We Liked Casa Grande...

Our primary reason for staying in Casa Grande was to visit with Carmel & Mel. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of activity at the RV Resort. This site is primarily occupied by park models - or little houses with space to park an RV if you have one. The houses are 1 or 2 bedrooms, bath, small living area & kitchen. It's a way for people to economically stay in an area for a longer period of time - like the snowbirds and not have to stay in your coach. Although I do think many no longer own an RV and live here year round. The resort has a nice ballroom and books shows from as far away as Branson. We were able to hear a few songs by the Branson Brothers - not a big name but we enjoyed their Ozark-style of music....reminded us of home. Of course, other activities are bingo, zingo, shuffleboard (can't forget shuffleboard), billiards etc. We were also impressed by the size of the town. The population is around 33,000, but it has most of the big box stores besides a decent mall with Dillards and an outlet mall. We would stay here again in the future.

We did a little sightseeing. One day we went to the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. It is one of the largest prehistoric structures in North America built by the Hohokam people and its purpose, to this day, remains a mystery. Archaeologists discovered evidence that the ancient Sonoran Desert People who built the Casa Grande ("big house") also developed irrigation farming and trade which lasted over 1000 years. The window & doorways align with the sun or moon at significant times of the year. The Hohokam devised a calendar system based on the movements of the sun and moon and incorporated that knowledge into their architecture. But to this day no one knows to what use they put this information. It was abandoned in the mid 1450's by the desert people who left no written language behind, so most historic accounts began with visits and archaeological digs journaled by American explorers as early as 1600's.


Casa Grande Ruins - part of the National Monument system


We also drove the Apache Trail. The trail is a 100 mile loop with the most beautiful scenery surrounding the Superstitious Mountains. It has been rated by Frommers as the "most scenic drive in Arizona". The views are more magnificent at each turn and the pictures really don't do it justice. We only drove 33 miles since the rest of the mountain roads are not paved and still had some standing water from the recent rains. Within that distance we stopped at the Goldfield Mines & Ghost Town - supposedly an authentic town that was booming in the late 1800's. If it truly was a real town it was awesome to walk the streets just like Matt Dillion & Miss Kitty.

We also, stopped at Tortilla Flats, a small Incorporated community that is the last surviving stagecoach stop along the Apache Trail. It is also the smallest community to have a working U.S. Post Office and voters precinct with a population of 6. Yes that is not a typo...total population is six. Currently there is a restaurant, gift shop, ice cream & candy parlour.

Another stop was at Canyon Lake & Marina were we stopped for lunch. We had to sit outside to reap the benefit of the beautiful lake but it was a little chilly...no wonder we've had 3 colds in 3 months!


Canyon Lake & Superstitious Mountains


Ate lunch at the Lakeside Restaurant overlooking Canyon Lake


Onward to Tucson...again.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Another nice day in Arizona, although the forecast is for some rain later in the week. Ron's fighting a cold....one I had a few days ago and felt obligated to share. Since he was not feeling well I met Carmel & Mel at the Casa Grande Trap Club to watch Mel practice for an upcoming tournament. I had never seen trap shooting and found it rather interesting.

We had lunch at the Cracker Barrel and agreed to meet up again the end of the month while they are in Tucson for the tournament. We will be in Tucson for the month of February.

I really like living in the RV and most of the campgrounds. And also like the opportunity to see different places and attractions. But I don't like moving everyday or even every week. So I am looking forward to our month stay in Tucson.

While at the Escapees Boot Camp last week we met a couple who sold their home in Maryland and are trying to decide if they want to do the RV thing or just relocate to a warmer climate. They too will be in Tucson and we are looking forward to meeting up with them and visiting with Carmel and Mel one more time.

Did some shopping and returned a RedBox DVD. I never was much of a movie goer...always felt there were other things I should be doing. But now that I have more time we like using RedBox to rent our movies. The rental fee is $1.00 per day but it is so convenient that we can rent them in one town and return them in another. If you like movies and haven't tried RedBox, try one...I bet you'll like it!

Hopefully Ron will feel better tomorrow, there are a few things we would still like to see while here.

Hope all is well!

Do the Q!

Since the last time I posted we "did the Q". Q being Quartzsite, Arizona. For years this little town of 3400 population, located in the southwest desert has been drawing hundreds of thousands of RVers for the Tent Show and weather. Although the numbers are less than in past years due to the economy, it is still amazing to see all the RV's parked any which way in the desert. The main draw during January is the annual Tent Show. It is one big upscale flea market. Everything an RVer could want plus vendors of rocks & minerals, antiques, homemade crafts & jewelry. If you can't find it there you probably can't find it or really don't need it. Our big purchase was an electrical power surge and monitoring system that is hardwired into the rig. We have a portable one that has limited functions and does not fit at many of the campgrounds. Ron has wanted this all along but I didn't want to spend the money. Now I'm so happy we had it installed....one less thing to have to hook up.


