Visit to the Desert Museum

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is just a few miles up from the road from the park we're staying in. Friends back in Alabama had emailed us to encourage us to visit this museum, saying it was a must see. So, that's what we did today.

The museum was founded in 1952. To quote the brochure, "You will see interpretive displays of living animals and plants native to the Sonoran Desert region - an area encompassing parts of Arizona and California in the United States and the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, Baja California Sur,and the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). Within the Museum grounds, you will see more than 300 animal species and 1200 kinds of plants on display - alive in their natural desert settings. There are almost two miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert."

We took over 2 hours to walk the paths and exhibits of the grounds. I'm sure we probably missed some things, but we sure did see a lot! Because of the time of day (midday), many of the animals were resting and out of sight. We did catch glimpses of mountain lions, an ocelot, and a bobcat. Other animals that were out and about were desert bighorns, a grey fox, a Mexican wolf, prairie dogs, a coyote and a javelina.

Grey Fox

Javelina

Mexican Wolf

Bighorns

Coyote

Prairie Dog

There was also a walk-in aviary in which there were many different birds just flying about. It was strange to have them flying so closely to us. We also walked through a hummingbird exhibit. Those are some fast, but tiny, birds!

Hummingbird

Quail

While I enjoyed the many animals we saw, I have to admit the best part of the museum for me was being in the desert itself. It is so very different from the lush East Coast vegetation I'm used to, but it is just as beautiful. I find that I am very smitten by this area. The many different type of cactus, the wild flowers, and other brush and trees are fascinating. Walking the desert loop was so enjoyable.

This museum is definitely a must-see stop if you are in Tucson. For an admission fee of $13/adult, I think it is very reasonable. There are also several demonstrations, talks and tours given throughout the day by volunteer docents. We were never in the right place at the right for any that were offered today. But, still I feel we got our money's worth. Thanks, Bill & Kathy and Larry & Cindy for the tip on this place!

We certainly got our dose of Vitamin D for the day. Once we got home we just vegged in the rig for the afternoon. About 4pm Pat called me to see if I wanted to go to the pool with her. I hemmed and hawed a bit, but finally decided to go - we're only here for a few more days, after all! Boy, that water felt good after being the sun earlier in the day. :) It's tough to have to lounge in the pool in mid-March! :)

Tomorrow Randy's going to drop the truck off at the shop for a little maintenance, then he and Russ are going to visit the Airplane Graveyard-Boneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. I'm sure Randy will enjoy that. I'm going to enjoy just hanging out at home - I'm sure there'll be some pool time included at some point! :)

Until the next time . . .

Church, Shopping, Sunset & Owls

Sound like a diverse day, doesn't it? Well, it was!

Russ and Pat joined us for church this morning, which was great! We went back to Epic Church where Brian & Claudia worship. We went there for a couple of reasons; one, we enjoyed it last week and two, Brian's sister, Vanessa, is visiting them this week and I really wanted to see her again. It's been several years since I've seen her and I was looking forward to getting to hug on her a bit. I wasn't disappointed - she looks great and it was wonderful to to see that. Jake, their pastor, gave a really good message and that started the day off well.

If you know Brian & Claudia and think of it, pray for this church, it's just getting started and has 25 to 30 regular attenders. They seem to be on the right track and really want to serve God by serving the city of Tucson and sharing God with it.

From church, we decided we needed to get some breakfast, so we went to the Hungry Fox restaurant. Very homey and great food. We certainly got our money's worth there!

Fully fortified, we were heading back home when Pat asked the question - need to stop anywhere before we go home? Well, the answer was yes, of course. :) Randy & I needed milk and Russ & Pat needed some bananas so we were going to make a quick grocery stop. Then, I remembered we needed to buy a new printer, so that meant a trip to WalMart! Thank goodness, we could get both the printer and the food at WalMart which meant we really only had to make the one stop.

The economy was stimulated a little more by both the Guilers and the Petersons! We bought a printer and some grocery items and they bought their bananas AND a new surround sound system! We finally got home sometime after 2pm. I laughed and said that our outings turn into all day affairs!

