SharivilleLife stories from Shari

I’m excited,  have you ever been invited to participate in an event, not knowing most of the people there.  This happened to us this past weekend at the Durham  Good Sam Club outing.  And have you ever had the almost instant feeling that its a fit, personalities just seem to mesh, this is the feeling we got.  We were fortunate enough to have been invited by Chuck and Judy Birtcil to come to an outing as their guest and we took them up on it, much to our delight.  Chuck is a ” Class of 60,” classmate of mine, that’s the connection.

This turned out to be a delightful camp out.  There were 14 rigs in our caravan, with Orland as our destination.  We started out with breakfast for the whole bunch at The Waffle House  in south Chico.  We immediately knew this would be a fun weekend.  Most all of these folks are retired, but definitely not tired.  They were a fun bunch to begin with. This club is a close group of individuals who seem to have a high regard for each other and absolutely out to have a good time.  The food and service was very good considering the large group that showed up.  They made a good choice to start the week end off.

From there we caravaned over to an RV Park in Orland.  The club usually schedules events close enough  to make it convenient for everyone.  No really long distance driving.  The coming itinerary for the rest of the year really looks like fun get togethers in very interesting  places.  I know we are looking forward in participating in the outings and hopefully be accepted by the Club as new members.

Friday afternoon the group met at the clubhouse for crafts and card games.  Cathy our host for this outing had planned to teach us how to make earrings, and had all the beads and tools.  It was funny trying to get about 12 ladies to figure that one out.  More beads were spilled than used I think, but turned out several nice pairs of earrings.   ”Happy Hour”, followed by heading out to the Berry Patch for dinner.  Jerry  had his usual hamburger steak with all the trimmings and I had the most wonderful barbecued ribs. We had dinner with Sandy and Ruth and Win and her husband, John De Kleine, who is also the president of the group.  There was another couple there as guests also, Jackie and Mel, they have been married since 1945, figure that one out, congradulations.     Everyone seemed to enjoy their dinner.  Back to the club house for a really fun dice game called, Left, Right, Center.  We played for nickles and it was hilarious.  Back to our homes on wheels for a restful night.  Sat. some of the ladies from the group went antiquing, a few couples headed for Woodson Bridge to check  out antique trailers on display.  Jerry and I stayed behind and watched the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.   Back for ” Happy Hour,” and a truly delicious potluck. The surprise for me was that there were actually two pineapple upside down cakes. YUM!!!  Anyone who knows me knows that’s my favorite cake.  Did I luck out or what?   I know from experience that campers make the best food.  After the dinner the club had their monthly business meeting.  The meeting  filled Jerry and I in on the way the club is run, Chuck Birtcil, the wagon master, caught us up on up coming events that are planned..  It was also funny to see the club president awarded  “The Ding-a-Ling award.  He was caught driving down the road with his awning unraveling as we went along.  He was totally unaware. I have a picture of Sandy and her little Min Pin “ Levi,”  he’s the smallest member of the group, only 2 mos old and precious.   More games Sat night and back to our home on wheels for another restful night. 

Sunday morning was a breakfast pot luck with some very good and interesting dishes.  More comaradarie and jokes and laughs for all.  Ate breakfast with Chuck and Judy Birtcil, our hosts.  Then it was time to pack up and head for home.  All in all it was a most fun filled weekend with some really fun folks. The time went by TO quickly. Looking forward to many more get togethers with this group.  Thank you Judy and Chuck Birtcil for the invitation.  Stay tuned for more to to come ………..Hugs,   Shari   &   Jerry                                                                                                                  

Win and Bridgette doing crafts.

I think that I am deliberately dragging my feet on getting home to Chico.  Must be some kind of psychological thing.  I am so close now and not so really excited.  I guess 6 + mos. is a long time.  I’m scared to get home and back into a routine………..maybe.  Time will tell.

So meanwhile, we shall endeavor to carry on.  So today we woke up to a powdered sugar sprinkling of snow on the ground.  Its cold in the mornings but jumps up into the 50s during the day, a real heat wave. So when it warmed up so extensively, we proceeded to drive up to a cooler place in more ways than one. Lake Lake Tahoe, and it was about 37 degrees up there, and the folks were still into snow stuff.  In fact I have a picture of Teddy with snow on his snout.  He uses his nose like a snow plow.  It was so beautiful up there.  We crossed the summit at over 7000 ft, and the town is at about 6500.  We had lunch at the Bear Beach Cafe.  Its was such a cute little diner directly across from the lake.  Such a gorgeous view.  The omelette’s were gourmet.  We didn’t stop at any of the Casinos, by now I could afford to miss them, once again,  in more ways than one.  After Vegas, nothing compares.  We drove around and took some photos, let Teddy play in the snow, and just really enjoyed the area. The magnificent alpine scenery is world  class.  We checked out the M.S. Dixie  2  paddle wheeler at Zhphyr Cove.  There is a mile long sandy beach at the cove.

