Well, it is new years eve and what a year it has been. Since we started this adventure in August it has taken us to several states for lots of different activities and above all an opportunity to meet a lot of really nice people. We have found that as many things we have seen and people we have met, there is much more to see and so many great people to meet.
Yesterday we lost out photos, so maybe today they will be alright. Our motor home in the backyard and the orange tree out of our dining room window. The grapefruit tree is across the fence at the back of the rig.
We wanted to start the new year right, so we all got a hair cut and afterward we stopped by Carl's Jr. for a Taco Salad for lunch. This is the first new year of our adventure and we look with anticipation to what the year will hold for us. We still have the house to sell but are confident it will sell, the sooner the better. The report is that the housing market in central Indiana is on the upturn, so time will tell what happens.
This has been a beautiful day with the high in the lower 70's with lots of sun and very little breeze. Nice to be outside and get some things done. I made some adjustments on the power chair suspension so it would handle better on grades. I think I will have the electronics checked to make sure it is set at maximum speed forward but probably 70% for maximum reverse. There is a local shop that can do that.
This will be needed so that it will be as fast as possible for competition, if and when needed.
We want to wish you all a very Happy New Year and much success in all your endeavours. May your travels all be safe and we will look forward to meeting you somewhere down the road.

Warmer this morning and over 70 for a high. A really nice day. Not a lot going on, did a small amount of work and got it in the mail and some end of the year paper work finished.
Our photos are of our parking space and the orange tree. Behind the motor home in the yard across the fence is a big grapefruit tree. There are several hanging on our side of the fence, so guess what, they are ours for the picking.
We are making plans for next week. We have a luncheon on Tuesday with the Mesa Lunch Bunch then on Wednesday we will leave for Pinal Co. Fair grounds in Casa Grande for the Fiddlers Jam that starts on Friday thru Sunday. Nancy will be down on Saturday to enjoy the music and look at the cars. We will probably stay there a week and then go to Quartzite for a few days then back to Mesa until the middle of February.
Nothing really planned for New Years eve, may just stay home, watch tv and go to bed when New York celebrates the new year. We have had a lot of changes in our lives in the last year but are thankful for all of our new friends and adventures we have had and look forward to many new ones in the coming year.

Cool this morning but it warmed up nicely in the low 70's. Lots of sun and no breeze, so it was very comfortable in the sunshine. Had a pretty full day. Had a call on the scooter that I had on Craig's list and sold it. We then went to Staples to get some ink and paper. Nancy decided to replace her printer with a HP 4 in 1 unit for less than $90.00. It also has a flat bed scanner.
The photos are of Nancy B's home, you can see our RV in the back yard. There is also an orange tree in the back yard that has given us a lot of oranges that we enjoy every morning for breakfast.
We also went to Walmart to pick up some hardware and also got our converter TV box and have it installed. Not sure if it is installed correctly. We are on cable now and it works as it should however I am not sure how it will work when we unhook the cable and run off the antenna. May have to do some rewiring but that remains to be seen. Cost less than $9.00 after our coupon.
Worked on some paperwork for the Handicapped Travel Club national rally in June. We have lost our newsletter editor and so there apparently will not be a newsletter in January so we will have to do a lot of advertising via e-mail and/or snail mail.
We need to get things ready to head to Casa Grande next week after we meet with our friends at Joe's BBQ in Gilbert, AZ for some great food. On Wednesday we will head to the Pinal Co. Fair grounds and get ready to enjoy the Fiddlers Jam and Car Show. We may go to Quartzite for a few days and see what is going on. Supposed to be thousands of people there this time of year.

