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Snapshots of life on the road

Finding the Fountain of Youth!

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Marcel on his mountain bike

Our new friend Marcel is a great inspiration

We meet a lot of interesting people in this crazy full-time traveling lifestyle, and they often give us great inspiration.

While we were camped on the eastern fringes of Phoenix Arizona recently, we found ourselves surrounded by mountain bikers.

Mountain biking gal with cactus

Mountain biking in the desert is exhilarating

These guys would hop on their bikes every morning and hit the trails with vim and vigor. They would return later in the afternoon, worn out and very happy.

Mark on his mountain bike

The scenery out on the trails is breathtaking

Mark has always had a passion for mountain biking, a passion I didn’t share with him at all. Since high school, I have been an avowed roadie!

He started chatting with these guys about their bikes, the trails nearby and whatever else mountain bikers talk about.

One fellow among them sported a white goatie, a few craggy lines on his face, and a foreign accent, and we soon discovered his name was Marcel and he originally hailed from Switzerland.

Marcel checks out the components on my bike

Marcel checks out my new wheels

Marcel was a compact build and very fit. Every time we saw him, he was wearing a t-shirt that said something like, “Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim” (a grueling hike between the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon) or “Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon.”

Mark and his new mountain bike

Mark is beside himself getting a new bike on a rainy day!!

When we asked him about these shirts, we found out he was quite an athlete.

Now 76 years old, he had been a runner until recently, and he had a wonderfully competitive spirit.

At age 74, he had noticed that one particular fellow kept winning a certain 7 mile running race in the 70+ age group, so he set his sights on that prize.

He trained and trained, entered the race and beat the defending champion to claim the title for himself. He told us that he then hung up his running shoes, on that very high note, with pride.

But he still puts on his mountain biking shoes and helmet almost every day, and we watched in amazement as he faithfully went out for one vigorous ride after another.

Mountain biking in the Superstition Mountains

The Superstition Mountains in Phoenix Arizona make a spectacular backdrop to a mountain bike ride

Mark and Marcel

Marcel shares his passion with Mark

Mark was so inspired by Marcel that he began scanning Craigslist for used mountain bikes, and before I knew it, we were driving out into the Phoenix neighborhoods and picking up his-and-hers mountain bikes.

In turn, our trusty cyclocross bikes that had been with us in our trailer since we started our adventures nearly seven years ago ended up on Craigslist themselves.

Ebikes have become really popular with RVers, and for older riders, the top e-trikes for seniors are worth checking out!

Mountain biking in the Arizona desert

I look back and see Mark happily riding in this stunning scenery

Unfortunately, my personal history with mountain biking is not good. The last time I rode one was a decade ago on the notorious Bootleg Canyon trail outside Las Vegas. We were at the bicycle industry’s big Interbike trade show where bike shop owners and employees can test new bikes.

Out on the trails, I had flown off over the handlebars of my test bike on some kind of wacky double jump that was way beyond my skill level, and I’d knocked myself out cold. The next thing I knew, an EMT was asking me if I remembered my name as he gingerly lifted me onto a stretcher.

Mountain biking in Phoenix Arizona

Happiness is a new bike

But bikes, in general, have come a very long way in the last 10 years, and these new models, like the ones from QuintanaRooTri.com, are unbelievable. Sticking to trails I can handle, I have been having a blast. I never would have thought it could happen, but I’m hooked.

Marcel sent us off to practice on a beautiful trail called Wild Horse, and after a week of exhilarating rides together, Marcel took his motorhome down to Tucson to ride with some buddies down there. When he returned, we went out as a three-some to tackle Wild Horse all together.

Wild Horse mountain biking trail

Mark squeezes between an ocotillo cactus and its shadow

What a ride!! Mark and I were thrilled to get through it without putting a foot down for the very first time, but while we high-fived each other, we noticed Marcel was kind of shrugging. For him, cruising through the gnarly bits on this trail was routine.

Gosh. I had admired his racing stories and watching him zip between our rigs on his mountain bike before, but seeing him in action was truly awe inspiring.

