Heading South |
Fred and I spent most of December and January in Arizona. I loved it, but with mixed feelings. Like young parents whose minivans signal the end of their wild youth, spending the winter in Arizona in your RV loudly announces your transition to senior citizenship. It's a sobering milestone. But much as I don't want to be old, I want to be cold even less.
In heading for warmth, we joined millions of elders before us (including my grandparents Bessie and Earnie) and "snowbirded" to the southwest. You know, the nickname seems backward to me. We were metaphorically flying to sun, not to snow. So shouldn't we be "sunbirds"? Note: I'm writing this on February 16, 2018. Sitting in my lovely Oak Harbor home, I'm watching pouring rain and enjoying a fire in 44 degree weather. At this moment in Gold Canyon Arizona it is 65 degrees, albeit cloudy. Those 21 degrees explain everything you need to know. So feel free to skip all the remaining text in this report and just buzz through the pretty photos. |
Needles CaliforniaQuartzsite Arizona |
Located near the Nevada and Arizona borders, Needles was our first really interesting stop (for lunch). The Wagon Wheel restaurant on Route 66 was an authentic atmosphere and wonderful food. Cracker Barrel was the only place close to this we'd find on the rest of the trip. (Close is a relative term, of course.)
I remember my parents and grandparents talking about many trips leading through Needles, so I'm betting mine wasn't the first family butt to sit in one of their booths and expand from one of their comfort food meals. (Fred had a club and I had a Monte Cristo sandwich. Damn they were good.) |
Pay no attention to the broken down truck. It was all part of the fun.
From Needles, we headed south to Quartzsite. I mentioned that I was following my grandparent's annual trek to Arizona. For as far back as I can remember, my grandparents Bessie and Ernie spent five winter months in their 1970 Winnebago Brave camping for free in Quartzsite Arizona.
From Wikipedia: Just 20 miles east of the Colorado River on I-10, Quartzsite has been a rockhound's paradise since the 1960s. These days, it's also a mecca to well over a million visitors each year (emphasis here is mine), most of whom converge on this small town in a wave of RVs during the months of January and February.
Growing up in Everett, I could appreciate wanting sun in the winter. I just couldn't see the appeal of living on hot sand with no running water and little to do but chase the shade and hunt for rocks. (Bessie had thousands of rocks. Those of you who know me are aware of my rock-obsession. It runs in the family. Nonetheless, I'm happy to get any old rock, not go on a quest for specific types, as Bessie did.)
So, the rocks are OK and I did find a few pieces of Quartz. But what I really love is the idea of camping in wide open spaces. The fact that it's free is a bonus. This is the way we camped when I was a kid and some of my best memories involve being in a little trailer with no one around.
I do not love the idea of camping in the desert with thousands of other old people or those living a post-apocalyptic Mad Max lifestyle. So I thought it would suck.
Fred had always yanked my chain saying he wanted to go there. I had always heartily resisted. Turns out, I ended up liking the place a lot more than he did. The town and some residents were indeed pretty depressing. But the wide-open desert spaces we found made up for it in my mind.
From Wikipedia: Just 20 miles east of the Colorado River on I-10, Quartzsite has been a rockhound's paradise since the 1960s. These days, it's also a mecca to well over a million visitors each year (emphasis here is mine), most of whom converge on this small town in a wave of RVs during the months of January and February.
Growing up in Everett, I could appreciate wanting sun in the winter. I just couldn't see the appeal of living on hot sand with no running water and little to do but chase the shade and hunt for rocks. (Bessie had thousands of rocks. Those of you who know me are aware of my rock-obsession. It runs in the family. Nonetheless, I'm happy to get any old rock, not go on a quest for specific types, as Bessie did.)
So, the rocks are OK and I did find a few pieces of Quartz. But what I really love is the idea of camping in wide open spaces. The fact that it's free is a bonus. This is the way we camped when I was a kid and some of my best memories involve being in a little trailer with no one around.
I do not love the idea of camping in the desert with thousands of other old people or those living a post-apocalyptic Mad Max lifestyle. So I thought it would suck.
Fred had always yanked my chain saying he wanted to go there. I had always heartily resisted. Turns out, I ended up liking the place a lot more than he did. The town and some residents were indeed pretty depressing. But the wide-open desert spaces we found made up for it in my mind.
