Arizona or Bust

July 1, 2010

It is 6:30 am and Chris is still sleeping. A good time to write a blog entry. Now, if only I could get a useable internet connection here all would be good.

When we left San Carlos for the trek back to the Northwest, our first stop was Tucson. We stayed at the same RV Park we were at last fall only to discover the facility had made a few changes. The most irritating was that their internet “service” is now “Tengointernet” which is somewhat expensive ($5/day or $15/week). Internet was free last fall. Their rates to stay in the park seem to have increased as well so we will likely go elsewhere on our southbound loop. Since Chris’ brother, Lee, had installed a high speed connection at their Mom’s house when he was there this spring, and the house is air conditioned, and there’s a pool just out the back door, we opted to take the computers over there for a few hours each day so we could stay connected. We may have gotten a bit spoiled.

While in Tucson, we were able to visit quite a few of Chris’ relatives and friends as well as having the time to re-pack the trailer, do a bit of shopping and just plain relax. It was pretty warm there every day (low 100’s) but cooled off nicely at night. Turns out the heat was only a little acclimatization stop before Phoenix!

Monday morning we were up and on our way to Phoenix before the temperature climbed too high. Chris wanted to take the scenic route so we did and the drive through the desert was very pretty. Saguaro cacti were just losing their blooms but the yucca was magnificent with ten foot high stalks topped with huge, white blossoms. Since I’m a Washington girl this terrain strikes me as being mostly stark and uninviting but there is still something quite exotic about it as well. Chris, having grown up in the desert, knows the name of all the different types of cacti and scrub bushes as well as their unique characteristics so he tries to educate me a bit. For example, there is a type of cactus called a Cholla that is kind of interesting. It is built like a bush with twisty arms (my favorite version of this is the Teddy Bear Cholla which is kind of fluffy looking). It is also, somewhat infamously, known as a “Jumping" cactus. Apparently if you get too close to it, the spines will “jump” into your skin and the more you move or try to remove them, the deeper they go. Ouch! So, even disregarding the rattlesnakes that are undoubtedly in attendance, this little tidbit would deter me from a stroll through the desert.

As lunchtime approached we decided to stop for a bite at the Subway in Florence in Pinal County. I don’t know whether the name of the county was in place first or if it was changed but it sure fits. As you drive into Florence the first thing you pass is the huge prison complete with its own farm (being tended by, apparently, the “good” inmates in their cute little orange jumpsuits). Actually, it was refreshing to know that in some prisons at least, some of the "guests" have the opportunity to get outside for a little fresh air. At any rate, as we sat eating our sandwiches I realized that we, and the employees, were the only people in the place who weren’t police officers of one sort or another. None were wearing uniforms as such, but there were plenty of badges, official vehicles and firearms in view. Quite clearly, law enforcement is THE industry here.

Appetite sated, we continued on to Phoenix. As we got closer I began to see more and more mobile home parks until it appeared there were double wides as far as the eye could see. Phoenix and the surrounding area is a huge “snowbird” metropolis and a mobile home is probably one of the cheaper ways in which one can spend the winter in a warm clime.

We checked into an RV Park that Chris had stayed in back when he was teaching in Phoenix and living in Tucson. It was actually a mobile home park that rented out temporary spaces to travelers. It was nice enough and close to my sister’s house but the services were pretty limited. No showers (except co-ed ones at the pool), no TV and no internet. OK. For two nights we could manage.

We visited with my sister, brother-in-law and niece and it was good to see them all. Chris contacted an old friend, Steve, who came to the trailer for dinner and a bit of reminiscing. Thursday we drove to Apache Junction to see my friend, Lisa, from middle school and then to Mesa where my cousin, Pam, lives. Pam & I tried to remember when we'd last seen each other and were shocked to realize that it had probably been close to 30 years. Jeez! It was nice to get together and catch up. Actually, I could have spent a lot more time with all but, even though we are not on a schedule, the summer is moving on and we needed to do that as well.

The weather in Phoenix at this time of year is pretty incredible. It's almost as if you have awakened to find that you are in h-e-double-toothpicks without realizing you passed on. At midnight the temperature had cooled off to a "balmy" 99 degrees! And I use the term "balmy" quite loosely since the humidity hovers around 3 percent here. Two days was enough for this girl and yesterday morning I was up early getting the trailer ready to go. By 7:45 am we were on the road to Flagstaff – via the much lauded Sedona. I was excited!

Stay tuned...more to come.....