Cool again this morning but no frost on the roof. Lots of sun so it warmed up quickly. Not a lot going on today, a day of rest, so lots of football and rexlzation.
Our photo is from the Hall of Flame. A very interesting unit, not fully shown in this photo, but it is a water tower, quite long and gangley. It is a Champion/Christie Water Tower, 1897-1915. Water towers came into use around 1880 to fight fires in multi-story buildings. Improved water supplies and steam pumpers made them possible, since they were designed to pump between 1,000 and 3,000 gpm. This one was originally horse drawn. The Toledo, Ohio fire Department purchased it in 1897. Water towers were used only for large fires. The lack of hydraulic power to raise and extend the tower made it unwieldy and difficult to maneuver. Most departments preferred to use aerial ladder trucks equipped with play pipes attached to the end of the ladder to play water on fires in tall structures. Although aerial play pipes could only handle a water flow of about 15% the capacity of a tower pipe, the aerial was much easier to maneuver than a tower. It wasn't until the 1960's that hydraulic powered water towers, called snorkles or Squirts, made the water tower a turly useful firefighting tool. In 1915 Toledo motorized its tower with a gasoine fueled tractor built by J. Walter Christie, a noted automotive engineer. It remained in service until 1950. This is an interesting power unit in that the engine sets crosswise the unit and drives the front wheels by gears inside the wheel around the outer portion. The tires are solid rubber, not unusual for that era.

It was cold this morning. Frost on the roof and all of the vehicles. About 33 degrees and a light breeze. The sun came up bright and soon warmed things up but only to about 50+ degrees.
We finally got Nancy B. home from her trip to Indiana. She was 4 hours late leaving Indianapolis to Chicago to change planes to fly to Phoenix. When she got to Chicago she learned that there were no flights going out. They put her up at Hampton Inn and the only flight she could book was to Manchester, NH and then change planes and fly to Phoenix. She was to land at 6:30 but did not get in until after 7, so we finally got home about 8:30pm without her baggage, which no one knows for sure where it is. All is well and she is happy to be back home in one piece.
Our photo is from the Hall of Flame. The photo is dark but it is mostly red and chrome. it is a Buckley & Merritt Hand drawn Parade Carriage. American, 1870. Although patterned after a working hose carriage, this piece has no purpose beyond its elegance and beauty. It was built as a source of pride for the firemen of the Hotchkiss Hose Company of derby, Connecticut. Pulled by a team of firemen at parades and musters, the beautiful carriage boosted morale and promoted the image of its volunteer company. This is a very well preserved unit and very ornate.

Rain again during the night and cool this morning with a lot of clouds. We left about noon for the Hall of Flame Fire Museum. A very interesting place. There are 5 galleries with various types of apparatus.
The unit in the photo is of a Jeffers Philadelphia style Pumper. American , 1844. The Philadelphia firm of Joel Bates built this engine in 1844 for the Rhode Island town of Pawtucket. Four years later Pawtucket fireman William Jeffers rebuilt it. Its design dates from about 1800 with the engines of a Philadelphia blacksmith named Pat Lyon. With two sets of pump handles manned by fifty firemen it can pump over 250 gallons per minute. Used by the volunteers of Pawtucket until about 1870, it was retired and successfully used in "musters" of firefighters in pumping competition with teams from towns all over New England. It was probably at this time that the engine was modified to be pulled by horses. Firemen rode on the horses since the engine lacked a seat. This one is very ornate in its finish with fine details on the wheels, etc. Not uncommon with units build and used in the United States. There are several units built and used in England. They are finely painted but they do not have the ornate designs found on units built in America.

Yesterday I posted some photos of an old bus conversion seen in Maine a few years ago. A friend of mine, in the "automobile know" responded with the following information. The unit is a 1949 General American with probably a vista cruiser roof added. It was available with a diesel or gas engine and air conditioning. It was built in the post war years but was not a big seller. Thanks Bob for the information. I had sent the photos to several other people and no one was familiar with it.