Thousands of tents and 100's of thousands of people.




This was the view from our front window.



This was our little piece of the desert.


Every where you looked there were pockets of RV's for miles.



One of many eateries. Ron wanted me to take a picture of this...not sure what he was trying to tell me???

We camped with a group from the RV driving school we attended in October and met a really nice couple from Laughlin, Nevada. This was Ray & Cathies' second time there and we really appreciated them showing us around. RVer's are a really unique group of people. Ray drove his Toyota Prius to the vending area, which was packed. Trying to find a place to park he drove into a soft area and got stuck. Within minutes 4 different groups stopped to help pull us out. On Sunday, we said our good-byes and Ray and Cathie pulled out before us. We got delayed trying to put the Jeep in neutral to get it ready to tow. I guess they were waiting for us at the road, and when 15-20 minutes went by and we didn't show up, they came back to see if there was a problem. I am amazed at how friendly and helpful everyone is.


This is the evening agenda. Not much more to do in Q. Two days was plenty for us!


Our new friends-Ray & Cathie. After the campfire broke up we visited over wine & snacks back at the coach.

We dry camped in Quartzite for 2 1/2 days. Dry camping being without electricity, water hook ups or sewer. After a couple of days, we were ready to leave, but did enjoy the clean, clear desert air, star filled skies and the quiet peacefulness. Others heard coyotes singing early in the morning...but we were sound asleep and missed it. Our original plans were to be there on the 21st but we kept watching the weather reports and decided to wait out a storm in Phoenix rather than drive right into it. Boy were we glad we did....a tornado hit 20 miles west of Quartzsite and the rain and wind apparently caused alot of rocking and rolling. Even the most experienced RVers' expressed their concerns. By the time we got there the rain was gone and the sun was out, although evenings around the campfire were chilly.

From Quartzsite we drove back east to an Escapees Boot Camp in Gila Bend, Arizona. The Escapees is an organization created by RVers' for RVers. They held 2 1/2 days of classes such as tire & fire safety, weight and load management, driving tips etc. Much of this was repetitious from when we attended Life On Wheels in 2008 before we bought the coach, but really made more sense this time around. We were also able to get our coach weighed axle by axle. It doesn't sound too exciting but it is very important to have the weight evenly distributed to prevent any tire issues. Quite by accident our weight is pretty well distributed. I was envisioning us getting our Weight Watchers scale out and having to pull everything out weigh it and then re-pack. Phew...dodged that bullet.


I took this picture and the next one within 10 seconds of each other. This is the moon coming up in the east in Gila Bend.



And this is the setting sun in the west.

We are now in Casa Grande, Arizona. A town of 45000 between Phoenix and Tucson. I have a dear friend who lives in Florence - 30 miles east. Carmel and her husband Mel (and their golden retriever -Bear) live 6 months in California and 6 months in Arizona. They have been RVers' for many years. They came out to the campground Friday to see the RV, then we had lunch and just caught up. Saturday we went to see their house, had lunch and talked, talked, talked. Carmel was my manager when I was a marketing rep for St. Paul Insurance. She was the best manager I had ever worked for. I learned so much from her that really helped when I because Marketing Manager a few years later.

Today is Sunday and other than Mass we are vegging-out. I went to the pool for a couple of hours while Ron took a nap in the coach.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Update from Phoenix

Arrived in Phoenix on Thursday the 14th to 70 degrees weather. I'm really not rubbing it in, but we love the hot, sunny climate. Although today and the rest of the week it is going to rain, but still in the 60's. We are staying at a site that is a 55+ plus community but I think the average age is really closer to 75. It has many "park homes" which are basically manufactured homes that are permanent residences. So far we have joined in on a pancake & sausage breakfast & wine tasting party. The people here are a hoot. We have also enjoyed their hot tub & huge indoor swimming pool, neither of which is ever crowded. They also have 4 - par 3 holes that run through the middle of the resort. The course is not in great shape but interesting.

Outside of the resort we toured the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. It is a school of 35 students studying FLW's architectural style. We like touring his houses & really enjoyed this tour of the school, his home and grounds. Like a dummy I forgot my camera. Bought a throw away one but will probably never take the time to get the pictures developed. Don't you just love digital cameras?

