Our Time in Cottonwood Brief, but Busy!

Cottonwood, AZ.  Highs: high 50's to low 60's   Lows: high 20's to low 30's.  Site: M-16. AT&T connectivity very good with hot spots and T-Mobile Mifi

We are only in Cottonwood for two weeks this visit, but we've managed to keep quite busy. We are still waiting for our jacks to come in and be replaced. Sparky, despite getting a new crown in record time, is still having aching somewhere in the general vicinity of the crown--uh-oh! That could be just the tooth still adjusting or another one squawking, who knows. By the way, if you need any dental care in the area, Sparky recommends Peak Family Dental Care in Cottonwood. There are three locations for this dentistry practice. Although the office was super small and parking was at a premium, Sparky received EXCELLENT care for her broken tooth. And if she should have go back to see what else is going on with her teeth, she will definitely head back there.

porcelain cube ready to be cut

After carving

After being filed down, it was replaced with a porcelain crown, made with the latest CAD imagery and machinery, carved from a porcelain cube while she waited. The machine was like a dual Dremel tool, carving and spinning and spraying the cube while it was being carved. Then the little purple tooth capsule was popped into a kiln and baked for about 15 minutes at about 2800 degrees and turned into the tooth enamel color. It was fascinating to watch! Dr. Shanahan was one of the first several hundred in the nation to get the "carving" machine and has been doing crowns this way for many years.

She was in and out in less than 4 hours, completely done.

So, above and beyond dental and jacks, there are a TON of things to do here in the area and we have done some. We are saving Sedona activities and hiking for our next three week stay, our last, coming up after a week in Yuma. Here is just a sample of things to do while staying at Thousand Trails Verde Valley:

Visit the Alcantara Winery just around the corner from the RV park. It's part of the Verde Valley Wine Trail.  Visit Red Rock State Park, Slide Rock State Park (in Sedona) and Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Sparky's favorite. Near Dead Horse Ranch is Blazin' M Ranch known for their chuckwagon dinners and Wild West shows. They are also adding Conestoga wagon units for "glamping". Check out Sedona Wetlands, about a mile outside of Sedona. Visit Jerome, an old mining town with supposedly lots of haunted places. Drive the scenic route over Mingus Mountain from Jerome to Prescott. It's a little scary two lane highway 89A snaking through mountain canyons and having steep drop-offs.  You DON'T want to take an RV of any length on this drive! You will attain an elevation of over 6,00 feet before winding back down. While at more calming lower elevations, visit Tuzigoot National Monument (use your senior pass) and Montezuma's Castle. Visit the Arizona Copper Museum in Clarkdale, nearby. Be sure to read Sparky's two posts about the copper museum, it was that great!

Hotel Connor 1898

One day this week, we headed to the Haunted Hamburger joint up in Jerome. Jerome became a deserted ghost town in 1953 after gold and copper dwindled in the mountains. People rallied to save Jerome, preserved and restored it and billed it as the largest ghost city in America. Many of the original buildings line the streets. There is Jerome State Park nearby too, if you should choose to visit, with a mining museum in the historic Douglas Mansion, and the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town situated nearby as you come out of Jerome and head back to Cottonwood.

Jerome is a town nestled into the side of a mountain. It's steep and windy to get up there. Parking is at a premium on twisted narrow streets in Jerome if you have a big truck like ours. We found a big parking lot up on a hill behind the fire station. It even has spots for RVs, but we don't recommend driving anything bigger than a small travel trailer up to Jerome. There are extremely tight turns around town and the roads are super steep. There are cute shops there but we couldn't explore the town because of limited parking. It's very touristy, of course. The Haunted Hamburger is part of the Haunted Group, and ghost tours are big in this town. Hard to tell whether there really have been any hauntings or ghostly apparitions seen, but you just have to go and experience things for yourself if you believe in that sort of stuff. There are photos all over the walls that show weird shadowy images, some photographed from previous owners and supposedly, things have flown off shelves before. During renovations, doors opened and shut on their own, and other weird things happened. Locals provided even more ghostly lore and the restaurant became a "thing"!

