Day 60 - March 8th - Rockport, TX

We'll, we are finally at what I guess is our destination for this 2009 Winter Vacation. Arrived at the Last Resort RV Park at about 2:00PM. Today's driving was two handed all the way from Laredo as the south wind was trying to push us away from the Gulf of Mexico. However we persisted and after skirting Corpus Christi pulled into the resort intact. Although we can't see the Gulf we know it is only about 1/2 mile away. The resort is nice, completely covered with mature Oak trees. We have them on both sides of us, so will benefit from the shade, and hopefully reduce use of the Air Conditioning, as we will be paying extra for that - 14 cents/kw. Reserved for the full month, so you know where we will be for a while. Plan on doing a fair amount of driving around with the Jeep to see everything that is of interest. May even take a couple of two day tours at ELTORO is certainly in a secure area.

Day 59 - March 7th - Larado, TX

More of the same as yesterday. Drove from Marathon to just outside Laredo, TX. Although it did get a little more scenic as we went along. One of the high points of the day was when we saw a couple of Javelinas on the edge of the road near Sanderson. They were quite tame, and there was a wide shoulder on the highway, with little traffic, so we were able to pull over and stop and take a few good photos of them. Then on and on and on. As we went farther to the east and south the trees, if you can call them that, are starting to come out in blossom and leaf. We have never seen that before as we were always a little earlier than this time I guess. Never stopped much along the way as we have taken all those photos over the last few years when we have gone this route. Yesterday the time zone changed to Central Standard Time, and tonight the Daylight Savings Time kicks in, so we have a 2 hour change. I'm sure with the drought that's going on here, that 2 hours more sun per day is certainly going to have a negative effect on the plants and trees here !!!! At about 5:00PM pulled into Baquera RV Park, some 10 miles west of Loredo, We have been here twice before. It is not the best park in the world, but is situated in a convenient spot, and beside, we were tired of driving today. Got set up, and had Chesters Chicken for supper, that we had bought while filling with gas at Eagle Pass. It was good.After cleaning up I wandered around outside and was interested in a pile of firewood piled by a shed. After a while the owners of the park were nearby so I engaged them in some conversation. They were certainly of Mexican decent. We talked about the various kinds of wood in the area, and they said I could take any or as much as I wanted. I ended up taking a piece of Mesquite, one of Ebony, one of Oak, and one of Chinese Umbrella. Not sure what I'll be able to do with them, but will figure that out while relaxing at Corpus Christi. I did call ahead and reserved for one month at a RV Park called The Last Resort at Rockport. This had been recommended by some of John's Blog Friends. It is just new and of course we have never been there, so I hope the advise is good. Rates vary from about $40/night to $350+ power/Month. The months committment seemed to be the best deal, even if we decide to vacate early.

Day 58 - March 6th - Marathon, TX

Up and away in good time this morning. John and Brenda bid us farewell about 7:30AM. They are headed for Kerrville, TX to meet with a bunch of RV'ers who have been sharing Blog communication. Many of them have not met face to face, but because of the "Blogging" feel that they are already friends. The Browns want to put faces to many of these names, so this seems like a good time to do it when they are all gathered in one place. We were invited to join as well, but since we are rather new to this "Blogging", decided to refrain and get to the somewhat more tropical seascape at Corpus Christi. We left shortly behind them and did the dash through El Paso during "Rush Hour". 40 miles of bumper to bumper, but on the whole not too bad. All traffic was orderly and divers polite. From that point on to Van Horne on I-10, and then down to Marathon it was just miles and miles of miles and miles. Not tooo exciting!!! Very little of West Texas is!! Arrived in Marathon at about 3:00PM and decided to hold up there for the night. Checked into the Marathon Motel and RV Park for $22 for the night. It is very nice done in an Adobe Motif. Oh yes, the train track is nearby - every 1/2 hour

