TUESDAY DEC. 4/07<<<>
I always find it a little sad leaving campsites. After spending time creating memories, each site feels a bit like home after awhile & when you leave, chances are very good that you will never pass that way again. So, it was with sadness that we rolled out of Dead Horse Ranch State Park this morning around 10:15 a.m. Good bye Dead Horse & we hope to see you again some day.
We nearly made it out of Cottonwood but got snagged by a Wal-Mart. Those Wal-Mart's are like Mecca's for RV people. One stop & you can pretty much get everything you need. Bonus!!
We took scenic highway 260 to I-17 & headed south for Phoenix. Beautiful sunny morning & the traffic was light. Saw our first Saguaro cactus about 50 miles north of Phoenix so felt like we had really arrived in the wild, wild, west at last. Climbed onto the 101 loop that rings around Phoenix from the north & swings to the west. Nice 6 lane highway & the traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. (I always think things will be worse than they usually are) From what we could see of Phoenix it looked like a nice clean city with palm trees, tiled rooftops, & coral colored homes. The landscaping along the highway was very well done & meticously (sp) maintained. Reminded me of some well to do Florida neighborhoods I've seen in the past. Aside from a little ker-fuffle transitioning from 101 to I-10 & ending up in a Costco parking lot, the trip through Phoenix was very smooth.
Headed west to the little town of Buckeye & then south to Gila Bend where we filled up our propane tank. It was a nice feeling heading south out of Gila Bend knowing we were headed for an RV park that we had stayed in last winter & liked so much. Hardly any traffic as the desert floor stretched out ahead, beckoning us on to the distant blue mountains of Mexico. Sort of felt like we returning to our winter home. The pretty little town of Ajo looked just as we remembered it & 20 minutes south of Ajo we made the left turn in Why heading the 2 miles east to Hickiwan Trails RV Park. Yes, it felt like we were home:)) Only about a dozen other rigs scattered about here so we were able to pick ourselves a really nice spot with our door facing south & opening right into the endless Sonoran desert.
We set up our internet satellite system & within minutes found the satellite & in no time at all we were on the internet. What a great feeling to have that work after experiencing sooooo much frustration awhile back. You know, some days you just can't lose for winning:))))))
This was definitely the warmest day we have had since leaving home on Oct. 27 & it was so nice to walk around outside without freezing cold temperatures to-night after dark. Stars from horizon to horizon so I will definitely have the telescope out to-morrow night but even to-night I could see the comet, Holmes with the binoculars in the constellation, Perseus. And then, we saw something unusual. A series of 5 horizontal red lights approaching in the sky from the southeast very slowly. No sound & too slow to be aircraft. They were being followed by single flashing lights at various distances. At first I thought, Wow, UFO!! But alas, as the formation came closer we heard the barely audible sound of jet engines. I was able to track the formation with my binoculars & determined that it was one larger aircraft surrounded by 6 or 7 smaller aircraft. This is a big military area with a lot of military aircraft in the air so I think this was some kind of night operation with some kind of stealth aircraft because I have never heard jet engines soooooo quiet or jet aircraft move sooooo slow. Wow, what a great way to end a great day. I think maybe we will just stay here forever & let life just march on along without us...............
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We nearly made it out of Cottonwood but got snagged by a Wal-Mart. Those Wal-Mart's are like Mecca's for RV people. One stop & you can pretty much get everything you need. Bonus!!
We took scenic highway 260 to I-17 & headed south for Phoenix. Beautiful sunny morning & the traffic was light. Saw our first Saguaro cactus about 50 miles north of Phoenix so felt like we had really arrived in the wild, wild, west at last. Climbed onto the 101 loop that rings around Phoenix from the north & swings to the west. Nice 6 lane highway & the traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. (I always think things will be worse than they usually are) From what we could see of Phoenix it looked like a nice clean city with palm trees, tiled rooftops, & coral colored homes. The landscaping along the highway was very well done & meticously (sp) maintained. Reminded me of some well to do Florida neighborhoods I've seen in the past. Aside from a little ker-fuffle transitioning from 101 to I-10 & ending up in a Costco parking lot, the trip through Phoenix was very smooth.
Headed west to the little town of Buckeye & then south to Gila Bend where we filled up our propane tank. It was a nice feeling heading south out of Gila Bend knowing we were headed for an RV park that we had stayed in last winter & liked so much. Hardly any traffic as the desert floor stretched out ahead, beckoning us on to the distant blue mountains of Mexico. Sort of felt like we returning to our winter home. The pretty little town of Ajo looked just as we remembered it & 20 minutes south of Ajo we made the left turn in Why heading the 2 miles east to Hickiwan Trails RV Park. Yes, it felt like we were home:)) Only about a dozen other rigs scattered about here so we were able to pick ourselves a really nice spot with our door facing south & opening right into the endless Sonoran desert.
We set up our internet satellite system & within minutes found the satellite & in no time at all we were on the internet. What a great feeling to have that work after experiencing sooooo much frustration awhile back. You know, some days you just can't lose for winning:))))))
This was definitely the warmest day we have had since leaving home on Oct. 27 & it was so nice to walk around outside without freezing cold temperatures to-night after dark. Stars from horizon to horizon so I will definitely have the telescope out to-morrow night but even to-night I could see the comet, Holmes with the binoculars in the constellation, Perseus. And then, we saw something unusual. A series of 5 horizontal red lights approaching in the sky from the southeast very slowly. No sound & too slow to be aircraft. They were being followed by single flashing lights at various distances. At first I thought, Wow, UFO!! But alas, as the formation came closer we heard the barely audible sound of jet engines. I was able to track the formation with my binoculars & determined that it was one larger aircraft surrounded by 6 or 7 smaller aircraft. This is a big military area with a lot of military aircraft in the air so I think this was some kind of night operation with some kind of stealth aircraft because I have never heard jet engines soooooo quiet or jet aircraft move sooooo slow. Wow, what a great way to end a great day. I think maybe we will just stay here forever & let life just march on along without us...............
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Hickiwan Trails >>>>>>
NO PHOTOS ADDED TO THE WEB ALBUM TO-DAY.
The distant hills behind your home certainly look inviting for some exploration, once your settled in I hope to see some more of them posted in your album!
ReplyDeleteThe hermit