Meanwhile, to the west, Silver Peak had its summits shrouded by clouds left over the the previous day's storm --
And both of these are views from Faranuf...Amazing. I then left early to go in to Douglas, 55 miles to the south of Portal. You go on a Costco Run when you need to go to other stores besides Costco, because the drive is about 3 times further than to Douglas -- and you really want to make it worth your while. Douglas, on the other hand, is used mainly for groceries, though I also went to a hardware store to get some screws that Wal-Mart didn't have. Yes, I went to the "dreaded" Wal-Mart. I go because it's usually a one-stop store -- for instance, I also got my hair cut at a salon there -- and the prices are very reasonable, Yes, I realize that they treat their employees shabbily, but when you live far away you don't have the luxury of choices -- no Trader Joe's or Whole Foods as in Tucson. There is a Food City, and I did go there for a delicious Mexican lunch -- and that's about it. So, Wal-Mart by necessity. And, as folks out here are all in the same boat, so to speak, I asked my friends whether they needed anything from town --- and one did. He's a caretaker at a resort here, but as with many other folks here, he's more than that. He has a PhD, and is an expert on native grasses. At the resort, he's trying to restore the land back to the way it used to be, before degradation and cattle took over. Anyway, he needed some supplies from a store in Douglas, so I went out to the resort where he lives -- accessed only by a dirt road, which had gotten muddy from the previous day's rain -- had a chat with him, and took down his "order". Then I did the long drive to Douglas. It's on Highway 80, which is a nice road to drive on, except there were some potholes from the rain. But a work crew was out filling them up (though they missed a few that could have cracked an axle on a passenger car) as I passed them up on the road. It's actually a beautiful drive scenically, reminding me in spots of the savannahs in Africa, with tall grass waving in the wind, and distant mountain peaks and the Chiricahuas off to my right. There are a LOT of raptors along the road, too, usually perched on abandoned power poles -- Swainson's and Red-tails mostly. Less than an hour later, I was in Douglas and the Wal-Mart Superstore. It's only a block or so from the border with Mexico, so many Mexicans cross over so they can shop there. I was lucky in getting there early, so did my shopping, got my hair cut, and was out by 10:30. After that, I went to a hardware store to get some screws and locknuts for Diamondback, my hybrid bike; I lost a screw while installing a bike computer ( and Helen came over with a magnet, hoping to pick it up off the ground where it fell, but no luck) and another on my bike pedal straps. When I first got to the hardware store, I looked at all the drawers filled with different-sized screws (both metric and American), washers, hex bolts, etc -- and immediately asked for help. The employee knew her screws, and she found some appropriate replacements. Then I went to pick up my friend's supplies, had lunch at the nearby Food City -- and was heading back home by 12:30. Rain from the remnants of the tropical depression that hit us the day before never materialized, so it was a dry, scenic drive with more raptors alongside the road. I went back down the dirt road (somewhat dried out by this time, but I still "slewed around" in spots), dropped off my friend's supplies, got back to Faranuf, tried to remove some of the what seems like tons of mud from the wheel wells, step bars, and undercarriage (only partially successful), took everything out of the truck -- and took a nap. It didn't last long, though; I had to refill the hummingbird feeders which had gone dry by this time, then put some mulch around Desert Willow. All in all, another errand-filled, successful day of Life At Faranuf...
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