Hudson & Dina Scottsdale Arizona our mail deliver 

Dec 30 Saturday- We got Sherri to phoenix to catch her flight home Friday. Hudson and Dina left also as it started to rain and the things we were going to do was outside- visit the Casa grande ruins and visit the Greek Orthodox Church in Florence(really something to see-five churches on the premises all with icons from Greece.) Today is beautiful and sunny wouldn’t you know it. We are getting ready to leave for Yuma on Monday for two weeks. They have a big New Years party here but we do not go . Bill can’t stay up that late, so I will go and play pokino with our group. We play every night here

Dec 27- Casa Grande-Today we go back to Scottsdale to see the galleries again. This time everything is opened. We also walk around old town.

Dec 26 -Casa Grande-Tuesday Boxing day. Off we go to the outlet mall. Lots of bargains were to be had. Sherri has a good time at the Gap. Hudson and Dina arrived after supper with our mail.

Dec 25 Casa Grande-Christmas. We have a wonderful traditional dinner at the RV park. They fed about 275 people . Last time they fed 315 ,so they were down from last time . Weather was perfect not too hot and not too cold and sunny.

Scottsdale
Scottsdale 

Dec 23 Sunday- Today we drive to Scottsdale to go to the Art Galleries. Do not go on a Sunday as very little is opened but we did walk Old Town. A nice sunny day.

cotton fields Casa Grande
bails of cotton Casa Grande 

Dec 23 Casa Grande is cotton, cantaloupe and watermelon country. The town is really growing with many many many new houses being built all around. They even have a super Wal-Mart (like a Safeways inside). They also have an outlet mall. The weather has turned cold in the evening around the freezing mark. It goes up around 65 in the daytime. It even rained part of a day.

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Bills Christmas decor Casa Grande
inside at Casa Grande 

Dec 20-Casa Grande-It’s time I updated my blog. We have been in Casa Grande for just about 2 weeks. I am back playing pokino ( a card game with pennies) and doing walk away the pounds (3 mile) and silver stretchers. This RV park has a lot of things to do. Even entertainment about 3 nights a week. I am also back to line dancing in the afternoon. The RV is decorated for Christmas inside and out. Bill did the outside. We are enjoying Sherri’s company. We picked her up in phoenix last Tuesday with no problems. We took her to Apache Junction for the largest flea market in Arizona.

Sonora desert museum
ocotillo,prickly pear,saguaro
cardenal in Sonard desert 

Dec 11 Monday. We are in Casa Grande half -way between Tucson and Phoenix. We had a great time in Tucson. We went to the movies and saw Casino Royal, a James Bond show. We went to the Desert museum, I love that place. We went too late and all the animals were napping. So just got bird and scenery pictures. Tucson had a street fair lots and lots of stuff for sale. It was even bigger than the one in Palm Springs. They closed the street down here too. But theirs is only for one weekend and PS is every Thursday. The weather was a lot warmer then Benson,. Really just perfect. I think it is colder her at night.

soda straws in Kartchner Caverns
stalacites stagmites and flowstone in big room Karchner 

Dec 6 Benson wednesday-We finely get the truck fixed after 5 days. They thought it was dirty fuel but after closer inspection found that the transfer pump ( just installed in Farmington in October wasn’t working right) . $600.00 latter everything appears to be working. We will leave today for Tucson. We were not able to do too much with no truck but we did manage to go to Karchner caverns, as we told Peg and Gerry our first wagon masters we would treat them for letting us stay with them for a while. They picked us up and stayed for dinner as the caves are only 10 miles from Benson. We are on our way to Tucson now.

Nov 28,29,30 Benson -nothing exciting the last 3 days. We start out Thursday to go back to Douglas to get pictures of the Gadsden hotel’s staircase and stained glass window on our way to the Slaughter Ranch. This is a historic landmark now. We get out of thr RV park only to have the truck act up. We first think because it went down to 29 last night that the truck just needs to warm up. not so.still coughing, so we turn around go to a truck dealership. They can not take us until Monday. We limp back and extend our stay in Valley Vista RV park.

