Adios Tucson, Hello California

Chiracahua Hike 

   We’re on the road again making the long trip back to Michigan. And by long, I mean really long as we are adding a Northwest leg to this trip so Joan can visit the Redwoods in California, the State of Oregon and Washington and finally North Dakota. After that she, like me, will have visited all 50 states.

   But before I get too far ahead of myself let’s finish up our last week in Tucson and our first day on the road.

   After the Sunday symphony, the rest of the week was pretty much a blur. Because of some commitments to help with table and chair set up on Monday I was unable to hike with the Monday hiking group.

   We did say good bye to Walt McCandless at his memorial service (well, I did, Joan had to work at her volunteer job at the resort health clinic). I didn’t know Walt well personally but I knew of him and well enough to say hi to him when I saw him in the resort. He was a tremendous keyboard player and we went to many dances over the years where he was a key performer.

Big Balanced Rock

   Then Monday afternoon we went to a birthday potluck party for my hiking friend Butch in the resort courtyard.

   Early Tuesday I headed out with the Tuesday hiking group to do our annual end-of-the-year hike in the Chiracahua Mountains. It is a beautiful hike that visits many unusual rock formations unique to this area.

   It was one of the warmest days of the year so the hiking was a little more difficult than usual for this 9-mile trek. This is one of my favorite hikes and this year did not disappoint. The only downside of this hike is the 90-minute travel time each way to Willcox.

    I arrived back just in time to meet Joan in the ballroom for our last Tuesday potluck dinner of the season. The numbers of people attending just about everything is dwindling but there was still plenty of food.

   Two of my hiking friends agreed to go on one more hike with me Wednesday to finish off my season. Gayle, who winters her with her husband Rod from Saskatchewan, Canada, and Dave, met me at 8 a.m. Wednesday and we headed to the Tucson Mountains to hike the Brown Mountains. I did this hike earlier this year with Chuck, but neither Gayle or Dave had done this hike previously so they were happy to go with me.

Dave & Gayle on hike

   On Wednesday, Joan  cleaned and did laundry while I was out playing and then Wednesday night we went to our final concert (there is one more, but we won’t be here April 3. We gave our tickets to our friends Gayle and Rod to use.

    The show was a tribute concert to the Righteous Brothers and a number of other classic 60s groups. As usual the musicians and singers were great.

    Joan and I are both blessed with the many good friends we have met here at the Voyager over the years. It is always with mixed feelings that we leave this place.

   On Thursday, I attended my last Men’s Bible Study, which on this day was our annual closing breakfast. About 20 men attended and we said good by to my friend Roger who is not coming back to the resort in the future. It was bitter sweet as he and his wife seem happy with their decision to stay home and enjoy their great-grand children for the next stage of their lives, but a lot of us are going to miss them next year.

Gayle and me

    The rest of the day was spent with Joan and I packing and preparing for the big getaway day on Friday. Well, Joan also had a doctor’s appointment to get an allergy shot and we both went to a local barber to get haircuts for the long ride home.

   Well, I did teach my last Thursday night Bible study and said good bye to another great group of friends. Everything in the last week is “the last” for the season.

   Friday, our final day in the park started early. Preparing the trailer for travel requires dumping the tanks for waste water and grey water, disconnecting cable tv, the water supply line, the electric service, etc. I had to remove the tire covers and get all the pins and equipment needed to hook up the trailer to the Tahoe.

   We went to the office and turned in our gate card and mail box key and then paid our final electric bill to the park.

   At 9 a.m. we were hooked up and left the resort enroute to Camping World for winterization and as it turned out a new hydraulic lift as the old one (12 years old) finally crapped out. The service took most of the day so we went and saw a movie to kill some time.

View from Brown Mountain summit

   Because we didn’t cook breakfast in the trailer on Friday, after we dropped off the trailer I took Joan to Waffle House for breakfast as she had never been to one before.

    We took a drive around Saguaro East National Park to look at the super bloom of flowers. Joan had not been to the park during the season so we got her there on the last day of our trip.

   The service took most of the day so we went and saw a movie to kill some time. We saw “Glass” which was an interesting psychological thriller which is the best way I can describe it. The acting was great, the story was good, but weird.

