Camping on the edge of the World.......the rest of the story

 We have just returned from 5 nights and 5+ days camping, hiking, and cycling on the rim.

It was wonderful.  (in fact, have we ever NOT had a wonderful time camping?)

The Mogollon rim is very different in different parts of it.  A month ago we camped on the rim and stayed in what we call the "Grasslands."    This trip we wanted to camp right on the edge of the rim.  

The first site we chose was spectacular. .......but we didn't stay there.  After a few hours we found we were hot (there was no shade) and the wind made enjoying the site impossible.

So we moved down the road a piece.  Here was our second site:

Pretty nice, huh?  And it was....except the wind was even stronger.  It was no fun sitting outside, and we couldn't find a way to position our vehicles to block the wind.  Besides, we were kinda worried about walking outside at night to go to the bathroom.  That first step is a doozy. 

So, we moved across the street after spending one night here.  About 100 yards away from this site, and what a difference that made.  Now we had sun and shade, and we could move our chairs to maximize our comfort.  And the 15-20 mph winds on the edge of the rim were just mild breezes now.

So here is our second site, where we spent four nights.

On this trip we took one really nice hike and two long bike rides. We also spent one day walking up the road and then dancing.

We took two 20-mile rides on the dusty, rocky, and gravel roads on the rim.  One has to really focus in order to not hit a rock incorrectly and take a spill.  But we are much better at this than we were a year and a half ago when we got these bikes.  

For our hike we took part of the General Crook Trail.  General Crook was a central leader in the Apache Indian Wars.   

We came across an old cabin:

Vicky did a re-enactment of the beginning of The Searchers in the cabin.

Vicky:

Martha, The Searchers:

Isn't it terrific that the Forest Service would maintain something like this cabin?  Great use of our tax money.

One day we danced.  

Our dancing is challenging on many surfaces we choose to dance on--i.e., when we aren't on a completely smooth surface like in our homes or on a dance floor.  Dance floors are built to be smooth and level.  This one was dirt, with branches, rocks, and pine cones.  It was slanted, uneven, and had small holes that one could step into.  We were wearing tennis shoes, not dance shoes.  

 Even with those challenges, we'd rather dance outdoors than dance indoors on a good surface.  I mean, how many people do you supposed have waltzed on the Mogollon Rim?  Think General Crook did? 

Frequently we could not turn as quickly as we needed to, but we know enough about what we are doing to be able to create a different pattern on the spot.  All of our dancing is lead-follow.   I lead and Vicky follows.  So it is all spontaneous and is never the same.  My "leading" is with my fingertips.  I don't "move" her, pull her, push her, twist her, etc. What we learned is that I basically "invite" her to move, spin, stop, twist, etc.  My goal is to make her look as beautiful moving to music as she always is.

Dance 1 on the rim.

Dance 2 on the rim.

Dance 3 on the rim.

We have also discovered a new singer.  His name is Edward Woodward.  His tenor voice simply captivates us.  He is singing 2-3 of the numbers in the videos in the links above.

We slept incredibly well.  This is our second camping trip this year, and we really are anxious to get out again.  We didn't camp at all last year, a first for us, because of how the medicine I was taking for prostate cancer affected my strength and energy level.  Vicky missed it, but never said a word to try to change my mind.  

I'll make it up to her.  By golly I'll make it up to her.  Even if I didn't feel I had the energy and desire to get out again (which, actually, I do), I would do it for her.  She has been so loving, so steady, so positive through this entire ordeal.