Recovering from Surgery - a Lesson in Waiting

 Surgery went off without a hitch. We spent Tuesday night with our niece, Dayna, since she lives close to the hospital. Ari dropped me off at the hospital around 8 in the morning and I was back at Dayna's house by 4 pm the same day.

The doctor put a soft cast on my foot to discourage me from putting any weight on it. I have been spending most of my day in bed as it hurts when the foot isn't elevated. 

I was asked to brush my teeth prior to surgery and was given a small tube of toothpaste and this disposal toothbrush made from corn starch. Prisoners at Folsom can purchase a similar toothbrush from the commissary.  The idea is that it can't be used as a weapon because the corn starch basically crumbles. 

Dayna explained that they wanted me to brush my teeth because they put a tube in my throat during the surgery. Brushing my teeth cuts down the risk of infection from the tube.

The doctor put a soft cast on my foot to discourage me from putting any weight on it. I have been spending most of my day in bed as it hurts when the foot isn't elevated. 

I use the mobility scooter when I am not in bed.

Dayna's dogs provided us with plenty of comfort during our stay. Rico is the new pit bull puppy and he liked cuddling in our laps. Sammy is the Doberman.

A week post-surgery...my foot is still really swollen and I am still in pain most of the time. The scribble on my foot is from the surgeon to make sure he cuts the correct foot.

Stitches come out in another week.

I have been tracking the arrival of our replacement axles on Fed Ex. Apparently, they are playing tourist in Arizona as they are sitting in Tucson - about an hour from here - and have been sitting there for almost a week. Ari wants me to call FedEx and ask why the parts haven't moved. I don't really see the point of calling as I assume they were shipped freight, which means they are going to be slow to move. Ari has the option of driving up to Tucson, getting the parts and completing the delivery himself - which we might do, if they don't move soon.

Ride and Eat in Tombstone, Arizona

 I had been really, really looking forward to riding into Tombstone, tying the horses up to a hitching post, and eating on an outdoor patio and just soaking in the Western atmosphere and the history.

Of course, the reality is always so very different.

First off, I broke my foot. Surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday, so I decided if I want to ride into Tombstone and eat - it is now or never. 

It's about a 40 minute ride from the Tombstone RV Park & Campground into town. It is a nice easy flat trail that basically parallels the freeway and set far away from any traffic noises.

You ride through a small residential area right into Tombstone.

The Four Deuces Saloon on Allen Street has outdoor patio seating and a solid hitching post to tie up your horse. They will even offer your horse water. 

There is a rake and manure bucket handy - just in case you need to clean up after your horse.

Ari tying up Lennox

My horse did fine being tied up to the hitching post. Lennox was anxious the entire time. He didn't understand what was going on - although we have done ride and eats before. 

We went into town on a Monday in order to avoid too many tourists, but there were still people taking selfies with our horses - as well as the sounds of gunfire from all the shoot outs in the distance.

The gunfire didn't bother the horses at all. They are used to it from cowboy mounted shooting. But the strange people made Lennox really nervous.

The saloon doesn't serve food, but allows you to order food from across the street at the OK Cafe. You phone in your order and someone from the cafe walks it over to deliver it to you. 

The menu is burgers, hot dogs, chili, and sides. The food was actually pretty good.

The horses kept an eye on us while we were eating...and vice versa.

I really had a great time, but Ari was upset by how amped up Lennox got.

Mercutio was fine. He took the entire adventure in stride.

 

Snow? In Tombstone?

We were surprised Saturday morning by a snowfall early in the morning. Ari had taken the blankets off the horses after feeding them, but when the snow started to come down we went out and put the blankets back on.

The snow continued to fall steadily and finally stopped around 1 pm. None of it stuck around, but it looks to be cold and freezing temps for the next couple of days.

Lennox bent a panel of the pen he has been in by leaning against it.  The property owners ended up replacing a couple of the pen's panels with stronger ones to ensure Lennox and Mercutio don't get out and no more damage is done.

Supposedly, the replacement parts for our trailer are going to ship next week. I have surgery on my foot scheduled next week, so we may actually be able to leave in early April and continue our journey.

