Tucson Mountain Park, Gilbert Ray and the Desert Museum

 

It’s early on Friday the 13th of March. The wind is whipping around the trailer here in Montgomery, Alabama and we are on the last two days of the Green Eggs and Ham rally! 

But I want to write about our last few days in Arizona…while the memory is still intact.

We leave our lovely parking lot in the Tonto National Forest.  It is time for David to have his blood tested again and there are groceries to be bought.  Between the wait at Walgreens’ clinic and fighting the senior crowd at Fry’s, we leave Apache Junction much later than planned.

Our destination is the Desert Museum in Tucson.  There’s a nice campground close to the museum but it may be full.  It does not take reservations.  I research free camping in Tucson in find a BLM close to our destination.  Nina and Paul warn that the road is rough and there’s some broken glass scattered throughout the camp.

After several hours of negotiating traffic, we find the area and, at first glance, it does not look too bad.

  The sunset gives us another visual delight.

David settles in with his book.

We notice a bit of broken glass as we park.  By the next day, with the changing sunlight, I realize that we are surrounded by glass and dog poo!  David decides to nap and I decide to go find Gilbert Ray, the campground that keeps coming up in conversations.

After consulting Google Maps and making a few turns, I arrive at Tucson Mountain Park.  The beauty is overwhelming!  How can this be so pretty and our spot be so….less than pretty?

On to Gilbert Ray, stopping at the office to find that there are campsites available..even though it is Saturday afternoon!  After riding through all the loops, drinking in the lovely landscape, I wonder what kind of mood the husband will be in if I suggest that we break camp and move…NOW!

Luckily…the nap is over….and we break camp in record speed!

 

Love this guy!  He looks like he is directing traffic!

Camping at Gilbert Ray is like camping in a desert garden!

We pay for two nights…staying long enough to visit the Desert Museum.  And feeling nostalgic…already sad that our paradise visit is ending.

We hear from our neighbor to not miss the museum’s free flight show. 

The show is astounding!  It starts with two ravens, then a great-horned owl, then hawks….two are red tail hawks.  The birds fly freely, soaring out of sight into the clouds.  The handlers are not concerned when wild red tails bombard their wards, trying to knock them out of the wild birds’ territory.  They explain that their birds know where good living and easy food can be found…so they always return.

We return to camp for lunch and return to see the rest of the park.

There are coyotes.

Big Horn Sheep.

And hummingbirds!

It’s a perfect day and a perfect way to end our winter in the desert.

Five Nights in Texas!

 

Llano River in Junction, TX

Technically it will not be 5 nights in Texas until tomorrow night but it’s going to take that long to get through this state.

The weather forecast dominates our thoughts this week.  Staying safe is at the top of our priorities.  Rain, wind, ice, snow and plummeting temps are heading our way!

We leave Tucson on Monday morning after a superb visit to the Desert Museum in the Tucson Mountain Park.  (Plan to write next about our time in Tucson.)

Our destination for the night is the KOA behind Camping World in El Paso. We need a few things from CW and the park is conveniently placed just off I-10.  The winds blow relentlessly all day….two hands on the wheel type wind.

The setting sun over Camping World’s  inventory of trailers and, us, sandwiched between motor homes.

Tuesday morning’s mission is to find a Discount Tire store and get a second opinion on our truck tires.  We decide to stay another night in El Paso as it’s raining and there are groceries to be bought.  The tire store confirms our opinion that it’s time to replace two of the tires.  The other two are good enough to get us home.

We didn’t expect the tires to be in the same place as an outlet mall.  And I see a Crocs store!  I am almost Croc-less…none were bought this year in Mesa.  I rationalize that walking the mall will be an excellent way to get my daily steps done and ….. more rationalizations…..we have spent almost no money on camping in February and I have spent only $7.50 on clothes this trip, a $2 tee at Quartzsite and 3 items at a thrift store.  This is what I am telling myself as I enter a Chico's store for the very first time!