We had good burgers and outstanding onion rings at the Haunted Hamburger, which sits on a cliffside overlooking the Verde Valley and the San Francisco Peaks for fantastic views. They had cool tee shirts for sale. 

Eldy tried to pull a fast one on Sparky. "Did you feel that guy just brush across your shoulder? " Wha-a-a-a-t???" "Yeah, a guy just went by you, and touched your shoulder as he passed."  "What guy? There isn't any guy nearby!" Sparky whipped around, there was no one. Haha, very funny, Eldo.

The scenic drive from Jerome across Mingus Mountain was outstanding and just a tad bit scary in a big dually truck. It is also called the Mingus Mountain Scenic Road. Steep drop offs and winding sharp curves with some 11% maximum grade points make the 19 mile drive thrilling! We loved the drive the day we took it.

We are seeing some birds in the RV park--mountain bluebirds and hummers. The bluebirds seem to hang out more in the RC track, back trails and bush area than elsewhere in the park.

Outside the park, over at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, some more house finches, an evening grosbeak, a Cassin's finch, goldfinches and a bridled titmouse. Is the plural titmice? Sparky sees several of them every time. it's wonderful that the Audubon Society has feeder stations at this state park and supplies them constantly so we can enjoy the beauty of the many different birds that come to feed.

Cassin's finch and lesser goldfinch

bridled titmouse

Sparky visited the Copper Museum in Clarkdale...that was so amazing it's a complete separate, two part blog and you can read about it if you missed it. https://whereseldo.blogspot.com/2023/02/copper-is-king-in-arizona-part-i.html

With one day left, Sparky got in a short hike along the Jail Trail in Cottonwood. It's a short loop trail, about 1.6 miles and is rocky and uneven in spots, but pretty level, making it an easy trail to walk. It is NOT wheelchair accessible and veers off in different directions if you are not watching the signs. Parts of it are through a LOT of dead, fallen big cottonwood trees and tree debris, parts of it are along the beautiful Verde River. Huge white barked, dormant Fremont cottonwood trees back up against the sky along the river....It's not a very scenic hike at all, you could probably find better ones for sure, especially over at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, but the weather was just perfect for hiking, so it was still enjoyable. Now if Sparky could just get her sciatica under control, it would be a LOT more enjoyable.

We are preparing to head to Yuma. Today is pack up, stow all loose, flying around stuff, secure the items in the fridge, etc. (The last time we drove over very bad roads, Sparky forgot to stow the egg carton securely--in a refrigerator bin) and we had unintentional scrambled eggs all over the kitchen slide floor. Yuck!) The jacks are supposed to be repaired the day we have to leave. We will pull our slides in, hitch up the truck and Currier Masters RV Repair is coming out to replace both front landing jacks at 8:00 sharp. Fingers crossed that this will take care of the automated leveling system which has not worked in quite awhile....

See you in Yuma, Arizona!

A Tough Hike

 Sparky has been under the weather the past two days with some kind of stomach bug. But today, she felt half way normal, so time to find a hike!

There are some really great trails in Usery Mountain Regional Park, which is just like a state park. Arizona state parks charge 7.00 for admission per person. The park is just a few miles from our RV park that we are staying in right now--Viewpoint RV and Golf Resort. All Trails app lists the top hike in the state park as the Wind Cave Trail--listed as a moderate hike. Sparky has done a lot of moderate hikes, so this one seemed to fit the bill. It's listed as a 2.9 mile hike, with a gain in elevation of 807 feet, and takes an average of about an hour and a half to two hours to complete.

So off Sparky went. It was a perfect day for hiking. Not a cloud in the sky, 0% chance of rain for the next WEEK! Today's temperature high was 57, with a little breeze.

The first indication that this might be more than a moderate hike was the sign:

At first, the trail was not too bad, Sparky expected rocks.

And she got rocks....The view ahead and up was beautiful...

The rocks increased....along with the size of the boulders....

At some points, you couldn't even tell where the trail was except to follow the people ahead of you. The trail was not crowded on a weekday at 1:00 in the afternoon, but it was a cold day, barely in the fifties, and that might have kept more people away...

