Sunday, March 13, 2011 - Yuma and then Mesa

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we spent at the Gypsy Gathering Rally.  It was lots to do with good seminars each day.  The seminars were interesting topics concerning maintenance issues with our RV’s, travel topics and some just fun stuff.  Often rallies have seminars that are given by vendors doing infomercials on their products which was not the case at this rally.  Tom and I went to a seminar on Thursday about kayaks and even though a vendor of a particular kayak was involved with the seminar all types of kayaks were discussed with pros and cons of each type.  Tuesday evening a couple, Easy Money, entertained with Country and Western music.  Wednesday evening we had a pizza supper followed with the Cactus Queen Beauty(?) contest in which 8 men dressed up in women’s clothing and then judged by the audience- they were sights to behold.  Thursday evening ended the rally with door prizes being distributed.

Friday morning we left the Yuma County fairgrounds and traveled east to Mesa, Arizona, a little more than 200 miles to the Aztec RV Resort.   After nearly a week of rally camping (we only had 20 amp electric, no water or sewer hook-ups) I had to catch up on the laundry.  In the evening we had dinner at the Organ Stop Pizza, a real unique experience.

This pizza restaurant has the world’s largest Wurlitzer theater organ.  While dining the organ is raised up from a pit and an organist plays this beautiful sounding instrument for about 30 minutes and then the organ and organist descends into the pit for about 10 minutes after which all return for another period of playing.  This continues from 4-9pm.  Tom has wanted to see this restaurant for sometime- another thing he can cross off his bucket list.

Saturday we drove down to Tucson.  We had seen a new motorhome in Florida at the Tampa Super Show that we thought we might be interested in and a dealer in Tucson had notified us that they had gotten this motorhome in.  After having time to really look over this motorhome in more detail we didn’t feel that it was something that we wanted to replace our motorhome.  It had more floor space but less closet and storage space than our motorhome.  In the evening we visited with Margaret and Don Phillips, friends of ours that live part time in Maryland and Arizona.  Margaret had prepared a nice dinner and we enjoyed being together catching up on news.

Today, Sunday, Tom and I had planned to attend church services here at the campground but we didn’t get up in time to make the 9am services.  After eating breakfast we went to the Queen Creek Olive Mill east of Mesa.

This is the only olive mill in Arizona and has only been in existence for  several years.  A tour for $5.00 per person is available and we did take it but really not worth the price.  We were shown a few olive trees in an area open to everyone then we went into a tented area and the process for making olive oil was explained.  A free brochure in the gift shop explains the procedure.  In addition to a gift shop that sold flavored olive oils, balsamic vinegars, olives and other products there is a restaurant.

The breakfasts that we saw made us wish that we had not eaten breakfast before coming to this place, they were indeed mouthwatering.

After leaving the olive mill we returned to the campground as we had purchased some olive oils and didn’t want to leave them exposed to the heat in the car.  It has become quite warm in the upper 80’s in this southern Arizona area.  We did go out to the Blue Adobe Santa Fe Grill for a southwestern style meal of Shrimp Chili Rellenos which were very good.  After eating we went to Old Scottsdale and walked around the various shops making a few purchases.  It was a good day.

Monday, March 7, 2011 Yuma, Arizona

Saturday was our last day at the Caravan Oasis Campground as we would be moving back to the fairground on Sunday for another rally.  In preparation for the rally I washed up the dirty clothes and bedclothes and towels.  We did drive to El Centro, California, about 60 miles from Yuma, but found nothing there of interest to us so we returned to Yuma.  We had a late lunch at La Fonda Tortilla Factory.  We really like this old restaurant.  The food is good, the waitress are attired in Mexican peasant skirts and blouses.  The décor is different from the usual Mexican restaurants- white walls have stenciled paintings in pastel colors.  Service is a little slow but it has been a busy restaurant whenever we have been there.  Afterwards we went down to the old section of Yuma.

We had been told that we should go to Lutes Casino and see all the “stuff” on the walls and hanging from the ceiling.  We were surprised to find that it was not a casino at all but a restaurant.

Sunday we made our move to the fairgrounds for the “Gypsy Gathering”.  We had to be out of the campground by 11am but were able to parked at the fairgrounds until after 12 noon.  A large parking lot was available by the front gates for parking and when we arrived there were quite a few RVers already parked there.  We were told that we wouldn’t get parked until about 1pm so we ate lunch and read books as we waited.  Finally about 2pm the parking was started and by 2:30 we were situated in our campsite.  We were disappointed that we were parked in an area that did not have electric (20amp) that just makes life much nicer for us.  A little electric keeps our batteries charged and we are able to have the television, computer, and lights on without draining the batteries and then needing to use the generator.   Nothing was planned for Sunday as this was considered an early bird entry.  We went to an Appleby’s for dinner and returned to spend a quiet evening with no television and candles for lights.  We were glad when 10pm arrived so that we could go to bed- an earlier and I would be up before the crack of dawn.

Today, Monday, we woke up to the winds blowing briskly and cooler temperatures but plenty of sunshine.  The bright sunshine can heat up the motorhome in little time.  Tom found out that we could hook up to electric in the shed that we are backed up to and once that was done we felt a lot better about our situation here.  We went down to the old section of Yuma to have lunch at Lutes Casino.  Their specialty is hamburgers which we both had and must say they were good burgers.  The place is an old establishment with “stuff” everywhere, I’m sure we missed seeing some things but  what we saw was unique.

At 3pm the Gypsy Gathering officially started with opening remarks and introductions.  Nick and Terry Russell are fulltimers that have a business of publishing an RV travel newspaper,” The Gypsy Journal” and this is their rally.  Later this evening  tickets for doorprizes were drawn and we won(?) a day clock, doesn’t tell time, just the day of the week.

