March 10 – 19, 2015
Arizona: Superstition Mountains, Tucson’s Pima Air & Space Museum, Chiricahua Mountains, Ft. Bowie
New Mexico: Las Cruces, Mesilla, Chloride Ghost Town, Bosque del Apache (San Antonio Green Chili Cheeseburgers), Pie Town, Sky City Casino & Acoma Pueblo
Tuesday, Mar. 10
Left a 30s but sunny Durango morning for a drive to Apache Junction without Samantha! She has to go in for repairs to her map but I think we can find the way without her constant nagging. Finally drove down a new road through Holbrook (accidentally of course, but I was glad), and found some old Route 66 relics, like the Wigwam Motel built in 1950. 86 degrees in Phoenix area, we start peeling off the layers. Gained an hour from no Daylights Savings in Arizona, so had an early dinner at In n' Out Burger about 3:30pm. Picked up the trailer, sprayed off the dust and off to Dutchman for one night. Not as warm, perfect weather there for the evening as we watched the rescue helicopter make several runs at bringing hikers off the mountain. Found out the next am that someone had fallen 10 feet and messed up his knees. Then others said, "take us down too!" Apparently this is common for this mountain. After sunset went to Fry's to stock up. Spot #48 looks toward Goldfield.
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| This helicopter made at least 4 runs to rescue some hikers. One had fallen and the rest got scared and wanted out! |
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| Holbrook AZ roadside |
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| Wigwam Motel in Holbrook AZ |
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| Camp Dutchman |
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| Deceiving photo: Taken from up the road looks like we are in Goldfield. |
Wednesday, Mar. 11
Perfect morning, nice to hear the birds singing. Stopped at Florence the way to South Tucson (north is better BTW) at a mexican pottery store for a shopping break. Heading to Tucson to get the trailer's heater fixed in the trailer so staying at a KOA on what I call Powerline Road. Huge campground, #1552, in a motorhome canyon. Went to talk to the service department and visited their new small Airstream store and got a new Airstream matt I've wanted for a while. Of course wanted mexican for dinner but don't know our way around here but ended up at El Charro downtown. Bill hates this place overtime, why do we keep going? But it was fine, just don't order a marg. I didn't, I had lemonade. Same thing.
Thursday, Mar. 12
The heater is now working again, so at $129/hour labor we decided to let it go. Besides, they would have also needed the truck with it all day for the Hensley hitch. So instead we went to the Pima Air Museum. Very cloudy day so not hot as we wandered all around the numerous hangars and outdoor field. Had a very informed volunteer veteran give us some good info on the B-24 obtained from India and a DC-3, he said the most important planein there he said, the most useful. There was a B-25 to show as one of Dolittle's Raiders. Very interesting. Great place, so much history and some great pics. Over the campground the warthogs were flying from the Davis Monthan Air Force Base. Had a mini air show.
Friday, Mar 13
Today's air show as we left were were the big loud fighter jets, so cool. Next stop Chiricahua National Monument. Took I-10 to Willcox, stocked up on vegs at Safeway and headed down to the mountains for the next two nights. Nice day, went from 75 to 65, but clouds building toward the west. Might we actually get rain? Found our spot #11 in camp, back in a corner and very sloped--this is probably the most we've ever had to lift one side (5 lifts), good thing we got a second set of orange things. Plus some wood. Looks scary up there but it's secure. While setting up a quick downpour hit. Then later another that lasted about 15 minutes that made us stay in a bit. Cooler too. Afterward the Mexican Jays appeared, loved their seed and peanuts and were flying in to take a nut from our hands. We drove down to the visitor center then up the 8 miles to the overlook. Fajita night and wanted to be done in time for the ranger talk, which we did. Kinda dull but right next door. Very tired after one margarita, and in bed by, yes, 8:30. Slept thru till 6:30. wow
Saturday, Mar 14
Beautiful day for a hike in the desert. Somewhat breezy, highs in low 70s. Trailer holding fine up there. Did some work. Left for Ft. Bowie about 9:30am, arriving to find what looked like two rangers at the trailhead, looking for joiners for their guided tour starting at 10 am. We decided to go along, only to find the first group had moved on and we were left with young Ranger Pete and Volunteer-in Training Rick all to ourselves. Turned out to be very entertaining—Ranger Pete talking to us as though we were 3rd graders, handing us flash cards of plants and asking us to READ ALOUD. Hilarious. Once we reached the spring, 1.5 miles from the trailhead, our tour was completed and we left our guides and climbed up the hill to the first fort, built 1862. Following that we moved on to the main fort area, where we ate our sandwiches and joined Rick for his tour at 1pm, again being the only ones. Turns out Rick has just arrived as a volunteer, former Marine, and he and his wife, from Las Cruces, are Pete's roommates. Pete, a former middle school teacher, has been here just 3 months, his last assignment being Denali Park in Alaska. So he's new learning the Apache history and plants. Probably would have learned more reading the signage, but since we've already done this tour, it was a different take. The winds increased a lot while there, and I got attacked from behind by a big blowing tumbling tumbleweed while standing still. I felt that, it was sharp. Russian thistle he said. Walked back on the high trail behind the visitor center so got a good overhead view of the fort, and walked over the fault line that makes the spring. Running low on gas we headed back about 4pm and hand-fed the Mexican Jays peanuts back at camp. Been going to bed early, but today I bought a book about the Butterfield Overland Mail at the Bowie visitor center, so anxious to read.
