ARIZONA
This last section will catch us up to our current location in San Antonio, Texas.
We've been to Arizona before when we had a client in Phoenix for 3 years. (always in their the summer) This is our first winter "snowbirding". We weren't sure of anything, like when to leave, where to go, how long to stay, what to prepare for...etc. This was also going to be our longest stretch away from Washington and what we used to know as home. It's unlikely that we will be able to return anytime before May.
What we found out immediately was, if you're under 55 years of age...your campground options are MUCH slimmer. This doesn't sit well with me...seems MOST of the top RV parks in Arizona (mostly the warmer areas around Phoenix) are reserved for only those 55 or older. WTF?!? The best reason I've been given so far: "to keep out the rif-raf and noisy kids". SERIOUSLY?!?
Looks like everywhere you look in life, there will ALWAYS be first class and coach. Nuff said.
We ended up much further south in Benson, AZ. Just outside of Tucson (Cochise Terrace RV Resort) This park now tops our list of best parks so far. The spaces are all double wides. Which simply means you get twice as much space : ) We really felt like we had a ton of room here. We stayed a month, and I think it was sunny everyday but two. We did not miss green grass. The sand and gravel was much better for laying out our patio rug etc. We would have stayed here the whole winter had we not already booked airfare from San Antonio to Spokane over Christmas break.
We saw a lot in Arizona. Our first real month in one spot on the road. Temps ranged from 65 - 80 in November...SUN, SUN, SUN! We actually looked at some lots for sale in the area. A few in this park.
First on our list was Tombstone. Mixed reviews here...sadly, this town has become very touristy. The only original thing left was the Birdcage Theater. Everything was 10 bucks a person. We paid that to see the Theater and watch the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
We purchased a new pocket camera...our 3Gs phone just wasn't cutting it. We chose one that gave us some really nice panoramic pics...still playing with it, but hopefully you'll begin to see the upgrade.
The above pic was the Birdcage Theater main room. The bar was out front. Below are the original stage, the viewing booths (where the lady's entertained their gentlemen for a fair price) and the famous poker table in the basement. $1,000 buy-ins regularly played at this table. Yes, including all the famous ones (Earp's, Doc, etc.) That was a ton-o-dough back then!
The gunfight was a fun history lesson since it played out in the exact location. I didn't realize from the movies how close these guys were to each other when the shooting started!
One of our recommendations to our readers would be our next trip. Apache Trail. Located outside the town of Apache Junction. You can google it : ) Anyway, fantastic drive! You start on a paved road passing a couple old gold mines (touristy stopping places). The fun begins at the end of the paved road, where most turn around and head back. For the next 22 miles you drive on a single-lane, dirt road with steep climbs, hazardous turns and switch-backs...you get the idea. Lots of head-on decisions with cars coming the other way (who gets to back up to a wide enough spot for passing).
The scenery is breathtaking. Lots of pull-offs to hike around. Wish we had more time here, but we'll be back. MY CAUTION...make sure you can make it out the other side before dark! I can't imaging trying to drive that road at night. 22 miles took us 3 hours!!!
I happened upon a small ad in one the Tucson newspapers for an intimate illusion show. A husband-wife team that travel the country in a small bus (based in Tucson) put on magic shows. These are set-up like the old parlor shows performed for small groups of famous people.
They only sell 35 tickets to each show which makes the magic all that much harder, as it's up close and personal! Anyway, awesome couple...really different type of magic show. And actually a few tricks we couldn't figure out : ) This was the room they performed in.
We spent some time in the Arizona Science Museum and Planetarium. The science museum was ok. More for kids, but they had a traveling Pirate exhibit that was interesting. NOW I know why people (even respected naval personal) became pirates in the old days...you should look into it : ) If I had the choice, I would've been one too!
The better museum was the Arizona Desert Museum. This place was well thought-out. You can tell they have a lot of pride in what they do. Informational, cool displays, very interactive and again fantastic scenery. They had a hawk demonstration while we were there - stunning display of flight.
Our campground always had activities going on. We joined the Thanksgiving potluck and listened to a guitar player named Johnny B. He plays an 18 string guitar! From what we understand there are only three of these around today, and Johnny is the only musician currently playing one. Johnny tells us that John Denver had one of the three and played back in the day. What was really different about JB outside of the 18 strings, were his song books...two of them, jam-packed full of cowboy lore. Every song had a story that he loved to tell. Fun evening!
I think that gets us up-to-date as we head out, towards San Antonio. One thing that impressed us most, were the big sky's in Arizona. Lots of stars against dark backdrops. Utilities in Arizona are 18 cents a kw. Compared to Idaho's 8 cents for instance. Everything is pretty dark around here at night : )
Every sunset here it seems is picture worthy.
Thanks for reading!