We then drove back to the Carson Valley, and over to Genoa. The Carson valley is so picturesque, it’s surrounded by scenic mountains, some snow covered, esp the ones to the west, which would be called the Sierra Nevada’s. Vincent would be glad to hear that its said to be one of the nation’s top soaring locations.  The Mormon Station State Park is located in Genoa, and is the site of Nev. first permanent settlement, est. in 1852.  There is a very fine regional museum in the old historic Genoa Courthouse.   There is also some quaint shops and galleries there.  But what I love, love, love about this little village is their herd of White Tailed deer.  We were hoping to see them this time of year, as last time we were here it was in the fall.  We were not disappointed in the least,  in fact we even saw an albino deer.  The herd traveled so fast across the road that I didn’t get the albino in a picture.  I’m sorry.  But as we drove around the houses we found lots more of them.  Teddy’s first sighting of deer.  But then after all he’s only 5 mos. old on the 30th of this month.  He got a close up of a cow, he growled and gave a couple half hearted barks.  Come on Teddy, you were bred to handle these cows.

So as not to waste time we then toured the State Capitol in downtown Carson City. Very nice architecture and lovely marble floors Lake Tahoe,  We talked to the governor’s secretary and she said Nev. governor, a republican, is probably one of the governor’s who will have their Attorney’s General file suit over Obama’s heath care plan.  Interesting.  We drove around the town of Carson City, it’s close to our hearts, as close to 38 yrs ago Jerry and I got married here.  It was in a little chapel called the Victorian Chapel.  We drove by there and took a picture , its now an insurance office.  appropriate .  When Jerry and I got married some of my customers, I was still a waitress at Studio Inn, commented that I had a concrete deal.  At the time Jerry was a concrete truck driver,  how funny……we had a small wedding family and a few friends.  Angie was our flower girl and she was precious. She was not yet 5 yrs old. At the time her hair was so long she could sit on it. She looked so cute.  My girlfriend Judy, and my matron of honor made her dress.  We had our reception at the Ormsby Hotel which was newly opened.  We made prior reservations at the Ormsby.  This was one of the funniest things that went on.  We had a choice of blue rooms or red rooms.  Since red is my favorite colors and I was looking forward to a colorful wedding night, I chose a red room.  The  newly opened hotel had the swimming pool on the 4th floor and were still in the process  of building it.  So I asked for any floor but the 4th as I figured it would be noisy.  So we arrived and our room was on the 4th floor and it was a blue room.  By then I was so stressed over the wedding and all that we just lived with it.  It turned out just fine. After the reception the wedding party drove up to the lake, Lake Tahoe,  to Harrah’s  for the Dion Warwick show.  She was big in the 70s.  So we have some real ties to this area. It always makes me happy to be here.  More tomorrow, I’m enjoying a mighty fine Bloody Mary and getting ready to  relax for the night…………………..Hugs,     S and J

s

Let me tell you, if I don’t keep up with these blogs daily, I find things going on so rapidly that it’s difficult to keep up.  It was after midnight last night by the time we got home from cruising the “Strip,” in  Vegas last night.  We were disappointed yesterday to find that we could not extend for a few days longer.  Seems that Las Vegas if a popular place and they were already booked up in advance.  I know I got my reservations several days in advance.  So we decided to just tear down and head further west. 