Friday, March 4, 2011 Yuma, Arizona

Wednesday, the 2nd, we went to  Yuma Palms Mall doing some looking and very little buying.  And then on Thursday we returned to Marketplace, the large flea market in Yuma and, like the mall, looked and bought little.  We stopped at an RV dealer that was having an open house with a chicken barbeque lunch.  We ate lunch with a couple that are now living in Yuma and had some suggestions for places to eat and things to see in the area.

Today, we followed a recommendation from the couple we met up with yesterday.  I packed a picnic lunch and we traveled north from Yuma.  We stopped at Sun Garden Growers and bought some local dates.

Date palm groves were very common in this area.  Continuing on we next drove around the Imperial dam area and stopped at the dam.

This dam, in addition to producing electricity, diverts the waters from the Colorado River down to the Yuma area for irrigating the produce fields.  BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands in this area is used by RVer’s that choose to live with no hook-ups at a very nominal or no cost for camping.

RV’s with solar panels, various “big boy” toys (4 wheel vehicles for traveling over the dunes) and antennas and satellite dishes are very common for this type of camping.   We were driving in the vicinity of Yuma Proving Grounds and we came to a display of tanks and war guns which we stopped and walked about.

Spying a sign for the Imperial National Wildlife Reserve we drove to check it out and hoped to find a place for our picnic lunch.  There was a nice pavilion with some picnic tables at the visitor center that served our needs well.   There were cactus blooming  and a gopher tortoise at the reserve had come out of hibernation.

As we were returning to Yuma we stopped at a little tiny church along the roadside that a farmer had built for his wife.

The church could seat 16 slim people at the most and is always open for anyone wanting to stop by.  Today has been a nice day with temperature in the 80’s and a very brisk wind.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 A Trip into Mexico

This morning we made a trip into Mexico to the city of Los Algodones.

It was less than 25 miles from the campground.  The actual crossing is at Andrade, California.  We parked the car at a lot on the U.S. side and walked across the border.  We were greeted at the Mexican side with people pushing dentists, opticians and pharmacies.

Every dental office we passed had waiting rooms with non-Mexicans waiting for their appointments.  Sidewalks were filled with vendors selling jewelry, clothing, ceramic items, leather items  and spray painters painting vases, plates, mailboxes, satellite dishes and any other items you may desire.

Of course, a trip into Mexico always includes checking out the liquor stores where we purchased Jose Cuervo tequila for $8.50 and a bottle of coffee liquor for $6.99, both for less than the bottle of tequila would have cost in the U.S.  Crossing back into the US took almost an hour as there was a long line but it moved along and we enjoyed talking with others in the line.  It was felt that because it is near the end of the season that many “snowbirds” were there making purchases before returning home.  Returning back to Yuma we stopped for lunch at La Fonda Tortilla Factory, a restaurant we had eaten at last year.  This restaurant continues to serve good Mexican food and has been very busy whenever we have been here.  We made a few more stops before returning at Walmart, a discount grocery store that we were curious about, and finally at Fry’s grocery store.  The weather is very pleasant with temperatures in the 70’s and lots of sun.  Our campground is emptying out and we have learned that many Canadians have been here since October so they need to return to Canada so that their insurance is not compromised for being out of the country too long.

Monday, February 28, 2011 Yuma, Arizona

We have enjoyed just sitting back and relaxing the past several days.  Saturday was a cloudy, damp, chilly day in this desert environment and by evening it was raining.   Sunday we awoke to bright sunshine but cooler temperatures – 60’s during the day, dropping into the low 40’s at night.  Sunday morning we attended church services at a fairly new, as of 2004, United Church of Christ church that holds services in a hotel conference.  There were less than 20 people in attendance.  Like most of the churches in an area like this the attendance fluctuates with the seasons and we are seeing folks in the campgrounds leaving to go north.  There are a large number of Canadians, mostly British Columbians, in the campground we are staying that seem to be migrating north.  Today, Monday,  we have spent time doing some housecleaning and then relaxing.  Tom and I , both, enjoy reading and times like this we spend time doing  just that. 

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Tucson and Yuma

On Saturday the 19th we drove to cousin, Patty, and her husband Braxton’s house and then went together to the Biosphere 2.

Tom and I had visited this site about 8 years ago but readily jumped at the chance to return when Patty had made the suggestion.  Columbia University had taken over the Biosphere 2 when we visited before and now the University of Arizona was using the facility.  Originally built to replicate the various earth environment from ocean to desert and to have humans living entirely within this environment without any involvement from outside the focus has changed to conducting experiments within the various regions.  It is no longer closed off from the outside.  Our tour guide was a very enthusiastic lady that seemed to be very knowledgeable about the Biosphere 2.

At the end of the tour we had a session with an engineer working at the facility who talked about some things being addressed such as solar energy.

A very interesting visit.  Afterwards we stopped for lunch and then we drove around through some interesting housing developments and to a golf course that next week will host the PGA.

Sunday morning Tom and I left the Tucson area and travelled west to Yuma.  We were scheduled to attend a Passport America Rally at the Yuma County Fairgrounds.  About 4 1/2 hours after leaving Tucson we got to our destination and set-up for the next several days of rally camping.  We were parked in a large open shed with water and 20 amp electric. Opening ceremony was held in the evening with a Southwestern rice and chicken dinner.

Monday the rally day started with a continental breakfast of fruit and doughnuts.  The vendor area was opened and seminars started.  This is a rather small rally-  about 12 vendors and 2 seminars at one time going on.  We attended a couple seminars and as usual a few  new tips were picked up.  For dinner we had a beef brisket dinner and then entertainment by “The Mike and T Band”, good country/western entertainment.  Tom played Texas Hold’em and I returned to the motorhome to catch up on some reading.

