2/16/15 Mid February is on us, our 2nd week in Phoenix and we are enjoying every second. Other than a couple of days of wind (really just a heavy breeze) the weather has been super. Lots of sun, upper 70s and lower 80s with mid 50s at night. I would actually say paradise so far. With the weather news consisting of winter storm after winter storm in the northeast (now cold and ice more south), it really makes us appreciate the sun and 80 as we take our daily walks through the park.

Sunset

High Life......
Met with my nephew Max and his girl friend Rose for breakfast. They moved here from Nebraska a couple of months ago. They are both very busy as they are successfully carving out their piece of Phoenix. They were able to find jobs and an apartment in a very short amount of time. In fact Rose is working double duty. We have plans to get together and hike Camel Back which is a local peak that is a must do for locals and visitors. Waiting for the go ahead from the youngsters as their free time is much harder to come by.
Used this trip to run by Talking Stick Resort. This is the facility that was constructed a few years ago to accommodate the Rockies spring training. In addition to the practice and game fields there is a casino (seems to be a casino around every corner now days) that we did a quick checkout of. Was there long enough to get our playing cards and loose $20.............maybe 10 minutes. Plan on more casino time (can I afford it??) and a few of the spring training games.
In the mean time Sue and I have had no issues in keeping busy. It is very easy to be content with a chair, book and sunshine, but we do have goals of things more active. We found a peak (Pioneer Peak) that is easily hiked from our RV location.

Views from Pioneer Peak

A view of the RV park from Pioneer Peak

My Sue enjoying the views from Pioneer Peak

 

Have been doing bike rides and found a local tennis court.

Did a day trip to Prescott Arizona. Was a nice drive through some of the back country but was a little dis-appointed in Prescott. Spent a couple of hours in the historic district, but nothing special in our opinions, but hey....that is what we are all about. Checking these things out for ourselves so we know.

Have plans this week to head east and do Cave Creek and Apache Junction. Again....lots of history and hiking to be found.

Also planning trips to Pleasant Lake, Sadona and will take a few days to go hike the Grand Canyon.

 

In addition to our physical activities have been partaking in some of the weekly activities that are coordinated by the parks activity group. Bingo, ceramics, wood carving...(yea, yea...remember that this is a 55+ plus park and these activities gives us a chance to meet our senior neighbors). Our latest event was what they call "Zingo". A version of bingo that is played with a deck of cards. There are teams of 4 that gets 13 cards as the deck is divided up. Then the caller pulls from the deck so that you can play your cards as they appear. The first one to play all cards yells "Zingo" and wins the pot (as determined by the quarters and dollars contributed by each player for each game). I actually won twice and came away with a $10 profit. Better than I did at bingo.

Again, this allows us more group time and the chance to meet folks from around the park.

 

Road Rash........

This is easy this week. Almost incited a riot at bingo this last week. The older crowd did not appreciate the moment that I took in the middle of one of the blackouts and yelled...."stop the game....my dobbers dry"!!!!! For those non bingo folks, you use what they call a dobber that is filled with ink to mark the numbers as they are called. Probably should not show up at bingo night any more. No sense of humor.

Note.....this story is fictitious.

Jan 27 (update 2/4).......The Endeavor is anchored in Las Cruces for tonight, smooth drive from Fort Stockton.

High Life......
A first encounter as we were driving, had never seen an actual Geococcyx Californianus prior to todays experience. Should have guessed it was in the cards, a couple of miles prior to the encounter we had noted a dead wiley coyote on the side of the road. Looked like he had been run over by a truck with APME ablazoned on the side. Do these clues tell you that we saw an actual road runner?? I had never seen one other than the cartoon version prior to this lively fellow darting across the road in front of the RV.
This RV park has the best view of any that we have ported in to date. Sits on a hill with an overview of Las Cruces city with the Organ mountains in the background.  Not quite the Rockies, but very nice. I even noted a hint of snow in a few of the upper shaded peaks, inquiring hoping to validate that it was in fact snow, I found the park host all giddy (with pictures) of the 5 inches of snow that fell here last Thursday. Actually the second time that mother nature has dropped the white stuff this winter season.

Las Cruces stayover

Same view.....twi-light

Same view.......morning sunrise

 

Picking up blogging on Tuesday Feb 3........location........Pioneer RV Park, Phoenix. But wait...have some catchup to do.

