Tucson to Gila Bend, AZ

So, today we left Tucson.  Sorry, not sorry, y'all, but no tears were shed.  Freedom RV did a great job on our tile floor, and we did get to visit a cozy quilt shop packed with really pretty and unique fabrics (dropped a bundle of cash there, too...just ask Driver.  Better yet, don't ask!)  But, aside from that and the Desert Museum, which was really more of a zoo/aquarium/gardens, and the nice Air Force Base FamCamp, there wasn't much else to hold us there.  Lots of dust and dirt blowing around, and way more Saguaro cactus than we've ever seen, but that's about it.  But, they did have lots of pretty bridge abutments and overpasses.  Even a lot of their bridges were decorative.  I was able to get some (really poor) shots in today, on our way out of town, at 62 mph.  Yes, 62.  Speed limit was often 65 or 75, but 62 is our preferred speed.  Yes, you may call us turtles if you wish.  But, that gives us plenty of reaction time when fools come sliding and spinning across the road and back.  

These are mosaics, leading up to an overpass.

Don't ask me what it represents, about all I could tell was the mountains and the sun.  I'm guessing all together, they represent the petroglyphs found outside of town, way up in the hills.

I took this to represent the sun.

Driver thought these were bats.  I thought they were just chevrons, but I like they idea of them being bats.  Bats are so ugly they're cute.  And definitely necessary.

Yeah for more cotton!  'Cuz, you know, I need more fabric.  HAHAHA...no, no I do not.

Heading back out to Picacho Peak.  Yes, yes you can climb up it.  No, no I am NOT going to do so.  Not in this lifetime, not in next lifetime, not in ANY lifetime.  Thank you for your generous offer, but, no, no thank you.

Often, we camp by railroad tracks.  I think it must be a prerequisite for campgrounds to be located nearby RR tracks.  No big deal, we kinda like hearing the trains go by and we don't mind the whistles tooting at all hours of the day (and night).  No big deal.  The RV dealer we just left had RR tracks about a hundred yards away, just across the street, and everybody warned us about them coming through all night.  Well, we heard only 2, and they went by pretty quick.  Again, no big deal.  This Air Force Base Auxiliary Air Field is about 3 miles from the Interstate.  And RR tracks paralleled the road down to the gate, so we fully expected we'd be hearing some trains during our stay here in Gila Bend, AZ.  HA!  We turned onto the street to enter the gate and had to cross these tracks.  Don't think they will be used anytime soon.  Certainly not tonight, and we'll be leaving in the morning, so I highly doubt we will be hearing trains tonight.

After we parked, though, we did take a short tour of the base.  Short, because there really isn't much to see here.  One 20 room motel they use for visitors, one visiting officers' quarters, a motor pool, a small gym, with an outdoor basketball court, an airstrip & tower, and ummmm...that's about it, except for the FamCamp.  This was the sign down by the airstrip.  We didn't have permission, so we didn't enter.  Thought it prudent to follow the rules, this one time. Like yesterday, no feeding the coyotes.  We followed that rule too.

This little guy was sitting out in the field, and this is one of only two grassy patches we saw on base.

The tour of the base was so much fun, we thought we'd head into town.  Such as it was.  Our intent was to scope out the way to Pilot, which promised to be a little tricky, and maybe even fuel up the RAV4, since gas here was a bit less expensive than up in Surprise.  Key words, there, "our intent."  First, we stopped in at the junk store...

...and found the ice cream counter.  Nooooo, didn't make any purchases here, way too close to dinner.

...and the cafe part of the junk store/ice cream counter promised to be another "cultural experience," but not necessarily one in which we wished to participate this time.  Dinner was to be BBQ and Tater Tots, with homemade cole slaw, and we really were looking forward to it.  Mexican prepared by the cashier just didn't sound so appetizing...

