Arizona Adventures - Mesa, AZ

Monday, April 28 brought us to Tucson AZ where we set up at the Voyager RV Park. The park was beautiful, with a view of the mountains and nice size campsites. This was one of the smaller "snowbird" parks in Arizona with great amenities and an onsite bar and grill. We didn't use many of the amenities during our short stay since we were more focused on the area around Tucson but it was nice to see they were available.

Upon first pulling in we noticed that the motorhome right across from us looked familiar - coincidentally, it had been next to us at our stop in Las Cruces as well. While we hadn't met there (we were all tucked inside during the gale force windstorm) we quickly became acquainted with Andy and Judy, who were on a six-month road trip from Florida heading for Alaska. Way to traverse the whole country! We spent some time together over the next couple of days and quickly became new friends.

Biosphere 2:

On Tuesday morning we headed out to Biosphere 2. Biosphere 2 is a sort of giant greenhouse that started as a privately funded experiment in sustainable living back in the early 90s. A group of 8 scientists went inside and lived there for 2 years with no physical contact with anyone on the outside. While their goal of being fully self-sustained fell short much was learned from the project. Biosphere 2 changed hands a few times over the next 20 years and in 2011 it was gifted to the University of Arizona, who currently owns it. We did a tour of the entire facility that took us through all the different sections over the next couple of hours - very interesting.








Saguaro National Park:

Wednesday morning we headed up to the Saguaro National Park where we decided to ride the 10 mile bike trail through the park. We've done lots of bike rides that were much longer than that so we thought it would be a great little ride on a nice day. Well, let me tell you...this particular ride will henceforth be known as the Bataan Bike Hike of Death because it just about killed us. First the good - and there was a lot of good:  Traveling through the park was like being in a different world.







So many different kinds of cactus.














As for the whole bike hike of death part - the ride started out deceptively easy, as it gradually descends ...you don't really notice you're going downhill. "Gee, piece of cake!" we thought. But then the road started to head back uphill...and uphill...followed by a sharp descent where you kind of careen wildly downhill...followed by even more uphill. With all the curves, you couldn't really take advantage of the downhill momentum to gain the next uphill so each time it was starting from scratch. We may have - just may have - walked the bikes up a few hills. Repeat this about a billion times. Bill was having trouble with his gears because of the quick shifts between flying down and having to change over to uphill mode again and his chain kept coming off. It was the longest 10 miles in the history of bike rides and just when we were wondering if someone would someday stumble across our bleached bones next to a couple of abandoned bikes...we finally saw the flag in the distance that marked the visitor center and the end of the loop. Hurray! But it really was a great experience and we both agreed that we would do it again. Just not right away!

We went home to recover and have some lunch and then we decided to power wash the moho. Remember, we had been through killer windstorms and it was pretty much covered in a thick layer of dust. Plus the bug guts on the windshield were beyond cleaning off with a squeegee. The roof obviously has to be washed before the sides so as per our procedure, I got up on the roof and Bill passed the power washer, brush and bucket of soapy water up to me. Yes, there is a reason why I'm the one who gets on the roof - which one of us do you think is less clumsy and therefore less apt to fall off the roof and become a paraplegic?  Ok, question answered.

However, the normally simple task turned into a major cluster. We had one malfunction after another during the whole first hour of the operation. First the hose kept coming off one end of the power washer, then the sprayer fell off, then the start button wouldn't work. I passed the gear back down and each time we thought we had it working he would pass it back up to me and then when something went wrong I would pass it back down to him for repairs. It got frustrating enough that there may have been some cussing... Finally things settled down and I was able to use it, although the sprayer wouldn't fit quite right and I was completely soaked by the leak. But it was warm so I could deal with that. I started to work on the roof, while Bill supervised from his lawn chair.




See that smile on my face? The only reason it's there instead of a one-finger salute is because...well, my kids might read this. And you know...but the roof finally got done. And yes, the supervisor got up and did his share as part of the ground crew.




Once the moho was all shiny and pretty again, we called it a day. We walked over to the patio bar for dinner that night since we thought we had earned a no-cook night. After dinner, Andy and Judy came by and we all sat outside and chatted into the evening. We would be heading out in the morning.