Marcel on his mountain bike

Marcel has showed us the fountain of youth!

What was even more fun was to discover that he has been RVing since 1970 when he built a Class C motorhome for his family. Class C’s were new to the market back then, and he saw his first one at an RV show.

Sweet mountain bike ride in the desert

Sweet ride in the desert

He crawled all through the thing with a tape measure, took copious notes, and went home and built one onto his one ton truck.

His wife Charlotte laughs that they took their three kids everywhere in that homemade rig and never spent a weekend at home after that.

For the past twelve years, the two of them have been wintering in the southwestern states in a Class A. One of the highlights for them each season has been connecting with their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.

Marcel has passed on his passion for fitness, and not long ago his whole family entered a running event together — four generations pounded the pavement side by side.

Mountain biking in the Superstition Mountains in Phoenix Arizona

We feel blessed everyday to be living this quirky life, and certainly one of the best things about it has been meeting inspiring people that we never would have encountered if we hadn’t gone traveling.

Thank you, Marcel, for showing us your unique fountain of youth!

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Cheap Veggies in AZ – Superstition Ranch Market

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Superstition Ranch Market in Mesa AZ

A special find: Superstition Ranch Market in Mesa, Arizona

Posted March 11, 2014 – One of the crazy things about our life on the road is that everything in our lives is done on the road!  This includes basic things like getting groceries and doing laundry.

Gone are the days of knowing where all our favorite goodies are on the shelves of our local supermarket or following the weekly flyers for discounts.  We’re happy just to find the local supermarket!

But every so often we find something much better.

While doing laundry the other day down at the “Fluff and Fold” laundromat where we’ve been going each week in Mesa, Arizona, we left the washing machines to do their thing while we went exploring in the area.

Just a few doors down, we discovered a fabulous little neighborhood strip mall grocery store called Superstition Ranch Market.  After noticing that the parking lot was packed and that a steady stream of people was coming and going through the glass doors, we idly wandered inside, curious why it was so popular.

Suddenly we were swept up in a sea of seniors who were all stuffing their shopping carts with produce of every shape and description. And soon we knew why.  The prices here were crazy cheap!

Cheap pineapples in Arizona

At Mesa’s Superstition Ranch Market,
pineapples are just 99c each!

Right in front of us was a huge stack of big juicy ripe blackberries in plastic containers.  Three 6-oz containers were just one dollar.  What?!  That’s less than a dolloar pound!  Mark grabbed a few (he’s a huge berry lover).

Right behind the blackberries was a similar stack of plump red strawberries, three 1-lb. containers for a dollar.  Wow!  Yum!  I snagged three.

Expensive pineapples in Phoenix

At Safeway those same pineapples
are $3.99 each!

We looked around some more, eyes popping.

— Pineapples were 99 cents apiece.
— 15 lbs. of russet potatoes, 99 cents.
— Grape tomatoes, 2 10-oz boxes, $1.
— Big slicing tomatoes, 69 cents/lb.
— Vine cluster tomatoes, 39 cents/lb.

How could this be?

I got chatting with a store clerk and learned that much of the produce comes from Mexico. Ahh…how we MISS the fresh veggies we found in certain ports while sailing Mexico!

The market also buys in bulk from local supermarkets that have overbought.

She told me the store has been here on Main Street in Mesa for forty-five years.  Another shopper was evesdropping and chimed in, “Yeah and no one knew about it until last year when Daphne Munro (you know, the Smart Shopper TV talk show?) did a huge TV special about it.  It’s been crazy here ever since!”

Cheap strawberries in Mesa Arizona

How about strawberries —
three 1 lb. boxes for a dollar!

Long lines or not, what a boon for everyone in Mesa!

Most of the shoppers we saw were savvy seniors that live in the area or are snow-birding here, and it was an absolute zoo scene all around us.