After all that, we went on to the local museum.  Which was CLOSED, according to the sign on the door.  The posted hours were 9 am to 3 pm, Mon thru Fri, and we were well within those parameters, being Thursday, at 11:30 am.  Yet, still CLOSED.  However, it was adjacent to some Administration Center, whose doors were actually open, so we went inside and inquired about the closure.  Turns out, there was no one to tend the museum, but we were invited to enter through the Administration Center hallway.  Score one for us!  Didn't take much time to view all the artifacts and browse all the brochures.  The biggest deal here was the Oatman Family Tragedy, and the survival of Olive, poor dear, she had it rough, and there doesn't seem to be any photo of her with a smile, and it's no wonder.  Then we started our search for gas.  We went to the Pilot station first.  Too expensive and crowded too.  So used Gas Buddy and found the Circle K, at the other end of town, to be the cheapest gas in town.  We went back (it's all of a mile, about 3 minutes ride, from one end of town to the other) to Circle K, pulled in and entered the credit card.  Yes, I'm using WE, but WE is Driver.  The other half of WE was sitting in the front seat, searching out geocaches on her telephone.  So, the card was accepted, but there was no gas coming out of the nozzle.  Not a drop.  Twice.  OK, so there is a Chevron, just across the street, and up a half a block.  Pulled in to Chevron.  Credit card declined.  And Driver's phone, as it often is, is back at the camper.  So, if USAA had called or texted to put a fraud alert on the card, as they so often do, we didn't know it and couldn't decline it.  So we used MY credit card, 'cuz they never put an alert on MY card.  Except this time, apparently.  NEITHER card was accepted.  Ruh-roh.....that could be an issue....we planned on putting about $150 of fuel in the coach first thing tomorrow morning....we'd better go get back to the camper and check the phone and see about getting this resolved.  We couldn't imagine what could be the problem...after all, we had paid cash for the campsite (a whopping $12!!) and we had used Driver's card yesterday to get admission to the museum, and my card the day before, at the fabric shop.  So, yeah, maybe I did spend over a hundred bucks a lot, but certainly not enough to reach our credit limit...what could possibly be the problem???  Well, a quick call to USAA reveals there was a temporary block put on our account (both cards).  When there was no gas at the Circle K, Dick canceled the transaction and retried it.  Sort of like restarting the computer, ya know?  That fixes everything, right?  Nope, not this time!  That action set off the alarm at USAA and they thought our card had been compromised, so, they suspended it immediately.  And when we tried to use it at Chevron, it was immediately declined.  Tight security bit us in the butt!  But, we got it all sorted out, and we turned right around and went back to town.  To the Chevron.  Unfortunately, they have the buttons backwards, and the one that got pushed was for premium gas.  At almost $4 a gallon.  That was NOT the intended selection.  Geesh.....are we ever gonna get this gas today?  We seemed doomed and destined NOT to get gas here!  Transaction was canceled and we went on down the road to visit the 9/11 Memorial Park we had passed earlier.

And I must have taken the worst possible picture of the Space Age Restaurant signage.  Even the gray paint of the building had sparkles in it.  It's really a Best Western, but for some reason, it's all done up with an outer space/aliens theme.

The alien was draped in cheesecloth for Halloween.

This was the domed lobby of the hotel.

After that, we went BACK to the Chevron and selected the right octane level and pumped a few gallons of gas.  All set for the night, and it's about time to go home and fix dinner.  BBQ and Tater Tots, here we come!  Besides, the laundry here is free and the machines are large enough to do our quilts, so we'd better get on the stick!  There is NO tv here...nada, zip, zilch.  Not a single station, Mexican, shopping or otherwise...but, hey, we should see some stars, don'tcha think?  Maybe some aliens?

This is our view out the front - the setting sun.

Tomorrow morning we head back up to Surprise and settle back in for the next couple of months.  I have lots of sewing to do - our placemats, a charity quilt top I was given to finish, a new purse for myself (fabric was purchased way back in ...Oh Lordy, I can't even remember where or when!), Betty's two garden flags, and I signed up for TWO tables at the craft sale next month, so I better get busy and make some more stuff to sell!!  Honey, you won't mind walking without me, will ya??  And you're welcome to go exploring all you want...maybe go with Lora to the photography club meetings...I have work to do!  In fact, since there is no TV, I think I'll go sit with my seam ripper a while, and get started on that charity quilt!  Yeah, crazy, I know.  I have to take it apart so I can put it back together again right.  Good night & God Bless!!

