The Wandering Minstrel

We had to head down US 60 today to the Valley Metro Area. Every once in a while, we have to leave our little enclave here in the country to go and get some provisions from the big city.

We had a list of things that we needed to get plus we scored a few other things to re-stock the freezer in the garage. I bought a pork loin and some pork baby back ribs. I divided the ribs into two slabs and packed them into vacuum freezer packs for later consumption. I carved the loin into several chops, a couple of thicker chops for stuffed pork loin and another couple of petite roast chunks for making pulled pork sandwiches or carnitas burritos at a later time. As it is, we don’t need to go there again for a while, although next week we may go and look at some furniture for the office.

We pity the folks that abstain from pork. And, we pity even more those that abstain from meat.

. . . and there’s nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound?

This is the spectacle that greeted us as we pulled into our driveway after our trip out to California. Clickable image courtesy TBH.

I did some research today on the topic of CCW on the Navajo Nation since we’re planning travel to that area. I found this information on an ArizonaShooting.com forum:

There are 21 Indian reservations in Arizona. If you are otherwise carrying lawfully, you may carry on federal and state highways that cross reservations. If you are not an American Indian, a reservation cannot prosecute you for carrying a firearm if your carry is legal in the surrounding county. However, if your firearm should be confiscated, it is up to the tribe if it wishes to provide you a means to seek its return; you cannot sue a tribe unless it consents to be sued. A privately conducted 2005 survey of 20 of the 21 reservations asked if they honored the Arizona CWP:

1. Ak-Chin Yes   2. Cocopah No   3. Colorado River Yes   4. Fort McDowell Yavapai Yes   5. Fort Mojave No   6. Fort Yuma-Quechan Yes   7. Gila River No   8. Havasupai No   9. Hopi Yes 10. Haulapai No

11. Kaibab-Paiute No 12. Navajo Yes 13. Pascua Yaqui No 14. Salt River Pima-Maricopa No 15. San Carlos Apache Yes 16. Tohono O’odham Yes 17. Tonto Apache No 18. White Mountain Apache Yes 19. Yavapai Prescott No 20. Yavapai Apache No

Note that tribal governments may change, that open carry is likely to be viewed as provocative if you are not engaged in a licensed hunt and that many tribes don’t allow their own members to carry deadly weapons.

Caveat: If you plan to get out of your vehicle, it’s best to contact the specific tribal government before packing on their reservation.

Even though Arizona is a Constitutional Carry state, The Better Half and I will be taking Arizona CCW training so we can carry in the 32 other states that recognize Arizona CCW permits. This will come in very handy as we will begin our tour of the Southwest.

Clickable Image: Arizona Reciprocity

Several new Arizona firearms laws have been signed into law. Excerpt from The
Tuscon Citizen (emphasis mine):

Since July 29, 2010, people 21 and older have been able to carry a concealed weapon without a permit in Arizona except in bars and restaurants that sell alcohol. Although the law does not require permits in most cases, some people still apply for them. A new law tweaks the permitting process by reducing some of the requirements for instructors and permit-holders.

The number of new concealed-carry permits issued has dropped by more than half since the change in 2010, according to the Department of Public Safety. From August 2010 through May 2011, the DPS issued 9,485 new permits. In those same months in the previous fiscal year, the DPS issued 20,208 new permits.

Bill sponsor Rep. David Burnell Smith, R-Carefree, said a permit is still an advantage because it gives residents privileges in 32 other states.

House Bill 2146 removes the requirement that instructors – who must be authorized by either the DPS or the National Rifle Association – submit fingerprints and a fee to undergo background checks.

Charles Heller, spokesman for the Arizona Citizens Defense League, said instructors already undergo background checks when they apply for their concealed-carry permits.

The law also allows permit seekers to apply with an older training certificate, rather than one obtained in the past five years.