Back to civilization: Gold Canyon Arizona
We spent a couple weeks in Gold Canyon, outside of Mesa, which in turn is outside of Phoenix. This was our first time at an "RV Resort." These communities are common in Arizona. They cater to people over 55 and offer small sites for both RVs and tiny, semi-permanent mobile homes called 'park models.' Each facility offers common areas for sports and various services and activities.
Some parks have thousands of spots, this one has a little over 700. That felt about right to us, but we were there off season, so about half of the residents weren't there yet. (A lot of people wait till after the holidays to head south.)
Because the experience is tailored to this demographic, there was a lot to like. I just don't want to admit that I'm part of the demographic! When I relaxed and stopped worrying about not belonging there (yet) I had a great time.
Some parks have thousands of spots, this one has a little over 700. That felt about right to us, but we were there off season, so about half of the residents weren't there yet. (A lot of people wait till after the holidays to head south.)
Because the experience is tailored to this demographic, there was a lot to like. I just don't want to admit that I'm part of the demographic! When I relaxed and stopped worrying about not belonging there (yet) I had a great time.
The Gold Canyon people are like instant family (actually, a few practically are family)
We stayed at three RV parks, and Gold Canyon was by far the most welcoming. As we wandered around it felt like walking through real neighborhoods with friendly (but not intrusive) residents who were there for fun and relaxation. We were there over Christmas. When a group of tipsy carolers stopped by every home, it was one of the sweetest moments I can remember. In the desert, it's hard to remember it's Christmas, but the residents decorate the heck out of the place, which helps.
The friendliest of neighbors were friends we'd made years ago boating. Russ and Toni spend winters in Gold Canyon and were amazing hosts eager to show us around the resort and the surrounding area. We really enjoyed our time with them. So much so that we actually went to Gold Canyon for two different stays during the trip.
We got to visit with other first-timer, C-Dory buddies, Barry and Patti Daniel. And, we briefly got to see yet another one, Bob Burks. It was wonderful to see folks we'd not been around for a long time. Barry and Patti live full time in a beautiful Glacier Peak fifth wheel trailer. They got to Gold Canyon in October. It was pretty hot until mid-to-late November, so they were pretty roasted by the time we got there! But a dinner and cocktails helped set everything straight.
On one of our first days there, Patti took me to the Mesa Market. Its a huge indoor-ish (tents) swap meet with everything you can imagine, from plants to textiles to tires to tonnage of tacky jewelry. I loved it.
The friendliest of neighbors were friends we'd made years ago boating. Russ and Toni spend winters in Gold Canyon and were amazing hosts eager to show us around the resort and the surrounding area. We really enjoyed our time with them. So much so that we actually went to Gold Canyon for two different stays during the trip.
We got to visit with other first-timer, C-Dory buddies, Barry and Patti Daniel. And, we briefly got to see yet another one, Bob Burks. It was wonderful to see folks we'd not been around for a long time. Barry and Patti live full time in a beautiful Glacier Peak fifth wheel trailer. They got to Gold Canyon in October. It was pretty hot until mid-to-late November, so they were pretty roasted by the time we got there! But a dinner and cocktails helped set everything straight.
On one of our first days there, Patti took me to the Mesa Market. Its a huge indoor-ish (tents) swap meet with everything you can imagine, from plants to textiles to tires to tonnage of tacky jewelry. I loved it.
Gold Canyon: Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Russ and Toni introduced us to this amazing state park, just a few miles from Gold Canyon. It features 323 acres of desert plants from around the world. It was founded in the 1920's by mining magnate Col. William Boyce Thompson. Designed to offer a number of day-hike options and more photo ops than even I could handle, I found it much more beautiful than the much-more-famous Arizona Desert Museum in Tucson.
Gold Canyon: Lost Goldmine Petroglyph Hike
I have always been fascinated by petroglyphs, so, being gracious hosts Russ & Toni planned ahead and had some commissioned--thousands of years ago! One fine day they took us on a hike into the Superstition Mountains to see them.
Carlsbad Caverns New Mexico
In between visits to Gold Canyon, we made a fast five-day round trip to Carlsbad New Mexico. It was a grueling drive through miles of New Mexico's dusty desert-without-benefit-of-cactus and the quick dip into Texas to traverse the tumultuous El Paso traffic.