We had some light rain during the night, but it was not raining by daybreak. We had Christmas dinner with our friends the Straube's at noon and left there about 2pm. We decided we wanted some snow for Christmas, so we headed north toward Payson, AZ, up in the mountains on the Mollogon Rim. It was getting very overcast with heavy dark clouds and as we were getting under way it was raining and we had rain all the way north to Payson. Payson is at 5000' but we did not see any snow. We decided to go on north toward
the town of Pine which was further up in the mountains at 5400'. As we approached Pine, we started seeing some snow on the ground. About the time we went through town we saw a highway truck with a snow plow and salt spreader with lights on, etc. It looked like he had been working on the road further north, so we decided to turn around and head back to Mesa. It rained almost all the way back with a lot of gusty winds.
Our photo is of a garage in Pine all decked out with lights. The whole town was decorated and looked very nice. On our way back south we saw much show on the north slopes where it had been protected and appeared to be 3 to 4 inches deep. It was getting dark and raining and or photo of the snow did not turn out, but it was really there.
As we were returning to the valley, from about 15 miles out and about 2000' we could see the lights of Phoenix and Mesa and on to the east to include Apache Junction which was higher in elevation as it gets into the foothills of the Superstition Mountains. You can really tell that Phoenix and all the way to Apache Junction is in a huge valley with mountains on all sides.

It was sunny this morning but it soon became overcast and dreary most of the day. They are expecting some rain tonight and through tomorrow. Not very nice weather for Christmas, but better than snow and ice that is in some parts of the country.
The photos are of a bus conversion we saw setting along the road in Maine when we were at the Handicapped Travel Club rally in Vermont. It looked so unusual I just had to turn around and go back to see what it was. Well, I still do not know what it is. It appears to have had another upper portion put on in the rear. The front appears to be a bus that was originally built for sightseeing with the rounded windows in the corner of the roof. It appears to be one built in the 1950's or 60's.
If someone can identify it, I would appreciate knowing more about it. The only identification I could see on it is the emblem on the front is G/A which really did not mean anything to me. On the plate where the license is mounted it says "Aerocoach". There was not anything on the back to indicate a manufacturer.
On the back itsays "WE KNOW THE WAY", "WE WILL TAKE YOU HOME", and a website, www.twelvetribes.com. Obviously it is a Jewish organization and has reference to the 12 tribes of Israel. Just a very interesting rv I thought, and was interested in what it was, so if anyone know what it is you might let me know.
Tomorrow we will have Christmas dinner with friends that live in North Phoenix in an assisted living facility.

Not a lot going on the last two days. The weather has been cool and rainy and not really warm enough to be out and about very much. We made a trip to Walmart today and boy were they busy. Seemed just like a day or two before Christmas. Just a few days ago we were in a large store and there was really not a lot going on. Just like an ordinary day. It is apparent that there is a slow down in buying and there are several
businesses that have given notice that they will be closing their doors the first of the year.
One would think that in the Phoenix area, with all the snowbirds in town, the business would be about normal, but apparently the big box stores are hurting enough that they are going to have to close. I think that the big stores like Walmart will survive alright, they might have to close some of the smaller stores, community stores, they call them here. I checked and there are 12 stores in the Mesa, AZ zip code. Several are the small community stores, so they might be hurting, but time will tell how things come out.
Our photo is of Evelyn and I with the van and the motor home. It was taken at Lone Star Escapee park in Hondo, TX.
We are thinking about spending some time in Quartzite, not sure when but maybe after the Fiddlers Jam which is the first part of January.

Not a lot going on the last day or two. Cool this morning, in the mid 30's. The sun was bright and soon warmed things us. Took Nancy to the airport and then drove on north to Scottsdale, actually a suburb of Phoenix. We gained altitude to about 1300 feet and we could look back over the valley and see the smog that settles in the valley and has no way of getting out. Only a strong wind will blow it over the mountains on the other side. We toured the Botanical Gardens near the mountains but it was too cool to get out and check out some of the trails that they have out through the gardens. We did locate the Hall of Flame museum and will visit it soon. It did not open until noon and we did not want to wait two hours, so we will check it out later.

Still cool in the valley of the sun. High today was about 60 degrees. Expecting sun for the weekend with more weather coming in next week. Not a lot happening, worked on some letters to potential customers that I will mail out the first of the year. We played Mexican Train this evening and of course I did not win, but was second out of the three of us. So first loser is not bad I guess.
Nancy is getting ready to fly to Indiana on Sunday for a few days to be with her two daughters and grandchildren. Hopefully it will not be too cold while she is there.

