We began the year with thanks to God and the angels for the smooth transition into the year 2000. We were sitting in the APPLE when we heard a loud rap on the side of our rig. We quickly jumped up to see what had made the noise. There was no one around, but we think the angels just wanted to get our attention. As we looked around a rainbow appeared, and it reminded us that we always move forward with God's love, guidance and blessings. What a wonderful way to start the New Year!
We had a lot of fun in our remaining time at Benson. We continued to play 'catch up' with Ron and Sandy Hunter. Ron's favorite game is Password, and we had managed to find him a revised edition for Christmas. We played several games and laughed a lot in the process. Our new friends, and fellow Horizons owners, Graham and Virginia Taylor, taught us to play Mexican Train (a dominoes game). We enjoyed learning and know we'll have plenty of opportunities to play it along the road.
Ron loves to shoot pool and was asked to participate in an exhibition tournament. A young professional player from the area was the challenger in the tournament. Ron made some great shots and had a lot of fun, too.
One morning Sandy, Ron, Tom & I got up early and headed over to Kartchner Caverns--Arizona's newest State Park. We arrived at 7 am to get a chance at the few non-reserved spots on the tours. We were fortunate to get on a tour at 10:40am. The Kartchner Caverns are living caves which means that the formations are still developing. The state of Arizona has done a wonderful job of minimizing impact on the caverns while opening them to the public. There are two air lock doors to help maintain the moisture in the caverns--an essential component of the cave's ecosystem. Remarkable formations rose from the floors and clung to the ceilings and walls. It was definitely worth the wait for the tour. The exhibits in the Visitor Center were extremely well done, and we enjoyed the movie about the caverns, their discovery and development. I would recommend this stop to anyone who is going to be in southeastern Arizona.
About an hour south of Benson is the historic mining town of Bisbee, AZ. The town is perched on the steep hillsides and has a character of its own. The Queen (Copper) Mine was a significant mining operation. The Lavender Pit has an overlook where you can view the scars on the earth up close. Turquoise was also plentiful here (as it frequently is near copper deposits), and you can purchase 'Bisbee Blue' stones and jewelry throughout the town.
A unique motel in Bisbee is Shady Dell, adjacent to Dot's Diner which is a real classic. The motel offers lodging in classic trailers from the late 40's and early 50's. Each RV is decorated with authentic items from those eras. The manager was kind enough to let us take a peek in several of these unique units. We were surprised how comfortable these old units seemed to be. (Of course, I'll still take the comforts of the APPLE anyday!)
While we were in Bisbee we met with Julia Ingram, one of the wonderful co-authors of the book "The Messengers." It was an enlightening and uplifting meeting that we'll never forget. Thanks, Julia!
In late January we moved north of Fountain Hills, AZ (near Phoenix). I had a couple of business trips, including one to Minneapolis where I had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends between the classes I was teaching. It's wonderful to be able to do work that I enjoy so much and get to see people I love, too!