Day 57 - March 5th - Los Cruces, NM

Moving Day Today.
On the road by 8:30AM, heading for Los Cruces. Through Tucson without a hitch. Lots of highway construction going on just south of Picacho Peak and also in Tucson. Highway narrowed to 2 lanes each way for about 10 miles, but once by that, no problem. Did come by one big accident with a couple of overturned semis, but was on the opposite side of the highway so did not hold us up at all. Arrived in Los Cruces at 2:30PM and pulled into the KOA just off I -10 on highway 70. John and Brenda had just pulled in minutes before. We had decided not to even try to travel together, and they had left about 1/2 hour ahead of us, so we thought they would have been here quite a while sooner than us. They had stopped for lunch and we had just snacked on junk food as we drove! After we all got settled in, we jumped in John's jeep and went down to Old Los Cruces for a little shopping and to look around. Again lots of neet stuff to buy, but no room to store it in the RV. Bought some stuff anyway ----
Decided that since it was after 4:00PM that we might as well have some Mexican vittles for supper. John and Brenda had been down here before and knew of a good Mexican Restaurant called La Posta right there in Old Town Los Cruces. Old Town was originally Mesilla. Old Town has quite a history.
The village of Mesilla was incorporated in 1848, after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo moved the U.S.-Mexico border south of the village of Doña Ana, placing it in the United States. A small group of citizens, unhappy at being part of the United States, decided to move south of the border. They settled in Mesilla at this time. By 1850, Mesilla was an established colony. By this time, its people were under constant threat of attack from the Apache. By 1851, the attacks caused the United States to take action to protect its people just to the north of the border, in the Mesilla Valley. They did this by creating Fort Fillmore. As a result of the fort, the United States declared the Mesilla Valley region part of the United States. Mexico also claimed this strip of land, causing it to become known as "No Mans Land."This boundary dispute, which was officially caused by a map error, was resolved in 1853, with the Gadsden Purchase. Mesilla became a part of the United States, as well as the southern part of New Mexico and Arizona.Mesilla served as the capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona in 1861-1862 during the Civil War, and was known as the "hub", or main city for the entire region. During the "Wild West" era, Mesilla was known for its cantinas and festivals. The area attracted such figures as Pancho Villa, Billy the Kid, and Pat Garrett. The village was also the crossroads of two major stagecoach lines, Butterfield Stagecoach and the Santa Fe Trail. The village of Mesilla was the most important city of the region until 1881.In 1881, the Santa Fe Railway was ready to build through the Gadsden Purchase region of the country. Mesilla was naturally seen as the city the railroad would run through. However, The people of Mesilla asked for too much money for the land rights, and a land owner in nearby Las Cruces, New Mexico, a much smaller village than Mesilla, stepped in and offered free land. The city of Mesilla has not grown since, and the Las Cruces area has grown to a population nearing 200,000 people[1] and is currently the second largest city in New Mexico. Mesilla remains much the same today as it did in 1881, now a protected historical site, but as small as it was the day it froze, when the railroad passed it by.We had a great dinner of Mexican Grub. Don't expect me to tell you what each of us had, or what even was the menu called it, but we all enhjoyed it anyway. The dessert was especially good!! It was some sort of crust filled with either apple or cherry filling. Good !!!Back home and to the end of another great Day!!!