RV Repair and a Walk on the Wild Side with Some Quilts Thrown in for Good Luck

Didja miss me?  We have been busy!  with a capital B!  First thing, we did the last 4 shops of that shop hop, all in one day.  We had to drive clear out to Chandler, which is about as far away from Surprise as you can get, and still be in the vicinity.  We knew it would take us hours, so, of course, we suited up the puppers, packed her a lunch, us some waters, and away we went.  True to expectations, it was an all day event.  Didn't buy a darned thing, but we got my passport stamped at all stores and got it turned in.  (this will be important later, you'll see)  We also spent a day (yes, a full day!) getting my sewing machine turned in to the Babylock dealer for its long overdue service, and then visiting various thrift stores and 2nd hand shops, looking for a stroller or some sort for the pup and a backpack of some sort for the Driver.  I thought he wanted it to carry his camera gear, but I really don't know.  We didn't find anything suitable, for either of 'em, so we finally exhausted the possibilities (and my patience) and headed on home, to prepare for our upcoming journey to Tucson.  

Saturday, we bathed the pup (yup, again!), hit up Sam's for some yummy brownie samples and a rotisserie chicken and some fresh produce.  Packed up all the shades & tire covers, cleaned the bathrooms & floors and wiped all the counter tops. You know, all the housekeeping chores that have to get done weekly, and a couple more.  Sunday morning, we knew we didn't have far to go, but we didn't see much point in procrastinating, so we picked stuff up and pulled in the sides, and off we went.  Lora had suggested we got west and south, out and around, instead of going through Phoenix, as we had done for the shop hop.  It went against my inner compass to do so, but we had looked and it was really only a few miles out of the way, and at first, I was a little apprehensive wasn't too sure it was so smart, 'cuz look at that mountain range!  I really hate these up and overs!

When we came up on this sign, I suggested maybe this was the reason the sky wasn't as pretty blue as we had expected.  I was promptly informed I hadn't seen anything yet.  Oh goodie, right?  I'm beginning to understand what our home buyer meant when she said she was tired of eating dust and wanted to return to the land of grass.

When the saguaros got pretty plentiful, I looked a little harder at my phone/map, and realized we were actually passing through the Saguaro National Park.  Well, that explains that!

Approaching Tucson, we noticed the bridges and overpasses are highly decorated.  I made mention of it in the RV Quilters Facebook group, and several people chimed right in, knowing exactly where we were.  As we've moved around the city, we have found others that I've not been able to photograph, but they have been pretty remarkable.  There have been lizards, American flags, geometric forms, symbolic rivers and such.  Just beautiful, really. 

Cotton!  We hadn't seen cotton fields since we left Texas!

We also had another little ummm...episode?  Not really sure what to call it....but we must have been the luckiest people on the road at the time!  You know we are about 22 tons of metal in motion, right?  And we can't exactly stop on a dime.  Heck, we can't even stop on a silver dollar!  So, to compensate, we typically drive slower than the posted speed limit, and in one of the two right lanes.  We also try to stay aware of our surroundings and position at all times.  Well......all of a sudden, here comes a car, right at us, sliding from the center lane, spinning, right across our lane.  Hits the right shoulder and spins some more, then starts heading back across our lane again, towards the center of the interstate!  I hollered out "slow down, slow down, there's a car spinning out!" and thankfully, Dick stomps on the brakes!  It's funny now, but somehow, he missed the whole thing, it happened so fast, but, hey, he slowed down and kept us from plowing into the revolving car, so, it's all good, right?  I was shaking like a leaf, and I know the other driver must have been too.  He only stopped because his tail end slammed into the cement median and absorbed all his momentum.  As I said, we were some kinda lucky!  

The office of the FamCamp was closed when we arrived, but they had a map (yes, ONE map, laminated and posted) and a printed list of available sites.  We took a picture of the map and went off to find us a site.  The first one we chose, we chose for the view of the mountains.  Ummmm, bad choice.  We knew going in, it was too small to hold us, as we weren't planning to detach the dolly or unload the car, since we were just overnighting.  After getting the guy next door to move his truck, so we could get out safely, we went back to the office to look for another site.  We chose a few that might be good and drove off to find them.  This is the view we eventually got.  Pretty decent, eh?

  

We were parked right across the street from what is affectionately known as The Boneyard.  Check out that link for some pretty cool overhead shots and history.

