December 17 - 18, 2005.  We are in Bowie, Arizona.  This campground has Wifi so we have been searching for a campground for the Christmas holidays.  We hope to stay put for the week of Christmas to New Years. This is our first Christmas without family or friends.
Sunday, December 18, 2005.  We have gone to Fort Bowie the guardian of Apache Pass. For more than 20 years U.S. Army had a bitter struggle with the Chiricahua Apaches for the control of the region.  It was here that the surrender of Geronimo was in 1886.
We then went to Chiricahua National Monument.  What a view.  The Chiricahua Apache called these pinnacles "standing up rocks".  Their origins began 27 million years ago when eruptions from the Turkey Creek Volcano spewed ash over 1,200 sq. miles (3,100 square km).  These superheated ash particles melted together, forming layers of grey rock called rhyolite.  Cooling and subsequent uplifting created joints and cracks in the rhyolite.  Weathering and erosions enlarged the cracks.  Weaker material was washed away leaving behind an endless variety of spires, balanced rocks, and other shapes.  The National/State Parks in U.S.A. are the best.  The people are so friendly.  A lot of them are retired, volunteers who want to be there. Canadians can also volunteer.  They go out of their way to help you or make you feel at home.  We wish we had a system like that in Canada.

You had to see this view to really appreciate it.

 

 



 


Went to the Tumacacori National Historic Park and stopped in at the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co.  1868 E. Frontage, Tumacacori, Az. 520-398-2591.  Talk about all your spices.  If you are looking for it they have it.  Found my powdered bay leaf there.


 

Lots of goodies here. If you are looking for a hard to get spice this is the place. I was looking for crushed Bay Leaf and they had it.

 

Monday, December 19, 2005. Drove down to Nogales (the border to Mexico). We had intended to go across the boarder but changes our minds and could not find a campground so we decided to stay overnight at the Super Wally.  After 1:00 p.m. it was relatively quiet.  We have slept at other Wal-Marts and they usually were not that quiet.


Tuesday, December 20, 2005.  Driving up to Tucson (will spend Christmas there) and have stopped at the Titan Missile Museum.  Denis went to see it.  Spent a day at the Mission San Xavier and then the night at a casino in Tucson.


Went to Tombstone and parked at the O.K. Corral for an afternoon.  It was just as if you were in a western movie.  We did check out the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park at the old courthouse.  On the right is a picture of Wyatt Earp at the age of 33 years old.

 



 

Here I am trying to spin the wheel of fortune at the Asarco Mineral Discovery Center, in Green Valley. This is at a copper mine 2 miles long and 1 miles deep.


Ray, Denis thought you might get a laugh out of this.


 

 


You descend more than thirty feet underground into the Titan Missile Museum for a chilling taste of the cold war in the world's first publicly accessible missile complex.  This is Titan 11 ICBM at site 57107, one of 18 Titan 11 silos once located around Tucson.


 

This is inside the "Casino del Sol" in Tucson.  We loved it.  It was as if you were playing slot machines outside. 
While walking around and through corridors it would feel as if you were walking through a Spanish style town.  While there we both had a Margarita and divided a banana split, plus played the slot machine and it only cost us about $13.00.  No bad, eh!


 


Pima Air & Space Museum.  All Denis could say was "I have never seen so many airplanes".  It is one of the worlds largest aerospace museums.  Opened in May 1976.  The museum currently features over 250 aircraft representing a century of aviation including President Kennedy's Air Force One, the supersonic SR-71 Blackbird, and the x-15 space plane.  The place is huge.  We got there at 9:30 a.m. went on a bus tour then we did a walking tour through 4 exhibit buildings.  I had enough around 12:00 p.m. and went back to the trailer.  I was glad we had the trailer with us.  Denis showed up around 3:30 p.m.


A beautiful restored "Mission San Xavier del Bac".  We were very moved by the beauty.  They still have regular services.
It was built in 1783 and is located in the center of a Papago Indian settlement along the banks of the Santa Cruz River.

 



A scene from the Chiricahua National Monument, in the Chiricahua Desert..