Tuesday started with a breakfast of a biscuit, slice of American cheese, a small piece of sausage and fruit cocktail.  Afterwards we attended a seminar on travelling through Mexico.  We went out for lunch, found a Mexican restaurant that had a full parking lot and decided to try it (Mi Rancho) and was not disappointed.  For dinner the rally had huge hamburgers on the grill and onion rings.  The evening entertainment was “Slick Nickel” a country band.  The entertainment is held outside but the problem is that the temperature drops to an uncomfortable level before the entertainment is finished and many of us leave early to the comfort of our RV’s.

Friday, February 18, 2011- Tucson, Arizona

Wednesday, the 16th, we spent our last day in Benson catching up on housekeeping chores. 

Thursday morning we prepared to get on the road to move to Tucson.  Before leaving we had planned to go out to breakfast with friends, Marti and Drew.  So we picked them up and went into Benson and had a nice breakfast together before getting on the road.  The trip to Tucson was a short trip of less than 1 1/2 hours from Benson to the campground we had made reservations at north of Tucson, “Valley of the Sun” in Marana.  After setting up camp we drove over to my cousin, Patty’s, and her husband, Braxton’s home.

After warm greetings, we took off for nice lunch at a local steakhouse.  We were then taken to a beautiful park, Aqua Caliente Park,  that had once been a stop for cattle drives because of the water.

It was a real oasis in this desert region with ponds and palm trees.  Returning to their home Patty fixed barbeque sandwiches, chips and fruit for a evening meal as we all sat around talking and catching up.

Today, Friday, Tom and I were on our own as we drove to the ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center.  We wanted to take the 11am tour of the open-pit copper mine but we were told that we would not be able to take a tour until 2pm since prearranged school tours had filled the 11am and 12:30pm tours.  Not caring to hang around for 3 hours we left and went to the Kitt Peak National Observatory which has the world’s largest collection of research telescopes.

We paid to take a tour to the solar telescope with a docent.

The telescope was not in operation today as it was an unusually cloudy day.  I was not impressed with the tour that the docent gave.  We toured on our own to a stellar telescope.

It is quite an impressive area about 7000 feet in altitude on Kitt Peak with numerous telescopes and dormitories that provided housing for the astronomers that come to this area.   We had not planned to visit this area today so we were inadequately prepared for the windy cold conditions on this mountain which resulted in the purchase of some warm jackets before walking around the grounds.

Tuesday, February 15,2011 Valentine’s Day and Colossal Cave

Monday, being Valentine’s Day, we spent a quiet morning at the campground but in the afternoon went to Sierra Vista for lunch.  We thought the restaurant selection was better in Sierra Vista than in Benson.  Benson’s restaurants that we have been to have good food but they are just like down-home cafes.  In Sierra Vista we were disappointed to find several restaurants closed- don’t know why unless they close on Mondays but it was Valentine’s Day.  We finally settled on Chili’s and had a nice late lunch/early dinner.

Today, Tuesday, we drove to the Colossal Cave Mountain Park north of Benson.

We took the cave tour.  This cave is a dry cave so it is inactive.  It seemed so strange to not see any water dripping.   Many formations have been broken by early visitor/explorers in the cave.

 

Dust over the years has filtered into the cave covering the formations.  This cave and surrounding area was a Civilian Conservation Corp project.  The walkways through the cave were constructed by the CCC.  There is also a ranch with horses, a museum and a butterfly garden.  There also is a turtle habitat but the turtles were hibernating so a big kitty cat was taking up residence in that area.

Afterwards we drove to Tucson in search of a Mexican restaurant which we found and had a good Mexican meal- Tom had shrimp fajitas and I had shrimp rancheros.   After a stop at Trader Joe’s to get some pasta ( we had gotten some pesto filled tortellini before and really liked it) and some fresh produce, no wine this trip.  The weather has really been nice for several days now with temperatures in the upper 70’s to lower 80’s.  Put away the long pants and long sleeved shirts and get out the shorts and tee shirts- maybe. LV

Sunday, February 13, 2011 Sierra Vista and Tombstone

On Saturday, the 12th, Tom and I drove down to Sierra Vista to attend the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering.  There were 70 artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada that perform Western poetry and music.  Major stage performances are held on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon which we did not attend.  We attended the all day sessions that are held in the school on Saturday.  From 10am until 5pm a group of  3-4 performers perform in one of the 8 rooms for about 50 minutes.  Each hour there is a change of performers and we were free to move from room to room as we chose.  We enjoy the music best.  I never cared much for yodeling but there was a female, Judy Coder, that really did an amazing  job yodeling that I even had to get a CD of hers.  Actually, this is one of the reason we are staying in this area of Arizona at this time.

Today, Sunday, we attended the local Methodist church this morning and then went out to a local restaurant for breakfast.  In the afternoon, we went to Tombstone (20 plus miles away).  We walked about the town stopping in the shops and watching the entertainment in the streets. 

Reenacted gun fights  were taking place on a regular basis- apparently on the 2nd and 4th Sundays this is done as a means of raising money for charity.   We went into “Big Nose Kate’s Saloon” for lunch which proved to be lots of fun.  A keyboard player with a nice singing voice entertained the entire time we were in the “saloon”.

The food was good- Tom had a burger and I had a salad- and cost was reasonable.  It was loud and bawdy but a fun place.

This evening the campground had an ice cream social- anyone with a birthday or anniversary in the month of August or February got a free dip of ice cream. How lucky for me with a birthday in August and an anniversary in February I got 2 free dips, Tom got 1 but he purchased the second dip for $.50.  LV

Friday, February 11, 2011 Benson Arizona

Tuesday, February 8, was a day spent in the campground.  Tom went to a computer “Show and Tell” in the afternoon as I spent time reading.  For dinner we went to a local restaurant, “Horseshoe Café”, with a group of about 30 from the campground.

