Day 27 - February 27. This weekend we had a combination of errands and fun things on our to-do-list. We started off Saturday morning by taking the truck and trailer to the truck wash. For $46, they hand washed both the truck and trailer, we thought that was a great deal! We came back and unhooked and took off to Wickenburg. We thought the town was so unique as we drove through for the barrel race, we wanted to come back and explore it without the trailer and horses; it did not disappoint. Montana and Matalyn took turns driving through the desert and Montana is getting very comfortable with the big truck. Matalyn is getting better at keeping a consistent speed. 

Our first stop in Wickenburg was NRS. The girls both bought a few items and we were finally able to find our ration balancer. We then went to lunch at a local burger and shake shop - Screamers. There was a group there with collector cars and trucks that Matalyn enjoyed looking at. We then went to the historic downtown area and walked through the stores, saddle shops, and boutiques. Of course, everyone found treasures they had to have. We also saw the "jail tree" where they used to chain up outlaws before they had a jail building. 

On our way home was a recommended hike - Vulture Peak Trail. At first, the GPS wanted to route us to Vulture Peak Trail in Las Vegas. I finally got it to route us to a location south of town, which is what I expected. The route took us through a golf course, and on a "private" road through the foothills. We finally came to a spot where they were trap shooting. A nice man, named Jim, pointed to the next Mountain and said "you need to be over there" - LOL! Turns out, we were on a dude ranch that offered horseback riding, jeep tours, ATVing, and trap shooting. The "real" Vulture Peak Trailhead was just a few miles south and we had driven by it a few times going to/from Wickenburg. We parked and thought we'd make quick work of the 2 mile (4-mile round-trip) hike to the top of the mountain for the promise of "spectacular views"! Well, about 1 mile in (and 1 hour) I knew we would not make it to the top of the mountain. Matalyn was already complaining, we did not really have the right gear, and we would likely run out of daylight. So, we turned around and headed back. But, the first part of the hike was beautiful with numerous types of cactus, slight hills, and very slippery and shifty rocks. Matalyn now refers to the trail as the "death trail" - LOL! We got back to Buckey and the girls took the mares for a walk. We had dessert with the Minnesota folks, ate dinner, did some work, and went to bed. 

Day 28 - February 28. We woke up to gale force winds! We've had several days of windy conditions, but the winds this morning might have been the strongest. We headed to Gila Bend to see the petroglyph site at Painted Rock. The petroglyphs are something that I wanted to see. We anticipated a hike, but it was only a 5-minute loop on a well-groomed and flat trail - Matalyn was relieved and super excited about this "hike". Nonetheless, it was interesting to see and read about them. On the way, we passed two large dairies and a huge solar farm. We grabbed lunch and headed back to Buckeye. After a quick nap, the girls rode the mares and I ran to get propane for the last time. Wow, has the propane (and diesel) price really jumped! We finished up the night with some cleaning, work, dinner, roping (the girls), and a quick visit with a few of the Minnesotans. In fact, we were so busy visiting, that we almost forgot the mares were in turnout (and not in their stalls for the night) - OMG! 

Funny Story #1 - this weekend, Buckeye hosted a huge team roping event. Apparently, it was a qualifier for an even larger event this fall. There were horses, trailers, trucks, and ropers everywhere. There were rigs that probably cost $250,000 and some that you wondered how they made it down the road. But, the parking was just atrocious! Rigs were parked every which way in a disorganized cluster. I have no idea how anyone was able to get in or out of the facility.  

Funny Story #2 - we've had Shipt deliver groceries several times and our deliveries tend to be at night. I noticed that there are always two Shipt shoppers, so I asked if they were required to deliver in pairs at night. The Shipt shopper I talked with responded "yes, because we are not allowed to carry guns while working for Shipt"!  

 

Observations - the trailer has worked very well for our needs (minus the bathroom pocket door, but we've learned to maneuver it open and close). The fan in the bathroom is awesome and super strong - it really can move air and cool down the trailer. We've also learned that we can easily and comfortably live in our trailer for at least a month (10' short wall). Granted, we've had full hook up (sewer, water, electric) and high-speed internet - LOL!