Las Cienegas

April 1 – 6, 2020.

Our plan for a two-week quarantine failed. Although we thought about it several times before we left Tucson, in our hurry to go we forgot to check our propane tank. And then while we were out in the Buenos Aires NWR we cooked 3 van pizzas on the stove, unbeknownst to us, using the last of our fuel. Luckily since we made 3 pizzas we had meals for two more nights and didn’t have to leave immediately to find more propane.
The next couple of nights I rigged up a solar oven on the van’s dash and warmed the pizzas there.

We already knew we were going to have to get water before our two weeks were up but getting water from a dispenser doesn’t involve any human contact. Getting propane would. So we had a choice – go to the closest city (Green Valley) to refill our tank or go all the way back to Tucson (since we were breaking our quarantine anyway) and while we were there, pick up some packages we had waiting for us at Julie and Jason’s house. While we were deciding our other Tucson friend, Deanna, texted me a picture of the elusive Trader Joe’s falafel mix she had acquired for us. That made up our minds. Back to Tucson.

Since Green Valley was on the way, we stopped there anyway to get the propane. Tractor Supply was out. This threw me into a bit of a panic. Why wouldn’t they have propane? Are people propane hoarding? Is everyone out? What will we do without cooking fuel? Are we going to have to heat everything up on the dashboard? My panic was fairly short-lived. We hit another Tractor Supply in Tucson and they filled us up.

It was good to see our friends again although I felt uncomfortable going into their house to pick up our packages. And still no pets for the dog Pearl. We did some more grocery shopping. And met Deanna for a walk around her neighborhood and to pick up the coveted falafel mix. We planned to spend another night but then we read that Arizona was issuing a stay at home order for the next day. We didn’t want to get trapped in Tucson, feeling we could social distance better back out in the wilderness.

I texted Deanna to cancel our next day’s walk. The next morning I texted Julie when we about to go. Within minutes both Julie and Jason came out on their back door to say goodbye. With them on their porch, us in the lot, and an 8 foot corrugated fence and many 6 foot distances between us we wished each other well then took off back to the desert.

* All pics are click-to-enlarge. You can also click on them to view them in a slide show.

So how are you doing with social distancing? Have you been panicked about not being able buy something you need? Isn’t the Northern Flicker an amazing looking bird?