Prescott, AZ, White Spar Campground, and Congress, AZ

Posted May 11, 2013

April 7-15, 2013

The days in Naco & Bisbee began to get too hot for us Northerners, so we upstakes and drove north to Prescott, AZ. Found a large, sunny, pull-through site at White Spar Forest Service campground, where we'd stayed in 2010. It was in a cool forested area, but this site was out in the open, and away from other sites, so it gave us privacy and plenty of sunlight for the solar panels.

Click on any photo to see it full size

White Spar National Forest Campground, Site 6

Electronic Girl

On a hike in White Spar

 On a hike in White Spar

Taking a break on a hike in White Spar

Our truck has been trouble-free. And a good thing, too. Here's the closest garage:

Garage in Prescott, AZ

The campground host, we later found out, had just turned 80 years old, and he'd been full-timing for 31 years! That's the record so far. Gave us trail maps of the area, warned us about where the snakes lived, and that there were javelinas in the area. We never saw any; however, Alex, a young tent camper in a nearby site, said he'd heard something heavy snuffling around outside his tent in the middle of the night, and when he checked in the morning, he found javelina prints. When we learned that Alex had only blankets to keep him warm during the 20 degree F. nights, we lent him our down sleeping bag...and as a result got to know him a bit better. He was living in his tent at White Spar (3 miles from Prescott), awaiting the start of the semester at Prescott campus of Emory Riddle Aeronautical University, where he'd been accepted to study Aeronautical Engineering, and eventually to become a pilot. He'd just mustered out of the Marine Corps after 5 years and several deployments--two to Afganistan.

He came over to our site the next night and showed us pictures of his tour in Afganistan. He was proud of his tour there, emphasizing how the Marines didn't really go on the offensive against the Taliban, but rather tried to keep the local population safe from them--the 'Hearts and Minds' strategy. Had a pleasant visit and an interesting evening with him. When he left, two days later, he gave us a Marine Corps pin to show his appreciation for the sleeping bag. 25 years old, a first generation Korean American, he had a humble, but self-assured way about him. Very nice kid, and we wish him well.

Nice hikes here through cool pine forests--love that aroma of dead pine needles and the gentle whooshing sound of the wind through the tall trees. We also explored Prescott--especially the thrift shops--and Leah came away with some awesome stuff. Good food, too. ...and good coffee!

Saw this in a restaurant. I can relate.

After a week or so, Leah wanted to go back to the desert, but it was too hot. So we settled for a drive to  Congress, AZ, a desert town just on the other side of the mountain range from Prescott. Beautiful drive.

Heading down to Congress (left, in distance) from the top of the Hwy 89 pass.

Just so happens that the new winter home purchased by the Bayfield Bunch was located in Congress, and we wanted to see what they had bought.

Background Note: the Bayfield Bunch is the title of an RV blog I follow, written by Al Bossence, of Bayfield, Ontario. He and his wife, Kelly, have been wintering in their motorhome for 7 or 8 years in Arizona. Last year, they bought a house and property for only $29,000 just outside Congress, AZ.  
You can do a search of their blog to see a picture of the house.

Congress is a very small town with a very interesting general store: Congress Depot Marketplace, run by the nicest folks: Judy and Jerry Stone. All sorts of stuff on sale, from soap and one-of-a-kind wooden bowls to furniture and clothing, Pizza (really good) and homemade cherry pie (also delicious). Turns out Judy and Jerry know Kelly and Al (of the Bayfield Bunch) well, since some of the Bunch's furniture for their new house in Congress came from Congress Depot Marketplace. Anyway, we took a drive out past their house, and it really is nice looking, especially for the price! Farther on down the same road, we came to an old, pioneer cemetary, where a disproportionate number of the interred were young children. Life must have been hard in the desert in the 1800s.

In this same area, there was a small RV encampment of modern-day gold miners. In fact, as Judy Stone told us, prospective gold miners were lined up to get into the encampment; gold mining was that popular. She showed us some of the gold nuggets found by the miners--they trade them to Judy for various goods, I guess.

We considered dispersed camping near Congress--there was some--but decided against it because of the heat.

Stay well...

Bisbee

Posted April 29, 2013

After 3 or 4 days in Tucson, it began to get too hot, so we moved to cooler climes--south, but also to higher elevation, at Bisbee, AZ. An old mining town built up the sides of mountains, it is now a tourist haven-come-hippee enclave. A liberal town in a conservative state. Leah walked around town visiting shops while I photographed an area that appeared to have been time-warped from the 1940s and 50s.

click any thumbnail to see full-sized photo

 This double-decker bus was permanently parked on the street outside what once was a Greyhound Bus Station. Somebody has a sense of humor.

Just liked the composition and color. Table is a restaurant.

