Arizona

Arizona!!! This is going to be magnificent! The Grand Canyon, The Monument, Sedona, Flagstaff, Horse Shoe, more state parks, etc,etc. Simply spectacular.

It was the longest drive so far!! 7 hour drive, 3 stops at Rest Areas (finally Rest Areas start to appear!!), 360 miles of up and down roads. Also, heat is now among us… no more cold mornings!!

Taking a break on the I-10 West

Our visit to Arizona started off in Tucson and the campground was unsurprisingly good!! The whole of Arizona is known to be (along with Florida) one of the states more visited by the Snow Birds in winter. The campground itself contains more than 120 homes belonging to them as second homes; happily they were mostly empty as summer is starting to kick in, so it is good time for them to move up north and enjoy the summer in the northern states.

Arizona, mostly desertic in lower grounds, lacks rain, hence cactus is one of the main plants abounding in gardens, parks, streets, etc, like this one in a shopping mall.

I always wanted to visit an aircraft graveyard and I knew there was at least one in Arizona. To our surprise there was one just 10 minutes driving from the campground in Tucson; so we went straightaway but then we found out that it was closed to the public!! At least we took a picture. Plenty C-130s, DC-10s, , C-5s, etc; lying on the ground,

Time to socialize and visit old friends in Tucson!.

Say hello to Fernando and Guadalupe, a couple who live in Tucson; they were kind to us and offered us a delicious dinner. The following day we would leave to Sedona.

After a long drive, it was time for a break!!

We have been so lucky with the weather… blue skies, warm temperature.

Our site at Camp Verde Ranch RV Resort

After a long day, a well deserved lunch.

The changes in geography in Arizona is amazing…. from green prairies to desert to red sand and rocks and this transformation occurs in a few miles! In places you can see thousands of cactus (cacti I would say), and suddenly right after a curve, the Red Rock pops up… beautiful piece of rock!!

Sedona is the most beautiful tiny town we’ve come across so far…. a town dressed in red / terracotta. Good restaurants, shopping, ice cream, entertainment…. just cute town!!

Montezuma Castle

First constructed during the early 1100s, Montezuma Castle was part of a complex of dwellings built at various times, which the Hohokam and later the Sinagua people inhabited until the Sinagua deserted the entire site around 1425. We went to visit this site and it is weird to see that coming from the Land of Castles (Scotland) you still get surprised to see another one but nowhere near the type of castle you are used to see. This one is particular in itself…. it is like an apartment block!! The visit takes you just to the surroundings though, you can’t have access to the rooms. Still worth it!!

Another popular site to visit is the Chapel of the Holy Cross which sits high atop the red rocks in Sedona. It was inspired and commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude. In 1932 she was inspired to build such a church by the construction of the Empire State Building.

It was time to relax and visit the club house in Camp Verde ( much better leaving the RV in a town 30 miles away from Sedona). Great RV campground! Good price/day, nice facilities.

We played Scratchboard… to be honest, we never heard of it!! We had so much fun !!

It was Scotty’s turn and we dedicated quite a bit of effort and dedication washing and putting her up to standards. A car / RV wash place which opens 24 / 7 was right across the street of the resort so we decided that it was time to start late at night so no one could push us to finish / move away… it was a 4 hour operation! Finished at midnight.

It was time to leave Camp Verde and head to The Canyon. I believe we made a good choice taking Williams AZ as the town we would visit The Canyon from. It is located just 60 miles away. It happened to be one of the towns Route 66 passes through and still keeps the same look as years ago!!

The Grand Canyon

Well, where should we start…. I think Planet Earth said ” alright people, I will open myself up and will give you the chance to “see” signs of my age…

We went to The Canyon back in 2009 but we made the approach from Nevada. It was the most spectacular view. You feel so humble admiring such a grandness made by God. Stunning. This time we came from the south and visited the South Rim.

The Colorado River which flows 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and ends up in the Gulf of California in Northwestern Mexico, is the artist that carved the Grand Canyon for over 6 million years. The result is a scar made to the Earth surface measuring 277 miles long by 18 miles wide in some points for a total area of 1,900 square miles.

And Tree Number 8 goes to…..

A healthy Lombardy Poplar tree was planted at the Camp Verde Ranch RV resort. It was a pretty hot day!! Sweating at 100 deg F. The staff at the resort were very friendly and helpful! And best of all, they promised they’d water the tree periodically.

And this is the end of this chapter, Arizona. Next? Utah!! Can’t wait… I bet it is going to be spectacular.