Tuesday, March 3, 2015

A little bit about the Saguaro SKP Park in Benson, AZ, is in order. We found the park to be one of the friendliest we have visited. At 4 o'clock every afternoon (except Sunday) folks would gather in the clubhouse for happy hour. Everyone was on a first name basis (we all wore name tags). Each day, one person would introduce all of the new or returning people and highlight upcoming events.

The park was actually a co-op and there was a strong sense of ownership and volunteerism that really shows. The lots were leased to members and each could be improved subject to committee review and approval.

Stella took us on a tour of the park. Members can have either a casita and an RV or a park model on their lot. She arranged for us to tour a few of the casitas. People were able to pack a lot of functionality into 200 square feet.

The co-op had an exercise room, a library, meeting rooms, a puzzle room, a huge, well-equipped kitchen, and laundry. There was also a woodworking shop with all of the power tools a person could need, a welding shop with torches and arc welders and even an ironworking shop. The wood carving club was meeting in the clubhouse as Stella showed us through the facilities. I was very impressed with their work!

A some of the member's artistic talents were on display in a case in the clubhouse.

Stella said they sometimes had quite a crowd watching as the decorative arches were put into place.

A couple of members had trains on their lots. Judging by the level of detail, I suspect this hobby could occupy quite a bit of one's free time.

We went back to Mi Casa when Joani found they were famous for their carrot cake (we previously did not have any dessert).

There was a wait and the owner asked if we would share a table with two other women. We met Lois (on the right) and Penny (on the left) and had a very nice lunch. Penny was staying in her 5th wheel RV and visiting Lois. Lois was an RV'er but had recently settled into a regular home. They had made their monthly 50 mile trip into town for groceries and supplies and decided to have lunch before heading home.

Joani had the Taco Salad. The presentation deserved a picture, and yes, it was great! Neither of us saved room for dessert, so we had our carrot cake to go. 

Monday, March 2, 2015

We slept in so late we just skipped breakfast. That led to an early lunch before getting out for the day. A small restaurant, Mi Casa, in Benson (just minutes from the Saguaro SKP Co-op) was highly recommended and the perfect lunch choice. We were cautioned not to judge the place from the outside - I think you can see why. It was only 11:30, but the place was full and the food was excellent!  

We couldn't be so close and not visit Tombstone, AZ. It was billed as the town "too tough to die," but I think it has at least retired to full "tourist trap" status.

I saw some authentic looking cowboys walking down one of the side streets and wondered if there would be a staged "shoot-out." Sam was with us and, like many dogs, does not enjoy the gunfire. Luckily, no shots were fired and we continued our exploration of the town with Sam's tail up and wagging.

It's not obvious in the pictures that there were a lot of people in town - they were all ducking inside the shops to escape the 40 mph winds howling along Main Street.

Big Nose Kate's was the busiest place in town (Kate was Doc Holliday's girlfriend and she didn't really have a big nose, she was just in on all of the town's gossip). Most of the time there was a crowd of people spilling out of the doors onto the boardwalk.

Inside there was live music and at least one cowgirl dancing on the bar. It was loud and everyone seemed to be having a great time. We were still too full of Mexican food to think about eating, so we moved along.

I heard this stagecoach driver talking to himself as he went by. At first, I thought he was providing commentary for his passengers, but I'm pretty sure he was just talking to himself. 

The wind chill cut our visit short and made us really appreciate leaving town in a warm car instead of on cold horseback. We had thought about continuing on south to Bisbee, but it was late enough to call it a day.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

I read a post on Facebook that linked to an article, 50 things you should not miss in the west. The Sky Island Parkway in Tucson, AZ, was included and was only a short drive from Benson. It seemed like the perfect route for a leisurely Sunday drive. We learned about "Sky Islands" last year in one of the Arizona museums, but we really did not get to experience them. They are ecosystems contained on the mountains, isolated from each other by desert valleys. This drive covered 27 miles and climbed 5,800 feet, providing a dramatic change in the environment as the elevation increased.

Some of the houses in the foothills were massive!

On the valley floor and continuing up to almost 4,000 feet, the Saguaro were prevalent. They were evenly spaced (we guessed the limited amount of water did not allow them to survive too closely together) and blanketed the ground. Very suddenly, they disappeared as we gained altitude. Joani found they are very sensitive to temperature and higher equals cooler, so no surprise there.

Looking back at Tucson in the valley.

It became more and more difficult to see Tucson as we climbed.

The road had some really dramatic switchbacks to help manage the climb up the mountain. There were a lot of cyclists on the road. The struggle uphill was apparent as they pedaled wildly in low gear to barely make headway. On the downhill side, the riders had looks of grim determination as they concentrated to avoid disaster, flying downhill at 30 or 40 mph.

The switchbacks and lack of trees allowed you to see the road, far below.

Climbing through 6,000 feet, it was clear there were a lot of freeze/thaw cycles creating the Hoodoos and delicately balanced stacked rock formations.

Looking back at the road we had just traversed.

High above the valley floor, the cacti were replaced with aspens and pines.  Of course, it cooled significantly and I was certainly thankful that Joani had brought along our coats.

At the top of Mt Lemmon, there was a ski resort. It is the southernmost ski area in the US. I don't know how much skiing they were able to do this year, but there was still some snow on the slopes and the wind chill did not allow us to stay out for long.

Don't let the shorts fool you, it had to be in the high 30's (with wind chill) at the top of Mt. Lemmon!

There were still traces of snow on the ski slopes.

We took a little more time with the trip down the mountain, stopping for some of the more interesting formations.

The rock in the picture below looked like a super villain from just the right angle.

Back down on the valley floor, we passed signs for the Saguaro National Park on the way home. It's not like we were going to be closer anytime soon, so we took a little detour.

It seemed a bit strange to have a National Park such a short drive from so large an urban area. On the plus side, the drive was very short.

We arrived just before closing, so we practically had the park to ourselves.

I don't know why I found this sign so amusing - I'm sure it would have been more important to me if I had been on two wheels.

It was nearly sunset and the sky was full of color as we tried to cover the loop drive quickly before the park closed.

I think we will count the timing of our trip into the Saguaro National Park as one more of the fantastic opportunities we have had to see this beautiful country!