So yesterday we caught up with some of the things we wanted to do.  We started out with toast and coffee for breakfast, so we could go down to Skyline Casino and have a delicious shrimp cocktail, and a margarita.  In fact they were so good we had two.  Tom and Joann really like those shrimp cocktails too.  It’s one of the  best deals in the area, each one is only a buck. Came home and had a much needed nap.  Oh what a life.  Then we headed for the “Strip,” that’s Las Vegas blvd. where all the fab casino’s are.  I love to cruise the strip here like I used to like to cruise the Esplanade yrs ago.  The news reports Vegas is hurting and maybe it is, there does seem to be fewer players in the casinos, but everything else seems to be going full blast. In fact there are a couple of humungous buildings going up right now along the strip.  Well another place we like is “Roxy’s Diner”  at the Stratosphere Casino.. its just a fun place  where the server’s take the mic and walk around the diner singing the old “Rock and Roll” songs. These kids that sing are really very good.  Being  in the theme of Old Rock and Roll, naturally it’s a burger place.  That’s what Jerry had, a burger, fries and a chocolate shake.  I had chile cheese fries and and a  banana split.  Oh my. Naturally they serve way to much food so we couldn’t eat it all but we certainly did our best, it will be forever  before I go for another banana split.  That’s what Vegas does to us, we throw all caution to the winds and just enjoy ourselves.

The lights along the “Strip” were as awesome as ever.  We even happened along as the Bellagio was starting their water show.  How fantastic it that.  Teddy was riding in my lap looking out the window and some woman in the car next to us says,” is your dog a mutt?”  I almost took offense, but laughed and told her,” no he’s a Red Heeler.”  I really wanted to tell her that he is a coyote puppy.  I’m dying to do that to someone because he does look a little suspicious now and then, depends  on the angle you’re looking at him.  But here in the desert people are suspicious.  Maybe it’s the shifty eyed look he gives them.  Jerry calls him “a shifty eyed varmint.” We did manage to get some neon photo’s.

This morning we hit the road north west.  It’s not the most interesting scenery on Hwy 95 headed for Carson City.  but then  one can find beauty anywhere if they look.  We did see some Joshua Trees, but only in a small area, they are particular where they grow.  We say some wild burro’s and horses along the way.  We stopped at a fairly nice rest area and had a picnic.  The weather has been so wonderful, nice clear blue Sky’s with wispy clouds. We had our picnic with the background of the snow caped Sierra Nevada’s.  When they came into view I knew I was getting close to home.  We found a nice RV park in Hawthorn, Nv. called Whiskey Flats.  It’s a newer park and nice.  We won’t unhook as we are headed for Carson City tomorrow for 3 days and then home.   More soon……….

Hugs, S and J

What a day we had today. What a great adventure.    Good thing we had a quiet day yesterday .  We drove in from Laughlin, Nev. a total of 90 miles.  That’s a record.  We settled in at Sam’s RV park on Boulder Hwy.  We love to come here.  We like the casino and the food and they have an outdoor show complete with wild animals, almost think they are real.  Its beautifully done complete with a bear and a howling wolf.  If you bring an RV to Las Vegas, you would like this place.  We had a great buffet dinner last night and then decided we better slow down on the buffet’s.  It was so good we had to waddle out.

Today we did something we haven’t done in 17 yrs.  We drove about 50 miles NE of Vegas to Valley of Fire.   It has to be one of the most beautiful places there is.  The only drawback was, we forgot how far out the Park was, it’s a state park, and we didn’t bring a picnic lunch like everyone else did.   The park has changed in the last 17 yrs. they now have a visitor center, complete with a gift shop,  Joann,  and many more pull offs, and signs indicating a good picture site, and lots and lots of covered picnic tables.  They also have a small campground with complete hookups.  It was Sunday and not all that crowded.  It’s an out of the way place and that’s just fine.  The fewer people who know about it , the better.  Less chance of spoiling the area as sometimes happens.  Vince and Mike, you would love this place for photo’s.   We were there in the middle of the day, but mornings and evenings  would be great for picture taking.

There are the most unusual sandstone formations weathered by the eroding forces of wind and water. I esp like the beehive formations. Valley of Fire was formed during the dinosaurs age, 150 million yrs ago. To me that just seems unreal.  Other formations in the park include lime stones, shale’s and conglomerates. At one time the Anasazi Indians, the Pueblo farming Indians known up around the 4 corners area, farmed the nearby Moapa Valley. We have been to the 4 corners area and looked at the pueblo’s, fascinating.  The 4 corners area is where  Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico join at the corners.  It’s reported that occupation dates from 300 B. C. to 1150 A. D.  History dictates that a scarcity of water would have limited the length of their stay. The annual rainfall is four inches, usually in light winter showers and summer thunderstorms.  But I am here to tell you that those arroyos where the water runs off are deep and looks like the streams run fast and furious when the water does come.  They have desert tortoise’ here and visitors are asked to please leave these like able and harmless creatures alone to live its life in peace in it’s own environment.  People steal them and take them home and these guys live long long lives and should stay where they live to begin with.  This breaks my heart, like I said, let this wonderful place remain a secret.There are historic stone cabins that were built with native sandstone by the CCC in the 1930′s  as a shelter for passing travelers.  The drive into the park from the north end isn’t as pretty a drive, but the south entrance on into Henderson with the view of Lake Mead  is one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on.  I am so lucky to have such a loving and patient husband who will stop on a dime, turn around in impossible places and do it without question, just so I can snap a picture or two.  The other plus is Jerry loves to drive, so I get to go everywhere and enjoy the ride.  Along the way the desert Marigolds were beginning to bloom.  They bloom in  spaced out clusters and are spectacular.