Back home, it was time to relax and try to get rid of the headache that had been plaguing me all day. I took some meds and tried napping but nothing helped. I finally decided to take a walk 'cause I've found that exercise has helped eased my headaches. Seems weird to me, but it works, so I'm not gonna argue. I went over to see if Pat wanted to walk with me and she did.

We walked a couple of miles - one of which was a loop out into the desert. It was so peaceful. When we got back, it was almost time for the sun to set, so we walked up to the lookout here at the park to get some pictures. It was beautiful.

I have also been wanting to get some pictures of the owls that reside here at the park. So, that was our next venture. We did see them. It was great. Seeing them in their nests and then flying from perch to perch was just amazing. They are such beautiful birds. What a great way to end the day.

Male owl - can you see him?

Female owl

AND my headache was gone!

Tomorrow we're planning to go to the Desert Museum. We've been told this is a must-see. We'll let you know!

Until the next time . . .

A MUCH Better Day!

Thank goodness today was a much better day than yesterday! It started out rather unexcitingly with three loads of laundry. After getting my coffee and breakfast, I joined Pat for an hour of exercise.

Yes, I actually did an exercise program voluntarily and it wasn't Curves. Don't know what I was thinking! But, Pat encouraged me to go, so what the heck. It was definitely a good workout. About an hour after we had finished the workout, we headed over to the pool. Pat is gonna kill me before I leave here! She is an exercise nut! She and Russ are always doing some type of physical activity - they bike for miles; walk 2 miles twice a day most days; Pat does various exercise programs here at the park; AND she swims laps for 30 minutes several times a week. I am amazed by all she does.

The pool was fantastic. We had it all to ourselves. So we floated, did a little exercising and floated some more. It was wonderful. Then I got out while Pat swam her laps. I read a bit and just soaked up some sun. Marvelous.

All of the above was done by 12:30 this afternoon!

The afternoon was spent hanging out at the rig. Just catching up on computer time, reading and watching some TV. And we got network channels on our satellite now! YAY! We can now record network shows. I am so excited.

This evening there was a St. Patrick's Day party here at the park. The band was pretty good and played all different types of music, but mostly country. Lots of folks danced and everyone had fun. To get in you either had to bring a snack to share or pay $2. We brought a snack. The park provided wine and coffee, and you could also BYOB. We had a good time and enjoyed people-watching, as usual.

Aren't we just too cute?

Definitely enjoyed today much more than yesterday! Still haven't gotten our package, but hoping it shows up on Monday. Tomorrow Russ & Pat are going to join us for church. We're going back to Brian & Claudia's church. It'll be good to see them one more time before we leave and Brian's sister, Vanessa, is supposed to be there, too. Looking forward to seeing her.

Hope you had a good Saturday! Until the next time . . .

A Frustrating Day

Yeah, it was one of those days - DO NOT say it was Friday the 13th, 'cause I don't believe in that stuff! :)

I got up this morning kinda dragging - just didn't feel like functioning. But, after my quiet time and some prayer, I felt like I could face the day a bit better. I got out, went to Curves and came home expecting to have a great day in the beautiful weather we were going to have today. We were supposed to clean, but I just couldn't give up the sunshine for that!

So, after getting a cup of coffee, some breakfast, and computer time, I got myself set up outside to enjoy the sunshine and work on my latest cross stitch project. And that's when it all went down hill . . .

I remembered I needed to fax some paperwork to All American Direct who has a contract with Dish that allows RVers to receive national network channels. With that paperwork, there has to be a copy of our current RV registration. No problem, right? Just run a copy off our printer. Nope! Printer did not want to do anything. We thought maybe the ink had finally run out so Randy replaced the ink cartridges. Didn't work. It kept wanting us to "align" the cartridges, but when I'd follow the prompts, the printer just chugged and did nothing. UGH. Randy thought maybe the driver had been corrupted somehow, so I searched and found a driver to download for free. After all that was done - NOTHING!! The daggone thing STILL wouldn't work. Guess we'll add a little more $$ to the economy and buy a new printer.

