Ohio Bound

At Hon Dah RV Park

We pulled out of Picacho Tuesday, the 15th, with a tremendous sigh of relief.  We were 3 weeks overdue in leaving, knowing we could not go until I got the okay from the Ortho Doctor on the the 24th of June. The delay - long story short - we were waiting on the RV to have a new windshield replaced.  Yes, this is a new RV, but.  Took it out the end of May for a day trip to Sierra Vista and got dinged by a stone.  Nothing horrible but with the 105 plus temperatures, the ding turned into a big spider web!  And, can't drive like that.  Screw up at the RV dealer with ordering the window and then when it came in, it was broken.  Finally got it back on the 11th and got all the other stuff done (1st engine tune-up at Ford dealer; got the car tuned up; said goodbye to the kids in Chandler), then hit the road Tuesday.  In a thunderstorm.  Not just one but 2.  Drove up into the White Mountains. Pinetop/Lakeside is located north east of Phoenix, our drive here took over 5 hours due to construction and of course, can't speed in the mountains with all the hills!! Camping here at the Hon Dah Casino RV Park, located within the White Mountain Apache Nation.  Still in Arizona but 35 to 40 degrees cooler. Actually quite chilly at night - 52 degrees.  No complaints.  We are surrounded by pines and it's a welcome sight from the scruffy desert we were in.

We decided not to do any sight seeing while here this week - we really have not set up the RV since we bought it in January.  This is a working week, have already redesigned our living areas and organizing this, organizing that.  And we did not plan on the altitude sickness.  We left Picacho at 1800 feet and are sitting at 7200 feet.  That's quite a change and we felt it the first two days here.  Actually kicked our butts.  Today is the first day we are doing great.

The Apache Nation Flag Above Casino (across street)

Casino, Restaurant, Hotel

Buddy Hugging Grace

Buddy, our one year old cat (still a kitten), is giving us fits.  He is so scared.  Peed in his box the drive up here, then he found a hiding place and did not come out for hours after we sat down the first day.  Then yesterday morning while I was running the hand vacuum, he disappeared again.  Only this time he managed to sneak into a small opening up front under the dash and was wedged between the dash and the engine.  Needless to say that was way too scary for us.  Dave has since closed off that area and has gone over the interior to make sure he can't do that again.  Grace is a trooper, she is an old hat at this camping stuff and has adjusted quite nicely.  Only late in the day does Buddy come out.  Hopefully as time goes on he will do okay.  Our next test will be Tuesday when we pack up, bring in the slides, and take off.

Our goal for this trip is to head to Ohio, we need to be there the end of September.  Then take our time heading back, returning some time around beginning of December.  We both agreed that if we can, we will be gone by mid April next year.  The heat is too much for us, the days were 110 when we left and the air-conditioning never shut off.  The snake count when we left was 6 rattlesnakes, 2 gophers,  1 coachwhip, and 1 black king snake.  10 snakes too many for us!

Visit to Chiricahua National Monument

We have been going stir crazy waiting to head out for the summer.  I had foot surgery on March 11 and with the long recovery time - 10 weeks of non-weight bering on the foot plus additional 6 weeks of physical therapy - we were ready to head north for the summer.  Our plans are to head eventually to Ohio by late September, then leisurely swing back down to Arizona by late fall.  We got the okay from the doctor on June 24th and thought we would have headed out by the 27th, but the RV has been at the dealer for over 5 weeks waiting on parts and we are not sure when we will get out of here.  The heat is awful - most days 110 to 115, the monsoon season has started, and we are frustrated that we cannot go. Yesterday we decided to head to Chiricahua for the day.  And glad we did.

We drove down from Picacho Arizona to Chiricahua NM which is located north of Douglas, Arizona.  Chiricahua, which means "Land of Standing Up Rocks" by the Apache Indians, was a place we had not given much thought to visiting, guess when you have seen Bryce National Park and Zion with all their hoodoos and rock formations, nothing could compare.  But, we were surprised as to the beauty and starkness of the place.  The Chiricahua Apache Indians called this are their home for many generations.  Cochise and Geronimo roamed this area for many years.

Pinnacles of Rhyolite Rock

Meadows dotted with juniper, oak, pinyon pines, and sycamore trees with cactus, agave plants, and fir and pine trees are everywhere.  Long prairie grasses in the fields, the distinct smell of mesquite trees, the tall pinnacles of ash rock called rhyolite, the shapes of rocks everywhere you look seem to take on different shapes the longer you stared at them. Boulders, weird rock formations, birds calling in the distance. Douglas firs growing along side prickly pear cactus, canopy of trees over the roadway, and then watching a thunderstorm come in from the south and see the dramatic clouds and lightning while we were hiking - what a treat!