Wednesday we drove to the town of Tubac, Az. for the Art Festival.  Tubac is a unique town with lots of shops, many devoted to art.  The Art Festival has well over 150 kiosks set up throughout the town selling art, jewelry, some clothing and other pricy things.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant, Elvira’s, which had good food at a cost.  It was a nice day with comfortable temperatures in the upper 60’s and bright sunshine.

Thursday we ran a few errands into the town of Benson- post office, grocery stores-but spent most of our day in the campground.  For dinner Tom had to fend for himself as I went to the clubhouse for “Woman’s Night Out”.  The theme was Hawaii so the attire arranged from Muumuus to blue jeans and t-shirts.  I had gotten a dark blue and white flowered shirt at Walmart that I wore with jeans.  We had to pick a small piece of paper from a dish that designated the table that we were to sit at-  a good way of mixing everyone up.  Our dinner prepared by some of the men was Hawaiian Chicken, rice, grilled pineapple, a fruit salad and pineapple upside down cake, very tasty.  The entertainment provided by campground locals provided lots of laughs with some male and female bashing.  A fun night!

Today, Friday, we drove southeast about 75 miles to Chiricahau National Monument.  The Monument is an isolated mountain range that is surrounded by grassland.  Rock pinnacles cover the mountainsides.

  Chiricahau Apache called the pinnacles “standing up rocks”.   Cochise, a Chiricahau Apache inhabited this area and upon his death Geronimo became a leader here.  We stopped at the Visitor’s Center and watched a short movie about the “Monument” and then drove through the park.  I had prepared a picnic lunch as there is no place close to eat- the closest town is 35 miles.  At the top, Massai Point-6870 feet, we decided it was too cold to eat outside (there was some snow on the ground) so we started back down to warmer areas.  We did stop at an area called  Sugarloaf and hiked about 1/2 mile on the trail to the Grottoes.

The Grottoes was a huge rock structure with tunnels and “windows”.  We finally ate our lunch when returned to the lower warmer area at Faraway Ranch.  There were some very pretty bluish-green birds in the area that we later were told were Mexican Jays. 

After lunch we walked back to the Faraway Ranch and had a nice tour of the house. 

Neil and Emma Erickson, Swedish immigrants, settled here in 1888.  Then in 1920’s their oldest daughter, Lillian and her husband, Ed Riggs, turned the ranch into a guest ranch which was in operation until 1973.  After the death of the Erickson 3 children the ranch and furnishings were incorporated into the national park as a historical district.  Another beautiful day with bright sunshine and temperatures varied according to the altitude- cold on the top of Chiricahau, warmer at the bottom area and still in the 70’s when we returned to Benson at 5pm.  But the temperature does drop quit a bit at nighttime- it was 29 degrees this morning.

Monday, February 7, 2011

On Friday, February 4th, Tom and I celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary.  We were expecting our mail to be delivered that day so we hung around the campground until the delivery was made by FedEx.  We then went about 30 miles south to the town of Sierra Vista for dinner at “My Big Fat Greek Restaurant”.  We had eaten at this restaurant last year with Larry and Joanne and decided to return to it.  It was every bit as enjoyable as we remembered.  The weather started to improve but still fell well below  freezing during the night.

Saturday we again went to the campground clubhouse for burgers at lunchtime.  The man that fixes these burgers really does a good job.  Our friend, Marti, joined us for lunch and shared the news that her husband, Drew, would be returning to Arizona next Saturday from Maryland.  Drew had been in Maryland working on their house and Marti was in Arizona helping her granddaughter with 2 little boys and a difficult pregnancy with twins.  The twins, girls, were born just prior to our arrival here.  Later in the evening we returned to the clubhouse for an evening of keyboard music for dancing and socializing.  Doug Miller, the keyboard player, is also the Facilities Manager for the campground and is good at both jobs.

Sunday morning Tom and I along with Marti attended church services and then went out for breakfast at the Horseshoe Café, Marti’s daughter works as a manager at this reatarant.  Nice breakfast- Tom had corned beef hash and said it was the best he thinks he has ever had, I had a piece of French toast, an egg and 2 pieces of bacon also very good.   Afterwards we returned to the campground, read the Sunday papers and then watched the Super Bowl on TV.  And Green Bay won!!!

Today, Monday, we went to Kartchner Caverns State Park located in the Benson area.  This cave was discovered in 1974.  There are 2 cave tours available, we chose the “Big Room” tour.  The tours are very restrictive about what one is able to take into the caves- no purses, cameras, backpacks, gum or food.  We were warned to not touch anything but the railing along the walkway and if we did to report it so it could be tagged.  After the park closes in the evening workers go through cleaning the tagged areas in order to preserve the cave.  I was surprised as to how warm the cave was, we had jackets on but once inside the cave it was so warm and humid that the jackets had to removed.  The cave was drier than most other caves I have been with only occasionally seeing some wet formations- this is because of the dryness of the area.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable as he also enjoys cave exploring.  We returned to the town of Benson stopping at a little Mexican restaurant for a late lunch before returning to the campground.   Today was the warmest day we’ve had with temperatures in the upper 60’s/ lower 70’s but it will drop down into the 30’s tonight. LV

February 3, 2011, Thursday, Benson, Arizona

We have been in Benson for a week now and what changes in the weather.  When we first arrived the sunny temperatures were about normal for this area at this time of the year- upper 60’s during the day dropping into the 30’s at night.  Then we had a brutal change.   On Monday dark clouds rolled in and rain showers with occasional hail occurred.  Tuesday was a chilly day with temps not getting out of the 40’s.  But early Wednesday morning the bottom fell out and the temps dropped into the upper teens until morning and during the day stayed in the 30’s.  This morning at 6:30am it is 12 degrees, these temperatures have been unheard of in this part of the country.  We do have bright sunshine which helps to keep us warm.   Needless to say, we unhook our water and use our on board reserve during the night.   According to the weather forecast the temperatures should return to near normal this weekend.