I finally just went to the campground office and had them make a copy of the registration and then faxed the paperwork. But, what a pain.

While I was at the office, I checked the mail to see if our wireless router had arrived. We'd ordered it Tuesday and paid for 2nd day air, so it should have been here today. You guessed it - no router. I came back to the rig and checked online for the UPS tracking of the package. Well, the status showed the package having been delivered - at 10:55am TODAY! No way! I had been down to the office around 2pm.

Of course, I called UPS and they said they showed it as having been delivered and the only thing I could do was called the company from whom we ordered the router and have them call UPS to make a claim which would start an investigation. I asked how long it could take to get an answer and was told up to 8 days - of course we're leaving here in a week. We've gotten a couple of calls today since then from UPS asking about the package. Randy keeps telling them the same thing - the UPS guy puts all packages at the mailboxes outside the campground office. AND OURS ISN'T THERE!! They are supposed to come out Monday to check. Don't know what they're going to check, but we'll see what happens.

Needless to say I was completely frustrated by this afternoon. I have a hard time dealing with circumstances that just seem stupid to me. Yes, I have a low tolerance for ignorance or incompetence. And when technology doesn't work as it should, I am not happy.

But, Pat called to aske me to go to the pool with her late this afternoon and that saved the day. It was great to be in the pool and relax. Made me feel much better. I'm sure Randy was glad about that! :)

Hopefully, the rest of the weekend will go a little smoother. Until the next time . . .

Road Trip

Well, kind of. After hitting Curves this morning, I came home and got a couple of cups of coffee in me. Then, it was time to get ready for our day trip to Tombstone, AZ and beyond.

Russ & Pat joined us on our road trip. Tombstone is almost 2 hours south of Tucson. I was pretty excited about seeing the town in which so much cowboy history happened. Russ kept teasing me about it. Turns out he was right - it's pretty commercialized. I guess I was expecting the town to be filled with historical markers and buildings from the 1880s. I'm sure there were some, but really the town has become a tourist attraction. Lots of restaurants and retailers. Of course, there is an attraction for the gunfight at the OK Corral, but we didn't pay to go into it.

Tombstone's main street

Local stagecoach

One of the many cowboys in town

We walked up and down the street, wandering in and out of stores as they caught our attention. We had a good lunch at the Longhorn Restaurant. All of the storefronts are made up to look like those you think you'd find in an Old West town. And you can find any kind of souvenir possible, but there are lots of pretty cool things, too. Randy found a pair of moccasins he's been searching for, so that was good.

Over all, I would say that Tombstone was a bit of a disappointment. However, we can now say we've been there. From Tombstone, we continued south to Bisbee, a mining town that has become more of an artist's haven.

We just rode through Bisbee as none of us was in the mood to get out and walk through more shops. For friends and family back in MD/PA, it reminded me of Old Ellicott City. The town is built into a hill. I tried to get a picture of the houses terraced on a hillside, but it didn't come out good. Bisbee started out in the late 1870s as a copper mining town, but mining ceased in 1975. That's when the artists and craftsmen began to make Bisbee theirs.

Bisbee's main street

The Lavender Pit - copper mine

Our journey south continued to Naco, AZ where there is a border wall between the United States and Mexico. Since we'd heard of the wall, it was pretty neat to see it. I just think it needs to be continued along the rest of the US/Mexican border!

After viewing the border, it was time to begin our long drive home. So glad Randy doesn't mind driving! We did make a stop at Walmart so that Randy could pick up a new hair trimmer - poor guy, his old one stopped in the middle of his cutting his hair last night!! Thank God for hats! :)

We got home a little after 6pm. It was a long day, but fun. We really enjoy spending time with Russ & Pat and looking forward to another week here with them. Hope they aren't sick of us yet!

Tomorrow is going to be an "at home" day. Gotta clean once in awhile! And I need to update the finances and make sure we've still got money to play with! :)

Until the next time . . .

