CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #12

[mickey2942]

Cactus

Teddy Bear Cholla, named because the arms look like "Teddy Bear arms". Yep, they will ruin your day if the dog gets a few of those spines in a paw.

 

[Seajay]

It’s rewarding to learn that so many people have been out there, searching for Barbara and leaving markers of search areas. It shows the hearts of people that care so much for a stranger that they make all these efforts to bring Barbara home. IMO

 

[squareandrabbet]

I'm not entirely comfortable saying how it would work here, except a cell phone at rest is not going to behave the same as a cell phone in motion.

Try thinking about how your fitness app works.

As far as I know my fitness apps, these devices judge by vibration, and can be fooled in ways that aren't secret. For example: I've seen discussions about people who get rewards based upon step count.

Those people have reported being able to trick the Fitbit/Garmin/Apple watch, by sheer dint of things like attaching the device to a ceiling fan (counts rotations).

Others have reported gaining steps when the thing joggled about in a clothes dryer (accidentally).

I was once riding on a Greyhound bus on a particularly bad stretch of road, and I saw the Fitbit step count turn over in response to my body jouncing up and down with the movement of the bus.

I also had the experience of marching up a 60-step stalled escalator; said escalator gave me zero, that's right zero, steps. I was legit outraged. I could only determine at the end of it, that because my tracker-wrist floated level with the banister as I ascended, my wrist must not have moved (up until then, I had foolishly assumed the thing had some sort of vague connection to the movement of my knees); and thus the contrary thing apparently had no way of judging that I was in fact ascending a massive flight of stairs.

This article below, postulates that these smart apps can't even track your steps properly without GPS; because in some instances the "smart apps" are doing nothing more than guessing based upon how many strides a person of your height and likely leg length could do:

Your fitness tracker is (probably) lying to you

 

[KentuckyMama]

Cactus

I have never been to a desert, have only seen pictures. Thank you so much for going and helping the clueless like me understand the area better.

Also, I must say, that has to be the most hateful looking cactus tree thing I have ever seen. Curled my toes just looking at it!

 

[NoClouseau]

I also had the experience of marching up a 60-step stalled escalator; said escalator gave me zero, that's right zero, steps. I was legit outraged.

Your fitness tracker is (probably) lying to you

So funny

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Re the fitness trackers, they are thwarted (or largely so) when your wrist is resting on something. The movement of the rest of your body doesn't get conveyed to the tracker when your wrist is resting.

Thus many people don't have steps tracked accurately if they are pushing, say, a stroller while they walk. A shopping cart in a store. Or even on a treadmill, if your relevant hand is resting on a handrail.

Conversely, I get many "steps" while on my knees digging in the garden. One friend gets "steps" as she types!

GPS is not required as I don't have it activated on anything, yet the step count function works as intended (as long as I understand it's counting steps as detected by the movement of my wrist, as I just described. If I needed to rest my fitbitted hand on a handrail while on a treadmill, and wanted an accurate step count, I would put the tracker in a pocket, or on my ankle -- apparently there are band extenders for this purpose).

 

[cazador]

We parked where RT parked the 5th wheel

 

[cazador]

RT & BT cross the road to begin their journey to the rock formations

 

[10ofRods]

I'm enjoying that first picture so much, Cazador. It really shows how autumn in the desert changes the landscape and how much more dry packed dirt is visible. Those mountains look so rugged.

I don't see how she can be anywhere near any of the trails (main or secondary) in that area.

@KentuckyMama, in some places there are warning signs at the parking areas about those "cute" little Cholla. Kids, especially, want to run right up to them and touch. Stickers and thorns are on all those other bushes, too, so it's a very harsh place. It truly is something to see, but I will say that most of us who live within driving distance stay away completely during the summer. April and May are the best times to visit, if you ever plan a trip out this way. And while I love California, I'd say the deserts in Utah and northern Arizona are more colorful.

 

[10ofRods]

We parked where RT parked the 5th wheel

So, I don't see any large rocks at all (ones big enough to hide a key). I'm guessing that there would be zero rocks that are fist-sized or bigger right in the parking area, so the key must have been hidden just outside of the parking lot (but very near the RV? ) .

