Apache Junction, Arizona – January, 2011

While most of the country is shivering knee-deep in snow, howling winds and power outages, we are living under a bright blue sky…which is not to say we are even remotely warm.  The overnight temperature dipped well below freezing and we don’t seem to have running water this morning. The big golf tournament in Phoenix was delayed because the greens were frozen and home-owners are being advised to cover their plants.  Just imagine how difficult it is to wrap a cactus!

Our stay in Apache Junction is drawing to a close and we’re pretty much on schedule to get our winter chores done before it’s time to move on down the road.  My exercise regime has fallen by the wayside; it’s hard to work up much enthusiasm for water aerobics when the thermometer is stuck below 50 degrees.  But Howie and Russ continue with their biking routine on a nearly daily basis.  They are doing in excess of ten miles per outing and have  explored most of the highways and byways here in Apache  Junction.  Rochelle printed out an area map and Russ has dutifully checked off all of the routes they’ve taken so there is an accurate picture of how far they’ve traveled.  (Click on map for larger image)

 

Last week we were able to attend a country/western dance lesson given by our New York friends, David and Shirley, at their home park.  However, this week a sore knee kept me sidelined.  We’re hoping I’ll have improved enough by next week so we can get in a few turns – dancing is one of those things that benefits from constant practice so that muscle memory kicks in when the brain fails to send the correct signals on its own.

My college roommate, Gayle, and I were able to spend a play day nosing around the mall on Val Vista.  Sadly, many of the shops at this upscale mall have closed their doors and beautiful retail space remains empty.  The stores that do remain open were having big post-Christmas sales and so we scored a few good bargains.  I fell in love with a pale blue “boyfriend shirt” at J. Jill, one of my favorite shops, but the fine linen fabric seemed inappropriate for our nomadic lifestyle.  And it wasn’t on sale, either.

January excitement was pretty low-level except that we went on a cruise aboard The Dolly, a steamboat which plies the waters of Canyon Lake up in the Superstition Mountains.  Canyon Lake is one of four lakes formed by dams on the Salt River (aka Rio Salado).  The views from the water range from saguaro-studded low hills to towering cliffs  with the opportunity of seeing plenty of wildlife.  Even though the ship’s captain gave everyone plenty of warning about spotting wildlife, many of us failed to look in just the right places.  Rochelle’s daughter, who was  visiting from Wyoming, managed to spot the bald eagle and photograph him (or her) posing majestically on a crag.  Howie shot blindly in the general direction of some desert bighorn sheep  and, sure enough, they appeared in the photos once he got them loaded into the computer.  Those critters take “camo” to a whole other level!  There’s one just about dead-center in the above photo with another slightly to the right and lower. 

The weather was just perfect for a cruise, bright and sunny but not overly hot, so a good time was had by all.  We finished up the cruise with lunch at Tortilla Flat,  an interesting little tourist trap on the paved part of Route 86, a snaky road that winds its way uphill from Goldfield, past Canyon Lake and Roosevelt Lake and through Tonto National Forest.  Here are some photos that give an idea of the variety of terrain we traveled through on our cruise.

Apache Junction, AZ – Starting 2011

 

We have been enjoying life in the slow lane since arriving here in Apache Junction in early December.  The weather has been a bit on the cool side so some outdoor activities have been curtailed to some extent.  But at least we haven’t had to shovel any of the weather in order to get out of the driveway.  However, there was one day when a few snowflakes managed to fall out of a cloudless blue sky and the mountains just north of here had mantles of white on their shoulders.

Dental appointments are over and done with and we are on the books for wellness exams at the end of this month.  That should leave plenty of time for any necessary medical tests before we hit the road again in March.  Most snowbirds use the winter months as “vacations” but we come here to get chores done.

The highlight of the past few weeks was a visit on Wednesday from our old friends, Joe and Bernie (aka Dina), from Upstate New York.  In Phoenix to visit two of their children, we were so happy they could spend a day with us.  There was a lot of catching up to do so we just sat around and yakked.  They’ve visited this area before and have probably seen most of the sights so we just took them to our favorite Beall’s Outlet, then drove past our favorite saguaro cactus.   Who wouldn’t love this guy?  After a late lunch (or early dinner, depending on your perspective), we drove them to their youngest son’s home where they will spend the remainder of their Arizona vacation. 