But it was more than worth twice the effort. This is one of the most awe inspiring experiences I've ever had. If you ever get within a few hundred miles of this remote corner of New Mexico, make every effort to go. Christmas is an ideal time, there are practically no visitors. A ranger, who startled me in the dark solitude, told us that in the busy season 7,000 people a day tour the caverns. Being there at Christmas, there were maybe a hundred people in the cavern. Pure magic.
These photos, which I took with my cell phone, without flash, give a hint of the size and beauty of this natural wonder. The fact I got photos at all is a huge testament to the care the National Park Service has taken in lighting the formations.
But it was more than worth twice the effort. This is one of the most awe inspiring experiences I've ever had. If you ever get within a few hundred miles of this remote corner of New Mexico, make every effort to go. Christmas is an ideal time, there are practically no visitors. A ranger, who startled me in the dark solitude, told us that in the busy season 7,000 people a day tour the caverns. Being there at Christmas, there were maybe a hundred people in the cavern. Pure magic.
These photos, which I took with my cell phone, without flash, give a hint of the size and beauty of this natural wonder. The fact I got photos at all is a huge testament to the care the National Park Service has taken in lighting the formations.
Old Arizona: Tombstone
Their motto says it all, "The Town too Tough to Die." If you think "movie set/gift shop" when you think of Tombstone, you've pretty much got it. On the other hand, it's not terribly tacky, and worth a visit if you're nearby. Which you will be if you go to Bisbee (see below).
The buildings feel authentic, for example, the boards you walk on are thick and weathered. Doubtless replaced many times, but so far they haven't resorted to faux wood. Which helps. It also helped that the place wasn't crowded yet. We left just as the tour buses started pouring in. Before you ask, no, we did not go to see the recreated shoot out at the OK Corral, which is not free. I've seen it before.
The buildings feel authentic, for example, the boards you walk on are thick and weathered. Doubtless replaced many times, but so far they haven't resorted to faux wood. Which helps. It also helped that the place wasn't crowded yet. We left just as the tour buses started pouring in. Before you ask, no, we did not go to see the recreated shoot out at the OK Corral, which is not free. I've seen it before.
Old Arizona: Bisbee
Bisbee is between Tombstone and Douglas Arizona. My parents grew up during the Depression in Douglas. My father and grandfather are buried in Douglas. But the family heart is closer to Bisbee. I'd been there three times before, all were emotional events related to my father's death.
This time, it was just for fun, right around Christmas, and I really enjoyed it. The campground was absolutely one-of-a-kind. Self-serve, you backed your RV into one of the couple dozen sites arranged in a circle. Better yet, you're parked on top of the old Copper Queen underground mine. The strip-mined lavender pit (which isn't lavender) is perilously close to the office/wash house. Quirky is an essential Bisbee vibe, and I loved it. To get a taste of Bisbee life, and Arizona overall, read Going Back to Bisbee.
This time, it was just for fun, right around Christmas, and I really enjoyed it. The campground was absolutely one-of-a-kind. Self-serve, you backed your RV into one of the couple dozen sites arranged in a circle. Better yet, you're parked on top of the old Copper Queen underground mine. The strip-mined lavender pit (which isn't lavender) is perilously close to the office/wash house. Quirky is an essential Bisbee vibe, and I loved it. To get a taste of Bisbee life, and Arizona overall, read Going Back to Bisbee.
Tucson
We covered a lot of ground during our ten days in Tucson.
Tucson: Voyager RV Resort
Although the amenities are very similar to Gold Canyon, and exceed them in some ways -- for example there's a restaurant, bar, and small store -- I just didn't feel as at home at the Voyager RV Resort. Perhaps having the streets laid out in linear grids versus the curves at Gold Canyon somehow reduced the cozy nature and the sense of community.
The sites are a bit smaller, in fact, some people were sitting on the side of the street when they had more than a couple visitors. . And there's not as much interleaving of RV sites with park model homes, which helps relieve the barren feeling of living in a parking lot. Most important, I think, was the total lack of vegetation in the RV site areas.
But most of all, I think, were the lack of smiles on the faces of the residents we ran across. At Gold Canyon, people were pretty universally friendly. At Voyager, most were polite but not terribly. One lady actually kind of grunted when we said hello.
The sites are a bit smaller, in fact, some people were sitting on the side of the street when they had more than a couple visitors. . And there's not as much interleaving of RV sites with park model homes, which helps relieve the barren feeling of living in a parking lot. Most important, I think, was the total lack of vegetation in the RV site areas.