Mesa AZ:

We had a leisurely start hitting the road on Thursday morning since we were only going about 120 miles along I-10 from Tucson to Mesa. One thing to note is the beautiful artwork on all the overpasses throughout Tucson. I wish I could have gotten some pictures but interstate speeds aren't conducive to taking pictures so the following are some images I found on the internet:








Mesa:

We arrived in Mesa and pulled into Tower Point RV Park.The park has all the great amenities of the typical Phoenix/Mesa area snowbird parks but we didn't care for the fact that it was mostly park models. We were wedged into a spot with park models on both sides, in front and behind us. Backing into this tight spot brought on another adventure - without going into too much detail, let's just say that there was a large cactus plant just off to the side of our site which is no longer there. Giving backup directions into a tight spot is clearly NOT one of my talents. RIP to that cactus...good thing cactus is not in short supply around there. On the plus side, no sooner were we set up that a knock on our door brought neighbors from behind us with a welcome gift of fresh tomatoes from their garden. How nice was that? I told the lady that I love homegrown tomatoes beyond all else, which is true. And they were yummy!

Since part of our mission was to scout out a place for next winter, we visited a few other parks and we found one that we liked just a few miles to the east at Valle Del Oro RV Resort. They have a lot of park models there as well, but we did find a nice open section for RVs so we made a tentative reservation for next winter. And the amenities at the park are fantastic. Two pools and hot tub with tiki bar and restaurant, and every imaginable activity provided for in beautiful surroundings. The recreational facilities are what you would expect to find in a luxury hotel - all top shelf, and at a considerably lower price than what we found in Florida this past year. So it looks like we may be back in Mesa come January.

Friday we met up with old friends John and Jean, who are from Chicago but have lived in Gold Canyon for the past few years. They came by to pick us up and we went to Garcia's Mexican Restaurant where we had a great dinner.

And a little silliness afterwards:

We had lots of laughs and such a good time.

After dinner we headed out to Goldfield Ghost Town.








I love to walk around places like this and wonder about all the stories this old town could tell.

Hmmm...maybe a post-retirement career?



There was great live music at the little cowboy bar.



And of course that beautiful sunset on Superstition Mountain:



On Monday, we had another day planned with John and Jean. They were awesome city-host/tour guides. We started by driving up to Tortilla Flats, another little town that time kind of forgot. The drive up the mountain was almost my favorite part of the day.



The little town did not disappoint either.




We had a great lunch at the only bar/restaurant in town, then headed for Old Scottsdale where we hit a few more establishments of local fare for drinks.

It had been lovely to spend time with old friends, and after dinner we said fond goodbyes. We look forward to our next visit to Mesa as a place where we have good friends.

Frosty Update:

Ok, nobody get too excited but...it looks like there is a little spark of life left in Frosty the Snowball Bush:

You have to look very closely...but see that tiny little shoot of green? Well, I guess time will tell.

Tomorrow we head north and into Utah.

White Sands plus an Important Poll - Las Cruces, New Mexico

Update on Frosty:

Ok everyone, before we go any further we need to get an all-important viewer verdict on Frosty the Snowball Bush - dead or alive???

Some of you may remember Frosty, who has been traveling everywhere with us since last fall. [See post from October 8, 2013] While we've mostly been in warm temps, we did have a few weeks in Alabama back in December where it was cold, so we kept him inside on the dashboard during that time. So you'd think he would have survived. He lost all his leaves and started looking kind of stubby but we thought well, maybe he thinks it's winter and has gone dormant. But if that were the case, wouldn't you think he would have noticed that it's spring now? Especially since we haven't been anywhere cold since the first of the year and he's been outside in the warm sunshine ever since. Obviously there is a divergent opinion between the Captain ("Frosty's fine...he just thinks it's still winter.") and the Queen ("He's not just mostly dead...he's completely dead!")

So please...render your thoughts and we will consider them carefully.

