CA to NY-3

Day 22 7/29/17

Don't know where I got the idea that after that pizza-oven heat in Palm Springs, things would get better...well, not better because things are going great. Getting better with the h-e-a-t.  Wrong. It was another day of driving in 100+° heat. The upside of it all, driving through the desert, it provided me with yet another glimpse at the radically changing landscape and geological features that kept my attention and interest as a passenger. Chuck drove today and that gave me the rare opportunity to look all around and not have to concentrate on the straight road that disappears into the horizon.

Mountains lack vegetation; it's all just rock.

And, literally, in the middle of nowhere, this 'happy wanderer' is
strolling along I-10. Look in the distance and see the town.
Apparently, he's leaving it. Hope he's got plenty of water
in that knapsack.

The highest I've seen in my travels.

We passed an intersection (dirt roads to nowhere) with a
road sign "Dome Rock Road." We figured it out.

We arrived at the KOA campground in the afternoon and hadn't stopped for lunch. There was a sign on the closed office door that read, "I've broken my arm and have gone home." Other signs indicated that if we were registered, our paperwork would be found in the mailbox to the right. Yup, there we were, Rossi and Lewis. I don't know if Lewis ever made it in; we surely would have noticed. We drove to our site, looked around and set up. We're the only RV containing humans.  103° outside and in the RV, with the AC running non stop, it never went below 93°. I've never experienced such conditions. As I write this at midnight, the outside temperature is 82° and inside, a comfortable 79° Ha! Contained in our packet from the campground was this notice:

Bet you campers never received this kind of notice in
your packet when signing in.

Below, a 270° view of the campground around us.

Pretty desolate, no? Well, 'tis kinda "out of season" but I can
imagine the crowds come September through next April.

Other observations made today. 1) Saw clouds for the first time since entering and leaving CA. 2) Very shortly after entering AZ, we began seeing the Saguaro cactus. Chuck is loving this opportunity to view the many species native to this area; he has cacti in his landscaping at home and surely will add to it. 3) My snoring has greatly reduced since using CPAP device to sleep. Chuck's use of his ear plugs are helping as well. 

For our late lunch, I made my favorite, English muffin pizzas; tonight ravioli and a special bottle of red. 

Our dinner wine for this evening, Mont'antico di Noviello, The Aglianico grape of Campania, Italy, is a black grape cultivated by the Phoenicians, exported by the Greeks and consumed by the Romans; the oldest of grapes. Best served at 64°, Aglianico “alli-yawn-nico” is a full-bodied red wine which is found almost exclusively in Southern Italy in the regions of Campania and Basilicata. Young Aglianico wines are known for strikingly savory flavors of leather, white pepper, black fruits and cured meat that when aged, develop soft dusty aromas of dried figs and sun-tanned leather. Well-made Aglianico wines really don’t start to come into their best until 10 or so years of age. The time softens the wines firm tannic structure and enamel   removing acidity revealing lush layers of sweetened fruit and dried floral aromas intermixed with dusty and spiced smoke savory flavors. Thank you Carlo.

A game of two after dinner. Wait
till Nona hears about this.

Although there was a threatening (and
welcome sky) indicating rain, none
materialized. It is monsoon season here in
the desert southwest...so we're told.

Tomorrow we head for the KOA in Benson, AZ, 260 miles and about 4 hours east. We'll pass through Phoenix and Tuscon and stop to buy more water. Seems we're drinking lots of water for some reason.  Hmm, wonder why.

Day 23 7/30/17

I added this shot to illustrate what the drive most days looks like.

Just aim toward that point on horizon where the black ribbon

ends and engage the cruise control. Then while checking

your mirrors every few seconds, relax and marvel 

at the sights that God has provided.

Our travel day went as usual...smoothly.

We traveled I-10 all the way through Phoenix, Tempe and Tuscon. The appearance of the highways running through the big cities is worth noting. The highways are neat and manicured especially at the interchanges. You can't help but marvel at the intricate Southwest motif that is embedded in the red and beige stone which is so characteristic of the surrounding environment. The landscape continues to change.  The very tall, rugged mountains are still present, but their color is a deep red/rust/copper color and these majestic wonders surround the flat basin; the desert that seems to have more of the color green of the low growing weeds and sagebrush.

Chuck, in his usual thorough researching of anything and everything, noted an on-the-way attraction he knew I would enjoy. For him it would put him into the ultimate location for one of his many hobbies, growing cacti. And there's no better and more complete exhibits than the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. He was in Cactus Heaven.

"For 78 years, the Garden offers a variety of
lectures and  workshops on desert
landscaping and horticulture, botanical
art and illustration, nature art and
photography and health and wellness."

As taken from the brochure/trail map, "The Garden offers the world's finest collection of plants from deserts around the world in a unique outdoor setting. The Garden has more than 50,000 plants throughout its five thematic trails and focuses on the people of the Sonoran Desert." Like the Palm Springs Air Museum tour, my trigger-happy, wonder-inspired desire to capture it all for posterity resulted in another 100+ photographs that I could not possibly include in this post. Instead, I've loaded them into a Google album entitled, "Desert Botanical Garden", and you, at your leisure and volition can CLICK HERE to view them. Tell me what you think of the concept.  Here's a sample of what you'll see: 

This is sculpted glass; one of three on display by famed
sculptor,  Dale Chihuly....

...his work can be viewed by
Clicking HERE

When we arrived at the Benson, KOA, we were once again the only camper in the campground. It was abundantly clear that August in Arizona was not prime camping time. I was lucky to get a site with shade. No matter, this KOA, like all others was well kept, manicured and the gentleman who greeted us couldn't have been more friendly. I topped off my propane tank for an astonishing low price of  $2.25/gallon. 

So, here I am in Benson, Arizona, and my son, Chuck, is still with me. I knew he had all the names of the airports between San Jose, CA and Austin, Texas, should he desire to abandon ship. So far, so good; he's still with me. We've had wonderful meals (I think) in the RV so far, but today, for lunch, he went along with a new creation he called "trailer food:" we made a "fish stick hot dog" with the left overs from a previous meal, sauerkraut, beans, and cocktail sauce. With a cold Guinness in a frosted mug, it was an epicurean delight he'll no doubt never forget. We've enjoyed ravioli, my English Muffin Pizzas and really anything I  threw together he was  good to go.

Our overnight stay was not without fascinating visitors. After dinner, Chuck decided to work on his project out on the picnic table. I, preferring the cooler comfort within stayed inside Winnie. I received his two text messages: "Open the door..." and  "...Quick." Not knowing what to expect, I did and there, walking toward him was a tarantula.  Yes, all eight legs of The Desert Tarantula, Aphonpelma chalcodes, was passing through our campsite. It is the most common tarantula seen in the Tucson area and is one of 30 species found in Arizona. They are most active during the monsoon and into early fall. 

It's the monsoon season here in the southwest
and mating time for these critters.

Here, I tried to pick it up and pet it but decided not to. A few minutes
later, we spotted another walking across the gravel road.

A fascinating creature for sure. The next morning, before leaving for El Paso/Anthony KOA in Anthony, Texas, something a bit more welcome hopped by: 

A Cottontail rabbit

And so, another day quickly draws to a close. Chuck will do more of his research and provide another interesting day tomorrow. There is no doubt that through these readings, my daughter, Marybeth, will want to experience the same experience as her brother, Chuck. As the good father that I am, I could never think of excluding her from such experiences. I will await her request. See you in Texas.