WHEN WE DROVE THROUGH TUCSON LAST YEAR HEADING TO TEXAS TO SELL CHRISTMAS TREES, I NOTICED THE GIANT CACTUS GROWING ALONG SIDE THE INTERSTATE, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO STOP AND CHECK THEM OUT, SO WHEN I PLANNED OUR TRIP, I MADE TUCSON A STOP. WE STAYED AT ANOTHER REALLY NICE PASSPORT AMERICA PARK. IT WAS A HUGE RV PARK, BUT AGAIN PRACTICALLY DESERTED!
THE GIRLS ENJOYED THE BEAUTIFUL LAWN AND WHAT AN UNUSUAL TREE!
IT HAD A BEAUTIFUL POOL AND HOT TUB!
WE WERE IN THERE EVERY CHANCE WE GOT!
BUT, MOSTLY I WANTED TO SEE THE MAGESTIC GIANTS! ON SUNDAY MORNING WE HEADED OUT TO SAGUARO (PRONOUNCED SAH-WA-RO) NATIONAL PARK.
WE WENT TO THE VISITOR CENTER AND WATCHED A FILM ON THE SAGUARO.
IT WAS VERY INTERESTING TO LEARN ABOUT THESE CACTI! THEY LIVE TO BE OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD!
THE INDIAN TRIBE FEEL THAT WHEN MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILY DIE, THEY BECOME ONE OF THESE SAGUARO. THEY SORT OF DID LOOK LIKE PEOPLE AND THEY ARE ALL VERY DIFFERENT.
I WAS ENCHANTED BY THESE MAJESTIC GIANTS!!
I FOUND AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN RESTAURANT ONLINE. SO AFTERWARDS WE WENT THERE AND HAD THE MOST DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI !
WHILE I WAS WALKING ONE MORNING I NOTICED THIS TREE WITH FRUIT ON IT, I REALIZED THE FRUIT WAS A KUMQUAT......THEY WERE DELICIOUS!
I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO STAY LONGER IN TUCSON, BUT WE HAD RESERVATIONS IN PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA FOR THE 23RD OF SEPTEMBER AND WE WERE QUITE A FEW HOURS AWAY. THE NEXT DAY WE WERE HEADED FOR TONAPAH, AZ AND SADDLE MOUNTAIN RV PARK.
WE LEFT LAS CRUCES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, OUR NEXT STOP......BENSON, AZ.
THE WEATHERMAN WAS STILL CALLING FOR RAINING AND FLOODING. WE RAN INTO ONE HUGE SHOWER, WHERE YOU COULD HARDLY SEE THE ROAD. WITH SHOWERS LIKE THAT YOU COULD SEE HOW IT COULD EASILY FLOOD.
WE WERE HAPPY TO ARRIVE AT BUTTERFIELD RV RESORT SAFELY.
TOMBSTONE, AZ. WAS CLOSE AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO VISIT! WE DID SOME CHORES, SHOPPING AND ON FRIDAY WE DROVE OVER TO TOMBSTONE.
IT WAS A REAL TOURIST TOWN, BUT WE THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY COOL TO BE WALKING THE STREETS OF A TOWN WE HAD HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT!
WE TOOK A TOUR OF THE TOMBSTONE COURT HOUSE.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE ALL THE ACCOUNTS OF THE GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL.
THERE WERE SO MANY DIFFERENT STORIES!
AND THEN OUT BACK TO SEE THE HANGING GALLOWS!
STOPPED FOR A SARSPARILLA....IT WAS COLD AND REFRESHING!!
SAW THE OUTSIDE OF THE OK CORRAL......
IT WAS A FUN TIME!
DRIVING OVER HERE WE HAD SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE STOPPED ON THIS BRIDGE OVER LOOKING THE SAN PEDRO RIVER, ON THE WAY BACK WE STOPPED.
WOW!! TALK ABOUT A RAGING RIVER!!!
WE STOPPED AT A LITTLE FRUIT/NUT STAND A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, TALKED TO A LADY WHO HAS LIVED HERE FOR FOURTEEN YEARS AND HAS NEVER SEEN THE SAN PEDRO RIVER THAT HIGH. I ENJOYED THE ARIZONA SUNRISES AND SUNSETS, THEY ARE GORGEOUS!
WE GOT UP SATURDAY MORNING AND HEADED TO TUCSON, ARIZONA FOR A FEW DAYS.
