HEAD'N HOME - Sunriver, OR

We met Brianna and went to IHop for breakfast. She looked great and it was fun talking to her about her college life. Brianna recently was nominated and received the "Sweetheart" award from a local fraternity. She was the first freshman to receive this honor. It came as a complete surprise to her, but getting to know what she values in life, it was no surprise to us. After breakfast, we got to visit her dorm room and meet her roommate. We then got to take Brianna to her 1:00 P.E. class and she looked very cute all dressed for her activities. Brianna is very well organized and to see her in this realm made us feel very proud of her. She is a very special person and has a very strong set of values. Nancy and I were upset with each other, as we forgot to take our camera with us, but left with very fond memories of our beloved granddaughter.

We headed west toward the Colorado River and spent the night at the Avi Casino RV Park, near Needles, CA. We had previously spent two nights here at the beginning of our trip. Our route was to get to I-5 ASAP as we were not feeling any better. We made it as far as Visalia, CA and spent the night. "Up an at em" the next morning, we drove to Corning, CA and spent the night for FREE in the Rolling Hills Casino truck parking lot. We had dinner at the casino and had a good night sleep before leaving for Sunriver, OR early in the morning. We needed to make a stop at Gordy’s in LaPine, OR to dump our black, grey, and fresh water tanks. The temperature was still in the low 20’s at night in Sunriver and we wanted to make sure that TREK would not freeze up. We arrived safely at our home around 2:30 in the afternoon and could not wait to get a hot shower, a soak in the tub, and to sleep in our bed.

Although we had to cut our trip short because of weather and our health issues, we really had a great time, saw some absolutely beautiful country, and met some very interesting people. More important, Nancy and I really enjoy having the opportunity to travel and see the country together in our cozy quarters. We continue to learn so much about our diversified population and cultural heritage of our country. Being out in the real world truely exposes you to what makes America such a great place to live. We both place a very high value on our relationship and getting to spend this time together is very important to both of us.

Thank you all for following us during this time period in our lives. We both hope you have enjoyed seeing the pictures and traveling with us. We have enjoyed hearing from many of you and your prayers. You inspire us to keep our blog rolling and updated with our adventures..

We appreciate and love all of you!

Skip and Nancy (2 Drifters)

Montezuma Castle - Camp Verde

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Our next stop was to be Flagstaff, AZ and to see Brianna, our granddaughter, who is in her first year at Northern Arizona University (NAU). This was something that we both were looking forward too. Checking the temperatures in Flagstaff (6,903'), which were in the low 20's, we decided to spend the night in Camp Verde (3,133') and drive up the following morning and have breakfast and visit with her.

We also were starting to deal with another issue - our health. Neither of us were feeling that good, plus we both had similar symptoms - sinus allergies, nasal drip, coughing, sore throat, clogged ears, itchy eyes, but fortunately no temperature. It look like it was the FULL MEAL, SINUS DEAL! The pollen counts in Arizona are at the highest levels during this time of the year, and we both had been stomping around in the desert for days admiring the cactus bloom.

Our plan, after visiting with Brianna, was to head to the northeast corner of Arizona and visit Monument Valley, then to Four Corners and to Mesa Verde, and on to Moab, UT and the Arches. We checked the weather in those areas and the temperatures were still in the 20's with snow predictions on the way. So considering this and our health issues, we decided to head home after our visit with our granddaughter.

Before leaving Camp Verde, we both wanted to visit the Montezuma Castle. It is not a castle nor was the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II ever present. Montezuma Castle is a pre-historic American Indian structure that is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the United States. Rising 100 feet above the Beaver Creek floodplain, Montezuma Castle is a testimony to the resilience and innovations of the "Sinagua" people. The castle is 90 percent original despite years of unauthorized excavation, visitations, and even one attempt to blow apart a wall to collect artifacts.

The castle was a small and dramatic part of a large community of people spread up and down the waterways of the Verde Valley. As many as 6,000 to 8,000 people may have lived in the valley in small villages no more than two miles apart. The 19 rooms could have housed 35 to 50 people, conserving precious farmland and the huge Sycamore Tree groves near the creek. There was a feeling of security as the series of ladders used to climb to the site could be pulled in for the night and the panoramic view of the valley gave advanced warning of anybody entering the area. Historians feel that it was the final leg to a major trade route from northern Arizona. People following this trail were seeking salt, cotton, argillite, and other minerals.

Were the residents of Montezuma Castle keeping watch on traders or other visitors entering the area, or was it simple a very nice place to live? No one really knows.

CLICK HERE to see our Montezuma Castle pictures. Go back in time and place yourself in one of the small rooms of the Castle and think about why you would be there.

Back To Tucson!

