Life in the Desert

This week we enjoyed our first full week in the Sonoran Desert. Most of our stay was at North Ranch – Escapees RV Park – Congress, AZ. We fell in love with this park. Congress offers as much quiet or activity as you may want, and we supped liberally of both. At the end of the week, we drove to Arizona Sun RV Park In Quartzsite, AZ.

Pioneer Cemetery

Our stay here in Congress began with Nakai’s first trip to the desert on BLM land. We jeeped out to the old townsite of Congress near the abandoned gold mine. The old site contains the old Pioneer Cemetery, but the rest are roads and trails connecting dispersed campsites. The present Congress is a little under a mile away at the train tracks and was initially called Congress Junction.

One of the campsites included this medicine wheel, a place of healing and hope in the desert. These wheels focus the energy of the four directions. Native American culture sees the desert as a place of life and vitality. The ancient Athabascans who entered this area 13,000 years ago saw a place of power and hope. Later, Northern Europeans saw desolate wastelands. They brought their faith with them, and the land supported them until Anglos showed up three hundred years ago and drove their descendants out. This modern medicine wheel offers me a glimpse of the power and hope that caused those ancient people to settle there. The desert deserves great respect, not just for the everpresent existing danger but for the life it fosters.

We took a Chill and Chore Day to get caught up on the routines of life. Fortunately, there was more chilling than chores. The first day of Spring was welcomed with these Iris. Marlene put out her birdfeeders, and we soon had feathered friends flitting through the tree. Hummingbirds came by for a visit. They appeared to be nesting nearby. We took an extended walk around the park, including a beautifully maintained cactus garden. This was a day to bathe in the desert's joyful living.

On our way through the Cactus Garden, a Curve-billed Thrasher noisily flew out of a cactus. A flash of blue caught my eye. She had set up her home and had laid the first of what would eventually be three tiny blue eggs among the thorns. We heard the song of the desert’s circle of life from a cradle of sticks hidden in the heart of a very prickly cactus.

Our second journey into the desert was along Scenic Loop Drive just North of Wickenburg. The road winds its way into the hills above Congress and Wickenburg by following stream beds, dry washes, and the edge of arroyos. The Saguaros are huge. These cacti grow to 50 feet tall and live between 150 and 200 years. Most of the larger ones saw the first white settlers wander into this desert. But they are the 50^th generation of cacti that saw the first humans forage into these hills. The broad vistas and rugged slopes are dotted with Cholla, Creosote Bush, Ocotillo, California Poppies, and Lupines. These and many more lives have adapted to this area. This is the more profound lesson of life in all kinds of deserts. It requires a willingness to let go of the past and embrace the future by adapting to the present. L’chaim!

After a full day in the desert, we were ready for a good meal. Congress only has two restaurants, and we had already enjoyed the pizza at The Depot (a beer joint with food). We drove to eat at Nichols West Restaurant. This was an unexpected dining experience. It is in a small building that appeared to have been a convenience store in a former life. As we stepped in, we were greeted with the warm words, "Do you have a reservation?" in a tone that bespoke of the snootiest urban eatery. I looked around and saw that the tables beyond the bar were covered with white tablecloths. When we said no, the "greeter" gathered with his crew in a side room and then announced that we could sit at the bar or at one of the high tables in the corner. Being hungry, we sat at the table. While Marlene enjoyed her meal, I found mine to be pretentiously prepared and not very tasty. The flavorless, thin wine sauce needed to be adequately reduced, and the shrimp was overcooked. The quality of the ingredients was excellent, and the presentation was stunning. But my food itself was a disappointment. The $90 check was enough to chalk this one up to experience and move on. Later in the week, we returned to The Depot to try their other selection, Wings.

Mid-week, I began to feel the busyness of life intruding on my inner dialogue. My muse went quiet. My “want to” took a nap, and I felt "oogy." (Nope, I can't really describe the feeling beyond this word. I hope it is descriptive enough.) I have learned that such moments are opportunities for learning and growing. I spent the better part of a day “oogying.”  Marlene called it being a “Coach Potato," but she is an excellent companion for these days (as well as all the rest) because she lets me "oogy" as much as I need.