Sunday, Mar 15
Cool in the morning, on the road the usual time, temp was 63 as we drove through the valley out to Willcox. Stopped at Annie's Apples and Bill had some delicious apple pie a la mode, yes I helped a little, and I found THE CHERRY BUTTER! Worth the stop. Drove on into a strong headwind to Las Cruces, somewhat late in the day, after 3pm, stopping to stay at Hacienda RV, right off the Interstate. $28 for full hookups, plus cable that didn't work, not bad. Bill hooked up to cable in next spot after neighbor left, and it works fine. We got the bad one. surprise. Volunteer Rick had told us about La Posta ("la pasta") in Mesilla, so of course that was our first stop, and Mesilla turned out to be just a mile to the south. We should have ridden bikes, but never did. Too windy! Dinner at a very busy and very cool, rambling adobe La Posta, traditional food and a very tart margarita, very good food. Walking around the plaza a bit before, we find that Mesilla was a Butterfield station stop. Before we came home picked up Horrible Bosses 2 at McDonald's Redbox. It was hilarious!
Monday, Mar 16
Shopping day, among other things. Started the day working, then off to Mesilla for Talavera. Drove 1.5 miles west to Mesilla Bosque State Park hoping to see birds, but the only ones we saw were before entering along the Rio Grande -- a roadrunner and heron. But at the park's visitor station had a great chat with the volunteer, an older gent who knew his birds, and would you believe, the Everglades, too. Did a short walk on the paths behind the beautiful new visitor center, but only saw two doves. yippee. Too late in the day at noon. Back to Mesilla. Walked around the Plaza area again, getting pics, then had lunch at the Double Eagle Restaurant. Delicious! Best margarita in a ling time (a "classic"), the freshest chips ever, good salsa (not too burning hot like La Posta last night), split a chili cheese burger and soup and salad, let's call that dinner; very very good. Then on for more shopping! Got some gifts, got Bill a cool La Posta T-shirt, me a scarf. Later drove over to Las Cruces, pretty quiet over there in the downtown, but a very good old used bookstore, so I got two: one about a madame, and one about Tularosa and this entire area. The guy said it's very good read. And he was a very good salesman. Came back and did more work, then a trip to Walmart for vegs for next stop somewhere near Datil. Clouded up today which helped keep the temps down from blazing sun, tho probably still in the low 70s. Worked again before turning in later than normal.
Tuesday, Mar 17
Woke up temps in 50s and all clouded over. Wow, gray skies what is that? Time to move on today, probably past Pie Town and then near Datil. But things didn't work out that way. Our first stop was at Chloride ghost town, where you can camp but it's way out in nowhere land, which is OK, but it's is lousy weather, been raining on and off all day. After meeting the father, got a tour of the Museum and gift shop (got my father's day gift!) by the man's daughter, Katy, who is the history expert. Seems they bought a house there in the 70s, and over time bought more old buildings from the old silver mine town from 1881 and slowly turned it into a museum. She said the building was closed up for 70 years with everything still in it from back then, until they opened it up. Great old junk, the American Pickers would go nuts. http://www.pioneerstoremuseum.com/Pioneer_Store_Museum.html
But we moved on and, finding out the route we were going to take north would be gravel, we went back out to I-25 and instead went to Bosque del Apache birding area for the night. Found a private campground here which we thought was closed but we called and it was open so for $25 got full hookups. About 4:30pm by now so no birding other than what I saw as we stopped the visitor center (hawks). Met the nutty owner here, says the place is for sale but still open. Chatted a bit about many things, including chili cheese burgers, with San Antonio just up the road, and saw him there later at the Owl Bar where we got yet another burger. We are going to have no arteries open when we get home from this trip. Home before dark, he watched TV and I read my new books. Till almost midnight. Wore and ate nothing green, except the chili.
Wednesday, Mar 18
Absolute gray soup out there this am. Crummy weather all around the area we hear. Should we stay or should we go? Go. But first, Pie Town! Rainy drive west on Highway 60 toward Pie Town, but Pie-O-Neer not open today so went to a cafe instead, which also had pie. Continued on toward Acoma Pueblo, passing some beautiful country, including the El Malpais area with its lava flows, and huge huge ranches. Spent the night at Sky City Casino, still raining. Cooked in, can't take the smoke in the casino or might have wagered a dollar. We were almost the last to leave the parking lot the next morning. Full hookups made it very convenient for sure, tho not scenic.
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| Acoma Pueblo |
Thursday, Mar 19
Even tho it is cool and gray and rainy, we went to finally see Acoma Pueblo, about 15 miles from the casino. Took the bus tour up to the top, where a native gave us a very thorough tour, a bit too much info in the old mission church, more because I had dropped my glasses somewhere before entering and wanted to get out and look for them! Found them on the way out. A nice stray dog followed along with the tour, taking a nap at someone's feet on the dirt floor inside the massive old church. Fascinating cemetery out in front but no photos allowed. She told us they were buried several deep out there over the centuries. Did not buy any pottery along the way, only because it was so rushed I had no time to check it all out and decide. Their museum down below at the visitor center was closed for roof repairs so off we went, to head back home. By now the sun came out for the end of the tour but heavy gray clouds were all around for the drive home. Beautiful country there, coming north from Crownpoint area. Haven't been this way for a while. But ready to go back again.
Hmm, no body RIP during this trip.