Guiler Stimulus Package

No, it's not a package we received - it's one we bestowed on the retail community! :) In the past 24 hours, we recycled some of our tax refund back into the economy by purchasing:

• breakfast in a local restaurant
  
• wireless router;
  
• mani/pedicure;
• netbook; and
  
• portable GPS.

Now, what have YOU done recently to help the economy? :)

Once we got home this afternoon, Randy got busy learning all about his netbook. I went with Pat to a jam session at one of her friend's sites. There were four guitar players, a banjo player and two dulcimer players (one of whom was me!). I knew very few of the song and they played in all different keys, but I tried to keep up and chord along with them. It was fun.

This evening Russ & Pat had us over for dinner. Very yummy. As usual we had a great time together, laughing and chatting. After dinner, we made plans to go to Tombstone tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that!

Until the next time . . .

Marathon Shopping Day

We had a whirlwind of a day! It started for me with a workout at Curves. Then back home for coffee, computer time and some breakfast. After that it was out for a day of shopping with Russ and Pat.

Randy & I needed to go to Best Buy because we've decided it's time to add a computer to our family. :) We've shared very nicely for almost five years on the road, but now we're going to each have our own. Randy found one of those netbooks he likes at Best Buy, so we were off to buy that, a router to give us wireless internet connection AND a GPS. Yes, Best Buy was gonna get lots of the Guiler money today - or so we thought!

Russ & Pat also had shopping to do at various stores, so we decided to do it together. They needed to Sam's, and a few grocery stores, ones we've never been to. So it was going to be an adventure. :)

See what a positive spin I've put on shopping? Aren't you proud of me?

Getting back to Best Buy . . . We were all set to part with our money and found out that they did not have the netbook Randy wanted in stock! UGH! I hate that. But, a shipment was to come in tonight, so we're going back first thing in the morning to get it. We found a fairly inexpensive GPS to get as well. It's really just a back up for us 'cause we do our big trips on software stored on the computer. This one will be nice for cruising around towns. As for the router; the only one Best Buy carries is waaaayyyyy too expensive. Randy said he's found others online that he'd rather get. So, we left Best Buy emptyhanded. But, I don't think that will be the case tomorrow.

We had started the journey at Sam's Club, then it was Best Buy and WalMart. We caught some lunch at Boston Market before we continued our jaunt around Tucson and its grocery stores. :) After lunch we went to Sunflower Market which I had never heard of! It's a store full of organic foods. Russ & Pat like it for its produce. We did pick up a yellow bell pepper. And we paid for it, too! ;)

The next stop was a used bookstore!!!!!! I was so psyched! I love bookstores - I could blow our entire budget on books, that is, if I were that unstable. :) I did buy 10 books, though. I found a bunch of Nora Roberts' very early books that I had figured I'd never find. Very cool.

From the bookstore we went to Trader Joe's. Now, I have heard of this store but had never been in one. Again, it's kind of a yuppy, granola-type store, but we managed to purchase a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine.

Are you exhausted yet? Well, the four of us were! It was after 3pm and time to go home. We had been out and about since 10am. I was on shopping overload, but I actually enjoyed it. Of course, it's easy to have fun with people you like being with.

Once back at the park, the four of us went to our respective rigs to regroup a bit. A little later we did a walk around the park - Russ & Pat did three laps for a 2 mile walk while Randy & I wimped out after two laps and only 1.5 miles! :) HEY! I went to Curves this morning, remember!

The rest of the evening has been spent relaxing in our chairs, watching TV and computer time. Randy did order us a router, too. All in all a fairly productive day. Hope yours was as well.

Until the next time . . .

A Good Breakfast and Exploration

Before I share our day, I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! to our grandson, Tommy. He turned 10 yesterday and I didn't shout it out here! So, I'm sorry, Tommy, for the delayed birthday wishes. So glad you had a good day! We love you.

I started the day with a session at Curves. It is so close here - less than 4 miles away! No excuses here!

