May 3, 2007

May 3, 2007

I have been worried about the hike out of the Grand Canyon. We were told to expect a ten-hour climb out. I am not sure my hips can last that long. At home 4-5 hours is the max I can endure. I brought some Aleve with me hoping that will let me last longer.

This morning we have the early shift. We get a 4:30 wake-up and dress for our 5AM breakfast. At 5:41 we are on the trail. The park recommends returning via the longer ten-mile Bright Angel trail because it has water halfway up and shade along many sections. The Bright Angel trail follows a fault line across the canyon and was used by Indians for centuries. In the late 1800’s it fell into private hands who charged a toll for its use. To compete the park built the South Kaibab trail by blasting it out of the canyon walls.

The Bright Angel trail first follows the river for almost two miles west before starting its ascent. The trail then follows a small stream up a gentle grade sheltered from the sun. After only 2.5 hours we make it to Indian Garden, the halfway point. This little tree-lined oasis on the Tonto platform provides us a nice break and refilled water bottles. This trail is so different from the South Kaibab. Unfortunately the gentle grade so far means the last half is going to be a killer with a huge elevation gain. But we are way ahead of schedule and we can take our time. We got all day if necessary.

It takes us 4.5 hours to do the second half. It is steep and tiring. The canyon is purported to be very deep, almost a mile down. Not so. The canyon floor is about the same elevation as Tucson. But the canyon walls…. Oh they are tall, very tall. And their high altitude makes hiking up them hard on the lungs. But we persevere and make the top three hours sooner than we ever thought. Just below the rim we are greeted (or rewarded) by a male Bighorn sheep grazing on the sparse greenery on the trail. He has huge horns!

At the top we take a quick celebratory picture and head to the lodge for much needed showers and rest. Later in the afternoon, feeling recharged, we stroll along the rim checking out the older historic hotels in the village. At El Tovar Lodge we stop for a beer and to people watch. For early May, I am surprised how crowded the park is and how many Europeans are here. The cheap dollar must be luring them. For dinner we eat at the Arizona Room in the Bright Angel Lodge, with a great view of the rim. While waiting for our meal, a California condor flies right past the window. Finally! The park has made a big deal how they have taken this nearly extinct bird and reintroduced them into the canyon. Despite three days of hiking in the canyon, we have seen only ravens soaring in the canyon. Now that we have seen one of these condors, I can call our Grand Canyon tour complete.

May 2, 2007

May 2, 2007

We reserved two nights at Phantom Ranch, so we have a free day at the Grand Canyon bottom to explore and let my poor aching hips recover. In the morning we hike north along the North Kaibab trail. It is fourteen miles long and ascends to the North Rim. We only walk the first few miles. The trail follows Bright Angel Creek thru a gorgeous pink granite canyon. The rock here would make a great countertop in Aimee’s future kitchen. If this side canyon were anywhere else, it would be its own National Park. Here it is one of many outstanding and inaccessible wonders. A nice bonus hike for us today. I try to pick up a small lizard by its tail to show Aimee, but the tail falls off and continues to wiggle in my fingers amazing Aimee. After this two-hour leg stretch, we sit in the ranch canteen, slowly eating our sack lunch, and write a couple postcards. They will be hauled out of the canyon on tomorrow’s postal mule service.

In the afternoon, we hike along the Colorado River. Coming off the Glen Canyon Dam, the water is ice-cold. We stop and chat with a guy on a canyon float trip. He is on day eight of an eighteen-day trip and it’s his sixth float trip. That is a common theme here. Almost all the hikers staying at the ranch have made this trip before. The bottom of the Grand Canyon must have a magnetic attraction for people.

After dinner we listen to a ranger talk on the geology of the canyon. Following the lecture he leads a small group of us on a scorpion hunt. He passes out black lights and unfortunately we see quite a few glowing green specimens around camp. Good thing Aimee and I both have top bunks!

May 1, 2007

May 1, 2007

We rise early again and drive the ninety minutes from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon National Park. For some reason I thought the Grand Canyon would be in the middle of the Arizona desert, instead it is in the middle of a pine forest. As soon as we clear the entrance gate we park near the Visitors Center at Mathers Point. I skip the Visitor Center and walk straight to the rim. Oh my gosh, it is spectacular! We have seen it many times on TV, but it is so much better and so awe-inspiring. The sky is overcast and the colors are vivid. To the right is a narrow spit of land descending into the canyon. An interpretative sign says the South Kaibab trail follows that spine to the bottom. Now I can’t wait to start the hike. All my early jitters are gone with the excitement. Aimee is having the opposite reaction. Her heart is starting to flutter looking over the edge. I am afraid it is going to be way too steep for her.