Short version….we leave several hours later.  I have 5,000 steps registered on my phone, two new pairs of Crocs….there was a sale…, a new blouse and David has a new pair of pants!

Groceries, lunch and a tour of Camping World leaves us exhausted.  What an expensive lay over day!

The scary weather is coming in on Wednesday and we are nervous.  We pick a nice RV park in Fort Stockton…nice in case we are stranded for several days.  Up early by 5:30 the next morning and on the road by 7. And it’s a good thing!

Rain, sun, rain keeps us guessing for most of the day but by the time we roll into the park, dark clouds and gale force winds were whipping  around the Casita.

The sun comes out momentarily and I run out to take this photo.

The Fort Stockton RV park also has a nice little café, the Road Runner.  There’s nothing better than food to lift our morale…not looking forward to the 22 degrees forecast for the night.

After ribs, maybe the best I have eaten, mashed potatoes and green beans, I am wishing to be back in the sun so I can walk off all the calories.

We survive the night without getting cold, as long as we are under the comforter!  But it takes the little ceramic heater and one stove eye on low to get the inside temperature into the 50’s the next morning.

The roads are icy and we wait for the sunshine before getting back on the road.  After a sunny trip, we are at Morgan’s Shady RV in Junction, Texas, another 200 miles down the road.  We can see the lovely Llano River from the side dinette.  The rest of the windows are covered with Reflectix.

The plan for tomorrow is to get through Houston!  Once we say good bye to Texas, our journey will get easier.

Trying to keep good thoughts about the upcoming rally….note to self, stop checking the Montgomery, AL 10 day forecast! 

Maybe it won’t rain the whole time!

 

Another Day in the parking lot!

 

We are back in one of our favorite places, Phon D Sutton Recreation Area in the Tonto NF, and we never thought we would be so happy camping in a parking lot!

It’s the Salt River that makes it so special….(see above photo.) And the wild horses and bald eagles also entice us to stay. 

We moved here last weekend, thinking we would stay one night on our way back to the Cholla camp at Lake Roosevelt.  But as the day passed, we found no reason to move.

Now we are working on our fifth day!  The $3.00 daily fee for the senior version of the Tonto pass also helps us to stay put.

And we keep discovering places to hike!

One day runs into the next.  We chat with neighbors,  hike and sit and stare into the mountains.  Trying not to be sad….this is our last week in the desert.

Backing up to 10 days ago….

We pull onto the 202 after saying good bye to David’s family in Phoenix.  Not sure of our destination but have several camps in mind.  But after the Flatiron of the Superstition Mountains rises in front of us, our truck heads straight for Lost Dutchman SP.

We notice another Casita as we try to maneuver into our spot. Taking a second look, the Casita is waving at us!  What a great surprise, it’s Bob and Mary from Kansas! We last saw them at Quartzsite.

After talking them into  second night, we call other fiberglass friends from Mesa, John and BJ, and arrange a mini gathering.

David’s hand!

It’s great to see everyone again….may be another year before we visit again!

David wants to hike up the Siphon Draw trail as he has only looked up at the mountain looking over us.

(Our hike photos are on my camera….will insert here if I get to a place to download them. )

Less than a mile up the Siphon Draw trail in the Superstitions.

 

Lost Dutchman SP

Our parking lot home.

Salt River

Unidentified desert flower.

David feeling envious!

Another Salt River photo.

Although we are sad to leave our winter home, we do have many good things happening in the future. We are excited to be attending the rally in Montgomery, Alabama in less than two weeks.  Just need to get through the several thousand miles between here and there!

Then we can go home, catch up with family and friends and, fingers crossed, sell our house!

More Lake Roosevelt and good news!

Our week at Lake Roosevelt  passes uneventfully.  Our time is more precious with the thought that it may be our last week in the desert.  There’s a path along the bluff above the lake.  We walk it each morning for exercise and entertainment.


Unidentified hawk….possible red tail?

The campground from a small hill…red truck..bottom right.
Four Peaks Wilderness Area is to the west of us….seems strange as the peaks have always been east of where we previously camped.

