Dragoon Mountains, days 2 and 3

 Tuesday, March 2

Although the temperature would rise to the mid-60s, there was enough wind to make it feel colder.

Just before sunrise

I ended up spending the morning reading inside the URRV, the book was riveting and the inside of the URRV was warm in the sun.

Around 3:30 PM, I decided to take a drive with Mariko due to the continuing cold winds.  I didn't get very far, I started smelling coolant.  Checked the engine compartment, nothing.  Kept driving and the coolant smell got stronger.  This time, when I stopped and raised the hood, I could hear sizzling noise and could see a large stream of coolant coming out of the same hose which had troubled me before!

Dammit.

Got back to camp without overheating the engine and geared up to ride Yagi to the closest auto parts store which was in Benson, AZ.  32 miles away.  They didn't have water hose the right size but instead sold me fuel line which is stronger according to RichardM who I consulted.

Got back to the campsite, removed the old tubing (big hole in it) and cut and installed fuel tubing with worm gear clamps since the snap rings the Suzuki came with didn't fit.

Tested the tube for leaks afterwards, even went for a ten mile test drive, no leaks and engine temperature remained about the middle of the gauge.  Hopefully this time the repair will last.

Wednesday, March 3

Drove into Tombstone and determined it has no useful shops such as a hardware store or auto parts store; basically it is one big tourist trap for the historical events associated with Tombstone.  I kept driving on the additional 16 miles to the town of Sierra Vista which seemed to have all the amenities I was seeking.

Got some tools at Harbor Freight, more groceries at the Walmart and then headed on back to camp to put the refrigerated stuff away.

That done, I took the stubby screwdrivers I'd bought, and proactively replaced the second hose coming out of the thermal choke on the carburetor assembly.  No sense waiting for it to fail like the first tube did!  The smaller tools made the job much easier and hopefully I won't have to deal with these two tubes any time soon!

In the afternoon, I took Yagi out for a ride along the trails, and parked her at the base of the below rock formations for a short hike to the top of the hill.  I would end up by the lone tree near the top of the rocky hill.  Being by myself, I didn't even think of trying the bigger rock formations to the left.

Next, I rode Yagi out of the camping area and up FR 345 which apparently takes you across the south side of the Dragoon Mountains and to the town of Pearce, AZ which is apparently near a place called The Cochise Stronghold.  I'm tempted to check it out but must do some more research first.

Coming back on FR345 after an aborted attempt to get to the summit of Soren Pass (it got very rocky and rough at the last mile so I turned around), I stopped to pose Yagi with the southern end of the Dragoon Mountains as a backdrop.

Returning to camp, I switched vehicles and took Mariko out for a test ride (I'd not test ridden her after replacing the second hose) and some Golden Hour pictures.

Back at camp in time to set up for sunset pics:

The place is starting to fill up a bit, there's a small travel trailer almost within rock throwing distance of my site now.  There are still perhaps 3-4 nice locations further north along FR687, hopefully any further arrivals will go there.