Route 93 from Kingman, Az to our camping site on Signal Road
Joshua Tree on Hwy 93 - Arizona
Signal Road Boondocking - mountain covered with Quartz
A walk up Signal Road about 2 miles from camper
Ocotillo cactus in bloom on Signal Road
Natural Quartz rock vase for desert flower
Winding Hwy 60 from Globe to Show Low, Az
Garmin GPS diagram of Hwy 60 contortions
Salt River Canyon on Hwy 60
Campsite in Fool Hollow Recreation Area, Show Low, Az
My New Best Friend in Pie Town, New Mexico - I got my dog fix and he got popcorn!
VLA (Very Large Array) 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico - This is only a very very small section of the whole array.
The journey continues. After leaving Kingman, Az we continued our trek through the southwest going to a spot we had discovered last year. I have mentioned boondocking or dry camping many times in my blog, but as a refresher it is camping in an area of public domain such as a National Forest, BLM (Bureau of Land Mangement Land) that is truly OUR land. Our taxes pay for this land that has been set aside for camping, and recreation. This area that we traveled to after leaving Kingman, Az in just off Hwy. 93 south east of Kingman. Unfortunately we were unable to get into the place we had marked last year as "Quartz Mountain". It was just too narrow and too difficult to get a 30 foot motor home into, and more importantly -out of. We reluctantly turned around ( 8 point turn around I might add) and went back down the road to our spot from last year. We hiked, picked pretty rocks and soaked up the beauty and quiet that is the desert. Our last day there it rained and we actually watched the desert floor turn to a carpet of green velvet. After it rains in the desert the air becomes so crystal clear and it seems you can see forever.
We continued south through Phoenix to an area outside of Globe, Az in an Indian Reservation Casino RV park for a couple of nights to catch up on the internet, laundry (me) and bread making (Richard) and also for me to get psyched - up for the journey the next morning through the mountains to Show Low, Az. It seems I have developed a bit of a phobia for roads that combine elevation, sharp switch back type curves in the road and thousand foot drop offs with no shoulders! I did ok!!! I was even able to take some pictures while the vehicle was moving as I stayed in the passenger seat instead of sitting on the floor in the back of the camper with my eyes shut!
It was as close to the Grand Canyon as you can get in take-your-breath-away beauty. This highway led us to Show Low, Az which is much cooler because of the high altitude of about 6300 feet. This is a favorite vacationing location for people from Arizona and New Mexico to come to in the summer as it is around 20 degrees cooler then in the lower elevations of their respective states. We stayed in the Fool Hollow Recreation Area and the nights did get down to a low enough temperture for our furnace to kick on. (About 30 degrees); however, the days were clear and mild and great for hiking or biking.
Yesterday we found a little (and I do mean little) RV park in Pie Town, New Mexico east of Show Low, Az. . It boasted 5 spaces for RV's with water, electric and sewer and......WiFi!! The village is known primarily for Elk Hunting, cattle ranches and......pie! There isn't much else to Pie Town than cafes that make and sell pies. I was fortunate in going into one of the little cafes just when a fresh strawberry custard was finished. The custard was still warm and it was.....awesome!!! The presentation of the pie was so pretty. I should have taken a picture of it but I was too much in a hurry to eat it!!
Today we traveled from Pie Town, NM to Socorro, NM about 75 miles south of Albuquerque, stopping on the way for me to pick rocks and to visit the VLA. You all will probably remember the movie Contact with Jodie Foster? Well, this is where a lot of the filming was done. As we were driving by and looking at all the huge strange shaped satellite like dishes, I mentioned to Richard that all of this area looked so familiar. Then it hit me! Contact! The movie. There was a visitor's center with tours available; pamphlets, and yes,of course, T-shirts, etc. It is extremely interesting and if possible you should Google and research this facility. VLA stands for Very Large Array. Yup, doesn't sound like they worked too hard coming up with a name for the what this place really is but there you have it. VLA. Truly it is extremely interesting. In a very short capsule: The VLA consists of 27 antennas, each measuring 81 feet in diameter and weighing approximately 200 tons. The VLA receives the naturally occurring radio waves from planets, stars, and galaxies throughout the Universe. This whole "array" can be rearranged into four different shapes depending on what area of space they are "listening to". PHD students in Astronomy can apply to have access to the facility for their research. This particular site is located on the Plains of San Augustin, 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico.
This is where we find ourselves tonight - Socorro, New Mexico. We turn north to Albuquerque tomorrow to get set for the 2011 Iron County Cancer Survivor's bike ride to begin on March 29th!
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