We have been keeping busy here.  A park such as this has planned activities plus there are groups of people that plan things on their own.  We have a friend in the campground, Marti, that has included us in some outside activities.  Last Thursday evening we went to a country club restaurant for “tacos”, apparently this is a regular Thursday night event for many residents of the campground.  Later Thursday evening there was a couple that had an “Opry” show at the campground clubhouse.  This husband and wife duo had many costume changes to appear as different singers.  Saturday at lunchtime burgers were served at the clubhouse which seemed to be quite a hit with most folks.   Saturday evening another couple entertained with music for dancing.  Sunday morning Tom and I along with Marti went to a local Methodist church for church services.  Many campgrounds have church services but not this one so the campground folks go to a local church if they so desire. 

Tuesday Tom and I drove south to the town of Bisbee, 40 plus miles away.

Copper mining was the way of life in this town.  At one time Bisbee was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, even had its own stock exchange.  We first toured the Queen mine.

 

Outfitted with hardhats, battery packs with lights and yellow coats we boarded a tram that took us hundreds of feet into the mine.

 

Our tour guide was a former employee of the working mine that not only gave us information about how the mining was done but also had many stories about the miners.  We had a nice lunch at the Bisbee Grille and then we went to the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum.

 

This museum had nice displays and information about the mining industry.  Copper was real important to this community- at one time even the high school diplomas were printed on copper.

Wednesday, Tom and I went north to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.

We took the hour long bus tour of  Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Bone Yard.  Planes, mostly military, of most every description were pointed out and described by the tour guide.  There are 2 areas in this Bone Yard, one is a storage area for planes not currently being used which includes planes  from other countries and the other area is planes that are being broken down for parts.  This area of Arizona with its low humidity is an ideal storage area.  After lunch at the museum rather costly restaurant we toured the museum.  Military planes and helicopters were on display.  Docents, many ex-military, were throughout the museum often adding their stories to the aircraft.

January 26, 2011 Silver City and Benson

Tuesday, January 25th, we drove a 93 mile loop from Silver City called the Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway.  Traveling north from Silver City we went through the Gila National Forest on a road that had many curves and hairpin turns as we ascended and descended the mountains.  At the northernmost point we stopped at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  We first went to the Visitor’s Center and saw a movie in the museum. We had to walk about a mile through a forested area on a path that had icy spots treated with sand.  The 700 or 800 year old dwellings were homes for Native Americans living in this area at that time.   A few miles down the road we stopped at campground that a path led to an area with petroglyphs and another small cliff dwelling.  We ate our picnic lunch at this campground area and while eating we spied some javalinas walking along a hillside nearby and then as we left the area the javalinas crossed the road ahead of  us going to a creek.  Following the Scenic Byway map we continued  through the Mimbres River Valley and just before returning to Silver City we came to an overlook of the Santa Rita open pit copper mine.  This mine is the oldest working mine in the southwest and is enormous in size.  We returned to the campground for dinner in the motorhome.  The weather has been sunny and comfortably warm (lower 60’s) during the day but cold (upper 20’s) at night.  We had to disconnect our water each night to prevent freezing of our water hose.

Today, Wednesday the 26th, we left Silver City, New Mexico and drove 150 plus miles to Benson, Arizona.  We stopped for gas at the TA Travel Plaza in Wilcox, Az. and must say the set-up there for RV’s is one of the best that we have seen, easy to get to the pumps set up for RVs and back out to the roadway.  On our travels on I-10 through New Mexico and Arizona we have noticed frequent signs about dust storms but luckily for us we did not experience any dust storms on this trip.  We are staying at the SKP Saguaro Co-op ( Escapees Campground) for the next couple of weeks.  It is warm her with temps in the 70’s but dropping into the 30’s at night.

January 24,2011 Silver City, New Mexico

Yesterday, Sunday, we left Van Horn, Texas and continued our travels across I-10 and passing through El Paso and , finally, out of the state of Texas into the state of New Mexico. At Deming, N.M. we left I-10 and traveled north to the town of Silver City and checked into the Rose Valley RV Ranch. We did drive through the town which had most everything closed. We found a car wash to wash our dirty car and then a restaurant for dinner.
Today we drove north to the Whitewater Picnic Area and Catwalk National Recreation Trail. The Catwalk is a metal walkway suspended above the Whitewater Creek through the Whitewater Canyon. Back in the 1890's gold and silver was discovered in the Mogollon Mountains. The milling process needed water so a pipeline was constructed to channel the water from the Whitewater Creek to the mill about 3 miles. The workers that walked along the pipeline doing maintenance called this structure the "Catwalk". After 10 years the mill closed and the pipeline was dismantled. In the 1930's the Civilian Conservation Corps rebuilt the Catwalk as a recreation attraction. We hiked the 1.1 mile trail through the canyon and then back. The weather was perfect with clear blue skies and bright sunshine and temperature in the 50's at most. The canyon was rather breezy in some areas. We continued on further north to the ghost town os Mogollon which is located in a narrow valley between 2 mountains. It was obvious that the sun is unable to shine on this town as there was a lot of snow around the buildings and beside the road. A few people live here but it is really isolated. Butch Cassidy and his gang supposedly hung out in this area.
Returning to Silver City we stopped at the Red Barn restaurant for dinner. We both got the soup and salad. The soup that we got was a green chile and chicken soup, this was a cheesy cream soup with lots of chicken and green chiles with some heat to them, really delicious.