Day 56 - March 4th - Picacho Peak RV Resort

Rise and Shine fairly early this morning as we are going into Tucson to satisfy our "Campers World" needs. It is only 40 miles from our RV site to Tucson, so this seems to be the be the solution, rather than spending a night there. This way we will be able to get our supplies and tomorrow just blast right on through Tucson, and on to Los Cruces. On the road by 9:00AM and at Campers before 10:00AM. Lots of interesting stuff to purchase there. Some stuff we needed, and a whole bunch we didn't need, but bought anyway. A new Woodhalls RV Park directory, a book of 2 lane vacation roads in America, a directory of free RV parking places, just to name a few. Also bought a set of new kitchen faucets for the sink, and some out door solar lights for around the Parking spot when we are parked for longer terms. Nothing that a few hundred Dollars didn't cover.Then Denice wanted to return to San Xavier Mission on highway 93 to see if the re-construction was finally competed. We have been there each of the last 4 years and the re-construction has always been "in progress". However this time is is almost complete, and it is quite impressive. Mission San Xavier del Bac is situated in the Santa Cruz Valley nine miles south of Tucson, Arizona. Framed in the warm browns of the surrounding hills and the violet shadows of more distant mountains, it rises, brilliantly white from the desert floor of dusty green mesquite and sage. The imposing dome and lofty towers, the rounded parapets and graceful spires etched against the vivid blue complete a skyline with a graceful enchantment. San Xavier del Bac Mission HistoryFrom the earliest times, the Tohono O'odham settlement in which the Mission is located was called Bac, "place where the water appears," because the Santa Cruz River, which ran underground for some distance, reappears on the surface nearby.The celebrated Jesuit missionary and explorer, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, first visited Bac in 1692. Eight years later in 1700, Father Kino laid the foundations of the first church, some two miles north of the present site of the Mission. He named it San Xavier in honor of his chosen patron, St. Francis Xavier, the illustrious Jesuit "Apostle of the Indies."In 1768, Fray Francisco Hermengildo Garces, a man of outstanding personality and prodigious accomplishments among all missionaries in Arizona, established his headquarters at San Xavier. From here this Franciscan Friar set forth on his many missionary explorations.Fr. Eusebio KinoThe present church was built from 1783 - 1797 by the Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. Little is know about the actual labor of the construction of the church, who was the architect, who were the artisans, but many believe it was the Tohono O'odham who fufilled these roles. Why the one tower was never completed is still a mystery, but hopefully one day this question will be answered.San Xavier Mission is acclaimed by many to be the finest example of mission architecture in the United States. It is a graceful blend of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance architecture, yet the blending is so complete it is hard to tell where one type begins and another ends.The church is a series of domes and arches that create enclaves for themes of painting on the various walls, domes and rooms. The area behind the high altar is a dazzling gilt of colors. The wall paintings are all original, but over time have needed to be touched up. Time and the harsh desert weather have taken a toll on the the beauty that is within the church and the entire mission complex. Currently the church is going through an ongoing restoration that tries to clean, repair and preserve as much of the church as it can. Outside the church, the restoration is even more extensive, and for this we have the gracious donations of visitors, patrons and the Patronato.After more than two hundred years, the Franciscan Friars are still here serving the needs of the faithful. San Xavier del Bac Mission is a fully functioning parish church within the Diocese of Tucson. It is a church that primarily serves the Tohono O'odham, but is open to all.
Once finished there we returned to Picacho Peak RV Park, Crammed away all our stuff in every unused Nook and Cranny that we could find. I swear if we continue this we need to ge a much larger RV or maybe pull a toyhauler behind. Then we went over to John and Brendas for some more Kraft Dinner. They were BAR-B-QUED outside and were at least 1 1/2" thick with Bar-b-que sauce on top, corn on the cob, cheesey potatoes. A meal fit for Royalty !!! Then topped of with Pecan Pie!! I know its a tough life -----------

Day 55 - March 3rd - Picacho Peak RV Resort

Not a whole lot to report today. Just kicked back for the morning after our Bacon and Egg breakfast. Denice brewed up some soup for lunch, and then we went to Casa Grande to do some restocking of the pantry shelves. Needed a Walmart fix I guess. Then stopped at the Outlet Mall on the way back. Made just a few small purchases. Then a Snow Cone for the return trip to Picacho Peak. Once home, put away our purchases, and wandered down to John and Brendas to shoot the breeze for an hour. Back home for Side Pork supper. We have always enjoyed Side Pork, but it needs lots of spices! I cooked (Broiled) it on the BAR-B-QUE. I have been packing a griddle of my mothers for years in the motorhome, but never used it. This seemed lke a great time, so I got it out of one of the back compartments, washed it up, and put it on the Barbie. I think that this is the first time it has been used in many a moon. I do remember my Mother cooking hot cakes on it on the coal stove on the farm. I had forgotten how big it was. It took the whole surface of my little barbie, but sure worked good. Then after supper we went back to John and Brendas for dessert. Angel Food and Strawberries. Pretty hard to turn that down. Now that's fine food for those that have to have Kraft Dinner for supper two days in a row, but they do have 1/4 million $$$ Motorhome!!!!!! Brenda said I would do this. ---
No photo ops today --------

