07 - Sedona, AZ

Ah....Sedona!

We found a great State Park in Cottonwood, about 25 miles outside Sedona. Cottonwood itself is quite an eclectic town, featuring antique shops, jewelry and artwork, as well as lots of little cafes & wine tasting shops. To get to the campsite we had to pass by the Old Hippie Emporium...  Our campsite's location was ideal in that we could tour the local historic sites, national monuments & parks in the same or less distance it would take to drive to Sedona.  Having heard so many positive reviews of Sedona I knew I would have a great time checking out the local artistic scene, hopefully Dave would too!

Pueblo & Cliff Dwellings:

Tuzigoot, (1125-1400 AD) was a 2 story pueblo where you entered from openings in the roof (no exterior doors!). This ruin was just a few miles from our campground.

Wupatki National Monument, 25 miles North of Flagstaff a well preserved ancient ruin



One of the features at Wupatki, is a ball court!



Wupatki ruins, usually consist of a 3 story 100 room pueblo. Wupatki means "long cut house"

Walnut Canyon, 10 miles East of Flagstaff. Cliff dwellings from 1125-1250 AD

Walnut Canyon, archeologists believe the Sinagua women built the houses & the men did the farming!



Montezuma's Castle built by Sinagua farmers is a 5 story, 20 room dwelling in 1100 AD




Montezuma Well, 5 miles away from the castle has traces of Hohokam Indians (1100 AD) & Sinagua (1125-1400 AD)



Our four days in the Cottonwood/Sedona area consisted of visiting various ruins, some villages made of stone, others carved into the sides of mountains. We found it interesting to hear native Indian tribes flourished in the area back in the 1100's then all of a sudden some bands just simply disappeared without a trace. Some think it was due to weather (drought conditions) that caused them to migrate while others think either disease or war. Only our imaginations can take us there and it was interesting to learn about what has been re-discovered as their way of life.

We also enjoyed taking scenic driving trips with short hikes at various stopping points. Catalina especially enjoyed trying to climb Bell Rock...I think she's part mountain goat!

Bell Rock outside Sedona, our initial ascent...only got 1/2 of the way up!

View across from Bell Rock

Perched on a ledge on Bell Rock, Catalina taking a "cat" nap!

Driving down into Sedona

Sedona of course has it's own visual appeal; a striking city in a breath taking setting. I also took Dave's breath away with a little bit of shopping at an artist section of town!

We ventured North to Flagstaff where we were surprised to still see snow on some of the mountain peaks. Around the Flagstaff area were many interesting ruins built around 1100 AD!

Leaving the Sedona area we wanted to get our hiking on and start doing some scenic & energetic trails. Next stop, Glendale, UT our base for Zion & Bryce National Parks.



Catalina Excavation Services...note size of gopher hole middle & to the right



A little renovation/expansion for the prairie dog family...

Voila! A new & improved hole that's been sniffed tested too (no charge!)

Catalina after a hard day's work...

06 - Tucson, AZ

Welcome to Tucson!


Dave imitating a cactus...



The terrain while driving down to Arizona started to change color, more green was being seen.  The green here was due to the cactus as opposed to forest, but still a pretty sight nonetheless.  We surmised the reason for the increase in vegetation was on account of an increase in humidity.  "Welcome to Tucson, where the humidity is 13%".  13%? I exclaimed, which was retorted with, "well once it got all the way up to 50%!"  My first thought was that I was going to have great hair days while staying here...  :)

View from our campsite

Dog Park or a Park Named After Our Dog - Just NE of Tucson was Catalina State Park, we knew by the name (and the positive reviews didn't hurt either), that we had to stay there. What a pretty park with many hiking trails & amenities near by.  One of the most significant differences between AZ & NM is the appearance of the Saguaro cactus (the tall kind with arms or what you would see if watching a Wylie coyote & roadrunner cartoon!).

Saguaro Cactus, they say by the time it starts to grow "arms" it is already 70 yrs old!

