Friday, December 29 - We woke up to fog on the Sandhills. That was pretty unexpected. After breakfast, we took a hike across the dunes to the Pump Jack Picnic area. There weren't any other people around, so Dad took off my leash and I got to run free. I really enjoyed that.
Mom and Dad also made a visit to the Visitor Center to learn about the area. They took their obligatory selfie in front of an oil well since they were in Texas. It was nearly noon by the time we got on the road, so we decided to stop in El Paso. We spent the night in the Cabella's Parking Lot. Cabella's is in a nice new shopping area just off I-10 near the Texas/New Mexico border. It was a great place to boondock, but when the new Walmart opens in a few months, I think it's going to be WAAAAY too crowded to park a motor home. We will probably go back to our usual stop in this area, Walmart in Las Cruses.
After dinner, Mom did enjoy a walk through the nearby TJ Maxx and Home Goods and brought back a couple of treasures.
Saturday, December 30 - Today we drove from El Paso to Silver City, New Mexico where we settled into the Elks Lodge for a couple of nights. In the afternoon we went to check out the town. It's an old mining town with a rich history and some fun shops in the historic downtown buildings.
This is the view from our campsite.
Sunday, December 31 - Today we drove The Trail of the Mountain Spirits, which is a scenic loop drive that includes the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The ranger was pretty impressed when Dad presented our National Parks Pass, which expires today. He said it's pretty rare for someone to visit a National Park on the last day their pass is valid.
Mom and Dad enjoyed the hike to the Cliff Dwellings and the drive.
On the way home they stopped for a New Mexico Mexican dinner and then went back to the motor home. They originally thought they might join the New Year's Eve Party in the Elks Lodge, but when they found out that smoking is allowed, they decided to skip it. They watched the ball drop in New York City (10 pm here) and shortly after went to bed. The Elks had fireworks at midnight, which upset me a lot. I hate fireworks and gun shots. Dad was asleep and missed it.
Monday, January 1 - Today we left Silver City and drove to Tucson. We will be at the Gilbert Ray Campground in the Tucson Mountain Park for 6 nights. This is one of our favorite Arizona campgrounds. The Tucson Mountain Park is adjacent to Saguaro National Park and the landscape is similar. This is our campsite.
After we got set up, we went down the street to the campground where our friends Bob and Dee Dee have been for the last few weeks. The humans enjoyed Happy Hour and catching up. After awhile they decided to go out to dinner at a Tiny's a great Hamburger place that Bob and Dee Dee found.
Tuesday, January 2 - Today Dad went to do some grocery shopping and made a stop at Home Depot. We have a small water leak around the shower and he's trying to figure out exactly what is going on. I stayed home with Mom. She had work to do on the computer. It's in the 70's here, so I took a Siesta.
In the afternoon, Bob and Dee Dee came over for happy hour. This time we remembered to take a picture.
Wednesday, January 3 - Today Mom and Dad decided to drive to Ironwood National Monument. We'd never even heard of this place, but some other people in the campground told us about it. They said that there are more Saguaros that in Saguaro National Park. We learned that Ironwood National Monument was established in 2000. Mom and Dad were glad that they had the Jeep because the roads are gravel and a little rough in places, a LOT rough in others. It was a pretty drive.
Thursday, January 4 - Today we went to visit the Asarco Mineral Discovery Center south of Tucson. The main attraction here is the mine and mill tour. Asarco operates an open pit mine (mostly copper, but some other minerals) that is 2.5 miles by 1.5 miles and is 1,200 feet deep. It was quite a site to see.
After the mine tour we went to the Mission San Xavier del Bac and took a tour. It's a historic Spanish Catholic Mission that was founded in 1692 and is still in use today. The current building was built from 1783-1797 and is the oldest European structure in Arizona.
On the way home, Mom and Dad had dinner at Teresa's Mosaic Cafe. This was a recommendation from Bob and Dee Dee. The chef from the Mosaic Cafe competed against Bobby Flay for a Huevos Rancheros "throw down". Bobby Flay is famous for his TV program on the Food Network. They didn't try the Huevos Rancheros, but said that dinner was great and the view from the restaurant was fabulous. Thanks to Bob and Dee Dee for letting us know about it.
Friday, January 5 - Today we went to Tubac. It's a small town about 30 miles north of Nogales, Mexico and has lots of cool shops and galleries. After looking around the old town, we drove around some of the newer neighborhoods. Thought you might enjoy some of the Christmas decorations that we saw.
Tomorrow we move to the Lost Dutchman State Park which is about 40 miles east of Phoenix. More later.
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