Phoenix - A Month Out of the Ashes (Mythologically, That Is)

[Blogger's Note:  We're still very behind in getting our blog in sync with where we actually are.  The Phoenix visit was a month ago!  Sightseeing, planning for next stops, and just plain "takin' it easy" seems to consume all of our waking hours.  But persevere, we will.  Perhaps there will be a flurry of postings one of these days when the moons all align.  What moons?  And how many will it take?  Don't know....but it could happen.]

After Tucson, we visited the Phoenix area, staying in Mesa.  The RV park there left us with mixed impressions.  On the one hand, the section and site we were in was extremely nice--wide concrete pads easily accessed, hard-surfaced patio area with table, gas barbecue pit, large individual trash and recycling bins.  Very comfortable.

On the other hand, the majority of the park was very tight for maneuvering, narrow streets packed with many manufactured homes--some really showing their age and neglect, while others still showing pride of ownership.  And as one would expect, Mesa has lots of parks just like this one.

We had a treat of some company for part of the time we were there.  Dad and Sis drove from Texas to Arizona to see us and Phoenix.  Dad has been there many times in years past, visiting relatives who wintered here, but it has been a while.  Sis had not been there, and doesn't mind driving long distances.  As it turned out, driving through dust storms en route to Arizona, and again driving back to Texas was not what they had in mind, but they made it OK.

We visited the Desert Botanical Garden.  Trails meander through many varieties of cactus and desert plants.  Some were blooming, but we were there a little late in the day to catch the blooms.  And there were some artistic sculptures interspersed throughout the garden.  SheM was the only one in our party that really enjoyed them--not sure what that says about her.

We took a drive through the Tonto National Forest northeast of Mesa.  'Forest' does not necessarily mean lots of trees because there were not many, but the mountains and scenery were worth the drive.  We inadvertently visited Coolidge Dam by taking a wrong turn.  We were the only ones there, which gave it an abandoned feeling.  Granted the dam has seen better days--it was dedicated in 1930, and doesn't look like it's had much attention since then--but it's still successfully creating a small reservoir, albeit water levels are down substantially.

On the same drive we also visited the larger reservoir created by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam.  This dam was built in 1911 using rocks from the surrounding area.  In 1996, it was redone using concrete and 77' added to its height.  The reservoir behind it is huge and the recreational facilities very active.

The Phoenix area is the site of spring training for 15 baseball teams, including the Rangers, Dad's favorite team.  We tried to get tickets to one of the Ranger games, but our timing was not good.  So we settled for the Braves vs White Sox.  They played at Camelback Ranch, a nice small ballpark.  It was the quintessential baseball experience--the weather was warm (actually hot), we had hot dogs (OK, actually sausage), we had a beer (maybe two), and we rooted for our team (we don't remember which team was ours, but we're sure we won!).

After Dad and Sis headed back to Texas, we still had a few days for more sightseeing.  We headed up to the Flagstaff area to spend a couple of days.  What a difference in temperature a few thousand feet of elevation makes.  Not only did Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona, understandably still have snow, there was snow along some of the roads around Flagstaff itself.

The Grand Canyon.  How many pictures have been taken of the Grand Canyon?  How many pictures does it take to really capture the 'grandness'?  We took our share of pictures, and there's simply no way to truly capture it.  Here's a couple of our attempts.

We didn't make it to the western end of the canyon where the glass walkway extends over the canyon--maybe on another trip.  (SheM wouldn't be able to walk out on it anyway, but HeM would enjoy it.)

Meteor Crater is east of Flagstaff.  We've seen pictures of the crater over the years; we had to go see it in person.  It isn't the Grand Canyon, of course, but it didn't disappoint.

The visitor center has on display a piece of the meteor that was taken from the center of the crater.

Just a bit further east of Meteor Crater is Winslow, Arizona.  There's really nothing to see there but we had to make the drive just to say that we've been to Winslow, Arizona.  HeM thought he saw a girl in a flatbed Ford but wasn't sure. Music fans of The Eagles will understand.

