We are in Las Cruces, NM

Even though the mileage wasn't huge, we had a long and boring day today on the road from Fort Huachuca, AZ to Las Cruces, NM.  Lots and lots of ugly desert between the two places!  

The only thing that broke up the scenery was in very southeastern Arizona there were orchards and vineyards. Surprised us, too. Pecan and walnuts and grapes apparently do well with enough water.  

We will be here through the weekend and will do some exploring of the area.  We have stopped here before and like the town and area (even though it is close to El Paso, TX) so we thought we would spend some time really looking around.  

The RV park is a nice one.  The sites are set up so that adjacent RVs are facing opposite directions with the utilities between the two RVs.  On the "sitting outside side" there is a nice large fence to separate us from our neighbor and we don't  have to look at the utilities of our neighbor.  More parks should be set up like this. There's a large fenced area for dogs and the facilities seem really nice although I only saw them as I checked in.  Will look closer tomorrow, but we feel that we will be comfy for the next two days.  

No other news!  

No Photos Today

We figured you have all seen a Wal-Mart, Lowe's, frozen yogurt store, and a gas station so we don't need to share the local ones.  We also stopped at the commissary and PX - both nondescript and uninteresting.  And, all of you have seen a laundry room!  So much for our day.

We did find a road atlas!  Rand McNally Walmart version. This means that the first section (10 pages in minute print) of the atlas lists every Wal-Mart store in the country!  There were two on the rack and we took one of them.  I feel better now that I have a back up to Hal and I can study a traditional map!!  It makes me a happier traveler.  

Tomorrow we are back on the road.  Destination is Las Cruces, NM, which is about a four hour drive including a pit stop/lunch. We will be there three nights and then the long trek across Texas that we are soooo looking forward to.  (Do you detect a note of sarcasm?)

All for now......

We had a nice hike but......

no pictographs.  Bummer!

I had talked with two different people about the location of the pictographs in Garden Canyon here on base.  Yesterday when I asked, the lady at the museum told me they were "up a ways on a dirt road and you need 4-wheel drive," but that we could get there. The lady in the RV office said, "Park at the picnic area at the end of the paved road and you will have to hike in about a mile on the dirt road."  OK.  We can do that. We could use a good hike. A mile is no problem for us especially with a rest break to look at the rock art before hiking the return mile.   

Wild turkeys just up the road
from RV park this morning

We packed a lunch, water, sunscreen, etc. and drove for many miles on a pot-holed paved road past many shooting ranges and exercise areas for the Army into a place called Garden Canyon. The road had these big dips in them (no smiley face on the signs to warn us, though) for rain water and that was fun - not.  At one, Rog didn't see a really deep one until the last minute and slammed on the brakes.  Maggie went sliding off the console and landed on the floor looking all confused and a bit shaken up.  She rode on my lap the rest of the way!  We found the picnic area and parked. There was a car there with several men who looked as if they had been hiking.  I asked them if they had been up to the rock art.  No, they hadn't but "it's not far up the road.  You'll see signs."

The stream didn't have much
water, but it was nice to see and
hear as we walked along
the road.

We got our hats, water, Maggie's water bowl, cameras, etc. and set out along the dirt road.  It was a good steep incline so we got a work out. There was a little creek running alongside the road and at one point we had to ford it where it crossed the road.  It was deep enough Rog got his shoes and socks soaked.  He wasn't smiling, either.

Maggie and I lagging behind so I could
take pictures. The trees were such a
brilliant green!

I, fortunately, had worn my hiking shoes and not my athletic shoes so my feet stayed dry.  We enjoyed the scenery - it was a really pretty canyon with the cottonwoods already leafed out and the sycamores just beginning to.  We did not spot any wildlife, which is good because we kept seeing signs that it was bear country!  There were some butterflies but no birds that we saw.  

You can barely see Roger up
the hill checking to make sure
our goal isn't around
 the next bend

We hiked up hill for 45 minutes. No sign of our goal.  We were getting a bit tired and decided we had gone at least a mile and a half and that was enough. Maggie and I sat down in the shade to rest and Rog was a nice guy and walked up one more hill and peeked around the bend because I was sure it was "just one more hill and bend in the road."  Nope. 

Giving Maggie's piggies
a rest!  

We rested and then headed back to the truck -  a little disappointed but too tired to walk further up-hill knowing we still had to get back.  

We reached the truck, found a picnic table, ate our lunch and rested our feet before heading home.  On the way down Maggie stopped several times and either just sat there or flattened herself out on her tummy and looked at us.  I think she was thinking things we didn't want to hear!  At one point she refused to move and Rog picked her up and carried her about 100 yards.  After that she was fine but pooped out when we got home.  

I'm glad to be home!

Oh, my feet are
killing me!

It really was a nice hike, good exercise, lots of fresh air and something to do today.  The sun was shining, there was no wind, and it was in the high 60s.  Perfect for an outing of this sort.

We talked (actually, I mentioned it and got no response) about next time we come through here we will try again and maybe drive up the road a little further until it gets too narrow.  We shall see.  Another one of my hair brain ideas that Roger patiently goes along with! 