The Wind Cave is at the top of the mountain where the dark oval circle of shade is on the upper left of the above photo. Gotta have strong ankles, and good balance for this hike. People say the cave is not much at all when you reach it, but the views are fantastic if you make it to the top.

After about a mile and a half, Sparky started feeling a little dizzy. She thinks she was dehydrated even though she had water with her and was drinking it. Or--the steep climb of 435 feet so far with the elevation change and many switchbacks was bothering her along with struggling with stomach problems the last two days. A mile and a half in, and she started thinking maybe it's time to turn around. Down came a hiker and Sparky asked how much further to the cave outlook. He said about 30 minutes. At this point, Sparky really wasn't feeling very well, and he added that the boulders and rocks were a lot worse before leveling out as you approached the cave. Not only that, but in the last couple of days, he had seen a helicopter ferry out hikers from this hike. That sort of sealed the deal. Time to head back down. Sparky did not want to be a statistic today with balance issues and dizziness. She was super disappointed in herself for not making it all the way, especially after seeing a guy RUN the trail, another lady with gray hair speed walk it up and down while Sparky was still going up and people walking their dogs on the trail like it was no big deal. Sparky felt sorry for the dogs, it was a rough trail. But hey--this was quite the hike as far as she did get!

After coming back down, Sparky took a quick look at the trail map that the park provided and saw that the PARK rates this trail as HARD! Sparky totally agrees, especially if you are a senior. 

Sparky highly recommends a visit to Usery Mountain Regional Park. There are other trails in the park, and if Sparky gets to feeling better over what appears to be some kind of stomach/flu issues, she might try another, less difficult trail before we leave. There are very nice picnic areas with shade, a pretty nature center, awesome trails and campgrounds there. Next up, a visit to a famous organ pizza palace...Come back and see us before we leave for Yuma, AZ early next week.

Everybody's High in Jerome!

They really are! The town is 5,200+ feet in elevation, so that makes all the inhabitants of this town high up!  It's built on top of a hill, Cleopatra Hill and is located between Prescott and Flagstaff. It's a former bustling, mean as a snake, rip roaring copper mining town that went bust years ago and has reinvented itself as tourist attraction. First they billed themselves as a historic ghost town, and now it's a tourist magnet and an artistic community.

Remains of the Bartlett Hotel

Half the town looks like it's falling down and doomed for demolition, the rest of it is a delight to walk up and down the hilly streets wandering in and out to see what the different shops have to offer. The town reminded us of a mini San Francisco due to the steep streets and switchbacks leading to shops and back alleys. Prostitution used to be a big deal here, and there are historical signs all over the place telling you the history of buildings and locations in town. Jerome has a LOT of character....It also has mine tours and WONDERFUL places to eat and shop. When you look at the outsides of the buildings, you get the impression that there isn't much there, but walk inside one of the shops and you are transported into high quality wares of all kinds--pottery, copper, rugs, jewelery, wine, and so much more. The shop interiors are gorgeous!

After browsing a bit, we got hungry.....

Quince Grill and Cantina Restaurant 

We just took a chance and walked into a Mexican restaurant called Quince Grill and Cantina to get a bite to eat. The inside was bright and festive and the food was fresh and amazing! I had a wonderful salad with black beans, slivers of tostada chips, corn, shredded lettuce, onions, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, and chipotle ranch dressing. Eldy had tacos with shredded beef, green rice that was incredible and some more beans...It's making my mouth water just to remember it!

Yum! If Jerome wasn't 20 miles away, I'd head out there again!  Eldy is just sighing, because he's really not a fan of Mexican food, and I don't know what possessed him to choose this place, but he sure was a peach for trying it. He knows I love it, so he'll endure it now and then. He actually liked his food, but once in awhile is enough for him for Mexican food. Me, I could eat it every day! He's always asking me when I'm going to start speaking Spanish! Any day now, muchisimo!  :-)  (I hope that's Spanish for sweetheart worries E.)  :-)

With family coming in tonight, the hustle and bustle starts! Half the family is off on a "pink jeep" tour, and we're not sure what the other half is doing for tomorrow...(sounds like us!)  We are not going on the pink jeep tour, we are going to go on a cowboy cookout and trail ride tomorrow. We'll let you know how both of them were....see you on the trail!

