Two Days Underground

We spent two days recently underground here near in southern Arizona--literally.  On a very nice, sunny Thursday, we decided to travel just a few miles southwest from here to Kartchner Caverns.  It was recommended by folks at the RV park, and we are really glad that we made the trip.

It is a fairly new park, that has only been open for about twelve years, and it has a wonderful visitor center and great interpretive features.  The thing that impressed us most is how carefully developed and conserved the cave resource is.  Since it was recently developed, the planners were able to look at other caves that have been developed and to avoid things that have degraded those caves. 

No Crawling through This Cave--Wheelchair Accessible

After having a bit more than an hour in the visitor center, we were taken on a tram car up to the cave portal up the hill a little ways.  The entire tour was guided by a very knowledgeable volunteer guide/interpreter.  The next thing that impressed us was the air locks and isolation rooms at the entrance to the cave.  This allows them to tightly control the humidity of the cave and monitor conditions closely.  They even vacuum up all of the lint, hair and other things that come in with visitors at the end of every day.

"Bacon" Formations in Kartchner Caverns

The guided tour was about an hour long and took us through several rooms with outstanding formations.  We have not been to a lot of caverns, but this is the best one we have been to so far, and the conservation and interpretation will be hard to beat.

Large and Colorful Formations in the Rotunda Room Tour

On Friday, we decided to go underground again and drove down to Sahaurita, Arizona south of Tucson to the Titan II Missile Museum for an underground tour.  The installation was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) part of the Air Force, and is the only one that remains with most of the equipment since they were destroyed by the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty.  The missile silos were built in Arizona, Kansas, and Arkansas.  Why those states?  Barry Goldwater, Bob Dole, and we are guessing a Senator from Arkansas.

Cutaway of the ICBM Silo

We arrived in the mid afternoon and spent a little time in the exhibit area and then went on a tour of the above ground fueling, communications and security equipment, and then took fifty-five steps down into the command module (smaller module on right of silo above).  They still have the original command desks and security items and take you through a "simulated launch".  When in operation during the Cold War, it had a nine megaton nuclear warhead, so it was a good thing that it was only simulated.

Titan II Missile and Warhead When Operational

We did not realize that the silos were only staffed by two teams of two most of the time.  There was an Air Force officer and enlisted person on each team, and most areas of the complex required two people to be there at all times.  

Original Launch Control Room 

It was a good tour, and we learned a lot about this era of American history and the technology that was employed to protect the United States from the Soviet Union.  Neil remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis in the   late fifties that had his Dad getting the family ready to travel north from New Orleans to seek safety.  Scary times. 

The Missile Silo Today Has a Glass Top So that Russian Satellites Can See Inside

Today, we stayed put in the RV Park and battened down the hatches for a storm system that is headed our way.  As we look at Juneau's weather, we realize that they are actually getting more wind there than here (45 mph versus the 35 mph here), along with wind chills in the minus forties.  So we are not complaining about the weather here in Arizona.

Sunday, we will be taking a trip up to Tucson to see some sights and do some shopping.  We have plans to visit friends in Bisbee on Monday, and head back to Brenda, Arizona and Desert Gold RV Park on Tuesday.

It is hard to believe that we are already coming up on the first of March.  We hope all is well with you all.

Neil and Pamela

Starry Night and Tombstone

After arrival and checking in on Monday and a quick bit of dinner, we joined about eighteen other campers in the small observatory here at Butterfield RV Resort in Benson.  We had a good luck at some stars in the Andromeda galaxy and some stars in our own solar system.  We especially got a close look at Orion the Hunter.

Constellation Orion the Hunter

Tuesday, we spend here in Benson, relaxing and doing some re-organization of the Fiver storage bays.  It was sunny and warm (for us anyway) but a bit windy.  Benson is located in the San Pedro Valley, and there is a train that runs through the valley, carrying freight back and forth.  The guide at the observatory says that there is a rumor that most of the train engineers have ex-wives in Benson and so they blow their train horns every night as they come through to wake them up.  We don't know if that is the reason why we hear train horns all night or not, but it is as good a story as any.