We head to the west side of Grand Canyon village and find the Maswik Lodge where we have reservations for Thursday night. We park the car there, pull together our hiking gear and wait for one of the park shuttle busses to come by. Two shuttles rides later we arrive at the South Kaibab trailhead. It and Bright Angel are by far the two most popular trails into the canyon. The trail is surreal and so cool. Although steep with a big drop-off to the side, the trail is very wide. And unfortunately littered with mule droppings. So much for the fresh air. We pass three mule trains on their way up. One with riders, the other two just carrying cargo.

The first section of the trail is a continuous set of switchbacks that steadily descend down the steep Upper Canyon walls. Around every corner is a different vista. For a short period the trail flattens out onto the Tonto platform. Still no sight of the Colorado River that carved this thing. The river is hidden inside the Inner Gorge. As soon as we reach the edge of the Tonto platform, we see the river and descend another series of switchbacks. The Inner Gorge is mostly sheer granite walls and first appears purplish in the overcast sun. We spot some rubber rafts pulled up on a section of beach way below us. Once down at river level we cross the Colorado on a long suspension footbridge.

 
Another half mile and we arrive at Phantom Ranch, a tiny rustic resort along Bright Angel Creek that flows into the Colorado from the north. The stream turns this normally desert environs into a virtual oasis. They have a small canteen where Aimee and I drink a beer to toast our favorite hike of all time. We were pretty lucky with the weather. The clouds made this five-hour 7.5-mile hike very enjoyable. The trail is notorious for its lack of shade and water. That night we dine on the best beef stew dinner I have ever had. The only downer is the small male dorm that I have to share with nine other guys.

April 30, 2007

April 30, 2007

We are going to start traveling full-time again in a few weeks. Before we give up our Tucson apartment, I wanted to drive north and see the Grand Canyon and other nearby sites in northern Arizona. A couple months ago I called the parks system to get a reservation at Phantom Ranch at the canyon bottom. The clerk said that those accommodations sell out a year in advance. Bummer!

The weather at the Canyon is finally starting to warm up so Aimee and I get set to go north. On a whim I called the park again and was luckily able to pick up a last-minute cancellation. Yes! Now all I have to do is convince Aimee to hike down to the bottom with me. She doesn’t like heights at all.

We set out early today driving north past Phoenix towards Flagstaff. Just south of Flagstaff, we take a slight detour thru Sedona. Five years ago almost to the day, on our Arizona visit, we spent a few days in Sedona and fell in love with the scenery. Shortly off the highway we hit the town of Oak Creek and get our first glimpse of Sedona’s red rocks. It is stunning and better than we remembered. As we drive into town, it looks like Sedona has grown incredibly popular. The main road thru town is jammed with traffic and houses have popped up everywhere. This is one place both of us think should have been set aside as a national park.

We only plan to visit for a few hours so we head first to Red Rock Crossing State Park to take in the vista of Cathedral Rock from across Oak Creek. This is the most photographed spot in Sedona and was the site of many old western movies. While hiking around both of us are feeling the heat and sweating. The humidity must be higher here than in Tucson. Maybe the urban myth of “dry heat” might have some truth after all.

We also take in the views up Boynton Canyon and atop the airport plateau. We end the day by driving up beautiful Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. The scenery changes dramatically as we near Flagstaff. The terrain turns into pine forest and is noticeably cooler. Like South Dakota’s Badlands, the red Sedona rocks must be the erosion boundary between the high Colorado plateau and the desert below.

Spring 2007

Spring 2007
With all our hikes this winter, we have gotten to know the desert. Or at least we thought so. The desert seems unchanging and earth colored, but beautiful in its own way. We are now seeing changes. First yellow wildflowers have started popping up. Then the Ocotillo, which all winter was just a dead-looking thorn branch has suddenly sprung tiny green leaves and an orange flower spear tip. They are quite pretty. The totally green Palo Verde trees are turning a brilliant yellow. Still pretty tame changes. But now we are seeing the first cacti start to flower. Apparently each species will flower at different times thru the next couple months. How out of place and opposite looking flowers are on a cactus! Many of the cactus flowers we have seen so far are quite large and stunning. What I find so fascinating is the biggest, prettiest flowers are coming out of the ugliest, smallest cacti!

April 10, 2007

April 10, 2007
Somebody recommended Tohono Chul (means Desert Park in the local Indian language) to us a few days ago so we spent a couple hours there today. It is mostly a botanical park that we would think is nice if we hadn’t gone to the Desert Museum yesterday. Unfortunately it is a weaker cousin. They do have an interesting greenhouse gift shop. If we weren’t going back in the RV soon, I would like to buy something.

April 9, 2007

April 9, 2007

When we visited Tucson five years ago, we stopped at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is supposed to be Arizona’s second most visited sight after the Grand Canyon. We remember it as being very nice so we go again today. It is a combination zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum. All designed to help people appreciate the desert.