We had more rain during the night and early morning. The sun came up through a partly cloudy sky but the clouds soon dissipated and we had a really nice day but it was windy which kept things quite cool.
Not a lot going on today, we did take a drive this evening to look at the Christmas lights in the neighborhood. We went to the 7th Day Adventist main tabernacle which had a huge light display. Reportedly to contain over 1 million lights. It is lighted from 5:30 to 10pm. What a beautiful display of lights and artistic use to make camels, people as well as other charactures. The palm trees were tastefully decorated, apparently by the use of a cherry picker. There is an outdoor stage that is used every evening by a variety of performers from other church congregations as well as quartets, etc. This goes on until December 31. We may take in one or two of the performances if it warms up a bit.

We had light rain off and on during the night. The morning was cloudy and by 9 or so the sun came out and the clouds broke up and the sun warmed things up and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We went to north Phoenix to visit some friends and then out to lunch. It was a fairly long trip, probably 30 miles, but only 1 turn, across Baseline Road to 19th ave and then north to out destination. We could have taken the freeway but this was a much prettier drive, from Mesa, through Tempe and then Phoenix. Baseline road runs only a couple blocks north of the mountains that form the south edge of the "Valley".

Our photos take us back to Terlingua, TX just outside Big Bend National Park. This is one of the less desirable places to park your RV. This area is pretty rough and not very many level spots to put a campground. The lower photo shows the entrance to the park and apparently the managers rv under the shelter. It appeared that most of the parking spaces were on the side of the hill, so you would have to level up quite a bit to keep from rolling out of bed at night.
We understand that there is a huge chili cook off the first week end of October. They say it is really a wild bunch of campers in all sorts of rigs and many without, just tents, etc. There are thousands that come, from what they say, so maybe Jo Mama's is one of the better places to stay. There was evidence in many of the low washes where they had camped and had campfires.
Not sure I would have wanted to have been a part of that outing. I guess they party and drink all night and make chili all day. What a way to spend the week. Apparently they come from hundreds of miles away just to cook chili.
We stayed at the Big Bend Motel and RV Resort and it was none too spacious. The lot was gravel and the spaces were narrow, not really handicapped accessible, but we managed by putting the motor home very close on the left side and just enough room to get off the lift and turn before you went down the hill to the next space. Always a challenge, but manageable. From what we saw, it was the best in the area, unless you went into the park and that was a long trip and a bit rough as far as driving was concerned. When you realize that this area has not really changed much over the years, especially since they quit mining in the area, time has virtually stood still. The Ghost town of Terlingua is much the same as it was. There are some businesses that have moved into some of the old buildings, artists and others are there making and selling their wares, but the buildings have not changed and do not appear to have been restored. It appeared just to be an old "hippie" hang out out in the desert. But, it is where they want to be and doing what they want, so be it. I must say, it is certainly a beautiful area as far as mountains, etc. are concerned, just outside one of the most outstanding National Parks that I have seen in some time.

Another cool rainy day in Arizona. The high was only about 55 degrees, which is cool for this part of the country. We ran some errands this morning and really did not do much this afternoon, except watch a bit of TV and take a nap. Not a good day for getting anything done. Tomorrow, we will go visit some friends in north Phoenix and take them to lunch. Then pick up some batteries for a power chair so it will be operable.
Our photo is of the basin in Big Bend National Park in Texas. I would estimate it is 15 to 20 miles across to the mountains in the background. This is a park you could spend a lot of time in, especially if you were a hiker. There are trails everywhere from 1/4 mile to several miles in the valleys as well as the mountains. Beautiful mountains that are ever changing especially late in the day as the sun is setting. The colors of the mountains change by the minute until the sun is gone and then in a few minutes it is dark and the sky is full of stars. Of course, everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the sky and the stars.

Cold and rainy this morning and most of the day. They forecast rain for the next 2 or 3 days then it will be getting nice for the weekend. They are expecting 12 to 30inches of snow in the higher elevations which will help with the ski industry.
We went shopping today, to the grocery and to Kmart and a few other places. Some were fairly crowded but the bigger stores were really not busy, at least not as busy as you would expect for this close to Christmas.
Groceries here in the valley seem high to us, at least higher than we were used to back in Indiana. Milk and eggs are considerably higher. We have paid close to $4.00 per gallon for milk. There are huge dairies in this area but that does not seem to help very much.
Tomorrow we will be off to check out some power chairs to see if they are operable with just batteries. Hopefully get rid of a few for the local organization. Hopefully it will not rain all day and we can keep fairly warm. Will just have to see what the day brings.