 

 

 

 


 

Thursday, December 22, 2005.  We are now parked at "Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson. Time for maintenance. Our hot water tank is not working and my computer monitor blacks out.  Weather is 75f to 80f degrees, not hard to take. Since we will be here for a week, we will have these things fixed.  Merry Christmas, everyone and especially to my dad and Denis's mom.  Hugs and kisses we love you.
Saturday, December 24-25, 2005.  Hot water tank and computer is fixed.  We went to church on Christmas Eve with our neighbour, Jacque and Julie, a very nice couple from Quebec.  We had mistaken the time of the service and ended up at church for 2 1/2 hours.  I think the Lord was telling us something.  We had not gone since September.


The next day we had a beautiful Christmas meal at 2:00 p.m. with other RVer's , the people running the RV park and their family.  There was so much food as it is with most Christmas dinners.


Big puddy cat...Isn't she cute.

 

These (6) pictures were all taken at the Arizona-Saguaro Desert Museum.  It so very good and interactive.  This is a must see.


Guess what this is ????  Javelina. (Wild Pig)
 

This guy sounded really scary...Texas Diamond Back Rattler, I think.

In New Mexico, Texas and Arizona have all kinds of painted horses just like our painted moose.


 


This Tarantula gave me a scare.  Someone was standing in front of this person holding it so I did not see him.  I quickly rounded the person and "whalla".  A short, quite scream came out of my throat.

Nice barn owl. So majestic.


 

Can you believe this cactus does not start to get those arms until it is 75 years old.  This Saguaro Cactus can be around 200 years old.

 

 

 


 


It is hard to imagine the small cactus we get in the stores at home can grow to this size.
This is on the way to Mount Lemmon.  It is 25 miles long.

9,000 feet up.


A sunset view at Gate's Pass.

 


Another sunset in the desert for Donna & Mike.



 

A sunset at Picture Rocks.
Tohono O'Odham Nation

I'ItoI  MAN IN THE MAZE
The man at the top of the maze depicts birth. By following the white pattern, beginning at the top, the figure goes through the maze encountering many turns and changes, as in life.  As the journey continues, one acquires knowledge, strength, and understanding.  Nearing the end of the maze, one retreats to a small corner of the pattern before reaching the dark center of death and eternal life.  Here one repents, cleanses, and reflects back on all the wisdom gained.  Finally, pure and in harmony with the world, death and eternal life are accepted.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005.  We have decided to stay here until January 5, 2006.  The weather has been great and it is nice to have a rest from travelling.  What a great bunch of people staying at this trailer campsite...Thank you so much for making our stay so enjoyable. We will be thinking about you guys,  especially Charlie, Pat, Linda, Jacquie and Terry and everyone else, your a great bunch. 


We met a really nice couple from Quebec, Julie and Jacque and another great couple we met on the Blue Ridge from Quebec (the Quebec connection), Pierre and Judy, joined us at our campground after New Years. What a surprise. They are also going to Alaska like us.  I am hoping we will all join up somewhere in the near future.






 

Tout la gang. They made our Christmas such a memorable one. Thanks guys.  Sorry we missed Clinton and Holly but they were at work.  Betty I did not get together with you because these guys were throwing us a Bon
Voyage, seafood gumbo dinner on Wednesday.

We went to an area in Tucson (Fourth Avenue, a five-block stretch), with galleries, restaurants, oddball shops where stepping inside seems to whisk one into a time warp back to the sixties/seventies.  All kinds of hippie stuff.  It was so much fun.

 

 

 


There are some really cool colours of buildings in Tucson.
 

We went to the University of Tucson.  What a site.  They have over 200 million dollars worth of art work on display.  It was worth seeing.  These children where having such a good time with the leaves in the court yard.  You do not see a whole lots of leaves in the desert.
January 3, 2006.  We will be in desert areas and will be boon docking with no electricity for a while so I may not get a chance to update my web-site. I will give you an indication of our route.  When we leave here we will go to Organ Pipe National Monument. 
Thursday, January 5, 2006.  We have left our friends at the RV park and have just entered Organ Pipe Cactus National Park.  Along the way we saw many roadside crosses.  We are not quite sure what this is all about.  There is so many.  I was wondering if maybe some of these crosses are for illegal immigrants crossing the boarder.  We all saw a lot of border patrol cars and policemen.


Wow! it's nice to be in the wilderness again.  No trains, no interstate highway's just peace and quite.  With the heat in the low 80f's this is what we imagine the desert to be like, it feels great.  This Sonoran Desert has a mixture of all the desert plants. I think this is my favourite desert.


