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Arizona 2000


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This page was last updated on March 8, 2000

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Patagonia Lake State Park Instead of going with the hiking club to the Rincon Mountains, we stayed with Brandy and drove to Patagonia and Nogales.  Patagonia is in the southeast Santa Rita Mountains and at over 4000' so the climate is a bit different there. Hardly any cactus and mainly grass (brown dry-looking grass) so it's cattle ranching country. There is a State park there with a LAKE - first time we've seen water since arriving in Arizona!

Had lunch at Santos Mexican Cafe and then headed to Nogales on the Mexican border.  We couldn't easily go into Mexico as we had Brandy with us and what everyone does at Nogales is park on the US side and walk over.  Mexico has strict rules when entering by car and you need to take out a special Mexican Insurance at the border.  We'll be in Yuma in a few days so we'll go into Mexico there as it's right on the border also.

Straw weaving Stopped at a little town called Tubac on the way home as they were having an arts festival, which was more like a high class flea market.  Lots of jewellery and silver, and Mexican clay items, and some nice straw weaving.
 


On Sunday, Bob went for his last ride with the local bike club in the Tortolito Mountains, in the north of Tucson, as we were leaving Tucson on Monday and heading west to the Mexican border to stay in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (this is the only place where this type of cactus grows). The park has a campground but no hookups, so we 'roughed it' for two days.  Our candle-light dinners took on a new meaning as our storage battery died after a few minutes use.  The moon was so bright you didn't really need lights but we bought a couple of oil lamps and enjoyed the change of pace - totally quiet and beautiful sunrises and sunsets (yes, we actually got up at 6:30am and watched the sunrise!). Walked over the Mexican border so we could say we've been to Mexico!

Our campsite in Organ Pipe Cactus Campground..Organ Pipe cactus..Sunrise..Sunset on Valentine's Day..Natural arch in Organ Pipe park..We speak but we no spell


Moved on to Yuma on Wednesday and will stay there for a week. We had no idea what was here but heard there were hundreds of RV parks and that the population doubled in the winter. Checked at the Visitor Centre to find out what to see here - we were told people come here for the weather(!) - guess there's nothing much around here (except mountains and warm dry sunny days).  We are right at the California and Mexico borders so we'll visit both and probably just use the facilities at the RV Park (2 swimming pools, 2 recreation halls with pool tables, cards, darts, crafts, shows, dances, shuffleboard, horseshoes, etc. and did I mention sunshine?).  Expect to move on to Quartzsite and then Phoenix after we leave here on Feb 23.

Imperial Sand Dunes are just over the border in California - huge dunes 100's feet high that are open to off-road vehicles. They are VERY soft sand - saw one guy in a regular car hopelessly stuck - and the buggies have fat wide tires with paddles built in to grip in the sand.  Would have loved to try it but you needed your own vehicle - no rentals.   Had a trip down to Algodones, Mexico but it just seemed to be a big flea market - all the streets were lined with vendors of jewellery, clothing, pottery and drugs (medical ones). Apparently they sell prescription drugs over the counter at a fraction of the US price. Same for dental work  - lots of people go to Mexico just for medical stuff.  Found some good bike trails right by the RV park - rough, rocky single-track - nice!

Imperial Sand Dunes, California..Dune buggy at Impaerial Dunes..Algodones, Mexico..Biking in the Foothills..Foothills near Yuma


Headed over to Phoenix on Wednesday (decided to skip Quartzsite) as Tony & Glenda are coming out on Sunday for a week.  All the parks close in to Phoenix were fully booked until April so we ended up in Gold Canyon - about 30 miles east, near Apache Junction, in the Superstition Mountain foothills. Found a beautiful highend RV park that just opened in November and was almost empty - a bit expensive (US$200 per week) but it has everything, and is brand new. Took a drive along Apache Trail to Tortilla Flats - wow, what a ride - spectacular mountains, lakes, it had everything, including a Ghost Town, an old mining town that was abandoned and is now open for tourists.  The restaurant at Tortilla Flats is listed in all the tourist books as the walls are covered in money!!  There's about US$35,000 in $1 bills stuck on the walls (plus lots of foreign bank notes)  and people still leave money at the bar to be added to other places not yet covered.

Goldfield ghost town..Goldfield and Superstition Mountain..The van really took a beating ......Canyon Lake on Apache Trail..Tortilla Flats Restaurant..What to do with empty beer cans..Superstition Mountain at dusk


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