    Back at Camping World we paid our bill, repacked the trailer (we have to leave stuff out of the trailer so the service people can get at the water system for the winterization) and then headed out on the first leg of our trip home.

Cactus flowers

   It was 82 when we left Tucson and the Michigan State versus LSU game was on the radio so we listened to the game as we headed to our first stop – dinner in Casa Grande.  We always stop at Mimi’s Restaurant because there is a very large and empty parking lot next to the restaurant where we can safely park the truck and trailer while we eat.

   After dinner we headed to Phoenix to top off the gas tank on the Tahoe and begin the long drive up the “hill” to Flagstaff. As we have for the past few years we drive to the last rest area before Flagstaff on I-17 where we sleep in the trailer until early the next morning. 

Desert blooms

   We tucked the rig between two grumbling semi-trucks (drivers leave their engines running all night because of the cold temperatures) and went to sleep. We were up early and left the rest area at 5:59 a.m.

   From the rest area it is only another hour and 3,000-feet of elevation until we arrive at our storage lot outside Flagstaff.

  It takes about an hour to go through our checklist and get the trailer stored for the summer.  It was particularly difficult this morning because temperatures were in the low 20s which made it hard to work my hands. But we successfully stored the trailer and were on our way.

    After storing the trailer we headed to the nearby Pilot station to top off the Tahoe and as I pulled in the driveway of the station two men were trying to push a car up an incline so I parked my car jumped out and helped them push. Another guy ran up and we were able to get the car up next to a pump.

Camping with the semis

   One area along I-40 is designated “Safety Corridor” and you are warned that there is zero tolerance for violations. I just have one question, why wouldn’t every road be a “safety corridor.” There was a sign that said “End of Safety Corridor.”  I told Joan I guess I can drive recklessly now.

   Another thing that confused me this morning is that the agricultural inspection station along I-40 just inside the California border was fully manned this morning. Traffic was backed up and in the past they have always asked whether we had citrus fruit in the car. This time they just slowed traffic down and then passed everyone through.

Welcome to California

   At least give me the chance to lie about the fact that I don’t have any citrus fruit in the car. (We did have citrus fruit in the car, but they never bothered to ask us about it). So explain to me why bother with four lanes of inspectors if no one even is going to ask a question and just pass everyone through.

   At one of the rest areas we stopped at in California there was a lone violinist playing his/her heart out to no one. I snapped a photo because I thought it was a typical California type incident.

Anti-toilet paper theft device

   Thefts of toilet paper must be a major problem at rest areas because the extreme measures folks have gone to to prevent these thefts are amazing. I snapped a photo today of a contraption meant to thwart toilet paper thieves.

   I avoided a running road rage incident along California 58 by backing off and letting the idiots run ahead of us.

   The wildflowers in the Mojave Desert are incredible this year with wide fields of yellow and purple flowers everywhere.

  We arrived in Bakersfield and went to dinner at a place call Bootleggers. This was kind of Joan’s birthday dinner as her birthday is tomorrow.

Time out at Voyager Friday morning: 9:01 a.m.

Mileage out: 7453

Time out at Tucson Camping World: 5:15 p.m.

Time in at I-17 Rest Area near Prescott: 10:14 p.m.

Fiddler in the Rest Area

Time out of Rest Area: 5:59 a.m.

Time in to Storage Lot: 7 a.m.

Mileage in to Storage lot: 7793

Time out of Storage lot: 7:57 a.m.

Time in Bakersfield: 4 p.m.

Mileage in to Bakersfield 8281

  

Time travels at supersonic speed here, so does the F-35

Joan outside our trailer

  Time doesn’t just fly around here, it flies at supersonic speed. Good golly Miss Molly, the season is nearly over. In fact, this will be the last post from here until we get on the road for the long trip home. More on that later.

   The past two weeks have been filled with fun, a little rain, but mostly good weather and the activities that signal the rapid close of our winter away.

   Joan is nearly finished with her volunteer service at the health clinic and I have just three more table and chair set ups in the final week before I am done with my service here. I have one more Bible study session to teach Thursday night and my Men’s Bible Study breakfast on Thursday morning. (March 28).

