Simple Little Things

Weather 85, sunny, clear.  Night 52. 
The RV park we are currently in is an older, smaller, many snowbird park models.  The location of the park is perfect to explore the greater Tucson area.  It is not inside the urban center so driving about is much much easier and enjoyable.  There are no big pull thru sites, in fact the sites that you back in to are in our standard a bit small and tight for us.  However; we have met the nicest people.  So friendly.  Today we were enjoying a lazy day and we took notice of a few things that we have really enjoyed here.   Besides the people, which is a huge part of feeling welcome, here are a few little things as corny as they may seem.

no one in the pool at 11 am when i went for a dip after my walk

a scale in the washrooms, we don't have one in the coach

quaint little spanish garden alcove at the rec center

a place to hang your fitted sheet while the rest of your clothes are in the dryer

So the moral to my note today is that don't pass up the older parks for the newer supersized parks.  Each has it's own advantages and personalities that you will enjoy.

From Fort to Art Colony

Feb 26/16 Weather 88 sunny, clear. Night 48.  Ditto, ditto, ditto.  Everyday it is the same.  Beautiful dry weather. 

bejewelled bovine skull

pottery galore

stained glass outdoor flowers

jeweled cutlery

Meandering down the old Mission Road we stayed off the interstate that takes you to the Mexican border town of Nogales.  We stopped short at a small village called Tubac.  In 1752 the Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac was established as the first Spanish built fortress in what is known today as Arizona.  It was put in place to protect the colonists from the Apache Indians.  Late in the 19th century the fort was decommissioned.  The settlement is best known today as an "artist colony".  The artwork is wonderful Southwestern flair.  Pots, jewelry, paintings, food, yard art, woven blankets and other interesting artifacts.

Billy and Rosey all rusted up!

handmade hammock

intricate dolls

Sonora Desert Museum

Feb 24/16  Weather 79 sunny, a bit of wind, cold tonight 42.  There is that desert weather again.  Wow what a swing in temps during 24 hours.   Can't get over the consistent sky - it is a big long yawning blue background.  It just seems to swallow you in, it is so bright and clear everyday!

Just to show you not everything in life is perfect.   This saguaro has not been able to grow his arms!

How can something so picky have such a beautiful bloom?

Orange mallows have such a bright happy colour

Just a few miles from the RV Park is the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  I guess Museum in this instance is a catch all for - artist work, gallery, zoo, botanical gardens, cafe, restaurant, theatre, aquarium, aviary, mineral and gem showcase.    Everything native to the Arizona Sonora Desert. 

southwest native hand woven blankets

 Most of it is outdoors, along 2 miles or more of walking paths.  The flowers of the desert are what catch our eye the most.  The beauty against the barren, sandy, rocky landscape seems to pop out at you.  Such a stark contrast.  We enjoy a good part of the day here walking the trail and taking in the exhibits. 

mineral and gem showcase = all arizona found

Mount Lemmon - Sky Island Scenic Drive

Feb 22/16  Weather high of 74, a bit windy, sunny.  10 degrees cooler than we have seen in two weeks, apparently this is closer to normal.  It's going to be much cooler where we are headed today too!!! We expect to see snow, and we did. 

View of Tucson below as we climb the mountain

Tucson is surrounded by mountain ranges and the highest is Mount Lemmon, where snow skiing exists.  The mountain gets up to 200 inches of snow per year on average. 

on top of mount lemmon

It's hard to believe you could be sun bathing by the pool and an hour later be up to the top of the peak which is about 9,100 feet and skiing.  Little chalet town of Summerhaven!  To get to the slopes you take The Catalina Hwy also known as the Sky Island Scenic Byway.  The name comes from the analogy of these mountains being like islands of forest in a sea of desert........ Well ok???  I guess.

catalina hwy snaking its way through the mountains

  Regardless it is a beautiful 27 mile ride.  It takes a winding route through the Santa Catalina Mountains and has some rapid gain in elevation with numerous switchbacks.  Oh yes, it is definitely a motorcycle road.  What blows you away is how many serious bicyclists you will see on this trek to the top and they are going at times up to 50 mph on the way down!!!

hoodoos  by the road

 This was a favourite spot for Lance Armstrong to train with the US team for their Tour De France.  As we passed several bicyclists we were in awe how fit someone must be to complete this climb and endurance.  Amazing athletes! 

many serious bicyclists use Mount Lemmon for training

To the skies and then to The Universe

Feb 20/16  Weather clear, sunny, high 85. Low 49.  The weather is consistently sunny and clear.  Ideal climate especially for the place we are riding to today.
We started with lunch at Todd's Restaurant on Ryan Airfield.   What a unique setting, over 220 small aircraft based out of Ryan.   Our booth sat right on the window while the many small planes came and went.  Saturday morning seemed to be an active time for the airport.

our view for lunch,,, a real old time aircraft just coming in

The Kitt Peak National Observatory.  From Tucson the astronomical observatory is about 55 miles west in the Quinlan Mountains/Sonoran Desert on Tohono O'odham Nation land.

approaching the summit of Kitt's Peak, you can see about 8 scopes

 The observatory is the largest most diverse gathering of astronomical instruments in the the world with 24 optical and two radio telescopes. In 1958 scientists chose Kitt Peak after a 3 year study of over 150 mountain ranges in the United States.  It is leased from the Tohono O'odham Nation for as long as it is used for scientific research only.  The list of Universities that use Kitt are a mile long, well at least big enough to fill this impressive sign.

