Saturday. Prep day. We got ourselves here a day early so we could pack up to leave the coach for a week. Got some work done. Got the rig washed.
Annie gets her Muttlucks on so the asphalt won’t burn her feet.
Friday. We changed time zones but we didn’t change our clocks. Arizona to Nevada. Mountain Standard to Pacific Daylight. No difference.
Another great desert scenic drive. It included a Joshua Tree Forest. We skipped the Hoover Dam road; construction and delays. The bridge bypassing the dam is supposed to be open November of this year. Photo from their website:
It’s about 1,000 feet above the river. Judy says “No f’ing way I’m going over that!”
We’re at Oasis RV Resort. Blazing hot. Triple digits. It hurts to touch anything.
Congress, AZ. An overnight stop. This is where Jeff and Carol get off. They were going to travel with us for a few days, then head back to Gulf Waters to wait until it was time for their summer trip to the Pacific Northwest. We quickly settled into a trip rhythm together, and they decided to scrap the return to the Texas Coast altogether and continue with us this far. For three weeks, we’ve had a great time together. Now Judy and I will head off for the bright lights of Las Vegas. Jeff and Carol will stay and explore more of Arizona before pointing their rig north for the summer.
Not much of a camping spot,
but a great desert garden to walk through.
Wednesday. We gave up our morning view at Kartchner Caverns
for the evening view at Catalina State Park.
We’re on the move again. A one-night stop at Catalina State Park northeast of Tucson.
Found a Horned Lizard.
Tuesday. Up at 5am. We’re adjusting to the new time, but it’s supposed to be going the other way!
After all the times we’ve visited this campground, we finally took a trip into the cave today. It’s a pristine cavern, discovered on private land in the 1980s, kept secret until a deal could be worked out with the State to preserve it as a park. Opened to the public after 10 years of careful development. Available only by tour, it has air locks to go through so the interior environment is not disturbed. 70 degrees and 99% humidity. There are dim lights inside. The formations are highlighted with a special flashlight by the tour guide.
Work is going well, as well.
Meanwhile, outside the cavern:
Black-throated Sparrow.
Cactus flower.
Lizard.