We can vouch for the museum’s popularity, as the large parking lot is almost full when we get there. When are all these snowbirds and tourists going to go home? The Raptor Free Flight show starts shortly after we arrive. They have a trained owl, hawk, and raven that they let fly around the desert in front of us going from post to post for food.

After this short show we walk the mostly outdoor park checking out the desert animals and plants they have. In spite of all the desert hiking we have done, I have to come here to see a mountain lion, mountain goat, javelina, and rattlesnake. We listen to a very humorous lecture on diamondback rattlesnakes and dealing with a bite. The lecturer says the typical victim is young, male, intoxicated, with tattoos, whose last words were “Hold my beer” and “Watch this.”

Aimee likes the group of nesting hummingbirds flying around chasing flower nectar. I like this green parrot that says “hello” repeatedly to me when I enter the birdcage. This same parrot whistles at Aimee. Despite seeing this park already, we enjoy it again. It is very nicely done; no wonder it is so popular.

April 6, 2007

April 6, 2007
We went to the Tucson zoo today. Probably not good timing because a lot of people had the day off. The park was crowded but not intolerably so. It took us only an hour and a half to see everything in this tiny zoo. The facility mostly has animals that like the heat. Besides the usual lions and tigers and elephants, they have pink flamingoes, ostriches, peacocks, and giant anteaters. The zoo is actually known for its anteater-breeding program. Aimee especially liked the newborn zebra. She didn’t like the polar bear that happened upon an unlucky duck and was using it as a rag doll.

March 28, 2007

March 28, 2007

Tucson has three pro baseball teams in town this month for Spring Training. This is the last week for Cactus League play so we went this afternoon to watch the White Sox host the Arizona Diamondbacks. I assumed we would have no problem getting a ticket at the gate for an afternoon game. Most people work during the day, right? As we pulled in the parking lot for Tucson Electric Park and saw the big crowd, I got a little worried. We had just got in line at the ticket counter when I thought I overheard somebody mumble, “Sold out”. Thankfully I had my lucky charm with me, because a guy taps me on the shoulder at that moment and asks me if I would like two free tickets in the front row. Uh, Sure! And he hands them to me. We go in the stadium, get some lunch, and find our seats, front row, first base, near the Sox dugout. We have to wait in the aisle for a few minutes because several of the Sox players are signing autographs for the kids in front of our seats.

After the crowd disperses, we settle in to watch the Sox lose 8-0. They really looked bad. (no wonder they are dead last in the Cactus League) But what a great place to watch pro baseball. The stadium is small and intimate, everybody is relaxed, the weather is sunny, and the beer is half the price of Wrigley.

March 18, 2007

March 18, 2007

On Thursday Aimee and I played golf. It is common to see A-10 Thunderbolts circling in the air, practicing take-offs and landings at the nearby Air Force base. As military jets go, the A-10’s are pretty slow and quiet. So we were pretty astounded when my golf swing was interrupted by a group of loud jets buzzing the golf course. I looked up to see the Navy’s Blue Angels flying in formation. They entertained us for almost an hour, oftentimes barely above the treetops. Having seen the Blue Angels practice in Chicago I knew Tucson must be having an air show this weekend.

 
On Sunday morning we drive to a local shopping mall where we pick up the air show shuttle bus that takes us onto Davis-Monthan Air Force base. On the way thru the base, we see field after field full of military airplanes. Davis-Monthan is the graveyard for all the military’s excess war birds. They don’t rust here in the desert. They are all mothballed waiting I guess for WWIII to break out. Unfortunately there are enough airplanes here to carry us through to WWIV.

Once thru the base security we walk to the flight line. All along the runway under canopies are a large assortment of restored and active military jets and helicopters. Many of them are open so you can sit in the cockpit. Unfortunately Aimee tells me I am too old to stand in line with the other kids for my chance.

While we are perusing the planes, the air show has started. We watch a couple barnstormer planes do pirouettes in the sky. Aimee and I both really enjoy watching the Army’s Golden Knight parachuting team perform. The Air force’s rescue team does a mock training drill. One of the local A-10 Thunderbolts demonstrates a live strafing run down the side of the runway.

We stick around the whole afternoon and watch the finale of the show, the Blue Angels. It was actually more fun though to watch them buzz around the golf course. They were more out of place there.

In all Davis-Monthan was a great place to watch the air show. It was not crowded, the transportation was great and the pilots and planes were all very accessible. Many of the pilots were strolling around the grounds with us. Aimee and I both think that the military must be relaxing entry standards as the pilots were looking very young.