We made one more trip out into the desert and found streams flowing in the desert. We drove several roads. The first was along Date Creek Road to an old ghost town called Piedmont. There is nothing left but an active railroad crossing. The highlight was the painted Skull that adorned one of the hillsides. The second was Stanton Road, which skirted the mountains above Congress. Abandoned mines and cattle ranches dotted the foothills. Most impressive was the number of streams flowing from the hills. The crystal-clear water sparkled in the sunlight. Life depends on water, and life was abundant at this time of year. The last road was Old Stage Road which followed one of these streams up Antelope Peak to Yarnell. As we bumped along this semi-maintained road, I could only imagine how people in a stagecoach would have felt looking down into the deep canyon at the road’s edge. I was thankful to be in Nakai!

Our first week ended, and it was time to head out for Quartzsite. The drive was roughly three hours on two-lane highways. Marlene drove the first leg. She did a great job with her first experience driving Koko on the highway. I, however, do not “ride” well and was understatedly happy when she yielded the driver’s seat after our lunch stop. Along the way, we saw hints of the super bloom just starting to happen in western Arizona. The roadside was adorned with deep blue Lupines and unknown yellow and pink flowers. These California Poppies filled the roadsides and desert vistas along the way. It was a nice drive that brought us to the heart of the Sonoran Desert for the last week of the Winter camping season in Quartzsite.

 

Congress, AZ, provided so much more than we had hoped. It is not a "destination" for most folks, only a waypoint to somewhere else. But we are glad we lingered for a week and wandered about, day by day. It made all the difference.

 

The journey continues!

 

Bob 

Settling into Our Wandering Ways

We have been on the road for two weeks. We have crossed two states and entered a third. Koko has another 1,000 miles under his belt. And the 2023 adventure has just begun. The last week has been about settling into or wandering ways. I am surprised by the differences between our sedentary and wandering lives. Each one has its own routines and challenges. And we have completed the transition.

 

Our time in the El Paso Area at El Paso Road Host RV Park in Anthony, Texas, was brief, but we enjoyed exploring for a few days. 

San Elizario Chapel

We spent the better part taking in the El Paso Missions Tour. These three missions predate the San Antonio missions. They are certainly smaller and less imposing than San Jose, but their history and charm were well worth the time spent with them. They were built after the Native People rebelled against Spain’s presence in their land in the 1680s. The Spaniards brought their Native servants to rebuild the missions along the El Camino Real del Norte, the road between Mexico City and Santa Fe. The Tigua (pronounced Te-Wa) settled in the area around Mission Ysleta. The Piro settled in the area around Mission Socorro. The Spaniards established a Presidio (Fort) at San Elizario to protect the route and defend the missions nearby.

Each of the old churches has a charm of its own. What impressed me most was how they remembered their story and taught the Franciscan (and later Jesuit) faith in even the most minor details of their buildings. 

The Ceiling of Mission Soccoro

For example, the Piro People (like other Native Tribes) used drumbeats to help them connect with the Great Spirit through dance. The Piro used a 3 – 5 rhythm, three beats followed by 5 beats. Suppose you look closely at the ceiling of the Soccoro Mission. In that case, you will see that the vigas (ceiling beams) were decorated with symbols from their people's theology. The painted willow saplings used to fill in the spaces were set in a three/five pattern. It is easy to imagine the Piro sitting or standing during mass and looking up and hearing the drumbeats of their people echoing in that sacred space. They could remember and worship the Great Spirit that was always with them, even while they were dominated by the Spanish Christians. For them, the dance that began at the dawn of time continued. 

A Scaled Quail

We spent the rest of the day exploring The Franklin Mountains Nature Trail. We arrived just before 4:00 PM, and the park closed at 5:00. We just had time for the Birding Blind and the Nature Walk. Both were quite satisfying. The Gamble's Quail, Scaled Quail, White Wing Doves, House Finches, and a White-crowned Sparrow entertained us. We are grateful to the couple who had been in the blind for quite some time for allowing us room to see the birds. We then walked the short trail and enjoyed the desert mountains. Unfortunately, I was apprehensive of the time, and we hurried our walk and did not get to savor the area's sights, sounds, and smells. When wandering, time constraints can steal our joy. However, the thief did not get away with it. We will likely be back when we can spend more time on the trails of the Franklin Mountains.

