Cactus Cowboy
Well-Known Member
Man, oh man, what a day... had a wild hair and pulled a spontaneous recon of the "inner sanctum" of the Stronghold (West Side), and I had a FRIGGIN' BLAST doing it, quite the outdoor adventure. A cross between "Might As Well Be Baja Offroad Action" and a sweet hike up into the bad@$$ canyon that leads to what I call the "inner sanctum" of the West Side. Dunno the name of that canyon, maybe I should consult my topo map... hmm, I see the canyon at the edge of the map, but no name on this topo. Anyway, the road in runs along a sweet riparian woodland at elevation, so there are all kinds of trees en route... water flows down the streambed during the monsoon and during spring snowmelt, but it was dry today, at least on the surface. You'll see shots of it in short order, it is a really cool area through which to hike, very clean fresh air and magnificent views in every direction.
The run in & out of the area was also bad@$$, with yours truly just A-FLYIN' down dirt roads at freeway speed, drifting hard round curves on the smoother turns... eventually & especially, the smooth graded dirt road leading out through the Dragoon Ranch development, I met someone who let me through that gate and saved me the hassle of driving all the way down toward Tombstone to get out to "civilization." Nobody around, high-dollar ranch homes tucked away to either side, many out of sight, with a 25 m.p.h. speed limit on the wide graded dirt road... I tried to keep it under 70, LOL. Dammit, Buoys & Gulls, I haven't felt that much freedom since the Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm talkin' MONDO FREEDOM, lemme break it down for ya...
IDIOTIC & USELESS MASKS??? NOPE...
PHONY PLANDEMIC FEAR-MONGERING??? NOPE...
BLATANT & RIDICULOUS ELECTORAL FRAUD??? NOPE...
SEAT BELT??? NOPE... WELL, UNLESS I WAS ON PAVEMENT OR DOING FREEWAY SPEED IN THE DIRT, LOL.
BADGES??? NOPE... "BADGES?!? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING BADGES!!!"
COLD BEER ON ICE??? CHECK!!!
PRIMO FRESH AIR & SUNSHINE??? CHECK!!!
STEREO CRANKED TO OZZY, METALLICA, FLOGGING MOLLY, REDNECK TUNES, ETC??? CHECK!!! ["I'm going off the rails on a crazy train"---while drifting in the dirt at freeway speed, LOL.]
COOL FOLKS MET DURING MY ADVENTURE??? CHECK!!!
FUNNY INCIDENT WITH TWO MEXICANS WORKING A JOHN DEERE TRACTOR??? CHECK!!!
Okay, I reckon y'all get the point... and even though it felt like I was gone for an entire day, I only spent five hours on this adventure, nonstop fun in the wilderness. The short cut which the two Mexicans ponied up turned out to be a time-saver, they were working for the USFS so they let me through a gate after I offered them ice-cold beer, LOL. That short cut on the way home probably saved me an hour, and the smooth graded dirt road was an absolute pleasure to bomb down at high speed... those rich folk in the Dragoon Ranch development all have keys or access codes to the gates, but my "hall pass" allowed me to shave time and indulge in some high-speed dirt drifting, LOL. Damn, that $h!t is FUN too, no serious wear & tear on my tires either... just gettin' sideways in the broad turns with the stereo CRANKED and the windows down, a trail of dust 1/2 to 1/3 of a mile long behind me. Good honest high desert dust, no worries, but 'The Mighty Camry' was streaking ahead of the dust cloud like a meteor, AYE???
ALRIGHT, LET'S GET STARTED WITH SOME PICS, Y'ALL CAN FIGURE 'EM OUT, JUST KNOW THAT SOME OUTCROPS, DOMES, CRAGS & SPIRES TOWER HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF FEET ABOVE YOU AS YA HIKE OR DRIVE PAST, "10-4?"