March 9, 2007

March 9, 2007

Today seems like cleanup day for the Tucson sights we haven’t had time to visit yet. We start with the Pima Air and Space Museum. We have driven by it many times on our way to the airport and places south. It is hard to miss with the hundreds of airplanes sitting on the desert site. We arrive midmorning for our stroll among the planes. Neither Aimee nor I are major airplane buffs so we have a hard time getting into this place. What amazes me most is the sheer number of different kinds of planes our country has built over the years. The most interesting plane for us is Kennedy and Johnson’s presidential plane that we can walk thru. It is not nearly as spacious, plush or modern as I am sure the present Boeing 747 Air Force One is. The museum also has a handful of small hangars with a few beautifully restored WWII aircraft that we can peak our nose into. The museum doesn’t thrill us but at least we get some exercise walking around the large property.

We next stop at the San Xavier del Bac mission on the southern outskirts of Tucson. Like Tumacacori we visited a month ago, it is a restored mission to the Indians from the early days of Spanish colonization. Unfortunately, if you have seen one mission, you have seen them all.

Still looking for that hidden gem, we drive a little further south to take the Asarco mine tour. Copper mining is big business in Arizona, especially with the current record price for the metal. On a drive south from Tucson, you can see the large tailing piles accumulating along the west side of the interstate. As soon as we get there a tour is leaving so we sign up and jump on board the bus. The retired geologist giving the tour drives us up the hillside to a gallery overlooking the huge strip mine operation. It is pretty uninteresting as there is no activity within view today and the pit looks like any other large quarry. We are not allowed to visit the milling plant that is crushing and concentrating the copper ore. Also some of the more interesting downstream processes of smelting and purification are done at other locations. Aimee is bored; she was hoping to see some of the wild horses that roam the property.

March 7, 2007

March 7, 2007

Since we live so close to the Sabino Canyon Rec. area we decide to go there for a vigorous walk instead of riding the stationary bike in our gym. The park has a shuttle-only paved road that extends four miles up the canyon. The upper sections had been closed because of flood damage and rockslides caused by one of the summer monsoons last August. We walk up the road to survey the damage. On the way we encounter some volunteers teaching panning skills. I have to give it a try. They hand me a gold pan with a shovel full of gravel. I swirl it in the stream. After picking out the larger stones and swirling some more, I can see the gravel separating into two layers. I tilt the pan to let the lighter tan-colored sand on top wash away. I am left with a bunch of dark sand.

One of the volunteers stirs it with his plastic coated magnet picking up a bunch of black gravel. As a chemist I know this is black Magnetite, a form of Iron Oxide. I am just surprised to find so much of it in the gravel. I am left with a bunch of dark red gravel in the pan. No gold flakes! But the volunteer tells me the rest is mostly garnets and hands me a jeweler’s loupe to prove it. When Aimee hears I found gemstones, she comes running to see. Unfortunately they are all nowhere near big enough for a ring. Just the size to make garnet sandpaper! Panning is a lot easier than I thought. Since we will be heading north thru the California gold fields this summer, I need to get myself a pan.

February 28-March 4, 2007

February 28-March 4, 2007

I flew to St. Louis, MO today and met up with some of my relatives. The next morning we drove en masse down to the Mountain Home, AR area. A dozen of us have been going down there a couple times a year to trout fish in the Norfork River. This river is a just a small tributary of the more famous White River but it holds the Arkansas records for rainbow and brown trout. The trout section below the Norfork Lake dam is only seven miles long and we know all the best fishing spots.

Unfortunately, the area has had considerable precipitation this year and the lake level is the highest we have ever seen. This means that the Army Corps of Engineers is going to generate electricity non-stop making wading in the river impossible. We are forced to rent boats and try to catch fish while we drift quickly by our favorite honey holes. I much prefer wading down this scenic river. The fishing is very slow but I catch enough fish on the second day to reclaim my “trout god” status. The temperature is also cold and windy, so cold on Saturday that I stay out only two hours. Hopefully we will have better luck next time.

February 25, 2007

February 25, 2007
I have always wanted to go to a Hot Air Balloon Festival, especially the big one held every October in Albuquerque, NM. We got lucky today. We happened to be in Phoenix anyway this weekend, visiting college buddies, and Aimee told me that a local suburb was holding a rally on Sunday morning. We got up early and headed to Fountain Hills, a community nestled in the hills east of Phoenix. Once there we find Fountain Park, a large grassy valley surrounding a small lake with what used to be the worlds tallest fountain in the middle. We are a little late and by the time we arrive a couple balloons are already in the air. There are fifteen and each one is lifting off in turn skittering first across the surface of the lake. It is pretty neat seeing lots of large colorful balloons in the air against the frosty blue Arizona sky.

