I forgot how much I love flying. As we're loading the plane, they made an announcement that there was a mechanical problem. So, we all go back to the gate. After awhile, the pilot comes out and tells us that basically they're not sure if they can fix it. Soon, we're told we need to go to another gate. Once there the guy at the desk announces that he doesn't know anything and no one told him we were coming to this gate and don't ask him when we're leaving.
Actually, he said this in a very entertaining way. We were laughing by the end of it. Plus, I ended up speaking to a couple of people on the plane who went to college at Ohio Northern at the same time as I did. I knew one of them somewhat and knew the other's father who was a professor. It's always a good time reminiscing about classes, college life, and bars.
After 1-1/2 hours, we finally were on our way. The fun of flying!
One other quick story...I brought my GPS with me. As I'm driving, the GPS mount fell off the window. I finished my drive to the hotel hearing the voice of the GPS lady coming from the floor, Rather cool.
John and Cindy's adventures while full-timing in an RV.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Back to work
I'm traveling this week on business again.
By the way, besides counting states, we've been highlighting the national parks and memorials we've seen on a list you can see at the bottom of the page ("National Parks Visited"). For this list we're including ones we've visited in other trips but where we both visited the park. So, going with our son's 8th grade class to Washington D.C. added quite a few parks and memorials. At this point we're only at 58 out of 436 (or something like that).
The United States sure has lots to see!
By the way, besides counting states, we've been highlighting the national parks and memorials we've seen on a list you can see at the bottom of the page ("National Parks Visited"). For this list we're including ones we've visited in other trips but where we both visited the park. So, going with our son's 8th grade class to Washington D.C. added quite a few parks and memorials. At this point we're only at 58 out of 436 (or something like that).
The United States sure has lots to see!
Spelunking
Sunday we went to Coronado Cave. It's near where Coronado traveled from Mexico City into the United States. The story is that Apache's hid out here. Maybe Geronimo. Either way, it's a cool cave to visit. You first climb up a steep 1/2 mile trail (we're getting tired of these steep trails!). Then you climb down some rocks into the cave. The neat part is there is no guide, just bring your flashlight and explore. Even though there were 2 other groups of people in the cave, we rarely could see their flashlights or hear them. 
We've been seeing lots of areas with fires. The walk up to the cave was like this. After the cave we drove to Montezuma Pass. After you drive some switchback roads that scared me to death (I am very frightened of heights), you then walk up another path to the peak. Some of the signs on this path had been melted due to the fire.
By the way, the pass is near the Mexico border (you can see it from the top). So, on the right of this picture is a border patrol truck watching.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Tumacacori Mission
Over the last month or so, we've seen a lot of missions. At each one we get a little different history and learn more. One thing that has struck me was how many Native Americans died due to diseases like smallpox and measles. One museum mentioned in at least one area only 1 in 7 people lived through the epidemics that hit when Europeans starting visiting the Americas!
At this mission there was a lot of discussion of the politics and fighting between different people. There were 3 different cultures of Native Americans: Pimas (or O'odham) from this area, Yaqui from the south, and Apaches from the North. The Apaches were more warlike and attacked the mission several times. Even the priests were political in some ways. The mission was started by Jesuits in 1691. In 1767, King Charles felt threaten by the Jesuits, recalled them all, imprisoned them, and then later exiled them. The Franciscans were assigned to run the missions after that. Why can't we all just be friends!
At this mission there was a lot of discussion of the politics and fighting between different people. There were 3 different cultures of Native Americans: Pimas (or O'odham) from this area, Yaqui from the south, and Apaches from the North. The Apaches were more warlike and attacked the mission several times. Even the priests were political in some ways. The mission was started by Jesuits in 1691. In 1767, King Charles felt threaten by the Jesuits, recalled them all, imprisoned them, and then later exiled them. The Franciscans were assigned to run the missions after that. Why can't we all just be friends!
Arizona Details
One thing that is different in Arizona is the cattle guards. You drive over them whenever you go onto the highway along with seeing them frequently while driving along back roads. In case you haven’t seen a cattle guard (yes, eastern people don’t often see them), they are bars that cross the road. Cattle don’t like (or maybe can’t) walk over them. The openings are large enough that the hooves would pass through the opening but are OK for cars to drive over them. It also rattles the vehicle when you drive over them.
We’re still being stopped at border crossings 30 miles from Mexico. Again…I wouldn’t want to pass through this every day to work. On the right you see a line of vehicles. I'm not sure if these are the cars of the people that work there or the cars that will go after you if they don't like you. But it's scary!