Monday morning, bright and early (7:55, to be exact) we set out for Freedom RV, where we had an 8:30 appointment with Dusty.  Good thing we left early!  It took us 35 minutes to travel about 4 miles.  Really.  We found the dealer, no problem, but, boy, is their lot tight.  And it's really only a parking lot, no nice facilities like we've seen in other places.  We were guided into a double-park spot where we could unhitch the car and tow dolly, and we went inside to check in with Dusty.  She came out and went over our issues (the floor crack, the captain's chair footrest and the blackout shades not going up all the way) and then we went inside, to the lobby and had a cup of coffee.  After a couple of hours, I went outside to find the tech already hard at work on our flooring issue.  It was discovered that the floor itself was fine, the subfloor was fine, but those shims you see below were not quite level.  As a result, there was a space between the tile section and the shims, so, of course, the grout was cracking.  We were very lucky no tiles were involved.  And there she sat.  For hours.  We did get a quick lesson on how to adjust the roller shades, the footrest wires were reseated and the chair works properly now, the shower door handle was tightened, and two tiles were removed from the hatch and cleaned up, in preparation for repair & retiling.  And there she sat.  It became painfully obvious we were there for the night, hooked up to nothing but power, but at least it was sufficient 50 amps!  We invited another Newmar owner in for dinner, as it became painfully obvious he, too, was there for the duration.  I think, given the circumstances, we all made the best of it.  I know he was thankful for a hot meal, too, as he had no food in the camper, plus, no transportation!

Tuesday morning, we knew we had some time, but not a whole day's worth, so there was a discussion about what to do.  Several friends had suggested different parks to visit, and our own research turned up a really interesting "museum" but it was going to be an all-day trip, and we didn't have that luxury of time.  At least, not yet.  Ah, what to do, what to do?  Oh, I know!  How about a visit to ye olde quilt shop!  I had heard (through Facebook, of course) there was a really good one in Tucson, so of course, I consulted my dear friend Google, to see where it was.  Hmmm...once Driver had agreed and committed to taking me, how exactly was I going to 'fess up and tell him the shop I had in mind was actually in Branson.  Whaaa?  Ok, so, I hadn't really told him the NAME of the shop, so perhaps there's another one in town??  Fingers crossed, and another quick Google search finds me a shop.  Oh Lordy, I didn't know it was so very far away!

We finally get there, walked in the door, and see this beauty hanging on the wall.  Recognize it Barbara (S)?  Yup, it's the very same one I asked you about a couple of months ago.  I found it online, and was all set to order it, but when I asked Dick if he liked it, he answered, no, not really.  What?  He didn't like chili peppers?  Well, it certainly caught his eye here, and he thought it was the cat's meow!  When I reminded him that he'd already put the kabosh on it, and he didn't care for it a couple of months ago, he politely told me that he liked the "fabric around it" and the "strings on it."  Well, OK, then.  Too bad, it seems the store was sold out of the pattern, but the shop owner's hubby told me I was welcome to take a picture and make it on my own.  That was certainly unusual!

Here's a 3D Squeak, just as cute as the real guy back at the park.

They had lots and lots of Southwestern fabrics, most of which we hadn't seen before.  Turns out, they are famous for their custom-printed regional fabrics.  They had lots of cactus prints, and they really showcased them nicely in their local flavor quilts.

There was even a comfy sofa where hubsters could peruse current magazines while wives shopped.  The quilt hanging behind Driver was all hand appliqued and was simply spectacular.  Nancy, the shop owner, said it took her about 18 months to get 'er done.

 The Arizona sun, with it's couched yarn rays, was placed in most blocks, and several blocks had dimensional details, like the horse's fringed mane and tail.

The cactus flowers were cleverly represented by little beads.

About 2 hours, and a considerable struggle later, I came away with the fabrics shown here.  The pattern was purchased at Yoder's, in Shipshewanna, Indiana, and the whole thing probably won't get put together until we're settled in Rockport, Texas, so it's kinda like a traveling souvenir.  I especially like that multi-colored cactus batik on top right - it's one of the store's specially printed fabrics, and you can't get it anywhere else in the country, so these placemats will really be unique!  

So, with that, we returned to the RV dealer, to find that our floor has been put back together and was ready for final installation back into our coach!  Yippee!!  Of course, the grout is still wet, so we can't step on it, but it's fixed, and that's what matters most!  It gets installed, and I pull in the sides, and we are ready to roll!  Ahhhh, but where to??  Well, that's the fun part.  We knew we wanted to visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (aquarium/zoo/stingray touch tank/raptor flight/botanical garden) and we knew it would take a full day, so we headed back to the FamCamp so that we could have A/C AND water, without having to scrimp and watch every drop.  Tell you what, I am NOT a boondocking kind of girl.  It's OK for 2 or 3 days, but by then, I want a good, LONG hot shower.  And I sure did miss my dishwasher!  I was glad to get back to where we could safely walk the dog, and I could use as much water as I wanted without having to worry about if/when we'd get more.

