Dick & Sue are on the way home

My brother Dick and friend Sue left to drive back to Illinois today.  We got up early and joined them in Green Valley for breakfast at Mama's Restaurant.  It was one of their favorite places to eat and we wanted to try it out before they left.  We enjoyed the meal there and the company.  They left around noon for the long 1500 mile drive back home.

It was great visiting with them and we saw a lot of touristy things and just hanging out with them.  It looks like they are planning on returning to the area next year if everything works out.  It sure does beat sitting in -10 degree weather with snow on the ground.  We hope to see them again this summer on one of our trips back there.

After they left we decided to check out some geocaches in Green Valley and managed to find 4 caches in a short order.  One cache had a travel bug in it and we picked it up and hope to take it to California when we visit there in a couple weeks.  A brother and his younger sister walked by when we were coming down the hillside from finding a cache and they looked at us as if we were crazy.  I explained we were geocachers and they both said they were cachers also.  We had a nice chat with them and they continued on with their walk.  

After that we came back to the motorhome and crashed.  Too many days of early to rise and late to get to bed finally caught up to us.  I noticed a small leak under the motorhome and traced it down to a hard place to gain access to the suspected cause of the leak.  Always something with motor homes, but this should be a minor repair.  We shall see if I am correct.

We had a great sunset today and also saw a beautiful flowering tree near the restaurant.  The day started off great and ended the same.

 It sure was a beautiful day out here in sunny Arizona.

How was your day?
 

Gaslight Theater - Belle of Tombstone

My brother Dick and friend Sue came by today to visit for a while.  They are leaving for Illinois Friday morning and wanted to say goodbye.  I think they enjoyed the visit and maybe will be coming back next winter.  It would be great to see them out here next season if they and we come back.  

Ron K stopped by and discussed rifles and pistols with Dick.  Ron knows more about guns than anyone I know and is like an encyclopedia of knowledge.

Our neighbors had two extra tickets and invited us to attend the "Belle of Tombstone" play at the Gaslight Theater this evening.  We've been to the theater before and have enjoyed the plays, so we accepted the offer gladly.  We met them and another couple at Little Anthony's Diner, which is attached to the theater.  Gerry and I both enjoyed our meals and would dine there again if we get a chance.

Frank & Jan's daughter & husband also were there and as it turned out we were part of a group from the Tucson Medical Center.  They had bought the tickets months ago and there were about 25-30 people in total.  We met their daughter & sil and chatted with them for quite a while after the play.  They were a very personable couple and easy to talk to.  

The play was very funny and the actors did a great job.  One actor had a great singing voice and clearly was the star of the show.  Actually, all of them did really well and the time flew by quickly.  Even the three piece house orchestra was very good and the piano player was great.  It was a fun evening and we plan on attending a play later in the spring.

I managed to take a few pictures before the play started, but they didn't allow any during the performance.

RV neighbors Jan & Frank

Main stage at the theater

House orchestra

Sarah, our waitress

If you get a chance to take in one of their performances, I would highly recommend it.  

That was our exciting day, how was yours?  

Tucson Rodeo Museum

We've been trying to visit the Rodeo Museum for a couple weeks now and today was the big event.  Gerry had a previous engagement and didn't make the trip with us.  I am sure after she sees all the photos, she will be eager to check it out.

The annual Tucson Rodeo is coming up in a few weeks and we lucked out and picked a day when they weren't so busy at the museum and we could wander around to our hearts content.  It took us over 1.5 hrs to check everything out and it was worth it.  

Mud stagecoach

Tucson paddy wagon

Stagecoach

Maximilian horse drawn carriage in great shape.

Neat old carriage

Studebaker wagon

Studebaker wagons were produced from the 1850s through the first part of the 1900s.  When the automobile came along Studebaker began producing cars and the importance of the wagon division faded as demand receded.

Old Tucson dairy delivery wagon

Buckboard used by John Wayne in McLintlock

Brewery delivery wagon

The Conestoga wagon is a heavy, covered wagon that was used extensively during the late 18th century and the 19th century in the United States and Canada.  It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons  and was drawn by horses, mules or oxen. It was designed to help keep its contents from moving about when in motion and to aid it in crossing rivers and streams, though it sometimes leaked unless caulked.

The term "Conestoga wagon" refers specifically to this type of vehicle; it is not a generic term for "covered wagon". The wagons used in the westward expansion of the United States were, for the most part, ordinary farm wagons fitted with canvas covers.

Dual purpose carriage

The driver's area was very small and only a small person could sit there.

Steam driven Carnival calliope

 The museum was well laid out and the volunteers were very friendly and helpful.  There were many more wagons and artifacts that were very interesting, but all the photos would overwhelm the blog.  We did see the horse trailer of the Cisco Kid and it looked like it was new.  Duncan Renaldo was the real name of the Cisco Kid and led an interesting life and only starred as the Kid from 1950 on.  He received $500 for each episode of the series.

