Ever wonder where old aircraft go to retire? The Arizona desert of course. There were miles & miles of old airplanes - and we didn't even find the commercial ones, these are just the military ones.
Drove south from Tucson again; this time to Patagonia Lake Park. We might not have bothered, but Charlie, the campground host at Kartchner said “Don’t bother goin’there, ain’t nothin’ there but a lake.” Charlie also advised against going to Mexico “Ain’t nothin’ there but a bunch of Mexicans…” So naturally, we thanked him, said goodbye and immediately headed to Patagonia. With all due respect, Charlie, it’s quite pretty. It’s also a birders paradise with something like 300 different species of birds in the area. We aren’t birders, but even we were impressed with the variety that we saw. I tried taking pictures, but bird photography is a skill that is beyond me. The cardinals really are bright red though, just like the pictures in the books.
The snow along the way kind of justified the night spent in a motel in Tucson. What’s wrong with these pictures??? Snow & cacti just don’t belong together.
The snow along the way kind of justified the night spent in a motel in Tucson. What’s wrong with these pictures??? Snow & cacti just don’t belong together.
This is a very cool bridge at Patagonia. It's got a really steep curve to it.
Taz had to be coaxed across it - 4 times!
Notice anything different about Dan? 
Okay, I was going to try to be organized and put these photos in chronological order, but there are too many of them so from now on, they could be somewhat random.
Hey Berlie, if you're out there, I want to thank you for the book recommendation. My friend Carl found it for me (http://www.westofedenbooks.com/) and it was waiting for me when we got to Mexico. I especially enjoyed the part where he was going through Arizona because we were going through many of the same places as I was reading it.
This was in Apache Junction. Dan spotted this recycling depot in a parking lot and had to try it:
So, you dump your aluminum cans on the tray, push the button and the machine shuffles them down the chute, crushes the cans and spits out your cash.
Of course, it would be a lot more lucrative if you had more than 6 cans...
A party in the making
Hey Berlie, if you're out there, I want to thank you for the book recommendation. My friend Carl found it for me (http://www.westofedenbooks.com/) and it was waiting for me when we got to Mexico. I especially enjoyed the part where he was going through Arizona because we were going through many of the same places as I was reading it. This was in Apache Junction. Dan spotted this recycling depot in a parking lot and had to try it:
So, you dump your aluminum cans on the tray, push the button and the machine shuffles them down the chute, crushes the cans and spits out your cash.
Of course, it would be a lot more lucrative if you had more than 6 cans...
Tubac is about an hour out of Tucson. It's a funky little touristy artsy town. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the shops and galleries there.
Yeah, a still photo just doesn't work for this garden sculpture thingy. It was spinning in 2 different directions at once and was quite mesmerizing.
An outdoor gallery with lots of fun bronzes.
Lots of little alleyways with treasures in them.
Unless you have a cast iron stomach, don't look at the next photo. I almost lost my lunch taking it. A Dan specialty - peanut butter and pickles!! Euwww!!!
Taz enjoying the empty peanut butter container. Who knew her tongue was that long??
Out for a walk one day and discovered that not all saguaros are photogenic. This one has seen better days.
Same walk - Taz finds the only snow left on the side of the road.
The Great Baking Experiment: Dave, this series is for you.
Mmmm Mmmmm - Cranberry/Orange muffins. Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it...
Dan does the honours.
Then we watched and waited...
Guess what?! It worked!! Fresh hot muffins while camping! Yaaay!!!
Dan is tired of getting beat at Scrabble, so he's trying to teach me how to play cribbage. Even with an assistant I'm having trouble getting it.
Picacho Peak
Another amazing Arizona sunset.
This is Lost Dutchman State Park. Another dramatic backdrop for a campground. There was a lot of excitement one day. A couple of brothers were rock-climbing and one of them fell. He survived, but broke both legs and several other bones. The Search & Rescue team passed us on the trail and later we watched the helicopter pick him off the mountain and deliver him to a waiting ambulance.
Our plan for tonight was to go to Mount San Jacinto State Park, near Palm Springs. I was excited because there's WiFi there!! Unfortunately, when we got there, we discovered that the campground was buried under 3 feet of snow. Taz loved it, but I was somewhat less enthusiastic. We back-tracked to Palm Springs and are now comfortably ensconced in the local Motel 6. Not exactly the lap of luxury, but deliciously warm!
Yeah, a still photo just doesn't work for this garden sculpture thingy. It was spinning in 2 different directions at once and was quite mesmerizing.
An outdoor gallery with lots of fun bronzes.
Lots of little alleyways with treasures in them.
Unless you have a cast iron stomach, don't look at the next photo. I almost lost my lunch taking it. A Dan specialty - peanut butter and pickles!! Euwww!!!
Taz enjoying the empty peanut butter container. Who knew her tongue was that long??
Out for a walk one day and discovered that not all saguaros are photogenic. This one has seen better days.
Same walk - Taz finds the only snow left on the side of the road.
The Great Baking Experiment: Dave, this series is for you.We've been hauling this camp oven around for over a year now and have never used it. I found an aluminum baking tray at a supermarket that was complete with paper muffin cups, so we decided to give it a try.
Mmmm Mmmmm - Cranberry/Orange muffins. Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it...
Dan does the honours.
Then we watched and waited...
Guess what?! It worked!! Fresh hot muffins while camping! Yaaay!!!
Dan is tired of getting beat at Scrabble, so he's trying to teach me how to play cribbage. Even with an assistant I'm having trouble getting it.
Picacho Peak
Another amazing Arizona sunset.
This is Lost Dutchman State Park. Another dramatic backdrop for a campground. There was a lot of excitement one day. A couple of brothers were rock-climbing and one of them fell. He survived, but broke both legs and several other bones. The Search & Rescue team passed us on the trail and later we watched the helicopter pick him off the mountain and deliver him to a waiting ambulance.
Our campsite at Lost Dutchman. Very cactus-y.
Taz discovered why this "Teddy Bear" cactus is also known as the "Jumping Cholla"
It drops these little tiny baby pods all around its base. When you walk anywhere near them they seem to jump out at you and attach themselves to your feet/shoes/jeans/fur/ OUCH!!
It's a week or so late, but Happy Valentine's Day!
Somewhere near Phoenix. The GPS system earned its purchase price here. Oh yeah, we saw President Obama's motorcade on this road. What a production that was!
Arriving at Joshua Tree State Park
An Ocotilla plant. (I have no idea how to spell that)
Creosote bush. One of 99 bzillion or so.
Okay U2 fans - this is a Joshua tree. They are to the Mojave desert as Saguaros are to the Sonoran desert.
Windmills outside of Palm Springs, California. I thought there were a lot in Pincher Creek, but Holy Crap - there are miles and miles of them here!
Can you guess which country we're in? Man, they sure love their flag!
Our plan for tonight was to go to Mount San Jacinto State Park, near Palm Springs. I was excited because there's WiFi there!! Unfortunately, when we got there, we discovered that the campground was buried under 3 feet of snow. Taz loved it, but I was somewhat less enthusiastic. We back-tracked to Palm Springs and are now comfortably ensconced in the local Motel 6. Not exactly the lap of luxury, but deliciously warm!