The owner of the gym above was female. She must have won a competition, judging by the trophy in the right window. Here's a blow-up:

Some bumper stickers from Bisbee:

We tried to find camping IN Bisbee, but the only campground was full, so we had to stay at Turquoise Valley Golf and RV Resort, a short drive away in Naco, AZ. Our campsite was in a parking lot across the street from the golf course and clubhouse. It was also across the street--literally--from the Mexican border, really only a stone's throw. It was a bit eerie, too, as the border was a brilliantly lit rusty steel fence about 20 feet high--and it ran as far as the eye could see in both directions. Helicopters and planes  flew over frequently. There was even a tethered blimp high up in air, no doubt loaded with heat sensors and cameras, scanning for illegal immigrants.

To add to the eerieness, about a 1/4 mile away we discovered a large abandoned US Army base called Camp Naco, originally built in the early 1900s, partially in response to Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, NM. My camera quivered with anticiption...abandoned places make us both tingle...but, alas, the entire site had been fenced off, and I could only get photos from the top of a ladder. I had wanted to do some HDR shots from inside the buildings, but the fencing prevented it. Still, an interesting sight.

A small section of Camp Naco

Bike ride near Camp Naco. Mexico about 100 yards to the left.

Made us a little nervous...but we drove up anyway

At the top. Mexico to the left.

As it turned out, we mostly spent days exploring Bisbee and the surrounding area, and evenings back at the trailer in Naco. Did a few bike rides and walks, as well.

Stay well...

Catalina State Park, Sabino Canyon

Posted April 29, 2013

March 14-??

Got too hot in Joshua Tree, and we weren't really that impressed with it, so drove back to Tucson and stayed a few days in Catalina State Park, just on the outskirts of the city. Had a few days of thriftstoring, hiking and generally exploring. 

Hiked in Sabino Canyon--a park on the edge of the city. A winding paved trail for walking or biking--maybe 5 miles long, it climbed a fairly deep canyon, following a river up into an alpine area. We walked in the late afternoon. It seemed like wilderness: not too many people, no cars, no garbage, no houses...but every once in awhile, an electric shuttle would pass, carrying 10 or 15 people up the canyon. Some would get off at marked stops along the route, whereas others would ride the entire way up and back. Even with the shuttles, we were mostly alone. 

Toronto has High Park...Tucson has Sabino Canyon

Sabino Canyon

Sabino Canyon: Interesting patterns in rock

Sunset at Catalina State Park

 Sabino Canyon: Pleasing composition

At Sabino Canyon

At Catalina State Park

When Tucson got too hot , we thought we should head north for cooler temps; however, when I checked the weather around Arizona, I saw that Bisbee, at about 5000 feet, was cooler, even though it was farther south, and I'd read that it was worth a visit: old mining town, eclectic, with a hippee influenc...but that's another post.

Stay tuned...

Posted April 22, 2013 

Joshua Tree National Park, March 8-13, 2013

Once the solar panels were installed, we drove to the nearby Salton Sea, the largest lake in California. It was formed in 1905, when a natural dam broke and water flowed in from the Colorado River, flooding an area roughly 15 x 35 miles--and eventually submerging two small towns. Not only is it the largest lake, it's also the lowest in elevation, at about 220 ft below sea level. Since it has no outlet to the sea and is fed by rivers carrying agricultural runoff, its salinity increases each year, killing fish and causing algae blooms and boosting bacterial counts. It apparently often smells, but when we were there, it did not. There were, however, many abandoned buildings along the shore, and, like nearby Niland, the supply town for the Slabs, the road along the Salton Sea shore had seen better economic times.

Abandoned building along Salton Sea shore, with mountains of Joshua Tree National Park in background

Another abandoned structure along the Salton Sea shore

Abandoned bathing station, Salton Sea.

We wanted to camp somewhere along the Sea, but couldn't find anywhere suitable, so we kept going to Joshua Tree National Park. We toured the campground there, but it was too small, and everyone was right on top of everyone else. However, the ranger told us we could camp just outside the park entrance on BLM land...so that's what we did. Much nicer! And no one around.

After a quick walk-around, Leah approves of site selection. 

Photos of our site from all sides:

 Leah talks with Mark or one the kids in front the trailer 

 View out one side (playing with HDR)

 View out the back...

 View out the other side...

 Another view from out the other side from a different window ...

All by ourselves, as Jazzy takes in the new digs

We stayed here for about a week, exploring Joshua Tree National Park and visiting friends Cindy and Michael in Palm Springs, CA. They are staying at her brother's lovely second home, along with her parents. Had a great visit with all of them--so inspiring to see 90-year old people so vibrant and well. 

Those solar panels really work well. In combination with the 4 golf cart batteries and the abundant desert sun, we can run our toaster, microwave, TV--really anything we want, except the air conditioning. They give us the best of both worlds: isolation, quiet, and pristine views along with all the comforts of home--and no generator sound or smell.

Actually, it would have been handy to be able to run the air conditioning, as the temps were unseasonably warm: Palm Springs--just down the road--registered 99 degrees F! That's during the day, though; nighttime temps were much cooler, nice for sleeping.

Stay well...