Our Road Trips

7/24/2016 7/15-24/2016

We left Leesburg Dam very early so we could get some time on the road before it got so blooming hot. Our route took us back through Hatch & Deming, NM where we picked up I-10 west. We were soon in Arizona and by then it was near 100 degrees. The topography is pretty bleak across western Texas, New Mexico & Arizona, not much to look at. We stopped for a sandwich and again for fuel. We arrived at Kartchner Caverns State Park just south of Benson, AZ about 1 pm where we discovered that we had actually moved into Pacific Time Zone, since Arizona is actually is in Mountain zone and they don't observe DST, they are the same as California in the summer. So we just hung out at the camper except going to the Visitor's Center to get a password for the free WiFi, which worked very good for at a State Park. The park was empty except the 2 host campers, that helped, less people using means faster service.

The next morning, we were off to Tombstone with a stop at a supposed ghost town along the way...one building selling souvenirs doesn't make a ghost town in my book. But we talked to the lady in the store for a few minutes and went on our way. Tombstone has a lot of history and it is trying to hang on to its past with tours, a few bars & the expected kookiness of pretending to shoot each other with cap guns and charge $8 a head to watch. I wanted to tell them you could see the real thing in most major cities for nothing but I passed on that...and I kept my $16 in my pocket too. We did go on a short trolley ride and listen to the silly jokes & comments as we drove through the "Historic" District. I took some pictures and we were off for Bisbee. It is also an old town that prospered because they discovered copper in the ground and spent lots of years digging it out and shipping it to the rest of the world. Today, the mines are closed and they are likely surviving on tourism. We arrived at the same time as a serious downpour did, so we made a loop through town while it rained really hard. As we got out of town, it stopped raining long enough to view the huge hole in the ground where the copper came from, through a much needed fence. We were then off to a remote corner of the US that most folks probably aren't even aware is there. Coronado National Memorial sandwiched between the Mexican border and the town of Sierra Vista is in one remote spot, but we located it, even though it was closed. We read the postings out front and the I drove up the hill, a climb of 1345' in under 3 miles, pretty fun drive. At the top, there sat the Border Patrol watching for illegal immigration and smuggling. So, we took some cool pictures and went back down. We headed back to the camper. Barb had read there was live music at a place called Sunset Grill in Sierra Vista, so we searched it out and stopped in. It was again raining when we arrived, so the sunset wasn't going to be visible, but maybe the live music would help. It was awful, 3 guys playing ballads & folk songs...we tuned it out and got into a discussion at the bar with a gun lover who believed he could have stopped the Dallas shooting all by himself...I won't go into details, but we decided to move on, no place to get into that discussion, in a bar in a strange place...even his wife was ignoring him. Then the computer failed and they couldn't total our bill, so the comped it, we think it was no accident. We drove the 20 miles back to the camper happy to be out of that situation...didn't need that.

The next morning was Sunday, we tend to try to avoid tourist places on Sundays, call it our day of rest. So we had a big breakfast and just hung out and watched TV. About 8 o'clock in the evening, a smoke detector started beeping, indicating a low battery. So I looked and found no batteries the right size and I am not going to sleep in a motor home without working smoke alarms or put up with the beeping either. So I got in the car to drive to the closest store in Benson, about 10 miles away. On the way, I drove into a speed trap on the highway where there was no warning of a speed change and there was a cop sitting in the median with his lights off...he pulled me over and gave me a warning...first time that has happened in a lot of years...we are usually very careful about that. But I got the batteries and slept well, knowing the smoke alarms were operational and I didn't get a ticket.

Monday morning, we drove back to Coronado Nat Memorial so Barb could get her book stamped and we got into a discussion with the woman working there, about birds in the area and about another canyon to the north that was worth exploring. So we drove to Carr Canyon and ended up at the top of another mountain, another cool ride. This one was a little rougher and Barb asked to stop going, so we turned around, very carefully, and made our way back down. The car is still in one piece and so are we, so I consider it a successful adventure. Then we went to the next canyon and made our way to the end of Ramsey Canyon. We were invited to explore a preserve and we found a hummingbird nest, something we had never seen before. They were closing the gate, so we left soon after. We had gone by an Outback Steakhouse, so we went there and had dinner and then went back to the camper.