We hiked through this desert to the mountains you see there. It's really not as far as it looks. I did this with a sprained ankle. Denis was going to do this without me but I insisted on going. I am glad I did not miss this hike. It's the best.

 
   
Thursday, January 12, 2006.  Left Organ Pipe Cactus yesterday and went to Phoenix, stayed overnight at a Flying J to fuel up.  There is so much pollution here in Phoenix that all I want to do is get out of town and sleeping overnight here just pushes me faster.  There is an old Class A running his motor all night. We were told we could not stay overnight at Wal Marts at exit 126, where we bought our groceries, because of municipal bylaw.  It is 4:30 a.m. and the noise level is high.  Denis is slowly getting out of bed.  We only have about 60 miles to go to Quartzsite today. 

Everyone is still into mining.  Even my Cowboy friend here.

 


 



Denis is juicing Tangerine and I made Red Grapefruit and while in Tucson he made Orange juice.  The Tangerines cost $1, Grapefruits $3, Oranges $3 a large bag full.
 

We are at: 33degrees 38.812 minutes North
                 114degrees 12.648 minutes West.
Camp: La Posa North
2nd Roadway on your Right along the west side of  the dry ditch.  They give you a map at the gate and on it: La Posa North Long-Term Visitor Area, we are at around area "LP602"

When we leave Quartzsite we will then go to Yuma.

Quartzsite is shopping heaven.  If you love to shop this is the place for rock hounds which means jewellery to me.  You cannot just go to look.  Denis says there is a lot of junk here plus if you are in the market for a new motor home this is the place.  Yes, if you are RVing, you have to do this at least once. We would come back.
 


The desert is so flat that you can see for very long distances.  We watched/took pictures of  the fireworks from our trailer which is about 1/2 mile away



 


See that road, well that is the road we drove on and Denis cannot understand why I was scared!!!

 

 

 


 

In 1856-57 the U.S. Army imported a handful of camel drivers along with about 80 camels from the Middle East in an attempt to improve transportation & communication in the Southwest deserts.  Hadji Ali, renames "Hi Jolly" by his U.S. comrades, remained in Arizona as a prospector after his country men returned home..


 

 
Roads are so straight in the desert.  They just seem to go on and on .

 

 

 


 



This is Judy and Pierre from Montreal.  We first met them on the Blue Ridge at the Marby Grist Mill and have met them a couple more times along our route.  As it turns out they are also going to Alaska.  We have enjoyed their company and hope to touch base with them more often.  It is always nice to share our experiences and knowledge. We are slowly becoming a family.

 

 

 

Monday, January 23, 2006.   This is a collage of some of the things we saw while at the Quartzsite Gem and Mineral Show

The City of Yuma had sites that we enjoyed. Yuma was very easy to get around.  Denis could find his way very easily. Here are a few of the sites we would like to share with you. .Just click on underlined city names to view the pictures.
Monday, March 20, 2006.  We are now at Lake Havasu.  Denis is trying to get back into a work mindset and do his Income Tax.  He is finding it a bit difficult but is making headway.  It is a bit difficult trying to organize it from a distance.  I am getting him to take a brake once in a while with a bit of site seeing.  The temperature is in the 80's here at Lake Havasu this week.  Grand Canyon is only about 52 degrees.  Waiting for it to warm up there. Also click on the underlined names to view the pictures.
Friday, March 24, 2006.  We took a day trip to a small town called Oatman on Route 66.  Route 66, was the only way to go to California from Arizona in the early 1960's.  It must have been quite a trip in the early 1930's (not paved then) during the depression with the migration to California as in the "Grape's of Wrath" by Steinbeck.  There was a lot of switchbacks.  When  we were back at our trailer we got a nice surprise.  Pierre and Judy (As seen in picture below) from Montreal became our new neighbours.  We sat by the campfire and became reacquainted and toured with them the next day. To view pictures click on underlined name.
Saturday, March 25, 2006.  This morning we said good-bye to our friends from Orillia, Ken and Nadine, as they are heading North to go home.  Who knows we may bump into them again..  We spent a lovely evening chatting with them and exchanged notes.  We will miss them.
Monday, March 27, 2006.  We have said good-bye's to Pierre and Judy.  We cannot wait to meet up with them again.  They are so full of energy and have opened up their hearts and home to us.  I know we will see them again in Alaska as they are taking the California Coast route and we are not.

 

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