February 23, 2007

February 23, 2007

Our friends wanted to see some of the attractions in Tucson so we picked two for today. We started out south of Tucson touring the Titan II Missile Historic Site. In the small lobby museum we learn a little of the history of the Cold War, the ideological and economic struggle between the US and Russia. The Titan IIs were Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, ICBMs, deployed in 1962 as a nuclear deterrent to real war thru a program of mutually assured destruction. Tucson was one of three sites in the US that had Titans. All were destroyed by peace treaty in the eighties except one silo here that was preserved as an historical artifact.

After seeing a short movie in the “briefing room”, we don hardhats and tour the grounds. On the surface we are able to peer down a half-open silo and see a 103 ft missile waiting to be unleashed. Like a missile crew on a 24-hour shift, we then descend down 55 stairs thru two secure blast doors to the original command center. There we learn the top-secret activation protocol, launch codes, keys and all. One of our friends pushes “the” button. Fortunately this old missile is a dud and the world is still safe when we return to the surface.

After lunching on the University of Arizona campus, we next head to the Colossal Caverns. On the way it begins to rain and the temperature drops precipitously to 45F. After shivering for 30 minutes, we begin our guided tour. Oddly the cave is 72F and dry. It feels great. We sure picked the right day to spend underground. Coincidentally we learn that Colossal also has a Cold War connection. It once served as a bomb shelter for the local population.

February 22, 2007

February 22, 2007

Tiger wasn’t too happy about the rain delays during previous Accenture Match Play Tournaments in California, so he suggested they tee it up in Tucson this year. They did. We had some friends visiting from Chicago this weekend so we all decided to attend today’s second round. Mother Nature hit a hole-in-one by scheduling perfect weather. The switch to this locale must have been a scramble because the transportation logistics weren’t up to par. Our drive to the course was uneventful until we were a chip shot away. There our foursome hit the first of four long lines to and from the course. In all we spent five hours getting transported so we could be part of the gallery for a few hours.

Despite this major whiff by the organizers, the fairways were immaculate and uncrowded, and we had a great time puttering around the links and getting close to the best golfers from around the world. Hopefully the planners will go to school on this attempt, address the problems, and not shank it again next year.

February 17, 2007

February 17, 2007

Our apartment is on the southern edge of the Catalina Mountains. Every other week we have seen snow on the tallest peaks. It has been very warm the last few days so Aimee and I decided it was safe enough to drive up without a four-wheel. Mt. Lemmon (altitude 9200 ft) is probably only 5-10 miles away as the crow flies, but to get there we first have to drive south and then east before we can begin the 25-mile drive up to the top. The drive up is very pretty going up a rocky canyon. Along the way we stop and get some good vistas of Tucson. Some of the rock pinnacles up here are vaguely similar to the balancing rocks at Chiricahua.

Eventually we drive up far enough to get into pine tree country and we see snow piled up on the roadside. At the summit we head towards the ski area. Since this is the southernmost ski area in the US, I was expecting just a bunny hill. I was pleasantly surprised to see a real-live ski resort, albeit tiny, covered with snow. The ski area has a couple dozen runs of varying skill levels. Some of them look very steep from the road.

Aimee and I decide to have lunch outside at the restaurant overlooking the main ski lift. The temperature is 53^o and sunny. We are sorry we didn’t bring our ski equipment. It would be nice skiing in just a sweater.

Just off the summit there is also the small town of Summerhaven nestled in the trees that provides locals with relief from the summer heat of Tucson. Unfortunately they also had a severe forest fire a few years ago that is forcing them to rebuild most of the houses.

After lunch we head home. The nicest part of the Mt Lemmon ski area is that we can return downhill to our apartment and enjoy 82^o sunshine by our pool.

February 10, 2007

February 10, 2007

We hit the jackpot today. For a while now I have wanted to stop at Chiricahua National Monument. It is a couple hours east of Tucson. We have passed the I10 exit for it several times but never stopped because of the park’s lack of name recognition. Aimee and I are both glad we made time today as it ranks among our favorite national parks. It is a real gem.

In recent history the Apache Indians inhabited the park locale. Their constant raiding prevented inroads by Spanish missionaries and later US settlers. After a series of Apache Wars with Cochise and Geronimo, the Indians were driven out in 1876 opening the area for settlement. The ruins of the Cavalry’s Fort Bowie are nearby.

Chiricahua is an isolated mountainous area in the middle of the surrounding desert. Park biologists refer to it as a “sky island”. As we drive up into the park it is like we have left Arizona and we are visiting the Appalachians. We leave the cacti behind and enter a pine forest. Even though it is 70 degrees out, there are still remnants of snow on the side of the road. What makes Chiricahua unique though is the rocks that line the mountain tops. We first stop at the Visitors Center and learn the area was near an ancient volcanic eruption. The resulting ash plumes settled here and solidified into rocks that cracked vertically and then eroded into weird shapes. From the visitors center we drive further into the park to Massai Point, which gives 360-degree views of the terrain. At the crest of the surrounding canyons are thousands of strange rock formations, pinnacles, spires and balancing rocks. The scenery is quite unique.

