We went to Prison. . .Yuma Territorial Prison that is. . .

 

Our trip from WHY AZ to Yuma AZ
was about three hours on mostly two lane highway
with no shoulder until we reached Interstate 8 at Gila Bend. . .
but still a great drive with the Mohawk Mountains always out in front of us. . .
we love that. . .but this was the first somewhat minor grade
mountain pass we would be crossing since our major repair in El Paso. . .

No sweat. . .climbed right over it. . .no hiccups. . .yaaaa!
Dave feels he can sense a difference in the power. . .
I guess so. . .don’t you feel better when you can get fuel. ..LOL!

So. . .here we are at Southern Mesa RV Park,
way out in the middle of the lemons and tangerines. . .
Passport America – 50A – FHU – $23 PA rate. . .

AJ (Janice) and Rick Binns, friends from Ohio are here,
and we got lucky enough to get a space right next door. . .

We are all climbing in the truck to head out on our adventure,
as rain is promised for tomorrow, and the skies are already clouding up. . .

again with the Westerns. . .Dave NEEDED to see it. . .ha ha!

a beautiful view looking across the Colorado River into California
of what I believe are the southern end of the Chocolate Mountains

from the guard tower. . .

 

 

play time at the museum. . .

I loved all the outside stuff. . .this is the cell block area. . .
it’s one of those places, that, no matter how good the pics are. . .
you can only appreciate by seeing it for yourself. . .

 

I had him all locked up again. . .AJ had to go and let him out. . .we gotta talk!

no such pardon for Rick. . .you’re stuck buddy!
okay, okay. . .since you’re driving. . .



what a fun way to spend an afternoon with friends. . .



and then they came home and fixed supper for us. . .
looky here. . .steak, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. . .
and real dishes, set out on a real table. . .luxury indeed. . .

a wonderful ending to the day. . .thanks again guys!

Tomorrow. . .a date shake. . .yummy!

‘til then,
Janice and Dave

Yuma Territorial Prison–Yuma AZ VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Arizona 2015,Yuma AZ,Territorial Prison,Rick and Janice Binns

Organ Pipe Cactus National Preserve

The Motorhome is parked at
Coyote Howls West – 50A – $20 a night
back in space – best electric voltage we’ve had so far
not much to look at. . .but great owners
Why AZ

Verizon Service is excellent. . .we can see the cell tower from the park
never lost coverage all the way from Tucson, using the Wilson Booster

now to the reason why we are doing an overnight in WHY AZ. . .
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is only 4 miles away. . .



and is so close to Mexico that warning signs are posted. . .

Areas of the park that have been closed since 2003
reopened to the public in September 2014. . .



we are here to specifically see the Organ Pipe Cactus
which only grows in this specific area of the Sonoran Desert
due to it’s susceptibility to frost. . .

what a beautiful plant, flanked here by Cholla Cactus,
and overshadowed by a Saguaro Cactus. . .
with the State Tree of Arizona, the Palo Verde in the background. . .



a lovely view of the Ajo Mountains
was visible from the walking trail behind the Visitor Center. . .

 

and of course we needed to check out the RV Park located just
past the Visitor Center for any of our RV friends
who might like to stay in the National Park. . .

all dry camping. . .but lovely level cement pads available. . .

We are glad we made this stop. . .
not only to see another beautiful place. . .
but to check another National Park off the list. . .

a really great NP, well worth a visit. . .

See you next time in Yuma,

’til then,
Janice and Dave

Organ Pipe Cactus National Memorial–Why Arizona VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Arizona 2015,Why AZ,Organ Pipe Cactus National Memorial,National Parks

Our Final Tour in Tucson–Mt Lemmon

 

what a glorious day for a drive. . .
maybe the most beautiful day we’ve had this week. . .
sunshine. . .blue skies. . .76*. . .no wind

the perfect day to drive another of America’s Byways. . .
Sky Island Scenic Byway to the peak of Mt Lemmon . . .elevation 9157’

Sky Islands Overlook – the mountains in the distance
are described as looking like islands. . .

