I had a business trip to Salt Lake City and then Minneapolis, so Tom had a great place to work on his photography while I was gone. My trip went well, and I was able to get together with my parents and my friends again. My mother's health was declining, so it was really good to be able to see them. When I returned from MN I discovered a surprise guest in my suitcase--Seymour Snake had decided to hitch a ride. (For more on this see "The Adventures of Seymour Snake" travelogue.)
When I returned from my trip, Arnie & Grace Holman had already joined us for a few nights at McDowell before continuing north. Of course we had to do some more hiking, laughing and Mexican train. It was tough to see them eventually leave as we sure had enjoyed their company. We certainly look forward to seeing them again.
One day there was an unwelcomed visitor at our neighbor's site--a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake! Tom went over and got some pictures. I would never have gotten that close! He even got close enough to put Seymour the Snake next to it for a shot. (See "The Adventures of Seymour Snake" for that photo.) By the time I got over there the park host had captured it, and I was glad it was no longer on the loose.
Tom had another tooth break, so he headed back down to Yuma to see the Mexican dentist. He got another crown put in. He had the prep work done one day and the crown put on the next. They sure work fast down there--and cheap! They do good work, too. On his way back he went hiking in Palm Canyon south of Quartzsite. This is an unusual place where palm trees are growing right out of the rock walls of this canyon in the desert. I think those palms are confused, don't you?
Throughout the area there was a tremendous amount of blooming vegetation. It's hard to describe it all, so I guess it's best to just show you some of it.
In addition to the plants and animals, there are lots of insects in the desert. The Arizona Blister Beetle is one we had never seen before. They seem to enjoy eating the lupines, and since this was a great year for lupines, I guess it was a great year for the beetles, too.
During this final month in Arizona, we made another trip to Sedona to see the red rocks and connect with a new friend in that area. It is always a beautiful drive around there. It was nice to be there when the weather was so pleasant.
We couldn't leave Arizona without making another trip to the Mogollon Rim between Payson and Show Low. As always, it reminded us of Colorado with the mountains, huge pine trees and streams.
We enjoyed hiking by the streams and along the rim with its spectacular views. It was a peaceful, beautiful area for an outing.
Before leaving Arizona we celebrated Tom's big '5-0' birthday with the help of our friends, Jim and Paula Gillmore. Paula outdid herself with the cute presents and gag gifts. We laughed a lot as we enjoyed a scrumptious meal at Mimi's Cafe in Scottsdale. It was a great end to a wonderful winter traveling around Arizona.
On April 5th we left Arizona to begin our journey east. We have to be in MN by the first of May, so we plan to cross New Mexico, the Texas panhandle, Oklahoma and then explore some of the Ozarks in Missouri. We'll also be stopping by the Horizons' factory in Kansas before heading to Minneapolis.