Hmm, I'd better break these photos into two groups, just to make sure they go through okay... y'all like my John Deere farm tractor chalkbag? I'm the only "old school beach local/slash/high desert redneck" with a John Deere chalkbag, I GUARAN-F#%NG-TEE IT, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Funny how a big ol' John Deere tractor should figure prominently in my adventure not long after I took my recon hike... natural progression at its FINEST!!! More on that Deere in a moment, let me post up these pics and get on with my "bidness."
P.S. Note the redneck "cowboy gate" I had to pass through, unchaining the gate, driving through, then chaining it back up for security... this is CATTLE COUNTRY, BABY!!!
The run in & out of the area was also bad@$$, with yours truly just A-FLYIN' down dirt roads at freeway speed, drifting hard round curves on the smoother turns... eventually & especially, the smooth graded dirt road leading out through the Dragoon Ranch development, I met someone who let me through that gate and saved me the hassle of driving all the way down toward Tombstone to get out to "civilization." Nobody around, high-dollar ranch homes tucked away to either side, many out of sight, with a 25 m.p.h. speed limit on the wide graded dirt road... I tried to keep it under 70, LOL. Dammit, Buoys & Gulls, I haven't felt that much freedom since the Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm talkin' MONDO FREEDOM, lemme break it down for ya...
IDIOTIC & USELESS MASKS??? NOPE...
PHONY PLANDEMIC FEAR-MONGERING??? NOPE...
BLATANT & RIDICULOUS ELECTORAL FRAUD??? NOPE...
SEAT BELT??? NOPE... WELL, UNLESS I WAS ON PAVEMENT OR DOING FREEWAY SPEED IN THE DIRT, LOL.
BADGES??? NOPE... "BADGES?!? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING BADGES!!!"
COLD BEER ON ICE??? CHECK!!!
PRIMO FRESH AIR & SUNSHINE??? CHECK!!!
STEREO CRANKED TO OZZY, METALLICA, FLOGGING MOLLY, REDNECK TUNES, ETC??? CHECK!!! ["I'm going off the rails on a crazy train"---while drifting in the dirt at freeway speed, LOL.]
COOL FOLKS MET DURING MY ADVENTURE??? CHECK!!!
FUNNY INCIDENT WITH TWO MEXICANS WORKING A JOHN DEERE TRACTOR??? CHECK!!!
Okay, I reckon y'all get the point... and even though it felt like I was gone for an entire day, I only spent five hours on this adventure, nonstop fun in the wilderness. The short cut which the two Mexicans ponied up turned out to be a time-saver, they were working for the USFS so they let me through a gate after I offered them ice-cold beer, LOL. That short cut on the way home probably saved me an hour, and the smooth graded dirt road was an absolute pleasure to bomb down at high speed... those rich folk in the Dragoon Ranch development all have keys or access codes to the gates, but my "hall pass" allowed me to shave time and indulge in some high-speed dirt drifting, LOL. Damn, that $h!t is FUN too, no serious wear & tear on my tires either... just gettin' sideways in the broad turns with the stereo CRANKED and the windows down, a trail of dust 1/2 to 1/3 of a mile long behind me. Good honest high desert dust, no worries, but 'The Mighty Camry' was streaking ahead of the dust cloud like a meteor, AYE???
ALRIGHT, LET'S GET STARTED WITH SOME PICS, Y'ALL CAN FIGURE 'EM OUT, JUST KNOW THAT SOME OUTCROPS, DOMES, CRAGS & SPIRES TOWER HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF FEET ABOVE YOU AS YA HIKE OR DRIVE PAST, "10-4?"
Hmm, I'd better break these photos into two groups, just to make sure they go through okay... y'all like my John Deere farm tractor chalkbag? I'm the only "old school beach local/slash/high desert redneck" with a John Deere chalkbag, I GUARAN-F#%NG-TEE IT, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Funny how a big ol' John Deere tractor should figure prominently in my adventure not long after I took my recon hike... natural progression at its FINEST!!! More on that Deere in a moment, let me post up these pics and get on with my "bidness."
P.S. Note the redneck "cowboy gate" I had to pass through, unchaining the gate, driving through, then chaining it back up for security... this is CATTLE COUNTRY, BABY!!!
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