January 22,2011

Friday, January 21, we left Corpus Christi traveling to San Antonio where we picked up I-10 and pushed on westward. North of San Antonio the flat brown country changes into hills covered with green shrubs and trees. There was bright sunshine but the air was chilly. We stopped for the night in Junction, Texas at A KOA Kampground, the only campground in the area, nice but expensive- $45.00- for a place in the middle of nowhere.
This morning, Saturday, we got up to temperatures at 25 degrees outside. Our furnace kicked on in place of the heatpumps during the night and our water was frozen. We did have water in our holding tank that we could use. Our travels continued westward. The winds were brisk causing Tom to fight the steering wheel at times. The towns are few and far between. Occasionally a few cattle are seen but no buildings are in sight making me wonder how far away is the ranch that these cattle belong to. About 4pm we arrived in the town of Van Horn, Texas, filled up the motorhome with gas ($2.99/gallon) and checked into the Van Horn KOA. It was warm with temps at least in the upper 60's but temperature drops quickly when the sun goes down (47 degrees at 9pm). This campground has a "Kafe" where we ate a smoked beef brisket dinner this evening. There is mountains in the distance that we are able to see. Tomorrow we plan to be in New Mexico, finally out of Texas! Texas is a wide state almost 900 miles and we took that jaunt down to Corpus Christi making our time here even longer.

January 20, 2011

Yesterday,Wednesday January 19, we left Robert, Louisiana and travelled west crossing the Mississippi River and lots of swampland into the state of Texas.  We travelled I-10 to south of Houston where we stopped at the Riverbend RV park in Richmond, Texas.   After contacting Bree, my great niece living in Corpus Christi, we decided to travel down to Corpus Christi to see Bree and her husband,Dave.

This morning we continued our travels to Corpus Christi, about 200 miles.  We had called to make reservations at Hatch Campground prior to leaving.  A little past noon we were at our destination.   After setting up and eating a little lunch we went to a grocery store to restock.   I contacted Bree  and we arranged that about 5pm we would go to their place and then go out to dinner together.  We went to a local Mexican restaurant and had a nice dinner and visit together.  Since Dave was facing his first military flight tomorrow and had to really study in preparation we called it an early evening and returned to the motorhome.  It was nice to see Bree and Dave and we hope Dave does well tomorrow.  Tomorrow we will move up to San Antonio to catch I-10 and continue heading west.  We drove through rain today and the temperature was comfortable when we first got to Corpus Christi but the wind picked up and the temperature has been falling.  The prediction is for colder weather for the next several days, sure hope we can get beyond the cold soon.

January 18, 2011

On Sunday, the 16th, we attended church services at the campground in the morning. For lunch we rode north to Lady Lake area eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the Spanish Springs community. This area is called "The Villages" and consists of just that - villages. Golf carts of all descriptions are seen in these areas since this seems to be the transportation choice of the residents living here.
Monday, the 17th, we pulled out of Clerbrook Campground travelling north to catch I-10, the route that we will travel on most of the way to Arizona. Just west of Tallahassee we stopped for the night near the town of Chatahoochee. We had learned of this Army Corps of Engineer campground, Lake Seminole, from Dick Wilson that we had visited with while in Florida. It was a great campground with 50 amp electric and water hook-ups for $10.00 with our Senior National Park passes. The campsites were padded, spacious and located by a large lake. It was a rainy day and toward evening fog settled in.
Today, the 18th, we left Chatahoochee continuing on I-10 through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and into Louisiana. It was foggy most of the morning but by afternoon there was periods of bright sunshine. Entering Louisiana we took I-12 going north of New Orleans and are camped tonight near Hammonds. It was comfortably warm here in the 70's this afternoon but about 5pm a heavy downpour of rain caused by a cold front has cooled the temperatures down into the 50's. Tomorrow we will continue west and should be in Texas.

January 15, 2011

We are winding our time down here in Florida and looking forward to moving westward on Monday. Yesterday, Friday, we went to Clermont, just a few miles south of the campground, for me to get my haircut and to pick up a few groceries. We spent the remainder of the day doing laundry and other housekeeping duties in the motorhome.
This morning Tom diagnosed a problem with our commode, called a RV supplier to locate the part and then we went to pick it up. Afterwards we went back to the Marion flea market, as we had gone last Saturday. We did not linger long at the market. We knew what we wanted- fresh produce- so went to that area and pick up some vegetables and, of course, Florida oranges. Most times as we travel daily as we will be doing next week I cook instead of unhooking the car to go out somewhere. Before returning we stopped at Oakwood Smokehouse and Grill for a good barbeque dinner. After returning to the motorhome Tom got to work on repairing the commode but found it was in need of another part, went to Lowe's but unable to find what he needed. The commode is usable so we will take a wait and see attitude for the time being. We are now watching the Ravens/Steelers play-off game. Come on Ravens!!

January 13, 2011

Wednesday, January 12, we went to Epcot for the day. We had tickets for 6 days at Disney Parks which had to be used within 15 days and this was the last day that we could use the tickets. It was a cool day probably not getting out of the 50's and by evening it was getting real chilly. We decided to leave before the firework/laser show- we had seen this show twice this trip. As we were leaving the park by boat (we had parked at Boardwork Resort) I received a phone call from the Emergency Veterinary Hospital informing me that Travis' ashes were available to be picked up. So we left the park and went directly to pick up the ashes. We plan to take these ashes home to be buried when we return in the spring.
Today, Thursday, we went to Tampa to the Tampa Super RV Show. It was a nice show with far more vendors than the show at Hershey, Pa. We were able to get a part for our Fantastic fan which hopefully will have it back in operation. Tom got a by-pass switch for his electric management system. We looked at some new motorhomes but will keep this one a while longer. We stopped at "5 Guys" for lunch and then returned to the campground.
We plan to leave Monday to begin heading toward Arizona. We were waiting for Travis' ashes to be returned to us.