From Massai Point, we backtrack to Echo Canyon Parking Lot to begin a two-hour circular hike. We first trudge thru some snow and then descend down and around the rocks of Echo Canyon. It seems every rock here is balancing a larger rock on top. Continuing on we descend down into a pine forest and across a small stream. From there it is up another canyon lined with more strange rocks. The trail is wide and marked with great signs. This is definitely one of the best hikes we have ever taken. An early settler called the area a “Wonderland of Rocks” and that is an understatement.

February 2, 2007

February 2, 2007

Since coming to Tucson, we have taken quite a few hikes in the area. I have yet to see any of the typical denizens of the desert: mountain lions, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, or scorpions. All we have seen is a few birds and a couple chipmunks. So I was pretty surprised this morning, after investigating my wife’s blood-curdling scream, to find a scorpion in our storage room. The creature is pretty small (about an inch and half) but still scary looking. Our paradise has a few thorns.

Scorpions glow in the dark when exposed to a black light. So I bought a UV lamp at the hardware store and used it to check out the apartment. I didn’t find any more scorpions; but I found that fuzz also glows and I jumped a little when I saw all the fuzz particles glowing on the carpet.

January 29, 2007

January 29, 2007

The Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase is in town for the next two weeks. We went to a smaller version in Chicago last year, and both of us enjoyed it, so we made a point to watch out for it here in Tucson. The show in Chicago had something for both of us, jewelry for Aimee and fossils for me. The Tucson Show is supposed to be the granddaddy of US events.

The Tucson Show seems to be a little confusing though as the paper says it is held in 30 different locations around the area. The Tucson Convention Center must not be big enough to hold it all. On the way back from hitting a few golf balls at the driving range, we stop at a small nearby hotel hosting part of the show. Every room in the hotel has a different vendor with a small display of items for sale. Even the parking lot and courtyard have display tents setup. What is interesting is that seemingly every country from around the world is represented here. I had no idea there was this big a market for rocks.

After breezing thru this site, we head towards another. The next one is a series of circus-size tents near the Baseball Spring Training stadium. This location has vendors with some seriously large rock inventories. I am astounded how big this show is and we have 28 more locations to visit!

The next day we take Aimee’s mom with us and visit a couple more of the locations. I get to see a lot of fossils. Beside the usual collector-size samples, many of the vendors have beautiful rock samples meant for artistic display in upscale homes along with plates, vases, sinks and tables made from fossil rock. The girls though are bored and dragging.

Surprisingly the next day the girls want to go again. I need to stop at my broker so I agree. Big mistake. The next locations are mostly about jewelry. Now I am bored and I can’t get the girls to budge from the first display table. Fortunately, after a few hours a vendor rescues me and invites me to test-drive his equipment. This kilt-wearing Scotsman gives me about an hour hands-on lesson in fine art of making gems. I practice cutting the facets on a 25-carat amethyst gemstone. Pretty Neat! Maybe I can get a part-time job as a master gem cutter. Afterwards I help Aimee get a deal on some opal jewelry and then we all walk across the parking lot to the Learning Center for a demonstration on rock carving. An artist is demonstrating his techniques for turning a lump of rock into sculpture using modern tools. I am thinking I could be a Michelangelo in retirement.

A couple days later we hit a gem show held at a local resort. On display in thirty hotel rooms are mostly high quality rock specimens. Between the price tags and the way the upscale guests are ogling these rocks, you would think they were old-world masterpieces of art. Amazing!

January 27, 2007

January 27, 2007

Today we drove straight south towards the border with Mexico. In Nogales, AZ, we parked a block from the border and walked across to Nogales, Mexico to do some shopping. No immigration authorities were there to stop us, only a one-way revolving door. Once thru, uh-oh, we see a huge line for the return trip.

Nogales is in a very hilly area. Houses cover the hillside on the Mexican side. What looks like a border wall climbs up the hill along the edge of the houses. The US side is clear. A long line of mostly tourist shops runs the length of the valley. After an hour of browsing the stores, we head back for the crossing. We are not looking forward to standing in the return line. Fortunately it moves along and after only thirty minutes we show our passports. Most people just flash something that looks like a drivers license and are waved thru. This is totally different than flying back into the US where most people are studied and questioned. If I was an illegal immigrant, this is where I would cross. Once back in the US in Nogales, AZ we still feel like we are in Mexico.

Back in the car we head towards Tucson. Halfway along we stop and visit the Tumacacori National Historical Park. Tumacacori is the site of one of many missions that the Spanish built throughout New World to Christianize the local Indians. The church ruins and small museum are mostly uninteresting. The highlight for Aimee is the volunteer making tortillas by hand. We both enjoy tasting them as we missed lunch.