Gammons Gulch-Jay gets alot of his things running for us . He keeps in stitcher for over 2 hours.
Gammons Gulch a ghost town and movie set . A must see if you are in the area 

Nov 26 Sunday- Benson Today is cleanup day. We take a break and go and tour a ghost town movie set , Gammons Gulch,12 miles away. The founder Jay was never at loss for words. He kept us in stitches. He delights us by spinning yarns with both eloquence of a prized story teller. His wit is as quick as an outlaw’s draw and his passion for the old west may be unparalleled. He knew where every bit of floorboard and every piece of nostalgia came from. He has 17 authentic handbuilt structures and the artifacts were genuine. His father was John Waynes bodyguard and he himself appeared in movies. He has movie memorabilia (6 movies filmed here)

Nov 27.Monday-Benson Today we get our carpets professionally cleaned. To get out of his way we decide to drive to Fort Huachuca. We get there and they will not let us in. We drive to Douglas and stop in a visitor’s center for advice on a good restaurant and we tell her about our difficulty in the fort. She makes a phone call and they said we should have got in. We might try again another day. We have a good lunch then go across the street to the big old hotel to see their grand staircase. Wouldn’t you know it my batteries were dead and my spare was in the RV. I guess it was a good thing we didn’t get into the fort with no camera.

San Carlos-our last RV park in Mexico El Mirador overlooked a marina The best RV park in all of Mexico everything works for a change

Nov 24 Friday- Today is a travel day, 263 miles to Nogales. We have 3 tolls and are traveling on American Thanksgiving. We have no trouble at the border. The line up wasn’t too long except for the poor truckers. Their line up went for miles. They looked in our fridge and took away turkey sandwich meat and a turkey sausage as they were in an opened package, otherwise poultry is ok. No pork of any kind allowed. No fruit or veg. except cooked potatoes and eggs. We arrive at Valley Vista in Benson( a sister park to our Western Horizon we belong to , so we pay $7 a night. 2 couples from our caravan are staying next door at an Escapies park.

Nov 23 Thursday- a free day. We go for a short drive around the harbour at our Marina. Lots of construction, we will not recognize it if we ever come back. I spend the rest of the day making a CD for everyone of our trip. Tonight is our farewell dinner.

Nov 22 Wednesday- Today we go on a bus ride to a pearl factory. Very interesting. We see the process of the Black lip rainbow pearl from start to end. They use fairy dust to sedate the oyster while they insert a disc to the mantel with crazy clue to help form a flat pearl. They use a round white marble from Mississippi to help form a round pearl. We return to our RV’s to have lunch then we are off for a boat cruise of the harbour. We have beautiful vistas of San Carlos colourful homes and hotels against the backdrop of the San Carlos Mountains. We have unlimited margaritas chips and salsa. The water was flat calm and we enjoyed a slight breeze. It felt great. It lasted 2 hr.

John Waynes home San Carlos
a flat black lip rainbow pearl in the making
San Carlos oyster farm
our harbor cruise boat San Carlos 

Nov 22 San CarlosWednesday- Today we go on a bus ride to a pearl factory. Very interesting. We see the process of the Black lip rainbow pearl from start to end. They use fairy dust to sedate the oyster while they insert a disc to the mantel with crazy clue to help form a flat pearl. They use a round white marble from Mississippi to help form a round pearl. We return to our RV’s to have lunch then we are off for a boat cruise of the harbour. We have beautiful vistas of San Carlos colourful homes and hotels against the backdrop of the San Carlos mountains. We have unlimited margaritas chips and salsa. The water was flat calm and we enjoyed a slight breeze. It felt great. It lasted 2 hr.

Nov 21 Tuesday-another travel day-240 miles to San Carlos. 8:30am 72’ We have 5 toll again today 41.10. We go through another fruit check point.Temp. goes to 93’ Bill is Ok as we are in an airconditioned comfortable truck. We arrive at 3.15 and get a spot with a view of the marina. We have free WIFI in our rig (bonanza) We are here for 3 nights at El Mirada RV park. They have a pool, hot tub and tennis courts.