Some five or six cashiers were frantically busy — and very cheery — as lines of shoppers six and eight deep kept forming in front of them, their carts overflowing with cauliflower, grapes, lettuce, peppers, mangoes and other things, all purchased for dimes on the dollar.

Expensive strawberries at Safeway in Phoenix

At Safeway those same three boxes
of strawberries will cost $9. Ouch!!

We braved the crowds and bought our share, murmuring along with a few others, “I wish I’d known about this place a long time ago!”

Just for kicks, on the way home, we stopped at Safeway.

Yikes!

— Strawberries were on sale, 2 one lb. boxes for $6.
— Pineapples were an “everyday” low price of $3.99 each.
— Grape tomatoes were $2.99 per 10 oz. container.
— Rusett potatoes were 99 cents a pound.

We don’t always come across great finds like this in our travels. Much of the time we end up paying a premium because we don’t know the best places to shop.  But every so often we bump into something that is a true gold mine like this fun little grocery store on Main Street in Mesa.

Superstition Ranch Market is at 4755 E Main St, Mesa, AZ, (480) 832-3421.

They have a second store at 7 N 114th St., Apache Junction, AZ  (480) 984-3568.

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How much inverter is enough?

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Living totally off the grid on battery power in an RV or sailboat requires a good sized inverter to power the AC appliances like TVs, laptops, microwave, camera and cell phone chargers, hair dryers and vacuum cleaner.

But what is “good sized?”  How much is too much — or not enough?  What happens if you go over the limit? A recent mishap when we first returned to living in our trailer a few months ago sent us back to the basics and reminded us about limits, living skinny and living large while boondocking and living on a small inverter.

Exeltech XP1100 Power Inverter in the basement

Our Exeltech XP 1100 watt pure sine wave inverter lives in the
fifth wheel basement.

Figuring out the math behind the theory — the amps, volts, watts and conversions between them — and doing that for each appliance while guessing how much time each one will be used every day is downright daunting.

What’s worse — for people like I once was who are dealing with this stuff for the first time when they contemplate full-timing — just the terms “inverter,” “converter,” and “inverter/charger” leave us scratching our heads in bewilderment.  Techie phrases like “modified sine wave” and “pure sine wave” made my head spin when we first started out.

If that is the case for you too, have a look at our multi-part Solar Power Tutorial series where those terms (and many more) are explained in plain words.

As for inverter capacity, it is given in watts, and after living on several different sized inverters and inverter/chargers for almost seven years in two trailers and a sailboat, we have gotten a pretty good feel for what our moveable household of two people requires.  But that doesn’t mean we are immune to slipping up!

When we bought our full-time fifth wheel trailer in 2008, like most trailers, it did not have a factory installed inverter.  It had a 55 watt converter, and that was it.  (Most motorhomes have a factory installed inverter/charger that is wired to the AC outlets instead of a converter.)  So, we installed a pure sine wave Exeltech XP 1100 watt inverter. 

This is a top quality inverter that is built to such high standards that it can run very sensitive medical equipment off the grid. Exeltech inverters are used on the International Space Station to provide AC power to both the American and Russian sides of the station!

Sinergex Pure Sine Wave 600 watt inverter

This 600 watt pure sine wave inverter powered almost all
of our activities on the boat.

We chose that size because there was a huge increase in pure sine wave inverter prices once you got over about 1100 watts, and we had no single appliance on board that required more than that.  (In 2014 prices, the XP1100 inverter is ~$600 while the XP2000 inverter is ~$1,300).

The trailer’s microwave is 900 watts, and everything else we use (except the air conditioning which requires a generator anyways) is much less than that.  As long as we used only one big appliance at a time, all would be well.

The only real conflict that ever came up was when we used the microwave.  We had to be sure the TV was off and the laptops were running on battery power for the few minutes we used the microwave.  No big deal.