We came home and I fixed cold cuts with macaroni salad and pear wine.  We got the pear wine up in Oregon last yr.  There is a wonderful winery along the Hood Canal that specialize fruit wine.  Our very fav is their Rhubarb wine.  Now that’s an idea maybe our next trip should be up in that area, esp. with summer coming on.  I think I was born under a wandering star……….more to come, Hugs,  S.   and  J.                                                                                                                                                    

This is known as elephant rock, can you see why?

Well Whoop de Do, what a day this was.  Good thing we rested up yesterday from all the wonderful things we did in Tucson.  Cause today was  a day to remember.  We started out here in the RV with bacon, cheese, onion and avocado omelettes.  That  I was  Jerry’s request.  Then we loaded up Teddy and took about a 3 hour drive all around the Laughlin area.  It’s really a lovely area.  Of course it sits right on one of my favorite Rivers in the USA. The mighty Colorado. I got some fair pictures, but, Judy Lou, not to many of the wild flowers.  I may have  better luck tomorrow on the way to Vegas.  I think we were here a couple of yrs ago and this place has grown so much in that time.

Tonight, being Friday night we had to hit the sea food buffet.  Since Jerry had gotten tickets for the Tribute to Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper and Richie Valens, at the Riverside Casino, we just went to the buffet there.  Got a seat by the window right on the river.  We watched the river taxi’s.  One was crisscrossing the river to pick up people from the Arizona side,  Bullhead City, and bringing them over to the Nevada side to eat, see the shows and spend their money.  The other one was running up and down the river from casino to casino so people wouldn’t have to walk so far.  A great idea, as this place thrives on seniors. Jerry, bless his sweet heart, loves shrimp.  They had peel and eat shrimp and those who have spent time with us eating where they have these critters know that I always peel them for him, which I ordinarily dont’ mind, but tonight he put blue cheese dressing all over everything and I was up to finger licking blue cheese all the while.  Thank goodness he only wanted to do that once.  They had my favorite, crab, but it never tastes like it does on the Oregon coast, does it Judy Lou?  But it was very relaxing to sit and eat and watch the beautiful blue Colorado flow by and the ducks enjoying their life.

Then we wanted to walk off some of that great food, so we took in the antique auto show on the 3nd floor of the Riverside.  Jerry always likes those old car shows, me I really enjoy the gift shops.  In fact I found a hat I liked  and ended up buying 5 of them in different colors.  That helps with the traveling to cover up my hair. I always have that wind blown look, even if the wind isn’t blowing.

Then the peace de resistance, the tribute show.  It was sooo good.  The Big Bopper is actually the real Boppers son, who was born 3 months after the accident.  The Richie Valens singer was excellent and of course the Buddy Holly singer looked and sounded just like the real one.  The show was one and a half hours long, they did all the songs that these 3 ever did.   They all 3 died way to young.  I was 16 and a junior in high school when the plane went down in Feb, 1959.  I remember how broken hearted I was.  For us Rock n Rollers its marked as the day the” Music Died.”  And in lots of respects it did.  The singer who did Richie Valens was really a mover up there on the stage and kind of made the show, lets say he had all the right moves, just him and his electric guitar,  but I was so crazy about buddy Holly when I was 16 it was, for me,  that time all over again.  One thing Jerry and I share is our love of entertainment.  Guess that’s why we’ve been to Branson, Mo 6 times.  Jerry  has a couple of yrs on me, in fact a whole generation, but you would never know it.  He gets into that “ Old Rock n Roll ”  feeling right along with me.  It was a wonderful show, brought back many memories and we left with a happy feeling.  I didn’t know that The Big Bopper wrote the song,”White Lightening,” the song that launched George Jones career.  Now that’s the one person that I still have to see to make it 100% of my favorites.   It has been a good few days here in Laughlin, but it’s time to move along , and along to a great favorite  of ours Las Vegas.