On Wednesday, we drove south to Tombstone, Arizona.  We got there in time to get tickets to the re-enactment of the Gunfight at OK Corral.  It was a bit hokey, but enjoyable.  

Virgil and Morgan Earp at the OK Corral

Gunfight Location in the OK Corral

We are not sure that we would take the time to go again, but it was one of those things you have to see for yourself.  We walked the board walk streets, had a buffalo burger in one of the saloons and a leisurely drive back.  There was a Border Patrol checkpoint as we left Tombstone, but the Alaska plates on the truck and the fact that Pamela and Neil didn't look Mexican meant that we only had to slow down as we went past the checkpoint.

Streets of Tombstone

There are several more places we plan to visit here in Cochise County, including some caverns and a side trip to Bisbee, and a trip up to Tucson before we leave on Tuesday.  All is well with us and we hope that it is with you also.

Neil and Pamela

Southern Arizona Arrival

Today dawned another sunny and nice day with temperatures in the 60's.  Cool for Arizona, but pretty darn great for us and a nice day for traveling to Southern Arizona.  We got on the road in mid morning and drove about 175 miles through Tucson to Benson, Arizona.  Traffic was not too bad and we arrived here in Benson in plenty of time to get set up and settled in to the Butterfield RV Park.

Roadside View of Picacho Peak on the Way to Benson

We will be using this location as a base for visiting several attractions, such as Bisbee, Tombstone, and some caves and caverns.  We are at about 3500 feet, and as a bonus, this RV resort actually has an observatory to look at stars and planets.  We don't know much about it, but will know more after tonight as we have signed up for a tour at 2000 hours.  The pictures on the park website seem pretty neat, so we are looking forward to it. 

Butterfield RV Resort Observatory

Weather at home in Juneau has been cold and snowy (no surprise for February) and we are really enjoying the sunny and warm weather and visiting some things we have not seen before.  We hope you are doing well where ever you are.

Butterfield RV Resort and Observatory - Our Home for a Week or So

Neil and Pamela

Rain Comes to Arizona

We have had a good several days here in the Phoenix area here at the Desert Edge RV Park.  Until today, the weather has been sunny and warm, and we have been able to get around Phoenix and see some of the things we wanted to see.  On Thursday, we drove to Carefree, Arizona (great name for a place to retire, eh?) and visited with our Forest Service colleage, Denny Bschor.  Denny and Cheryl retired to Carefree a little more than a year ago and are loving their new home and the weather in Carefree.  We had a great visit with Denny and shared some wine and smoked salmon.

Yesterday, we visited the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, where Pamela was able to pick up several books she has been wanting, and Neil added some new titles to his wish list.

One of Pamela's Favorite Bookstores in Scottsdale, Arizona

Today was an inside the RV park day, as it rained and blew a bit.  We had done shopping in Scottsdale, Camping World, and filled up the GMC with gas at Costco, so we had no need to venture too far.  In the afternoon, the weather improved, and we did some inside work reorganizing and inflating the living room sofa bed to make sure that it actually worked (it does).  We have some friends who will be joining us in Canada for the trip home to Alaska in early April, and we wanted to make sure that they will be comfortable.  The wind today actually blew over the Direct TV dish, and Neil used his "satellite finder" he bought at Camping World to get it set back up quickly.  We think that it will work better than the "twist and shout" method we have been using before this.

You Know that Neil Hates Gadgets, Right?  Well He Got this One  Anyway

This afternoon, during one of the weather breaks, Pamela and I took a "nature walk" through the RV park to see what kind of wildlife we could find.  Below are some of our "sightings".

We Saw Birds

Gekkos

Parrots

Metal Cacti

We All Know that Foresters are Animals, Right?

Tigers, Oh My

Bears - Silverbacks

Yogi and Boo Boo

One Kind of Wildcat

And Finally, Our Own Cougar!

