Silver City So Far

It was 100 in Tucson on Sunday and we drove south for 200 miles to Silver City on Monday. It was in the 70s with possible rain on Tuesday.

Jerry and Kathy Millspaugh walked over from their campsite in the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday (we came a day early to get to a cooler place and rest a bit) to see our coach and visit. Kathy saw rain coming so they left quickly. They BARELY made it into their fifth wheel when the heavens opened with hail. What a dramatic storm, and of course it's all the louder when you're in a motorhome!

We're in the Rose Valley RV Ranch, a nice place.

Each site has a little rustic shelter area beside the RV which, I guess, is for privacy and protection from the wind if you want to sit out.

This ice lasted a couple of hours!

It was over before 5:00 p.m., when we went to their place for a wonderful dinner. Kathy is Martha Stewart, only slimmer and smaller. Their friends, Mike and Rosalie, are also here. It was wonderful to laugh and relax with old and new friends.

It's 45 degrees here this morning, even though it appears we're slightly more north than Tucson on the map. The coolness is because of the 6,000 foot altitude. Yay, I love dressing in layers!

Today we're going to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, which is not all that far away but is about a two hour drive because of the steep, winding roads.

Jogging Instead of Blogging...

....well, maybe not "jogging"....a better term might be "running around" in Silver City, New Mexico. Our friends, Jerry and Kathy Millspaugh will be arriving soon. Please don't be concerned if you don't see many blog posts for a few days.

I had learned to scuba dive during my 7 years of living in Puerto Rico. I moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1978 and joined the Undersea Adventurers Dive Club soon thereafter.

The club had about 200 members at the time and though the primary focus was diving, it was also a very social group. Through the years, deep friendships developed and we went to parties, weddings and funerals together.

It's hard to remember them all but we went on dive trips to St. Lucia, Roatan, San Salvador, Belize, Costa Rica, Cozumel, the Bahamas, Tortola, Bonaire, Jamaica, and several live-aboard boat trips to various places. We especially enjoyed our trips to the Dry Tortugas to dive for lobsters.

One of my funniest memories was our trip to Belize. When we got ready to fly out in a small plane on a grass landing strip, they had us get off the plane. There was a hole in the wing. Jerry had duct tape in his bag, which they used to patch the wing, we got on, and somehow made it out safely! Every time I see a joke about duct tape, I think of Jerry.

Kathy suffered from arthritis and one year when they were in the southwest on vacation, she noticed that she didn't hurt all the time. So, when Jerry retired from IBM, they moved to Albuquerque. The dryness has agreed with her and they seem to love their new location.

Jerry and Kathy bought a fifth wheel and have traveled a lot. Ed and I were delighted that they came to visit us in Virginia two years ago. I'm really looking forward to our time with them!

Heading South Through Arizona

We left beautiful Sedona, Arizona on Friday and drove south for 100 miles to Phoenix. There didn't seem to be a lot there to see but we did enjoy sitting outside at a TGI Friday's for dinner.We're starting to see some saguaro cacti now. At one point, there was sand on both sides of the road. One side had lots of cacti, yet the other one had nothing.

From far away, this looked like a mountain. It turned out to be a HUGE rock.

We're out of the high desert now and are starting to see a lot more sand.

We headed out Saturday and continued south on I-17 to Tucson, Arizona. We stayed at Beaudry RV, which is a huge dealer, in hopes of getting a few little things fixed on the RV. They couldn't work us in till Tuesday so we left Monday morning, as planned.
It was 100 degrees Sunday morning in Tucson and too hot to sight-see. Ed to Costco and I stayed "home" to keep cool and do a bit of laundry. We did look at a few RVs this afternoon but I'm not ready to buy now. (Famous last words, huh?)

Have a lovely evening!

We actually left at the crack of 10:00 a.m. Monday morning! That's a record for us....we often don't get away till about noon. We saw these humongous rocks just before the New Mexico border.

That's Mary standing by the rocks.

These flowers were so pretty.

Same flowers...gives you an idea of the size...

I thought I might rearrange things while there.

Seven Years

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

It's been 7 good years and even after being together in a motorhome since August first, we still like each other, not to mention we're still in love and on our honeymoon.

October 19, 2002

Sedona, the Corona of Arizona

For many people, Sedona, Arizona is a corona (crown) for mind-body-spirit revitalization. The population is about 11,000 and they get over a million visitors a year.

"Sedona's world-wide reputation as a spiritual mecca and global power spot has drawn some of our planet's most amazing healers, intuitives, artists and spiritual guides. Come to Mother Nature’s red-rock temples to experience their life-transforming, soul-nourishing work in person. Sedona is a perfect place for spiritual and personal enrichment of the body and the soul."