The brush just beyond where your car is parked is quite tall. I'm surprised how tall it got this year. There are plenty of places to go into the brush for privacy though (besides HH road). I see why you're saying that there's no way that Barbara simply got lost (I'd only add that for her to do so, she'd have had to be in an impaired mental state, IMO).

 

[cazador]

Thanks 10ofRods
75 degree Both Saturday and Sunday in the search of the area. Those rock mountains are breathtaking when you get up close. Gods work of art. It is very harsh and I bet both coyote and Lion stay out of this area just because of what they may get in their paws. I had 2 bunnies that hung around and I had found some very small deer track.
You are so right about the lack of rock where we parked..
RT Keys hiding spot appears to be missing.. hmm

 

[cazador]

Being that I am at work ..please be patient and I will resize and post as I can.
How will I do video ? hmm

 

[cazador]

This is where we encountered the limitation for our dog.. Jet the sniffer dog was retired from the search effort at this moment. On the leash he went and we continue on to the rocks ahead. He would run after the rabbits and we would be at the vet.. I need to purchase steel booties for him .. He might like that, They would be like Taps on our Beetle boots.. Oh damn I just aged myself.. lol

 

[cazador]

Next we find the line of telephone poles that run the whole length of the valley floor and are a road in themselves. You can see these poles from every place on our walk.

 

[CSIDreamer]

I love the narrative along with the pertinent photos. Big thanks to the 3 of you!

 

[cazador]

As we approach the rocks where RT said he lost sight of BT.

 

[Stripehaven]

Cazador, these pix are fascinating. I continue to think I know what didn’t happen. Someone must have realized there’s no way BT became lost, and hoped the kidnapping story would make more sense...

(“Taps on our Beatle boots” just gave me the best kind of flashback.)

 

[cazador]

The walking path splits at the rock. Off to the left leads further back to the mountain wall of rock and to the right leads to the wash out area. In and around this spot are these pics. I start looking for what RT would like to take pictures of .. I am also now realizing the Teddy Bear Cholla " TY mickey2942" .. The damn thing drops and the wind carries these very spiny thorns Everywhere !
In back of the rock was a fireplace with very little evidence of people. Pollution free for the most part. Just one very old can used for target practice many years ago. I decide to go walk the wash area.

 

[10ofRods]

Thanks 10ofRods
75 degree Both Saturday and Sunday in the search of the area. Those rock mountains are breathtaking when you get up close. Gods work of art. It is very harsh and I bet both coyote and Lion stay out of this area just because of what they may get in their paws. I had 2 bunnies that hung around and I had found some very small deer track.
You are so right about the lack of rock where we parked..
RT Keys hiding spot appears to be missing.. hmm

There are a couple of rocks near the trailhead (in your picture). They are the only ones I see (or have seen in any pictures). I'm guessing those rocks are fairly cemented into place as they look to be placed to aid in controlling run-off from the trail. The one or two rocks of the right size are in a really odd place to put a key (in terms of it being obvious and the person doing it also being obvious). RT never says they put the key on the opposite side of the road from the truck.

I think we can say the hiding spot is not right in the parking lot and therefore, more difficult to locate among the brush. The scenarios in my mind (that do not involve foul play) all come back to whether Barbara was upset, angry or at the end of her rope over something. With temps rising (and if they were hiking for an hour or more), she might have had a really hard time remembering which bush had the rock with the key (and it wouldn't have been any of the bushes we can see from the parking lot - that central bit of plant life appears to have no rocks in it, either). It's all gravel and it looks like it gets graded once in a while to keep larger, tire-puncturing rocks off of it. It's not like modern keys are tiny, either (unless we're speaking only of the trailer key, which we don't know). But even if it was the trailer key, all visible rocks in the parking lot are too small to successfully hide it. IMO.

It's also possible that RT misremembered placing the key. In either case, Barbara could have sought shade, toilet and water at the trailer and found herself unable to get inside. This is more plausible than "she got lost." There's some huge piece of the puzzle missing, though, as I'm sure most people on this thread can see.

 

[Stripehaven]

I’m watching an episode of “Relentless with Kate Snow” about Charli Scott, a young woman who went missing. Her mom as the leader, and other family and friends and community members, mounted search activities like I cannot believe. Her mom hounded LE. Such an amazing contrast to what is being done for Barb. I am glad to know via cazador that people have been searching for Barb but I do wonder how many of those searchers knew Barb or are simply concerned strangers.