The weather has been fun. Overnight it drops below freezing most of the time. By the middle of the day we’re seeing 70’s F. In the sun we’re seeing 110’s. So, I have to start the day with warm clothes then switch into cooler clothes as it warms up. Not a bad problem to have!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Star Struck
I've grown up hearing about the Whipple Observatory. The full name of the place is Mount Hopkins Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. The Crab Nebula was first detected here using their gamma-ray dishes. Numerous supernova and quasars have been identified and now the observatory is discovering planets circling other stars.
We noticed a white spot on the top of a nearby peak when we first moved into the RV park. It's the building for the main 6.5 meter mirrored telescope. The telescope was 12 miles away (much longer by road).
Another cool thing here was a petroglyph they found during construction.
We noticed a white spot on the top of a nearby peak when we first moved into the RV park. It's the building for the main 6.5 meter mirrored telescope. The telescope was 12 miles away (much longer by road).
There are 4 gamma-ray reflectors around the administrative and visitor center. These detect secondary radiation from gamma rays. The gamma rays may come from black holes, supernovae, and quasars. Pretty cool!
Another cool thing here was a petroglyph they found during construction.Thursday, January 26, 2012
Spanish and Native History
We visited a presidio this afternoon. A presidio is a Spanish garrison to protect land and their missions. There isn't much left of the actual buildings, but it's interesting to see the archeological dig at the site. The state park also had buildings and items from different time periods.
This an old mining design that breaks up silver ore for further processing. Animals or people rotated the turnstile and the rocks hanging from the arms broke up the rocks into smaller pieces.
The museum covered all different eras both inside and outside the building. There was a leather section, a wood shop, a kitchen, and this, a reconstruction of a Spanish soldiers family room.
The museum covered all different eras both inside and outside the building. There was a leather section, a wood shop, a kitchen, and this, a reconstruction of a Spanish soldiers family room.
I loved the grindstones they had. Cool design. Reminds me of a galaxy.
I'm back!
The first part of the week was a short business trip. But that still leaves the end of the week to sight see.
We visited the nearby town of Tubac. It's been an artists colony for over 50 years. Walking down the streets is like walking through an art gallery. There was a great store selling some gorgeous rocks. Other stores had lots of outdoor art that you could put in your garden at home (if you have a home that isn't an RV). These flowers don't have to be watered and look great all year round.
And, who doesn't need a mariachi band or a javelina (something similar to wild pig) in your yard?
We visited the nearby town of Tubac. It's been an artists colony for over 50 years. Walking down the streets is like walking through an art gallery. There was a great store selling some gorgeous rocks. Other stores had lots of outdoor art that you could put in your garden at home (if you have a home that isn't an RV). These flowers don't have to be watered and look great all year round.
And, who doesn't need a mariachi band or a javelina (something similar to wild pig) in your yard?
The prices are just great. This one was only $186,400. If anyone wants it, you can send the money to us and we'll buy it for you!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Taking a break to work
We've left Tombstone and are staying south of Tucson. I've got a business meeting near Phoenix this week then will be flying for another trip next week. While I'm gone, John will do some small jobs on the RV plus do some relaxing.
The RV park where we are now is called an RV resort. There's some controversy over the term 'resort' since it means different things to different people. This one does seem like a resort. It's actually located at the site of a old greyhound racing track. The clubhouse for the resort is the track clubhouse and is huge (it's the big building in the picture). The 38,000 sq. ft. building has a big pool, hot tub, dining room, library, 2 pianos, shuffleboard, billiard room, laundry room, exercise room, showers, a wood shop, and several miscellaneous rooms both finished and unfinished. We should be able to find something to do here!
The RV park where we are now is called an RV resort. There's some controversy over the term 'resort' since it means different things to different people. This one does seem like a resort. It's actually located at the site of a old greyhound racing track. The clubhouse for the resort is the track clubhouse and is huge (it's the big building in the picture). The 38,000 sq. ft. building has a big pool, hot tub, dining room, library, 2 pianos, shuffleboard, billiard room, laundry room, exercise room, showers, a wood shop, and several miscellaneous rooms both finished and unfinished. We should be able to find something to do here!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tombstone Stories and Pictures
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| Bartender at Big Nose Kate's Saloon |
We met this lady later at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. She’s an Army pilot and decided to visit Tombstone for the afternoon. Good conversation.
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| Street Entertainment at Tombstone |
I thought this was a cute picture.
Fight at the OK Corral
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| Earp Brothers |
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| Street Fight at Tombstone |
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| Fight at OK Corral |
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| Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury , and Frank McLaury |
Also in the OK Corral area is a small town to display and explain town life. It included different surreys and buggies. By the way, the signs there gave a story of the derivation of the term buggy. The buggy was a smaller and faster vehicle at that time. It was so fast that dead bugs built up on the front. Probably not true, but funny.