Sedona is known as a place of healing, partly because there are vortexes. ("Vortex sites are enhanced energy locations that facilitate prayer, meditation, and healing. They are neither electric nor magnetic.") I don't understand vortexes but apparently many people have derived great benefits.

There are many spiritually-themed businesses, massage treatments, yoga, spas, along with palm readers, tarot card readers, aural readings, and psychics. I do remember Linda V., one of my co-workers in Florida, coming here years ago, saying it was her mental/spiritual retreat. She was battling cancer at the time and at last report was doing well.

My longtime friends, Carol and Mark Steingard, are in the process of buying a house here. Unfortunately, they were in Florida so we didn't get to see them. Sedona is also known for its art galleries and Mark is already associated with the Gallery of Modern Masters.

COMING INTO TOWN

OK, so I had heard of Sedona but didn't know much about it. As we drew closer to the town, there was one surprise after another.I couldn't stop taking pictures!Each hill we crossed or turn we made brought another amazing scene.

It seemed that these huge red rocks and mountains just kept appearing and appearing.

We planned to stay right in town in an RV park. We've been on the road since August 1st and, besides the one reservation in Yellowstone, we've just driven until Ed's tired and we've always found a vacancy in every RV park....but not in Sedona....they were full. This is the peak season for the area, not to mention that there was an antique Porsche show and it was Fall Break Week for the schools.

They called and got us a place at Lo Lo Mai, the nearest RV park. That turned out to be 15 miles south. It wasn't great and the internet service was very erratic but we had no choice. It worked out fine.

Thursday, we went to the Visitor's Bureau and got an overview. In our quest for an extra camera battery, we were sent about 10 doors up the street, which was 10 doors of charming shopping. The shops have such unusual and attractive things and we had fun looking around. We didn't find the battery, but we did find a great little place for a pulled pork sandwich lunch.

We drove north on US89A for about 20 miles to Oak Creek Canyon vista. Besides a nice view, there were Navajo Indians selling jewelry.

We did a bit of grocery shopping and found a jeweler to replace my dead watch battery. (It seems we can't avoid batteries these days!) I wondered why he didn't set the time correctly. Somehow, all our watches and clocks didn't give the same hour. We found out that Arizona does NOT use daylight savings time. Good for them.....and yes, the jeweler did set the time properly!

SUNSET IN SEDONA

We then went up onto the airport mesa for the sunset.

It was one big party up there! It reminded me of Key West, where people go to the dock to watch the sunset at the southern-most tip of the USA.Between the controlled burns in the area and the dust, it was a bit hazy but we still got some decent shots.

HOUSES THAT NESTLE

One of the things I love about Sedona is the way it is being built -- leaving trees and building houses that blend into the natural environment. The colors used are earthtones that harmonize with the surroundings. Even Burger King blends in with its simple design and colors.

FAMOUS CHAPEL

Friday morning we drove to see a famous chapel, which my favorite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, helped design.The tapestry is a large, rough and nubby texture.

Click on the photo below to better see the unusual altar pieces.

The cross that is so prominent from the outside, is clearly the focus on the inside of the chapel. The walls are rough concrete.

The stark simplicity is typical of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. He seems to follow the idea that "Less is More".

The way this chapel fits in with the rocks is totally unique...and brilliant.

We admired the house built nearby.

The "castle" below was built by a guy from India who invented something to do with lasers. It was really fancy but tastefully done to blend with nature.

Here we are facing the main door to the chapel.

Zion, a Zenith of Our Journey

We thought that since we'd just seen Bryce Canyon, maybe we'd move on down the road past Zion National Park. What a loss that would have been! We drove 36 miles south from our RV park on US 89, turned and drove another 25 into Zion National Park.

The further we drove, the more interesting and dramatic the terrain was.There were so many people we couldn't find a parking place at the Visitor's Center so we parked at the museum just down the road. What must the crowds have been like in the summer?

Fortunately, the shuttle buses picked up there. The double buses went up a road where traffic isn't allowed. You could get on and off as you pleased knowing another one would come in about 8 minutes.

We hiked up here but the waterfalls turned out to be a few trickles. It was still pretty and good exercise.

The little mule fawn was near the bus stop.

This was a REALLY strange formation on the side of these rocks.

A closer view.....
the colors are interesting, too.

A little more autumn....
Fall colors and a variety of rock colors and textures.Talk about eye-catching!Click on this one and see if you, too, think it looks braided.
A double-decker mountain.
I left the vehicles in these pictures to give you a sense of scale.
These "sheets" of rock almost look like they could slide down.

This isn't a "natural bridge" but it was a huge arch. Even the rock colors over the top of the arch are dramatic -- and they're not painted by a human.