 

was so very happy to be riding up in the Jeep,
and not sufferin’ like these folks we saw everywhere. . .
comin’ and goin’ . . .I would be dyin’ . . .there’s just no way!

 

there was something beautiful around each new curve. . .

and finally. . .at about 8000’ we found the snow. . .



a beautiful, perfect finish to our week in Tucson. . .

See you next time at Organ Cactus National Monument. . .

‘til then
Janice and Dave

Mt Lemmon–Sky Island Scenic Byway–Tucson AZ VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Arizona 2015,Tucson AZ,Sky Island Scenic Byway,Mt Lemmon

Sentinel Peak or as it’s known in Tucson–“A” Mountain

I’m always seeking out the best vantage point for pics,
and if you want a fabulous view of Tucson,

you need to drive to the peak of “A” Mountain. . .

this is the story of how it came to be named. . .



it was very cloudy and overcast today, with rain predicted for this afternoon,
but still a beautiful view of a large portion of the Santa Cruz Valley. . .



and Downtown Tucson. . .



looking out toward Mexico and the ever present brown haze of smog. . .



a taxi driver was up top, playing with his remote control toy. . .
would love to have talked to him, but he was on the phone the entire time. . .

would be fun to see some of the pics he got. . .

If you love to have a birds eye view then you would
enjoy this short drive to the top of Sentinel Peak. ..

highly recommended. . .enjoy!

see ya next time,
Janice and Dave

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Sentinel Peak,Arizona 2015,Tucson AZ

Sabino Canyon–Coronado National Forest

Oh Lordy. . .the weekend has not been filled with our best tourist moments. . .
which we can only attribute to our own selves. . .and for no other reason. . .really!

With high winds for three days, Mt Lemmon has been put on a back burner. . .
we were warned by friends that driving up it in the wind is NOT the thing to be doing. . .

okay. . .so Saturday morning, in revamping mode and while I’m busy
doing other things, Dave researches the Scenic Drive through some Box Canyon. . .
looks great. . .off we go. . .problem being. . .after the initial Scenic Drive Sign
off the freeway. . .we NEVER SAW another one. . .so we missed the turn. . .
and drove, and drove, and drove. . .oh my word. . .



this is the prettiest thing we saw all day. . .and while beautiful,
just not the box canyon we thought we were going to explore and hike. . .

by the time we turned around, got back to the border check point. . .
ask the Border Patrol Officer where the turn off was. . .
discovered it was a rough, gravel road. . .well. . .we were just out of the mood. . .

wah wah wah. . .back home we go. . .



ahhh. . .but this morning helped revive the old spirits. . .
Sunday Morning Worship Service with the folks at
Faith Tabernacle – Tucson. . .

really though. . .how are you supposed to pay attention to what anyone is saying. . .
when God’s splendor is just spread out right there in the background. . .lovely!



Sabino Canyon, which was on our list was only 12 minutes from the church,
so we brought some stuff to change into. . .went and had lunch. . .
and headed over there. . .



paid our $8 each to ride the tram. . .best decision ever.
We might could hike down into the canyon. . .
but I have my very serious doubts we would ever make it back out. . .LOL!

it was a very comfortable, but overcast day. . .
our pics do not even begin to give justice
to what a really pretty place this is. . .
so I will leave you with just this one. . .



and our very first sighting of a Crested Saguaro Cactus
that the tour guide pointed out to us. . .

We were excited about that. . .

Only a couple more days are left here in Tucson. . .
still plenty to try and see. . .not sure what’s next. . .

I do know the dreaded grocery shopping
must be fitted in there somewhere. . .

See you there. . .whatever it is. . .

Janice and Dave

Sabino Canyon–Tucson Arizona VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Arizona 2015,Sabino Canyon Recreation Area,Tucson AZ,Coronado National Forest