One part that was fascinating was a discussion of ‘soiled doves’, their name for prostitutes. There were pictures of some of the ladies and a discussion of the different levels of prostitute depending on how many times sheets were changed every night, how much they were paid, and how many men they entertained every night (up to 80!!!).
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Out West in Tombstone
Today was a busy day visiting several attractions in Tombstone. One thing I love, we're in an RV park that is in town so we can just walk to everything. It's a little tiring by late afternoon, but that's OK.
We started by going to Wyatt Earp Theater. It's a small theater with just 5 actors reenacting several famous gunfights in Tombstone. It made the rest of the day more interesting since we knew more about the names and circumstances of several people who killed or were killed in Tombstone.
Following that, we went to Boot Hill Cemetery. Very interesting. There were a lot of "Killed", "Shot", "Shot Playing Cards", "Suicide", "Legally Hung", and "Hung" people. Some were even marked as "Lynched" and "Hung by Mistake". The picture is one of the most famous, not because Lester Moore was famous as a Wells Fargo station agent but because of the saying on the marker "Four slugs from a 44. No les no more"
Several of the markers listed who had killed them. Several people might be killed by the same guy then you find that guy buried in the next row. Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, and Tom McLaury were the cowboys shot during the OK Corral fight and are buried here. Plus, there's a Jewish section and a Chinese section.
Our next stop was the museum at the Courthouse. Lots of items from the early days of Tombstone and more information on people discussed during the reenactments or at Boot Hill . They also had information on silver mining in the area. This was a reproduction of the gallows used for several hangings.
We started by going to Wyatt Earp Theater. It's a small theater with just 5 actors reenacting several famous gunfights in Tombstone. It made the rest of the day more interesting since we knew more about the names and circumstances of several people who killed or were killed in Tombstone.
Following that, we went to Boot Hill Cemetery. Very interesting. There were a lot of "Killed", "Shot", "Shot Playing Cards", "Suicide", "Legally Hung", and "Hung" people. Some were even marked as "Lynched" and "Hung by Mistake". The picture is one of the most famous, not because Lester Moore was famous as a Wells Fargo station agent but because of the saying on the marker "Four slugs from a 44. No les no more"
Several of the markers listed who had killed them. Several people might be killed by the same guy then you find that guy buried in the next row. Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, and Tom McLaury were the cowboys shot during the OK Corral fight and are buried here. Plus, there's a Jewish section and a Chinese section.
Our next stop was the museum at the Courthouse. Lots of items from the early days of Tombstone and more information on people discussed during the reenactments or at Boot Hill . They also had information on silver mining in the area. This was a reproduction of the gallows used for several hangings.
We finished the day at Crystal Palace. The saloon has the original bar plus saloon ladies dressed appropriately. By the way, we've learned there were over 100 saloons and over 3000 registered 'working' ladies during Tombstone's hey day. Good times!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Free at last!
The last part for the RV came in this morning. The repair shop quickly installed it, did some checks, and we were on our way. The RV motor has never sounded so good.
We're staying for a few days in Tombstone. Tombstone is all touristy, but we can't come all the way to Arizona without seeing the shootout at OK corral. There's lots of people in costume wandering around the streets. Today we just walked around town to figure out where we want to go later this week plus look through some of the stores. And, we stopped in for beer and sarsaparilla at Big Nose Kate's Saloon. I won't say who drank what. Thanks, Ed, for recommending this place!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Fort Bowie
Today we drove out to Fort Bowie. This is pronounced boo-ee. It’s named after a Colonel George Washington Bowie, not Jim Bowie. The famous Chiricahua Apaches Cochise and Geronimo lived and fought in this area. The story we heard was that the soldiers falsely accused Cochise of kidnapping a white boy. Cochise was able to escape, but the soldiers took hostages. Things escalated with more hostages taken and then killed. The hostilities continued for 11 years. The fort was built to protect an important pass and spring from the Apaches.
This was a great place to visit. First you have to drive 13 miles out on a small road. Then you park and walk 1-1/2 miles over hills and along washes to get to the fort. Along the way there are lots of signs giving you the history of the area. You see ruins of a Butterfield Coach station (a trail from St. Louis to San Francisco), the spring, and places where different attacks occurred. We only saw 5 cars in the parking lot. With the long walk and secluded area only 10,000 or so people make it out to the fort. So we feel like we accomplished something!
This was a great place to visit. First you have to drive 13 miles out on a small road. Then you park and walk 1-1/2 miles over hills and along washes to get to the fort. Along the way there are lots of signs giving you the history of the area. You see ruins of a Butterfield Coach station (a trail from St. Louis to San Francisco), the spring, and places where different attacks occurred. We only saw 5 cars in the parking lot. With the long walk and secluded area only 10,000 or so people make it out to the fort. So we feel like we accomplished something!
Geronimo’s son was one who was kidnapped and died. He is buried in the fort cemetery.
