Adventure 682: Lost Dutchman State Park/Post A

After last weekend's glorious stay at the Kral Culdesac RV Park, we made our way today to Lost Dutchman State Park. Of course, we had the obligatory stop at Trader Joe's to resupply, and then we stopped to do laundry at a place we discovered on our last trip. The best part of the laundromat is that it's located behind the Rancheros Market, an exquisite Mexican Carniceria and Mercado. While the laundry washed, we gobbled a plate of Huevos Rancheros with a side of rice and beans. We bought a bag of fresh tortillas, some refried beans, and a Carne Asada burrito plate for lunch later. Our drive to Dutchman was uneventful. In fact, the road had been repaved since we drove it last. Our site was ready when we checked in. We'll spend ten days here, and we're excited to explore an area we've not visited before. Maybe we'll even find the Lost Dutchman's gold. On a side note, this morning I took advantage of the hot tub at the Kral's. I joined a Lebanese man named, Hassam. We chatted. He said that he lived in Lebanon during the war in the eighties. Electricity ran an hour a day. Homes were lit with candles and kerosene lamps. Food couldn't be refrigerated. He talked of hardship and then he said something interesting: "The profit Mohammed said that if the Son of Adam had an entire valley of gold, he would want another, but in the end he will find only dirt. I've been thinking about that pejorative all day: The Son of Adam. It troubles me. Martin Luther King once said, "I've seen too much hate. I choose love because the burden of hate is too heavy to carry." It's just a thought. After our lunch, we walked the camping loops to check out our next sites. Unfortunately, we have to move twice during our stay. Not to worry, the moves appear easy. And of course, the bright, warm weather is perfect. What more could we ask? I'm at a loss, so instead I will gratefully acknowledge that life is good, especially today.

Full moon tonight.

Fric and Frac in site #22.

The camera simply can't capture the grandeur of the evening sky.

Selfie of the day.

Huevos Rancheros.

Nice handle.

 If not peace, then why?

Adventure 681: Return to the Kral's/Post B

Today centered around my Bunny. To be specific, her Superficial Thrombophlebitus, which describes veins in her legs that are painfully red and inflamed. She became concerned after our flight to Las Vegas last week when she noticed a puffy red splotch on her leg. It wasn't tender to the touch, but it would blanch, or turn white when pressed. A couple days later, it did become tender to the touch and caused her more than a little pain. Still, she wasn't worried. Yesterday, not only did the red splotch remain in its puffy state, but a red streak appeared to be moving up her leg. That worried her. The word blood clot surfaced. And then the fears of a clot breaking off in the bloodstream made its way into the conversation. We all got nervous. She called several Urgent Care Units in Tucson. Naturally, they're inundated with Covid cases. Pima County recorded 2,845 new cases yesterday. Needless to say, there wasn't anyone who could see her right away. She made an appointment for this morning at 10 A.M. At eleven we were seen by a very competent, but haggard PA whose assessment led us to the ER because her clinic didn't have ultrasound capabilities. She didn't charge us for the visit. We scampered over to the ER, registered Judy as a new patient, and spent the next four hours mostly waiting. Everyone who saw us was excellent. The doctor made the same assessment the PA had made, and so we waited for the Ultrasound. In the meantime, we were officially logged into the system. The young lady who did the ultrasound said she'd been doing them for about four years, which surprised me because she looked to be about seventeen. (It's hard to be such an old fart when my brain tells me I'm eighteen). Long story short is that while it was good to check Judy out, she's not really suffering anything serious. Hot compresses, elevation, and ibuprofen should do the trick. Like all of us, she has some gene pool issues to deal with. Hers are called varicose veins. Two good things: One, we're now registered in the health care system here in Tucson. Two, her condition provided no real worries. This means that life is good, especially today.

I spent some of the day holding the ladder for David who was stringing some mood lighting in his trees.

These three guys would not provide a soft spot to land after falling off a ladder.

Neither would these spikes guys.

Judy, seen here applying warm compresses to her leg.