   We also have only one more concert – a Righteous Brothers tribute – this Wednesday. The two recent Wednesday concerts were a Neil Diamond and Glen Campbell tribute that were both quite good. The guy doing the Glen Campbell tribute didn’t look anything like him, but his voice was good and so was the music. The guitar player was fantastic.

   The guy who did Neil Diamond looked very much like him and sounded like him as well. The concerts have been very good here this year.

Upper Cliff Dwellings view

   We missed a Meet Me at Maynard’s trip and I missed my Tuesday hike because of more rainy weather here in Tucson. It has been a very unusual weather year here in Tucson.

   During this time we also had dinner with a former colleague and her husband – Jane and Chuck – who also come to Tucson every year to enjoy the weather and outdoor activities.

    We spent our last week with Roger and Jessica who by now are well on their way back to Michigan. We miss them very much, but before they left we spent a wonderful day with them on our annual wine tasting trip through the Sonoita Wine Country south of here.

Me at the lower cliff dwellings

    Joan and Jessica did some serious tastings and we each came home with more than a case of wine. We had a lovely dinner at the Copper Brothel Brewery Restaurant on the eve of their departure from Voyager.

   The Apaches invited Joan to return to San Carlos, Arizona to enjoy another free night’s lodging at the Apache Gold Casino and Resort. They also gave us an additional reduced rate for a second night so as a respite from living in the trailer we took them up on the offer.

    They also gave us discounts on food so that was good too. This time we didn’t do very well in the casino so they got some of that “free” lodging money back.

   On Sunday (March 17- St. Patrick’s Day) I decided instead of spending my day inside the casino that I would take a hike. Well, on Saturday morning just before we left Voyager (after saying good bye to our friends Roger and Jessica who left Sunday morning) I called the rangers at Tonto National Monument to see if I could get on the once a day 3-mile guided tour of the Upper Cliff Dwellings at the Monument.

Looking up at dwellings

   Usually you have to book weeks in advance to get a spot but lucky me a group of four had just cancelled for Sunday and they penciled me into the spot. It is not a tremendously difficult hike, just a 3-mile round trip and only 650-feet of elevation, but it was a beautiful day and the ruins were great.

    Before starting on the guided tour I took a quick trip up (350-feet of elevation in a half mile) to view the Lower Cliff Dwellings. Only 15 people a day, on only four days a week between November and April are permitted to make the hike to the Upper Cliff Dwellings.

   The dwellings were home to the Salado (Salt River) people more than 1,000-years ago. They built these dwellings in the side of a cliff where a naturally occurring cave was. About 40-60 people lived in these upper dwellings and life had to be tough. Water came from a natural spring that is in the canyon 650-feet below the dwellings and it had to be carried up in great volume every day, mostly by the women. Men were kept busy hunting and gathering food.

Wildflowers on trail

    There were other dwellings in the area, but the upper and lower dwellings are the only one that survived over the centuries. The engineering of the caves and dwellings was pretty advanced and you can feel the temperature fall as soon as you step out of the sun on the trail into the dwellings. It’s about 15 degrees cooler in the shade in the summer and it’s warmer in the winter.

   The ranger who led the hike was very interesting and made the trip up very informative. I took a lot of pictures, but I’ll just put a couple here.

    The view from the dwellings was outstanding and we spent about an hour at the top. We were on our own for the trip down the trail, but I stopped often to admire the wildflower explosion on the hillsides. The wet weather here has created an unbelievable super bloom of wildflowers. California is experiencing a similar “Super Bloom” unlike anything I have ever seen here or California before.

     Once down the trail and back in my car I headed back to the casino to meet up with Joan for dinner. My brother-in-law Denny kept me up-to-date on the progress of the Michigan State versus Michigan Big Ten Conference game which MSU eventually won. So a great day all around.

Frank's birthday hike

    For some reason our room didn’t get made up and the housekeepers had all gone home after I arrived back so we made do with our Saturday towels and sheets.

