West side of Tucson, Gilbert Ray County Campground

Were surrounded by Cacti which makes a cozy little spot.

There are mountains out the front window of the camper.

Our day time view of the mountains.

It was a cloudy day until sunset.  At the last moment the sun cast the red onto the mountains,
within the blink of an eye it was all gone.

Check out Moose with a two foot round
Saguaro right out the window.

Our campground was off Kinney Rd., and well,
my maiden name was Kinney.

We rode our bikes around the campground and found many vehicles with their hoods up.  Upon inquiring, we were told that their are pakrats in the desert that will eat your rubber and electrical wires.  To ward this off, open your hood at night and put on lights to deter them.  Guess it worked everything seemed fine after two nights.

Saguaro National Park, Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Tubac, Arizona

A hike in Saguaro National Park just East of Tucson.  There is also a Saguaro National Park West of Tucson.  

Watch out for thorns, everything out here has them.  Got some stuck on the side of my shoe and it went right through the fabric.  

Here,s a small one, about 15 feet tall

This one is about 20 feet tall

About 30 with lots of arms

Perfect

Here we are on the trail

Starting in the 1690's, Catholic missionaries - most notably the Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino - founded a number of missions in what is now southern Arizona. The beautiful San Xavier del Bac Mission near Tucson is generally recognized as the oldest intact church in the state.  The "White Dove of the Desert" was founded in 1692. They hold daily mass and full services on the weekend.

The inside of the church has been restored to it's original state.

Tubac an art community 45 miles south of Tucson and 25 miles north of the Mexican border.

Looking down main street in Tubac

Once you arrive, everything is within walking distance including galleries, restaurants, bars, furniture, kitchen gadgets, pottery, jewelry, wall hangings, sculptures and rugs, we spent the day and didn't get into all the stores and markets.

We LOVE Arizona

We rolled into Arizona on February 28 and camped 3 days in Bowie then onto Tombstone for 3 more days.  Our current stop is Tucson, the only place we could find a spot.  Luckily we can stay here 2 weeks.  Tomorrow we must vacate and haven't been able to secure a reservation anywhere, we have decided to head south to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  January - March are the months Northerners and Canadians come to the southwest ,darn there are a lot of people here and it's been difficult to continue our rambling ways.  That will all change April 1st when everyone heads home,we have to survive 10 more days.

It's been great staying in Tucson, a real city with stores and all kinds of things to do.  What a change from the month of February where everything was few and far between, really nothing there at all.   It's amazing the contrast between enjoying our natural beauty then returning to civilization as we know it with our Starbucks, Target, Lowe's, Applebee's and endless stores and restaurants,we were ready for it.

The weather has been great, the sun shines 265 days of the year were told, I'm a believer.   We could easily buy a home here and we may down the road, we like it that much.  So many people we have met have traveled like were doing, then came here to stay the winter and travel during the summer months when it gets really hot starting in May lasting until September.  July and August are referred to as the monsoon season. There are dry river beds everywhere, it must be wild when the rain starts and flash floods are of concern.   Right now it's very dry, sandy and rocky including little rocks that get stuck in your shoes daily and you have to pick them out.  Oh that's just an observation and one we can live with.

We are in the city of Tucson.  
Behind the store and below the clouds are the mountains.

We have a mall across the street, beyond the bushes there is a busy boulevard.  If you look below the clouds you can see the mountains in the distance.

Tombstone Arizona, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday

We are camping across the street from the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ.   For those who aren't big western film fans like me, this is a true story and it took place right here at the O.K. Corral.  My favorite movie is "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, hope you see the movie, it's an oldie.

The streets are filled with cowboys.  Their are saloons and shops all along the streets and throughout the town.

Tourist and cowboys walk the streets together, 
many are in period clothing.

  Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury two rowdy cowboys had a habit of shooting their guns and causing trouble whenever they rode into town, the sheriff is taking their guns away from them.  

Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp.

Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp,Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp.

The gunfight between the lawmen (Doc, Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan) and the members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cowboys took place October 26, 1881, 3 pm and lasted about 30 seconds.  The McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton were killed, Ike Clanton ran away when the shooting started. Virgil, Morgan and Doc were wounded.

This is an old bathtub used back in 1880.

Courthouse turned into a museum in Tombstone.