January 25, 2007

January 25, 2007

With the weather warming up we drive three hours west to a fairly isolated section of southwestern Arizona to visit Organ Pipe National Monument. Along the way we pass a steady stream of RV’s heading in the opposite direction. Aimee and I keep wondering where they are coming from. Once at the national park, a ranger suggests we take their twenty-mile scenic loop. This unpaved drive takes us up into the Ajo Mountain foothills where there is a large concentration of Organ Pipe cacti. Along the way we learn that Organ Pipes are even more rare in the US than Saguaros. Organ Pipes are very sensitive to cold and only grow within 80 miles of this park and then mostly on the southern exposures of the local mountains. Like saguaros and barrels, they are large columnar cacti too, but instead of a single shoot, they grow in a large cluster, hence the name Pipe Organ. The park is very pretty and is a cactus lover’s paradise with huge stands of organ pipes, saguaros and chollas. Part way along the driving loop, we stop to view a large natural rock arch that lies at the top of the mountain. We hike the steep rocky trail up to the backside of the arch but stop short of our goal because of lack of time. We have a long drive back.

The Mexican border is only a few miles south of the park visitors’ center. Southwestern Arizona must be a common point of illegal crossing as one hiking trail in the park was closed due to smuggling activity and we saw lots of border patrol agents on the drive back. There has to be easier ways to get in the US than walking thirty miles thru this very arid, rocky desert where every piece of vegetation has huge thorns. I would hitch a ride on one of the numerous RVs traveling thru here if they are not already doing so.

January 22, 2007

January 22, 2007

Paradise Lost: For over a week now we have had snow. I can see it out our window on top of the mountains. A safe distance to enjoy the snow. Mt. Lemmon, the tallest of the Catalinas, I have been told even has skiing. Before we leave we want to drive up and see it for ourselves.

Yesterday afternoon it clouded up and started to rain. The temperature never got too warm. Good weather to stay inside and watch the Bears win the NFC Championship. The last time Aimee and I watched a Bears Championship game, we were on one of our very first dates. She had gotten tickets and invited me to Soldier Field with her. She was in love.

Mother Nature must have enjoyed the Bears victory too for as soon as the game was over, she started her own ticker tape parade by mixing a few snowflakes in with the rain. That is the closest Tucson gets to snow. Wrong! This morning we woke up to an inch of snow. It is strange to see snow atop cacti. With the mountains to our north now completely covered with snow, it looks like we are in Aspen, deep in the Colorado Rockies. By noon though, the sun is out in force and the snow is now a memory. Paradise Regained.

Jauary 17, 2007

January 17, 2007

Aimee and I want to hike down into the Grand Canyon this spring. Halfway back out of the Grand Canyon is not the place to find we are not in good-enough shape, so we need to do some serious preparatory training. The nearby Catalina mountains have trailheads all along the range. This afternoon we decide to hike up the Ventana Canyon trail. It starts in the parking lot of the Loew’s resort, passes the golf course, and up the canyon. We pass a few really big Saguaros. One is so big its arms have arms. From what I have read it has to be well over 200 years old.

The Ventana Canyon trail is very pretty. And steep, especially when I make a wrong turn and we scramble up what looks like the trail. Good practice for the Grand Canyon! Aimee is not impressed and makes us turn around. On the way back down I see where we went wrong but by now Aimee is aggravated and we head home.

January 11, 2007

January 11, 2007

There is a lot to see and do in the Arizona area so we are thinking we need to step up our tourist activities while we are out here. Last week we stopped at the local visitor’s center and picked up a Tucson passport that gives two for one admission to most sites.

Late this morning we head north of Tucson towards Oracle and the site of Biosphere II. This facility, hidden in the desert, became famous in 1991 when it locked up four men and four women in a giant sealed terrarium for two years. The experiment was supposed to mimic a self-sufficient space station where plants were grown to supply food but more importantly keep the atmosphere in balance by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen for the crew. The facility became infamous when it was discovered that fresh air was secretly leaked into the building to reduce carbon dioxide levels.

After paying our admission, we are told to meet our guide at noon for a tour under the glass. Since it is only 11am, we have time to first watch their film (mediocre) and also peruse their exhibits on global warming (interesting). Once we meet up with our tour guide he explains during his introduction that Biosphere I is planet earth, hence the number “2” for this one. We then proceed inside the glass through an airlock for a quick walk through the five biomes within: rainforest, savanna, desert, marsh and ocean reef. As soon as we enter we are hit with high humidity which fogs up our camera lens and prevents any picture taking. So far this is just a fancy greenhouse, albeit one that can be sealed airtight. The difference lies underneath on the next part of the tour. Our guide shows us the mechanical systems for air-conditioning and water recycling. In addition, there are two giant balloons (the lungs) connected to it that allow the inside air to expand and contract with temperature change.

