Now That’s a Shopping Day!

We headed out toward Phoenix in the early afternoon. We made a stop at the Kick Ass Hot Sauce Store and did a little browsing and taste testing. They gave a quirky sense of sense of humor!  There were some donkeys in the corral out front so we will add them to the wildlife list even though they weren’t wild. Then a quick stop at Grunge Galz, a very cool store that had unusual items (think piano keys neatly bundled with a textured blue ribbon and a buffalo head hanging on the wall) as well as some great clothing. 

Then we were off to the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet. That baby is a huge shopping oasis! 1600 shop spaces with more than 1¼ miles of shopping! I’m thinkin’ if you can’t find it there – you won’t find it anywhere. We did the whole loop and worked up an appetite. A really good lunch at the Talking Stick Casino and we were done for the day.

We Covered Some Country Today!

First stop of the day was the cutest little store called Charming Charlie’s. The fellas took a walk so Jeanie and I could browse for awhile. Really fun, colorful apparel and accessories cleverly displayed by color. I hear there is one in Bridgeport Mall in Oregon and I’m thinking Amanda and I will need to scope out the one in LA.

Then on to Carefree to visit The Boulders, a Golf Course and Resort artfully worked into the boulders of the Sonoran Desert. It has all the amenities you could possibly think of and the resort rooms are individual casistas. I never thought of boulders as beautiful until I saw them in this setting. The grounds were built around the rock which I’m sure was no easy feat!

On our way out of The Boulders we were able to spy some custom homes cleverly designed into the rock. You have to look closely at the two pictures to see the houses in them. We took a short drive to look at some of the homes that were easier to access. Each one was unique but my favorite was the home with copper doors, trim and garage doors. To tie things together their rock wall was laced with copper faced stones. So very rich looking and a really original idea for a contemporary home.

We stopped to eat at the Horny Toad where the chicken is “plucked and fresh – not frozen” in Cave Creek for a yummy meal on the patio followed by strawberry shortcake that was so large it would have been embarrassing if it hadn’t been for the 4 of us to share.

Next Randy took us to Lake Pleasant, It was pretty but I cant get used to seeing lakes without trees around them. We drove around and scoped things out before heading back to Happy Trails for an evening hot tub.

 Kansas City Royal and the Texas Rangers Practice Game

Well the day couldn’t have been sunnier or hotter! We had seats behind 3^rd base, second row – no shade! So it got scorching hot for awhile but being good Oregonians we kept the SPF 50 flowing all through the game. JP said it was a pitching game and it ended in a tie. Jeanie and I split the messiest meal I’ve ever had the “Monster Dog” but that didn’t ruin our appetite for dinner at Dillon’s (outside the Zoo) after the game. We didn’t do the zoo but did peak in on the flamingos. A perfect day always ends with a pool and hot tub. A winner in my book!

Fun with Friends Week!

We had a windstorm like crazy last night but the day turned out to be sunny and warm. We had a great day with our friends at Happy Trails. Lunch at the Cafe, swim (as in wrap a tube around yourself so you can bob and visit simultaneously) and then a drive out to Verrado a new town not far from Surprise.

Verrado is lovely and all the homes have the same style and color scheme to compliment the gorgeous backdrop of the nearby mountains. The golf course is stunning and the restaurant looked first class in every way. The community has its own downtown with everything you could possibly need.  Its all fresh and new! A whole brand new town. Crazy!

We mapped out a plan for the rest of the week and had a great dinner then headed back to camp to rest up for tomorrow.

And We’re Rollin’

Headed out this morning for our next location at White Tank Regional Park near Surprise AZ. We stayed here earlier in our trip and really liked it. Getting here was a little stressful though. Traffic through Phoenix was awful and with the trailer even worse, but JP pulled it off and we settled in at our camp sight around 3:00. The view from Lucky’s back window is awesome. Desert by day and city lights by night. Looking forward to spending some more time with our friends here in Surprise again and hoping for lots of nice weather!

Tiny Note: Before we left Tucson we visited a little pie shop called “Back Dough” which is pretty cute. The window reads “It’s the YEAST we can do.”  How creative and funny is that?

52 Days!

We have been on the road for 52 days – which seems crazy! It doesn’t feel like that long. We have a routine for getting settled in and packing up to move and have found that a week at a RV spot suits us just fine. We are mixing up the types of places we stay to keep things interesting. We fit pretty well in our 21 feet but then again we aren’t in Lucky most of the day.  I was a little worried I would get bored since I can be a little hyper – but it’s been just the opposite. Most everyday is full and the ones that aren’t end up being  a welcome rest. 

