BACK TO THE RANCH

We pulled out of the Thousand Trails RV Park in Verde Valley yesterday morning, destination - HOME.  Only one stop, at the rest area near Casa Grande, where Laila took Sami for a walk.   We were only at the house for a short time, while we gathered all of Laila's stuff, put it in the Jeep, and drove over to Marc & Chandra's.  Laila's Aunt Claudia had driven down from Phoenix for the Easter weekend, and Chandra fixed Taco's, as we visited for a couple of hours.  We'll spend this afternoon over at their house, with an Easter Dinner later today.

This was our last trip in the motor home before we head for Alaska in a few weeks.  Lots of stuff to do,  before our departure.  Tomorrow, or Tuesday, the excavating contractor will be here to re-do the driveway.  Once that's done, then I can build, and install my gate.  It's going to  be a busy month of April!

LAST DAY AT VERDE VALLEY

No road trips yesterday.   Except for a late trip into town for dinner, we kept busy at the campground, where Grandma & Laila started the day with a walk up the hill on the nature trail.  When they returned, we all walked down to the river, and explored that area before returning to the motor home.

 We hiked back from the river, in one of the washes that passes through the campground.

Laila's priority for the day, was more time in the swimming pool.  Her time in the water the previous day was limited, so we got an earlier start yesterday.  It was a little after lunch when we walked over to the pool, where I read, and watched the little fish swim for the next couple of hours.  While we were gone, Grandma boiled a dozen eggs in preparation for the coloring session that took place when we returned to the motor home.

While the girls colored eggs, I just about finished a book I was reading before it was time to head into town for dinner.  At first, our destination was going to be a Sizzler, but we remembered that there was a Casa Bonita Mexican restaurant in Cottonwood.  This family owned restaurant is located in about 5 cities, including Tusayan near the Grand Canyon.  That's where we discovered the great food they serve, when we spent last summer at the National Park.  We weren't disappointed, as the food & service at this location was as good as it was at the canyon.  We made a quick stop at WalMart, then called it a day.

This morning, it's time to pack everything up, and hit the road for home.   When we leave (I'm shooting for 9am), it will be about a 4 hour drive back to Tucson.  I think Laila has another egg coloring session waiting when we get her home, which should be early to mid afternoon.

A ROCK SLIDE

Getting a cooperative picture of Laila can sometimes be a challenge.  However, when she's sound asleep, not a problem.  This was how the day started yesterday.

From the RV park, it was about a 25 minute drive back to Oak Creek Canyon, and Slide Rock State Park.  As many times as we've driven by this very popular park, we had never stopped until yesterday.  I knew that it was some sort of natural water slide, but it also turned out to be an old fashioned swimming hole.  It brought back memories of my much younger years, while growing up in Watsonville, CA, my friends and I used to ride our bikes to a swimming hole on the Pajaro River.  The water in Oak Creek is much cleaner than what I remember of our old skinny dipping spot, but back then, the color of the water didn't matter much.

 

Laila & Grandma hiked up the creek, above the slide area, while I found a good viewing spot on a rock.  According to Laila, the water was pretty cold, but there were still a few hardy souls who braved the chilly waters.  Just down from the slide, the water was pretty deep, and the rocks above the creek provided a good place to jump about 10 feet into the natural pool.

Warning!!  There is a parental warning concerning the next picture......It is not meant for  mom & dad to view, and if ignored, what you see is really an optical illusion.  That's not ice cream, it's just a fake facsimile, that's meant to resemble the creamy stuff.

We got back to the Thousand Trails Preserve early, and per Laila's request, we hit the more modern swimming hole at the park.  The water was heated, and the little fish spent just about as much time under the water, as she did above.  At 4pm, the kids had to get out, making way for the adults.  More swimming is on today's agenda.

Grandpa BBQ'd some chicken for dinner, and while we waited for the chicken to cook, a couple of kids, (one young, one old), enjoyed some quality time together.  Today is our last day here in the Verde Valley, and I think we're staying put near the motor home for most of the day.

IT'S A GRAND PLACE

Since we retired (sort of), we've traveled all over the country, and have spent several summers working at places like Skagway, Alaska, Glacier National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park.  Each of these places have been special in their own way, and have left us with memories that will last forever.  We wanted Laila to see the place we called home for two summers.

