Was too busy last night watching The Mind of the Married Man on dvd to add to Richard's comments. So....
As Richard mentioned, we are still in the Tucson vicinity. This is surprising as upon our arrival here Richard was quite anxious to leave for Quartzite as soon as the moho was repaired. At this point, I think I will mention, that although none of these vehicle problems have been a big deal, they all require time, and to me, it feels like we are always dealing with something....finding a screw that has popped out, looking for a piece to hold a wheel cover in place, getting it washed, waiting until the propane tank is empty so we can repair the leak, etc. So although the motorhome affords us freedom in terms of where we can spend the night, it also costs time and energy. This can be frustrating. For example on Thursday, we were supposed to leave for Tubac (we tried to do this for 3 days in a row) but instead spent the entire day driving through the city (towing the van) looking for a part that we never were able to find. Unfortunately motorhome part suppliers are not in the same areas as thrift stores, so I had to go along. (The previous day Richard had non moho related errands which took the whole day, but as 'Clara' our GPS guided us through the streets to our destinations, we passed a Savers or a Twice as Nice and I was able to be dropped off and picked up after his business was finished. I don't always get stuff, but as Gandhi used to say, it's not about the destination, it is the journey and what a fun journey Twice as Nice is!)
Enough about the moho and frustrations, I would like to talk about the amazing time that we have had in Tucson. As we may or may not have mentioned, we happened upon Gilbert Ray by accident. Not only is it beautiful, but situated in an interesting area outside of the city. Firstly, whenever we went into Tucson, we took the Gates Pass Road, which is magnificent. I wanted to watch the sun go down from its 4,500 ft vantage point, but our timing was never right. So the ride to Tucson was terrific. Fairly early during our stay, we went into Tucson Estates, a retirement village a few miles from Gilbert Ray, to do laundry and found an awesome Mexican restaurant. During the next 3 days we went to Los Nopales, for dinner that night, for breakfast the next day and for lunch the third day. This was a very busy place with people lined up out the door, but on our 3rd visit the waiter said, "Haven't you guys been here 3 days in a row?" The tables are really close together and we got to meet some of the locals, which was fun. One guy came up to our table and said to me, "I gather that you are traveling with your uncle." SWEET!!!
While we were in Weatherford, Texas, I fell on the ice at the Walmart. It didn't stop me from enjoying the Tucson Gem Show or the thrift stores, but it did make biking and hiking uncomfortable. Three doors down from the laundromat near Gilbert Ray campground was a healing centre. I went in, spoke with the owner, and while the clothes were drying, I had my first reflexology treatment. It was incredible. (I'm still dreaming about it.) The next day I returned for a massage. Also awesome. I mention these because we were not in the middle of an urban centre. It was desert and mountains everywhere you looked. Also while in this place, it isn't really even a town, we went to some open houses for a new development. OH MY GOD, these places were incredible and so beautifully furnished in a Western motif. Once again, mountains out of every window and panoramic views of the desert in all its glory. It is not like we would ever move down here, but it is fun to try on that reality for a few minutes. One of these places could be bought for the same amount that we would get selling our house in Barrie. Real estate throughout our travels has been for the most part cheaper than at home, except for the villas and really wonderful places nestled in the foothills.
After our 7 day allotment at Gilbert Ray was up, we moved to Catalina State Park on the northern outskirts of Tucson. This place, nestled in the foothills of the mountains., was also very spectacular. It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, but the truth is that you are walking distance from an upscale plaza. At night, the coyotes roamed the campground and sang.
The day after we moved, Richard and I spent the day in town in the university district. We went to the Centre for Creative Photography which houses/displays the original Ansel Adams photographs. We also saw a show entitled Face to Face 150 years of Photographic Portraiture. This included originals by photography icons including: Dianne Arbus, Edward Westin, Alfred Steiglitz, Dorothy Norman and many others. It was really inspiring. After that we wandered through the Southwest Native American craft show, but unfortunately, they were in the process of taking it down. The university area is really cool. ...great little restaurants, shops and a terrific cupcake place.
On Monday, we went on the Canyon Loop Hike with Jazzy (pictured carrying her own waste out). It was lovely, not too taxing and surprise of surprises, there was water in one of the rivers. (Many of the rivers in this area are totally dry. Driving through town you will cross these huge bridges and look down into a dry washes.) I guess that I shouldn't be that surprised because the previous night it had snowed in the mountains. By the time we took the hike though, it was in the 70s.
This campground had many large rigs, electric hook ups and town water. Luxury! Our site faced the mountains and so we had more privacy than most. However, a point worth mentioning is that our neigbours had an electric palm tree which they lit at night and a lighted perimeter around their RV. (the better to see the scurrying coyotes) It is very interesting how people personalize their rigs: carpets, lanterns, bird feeders, wind chimes, and flowers, but this was my first electric palm tree. It made for easy navigation back from the showers.
The next place that I want to talk about is Tubac, but I will save that for another day. Richard and I are heading back to town today, so I can go to the Fox Theatre to see the Academy Awards on a big screen....
and the Oscar goes to.......
No comments:
Post a Comment