As we were returning to Flagstaff we ran across Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.  We had a little time before dark, so decided to check it out.  Sunset Crater erupted sometime between 1040 and 1100.  It's now a 1,000-foot-high volcano, surrounded by cinder-covered hills.

The route we chose to drive from Flagstaff back to Mesa went through Sedona and Red Rock State Park.  It was a gorgeous drive.  There were few, if any, places to stop and take pictures at the prettiest spots, so you'll have to take our word for it.  If you're ever in the area, we highly recommend taking this scenic bypass.

Whenever normal periodic maintenance is due, we look for a service facility close to our planned route.  This was one of those times.  The 6,000 mile checkup on our chassis was needed.  We found a Freightliner facility in the Phoenix suburb of Tolleson that truly caters to the RV community.  They provide overnight parking with full hookups, will set up appointments, and most importantly, adhere to those appointments.  This is important to full-timers, and truly appreciated.  We will look for similar ones as maintenance is called for in the future.

On the day that our RV was in the Freightliner shop, we opted to see what we could find in downtown Phoenix.  We chose the Arizona Capitol Museum.

Just outside the Capitol, the city has created a memorial park with tributes to servicemen, law enforcers, and civic employees.  The tributes range from World War II to Korea to Vietnam to the World Trade Center.  One of the more impressive memorials was for the USS Arizona, including a mast and an anchor from the battleship. It can evoke surprising emotion for an event that preceded both of us.

While we were in Phoenix, we picked up a couple of traveling companions.  These critters are going to visit various points of interest with us--points of interest that a certain 5-year-old and 3-year-old in Austin may want to visit some day.  You may spot them in some of our pictures going forward.  At the end of our 2013 travels, they will be residing in Austin with the boys.

Next stop was Yuma, Arizona.

Tucson (The Town Next To The "Town Too Tough To Die")

We spent some very pleasant days in Tucson.  The weather was really nice while we were there, and we were able to sit outside in the afternoons and evenings in the way that we have envisioned from the start of our adventure.  We can definitely see why many people have chosen to have a residence there.  We also enjoyed our space in the RV park.

The streets were wide, paved, and easily navigated.  Landscaping was of the typical southwest variety.  This particular park offers complimentary RV Driver Confidence Training classes to all who stay in the park.  SheM jumped on the opportunity.  Up to this point, she had not been behind the wheel of the rig at any time.  After the course, she drove the rig for about 45 miles during the next move; she will continue to relieve HeM on occasions when the route is easy--negotiating interstates in large cities is not on her list yet.

Saguaro National Park is easily accessible from Tucson.  We've not kept track of how much our Senior Pass to the National Parks has saved us thus far, but it's mounting with every stop we make.  The park is dedicated to preserving the saguaros, but truthfully, we saw more of this cactus outside the park, all around Arizona.  And many of them appeared to be in better health than those within the park.  In any case, they are impressive in their size and shape.  It takes 50 years for a saguaro to begin growing an arm.  After the first arm is grown, there's no correlation in years to additional arms.  The cactus in the picture below is likely older than HeM, which makes it even older than dirt, some may say.  (You know who you are.)

We made the drive to Tombstone -- the "Town Too Tough To Die".  The town prides itself on being able to survive after its initial industry of mining collapsed.  Embracing its notorious western history and making tourism the main industry, the town has indeed persevered.  Main Street has the look of an old western town, complete with characters roaming the streets in period dress.

We had lunch at the Crystal Palace Saloon which dates back to 1879.  Then, after buying a couple of hats, we moseyed down to the O.K. Corral.

The actual site of the famous gunfight is much smaller, and the exchange of gunfire was much shorter, than Hollywood has lead us to believe.  It's estimated that the entire fight lasted less than a minute rather than the 14+ minutes in the movie.

We visited Boothill Graveyard, of course.

The tombstones have been redone, and some are purposely more amusing than their originals.  The stroll through was worth a few minutes and a few pictures.