The puffy Thrombophlebitus.

The streak up the leg that worried us

A better view of the streaking, and we're not talking the streaking done on college campus's during the sixties.

Adventure 680: Return to the Kral's/Post A

Last year due to the covid scare we didn't travel. As a result we lost our spot on the reservation circuit at Catalina State Park. That resulted in a disjointed stay this year. We just spent four fabulous days in Site #24, Campground B. However, there was no room in the inn over the weekend. Fortunately, we have our friends the Kral's to thank for a spot at the rear of their culdesac. Not only that, but Ginny (with sous chef Judy) fixed this incredibly delicious vegetable meatloaf, so as you can see we're suffering along on thin gruel. We'll stay the weekend. Monday we head to a new adventure at Lost Dutchman State Park. We've not stayed there before, and this year we'll spend ten nights. There will be the assorted desert hikes, but the biking remains to be seen. After that we return to Catalina State Park for a stay through mid February. In the meantime, we're enjoying the good life, especially today, with our buddies the, Kral's.

We took an afternoon walk of about three miles. Along the way we met "Mailbox" man.

Ginny and Judy pointing to a branch that Ginny's son Geoff cut off so the Saguaro cactus could grow. Twenty years ago, this cactus was only as high as They're pointing.

The Kral's have a Zen like backyard filled with local flora and fauna. 

Very serene.

Because of unusually heavy rains, the Saguaros are especially verdant.

But even the skeletal remains of cacti are splendid.

Vegetable meatloaf, baker. Quite yummy!

David Kral loping through the wash.

The Kral home in the background.

Buddha Frog.

 

Adventure 679: Catalina State Park/Post C

Back in the day when we did tours on our bikes, it took about four days to get used to the rigors of the road, the vagaries of the weather, and the solidness of the ground, After that, suddenly our bodies adjusted, or maybe it's just our minds giving in, but whatever it is, a palpable feeling of contentment comes over us. That happened today for us. The day started with chores. Though the weather in the day has been near perfect, the nights have dropped to 45. Still perfect, but cool enough to run the furnace much of the night. As a result, chore number one meant driving to the family owned APE propane store for a refill. We carry two seven gallon tanks on the trailer and one in reserve in the bed of Fric. When one empties, I rotate. It's worked pretty well as a system. After getting propane, we took a three mile walk on the canal trail very close to Nene. Coincidence? I think not. We bought three burritos: one for lunch and two for dinner/lunch next week. Of course, no chore list is complete without a stop at Trader Joe's. Three bags full. Lastly, we filled up Fric's tank with gas. We were eating our burrito under the awning by twelve-thirty. All those chores nearly wore us out! But we persevered.  Judy had enough gumption during our fatigue to make some therapy muffins, and I did a little work on my life story, the purpose of which is to leave some record of what I know of our heritage for whomever in my line is interested. Even if they're not, it's been fun digging through the closet of my memories. After a couple of hours, I did the form, practiced with the cane, and did a 5 minute standing meditation. Then Judy and I played with the arnis sticks for about ten minutes. A full day for sure. But wait, then we took an evening stroll on the Bridle Trail. The fading sunlight danced off the mountains, the saguaros, and the golden grass. A three-quarter moon perched the sky. Joy flooded our being. The only sound besides our chatter was the crunch of the sand under our shoes. Occasionally, we passed other people. We waved. They waved. Life is good, especially today.

This vine covers the low lying trees like Kudzu in the South. Very thick. It looks like cam-flange that the army would use to hide tanks. We've not seen it before and it's just in one part of the wash. Mystery.

Decor outside the Nene Taco Truck.

Art shot of the day.

Getting ready to do the form.

The Rillito River.

Evening light on the mountains. Simply stunning.

Very soon we'll ride on this trail. This morning we walked.

Saguaros bathing in the fading light.

Post walk massage session.

One last dose of stunning.