Our next stop was in Willcox. AZ at the Willcox/Cochise KOA in Willcox, AZ. We stayed in Willcox back in 2007 on our first trip through Arizona. We only stayed one night and had time to eat some real Central Texas BBQ downtown. At the time, I did not realize that Texas has been exporting Pitmasters and Mesquite to other states. (we found two on that trip.)  We started looking at all that Willcox, and its environs had to offer and changed our itinerary. (This is why we wander.)  We decided to forgo Tucson on this trip and add the days to our stay in Willcox. It will make a longer drive to Congress, AZ, but we will schedule our timing and drive times to allow room for these opportunities. I am delighted we decided to extend our stay here in Willcox.

 

Big Tex's BBQ

On our first day, we walked downtown. The walk began at Big Tex BBQ. The mesquite is piled up outside, and they use it to smoke their meats. It was as good as I remembered. My only quibble is that the Pitmaster needs to train his staff to slice brisket. I got Cap Meat, my favorite, but it was cut in the same direction as the flat, so it was more difficult it eat, despite being well-cooked. It was a taste of home.

 

Next, we walked across the street to begin our tour of “Historic Willcox Downtown," both blocks. We stopped in at Birds and Barrels tasting room, sampled a few wines, and I bought a bottle of Tio Grande, a big, bold, and dry Red blend of Tempranillo and Graciano grapes. Looking forward to sipping that along the way. Marlene's taste ran toward the sweet white, and she did not find one to her liking. We have very different tastes in wine (and a few other things) that allow us to celebrate our differences. I can rest assured that when she encourages me to buy my dry wine, I know it is because she loves me. She will not touch the stuff.

Historic Downtown Willcox, AZ

We walked up the street to the Chiricahua Regional Museum, where we met an old rancher whose life is spent sitting in the chair by the door and then following visitors around, telling them long and meandering stories about some of the artifacts. He was a nice guy with a wealth of information, but his stories were far more information than we were interested in. We went through the small museum and enjoyed the stories on the printed signs. I hope we did not hurt the old guy's feelings. As we left, he did everything he could to get us to stay and listen to more of his stories, including a rather long one about a trip to visit Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the Tarzan books, to get him to donate some of his early books that had been written in Willcox.

 

Buffalo Sister's Trading

We then walked down the same street that Warren Earp, Wyatt's younger brother, walked on the day he was killed at a local Saloon.   We passed up the Rex Allen Museum and ended up at the Buffalo Sisters Trading Post. Their motto is “We sell dead people’s Stuff!” as we approached the old door, it creaked open. There was no one close to it. No one that we could see, at least. Once inside, there was stuff everywhere. The only way to get the most out of this was to go slow and let your eye drift into every nook and cranny. They were all filled with treasures. Life in the RV does not allow us to collect things, but we enjoyed looking at all the Dead People's stuff. I could imagine thousands of stories with each bauble and bead we saw. The two women who owned the place were welcoming and a joy to meet. They were not intrusive but willing to answer questions. They need to go up the street and chat with the old guy at the museum. For all I know, he could be their grandfather!  

 

Chiiricahua Mountains View

Our next day trip was to the Chiricahua National Monument. It was cold and windy, but the road called out to us to explore yet-to-be-seen wonders. And the road did not disappoint. Despite the slate gray skies, we marveled at the enormous pillars, balanced rocks, and massive columns of compressed volcanic ash called Rhyolite. We drove through the Bonita Canyon and experienced wonder after wonder. (For pictures, click this link to my Arizona 2023 album on Flickr.) We ended our trip at Massai Point, which gave a 360 view of the Chiricahua Mountains, including the snow-capped Chiricahua Mountain at nearly 10,000 feet. This whetted our appetite to see more of the wilderness.