On an unrelated note - 

We left our spiral bound road atlas at home.  So far we haven't needed it, but now that we are on the road it would be nice to have to double check against Hal, our GPS, because he sometimes takes us places we don't want to go.  We were at the PX yesterday looking for one.  We were told that they don't carry maps any more because the company producing them went out of business.  I thought that was pretty strange.  The lady told us that maybe they still had some at the gas station on base.  Roger checked this afternoon when he went to refill one of the propane bottles (we carry two.)  He said they looked at him as if he were crazy. Tomorrow we will go into town and see if we can find one at the Wal-Mart before we leave on Friday.   

This morning when I was reading the news on my phone I ran across a map story you might enjoy.  So, has Google run map makers out of business?  I sure hope not!!!  Enjoy the story.  It gave me a chuckle but at the same time it's a bit unnerving. Here's the link:  An Imaginary Town Becomes Real, Then Not. True Story

Exploring Fort Huachuca

This is the National Historical
Landmark area of the post

We wandered around the base today to check out the points of historical interest. They have the museums hidden - well, at least not easy to find.  We didn't give up and finally located it. We were glad we did.  They have an excellent museum and museum annex.  The main museum's first floor is dedicated to displays and artifacts regarding the Buffalo Soldiers stationed in the West during the early settlement and Indian uprisings. Upstairs we found a gallery of Frederick Remington prints of fort life, the soldiers, horses, Indian scouts, and all things Western. We were quite impressed with the art work this museum houses.  In the annex there is a static display of soldiers, horses, etc., in the fort as well as more very nice Western art work along the walls.  Both museums were very well done and housed in original buildings.   Fort Huachuca has been around a very long time - it was established in 1873.  It was closed for a while after WWII, but reopened in the 1950s.  

 

Entrance

The post cemetery was interesting and informative as well. The old section had soldiers, Indian Scouts, children, and way too many infants. Surprisingly there didn't seem to be any segregation of those resting there.  We didn't go into the new section - they were setting up for a funeral and for some reason seeing graves of recent soldiers is more emotional than looking at the headstones of ones who died in the "old days."  It's more real, I guess, and the latter is history.  Where is the cutoff?  I guess it depends on your age.  For us, probably, the Vietnam Conflict.  Old cemeteries don't bother us -  we enjoy the history on the headstones.  

These graves were all from the 1800s

I liked this sculpture of a
grieving mother and children
dressed in 1800s attire

 

This entrance to the walking trail
is at the end of our street

After our history tour we took Maggs for a walk on the wild side! There's a path to a pretty primitive park area we hadn't explored yet.   We scared up some deer that ran off when we approached. They are Ceous Deer - a small deer from the white tail family.  I almost got us lost thinking I knew an alternate route back to the park, but fortunately Roger has a better built in compass/GPS than I do.  We could have been out there for hours!!!  Maggie had a good walk and her little feet were tired when we finally got home.  She had a long drink of water and crashed for a nap.

The cholla are starting to bloom
although the creosote are still
black and bare

We have no idea what
creature these belong to

Along a dry creek bed

Tomorrow we plan a picnic and a hike into the hills where we are told there are some interesting petrogylphs/rock art.  We should be able to take Maggie with us for the day's outing instead of leaving her alone again.  I hope to have some photos from the trip for you tomorrow night.  

This made us smile!

Beep! Beep!

A Roadrunner stopped by our site this afternoon!  (We heard the coyotes last night but were told they were chasing rabbits and peccaries - not roadrunners.)  Roger was sitting outside after we got back from today's outing, dog and I were inside when he called me to come with the camera. As I opened the door Maggie went outside at warp speed after the poor thing.  She chased it across the street and it finally flew up into a tree to get away from her.    

After we finally got her corralled and back to the RV and tied up, the bird flew down and continued his stroll around the RV park. He seemed unafraid of humans. The neighbor, whose site Maggie chased the bird to, said that if you put a piece of meat out in the morning there will be a pair that will come visit you. Well, that lets us out for another visit, I guess.  Peanut Butter, maybe?  

The wind is back this afternoon but not awful.  It is sunny and about 75 degrees. It's like home - the wind usually comes up after noon or so but the mornings are fairly calm.  (Last Saturday, though, was not a good example!) 

Roger just got back from the RV office where he went to pay for our visit here. The camp host had told us to come in on Monday and pay.  She told him that she comped us the week because of the reservation screw up. If I had known that I would have spent some money in one of those art galleries we visited this morning!

Today was our outing to Bisbee.  I was curious to see what an Arizona mining town looked like in comparison to our Nevada ones.  Because Bisbee was a copper town beginning in 1880 and prospered far into the mid 1900s it has been able to hang on to some dignity.  It is definitely a tourist town but not run down and derelict like Tonopah and Goldfield and not as gaudy as Virginia City.  

We had a wonderful lunch in a quiet cafe along the main street. Homemade food!  It was worth the drive (25 miles) down there as far as I was concerned!   If you ever find yourself in Bisbee, AZ, this is the place for lunch!! 

