Boondocking in Block C of the Barry M. Goldwater Gunnery Range

 I displaced about 130 miles west of my campsite of the last few days, entering Block C of the same gunnery range where I'd been camping in its Area B.

Block C is in the western half of the range but my permit was an all areas access permit so I was good to go after I checked in via the Luke AFB isportsman website.

I'm about 2-3miles away from the small town of Tanac, AZ, south of I-8 Super Slab.  Like Area B to the east, this section of the range is open to the public and apparently little known as a camping area as I have the place to myself!

Well, almost to myself, I kept seeing Border Patrol vehicles going to and from along the main road into Block C.

Campsite just east of Baker Peaks

After I set up camp, I rode Yagi over to a set of old military armored vehicles.  This portion of the range has some buildings identifying themselves as Target and Threat Electronic Warfare so I'm assuming these vehicles used to be targets?

Since the area is now open to the public, I was sure no bombs or guns would be used on these vehicles anymore:

Anti-Aircraft vehicle....unsure re the model

Old M60 Tank?

Near as I can tell, an old TOW Missile Launcher

(TOW: Tube-Launched Optically-Tracked Wire-Guided)

Another Anti-Aircraft Gun Carrier

After checking out wrecks, I rode Yagi up to the top of the nearby hill where there were some antennas and microwave dishes installed to check out the view:

Can you spot Umarang?

Spent the rest of the day puttering on some small stuff on the URRV, doing some cleanup and such household tasks.  Nice and warm but comfortable in the shade of the URRV.

Sunset was cloudless but found a nice location for future sunset shots perhaps:

See the little square object silhouetted on the hilltop to the left of the antennas?  That's a Border Patrol Truck looking to the South....the agent was there most of the afternoon and left shortly after sunset.

Hanging out in Area B of the Barry Goldwater AF Gunnery Range

 Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day

Spent the day relaxing close to the campsite for the most part, did a lot of nothing surrounded by quiet solitude with the occasional road noise from US Highway 85 in the background.

The temperatures got into the high 60s so it was not bad at all, just sitting outside, reading my e-books and drinking a beverage.

Thursday, November 12

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of Martha and I being married.  Truly the woman should be sainted for putting up with me for all these years!  I woke to this via text message:

I particularly liked having achieved the "0 stabbings" statistic, I don't mind saying!

I spent the morning riding Fiona down to the town of Ajo to check out their visitor center for the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge.  Not much to say and the info I gathered there nixed any plans I might have had to displace down there for camping.

I checked out some of the BLM land north of town and it was "meh":

Yes, there were sites one could camp on, but the trails to them were rough and very rocky....and the lack of scenery basically eliminated these areas for me.

Headed back north, I re-entered Area B of the gunnery range via Gate 14 and cruised on down south paralleling the rail line within Area B.  Nearly got stuck, again I realize, trying to negotiate a portion of Trail #642 (note to self: don't go down this trail anymore!) and had to put Fiona into 2WD to make it past a steep drop off on the main trail.

Returning to camp in time for lunch, I ate and then had me a short nap.  Afterwards, it was time to photograph some of the rock formations that surround my campsite.  These rock formations also block access to the area from the rest of Area B so it's almost like having a private portion all to one self.

Same rock formation above and below, just different angles

The rest of the afternoon was spend basking in the late afternoon sun, reading my book and having an adult beverage before 5PM.  I'm waiting for a replacement lamp to arrive at the NAPA store in Ajo tomorrow (at least I hope they can meet their estimated delivery date).  The plan then is to displace probably as early as Sunday and head south/southeast.....maybe the BANWR, or maybe Fort Huachuaca, AZ.  I remain unsure at this point.

Back to Boondocking in Southern Arizona

 Sunday, November 8

The light of my last morning in the Valley of the Gods:

I passed through Monument Valley in Arizona on the way to the new destination.

The plan had been to displace to a dispersed camping location near the Sunset Crater National Monument north of Flagstaff, AZ.  However, the weather turned colder than expected and when I arrived at the planned destination, it was snowing!

The forecasted overnight low was going to be 11°F (-11°C), much colder than what I'd planned on so I kept moving south on I-17.

A couple of hours or so later, I pulled into my FIL's parking lot in Sun City with temperatures in the low 60s and overcast skies.  Much better weather.

I spent Sunday and Monday with my FIL, just hanging out, showing him how to use the Amazon Fire Stick he'd purchased a while back.  The highlight of my stay was our having lunch with Bridget and RichardM at a Chinese restaurant on Monday.

Today, I left my FIL's location and headed further south towards Gila Bend, AZ.  I stopped for gas there and then swung by the RV park in the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and dumped tanks even though they weren't really very full.

Now with empty tanks and a full fresh water tank, it was time to do some boondocking!

I'm now in Area B of the Barry Goldwater AF Gunnery Range, south of the area where I last boondocked last year.  I bit more secluded in terms of traffic in and out of Area B and closer to the town of Ajo, AZ.

I plan on being here a few days, the forecasted high temperatures during this time period are supposed to be nice and warm.  

Uraling on the Moki Dugway

 One year, one month and two days ago, I had ridden Scarlett, my 2014 Ural Patrol Sidecar Rig to the Moki Dugway road for pics and while returning via the Valley of the Gods Road, her swingarm had cracked and deadlined her.  Link to that day's debacle: LINK

I am happy to report, there was no repetition of that problem today while riding Fiona, my '99 Patrol.

First though, a view of the camp as the sun made its way above the horizon, and briefly was able to shine through what would be an overcast morning:

It's less than ten miles to the base of the Moki Dugway, and I took highways all the way there.  As is my habit, I rode all the way to the top and would take pictures on the way down.

As opposed to the last time, I found a rough trail which allowed me to park above the Dugway and shoot the two following pictures:

Look closely at the center of the picture, is that an old wreck?

Yep, an old wreck, can't tell what it was though....can you?

Next I rode to the second large curve to the spot where one can park, walk a short distance and get a nice view of some of the switchback curves:

The Valley of the Gods in the distance

Note the square opening above Fiona, see the two figures there?

It was two Russian tourists who I briefly chatted with and told

them about the spot for pictures of the switchback curves.

The Moki Dugway isn't as dramatic, I think, as Shaffer's Trail in the Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah....but it'll do for today.

The weather and winds were picking up as I rode along the Valley of the Gods Road back to the campsite:

Got back to camp and the tent I'd put out as a placeholder was being pushed down by the increasing winds.  The whole area was under a Wind Advisory from the weather service and it made the job of taking down the tent quite difficult.  Nothing like getting sand-blasted while doing this!

Managed to get the tent and associated items in the leeward side of the URRV and got it all packed up easier, out of the wind as it were.

The rest of the afternoon was spent napping in a slightly rocking URRV, which is broadside to the winds coming from the South.

Here you can see the dust in the air as the winds continued their eons-long work of shaping the multitude of rock formations in this valley.

The weather is supposed to turn colder starting tomorrow so it'll be time to head a little further south I think, towards the Sunset Crater National Monument perhaps.