Titan Missile Museum - one of our things to do was to visit the missile museum. We arrived early to beat the heat (and crowds), the forecasted temps for the week were mid 90's (36+ degrees C). We discovered an AZ state law prohibits people leaving their dogs in their vehicles unattended. Even though technically Catalina would have been fine for the 90 mins. in our truck with the windows open & sunshade on the windshield, we asked the front desk if they had a kennel we could use. Fortunately we were in luck, and they had 1 kennel.  So we were able to take the tour while the volunteers at the front desk kept a loving eye on Catalina who laid quietly in the shade in her kennel. The highlight of the tour was that I was asked to "turn the key" resulting in a mock atomic destruction of some unsuspecting country...oh the power... I was even given a commemorative card saying I had taken on such a feat. I guess I'll add that to my resume under skill set, "responsible for atomic annihilation"...

I emailed my friend Charlene who used to live in Tucson and asked what she recommended us to do while in the area.   One of the items she mentioned was the Desert Museum.  We timed our arrival to the museum perfectly since a walking tour was about to commence. Our guide gave us a great overview on the desert plant life as well as animal life. He even gave us samples of cactus fruit, (tasted like a tart plum). We never expected to see such an array of colors in a desert, it was all in bloom...our timing couldn't have been better!  At the end of our tour we were able to take part in a live animal discussion on rattlesnakes and gila monsters. We soon discovered our $2.99 Walmart snake bite kit was pretty much a waste of money since the only thing you should do if bitten by a rattlesnake is go directly to the hospital!



Another must see was the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for it's Boneyard and the Pima Air & Space Museum next door (where you buy your tickets for the Boneyard tour).  So many volunteers with gobs of history knowledge and experiences, one could spend a good couple of days just talking to all the great people working at the museum.  All the planes in the Boneyard had their windows & canopies coated with a white latex spray to protect the instruments and keep the interior cooler.

Huey & Cobra Helicopters

We were amazed to hear that there was a lifespan to the inhabitants of the Boneyard. Eventually the jaws of death machine is called in and literally chews them up into scrap.  We were informed the Air Force Base actually makes a very healthy profit from selling what parts they are able to salvage to buyers world wide, literally millions are made!

SR-71 Blackbird

BD-5J Jet, no it's not a toy!

Local artists decided to tart up some old planes before they were "recycled"

Living in a bubble - Biosphere 2

Another attraction was Biosphere 2, it was a study to see if humans could live in a contained environment (ie. a glass bubble like structure) for 2 years. In the early 1990's a group of scientists lived in the Biosphere for 2 years, although they successfully stayed for the 2 year period, studies showed all participants had a reduced body fat % (where do I sign up!!!), and that the focus on food generation, harvesting & processing occupied most of their time.

This is the ocean section in Biosphere 2

The rest of our time in the Tucson area was spent taking short hikes along the trails in our campground with Catalina.  Catalina has been working out great. Our dog constantly brings a smile to us as we watch her absorb the surrounding sights, smells & sounds. I commented to Dave that when we get back to Friendswood, Catalina will be bored at home...squirrels, cats & dogs just aren't going to excite her since she's seen snakes, white tailed jack rabbits, ground squirrels, gophers, roadrunners, lizards, horned toads and coyotes.

Happy Trails!

05 - Catalina's Blog

Which came first the dog or the park???

Gophers, ground squirrels and rodents, oh my!

What is this heaven my owners have brought me to? It seems only a few dog days ago I was watching the front yard furry foreigners galavanting around and now I am in the Serengeti of wildlife...(okay, it's not lion & tigers but it's a far bark from Friendswood!). The highlight of animals in New Mexico was a snake I came nose to tail (it's tail) with...fortunately Avril's scream startled anything living within a mile radius!!! Here in Arizona I am stationed at a State Park where I have acres and acres of patrol area. First and foremost something must be done about those ground dwelling rodents. I see them outside my tether line and when we go out on patrol I can smell them as my muzzle infiltrates their holes. Hasn't anyone spayed or neutered them? Why are there so many of them, this is just too much for one dog to control. For now, I will bear the burden of being the lone sentinel.

A horned toad, no they don't taste like chicken! Most prey run away, this one likes to stop & stare...

