17 April


We said a sad farewell to Sun Life Resort. It has been a great place to stay while setting up “Ernie”. After one last visit to Cruise America to fix a minor leak in our black tank system (all free) we headed north to Tortilla Forest. We passed a sign that said the forest was closed for camping for the season.

Fortunately we had just passed a sign to Lost Dutchman State Parking Camping so hooked a U turn and found a great place with friendly rangers. There were over a hundred sites, some with power. As we wanted to try “Ernie” out “boondocking”, we chose no power. The sites were great, all with stunning views of the Superstition Mountains. Each site was raked gravel with a fireplace and a barbeque. The desert was all around us with beautiful cacti. The sunset was spectacular. The mountain went gold then red then copper as the sun went down. The huge Saguaro (pronounced Sah-Wah-Row) cacti are everywhere. Most of them are over 50ft high and over 100 years old. The temperature is cooler as we are over 2000ft above Phoenix. We had to put on a jersey and track pants for the first time in the US. There is someone missing up the mountain and there have been helicopters and search parties working just up the road until dark.

18 April

Another cloudless day. We packed our lunch and headed up one of the many hiking tracks towards Flat Iron Peak (highest point of the Superstition Mountains) following the Siphon Draw Trail. The track got steeper the higher we got, but with spectacular views, back down the gorges and up to the peak, was worth the effort. We climbed about 1500ft and the return trip was 5 miles. We were away for about 2.5 hours.

What a great walk! Sitting at our site the wildlife was everywhere. We saw lizards, jack rabbits, desert squirrels, humming birds, cactus wrens, and eagles. We even have a cactus wren’s nest right by “Ernie” with both parents feeding the chicks all day. After a relaxing afternoon we went for a shorter walk thru the desert again. Another spectacular sunset!! The search is still for the missing person with helicopters flying overhead all day.

19 April


After dumping we headed south the 100 miles to Tucson. We were not on the main road but it was a good surface very much like NZ roads. It was desert most of the way with more cacti. For the last 20 miles it became increasingly populated with shopping areas. We found our pre booked RV Park. (We booked because we heard that the Beach Boys were playing in Tucson.) We did not need to bother as there are plenty of RV Parks and no sign of the Beach Boys. The Park is basic with many permanents. The railway and the motorway are close so it is quite noisy. The freight trains that pass are huge. 3 huge diesel engines at the front, 2 kms of freight cars and 1 diesel engine pushing at the back. There seems to be a need to whistle as they pass us. Fortunately they stop at around 10:30pm and do not start again until 6:00am. Tucson is a large city (520,000) but like many US cities it is very spread out with only a small business/government centre.

20 April

There are two Saguaro National Parks either side of Tucson. We headed off the West Park. On the way we stopped off at the Arizona Saguaro Desert Museum, admission $14.50. It was a great insight into the plants and wildlife we had seen at Lost Dutchman S.P. There was a reptile area with all the snakes, lizards and scorpions. The rattle snakes (the only poisonous snakes here) are much smaller than we thought.

There were also many other desert animals on display including, bobcats, javelina (pig like) porcupine, coyote, Mexican wolves and even a beaver. The cacti were beautiful with many of them in flower. It was interesting to see the number of locals lined up to hire mobility scooters to navigate the short walking tracks!! Boy there are some large unfit folks in this country! The whole experience was worth the admission. We continued on to the National Park and bought a years entrance to all the National Parks ($80) but well worth it as most of the parks are at least $15 each. We took a short drive into the park and had our lunch in the desert. Two deer ran across the road in front of us. Back at the camp the internet worked at last so we skyped the kids.

21 April

Another lovely hot sunny day 92F, so we cycled into the centre of Tucson. As it was Sunday, the roads were quiet and we mostly followed cycle lanes. The business area was very nice with some green spaces but very small considering the population. After lunch back at “Ernie”, we headed to the East Saguaro National Park and after watching a short informative video at the visitors centre, we rode a 10km loop thru the desert of which 5kms was on a mountain bike trail. It was quite challenging.

The rangers were slightly concerned as to our fitness and preparedness for this ride. It was hot, but a piece of cake! Driving back to the camp we used our aircon for the first time. The beers at sunset were much deserved!!

22 April

A fast 50 mile dash down the I10 to Benson where we stocked up with food and bought a security system for “Ernie”. Hopefully this will be last of the setup costs. Parts of the Interstate highways are 75 MPH limit but we felt comfortable at around 60 MPH. This speed in the RH lane does not seem to be a problem. We checked into Kartchner Caverns State Park for 2 nights. The price was the same whether we had full hookup or not. The sites are in the desert again, but as the altitude is now 4700ft, the cacti are quiet different with even some stunted trees. At sunset, we enjoyed a good 3 mile walk around the foothills of the park where the caves are. Tomorrow we will visit the caves.