It was cool this morning with rain during the night. We did not see the sun all day. The high was only in the 50's.
We attended a local Christian Church for their Christmas musical program. It was very nice with a fairly large choir and a beautiful sanctuary. It was an enjoyable program and helped get us in the Christmas mood. It is difficult without any snow and ice to make you feel like it is winter and that Christmas is getting very near. The local houses are decorated with lights and many just lay the lights in their yard as there are not any bushes to put them on. They do like the roof with lights and put some metal trees up in the yard with lights on them, but that is about all. We have sent out our Christmas greetings via US mail as well as e-mail, so we have most everything done. We do have our tree up on the dash of the motor home and some ornaments hanging around, so we are all ready.

Not a lot going on today. We caught a link to the full moon last night and it certainly was a beautiful one. The closest to the earth it will be for some time. Checked out the oranges on the tree. Pretty good but not a sweet as they will be in a few weeks. Will check out the grapefruit from the neighbors tree that hangs over the back fence. Did a few things around the coach. Supposed to rain tonight or tomorrow, so no need to wash the windows, etc. until it clears up. They say it will not clear up until maybe Friday. Going to a different church tomorrow for a special Christmas program.

Yesterday we made the trip from Casa Grande to Mesa to our friend Nancy Burkhart's home. got the motor home parked in the side yard and all hooked up. That orange tree out the dining room window certainly looks beautiful with the dark green leaves and bright orange fruit. There is a grapefruit tree in the yard behind that hangs over the back fence. It will be a few weeks before either get ripe enough to eat.
Our photos are of Why, AZ. This is of main street that goes straight through town and the other is of a very southwestern style church in town. It was all decorated for Christmas.
Today we spent the afternoon at a local flea market on the east side of Mesa. What an operation. It was almost a block long with 4 double sided rows of booths. There was almost anything you could imagine there for sale. Jewelry was a big item with all kinds of bargains, 50% to 70% off. All of the finest quality (they said). There was lot of local items from the south west. Many items from foreign manufacturers. Some really neat little cars that did all kinds of things. They would go, stop when they bumped into something, the doors would open and close and the front would go up and then down and the back would go up and then down, just like the low riders do. One model was of a Smart car. Very
interesting item to get for a youngster, or even for an oldster if you liked cars. All kinds of clothing from tee shirts to stockings to hats and everything in between. There were not a lot of people there today so it was easy to navigate through the various booths and really get to see what was there. I imagine there will really be a big crowd tomorrow and Sunday.
Back to the ranch, so to speak, and get something to eat and try to teach Nancy the game of Mexican train.

While at the Pinal County Fairgrounds we marveled at the amount of cotton that had been and was in the process of being harvested. We watched as they worked and brought the cotton to the end of the field and put it in a machine that had no top or bottom and one end opened up. The cotton was placed in this machine and it would compact it using a hydraulic ram. It was packed so tightly that it would actually form a block of cotton. It appeared to be about 6 feet wide and maybe 7 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet long. After it was compacted the end of the machine would open up and it would be moved farther down the field to do the same thing again and again. The blocks of cotton would have a vinyl cover placed on the top to protect it from the elements. A truck would back up to the block of cotton and the bed would tilt and a continuous chain with teeth in it would pull the block into the truck and then it would be taken to the gin to be separated from the cotton seeds.
These photos are of cotton at a gin next to the fairgrounds waiting to be processed and to be put in burlap bales to be shipped. The piles of cotton seed would be shipped to another plant that would make it into cotton seed meal to be used for animal feed. Also, a portion of the seed could be used to replant the fields. We have noticed over the years that the cotton plants have changed considerably. Years ago the cotton plant would be about waist high, with cotton boles on the upper portion making it easier to pick by hand. Today the plant is much smaller, maybe knee high or a bit more and the cotton grows all the way down to almost the ground producing more cotton with less nutrition going to the stalk its self.
We found several gins all around this area and they all had a large amount of cotton to process and they were still hauling from the fields and still picking. You would not imagine that there could be so much cotton raised on desert land, just by adding some water. There is also a lot of alfalfa raised and bailed as well as a lot of grass and lots of sheep grazing in the grassy areas. All by just adding some water to the desert that otherwise would only grow some brushy type plants and rattle snakes.

