Williams

We are parked in the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park in Williams, Az.  It is the other end of the spectrum from the Chaparral RV Park in Arizona City last week.
        So many contrasts.

Last week.   Southern Arizona,  Hot !  upper 90s  lots of brown dirt.  small plain rv park. minimum amenities.  /very few guests

Today and 2 more days.   Northern Arizona.  Not so hot.  24 this morning  Green pine trees everywhere. Large RV park 500 sites. Extensive amenities.  Very few empty spaces last night.

  It's now 9:30 and the temp is up to 51.   That's the way in the dry climates. 63 predicted.  It is a good thing.

color

Jerome

Jerome is a former mining town on the side of a mountain.  As the mining ceased the town became almost deserted with the population falling to about 100 in the 70's.  House prices were ridiculously low.  Hippies bought them and moved in and the community became an artsy craftsy area.,  Today it is that and more.  Many galleries, gifts shops selling art and crafts, wineries, and restaurants.  It's a fun little town.  A bit interesting maneuvering around with the tight quarters and steep hills but very fun.  We had lunch at Grapes.  It was wonderful!!  The town and the restaurant and definite stops if you are in the Cottonwood area.

Cottonwood

We are in Cottonwood, AZ.  It's halfway by altitude and Latitude between Phoenix and Flagstaff. The change is very evident. The temps are still warm but moderated.=, but not the coolness of Flagstaff.  The Big City is a distant memory as well.
   We are staying at Dead Horse Ranch State Park.  A family from Minnesota bought the ranch in the 1920s. They had looked at several places and when Mom and Dad asked the kids which ranch they liked, they said, "the one with the dead horse in the road".  Hence, the name.  When it was donated to the State of Arizona in the 1970s, the family insisted that the name of the ranch remain .  And so it does...

   There are many plants that we recognize from ORPI.  Mesquite, Prickly Pear, many wildflowers.  Walking with the boys yesterday, I saw 4 Christmas Cholla plants, which pleasantly surprised me.
   We explored locally yesterday, Tuzigoot National Monument. was interesting.  Some great artifacts.  Unfortunately most of them are in storage somewhere else.  Lunch and shopping followed in old town Cottonwood, which is filled with winery shops, restaurants and antique shops.  A good day.

   Today will will drive uphill to Jerome, a mining town on the side of the mountain.

Unusual creature

Courtesy of Odysea Aquarium and the Butterfly Wonderland.  Notice his proboscis is rolled up.

Heading North

   We have spent 3 nights in Arizona City.  It ain't much.  But friends of 46 years have a place here so we stopped to say hi.  However, we acquired a stomach virus somewhere and spent Friday night and all of Saturday staying very close to the bathroom.  It was not a pleasant experience.  I was thinking that an army would not need to kill their opponents, just give them a stomach virus and they would surrender.
   Today we travel north on I-17 to the Cottonwood area.  We have reservations at Dead Horse State Park.  We plan to explore the area which includes Tozigoot Nat Mon, and the town of Jerome,
Sedona is just north so we may check that out as well.  We haven't been there for about 5 years so it will be fun to explore it again.  When we leave we will drive up the Oak Creek Canyon (Hwy 89A).  The last time we were in this area there had been a flash flood and branches and debris were everywhere.  It is a great route.
  Time for breakfast and then pack up.  We are not getting a real early start because we have to drive right through Phoenix so are waiting for traffic to die down.  We will see how successful we are.

Mesa

ORPI is in our rear view mirror.  Over-all it was a great experience.  Great weather, new friends, the desert bloom was fabulous, work was easy.  The only blemish (not being able to do programs) is behind us now.  Whether we return depends on new administrations.  Time will tell.
    Right now the trailer is in the shop getting a few electrical blips taken care of.  It should be done in a day or two.  Then we will drive to Arizona City to visit friends for a few days before heading north.  We have reservations at Dead Horse Ranch State park near Cottonwood for Mon-Wed nights.  That will give us time to visit the area Tuzigoot,NM, Jerome, Prescott, and who knows what,  Also the Campbells live in nearby Wilhoit.  :)
   Another reason to head north is temperature.  The weather is warming up. Normally, the temp does break 100 until June, but the weather people predict 100 on Sunday.  That sounds awful, but the heat is so different here.  As soon as you get in the shade or the sun goes down, it is cooler.  It got to 92 here yesterday, yet this morning when I walked with the boys, it was 57.  It was so pleasant on my nightly walk last night in shorts and t-shirt.  I will miss the sun ans warmth.  Tahoe still has snow piled here and there and snow showers are not uncommon.

