Tortilla Mts and the Tonto Forest

3-30-09
The AFB Base turned off the water to the campground, so we were forced to leave for the day. We decided to drive to an area north of Phoenix and explore the Tortilla Mountains and the Tonto National Forest.

We drove north out of Tucson, towards Phoenix, and turned off on a good road that led through the mountains and past several state parks, lakes and dams on the Salt River.

What we didn't know is that half way through the trip the road becomes a one lane winding, dirt path with a 10% grade. There were a lot of motorcyclists on the mountain road, but they all stopped at Tortilla Flats. We would soon find out why.

At the top of the next mountain, and just past a spectacular overlook, the pavement stopped. We had come so far that we decided to continue down the mountain on the single lane road.

The pay off was that there were few people on this trek of the journey, (though we did see a Fedex Ground delivery truck) and the vistas were spectacular.

We drove down the steep canyons, along the Salt River and the lakes that had been created by the dams. The Apache Lake is 266 feet deep!

For being so close to Phoenix, the area is quiet and relatively deserted. We also made a side trip to the Tonto Memorial Park, which was the site of some Indian cliff dwellings. Unfortunately, we got there so late in the afternoon that we did not have time to climb the hills to get to the site. We will have to save that adventure for another day.

Missions and Wine Country

Saturday we planned another trip south to see two important missions and then would complete the journey with a visit to Arizona wine country.

Traveling south on I-19, we made a side trip just south of Tucson to see the mission, San Xavier del Bac, one of the oldest Spanish missions in the US. It was founded by Father Kino, who built a mission and a community from the sand and cactus of the desert. Sap from the cactus was actually used as an adhesive in the manufacture of the adobe that covered the structures.

I learned something from Father Kino's mission. The Garden of Gethsemane was not just the site of an olive grove and press. Olives have to be knocked from the tree and then, to get the oil, crushed under a heavy mill stone. Oil from the olives would flow through a groove and into jars. The millstone itself was called a "Gethsemane." The night before Jesus was crucified, the Bible tells us that while praying, he perspired blood.

This metaphor, of the crushing weight of sin, is often overlooked, but would have been immediately recognized by those familiar with the production of olive oil.

The next stop was Tumacacori National Historical Park, another Spanish mission. The gardens at the mission were cool and peaceful, patterned after the quiet places that priests once created here for contemplation.

On this particular day interpretors were scattered throughout the park so we had the benefit of getting some additional information about the early inhabitants. We also got to taste some paper thin tortillas, like the early natives ate. They were delicious!

Because this site is run by the State of Arizona, there was some odd editing of the Christian significance of the buildings and purpose of the rooms. Other that this annoyance, it was an interesting place to visit.

Finally, we made our way around to Arizona wine country, Elgin and Sonorita. We stopped at the first winery, Villages of Elgin, which was about 8 miles off the main highway, and signed up for a wine tasting. For $3/person, you were given a nice, big wine glass and a taste of five different wines.

Lest you think that these wineries are like the ones pictures in Napa Valley, California, I have posted a picture here. (No bathrooms, just port-a-potties).
We visited three wineries and bought several bottles of wine before leaving for home.

On the road to Tucson, we decided to pull over here and eat our picnic lunch.
A quiet place, the air so clean and crisp and the breeze keeping us cool in the hot March sun. All that was missing was a hammock.

Can you tell we really like Arizona?

Tucson Desert Museum

March 26, 2009

This afternoon we stumbled upon a gem in the desert, The Tucson Desert Museum. We were heading out to the Saguero National Monument and came upon the museum and decided to stop.

The admission price was $13/person. I thought that was a little steep for a museum, but we paid the price anyway and went inside. I was wrong to have questioned the price! The Desert museum was wonderful. We spent three hours walking through desert loops, aviaries, cactus gardens, and exhibits.

Three hours was not long enough to see everything. A combination of botanical gardens, zoo and museum, this is one of the most interesting places we have visited on our trip out west.

There were ramadas (above, right) placed strategically throughout the park so we could sit in the shade and gaze out on the beautiful, Saguero covered mountains. We also learned some interesting facts for our next trivia game. For instance, baby javelina are called "reds."

Bisby, Arizona

March 24, 2009

Today we traveled south of Tombstone to the town of Bisby. It is known as an artist's enclave and it is a quaint town with a lot of potential - though much of it is wasted.

The best part of the trip, though, was the beautiful scenery. The picture at above is the tunnel at the end of the journey. Just the other side is the town of Bisby.

We had driven to Ft Huachuca first, and after Bill got a military hair cut, we took the scenic drive to Bisby.

Once there, we stopped in the visitor's center. When I signed the guest book I noticed that more than half the visitors were Canadian citizens.