January 11, 2011

On Sunday, the 9th, we attended church services at the canmpground. This campground has 2 services at the same time on Sundays. One is a traditional service and the other was described as being more "upbeat". We attended the "upbeat" service which was attended by well over a hundred people. There was lots of music with guitars and other stringed instruments. The speaker, not sure if he was a minister, had a nice sermon. After church we drove out for a Sunday newspaper and then returned to the motorhome for a day of watching the football playoffs and a long walk in between games.
Monday we went to Disney's Animal Kingdom park for the day. The crowds have lessened to the point that the parks are now enjoyable. In the afternoon we had rain showers but we were able to be inside much of the time at shows. A really nice day.
Today, Tuesday the 11th, was a quiet day at the campground aside from a run to the drugstore and grocery store. We were expecting a package from Todd that contained some medications for me plus our mail that Todd and Beth had received by this time. We had sent a request for my medicine to be sent to an address down here by the mail order pharmacy which they apparently ignored. So the meds were sent to our home address and then forwarded to Todd. So Todd FedEx'ed the meds down to us and according to the tracking they were to be delivered today and at 4:30pm the delivery was made. I had tried to get these meds filled before leaving home but they couldn't be filled until after we left. I'm still not overly impressed with these mailorder pharmacies but we have no other options for most things unless we pay about 3 times as much.
I am able to get some blood testing supplies at a local drugstore which I use CVS at home. Today I went to a CVS in Clermont and was able to get the supplies in about 10 minutes. Apparently CVS has a network that can access the information needed as there was not a need to call the home CVS to get the prescription or was I asked for insurance information.
The weather has been pretty nice with temperatures in the 60's and 70's but that is about to change. A cold front is moving down and tomorrow it is to be in the 50's but that is still better than the snowy, cold that is happening at home.

January 8, 2011

Yesterday, January 7, 2011, we had an enjoyable day visiting with friends. Pat and George Callender and Mary and Dick Wilson now make this area of Florida their permanant residence. The Callenders, where we visited, were in a Maryland Chapter of the Newmar Kountry Klub along with us some years ago. The Wilsons were also Newmar owners at one time. Lois Howard, another previous Newmar owner and Maryland Chapter member now living in Tennessee, also stopped by for a visit. We ended the afternoon/evening with the 7 of us going out to dinner. It was a nice day and Pat was looking wonderful after the medical issues she has been dealing with.
Today we decided to travel north from the campground so we travelled up Rte. 27 through Leesburg but not all the way to Ocala. We stopped at a small flea market and then went a little farther to a much larger market at Marion. We always enjoy the produce areas of these markets. We stopped for a late lunch at Oakwood Smokehouse Grill in Leesburg. A good day.

January 6, 2011

Tom and I are working on getting our lives adjusted to not having Travis.  The pain is still with us but the tears have stopped.  We have worked at keeping busy- idle time was not good for us.  On the 2nd of January, the day of Travis’ early morning death, we got ourselves together and spent the day with Todd, Beth and our grandchildren at Magic Kingdom.  Kids are great therapy in situations like this. 

The 3rd we were on our own as Todd and family flew home so Tom and I went to our favorite park, Epcot, for the day.  The 4th we stayed around the motorhome catching up on some housekeeping chores, not a good day.  The next day (5th) we went to Disney village going through the shops and then having lunch at T-Rex, a unique restaurant with Meteor showers occurring and animated dinosaurs and mammoths similar to the animation in the Rain Forest Cafes. 

Today we spent the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studio.  This is our least favorite Disney park.  It just doesn’t seem to have the spark of the other parks.  A new stunt show involving cars proved to be exciting.  An American Idol show was also new to us. Three shows throughout the day allows 3 people to perform with one selected by the audience to be the winner.  Then a last show has the 3 winners compete and the winner chosen by the audience is given a pass to audition for the real American Idol show.  We have been aware of a large number of foreigners in the Disney Parks.  Often we are surrounded with people speaking foreign languages or English with accents unlike any heard in the U.S.   We are also seeing a lot of older people working in the parks.

January 4, 2011

The New Year did not start out being a happy time for us.  Travis’ health went downhill fast.  Even though Todd, Beth and the kids were here in Florida and we had planned to spend Disney time with them, we felt we could not leave Travis on December 31st and January 1st.  He had stopped eating, was having difficulty standing and was being given pain medication which seemed to help him rest.  The night of the 1st and early morning of the 2nd the pain medication was not helping and he was extremely restless and panting.  It was agony to see him in this condition and so we went to an emergency veterinary hospital where he was quietly put to final sleep.  It has not been an easy time for Tom or I as he was a very precious little dog to us.

Travis was born on July 5, 1997 and 7 weeks later he came to live with us.  We picked him out, actually he picked us, at a breeder’s in Pennsylvania.  As we rode home he found his way up to the back of my neck where he fell asleep.  He was all of 2.5 pounds and just a little white fuzz ball.  I was retired at this time and Tom was planning to retire the following year.  Our plans included travel and having Travis travel with us.  This is what pushed us into settling on a motorhome where Travis could be with us.  Our first trip was to Myrtle Beach, S.C. where Travis would run down on the beach stopping to dig in the sand but never going into the water.  He liked walks about campgrounds and when at home we all walked a 2 mile route most days up to about 9 months ago.   When camping with friends he liked to be around the campfire usually sitting on Tom’s or my lap.  In his younger years he loved going to Grandma and Pap’s- they would stop by the house and when they were ready to go home Travis would go along with them and then I would later go to bring him home.  There were a few non-motorhome trips that we made, in which Travis couldn’t go with us, where he stayed with Grandma and Pap.  When the time came that Grandma and Pap were unable to care for Travis we travelled only in the motorhome so he could be with us.  He spent one night in the care of  our groomer when Todd had his cardiac episode in 2008, this was the only time he spent with someone other than Grandma and Pap or us.  Travis travelled to many places- once down to Mexico and many places throughout the U.S. including twice to Alaska which included travel through Canada.  Travis was more than just a pet he was part of the family.  We are painfully missing our little buddy but feel he is at peace. 