The weather has cooled a bit with high in the 60's and lows in the low 40's but the sun seems to always shine and warms things up, however it has been quite breezy.
Our photos were taken here at the Pinal County Fairgrounds. This photo shows a group of buildings that are used for various things. All of the buildings are painted in various motifs. Some in a western theme and others in under water views of various fishes. All very tastefully done. During the Gypsy Journal Rally they are used for seminars and group gatherings, etc. There is a much larger building where all gather for meetings and orientation and just generally have fun.
We will be here in January for the Fiddlers Jam and I am sure these facilities will be used for different groups. It will be interesting to see how they are utilized.
The photo below is of a building that appears to be a beer dispensing operation. I am not sure how it is used during the County Fair, but I am assume it will be closed during that time. This is a very large facility that can handle up to 700 RV's, they say. We have seen as many as 250+ units here last year and
there is lots of room to spare, so I do not doubt as many as 700 could be accommodated. I am not sure about power for that many units, I remember they had some problems with 250+ units last year. Probably many would be boon docking which is not unusual for seasoned RV'ers.
We will leave the fairgrounds tomorrow and go to Mesa to visit our friend Nancy Burkhart. We will be in the area for some time until we come back to the fairgrounds for the Fiddlers Jam and Car Show in January.

The day was cool and breezy. We had a cold front go through and it will remain cool until later in the week. It is nice here at the Pinal Co. fairgrounds, we are on pavement and close to the entrance which makes it handy to come and go. The Hohokam people are so interesting and they were so intelligent that they were able to survive in such a harsh environment as the desert. They were able to get water to their fields and were able to store water from rainfall when ever it was possible. They were able to build canals to channel water for miles and divert it where ever it was needed. They raised corn,the staple crop that matured quickly and provided two crops a year. Other crops were beans, squash, tobacco, cotton and agave. Wild plants like amarath were also encouraged in fields.
They used many local materials to build however hundreds of Juniper, pine and fir trees were carried or floated some 60 miles down the Gila River to the village. Anchored in the walls, the timbers formed ceiling or floor supports.
The illustration shows how saguaro ribs were laid across the beans, covered with reds and then topped with a final layer of caliche mud. Caliche is a concrete like mixture of sand, clay and calcium carbonate (limestone). It took some 3,000 tons to construct the Great House. The walls were for feet thick at the base tapering toward the top.
The visitors center has a very interesting 20 minute video that helps to explain the history of the Hohokam people. The appeared to have vanished but no one knows how or why. There are several that think they did not vanish, but still exist. There are several Tribes that claim to be partially related to the Hohokam people. Others feel they are direct descendants. No one will probably ever know, but the Hohokam was a very interesting people that lived in a very harsh period of time, but survived in the harshness of the desert.