We ate at a fairly decent Mexican restaurant and then walked up and down some of the streets, but we found that most of them were used clothing and furniture stores and there were few real artisans.

It didn't matter though, because as I said, the highlight of our day was the beautiful mountains.

On the way home we drove through Tombstone and I got a picture of my sister's high school, now closed and boarded up. Then we drove on to Benson where we stopped at the only two cemeteries in town and we got out and walked up and down the rows, looking for my Aunt Kit's grave.

We never did find it. For now, the location is our unsolved mystery.

Pictures of Our Trip

So far, we have been on the road for five weeks. We are having a wonderful time and will have a lot of good memories from the time of transition.

I thought I would post some more pictures that could not fit in previous posts. The first shot is taken down the main street of Tombstone, Arizona.

This is the accelerator that was used to test the force of gravity on man. The first scientist tested it on himself and withstood 64 Gs. This is at the Space Museum in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

These are some more pictures from the Gila Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico.

Some more pictures of the petroglyphs in New Mexico.

Mt Lemmon, Arizona

March 19, 2009 Tucson, Arizona

This morning the AFB announced that the electricity would be off in the campground. Since it is in the mid-80's today, we decided that we had better find something to do away from the trailer until the electricity was on again.

We decided to make a short trip to Mt. Lemmon. Tucson is desert surrounded by mountains. Just to the north and east of us is a popular ski resort, Mt. Lemmon, which is over 9000 ft in elevation. This, we thought, would make an interesting day trip.

There were few cars on the road to Mt. Lemmon this morning. Mostly, there were lots and lots of cyclists. Fortunately, the winding roads had a bike lane so we did not have to worry too much about making way for bikes.

The first part of the journey was through beautiful desert scenery, complete with large saguaro cactus. There is a picture ( above left) of the large saguaros. At about 4000 ft, the scenery changed from desert cacti and ocotillo to tall pine trees and warnings of black bears and mountain lions.
The temperature when we started out was in the mid 70's. When we got to the top of the mountain the temperature was 56 degrees and there was snow on the north side of the slopes.

As you can see in this picture, there is still a significant amount of snow on the mountain. We got to the top of the mountain where the ski lift is and determined not to take the unpaved road down the side of the mountain, and instead, drove back down the way we came.

It was a pleasant, and cool, way to spend an otherwise hot day. And, I am always amazed at the different climates and vegetation all within just 30 miles of the desert.

The people who live here are enthusiastic about Tucson. There is a lot to do here and a lot to see. I share their enthusiasm for such a lovely oasis in the desert.

Tubac and Old Tombstone

Tombstone, Arizona
March 18, 2009

This morning we awoke, ready for a new adventure. So, we got out the map and plotted a day trip south on Hwy 19 to the artist's colony at Tubac, Nogales and Tombstone. These are all a short distance from Tucson.

Tubac was a surprising find. About 45 miles south of Tucson is a small village full of little shops, galleries, and cafes mixed in among the historic mission. We spent the afternoon walking the streets, stopping in interesting shops and pricing the huge clay pots.

At the moment, we have no place to store these finds or I would have bought several for myself. When we finally settle down again, I plan to add more color to my life.

We were surprised at the number of people who live this far south of Tucson, and between Tubac and Nogales. There are, apparently, a lot of jobs in this area, probably because of its proximity to the Mexican border.

We drove south to Nogales. I had read of quaint shops and cafes in this town, but we did not find them. We did see the border fence, however, though I could not get a picture of it as we drove through town.

We took Hwy 82, a scenic route, towards Tombstone. This area is very rugged, with deep canyons and arroyos and jagged mountains. We followed the scenic highway almost all the way to Tombstone.

The first historic site we came to in Tombstone was boot hill where we walked through the cemetery and learned that a large number of Tombstone residents died of shotgun wounds or were hanged.

In the main part of town we found the road blocked off to through traffic. We parked and walked the streets, looking in the shops and stopping at Big Nose Kate's Saloon for lunch.

Kate, as you may know, was Doc Holiday's common law wife. We ate hamburgers and watch the staged fights between gun slingers and listened to western ballads.

On the way home we stopped in Benson and found a cemetery that we hoped might be where my aunt was buried. Unfortunately, we did not find here so need to get some further clues about where she might be before we go back and look again.

Literary Weekend in Tucson

We spent a great weekend attending a literary festival - The Festival of Books - at the University of Arizona. The picture at right is of J.A. Jance, a crime story writer from Arizona who gave an entertaining and informative talk at the end of the festival. She has written over 40 books.

I stayed up late last night to read one of her books, Cruel Intent, so I would have an idea about what she writes and whether or not I liked her writing before I attended her speech.

Though a graduate of the University of Arizona, she spoke about the lack of respect genre fiction gets in university English Departments. She is a great story teller, in person as well as in print.