The sailboat we bought and moved aboard a few years after the trailer came with two factory installed inverters: a 2500 watt Xantrex Freedom 25 modified sine wave inverter/charger and Sinergex 600 watt pure sine wave inverter. The big inverter/charger was wired to all the AC outlets on the boat.  However, the little 600 watt pure sine wave inverter had been installed exclusively for the entertainment system: the two AC outlets on the inverter had two ordinary extension cords that went directly to the TV and the Bose 3-2-1 surround sound system.  This little inverter was independent of the boat’s AC wiring system.

The big modified sine wave Freedom 25 2500 watt inverter powered the microwave and vacuum.

The big modified sine wave Freedom 25 2500 watt inverter
powered the microwave and vacuum.

Because we had used a pure sine wave inverter in our trailer for a few years (and liked the idea of feeding our expensive computers a good quality signal), and because we assumed the big Xantrex inverter/charger would use a fair bit of power just to run in a “no load” state, we decided to rearrange the extension cords on the small pure sine wave inverter and use it as our primary inverter instead, running our laptops and charging up all our small appliances on it.

So, effectively, the only time we ever turned on the Xantrex inverter/charger was to use the boat’s 500 watt microwave that the factory had wired into the AC system, and to use our little dirt devil vacuum cleaner.  Everything else — 22″ LED TV, 13″ MacBook laptops, cameras, portable GPS/VHF radio, GMRS walkie/talkie radios, toothbrush, etc. — got plugged into a power strip coming from the 600 watt pure sine wave inverter’s AC connector.

Mark inspects inverter

Mark inspects the Exeltech inverter

This worked really well for us for the 3.5 years we lived off the grid on the boat.

However, when we moved back into our trailer, we were still living in the mindset we’d had on the boat, which made us careless with the microwave.  Whereas, on the boat, the 500 watt microwave was on a very big standalone inverter and we could use it without thinking, in the trailer, our 900 watt microwave shares the 1100 watt pure sine wave inverter with everything else on board.

One day, shortly after we moved back into the trailer, Mark popped some potatoes into the microwave for a few minutes.  We were deep in conversation as he puttered around the kitchen and I messed around with photos on my laptop.

I thought it was odd when I noticed the charging light on my laptop go out, and he thought it was odd when he went to hit the button on the microwave for the next round of potato-cooking to find that none of the buttons on the microwave worked.

What the heck?

Exeltech Exeltech XP 1100 inverter opened up

Well, at least nothing is visibly smoking!

We checked the usual things, and then went outside and around to the basement to see what the inverter was up to.  Eventually, we realized that the inverter had just died.

Yikes!!  This little black box is our life blood!  And it would be a pricey devil to replace.

After a rather solemn dinner with almost-cooked potatos, Mark removed the inverter from the basement and opened it up to have a look inside.

Ouch.  All four slow-blow fuses had blown.  But thank heavens the rest of it was fully intact and there were no charred marks or burnt looking things anywhere.

The trailer repair gods were definitely smiling on us.  We called Exeltech the next day to find out the fuse sizes (there were no sizes printed or etched on the blown fuses), and they were kind enough to put a few sets of fuses in the mail for us (free of charge!) to replace the four dead ones and to give us some spares in case of future mess-ups!

08 Exeltech XP1100 inverter slow blow fuses 451

Wait, what’s up with the four “slow blow” fuses?

However, we had a five day wait until the replacement fuses arrived.  It turns out that the size of these things is unique (35 amp slow blow). A sweep of the local auto parts stores turned up a few 30 amp slow blow fuses, which Exeltech said would work in a pinch, but Mark didn’t want to do the repair twice.

We liked our boondocking spot and didn’t feel like moving just to get electrical hookups, so, for the next five days we lived on a 350 watt modified sine wave inverter.

Sound crazy?  Well, it CAN be done!  We didn’t have to sacrifice too much.  We just had to pay attention.

We aren’t big TV watchers unless the Olympics or Tour de France is on, but we use our two laptops for hours every day.

In the good old days of 2007, this little inverter of ours could power our white 13″ MacBook without a hitch, no matter what application we ran or how discharged the laptop was.

