February 19, 2021, Friday
Laundry and leisurely visit with Terri in her backyard while Jim slaved away in his studio until after 5pm. After cocktails, Rich prepared a delicious pork and veggie stir fry. Jim made one of his spectacular sundaes.
February 20, 2021, Saturday
RV Show at the Fairgrounds
This was my first visit to an RV show and it was fascinating how many layouts and accessories exist - multiple TV’s, fireplaces, double door refrigerators, ceiling fans, dishwashers, washer/dryer units, wet bar and TV on the exterior. Truly a home on wheels for full timers.
Which one will T&J choose?
Hmmmm - a perfect fit!
We were gifted with a cloth bag of Tucson filled with goodies and a homemade card of Terri’s with Jim’s poem inside: They arrived by RV
From the small town of Lee
Greeted by Terri and Jim with glee
The weather devine
And just in time
For the Northeast
was visited by the winter beast
There were tales told
Surrounded by mountains of gold
And Saguaros that never get old
From cocktails to good eats
And desserts for treats
The company sublime
And couldn’t be beat!
We did pretty good with our tearful goodbye hugs, knowing that we will probably be passing through again in a few weeks. Can’t thank them enough for their hospitality, generosity, and flexibility - and lovability! 
February 21, 2021, Sunday
It is hard to believe it has been a month since we set up in Crazy Horse! But now we have disconnected the water, electricity and sewer, shored up any inside loose items, turned our seats around facing front, retracted the slide, stowed away the outdoor furniture and rugs, and hooked up Gracie. At 8am we are on the road headed to Surprise, AZ to have lunch with Rich’s cousin, John Archambault and his wife, Eileen. Leaving the majestic mountains of Tucson, while the desert sand blowing in the distance creates a haze, we pass an Ostrich Ranch, colorful designs along the roadside and on bridges, bright green fields interrupt the brown dusty desert - probably alfalfa which will be baled to feed horses and cattle.
Boondockers in the desert don’t want to pay the RV park fee, but they need a good supply of water, propane, generator, and find a place to dump their black water unless there is a service that comes around. Again WHY? I am also amazed at how many hikers and bikers there are in the desert, but now we see a plethora of motorcycles and desert buggies.
We took a longer route through the desert to avoid Phoenix, Maricopa County. When I saw a sign for the Butterfield Trail in Gila (pronounced heela) Bend, it reminded me that we had seen a sign while in Old Mesilla, NM about this trail. I Googled it and found the following article in ARIZONA HIGHWAYS:
Butterfield Overland Mail
If you think snail mail is slow, imagine what it was like in the days of the Butterfield Overland Mail route. Some of those checks are still in the mail.
By Sally Benford / Photograph courtesy Arizona State Library
A stagecoach rumbles into town, and clouds of dust billow around it. The driver tugs the reins and pulls the horses to a stop — just long enough to drop off and pick up bags of mail, load and unload passengers, eat a meal, replenish water and change horses.
It reads like a scene from a John Wayne Western, but in 1858, the stagecoaches of the Butterfield Overland Mail were real, and they provided the best means to move letters, packages and passengers westward from the Mississippi River.
Several things led to the establishment of the route: The Mexican War and the Gadsden Purchase, Manifest Destiny and the discovery of gold in California. As a result, the United States Congress authorized a contract for overland mail service from Missouri to California via horse-drawn conveyances and awarded it to New York businessman John Butterfield. That was 1857.
It took a year to work out the details, and when the Butterfield Overland Mail was finally ready to roll, it used a southern route to avoid bad weather. In addition, Butterfield refused to carry gold or silver in an effort to cut down on attacks by highwaymen, but that didn't mean the trail was trouble-free — especially in Arizona.
The 139 relay stations along the 2,795-mile route stood about 20 miles apart, and in Arizona, the most infamous stop was at Apache Pass. It was built there because of access to fresh water at Apache Spring. Later, the station was the site of the 1861 Bascom Affair, during which Lieutenant George Bascom had words with Cochise, the Apache chief. The event set off a chain reaction (including the only attack on a Butterfield stage) that pitted Apache Indians against Arizona settlers for the next 25 years.
In 1860, with the Civil War looming, the *Pony Express began carrying the mail over a central route to avoid the violence in the South. The next year, the Butterfield Overland Mail route was discontinued and the Pony Express joined forces with Wells Fargo to deliver the mail.
Though the Butterfield operation lasted only two-and-a-half years, its existence helped stitch together a growing country and open the West to settlement.