    Joan was able to enjoy her annual corn beef and cabbage dinner as that was the special in the casino restaurant that night. On Monday we returned to Voyager and shared Meet Me at Maynard’s with our friends Joan (Joe – Ann) and Bob. We had dinner at Elliott’s Restaurant and enjoyed some laughs.

    The hike Tuesday (March 19) was a birthday hike for out 92-year-old friend Frank. Yes, Frank the one who I had to patch up twice on hikes this year because he fell. He is a very active 92-year-old and we wanted to have at least one hike with him this year where he could rejoin our group.

"Heritage Flight"

     We hiked up Sabino Canyon on the pavement and had a small birthday party at the end of the paved road with Frank. There were 22 people on the hike – the most we’ve had on any hike this year. After the party a few folks went back on the road with Frank while 17 of us hiked up to the Phone Line Trail and came back that way.

    With all the water coming down the mountain from the snow on top, we had to wad through ankle deep water on 8 water crossings on this hike. Most of us took crocks or other water type shoes, but some stopped at each crossing removed shoes and socks and waded bare foot through the ice water.

F-35

   On Wednesday we enjoyed the annual Volunteer picnic which the park puts on to reward those of us who volunteer our time and talents for activities in the park. Wednesday night was the Neil Diamond tribute concert.

   On Thursday, we attended the special Volunteers' dinner for those of us who are involved in setting up tables and chairs, working in the kitchen or the sound booth. The Wednesday picnic services 400 volunteers in the park and the Thursday night dinner only served 80 of us.

    Thursday brought my last Men’s Bible Study (except for the breakfast) and then the second-to-last Thursday night Bible Study. On Friday Joan had her last Women’s Bible Study and then her last afternoon Friday polymer clay jewelry class. For the first time in a while we had a quiet night at home Friday night.

    Saturday morning, Joan went to her aquacise class and following that we headed to the “Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona” air show at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. We and just about the rest of Tucson headed to the base about the same time and it took us more than an hour to go the two miles to the parking area on the base.

    We missed a couple flying performances but got there in time to see the “Heritage Flight” which included Air Force jets from several eras. An F-86 from the Korean era, An A-10 Thunderbolt (also known as the Wart Hog) which has been in long time service, an F-22 and an F-35, the newest fighter jet in the Air Force arsenal.

The Thunderbirds "Star burst"

    Following that we saw an A-10 Wart Hog demonstration and a solo demonstration of the F-22 and the F-35. The F-35 literally climbed out of sight over the Air Force Base almost straight up. It is a very powerful airplane that has capabilities that make it look like it is standing still at times in the air.

    Then it was time for The Thunderbirds to perform. They delighted everyone as always and then we walked the flight line and looked at many of the airplanes that were on display on the tarmac. The show only comes to Tucson every two years, so it won’t be back until 2021.

    We came home and had a wonderful steak dinner and enjoyed another quiet night at home.

The Thunderbirds

    After church on Sunday we headed to downtown Tucson to see “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim” at the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in Tucson Music Hall. We bought these tickets last month and the show was terrific.

   The three singers, Debbie Gravitte, Hugh Panaro and Anne Runolfsson, all have serious Broadway props and brought down the house with their vocals. Hugh sang a number of songs but as a former Broadway lead in the Phantom of the Opera, really killed the Phantom section of the concert. Anne Runolfsson has won a Tony award and the other woman has a long resume of Broadway hit performances.

    Technically, our 20^th anniversary is not until April 3, but we made this our celebration as we will be on the road traveling during our anniversary. We had dinner at Romano’s Macaroni Grille and then came home.

   So it has been a full couple of weeks, with plenty of wrap up activities this week so we will talk again from the road.

Shows, potlucks, dances, crafts and volunteer activities abound

Snow in the desert

    So much for not procrastinating and keeping up to date on my blog posts!  My plans were to try and post weekly so that I wouldn’t have to strain my meager brain to remember all the things we have done, but time has once again gotten away from me and now I’m nearly three weeks behind.

    When last we visited on this blog, our friends, Roger and Jessica, had just arrived and now they are just a week away from completing their one month here with us and leaving.

    We have not seen as much of them as we would like, some because of the weather and also because they are busy here with grandchildren in Phoenix and park activities. We have gone to dinner with them a few times and they have also attended a couple shows with us here.