I have to admit my expectations today were low, so I wasn’t disappointed. I assumed this place was built to lure tourists and would be hokey, it wasn’t. The facility is actually quite impressive and well designed. Unfortunately it is now a rusting, expensive, white elephant that is barely used by a few scientists for environmental experiments. Aimee found it boring. I thought it was somewhat interesting. It needs better tour guides to make it more appealing.

January 9, 2007

January 9, 2007

We stopped at the driving range this afternoon to try to recover our golf game. The range is about a half hour away thru the middle of Tucson. On the way back while stopped at a traffic light we were rear-ended by a local fumbling for his cell phone. I detest cell phone drivers! Fortunately we weren’t hurt but my poor car that I have babied for the last few years now has a huge scar in the rear. Aimee and I frequently comment how lousy Arizona drivers are. Now we have proof.

January 6, 2007

January 6, 2007

Our return trip was done in two very long 12-hour driving days with a convenient midway stop in Amarillo. In Amarillo we decompressed by playing several competitive rounds of “Sorry” with our nephew Sean.

Back in Tucson, we are anxious to get back to our outdoor activities. After all this driving lately, we decide to stay close and visit the western half of Saguaro National Park. We head to the west side of Tucson and drive on Gates Pass road over the Tucson Mountains stopping at the turnout on the crest to take some scenic pictures. We head down towards Saguaro Park. Between Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro National, this whole area west of Tucson is undeveloped, putting us quickly in the middle of the desert surrounded by thousands of saguaro cacti. We stop at the park visitor’s center to watch their film and get some recommendations on hiking trails. We play tourist first and drive their 6-mile scenic loop. Unfortunately it is unpaved making the drive very bumpy. Along the way we stop and make the quarter-mile hike up to Signal Hill to see some Hohokam Indian petroglyphs (ancient graffiti Aimee calls it). Saguaro West is similar to East, but the concentration of saguaros is noticeably thicker here.

We decide to stretch our legs and hike the King Canyon trail up to Wasson Peak. After hiking uphill for 70 minutes on this generally uninteresting trail, we turn around before reaching the summit. We want to make it back to Gates Pass for its famous sunsets and we are running out of time. At Gates Pass we watch the sun set behind the mountains in the distance. We are disappointed. It is nothing special. Perhaps we need to come back when there are wisps of clouds or dust in the air to provide some color.

December 28, 2006

December 28, 2006

Despite visiting the St. Louis area frequently my whole adult life, playing tourist was always low priority. Aimee and I now have the time to explore. After lunch today we drive downtown and park near the Gateway Arch. I have always enjoyed standing at the base of the Arch and looking up, especially at night when the polished stainless steel legs reflect the city lights. Aimee is not nearly so enamored with it.

While taking a picture of the Arch, we see the Old Courthouse building across the street. Never having been in it, we decide to investigate. Housed in two wings are some St. Louis history exhibits run by the National Park Service. The displays are mostly worthless but they do have a short movie that I find interesting. It tells the story of how St. Louis was the gateway to the West. First in the early 1800’s as the center of the booming beaver fur trade in the new Louisiana territory and later as the jumping off point for the millions heading west to seek their fortunes. By luck we happen to walk upstairs and find some interesting exhibits on wartime social unrest, and another on the pivotal Dred Scott court case that was first tried in this building. Dred Scot was a Missouri slave who sued for his freedom because of all the time he had spent in “free” states. He initially won but lost on appeal to the Supreme Court. This surprising landmark decision in 1857 probably helped make the Civil War inevitable.

Walking back to the Arch we stop underneath and enter the Jefferson National Expansion Museum. It is mostly about Lewis and Clark’s expedition and I have seen better. Just north of the Arch is Laclede's Landing and Eads Bridge, the oldest one spanning the Mississippi River. Completed in 1874, this engineering marvel was the first major bridge built using Steel instead of Cast Iron.

December 15-27, 2006

December 15-27, 2006

This weekend we started the long drive back to the Midwest for our Christmas vacation. It is a 27-hour 1730-mile drive to Chicago that we made in four legs stopping in Amarillo, Tulsa, and St. Louis. Next year we are definitely flying.

While in Chicago, we make our required visitation to our storage units and retrieve a few more things. We need to start throwing more stuff away but we don’t yet feel like taking the time.

We spend Christmas Eve with Aimee’s family. Her cousin Katie was nice enough to host us at her apartment on Chicago’s north side. On Christmas morning we drive to Alton, IL to spend some time with my family. With five siblings and their spouses, nineteen nephews and nieces, plus a new generation just starting, our Christmas gathering probably looks like a madhouse to newcomers, but is just family to us. It is nice to catch up with the news of family and friends during the holidays. Fortunately all are in good spirit and health.