Day 54 - March 2nd - Picacho Peak RV Resort

Up this morning and energized with a bowl of Oatmeal - Sundays breakfast, but missed it yesterday as we were moving, and just didn't seem to get around to it. Then headed down the road with the Jeep for a whole 1 mile to Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch. Now there is a whole lot more to see there than ostriches. They have fallow deer, minitiature cicilian donkeys, ostriches of course, and an enclosure with Lorikeets. Now for those that are like me, and not familiar with what a lorikeet is. It is a small Australian bird, much like a parrot, only much smaller, but larger than a budgie. When you go in to pay for the visit ($5 each) you are given a large cup full of compressed pellets and a small container with a liquid for the lorikeets. Instructions are: Feed the deer from your hand as they will take it right from you. The ostriches do bite, so just drop the pellets into one of the tubes that lead to the buckets inside. If you feel real brave go ahead and let them lake a pellet from your hand, but be aware ---- they assume no liability for ostrich bites. The donkeys are quite docile, so feel free to let them eat out of you hand. Now the lorikeets: Do not try to go to them. Just enter the enclosure and be quiet and still and let them approach you, and they may even set on your hand while the drink the liquid in the little cup. Denice says we will go in together, and I will try to take a picture of her feeding them and then she will take a picture of me feeding them. So we enter the enclosure, and before we can even get inside we are accosted by a couple of dozen of the little guys, They land on your head, and your shoulders and on your hands. They know what you have and they go right after the little cups. Before you even have a chance the take the lids off the cups, they are right there, and are well trained at taking the lids off. In a very short time the dozen or so have drained the feeding suppliment, and are looking for more. Denice's hair seemed a good choice since she had a shower this morning and they seemed to like her brand of hair gel. Took a bunch of photos. The lady at the check in advised that if you are lucky they may even poop on your head!! That is supposed to be Good Luck, and if you are bald, as someone who I know is, is guaranteed to grow hair. Only problem is , it will be the same color as the lorikeet. Anyway, a worthwhile visit for $5. Then at the end, as is customary, there is the gift shop. They have lots of ostich stuff. Eggs, both blown and fresh. Did you know an ostrich egg tastes almost like a chicken egg, and is comparable to 24 of them !!! I'll have mine over easy !! They also have painted eggs, t-shirts, Ostrich feather dusters, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Denice bought a duster and a painted egg. Returned home, had lunch and than read, waiting for John and Brenda to arrive. They did so about 3:30pm. The site that I had anticipated them moving into, next to us, was unacceptable once we really looked at it. It had a tree too close to the pad, and would have scratched his unit if he parked there, so he moved down 3 or 4 sites to a more open one. Once they settled in, they came up and shot the wind with us for an hour or so. We had chicken on the barbie for our supper, and we were sorry that we didn't have more. If we had known what time they were arriving they could have eaten with us. But they said they were going home for Kraft dinner. We'll catch them another day! Then after supper Denice and I made a quick trip up the road for sunset pics. When returned John and I made a sorte over to the Hot Tub for an hour and hashed over a whole lot of trivial stuff. End of Day!

Day 53 - Picacho RV Resort

Well, we decided to move on this morning. Had an appointment to have ELTORO serviced at a local one man service shop at 10:00AM this AM. Arrived there at about 9:30 and he still was not open. Waited a few minutes until he arrived, and as soon as he was organized and started the service, we went on into Casa Grande to the Big Mall on the east side of I-10. Denice was looking for a new bed spread for our bed as the one that we had just purchased for $250, from Linens and Things, just prior to leaving, was already falling apart. As you all know, I am kind of cheap, and I was thoroughly ticked with the quality that Linens and Things sold us. So much that I sent them a rather snotmail message. But,of coarse, no reply, as they are going out of business. Anyway Denice was able to find a lighter colored one that she liked, so of coarse we bought. It was then time to pick up ELTORO, so we returned and Ricks Mechanical was just finishing the job. He seems like a really nice guy, no fancy shop, in fact he did ELTORO outside on a cement pad. I like that kind of service, with someone you can actaully talk to! I would recommend him to anyone who needs work done down here. He's situated on the I-10 exit to Arizona City, just across the hiway from Love's and beside Starbucks Coffee. He only charged $56 !! I said that was pretty cheap, so he asked what I usually paid in Canada. When I told him around $100, he was really surprised. So he is quite reasonable. It was now near dinner time so Denice followed me in the jeep and we travelled south toward Tucson for about 15 miles to the Picacho RV Park. Have just got set up now and it is very hot, near 90 degrees today!! Both air conditioners are on and working hard to keep it liveable inside ----- But that is a good thing -- at least we don't have to shovel it!