    Fortunately for us, I bought them tickets to the shows before they ever arrived here because nearly all of the Wednesday night concerts have been sell-outs this year.

Headline in Tucson paper

   My last post was on Feb. 18. We skipped Meet Me at Maynard’s that night because of the lousy weather and we had to skip it again on March 4 because we hosted the Michigan Party again. Joan does a great job organizing the Michigan Party and although the attendance was down a little this year (44 people came) we had a good selection of potluck dinners and everyone seemed to have a good time.

   Most importantly we obtained a couple volunteers to help us with next year’s party so Joan (and me) won’t have to do the whole things ourselves.

   In the time intervening since the last post we had a major snowstorm in Tucson. It is only the second time in our visits here we have seen snow in the valley and at the resort. The locals go crazy over the snow and actually seem to enjoy it when it comes.

  

Snowman in the courtyard

    The mountains surrounding the valley are beautiful when they are completely covered in snow although it doesn't help my hiking much.

    Because we have done a lot of touring here in the past years, we don't do as much of that now. But Roger, Jessica, Joan and I decided to travel to Tubac to see the Tumacori Mission there.

We have previously visited San Xavier del Bac Mission, but we had never gone to Tumacacori.

After touring this 400 year-old mission we decided that we wanted to travel down to Nogales to see what all the fuss was on the border wall down there. 

Tumacacori

    In recent months layers upon layers of razor wire have been added to the wall that was there previously (previous to the current adminstration) and the folks in Nogales are not happy how it makes the city look now.

   Our speaker this year was a man who is visiting the park from Michigan who played in two Rose Bowl games as a fullback with Michigan State University in the 1950s. One of them his coach was Biggie Munn and the second was the legendary Duffy Daugherty. Very interesting man and history.

    My work with the table and chair set up squad continues as does Joan’s volunteer duties at the health clinic. We keep very busy here in the desert.

    Weather has really played havoc with my hiking schedule and the planned hikes in Ventana Canyon and at Bug Springs had to be diverted due to high water and deep snow.  With a suggestion from a fellow coordinator we did a shorter and easier hike on the Hope Camp Trail on one of the days when weather kept us from the more difficult hike.

Border wall with wire in Nogales

    For my February month as coordinator my main goal was to keep us from getting lost or anyone hurt so in that measure it was a complete success.

    The Hope Camp hike was good, but pretty easy for us.

   As March came around, a new coordinator took over the hike responsibilities and last week (March 5) we did the hardest climb that we do – Blackett’s Ridge.

Top of Blackett's Ridge

   Blackett’s Ridge is a relatively short hike of 6 miles, but the last 1.7 miles of the ascent covers an altitude increase of 1,700 feet with many difficult stone steps (both up and down). At least one hiker had to drop out because of dizziness which was likely due to the high temperatures. We had our first 80 degree day of the season on this day so the altitude combined with the temperatures made this a very grueling hike.

   We also had to deal with some heavy snow melt as the one bridge crossing to get to the Blackett's Ridge trailhead was underwater. The water was flowing over the bridge and in great quantity. Because it is snow met it is really, really cold too.

Icy stream crossing

   All the hikers had to remove shoes and socks and wade the stream so as not to let the water overtop the boots.

    At the top we had a short memorial for Dave – a man whose ashes we hiked up to Blackett’s Ridge last year. Dave loved this hike and asked that his ashes be taken there after he died last year. Any time we do this hike in the future we will likely remember Dave.

    Because of the hike’s difficulty we were down a little on attendance because some folks made the wise decision to skip this hike because of fitness issues.

Bridal Wreath Falls

    I had a harder time making the climb this year than last because last year. Getting ready for the Grand Canyon adventure last year and much better weather had me hiking many more times than has happened this year.

    There are still some great hikes on the schedule for this year, but only if weather permits.

   The show schedule this year has been outstanding and since the last post we have attended two great concerts.

  “The Diamonds” (their most famous song “Little Darlin’”) were here and gave a really good performance and “The Brothers Four” (who sang the Academy Award nominated Best Song in a Motion Picture back in the 1970s for the movie “The Alamo) were on tap the other week.

