  When I got to the Walmart, I took out my camera to get a shot and in doing so, at some point I laid my phone on the hood of the Jeep.  Evidently after this photo was taken.

Went into the Walmart, got a few things in the vegetable area right at the front of the store and then reached for my list of items to get, which was on my phone.  No phone!

I panicked and looked through all my pockets several times before deciding I left it in the Jeep.  Left my cart with the Greeter at the door and hurried out to the Jeep.  Of course, I didn’t remember leaving it on the hood, so I looked all through the Jeep and under it.  No phone! 

I got out of the Jeep exasperated, not knowing what to do!  For some reason, I just happened to look at the hood and there it was.  Boy, was I happy it was still there.  Yuma was probably guarding it.

Went back in and finished my shopping.  Boy, do I hate shopping.  Gives me a headache walking up each aisle looking for what I need.  After going up each aisle about four times, I had everything on my list.  $122 worth of groceries.  That will last me two weeks for sure.   

Stopped for gas for the Jeep on the way back and filled both the five gallon gas cans, so I will have emergency gas.  Then it was off to the Tonopah exit.

Stopped to take a few photos of this very small town.  Really not a town, just a stop on the Interstate for gas and a bite to eat.

Then it was up to Salome Road, made a right and followed it to Courthouse Road and made a left and we were soon back to Saddle Mountain.  Got home around 12:30.  Got everything put away by 1 o’clock.  The ice cream bars were getting mushy.

Finally, I made breakfast/lunch at 2 p.m.  Bacon and eggs with a bagel.  Then OJ, half a grapefruit and a yummy chocolate breakfast bar.  I was ready for the afternoon.

It was still cool, windy and cloudy, so Yuma and I rested awhile hoping the sun would make an appearance and it finally started to peek out.  We decided to do a hike up the mountainside just South of our RV.  See the green going all the way to the top.  That’s where we’re heading.

Little yellow flowers are all over the ground.

You can see our MH in the center right along the dirt road below.

It got so rugged and my legs were giving out, so we didn’t make it all the way to the top.  Darn!  So we headed back down.

Saw this hole in the side of the cliffs on the way down.  Yuma wanted his picture taken next to it.  Glad he didn’t jump through it to his death.  He’s too smart for that.

As we were walking back down, I looked over and Yuma was nudging what looked like a rock.  I was afraid he was looking at a snake, so I called him away.  This is what I saw.  You could walk right by this tortoise thinking it was just another rock.  Not Yuma!

My first sighting of a tortoise in the four years I have been coming out here.  Sure, I followed Eric and Shaena to the two they found, but this was my first one to find on my own.  Of course, Yuma gets some credit. 

Looks to me like a full grown male.  I named him Albert.  I can’t believe this guy can roam around in all these rocks on the side of a mountain, but he lives here.  I waited for him to come out of his shell after Yuma scared the daylights out of him, but he never did.  So, we just left him to go about his business when he thought it was safe enough to stick his head back out.

The sun decided to come out just as it was setting, so I grabbed a few photos of the mountains.

While doing my blog, I may have missed a beautiful sunset.  This is what I did get.

Turned out to be another great day after all.  Walked almost five miles.  Probably most of it in the aisles of the Walmart store.

Time for the Walking Dead and dinner.

See you later.