Nearly every day, regardless of the temperature, Russ and Howie have gone off on their bicycles to explore the area and get some exercise.  Most days they are logging close to ten miles, often made more difficult by flat tires.  Howie’s new bike turned out not to be much of a bargain because he had to almost completely reassemble it and the tires keep going flat, slime or no slime. 

I gave up trying to do two water aerobics classes back to back.  It was costing a fortune in body lotion and I didn’t much care for wasting most of the morning flailing around in the water.  I’d rather spend the time working on my beading projects and have completed several pieces since we’ve been here.

Of course one of the chores of sitting in one place for an extended period is to map out a route for the next few months.  The task this time was to get us into position by Memorial Day to make the leap across the border into Canada to begin the push northward to Alaska.  Of course we’ll be trying to utilize as many of our membership parks as possible in order to save money before venturing into the unknown.  With oil reaching $100 a barrel, it doesn’t seem like the most appropriate time to be planning a really long trip.  But we aren’t getting any younger and neither is the rig so if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it now.

Apache Junction, AZ – Wrapping Up 2010

On this final day of 2010, we want extend our best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe New Year.  Can you believe it’s 2011 already?  That doesn’t even sound like a year, it sounds like an IRS form.

The flocks of snowbirds have flown in to Arizona and settled down around various swimming pools and watering holes to wait out the ugly weather in other areas of the country.  Initially we were treated to really nice weather – warm, sunny and not too windy – but that has all changed with a cold front which moved in, leaving us with temps only a whisker above freezing and little flakes of white floating here and there.  What a rude shock!  We hope that those snowbirds who’ve yet to depart the tundras remember to pack their longjohns before heading here.

One of our first social outings upon arrival was dinner at our friends, David and Shirley.  They spend their winters in the Phoenix area and summers in Upstate New York, which is where we met them at the time  country/western dancing first became popular.  They were our original instructors and we’ve been friends ever since. Nearly everybody at their RV park goes whole-hog on Christmas decorations  and it is quite the sight to see when all the lights are on.  Here’s just a little glimpse of the light show, photo courtesy of David. 

 

Another outing led us to The University of Phoenix Stadium, home to the NFL Arizona Cardinals.  We were there for an RV show but found the stadium far more interesting than the RVs.   The playing field was lined with RVs of all types, parked on the concrete floor.  If that stuck us as odd, it didn’t really register.  It was eventually pointed out to us that the “field” itself was outside in the sunlight, being watered and  groomed like any other large lawn.  For games, the entire field is moved indoors on tracks via a bank of garage-type doors so that the Cards can play on real grass.  It hasn’t helped this year.  These two  photos will give you a general idea of how this transition comes about.

 

 

The RV park where we’re staying hosted a wonderful Christmas dinner with the owners providing the turkey, ham and mashed potatoes and the guests bringing dishes to pass.  There was a wonderful array of veggies, salads and desserts.  It makes a person wonder what prevents 100 people from showing up each toting an apple pie – the variety is as unique as the folks who prepared the dishes.

We always arrive at our winter quarters with a long list of chores to attend to during our down time.  So far we haven’t made a lot of progress but at least we now have some built-in New Year’s Resolutions, several of which were left over from last year.

And so that wraps up another year.  May 2011 bring you all things bright and beautiful.

Christmas Greetings

Apache Junction, Arizona – Part I

We settled into our winter hibernation headquarters on the first of December and expect to remain here at least until the first of March.  This is the time when we see doctors and dentists and attend to other chores that can’t be handled when rolling down the highways and byways.  We also enjoy the opportunity to rendezvous with chums who either live in the area all the time or who also hibernate here in the winter. 