Mission San Xavier--part I

part of the knave (center) of the mission

If you have time to visit only one Spanish historic site, this is it! A National Historic Landmark, the Mission San Xavier is located just 9 miles south of Tucson, off AZ 19, exit 92.  It's the oldest intact European structure in Arizona, built in 1783. There are 50-60 statues inside the church, wonderful paintings and murals or frescoes. The amount of detail, carvings, symbolism, and the beautiful colors inside the church take your breath away. The mission is an active Roman Catholic church still used for Mass today.

Such beautiful colors!

We were awed by the beauty of this mission...there is a free tour of the church and it was very interesting to hear about the current restoration in progress, the architectural details of the statues, the building, and the different parts of the mission. About 200,000 visitors come from all over the world to see this beautiful mission, considered the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture. The tour guide mentioned "Baroque" style several times..In my mind, "baroque" is extremely fancy architecture and very ornate. You can see by the photos that this is true. Such things as theatrical curtain displays over the sanctuary, fake doors to maintain symmetrical balance throughout the church, and marbling throughout the entire mission are examples of the baroque style. The mission was constructed with the help of a large group of native Americans living in the area at the time--the Tohono O'odham. They are an important group of people who are still strongly connected to the mission today. The mission stands on the Tohono O'odham reservation lands and serves the people who live there.

Vaulted ceiings

The mission is constructed of clay bricks, stone and lime mortar, and is roofed wtih masonry vaulted ceilings. They were gorgeous! We have lots more photos to show you and will share again tomorrow, our last day at Palm Creek.....see you again at the Mission....It was such a beautiful place, I didn't want to leave........

Just inside the front door of the mission

Goldfield, AZ

If you want a spectacular day trip, or even just a half day trip, drive to Apache Junction and pick up the Apache Trail just outside the city, on highway 88...From Casas Grande on I-10, you take highway 60 East all the way to Apache Junction, to the cutoff for Arizona 88, which is the Apache Trail. In the old days, Apache Trail was a harrowing, white knuckle drive. 

Heck, in modern days, it's a harrowing, white knuckle drive, depending on how stupid the drivers are coming at you at the many single lane bridges and curves. We actually saw trucks pulling BOATS on the Apache Trail, and I wasn't quite sure we were going to be able to get over enough on the soft, crumbling tiny bit of shoulder on the road to let them get by! BUT----the scenery is spectacular, as I said...more about that later...Shortly after getting on the Apache Trail, I yelled, "STOP! We've got to STOP!" And Eldo, being the superb driver he is, asks no questions and quickly gets us safely off the road and into our first tourist attraction in a while, Goldfield....a reproduction of a ghost town. 

It was a lot of fun walking around and getting the "feel" of an old mining town. Showgirls, the marshal, the required "bad guys", a bordello, ...it advertises itself as a "ghost town", but you'd have to read more about that and make up your own mind. It was such a beautiful day, we just enjoyed seeing an old western town, even if they were not the original buildings. As we were walking around, all of a sudden we heard gunshots! We weren't aware that gunfights are staged at "high noon" every day, so we caught the last little bit of that.....

We saw this pretty little church on the grounds...

Many of the people milling around were dressed in period clothing...

There's a lot more to see and do here, but today we  just gave it a quick look because we were on a mission, to see the Apache Trail!   See you tomorrow on Arizona's Apache Trail.....

Biosphere 2, Oracle, AZ

On the road again, just for today, to see a science experiment in a major way....Biosphere 2. This is an interesting place! Take a bunch of seven hippies, seal them into a plastic/glass humongous bubble that is a living microcosm of our world for two years, expect them to grow all their own crops, harvest them and eat them, entertain themselves and be monitored like a group of rats in a laboratory and watch what happens! Think living in a glass bubble  for the whole world to watch and see....this was a 3.14 acre self-sustaining controlled variable environment, the largest greenhouse in the world.....this visionary idea was thought up by a Texas billionaire and the complex was completed in 1991.