23 April

A nice quiet morning sitting in the shade, reading and fixing a couple of minor things. After lunch we walked down to the visitors centre and joined our tour thru the caves. They were only discovered in 1974 and the environment has been strictly controlled. We were not allowed to take anything into the caves and had to enter thru a series of airlocks to preserve the atmosphere. The guide was great with the right amount of information. We have been in many limestone caves in NZ and Europe but these would have to be the most pristine. The delicate soda straw stalagtites and the colourful ribbons formed by the calcium and water were fascinating and the climax was the huge formation in the “Throne Room”. Well worth the $22 admission!

24 April

Only a short drive to Tombstone. We had not decided whether we would stay here or just visit and move on. After a quick stroll down the main street we decided we had to stay and found the Wells Fargo RV park at the end of the town. Tombstone was made famous as the sight of the gun fight at the OK Corral which involved Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan and Doc Haliday fighting the McAuley gang.

We went to a re-enactment of the fight at the original site. It was very well done. Tombstone was a mining town which suffered two fires and the various mining floods, but still survived until the mines closed. The town was deserted until the movie “Tombstone was made and the tourists flocked in. The main street buildings are original and have been converted into tourist shops. Walking down the street you were likely to meet the sheriff or many other characters. We enjoyed the Bird Cage Theatre. It has not been touched since its closing. The card tables and bars are still in place. The name “Bird Cage” originates from the velvet curtained boxes where the prostitutes plied their trade. The song “She’s Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage” originated at the Theatre. Many famous singers performed at the “Bird Cage” including Sarah Bernhart, Lily Langtry and Caruzo. In 1881 it was said to be the wickedest place on the planet! In the evening we walked to the Crystal Place Saloon for a burger and whisky (what else). The salon is as it was at the height of Tombstone’s popularity. The atmosphere was great. It was karaoke night but the locals could really sing the country music! Although it is set up for tourists, we really enjoyed our “Tombstone” experience.

25 April

We drove some long narrow back roads climbing steadily to Chiricahua National Monument Park. At one stage we drove thru a dust storm! We even saw a road runner (looked just like the cartoon – beep, beep!). This park is beautiful. As we are over 6000ft above sea level the desert has changed and we are now in forests of Juniper, Oak and Ponderosa Pine and Cypress. The

bird life is great with very curious Gray Breasted Jays hopping around our site. We even saw two deer as we went for a walk. Tomorrow we will catch the free shuttle up the road for a long hike. An early start so we will have to set the alarm!



26 April

Up with birds (well almost. Dawn is at about 5:00am) and, with a packed lunch, we caught the hikers free shuttle up to the top of the park for 8 miles (6800ft). Near the top we got off and headed off thru most of the best trails recommended by the ranger for a 15km hike back to “Ernie”.

The rock formations were staggering. There was a wow around every turn in the track. Some of the balancing rocks defied gravity. How these huge pillars and rocks remained balanced is unbelievable. The wind alone should have blown them down. Obviously no earthquakes in this area. Thru an area called the rock garden there were many named rock formations including, the Kiss, The Duck, and Punch and Judy. At one point we were 7200ft above sea level. Possibly the highest we have ever been anywhere! The track followed several canyons down thru different vegetation until we reach the camp. What a hike!!! All the trails in this park have been built in the 1930s by men out of work during the depression.

      

April 27

We have decided to stay an extra day here as it is so nice. As it is the weekend, many family groups have arrived and are setting up camp. We have discovered that some Americans talk very loudly and all the time. Perhaps, when you are large you are also deaf! After a relaxing morning we took an easy track down the valley to the original homestead. Like the other parks we have been, the areas have been donated by families. A nice relaxing day!

USA TRIP 2013

9 April (NZ)

Here we go again!!! Kate (good friend) took us to the CH airport for a 4:30pm flight to Akld and on to L.A. Fortunately we had a free upgrade to Premium Economy. Lots more leg room (wasted on us) and a better meal. The flight was not bad and we landed in L.A. at 1:30pm local time on the same day as we left. We were picked up by our hotel and transferred to the Travelodge LAX. If it was not for our bags, we could have almost walked; we were so close to the airport. Kate had told us to take a bus to the beaches. (great tip). We had a free ride as we had no change but the driver told us to hop on for a courtesy ride. Passed some nice beaches to Redondo Beach where we walked around some nice piers and harbour with a big sea pounding in to a bar/restaurant where we had a beer and burger before catching the bus back to our hotel. We were pretty tired but did not sleep very well as the room was noisy (thin walls) and over excitement!