We will be here for another day, before we leave on Monday for Benson, Arizona (south of Tucson) and will spend about a week there and will take some side trips to Tucson, Tombstone, and Bisbee.  After that, we will head back to Brenda, Arizona near Quartzite for a week.  Thanks for visiting,

Neil and Pamela

Chilling (Warming) in Phoenix

We have enjoyed several nice days in Phoenix with weather in the high seventies and mostly clear skies.  It was just what we needed to recover from the colds we have had for the last week.  We have done a little bit of shopping and some time keeping cool.  We visited the big Cabela's store in Glendale, Arizona today so that Neil could pick up some warm weather clothes.

Cabela's Store in Glendale, Arizona

We also decided to have dinner out at a nearby Cracker Barrel tonight, and had a great home style meal.  Tomorrow, we plan to head up to Carefree, Arizona tomorrow to see Forest Service retiree friend, Denny at his new place.  He seems to enjoy his Arizona winters a bit more than Juneau.

While at Cabela's, We Saw this Game on Sale.  Maybe Friend Sam in Alaska Would Enjoy It?

We are not sure of our plans after this week.  We are thinking that we would like to move south and west and visit Yuma and then over into California and the Anza-Borrego State Park area.  Before we go, there are some things we want to do in the Phoenix area, including a visit to Scottsdale and the Poisoned Pen mystery bookstore.

We are enjoying to good weather in Arizona, and hope you are doing well wherever you are.

Neil and Pamela

Warmer Weather and Move to North Phoenix

We packed up today and drove the sixty miles from North Ranch RV Park near Wickenburg to North Phoenix. The weather was great with clear skies and temperatures in the high seventies.  It was a great drive, and Pamela found a nice RV park here in North Phoenix.  It has some nice landscaping (including lots of orange trees), a pool and it is close to some important "attractions"--things like Trader Joes, Costco, Starbucks, and Camping World.

Our Campsite in North Phoenix, Arizona

We are looking forward to the warmer weather and to visiting a favorite bookstore in Scottsdale, and visiting some Forest Service colleagues in the area.  Both of us caught a chest and then head cold that we have been fighting over the past week, and hope that the warmer weather will bake the colds out of us.  We hope to keep in touch a little bit more often now that we are feeling better.  Please send us a note or post a comment on the blog if you would like to keep in touch.

Thanks for visiting,

Neil and Pamela

Safe Back in Arizona

On Monday, we waited for the UPS and FedEx trucks and the US Postal Service deliveries at Neil's brother's house and then headed East to La Quinta, California.  We actually had something from all three deliveries and added them to the pickup and got on to the 91 freeway around 1300.  We decided to break up the drive and only went as far as La Quinta in the Palm Springs area.  Traffic was light to moderate, and the weather was great.  After an overnight in La Quinta, we finished the drive to he Escapees North Ranch RV Park near Congress, Arizona.

Both of us have caught some sort of chest cold, so we have been taking it a bit easy.  We drove here via Wickenburg and picked up dinner, and we will wait to see how we feel before we leave here for the Phoenix, Arizona area.  Our friends Jim and Judy from Alaska have told us that it is still too cold in Arizona in February, and we are beginning to believe that they are right.  We will move to some warmer climes in a few days.

More later, thanks for checking in.

Neil and Pamela

California for Super Bowl & RV Weight Watching

We had a good (but cool) Thursday with some packing and getting the Fiver and GMC truck weighed by the Escapee Smart Weigh program.  Our weigh in time was around 1400 so we spent some time packing for the drive to California, an packed up everything except the Direct TV dish, wrote down all the specifications on tie DOT date codes, axle capacities, and other important towing stuff.

We were a little bit apprehensive about the RV weigh in, and it turned out that we are under the maximum capacity for the fifth wheel and truck, but that we should try to move some weight forward into the pickup bed and from the driver side of the Fiver to the passenger side.  This is a normal problem, since the driver side has a fridge, stove and two slides so comes out of the factory unbalanced.  We got some great advice from the experts at the Smart Weigh program and will work on better load balance when we get a chance.  It also means that Neil doesn't get to buy a new pickup truck quite yet, because while a newer diesel pickup would pull our trailer better, our current gas truck seems to be OK for now.  We put the Fiver back into our space at the North Ranch Escapee RV Park near Congress, Arizona and made sure that the Direct TV dish is set up to record our favorite programs. 

