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<<< Monday, 9 February 1998
After what turned out to be a very hectic and event-packed visit to the UK we landed on time at Phoenix airport. After immigration clearance where we were granted a 6 months stay even though we only asked for four months, we were able to quickly collect the car and set off for the 90-mile drive to Congress where the RV was stored.
During the journey, we were very surprised to see that
there was water running in what are normally dry desert washes. As we approached
Wickenburg
the sky suddenly darkened and in no time we were in the middle of heavy rain,
however, we were treated to the largest and most brilliant rainbow either of us
had ever seen as we stopped at a supermarket for essential provisions.
Tuesday, 10 February 1998
George set off early to collect the mail at the nearby post office but was disappointed to find that for the first time our SKP mail service had failed to forward our mail as requested.
Mid-morning we set off for the 110-mile drive to the Apache Junction KOA which was so full we were located in the overflow area with a promise that they would be able to provide a site with hookups tomorrow.
It was then back to
Phoenix
airport by car where we picked up Mac & Jane who landed 40 minutes late and
drove them to the Best Western Hotel adjacent to the airport where they would
spend the night before collecting their rented RV from Cruise America the
following morning. However, upon arrival, they learnt that no room had
been booked and the problem was further compounded when they found the following
morning that BA had also failed to rent an RV for them.
Wednesday, 11 February 1998
We were pleased to find that Pat and Dick had arrived at the campground the previous evening, so during breakfast in the adjacent restaurant we were able to catch up on the events of the past few months.
Mac and Jane arrived late in the afternoon after a long and frustrating time collecting their 30-foot motor home. It was then off to the local K Mart where they purchased bedding and crockery etc. being a lot cheaper than buying kits from Cruise America.
The six of us set off north towards the Theodore Roosevelt Dam along route 88 which quickly climbs into the scenic Superstition Mountains. The road became unpaved shortly after passing through Tortilla Flats where we stopped for lunch. A 7-foot 2-inch cowboy added to the atmosphere of the old mining town by posing for photos with the tourist. The restaurant has a unique character with its walls covered in bank notes and a variety of old western memorabilia.
Further north the road twists even more steeply and eventually we came upon a lake and marina where we all agreed it would be nice to camp if anyone had the nerve to drive the RVs down that road! We decided to turn around at that point and not continue for another 20 miles of twists and turns.
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Friday, 13 February - Saturday, 14 February 1998, Valentines
Mac and Jane decided they would go off on their own to find
a golf course but returned at the end of the day reporting that they could not
get a game as the local Clubs needed up to 5 days advanced warning for a
booking. Hope this is not going to be the norm for all courses.
We went off early in the morning to visit the local flea market but did not find much to spend our money on however, later that day George made up for that by buying a set of golf clubs.
Valentine's night saw all of us driving to a "ghost mining town" for a meal in an old restaurant complete with live music and authentically dressed servers.
Sunday, 15 February 1998
We said farewell to Pat and Dick, promising to call and see
them at their home in
Sonoma
on our way north after which we drove the fairly short trip to The Voyager RV
park in
Tucson. Unfortunately, on
the way into the campground, we hit an overhanging branch and sustained quite a
bit of damage to the awning casing which will have to be repaired sometime soon.
This campground has a small golf course so the three golfers took off for their
first game during the afternoon.
Monday, 16 February 1998
Mac had managed to get a tee time at another local course and Valerie was talked into going along to drive the golf cart. Unusually for Arizona, it was a cold day and coupled with the fact that the course was busy and the slow play meant everyone was glad when the game was over, after which some unpleasant words were said about the ongoing impact of El Nino.
Tuesday, 17 February 1998
The four of us set off early intending to explore a
shopping mall while the RV's awning was repaired, however, not only was the
repair shop entrance difficult to find but we quickly learnt they would need a
week to obtain the replacement parts. If nothing else the drive to the repair
shop gave Mac & Jane a chance to be chauffeur driven and an opportunity to see
the GPS system in action.
By early afternoon heavy rain was again falling as we
returned in the RV to the campground, the rain however did not prevent Mac and
George from going out later in the afternoon to Nevada Bobs and buying a putter
as well as other golfing necessities.
Wednesday, 18 February 1998
A quiet morning as we caught up on letters followed by 9 holes on the campgrounds golf course during the afternoon while Valerie was left to do the washing!