The last sightseeing we did in Tucson was to Old Tucson Studios just outside Tucson, the site of many western movies and TV western productions.  Many of the original buildings were lost to fires over the years, but have been rebuilt for this tourist attraction.

There is a locomotive onsite named The Reno.  It is a celebrity in its own right, evidenced by the sign in front of it, which states that its passengers have included the likes of Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, John Wayne, James Stewart, Katherine Hepburn.  It has appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows, including Rawhide, The Twilight Zone, Wild Wild West, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.

One of the highlights of our visit to Tucson was getting together with friends Susan and Dwight who have a home there.  We so enjoy seeing friends and relatives as we travel.  Also, being locals, they entertained us with some colorful insider Tucson facts and sights.  As mentioned at the beginning of this post, we do see the appeal of spending time here.  From Tucson we moved north to Mesa.

Land of Enchantment...and wind...and dust...and missiles...and space travel?

So we made our way out of Texas for the first time in 4 months, and stopped just past El Paso in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  The further west we went, the dryer and windier it became.  Here's a picture of one of the rest stops along I10.

As we entered New Mexico, we were surprised to come across so many stockyards filled with cattle.  Train tracks run along these stockyards, so obviously the cattle are headed elsewhere.  We also saw LOTS of pecan orchards.  Clearly irrigation is required in this arid area, and we wondered how much sense it makes to grow them here.  We did buy some samples of the pecans at a local market, and they were tasty.  We didn't try any of the cattle, so can't comment on them.....however, come to think of it, we did run across Rudy's BBQ right before crossing the state line into New Mexico and the brisket was excellent.  Hmmmm.

The RV park where we stayed was comfortable, at least on an end-site like we were.  We were glad to see that they don't use excessive irrigation to try and maintain much vegetation around the park.  We again encountered a lot of high winds, often gusting 50-60 mph.  Luckily, we weren't traveling on the worst of the high-wind days.  The dry, dusty climate did begin to play havoc with our sinuses at this point.

Our sightseeing forays included White Sands Missile Range, White Sands National Monument, and Space Port America.

White Sands Missile Range has a museum and missile park open for the public to visit.  Many examples of  missiles are on display there, including Patriot (Scud Buster), Pershing, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and the list goes on and on.

White Sands National Monument is impressive.  A large area of white sand dunes in the middle of a gray/brown desert seems misplaced.

Space Port America is under construction outside Truth or Consequences, NM, about 75 miles north of Las Cruces.  The only public access to the construction site is on a bus tour, which we took.  Interestingly, there were 2 French gentlemen on the same tour.  They work for a French magazine, and were assigned to research civilian space travel in the US.  The site for the space port was chosen because of its altitude (about 1 mile above sea level), and its proximity to White Sands Missile Range (limits competing air traffic).  Richard Branson is a partner in the venture, and has a space craft currently being tested which will launch from there.  Some crafts will launch straight up, others will utilize a runway.  There is a waiting list of almost 500 citizens who have already paid $200,000 each for the privilege of taking a ride on these crafts.  The ride will consist of traveling up 100 kilometers which is near the edge of space, and then immediately returning back to earth.  Upon returning back to terra firma, the passengers will be taken to a room where they can clean up from the effects of the trip (if you get my drift), whether self-inflicted or shared from fellow passengers.  Does this sound like it's worth $200,000?  We have not signed up.  And even if our enrollment were a possibility (without completely jeopardizing our retirement plans), SheM says she's not going.  HeM says that if he goes, she would have to go, too.  Hmmm.  Good thing it's not on our list of possibilities.  The following pictures show the terminal from the back and the front, and the building that will serve as the control center.  It all has a space ship architectural look.  We enjoyed the tour, but (in our opinion, anyway) the driver was much too optimistic about the economic viability of this venture any time soon.  But what do we know?

We had intended to make a short trip northwest of Las Cruces to visit Silver City and some huge copper mines near there.  We ran out of time/energy this time.  Maybe on our next trip through this area.  Next stop was Tucson, Arizona.

