When we left Wisconsin, we headed for Phoenix where I was to do some more classes. The weather stayed gray and cold most of the way, so we put in some long days of driving. We pulled into McDowell Mtn Regional Park just north of Fountain Hills, AZ four days later. This is our favorite park around the Phoenix area, and we usually return here whenever I have work to do in the area or a flight to catch. It has large level sites that are nicely spread out. There are mountains to the east and west, nice trails for hiking, and lots of natural beauty. The coyotes and birds serenade us daily.
This park is a great place to enjoy the beautiful desert sunrises and sunsets. They fill our hearts and souls with peace.
While I am working, Tom usually takes some pretty rigorous hikes. He hiked to the East End Summit of the McDowell Mountains one day. There are huge rock piles and formations along many of the trails.
This winter it rained a lot in the desert. The wild flowers loved it! Mexican gold poppies started peeking out early and later carpeted the desert floor.
One of the fun things about being around Fountain Hills was that our good friends, Ed & Marty Castro were there. They have a condo that is usually rented out, but it was empty over the holidays, so they were staying there. We took picnics together, went out for dinner at Saguaro Lake, used their phone line for email, and shared stories of our adventures. Ed & Marty had spent five months RVing around Europe and were planning to go back for seven months this year. They had some interesting pictures and great stories to tell.
Northeast of Phoenix are the Mazatzal Mountains. On the south end of these mountains are a distinctive formation called the Four Peaks which are about 7,600 ft. high. This winter they were coated with snow quite often which is quite unusual. Tom and our friend, Ron Hunter, and his son, Greg, spent one day hiking there in the snow and had a great time. While the guys were hiking, Sandy Hunter and I went to an angel workshop with Doreen Virtue which was wonderful.
Shortly before Christmas we took a day trip to Sedona with Ed & Marty to see the Christmas lights. A timeshare resort called Los Abrigados has a lighting contest each year. The whole place turns into a fairyland of colored lights. It was sure worth the trip to see it.
Just before Christmas we headed down to the Escapees RV Park in Benson, AZ to join other friends for the Holidays. We took ballroom dancing lessons from our friend, Ron Hunter, in preparation for the big New Years Eve dance. Ron also cooked the turkey for our Christmas potluck--yum, yum! We also spent time with Graham and Virginia Taylor, other New Horizons owners who have become our friends. It was also fun to touch base with other SKP friends who were at the park, too.
Ron had recently started doing wood burning, so he made us a new sign for our rig. Thanks, Ron! (Our original sign, made by our son's girlfriend, Vicki, had served us well, but weather had taken its toll on it.) Ron's wife, Sandy, wasn't with us for the Holidays as her mom had taken ill, and Sandy had to go to Florida to take care of things. She was able to join us in early January.
While we were in Benson, we were also able to meet up with my cousins from Wisconsin, Bill Young and Meg Bohlmann. Bill and Meg were also trying to escape the Wisconsin winter by RVing in AZ. (Escaping winter was hard to do this year as it snowed on them several times even in AZ!) It was fun to play Mexican train with them, share some meals and go exploring together. One day Ron, Sandy, Bill, Meg, Tom and I went to the Amerind Foundation Museum and then headed over to see the sandhill cranes which winter in AZ. Hundreds of them rose in an aerial ballet that was amazing! Later in March Bill & Meg met up with us again at McDowell Mtn Regional Park. We also had a chance to meet with our friends from MN, Earl Hipp and Gwen Barker, for dinner in Tucson where they have a second home. It is always delightful to connect with others from 'home.'
After leaving Benson, we headed back to McDowell Mtn Park as I needed to fly to Green Bay for work. (Brrrr!) While in the Phoenix area we got to see several sets of friends: Donna & Bill, Lyn & Ray, Theresa & Brian, and Ed & Marty. We also went to an attraction called Out of Africa where tigers, lions, panthers and other animals live and interact with their care givers.
Our next adventures took us to Yuma, AZ. The Escapees Park was full, so we stayed nearby at the Southern Mesa RV Park. Our main reason for going to Yuma was so that we could go to Los Algodones, Mexico for dental work. Tom and I both got our teeth cleaned, and Tom got a crown put on for a fraction of what it would cost in the states. While in the area we also picked lemons and oranges straight from the trees. Did you know that the lemon tree has long sharp thorns on its branches? We learned that the hard way! We also went to get some wonderful organic dates for Tom, and he even got to try a delicious date shake.
After Yuma we headed up to Picacho Peak State Park which is north of Tucson about 40 miles. We really enjoy the dry camping area of this park. (Tip for RVers: do not stay in the hookup campground unless you like side-by-side parking on asphalt.) Tom hiked to the peak once more while I took the shorter, less vertical hikes through the desert.
We were still on the early side for the major Mexican Gold Poppy bloom, but the flowers were really starting to pop out. While we hadn't enjoyed all the rain and cool weather, the flowers obviously had!
Our stay at Picacho came to a close with another beautiful sunset. Once more we headed back to the Phoenix area so I could fly to MN on business. The trip was really fun as I was able to go with my two sons to visit my folks in WI for the weekend. I also spent time with friends I had made at 'Angel Camp' in November, and made some new friends with others on a spiritual path. It was a great trip!
After I returned from my MN trip, we headed for Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the Mexican border. Last year we met Arnie and Grace Holman from British Columbia there. This year we planned a reunion with these fun folks back at Organ Pipe. It happened to be my birthday, so Grace baked me a delicious cake! Thanks! Grace and Arnie like to play Mexican Train, so we had lots of games. (Sometimes Grace is a 'Mean Sucker' when we play--it's a good thing she's not that mean all the time!)
Last year Tom had wanted to hike to the peak of Mt. Ajo, but he didn't get the chance. This year he did it. Mt. Ajo is 4,800 ft. high, and the hike is several miles long, so it took him several hours. None of the rest of us were up to it, so he did this one solo. He was rewarded with some spectacular views.
There are many rock formations along the trails in the Monuments. The scenery around each curve is ever changing.
One of the trails that starts near the campground is the trail to the Victoria Mine ruins. This mine once produced silver and gold, but it played out long ago.
I had a significant sun reaction while at Organ Pipe, so I had to stay inside for a couple days. Meanwhile, Tom, Arnie and Grace hiked the rigorous Bull Pasture Trail. Grace always packs a lunch for these outings, so the guys had some good refreshments along the way.
One day the four of us had a Mexican adventure. We packed a lunch and headed across the border to Puerto Penasco on the Sea of Cortez. We decided not to take our rigs, but just do a day trip to check it out. We crossed some desolate desert to get there, and the shacks that people called 'home' made us sad. It feels kind of funny to be riding in a nice truck and see so much poverty. Our hearts went out to those people.
The beach at Puerto Penasco was beautiful. There were long expanses of sand to walk. Of course it is always nice to be by the water--especially after spending so much time in the desert! We even found an RV park on the beach that we would consider coming to in the future. We're glad we checked it out first without our rigs as the signs are confusing, and it is easy to get turned the wrong way.
Puerto Penasco has a bustling marketplace that caters to the tourists. The prices were not nearly as good as in Los Algodones, so we didn't buy much--just a couple of presents for friends, a t-shirt and some fresh shrimp.
When our week at Organ Pipe was coming to a close, we decided we were having too much fun to split up. So we decided to head to Tucson together and continue our adventures there. That's where the next travelogue will pick up. Until then...
