Saguaros and Snowbirds

After the dust storm we experienced last weekend, the RV desperately needed a bath. Phantom Mobile Power Wash came to our rescue and arrived at our site this morning at 8:00 am.  Within thirty minutes, the RV was gleaming once again.  We had never tried one of the mobile services, but it certainly was convenient and very cost effective.

This Is the Way to Do It

It's Getting Nice and Clean

We ended our stay in Tucson with a quick visit to Saguaro National Park.  We discovered that Saguaro is really an urban park, despite its mountain location, because of its proximity to Tucson.  The park was surprisingly crowded. 

Saguaro National Park preserves a large concentration of the giant cactus that is the symbol of the West.  The saguaro has been called the monarch of the Sonoran Desert and is truly a plant with personality.  One of the favorite activities at the park is observing the odd shapes of the cactus and assigning human attributes to it.

A Forest of Saguaros

Other Cactus Are Also Here

Odd Shapes Are Common

This One May Be Almost 200 Years Old

Even the Dead Ones Are Interesting

Small Purple Wildflowers Are Hiding Among the Cactus

Tim and I had planned to explore the park so we turned onto the loop road that winds its way through a dense saguaro forest.  As soon as we made the turn, we realized that the road was unpaved.  Now what should we do?  We weren’t really concerned that the RV would have a problem negotiating the road.  Our concern, I am ashamed to admit, is that we had just paid to have the RV washed!  We didn’t want to get it dusty and dirty!  So, we backed up and headed down a paved road.  We didn’t get to see much of the park that way, but the RV is still clean.  I know we’ll be back sometime and will take the drive, and a hike or two, in a rental car.

A New Favorite Place to Ride?

The drive west from Tucson was much more scenic than our drive through New Mexico earlier this week.  The landscape is more rugged with mountains much closer to the highway.  Saguaros dotted the desert for quite a ways out of Tucson.  As we passed the town of Gila Bend, we were surprised to see bright green fields of alfalfa.  The rich color was such a contrast to the harsh desert environment.  

Alfalfa Fields

Even more surprising were the farms we spotted next.  A new kind of farm is cropping up in southern Arizona – a solar farm.  Two solar companies have plants under construction here, and it is possible that Gila Bend may become the solar capital of the world.  The solar installations that we saw were actually quite stunning.

 

A Solar Farm

We arrived in Yuma late this afternoon and spent the evening with Jeanie and Ron, friends of Tim who worked with him at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  Jeannie and Ron are fulltime Rvers and spend their winters in Yuma and summers in Utah.  They treated us to drinks and dinner and then gave us a tour of the Foothills community where they live.

It is an entirely different world here in Yuma, especially in the winter when the population more than doubles.  The Foothills at first glance appears to be your typical, nice suburban community with paved streets and regularly spaced lots.  When you look closely, however, you notice that many of the blocks are designed for RVs, not houses.  It was a unique concept for us to see and is so completely different than even the most upscale RV resort.  

There is also quite a sense of community in the Foothills.  Jeanie and Ron introduced us to a group of Alberta “hillbillies,” as they like to call themselves.  Many of the snowbirds who winter here are from Canada.  We really enjoyed our evening and are happy that we could spend a bit of time with old friends.

Campground Styles

Where we are going to spend the night is a question we face almost every day.  We have found that campgrounds are located almost everywhere, so locating one is usually not too much of a problem.  Finding the type of campground we prefer, however, is not quite as easy.  There are almost as many types of campgrounds as there are hotels, and the quality is just as varied.

When we first started on this trip, we expected to stay at state and national parks as often as possible.  We also thought we would be able to camp without water and electrical hookups on a semi-regular basis.  We did not have a high opinion of most private campgrounds and believed they were just not our style.  We were not fond of RVs parked very close together in endless rows.  Natural sites, not concrete, appealed to us.

During our six months on the road, we have experienced almost every type of campground that exists.  And, we have found that our preferences have evolved and that we are much less picky about where we stay.