I would vote for disposable clothes because neither of us love the laundromat no matter how nice it might be. JP and I have teamed up well and really are having an adventure. I miss my friends back home but I’m looking forward to being back in Oregon in May. Otherwise life is good!

We head out tomorrow for White Tank Mountain where we stayed earlier in our trip. We’re looking forward to hanging out with our friends in Surprise and enjoying the view from our perch in the desert. And away we go again . . .

Bisbee

We decided to do the tourist thing today and headed first to Bisbee which is about 8 miles from the border. The town was established in 1877 and the “Queen of the Copper Mining Camps.” Downtown has a peculiar appearance because the buildings are so tall and the streets so narrow. It has a great museum with 3 stories of items donated by the families who lived (and still live) in Bisbee. The town is mostly antique stores, galleries and quirky shops.

Little note: On the way out of town we saw a Ringtail (the Arizona State Mammal) crossing the road. They are supposed to be nocturnal so we aren’t sure why he was up or where he was going but we were happy to add him to our wildlife list.

And then there was Tombstone . . .

Tombstone was totally a tourist stop. There were lots of people and lots of ways to spend your money paying to see what Tombstone has to offer. It’s somewhere we know though because we’ve seen the movies  and heard the stories. It’s familiar in an odd way. The top picture is the courthouse. The late 1800’s hearse was built for $8000.00 and if built today would cost about ten times that. We didn’t ride the stagecoach or the trolley around town or stay for the gunfight reenactment, but we did pay to enter the Bird Cage and it was totally worth it.

I was so intrigued by the Bird Cage. Not because it was the “Wildest, Wickedest Night Spot, Between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast” but because it opened in 1881 and was open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year until it closed in 1889. It sat until 1934 when the new owners opened it to find that nothing had been disturbed in all that time. That may or may not be true, but what remains appears to be authentic even with the tourist touches. 26 men were killed there, there are bullet holes are in the ceiling. The Little Egypt poster has a knife hole and bullet holes in it and hangs in its original spot at the front door. The balcony rooms have their original curtains and the poker table and chairs remain from the longest running poker game ever, running 24 hours a day for over 8 years. There is too much to tell and you can always look it up online but a picture is worth a thousand words.

And We Shopped and Shopped and Shopped

Today was day one of a 3 day semi-annual festival on 4th St in Tucson.  Amazing photography and unique art. We had a great time browsing but buying wasn’t on the agenda. Its a little too tight in lucky to add cargo. It was fun and the weather was still clear and sunny so a perfect day to roam.

In the evening we headed to a huge swap meet. It was a bit different than any we had been to before. It was a night time event and had kiddie rides and booths from  a blanket on the ground to what looked like little stores. There was everything you could imagine. New and used and tons of people having a warm Friday night out.

What A Day!

Today JP wanted to visit the Pima Air and Space Museum. I had no idea how huge it was! We were there the better part of the day. It was actually pretty overwhelming. I thought it was interesting that the volunteer tour guide was actually a WWII pilot and besides knowing about the planes he shared his part in history.

At the very end of our tour we came to the “Boneyard Project Return Trip.” Artists use the planes as canvas and its pretty cool! These were my favorites for sure. I would love to see the entire collection. Artists from all over the world participated.

We decided after a short break that we would take Desert Diamond Casino up on their offer to chip in for our dinner and headed out for the evening. JP was a good sport and drove us up the road another 20 miles to take a look at another casino – the Casino Del Sol. Pretty impressive! A casino resort that has all the bells and whistles just like the big time. We made a night of it and did something we haven’t done in ages  . . . hit the hay at about 3 AM. What a day!

Oh Yeah – My kind of place!

We’ve decided the pool is where we will start and end our days here (so nice,  it opens at 8 and closes at 10). We now have access to lovely showers too – much easier than the tiny tub shower in Lucky.

I don’t think I can spend enough time in the Historic District of Tuscon. It’s lined with tiny bars, cafes,and all kinds of unique and unusual stores and shops. There seems to be happy hour at just about any hour. I love the names of some of the places, like the Hippy Gypsy and Bison Witches (eatery) and The Flycatcher Bar (see mouth mural). It feels allot like the 60’s in Berkley  (minus the tattoos and pastel haircolor).  Oh but how I love the murals!

We ventured a little further east to investigate the Desert Diamond Casino because we knew there was free play waiting for us if we signed up for a players card. Yes, indeed and we each got a $10.00 dining certificate which means we will have to return at a later date.  I’m good with that!