Las Cruces, NM:

We arrived in Las Cruces on Saturday afternoon, after bidding farewell to the Lone Star State. About 45 miles to the southeast along I-10 we came through El Paso, which is a much larger city than we had expected. There was a lot of traffic and it felt like it took forever to get through, especially since the wind really started picking up around that point. We got into Las Cruces and set up at the Coachlite RV Park and that wind continued to pick up. We disconnected the car and went out to run a few errands and by the time we returned home, there was a brown haze in the air throughout the area and the winds were around 50 mph. There is not much grass here, so a high wind will just kick up a cloud of dust and wow, was it kicking.

After dinner, seeing that it wasn't dying down, we made the decision to power down our satellite dish and to bring in our driver side slide outs since that was the side that was exposed to the wind. Our concern was that the dish could be torn off the roof - when we power it down it folds itself up and tucks away nice and almost flat in travel mode. As for the slides, we feared that the non-retractable awnings that cover each slide could sustain damage. We have never had to do this before, but the wind was just that bad. We can function with the slides in, but it definitely feels cramped even with just two of them pulled in. One slide actually covers the TV in our living area but without the dish we couldn't get reception anyway. I spent the evening catching up on old episodes of The Tudors on my laptop (downloaded through Amazon Prime) and Bill watched stuff we had on the DVR on the bedroom TV. It was definitely not a night to do anything outdoors. This morning the weather was beautiful - sunny, 70s and NO WIND.

Today we drove out about 50 miles northwest of town to the White Sands National Monument. It was a fascinating place - miles and miles of rolling sand hills and shifting dunes.







We did a bit of climbing.

The roads are regularly plowed to keep them passable since the dunes shift and the sand drifts in the wind. It looked like snow piled up on the side of the road.

It was kind of like a giant beach...only without the water! And actually we learned that water is only down from inches to at most a foot or two below the surface, although it looks like a desert. Also, these dunes are only between 7,000 and 10,000 years old (an instant in geological time) and scientists study the area because the plants and animals that have evolved here have done so much more quickly than in most places. Most of the animals and insects tend to be white or very light in color, an obvious adaptation. White Sands was an amazing place and we were so glad that we were able to experience it.

This was a short two day stop. Tomorrow we head for Tucson Arizona.

The Towering Mountains of...Texas??? - Big Bend National Park, Texas

Seriously. Towering mountains as in 7,000 plus elevations. Who knew?

To backtrack just a bit, we left Luling on Sunday morning and spent the night in Fort Stockton at the Parkview RV Park, just off I-10 and Highway 385. 

Since I always like to include a mishap or two (just for fun, you know?) we had the requisite one in that park. The first site we pulled into was very uneven and we decided to switch to another one. However, I had already turned off the accessory (towing) mode in the car and put it in park, although it was still hooked up to the moho. Well, we forgot this little fact and Bill pulled the moho out while I walked alongside since we were only moving a few spaces. I realized right away that the car was being dragged and the wheels were not turning, so I tried to get his attention by yelling, running alongside and waving my arms frantically. Of course, he couldn't hear me with the moho running so I raced to get in front of him still yelling “STOP, STOP!”. I bet the people in the office were well entertained as they watched us from the window. Luckily, the short distance didn't seem to damage anything in the car, but jeez – another cautionary lesson learned.

We headed south on 385 on Monday morning and arrived at Big Bend National Park early in the afternoon. The first visitor center is at the north entrance, and we stopped there only to find it closed. However, we were already getting the vibe of this very unusual park the minute we stepped outside. I have never heard a quiet quite like the stillness you experience here. There are no planes overhead, no road noise, nothing...just stillness, broken only by the sounds of birds and insects.

We continued on into the park and stopped at the Panther visitor center which was open. Upon checking in, we were advised that a national park pass would be $20 for a week...unless one of us was at least 62. Well, this was the day before Bill's birthday but the ranger was nice enough to slightly fudge the date and she sold us the senior pass - $10 as as a one time fee and it is good at ALL national parks for our entire lifetimes. What a deal!