25 Universities listed in the Association to use Kitt

We were able to take a guided tour around the top of the observatory area and our docent took us into the 4 meter Mayall telescope that is now funded by the US Department of Energy.

4 meter mayall scope

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument will chart out the role of dark energy in the expansion history of the universe. To carry out its mission, DESI will measure the red shifts of more than 30 million galaxies and quasars and create a map of the universe out to a distance of 10 billion light years.   Are you geeked out yet?   The young fellow informed us of this and so much more.  We are ready for the next episode of Big Bang!!!!!!  excellent tour, oh and the ride up Kitt's Peak is 12 miles to hovering at 7000 feet, breathtaking views on the Harley:)

Saguaro National Park - West

Feb 19/16 Weather 83, night warm about 58 a bit of cloud coverage keeping the warmth in.   Just a few miles northwest of our RV park is the entrance to the Saguaro National Park - West.  

Rosey and Billy sitting in Saguaro Nat'l Park

riding thru the National Park

The park preserves the desert landscape, fauna and flora contained within two park sections, one east and the other west of Tucson. The park was established to protect its namesake—the giant saguaro cactus.

in the distance about 30 miles on the far left peak is Kitts Peak Observatory

 What is most unusual is that the National Park is actually split in physical location by the Tucson urban center.  Coyotes, mountain lion, bobcat, javelina, road runner, jack rabbits and quail are just a few of the animals that call this park home.   
Since our RV park is close to the mountains we heard some wild life the other night.   About 4 a.m. both of us woke up from the howling.  First one howl then another answering the howling and eventually it sounded like a pack.  Coyotes.  They were most likely roaming the area and not nearly as close as they sounded. 

A Mission and A Missile

Feb 18/16 Weather 83 today, not as hot as the sky is overcast.  Good for riding without getting burnt to a crisp.  There are two sites we are visiting today that are  extremes to each other, peace in a Mission and war in a Missile.

White Dove of the Desert

 Mission San Xavier del Bac, also know as the White Dove of the Desert was founded by the Catholic in 1692; although the current church was built between 1783 and 1797.  Still pretty old for North America, in fact it is the oldest European structure in Arizona.  Beautiful.  The amazing thing is that today it is still being used for its original purpose of administering religious needs to its parishioners, regular masses and weddings and baptisms are held.   Extensive restorations are on going and they have been using the original mortar recipe that includes water and cactus and sand.  A visit here feels very peaceful.

entering into the church, splendid old wooden pews

look how small the side doors into the church are, Billy is 6 foot

About 20 miles south in the town of Green Valley is the opposite attraction.  At the Titan Missile Museum, we take a  journey through time to stand on the front line of the Cold War.

in 1961 Nuclear War was a threat

Titan II Missile = decommissioned

This preserved Titan II missile site, officially known as complex 571-7, is all that remains of the 54 Titan II missile sites that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987. Did you know there were 54?  18 here in the Tucson area, 18 in Wichita Kansas and 18 in Little Rock Arkansas.  Able to launch from its underground silo in just 58 seconds, the Titan II was capable of delivering a 9-megaton nuclear warhead to targets more than 6300 miles (10,000 km) away in about 30 minutes.  All sites were decommissioned, and this site is a National Historic Landmark.    "Peace by Determent" was the United States plan.  Scary..... the tour takes you down into the silo's where 4 man crews staffed the missile and were on alert to launch the missile/nuclear bomb.  The sites had a longevity of 20 years!!!  We left here thinking what could have been, and thankful it did not.

The Command Center to Push the Button

Tucson Mountains State Park

Feb 17/16  Sunny, temp up to 92.  We did a short ride from the RV park into town using the scenic road through the Tucson Mountains State Park.  The hills are speckled with Saguaro Cacti.  These cactus grow up to 70 feet and are hundreds of years old.  Everyone knows the Southwest symbol of these cactus,  thanks to the Old El Paso brand products.  Did you know that not 1 natural grown Saguaro grows within 250 miles of El Paso, Texas?   The Saguaro is indigenous to the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona.  Hmmm.  So next time you buy that jar of salsa you will be thinking about that....

