THE BAYFIELD BUNCH RIDES INTO COCHISE COUNTY

DOING AN OVERNIGHTER BEHIND THE VISITOR CENTER IN SIERRA VISTA AZ.

We waffled back & forth for awhile this morning & then about 8 a.m. the decision finally came down. We would head for Sierra Vista in southeastern Arizona. Didn't take us long to pack things up because we hadn't put the solar panels up or the awning & mat out. Said good-bye to Bren & Bob & away we went.What an exceptionally beautiful morning it was with warm temps, a few cloud skiffs, light breeze, & plenty of sunshine. Always a twinge of excitement in the air for me when setting out for unknown new vistas & adventures. I like to be on the move & mornings is a great time to be moving.

It was Sunday and the traffic was lite as we approached Tucson from the north on I-10. In early December while heading west we had really got tangled up in the construction chaos along the I-10 corridor so I didn't want that to happen to us again so figured Sunday morning was the best time to run the gauntlet. I figured right as the traffic was very light & we had no problems at all. Except.......we suddenly got snagged by another Cracker Barrel:)) And how do we justify two Cracker Barrels in less than a week?? Well, here's how we do it. We never get desert & we don't buy coffee. That brings the bill in around $16. We rarely eat all the food so always take a bowser bag back to the rig & that usually ends up being our supper later on as well which in effect, kinda cuts the bill in half. Also, in this case we may not see another Cracker Barrel to well on into March sometime.....therefore an exception was made & we did two CB's in a week. Now, how's that for some pretty smart Senior logic........:))

Climbed off I-10 at Benson following highway 90 south to Sierra Vista. The directions we had were to follow the blue signs leading to the visitor center. Some sites were behind the center & other sites were somewhere in the area. Found the visitor center but being it was Sunday we found it closed. Pulled around back looking for the RV sites. Didn't find the sites but found a sign saying the RV section had been closed since April of 2005. Guess our direction information was a tad old. The area was very spacious so we just decided to park here for the night anyway. We'll check into the visitor center when it opens in the morning at 8.

VISITOR CENTER ON LEFT

Looking forward to spending over a month in this general area because there is a lot to see & do. This is what it says in one of the brochures......"Prepare to enjoy more history per square mile than you can find in most places in the United States. You will find that our history is that which you've read about, play acted as a child and thrilled to in the cool darkness of your hometown theaters. It encompasses the famous like Wyatt Earp, Cochise and Geronimo." The area is also a huge birding region & is hailed as the Hummingbird capital of the United States. There are ghost towns here, many canyons to explore, trails to hike. Cochise's stronghold where the Indian Chief is supposedly buried somewhere. Geronimo's Skeleton canyon where he was finally captured. Yes, we are going to be busy. And the old west history goes on & on & on.

Two years ago we had passed through this area while traveling from Columbus New Mexico to points further west. We did an overnight stop in Tombstone but that was about it & the next day we were rolling again. Here are some photos I took over a 2 day period as we approached & finally stopped for the night in Tombstone. We were driving a truck & fifth wheel at the time. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/THURSDAYDEC28 http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/FRIDAYDEC29

Looking forward to our new adventures:))

No photos for the web album to-night.......but soon!!

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

LAZING AROUND THE RIG ALL DAY

MORNING CHAT WITH NEIGHBOR BOB & HIS FRISBEE CARRYING DOG, KELLY

Thought yesterday that we might do a day trip to-day but we ended up just sitting around having a relaxing day at the rig. Met another RV'er this morning & she was from Bracebridge, Ontario. Gee, are there no Americans out here.

The fellow we met yesterday is a bit of a photography buff so he dropped over this afternoon & installed some photo software on our computer that should help me make some improvements to my photos......if I can ever figure it out. The technology is getting faster & my brain is getting slower. His name is Bob & his wife's name is Bren & they have a home on Salt Spring Island between Vancouver Island & the main land. Nice folks traveling in a 5th wheel with their active frisbee chasing border collie dog named Kelly.