Day 52 - Feb 28th - Arizona City

Check the Jeeps tire pressure this morning. Damn!!! Down to 26 lbs again. Discount Tire had advised me to watch it and if it didn't hold pressure may have to buy a new tire. It could be leaking out into and through the belt, so I guess they may get paid after all, but not today. 10:00AM Tom and Linda say their good-byes and head for Yuma. We likely will not see them again until we are all back home in Canada. At about 10:30AM we head out on a tour to Picacho State Park. John and Brenda Brown are planning on moving there on Monday, so we may stop there for a few days ourselves. When we got there, the registration booth told us that all sites with electric hookups were gone and only a few "dry" sites remained. They were good enough to let us drive through, to check out the park. Nice! Then we went on down the service road for another 1/2 mile to the SE to Picacho RV Resort, to check it out. They also allowed us to drive through, and it is very nice. All services with amenities of Pool, Hot Tub, Club House. etc. for $27/night. We decided to register for 4 days. We even picked our own preference of sites. This seemed better than the State Park as they wanted $20 for electric only, $12 for dry sites. Then we returned home for lunch - left overs from last night, but they sometimes taste better the day after anyway.After lunch decided to go to the Eloy Airport as this is where the World Record Sky Diving performances are held. Found that very interesting as we watched 3 separate flights of about 20 adventurious people each. I'll tell you, they have a lot more guts than I do. We also went over to the Indoor Skydiving Facility. It consists of huge fans blowing skyward through a big glass tube about 15 feet across. Wind speeds of over 120 MPH are possible. This is enough to keep bodies up to 250lbs suspended in the air. Skydivers use this to experience free falling . Military also use it for the same reasons, not only US forces, but foreign ones as well. I could maybe handle this one as I would never be more than 20 feet off the ground! Supper was a salad and large Shrimp that Denice had forgot to put out last night.

Day 51 - Feb 27th - High Chapparal RV Park - Arizona City

Up in the AM with nothing to do. This afternoon we are having happy hour at our place so I needed to do some setting up - not much, but set up the picnic table and set up more chairs etc. My left front tire on the jeep is still showing low air pressure so I need to go and get it fixed somewhere. It's not bad but just aggravating. Seems to decrease pressure to about 25 lbs and then stay, but the indicator is always blinking. Tom and I make a trip to a truck tire repair shop at Eloy and check with the owner about fixing SUV tires. He said he would, but we would have to wait an hour. We decided to go up to Casa Grande and get it done there. Went to Discount Tire. They couldn't fix it for an hour either, but we decided to wait. After they looked at the tire, checked tire wear, tire pressure on all the other tires, my name and address, and another whole bank of questions, I, and Tom, had a lot of reservations about these guys. We only wanted a tire repaired!! However we were there now - might as well let them do their thing, but anticipated a $25 or more bill. We wandered around to an Auto Supply store and then to Home Hardware to burn up the hour required. When we returned they crew was just finishing and was backing it out. I went to the office expecting the worst, but the clerk handed me the invoice with a total of $0. I couldn't believe it but by then the clerk was on to another customer. I waited until the manager wasn't busy and asked him to explain. He said that they could not find a leak, but had serviced the sensor arrangement, put the tire back on, and balanced it. and so no charge. He said that he just wanted our future business, and since we were such good Guys there was no charge. I thanked him for that, and certainly retracted my earlier thoughts.Then we went to "Best Buy" to get some more Ram for my computer. I wanted to upgrade from 2 to 4 Gyge, but the Computer Geek advised that my Sony maximum Ram was 2 Gyge. So couldn't spend any money there either. Happy Hour started at 4:00PM. Denice had made many snacking dishes, chips, cheese, pickles, oysters, veggies, dip, Brenda Brown's famous chili dip, and then the neighbors brought additional food. One thing for sure we were not going to go short. And then of coarse there was ample refreshments. We had Tom and Linda, and Denice and I from Canada, Jim and Marsha Orcutt from Conrad Montana, Wayne and Lorrain Cherry, full timers from Los Cruces, New Mexico, and Bill and Bernice Workman from Iowa. We had a great evening, just shooting the breeze until about 7:00PM.

Great Day !!