I STARTED DOING MY FALL HOUSECLEANING, GETTING VACCINES FOR MAGGIE AND MARLEE AND GETTING THEIR NAILS CLIPPED FOR THE LAST TIME IN HARLINGEN. I STEPPED ON A MESQUITE THORN AROUND THIS TIME, WENT RIGHT THROUGH MY SHOE, FOOT HURT AND SWELLED, I COULD HARDLY WALK. WE SCRUBBED THE TRUCK AND FIFTH WHEEL FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, WE WERE ANXIOUS TO GET ON THE ROAD!
ALL SUMMER I WANTED TO PUT MAGGIE AND MARLEE IN THE SWIMMING POOL TO SEE IF THEY COULD SWIM, I FINALLY GOT THE CHANCE ONE EVENING.
SAID GOODBYE TO HANNAH AND JOEY, TOM AND JAN, PROMISING TO STAY IN TOUCH. ON SEPTEMBER 10TH WE LEFT BENTSEN PALM VILLAGE RV PARK AFTER BEING THERE FOR FIVE MONTHS. WE WERE HEADED TO SAUGUS, CALIFORNIA TO SELL PUMPKINS AND CHRISTMAS TREES FOR BENNETT'S BEST. WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THERE UNTIL THE FIRST OF OCTOBER, SO WE WERE GOING TO DO A LITTLE VACATIONING.
MAGGIE AND MARLEE WERE ANXIOUS TO GO TOO!
WE HAD RESERVATIONS IN KERRVILLE AT BUCKHORN LAKE RESORT. WE WERE HEADED TO TEXAS HILL COUNTRY.
THE NEXT DAY, SEPTEMBER 11, DARRELL TURNED 70 YEARS OLD!! WE WENT SWIMMING AND HOT TUBING, FIRST THING IN THE MORNING.
THEN, WE TOOK MAGGIE AND MARLEE OVER TO THE DOG PARK. IT WAS A COOLER DAY, THE FIRST ONE WE HAD SEEN IN A LONG TIME.
I MADE DARRELL A TURKEY DINNER FOR HIS BIRTHDAY DINNER. WE DECIDED NEXT YEAR WE WANT TO SPEND HIS BIRTHDAY IN HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA AT THE RV SHOW. IT'S A DATE!!!
WE LEFT SATURDAY MORNING, HEADING FOR VAN HORN, TEXAS TO VISIT MARY AND JIM TAYLOR, A COUPLE WE MET AT ADVENTURELAND. I COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE MARY, WE HAD STAYED IN TOUCH SINCE LEAVING ADVENTURELAND. IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THEM!
JIM HAD A SILLY, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT THIS SUMMER, WE HAD THIS SHIRT MADE FOR HIM TO COMMEMORATE IT.
WE GOT TO MEET THEIR DAUGHTER, SHELLY AND HER TWO BOYS. I WENT TO CHURCH WITH MARY AND GOT TO MEET HER CHURCH FAMILY. ON MONDAY MORNING WE HEADED TO LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO.
WE PULLED INTO HACIENDA RV RESORT ABOUT 1:00. THIS IS ALSO A BEAUTIFUL PARK. WE HAD DECIDED BEFORE LEAVING BENTSEN PALM THAT WE WANTED TO KEEP THE DRIVING AROUND 200 MILES A DAY.
WE WERE RIGHT ACROSS THE INTERSTATE FROM WALMART......BLISS!! WE HAD HEARD A WEATHER REPORT AND THIS AREA WAS EXPECTING RAIN FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, THERE WERE FLOOD WARNING OUT ALL AROUND US. THIS AFTERNOON, THOUGH, IT WAS STILL A NICE DAY. WE DECIDED WE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, AND AFTER GETTING SET UP WE DROVE OVER TO MESILLA.
WE FOUND A LITTLE SHOP THAT SOLD ALL KINDS OF PRODUCE.
IT STARTED RAINING DURING THE NIGHT AND RAINED ALL THE NEXT DAY. THIS IS WHAT THE DOG WALK LOOKED LIKE AFTER ALL THE RAIN.
IT WAS STORMY THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE IN LAS CRUCES, WE HAD PLANNED ON DRIVING UP AND SEEING THE WHITE SANDS, BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT WITH ALL THE FLOOD WARNINGS.
WE WENT SHOPPING, I BOUGHT ME A NEW PAIR OF JEANS, AND LEARNED TO HEM JEANS. WE HAD STAYED IN NEW MEXICO A COUPLE OF OTHER TIMES, AND I DIDN'T LIKE NEW MEXICO, BUT AFTER STAYING IN LAS CRUCES, I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND. WE FOUND A LITTLE CAFE THAT MAKES ALBURQUEQUE TORTILLA SOUP, WE STOPPED BY AND GOT ME A HUGE CONTAINER. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!