We are up very early, 8 o'clock appointment in Tucson, an hour away. We have been having trouble with the engine starting as well as an A/C unit that died while we were in Texas. We hope to get both issues resolved. So, at about 830, we are at Freedom RV, drop off the coach with the service center and are off to do some exploring with the car. We make our way to Saguaro National Park on the east side of town and spend the next couple of hours driving through the park looking at cactus plants, 29 different varieties grow in the park so it was an interesting ride. Then we went to get some lunch and are back at Freedom RV about 1230. They have just gotten done and both issues have been resolved. So we have a coach that starts right and a new roof air...ready to continue. We get hooked back up and are on our way by 115 towards Phoenix & Lake Pleasant campground. It doesn't look as far on the map as it seemed driving, but we arrive at the campground about 5 pm, get set up and decide to just hang out in the camper and enjoy our new a/c keeping us cool. We did sit outside and watch the sunset behind the mountains that surround the lake, pretty ending to a long day.

The next morning, we drive into Phoenix. First stop is the Capitol Museum and the very cool grounds in front of the Capitol that pays tribute to a lot of the folks who have served the State of Arizona and/or the US. The Capitol Museum has a lot of displays that chronicled the history of Arizona, the last state to join the union (#48) except for Alaska & Hawaii. It took some figuring and asking, but we learned that the official date is 2/14/1912, so it is sometimes referred to as "The Valentines State" something very few people are aware of, even residents of Arizona. Then we drove to the U of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Phoenix Cardinals and one of the coolest features of any stadium in the world. It is a domed stadium with real grass for a playing surface. The field is on rollers so they can roll the field outside where they water & mow the grass, then put it back inside for games. It was featured on Mega Projects on TV and they showed the massive track system that makes that possible...now I have seen it. Cool! Then we drove to the Phoenix Raceway south of town, which was very closed. So we were able to see it too, but like U of Phoenix Stadium, was not offering tours. So we made our way back downtown via a different route that took us through several residential areas...seeing how others live. Then we stopped at Alice Cooper's restaurant for some dinner, which was a block from where the Arizona Diamondbacks play. By the time we left, we were caught in their 5 o'clock traffic, so it took us 2 hours to get back to the camper...yikes!

The next day, we didn't have much on our agenda, so we had breakfast and just hung out at the camper. It is hot as heck, but our a/c units are doing their job keeping us cool in our oasis in the desert. About 230, we decided to go do some exploring, but the car's tire monitoring system showed a low right front tire...I suspect a road hazard issue. So we did some research via our phones and found a tire shop 10 miles away that would honor our Road Hazard Warranty...cool! So we drove there and in an hour or so we were on our way, a no charge repair of a nail in the tire...nice! Then it was off to meet our friends from our many cruises, George & Dolores Didiot, who live close to where we are camped. We met at a Mexican restaurant and spent several hours yakking and telling stories, fun time. It is great meeting friends on a music cruise ship because you know your likes will be similar. We stopped at the grocery store and went back to the camper. Fun night.

Saturday, a very busy time at the campground. Boats are all over the lake towing kids on all sorts of water toys, sailboats out enjoying the sunshine and breezes, and lots of new neighbors in our camping area. So we did some reading, internet exploration, and relaxing. About 4 we drove to George & Dolores' house and spent the next 4-5 hours just having a nice time. They have a beautiful home and Dolores is a great cook who had made all kinds of appetizers we enjoyed while we shared stories.

Sunday morning, we drove to the top of the hill adjacent to our camper and walked through the Visitor's Center/Discovery Center. The story of the two dams that have been there for 75+ years was pretty interesting. Water is always a very necessary commodity to settlements and is always a very big part of the history of why & how areas were settled and we enjoy discovering those stories. We went back to the camper and watched the NASCAR race from Indianapolis on TV...I even took a nap during the middle of the race. It was a nice relaxing day. Tomorrow, we are off to California for 36 days and a lot to do in that time, so a nice relaxing day was welcome. Stay tuned, lots more ahead.

Steve & Barb Larson