This morning we moved from the Western Horizon Resort to the Pinal Co. Fairgrounds. This is a very nice fairgrounds and we have stayed here before and will be back in January for the Fiddlers Jam and in February for the Gypsy Journal Rally. We are out in the middle of a large agriculture area, only because they have water available for irrigation.
We drove up to Coolidge to the Casa Grande National Monument. The photo is of the Casa Grande Ruins. After a long battle with the desert, this ancient building still commands respect. Four stories high and 60 feet long, it is the largest structure known to exist in Hohokam times. Early Spanish explorers called it Casa Grande ("great house"), and to them was a mystery. Its walls faced the four cardinal points of the compass. A circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun during the summer solstice. Other openings also align with the sun and moon at specific times. Apparently the builders of the Great House, people who knew very well the ways of the land gathered inside to ponder the heavens. Knowing the changing positions of celestial objects meant knowing times for planting, harvest, and celebration.
The Hohokam people lived in the desert and planted crops and watered them with a series of canals moving water from the Gila river. Because much of the cropland lay on natural terraces above the Gila River floodplain, canal heads had to be far enough upstream (east) to establish a downhill flow. Distribution canals branched off at major settlements. These in turn flowed onto a web of smaller channels connected by lateral ditches that opened directly into fields. Strung along the main canals were villages, about one every three miles that united to build and maintain the system. This is believed to have taken place in the onset of the Classic period around 1150 a.d.. The Classic period lasted until the 1400s, when Hohokam culture ebbed throughout the Phoenix Basin. In 1694 Father Eusebio Kino and his party of missionaries found an empty shell of the once-flourishing village. The Pima Indians, who lived in brush huts nearby, said that their ancestors were "ho-ho-KAHM," meanng "all gone" or "all used up" Few European-Americans visited the area until the late 19th century when souvenir hunters threatened to destroy the site. The scientific community pressed for legal protection and in 1892 the Casa Grande became the nation's first archaeological preserve.

Not a lot going on being Sunday. Evelyn went shopping at one of the large centers here in Casa Grande. This town has really grown since we were hear last year. However, all they have to do is put in streets out in the desert and put the utilities and start building. It is all sand with a little brush and scrappy bushes, so not much needs to be done to get it ready to build.
The photo is of an Organ Pipe Cactus. This one is at the visitors center at the park. A very interesting plant, much different than the Saguaro cactus. There are hundreds of Saguaros in this area but only Organ Pipe in this particular area. We found a few along the road close to the park but none further north. This park runs all the way to the Mexican border.
The Saguaros are plentiful in a particular altitude zone. Above that zone and below it you see very few to none. They favor the south side of the mountains due to the sunlight or out in the flat of the desert. There is indication of fences and cattle in the desert areas but I do not see anything for them to eat. Maybe in the rainy season, Monsoons, there will be something green growing, otherwise it is just small bushes and brush and not really a lot of that. They generally do not grow more than 3 or 4 feet in height. The desert is a very interesting area. One does not see how anything can survive in this dry and hot climate, but I understand there is a lot of living animals and reptiles, etc. that live there all year long and obviously survive quit well.

We did not have anything planned for the day, so Evelyn finished the laundry and we decided on a road trip. We got away about noon, filled the gas tank in the van and headed north west on the Maricopa/Casa Grande Highway. We picked up sr 238 at Maricopa and took it across the Sonoran Desert to Gila Bend, picking up sr 85 to Ajo. The drive to Ajo was all desert through the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range and then into the mountains as we neared Ajo. On south to Why, (I don't know why, it just seemed the thing to do) and down 85 to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This is a very interesting place with nice displays in the visitors center and an explanation of why and where the Organ Pipe Cactus grow. We toured the campground. It is a bit primitive, no hookups, but is nice with great views of the surround desert and the mountains. There is a drive you can take called the Ajo Mountain Drive. It is 21 miles long and takes 2 to 3 hours to complete. It was getting late so we did not take this drive, however I was tempted but it would have been near dark when we completed it.
We headed back north on 85 to Why and took sr 86 east through the mountains to road 15. This road, on the map is a narrow gray road, not broken like a gravel/unimproved road, but not red like other state roads. It was just getting dark when we made the turn north on 15. We were in the Tohono O'Odham Nation and their roads are not marked as the state roads are. This was a nice wide smooth road two lanes but very easy to drive and straight for miles up past Santa Rosa and other Indian towns that I can not pronounce or spell and into the southern part of Casa Grande and back to the RV park. Got in just at 7pm and thanked the Lord for a great trip and a beautiful day. We drove 276 miles in all, further than we normally go, but it was a great day on the road.