Nov 20 Monday- a travel day. 250 miles 5 tolls-62.80 It is 95’ by lunch time. We get 3 apples taken away at a fruit inspection station. I thought they would be OK as they had a Washington sticker on them. Tonight we dry camp at a Pemex fuel station with a secure gate. 6 of us go for dinner at the gas station restaurant and we have one of the best meals-about 12 prawns cooked in garlic with rice and a salad. It got up to 99 degrees.

Nov19- Sunday- today is a free day. 2 couples go fishing . One catches a 71lb sailfish. Bill takes the truck and fuels up I go check e-mails. We have a margarita party with fresh prawns provided by staff , we all supply pot luck. A great time was had by all.

Street vender Mazatlan
Mango trees
Making the caning 

family operated leather factory- he is making sandels
a big load bfor the little guy
blue agave for tequila
pineapples from the agave plant- takes 6 years mature 

Nov 18 Saturday- 5 of us take a tour. We do some birding ,we see an Mexician eagle on a cactus, some vultures and a yellow oriel. We go pass a wealthy rancher cemetery( very large and fancy). Then we go to the tranquil leather town of La Noriel. Here they hand make sandals and saddles. We visit the zocalo and the old church(1756).Unfortunately they painted over the old façade outside . Inside was original and beautiful. Next we go for lunch in a Mexician home. Very interesting. The tequila factory next. We pass fields of blue agave, beautiful. They had a 452 year old monkey tree, (huge). We get to taste the tequila. Back by 2:30. Tonight we go for a fiesta at Playa Mazatlan, lots of fun. All the booze you wanted, payed for by the company

our rig parked nexted to beach in Gusave -good shelling
Mazatlan cliff diver- not as exciting as Alcapolco
Market Mazatlan old town
Turning wheel at concordia 

Nov17 Friday-Mazatlan . We go for another bus tour this time out to the country. We pass chicken farms, hass avacadoes papaya and tomatoe farms also mangoes. They also have a frog farm catering to Japan. We see hand made brick factories too. We get out at a place called malpica . Here they make hand made cement decortative tiles. We stop at a furniture factory where we watch them carving and a pottery factory where we watched them wedge clay. This is in the town of Concordia Next we go to a quaint cobblestoned town of Copala, a silver mining town. We visit a church 1756 . We have lunch at Daniels famous for their banana coconut cream pies

Nov 16 Thursday-Mazatlan. Today we get a bus tour of the city. First we go for breakfast at Panama on the Co. we have a huge shrimp omelet. Mazatlan is the shrimp capital of the west coast. They take us to old town and see the zocalo ( main square) . We go inside the Cathedral- stunning. Then off to the market where I buy Bill some tank tops and a beefsteak tomato for 30 cents. Pat and I were late for the bus (8 min) Bill not to happy with us as everyone had to wait. We return to RV park after the guide points good restaurants on the way. Happy hour at 4. After dinner I go across the street to a hotel with my computer to see if the have WIFI. Yep bingo.

Nov 15 Wednesday-We leave for Mazatlan today. 7:30am 66’. We have a little excitement as our bedroom slide will not come in. So we find the instruction book and find out where we put the crank and pull it in manually. It works fine. We have 5 tolls to go through today (61.66). Beautiful sunny day up to 92’. We arrive at 2:30 at Playa Escondita RV park. The beach is across the hwy. After a park briefing and happy hour we have dinner and 3 couples go to find Wal-Mart, a huge store. Home Depot is opening tomorrow It also is huge. A good place to stay away from.

tamarahara heading home
They come up from the bottom to sell their goods
riding the rails in side the comfort of our truck
Los Mochis agricultural area 

food vender Diversadero
Copper Canyon
Our rig tied on to flatbed of train
Getting a great view not much room