Boondocking Beauty Near Wickenburg

We spent some time boondocking near Wickenburg 3 years ago, and really liked it. We haven’t really had a reason to come back this way, until now. We are doing an art show in town this weekend, in conjunction with their Gold Rush Days. There is a rodeo going on, and other horse enthusiast events as well. This is a big horse town anyway, lots of roping events are held here, and a ton of horse owners in the area. So naturally, we hope they like the horse art and that we have a very successful show.

In the mean time, we are enjoying the quite, and the beauty that is here. All the rain that fell in the desert in December and January has made this area green and lush. I know it’s hard to think of the desert that way, but it really is. It’s like someone planted a lawn in the whole desert here. There is grass and small plants growing all over. And the trees and cactus are pretty happy too.

The dogs like the fresh grass, honestly, you would think they were part horse.

My favorite part of staying here is the endless hiking available. There are washes, hillsides, trails, and dirt roads. We can just take off through the desert and wander for hours.

There a lot of birds here too. I heard a beautiful song the other day, so I grabbed my camera and went looking for it’s source. This is a curved bill thrasher. He’s about the size of a small dove, and sings beautifully.

We have a pack of coyotes around too. This is good, and bad. I keep a very sharp eye on the dogs, especially Roxy, and we don’t go walking unless they are leashed. The fun part is listening to them howl and yip at each other. There is definitely some young pups, and I would love to see them. The other morning I had climbed the hill behind the RV to get some sunrise shots. One of the adult coyotes was just below me and was calling to the rest of the pack farther away. She was there for the longest time, just yipping and howling. Of course I didn’t have a big lens, so no photos. But I am still hopeful to get some shots at some point. Torrey goes nuts when she hears them. She barks, and even howled the other night.

This is vulture peak at sunrise. This is a great looking mountain anyway, but at sunrise it’s perfect.

The other morning the clouds at sunrise really made the sky beautiful.

When we stayed here a few years ago, I had a blast finding turquoise. I literally stumbled on this piece the other day.

Tomorrow we set up the show, and I think (hope) it will be a busy weekend. Wish us luck.