Riding the Rails

I haven't always had good internet service. The last park I was in said you have wifi service from your site, but the only time I wasn't kicked off again and again was between 12AM and 6AM. Today I bought a mifi. That's what I'm using now. I have wanted a mifi for years, but I couldn't get my questions answered. I wanted to know if I got a mifi, could I cancel my cable internet. That would make the additional cost reasonable. I did finally try a Verizon mifi, which I couldn't get to work at all at my home. Then they wanted to charge me $200 for the time I took trying to get it to work. Did they think I would just accept that?

At this park you pay an outside service for internet. For a week it would have cost me $10. That convinced me to get the mifi. The people online and at the store say that I can get service at home with my current microcell, which boosts the service from the cell tower. And so...it shouldn't cost me much more than I pay now.

 So, I've been busy. Sedona is a very pretty area - red rock, beautiful sunsets, many scenic roads and views. I went to a quilt show, went hiking, checked out the rocks shaped like animals or objects, drove some very scenic roads - again listening to Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and The Who (Tommy), had my car jumped twice, bought a new battery, got my hair cut, bought a new jacket to replace my very most favorite jacket, which is pretty much the only jacket I've used for the last 4 years and left somewhere (boo hoo), read 8 books, and painted my car, which somehow got scrapes on it from cutting the corner too close.

Verde River at bottom of canyon

Turtle

But the most fun I had, was riding the train through the Verde Canyon. I was in the coach class, so no service or free food, but we had our own outdoor car, and I stayed out there the whole ride. We had a guide/conductor with us to tell us some of the history and point out interesting rocks, caves and crevasses. The railroad was built to carry copper from the mines. It went all the way to Jerome. Currently it carries freight on one run and passengers on the other. We passed by caves with charred roofs which indicated cooking fires. Again these cliff dwellings date back to 1100-1400AD. We passed a number of rocks that the guide pointed out - the Budweiser frogs(?), a turtle, the Presidents' range, etc. The Presidents' range was funny. First you saw a natural rock sculpture of Lincoln, and then on the other side of the crevasse, one of Nixon. His nose was pictured exactly as a cartoon sketch of him. I got very good at picturing/imagining/seeing all kinds of shapes in the rocks - dinosaurs, birds, bull, cowboy hat, and many more. When we started, we were high up in the canyon, and then we continued` to go lower. Toward the end we were close to the river, and beside  the flood plain. The trip ended at Perkinsville, which was actually the Perkins ranch, still operating with cattle and sheep. Then the locomotive moved up from the back to the front, and we saw the other side coming back. All the way, it looked like rocks were going to fall off the sides of the canyon any minute, and I guess they do frequently. Before the trip, maintenance takes a run to remove the fallen rocks from the rails. The guide said if he jumped off, we should too. What a beautiful ride! The guide/conductor was great, and so were my fellow passengers.

I went back to Jerome again. I love this town/ art colony/ ghost town. It is so picturesque and unique, climbing up Cleopatra Hill. I visited the museum, which is housed in the former Douglas Mansion. The town was named after Eugene Jerome. I found out he was a cousin to Jenny Jerome, who married Randolph Churchill, and mothered Winston. I read the biography Jenny years ago, and loved it.


In its heyday, when the mines were at their busiest, Jerome's population grew to 15,000. Then when the mines were closed down, population fell to less than 100, and now is at approximately 500. Jerome's history talks a lot about fire. One building was destroyed by fire 3 years in a row. They also had to worry about buildings sliding down the hill, or some of it. One building that did slide was the jail. But, they didn't lose any prisoners, and the building stayed intact, so all they had to do was change the address. I suppose that's all they'd have to do, even if they did lose prisoners.


The weather is not in the 80s; more like the 50s-60s. I had planned to leave my last home and go northeast, but when I checked the weather forecast, it said days in the 30s and nights in the single digits, so I headed southeast. The days are beautiful, but nights this week are in the mid-20s, so I'm not connecting my water this week. I'll use the water tank and pump. Snow was on the ground when I left my last home, and it was beautiful. I drove through snow for about 2 hours, and it stopped 2 miles before I got off. Well planned, I thought.

Tomorrow, I hit Tombstone, and the OK Corral.

NOT the Land of Montezuma!!!!

I have been busy checking out more ruins of Native Americans. I'm very impressed by the knowledge and use of resources way back when. I remember when I was touring Egypt, and couldn't believe the famous structures which were erected thousands of years ago. The knowledge existed thousands of years ago. I remember our guide (our own Egyptologist) talking about the burning (48BC) of the famed library in Alexandria. This library's mission was to collect and store all of the knowledge of the world. If it hadn't burned, and lost all that knowledge, how further along would our civilization be? It's too bad some of the knowledge from way back then didn't include fire suppression.