We stopped briefly at one of the GEM show tents and Sue was in seventh heaven checking out all the baubles and beads.  I think she has plans to return to the GEM show if she gets a chance.

After that we picked up Gerry and headed out for dinner at the Village Inn restaurant.  It was free pie night and the place was mobbed.  We had a 20-25 minute wait to be seated and the wait for our food order was even longer.  The kitchen workers were overwhelmed and could not keep up with the rush.  When the meals were delivered to the table they were tasty as usual.  By this time we were tired and got our pieces of pie to go.  They didn't last long with us, but don't know how long they lasted with Dick & Sue.

That was our day, how was yours?

Chiricahua National Monument

Time is running short for my brother's visit here in Tucson and I wanted to show him someplace that I think is very special.  Gerry and I have always enjoyed visiting the Chiricahua National Monument that is about 110 miles from our RV park.  Today was the chosen day for the trip.  With the cooler temps I wasn't so sure how cold it would be at the mountain top so we all carried jackets with us.  It got down to the high 30s while we were there and the car heater felt nice.

I took the long way to the monument and took them around some interesting country side down through Dragoon, AZ and then over to Sunsites, AZ and finally arriving at the park.

The monument is located approximately 36 miles southeast of Willcox, Arizona. Geologists believe that it preserves the remains of an immense volcanic eruption that shook the region some 27 million years ago. The thick white-hot ash spewed forth from the nearby Turkey Creek Caldera, cooled and hardened into rhyolite tuff, laying down almost two thousand feet of dark volcanic ash and pumice, highly siliceous in nature, which eventually eroded into the natural features visible that we see at the monument today.

There is an 8 mile drive from the visitors center to the top of the mountain and luckily the snow from Saturday had melted.  We took our time, stopped for a photograph about 15 times on the way up.  There were light snow patches on the top and it was very cold.   I used my Golden Age Passport to gain free entrance to the park.  It's one of the few really great bargains I have bought from the U.S. Goverment.

There are some spectacular rock formations along the drive to the top.  The main group of rocks is called the Organ Pipes.  They are huge columns of rocks that look like the one below.  Notice how part of the column has fallen and is laying against the next column.  I wonder how long it has been positioned this way.

 

Massai Point is the end of the park road and has some beautiful views from the top.  It was windy and cold there today and we didn't linger very long taking pictures.

View from the top of Massai Point looking west toward Benson, AZ.

 Yes, these rock columns are actually leaning to the right.  I don't think I would like to hang around them very long.

It was a little spooky sitting in the car with those two boulders right over our heads.  Either one of them would have crushed our car like a grape.  Time to move on.

 There were two groups of deer hanging around the entrance to the park.  One group was near the visitors center, while these were closer to the entrance of the park.

The road back to Willcox, AZ was without a vehicle in site for miles.  It sure is isolated out there and has a certain beauty to the aridness and vastness.

We took a quick tour of Willcox and saw the Rex Allen statue and Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame.  Rex Allen was born and raised on a ranch about 40 miles from Willcox, AZ.  He had the distinction of starring in the last of the singing cowboys western movies in 1954.
 
Before we left Gerry had started some pork chops in the slow cooker.   When we returned, she whipped up some mashed potatoes and corn to go with them.  It was a delicious meal and much better than what we've been getting eating out lately.

That was our day, how was yours?

Quiet Weekend

We've been on the go a lot the past few weeks and ran out of gas this weekend.  The weather also turned rainy and chilly on Saturday, so it was a good time to stay inside where it was warm and dry.  

We rented the movie "Captain Phillips" and invited Dick & Sue over for dinner and the movie.  Gerry made some of her superb chili and we all managed to eat a couple bowls of it.  Nothing better than a hot bowl of chili on a damp day and hers really hit the spot.  I had picked up a Sock It To Me cake for dessert, but we had to wait a while before we checked it out.

Later we watched "Captain Phillips" and enjoyed it very much.  Even though we knew the outcome, it was suspenseful and interesting.  They had some great shots of the inside of one of those big cargo transport ships.  The Somali pirates were not real actors, but gave great performances and we very believable.  If you haven't seen the move and get a chance to, take it.  It is worth the price to see.

Sunday we watched the superbowl and turned it off early.  I don't think I have ever seen a superbowl team make as many costly mistakes as the Broncos did today.  It was hard to believe they are the best the AFC has to offer.  You have to give the Seahawks credit.  They came to play and really put the pressure on the Broncos.  I sure am glad I didn't have any money on the Broncos.  What a thrashing they took today with a final score of 43-8.

I always like to include a picture, so I checked through my files and came up with this one taken circa 2001 down in Key West, FL.  I always liked this photo and the happy looks on the grandkids and Gerry on a huge piece of driftwood.

Sean, Jared, Gerry & Stephanie

We have big plans for Monday and will be going to bed early tonight.  More to come on Monday.