In some respects it was a failure....They started running into problems immediately. Oxygen levels became dangerously low because the plants were throwing out too much carbon dioxide, the "engineered soils" were using up more oxygen than what was being produced through the plants, the concrete floors were absorbing the oxygen as they cured, and living in such close quarters for such long periods of time, the inhabitants got cranky. They weren't able to grow enough food to feed themselves, so they ended up slaughtering their meat supplies early (the chickens and pigs). Because they weren't experienced farmers, they had trouble with insects and plant diseases. The cockroaches and "crazy ants" started to take over! And, the biospherians, as they were called, were always hungry! (I'd be REALLY cranky, too! What, no pizza?) They lost about 16% of their body weight in the first six months. Guaranteed weight loss program!

ocean

"lungs"

savannah

The technology behind this major complex was really amazing...everything was climate controlled by computers and electronic systems. There were two "lungs" that helped the exchange of air throughout the complex..giant rubber roofs that expanded and collapsed like balloons depending on the air pressure....there are different ecosystems and biomes within the complex---desert savannah, rainforest, a mini ocean with a living coral reef, and more. They "stocked" the biomes with some animals, but not others for fear things would get out of hand. The idea was that the sphere would be entirely self-supporting and self-sustaining....pretty amazing stuff! We had a great tour guide, Carrie, and she was excellent at explaining things in a way anybody could understand....we highly recommend this tour. It was 18.00 a person (with senior or AAA discount)....You look at this complex and think, what a waste of money now that this is no longer being used for its original purpose, but the University of Arizona is still using this property for LOTS of experiments regarding the environment. Its uniquely designed controlled environment allows for all kinds of experiments dealing with nature in a very monitored way. We can find out all kinds of effects that water, soil, air and other things in nature are affected by our habits and the way we live today. There was a student we talked to while on the tour, that is doing an experiment about "green roofs" in the southwest. She is determining what type of plant soils and desert plants will cool housing structures by growing them on the roofs of houses and by what degree. Just like they do at some Carrabas restaurants-green plants on the roofs!

The Biosphere 2 (our planet is the original biosphere) is in Oracle, AZ...in the middle of the desert. Interesting drive, interesting place!

Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ

Eons ago, in Mishawaka, IN, there was a pizza place that entertained you while you ate, with a big Wurlitzer organ with organist playing all kinds of music where you could sing along, or just enjoy the show while eating your pizza. The organ's pipes, tubes, blowers, drums, and all kinds of extra orchestral instruments which were on all sides of the room tied into the organist's nimble fingers on the keys which kept young and old alike enthralled. This place was called the Band Organ Restaurant. It went out of business quite a few years ago. So I was excited to hear that there was an Wurlitzer organ entertainment pizza place in Mesa, AZ, called Organ Stop Pizza.

We met some friends there for dinner, and what a treat it was! Picture this--a huge orchestra pit with a beautiful black and gold Wurlitzer organ rising out of the pit as the show starts...the music echoing throughout the large banquet room with picnic style tables, big blowers and pipes causing the window slats to open and close in time with the beat of the music...there is a grand piano in one corner, a player piano in another, drums and cymbals yet in a third corner. The organist is able to make his instrument sound like an accordian, trumpets, bells, whistles, ducks, birds and all kinds of accompanying instruments. Marquee lights flash during certain songs...everything is keyed into the keyboard that the organist controls, even the lighting spotlighting certain instruments around the room.

All kinds of songs are played---patriotic, (flags come down out of the ceiling for Canada and the U.S, and of course everybody stands and sings their national anthem), sports fight songs, really old classics, movie themes, and special requests. I requested "Mama Mia" by Abba, and he played it! The organist was excellent, having trained in Europe on classical organ music. At certain times, he plays old fashioned sing-a-longs, and everybody sings.

We had a great time with our friends Gayle and Chet Longwell, who we met at a previous rally last year. They work for Passport America. They are from the Chicago area and are national champion roller skaters. Chet used to play the organ at the local skating rink that they owned when they were first married. Who should sit down next to us at picnic style tables, was the guy who repairs the Wurlitzer if it needs it. Not so unusual, but he was a rollerskater at the same time the Longwells were, and they proceeded to talk skater talk most of the night, sharing memories of organists in the Chicago area, and skating memories.  Small world! We see that all the time while we are RVing. You meet people that share the same hometown or know the same people you know when out in this big country of ours.