Slow blow 35 amp slow blog fuses

All four “slow blow” 35 amp fuses are blown

However, we soon discovered that today’s 13″ MacBook Pro’s (2011 and 2012 vintage, non-retina display) — and today’s software (2014 vintage) — all use a lot more power.  Plus, we now have two laptops instead of one, which is more than the 350 watt inverter can handle.  So, we had to devise a sharing scheme.

There are a few tricks to this.

The power required to charge a laptop varies depending on the laptop’s state of charge and the way in which it is being used:

  • A laptop that has discharged batteries (nearly dead) requires more power to get charged up than one that’s 90% charged already.
  • A laptop in use, especially if it is running disk-access intensive programs (like photo manipulation software), requires more power to charge than one running something tiny like a plain text editor (think Mac TextEdit or Windows Notepad).
  • A sleeping laptop requires less power to charge than one that is in use
  • A laptop that is completely shut down requires the least power of all to charge

I don’t have any firm numbers, but my hunch numbers are that it takes about 5-10 times more power to charge a laptop that is nearly discharged and is humming away on a bunch of really big photo manipulation programs (or moving lots of files around on disk) than it does to charge a laptop that is near full charge already, is shut down and is simply plugged into AC power.

With all these things in mind — and since our laptop use was our biggest power use in the trailer (we didn’t even try running our 26″ TV with surround sound on the 350 watt inverter) — this was our daily strategy:

350 Watt Inverver

This 7-year-old 350 watt modified sine wave inverter powered our lives for five days.

First thing in the morning, we would run the laptops from their own internal batteries until they were about 50% discharged (about an hour or two). If we weren’t done on the computers at that point, one of us would connect to the little inverter while the other continued on battery power.

After an hour or so, we would usually want to get outdoors. We would turn both laptops off and connect the most discharged on to the inverter to get charged up.

We’d return home later and either begin charging the other laptop up, or, if we both wanted to get back on our computers, we would alternate use of the inverter and go through the cycle again.

As for the Exeltech XP1100 inverter repair, as soon as we got the replacement fuses, Mark popped them into the inverter, installed it back in its home in the basement, and life was good and AC power was abundant in our home once again.

Boondocking in North Phoenix Arizona 521

We were in a good spot. Why leave if we could make things work
for a while with a small inverter?

What did we learn from all this?

We can live simply when we need to!

Also, I’m really glad I asked the NuWa factory to install a cigarette lighter style DC outlet in the living room part of our trailer behind the TV (it came with one in the bedroom already).  This makes it easy to use a small portable inverter in a pinch.  In all honesty, I had questioned my sanity in asking the factory for this upgrade until this episode!

Then — on our next trailer (not that we’re getting a new one, but it’s always nice to think about that dreamy “next one”) — we will get a bigger inverter.  There is nothing wrong with 1100 watts, as long as we think for a moment before flipping the switch on the microwave.  However, in the next installation, we will be much more willing to spend double to get Exeltech’s 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter instead of their 1100 watt version.  A bigger inverter will also allow us to use our Vita-Mix (1600 watts) which has been waiting in storage until we finish this crazy off-the-grid traveling lifestyle (which isn’t happening any time soon!).

Lastly… we learned that the Exeltech XP1100 inverter is well protected from absent-minded users with four wonderfully precious slow blow fuses. Very fortunately for me, it was an easy fix for Mark to do. But it seems that it is a fix that anyone who dares open the inverter case could accomplish. They were inline buss fuses and they didn’t even require a fuse puller — just a screwdriver to lift them out.

Note: We installed an Exeltech XP 2000 inverter in April, 2015, and what an incredibly worthwhile upgrade that has been.

Learn more at our page: RV Electrical Power Overhual: New Batteries, Inverter and Converter

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To Catch a Hummingbird (on camera!)

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Our fifth wheel has a hummingbird window feeder

We love watching the hummingbirds come to our window feeder.

One of my favorite things to do when we set up camp is to put out our hummingbird feeder.

Hummingbird window feeder with suction cup

It’s hung with a suction cup – easy!