Echo Canyon

The next day we went to the Echo Canyon Loop trailhead just down the road from Massai Point. We walked 4 miles and 600 feet in elevation in under four hours. (the guides all said it could be done in 1.75 hours. But then, we do not tend to be in a hurry. Especially in a place like this with so many pictures around us.). It was perfect hiking weather with light winds, sunshine, and 50-ish degree temps. As I mentioned, there were pictures everywhere I looked. Even with the nearly 400 photos I loaded onto my camera's flash card, I had shown remarkable restraint. (I wonder if Marlene would agree with this statement.). I could have lingered at almost every shot and found different ways to capture the unique beauty and awe the place held for me. This picture is our lunch spot on the backside of the loop. It is looking down, out through a window into the Sulphur Springs Valley, the playa that hosts 10,000 Sandhills every winter, and the town of Willcox. Again, for more pictures (a lot more pictures), please follow the link above to the Arizona 2023 album on Flickr.com. The Echo Canyon Loop was a day very well spent.

Today was a Chill and Chore Day. We started booking the first of our 2024 trip. I also wrote and researched our next few months of travel. We will be moving tomorrow, so we did some cleaning and preparations. We ended our time here in Willcox with a wonderful meal at Isabel's South of the Border Restaurant. The food was Southwestern Mexican and very tasty. It included a complimentary Salsa Bar. I am glad we didn't find this place sooner, or we might have eaten here every night! It was a great way to celebrate our wandering ways here in Willcox, AZ.

We set out for North Ranch – Escapees Rainbow Park in Congress, AZ the next day. Interestingly, we did not have any traffic through the big cities. But as we approached and left Wickenburg, AZ (population 7,500), we hit two traffic jams worthy of Houston! Later, when I asked a local if this was normal, they said, “Yep!” 

 

A Super Bloom

We had been reading about the Super Bloom for a couple of weeks, and, as the picture shows, we saw it for ourselves around Phoenix. The colors were vivid and completely covered large parts of the desert. Unfortunately, the bloom has not reached Congress, AZ, yet. Will have to do some wandering to see what treasures this area holds.  

Pondering Wandering

Our wandering is about flexibility and just-in-time planning. The decision to change our plan and extend our time in Willcox is an excellent example of how we wander. And that decision paid dividends with our time in Willcox. But, more importantly, it allows us to celebrate an even more critical part of our wandering ways. We can enjoy being together along the way. Even the long drives allow Marlene to read, research our area, take pictures along the way, and play on her iPad while I do what I enjoy, driving and seeing the sights! But, after knowing each other for half a century, we are very comfortable and happy just being together and doing what we both enjoy. Cue up ”In My Life”

 

“There are places I'll remember

All my life, though some have changed

Some forever, not for better

Some have gone and some remain

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them

In my life, I love you more."

 (“In My Life” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)

 

Thank you, Marlene, for 50 years of companionship. May our wandering together continue to fill our souls with love and trust, joy, and hope.

 

Blessings, my friends!

Bob 

On the Edge of Texas

Greetings from the Edge of Texas.  We are in Anthony at Exit 0 of I-10 in Texas. Tomorrow we will be heading out of the state, but more on that later. First, I will catch you up from when I last wrote.

We completed our stay at Peach Country RV Park in Stonewall, TX. Many thanks to Mark and Linda Miller, friends from Pasadena, who was very helpful in making our decision about life on the road. During our four nights in the park, they shared their favorite places in and around Stonewall and Fredericksburg. 

Texas Wine Cooperative

We enjoyed a Potluck Dinner at the park with great food and warm fellowship among the other RVers. These folks are serious cooks, and their food challenged even the best church fellowship dinners. It was not a night to watch the diet, and I, not so grudgingly, obliged. Thanks, Peach Country, for the invite.

 

I put a half brisket on our traveling smoker the day before we left. I used a retro recipe, a mop sauce that Marlene's Dad taught me nearly fifty years ago. He learned his version of the Washington County Mop Sauce from his Dad. It has been many years since I made it. Every trip is a mixture of where we are and where we are going. But it is good to acknowledge and celebrate how our past experiences also add joy to our wandering. Some memories ask to be rediscovered. Others beg to be avoided. Most, however, invite us to open our eyes to new adventures. The aroma of the brisket on the smoker teased my senses with remembering the unknown tastes that await us.