If you have not driven in the desert southwest in the early spring you just have to find the time to do it.  We left Tucson around 9 AM today, stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, they do breakfast really well.  We will soon be out of range for Cracker Barrel as they are not in California.  We will miss them, they always have nice big parking lots for RVs.  The food is good too.  Anyway back to the desert.  The further north we drove the warmer it got and we started noticing that the desert is in bloom.  The wildflower are everywhere and cactus is blooming too. The further north we drove the more flowers we saw. The Lupins are in bloom along with yellow, orange and white flowers, and mostly pink cactus.  We drove from 72 degree weather during the day into 88 degree weather.  Thank goodness for the air conditioner. We ended up with about 370 miles today. It was much better driving and we whipped right along as we had a tail wind for a change.

We did a change of plans, since we have spent time on several occasions at Emerald Cove near Lake Havasu, we decided to drive on further north and spend a couple or 3 nights in Laughlin, Nev.  It also sits directly on the ever so beautiful Colorado River, I love this river.  It reminds me of a sidewinder in the sand the way it makes its way thru the desert. It brings life’s blood to so much and so many.  You just don’t want to let your dog swim or drink from this river.  Its very alkaline and from prior experience its like feeding your dog a bag of prunes and this goes on for days.  So beware.  So no, we will not be letting Teddy go for a swim here.

We found this really unusual RV park.  Its all terraced on the hill above Casino row.  So tonight we can sit here and look out our big back window at all the bright lights down on the Laughlin strip.  Its really a sight to see.  Very cheery and seems to be beckoning us to come down and play.  Maybe tomorrow.  It was a long day and I am sorry I didn’t take any pictures of the wild flowers, maybe tomorrow………………..Hugs    S and J

Today has been quite a day and I just finished a nap with my feet up.  I think we must have walked for miles.  I need to go home and arrange with Dr.  Morris to do my R knee, then I will really be able to enjoy all the walking this life style demands. Today we walked the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

When I say museum don’t think of a musty smelling, dimly lit, building with lots of antiques, this was the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  Most all of the activities were out doors.  Since the weather here is about 74 degrees with a mild breeze it was the perfect setting for a wonderful day. After we stopped at Phoebe’s Coffee Bar for a “pick me up, and a muffin or stone as Jerry calls them, we started out with a bird and rapt0r demonstration and how to preserve these wonderful birds.  There were hawks, owls and ravens that were the highlights of the show.  Very educational.  From there we took the far outback desert loop trail.  Along this trail we were fortunate to find several Javelinas, these some people think of a part of the pig family, but in reality they are not  they are peccaries. Look that one up. They are really quite the cute animal and in the desert probably would not be a danger to humans unless forced to protect themselves.  They are very social and live in groups.  We caught a picture of a  Javelina washing another’s foot.  Sweet.  Further along the trail we spotted a coyote, they have a really nice large area and they use invisible fencing to keep them from mingling with the tourists, which could be inconvenient.  We visited Cat Canyon and Jerry saw a Bobcat. We toured the cactus garden and we checked out life on the rock and visited a Prairie Dog town, which included a very nice and friendly Roadrunner.  These guys certainly have a personality, not to say those fat little Prairie Dogs don’t, they are really cute.

By then we had walked for miles it seemed and had worked up an appetite.  So we went to lunch at a really lovely place called The Ironwood Terrace.  It was cloth table cloths and napkins and had a very nice ambiance. First they brought us a basket of warm bread with cilantro pesto, and cactus pear…. ice tea.  Jerry had guess what?  You got it, a Kobe  hamburger with steak fries and I had a Cob salad with all the usual ingredients, except they used jalapeno bacon, nice and spicy and imported Klamatta olives.  It was a delicious lunch and we agreed we would definitely eat here again.  That’s how we judge the food, would we do it again?

From there  it was off to the walk thru aviary to see, up close, the desert birds of the Soronian Desert.  They sure have some lovelies and some sang and chattered as we walked the path thru. There were over 40 different varieties present. We stopped to rest in the shade along the way, close to the stream, and just enjoyed the wonder of nature.  This place has lots of benches of all kinds, drinking fountains and rest rooms.  They have made it a truly wonderful place to come to.

