The Jakester

Stretching our legs on a day with a lot of driving. Arizona has long stretches of wilderness (or near-wilderness) all over the state. Certainly as much as Utah, if not more.

Juniper berries

The most vibrant juniper berries I've ever seen. From Wikipedia: "A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour."

The Second Amendment

Hunters and others have had fun with this relic of a bygone era. Flagstaff's San Francisco Peaks are in the background.

With a little help from my friends

Finally . . . my place is almost presentable. I've been slow moving in getting it set up. This is especially pathetic since living such a simple life as an Airstreamer means there isn't all that much to do.

Nevertheless, it took me a month, but my new Airstreaming setup with my Dulles/Jetson-esque building is finally presentable to friends and family.

Now I'll have to get motivated and invite some people over. I had major help from a couple of friends and one in particular. The big step yesterday was getting my couch and favorite chair out of storage.

Hanging out at the islands

I just returned to town after spending my second night in Arizona's little-known Pinaleno Mountains. I am here for work, but chose to take advantage of being near these gorgeous mountains. The Airstream stayed in Phoenix. I have been truck camping, sleeping under the stars in the bed of my pickup.

As mentioned a couple of years back, I wrote an article on these mountains which is mostly unchanged and available right here on Wikipedia.

I stayed at lower elevations to avoid freezing mornings. I wish I had a week to just explore and be outside. The highest point of the Pinalenos is almost 11,000 feet above sea level.

What a joy to be camped out on the edges of one of Arizona's islands in the sky.

To get a full appreciation for the island reference, go to the Wikipedia article.

Jim
Safford, Arizona

An Airstreaming update

We've been back in the Airstream for a month now and are feeling settled again. The view within the trailer is vintage 1973 with plasticky woods, vinyl coatings on the interior aluminum, and large plastic light covers.

We LOVE it all.

I really do need to get motivated and shine the exterior of this thing up. It may be a project that is impractical within the confines of the trailer park.

The bad thing about my current setup is I have a semi-permanent sewer hookup. It would be very difficult for me to unhook for trips and hook back up here.

I have a George Jetson-esque building that I am parked next to--picture the terminal at Dulles Airport with the big sweeping roof. My little version of Dulles serves as potential guest quarters, and storage. I had the floors and wrap-around concrete deck painted before moving in. The trailer is semi-presentable at this juncture, but the inside of my little building is a mess.

The trailer park is in a not so great neighborhood, but well located in town--close to work and all of my usual shopping spots (Trader Joe's being the most important).

Join the lifestyle of the Airstreaming set . . . buy a new or vintage Airstream and live the life you've always dreamed of.

Cheers,

Jim and Jake