We spent the day with Russ & Pat, beginning with a great breakfast at, where else?, Cracker Barrel!! I had teased Randy that he was starting to go through withdrawal because it had been weeks/months since he last had a meal there, so of course we needed to go since there was one close by. :)

After filling our bellies, we went for a drive through Saguaro National Park and then Tucson Mountain Park. This area is just beautiful - the scenery is fantastic. You look to one side and you see mountains forever. Then you turn and all you can see is desert landscape with all different kinds of vegetation. Some of the vistas were breathtaking. Russ & Pat were wonderful "tour guides."

When we got back to the park, Pat & I played music for almost 2 hours. Pat also plays the dulcimer! It was nice being able to play with someone again. We're sure to do more of that over these next couple of weeks.

I was also able to get a good haircut this afternoon. There is a woman in the park who is a hair stylist and I was thrilled that she was able to cut my hair today. It was getting on my nerves!

And this shows you just how good friends Russ & Pat are - we can't get the local ABC station here, it just won't come in. Well, Dancing with the Stars premiered tonight and I was really bummed 'cause I wasn't going to be able to see it. Russ & Pat recorded it for me!! How nice is that? I went over about 8pm after we had gone to a satellite TV Q&A this evening in the park. So, I got to watch the whole show tonight! Thanks so much, Russ & Pat!

That's it for today. Tomorrow we're hitting some stores. Randy wants to get a small GPS, like Garmin or TomTom for us to use in town and we're also looking to get him his own laptop. Russ & Pat need to go to Sam's so we're going to make a day of shopping. Who knows what else we may get into? I'll let you know!

Until the next time . . .

A Wonderful Reunion

We had such a special day today. A young couple, Brian & Claudia, who were students in the Grace Youth Ministry in which I served several years ago, now live in Tucson. Brian is also the son of one of the pastors of Grace who I worked for several years as well. :) Well, we couldn't be here and not get together with them, so that was the plan for the day.

Brian & Claudia are part of a new church work, Epic Church and we went to church with them this morning. We met Brian at their home and rode over with him because Claudia is part of the worship team so she had to be there early. It was a great experience, bringing back memories for Randy & I when we were part of a young church that met in a school. The excitement that was part of the service and the members was catching. :) Their pastor did a good job of sharing God's message and, of course, the worship was great. It was fun seeing Claudia singing again. She was a dynamic part of the youth ministry's worship team and to see her using her gifts in this way was a joy.

After church, it was time for lunch! We were all starving. We ended up at Chipotle! Randy & I hadn't been to a Chipotle in three years, probably. There just haven't been any where we've been. So, three of us stuffed ourselves with those huge burritos and Claudia had tacos. We had fun catching up with each other's lives and reminiscing about youth ministry and such. They also took us to a bakery/cafe they love so we could have dessert. Like eating those burritos weren't enough food!! But, we persevered and joined them in cookies, brownies and coffee. Yum!

Before we knew it, it was 2:30pm!! Brian and Claudia had to get home to rest up for their small group this evening that was meeting at their home. Actually, Claudia said she needed to clean! :) It was such a great afternoon (have I used the word "great" enough in this post???) and such a gift to be able to see how Brian & Claudia have grown into such fantastic adults. We really enjoyed our time together. After big hugs and a couple of pictures, we said good-bye. But, we're hoping to see them again next week at church. Plus, Brian's sister, Vanessa, will be visiting, so we'll be able to see her, too! Very cool.

Being able to reconnect with people is THE best thing about this life we're living. If we weren't traveling, we never would have had the opportunity to hook up with Brian & Claudia. And what a shame that would have been. We have some special reunions coming up, too. Can't wait for those.

Hope your Sunday was a good one. We're going exploring with Russ & Pat tomorrow. First thing on the agenda is breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Randy's starting to go through withdrawal! :)

Until the next time . . .

Does It Get Any Better Than This???

What a day! What A day! WHAT A DAY!!!! This has been a wonderful day. Got up early and did laundry as I usually do on Saturday mornings. And that was it - that was the only thing that HAD to be done today. The rest of the day was open to whatever came along.