This is our first full day at Western Horizon Resorts. It is a very nice park with paved streets and gravel spaces with a concrete patio. The handicapped spaces have an extra wide patio so there is room for the lift and room to get off the end. The park is not up to ADA standards. The ramps to the doors are too steep. The main office does not have any access, only steps. When I mentioned this to one of the representatives, they did not know anything about those things, it was not their department.
We went into town looking for a tube for my wheelchair and get some groceries. No one seems to carry a tube in the 24X1 3/8 size. Finally found one at a bicycle shop for an inflated price, but I needed a spare as the thorns in this area are everywhere.
Our photo is of the fence at the Mexican Border near Columbus, NM. I assume this is representative of the fence they are building along the border in many areas.
The activities at the park this evening included a soup and cornbread supper. I had some Taco soup which was quite tasty. That was at 5pm. At 6:30 we had Root Beer floats and at 7pm a group of 5th graders from a local school came over and we played "are you smarter than a 5th grader. Some of the staff were the contestants and all had a great time but proved once again, they are not smarter than a 5th grader.
Back to the motor home and some rest.

We were making ready to leave Tucson and head north to Casa Grande. There was some work to do and get ready for the mail. With that behind us we hooked up the van and headed out of town. We did not get far until we were held up by a train crossing the street. A long train of empty cars headed west, apparently to the coast to be loaded and sent back east.
The trip was uneventful up I10, only a lot of trucks and some road construction which narrowed both lanes. We did not have far to go so it was not really a problem, only about 70 miles to go. We arrived at the Desert Shadows/Western Horizons RV park. This is a large park with 334 spaces and what appears to be all the amenities. This is a membership park but they do take the general RV public when space is available. We will be here for a few days checking out the surrounding area before moving on.
We are using our AT&T air card as the wi-fi is Tengo, a subscription service. This service is available in many RV parks but we prefer to use or air card.
The photo is from the San Xavier Mission. It is of the shrine on top of the mountain. You can walk up to the overlook or continue on up the mountain to the shrine. This shrine is not owned by the mission. They also have a school just west of the mission and a to the south of the parking area a Palm Center, a collection of shops selling a variety of local items. There is also a row of vendors cooking outdoors and selling Indian Fry Bread, etc.
This afternoon we toured the town of Casa Grande and found that it has grown a lot since we were hear last February. The Pinal County Fairgrounds is about 7 miles east of the center of town out in the desert. This will be the location of the Fiddlers Jam in January that we intend to attend.

This morning was a lot like all the mornings in Texas and New Mexico except we are in Tucson, Arizona. I think the sun always comes up bright most every morning in the south west. The morning weather forecast was for sunny skies with highs of 71, 71, 72, 71, 71, 71 and 72 for the next 7 days. The lows vary a couple of degrees but hover around the 40 degree mark. What a tough job the weatherman has in this part of the country.
We met our friends the Fedderly's and Sue Wells for lunch at the Olive Garden. We had a nice lunch and a very good visit. Evelyn brought them all up on the news from Cherokee Village area. After lunch, we decided to head south to Mexico and see what was going on in the Nogales area.
First we went down Mission road and visited the San Xavier Mission. It was founded in 1692 and built in 1783 to 1797. It is still today much the same as it was when built. It has been and is still in use all this time with 3 masses every day. It was built for and still used by the same Indian decendants.
We traveled on down the Mission road, not know where it would lead, but we wound around mountains of mine tailings. We did not see what was being mined but apparently it has been mined for years as the tailings were piled as high as some of the mountains around and still working. We finally wound up in the town of Green Valley. This is quite a large town with lots of agriculture as there is water available and lots of houses up the sides of the mountains on either side of the valley. We picked up I19 and took it south to Nogales and then picked up sr82, a scenic route to the east. In Nogales there were hundreds of trucks and huge transfer terminals where the semis would unload merchandise and then it would be reloaded to go into Mexico. Some trailers would be dropped by US drivers and they would pick up another one and head back north with it. The one they brought down would be picked up and taken into Mexico. On across 82 we drove through several mountain passes and changed elevation several hundred feet. When we got to Patagonia we started up and by the time we got to Sonoita we were at 5350 feet. We headed north on sr83 toward Vail and shortly we started down and we had a 4 mile 5% grade down the mountains and by the time we reached I10 near Vail we were at about 3100 feet. It was just getting dark which made the sunset on the mountains a changing panorama of colors. We finally got back to Tucson and our campground home about 6:30pm. A very enjoyable day.