Visiting Twentynine Palms, CA

As a little girl, I remember my oldest brother Jerry stationed at the Marine Corps Base in Twentynine Palms, California and wondered where the heck it was.  Well, Dave and I found it!  We packed up this morning and left Congress, Arizona and drove mostly back roads to get here, 254 miles.  Only about 56 miles were spent on Interstate 10, westbound, the rest weaving west and south then north then west again on state routes.  Very desolate areas we drove through.

Nice sculpture along the road

Barren, desolate 

Crossed over the Colorado River and into California

No problem with the RV until we stopped right before getting to the campground and there was such a deep curb to go over with the RV and car hitched up, we bottomed out and bent the wiring harness that hooks up to the back end of the RV and it talks to the car (lights, brakes).   It's bent and Dave can't get it undone.  We got an RV mobile repair name and called and tomorrow, hopefully, he'll come by and see what can be done.  Dave wants to move it up on top of the bumper, why it was installed so low to the ground does not make sense.

Hello California

The road along Joshua Tree National Park

Snow on the mountains near San Bernadino - happened 2 days ago

While we are here at 29 Palms we will visit Joshua Tree National Park.  The entrance is right near the town (we are 2 miles north of the town and right at the entrance to the Marine Corps Base) so it will be easy to go in and out. How long we will stay will depend on the RV repair guy's job and if parts need to be gotten, etc.

The history of the town is interesting - it's relatively new (1987 it was incorporated) but it encompasses more area (53.75 miles) than San Francisco.  Historically, it was first explored in 1855 by a Colonel Henry Washington, was a favorite camping/resting spot for travelers due to a spring they called Mara, and was first known as Palm Springs (not to be confused with the 'other' Palm Springs just over the mountain). After World War 1 the area became a beneficial environment for those soldiers returning from the war with effects of mustard gas and tuberculosis.  The environment here is clean dry air, moderate elevation, and accessible to large cities (Los Angeles is 3 hour drive from here).  Veterans brought their families here and settled and the rest is history.

From 1942 through 1945, (during World War II), the now: "Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center", was a naval auxiliary air station. After the war its future was uncertain. Then, on August 20, 1949, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Headquarters issued Post Order 343 creating the Marine Corps Training Center, Twentynine Palms.  It is also one of the largest military training bases in the nation.  No, we cannot visit the base.  Darn.

We Are Off for the Summer of 2016!

We pulled out of Picacho at 10am in 82 degrees.  Watched the temperature climb to 92 when we checked into North Ranch Escapees RV Park which is Congress, Arizona, a mere 152 miles from home.  This is the earliest we have moved out for the summer, 3 weeks ahead of our past trips. Why? Why not?  I ended up having arthroscopic knee surgery on March 11th and was amazed at how fast I recovered!  We also had some changes in our personal lives (see below the explanation) and just decided that we needed to get going and heal our sadness.

Bye, bye Picacho!  See you in the fall!

Skirted around Phoenix as we headed north

We are in the desert!

We have made it a point in the last 4 years to go not too far our first time out, we need to relearn the RV all over again.  Did not have any problems setting up the rig once we were assigned a spot, did have a little trouble with the water hookup and Dave had to put in new washers.

We are just north west of Wickenburg and visited this same campground 4 years ago.  Nothing has changed since then but our last visit, we were the only ones here.  This time we are 2 weeks earlier than the last visit and I can see about 30 rigs surrounding the area.  This is a private campground for Escapee members and it is very clean, cheap rates, full hookup, and sits in the basin that overlooks Granite mountain range.

Hello North Ranch Escapees Park

We are one mile from the Granite Mountain fire base.  As we passed this building, we remembered The Yarnell Hill Fire, a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona, which ignited by lightning on June 28, 2013. On June 30, it overran and killed 19 City of Prescott firefighters, members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. The wildfire was fully contained by July 10, 2013.  This event resulted in the highest wildland firefighter death toll in the United States.  Very sad indeed.

Seems hard to believe - this was Grace and Buddy just 4 months ago.

We are traveling only with Buddy this year, we had to find a home for Grace.  How we loved her, but she attacked Buddy about 3 weeks ago and he almost lost his eye. We were so torn about moving Grace out of our house but she had tried to attacked Buddy a couple more times after that initial one that we felt she had to go.  Buddy needed 7 stitches in his cornea and I had lots of battles with him with eye drops 3 times a day and also oral medicine to be pushed down his throat.  But he got flying colors when we went for his 3 week checkup and we decided to hit the road.

The afternoon of his surgery - Buddy did not like this cone!
Had to wear it for one week.

Buddy told Dad - my eye hurts!