Our site here at Superstition Lookout isn’t easy to get into but once we’re in there’s  plenty of elbow room.  Our road buddies, Russ and Rochelle, were already settled in at the same park and invited us for dinner our first night in town.  It has become somewhat of a tradition when we get together that Rochelle bakes a pie with rhubarb Russ has grown in their garden and this was no exception.  Yummy…and with French vanilla ice cream thrown in for good measure.  The next night we hightailed it out to Gold Canyon for a happy hour and potluck with the Anazazi Chapter of FMCA.  Two other couples from the Fulltimers chapter were there, which is how we came to be invited.  The Anazazis are an active fun group but unfortunately our life-style precludes  joining it. 

The great thing about this area of Arizona is the wonderful shopping opportunities.  Competition among several large grocery chains keep prices low (if you watch the sales) and there are several options for inexpensive fresh produce.  We always like to visit the Superstition Ranch Market for the bargains du jour – such as fresh pineapple at 88 cents each and colored bell peppers for less than you’d pay for green elsewhere.  And it is always fun to troll through the Mesa Swap Meet in search of some interesting little item.  That’s where you’re likely to run into all the folks you met last year.

I immediately threw myself into the water aerobics routine, starting with the 8:00 a.m. session.  Just recently I’ve added a second session at 9:00 although I’ve yet to do both in the same day.  There’s also a walking and stretching session three days a week.  Howie finally got around to buying a new bike and so there will be some pedaling in his future.  If I have any energy left, I may join him.  I’m sure there will be biking opportunities with friend David who resides nearby during the winter months.

The craft ladies meet once a week for a couple of hours on Monday, nothing formal, everybody just works on whatever they’re working on.  Everyone is very happy to share their skills and so there’s plenty of opportunity to learn new things.  I’m still working on the same afghan I was knitting this time last year.  Of course the colors are now passé.

All of the towns in and around Phoenix have their own Christmas activities.  Last week we drove to   Chandler to attend the lighting of their Christmas tree which is made of tumbleweeds. It’s some 35 feet tall and very impressive.  Our timing wasn’t very good; we arrived too early and didn’t feel much like staring at each other for two hours waiting for the parade to start.  The tree lighting was scheduled to follow the parade and none of us had dressed in enough layers to be comfortable once the sun went down.

So we took a vote, hopped in the car and raced back to Apache Junction where we arrived just in time to see the lighting of “our” Christmas tree and watch the parade.   Antique car collectors abound around here and the rolling light displays were quite fun to see.  Even some of the horses were draped in colored lights.  Several were not amused.

Stayed tuned for more shopping tips and radiant sunsets.

Casa Grande, Arizona – Week 2

Everything slowed down considerably during our second week in Casa Grande, including the weather. Temperatures got down into freezing territory at night and rarely worked up to “comfy” during the day so it seemed like an excellent opportunity to check out the Historical Society Museum in Casa Grande. The museum is housed in an addition to an old church made of native stone taken from the Gila River. The displays are exceptionally tidy and coherent, not all willy-nilly like so many small museums.

The tour kicks off with a brief movie about the Casa Grande ruins located near Coolidge. A self-guided tour then led us through displays of pottery and baskets, dioramas of early Casa Grande, the segregated school operated by Rebecca Dallis, bits and pieces of old farm equipment and a display of women’s dresses dating from the ‘50s and ‘60s. It’s a bit off-putting to see items of clothing similar to what one wore to the Sweetheart Ball now gathering dust in a museum. My, how time flies.

And, as is usually the case, we came upon an Interesting Character referenced in a museum display. This chap, James Addison Reavis, was known as The Baron of Arizona and was a scam artist of some magnitude. Laying claim to huge portions of central Arizona and parts of New Mexico with nothing more than forged land grant documents takes some kind of chutzpah. Check the link above to learn more about “Baron” Reavis.

Driving on the outskirts of Casa Grande and then heading north toward Phoenix, one cannot help but notice acres and acres of cotton. Huge bales outline the fields and wisps of it cling to roadside plants. It easy to think of the desert as infertile but in reality all it lacks is water. Throw in some irrigation and you can grow just about anything that requires a long growing season and plenty of sun. Such as cotton. We had a big light-bulb-going-on moment when a museum display put a name to the area’s cotton crop….it’s known worldwide as Pima Cotton, first grown in the region by the Native American tribe known as the Pimas. Duh. Why we didn’t figure that out without help is beyond me.