The Better Half and I went for a day trip up to Prescott today, just to have a look around. Prescott (which is pronounced press’-cut by the locals), is about forty miles north of here, as the crow flies, but about sixty road miles, a good deal of it along mountainous winding roads. The elevation there is about 5300 feet above mean sea level, which is around 3200 feet higher than our town.

The Better Half captured this (clickable) image of a local “High Country” gun store as we passed through the south part of town. We would have stopped to have a look inside the store, but we had Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the car with us, so we kept going.

The drive up and back took us through some of the most scenic parts of Arizona, through Ponderosa pines, rocky hillsides, fields of desert cacti and quaint little towns. Just another grueling day of retirement.

I updated the GPS with the latest map files today. About two years ago, I bought a Garmin Nüvi 205W GPS unit. Other than a few glitches now and then, the unit has proved to be a worthwhile investment.

Clickable image - Garmin screenshot showing map and software update status as up-to-date

When I acquired the GPS, I signed up for lifetime map updates. That, also, turned out to be a good investment. When we first bought our property in Wickenburg, ADOT (Arizona department of transportation) was just finishing the route 93 bypass and it had yet to be updated on the GPS maps. Then, the new bypass and roundabouts showed up on the very next update.

In the near future, The Better Half and I will be taking some deserved vacation time, even though the new house experience has been like a permanent vacation for us. I have been charting excursions to some of the Native American artifact sites in the four corners states since that is one mutual interest that The Better Half and I have in common. She is one-eighth Creek/Cherokee and I am one-sixteenth Cherokee although our Irish and English heritage covers most of that up. Still, we have a great interest in ancient American peoples.

We will also have the opportunity to visit some of America’s natural wonders (Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Arches, Canyonlands, etc.). We can hardly wait.

This classic, seen today on Interstate 10 near Blythe, CA, is a 1930-ish car, but I can’t identify it. The most interesting thing about this car is that it’s wearing a custom “bra” as it heads westbound. I can’t remember seeing a bra on any other old classics.

I took a couple of years of German language when I was in high school (that was a long time ago). I always was amused at how the Germans concatenated words into one long word to describe something. The German word for the automotive bra is “steinschlagschutzhülle. This is the concatenation of the words for “stone-hit-shield-cover.” During WW2, they called the P-38 Lightning “fork tail devil” or “gabelschwantzteufel.” Equally as hilarious.

When we head to California from the new home, we travel westbound on US 60 until getting on Interstate 10 a few miles east of Quartzsite, AZ. The scenery and the little towns are always interesting to us when we drive past them. Each time we take the trip, we seem to notice something new along the route each trip we make.

Take,for instance, the Outback Restaurant and Bar at the intersection of US 60 and Alamo Lake Road in Wenden, AZ, where we finally noticed their sign along the roadside on this trip. It says, “Hot Beer - Lousy Food - Bad Service - Welcome - Have a nice Day.” The Better Half took this (clickable) image of the building and the sign.

Here’s more about our “Outback:”

The Arizona Outback encompasses the vast Hwy 60 corridor that lies between the Harcuvar and Harquahala Mountain Ranges, traveling west from Wickenburg through McMullen Valley across to the Kofas, and on to Arizona’s original “port of entry”, Ehrenberg, AZ on the Colorado River. The area is rich in history, gold mines, agriculture, cowboys and cattle drives, old miners and new enterprises. Vast open lands, mild winters, and the irresistible desert vistas make the area a favorite spot for winter snowbirds and off-road enthusiasts.

Explore Arizona’s public lands, search for old gold mines, go rockhounding, bird watching, hiking in the mountain wilderness areas, horseback riding, off-road, run the quads through the desert trails, or have a jeep adventure. Visit the communities of the AzOutback and find special places, special people. Stay for awhile - the RV Parks in the Arizona Outback have the best tour guides in the west!

Visit these Arizona Outback Communities - Ehrenberg, Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Hope, Salome, Wenden, Alamo Lake and Aguila.