At long last, Bob H. and I were able to get together yesterday and go shooting! What a great day!
I’ve known Bob since he was my boss at Tom Ezell & Associates, Private Investigation. Later, he was the manager of my favorite gun store, where I worked part time for a while.
We’ve been friends for 32 years. He’s one of my newer friends.
We went up to an ubiquitous shooting spot, I-17 North to Table Mesa Road, then headed West. Unfortunately, much of the previous open range has become private property. Fenced desert with signs reading No Trespassing and No Shooting! So we doubled back and shot perhaps 10 miles from the freeway, instead of the usual 20+.
Bob H. ‘at the ready’
It was sad to see all the fencing and just as sad to see all the trash left behind by previous shooters, campers and 4-wheelers.
On the bright side, I was given some ammo to use and was able to shoot my carry 1911, the one Bob sold me in 1983, aka the Bob H. Signature Model or ‘Bobbie’.
After 20,000 rounds or so, she still shoots like a champ! We are both ammo-poor, so we each shot under 100 rounds, yesterday. Silhouettes righted up in brush, and various trash left by others were the targets of opportunity. Bob shot one of his Glock .40s, which I razzed him about. As stated before in these pages many times, plastic guns have no soul! Very accurate, though.
Weather was brisk. Cool breeze, no flying insects, in the mid 50s. This was probably 1100 until sometime after Noon.
I was proud of my shooting, as I’m pretty rusty, but did rather well (if I do say so myself).
Then, just up the road to Rock Springs Cafe, where we had lunch. I got lunch as Bob provided the transportation. While the meal wasn’t particularly adventuous – grilled hamburgers (which were delicious!) but I had to have a piece of their award-winning pie! Blueberry Crumb – excellent! As Jim R. would say, “Ala mode, with ice cream!”
Kinda glad Rock Springs is too far to visit regularly – too many tempting baked goodies! We returned safely, with plans to ‘do it again, soon’. Hope so.
(FTC – I paid my own freight here. Bought lunch, was gifted ammo and transportation. Rock Springs Cafe gives me nothing! I always want to write Rock Ridge, of Blazing Saddles fame!) PS – Bob hates having his photo taken. He’s gonna kill me!
Sounds like a great day, and I’m glad you got a chance at recoil therapy. Good for what ails ya!1
Posted by Rev. Paul | January 31, 2013, 10:48 amThank you!
Posted by guffaw1952 | January 31, 2013, 1:52 pmSounds like a great day!
Posted by ProudHillbilly | January 31, 2013, 1:21 pmThanks!
Posted by guffaw1952 | January 31, 2013, 1:52 pmSounds like a great day out! And pie??? Yum!!!
Posted by Old NFO | January 31, 2013, 6:42 pmGood on you Guff for getting out and doing some blasting.
I feel your pain about shooting spots. TM Road is a relatively ‘quick’ drive for me but the BLM, in it’s response to *SLOB shooters, has screwed it up royal.
There was a spot there to fire 340 yd rifle shots into a soft dirt berm…but now its closed to shooting because “that spot could be dangerous to people in the dips and using the trails”.
Bullshit.
If there was someone there chasing whatever game they are hunting or riding a motorcycle, ATV, etc., I could see them. The dips aren’t deep enough to hide a person and there aren’t any trails there.
I think I know the place you talked about going to…and no, I wouldn’t think of mentioning the name of the turnoff from I-17. Last thing we need is 50,000 people showing up and littering the landscape with trash.
*SLOB shooters piss me off more than liberal congressman. If you shoot something PICK IT UP!
Anyone who doesn’t is a SLOB and isn’t worthy of the name “Marksman”.
I know Guff didn’t leave a pile of garbage. I wish others would be as thoughtful.
Marksmen don’t even leave brass or shotgun hulls. Why throw away reloading components?
Posted by KM | February 1, 2013, 12:57 amThanks!
Re: the ‘secret site’ – It’s obviously going to be closed to shooting soon, and it IS a mess. I don’t think anyone who heads that direction is unaware of it.
I used to go just S. of Saguaro Lake, but it became fenced, too.
Sigh.
Posted by guffaw1952 | February 1, 2013, 7:12 amSounds great! Congratulations!
Posted by Wilson | February 5, 2013, 12:08 pmThanks!
Posted by guffaw1952 | February 5, 2013, 7:02 pm