Rock Formation called Cochise's Head

Hiking along canyon - the path we took

 We saw Arizona white tail deer, the elusive coatimundi which looks like a monkey and raccoon combined, Mexican blue jays, and so many lizards.  This park is located where the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert meet and where the Rocky Mountains end and the Sierra Madre range of Mexico starts.  Classic basin-range-basin-range geography that we saw in Nevada.  The mountains here are part of the Sky Islands which are isolated mountains rising up out of prairie lands.

Amazing fauna!

While at the visitor's center, the Logan Utah Hotshots were there on training maneuvers.  I asked them how long they will be in the area and they said that with the monsoons upon us, that they will probably be called to another area to monitor and if need, put out wildfires.  Very impressed with this group of people, and in awe - the work they do.

How does that stay up?

We took the 8 mile loop road to Massai Point where the elevation is 6870 feet.  Quite a difference in temperature!  And we hiked a bit.  Yay!  I was able to carefully hike about 1 1/2 miles on the path that was semi-flat and rated moderate and I am elated that I am now able to hike again.

Linda Vista Trail in Tucson

I wanted to go out for a hike one more time before foot surgery scheduled for the 11th, and our friend Bev told us about a trail at the base of the Catalina Mountains in Tucson. The hike is rated moderate but we felt we wanted to do this hike regardless.  We chose the path strait up, about .75 mile going straight up into the Pusch Ridge of the Mountains.  Very stunning.  We would climb for awhile, turn around then look back into civilization, amazing that we were climbing so high and see so far into the distance.  After climbing and looking - we could see Picacho Peak - where we live, in the distance.  We figured we were about 35 miles from the peak. The brittle bush was out in bloom, different cacti showing buds of flowers coming soon.  Ocotillo in full bloom, we are jealous since ours are not blooming at all.

Once we got to the top you have an option of going either left or right back down, or, just return on the path we came up on.  We talked to a hiker who said that the path on the right was more level, less rocks, a tidge more in length.  The path on the left - well, quicker but more strenuous.  Maybe some other time we will do that path on the way down.

Lots of people hiking up and down, well traveled and the path was well marked.  Good hike.  After completing the hike we went to one of our favorite places - Cadillac Chapparel - for dinner.  And then was treated to a beautiful ride back to Picacho along Park Link Road - an 18 mile stretch with no homes, no civilization, just saguaros and all types of cacti along the roadway.

Sign at entrance to hike

Wide, maintained trail to top

Top of trail - Pusch Ridge in distance

Picacho Peak in distance

Ocotillo plants in full bloom

Visit to Phoenix's Desert Botanical Gardens

Last week we traveled to Phoenix to see the Dale Chuhily Glass Exhibit displayed within the Desert Botanical Garden of Phoenix.  Chuhily is world renown for his very distinct glass blown art work.  We were not disappointed in what we saw.  The exhibit will be at the Garden until mid May but we wanted to see this before it got too hot to walk around.  We watched a video which explained how Chuhily got interested in glass blowing, how his education and travels inspired him.  The movie also showcased some of his art which he has shown throughout the world.  Very pretty, very interesting.

Of course seeing the artwork was a great experience, but seeing all the different cacti and succulents - all labeled with name and where to find it in the world was an added bonus.  We paid attention to the cacti shown for the SW area of the United States and also Baja California/northern Mexico as to what is native to those areas since we are part of this area.  Gave us some ideas of cactus to add to our little garden going on in front and behind our park model at Picacho.

It had been many years since we have visited this Garden, even think we will try to come back in a month or so to visit when the cacti should be in full bloom.  Lots of people, in places actually crowds staring at the art exhibits.  Here's a flavor of what we saw.

Maiden Voyage

After getting the motorhome back to the dealer to get a couple of issues corrected, we jumped at the chance to try out the new motorhome, so we hitched up and drove back to one of our favorite spots - Tombstone Territories RV Park in Tombstone, AZ.  This time we asked for a premier site which is looking out over the valley towards Benson and the Chiracahua Mountains and also since we have this big front window to gaze out of.  And the weather will be worth it for the next couple of days - twenty degrees above normal and that means we will see 90's today and tomorrow.  It also means that the nights are not as cold. Did hear the coyotes during the night, hope we hear them again each night we are here.  Wonderful to hear.

Honda CR-V and the Class A

Honda CR-V and the Class A

Just hitching up the car to the RV was re-educating what was taught us - we were a tidge nervous but did get the Honda hooked up.  Then, an hour and 45 minutes later we were pulled into the park registering.  I think the hour and 45 minutes was one of the longest for Grace and of course Buddy.  He has never experienced camping, Grace was not as vocal as she has been (the truck was much more noisy since it was a diesel) where as Buddy shouted every now and then.  We kept them in their travel boxes but will let them loose on the way home - see how they like riding that way.  We think they will bury themselves in the bed in the back of the motor home.