We made a four-and-a-half-hour drive to Fort Stockton for a couple of nights. We have often stayed in Fort Stockton RV Park in Fort Stockton, TX. It is a good stopover when traveling through the state. Fort Stockton is an old community that grew up around a 19^th-century fort placed here to protect settlers' and travelers’ access to the nearby springs. Today, the springs have become a municipal pool for a friendly community sustained by people traveling through. From my conversations, many of these year-round residents would not live anywhere else.

While in Fort Stockton, Marlene and I celebrated our 49^th anniversary with a fine dinner at Mi Casita. My sister-in-law pointed out that only a few couples get to follow their life's passion together in retirement. You are right, Julie. We feel more than fortunate. We will respect and enjoy this opportunity for as long as our health and interest allow. 

We did our laundry on our one full day in Fort Stockton. It was a few days early, but we wanted to leave time to explore and wander in El Paso and Willcox. Otherwise, it was a relaxing day of enjoying. Along with chores, it included a little writing, a little reading, and a nap. Wandering is not all sightseeing and picture-taking. Most days are just the quiet joy of being together on the road.

 

We arrived at El Paso Road Host RV Park in Anthony, TX, after a windy drive from Fort Stockton. Our site is nestled between the Organ Mountains of New Mexico and the Franklin Mountains of Texas. We are on the edge of Texas and in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert. The sky is a deep blue, and the wind is a constant companion. Mexico is less than a mile away, while Texas reaches over 850 miles to the east. It is the only part of Texas not in the Central Time Zone. We are 150 miles closer to San Diego, CA, than we are to Beaumont, TX. 

 

This part of Texas is like nowhere else in the state. It has more in common with Brownville than Dallas. It is part of the Borderlands that stretch the length of the Rio Grande (or Rio Bravo del Norte as it is known in Mexico.) These lands have a transnational outlook and embrace their family and friends on both sides of the river.  

El Centro of El Paso is the old shopping area on the South side of Downtown, adjacent to the border. While the times have been hard on many of these old buildings, many surviving buildings are historical examples of Art Deco from the 1920s and 1930s. Some have been repurposed. The old theater now serves as a shop for people selling their wares. We walked from San Jacinto Plaza down and around several blocks of El Centro. Not touristy at all. Just authentic Borderlands Urban. El Paso has done well in preserving many buildings and sharing their story on plaques and storyboards scattered throughout the area. We later drove through the area around UTEP. It was nice but did not have the gritty character of El Centro. Thank you, El Paso, for remaining true to your heritage and place in our lives.

Pondering Our Wandering

We have picked up a few of our Tastes of Texas. As many of you know, we enjoy adventure eating. We have enjoyed the green chili sauces in New Mexico, and Colorado, exotic wild game burgers, bison stew, and Indian tacos made with Fry Bread, along with every sandwich combo imaginable across the country. But along with these new tastes, we enjoy the familiar flavors of Texas. We stocked up on Wolf Brand Chili (without beans, thank you), San Marcos pickled jalapenos, Gebhardt’s Chili Powder, Wick Fowler’s Two Alarm Chili Mix, our favorite Texas wines, and assorted other items. Our palates need to remember the wonderful comfort foods that have us sustained through good and bad times. (I know that Robin's Eggs are not specifically Texan, but Marlene loves the large ones, and we have only been able to find them at Target Stores.) A few tastes of Texas make the adventure of eating on the road much more enjoyable.

This week we will be leaving Texas behind! We will return on October 13^th. I first left the state for an extended period in 1982 when we moved to Missouri. Tears welled up in my eyes as we crossed the Red River. There was no quick trip across the state line when I was growing up in Central Texas. I could not imagine life without the Lone Star flying overhead. The land beyond the Sabine, the Red River, and the Rio Grande was full of mystery and wonder. My tears were sadness, anxiety, and wonderment, which is a magical mix regardless of your age. Tomorrow we will crossover into New Mexico. El Paso will be in my rearview mirror. And I will look ahead to the unknowns of the West Coast and all the points in between over the next seven months! I hope those tears return!

