Back Roads of Arizona

I convinced Sharon, Joni, and Dave that a drive in the desert would be fun....

This is the "good" road. The rest of the trip would be more challenging.

It's hard to tell but those "bumps" in the road are really deap. We took rocks from the side if the road to fill the holes.

This was another example of the good road.

I took a wrong turn and we ended up on a dead end jeep trail. At the end was this ranch house from days gone by.

The desert is a beautiful place. Especially way out, off the road, off off off the trail.

This stop sign was well placed. That's about a two foot drop. If there was no stop sign, you would hit the "dip" at a whopping 5 mph.

Snow in Congress, AZ

Yes, it does snow in the Arizona desert.
We woke up to a snow storm.

New Years Eve started with maybe an inch of snow on Gary's cactus garden. People who have lived in North Ranch for 10 years, say they have never seen snow like this.

Coronado National Memorial

We took the trip up the Coronado Canyon to the top. As you can see from the picture (taken less than half way up) the "road" is unmaintained mountain dirt and full of switch backs. At the top is Montezuma Pass and the Boarder Patrol observation station. What a beautidul place to work.

The trip down the backside was worse. I don't think you could call this a road. It was rutted and full of tire flattening, sharp rocks. The ranger said go slow and it should take about 45 minutes. An hour and a half later, we got back on some of the worst blacktop I have ever driven on. The sholders were all washed away. The two lane road was barely one. Another hour to get back around the Huachuca Mountain range and home to the coach.

This is deffinately why I got the AWD Vue. That was fun all the way.

At the top of the picture , near the entrance to the canyon, there is a thin brown line going off to the left. That is the Mexico border. The mountain in the background is in Mexico.

Mexican food

I really like good Mexican food. Places that don't confuse "heat" for taste. And it doesn't hurt if the plate looks great.

Great company also helps the food taste great. MI Casa restaurant in Benson, AZ.

This is the place. If we had not been referred  here I would never have considered this place. But what a great find. Hidden off the road, behind a chain link fence. We went back for lunch the next day.

City of Rocks

We were going to stay the night in the RV, but decided to just day visit. Pretty amazing campground nestled into the rocks. We could have parked the coach were the car is parked. Not very level, and no hookups. But it is one of the best dark night spots in New Mexico.

Pecos, Texas

We are "West of the Pecos". That's for all you Saturday morning western fans (from when I was young). Do you still remember Pecos Bill riding on a cyclone?

We went to dinner last night at a local Mexican (excuse me, Latino) restaurant. The place was full of oil field worker and ranchers. When we left, our SUV was the only "car" in the parking lot. Everything else was a truck.

We're going to the West of the Pecos Museum today.

And don't forget Judge Roy Bean. The only law west of the pecos, even if he had no official right to judge anyone.

Thelma wants to navigate

Thelma here.

I am sick and tired of only going were the staff chooses!

I'm going to learn how to work this GPS thing. And then we will go places that I find interesting.

That darn staff of mine kidnapped Louise and I and have taken us to god only knows were.

They tricked us into those cages and took us out into the freezing cold, put us in this contraption that rolls and bumps and makes all sorts of strange noises. we'll get even tonight when Loren is sleeping, I'll jump on his balls whiles Louise bites his foots. then when he gets up we will trip him.

Pay backs are hell!