But most of all, I think, were the lack of smiles on the faces of the residents we ran across. At Gold Canyon, people were pretty universally friendly. At Voyager, most were polite but not terribly. One lady actually kind of grunted when we said hello.
Tucson: Pima Air Museum
Roughly 35 years ago I was in Tucson with my Mom and Dad, who was very ill. One of their employees took me on a tour of the Pima Air Museum. I was enthralled and took dozens of photos. Trouble was, my 35mm camera was empty. So I'd been eager to get back there and get those darn photos! For Fred, it was a more important opportunity. He got a good look at the kind of plane his dad had served in during WWII.
I took dozens of photos this time. They all are safe on my hard drive, and if you ever want to see them, let me know. Meanwhile, here are just a few.
I took dozens of photos this time. They all are safe on my hard drive, and if you ever want to see them, let me know. Meanwhile, here are just a few.
Tucson: Catalina State Park
North of Tucson, Catalina State Park is an oddly wonderful place. Going up Oracle road, if you take a left you end up in a huge mall with chain restaurants, stores, and a huge cineplex. If you take a right and go about a mile, you are in a totally un-populated, beautiful campground at the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. There was tons of space between each campsite, the restrooms were fantastic with large, free showers, and, of course, there is a huge movie theater and Walmart a mile away. Perfect!
Thank you Bob and Betsy!
During our stay at Catalina we made a trip down to see C-Dory boating friends who have a custom home in a wonderful community (fancy!) in Sahuarita Arizona, very near the Mexico border. I don't know what the hell was wrong with me, but I forgot to take any pictures while I was there. I think I was simply stunned. Good reason to go back. At any rate, I wanted to thank them for their wonderful hospitality. Thanks Bob and Betsy!
Thank you Bob and Betsy!
During our stay at Catalina we made a trip down to see C-Dory boating friends who have a custom home in a wonderful community (fancy!) in Sahuarita Arizona, very near the Mexico border. I don't know what the hell was wrong with me, but I forgot to take any pictures while I was there. I think I was simply stunned. Good reason to go back. At any rate, I wanted to thank them for their wonderful hospitality. Thanks Bob and Betsy!
Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Not sure why this seemed so much more impressive 35 years ago. Probably a lot to do with our having visited Boyd Thompson State Park earlier in the trip. Know for its animals in natural settings, more than half were hiding during our visit. We saw a bear's ass, a cat's shadow, some javelinas sleeping, and a bunch of snakes in glass cages. We didn't even see many birds in the aviary. Pretty disappointing. Best part were cactus gardens forced to bloom through artificial irrigation.
Tucson: Mount Lemmon ~ Summerhaven
While we were in Tucson, we took an amazing side trip we'd highly recommend.
Just outside of Tucson, Mt. Lemmon is named for Sara Allen Plummer Lemmon, the first white woman to climb it. Which is hard to imagine doing even with the road. A 42 mile drive switchbacks from sea level to 9,157 feet. That alone is amazing, the hoodoos and other geological sights make the trip pretty darn memorable. A surprising number of people were bicycling up the road. At the end of road you've reached the top of the mountain and the quaint village of Summerhaven, so known because it's typically 20 degrees cooler than Tucson. Of course if you climb or cycle your way up, those 20 degrees may not seem enough.
Within a couple miles of Summerhaven we saw kids playing in the remnants of snow alongside the road. Poignant, these kids may never have seen snow before, so perhaps they didn't realize they were playing on the crusty sandy stuff left by snow plows. At any rate, there are ski lodges in Summerhaven, so I presume there are times when kids can play in the real stuff.
Of all the photos I took with my phone on the trip, I'm the least happy with these. Next year I'll take the real camera and see if I can better capture the unique geology and crazy fun road.
Just outside of Tucson, Mt. Lemmon is named for Sara Allen Plummer Lemmon, the first white woman to climb it. Which is hard to imagine doing even with the road. A 42 mile drive switchbacks from sea level to 9,157 feet. That alone is amazing, the hoodoos and other geological sights make the trip pretty darn memorable. A surprising number of people were bicycling up the road. At the end of road you've reached the top of the mountain and the quaint village of Summerhaven, so known because it's typically 20 degrees cooler than Tucson. Of course if you climb or cycle your way up, those 20 degrees may not seem enough.
