Tour locally. It’s easier.
Apache Junction is about 30 miles from Phoenix. We thought we might do something touristy in Phoenix, but after driving around it during rush hour we decided it was just too big and conjested. So we found a couple of things to do locally.
Besh Ba Gowah ruins.
600 year old pueblo
me taking a picture
living quarters
We had to drive through several old mining towns to get to this site. Besh Ba Gowah means “metal camp.” It fits. All around it were huge copper mines.
copper mine at sunset
My next post will show what an old copper mine can do to make money in the 21st Century.
And, of course, someone had the bright idea to make some money on this whole mining theme.
The ever-present moon
We’ve been lucky enough to have great weather for this trip. This means that the sky is mostly clear and we have been able to track the moon’s phases. Last night when we got to Ft. Stockton TX, I thought I saw something odd in the eastern sky. It was a big full moon behind the clouds. Here’s the progression:
Then this morning, when Sam was walking the dogs he saw this same full moon setting on the other side of the field.
There’s nothing like a little moon magic to brighten up the Texas landscape!
Cactus all around
Sometimes it’s just more convenient to stay in a KOA. They are predictible–large sites, water, sewer and 50 amps of electricity, and the staff are usually very helpful and accomodating. Their bathrooms are clean and they usually have a theme that compliments the local environment. Here in Apache Junction, the theme was dominated by cacti. Here are a few I found right in the campground:
This is subtle, but I love the swirling motion of these thorns.
I call this a cucumber cactus. I’m sure it has a different official name, but I think it works as a nickname.
This cactus was outside the KOA office. Pretty big, huh? These kinds of cacti are all over this area…in fact there is a national park for them: Saguaro National Park.
I want to say this is an aloe but I’ve never seen one with flowers.
Agave? I’m not sure. I guess I really should do some research before I post this stuff.
I’m sure there will be more cactus photos before all is said and done. For now, let’s just say they have replaced the Palm trees and the Redwoods in tree world.
Changing direction
It’s all east from here.
We’ve been in California since May, gone up and down highway 5, and up and down highway 101…north and south, that is. I thought it was important to recognize that our direction has changed now from west to east.
pigeons on a sign
These pigeons were doing that swirly bird thing as the sun set. I happened to be at a gas station and thought I might try to capture them in a photo. They broke into two groups and flew in opposite directions, then half of them landed on this sign. I felt fortunate to be there, looking through the camera at them.
Two minutes later, the sun set and I carried on eastward on Highway 10 toward…whatever came next.
A near miss on the way south
When we started this trip back east, we decided to check out as many Thousand Trails campgrounds as possible. After the holidays and visits with family, it was time to move into uncharted territory. We had heard that Palm Springs Thousand Trails was unique. So, putting it into the GPS, we carried on south. I should’ve realized something was wrong when it sent me up into the hills, AWAY from the palm trees.
Higher up than it looks, this road went across the top of a 5,000 foot high mountian range. I decided something was wrong when I couldn’t see the palm trees any more!
Sam was behind me a few miles, so I called him to tell him to beware, the road was rough and windy. Luckily, he caught himself in time to not go up into those mountains. I spent 30 minutes going round and round and up and up, looking frantically for somewhere to turn around. I just couldn’t believe that there was actually a campground up here but I couldn’t stop to look at the GPS. I started to wonder if I was going to spend the night in my car on the side of a cliff….
Finally, there was a driveway big enough for me to make a u-turn with my car and travel trailer. I stopped long enough to call Sam to tell him I was coming back down. I stayed still long enough to have a slight nervous breakdown, then inched slowly down that mountain range, swearing to listen to my inner voice next time!
Must be Palm Springs. Or maybe it’s Palm Desert.
When I arrived at Palm Desert Thousand Trails, I felt like I had found paradise. Simple, paved roads with RV’s and palm trees lined up like soldiers in the balmy air. No more mountain climbing for me!
Arizona Sunset
Cactus Sillouette
Santa Barbara, Redeemed.
tile wall outside…McDonalds!
Our first visit to Santa Barbara was disappointing. We simply didn’t find anything that interesting, plus we were hungry and had the dogs with us. So, we went back to the campground wondering if we had dreamed of a different Santa Barbara all those years ago.
A few days later we needed to find a quiet place with reliable internet so we could finish planning our cross country trip. The library came to mind. Good thing. It is in the middle of the “best” parts of town. Let the photo shooting begin!
clock tower
We took this from the roof of the parking garage.
After visiting the library we decided to walk around a bit. We wandered into this little “arcadia.”
The Arcadia.
tile stairway
viney wall
Then we saw what looked like a huge mission tower several blocks down the road. Of course we had to know…it turned out to be a movie theater!
movie theater steeple
tickets
Mission turned movie theater
A decorator’s dream…or nightmare…
Two lessons learned: 1. The second time you go to a place you will probably see more. 2. Find the library and you will likely find other interesting things.
Chumash painted cave
Big, and weird.
So we heard about this painted cave nearby. One person said it wasn’t worth the drive. Another person showed us pictures he took with his phone. We had some time to spare so we went. It was pretty much straight uphill, and around way too many curves with sheer drops on my side of the car! Here is the view of Santa Barbara from about 1500 feet.
Santa Barbara on a foggy/smoggy day
Personally, I thought that the entrance was more interesting than the paintings.
entrance to the cave
I haven’t done my homework, being on the road and all, but there doesn’t seem to be much info on these paintings other than the local experts thingk that a Chumash Indian shaman may have made them. I can’t imagine walking up those hills, much less painting upside down on a cave wall.
cave painting one
cave painting two
Any thoughts?
Breakfast, wild west style
Old Stagecoach route
This was a main stopping place for people traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The sign says they were frequently robbed along the way but they always had a good hot meal here at the Cold Spring Tavern.
cold spring tavern
storage building
We wouldn’t have found this place had we not heard from our neighbors how good the food was. It pays to be friendly sometimes.
still decorated for Christmas
antique cupboard, reminded me of my Grannie’s house
Everything was homemade, including the bread and wild game sausage. The floors were creaky, the furniture was worn but still strong, and the fireplaces looked as if they were always filled with a fire. You can’t get more authentic than that!
Down on the Ranch
Our first longhorn steer…in California.
yeah, those are our mountains
I got out of the car with my camera and every single one of these guys looked up and stared at me for a good minute.
the boss
This one seemed to be in charge. He just stood there waiting to see if I was going to enter his territory.
not the boss
Then he sent this one over to pretend like he was getting a drink of water. They all relaxed after that. What a life!
on the road to simplicity 