This place was really great fun, and we highly recommend it...if you go there, you need to get there right when they open. We went on a Thursday night, and the place was almost full by 4:30 PM., which is when the show starts....Organ Stop Pizza, what a treat! Pizza was great, great salad bar and Bluebell ice cream for dessert.

the organist at Organ Stop pizza

You never know where Eldo is going to go....we end up in the coolest places!  See you on the road.....

Madera Canyon

View from 6,000 feet up

Yesterday we drove about two hours to get to this beautiful canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains, just south of Tucson. From I-10 to I-19 S, then exit 63 Continental Rd to Whitehouse Canyon Rd. to the Madera Canyon Recreational Area. Five dollars to get in, but once again, free if you have the senior pass. The Santa Rita Mountains are part of the Coronado National Forest. There are many habitats between the desert floor and the tops of the mountains there....the variety of climates is similar to if you drove from Arizona to Canada...all in one place, here at Madera Canyon.

There are exceptional and varied hiking trails at the canyon...also three places of lodging--the Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Kubo B & B, and Chuparosa Inn. During the spring and summer birding season, the area is known for its variety of hummingbirds and songbirds, over 250 species of birds. There is also a campground there called Bog Springs, but it only has 13 sites for tents or RVs and no hookups. We did not check that part out yesterday.

There is a paved loop trail with occasional benches following a creek (which had just about dried up when we were there yesterday). There are trails leading up to Mt. Wrightson where experienced hikers can climb to about 9,000 feet.

interesting footprint!

We hiked for FIVE HOURS straight yesterday...and not on purpose. Being relatively newbies, we didn't really know how long it would take us to hike these trails!..We followed the recommendation of some hikers at the beginning of a trail, who advised us to take the Old Baldy trail for 2.2 miles..they said it was shady and interesting...WELL! Shady it was, interesting, it was....level, it was NOT! It was straight up for 2.2 miles, VERY steep, never leveled out once...we climbed in elevation from  starting at 5300 feet at the bottom of the trailhead and went to 7080 feet...we were panting with exertion and had to take many rest breaks. BUT, it was worth it! The views of Tucson were incredible from those heights, and so was the view of Mt. Wrightson, (9000 ft. plus) which was always in our sights. There were a lot of hikers on the trail today..MANY of them were much older than us! That gave me inspiration to know that if they could do it, WE could do it! And it's never too late to start getting in shape to be able to do that in your seventies and eighties, right, Eldy? (Yes, dear!) It took us two and a half hours to get up the 2.2 mile trail. Then, we decided to take the Super Tail down, as the aforementioned experienced hikers said it was a little longer, but more level. HA!  A little more level, yes...what we ASSUMED would be a little easier coming down was much more rocky and pebbly than we expected. And this trail was 3.7 miles back down.....So we hiked 5.9 miles today....my calves are screaming, my Achilles tendons are sore, but it was an exhilarating hike! The temperatures were in the low 60's at that height, so it was very very comfortable being out in the mountainside today.....

We  didn't get to see any hummingbirds at the many feeders near the inns as we drove towards the exit of the canyon...it was too late and too cool in the day, I expect, but it looks to be a wonderful birding spot as well....We did see a small herd of deer running alongside the canyon road on our way out...these two stopped to look at us as we went by!

This is what full timing is all about...seeing God's country....no due dates, no pressures to be anywhere at a certain time, see what you want to see when you want to see it...we love that we can do it now, while we are healthy. We are REALLY glad we didn't wait.....

If gas/diesel continues to climb to a ridiculous amount, we'll just stay put longer in one place...

Tomorrow, we are going to take it easy.....we've got a steak dinner dance lined up for the evening, so we'll need to take our Aleve,  hit the hot tub, and then hit the dance floor! Not necessarily in that order, Eldo! (I don't know if these tired legs can dance! says E.) I'll get him out there on the dance floor, says Sparky....see you later!