How I miss Grace - she was with us for 11 years.  Always wanted to be outside, she was a feral cat prior to her coming in and now she has returned to being outside.  She lives on a farm now with other cats and dogs and horses and cows and chickens.  Gregg, the man we gave her to, says he sees her around and knows she's there.  But we can't worry about her, she is again living how she was at the beginning of her life, hunting and being outside.

Have a good life, Gracie.  We love you!

Our plans for the summer are to head to upper Washington to see North Cascades National Park, located on the border of Canada and Washington, has 321 glaciers, and some of the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and just enjoy seeing and experiencing the great United States.

Quick Visit to Sierra Vista and Update on Us

We have been laying low since we got to our winter home here in Picacho, Arizona.  Mostly because of me.  I stumbled in the kitchen the beginning of November, fell on my knee and heard a pop and got searing pain. MRI found that I had 2 tears in the cartilage (meniscus) that surrounds the knee cap, one inside and one outside the knee.  Doctor wanted me to go through physical therapy first which I did - hopefully to alleviate most of the pain I was having.  When I fell I flexed my knee backwards - sorta bent it in the other direction.  So I had a lot of swelling and pain surrounding the patella (knee cap).  After 6 weeks of PT, went back to doctor at the end of December, had surgery scheduled January 8, but I canceled it due to problems with my health insurance.

Long story short, I had to go shopping for new coverage which I got, but too late for the rescheduled surgery the beginning of February.  In the meantime, I have been walking more and more and getting some stamina and strength back.  Yes, it hurts, but as our friend Bob says, Suck it up, Linda.  I have decided to suck it up and I canceled the surgery.  Will revisit having the surgery (it will not heal itself, will remain as is - or hurt it more and tear more, or - have arthroscopic surgery to shave the torn pieces off as was scheduled) this fall after we get back from this summer's adventures.

Within the last month I have been getting more and more active, walking to get my stamina and strength up. Yesterday we drove down to Sierra Vista, located about 40 miles south of Tucson, to visit a quilt shop I love.  After doing some damage there, we decided to walk at the San Pedro Riparian, located along the San Pedro River.  2 years ago we visited the park, I was not able to walk, having just had foot surgery.  Dave told me what he saw and I wanted to visit it some day.

Even though we are in the dead of winter, it was very peaceful.  We walked the loop trail, about 2.5 miles total, stopping at the pond where in warmer months fishing is done by many.  Saw some small coot ducks, mallards, many birds flitting around, very soothing.  As we looked towards the south and the Huachuca Mountains, snow was glistening from the middle of the mountain range to the top.  Right on the other side of the mountains is Mexico.  Lovely day, even though it was quite chilly for us (was 48 out).

Lovely place

The storm a couple of days ago broke this enormous cottonwood tree
Could not go near it until they stabilized the area

How peaceful looking is this?

Huachuca Mountains and snow

The river is underground here - still was pretty

The old San Pedro House - serves as visitor's center

My kind of trail - flat, no stones

The cottonwood trees are enormous

Winter Home at Last - Picacho Peak, Arizona

We made it back to Picacho, Arizona this past Wednesday and have literally killed ourselves with cleaning out the RV, cleaning the winter home (our park model), grocery shopping, laundry - had 14 loads to do!!!, and getting reacquainted with our neighbors again.  Life is good.

First night home, sunset over Picacho Peak

Sunset over the Catalina Mountains of Tucson

Looking forward to the poppies blooming this next spring at Picacho

We were smarter this year than any of being on the road in the summer time with an RV - we staged the unpacking before we got back and therefore only had to move bundles of things from the RV/car into the house.  But, then you have to unpack the things you bring in - so smarter in the sense we got the RV done quicker than ever before.  Glad it's over.

Moonrise over our place in Picacho

We certainly enjoyed our summer on the road.  We have learned that we do not need to go back to Wyoming and visit that state again.  Been there, done it.  And the same with most of Montana.  That is one big state!  We are already talking about where we will head out to next summer.  Which will be Idaho, northern part of Washington and then move upwards into British Columbia and move across Canada until we get to western Montana.  We just hope that wildfires will not drive us away like it did this year.