 

After Las Cruces, our travels took us to a location 9 miles south of Benson, Arizona..........Kartchner Caverns State Park. Not a bad day traveling, partly sunny, mid 60s. But the weather report had us turning cold and rainey for a couple of days.......imagine that.

The park is set up really great, plenty of room between sites and very quiet.

With the weather turning, we took the first day (the projected less dreary of the coming 2) and tripped to Tombstone hoping that we would be able to walk the streets with out the need of rain coats. The 2nd objective is the tour of the cave so we figured if there was to be a day of torrential rain, where better to spend the time than in the bowels of the cave where we would never feel a drop. Our plan worked to perfection, cloudy with an occasional sprinkle temps in the lower 60s for Tombstone.

Appr 30 miles to Tombstone, enjoyed the history of the various buildings and western antiquties.

Of course while in Tombstone it is a must that you do the shoot out at OK corral.

My newly learned history lesson from the Oct 26, 1881 shoot out experience is this.......maybe my heroes the Erps and Doc Holiday (especially the Doc, after Val Kilmer did such a great job of portrayal in the movie....."I've got your huckleberry") were not such good guys after all. It is not totally clear in the history recall if the bad guys (McLaury's and Clanton's) were even armed. So there leaves some doubt in my mind how fair the fight was. Was interesting history and I came away with the below pic for my blog. Checkout the look that Wyatt (to my right) waas giving me. I guess he did not appreciate the home boy stance. 

    Sue found a couple of new boy friends.

 

 

The second day of touring the cave was incredible. Carlsbad Caverns may have the size, but the Kartchner Caverns are less busy and great care is taken to preserve the caves. As the group enters, you go through several heavy doors that are in place to keep the inner environment prestine. The tour guides are consantly turning on and off lighting, this to prevent the heat from the lights effecting the inner temp. As you enter you go through a series of misting sprays, this is to dampen the various lints, hairs, dust, etc that could fall from the bodies of the group. Each night cleaning crews go through the caves and clean/vacuum the walk ways. Of course pictures are not allowed inside, in fact you cannot take anything loose into the caves, jackets accepted. 







 This creek bed was dry on the day of our arrival. After 2 days of record setting rain fall, it was a rushing river.

 

Did one over night (2/1) in the parking lot of the Dessert Diamond Casino on the south side of Tucson. Did not get rich, lost a little......as they say....had fun.

 

Arrived in Phoenix at the Pioneer RV Park on the 2nd. The below pictures pretty much say it all.

 

 

I do have one story to tell about a gentlemen that we met not more than 30 minutes after we arrived on site. We were walking to the office to do paper work when this elderly lady (will call her Loraine, because.......that is her name) approached us talking a streak that would not stop. By the time we could seperate ourselves and continue our office trek, we found that Loraine and her husband (will call him Ray, because.....that is his name) have been in the park for 17 years. They will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this year (do not remember when exactly but I am sure that she told us). But what caught my history ear was her bragging about Ray surviving Pearl Harbor. Ray was standing in the back ground tinkering with a plant, Loraine mentioned that he did not talk much about his military experience, but later I was able to set with him and he was very much willing to share his past....and it was very interesting.............

He joined the Navy as a 17 year old. He tried to enlist at 16 (at that time you had to be 18) but the recruiter knew he was lying so he was turned down. Later the age restiction was changed to 17 which he was by that time, so he was in. Wound up as a 2nd class gunnery mate on the heavy cruiser vessel named the USS Northampton. Well, on Dec 6th of 1941, his ship was heading into Pearl Harbor when thay encountered an issue with some cabling going over board and getting tangled in the props. By the time they had the divers get the cabling cut off, they were not allowed in the harbor because it was under attack. The 5 hours that they got delayed due to the repair probably saved their lives. They were allowed in the harbor the next day and they were witness to the after math of the event, fires and carnage all through the harbor. They resupplied and went back out to hunt japs.  Did some research on the Northampton and found that she was sank in Dec of 1942 at Guadal canal in the battle of Tassafaronga. Took 2 torpedoes from a jap sub. Hoping Ray will feel comfortable sharing the further story of the final attack. I am sure that he had to be on board.  

 

 

Road Rash........

Too hot, 80 deg tomorrow..........just kidding!!! Loving it!!!!!