10 April (US)

After a typical US free breakfast, we caught the free shuttle back to the airport for our flight to Phoenix (1 hour) where we were transferred by the Cruise America taxi and taken to their H.Q. We were met by David Jones who we had done all the dealings for our RV (camper) with. We recognised him as he stars on their web site. He was great taking us thru all the features and operation of our RV. Because our expectations of the camper in the UK had been exceeded by reality, we thought that this time our hopes were high and we could have been disappointed. WE WERE NOT! The R.V. is great. Everything has been replaced or updated and the end result is a very tidy unit. Thanks David. At about 2:00pm we drove very carefully to Wal-Mart (the Warehouse on steroids) for a shop for the essentials for our first night. The RV is slightly longer than our NZ camper but a lot wider! It is a 2006 Ford, with a huge V8 (5.4 litres), automatic and petrol (we will find out how bad the fuel economy is). Very smooth to drive but takes up a fair bit of the lane! The RV Park we had pre-booked was easy to find. Most of the camp seems to be permanent mobile homes, owned by people from the northern states, which are empty. (most of the snow birds flew back north last weekend)

        

April 11

Yesterday was a long day! Despite this we still did not sleep that well. The bed in the RV was great so that was not the problem. We decided to have a lazy day today so after some grocery shopping (over the road from the camp) we went to the pool for a relaxing swim and a read. We returned to the pool area for happy hour. This is a senior citizens complex so we feel fairly young. A guy played some country music and a lot of the widows line danced, however we did not feel the need to join in!!

April 12

Back on the roads of Mesa again for more shopping for our setup. Ended up on a wild goose chase for outside chairs. We were sent from one Wal-mart to another only to find that they did not have the chairs we wanted in stock. Eventually found some great chairs at The Home Depot. Finding an electric jug and a coffee plunger was another challenge and we eventually paid too much for them at Bed Bath and Beyond.
We returned to Sun Life (our retirement home) exhausted and had a great swim in the pool listening to nice music (always country) at happy hour. Still quite a few here as it is snowing up north and everyone is delaying their return.


April 13

After a morning installing some of the stuff we bought yesterday we caught the bus to Old Scottsdale. We had two changes and the ride took 1 ½ hours! The desert valley containing Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe covers a huge urban area. (1.4 million) but it is all low rise housing. Old Scottsdale is made up of Arts shops, Mexican/Indian shops and Restaurants all housed in authentic Mexican style buildings. There we lots of locals and tourists wandering around giving the place a lively atmosphere. We will probably not go into the middle of Phoenix as it is just government and business buildings. We enjoyed a pizza for lunch. It was on the menu as small but when it arrived it was enormous. Nothing is small in the USA!! On returning to our resort where again we enjoyed a swim to cool off. It is now warming up. The temperature of course is in Fahrenheit (86F) which is 30C. News of our presence here has spread thru the resort. Everyone is very friendly and want to know about NZ and what we are doing.

April 14                                                                                                              

                                        

This was supposed to be a lazy day. We installed a NZ logo on the bonnet of the RV. We have decided to call the RV “Ernie”. This is not because it is the fastest milk truck in the west but because it is big and easy, just like Ernie Ells. (the golfer, for the less sporty of you) As we were about to have lunch a lovely older couple from Illinois (Vern and Marty) stopped by Ernie and invited us to go with them to a railway park they were visiting. As it was a model railway park, we jumped at the opportunity. The O gauge, HO gauge, and N gauge layouts were great, all in a large hall covering a huge area. We walked through an old Pullman carriage on display which was used by 5 of the US Presidents. The whole park was a pleasant area with families enjoying the train theme. Back to “Ernie” for a swim at the pool where we meet two couples from
Winnipeg.
           

15 April

We had intended to buy our bikes and bike carrier today but woke to find our engine battery was stone flat!! The emergency start system was also not working. We rang David Jones from Cruise America and he had people out to fix the problems within the hour. (new battery and some other minor problems). What a great service!! On the roads of Mesa again to purchase the bike rack and bikes which we achieved in record time. We have discovered how to use the freeways which makes the driving much easier and quicker. The bikes cost around $150NZ each for which we got a reasonable looking soft tail (suspension front and back) mountain bikes. We also bought a US cellphone. We had intended to just put a new SIM card in our phone but they only sell complete phones. The good news is that the phone only cost about $22 NZ!! Our new US phone number is +1 480 544 0284. Back to the resort and pool for the last happy hour of the season. It is slightly hotter today around 33C. All the news here is of the Boston Marathon bombing.

                                                                                                           
16 April

A nice quiet morning installing more stuff. Everything is now operating as we want it. After lunch we walked across the road for groceries which cost about the same as NZ. We spent 2 hours in and around the pool before trying our new bikes out, going on a short ride up and down the canal behind our resort. Tomorrow we leave here and will head to Tortilla Forest, about 35 miles north to try out “Ernie” boondocking. (US term for freedom camping.)