The next three days will be to put hooks up, install the towel bars, put some more electrical outlets in,  organize the basement compartments, and of course to learn about this Class A and how things work. Nothing has broken (all RVers expect their rigs to have things break, this is the norm) so far, so good.  Just figuring out where things should be stored in what compartment, I find that I am again switching things around.  We have also correlated this rig to our sailboat days - both the sailboat and this Class A are the same size - the difference is that we can go so many more places.  We do have more storage places in this Class A versus the sailboat, but less compared to our old 5th wheel - one of the major drawbacks of going to a Class A.  But absolutely love how it drives and our visibility.  Also, where it used to take Dave over an hour to set up outside once we got to a sight, he was done in 15 minutes.  Amazing.

Further updates: the boot has come off my left foot with the break healing but MRI is scheduled for this coming Monday to see what is going on with pain, numbness, tingly feelings.  Buddy is adjusting although he still runs and hides by 9am every morning, waiting for the dogs to come out and take over (his previous shelter home's activities - the cats hid once the dogs were let out for the day). He surfaces about noon when he realizes the dogs are not here and is out for the rest of the day.  He is a charmer and very very noisy.  But a keeper.  And very intelligent - a trait we were hoping would continue since our experience with the English black and white cat breed are known for their intelligence.  He is still a kitten and is growing leaps and bounds.

Tonto National Monument

We drove to Tonto National Monument this past Sunday, about a two hour drive north and east from Picacho.  It is located near Roosevelt Lake, AZ, a man-made lake that came about from the damming of the Colorado River back in 1902.  There was a Roosevelt, AZ, a small town located there but now it is under water.  The hike up to the ruins was a paved walkway, nice but steep.  We took out time to go the distance and was well worth it.

There are cliff dwellings of the Salado Indian people who were there prior to 1450 when for some unknown reason they abandoned this area.  Amazing that these people built this dwelling in a side of a cliff and the only means to get in and out was up a ladder into a small opening. They think this structure was built by women where as the men did the hunting and gathering.  We were able to walk up to the Lower Cliff Dwelling ruins and see the structure where they think about 70 people lived.  The Upper Cliff Dwellings are in an area that is restricted with limited visiting on specific days.

Pretty awesome to see and wetted out appetite to see the Mesa Verde National Park in Cortez, Colorado which we will visit sometime this early summer.

Lower Cliff Dwelling

Looking out towards Roosevelt Lake

Lower Cliff Dwelling

Roosevelt Dam

2014 - Big Changes For Us

We start out 2014 with many changes in our lives, one not so good, but the rest terrific.  Here's what's going on….

New Class A Motorhome

We have truly enjoyed our travels over the years in our 5th wheel RV with the big Ford diesel truck pulling it down the road.  However, we made a huge decision and traded both of them in for a new Class A Motor home - will be picking it up next Wednesday to bring back to our winter home here in Picacho, Arizona.  Excited, nervous, a little scared, some of the emotions we are going through.  Will have to learn all about this one and do some quick trips out this spring before leaving in May for where ever we head to.  And, we have also moved back into owning a car again.  We searched and talked with RV dealers about what kinds of cars can be towed '4 down' behind a Class A.  4 down means having all four wheels on the ground and a tow bar type hookup runs between the Class A and the car.  We did not want to go to a manual transmission - there were more options of cars to choose from, but wanted an automatic.  Did not want to put the front wheels up on a dolly and have that as our hookup to the Class A.  Not very many automatic transmission cars/SUVs/trucks can be towed like this. We did narrow it down and now have a Honda CR-V sitting in the driveway.

Our New Wheels

The other terrific news is that we now are proud parents of another cat.  We found Buddy on-line at Pet-finder.com where they show various shelters and humane societies with animals for adoption.  We narrowed our search down and brought Buddy home on the 28th.  He is 9 months old, very sweet, a huge purrer, and loving, but obviously quite scared.  Will take awhile to get him acclimated into life with us and Grace.  Grace is not happy at all that he is in the house.  Too bad - the queen has been bumped off her throne. The unique feature about him is his tail - it was broken when he was very little and it healed in a zig-zag permanent fashion.  Doesn't seem to bother him, but unique all the same.

Buddy - our new 9 month old kitten

The not so nice thing - or maybe the outcome will be great - is I am wearing a boot/aircast for the next 6 weeks.  When I visited the doctor about my foot (it always hurt when we went hiking) the X-ray showed a fracture.  Don't know how or when I fractured it - but hope this air cast thing will make that hurt go away.  Glad that a hard cast wasn't required or crutches.  The good thing is once the bone heals, hopefully the doctor will start figuring out if the cyst has returned.  The discovery of the fracture was just a coincidence - the swelling of the foot still occurs.

OOPS

So - as our new travels begin this spring especially in our shakedown trips in the Class A, we will keep you updated on how and where and what we do.  Happy New Year to everyone and wish you a healthy year ahead.