Apricity West 2

February 19, 2022, Saturday

Ten 55 Brewery served up 3 varieties of large tacos - beef, chicken, and deep fried avocado (yum).

Gorgeous Murals 

The Hotel Congress was built in 1918 with the Rialto Theatre and Southern Pacific train station nearby. This is the site of the capture of the Dillinger Gang in 1934. A fire had started in the basement and spread to the third floor where the gang resided under aliases. After the desk clerk contacted them through the switchboard, the gang escaped by aerial ladders. On the request of the gang, two firemen retrieved their luggage, identifying who they were. After being transferred to a jail in Crown Point, Indiana, Dillinger escaped again and was eventually shot down in Chicago, IL. 

Table top of pennies

Tucson Hop Shop is a local (to Terri and Jim) tap house  which has expanded inside and out. Full of character and good brew. 

February 20, 2022, Sunday

Kartchner Caverns - what an amazing tour well into the limestone bowels of the Whetstone Mountains.  This is a living cavern in that bats live here in the warm months and the rock formations of billions of years ago continue to grow and evolve from the dripping of water. Since Tucson is in a deep drought now, it has affected the growth of the cave which is monitored by scientists every two weeks. Visitors cannot carry anything (phone, camera, pocketbook, etc.) into the cavern. The temperature is a constant 72 degrees with 99% humidity so no need for jackets or sweaters. It is dimly lit and some areas are not lit until you get there. There is a closing crew that goes in after the last tour to cleanse any areas that were accidentally touched by a human which are flagged with a red ribbon. The oils on our skin can adversely affect the pristine environment. There were railings on the entire paved pathway which was all done by hand with a human chain passing 5-gallon buckets into the cave filled with cement and then out empty - making it wheelchair accessible. After being kept secret for over 20 years from 1974, it became a State Park in 1988 because the property owners (Kartchners) and Gov. Bruce Babbit (geologist) took swift action to dedicate this sacred ground and preserve it with meticulous care, rules and regulations. It was opened to the public in 1999.

Straws

Drapes, stalagmites and stalactites 

Bacon

How it was discovered - two college roommates who were cavers found a small sinkhole which was too small to enter; seven years later (1974) while investigating another sink hole nearby, they checked on the first one again. There was a slight breeze coming from the hole which smelled like bat guano (excrement). As they pushed through the 10” high x 20” wide entry, the smell was more intense and the “breath" from the mountain was strong enough to blow out their carbine headlamps, but they pushed on which led them to a space where they could not see anything in front of them - the Big Room (which opened to public in 2003). 

Caver

This one’s for you Carole Brown - a full skeleton of a female Giant Sloth, size of a grizzly bear, skull never found, 86,000 years old. 

1100 Common Cave bats reside here in the summer and move to warmer climates to hibernate in winter. This section of the cave is not open in the summer for this reason. As living mammals the females only have 1 pup. They mate before they hibernate but do not become impregnated until they wake and return to this cave. Then all of the females come to the nursery roost to give birth at the same time. Because they hang upside down, they hook their thumbs into the ceiling and let gravity do its work. They have a skin sac between their wings which catches the pup from falling to the distant floor. This large open space is where they get only one chance to learn to fly after two weeks of nursing. Then mom flies out to get nutrition. Usually there are bat clouds when they leave the cave at night, but this opening was so small that a few at a time got out. This is another reason the cave wasn’t discovered sooner. They always roost in the same spot which is obvious due to oil on the ceiling and thick black guano on the floor. This roost is a social roost, separate from the nursery roost. 

The body is the size of your thumb.

February 21, 2022, Monday

Whilst munching on my apple fritter this morning, I felt something like a pebble in my mouth! Lo and behold, I spit out a huge filling from my top right rear molar. Ugh! It feels like a cavern back there, but no pain so far - fingers crossed. 

 

Jim’s bar

We're just chilling today at T&J Resort - It was too windy and chilly to be out in the court yard today, but we had 5 star service! Jim was our creative bartender, skilled griller and ice cream sundae maker extraordinaire. Terri did some troubleshooting on my Airbnb account and Rich’s website. Found some critical errors that needed fixing. Then she made delicious garlic green beans. 

 

February 22, 2022, Tuesday

Went to Harbottles Brewery for lunch again. It's pretty close and we did Chop Stix lunch with it. Getting to know the regulars there so it’s fun to share with them. They told us to be sure to hit Tombstone Brewery for really good dark ale (yuck), so we will take a trip there with Terri and Jim in March. 

 

February, 23. 2022,Wednesday

Very high winds midday today so never left the RV. We did crafts, art and music all day. I had ripped out my crochet blanket in California because it was shaped like a triangle! Trying the front half double stitch and like it better.

Rich is getting ready for Lee’s Farmers Market.

February 24, 2022, Thursday

Lunch at home and then over to the 5 year old Copper Mine Brewery. No wine or cider here so my first beer since the 1960’s. It was light and a little bitter - so I just sipped on it.