Mac had been expressing a strong interest to see a rodeo and today his wish was more than granted since Tucson was not only holding one of the largest rodeos in the west but was also having its annual parade. It is the largest non-motorised parade in the US with over 700 horses participating, taking nearly two hours to pass by. |
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Due to the huge crowds, we ended up having to park
the car a 40-minute route march from our grandstand seats which we were
more than pleased to eventually find. The parade is a mixture of school
marching bands with brilliantly coloured costumes complete with
majorettes as well as horse-drawn carriages of every description. |
Early afternoon we took our seats for the rodeo where we discovered that the arena was a sea of mud due to the heavy rains of the past few days, if nothing else it made the landing a little softer for the numerous cowboys thrown by the broncos and bulls. Outside the arena a small group were protesting that rodeos were dangerous (to humans) and that they should be banned, however being the west they were ignored.
Friday, 20 February 1998
In search of hopefully better weather, we headed 150 miles
south to
Naco
which lies on the Mexican border, has a population of 700 and lies adjacent to
its sister city in
Mexico
with a population of 5,000. Unfortunately, we did not find the weather any
better since while playing golf in the afternoon it suddenly darkened and in no
time we were in the middle of heavy rain accompanied by snow as well as a strong
wind.
Saturday, 21 February 1998
A sunny start to the day and an excellent breakfast in the
clubhouse lead to an enjoyable game of golf in the beautiful scenery.
During our return to the UK Valerie had only been able to
obtain sufficient medication to last two months so we decided to walk across the
border into
Mexico
to procure additional supplies. On crossing the border it was like suddenly
walking back in time since the cars were more appropriate to the fifties and the
buildings and roads were badly in need of repair. Drugs can be obtained in
Mexico without a doctor's prescription and are much cheaper than in the US which
leads to thousands of Americas making the crossing. Unfortunately, we
could only obtain one item and began to realise that there is still no worldwide
coding standard for medication.
Later in the afternoon, we visited the local town of
Bisbee whose past fortune
had been made on the vast open cast copper mine which was now worked out.
Tombstone
is probably the most famous of western towns and in 1880s Allen Street was the
fun centre. It was the red light district where thousands of miners would flock
at the end of their shift, at one point the relatively short street had over 110
bars. It is also adjacent to the
OK Corral gunfight location
and within a mile of
Boothill
which is a graveyard containing hundreds of graves, most of whose occupants had
met a violent end, the vintage year seems to have been 1882.
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Tombstone still has numerous old western buildings but today they either sell tourist items or offer excellent food and drink in wild west saloons while outside gun fights erupt at regular intervals. All the entertainers are unpaid volunteers who just love to dress up in traditional western clothes and act out their chosen part.
Monday, 23 February -Tuesday, 24 February 1998
Moving north we stopped for two nights in Arizona City, playing golf on a new and relatively cheap course near Casa Grande. Unfortunately, on Tuesday we had heavy rain so M&J went shopping while we caught up on our correspondence.
Wednesday, 25 February 1998
We crossed the state line into California and camped for the night at the Big River RV Resort which is located on the side of the Colorado River near the town of Parker. Leaving Valerie to enjoy the peace of the river the golfers set off to play 9 holes on a course which was cleverly laid out amongst the hills along the edge of the river.
Thursday, 26 February 1998
On the way to Las Vegas we stopped at Lake Havasu to visit the spot where Kevin and June were married almost a year ago, bringing back happy memories which like today had warm and sunny weather.
M&J who had not been to
Las Vegas for ten years was surprised at how much had changed
including more hotels, casinos and spectacular illuminations. During the
evening we visited Flamingo, Mirage and Ceasars Palace which as usual was very
impressive.
Friday, 27 February 1998
Breakfast at Boomtown was followed by a round of golf. During the evening we visited The Luxor, MGM and Excaliber and rounded off the evening by watching the pirate and British ships fighting to a spectacular death outside Treasure Island.
Saturday, 28 February 1998
A disappointing start to the day since not only was the Oasis campground restaurant closed for the planned breakfast but our tee-off at the Municipal golf course was delayed by at least an hour due to early morning frost! which lead to abandoning golf for the day, so the unexpected free time was spent shopping in the Vegas Strip fashion mall.
NASCAR weas holding a race meeting over the weekend and in Sam's Town parking lot, where we had our evening meal, a huge collection of first class classic cars were on display. Later we enjoyed the 11.00 p.m. cowboy theme lighting and musical display in Freemont Street, which was crowded with the younger generation, listening to two live rock groups. >>>