When I look back to our trip - we traveled 3,482 miles, visited northern Arizona, eastern Utah, just about every city/town in Wyoming, visited most cities/town east of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, came down along the eastern slope of the Rockies and saw the eastern part of Colorado.  Don't ever have to go back through Dalhart, Texas EVER again, and saw parts of New Mexico we have always wanted to visit.  Our interests this summer was to pursue the Mountain Men rendezvous places which we saw a number of, to understand the Oregon and California Emigrant Trails which was truly amazing, saw 1800's Army forts - some were astounding in the impact to settling of the American West, learned so much more about Kit Carson and who he was.  Got to see some really spectacular places like the Beartooth Highway in Montana, Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, taking a boat ride at the Gates of the Mountains in Helena, Montana, seeing Bent's Old Fort in Colorado and visiting a wonderful little town of LaJunta Colorado, I fell in love with Wapiti Valley in far western Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park,  and towards the end of the trip - learned about the Santa Fe Trail and the impact of the Spanish and Mexicans on the American settlements while we were in New Mexico.  Good times.

Miss the Sinks Hole Canyon of the Wind River Mountains - Wyoming

Just breathtaking - Wind River Mountains

This winter we do not have any special plans.  Want to do some small remodeling within the home, and of course get to know our 3 grand girls again - they are growing so fast.

This will be the last post for awhile.  If we do something/go somewhere - will alert you that there is a post for you to see.  Thanks again for coming along on our journey.

Moonrise with Saguaro cactus - love winter in Arizona!

Moved Closer to Picacho, Arizona

We moved this morning from Deming, New Mexico to Benson, Arizona.  We have stayed in this town a number of times, like the area, and decided to visit a different RV park this time - we are at Cochise Terrace RV Park.  Sitting up above the town, very quiet, and this is a 55+ park with park models and set up similar to what we stay at in Picacho.  We are here for 2 nights, will get back to our winter home this Wednesday.

We want to clean the RV really well, sanitize the fresh water tank and clean out the black and gray water tanks before we get back.  We will use tomorrow to go through all the stuff we accumulated this summer and pack up as much as we can, will make our unloading at 'home' much more easier to have a lot of the things staged.

We left Deming this morning and it looked like a mass exodus from our campground.  Everyone we talked to were heading to Yuma or Mesa Arizona for the winter and they were holding still like us to make sure the weather was good.  After Hurricane Patricia came through Mexico, we got high winds from it afterward.  Just as well we sat still.

Bye bye Escapee campground and Deming

Weird to see - mountains WAY off in the distance 

You can always spot the FAA's Lorans

Mountains right before Benson - I think they are 'messy' looking 

We always pass the ghost town of Stein

The ride is quite boring traveling along Interstate 10.  Have driven along this road a number of times now and it is boring.  Got excited as we crossed into Arizona, began to feel like we were almost home.

Just like snow storms, have to learn how to drive in dust storms
all over again

To experience a dust storm is life altering.  Very scary!!

I will update the blog one more time after we get back, summarizing the summer's travels.  Sad to see our summer adventure end but glad we are getting off the road.

Visit to Poncho Villa State Park, Columbus, New Mexico

We are just 30 miles from the border of Mexico, due south of us is Poncho Villa State Park where the State of New Mexico has set aside 60 acres as a commemoration of Villa's raid and as a gesture of goodwill between the US and Mexico.  Before dawn on March 9, 1916, Poncho Villa's troops raided the small town of Columbus, looting, setting fire to many buildings, terrorizing the town.  In answer to the raid, General Pershing and 10,000 troops descended on the town and with orders from President Wilson, to pursue and capture Villa.  Called the Punitive Expedition, Pershing spent 11 months in Mexico searching for him and his band, never capturing him.  By February 1917, orders came in to cease and the US troops returned to Columbus, New Mexico and retreated - just in time for the outbreak of World War 1 where Pershing and his troops were sent over seas.

Still disputed as to why Villa attacked

Villa in middle, Pershing on Right 1914

What is significant in this expedition is new airplanes were used as well as four-wheel drive vehicles for the first time.  And, Pershing was so taken with the mechanized vehicles that he ordered troops to quit using horses and mules, use only as command cars.  An armored truck called the Jeffery Quad was used by this army although it did not see any service during the Mexican campaign but did see service during World War 1.

The Dodge car used

The Jenny - very clumsy

Armored motor truck

Trucks

Training for Pershing and World War 1

The museum was quite impressive and supposedly there were 4 buildings left standing outside within the park, we only saw the headquarters building and also lift area where mechanical repairs were done to the vehicles.  Lots of history here, but for the small town, very depressing.  We did not see a grocery store, only one gas station, saw a post office, one Catina, the school, but wondered what people do for a living?

We leave Deming tomorrow morning and head towards Benson, Arizona.  We want to take the next 2 days to clean out and sterilize the water tanks and holding tanks.  Start sorting through our things and getting them ready to take off the RV once we get back to Picacho.  Sad our trip is over, but glad we are getting back.  It is getting a tidge cold at night but the days are very pleasant - 70.  Will post one more blog when we get back, summarizing this summer's doings.