Day 50 - Feb 26 - Arizona City (Casa Grande)

Fairly quiet day today. Worked on computers a good share of the time. Linda had just bought a new Toshiba so Tom was getting it all set up for her. Mine had been having a lot of problems --- ssllooww --- so we worked on it for a while also. Loaded a MalWareBytes program that Tom has had good luck with. After loading and running it showed 248 questionable files on my machine. I deleted all of them, and now it does seem to be running better, but still a little slow. Still getting some "Pop Ups" that should be blocked. I guess I may just have to put up with that. I have Vista on my computer and I guess 4 mbs of Ram is recommended and I only have 2. Tom just upgraded his to 4 mbs for $86 from "Best Buy". I may follow suite.Then Denice and I went down town Casa Grande for groceries. Found a "Fry's store, and stocked up. Now we can eat again!!! Do I look like I'm fading away?? - The frig is filled to absolute capacity.Once home and supplies all stowed away, had Tom and Linda over for a rum Caesar. After they went home, we cooked Catfish on the Barbie and Denice made a skillet of fried rice and chopped veggies to go with it. The rice and veggies had time to almost get crisp. What a Supper. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Washed dishes, too a couple of pics of the new moon, and now updating the Blog. One thing we sure notice down here is the short time from sunset to DARK. my eyes get pretty heavy soon after dark.
Good night for now .

Day 49 - Feb 25 - Arizona City ( Casa Grande )

Up and on the move today, but again just a fairly short day, from Organ Pipe to Casa Grande.The lady at the Registration Hut told us if we were going that way to go by Highway Indian # 15. On the map it appears to be just a gravel road across the Tohono O'odham Indian Reserve, but she said it is a new wide paved road all the way. It turns off Highway 86 at Quijotoa and takes you right into Casa Grande. Since Tom and Linda are at High Chaparral RV Park on Battaglia Road we decided to travel that way. Battaglia Road intersects Indian #15 just prior to Casa Grande. Once on the road we indeed, did find it to be an excellent highway. Wide shoulders and new pavement. Found High Chaparral RV Park, without a hitch, thanks to GPS and "2009 Streets and Trips". Arrived just after noon and went to register at the Office. Brenda, the clerk, said "Hey, you know its dinner time and I'm in the middle of lunch. Just go and find a spot near Tom andLinda and come back sometime this afternoon for the paperwork". Pretty Laid Back!! So that is what we did. Tom and Linda were in H6 and we took H3. Got all set up and went and had a beer with tom and Linda, and reviewed notes of each other whereabouts for the last month. Then Tom and I wandered over to the office for the "paperwork". By now Brenda had forgotten when we came in. She thought yesterday, and then said for the 4 days I was planning on staying that it would be $40. Tom says "How come he gets such a good deal when I pay $20/Night"? Brenda kids him a long and says, "Because he's just a better person".Anyway we eventually get it all sorted out. $20/night for all services. We will stay 4 nights, leaving on Sunday. Tom and Linda plan on leaving Saturday, heading back to Yuma. Us to Tucson area.For dinner we decide to go out with Tom and Linda and their friends Jim and Martha Orcutt, from Conrad, Montana. We go to Chris's Diner just up the road. The meal was good, but large. We all brought "Doggy Bags" home. Sat outside and BS'ed until after dark, and then turned in.

Day 48 - Feb 24th - Organ Pipe National Monument

Denice rolled me out of the sack at 5:30AM this morning to walk to the edge of the desert and take sunrise photos. I grumbled a lot, but of course went anyway. I guess I was rewarded, because the sunrise was great and the photos turned out well. Returned to ELTORO and had bacon and eggs for breakfast. Then prepared for a drive to Alamo Canyon. Once in the jeep and on the road there was a warning indicator telling that the left front tire of the jeep was low on air - only 23 lbs. This is the same tire that I had fixed in Quartzsite. However at 23 lbs decided it was OK for the drive. Alamo Canyon is back down the highway toward Why for about 10 miles, and then to the right on a dir raod for an additional 3 miles to a remote campground and parking area. By the time we reached there it was hot (80 ̊F). We debated whether we should go on the 1 mile walk to the old Ranch buildings or if we should just bypass it. After reading the signs indicating a fairly level trail, we decided to walk a little ways. We took a jug of water and set off. It was a nice walk and in the end we walked all the way to an old adobe brick ranch house. That was far enough. There was supposed to be more to see farther up the canyon, but by then we had walked enog so we turned back and returned to the jeep.Back at the RV Park I started my little air compressor and pumped the tire back up to 40 lbs. We'll see what it is in tomorrow morning. Just lazed around the rerst of the day, enjoying the heat and trying to find shade. Toward evening Tom Neal & Linda phoned just to check in and let us know that they were over in Casa Grande.Later after supper of Pork chops and salad we decided to call them back and let them know that we would change our route over the where they are camped and spend a day or two with them again, as our paths would not likely pass again on this trip. They were happy to here that, so will see them tomorrow.Elwin Eddy and Marleen never did show up back here. Indications are that they are in Picacho, that is only 10 miles from where we will be going to see Tom and Linda, so maybe we will catch them as well. More sunset pics and then to bed.