   The third week, March 6, was Ash Wednesday so there was no show as we had church services in the ballroom that night. Next week’s show is a Glen Campbell tribute show which we are looking forward to that. (More on that after the fact).

View from Bridal Wreath Falls Trail

   One of the shows (and dinners) that we went to with Roger and Jessica was the “Stars & Stripes Show” on Friday, Feb. 22. The show included a wonderful band and three young women who sang the songs of the 40s in the style of the Andrew Sisters. “Chatanooga Choo-Choo” and other classics of that day were featured in the show.

    They also recognized all the veterans in the audience having us stand during the playing and singing of our service anthems. Dinner was good too.

    We also continue to attend the Tuesday night potlucks and also attended our first vegetarian potluck during this period.

Joan at "Show and Tell"

   In addition to the regular hikes, I went on a spontaneous hike with my friend Chuck on March 1. We climbed up Brown Mountain in the Tucson Mountain Park, which is a hike I have never done before. It was a really pleasant, but sometime steep hike that overlooks the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum.

    The hike actually crosses three peaks, all part of Brown Mountain with spectacular views of Tucson and the area west of Tucson. It is only five miles but worth the time when you only have a little of it.

"Two Rose Bowl" Joe on right

    Yesterday, March 8, I was supposed to go hiking with Chuck and Dallas but they both had to bail so I went alone up to Bridal Wreath Falls. This is the second time I have been to the falls this season and the third time I have climbed this trail. I have done it twice alone and I did part of the ascent with Mahlon and then we took a spur trail and went down the Carillo Loop Trail that heads off the Bridal Wreath Falls Trail before you actually get to the falls.

  

   In the time since the last post and the missing hiker in Madera Canyon, there have been two more hiker rescues in the Tucson area most likely due to the unseasonable weather we have been experiencing.

   Joan has been busy with her own activities as well. She continues to go to her aquacise classes three days a week and her once a week polymer clay jewelry class.

   This past Wednesday she took part in the “Show and Tell” exhibition in the ballroom. Annually all the many arts and craft groups show off their creations in this one show. Joan took some of her jewelry and sat at the table for the four-hour event.

Michigan Party Table at coffee and donuts

   The Thursday lecture series has been really good this year. During this period we missed one lecture because the speaker was sick and the lecture was cancelled. One of the lectures was on hospice care, the other one was on, let’s see, I’m forgetting. Oh yeah, it was on Alzheimer’s and dementia issues. (See what I did there?)

Both of us continue in our various Bible studies and the Thursday night study that I lead has been very satisfying. I have a faithful group of 12 people who come each week prepared and full of questions and thoughts about what we have been studying. It has been an honor and pleasure to learn with them.

   On Saturday, March 2, we attended our second Retro Rockets Dance. This is a very good group and draws almost 400 people to this sell out dance. They play mostly 50s, 60s and 70s music and the woman singer has a good set of pipes.

    We love getting to dance here almost every week.

Saturday coffee and donuts at the resort

    Our time in the desert is drawing short though. I’ve made our appointment to get the trailer winterized on March 29, which is the day we pull out of the park and begin our long trek home.

    What is bitter sweet is that we have learned that two of the couples that we have become friends with her over the years are not coming back due to health reasons. Both are selling their park models and making plans to move into more friendly facilities back home.

    My friend Roger nearly broke into tears describing how hard it was to sell their place and then not coming back. It was nearly as hard for Joan and I when we also heard the news.

Brown Mountain Hike

    The attraction of this place is not just the great activities, but the great people that we have and continue to meet here.

  

    We also have a couple other friends in town from Michigan and we hope to see them soon as well.

   So until the next time, which I hope is sooner than later, this will catch everyone up on what we are doing here in the desert.

Unfortunately we just learned that our lovely Aunt Norma in Buffalo, New York has died. Our trips to Buffalo will never be the same without her. Everywhere we went with her she was like a local celebrity. When we took her to dinner she was always mobbed by folks who remembered her from her days helping to run the family funeral home.

   She was a dear, dear woman who we will miss terribly.