 

We have one more full day in El Paso. We hope to drive The Mission Trail (including the Tigua Indians' homeland) and the Franklin Mountains. Then we pack up and push through New Mexico, where I hope to pick up some Green Chili Sauce. Our next stop is in Willcox, AZ, where we will explore part of the Chiricahua Apache Homelands for four days. 

 

Glad to have you along for the ride. Hope to see you along the road!

 

Bob

Feeling Groovy!

Galveston Island

We were on Galveston Island helping our daughter and family settle in their new home from the second week of November. We stayed at four different parks and finished at Dellanera RV Park, a City-owned park on the beach. This is the longest time in one place since we hit the road last July. This hiatus from the road underscored some thoughts about our wandering lives.

A Day at the Beah

First, we miss being with our family and friends in Houston/Galveston. We enjoyed spending time with these two young men, their mom, and their big brothers. Saying goodbye was a challenging but necessary price for life on the road. To help keep our connection, we left a spare iPad with the boys so they could Zoom us when they wanted to talk. We also left a travel notebook with them. They can travel with us with the maps and make suggestions of things to look up on Google. I encouraged them to look ahead in our wandering and let us know if they saw something they would like us to explore for them. These will not make up for missing their  hugs, but remind us that we are still family regardless of the miles between us. In addition, we will spend time with our son and his family in Seattle this Summer. I have a weekly Zoom with retired friends around the country, and we have a monthly Zoom called “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere” with old friends in the Houston Area. Maintaining connections is more complicated but essential to our wanderlust. 

Wintering in Texas

The second consideration is all about wandering. Staying in one locale for three and a half months had many consequences. I grew bored with the location and avoided getting out and exploring. I became a "coach" potato. Seeing the same birds and vistas did not feed my soul or inspire my muse. My writing became a chore. One side benefit was that it made me look forward to doing errands to have something to do. Wintering is a necessity for someone who does not like cold weather. But, even in this, there is a blessing from the road. I get to learn new things about the outer landscape as well as the inner lay of the land in my soul.

The stars at night are big and bright...

We spent the night at Whispering Oaks RV Park in Weimar, TX. Usually, an overnight stop is all about a quick stop and moving on. But with our way of wandering, we leave plenty of time, even for these routine one-nighters. The weather was perfect, and we had a beautiful campsite. So, we did not unhook Nakai and decided to make a night of it. We picked up some firewood at the office and enjoyed a starry night beside the fire pit. The stars shone through the oak trees. A gentle breeze kept the smoke at bay. The chill of the night was warmed by the fire. As long as we can stay open to possibilities of the moment, life can be filled with such moments as these. This became even more important on our next stop.

We are staying at Peach Country RV Resort in Stonewall, TX. This park on US 290 is a relaxed, long-term-style park without all the pricey but unused amenities. We met up with some good friends, Mark and Linda Miller, who will show us the ropes in our unexplored parts of Gillespie.

 

A Baby Water Buffalo

We ate at Hye Thai, an excellent restaurant just around the corner from the park. The food was extraordinary. Hot, but not gratuitously so. The owner said they have two goals; "1) to exceed the expectations of people who ate here in the middle of nowhere, and 2) to make excellent food.” I assured him that they did both exceedingly well! 

 

On a whim, we walked next door and had dessert at Oro Bianco Italian Creamery. This baby water buffalo represents the Water Buffalo Gelato made with South Texas Water Buffalo Milk, West Texas Pistachios, and Fredericksburg Duck Eggs. We ate a sample of smoked water buffalo cheese and bought a Fig-almond cake. Unfortunately, the Chocolate Tasting Room next door was not open. These new flavors and experiences made our first day in Stonewall memorable.  

 

This week was an example of the very best of wandering. In celebration, I invite you to sing along…

 

Slow down. You move too fast

You got to make the morning last

Just kicking down the cobblestones

Looking for fun and feeling groovy…

(The 59^th Street Bridge Song, better known as Feeling Groovy! by Paul Simon)

 

We will leave here on Thursday with a brief stopover in Fort Stockton, TX, and then on to El Paso, TX, for a few days.

 

Groove along with us as we continue to feed our wanderlust!

 

Bob