Day 47 - Feb 23 - Organ Pipe National Monument

Started the day with some good sunrise photos.

Then got on with the morning with good old Oatmeal Porridge. That is usually reserved for Sundays, but since we missed yesterday, decided to have this morn. Anyway needed a health start to the day as we are going on the loop road tour today. Denice packed a big lunch, leftover chicken, potato salad, fruit and other goodies. The Loop Road is a 21 mile loop east of Organ Pipe and circles around a Diablo Mountain. It is just dirt a good share of the way, but when it gets to steeper terrain is paved. Great desert scenery is observed every mile of the route. They, at the park headquarters, recommend allowing at least 2 hours for the whole route. I don't know how you would be able to do it that fast. We left at 9:00AM, and weren't home until 4:00PM. We did stop for 1/2 hour for our lunch at a Ramada ( a picnic table covered with Octillo branches for shade). We just moseyed along at about 5 - 10 MPH, and stopped when ever something interested us. Lots of photos!! It is a "one way" road so you can stop most anywhere you desire. During the whole day we really only saw about 15-20 other cars on the entire route. Just another great day. But we were beat when we got back to ELTORO. It was hot, around 80 degrees F.

Day 46 - Feb 22nd - Oregon Pipe Cactus Mun

Just a short message - On the move today - and will be away from internet for a few days - will fill in later - trouble with computer - Oh Shit ---

Day 43 - Feb 20th - Ajo RV Park

Up this morning and Denice makes an Omelet - Great way to start the Day. Head off down the road with Organ Pipe National Monument as a destination. We know that every year at about this time a 2nd cousin of mine spends a few weeks at that RV Park, so we thought that just by chance they may be there now. Elwyn Eddy was originally from Burmis, Alberta, and his wife Marleen from the Crows Nest Pass, but of course have not lived there for eons. Elwyn worked and retired from Telus in Calgary many years ago. Since that time they have been living a good share of the time in their 5th wheel, travelling between Calgary, his home residence, Vancouver Island where they own a lot at Fanny Bay, Burmis where Elwyn still owns the lot where his parents used to run the local grocery store/ service station right below the now famous "Burmis Tree", and southern Arizona. However, when we checked at the gate the register lady said that they had left as their 14 day time limit was up, but they would be back on Sunday or Monday. She and her husband new them well and said that they thought they had gone to Picacho State Park south of Phoenix. So no luck there but we left my cell number and e-mail and hopefully they will call Sunday. If they do we may move down there for a few days to be with them before we travel on. WE ARE RETIRED AND HAVE NO SET TIME SCHEDULE OR DESTINATION. JUST DAY BY DAY!! Returned to Ajo and went to the local IGA and stocked up on groceries. AGAIN! Damn, if we just didn't have to eat we could surely travel cheaply! Put all the groceries away, and had a cooked chicked from IGA for supper. No more than finished, than we noticed it looked like a good sunset, so we hurried and headed out on the "Loop Road" to find the perfect spot. Only need to travel about 3 miles to find that one, and it was a pretty good sunset as this photo will confirm. Returned home to complete this Blog!!!!!!!! I'll fill in a bunch of photos tomorrow. It's 10:30PM - away past my bedtime ---------------------

Day 42 - Feb 19th - Ajo

Moving Day - Decided to move back to Ajo to the Shadow Ridge RV Park .. We need to dump and replenish our supply of food and water, wash clothes, etc, etc. Packed up in the morning and broke camp at about noon. I drove ELTORO and Denice the Jeep. Got all set up in the Park, and then Denice went to the Park Laundry and did the wash. While she was doing that, I went and washed the Jeep. It wasn't real dirty, but had a fair amount of desert dust on it. That completed we went and toured the sites of Ajo. Not really a lot to see !! Decided to eat out for supper as we did not stop for lunch so went to the "Ajo in the Wall" restaurant ( Do you get it? Ajo pronounced Ahh ho in the wall) in the Plaza at about 4:00PM. We decided we would have the filet mignon for $19.95. However they only had one left so I chose the Halibut steak instead. Both meals were exceptional, Denice and I exchanged portions of each meal and both were delicious. No spuds, just meat and a great sauce on each, and some Brocolli. My halibut had some capers and artichokes in the sauce - not sure I care for either of them, but they were OK. Returned to ELTORO and read until dark.