Soooo, meanwhile, back at the ranch....or more accurately, The Boneyard....

After a quiet and chilly night, we got up early and headed out to the Desert Museum.  Here's one sign I don't care to see again....

Back to the land of Saguaros...

You'll remember these babies only start branching out at about 50 years old, and the first 8-10 years, they only grow an inch or so per year.

Just like Bailey, Driver (seen here approaching that little rock hut) wants to go as high up as possible.  Yeah, me, not so much.  I was fine down in the parking lot, sipping on my ice water.

Once we got inside the park, I fell in love with the seahorses!  This one is female.

And here's the male....see his extended pouch?  Pretty sure he's carrying a batch of eggs.

A nice, fat Moray Eel...(now, that's a funny looking word!)

See the bird's nest below?  Later on, we were told it was likely the work of a Harris' Hawk.

 Then we went into the hummingbird aviary.  What fun THAT was.  I was wearing pink, so naturally, I got buzzed quite a bit.  Here's a Rufous, posing right in the middle, but shyly, as his back is turned.

And, I believe this one is a Magnificent, just waiting for me to move away from his feeder.

I *think* this little one was a BroadBilled.  Kerry, you would have just been amazed.  Well, you've been to Costa Rico, sooo, maybe not.  I was though!  There were several kinds we had never seen before and it was cool trying to keep up with them flitting all over the place.

We had been advised that Raptor Flight would be taking place, at 2 pm, and we should be sure to attend.  On the way over to that section, we stumbled across a gallery, which, what do ya know, was displaying art quilts related to climate change and how it related to the quilter and her environment.  There were several, but these ones really caught my eye.

It was getting pretty warm, by this time, and when we got to the path leading to the Raptor Flight, this signage stopped me in my tracks.  Remember, I still have a back problem, and going up hill is an issue.  And here it was, telling me, the way BACK was uphill.  Would I make it?  How badly did I want to see the raptors?  Well, apparently, badly enough, we trekked on.

OK, so I shoot with my new Motorola Z4 phone camera, and you see what you get, right?  Check out the lady below.  She's just a bit more serious about her photography than I.  I bet that one lens cost 6 times what my fabric did!  But I'm sure she got some pretty darned good photos!  Oh wait!  I almost forgot!  Remember I told you I successfully turned in my quilt shop hop passport?  One of the shops called me yesterday - seems I have won their shop prize!  A gift certificate!  THANKFULLY, it's one of the more "local" shops - in Phoenix proper, as opposed to one of those out in Chandler or Glendale!  I don't know if it's $50 or $100, but, either way, it's money I didn't have the day before, right?!

First up, a Peregrine Falcon...

Next, a beautiful Barn Owl.  This dude flew right over me a couple of times.  One time, I was pretty sure he was gonna give me a kiss!

And finally, a group of 3 Harris' Hawks soared and posed for us.  Kerry, if you ever get the opportunity to visit Arizona, this place is for you!

We wandered on to the Prairie Dogs enclosure; they looked a lot happier and healthier than the ones we worked with in Victoria...

I've never seen a SPOTTED squirrel before, have you?

The mountain lion was pretty intent on something or someone...

The mineral display down in the fake cave...

And this little gem....just a suggestion...

Of course, our shadow selves wanted to get in the picture....

We both found it hard to believe that deer found this type of environment inviting, but, apparently, they are here and they jump over cars.

Oh goodie.  Narrow, winding roads.  High up, too.

Yeah, they weren't joking.

It's really hard to tell here, as photos are 2D, so you really can't tell, but, if you were to miss this turn, you would go sailing.  Through the air.  On your way down the mountain.  With nothing to stop you but that little bitty gate.  And a Saguaro or 3.  We made sure we made the turn.

Aaaand, finally, Tucson came back into view.  Just in time, too, 'cuz I'm running out of steam by now.  And it's late, and laundry beckons.  I hope you've enjoyed the last couple of days with us; tomorrow we move on to Gila Bend.  We really want to see some stars.  Good thing we're good with that; I'm told we won't be seeing any TV.  ???  We'll see.  Or not, LOL.  I forget why exactly we're going there, but I know we had it on our agenda for the trip to the Rio Grande Valley, for some reason.  We'll stay there one day, then head back to Surprise on Friday, and see if they left us any water in the pool.  Till then folks, good night!