Within a couple miles of Summerhaven we saw kids playing in the remnants of snow alongside the road. Poignant, these kids may never have seen snow before, so perhaps they didn't realize they were playing on the crusty sandy stuff left by snow plows. At any rate, there are ski lodges in Summerhaven, so I presume there are times when kids can play in the real stuff.
Of all the photos I took with my phone on the trip, I'm the least happy with these. Next year I'll take the real camera and see if I can better capture the unique geology and crazy fun road.
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Like Carlsbad Caverns, words and photos can't fully capture the beauty and atmosphere of Joshua Tree. Again, I'd never seen anything quite like this, as I'd never seen a Joshua Tree before except on the cover of the same-named U2 album cover.
Many of the rock formation photos above were taken directly from our campsite at the blunt and perfectly named Jumbo Rocks campground. The site itself was extraordinary: private, spacious, and amazingly beautiful. From our site you could walk directly into the rock formations. And, a coyote wandered through,
Now, for the less scenic bits...
Getting to and from the pretty places involved going through not so interesting places. The most notable was....
Boredom and dismay in the Central Valley
The trip through central California on I-5 is monotonous. It's odd, when you think about it. Thousands of acres of neat orchards and farmlands lack the visual interest of the most barren desert. Although desert is creeping into the central valley.
Monotony aside, bless you, California, for your thousand acre farms. And deepest regrets for the water shortages that make life so hard. The news coverage of years of fires, and particularly this year's enormous residential fires, forewarned us that California wasn't the lush garden of my youth (I lived in Santa Rosa for a few years).
We didn't see any of the burned out neighborhoods, and only a few hills that'd been scorched by wildfires. The most graphic illustration we got driving down the valley were hundreds of acres of seemingly healthy almond orchards that the owners were ripping up and turning into wood chips. Such self-inflicted death was hard to see. In fact, I didn't take photos because the waste really bothered me.
It's not just fickle mother nature causing the problem. We highly recommend the National Geographic documentary The Great Water Heist. The water wars in California aren't new (see the movie Chinatown) but they are growing increasingly dangerous as the very ground beneath many Californian's feet is collapsing.
Fred will tell you that driving the so called "Grapevine" section of I-5 between LA and Bakersfield was the hardest. Tight curves, steep climbs and descents, and a lack of services for 40 miles make the trip more interesting than dead almond groves, for sure. I liked the strategically located barrels of water for overheated radiators and runaway truck ramps for those whose brakes gave out. We only had to drive the Grapevine on our way home. Going down, we bypassed it and instead took a joyride through Bakersfield.
Escaping the fires, damaging the RV
Avoiding the wildfires still raging around LA, we headed east at Bakersfield. We didn't get incinerated, but we did sustain damage.
The roads, which had already been pretty rugged, got much worse. So much so that hitting a pothole and a major city street knocked a kitchen drawer clear out of the cabinet. Felt a little like Seattle. (Fred and our friend Russ fixed the drawer, which was a huge relief. The gap in the cabinet made getting into the bottom drawer handy, but looked like crap in our shiny new (to us) RV.
Cheap-o overnight parking
When you're just heading from one place to another as fast as possible, it's not always worth trying to find a traditional RV park or campground. So, we did what a lot of people do and hunted down casinos and WalMarts where you can stay for free. Some of these accommodations worked out better than others. Our first try was the Seven Feathers Casino in southern Oregon. It was the nicest casino we saw on the trip, but we weren't wise in our specific parking spot. Around midnight a row of diesel trucks lined up directly behind the head of our bed and sat there with their engines running. Fred got up and moved us (with the slide still out) and the noise got a little better. If we go back, we'll park over by the fence, which backs up to a cemetery. Come to think of it, cemeteries could be the ideal place to sleep for a few hours...
The most entertaining (and expensive) "free" parking is at those few WalMarts that allow overnight guests. Some WalMarts are restricted by lease agreements and others are prohibited by local ordinances, so you can't count on consistently finding a spot. There are a number of overnight parking apps that help track what locations allow you to stay over. It's a blessing and a curse, of course. I generally spend a lot more in WalMart than I would at most RV parks or campgrounds.
We only stayed at WalMart twice, both times at Los Cruces as we made our mad dash to and from Carlsbad. This place had it all: plenty of parking, a guard driving around the lot 24 hours a day, and a Cracker Barrel in walking distance.