We then wandered in and out of the art galleries and antique shops as well as up and down some side streets to view the old buildings. The town museum was a bit pricey so we skipped that. It's a fairly interesting town and the trip made for a nice day out.  We tried to capture a few interesting sites.  I like unique doors and I found a few.  Roger found the window sign - an indication of the recent political debate in the state.  

Beer bottle caps adorn
this closed store entry way

Several businesses had this sign
 posted front and center!

The doors on these gates have pick axe heads
for handles.

Back Track to Yuma....

This is the second entry today.  The first about today, this is about our two weeks in Yuma.

I'm not sure where to start.  I just re-read the entries I made while we were in Yuma and I covered a lot more than I thought and had posted some pictures.  Here are a few more that may help you understand why we won't be returning to Cocopah (or probably any RV park) in Yuma.  After looking at these photos compare them with today's and you can see why we are happy campers this week!

Cocopah RV and Golf Resort:

Pros: 

• Climate this time of year.
• Not near the interstate.
• Surrounding area is farm land.
• On tribal lands.
• Clean.
• Friendly people.
• Large grassy dog park.
• Some beautiful park models.

Cons:

• Not near the interstate -  or near anything.  Nearest store 9 miles away.
• Sites are mixed park models and RV spaces.
• Site utilities are set up for park models NOT RVs.
• Surrounding area is farm land - lots of agricultural dust and the wind blows most all the time.
• Streets are very narrow and one way - the opposite way that you would park which makes it difficult to maneuver the RV into and out of the site.
• Friendly people - makes it noisy.  We had next door neighbors who like to entertain on the patio but we can hear other gatherings from up and down the street - especially around dinner time.
• Not so beautiful park models - cluttered with junk or devoid of any landscaping or decorations. 
• WIFI is only available at certain locations in the park.

The southern border of the RV park.  The park is
completely surrounded by agricultural fields.

The RV rows.  Inviting, yes?

There we are on the left.
See the one way arrow and the
direction we had to back into?
Fortunately we didn't
have anyone next to us.

A side view of our site with the utility pole for
the empty site and the guy behind us.  He liked to sit
outside and watch TV on his patio until all hours!

This is the back end of our site.  Note the utility box
designed for four sites.  Water spigot the same.  The
guy behind us had a shed and a bunch of junk wood
laying out next to it.  When we dumped I had to go
out and hold the hose in the drain because it wasn't
sized properly and we were afraid the end of the
hose would jump out and spew waste all over.  In the
meantime we had to anchor it with a huge rock to
keep it in place.   UGLY!

These folks had a great corner lot but
couldn't help junk it up.  What a waste!

This park model faced the dog park.

One of the nicer park models

We Are No Longer Orphans!

That's us in the center of the photo.

Site 30 opened up this morning about 9am as promised and we were told we could occupy it at any time, so we quickly got dressed in yesterday’s jeans and made the switch.  Wow.  We feel at home now.  Roger is no longer swimming against the school of fish - he’s pointed in the right direction and we are on a large level cement pad with a picnic table.  We are hooked up to the facilities and are good to go for the next four days! I got the Yuma dust cleaned out of the RV, we've had showers, and we are happy campers again.

Roger enjoying the sunshine and slight breeze.

The wind has subsided today 

(it’s due back tomorrow) and we have been able to sit outside in the sun.  Temps are in the mid 60s after a cold night - I think the furnace never stopped.  It seemed as if every time I woke up it was running.  Perhaps that is what was waking me up? 

Barney is watching out for Maggs.  Notice she is
sleeping on a door mat and not her new expensive
outdoor bed!!!

It is VERY quiet here.  The spaces are pretty big so no one is sitting under our windows partying.  No golf carts whizzing by.  Have seen one child.  Even the dogs are fairly quiet.  It’s almost surreal after the last two weeks or so of constant noise.  It is wonderful.  Even Maggie is enjoying the quiet time.  

We met Fred and Mary Ann from Virginia who stay here a month every year.  He spotted the Navy stickers and stopped to talk as most folks here are Army and he’s Navy, too.  They tell us the local town (about 45K population) is very nice and has lots to see and do.   I’ve read more about the base and it looks as if it will take an afternoon to fully see the historical parts and some rock art that has been preserved at one end of the post.  Tomorrow, though, we are thinking of driving to Bisbee and checking it out.  

This is supposed to be a good birding area.  On our short walk into the scrub (this is high desert) we spotted a Cassil’s Thrasher.  While we were sitting out on the patio a large hummingbird came to check out my red geraniums.  We will keep our eyes open for more varieties - I don’t imagine we will have duck and egret photos to show you from here  but maybe if I'm quick enough some desert birds :-)  

Once Roger edits this, I’m going to go to the office and hopefully get on the WIFI.  Then I can drop some photos into the journal.  Where we were sitting yesterday I could get a signal, but we are on the other side of the building and farther away, so it’s not working quite as well.  If I can’t do it that way, I’ll just plug in my new hotspot, but I would rather use their data charges than use mine!  

I will work on the photos from Yuma now that I can upload them so you can see the difference in the RV parks.   You will see why this place is so appealing after spending two weeks there! 

Maggie wasn't sure she wanted to get out
of bed yesterday when the wind was howling!