It was REALLY HOT when Paul and I returned to Green Valley! Mary and I walked Chula and Polo early in the morning in the desert right up from her house, so beautiful in the early morning, but by 8 or 9 you could feel the heat rise. It was a little too risky to take Foster anywhere near those cactus, so he stayed with Paul while Mary and I walked.
I spent the next few days taking care of my Mom's things and got paintings mailed off to family. Paul had come down with a terrible sinus infection from our trip so a stop at an Urgent Care and lots of rest was what he needed.
Sunday was Mother's Day so Mary and I decided to spend the day together at the Tucson Art Museum in Mom's honor. We started with a wonderful lunch nearby in a garden setting then toured the museum for the afternoon. Such a nice day together.
By Wednesday we were ready to get back on the road. We strapped Harry's tandem bike on the roof of the motorhome to carry back to his daughter, Denise, in CA. It was hard to say goodbye to Mary after having been in Green Valley since early April. I was so happy we'd had so much time together, just so hard to accept that Harry was gone. Even though they had only returned to Green Valley 8 months earlier Mary was surrounded already with many wonderful friends there. Green Valley is such an active and welcoming community, I think Mary will enjoy life there.
We said our goodbyes also to Green Valley, a beautiful part of southern Arizona
We only had a short drive that afternoon from GV to Tucson, about 35 miles, to Catalina State Park. We had stayed here a year ago but in an earlier part of the year. Our surprise this time was how empty the park was! All the snowbirds had left , the heat was at 98' and so we had the pick of campsites.
The view of the Catalina Mountains was spectacular. Clear and crisp with wonderfully warm evenings and early mornings.
Since most states (other than California) have electrical and water hook up as standard equipment we could turn on the AC and be comfortable until the breeze came along to cool us off.
We left the following morning again heading north. Our original plan had been to spend 3 nights in the mountains just east of Phoenix but with the temperatures climbing we knew we couldn't handle that. Who wants to be in that much heat on purpose????
I studied the maps and we decided to go to the higher elevations up near Payson. I knew nothing about the area but I called the Chamber of Commerce there and asked a few questions, mostly about which roads to use and what the temp was supposed to be and it all sounded good. What a great decision! Once we started the climb into the mountains the numbers started dropping all in only an 85 mi drive on AZ 202.
I did some looking for a campsite and found the Houston-Mesa Campground, a National Forest Campground just north of Payson. It was perfect...quiet and spacious. Our site was a little close to the highway so there was some road noise, but it was minimal. Pine trees and cooler air made it wonderful.
The next morning we drove about 30 mi north to see a beautiful formation at Tonto Natural Bridge. We hiked all over and even down to the river for a look at the bridge from below.
Saturday it was a chance to catch the Rodeo in town. Loved the outfits, Yeehaw!!! and a chance to see a national rodeo competition in a small western town. A great way to spend the afternoon.
Though our intention was to only stay 3 days we extended to 5 nights getting to spend more time just enjoying the area and our site. Plenty of time for me to read and PK could do "fix it" things on the RV. Much like a house, there's always something needing a little attention.
We left Tuesday for another forest service campground about an hour north and not far from Flagstaff. Since it was such a short drive, we didn't tow the car, instead I put the top down on the SAAB and drove while PK and Foster went ahead to the campsite. What a beautiful mountain ride, almost had the road to myself! Our next two nights were at Pine Grove NF Campground. Outstanding, once again. The best part is that all national campgrounds are a real bargain for us, half price with our Senior Park Pass.
Though we have been to and through Flagstaff over the last several years we had never stopped at a Wupatki National Monument just north of town. We had a day to spend, so that's where we headed on Wednesday.
What an awesome historical site. The large pueblos that are preserved at Wupatki were constructed in the years following the eruption of nearby Sunset Crater, sometime between 1040 and 1100. They are stunning to see! The largest was once a 100-room pueblo with a community room and ball court. It was home to 85-100 people, and several thousand more lived within a day's walk. And... it was built in one of the lowest, warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. Amazingly, by about 1250, the people moved on leaving these beautiful structures.
Nearby Sunset Crater also played a part in the community of Wupatki and the building of other masonry pueblos created from bedrock. It was a warm day out on the land, but so worth the drive and walks to see it all.
Thursday it was time to pack us up once more and get into Flagstaff by 10:00 to meet Mandy's plane at the airport. Peggy's wedding at the Grand Canyon was only 2 days away. Mandy and I picked out flowers at Safeway, tucked a couple of kegs into the Motorhome for the party and off we went...after a fantastic lunch at Josephine's Restaurant in Flag.
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