Nogales, Arizona

I’m spending a few days here in Nogales, I leave tomorrow (Wednesday) for Mexico. I have been spending a lot of time at McDonalds it has the best Wi-Fi in town. They play Mexican music here at McD’s like you would find at one of our (Seattle) local favorite Mexican restaurants and the TV is in Spanish too. This is a quiet, clean, pleasant little town with a predominately Mexican flavor to its construction. Everyone speaks Spanish, 75 percent of the time. I see a lot of car license plates from Mexico here, about 50 percent. I kind of feel out of place with what turns out to be very little knowledge of Spanish. I was doing good up in Seattle, but the difference is in percentage of people. This will change as I venture on into Mexico.
I’m trying to fly under the radar, be inconspicuous. Leaving my car parked for extended lengths of time in the parking, using the bathroom, spending all day without buying anything and so forth. I have one more night here then I’m off again.
Last night was another one in the car (saving money); cool again using a blanket and in McD’s parking lot, they are open 24 hours and have truckers sleep here too. I hope to do it again tonight.
The time here has giving me a chance to work on my website. I have added keywords to most of my photographs so you will be able to see all my sunset or cactus photos by just doing a search. I have also added a coupon option and improved the text. I will upload some more photos tonight too. Please give it a try.

Catalina State Park North of Tucson AZ

I’m camping out here for a few days. I wanted to get some photos of the local cactus (Barrel, Chain Fruit, Prickly Pear and Saguaro) and some more sunsets and rises. I have also got some photos of lizards (Greater Earless and Desert Grassland Whiptail) and spiders they are all over here. I even saw a roadrunner but he was too fast for a photo this time.

I have been on several of the hiking trails around the park but I only go first thing in the morning, the afternoon is too hot for me just yet. Besides I still in favor the afternoon siesta. Trails run anywhere from ¾ mile loop to 10.8 miles one way and this has a gain of 5,600 feet, I’m not ready for that just yet.  

It is monsoon season here now so the rain comes in fast and with a fury but with plenty of warning, load thunder and many time lighting. That leads to gully washes and the road are impassable for a day or two. I have just seen a few minor ones so far.

When I leave here I’m going to Nogales, just south of Tucson it’s on the border of Arizona and Mexico. I’ll be checking to see just how safe and which route is the best for me to take as I venture down into Mexico. Money is a very tight after getting my car fixed but if I’m very careful I should be OK. I want to go straight south from Nogales I’ll be at the ocean in 260 miles, about two or three days I figure. I plan to only drive in the morning and take my time. After all I’m retired.

I will no longer have a cell phone as of 8/1/12. But I will keep it just in case. Now if anyone wants to communicate with me it is through e-mail, Facebook, Skype, my blog or website. 

Tucson AZ

We I have been here for 6 days now. My car is fixed and I’m more than ready to hit the road again. I have spent the last three nights at the Americans Best Value Inn at 810 Benson Hwy (www.abvitucson.com 520-884-5800). I would like to recommend them the rooms are basic, clean, the staff are friendly and the price is 39.99 per night. Well worth the money.

My car was fixed by Buck’s Automotive Service at 4360 N 1^st Ave, they are AAA approved they might be good mechanics (I hope), but I do not like their business practices. I was up front with my finances and needing to pay part on debit and balance by out of state check. They said they will be happy to work with me but when the car was done they only wanted payment and no out of state checks. AAA guarantees my checks and since they are AAA approved part of their rules are the take AAA member’s checks (my bank guarantees them too). I had to spend extra time and money in the hotel while I waited for my extra funds to come in. I know times are tough but this was an emergency auto repair. I have reported them to the AAA member services, only time will tell the results.

Phoenix and Tucson Arizona

Phoenix Arizona

I have been in Phoenix now for 5 days since I put my grand kids on the plane back to Seattle. The nights have been in the 80’s and today has a high of 107 F. Mostly a dry heat but we have had a thunder storm or two earlier this week and that made it a sticky 100 plus degrees F, drier is better. The library has free unlimited use of their WIFI if you have your own PC; they limit you to 1 hour if you need to use one of theirs.

This is a nice, clean and quit city. The police here do not harass the homeless (if you keep yourself clean, don't trash your area and mind your own business) otherwise they will help. No one has bother me for sleeping in my car. I almost never here any police sirens and there are no overreaction to things like back in the Seattle area.
If you ever plan to travel to Phoenix keep in mind that Spanish is the main language and English is the second. Here everyone knows Spanish.

