Turtle Tales: Day 6 - Relaxing in Casa Grande, Arizona

Today was a laid-back day of sorts. We cleaned "house", did laundry and took the dogs for some exercise, Then we headed to Wally World to get supplies. This Wally World was the biggest one we have ever seen! I mean it was huge and this store sold things our Wal Mart in Port Lavaca would not even consider selling! Close to Wal Mart was another "adult" RV park which housed at least 1,000 RV's! I have never seen so many RV's in one spot! This area is definitely Senior Center USA! This is not somewhere I would want to live seriously, I'm just sayin'! LOL We did find gas for $3.73 a gallon which was a bargain! Most gas in the area is going for $4.00 a gallon!

When we returned to the RV, we decided we would go and check out the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument which was about 16 miles from our RV site. We are glad we did! Casa Grande Ruins National Monument preserves remains of an ancient Hohokam farming village as well as their enigmatic Great House. The Great House is Four stories high and 60 feet long. It is the largest known structure from Hohokam times.(300 Common Era time) Early Spanish explorers determined the house was a mystery as its walls face the four cardinal points of the compass. A circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun at the summer solstice. Other openings align with the sun and moon at specific times. It is guessed that the Great House builders, knowing well the ways of the land, would gather inside to ponder the heavens. Knowing the changing positions of the celestial objects also meant knowing times for planting, harvest and celebration. In 1892, the Casa Grande became the nation's first archeological reserve. To this day, the Great House keeps within its walls the secrets of an ancient people. It was all very interesting and we got some good photos to share (Look for "Speedy" he had a great time too!). You will see in the pictures that the National Parks Service has built a protective cover for the ruins to protect it from the elements in an effort to preserve what remains of the ruins. The cacti in and around the ruins were unbelieveable! For more information on Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, go to www.nps.gov/cagr

Tomorrow we hit the road again - hoping to reach Palm Springs, California.

Til next time..............