Bill and Janice Hendricks with Nancy

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After waking up and discussing our diesel smell problem, we decided to drive north to HWY 10 and then west to the Safford, AZ cutoff. Our original plan was to visit Safford, AZ and then come in from the east to Superstition Mountain, which is in the Apache Junction area. Once we got to the cutoff, if we were still dealing with the diesel smell, we would head back to Tucson and the Dodge dealership. Well, we got to the cutoff, and there was still the diesel smell coming off the engine, so we continued west on HWY 10 to Tucson. When we got back to Tucson Dodge, they discovered that the new fuel filter they had installed was cracked. While we waited for two hours, they replace it with a new one and we headed north towards Apache Junction.

We got to Gold Canyon in the afternoon, which is east of Apache Junction, and decided to stay at the Canyon Vista RV Park. Our friends Bill and Janice Hendricks have a home in the Mountainbrook development, which was right across the road from the park, so we got to see and visit with them. We also got to visit and have dinner with Tony Steeneck, his wife Gayla, and their daughter McKenna at their beautiful home in Mesa. Tony was our manager when we owned and operated Leisure Sports and Ski in University Place many years ago. We had not seen Tony for several years, so it was fun catching up on what has happened in our lives.

Rodeo, NM

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We left Bisbee and started our trek to Rodeo, NM and the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains. We traveled to Douglas, AZ and then north on HWY 80. While driving, we became concerned because of a constant diesel smell coming off the engine. This was not customary for TREK to stink like this while driving her. We decided to find a campsite and then figure out our next move. We wanted to camp in the Chiricahua National Monument area, but this portion of the national park system has been closed due to the economy. We drove up into the mountains only to see that the maintenance of roads and facilities normally provided by the park service were non-existent. This was very disappointing to both of us as we were looking forward to hiking and spending some time in this area. There had also been several crime issues committed by illegal aliens in the Portal, AZ area and for the second time on our trip, safety became the priority. We ended up staying one night at Rusty’s RV Park in Rodeo, NM.

Growing up as youngsters, we were exposed to many different stories about the Native American people in our country. To be able to relive some of these stories and discover the many truths of what really happened is always beneficial. Just south of Rodeo is a memorial monument dedicated to Geronimo, great Apache warrior and leader. It was just a short distance from this memorial that Geronimo, and his small band of people finally surrendered on September 6, 1886.

Prior to this final surrender date, on March 27, 1886 Geronimo agreed to surrender to General George Crook on the condition that he and his followers would be returned to the reservation after two years’ living in exile. Crook agreed, believing that he had secured the most favorable terms possible. President Cleveland and General Sheridan were infuriated. They both informed Crook that the conditions were “unconditional surrender” and that sparing their lives was the only condition of the bargain. Feeling betrayed, Geronimo and his people bolted the encampment on March 29th and fled to Mexico.

In mid-July General Nelson Miles heard that Geronimo and his people were again reconsidering surrender. Miles dispatched Lt. Charles Gatewood from Ft. Bowie with orders to seek out Geronimo. Gatewood crossed over into Mexico and on August 23, 1886, his scouts picked up Geronimo’s trail.

On August 24th, Gatewood met Geronimo and his people on the banks of the Bavispe River, which is in Mexico. They were told to surrender and that they would be sent to Florida with their families to wait out President Cleveland’s final decision on their fate. Geronimo was visibly shaken when informed that some of his relatives and friends had already been taken to Florida. On August 25th, Geronimo said he would go to the border and surrender to General Miles.

On September 6, 1886 Geronimo and a small portion of his original people agreed to the surrender terms. At this time there were only nineteen men and twenty-eight women and children left in his band of warriors. Six Apaches (3 men and 3 women) refused to accept the surrender terms and fled back to Mexico, where death at the hands of the Mexican border guards awaited them. The picture above is the actual site of Geroimo's surrender and is located in Skeleton Canyon just a short distance from the monument, which is off HWY 80.

The surrender of Geronimo in Skeleton Canyon on that historic day, forever ended Indian warfare in the United States.

CLICK HERE to see the pictures of this area.

Bisbee, AZ

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With much hesitancy, we headed east towards Tucson on HWY 86 Sunday morning. We had scheduled an early appointment for Monday morning at Tucson Dodge for TREK to get an oil change, new fuel filter, and a new air filter. We wanted to keep her purring! We spent the night in the Tucson Mountain Park and enjoyed the surroundings. After completing TREK’s appointment, our plan was to head to the Cochise Stronghold and spend the night. We drove to Sunsites, AZ where we talked with a very interesting fellow in the Chamber of Commerce office. He advised us not to spend the night, as they had been having big problems with the illegal aliens in the area. The stronghold has a very small and unattended campground and he felt that our safety might be an issue of concern. We took his advice and headed to Bisbee, AZ.