Galloping white tailed jack rabbits - I don't know whether to laugh at these creatures or tell them how ridiculous they look & behave. What's up with those humongous ears??? I like to go out on patrol after dinner, that seems to be the best comedic time to watch these rabbits do their scoot and gallop. Friendwood rabbits, albeit smaller, have a more graceful hop which makes it easier to get into pursuit mode.  Now that my paws have healed and hardened to this ruffer terrain, I hope to utilize my predatory prowess in these neck of the woods.

The call of nature - most nights I hear my coyote brethern singing & whooping it up. I can tell their accent is different from Texas but I guess that's to be expected...this is my last night in my namesake State Park, I hope our next destination will be as exciting. I just can't imagine going back to Friendswood anytime soon, the squirrels there just aren't the same calibre. My eyes have been opened, and I see more WILDlife in my future!



Driving Miss Catalina...she prefers the window seat!



04 - Scenic Driving Tours, NM

Avril the pebble pusher in City of Rocks, near Silver City



After our Spaceport tour we went for a short hike in the Las Cruces area. We drove East to the nearest hills and parked the truck and wandered on the trails. Although we had provisioned water for the 3 of us, we did not take into account the rocky trails would be too much on Catalina's paws. She did not show any distress during the 1.5 hr hike but by evening, she could barely walk on the gravel parking lot of our campsite. Suffice it to say, we took it easy for the next couple of days while Catalina's tootsies healed. We think she especially enjoyed being lifted in and out of the truck, talk about the royal treatment! We were able to occupy our time by spending more on our rv/truck system, namely an auxiliary fuel tank. We found a local supplier and they were able to install it the same day. The truck also needed a little tlc from the local Chevy dealer, so Dave took care of all things mechanical. On our last day of Catalina convalescing, we decided on a full day driving tour. We would head East of Las Cruces, through the Organ Mountains, towards White Sands, then Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, Sunspot Observatory, Ruidoso, Valley of Fires, and finally 3 Rivers Petroglyphs. It was a most enjoyable drive and when we returned back to the trailer, 15 hrs had passed, (we did stop for dinner but packed a lunch).

Whitesands, Missile Displays

A beach like setting, where's the water?




Ack! I've got sand between my toes!!!

  

So do I...



 



Dave's view from Sunspot Observatory





Avril's view from Sunspot Observatory!







 

Pathways around Valley of Fires lava flow formations, kind of like Hawaii







Sample of Petroglyph, this doodle is about 1000-1500 yrs old



City of Rocks was created from a volcanic eruption in Albuquerque!



Using Las Cruces as a base to tour from, we feel it worked out for the best. Driving the rv daily from one location to another would have turned out to be tedious. The downside to staying in the Las Cruces area is that New Mexico is such a large state and in order to see all what we wanted you have to drive! Sights on our list like Roswell & Carlsbad Caverns, Santa Fe & Albuquerque we decided will be visited on our return trip to Texas.

Green or Red ??? Which one is Hotter ?!?!



It's hard to believe that we had spent 5 days in NM and still had not tried the local cuisine. I kept hearing comments like New Mexicans consider chilies as one of their food groups. For our last night, we took the recommendations of the campsite manager and traveled 20 mins South to La Mesa for some hometown, home cooking.  Chope's is a house converted into a restaurant. It is run by 4 generations, with great grandma in her 90's still helping out in the kitchen! Prior to arriving at Chope's, I had heard that the green chili pepper is generally the milder of the two. This "rule" was not the case at Chope's... I told the waitress we were from the Houston area but originally from Canada, all of a sudden, everyone in the restaurant turned around to look at us...what? did I say something wrong??? The table beside us asked us how in the world did we find Chope's (guess it's a local best kept secret)...ah, they don't get many foreigners....



Food review: We ordered enchiladas (chicken & ground beef), rellenos, chile con carne, & tacos. The food was okay, spicy but not much different than Mexican in Texas. I had assumed NM food would have different ingredients like black beans & corn, or some different kind of seasonings that would make it just taste differently. Hard to judge NM food from one experience, maybe on our trip back to Texas we'll get other opportunities.