After the laundry was done, I had my coffee, watched a bit of the news on Fox & Friends and caught up on my blog reading. After awhile, the sun had been up long enough that it had warmed up nicely outside, so Randy & I took a walk around the park. When we got back to the rig, Randy got my recliner out of "the basement," and I set myself up outside for the rest of the morning. As I sat there cross stitching, with the sun pouring down on me and a glass of iced tea beside me, I thought that life could not get any better than it is right now. It was absolute perfection.

After a bit, Pat came over to see if I wanted to go to the pool with her. YES! the pool. This park has a heated pool and Pat tends to go over every afternoon to swim laps and exercise. I jumped at the chance to go. So, we did. It was glorious! The pool was a perfect temperature - not like bath water, but warm enough that you didn't have to inch your way into it. Pat and I talked while we exercised. After a bit, Pat swam some laps and I just laid in the sun. Aaaaahhhhhh!

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching TV until it was time to get dinner ready. Russ & Pat came over for spinach quesadillas. They brought a salad and homemade guacamole. Both were very good. We had a good dinner and better conversation. It's great how you can just pick up where you left off with some folks. We sat around after dinner chatting for a bit. It was a nice way to end the day.

Tomorrow we're going to church with Brian & Claudia, then out to lunch. I can't wait to see them!

Hope you had a good day, too. So glad my East Coast family and friends are enjoying great weather this weekend. Until the next time . . .

Just Call Me Spontaneous!

You all who know me just know that "spontaneous" is my middle name! NOT!!!!! :) But, today helped me to channel my inner Gumby (Do you remember Gumby? He was VERY flexible!)

The plan was to spend this next week in Benson, Arizona at an Escapees Co-op. Escapees Parks do not take reservations, it's first come, first served and if there are no sites available, you are welcome to dry camp. (Dry camping is without hook-ups; using your generator or batteries for your utilities.) Having no reservations is a HUGE deal to me - I like knowing I've got a place to plug in for the night! We have dry camped overnight in parking lots, but that's no big deal. You stop later in the day and get back on the road early the next morning. Dry camping for days is NOT my thing.

Anyway, we had been on the road about an hour and I figured I'd call ahead to ensure Benson had a site for us. Boy, am I glad I did!! They had nothing but dry camping available and it was taking three to four days for people to get a regular site. No thanks. Then, the hunt began for another park. I was truly grateful to God for our air card AND that we had service in the area we were traveling. Sometimes that's not the case.

Hello Arizona!

An interesting horizon

The first call I made was to Russ & Pat, our friends who we were meeting up with in Tucson. I asked them where they were staying. I also checked out the Passport America website to see what campgrounds they had in the area. Since this is "high season" for this area, most of the PA parks don't honor the discount, or it's not for many days. So, I called Desert Trails where Russ & Pat are staying - they had a site for the week and we took it. It's a bit on the pricey side for us, but we figured we'd be close to Russ & Pat and this way we'd save fuel because we wouldn't be running back and forth. (Benson is an hour south of Tucson.)

So glad it worked out. I know, I know!! All you full-timers out there who don't make reservations - you're just nodding your heads saying, "See, you don't need reservations!" YES, I DO!!!! :)

We got to Desert Trails before 1:30 this afternoon after an easy four hour drive from Deming. We registered and got into our site without a problem. And we are right across from Russ & Pat! That's great. Apparently, they had gone into the office and asked if we could be put close to them. How nice is that? :)

Once we got settled in, I had a brainstorm, or cramp depending on how you look at it. I asked Randy if we could just stay here for two weeks instead of one. I looked at our calendar and the plan we had and saw that we really wouldn't be spending much more money if we stayed here an extra week and this allows us to enjoy the area with Russ & Pat without feeling like we have to do it all in just a few days. Randy was up for it and I called the office to see if the site was available for an additional week. It was and we are. Staying that is.

