One could get use to this.........



 We woke up freezing this morning and had to fight over which one of us would get up and turn the furnace on, it had gone down into the low 40's during the night, but as soon as the sun comes up it really warms up fast. One hour after we got up we were outside eating our breakfast in the warm sunshine.

We had chores to do today so we spent most of the day in town, doing laundry and shopping.
I never  realized how many Walmarts there are in this country. We had lunch at the Olive Garden and were able to eat outdoors again, what a treat for us Minnesotans.

At the advice of a fellow camper we stopped at the Pima Air and Space Museum where they have many military and private aircraft on display, inside the hangers and outside on the field, we were able to take a free guided tour, and really had a good time.

 Cactus in Bloom

 Welcome back warm weather and sunshine.......

We left this morning at 8:30 to head for Tucson. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning. The last time we visited Tucson we discovered a gem of a campground called Gilbert Ray located in Tucson mountain park. The campground is located between old Tucson, the Desert Museum, and Saguaro National Park. 

Our campsite is large, secluded and surrounded by practically every type of cactus in Arizona. We overlook a dry wash and have a nice view of the mountains.

We are enjoying some desert hiking and we had an evening drive through the Saguaro National Park. We plan on spending  another day here before moving on.

 Gibert Ray Campground

 Dead Desert Tree

 Saguaro Cactus

 Our Campsite

Saguaro at Sunset

Saturday April 14th
Cold, Rain, Sleet,Hail and Snow......Welcome to Arizona!

We thought we would leave City of the Rocks State Park early this morning to beat the pending strong winds that had been predicted for this afternoon.  After three hours of white knuckle driving with winds that had us bouncing all over the freeway, we decided enough was enough.  So, based on a suggestion from a fellow camper we met last evening, we pulled into Kartchner Caverns State Park, Benson Arizona. We have a lovely camping space and we have reservations for a cave tour.  We are going to Tombstone and possibly Bisbee later today and check those areas out.

 As soon as we got settled in our camp site it began raining harder and the temperature dropped enough to send us scrambling for long pants and jackets.  Next, the sleet, hail and snow all came!  We took the cave tour and were able to warm up; it was much warmer in the cave then out.

After the tour we drove to Tombstone. Freezing temperatures and blowing winds put a stop to a lot of walking around town. On the advice of our 11 year old granddaughter we had dinner at ‘Big Nose Kate’s Saloon’, now, how do suppose an 11 year old knows about a place like that? By the time we finished eating it was too late to head down to Bisbee.  Anyway, despite the weather we had a good day.

City of the Rocks State Park is described as a geological wonder, that rests beneath some of the        darkest night skies in the country.We went outside tonight at 9:30 to star gaze and I have never seen  so many stars in my life, its just incredible, that's why this blog is being written so late.                     

The park itself is an outcrop of rocks left from an ancient volcanic eruption that took place 33          million years ago it was 1000 times greater than Mount St. Helens. It's like a giant rock maze made up of huge boulders some 40 feet high.                                                                                                     

The wind here in New Mexico is supposed to be very strong tomorrow and may kick up some very bad dust storms, and the temperatures are going to drop, so its on to Tucson tomorrow.                  

City of Rocks SP

      

   

City of Rocks SP

City of Rocks SP

City of Rocks SP

City of Rocks SP

City of Rocks SP

We had another easy travel day. It's 10:45 AM and we are set up for the day already at City of the Rocks State Park.  I am both amazed and very pleased with our Virgin Mobile Hotspot. We are so far out in the boonies and I'm still able to get the internet. We will post again later and include some pictures from here. 

We are once again staying at Rockhound State Park, we were here about 12 years ago. You are allowed
to carry out 15 lbs of rocks from the park. People have found many geodes and agates, even some precious gems here, we spent most of the day climbing and digging but didn't find anything but we had a great time looking. I did have a unfortunate run in with a cactus, that was sure painful, everything out here has prickles OUCH!!!

The desert here in New Mexico is starting to bloom and Rich was able to get some great pictures of some of the beautiful flowers, hope you enjoy.

Rockhound State Park

Rockhound State Park

Rockhound State Park

Rock hounding

Fairy Dusters

Blue Phacelia

Mexican Desert Poppy

Tackstem

Look close..desert native

Sand, Sand, and more Sand

This morning we drove up to White Sands National Monument. We had no idea how large  White Sands really is. The park is only a small part of the area the rest is military missile testing grounds and it goes on and on for miles.

We love to hike, so we stopped at the Visitor Center and picked up a map and talked the naturalist. What an incredible place this is. They have to plow the roads with a grater everyday so people can drive through.

We chose two hikes, one a moderate 1.6 mile and a strenuous 5 mile. They really lived up to there names. Luckily for us the temperature was mild, the sky was slightly overcast, and it was windy, so windy that the blowing sand actually hurt our legs. Going up some of the dunes proved daunting but about three hours later we made it back to our car none the worse for wear. Tomorrow on to Deming Rock Hound State Park.

Visitor Center

They do have to plow

Part of the easy Hike

Harder Hike

I Like dead trees

Something is brewing

Trail Marker

View from parking lot