One of the highlights of our (well, mine anyhow) stay in Casa Grande was the opportunity to hang out with Bonnie, a former member of the Fulltimers Chapter. She’s a wonderful beader and kindly invited me along to participate in her park’s beading group. Naturally I managed to mess up both projects attempted – performance anxiety, I guess – but came away with sufficient knowledge about both techniques to replicate them in the privacy of my own home at a later date.

It wasn’t much of a drive to our winter den in Apache Junction and we were on-site and semi settled in shortly after noon. Our Wyoming buddies, Russ and Rochelle, are here and entertained us for dinner and a rousing game of Aggravation. It’s so nice not to have to think about making dinner after a hard day on the road!

This is our time to see doctors and dentists and attend to all those pesky housekeeping chores that can’t be done when on the move so road reports may be few and far between over the next few months. In case we don’t chat again soon, we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Casa Grande, Arizona – Week 1

We have been here in Casa Grande for a little over a week.  For the most part the weather has been pleasant with clear skies, not much wind and warm enough to keep water aerobics from being cancelled.  This is our second visit to Desert Shadows; we spent last Thanksgiving here as well and enjoyed the visit enough to plan an encore this year.

Our friends, Galen and Betty Jo, are here as well and last Friday we made a day trip to Florence.  They hadn’t toured the Pinal County Historical Museum so we made that our first stop.  This little museum has become one of our favorite places to visit, thanks to the historian/docent who has an endless supply of stories about the wonderful array of characters who’ve passed through Florence over the decades.  Every city has an industry for which it is noted – Florence’s claim to fame is Incarceration.  It’s home to two state penitentiaries, several privately-owned prisons and a number of specialized facilities, including one for juvenile offenders.  The first prison was built to relieve crowding at the territorial prison in Yuma and so the museum features many artifacts from those days, including the gallows trap door and a two-seater chair for the gas chamber which eventually replaced the hanging tree. 

Florence was once a well-heeled mining town and the museum has fine examples of some of the more upscale accoutrements of a by-gone era.  The Western movie hero, Tom Mix,  was killed in a car accident not far from Florence so one exhibit features photos and mementos of his presence in Florence which he visited on a regular basis.  Gene Autry was another movie cowboy to spend time in the area visiting friends who owned ranches nearby.

After a thorough examination of the museum’s displays, we walked around the historic downtown.  The visitors center was in the process of vacating the two-story brick building known as the Conrad Brunenkant City Bakery (built in 1889) and moving to the first Pinal County Courthouse; it’s also known as McFarland State Historic Park but was closed shortly after being renovated due to state budget shortages.  It’s great that the city will be able to make use of this wonderful old building, which dates from the late 1870s.

Another interesting structure on the walking tour is the Silver King Hotel, once the social center of the city and considered the height of elegance at the time.  It now houses a restaurant and several small shops, including one that sells what must be the most expensive fudge in the state. 

One of our favorite stories has to do with the second Pinal County Courthouse, built in 1891 and now undergoing renovations.  It looks pretty much like every other government building of that era but what makes it special is its clock tower.  The county went over budget in constructing the courthouse and didn’t have funds left for the internal workings of a clock.  So the hands were painted on and it is forever 11:44 in Florence, no matter what time you get there.

Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be a disappointment.  We recalled having a delicious ample dinner last year at a pretty modest price.  This year the meal was mediocre at best, cost $2 more than last year and seconds were not allowed.  Each family was asked to bring a salad or dessert, most of which went uneaten.  Rumor has it that turkey sandwiches will be served on Black Friday for $4 per person….using turkey we’ve already paid for.  We won’t be participating and we’ll likely find somewhere else to spend next Thanksgiving.  Meanwhile, we have a lot of confetti salad left over.

We have a little less than a week left in Casa Grande before moving up to Apache Junction to hibernate for the winter.  There are a couple of other attractions  we’d like to visit before leaving but it remains to be seen if we can get organized enough to accomplish much.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.