After speaking with several ladies it seems everyone dresses up when they go to town from neighboring areas.  That would be a blast to live near here and play a part of history. 
Tombstone has many stores that carry period clothing for guys and gals, including corsets, hats, shoes, boots, 
well everything you would need.

Bowie AZ Population 300

Our campsite, water, electric and sewer really all we need. 

After visiting Chiricahua National Monument the previous day we discovered Hotwell Dunes
was only 17 miles away so we stayed another day. 

On the road to Hotwell Dunes look what drove by.   Anything goes around here in the High Desert. 
This area is 3,700-4,500 feet above sea level.

There are solar powered pumps that lift the 106 degree water into these man-made hot tubs. These wells were created from oil well explorations in the early 1900's, The hot artesian wells flowed to the surface. 

You can camp, drive or hike the dunes. We took a short drive around the
two tracks but didn't feel comfortable without a flag.

It was Saturday night so we decided to try Rafter's Restaurant for dinner ,it's the only place in town.
Pecan pie is a staple around here, there are hundreds of acres of pecan orchards.  

Once a month on Saturday they have entertainment, we were lucky enough
to hit that Saturday night.  Lots of fun and a very good duo playing.

How we decide where to go, what to see and how we travel

We use three different books as we travel around the US they are 50 States 5000 Ideas by National Geographic, Your Guide to the National Parks and Off the Beaten Path.  Before we move to a new area we research the books then decide the places we want to visit.  We locate them on a map to help determine the best route and places to stay.  Some places have been on our "to do list" for awhile, like visiting the Alamo and anything connected to the old western movies, like Tombstone.  Those were on my list, I have a good man who goes along with my suggestions.

To help locate campgrounds we often use Coast to Coast, Passport America and RV Parky.  We also use the State and National Parks when available they have been great. The amenities we enjoy having are electric, water and sewer.  Some campgrounds offer cable, wifi, laundry, pools, hot tubs, exercise rooms and organized activities.   These are nice when were stopping to grocery shop, fix something, or just chill out which we sometimes need.

We prepare most of our meals and pack a picnic when we venture out for the day.  Our life has always been about eating home cooked meals.  Living in a motor home has been an easy transition for us, it has almost everything we need to live the same lifestyle we did in our home.  We enjoy the outdoors, hiking, visiting museums, art galleries and learning about history.   It's a blessing to travel our country living on the road exploring.  We are thankful everyday for this adventure.

Arizona, Chiricahua National Monument

We landed in Bowie Arizona to venture out to Chiricahua National Monument.  As you enter Chiricahua you are climbing up a sky island-an isolated mountain range rising above the surrounding grassland sea.  The Chiricahua Apache called these pinnacles "standing up rocks."  Created 27 million years ago when eruptions from the Turkey Creek Volcano spewed ash over 1,200 miles.  Cooling and subsequent uplifting created joints and cracks in the rhyolite.  Eons of weathering by ice wedging and erosion by water enlarged the cracks.  Weaker material washed away, leaving behind an endless variety of spires, balanced rocks and other shapes.

After leaving the visitor center we drove up Bonita Canyon Drive stopping to hike the Echo Canyon Trail out to view the Echo Canyon Grotto.  It was an easy hike with amazing views.  We continued up the 8 mile road to Massai Point, elevation 6,870 ft. with a 360 degree view of Rhyolite Canyon and the mountain called Cochise Head.

We left New Mexico and entered Arizona February 28, 2019.  We left Carlsbad Caverns and went South into Texas through El Paso and back into New Mexico.  It was snowing in northern New Mexico so we changed our plans and followed Interstate 10, instead of heading north into New Mexico to visit a few spots.

Deck was using our camera to do a 180 degree view, this place was amazing.

The rocks were so unusual.

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, I'm not sure the picture's due this place justice.

Coatimundi or ring tailed, similar to raccoons just walking around when we drove by.

Standing Up Rocks named by the Apache.

The trail was an easy hike with mountains all around.  There was snow on some of the mountain tops and some on the ground along our hike.

The trail was very rocky yet easy to walk.

So many rocks were balanced upon each other.

The Grotto's were Stand Up Rocks that you could walk through.

Cochise head, can you see him?  His forehead is to the right, his chin on the left, and the nose.