Although the lake level is down, its beauty still overwhelms us.


The campground allows the winter visitors to stay for months.  This makes for some interesting neighbors.
This Canadian has the right idea for simple camping.  Notice the smoke vent in the middle of the tent!  A good neighbor…very polite.

Found an old graveyard where workers who died while constructing the dam are buried.  The Theodore Roosevelt Dam was completed in 1911.


T Roosevelt Dam

Roosevelt Bridge…built 1992.

At the end of the week, on a mission, we leave this peaceful camp.  It is time to WASH CLOTHES!  This is capitalized due to importance…we have not washed since January 18th…4 weeks ago!.........(Later I realized that I am lying! Completely forgot about using a RV park laundry in Yuma...not a senior moment....a senior two days...so sorry!)

Deciding that we are not able to drive 90 miles, wash for two hours and then drive through traffic to Phoenix in one day, we move closer to civilization…back to the parking lot at Phon D Sutton Rec Area.  This way we will only need to drive 18 miles to the laundry.  The parking lot is full of a singles group and we move to the next lot.  From this position we are able to see the fountain at Fountain Hills shoot up at 6 PM and a bald eagle circling the Salt River looking for dinner!

Choosing to wash at the Superstition Laundry is a wise decision.  With the help of an assistant we are able to get everything in one 50 lb. washer! ($5.50) Twenty four minutes to wash and 30 minutes to dry and we are done!!
(Note: we did not go around dirty and stinking…)

This past weekend is spent back at the relatives and we are now, happily, back at Lost Dutchman State Park, near Apache Junction.
And, thanks to my friends and relatives, our house has been cleared of foul odors and brown liquids.  No need to go back home early!  Hooray!

But the countdown has begun….must hit the road going east in two weeks or less.

“Q”, a desert lake, & another problem

 

We land at Hidden Beaches in Blythe, CA to deal with the house issues.  (See former post.)  It is on the Colorado River and sounds like a beautiful park.  But not so with the full hookups.  We are stuck in a slum, looking at a storage shed and our neighbor’s refrigerator.  To be fair, the water sites are immaculate…we did not inquire on their cost. This is a PA park which is $16 with the discount.

Colorado River

We arrive at Dome Rock on Monday, 5 days before the huge fiberglass rally that happens the first weekend in February.  Parking in the back close to John and BJ, we think we have a good spot.   The next day Jerry and Wanda appear and then Glenda and Jeff .  It is bloggers row!

I take few photos…can’t seem to get excited about taking pictures of trailers that look identical.  The time is spent visiting and eating. 

John, BJ and Turk.

The weather is turning hot!  It gets up to 89 inside our trailer and more Casitas keep arriving.  We are beginning to feel like a sandwich.

On Saturday morning, no longer having fun, we head east to Scottsdale for another short visit with family.

Trying something new, we make reservations at Westworld of Scottsdale.  It is just for one night and much easier to park than the daughter’s back yard.

Our site is in a parking lot facing the polo field.

This large tent is the home of the famous Barrett-Jackson collector car auction.  West World is huge!  We walk 3 miles trying to see everything.

I know there are some cooler temperatures somewhere.  We head up into the Tonto National Forest to a campground on Lake Roosevelt. 

Beauty is found everywhere.

And it is cooler!  A lovely breeze caresses us as we walk in the morning sun. 

I am walking frequently, on a mission to lose some weight after seeing some disturbing photos of myself.  Manage to complete 6 miles (according to the phone) the first full day.

Life is good…much like life right before we had the home crisis 7 days ago.  And, again, another issue…much like the first one!  This time a clog in the plumbing has resulted in an overflow and a very bad smell! 

Thanks to a good friend who met the septic company and then met the plumbers, the crisis is resolved.  Not sure at this writing if we must head back home early to take care of the aftermath.  Don’t want to leave…each day here in the winter feels like a golden gift!

Will know something in a few days.