While reading this article I found interesting information on the Pony Express:
*The Pony Express was 1840 miles long only lasted 18 months (April 1860 to October 1861) because the Union Telegragh. Mail used to take 30 to 90 days to be delivered to the Gold Rush Community. Individual riders did it in 10 days.
John and Eileen have a lovely spacious home in Sun City Grand community which they upgraded during the pandemic since they couldn’t travel. She served delicious pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw, and Blue Belle coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup for dessert.
Another custom made birdhouse by Rich on display.
One more hour to get to North Ranch RV Park in Congress, AZ.
We passed Lewis State Prison on Rt 85 which houses 4400 inmates in mixed security.
Finally we came upon signs of civilization in the town of Buckeye with shopping centers and residential homes.
Drove through Wickenburg (the Wild Wild West) and I can’t wait to return for a visit. There are horse events everywhere and shops selling cowgirl boots and hats!!
North Ranch is more than an Escapee RV Park which Rich managed for four years. This was the Clubhouse entrance then.
There is a network of paved roads in the rear with stucco homes and mobile homes all decked out in their southwestern yard decor.
Our neighbors side-by-side ATV. Looks fun!
Our home for a few more weeks. Notice the yellow VW bug convertible in the background. The current managers and camp workers are stopping by one by one to say Hi and reminisce. This is his first time back in three years so there is a lot to catch up on.
Weaver Mountains
When the mountains turn pink, it's time to drink. We start a little earlier.
February 22, 2021, Monday
Lazy, do nothing kind of day...
February 23, 2021, Tuesday
Took Gracie for a ride to visit Rich’s friends, Walt and Val Krainer! WOW! Three years ago, Rich went out to their newly purchased 40 acres in the desert and heard of the plans to build. He was shocked to see that they had far surpassed the original plan. But let’s begin with the ride there. We turned off of Rt. 89 onto a dusty dirt road and began the 14 mile trek taking us deeper into the desert - not a barren desert, but a landscape peppered with cactus, sage brush, small dried up trees, occasional corrals, rusted out water towers, old abandoned railway cars, and train tracks.
It was a rough ride on a road that is rutted like a washboard and it wasn’t until mile 13 that we spotted a few buildings in the distance that might just be our destination. Finally, the landmarks Walt had told us to look for surfaced and we took a left down a long windy dirt driveway ending in front of an adobe style home with several out buildings, as well as a home for his ailing brother and a friend’s travel trailer on the property.
Walt kills rattle snakes when he sees them. His plan is to make a pair of boots with the skins. It seems like this one would make several pair, but I am told it is not. Only parts of this skin are useful for the boots.
There are cacti and trees decorating the dirt yard, a grove of trees in the back section where a tiki hut stands strong. A thin wooden cross stands tall in the center of the front lot indicative of their Christian way of life. We got the tour of the house and garage with a window style bar in the making. They have more projects to complete (deck and pool), but what they have accomplished so far is quite impressive. The framework of the house had been delivered, but all of the finish work was done by hand by them. Amazingly, cement was delivered to them (with an extra charge for the drive in) for the cellar and pads for porches. We sat on the front porch for 2 hours of spirited conversation sharing our views, stories and memories. As we said our goodbyes, they informed us that it is better to go 35 - 40 mph on the road to skim over the washboard ruts. Believe it or not, it was better, but we still asked ourselves how they traveled this road in their truck or their side-by-side off road 4 wheeler every time they needed supplies or to go to church on Sundays…
We stopped at Rich’s old stomping ground, Nichols Restaurant, for dinner and sat at the bar for a delicious meal and conversation with the owner, Simon.
February 24, 2021, Wednesday
This afternoon, we were paid a visit by Tom and Alet Kern, a delightful couple that sold their RV and now live in one of the homes in back of North Ranch. Again catching up on news and unfortunate deaths of fellow North Ranchers, it was nice to meet them and learn their story. Their first trip after retiring 20 years ago was the Oregon Trail - the first 3 miles was actually on a covered wagon of old which was not at all comfortable. That is why the pioneer passengers were children and the in-firmed - the others walked the whole way. (Let that sink in!) Tom shared that the Indians were only 1% cause of death to the pioneers, with the primary cause being self inflicted gun shot wounds (not intentional, but as farmers, they were not skilled in the use of weapons); the 2nd cause of death was cholera which they believed was air borne, but was indeed caused by poor drinking water.
February 25, 2021, Thursday
Wow! It has been two months today since we left Lee, MA! The wind is howling so we will stay put and work on our art and this blog. Still trying to track down our 2nd vaccine. Plans for next week are Prescott, Wickenburg, and Skull Valley. Stay tuned....