Word to the wise McD's spicy chicken sandwich for $1 is OK but Carl's Jr. has one that is twice the size also for $1 and it is easier on the stomach too.

Tucson AZ

Well I have been in Tucson since early Saturday morning. I no sooner get off the freeway and my car stalled and would not restart. As a good AAA member I called them and they responded with in an hour. But Tucson does not have any AAA approved repair places that are open on the weekends. A nice strange man stopped by and towed me into a vacant lot where I stayed in my car until Monday morning when I called AAA again. Now my car is getting fixed. It seems that I broke the distributor and damaged the camshaft. Now it will cost me $1500, but should be done tomorrow I hope. Money will be really tight for a while because of this. If you can help I would really appreciate it. I have an account at Wells Fargo Bank or through Pay Pal.

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park (July 6^th through 13^th) we are having a great time with so many things to see and do. It sure has changed over the past 50 years, oh no not the canyon that is still the same, after all it took more than a billion years to make; what is a mere 50. I’m talking about all the gift stores, cafeterias, restaurants, lodges, hotels and even shuttle bus service from 4am to one hour after sunset. That is good, I haven’t had to drive anywhere since we got here; this gives me a chance to save almost a tankful of gas (an extra bonus is that the buses are air conditioned too).

It has been hot 88 degrees or so (to someone that has lived more than 30 years in the Seattle area that’s hot) and dry. They had a very dry winter this last year (I know where all their rain went, to Seattle (LOL)).

The rangers here provide a great deal of information on all aspects of the canyon from its geology, origins, the landscape, the river below and the life along the rim. The hiking trails are from the easiest to extreme, from .3 miles to 9 miles and 12 hours long (that one is not for me). There is even back-country camping (another one not for me, I’m traveling lite but not that lite). Something for all, please come and enjoy at least once.

Did you know that the Grand Canyon is home to 47 different kinds of Bats like the Ballid Bat, Townsend’s Big-eared Bat and the Mexican Free-tailed Bat? They are so cute and beneficial to all of us because the eat hundreds of thousands of insects every day. They are better than pesticides! 

California Condors numbers were down to just 22 birds. But do to a captive breeding program started in 1986 their numbers are now over 400. These birds are the largest in North America with a wing span of 9.5 feet. In 1996 they were reintroduced into the Grand Canyon and have thrived here in the rugged canyon wilderness the park offers. More information can be gotten through the Grand Canyon website at www.nps.gov/grca or http://peregrinefund.org. You can even adopt one of these lovely birds.  

Some of the local native art that is for sale here at the park are supplied by the Navajo they make Looms & Dolls, Medicine & Dye Charts, and Folk Art one of their websites is www.xanterra.com. Cedar Mesa Pottery is done by the Navajo and Ute Nations living in the high plateau country of the Southwest. Navajo Etched Pottery are very beautiful and hand-etched as well as hand painted, the Horsehair Pottery and the Kokopelli “Casanova of the Cliffs” all deserve a look and can be done at www.xanterra.com, enjoy.

Side Note: the Grand Canyon has its own brewing company. I tried the Sunset Amber Ale; it was quite good and cold.

Some other websites you might like or; Camping www.recreation.gov, Trailer Village www.grandcanyonlodges.com, Lodging www.grandcanyonlodges.com, and the Grand Canyon Dinner Theatre & Steakhouse www.grandcanyondinnertheatre.com.

Universal Studios in Hollywood California

We were able to spend two days at Universal Studios (July 4^th and 5^th), six hours each day is about enough. We would get there before it opens and then we would be tried out by 2pm, the afternoon sun got too hot for us. We were then able to check into our Best Western Hotel and enjoy the down time and a dip in the pool didn’t hurt either.

The most favorite ride was Transformers 3D, we rode it 3 or 4 times each day. Everyone highly recommends it. But you do have to do it first, by 10am there is an hour wait. Next favorite ride was Jurassic Park Ride with the dinosaurs, all the water and even some surprises, every well done. The Mummy Ride was good but too short for the wait in line. But the beetles were very convincing. Studio Tour is always a must for all. I liked the JAWS part the best, because I get to try to throw one of my grand kids in as Jaws can out of the water. House of Horrors was one that I really liked and wanted to do again but once through was enough for James and my grand kids. I guess the real people that came out of the walls and grab at them was too much. The Food Court was outstanding something for everybody and the prices weren’t too bad either. I hope everyone will get a chance to go soon. Buy you tickets on line and you will get two days for the price of one. I would like to give you a website to link to but I couldn’t find one on their brochure.