Hummingbirds always seem to recognize a feeder when they see one, and within a few hours of putting it out, we invariably have a tiny customer sitting on the perch drinking his fill.

There are lots of different kinds of hummingbird feeders on the market, but the one I like most for an RV mounts on the window with a suction cup.

 

Humminbird at our window feeder at dawn

A hummer visits our feeder at dawn

Humminbird hover

“Hello!”

 

We first saw one of these feeders when we spent a happy afternoon with our friends Bob and Donna Lea in their trailer during our first year of full-timing ages ago.

The hummers came by their feeder all afternoon, and the best part was that we could see them up close and at eye level while sitting comfortably on the couch.

This kind of feeder can also be a great way to get hummingbird photos, and the other day, while out in the Arizona desert, we decided to try our hand at being wildlife photographers from inside the comfort of our fifth wheel.

 

Hummingbird lands at our feeder

Swooping down for a drink

 

A simple concoction of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar (stirred up well to get the sugar to dissolve) is all it takes to lure the little guys to the feeder.

But the thing is, hummingbirds dart about erratically and move really fast.

Sometimes they hover for a while and look at you while they weave their wings back and forth in a figure eight pattern, as if they’re treading water.  But then, suddenly, they turn and disappear in a flash.

Catching one on camera is not such an easy task!

 

Flying hummingbird

He kindly hummed a little higher to give us a blue sky backdrop

Just as you get the bird in your viewfinder and have lined up the shot the way you want it and are ready to click the shutter — he’s gone.

Plus, the lighting can be tricky. Hummingbirds have irridescent feathers that light up like neon when the sun hits them in a certain way. But at other times their feathers look dull and dark.

Our feeder is often backlit by the sun, since we like to point our wall of windows to the south in the wintertime.  This makes the hummers look like silhouettes, and frequently the lighting is such that their feathers don’t glow. at all

 

Hummingbird's feathers are dark in this light

Hummingbird feathers appear dark when they aren’t lit up by the sun.

The way we have our trailer oriented right now, though, the hummer looked truly stunning at the feeder when we stood in one particular spot during the early afternoon.

The only hard part was that in this light the hummer had a pretty good view into the trailer from his perch, and our movements inside made him nervous.  So, he wouldn’t stick around, especially when we were aiming a big black thing at him through the window.

To circumvent this, we set up a tripod at that spot with a remote shutter trigger.

 

Hovering hummingbird

Hovering

Our thinking was that we’d preset the focus to the perch area and then stand away from the window and click the shutter whenever the hummer turned up. A foolproof method, for sure.

The hummer made his appearance on queue and put on a great performance.

He hovered on the other side of the window, peered in at us, decided it was safe, sipped daintily while hovering, settled on the perch to drink a little more deeply, and then took off.

We happily clicked away on the shutter.  How perfect!!  These would be awesome photos!

 

Hummingbird at our RV feeder

Getting his balance on the perch…

But when we ran through the pics on the back of the camera, it was a disaster!  Every single shot was hopelessly blurry.

Arghh! The 1/125 shutter speed was waaaay too slow.

So we set up at a faster speed, 1/2000, and waited. And waited and waited. We could see him flitting about in the trees, but he was being coy and wouldn’t come anywhere near the feeder.

Mark got bored and sat down to read a book. “That’s why I like landscape photography,” He said.

But I held out.  For a while.  I fidgeted.  I yawned.  And after a while I turned and opened the fridge, figuring I’d pass the time by munching on something.

 

The Wave

He gives us a big wave!

Just as I got my hands on a snack, I heard Mark mutter, “Your little buddy’s back!”

Oh no!  I dropped everything and dove for the camera remote.

I clicked it just in time to get a shot of the tip of the bird’s tail and his feet as he took off — and totally missed the wonderful images of him hovering just outside of the field of view of the camera.

Darn!

Well, one thing was clear.  The tripod and the remote were awkward to maneuver and were too rigidly fixed to capture this speedy, darting bird.