Travis will always be in our hearts.  Rest in peace.  July 5, 1997-January 2, 2011

Onto Florida 12/28-12/30/2010

On Tuesday, December 28th, we left Woodbine, Georgia and within a short time were in Florida.  The sun was bright but it was still chilly.  Temperatures were in the 20’s when we left Georgia but the warmth of the sun could be felt.  Travelling down Route 95 we decided to stop at the San Sebastian winery.  We had stopped here before and like the wines of this winery.  After taking part in a wine tasting we purchased some wine, ate a light lunch in the motorhome and then continued our travels.  We had reservations starting the 29th at a campground in Clermont so Tom called asking if possible could we come in a day earlier which was granted.  We spotted a restaurant prior to getting to the campground, Oakwood Smokehouse and Grill, in the Clermont area.  We had eaten and enjoyed the food at this restaurant in another town on a previous visit to Florida.  So that is where we had dinner and we were not disappointed in the food.  

Wednesday morning was still cold (upper 20’s) but warmer weather was on the way.  Today was Tom’s birthday, 65 years old.  Todd, Beth, Maddy, Anthony and Parker were flying down to Orlando on this day.  We transported a large suitcase full of their clothes to lessen the stuff that they had to bring.  In the afternoon we drove to the Holiday Inn that they were going to be staying to await their arrival.  Through text-messaging we learned that their plane was an hour late leaving the Washington area but they eventually made it.  Parker had been really good on his first airplane ride so we were told.  I had made reservations several weeks ago to celebrate Tom’s birthday at the Boma Restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for 4:30pm.  Tom and I took Maddy and Anthony with us to the Lodge, Todd and Beth with Parker were taking bus transportation.  We arrived at the lodge early so that we could see the animals that are in the grounds bordering the Lodge. Todd, Beth and Parker were taken to the Animal Kingdom Park and then had to get a taxi to get over to the Lodge.  Finally about 5pm we were all reunited together and sat down to a delicious buffet dinner.  The Boma restaurant food is African and full of tasty flavors.  After dinner we all squeezed into our car and we returned Todd’s family to the hotel and we went to our motorhome.

Thursday morning, the 30th, we all met up in the Magic Kingdom.  Beth had made reservations for a character breakfast at the Crystal Palace.  Pooh Bear, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger made their rounds as we ate the tasty breakfast buffet.

Parker did not like those characters getting too close to him.  We had another celebration for Tom’s birthday- a cupcake and a birthday card signed by the characters were included.  We then walked about the park which was extremely crowded.  Lines were long with long wait times.  Finally about 2:30pm we decided that had enough of this park and returned to our car.  We took Todd and his family to the Animal Kingdom but Tom and I returned back to the motorhome. (Our little buddy, Travis, has been deteriorating physically as we knew would happen with his health issues we have been dealing with.  We just feel fortunate that we are able to have him with us as we travel.)  It was warmer today as temperatures were in the 70’s. 

On the Road Again in Search of Warmth 12/24/10- 12/27/10

Christmas eve we left home and began our travels south in search of warmer weather.  Our travels on this particular day was short as we only went as far as Stafford, Virginia to spend Christmas with Todd, Beth and Parker.  Maddy was spending Christmas with her mother and Anthony was with his dad.  We camped at Aquia Pines Campground which is about 5 minutes from Todd and Beth’s.   On Christmas eve we ate dinner together (cream of crab soup and ham sandwiches) and then enjoyed birthday cake  in celebration of Beth’s birthday on the 23rd.  Christmas Day started with breakfast of chipped beef gravy, biscuits and bacon.  Gifts were opened by everyone, Parker needed some help but was getting the hang of it.  The opening of gifts was so exhausting that we all fell asleep when Parker took his nap.  Later in the day we had a wonderful dinner of seafood pasta and salad.  It was a cold, gray day with periodic showers of snow.

Our plans were that we were leaving the day after Christmas to travel further south toward Florida.  The weather maps showed a large winter storm moving toward the east and it was uncertain how far inland the storm would hit.  We were prepared that if the snow was falling when we got up we would stay in the Stafford area another day but it was not snowing when we got up so we started out.  By the time we got to the Richmond area snow was falling but traffic was heavy enough and road crews were busy that the roads were wet, not snow covered.  About 40 miles north of the North Carolina border we were in stopped traffic due to an accident several miles down the road.  It took well over an hour to go 10 miles past where the accident had occurred.  The road beyond the accident area was now coated with snow and numerous more accidents of cars sliding off the road were seen as we travelled on.  In North Carolina  snow continued, the roads had patches of ice and more cars were along the road.  Winds increased in the afternoon causing the heavily snow covered pines trees to blow snow across the roadways causing complete white-outs at times, a somewhat scary experience.  Finally, about 40 miles north of  the South Carolina border we stopped for the night at Sleepy Bears campground just south of Lumberton, N.C.  The snow was still falling but much lighter.

After a cold night we awoke this morning to bright sunshine on the freshly fallen snow.  Trees were covered with snow- a winter wonderland everywhere.  There were some patches of ice on the roads until we got  to the interstate which was clean and dry. About halfway through South Carolina we finally were out of the snow covered areas.  Travel was better today until we were within 40 miles of Georgia where we moved slowly due to an accident for about 10 miles.   We are stopped for tonight at a campground, King George Campground, off exit 7 in Georgia.  It was in the 50’s when we first got to this campground at 4:30pm but the temperature has steadily been dropping and is expected to be in the 20’s tonight.