Central California

Big Basin Redwoods State Park (June 22, 2012) in Boulder Creek (just southwest of San Jose up in the Santa Cruz Mountains ) California is the oldest Of CA State Parks est. in 1902. I remember it well from the many trips I took there when I was a child with my family, some more than 50 years ago.  Time flies! I was very pleased to see the same level of enjoyment in my grandchildren that I had as a child. Their Jr. Ranger program is excellent too. They have many fine campsites, hot showers and flush toilets. This is especially good after our two previous campsites didn’t have either one.

Manresa State Beach (June 23-24, 2012) in La Selva Beach (just south of the Santa Cruz area), has a very nice large sandy beach with good access. The Jr. Ranger Program is excellent. The only thing you should be a where of is that when they say you park your car and walk in, that means you carry everything in and out, some site are quit a hike in. But if you are up for it, it’s great and has outstanding photo opportunities as well. 

 

Natural Bridges State Park has been one of my favorite ever since I was very young. It is just a short drive north of our Manresa State Park Campground. It has a very informative visitor center, the tide pools were always my main attraction and if you time it right you can carefully examine this life at a negative tide. I’m glade to report that my grandkids love it too. You can get more information at http://www.parks.ca.gov  

 

The Mystery Spot has been around since 1940. This strange place has stumped millions with its gravitation wired effects and the fact that the laws of physics do not apply. I encourage you to try it for yourself but be sure to bring your own ball, level, plum-bob, and bottle of water to try these things for yourself; you will be unexpectedly surprised and will talk about it for many years to come. Everyone enjoyed it. If you can get Nick as your tour guide he was an extra bonus this time around. You can check it out at http://www.mysteryspot.com  

Giant Artichoke Fruit Stand 11221 Merrit St, Castroville CA, 95012 Jose Rico Owner, (he has a great coffee stand next door) it is a must for anyone traveling through the Santa Cruz and Monterey areas of California. The people are very pleasant; food is outstanding and very affordable. I really recommend trying the French Fried Artichokes and with ranch dressing out-of-this-world. I even stopped the car, turned around and went back for more. When you stop by please say HI for me.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (June 25-27, 2012) south of Monterey is a nice change from our other camping sites right on the beaches, we are warmer, drier and I don’t have to hear to the constant running water sound of the ocean (LOL).

Andrew Molera State Park (day use only) just five miles north of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. I rate it at a 3 in the scale of 1-10 because of its $10 parking fee then you hike over a mile down a hot dusty trail; once at the beach you will find it small, rocky, and the winds blow the sand pelting your face and legs. It doesn’t have very good photography shots either. I would find another spot.

Pt. Sur State Historic Park this lighthouse is just five miles north of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park campground and was well worth the $10 per person price. The tour was three hours and a bit of a walk about. The view, photo opportunities and information was superb. I recommend it highly and for more information you can reach them through http://wwwpointsur.org or http://www.parks.ca.gov

Now we are on our way to Kings Canyon National Park our next camping stop. Driving south on Hwy 1 from Big Sur was a very pleasant drive, not to steep or windy, with many good photo opportunities; but 60 plus miles to a gas station, please be prepared. As we approached San Simenon, just north of our turn onto Hwy 46, we got a tremendous bonus; a beach full of California Elephant Seals even several babies. We were so close we could hear them breathing. It made for an awesome experience and photo opportunities. 

Kings Canyon National Park we arrived early the next morning and had some time before we could check into our campsite. We took some time to go into the visitor center, watch some short films on bears and controlled fires, and found out about all the special activities planned throughout the park.

One tour we had to take was to Crystal Cave one of over 250 caves here in the park and home to of some the parks bats. We were able to see some nice cave formations and got a very informative tour from our guide Beth.

Giant Forest Museum, General Sherman Tree, Tokopah Falls, Tunnel Log, and Big Trees Trail are some of the ones not to miss out on. We even got to go to a Study of the Nights Sky put on by a resident Astronomer Katie; it was a crystal clear night for it too not like back in Seattle. It was so much fun.