 

Both wings going

The wings beat so very fast…

So I put the camera on a monopod with the idea that this time I’d be able to swing the camera around more freely and focus on him wherever he was rather than pre-focusing and hoping he hung out where the camera was focused.  And then I waited,  And waited and waited.

Mark chuckled at me over his book while I stood there.  “Looks like you’ve got it all set up…” He said.

“Yeah.  All I need is a bird!”

But the hummer was playing hard to get.  My feet got tired.  My knees got tired.  I rested my chin on the camera and groaned.  Where was that bird?

 

Darting hummingbird in a blue sky

Those little wings keep them suspended and stationary in the air

Then he suddenly appeared, and I flew into action.

I’d chosen 3D focus tracking to try to keep the little guy in focus as he moved around.  It was a mode someone had recommended online for bird photography.

As I pressed the shutter button partway down, little focus dots lit up all over the hummer while he was moving about.

It drove me crazy as it focused on his head, his feet, his tail, and his wings, constantly shifting from one part of his body to another.

It was totally distracting, and the result was random body parts being in focus. Ugh! This technique might work for some people, but it definitely wasn’t working for me!

 

The hummer pauses at the feeder

The colors on his head and neck changed with every move he made.

I’d read that the best animal shots have the eyes in perfect focus.  What good was it if the feathers on the bird’s round little belly were in focus but you couldn’t see his face clearly?

My little visitor disappeared again, and I was disappointed in my photos again.

Besides having great focus on everything but his face, in this group of pictures the dimming afternoon light mixed with the dimming afternoon light had made the ISO climb sky high, so the images were coming out rather grainy.

So it was back to the waiting game with a few more adjustments.  “It will be another 10 or 15 minutes,” Mark said.  “He got a really long drink that time!”

 

The hummer gives us a wave

Another wave… I like this guy!

Man! I don’t know how wildlife photographers do it.  Here I was in the comfort of my own home, yet I was impatient and bored and uncomfortable standing around waiting.

Imagine being holed up before dawn in some blind you’d built out in the wilds of Africa!  Could any animal shot be worth that kind of effort?

Well, at least I had nothing else really pressing going on.  We could hear the little hummber out in the branches of the trees making his funny little clicking noises.

 

.

A gambel's quail runs past

While waiting for the hummer, I spotted a Gambel’s quail sauntering by.

Suddenly a Gambel’s quail caught my eye.  He strutted past the window on a mission, his little top-knot feather bouncing up and down as he walked.

I love these little birds too, and I lifted the camera to my face, monopod and all, and stood on my tiptoes to get a shot of him running by.

Just then, the hummingbird was back at the feeder.  And I was out of position!

Mark laughed out loud as I tried to get lined up and refocused while muttering something unintelligible under my breath.

Hummer wings in focus high isd

Eating on the fly!

 

I jammed the shutter button down for a rapid-fire series of shots.

This time I’d nailed it.  I knew it!  And sure enough, when I looked at the photos a few minutes later the results were terrific and I was triumphant.

I gloated quite a bit as I showed a few of the images to Mark.

Now he was intrigued.  I sat down, my own little mission accomplished, and watched him set up shop.

Hummingbird close-up shot

Picture perfect!

A hummingbird peers in our trailer window

What a handsome little guy!

Ditching the monopod, he placed a tripod on the table and switched out the long 70-200 mm lens I had been using for a fixed length 85 mm.

He was bound and determined to make that remote shutter button work.  I shook my head and said there was no way… but then, after a few attempts, he got some really spectacular shots!

Lately, our little bird friend has been hanging out with a buddy, and they seem to be taking our presence in stride.

I want to take this whole operation outside to get some images of them in the trees, and I had hoped to end this post with an awesome photo from the palo verde tree that’s just outside our trailer.

But our hummer and his friend have been keeping a low profile this afternoon.  So, we’ll just have to wait and see if we can catch them tomorrow!

 

Love birds and animals?  You might enjoy some of these other posts where we communed with animals during our travels: