I Got An Email From A Friend

Yesterday I got an email from a friend asking where we were.  That's when I realized I haven't updated the blog in a while.

We are home.  Got home last week and we are busy packing up the house, taking tons of stuff to the senior center thrift store.  Some of our stuff will go into storage, and I have piles hear and there for different friends and family members.

Our plan is to be out of the house by the end of January 2015 and get back to southern Arizona by early February with a stop at The Slabs in southern California to have a solar system installed on the motor home.

So for the next two months I'll be sorting and more sorting and packing and moving.  I will keep you posted from time to time on how our progress is going.  We are very excited to be making this change in our lives are looking forward to getting back on the road. 

See you soon.

Evie and Joy

Hoover Dam

On our way home we went towards Las Vegas, NV.  Highway 93 use to go right across the top of Hoover Dam but since 2010 it goes across a new bridge.

New bridge with top of dam in foreground.

The multistory brown building near left side is new parking garage.  

Note the brown high water marks on intake towers.

When Lake Mead is full only the tip of this island is visible. The white area would be under water.

High water mark is white.

Over flow tunnel.

I love taking pictures of road signs.

Onward toward home.

Evie and Joy

A Study of the Saguaro Cactus

The Sonoran Desert has received over 22' of rain in this monsoon season on 2014.  The Saguaro cactus benefits greatly from that rain, as does everything else.  If you look closely at the skin of the Saguaro you will see that it is like an accordion.  When water is plentiful the cactus sucks it up and its skin expands for more storage.  As the dry season progress and the cactus uses its stores of water its skin folds in .  I have never traveled through the desert at this time of year before and have never seen the Saguaros so plump and healthy.  It was really something to see.

Wikipedia says,

"Saguaros have a relatively long lifespan. They may grow their first side arm any time from 75–100 years of age, but some never grow one at all. A saguaro without arms is called a spear.

The arms are grown to increase the plant's reproductive capacity (more apices lead to more flowers and fruit). The growth rate of saguaros is strongly dependent on precipitation;  saguaros in drier western Arizona grow only half as fast as those in and around Tucson, Arizona. Some specimens may live for more than 150 years; the largest known saguaro is the Champion Saguaro growing in Maricopa County, Arizona, and is 13.8 m (45.3 ft) tall with a girth of 3.1 m (10 ft). These cacti can grow from 40 to 60 ft tall. They grow slowly from seed, and never from cuttings. Whenever it rains, saguaros soak up the rainwater. The cactus will visibly expand, holding in the water. It conserves the water and slowly consumes it."

If you would like to read more about this fantastic member of the cactus family click here.

I made a few of these pictures extra large so you could see the detail better.

Until next time.

Evie and Joy

Bisbee, AZ We Will Be Back

We love Bisbee and we will be back again soon.  I have a cousin living here and she was able to take the afternoon off work and take us to lunch and drive us around in her cute little car.  She took us up streets that looked like peoples driveways.  It was a blast.

My cousins home.  Second story is at street level, you enter stairs between yellow mums and pink mums, going down to main floor front door.

Mom with cousin Jana.

View from second story porch.

We'll see you again soon.

Evie and Joy

The Chiricahua Mountains to Bisbee, AZ

We spent the night in Deming, NM. and the next day headed south to Douglas, NM then west towards the Chiricahua Mountains spending the night in Rusty's RV Ranch outside of Rodeo, NM.

Look Water!!!!

This cow is belly deep in grass.  

Look at all the green.  It has rained 22" this summer.

Bisbee, AZ.

Bisbee

Bisbee

See you around the corner.

Evie and Joy

Along the Geronimo Trail, New Mexico

After leaving Elephant Butte Lake State Park we moseyed south on state highway 187 to Caballo Lake State Park, New Mexico.  We spent two nights/days there along the lake.  I took these pictures of the local flora.

All of the above pictures of cactus have one thing in common.  Long spines.

After leaving Caballo Lake we continued on 187 towards Las Cruses New Mexico going through Hatch New Mex. the home of the famous Hatch chili.

Miles and miles of chili fields getting ready to pick.

Pecan trees too.

Never get tired of these signs.  So far we haven't seen any water.

These are Sandhill Cranes.  This part of New Mexico is one place that they winter.  There are thousands of them in the sky.

This is an Elderberry tree in bloom and has berries too.

Until next time.

Evie and Joy