Day 41 - Feb 18th - Ajo Desert

A Lazy Day!! Pancakes, Bacon and Eggs for breakfast. Lazing around outside when some people from Oregon came by and told us about a old mexican cemetary up a side road that we should go see, so we did. It was very well kept with all the crosses in good repair and painted white. Many gravesites were adorned with flowers and Icons. A lot had bottles of water beside them, that we do not understand, but being in the desert, it certainly must relate to a supply for the "Great Beyond". We then continued on up that road for another 6 or 8 miles ending at a locked gate at the entrance to military property and a Wildlife Protection Zone. We turned back, and returned home, but were happy with our little tour into the remote desert. Going by our Jeeps GPS we estimate that we were about 15 - 20 miles from the Mexican Border. Its great to see the desert in its own pristine environment with little human intervention. One think we do wish though, is that it would sure be nice if those that did tread would bring their garbage back with them. Especially glass containers, namely beer and liquor bottles. If all would help by backing a garbage bag with you and take more out than you leave, in time it should become a much cleaner country!!! Its nice to be on my "High Horse" and pass my thoughts along, but I'm sure it will never happen. In the afternoon we went into Ajo just for a drive and bought some stuff - A new book for me to read, a map of the Ajo area, and a bracelet for a Granddaughter. As we driving around "Old Eagle Eye Denice" spied that the DQ was open today, So she did get her Peanut Buster Parfait after all. I had a Caramel Sunday. Not Bad!

Day 40 - Feb 17th - Ajo Desert

Just lay around all day today. Nice warm sunny day. Temp never went below 48 ̊ F, and was up to about 78 ̊ F at 2:00PM. We spent a fair amount of our time just trying to get some real good photos of our resident hummingbird pair. They are tough to get good ones as they move so fast. Never went anywhere today. Just read and relaxed. I did a couple of domestic chores. A little repair on the Bar-B-Que, and installed an LED bulb in one of the inside fixtures. They are good, in that they use next to no power, but they are expensive and do not give as much light. I'm sure over the next year or so they will come down in price and quality will be better. Not much more to report for the day. Wiley Coyote made his tour again today just at dusk. Unable to get a photo. Spagetti for supper. No sunset to get excited about -------------

Day 39 - Feb 16th - Ajo Desert

Today is just kind of a relax day - not a whole lot of activity. Just took photos of the desert, and humming birds, desert shots, finches, Oh yes a gopher. That’s about all we have seen today. A wiley coyote came by just at dark and wandered around at the front to the motorhome, but it was too dark to take a photo. He was not the least bit afraid, and just wandered around looking for a free meal. When he got none he just meandered away and continued with his wanderings. At about 3:00PM as I was just sitting out in the sun enjoying, an old prospector type gentleman wandered out of the desert, and came to chat. He was quite a talker, and we talked for an hour or so. He was originally from Boise Idaho and spent his time "Rock Hounding". He explained there was little to find here, but the weather was good, so he spends his winters around here. His favourite area is the the northwest of Dillon, Montana, between Dillon and Hamilton along highway 43. I'll have to keep that in mind in case I ever get real energetic. He says there a lots of chrystals there. You just need to know where to look, and what to look for.After he went on his way we put on a small beef roast on the BAR-B-Que for supper. It was good !! Leftovers for lunch tomorrow.We are just enjoying ourselves relaxing in the sun with no interruptions or distractions. We think if we are going to continue with this type of lifestyle, we should buy a small Honda Gen set, and a catalytic heater. The gen set would allow more use of it as it is quieter and uses less gas than the large one in the motorhome. Using it all the time seems a little "Overkill". Then the Catalytic heater would give some heat overnight without using battery power. It does get quite cool overnight. Last night it went down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit! We have been leaving the furnace off and just using a warm comforter, but by morning it is a little chilly! On with the furnace then. The salesman ar the Quartzsite RV show explained that thy are quite safe as the heater would only produce carbon monoxide for a minute or two when you ignite the hater, and from then on it produces carbon dioxide. The windows may fog a little, but at low temperature should not. Also uses minimum of propane.Anyway will have to give that some more thought. $$$ outlay - Gen set $1000, Heater $400, Heater hook up $100, Total about $1500 - Thats Canuck Bucks so add another $300 - Round figures $2000