And yes, this is spontaneous for me! :) I changed the plan on the spur of the moment. And that just doesn't happen very often.

A good travel day is always a reason for praise! Tomorrow's a chore day - laundry! :) Not sure what else will be happening, but I'll be sure to share with you.

Until the next time . . .

Nothing - Take 2

I should probably just tell you to read Tuesday's post 'cause today is just about identical. :) Although, we did go to WalMart today and we didn't do that on Tuesday.

Randy drove me to Curves this morning so that we could go to WalMart to check on some chairs. We need new camp chairs and Randy saw some at WalMart the other day. They were just $10! Our chairs are really showing their age (we've had them for almost 20 years!) and we've been talking about getting new ones, so we figured this was a good time to do so. Of course, these new ones will probably never last as long as the old ones, but for $10 a piece . . . We also picked up a couple of things for the grandkids for Easter. Yes, it's time to think about that - only a month away.

After our big shopping spree, we came home and just hung out for the rest of the day. Again, watching TV, playing on the computer, and cross stitching. Randy did give Blackie a bath and that's never a fun thing. Blackie does not like being picked up and Randy has to do that in order to get him in the bathtub.

And that was our day. Can you stand it? Just too exciting for you, huh? :)

Tomorrow's a travel day. We've got an easy drive of just 3 hours to Benson, Arizona. Another state to put on the map! :) This is going to be a fun stop; we'll be catching up with Russ & Pat, folks we met in the fall of 2007 at Pigeon Forge, TN and have kept up with ever since. We'll also be seeing Brian & Claudia, former students of the youth ministry I served back in MD. It's always great to see friends!

Hope you've had a good week. Until the next time . . .

Pancho Villa State Park & Museum

Another lovely day here in southwest New Mexico. Many of my friends and family back east hate my weather reports, but I can't help myself. We had sunshine and high 70s again today. A great day to take a drive and explore the area.

Thirty miles south of Deming is Columbus, where you'll find the Pancho Villa State Park & Museum. Columbus is the last town in New Mexico before you cross into Mexico. It is a small town, one that you would take no notice of, usually. But, here, almost a century ago, an invasion happened that took this sleepy little town by surprise. This park and museum are dedicated to the memory of those who died during the attack.

In the early morning of March 16, 1916, Pancho Villa and 400 of his men invaded the United States. The reasons behind this attack are not really known, but some guess that Villa was angry with the United States government's agreements with the Mexican government. It's also been thought that since Villa lived off the land, he may have needed to replenish supplies and livestock and figured this border town with its military outpost, Camp Furlong, would be a good place to do so.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Even though the invasion came hours before dawn, the death toll was relatively low. Just 18 Americans died - 10 townspeople and 8 soldiers. It's estimated that 90 of Villa's guerillas died and some were taken prisoner. Six of those prisoners were ultimately hanged while others served jail time and then released to Mexico in 1921 where they received army pensions.

The US responded immediately to this attack, sending thousands of soldiers to Columbus and appointed General John Pershing to lead them. Pershing led an eleven month expedition, known as the Punitive Expedition, into Mexico in pursuit of Villa and his men. While the US military was able to disperse the guerillas who had attacked Columbus, Villa was never captured. This expedition marked the end of the US Calvary as a horse-mounted army and began the use of mechanized vehicles.

This is a nice park; the campground has roomy sites with water and electric. The area where Camp Furlong had been is marked off showing where the original buildings were. Some of those buildings are still standing. The original rec hall is now used as the Ranger Station. The vegetation is lush and landscaped very nicely. The United States and New Mexico flags are flown on Cootes Hill which sits higher than the rest of the park; they show beautifully there. The exhibits in the Visitors' Center do a good job of walking you through the invasion and the subsequent expedition.

One question I do have and forgot to ask: why the heck would they name the state park after the guy who invaded the United States??? Also, Villa's invasion is called the last invasion of the continental US by another country. I beg to differ on that claim - I think 9/11 takes that title. But, I guess that really wasn't by another country; it was an invasion though!