Gates Pass Road thru the Park

The road through Gates Pass was started in 1883 by Thomas Gates, in a search for a shortcut through the mountains.  Gates was a local pioneer, and a saloon and ranch keeper, he purchased the land in order to build this road.   Funny this seems to be a theme across the United States, if you want it you just buy it.

Saguaro Cactus adorn the landscape around this southwest style home in the mountains

There is a cool place to stop just outside the entrance on Kinney Road called Coyote Pause.  A spot to eat and several artists shops, which carry about 55 local artists work. 

artist crosses

woven baskets

350 days of sunshine - Tucson, Arizona

Feb 16/16 Weather 88, night 48.  And tomorrow 91.  A scorching day in the desert yet 51 at night.  The day to night change flabbergasts us; even though we have been in the desert climate 3 out of our 5 winters.   The first year out we bought an electric blanket since the previous owner had warned us about visiting the desert, "hot days and cold nights" she said.  

our temp is reading close to 100F  but its a dry heat right?

Watch out for Rattlesnakes,,,,, are you kidding me???  i hate snakes

We made a long days travel from Casa Grande to Tucson.  Ha ha, no we didn't!  60 miles.  Crazy you say?  Well we just like to move a little closer to the riding area for the motorcycle.  When we do a round trip run that cuts 2 or 3 hours out of the ride.  Yes, now you see how we think. 
There are many campgrounds around Tucson and we chose Western Way RV Resort, which is out of the urban area.   Tucson boasts 350 days of sunshine!  Well it was pretty hot the first couple days we moved into our site. 

beautiful flowering vine

Where does the time go?

Weather is too perfect!  I guess it's Groundhog Day everyday.    Sunny. 83 high, night 50, last 5 days the same.  We have enjoyed lounging around the Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort, then we realized it's Wednesday .... (Billy refilled his pill box so we know what day it is) and thought let's go for a ride on the Harley.   We didn't go anywhere in particular but we did stop at Val Vista RV Park to see if any friends we made 5 years ago are still there.  Yes a few are and we had a fun time catching up with Darlene and Herman.   When we came back we sat out and watched this fellow flying over and over the park!!! That's one way to get around.

And wouldn't you know there is a resident Hot Air Balloon !  

Arizona RVing at its finest

Feb 6 to 16/16. Weather is better than we can hope for .... What a 10 day forecast!!!!

We have come to Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort in Casa Grande to tryout the place on a weekly special and then a few days after to make a 10 day stay.  Very impressive and definitely a resort atmosphere.  There are 2000 sites, it's a mini city!  Our spot is gravel with a concrete pad and a double size lot, so room to park the coach, a cement pad and then beside it a spot for a vehicle.   You have lots of room.  

We walked around tonight and could not believe the beautiful amenities.  Separate rooms and buildings for  Pottery, woodworking, lapidary, silversmithing, sewing, ballroom, activity rooms, bistro, exercise rooms, pools, hot tubs, pickleball, baseball, golf course, storage area, and a calendar full of activities.   Ok. We are a bit overwhelmed looking at what it has to offer.  It reminds us of The Villages in Forida on a tiny scale.... If you have been there you will understand!!

Ramblin on West

Feb 4 in Fort Stockton, Texas and Feb 5 in Las Cruces, New Mexico

Just before Fort Stockton

The weather is cool about 60, clear sky and sunny.   Great for driving.  Nights have been cold.  We are not hooking up our water hose,, it will freeze for sure.  Both nights had temps at 26 for about 6 hours.   Both places are over 3,000 feet and temps drop 30 degrees and more in the desert.  Brrr.   We have our bed preheated by our electric blanket and keeping us toasty all night.  The interstate 10 gives vistas that look like a 100 miles away in every direction.  Nothing.  Very few towns and less truck stops for diesel.  Just   Tumbleweed.  Cactus.  Rocks.  Plateaus.   Buttes.   Wide open country.  

Big pickers on these cactus

We plan our stop in Texas at Fort Stockton RV Park (old KOA)  rather than Van Horn.  1000 feet less elevation, so it will not be as cold at night.  And they have a great little cafe in the campground with good home cooked meals.   We wish more campgrounds had a little cafe, you meet others from the park and always lots of good stories to trade.

View from our campsite at Lac Cruces is really pretty

Las Cruces KOA is at 4000 feet but we checked the forecast and its going to be about the same as Fort Stockton at night.  Definitely have to check this, some campers at the Cafe in F.S. told us the night before it was down to 18 !!!!!   I am a Weather Watcher.  Al Roker is my best friend:)
We would love to stay in Las Cruces for a week and ride, there is quite a bit of beautiful scenery but the forecast is just a tad to cold for us, even with all our leathers on.  Maybe in the Spring, we can always come back this way.