Two Stops in Texas

Before leaving Texas for the year, we made 2 stops on our westward trek.  The first was in Kerrville.  We made a return trip to Buckhorn Lake Resort.  This was the site of our maiden RV outing in June 2009 when we accompanied friends Jed and Donna there.  The trip in 2009 ended up being a shake-down trip for our then new fifth-wheel.  And shake-down, it was.  We found that one of the 2 air conditioners didn't work, and the refrigerator operated intermittently.  I imagine Jed and Donna remember our frustrations, and the smorgasbord we laid out as SheM tried to cook everything she had brought lest it go bad in a warm refrigerator.  Ah, memories.  The 2013 trip in our motorhome was thankfully uneventful from that standpoint.  The park is nicely arranged, and access in and out is comfortable.

As we traveled west, we encountered many, many high wind events, and the first one was while we were in Kerrville.  We were not aware that areas west of San Antonio, and all through New Mexico, Arizona, and eastern California often experience really high winds in late winter, early spring.  We do know now!  We only spent a few days in Kerrville.  The main outing that we planned was a visit to Enchanted Rock.

We took the Summit Trail which climbs 425 feet in .6 mile.  For the most part, it's a comfortable climb, but as you get closer to the top some of the incline is a bit steep.  And, if it's as windy as it was that day, and if you have a fear of heights as SheM does, you may stop just short of the summit and sit on a rock as HeM climbs the remainder of the way alone.  Just saying.

Leaving Kerrville, we made our last Texas stop in Fort Stockton.  The park there is a no-frills park that stays really busy with overnight stops as folks travel between El Paso and San Antonio.  When we checked in around 3:00 in the afternoon, the place was quiet and not very full.  In about an hour's time, RV after RV began pulling in, and the park was filled for the night.

The next morning, the reverse exodus occurred.  Each afternoon and morning was the same for the 3 days we were there, with lines of RV's checking in and out for the night.

Although the park is nothing special, its remoteness offered us an opportunity that we haven't enjoyed in a long time.  At night, the sky is just full of stars and you can actually see the Milky Way.  Really nice!  Here's the view from the front of our RV while we were there.

The park has a walking trail that we used for our daily exercise.  We were beginning to feel that we were indeed in the 'wild west'.

We drove into Fort Stockton to visit the sights.  Historic Fort Stockton was first on the list.  We were expecting to see something that looked more like a fort, with wooden post walls, etc.  Instead we found that it's simply a group of buildings in the middle of town.  The guard house still has some chains and barred doors.

The barracks are set up to look as they would have appeared in the 1860's.

Historic Fort Stockton is the proud owner of a wagon that was used in 2 John Wayne movies--The Comancheros, and Undefeated.

Some interesting facts about Fort Stockton:  In 1860, Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, established a camel corp here.  Although the camels were a practical success, the corp failed politically because Davis resigned and became President of the Confederacy.  The army withdrew from Texas in May of 1861 because of the Civil War.  In 1867 Fort Stockton was reestablished and became home to the 9th infantry 'buffalo soldiers'.  In 1886, the fort was finally abandoned.

The location of Fort Stockton was selected due to the water source that was provided by Comanche Springs.  At that time, the springs supplied 65 million gallons of water a day.  By March 1961 the springs had ceased to flow because of heavy pumping from the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer.  In 1954, Texas' 'Rule of Capture' was enforced when the Pecos County Water District unsuccessfully tried to force the reduction of the pumping.  For those who are not familiar with the Rule of Capture, it states that landowners have full rights to all ground water on or under their property without regard to how that usage impacts their surroundings.  With water becoming such a precious resource, it's inconceivable that this rule is going to be able to stand for much longer.  There is a tribute to the Comanche Springs of old in downtown Fort Stockton.

While there, we also visited the Historic Pecos Jail, Pecos Courthouse, and Annie Riggs Hotel/Boarding House Museum--all brimming with history.

From Fort Stockton we moved on to Las Cruces, New Mexico.  That will be the subject of our next posting.