Still in Willcox
Staying at the repair shop went pretty well last night. Kind of bizarre, but I slept well. Every morning and every afternoon hundreds (or maybe thousands?) of cranes and other birds fly from one spot to another. The picture is just one arrow of cranes but you can see lots of these cross the sky. The area has a large population of birds who winter here.
After we returned from a day of sightseeing, we found that the RV needs one more part to get this gas problem fixed. This time the RV is assembled enough for us to drive it to the RV park. So, we're still in town but back in our RV park with internet and cable.
We saw this house in a nearby town. Very cool!
Life at a Repair Shop
Good news and bad news. The bad news is that the fuel pump didn’t arrive today and the total repair is going to cost big bucks (some of this cost includes basic maintenance on our RV). The good news is that we save the price of one night at an RV park since we can’t drive anywhere so we’re staying in our RV at the repair shop overnight. Full-timing is an adventure. When else can you do an overnighter at a repair shop?
We were hoping to do some sightseeing while the work was being done, but it was a rainy day. Instead, we could be in the RV while they are working underneath plus we did a little wandering around town. Between the fact it’s off-season and it’s Martin Luther King today, there wasn’t much to see that was open. But, hey, the McDonald’s was hopping!
The repair shop has been nice and gave us a 110V cord so we can watch a few movies on our DVD and power the refrigerator, so it’s better than basic boondocking.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Chiricahua
It's taken me awhile to figure it out, but it's pronounced cheer-i-cow-ah, which to me sounds like the creature Chupacabra. Anyhow, today we went to Chiricahua National Monument. The park is full of columns and pillars and balanced rocks. Many of them have names like Sea Captain and Organ Pipe Formation. There's a scenic drive along with several excellent hikes. We took one to the bottom of Echo Canyon.
By the way, I need to remember to check the battery on my camera before I leave for a place like this. It took about an hour to get to the highest point in the park with a stunning view. I took a few pictures and then the camera showed low battery. Oops!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Mechanical Difficulties in Arizona
Recently we had the "Check Engine" light go on. We've been planning on bringing it in when we were somewhere for a week. Then, over the last few days the gas mileage was extremely poor (luckily John was watching!). Well, we brought it in today and it looks like we need a new gas pump. So, we have to stay over the weekend. The pump should be in on Monday and we can get it fixed then. We can also get the oil changed since it's time for that too.
Luckily, we were planning on staying at a local RV park over the weekend so it really isn't much of a delay. Plus, we can stay in the RV this weekend. On Monday we can either stay in the RV or do some sightseeing in the area. As far as the cost, if we don't fix it, we'll be paying much more in gas so it's not like we have a choice.
At the bottom of the blog, we have a link to the states and the national parks we've visited. With Arizona we're now at 25 states with the RV. Wahoo!
Luckily, we were planning on staying at a local RV park over the weekend so it really isn't much of a delay. Plus, we can stay in the RV this weekend. On Monday we can either stay in the RV or do some sightseeing in the area. As far as the cost, if we don't fix it, we'll be paying much more in gas so it's not like we have a choice.
At the bottom of the blog, we have a link to the states and the national parks we've visited. With Arizona we're now at 25 states with the RV. Wahoo!
City of Rocks
Last night was at the City of Rocks State Park. It’s bizarre. You drive for miles in a wide open area wondering where the park might be. Finally, you go over a hill and see a group of rocks with a few buildings and RV’s nearby. It doesn’t look like much from the hill. Again, the RV's are the white spots in the center of the picture.
No more rain or snow, but it’s been very cold, especially at night. The stars are just fantastic at this park. We were far enough away from a town and had clear skies so visibility was great. However, we could only stay outside for a short time given the cold. I’d love to come back when it’s warmer. They even have a small observatory here.
I’m realizing that there is a strong correlation between internet service and cool things to see and write about. We get internet (and cell phone) service when we’re in RV parks that tend to be in towns with things like museums to see. The state and national parks don’t have service but have more adventuresome places to see. That’s when you see a backlog of postings on this blog.
Once you start walking and climbing the rocks, it’s much bigger. Supposedly there’s a path through the rocks, but it’s hard to follow plus making your own path is more fun. Seeing the rocks is a Rorschach test. Some look like faces, snowmen, birds, or things too inappropriate to mention.
The park calls the rock below a snail. Online I’ve seen it called toilet rock (the bowl and tank behind it). I guess you can decide. The non-electric sites allow you to camp right in the rock area. That’s our RV there.
No more rain or snow, but it’s been very cold, especially at night. The stars are just fantastic at this park. We were far enough away from a town and had clear skies so visibility was great. However, we could only stay outside for a short time given the cold. I’d love to come back when it’s warmer. They even have a small observatory here.
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