We have another week or so before heading down into the Douglas area so we've pouring over some travel plans between now & then. Considered heading over east of Phoenix to the Superstition Mtn area but I think we'll save that for March maybe. Or next October if we can swing it. It's actually nice to have the freedom to be indecisive. No hard & fast rules out here on the road if your not committed to RV Park schedules. This is our 47th consecutive day of not having to pay park fees anywhere. If you figure an average site price at $25 a night, then we have saved $1,175 dollars this past month & a half. Filled up with $60 worth of gas in Tucson back on December 9th & never filled up again until January 17th in Blyth California for $117.00. We're doin ok..........despite all our worries:))

BOB, KELLY THE DOG, & BREN

Weather has been great lately & we have not had to turn any heat on for the past 3 or 4 nights. Days have really been warm with actual humidity in the air. To-day was a tad uncomfortable but we sure can't complain. The winter weather across the north & back home is totally dreadful!! Sounds like the worst weather ever. BOB'S BUSY ON OUR COMPUTEER & THE GIRLS ARE TALKING ABOUT CELL PHONES

Not sure if we are going to roll out of here in the morning or not. Like I said, this great galloping RV world of indecision is an exciting & challenging thing:)))))))

No photos for the web album to-day.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

SHOPPING TRIP TO CASA GRANDE, AZ.

STORMY SAGUARO SKY

The pitter patter of raindrops on the rig's roof about 5:30 this morning took me back many years ago as a kid to the days of tenting. That cozy feeling as you huddled inside your sleeping bag listening to that tap, tap, tap on the canvas. And always the thought of leaks, being careful not to touch the inside walls because somebody told you for sure that would cause the tent to leak. And as it rained ever harder you waited for that inevitable first wet feeling underneath you somewhere as the water somehow found it's way inside & began to pool right where you were!! And it was always your sleeping bag that got the wettest......first:))

Our little shower didn't last long but the sky was full of water as the large dark ominous clouds slowly tried to jostle for position right over our rig. Looked like it was probably going to be a good morning to drive into Casa Grande & do a little mall crawling. Didn't take us long to make up our minds & we were on our way.

OUR PARK ENTRANCE

Casa Grande is about a 20 minute drive east of the campground & because we had been there 3 times before, we knew our way around the area. Last year when we drove into the Promenade mall, a lot of the big box stores were still under construction. This is one very large multi-million dollar mall complex & one needs a road map just to get around to all the stores. It was about 11 a.m. & it was a Friday, but we couldn't help notice how empty the stores were. Acres of parking lot but few cars. Is it a sign of the times & what is to come? Busiest place in there was the "In & Out" hamburger place where the parking lot was full & cars were lined up in the take-out line. Another sign of the times perhaps. Our first stop was Marshall's where Kelly went in for a browse & I waited in the car listening to some tunes. Luckily she came out empty handed. Next was Best Buy where we picked up a set of Sony headphones. At home our television & located about 55 feet away from the computer. In the motorhome the television is about 2 feet above the computer & this creates a problem when Kelly wants to watch her "night time" shows & I'm stuck underneath the television having to listen to the darn things. Now, with the noise reducing headphones I can plug into the computer & float away with my many hours of downloaded music as I work away at whatever it is I'm working away at. No more wailing police sirens, gunfire, soap opera acting, or gory operating rooms with anatomically great graphic gobs of blood & gore brought on by some manic psychopath running amuck murdering whomever!!!! What ever happened to Jackie Gleason & The Honeymooners. Where's I Love Lucy when you need her & how about a little lite hearted whistling from Andy & Opie. Geeeeezzzzzz what kind of blood thirst & violence oriented society have we turned into anyway!!!!

Found a Staples store where we got one of those plastic things for under our office chair here at the computer. Castors & carpets do not work to-gether well. Popped into the "In & Out" hamburger joint for a couple yummy burgs & coffee. Asked a few questions at the Verizon store & Kelly slipped into a Sporting Goods place but once again came out empty handed. She said there wasn't one person in that whole store. Next it was down the street to Wal-Mart for some groceries. By this time I was starting to drag pretty bad & my shopping tolerance was running out real fast. Had to get Kelly to crack on some speed while we weaved our way through the heavy traffic aisles. Time to wrap this trip up, get out of town, & head back out into the solitude of the desert. Enough was enough!!

The rains came back just as we were unloading the loot back at the rig & we ended up having a nice 20 minute shower. Wondered who owned the gray car outside because the one we've been driving around has been brown. I was sure we left Ontario with a gray car. Yep, the southwest sure has a lot more dust than it really needs alright!! To-morrow we're going to do a little day trip around the immediate area & see what we can see. We may roll out of here Sunday but we're not sure yet. I like the idea of Sunday because of less traffic going through the road construction nightmare known as Tucson. We'll see how the current travel negotiations unravel to-morrow.........................

No Photos for the web album to-day.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/