The ranger directed us 20 miles down the road to the Rio Grande Village RV Park, where we had a camping reservation. We quickly got set up – the campground is nothing much, just a paved area with hookups - we actually were advised to angle into our site since the campground has been here since the days when there were no 42 foot RVs, and we could only fit by going in sideways. But oh, the surroundings...

You don't think of rugged towering mountains when you think Texas, but that's exactly what is here. Again, I wish I was a better photographer because there is just no way to capture the magnitude with my skills but here goes:

Since the day was getting on by the time we were ready to exploring, we decided to stick close by. We drove down to the Hot Springs Road and turned off the main drag onto one of the many gravel roads in the park. I loosely call this a road – it was a thin, potholed line of gravel that sort of hung off the side of the mountain, winding around and down into a small canyon.

Just a little bit terrifying...but we got to the end and there was a short walking trail down along the river to a hot springs pool that is a constant 105 degrees. Along the way, there are some old buildings with nothing indicating what they were, so I'm not sure if they were park buildings or if they pre-date the park.

On Tuesday we started the day with a bike ride. While there aren't specific bike trails, there is so little traffic in the park that you can just ride along any of the roads for miles without seeing a vehicle and there are lots of places to stop. We met other riders along the way and broke up our ride by some long chats, but meeting people from all over is one of our favorite things. We rode to the Boquillas border crossing, which was closed at the time. It was a bit comical, since I really don't think this gate keeps anyone out of the country, especially since the Rio Grande is only inches deep at this time and the locals go back and forth selling their trinkets all the time. 

We walked up a trail to an overlook and while we didn't continue all the way down, we met some folks who told us there was a “singing cowboy” a bit further down the trail with a tip jar. It was interesting to see that the artisans left their little crafts in stashes along the trail with an open jar for cash and a price list. Some of the things they make are really beautiful, like scorpions or cactus fashioned out of copper wire and beads. They must be very trusting souls to leave cash sitting out there but no one seems to disturb it. I like to think the kind of people that would steal from those in poverty don't come to places like this. I hope not, anyway.

As an unrelated but interesting side note, let me address cell and internet service in the park. Hoo, boy. We were told by the park staff members that the only place in the park where you can get a cell signal is a small paved pull out on the side of the road between the mountains, about 25 miles from our campground. We found this to be absolutely true. So a couple of times each day, we drove out there to check for messages and make any necessary phone calls. As far as internet, there was wifi in our campground office but you had to sit just outside the office to get it. So at any given time, you see campers with laptops or tablets sitting at the picnic tables in the office area taking care of business. Even our phones couldn't pick anything up – no 4G, no 3G, nothing anywhere in the park. It felt a little weird to be so out of touch but we adapted.

We finished the day with a nice birthday dinner at the Chisos Mountain Lodge.

Wednesday we again started out on our bikes but our ride was cut short when Bill lost a brake. He returned to the campground while I continued on for a few miles. We set out in the car later and drove out to the Chisos basin. This is a sort of valley completely surrounded by huge towering peaks all around. It was pretty spectacular. We hiked a few of the short trails and the views were pretty amazing. The weather didn't lend itself to anything too strenuous since the temps were in the high 90s. We left Chisos and headed out to Castillon, another area of the park. The distances are something to account for – we put well over 300 miles on the car just driving around the park from one area to another and we certainly didn't see everything. But Castillon was worth the drive – it sits above the Santa Elena Canyon which is actually in Mexico. The isolation everywhere in the park is remarkable, but in Castillon it was even more pronounced. There were two employees there, who live on site. There is no going to the bar after work for these folks – they have to drive 30 miles to get to a spot where they can make a phone call. I don't even know where they grocery shop since the little stores just carry convenience items. They must have gotten good at provisioning once in a while when they have the chance.

We've met a lot of people here, mostly from Texas since very few people travel to Big Bend from around the country, but interestingly enough we met several people from Germany. I'm not sure why this park isn't more well known – it's really spectacular and would be well work a trip from anywhere for those interested in seeing natural surroundings with very little development and very few people. 

This morning (Thursday) we are getting ready to head back up north to Fort Stockton, where we'll spend a day or so restocking and doing some needed shopping before we head into New Mexico.