We saw beautiful Mt sheep with great big horns. We went thru the Riparian Corridor and were lucky enough to catch a playful ottor strutting and showing off.  They are the cutest creatures and always you come away smiling after seeing them. We didn’t get to see a Coatie or a Beaver tho, I was a bit disappointed but they were hiding out. A water hole in the desert is a very special place, and they say they do exist.

We walked by the Pollination Gardens which included the Humming Birds, moths and bees and butterflys.  We checked out the snakes,  some really bad fellows, bet you didn’t know that the Majove Rattlesnake was the most poisionous of all the rattlers.Thats because their venem attacks both the tissues and is neuro toxic.  Leave it to a Neuro nurse to be interested in that.   We saw scorspins and terrantula’s, and lizards, they even had black widows on display. There were some pretty impressive lizards there too.  Of course all along the way was a true desert, only an organized one.  There are over 100 varieties of cactus and other desert plants.  All of the area is tenderly tended to insure a pleasant experience for people to enjoy and get the maximum benefit of. All in all we had a really incredible day. Anyone who knows me knows I have an afinity for museum’s and this was” The” most special. On the way out we had to forego the ice cream store darn, we were still to stuffed from lunch.……….This saguaro, with the fan top is abnormal and occurs once in 200,000 plants they don’t know why…… Angie this turtle made me smile.

Mar. 13, 2010  Saturday

Well here I sit, totally tired.  We started out the day attempting to go to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  We even got there before noon, which is pretty good for us.  The place was jammed. Even the overflow parking was being used.  There was a line a mile long just to get into the place.  So we decided to wait until Mon. as the weekend was here. With us we never pay attention to what day it is, that’s the beauty of retirement, until we are forced to as in today.  So we made other plans and went to Old Tucson.  What a great idea that was.  It was busy, but not like the museum.  Its also more money, we got a two for one ticket from the resort here for the museum,we will use it on Mon.

Old Tucson is actually an old movie studio lot.  It’s where many many westerns  were filmed.  So we spent the afternoon touring the place and found it to be fun, interesting and historical. All the tours and exhibits were included in the gate fee.  We ate lunch at Big Jakes BBQ . I had the best ribs, they were so tender they just fell off the bone, with cole slaw and beans and a biscuit and honey, Jerry had a pulled pork sandwich with beans and the best BBQ sauce.  From there it was over to see a film on remembering John Wayne.  It was nostalgic.  Then we took in a comedy stunt show, ” the Treasure of Santa Maria.” really funny. Then of course we had to hit the ice cream parlor, you know how it is, my favorite dessert and all.  I can’t believe they were out of Rocky Road my fav, so I settled for Cherry.  Jerry had his fav, chocolate.  Then another film, ” Where Legends Walk,’ all about some of the movies that were made there on the lot.  Between shows and events there were all sorts of western memorabilia to see all over the lot.  We took some picts and really enjoyed the 72 degree weather.  There was just enough breeze  to make it comfortable in the outdoor shows.  We took the historic tour of Old Tucson, the guide was very knowledgeable.  Some of the boo boos made in some of the movies were pointed out like the 8 communication towers on one of the mountains in the background of an old west western, or the Christmas lights they forget to take down on one of the main buildings in a certain 1800s movie. Funny funny.  We also went into The Grand Palace Saloon to see Miss Kitty’s Can-Can Revue.  That was really a nice show.  Jerry had his picture taken with a couple of the Can Can girls. He was pleased.  We ended the day with a “gunfight,” not a real one of course.  It was The Wild, Wild West-night of the Deadly Tycoon, very action packed and funny.  We were pooped.  Got our exercise today, and got some education too.

For the fans of John Wayne, and we are, did you know that 3 of his movies were made entirely right here in Tucson, at this very  lot we visited. He made over 150 movies as the star and did even more with bit parts.  It was a good feeling to walk the same area where he made, McLintock in 1963, and El Dorado in 1967, and Rio Lobo in 1071. There is a famous mountain here that is in many many movies done here not just westerns.  Its called golden Gate Peak, don’t know where they got that name for here.  All in all it was a very fine day, we didn’t get lost, and that’s always good.   More tomorrow.  Hugs, Shari and Jerry.