Bisbee, AZ was founded in 1880 and named after Judge DeWitt Bisbee, a financial backer of the Copper Queen Mine. It became the county seat for historic Cochise County. This old western town proved to be one of the richest mineral sites in the world, producing nearly three million ounces of gold. It also produced more than eight billion pounds of copper, not to mention the silver, lead, and zinc that came from these rich Mule Mountains. By the early 1900’s the Bisbee community was the largest city in the southwest between St. Louis and San Francisco.

At its prime, Bisbee had a population of over 20,000 people and became the most cultured city in the southwest. Despite its culture, however, the rough edges of the mining camps could be found in the notorious Brewery Gulch, with its saloons and shady ladies. In 1908, a fire ravaged most of Bisbee’s commercial district along Main Street, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes. Reconstruction began immediately and by 1910 most of the district had been rebuilt and remains completely intact today.

Activities began to slow as the mines played out and the population began to shrink. The mining operations became unprofitable in 1975 and the Queen Mine operation shut down. Queen Mine has seven levels, 143 miles of passageways, and natural ventilation due to the many shafts and drifts. The average temperature inside the mine is 47 degrees. In 1954, the mine operations opened Lavender Pit. For 20 years, they extracted over 351 million tons of material which covered 300 acres and was over 1,000’ deep. They closed this operation in 1974, one year before closing the Queen Mine operation when copper prices plummeted.

CLICK HERE to take the Queen Mine video tour and learn more about this historic area.

CLICK HERE to see our Bisbee and Queen Mine pictures. The town is very historic and cultural, but the surroundings are not very appealing as a result of the devastation.

Organ Pipe National Monument

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We left the park and headed south through Blair Valley, which was just beautiful. We will be going back here someday and doing some real exploring. We spent two days in Yuma relaxing, doing our laundry, and enjoying the $5.00 dinner specials put on for the 55+ community of RV’ers. We went swimming and soaked in the hot tub, where we met some very interesting people. We could not wait to head to our next destination.

Organ Pipe National Monument is located just south of Why, AZ. Interesting fact - this community was originally named"Y" because of the intersection of highways 85 and 86. The spelling later changed when residents petitioned for a post office. Organ Pipe National Mounument is surrounded by the Mexican border to the south, the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Gunnery Range, and a very large reservation, which is the home of the Tohono O’Odham Native American people. This entire area is some of the hottest and driest desert land in the USA. This entire area is very densely covered with over 28 different varieties of cactus, including the famous Saguaro and the much rarer Organ Pipe Cactus.

The Organ Pipe Cactus grows in the far south of Arizona and can only be found exclusively in this pristine area of the desert. The Organ Pipe is much more common in Mexico and is distinguished from the Saguaro by having thinner stems that branch from it’s base. The Saguaro branches higher up it’s central trunk.

We took a wonderful hike to the Victoria Mine. This was a center for gold and silver excavations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ruined stone buildings, rusting pieces of iron equipment, and sealed off mine shafts can be seen. Perhaps, the biggest attraction of the hike was to see the abundant Sonoran Desert plants and the expansive views of the Sonoyta Valley into Mexico. The “night sky” was brilliant as we viewed the “Milky Way” and the many constellations in the clear, cold night sky from our $6.00 (nightly fee) Twin Peaks campsite.

CLICK HERE to see our pictures of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument area. This is one of our most favorite places that we have been so far in our travels..

Anza Borrego State Park (CA)

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“Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present, you will never find it” (Thomas Merton – Monk)

After spending three wonderful days at the “Fountain of Youth Spa” we headed south to Brawley on HWY 111, then northwest to Anza Borrego State Park. We really wanted to stop and see "Salvation Mountain", which is now a national monument located in Slab City (CA), but the road was closed because of the big rainfall the night before we left. This state park is the largest in California. The park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Baustista deAnza and the Spanish name “Borrego” which means Big Horn Sheep. Borrego Palm Canyon is the third largest natural palm oasis in California. It is a beautiful, well-watered oasis, tucked away in a rocky V-shaped gorge. The hike into the palm grove is about 3 miles and there are over 800 palms in the canyon. Although were did not see any Big Horn Sheep, it is a very popular hike to view them perched high above the canyon floor on the rocky cliff shelves. We did see many ocotillo cactus and several other types, which were just starting to bloom. Here, is where we both discovered Arizona “Lavender” and its wonderful fragrance.

The campsites are very primitive and spread out, with water and power provided. The first nights stay in the park was pretty stormy, with very high winds. We hiked the canyon on the 2nd day and the weather was spectacular. We highly recommend a visit here, especially when the cactus are just starting to bloom.

CLICK HERE to see our pictures of the canyon and take the hike with us to the Palm Grove. The creek that we followed up the canyon was still very full of water. We had to cross it on four different occasions, without any foot bridges.