Patch

Monday morning we woke up to no water.  Oh great, the water hose is clogged or broken.  I went outside and checked the hook-up; no leaks.  I went to the next campsite and turned on the faucet; no water.  Oh-oh.  I walked over to the volunteer building.  That is when I saw the government vehicles parked on the nearby road.  I walked over and saw running water on the street.  Big problem!
    The water line from the water tank up on the hill had bloom a seam and all the water in the tank was gone.  140,000 gallons had drained out !!!
 
   Three hours later a patch was put on the pipe and we had water again.  I looks professional and expensive, but what does 140,000 gallons of water cost?

Trips to Mexico

Last week I crossed into Mexico 3 times.  Twice to the dentist and once to go to dinner.  The dentist was ok, (a lot cheaper than a Canby dentist).
 
  Dinner in Soynoita was fabulous.  The restaurant was called the Coffee Garden.  Highly recommended.

Last Days

Two more work days, Wednesday and Thursday.  We'll turn our uniforms in on Friday and leave maybe Saturday or Monday.  Things are really winding down.  Thirty units at the campground.  Mornings at the visitor center is very slow until about 11:00am.  Then the numbers coming in the door are enough to keep us busy.

I have started to pack up,  Took the tire covers off today and packed them away.  Tomorrow I will grease the fifth wheel hitch.  I do not like packing up, because it means the end is in sight.  Setting up is much more fun.



                                         Close up of a Saguaro

Hiking up Alamo Canyon,  Great views.

The desert

It is interesting that the "peak season" of the park has passed yet the blooming continues.  The wildflower show is almost over, but the cactus show has just begun.  The Hedgehog cacti are exploding!  The Buckhorn cacti are just starting to show off.  I have even spotted a couple of buds on a few Saguaros.  The Sonoran Desert is a wonder right now!

 The Pink of the Hedgehog Cactus



The Yellow/White of the Teddy Bear Cholla


If you are lucky, you might even find a Gila Monster looking for lunch.

End of the Season

Sunday April 2nd.

   As spring gets going and the weather warms up, the busy season at ORPI fades.  As of April 1st the programs cease.   No more van tours, no evening programs, no patio talks, no hikes.  The seasonal rangers are getting ready to move on, but many are staying until April 15th so I would think that the park could down-size the program schedule but the total slash method is what the management has decided on.  Actually the weather is perfect.  This week is going to be in the high 70's and low 80's with cool nights.  The weather back home is still rainy and cold.  This is a better place to be.
   The end of programs means that the volunteers are not needed.  The volunteer campground has almost totally emptied.  Jim & Sue from Maine left last week. Marilyn headed back to Michigan yesterday morning.  Dorner pulled out later heading for her home in Georgia.  By mid-morning, Steve and Melody started back to Indiana.
    Today Dennis and Anne aimed their motor home toward Utah. Tomorrow out next door neighbors, will leave us alone.  It's going to be lonely.  No more group dog walks at 5:30.  No more moonlight walks looking for scorpions.  No more Friday suppers together.
    We signed up to stay until the middle of April.  Our last work day will be April 13.  What comes after that is still up in the air.  Stay tuned.......

 

Significant Dates

Two significant anniversary dates just passed.  Both were life changing.

  April 1, 2017 was the 15th anniversary of the discovery of the lump on Randa's breast.
  March 31, 2017 was the 50th anniversary of our first date!  :)

Both required a required hard work.  Both were scary.   Like I said, life changing.