I visited Montezuma's Castle, Montezuma's well, a pithouse near the well, and Tuzigoot. Montezuma actually lived hundreds of years after these structures were built, but early white settlers connected these structures to the Aztecs, not knowing better, and the names stuck. I'm sure the Native Americans who built them and continually revisited them, called the structures something else.

 Montezuma's castle is a 5-story, 20 room cliff dwelling. It is amazingly well-preserved. Close by is another cliff dwelling, Castle A, which was even larger - 6 stories, 45 rooms. It is badly deteriorated, and damaged - again by fire. The Park Service took over the care of M's Castle, and stopped the vandalism and removal of relics from the castle. They still allowed people to climb the ladders and view the different rooms. That was stopped in the 1930s, in fear of the danger to the tourists. I would think so!! It stands in a cliff recess, 100 feet from the valley!! It is thought these structures were built in the 1100s and added onto into the 1400s. In the 1400s the majority of these inhabitants moved on. Very close is the Beaver Creek, which was raging when I was there, following a few days of rain. So it was just a hop, skip and a jump - a very big jump - to get to the water.

M's Well is amazing. You drive through the dry, arid desert, and turn off to see the well, walk up a short path, and look down at this pool of water with vegetation growing around it. It was formed by a massive cavern collapsing. It is fed by springs that keep on going - 1.5 million gallons per day from 120 feet beneath the surface. The water flows through limestone and is saturated with carbon dioxide. No fish can live in the well, but there are 5 species of life which live here and nowhere else on Earth. Pretty impressive, isn't it??!! This water was used by Native Americans to irrigate their fields and crops. There are cliff dwellings built into the side of the well, with a beautiful view out the front door, but don't walk in your sleep! I think it was 55 feet down to the first floor and who knows how far down from there.

Supported by Arizona sycamore

 

And, of course, the ruins at Tuzigoot were also pretty impressive. Driving up, I saw this structure at the top of the hills, and said, "That can't be..." but it was. Quite large, it also was built 1100-1400s, by those who farmed the area. It sits 120 feet above the Verde Valley, and had 77 ground floor rooms, some of which were covered by another room. For the first 100 years it was estimated that 50-100 people lived there. Then its population kept doubling. One of the best things, I thought, about Tuzigoot was that it was excavated in the 1930s by people out of work. I think it was 100 people who were hired by the Civil Works Administration. I like to see my tax money spent in this way.

This area was also a major center of strip mining - mostly copper. The area produced more than a billion dollars in copper, gold and silver. When the winds blew, the copper dust would rise and coat everything. Companies doing the mining had to bring in dirt to cover the land and vegetation to keep it there. I went back to Jerome, a mining town which had become a ghost town with some interesting characters lingering on, and is now a tourist attraction. When Penelope and I worked around the country we visited Jerome. I loved it. One man - I don't remember who he was - brought us to a woman's house which had a beautiful floor to ceiling fireplace, made from stones and other things people had sent her from all over the world. Later we were playing pool at the saloon, when the owner asked where we were staying. We told him in the car parked in back of his saloon. He let us stay at the saloon/hotel free, as long as we cleaned the room and changed the sheets in the morning. We used lots of hot water that night. Some parts of the town looked familiar, but I couldn't find that saloon. Of course, that was 43 years ago. Things change. Jerome is pegged as a town "a mile high" (had snow on the ground), and built into the mountain with windy, windy roads up, and houses built on poles in the back, where you don't want to step off the deck.

Superstition Mountain

Painting by DeGrazia

 

We were told not to wander into the mountain area after dark. I guess many people have - wandered in, that is.

There are legends and folklore about the mountain. One of the Native American legends states that the Creator was unhappy with the people because they were not honest and charitable. He brought floods, and only the minority of people who were good were saved. The others fled the flood up the mountain, and were turned to stone. You can still see the shapes of those people in the rocks.

Hermit

Pictures/drawings of Jacob

Hunter Hall of Fame

During the gold mining time, there was a man, Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman, who had a gold mine hidden. He died without emptying it. There were clues as to where it was, but no one has found it yet. And many, many, many people have tried throughout the 20th century.
 
I visited a gold mining town, now a ghost town converted to a tourist attraction. They had a Dutchman Hunter Hall of Fame. There were short bios of people they knew searched for this gold mine. Some made it out; some didn't. Some might have met up with the hermit of Superstition Mt. At the small museum in this ghost town, they also had the buffalo skin Robert Redford wore in the movie, "Jeremiah Johnson" and some bronze statues by Frederic Remington.