On Friday, we made the 350 mile drive to Anaheim and arrived in time for dinner with Neil's brother Bruce and Sandi.  We are staying here for the Super Bowl weekend and head back to Arizona early next week.  We did pick up some more "stuff" at Camping World; mostly safety and maintenance items that were recommended by the experts at the RV Boot Camp.

Later in the week, we will move to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and visit some friends and maybe take in a pre-season baseball game.  We are gearing up for a Super Bowl feast and game here with Bruce and Sandi, and enjoying the temperatures in the mid seventies or higher.  All is well with us and we are enjoying the "RV Lifesyle" so far.  Best wishes,

Neil and Pamela

RV Boot Camp and Arizona Freezing

Happy February!  We are at the Escapee RV Park at North Ranch, between Congress and Wickenburg, Arizona.  The program was about three days long, and covered RV systems, driving tips, weights and loading,  fire safety, and one hell of a lot about RV tires.  It was a great course, and our brains are full of facts and lists of things to do and things to add for safety.

The course ended today around noon as the wind was blowing across the Arizona desert and it was about 35 degrees.  We had lunch at the Nichols West diner in Congress and then Neil went into Wickenburg to have the truck tires balanced, and the truck washed.  We also topped up the propane tank since the freezing weather has made the furnace run a lot more than normal.  In fact, it is colder here in Arizona than back in Juneau!

Natural and Home Made Cactus at North Ranch

On Thursday afternoon, we will get the truck and fifth wheel trailer professionally weighed by the Escapee Smart Weigh program--it weighs each individual wheel to determine if the trailer is balanced side to side and front to back.  After that, we will bring the Fiver back to our space in the North Ranch RV Park and get ready for our drive in the truck back to Anaheim for a Hagadorn Family get together around Super Bowl.  We will stay there for a long weekend and then come back to North Ranch for our next leg of our Arizona Adventure.

We learned a lot at Boot Camp, and Pamela put together a list of some Lessons Learned to share:

1. RV – stands for recreational vehicle. You are suppose to be recreating and therefore not in a hurry, especially when driving. You are not in a racecar, nor even an SUV.  Take your time.
   
2. RV measurements - put on a 3x5 card in next to the driver. You need the total length, width (with slides in and slides out) and height to top of tallest vent. Make sure you have them in both feet and meters (for Canada or Mexico travel). This will save you time, when you see signs for a narrow bridge, underpass, or making ferry and campground reservations.
   
3. Side Rearview Mirrors – adjust so you see very little sky and more pavement. You are a vehicle not a plane.
   
4. Staying in Center of Lane – you can line up the grease trail on the highway with the driver’s right foot. This will put you in the middle of the lane for your RV.
   
5. ICE – Make sure your In Case of Emergency information is on your phone (under ICE) for rescue personnel. They are not allowed to open your purse or wallet unless a police officer is present.
   
6. Backup Hand Signals – the guide always stands on the driver’s side. Make sure your partner knows what your hand signals stand for and use your whole arms. Think of the jet airplane guides at an airport.
   
7. Toilet tissue – if it will not dissolve in a jar of water in 30 minutes, it will not dissolve in your tank. There are grocery brands that will, such as Angel Soft, Scott’s 1000 and the Costco Kirkland.
   
8. Smelling Propane – Fact is women smell better than men – when it comes to noticing propane leaks. If she smells propane, believe it and look for the leak.
   
9. Fire in an RV – while rare, know how to get out of your rig FAST. If you see flames inside, you have 20 seconds to get out safely before propane blows. IN ADDITION, you need to get 2,500 feet away uphill, yes half a mile as fast as possible in case the propane does blow.  Know how to get out of both sides of your RV.

One of the Seminars Was All About Tires

One of the things we are looking forward to is getting to warmer parts of Arizona.  We hope to move towards Scottsdale and further south.  We hope you are doing well where ever you are.

Neil and Pamela