This was a great place to visit. It was a perfect distance for a morning adventure. And we learned about a bit of history that we had not known much about. For more pictures, click here.

Tomorrow is going to be another lazy day. We've really enjoyed our week here in Deming. It's been a low key time and that's nice once in awhile.

Until the next time . . .

A Whole Lot of Nothing

Yep, it was that kind of day. And we like them! ;) I did get myself out to Curves this morning for a good workout, but that was about it. The rest of the day was filled with enjoying the beautiful weather - sunny & 70s; watching some TV; playing the dulcimer for a bit and cross stitching. Randy fixed something in the closet (he told me what it was but it didn't compute), walked Blackie a couple of times and joined me watching TV.

Are we just too exciting or what?? :)

We're planning to visit Pancho Villa State Park and Museum tomorrow. It commemorates the last invasion of the continental US by another country. Hopefully, it will be interesting. I'll share with you tomorrow!

Until the next time . . .

Gila National Forest & Cliff Dwellings

We had a great day; albeit a long one, but it was good. I finally got myself back to Curves! I hate to admit this and if you tell anybody, I'll deny it, but I'd actually missed the exercise! Yes, I said it. Anyway, I was glad to get back to it. Gotta work those breakfasts off! :)

Speaking of breakfast, after we ate a good one of pancakes, eggs & sausage, we took a 100 mile drive north to the Gila National Forest where there are cliff dwellings dating back to the 1200s. Yes, the 1200s!! We saw beautiful vistas as we climbed higher and higher. At one point we were at an elevation of more than 7500 feet.

Once we arrived at the trail head of the Cliff Dwellings Monument, we had to walk up to them. At the steepest part of the walk, we had to climb 180 feet to reach the top. Needless to say, I was glad to get there!

The inside of these caves is absolutely mind-boggling. To think that these people could built such dwellings that would last hundreds and hundreds of years is just amazing. Our society thinks it is so advanced and intelligent and our buildings don't last nearly as long as these. Plus, they knew that to build inside the caves as they did was good for temperature control as the overhang of the cliffs kept the cold out and the warm in, depending upon the season. Standing in those dwellings is very humbling and makes you rethink what you believe about our early ancestors.

The Mogollon (pronounced mo-go-yone or muggy-own) people built these dwellings. There were hunter/gatherers and the Gila Valley was full of game and fertile soil in which they could plant their crops. They built inside the caves using rock, timbers from trees and mortar. There are about 40 rooms spread among several caves. They didn't stay very long. It is estimated by the age of the trees that the dwellings were built sometime between 1276 and 1287, but evidence shows they were gone by 1300.

Once the Mogollon were gone, it seems that no one lived here for more than one hundred years. Around 1500 the Apache moved into the area. Geronimo was even born in the Gila Valley in the 1820s. After that, of course, white men came and took the land and settled it as ranches and farms and, ultimately, forced the Apaches onto reservations. How sad for this country and how little we've learned from our mistakes.

We also walked along another trail which led to a rockface where several pictographs could be seen. These are reported to be from the same era as the cliff dwellings. Amazing!!

As always, if you'd like to see more pictures, check out our site. Enjoy.

It's great to spend this kind of time together. It was a beautiful day, weather-wise - sunny & 75 degrees - and we were privy to some of the more ancient places in this country. Doesn't get much better than that!

Until the next time . . .

Quiet End to the Weekend

We are having a quiet end to a quiet weekend. This morning we went out to breakfast, then to church and finished the morning at the grocery store. Can you stand the excitement? :)

The highlight of the day was a phone call from my friend, Beth. Beth & I are friends from MD - we went to church together, then worked together at the church and have remained good friends since Randy & I've been on the road. Beth and her husband, David, are two folks Randy and I are always sure to see when we're back home. They are good people and it was great to talk to her today!

Not much else to share today. Had a good dinner of Crockpot Enchiladas and we're now watching a Tom Selleck movie, one of the Jesse Stone movies. That Tom - he still looks good!! :)

Hope you had a good weekend, too. Until the next time . . .