What is it for me about the” Desert  Southwest?” I have asked myself  often before, because it keeps drawing me back. I don’t believe I would want to live here full time, but time here is wonderful.  I have a real fondness for Death Valley, its serene, peaceful and spiritual, and it’s on the way from California to the Great Desert Southwest.  Here I get a feeling I cannot explain.

We spent time today in two of the five Mt ranges that surround Tucson.  First we drove over to the Rincon Mts. and then turned around and drove to the Tucson Mts. both ranges are part of the Saguaro Natl. Park.  Everyone knows my fondness for Natl Parks. I now have another one chalked up. Can you say ” sah….WAH….row?  That’s how the ranger told me this park is  pronounced.  Of course it’s all about the Saguaro Cactus and they are something to behold.  They only grow here and nowhere else in the world.  Here in the Sonoran Desert. They are a treasure. They are spellbindingly glorious.  I have seen these cactus’ before but never a forest of them.  Saguaro Natl Park is definitely one of “My America’s” precious sights to see.  This park was created in 1933, that was a good yr.  In 1976 Congress designated over 70 %  of the park as wilderness area, thus providing this area solitude and a place to renew your spirit.  I think that’s just what the desert does for me, it renews my spirit.  The park in the Tucson Mts. varies in elevation and those tall giants can be seen at all levels.  They say the Saguaro cactus can live, if it gets a good start, which is difficult, 175 to 200 yrs.  Can you imagine what these cactus could tell us esp about this area.  From the Apache Indians, the outlaws like Billy the Kid, the Earp brothers and the Clantons, they had to be all over this area. They really did witness the “Wild West ” at it’s glory.  Yet they stand quietly in their place, some with out stretched arms and are ever so silent.  If they could only talk.  but then that would take the mystery away, wouldn’t it?

These marvelous green giants grow ever so slowly.  In a yr a seedling may grow a quarter of an inch.  In 15 yrs it may reach 12 inches. At about 30 yrs it may flower and by 50 yrs it can reach 7 ft. tall.  The Saguaro’ that live to 150 yrs. can reach 50 ft.  After about 75 yrs into this they may sprout arms from small prickly nubs that will grow out and up.  There’s a rather big poaching problem with these guys.  People steal them for landscaping and that’s a definite No No!!!  These are the largest cacti in the U.S.

While I was tromping around in the desert, very carefully, to take pictures I kept an eye out for the various creatures the rangers advised about.  I was so fortunate not to see a Diamond Back Rattler, a Scorpion, or a Tarantula.  But I was looking.  We saw Quail and Roadrunners, cute little guys. But this park is not just about the fantastic green giants, this is the Sonoran Desert, and it supports untold mammals and reptiles and birds of several kinds.  I would love to have seen an Elf Owl.  They nest in the Saguaro’, or a Desert Tortoise. That would have been the icing on the cake.  Imagine this environment with about 12 inches of rain per yr?  And yet it’s a wonderful place to come to to renew your spirit.

The cactus’ are not in bloom yet, but there are so many different kinds of them.  They are all special in their own way.   I love the Ocotillo’. I have seen them in bloom and the flower is orange.  There is lots of Creosote Bush and Barrel Cactus.  We caught the movie at the visitors center and it just explained so much.  I have longed to visit Tucson for as long as I have been traveling and finally we are here.  Tomorrow will bring another wonderful day of adventures, so tune in again, it will be interesting, esp for those who have caught the travel bug.

Mar. 11, 2010, Thurs.

Hello from Tucson Arizona, its positively gorgeous here.  We arrived yesterday afternoon after just a short drive of about 240 miles.  We made our quota for the first time.  I have always wanted to explore Tucson.  There seems to be lots of things to see and do and the park we are at has room for 1100 RVers.  Its fairly full.  We got here and it was so nice that our original 2 day stop has morphed into 6. They had quite a time rearranging our RV space because we wanted to extend, but like all these parks they are so accommodating.  The weather is wonderful, no wind, a mild breeze and sunny clear blue sky’s.

Our main problem is Teddy.  He has decided that he will pee once a day and as far as the other that’s debatable too.  I’m worried he will ruin his kidneys.  Don’t know what the problem is. Sounds trivial but I just can’t figure it out. Jerry keeps parading him around the park but no dice. I think after this blog I will be caught up to date.  Don’t know what we will be doing today , but you can bet we will be doing something.  I’m up for a new adventure.  That’s the name of the game.  The adventures of Jerry and Shari.  Will keep you posted on the blog.  Hugs, S and J