After the area's museum and the ghost town, I went to Tortilla Flat. Doesn't that sound like it should be in Mexico? I ate at the Superstition Saloon, where they have saddles for bar stools, except at the end, where you sit on a carved horse's ass. Those 2 stools were empty when I was there. The restaurant and other shops are papered in dollar bills - thousands of them.

The ride up the Apache Trail to visit these sites was beautiful - a curvy, scenic road with 1-car bridges and lots of pull-offs to enjoy the views. I rode with my windows open, playing Bob Dylan (yes, a child of the 60s) and thoroughly enjoying myself.

  

The next day I went to an Arboretum. Once again, I was impressed by how beautiful the desert and its plants are. There are many trails, and many sections/forests featuring a type of plant. There were also a couple homes. One of these was up off the main trail, and not accessible this day. Another was a small home built right into the rock, It was empty. The arboretum also had a small stream. I really wanted to go a little further to the edge for a picture, but the sign,"only rattlesnakes beyond this point" kept me away... and taking a new interest in the trail and my surroundings.

 

 
Next I'm headed to Jerome and towns nearby.

Organ Pipe Cactus

I had an interesting day today. I drove about 2 hours south, close to the border (on the way to Rocky Point) to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The organ pipe cactus reaches its northern limits in this area. It grows in the Senoran Desert, which includes this southern part of Arizona, and goes into Mexico.

It matures at about 15 feet, and can live for 150 years. At around age 35, it begins to produce its first flowers. Flowers bloom at night, and wither in the morning. A cactus will have many flowers buds, which grow out of the stems. Thus, one cactus will bloom on many different days, lasting many weeks from May to July. I'd love to see that, but I don't think I would live through the 100+ temps.

 

I took a scenic drive, and walked a couple short trails. Luckily, they sold water bottles and sunscreen at the visitor center. I didn't come prepared to be in the hot Arizona sun. Why???? What was I thinking??.  No more than one week ago, it was 15-16 degrees at night, and today it was 80. I could feel my skin kind of puckering, pulling in, creating even more wrinkles.

 

On the way I drove through Ajo, AZ. As I came into the town I thought it was depressed. When I got to the town center, it was charming. They had a plaza with various businesses and administration buildings around it, and 2 beautiful white stone/adobe churches at one end. I had to stop and drink a cup of coffee with the other citizens beginning their day.

'Twas a fun trip, into an interesting and unique part of the country. And beautiful....the desert is truly beautiful.

 

Quartzite - the Famed Winter Home

Quartzite doubled its population between 1990 and 2008, booming to 3,692 residents. But in the winter, the town draws 500,000+. Most of these are RVers. The Bureau of Land Management has over 11,000 acres of land on which to camp. The price is very reasonable. There are RV parks, and government parks with facilities. And then there are acres and acres of land for dry camping.

RVWomen was having a rally, and I wanted to see what Quartzite was like. We dry-camped about 5 miles from the town. We drove off the road and over the desert. There was a BLM officer there to register us for a maximum of 14 days. The price was $0. The rally was fun. I knew no one there, so started up conversations with numbers of people. The first night my neighbors, the Colorado contingent, invited me over to one of their rigs. I met a number of people who, when they heard I was from MA, mentioned they grew up or lived there for a while. In fact I met a woman raised in West Brookfield.There were 2 of us from the Northeast contingent: myself and a woman from New Brunswick. I also met a couple women from New Hampshire, who were making their way around the country, planning to spend the summer in Alaska.

 

   

The large number of wintering RVers has drawn a huge number of vendors. It is also a spot for gem and mineral swapping and different shows. I avoided the big RV Show the first day because I heard it was shoulder to shoulder walking through the show. The second day was much more reasonable, but the parking was still a challenge. I went through the many parking areas and headed down a less-traveled path. I soon realized it was for 4-wheel drive cars. I started backing up, but someone came in back of me, determined to go forward. I asked a woman if the "road" had an exit. She said "no" but there was room to turn around. The problem was as I drove on, the gravel and rocks got much deeper, and my little car was stuck. The people were great - dug me out, pushed me out, and cheered me on. They even found me a parking place. I said, "thanks, but no thanks, I 'm seeking firmer ground." The next time I drove the loop looking for parking, a volunteer pointed out a place that was just vacated. So, I got to see the show. 


My batteries would not hold a charge past 2 days. If I'm going to spend much time dry camping I shall have to remedy this. I went back to John Wayne RV park to wait for mail and spend some time "keeping rig."

My Texas Home Followed by Driving, Driving,Driving!!!