The next day was our last day in NM, we decided on another scenic drive but our plans were changed once we discovered a mass of cyclists racing in the "Tour of the Gila". The 2 hr (one way) scenic drive was supposed to be of the Gila cliff dwellings but instead at the beginning of the drive we were faced with a 4 hr, follow the race truck behind the cyclists. We quickly turned around and found other local attractions. City of Rocks was the main stopping point for us after we had a quick look in Silver City.

One thing we didn't expect while driving around was Border Patrol Inspection Stations.  They are permanent buildings along the interstate which every vehicle must stop and check in. Fortunately we have our passports and green cards but that was in the event we decided to travel up to Canada during this trip. So far no problems, wonder if these inspection stations serve a purpose and help with the illegal & drug smuggling in the area.



We now set our sites Westbound, Tucson, AZ. Our plan is to stay there for 3-5 days and tour the area then head North to Sedona, then into Utah.



03 - Spaceport America, NM

Spaceport America, New Mexico - the gateway to space!



Today we traveled North for about 90 min to take part in a 3 hr tour of Spaceport America, the actual tour of Spaceport was about an hour, driving to it from our pickup location was what took the most time.  I learned that Spaceport was actually under way before Virgin Galactic came on the scene but the timing of the two worked out to be a win win for both parties. The buildings are still under construction and won't start occupation for another 6-12 months.  No word when White Knight 2 will start flying its $200,000 paying customers their 2 hr flight with 6 minutes of weightlessness thrown in for good measure.... One highlight was driving down the spaceway (their galactic lingo for runway), all 10,000' x 200' (and 42" thick)! Kind of makes Polly Ranch's 2700' x 24' runway seem Mickey Mouse!  We were impressed by the design of the buildings, their look, environmental impact & plain coolness.

 



Are these porcelin roof tiles hot or is it just me???

 


















 




10,000 ft? It's about this big!

 
















 





Virgin Galactic's Control Center...looks more like an insect but we love the futuristic look! That's real soil on the roof!

 
 




Captain Dave reporting for duty!





















 


 

Hangar doors that will store White Knight 2 and others!

 




 


Having fun with the special polarized windows...



 






Oh no! A big alien finger is about to squish us....! Good thing we have hard hats!

 


 

02 - Sonora Caverns, TX

Sonora Caverns - last Texas stop!

The Sonora Caverns are about 200 miles West of Fredericksburg.  Our neighbor, Louise, a geologist and caver suggested we should stop by. We arrived just as the last cave tour was about to start but since we had not set up the rv for the night, we decided to take our time setting up and do the tour in the morning.  The camping area was quite different from the KOA we had just come from but it did have water and power, so that is good enough for us! Only one other motorhome was in the campground. Judging from the looks of things it appeared to us the wandering guinea fowl saw more action than the camp ground parking lot! 


(sidenote: as boisterous as they are, the guinea fowl do serve a purpose at this site, there are no snakes, fleas or ticks because of them remarked a park ranger, they also will "inform" the staff if anyone drives up to the campground)


This trip has transformed our mostly indoor dog, Catalina, into an outdoorsy one. She just cannot get enough of sitting outside, beside, or underneath the rv, (her stealthy spot), quietly watching the world go by. The times we hear her bark is either from a dog she just had to have the last bark at, or the campsite cat with whom she JUST had to have words with! Sonora’s campground had more than the usual squirrels and cats, as sunset approached, deer roamed about 20' away from us. The ever so watchful quinea fowl left their presence known outside our trailer! One lonely peacock quietly sauntered the gift shop lawns while the Purple Martin birdhouse community was a feathery flurry. One web review of this area said there are over 400 species of birds to be seen! We however, came for the cave and as you see from the pictures they are very impressive.  Our tour consisted of only 3 people and the guide who spent over 2 hours with us and given the size of our group, we’re sure if we wanted more he would have given it to us.  As much as we enjoyed the tour, our next destination beaconed, so promptly after our tour we headed for the first time to New Mexico, destination: Las Cruces.