We can't get enough of the desert, so we spent yesterday at the Desert Botanical Gardens. We love the Missouri Botanical Gardens and although not as large this garden is equally spectacular. We didn't know their are over 2000 varieties of cacti ranging from small pincushions to 40 foot tall saguros. At the end of this post are several pictures from the garden. You'll probably be sick of cacti by the time you're finished reading this.

I guess once a realtor...always a realtor. We spent today looking at villas. One of our objectives to our RVing adventure is to research various areas where we may want to retire. Phoenix and the surrounding areas is prime for retirement type communities. We visited Sun City Grand and both felt if we were ready to settle down this could be the place. We also visited Pebble Creek where they are still building. Both are golf communities with a vast array of activities. At little pricey...but someday...maybe.















This is featured in the Wildflower Garden. We are about a month too early to really see the beauty of this part of the garden



I love herb gardens and they have a small one here.


The current exhibit at the garden are Allan Houser sculptures. They are randomly dispersed throughout the garden and add an interesting touch.



Another Allan Houser sculpture of an Apache Indian

LUSH GREEN TO DRY DESERT

We are loving this weather. It is giving us the opportunity to do so many things outside. Yesterday we played golf at The Pines in Marana, Arizona. We had a hard time concentrating on the game with such beautiful scenery around us...good excuse for our not so good scores-huh? The front nine holes are a links design typical of the courses we are use to. But the back nine holes are cut out of a canyon, requiring more precise shots and less forgiving. These pictures are a few of the back nine holes.







Today we took a 2.5 hour, 23 mile guided tour into the Sonora Desert on ATV’s. We are still amazed by the size of the cactus and the beauty of the arid desert terrain. The cactus were enormous, the trail was rough and the day was amazing...we had a great time. We are hoping to be back in the spring during the blooming season.





Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Sunny Tucson

Front entrance of San Xavier del Bac Mission


Known as the Sistine Chapel of the North due to its ornate ceiling paintings and original murals.

Started our first full day in sunny Tucson by attending Mass at Mission San Xavier del Bac Mission. It is one of a trail of missions starting in Mexico in the 1600's and is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona. It is an active Franciscan mission located on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation and primarily serves the tribal members. As it turned out not only is it a church where we could celebrate Mass but a National Historic Landmark. So we attended Mass and toured at the same time. It is known as the White Dove of the Desert because of its architecture blends of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance influences.


Very ornate alter



Hand carved wooden Nativity Scene. You can see a strong Indian influence in this artwork.

A long line formed after Mass at one of the side alters, so we had to see what was going on. A wooden replica of San Xavier lays on a platform covered by a blanket with only his head exposed. The tradition is to rub his forehead then lift his head a couple of times. Although we weren't exactly sure what the appropriate procedure was or the purpose, we followed the proceeding parishioners and said a prayer. Seems a bit pagonist but sure the intent is good.



The complex consists of a museum, plaza where the natives were selling Friedbread, a thick tortilla, fried then filled with your choice of beans, cheese etc, or sugar & cinnamon as a dessert.

We are still in awe of the arid plants native to this area.


Mission grounds.


Ron getting stuck by a cactus. I hope he was just joking. Ron's 6'1" and is dwarfed by the plant.

At the top of a rocky hill stands a white cross marked with graffiti and signatures. The hill is meant as a religious/ceremonial sacred place to the people of the area and is known as Grotto Hill. No we did not climb the rocks to the top but did walk the path.


Grotto Hill. Over 200,000 visitors come each year, so it is hard to get a clear picture without people in the foreground.

After we left the mission we had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant-Little Mexico. We have had more Mexican food in the last 2 months than we have had in 2 years...it kind of grows on you.

Had to stock up on supplies at Office Max then relaxed the rest of the day and evening.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Brrrrrrr I want Sun

When we woke up yesterday morning the front of our coach was 47 degrees. I guess our newly repaired furnace really has not been repaired. We will have to find an RV dealer or repair shop at our next extended location.

Our original plan was to take it slow and make one more stop in Lordsburg NM before entering Arizona, but we are so tired of the cold weather that we drove through and arrived in Tucson around 4:00 pm yesterday. The predicted temperatures this week are in the high 60's - mid 70's and the low in the 40's. We can tolerate that!

Found another nice RV resort with swimming pool (that is actually open), hottub, putting green, catch & release pond(which we won't use), nice lounge and library. The front desk where you check in looks like a hotel.

We are staying here 5 days and then will travel to Phoenix for a week. We have our travel set up for the month of January and are thinking about coming back here the month of February. Haven't decided yet. Getting ready for Mass.

Hope all is well.

Joan & Ron