I stopped in Dallas at my Texas home. This is actually my cousins' home, but I treat it like my own. At one point, one of my cousins came home unexpected at lunchtime, and there I was lying on the sofa reading my book. I told him this is what retired people do. God, I love being retired! As always, it was great seeing this family, extended family and friends. I hope I'll be stopping in for many years to come, and hope they'll continue putting up with me for many years to come.

After I left Dallas, I drove. I'm headed to Quartzite, AZ, which is over 1000 miles from Dallas. I stayed in truck stops for 2 nights, and am now in Maricopa, AZ, on the east side of Phoenix. Quartzite is on the west side of Phoenix. I'm at the John Wayne RV Ranch. I guess the Duke had a ranch in this part of town. Hence, the name, and the ghost seen occasionally riding his horse around the property. I feel very safe knowing that John Wayne is watching out for us.

I was here 1 1/2 hours before I met others in the park, and invited them in for conversation. You know how they say a guy wanting to meet females should have a dog with him, if he can't have a baby. Well, a cat works pretty much the same. Skittles was on her leash, while I was checking emails, and soon I have company - a couple who just sold their house, and bought an RV. They are from AZ, and have so many places for me to explore.

This is my 3rd day in Maricopa. The second night my hoses froze - the very day I de-winterized and repaired holes in my hoses. The temp was under 15 degrees. Today I brought my cat to the vet. It seems all I've been doing is maintenance, or, better said, trying to do maintenance, and cat care.. Tomorrow I should get out to see something.

Today I did some touring. The area has much history. Some great farming and architectural accomplishments were made in the 1100-1400s by the Native American tribes in the area. The Ancestral People of the Senoran Desert with wooden sticks diverted water from the Gila River, establishing a canal system to irrigate the desert lands.

                       

They grew corn, beans, cotton, squash, tobacco, et. al. There were villages with family dwellings in the area. They also built a Great House (named so by a Spanish missionary in 1694). It was 4 floors and had openings that aligned with the sun and moon at different times. The people supported themselves in this desert for thousands of years. Although there are descendants in the area, a great number of this Ancient People moved on, probably in the 1400s. Why? Some say tribal wars; others flooding followed by drought made it hard to regulate the crops and way of life.

The Native Americans in Maricopa are the Ak-Chin. The name is an O'odham word meaning mouth of the arroyo, which is a flat-floored gulley, dry except after rains; or where the water goes into the ground. They have been recognized as a Native American tribe for over 100 years.  In Maricopa there is a reservation, a casino, the Ak-Chin government, land cultivation, and beautiful examples of artistic crafts.

Tomorrow, I head to Quartzite. Have you ever wondered how they can fit thousands of RVs in one place. After tomorrow, I can tell you how.

Was That Bumper with Me When I Got Here???

The first few days driving have been short ones. First the snow; then the wind; and then the rain. I pulled off a little early. I had driven enough hours, and I was tired of driving in the rain. I set up shop in a truck stop, and was curious what New Year's Eve in a truck stop would be. I checked out the travel center and restaurant, but saw no balloons and noise-makers, no signs about a party later. In fact people weren't even wishing each other Happy New Year. Just another day. Skittles and I retired early, but I warned her to be ready for a cacophony of truck horns (Never thought I'd use that word in a sentence) at midnight. The next morning she looked at me like, "Fool. Absolutely nothing happened." Ah well.

The next night we stayed in a truck stop also. I'm in Tennessee, but it still registers in the 30s on the thermometer. Chilly! Both Skittles and I are ready for some warm weather.

I stopped about midday for lunch. When I got back to my rig, the corner bumper was missing on the driver's side. It didn't look like anyone had hit me, and I hadn't hit anything (this time), so I assumed it was vandalism. It looked like someone had ripped it off. I went back into the restaurant to report it, and get the address, etc. The Manager recommended I make a police report, and called the police for me. The Officer who came wasn't convinced this was vandalism. He thought maybe the bumper fell off, even on the highway. We walked around the rig, and I explained every scratch and rip. I told him with what I had connected, when and where. And then we did the car too. Luckily I didn't have to mention blowing up the engine.

The Officer then wanted to check the security video at the restaurant to see if it caught me, and if he could determine whether the fender was attached when I arrived in the parking lot. So he went back to the Manager's office, but they barred me from going with him. Drat! I was looking forward to seeing me driving around and the culprit ripping off my fender. The camera only showed the front of the place. They could see me drive off the exit and turn on to the street, but that was it. So he wrote up an incident report indicating this was the first time the missing fender was noticed.

The more I think about it, the more I think the fender fell off. Why would a vandal pull off a fender, when he could whack the rig with a bat, or throw a stone? But then, why would the fender just fall off?? 'Tis a puzzlement!!

The Officer then recommended a campground, and Skittles and I have settled in for the evening, and turned on the heat.