State and county parks continue to be some of our favorite places to camp, especially parks with hookups.  We have especially loved the state parks in Florida, Texas and Missouri.  We also love national park campgrounds, although it is rare to find hookups.  We have found that we cannot go more than a day or two without electrical hookups if we want to be able to use our computers, mi-fi and phones.  Although it’s sometimes nice to disconnect from the world, as we did at Big Bend National Park, we do like internet access so we can keep up with the blog and research what we may want to do the next day.

One of our Favorite Campgrounds - A County Park
Arrowhead Park at Lake Tobesofkee Recreation Area near Macon, GA

That leaves us with private campgrounds, and that’s where we’ve stayed most of the time. There simply are not enough state parks to be found where we are traveling.  We have stayed at some lovely private campgrounds, as well as some that were pretty dismal.  Some have had a lot of vegetation and lots of space, while others have been barren lots.  Guess which one we prefer?

Sometimes Proximity to a Particular Location Is More Important than Amenities -
A Private Campground with Small Spaces, but Some Vegetation
Anvil Campground near Williamsburg, VA

I’ve also come to appreciate concrete.  After a heavy rain, it’s much nicer to walk around on a concrete pad than a muddy site.  I especially appreciate paved roads and gravel sites in the desert, where dirt and dust can be overwhelming.

Concrete and Gravel Can Sometimes Be a Good Thing - A Private Campground
Philadelphis/West Chester KOA, Unionville, PA

We are now staying at the Lazydays RV Campground in Tucson, Arizona, and I have to admit that I really like it here.  It’s a large park, and the layout is the typical parking lot arrangement, but the park has been nicely landscaped with shrubs and fruit trees.  The scent of the orange blossoms at our site is intoxicating.  Landscaping in the desert is really a treat.  The park has a manicured, suburban feeling, and is not at all a “natural” campground. However, after a week of dusty parks with nary a tree or bush, this park is a welcome change.

Vegetation, Concrete and Gravel in the Desert Is Welcome
Lazydays RV Campground, Tucson, AZ

Tim actually went to work today and met with his colleagues at the Western Archeological Conservation Center in downtown Tucson.  I went shopping!

An Archeological Treasure

It was a beautiful day when we left Las Cruces, New Mexico, this morning.  The wind was still blowing, and it was unseasonably cold, but it was an ok day to drive toward Tucson. Interstate driving is not as much fun, or as interesting, as driving on back roads, but we didn’t have much choice, and we made the best of it.

The desert landscape of southern New Mexico and Arizona is wide-open, but mountain ranges can be seen in all directions.  I had forgotten how mountainous this part of the Southwest is.  Many of the peaks and ranges were covered with snow from the recent storm.

Texas Canyon in the Little Dragoon Mountains won the prize for the most spectacular scenery of the day.  Located just one hour east of Tucson, Texas Canyon features distinct rock formations that seem to be tossed here and there.  Pedestal rocks, spires and balanced boulders characterize this distinctive landscape.

Texas Canyon

Wonderful Rock Formations

Granite Boulders Litter the Landscape

Located amidst this wondrous scenery is the Amerind Foundation, a privately-owned archeological and anthropological museum, art gallery, research facility and library.  Amerind was founded by William Shirley Fulton in 1937 and is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Native American cultures and their histories.  Exhibits include prehistoric objects from archeological excavations in the Americas, as well as more recent Native American art and artifacts.  

Amerind Foundation

My favorite exhibits were the Southwestern rugs and textiles, and the Pueblo pottery that ranged from late prehistoric ancestral ceramics to modern pieces.  The rich colors and intricate details were spectacular.  A small gallery devoted to Western art also contained several lovely landscapes and bronzes. 

Although Tim was very familiar with the Amerind Foundation, I was happy to learn about it for the first time today.  It was an unexpected treasure, and much more than a welcome break from the long drive.

A Wonderful Setting

The Landscape Here Is So Different

Kitty Wants to Come Out and Play in the Rocks