 

Riding to Monument Guest Ranch, Tombstone, AZ

 Wednesday morning, I got a call - the Iowa Gang (Dwight, Julie, and Bill) would meet Ari at the petroglyphs outside our campground and ride to the Tombstone Monument Guest Ranch.  The guest ranch is an all-inclusive dude ranch. If you stay there, you can't bring your own horse, but equestrians in the area can ride in, tie their horses up in the arena area, and hang out at the saloon which offers food and drink.

So, Ari met up with them...happy to join a group ride and get out.

Here is Ari and Julie with Bill's horse - a dappled gray.

On the ride, Ari spotted several abandoned mines. These mines are now used as shelters by migrants travelling across the border. They will spend one or more nights in these man-made caves to rest up before continuing North.

The Monument Guest Ranch is basically a replica of down-town Tombstone, except the store fronts are now casitas for ranch guests.

Inside the bathroom stall

Outside the bathroom stall

Ari called me when they got to the guest ranch and asked me to drive down and join them (and bring his wallet so he could buy a round of drinks), so I drove there. I expect the horseback ride in was more pleasant as it was a hard pack dirt road about a mile long to get into the guest ranch.  But the saloon was charming. I visited the women's lavatory and enjoyed the mural.

I had a prickly pear margarita - which was quite good.

Council Rock, Dragoon, Arizona

 We connected with some equestrian campers staying at the Tombstone Livery about two miles down the road. They agreed to trail ride with Ari and one of them, Bill, agreed to ride my horse. Bill's horse had gone lame - abscess in one of his feet.

Sunday they had organized a ride to Council Rock. This is where Geronimo met with  the US Cavalry in March 1872 to negotiate a peace between the Apache tribe and the US government. It is considered a sacred space by the local tribes.

Bill riding my horse

some petroglyphs

some more petroglyphs

It is a 16 mile unpaved road to the trailhead, but it looks like a really worthwhile adventure. 

Broken Foot, Broken Axles

 On Wednesday, I had my fourth set of x-rays on my spiral fracture and the news was not good. The doctor said it is a severe fracture and not healing well. There was some very slight bone growth, but for all intents and purposes it was like a brand new fracture - even though it is two months old. He advised staying off my foot entirely to allow it to heal, no more riding, and continue use of the bone stimulator.

Then on Thursday, Ari took the LQ in to be serviced. The left turn signal wasn't working and he wanted to check the brakes as the tires weren't wearing right. 

The left turn signal issue was caused by an electrical issue. Our son, Isaiah, had installed upscale LED headlights in our truck. Apparently, they were overloading the electrical system and causing a feedback - which shorted out the turn signal. It took a couple of hours for them to figure it out. Once they replaced the headlights, everything worked fine.

The uneven wear on the tires were caused by the Dexter axles - which had bent. Apparently, Dexter axles fabricated between May 2020 and December 2020 were not heat treated properly and are defective. Our trailer is unsafe to haul as the axles were ready to crack. The damage was not caused by overloading the axles but because the axles were not strong enough to handle the load.

Because the axles were under recall, the axles and tires will be replaced under warranty, but it will take a month to get the replacement parts. 

The RV repair place said the LQ is unsafe to haul without the repairs, so they towed it back to the RV park for us. When the parts come in, they will come and pick up the LQ. At least this way, we can live in our LQ and not out of suitcases.

So, we are stuck in Tombstone until April. I had to contact all our upcoming stays to shift dates and change our route so we wouldn't have to totally change everything.

On the plus side, we will be some place long enough to get vaccinated for COVID-19. I was able to get us appointments in Sierra Vista - about 20 minutes away. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes. We got the Moderna vaccine and should get the second shot the beginning of April - right around when the LQ is getting fixed.

I am trying to find people in the area who can ride with Ari and who can ride my horse, since I am not supposed to ride for the next six weeks.

Tombstone RV & Campground, Tombstone, AZ

 While Dayna, Steve, and I were playing tourist, Ari & Jaydon, Dayna's son, rode to the nearby Tombstone Gulch.

It was such a nice ride Ari & I decided to do it on Tuesday.

When you reach Tombstone Gulch, pass under the abandoned train trestle, turn left, and look at the rocks on your left to locate the petroglyphs.