This view is from the rim trail, between the village, and trailview overlook.

 

Yesterday, we started with breakfast at the Thousand Trails lodge, and then hit the road, destination the Grand Canyon.  From the Verde Valley, it's about a 2 1/2 hour drive up highway 89A to Flagstaff, then north on highways 180 & 64 to the canyon.  When we arrived, we realized that a lot of other people had the same idea as us, and we could not find a parking space at the visitor's center.  Some of our coworkers last summer had mentioned that the canyon was very busy during spring break, and we were starting to see it first hand.

It was time to implement plan B, so I drove down to the Hermits Road gate, where I hoped that the gate code hadn't changed.  When I punched the four digit code into the keypad, the gate opened and we were free to park just about where ever we pleased.  Patty wanted to show Laila the fossils, so I parked just beyond the gate, and the two of them walked up the rim trail to a point where the ancient creatures are permanently imbedded into the rocks.

We then drove up the Hermits Road to Hopi Point, where the above picture was taken.  In my opinion, this is one of the best places to take in the grandeur of the canyon.  When you're west of the village, this is the first place where you get a pretty good view of the Colorado River, and it's truly a panoramic view of the canyon.  By the time we left Hopi Point, it was mid afternoon, and time to start the return trip to Cottonwood.  We stopped in Flagstaff for some Chick Fil E, then continued our journey home.

The drive back through Oak Creek Canyon never gets old, but as we were within about a mile from Sedona, the traffic came to a sudden halt.  My first instinct was that there must be some sort of incident ahead, as the line of vehicles was hardly moving.  We crept along, finally reaching the downtown area of Sedona, and realized that it was nothing more than too much traffic for the two lane road.  Sedona is located in a beautiful "red rock" valley, but other than that, driving (sometimes very slowly) straight through is just fine with me.

By the time we got back to the motor home, it was just about dark, and an end to a day of some pretty spectacular scenery. 

VERDE CANYON RAILROAD

It was a perfect weather day for a train ride.  We boarded the Verde Canyon Railroad a little before 1pm, and returned to the station in Clarkdale at about 5pm.  The scenery in this remote canyon in Central Arizona is magnificent, most of which is only accessible by the train.  Even though we had seats in one of the coach cars, we spent most of the ride in the adjacent open air car.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

 This trestle over one of the side canyons is about 150 feet tall.

 I sneaked this picture while we were in the darkest part of the tunnel.

 At 18 miles out from the depot, the train stopped in Perkinsville, where the engine did a "runaround" from the front to the back, then pulled the train back to Clarkdale.

 One of the few photos where the reluctant 7 year old model agreed to have her picture taken.

 This telephoto shot of two Blue Heron's actually turned out better than I expected.

This was our 2nd ride on the Verde Canyon RR, and Laila's first.   At 4 hours in duration, the ride was perhaps a little long for our Grand Daughter, but she was a trooper, not complaining, and not a single "are we there yet" on the way back to the station.  This morning, it's a return trip back to the Grand Canyon where we worked for two summers.  This will be Laila's first viewing of a true natural wonder!

EASTER VACATION ROAD TRIP

 The girls stayed busy on the sofa, while Grandpa handled the driving.

It was just about 9am when we pulled away from the house in the motor home, destination - the Thousand Trails Preserve in Cottonwood, AZ.  It was about a 4 hour drive on I10 through Phoenix, then north on I17 to the Verde Valley.  When we arrived, I took the jeep, and found us a 30 amp, full hook up site.  There were a few 50 amp sites left, but with predicted temps in the mid 70's this week, we won't need to run both air conditioners.

When we picked up Laila on Sunday afternoon, she was a bit reluctant to have us take her bicycle.  She had taken a tumble a few days prior, and had a nice "boo boo" on her knee.  We loaded it up anyway, and I'm glad we did, cause she was on the thing for most of the afternoon.  We made a quick trip into town for a late lunch & some groceries, then after returning to the park, we walked (Laila rode her bike) over to the pool.  We all agreed, the water was warm enough to consider a future swim, but by then it was getting a little too late.