When we first came to Nene, it was a small taco truck in the corner. Now they have inside/outside seating. You still walk up to order, but now it's a taco truck building. Nonetheless, come here if you can.

Adventure 678: Catalina State Park/Post B

After less than month from my heart surgery things are progressing well. You know what they say, "Minor surgery is what happens to someone else." I can now agree. Today, we extended our walk in the desert to about forty minutes more than yesterday, and this afternoon we got on the bikes for the first time. We cruised about forty minutes. My heart rate didn't climb excessively, which encourages us to try for a longer ride tomorrow. Besides that, we're enjoying the weather, the cacti, the tweeting of the birds, and the occasional sighting of an elusive roadrunner. We feel fortunate to be among the other snowbirds down here. A fellow Airstreamer stopped by for a chat about batteries, solar panels, bike racks, you know, heavy political stuff. He just bought his Airstream, so I think he's chatting with any other owner he sees. It was quite enjoyable, really. Judy is busy trying to re-arrange our schedule for February. We had lined up a Hipcamp, but sadly, the proprietor contracted cancer, so he closed his business down. I believe in miracles so I'll add him to my prayer list. And really, not to worry on our part. We didn't invent this RV thing, and there are many options for travel trailers. We'll land somewhere. The best news aside from my consistent heart rhythm is that I'm $1.75 ahead of the Wiley Cager in this month's crib challenge. She's been pulling some Blog worthy shenanigans lately, so stay tuned. The bottom line is that life is good, especially today.

Nothing like an early morning stroll in the sand.

The desert seems extraordinarily verdant this year.

Miss Kitty awaiting the ride.

I wish the camera could capture the depth of color in the mountains.

My Bunny checking the news.

It's a wonder how such a harsh environment can contain so much beauty.

Selfie  1

Selfie 2

Friends of Catalina State Park erected this tile mosaic. Quite nice.

Adventure 677: Catalina State Park/Post A

Two days late is better than not starting at all, I suppose. This is the first free moment I've had since we arrived, so let's recap. Ed and Deb Drouin picked us up last Sunday morning at 4:30 A.M. to shuttle us to the airport. Checkin went smoothly. The flight left on time; arrived early. A bit of a walk to the Uber/Lyft station. Three minutes later, Jack, our Uber driver pressed hard on his accelerator. Thankfully, we arrived safely at Sunrise Boat and RV. I mean Jack must have had a goal to get a few more fares in because he literally went eighty-five on the freeway portion of our ride. No worries. We're still alive. Fric started right up. The trailer batteries were dead, but no worries, we hooked the truck up and sent some current into the trailer. We left Las Vegas by 10 A.M. Six hours and 407 miles later we pulled up to our friends, David and Ginny Kral's, home in Tucson. They had a scrumptious Chicken Pot Pie dinner waiting for us. It was to die for. We stayed the night in the trailer, which was parked outside their home. They fed us again in the morning before they went to work out. Judy and I then took Fric and Frac to the car wash for a bath. The desert dust after three months was pretty thick. Then we stopped off at Trader Joe's to resupply. All shiny, we checked into our space at Catalina State Park. We went back to Kral's for dinner last night and also watched the championship football game. This morning, after a nice night's rest we went for a walk, played a game of crib, did the form, and treated ourselves to an In and Out burger for lunch. Right now, I'm finally at ease to write the first blog, I have to tell you that 66 degrees is a sight more pleasant than 18 and snowing. So life is good, especially today.

Fric's shiny reflection after the bath.

Judy manning the foaming brush.

Hooked up and ready to leave the storage unit in Vegas.

Enjoying a sweet road treat that Mrs. Drouin made happen for us.

After washing Fric and Frac, we had to have lunch at our favorite Tucson Taco Truck.

Judy enjoying a glass of wine and the vibrating massage chair before dinner last night.

Road treat from Mrs. Drouin.

Obligatory cactus photo.

B-24

A pleasant stroll on the Bridle Trail this morning.

The view from our window.

Typical morning. Breakfast, coffee, and crib. Hard to get any better.