We also heard children's authors, the writers of westerns and DIY books. The festival included booths with local literary related businesses. There was an attempt to appeal to all ages. There was also some great entertainment, including a mariachi band made up of children.

It was a beautiful weekend and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. These are the kinds of things we like to do with our spare time.

We did buy one book, a western by Johnny Boggs that he autographed for us.

This week we hope to visit Tombstone and Tubac, a village of artisans. I really like Tucson. I can understand my grandparent's attraction to this place.

Family Connections in Tucson, Arizona

I have a personal connection to Tucson, Arizona. My maternal grandparents are buried here in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery on Miracle Mile.

The cemetery is large and since the office was closed on Sunday, I called my older sister who remembered some details about the grave sites that helped us narrow down the location.

Bill and I walked up and down, row after row, until we finally found them, together, in a shady spot. Grandpa had retired from the railroad and had the RR insignia indicating this on his plaque.

There was only the years, not the exact date of their deaths. I took some pictures and will go back again before I leave to decorate the grave sites.

Seeing their graves reminded me of the brevity of life and the importance of leaving a legacy. Though I was very young when my grandparents passed away, I have very fond memories of both of them and am glad I was able to visit their graves.

For family members reading this, their graves are located inside the gate and left at the flag pole. They are in the section to your immediate right, 15 rows from the top and number 24 and 25 from the end.

New Mexico

We spent a wonderful week in New Mexico, seeing Cloudcroft, Ruidoso and the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
We left early in the morning and headed for the road that traveled over a mountain pass, hoping to get to the Cliff Dwellings in about two hours.

When we left Truth or Consequences
the temperature was 54 degrees. We started up the mountain and the road got more twisted and the drop offs more sheer.

The temperature was dropping quickly and the road started to ice.

Almost at the top, we lost our nerve and turned around and came back down the icy mountain and took a longer - but flatter - way to the cliff dwellings.

We were amazed at the Gila Cliff Dwellings. They were much more intricate that we had imagined they would be. The Mogollon Indians did not just live in the caves they found. They built intricate rooms for family members, for worship and for preparing and storing food.

We hiked up the mountain and then walked along the ledges and into the cave dwellings. This place was certainly worth the extra effort to get to this isolated and beautiful spot.

Thursday morning we packed up and headed for Arizona. By afternoon we had arrived at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. We plan to stay here for at least a week, perhaps longer. It is nice and we have already met some very nice people who regularly come to this base each winter.

New Mexico, Continued

The mountains at sunset in Alamogordo. It is very beautiful here. This picture was taken on our way back from El Paso, which is just a short distance south of here.

This is a picture of the house where my family lived when I graduated from high school. It looks a little different. They have added a small wall in the front of the house and have put a large garage in the back yard. The area is very congested now, but when we lived there it was only desert across the street.

But, it is still a nice looking place. I remember the picture of my father laying beside a blade of grass, happy to see that little bit of green in the desert. I am always surprised to see how much the trees have grown in 35 years.

This is the school that my brothers attended when we lived in El Paso. I am not sure if my sister attended the same school.

This is a picture, taken from the car, of the high school where I graduated. It seems different, though they still sported the picture of the trooper, their mascot, on the front of the school building.

It was interesting to visit El Paso. It is large and sprawling, and not somewhere I can imagine ever living again. But, I enjoyed making a visit to the places I remember so fondly.
This was a happy time in my life.

Petroglyphs of New Mexico

Today we ventured out to the Petroglyph site about 40 miles north of Alamogordo (which means Fat Cottonwood, FYI).

The park was desolate, a few hills in the desert, but we parked and found the park volunteer who directed us up a dirt path, onto hills of what looked like volcanic rocks.

Since we had climbed down into Carlsbad Cavern the day before, our climbing muscles were starting to feel over-worked. We whined, but managed to climb to the top of the hill and discovered many examples of the native carvings. There were pictures of rattlesnakes, big horn sheep , masks, hunters and Thunderbirds.

After the petroglyph site, we headed north for Capitan and the Smokey Bear Historic Park. Smokey was found in the Lincoln National Forest and is buried in Capitan. We walked through the visitor center and saw his gravesite and then drove to Ruidoso where we walked the streets and visited some of the quaint shops. Lots of Republican commentary in the windows so I felt safe in this town.

We drove down the mountain and on the way home stopped at a Pistachio farm. Not only do they grow pistachios, but also make their own wine. We tasted some of the wine and found it to be excellent so bought bottles of Merlot and Chardonnay (Heart of the Dessert Wine) and
some pistachios.

It was surprising to see pistachio orchards in the dessert, but apparently the pistachio is native to New Mexico. A surprise to us. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Space Museum and White Sands Monument.