Inside the rec room, Grandpa hustled Laila into a game of pool.  Apparently she's been practicing at home, and even though her accuracy isn't very good, she was able to hit the cue ball just about every time.  After dinner, I put a movie on the tube, and by 9pm, we were all done for the day.

At 1 this afternoon, we board the Verde Canyon Railroad, for a 4 hour train ride.  It's been several years since Patty and I last rode this train, and as I recall, the scenery in the canyon is pretty awesome.  Our Internet connection is really slow, but with a little patience, I should be able to continue posting pictures of our activities.

2 WHEELING THE TRACKS

It was finally time to break away from my project list, and do some exploring on the dual sport bike.  Due to the Union Pacific's main line tracks being so close, I spent about an hour riding east of our house, next to the rails.  Not too far from our place, there's an abandoned spur track that serviced a large metal building.  I've been told that business used to make wooden trusses, but it's long been empty, and I've never confirmed what they used to do there.

About 5 miles to the east, one of the two U.P. tracks crosses over the Cienega Creek drainage on this big trestle.  What the picture doesn't show is the other mainline track coming under both of the bridges, keeping to the south of the creek.  Marc had a past experience where he crossed the big bridge on his dirt bike, just making it to the other side before a train came along.  I don't think that's an issue that I'll ever have to worry about!

 

From the bridges, I rode the old Benson highway back toward the house, doing some more exploring on a few of the dirt roads in the area.  I got back next to the tracks before returning home, and had a long freight come up behind me.  I was a short distance away from the tracks, but you can see the train in the background.

We picked up Laila in the afternoon, and this morning, we're taking the motor home to the Thousand Trails RV Park near Cottonwood, in the Verde Valley.  I have tickets to ride the Verde Canyon Train tomorrow, then I think we're taking Laila to the Grand Canyon on Wednesday, for her first ever look at a place we called home for two summers.  I have a feeling the next 6 days are going to be quite busy!

IT'S A FAIR

Not the kind with carnivals, and Ferris wheels, but the type of street fair more commonly known as an arts, and crafts festival.  Since moving to the Tucson area, we've heard, and read about the 4th Ave Street Fair, so we had to check it out.  Located in the downtown area, near the University of Arizona Campus, I had a feeling that parking might be a problem.  When we arrived, finding a parking spot was indeed a challenge.  Every parking lot, from only a few spaces, to some with a hundred or more, were all being staffed with entrepreneurs, charging what seemed to be the universal fee of $10.  Knowing that there was a free spot on the street somewhere, I surely wasn't going to give up ten bucks that easily.  After driving around for 5-10 minutes, we found an open space, about 3-4 blocks from the event.

Except for the setting, this lineup of EZ-ups reminded me of Winterfest in Lake Havasu.  Same kind of event with lots of vendors selling everything from arts, & crafts, to booths promoting everything from the local newspaper, to the establishment of medical marijuana businesses.  The lineup of vendors stretched for about a mile, and by the time we had walked from one end to the other, a couple of hours had passed.  It was mostly a window shopping experience, as neither of us bought anything.  I did however, come away with a free Saturday newspaper.

There were lots of street musicians like this fellow, who was playing a ukulele, and a kazoo.  Judging by the business on 4th Ave, I think it's safe to say that this is an area that is heavily patronized by students at U of A.  On the way home, we had lunch at one of our favorite places - Sweet Tomatoes, then stopped at Harbor Freight, and Ace Hardware before calling it a day.  Today, we pick up Laila for a week with Grandma & Grandpa.  Yea !!

DRIVEWAY IMPROVEMENTS

I spent a few hours on the tractor yesterday, clearing small growth away from both sides of the driveway.  When we get back from our Easter vacation trip to the Verde Valley, the excavating contractor will start on April 1st, the reconfiguring, and repaving of the driveway entrance, for about the first 250'.  By the time I was finished, I had filled the small trailer with brush and shrubs.

 

My shop now has a mini refrigerator which I picked up a few days ago off Craig's list.  I spent an hour or so, thoroughly cleaning both inside and out.  I paid $45 to a U of A college student, who would benefit greatly from a class on cleanliness.  The frig wasn't too bad, but the rented apartment was a total disaster.  Just imagine the worst possible mess, then double it.  Glad I'm not the owner of that building.