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..............

Where we are staying (Speedy left the RV site for this photo op - do you see him?)

Our RV site

Cacti in the RV Park

"Ouch"  (Do you see Speedy?)

Gateway to the Ruins

Cacti at the Ruins

Casa Grande

Walls surrounding Casa Grande

"Speedy" at the Ruins

 

Day 5 - Mesilla, NM - Casa Grande, Arizona

Up bright and early this morning to hit the road headed for Arizona!   Got behind an Army convoy on I-10 right off the bat, but worked our way around them and got to speed up a bit in the process!  For those of you not familar with this part of the country, there are miles and miles of miles and miles of nothing but desert and mountain ranges.  A lot of the area we traveled today is very much like the terrain in the Big Bend area of Texas.  Same cacti, same flowers, and very similar mountain formations as you can see from the pictures below.  We crossed the Continental Divide today, so we are officially in the western part of the United States.  We have now traveled 1,099 miles on our journey!

We are now in Casa Grande, Arizona.  Get this, we are staying at a Senior's RV park!  It is different - very quiet.  Tonight they had a spaghetti dinner in the club house and it was nice to not have to cook!  We passed up Bingo tonight - too tired!  Enough said - I'm still adjusting to this "retirement" lifestyle and what it encompasses!  (No chuckles please!) It is interesting to be on the other side of the "senior" spectrum! We will be here for two or three nights.  There is a lot to see and do in the area in both Tucson and Phoenix.  Also, we need to catch up on laundry and house-cleaning - again!

To our family - we are fine, the dogs are fine and life is good!  We have been blessed to be able to make this journey and thank God every day for the many opportunities He has provided for us!

 

Welcome to Arizona

 Various mountain formations

Bridge Artwork

 

Taking a break on the road

Do you see "Speedy"?

There he is! 

Day 4 - Old Mesilla

After sleeping in, eating breakfast and doing general housecleaning chores we headed to Wally World to pick up a few items we needed (like a card reader for Jim's camera) and then walked and watered the dogs and headed to Old Messila Historic District. ( Mesilla - pronounced ma-see ya )There is a lot of history in the area ( mostly pertaining to Billy the Kid) and a very diverse artisian community as well.   For more information on Old Mesilla, go to www.oldmesilla.org.

We ate lunch at the Double Eagle which was recommended by our tour guide at the Caverns of Sonora, and we were not disappointed!  I had a large chicken and avacado salad with a chipolte dressing and Jim had Chicken Messila with green chilies which he said was very tasty. For dessert we had bannana enchiladas which were out of this world!  I tried to take a picture, but they disappeared before I could even get my camera out of the case! This restaurant boast not one, but two resident ghosts! (Maybe that's what happened to the bannana enchiladas!)  The interior of the Double Eagle reminded me of some restaurants we have visited in New Orleans - lots of antiques and fine art.  After lunch we spent time walking the stores, galleries and churches (so I didn't miss church after all :)) and talking with the various artisians selling their wares on the plaza.  Final stop was at the Chocolate Lady Candy Store.  Guess you already know who wanted to stop there right?  Maple creams and toffee I found in that bag!  Yummy!

The rest of the afternoon was spent resting and staying cool!  The temperature got up to 95 degrees here today!

Tomorrow we head out on the road again (sounds like song lyrics to me....) heading to Casa Grande, Arizonia.  Another long day on the road, but maybe we will see something interesting to share with you tomorrow!

Enjoy the pictures and don't be afraid to ask questions or make comments! 

Welcome to Mesilla (Do you see "Speedy"?)

The history of Mesilla

Direction of Mesilla Plaza

Some of the adobe buildings on the Plaza

Basilica of San Albino Roman Catholic Church

Double Eagle Restaurant

 Decor at Double Eagle

Views on the Plaza

Musicians on the Plaza

Billy the Kid History and Gift Shop

Oldest brick building in New Mexico - On the Plaza

Jim's last stop on the Plaza!

There were many, many bikes on the Plaza and in town - I took this picture for Pastor Carl and my friend Wayne Self!

Jim took this picture for the memories!