Installment #3 - Retirement Trip

2-21-06
Spent one day riding around Arizona – ended up turning on a road that mentioned a desert bar – 4 miles – Were able to travel the 4 miles in just under an hour. There were probably 60 cars coming out of the road on the way in and at least 25 cars going in to the bar as we were coming out. When we arrived the first thing we saw was a church with a high steeple – as we got closer we saw that the church was just a façade. The bar was filled with people, including a live band, outside and inside bar, bridge built to reach the bar and entertainment.
Went to a lot of garage sales and flea markets and craft shows during the day. Saw an interesting sign: "Our will, being of sound mind and body, We spent it all."
Saw deepest dam in the world – Parker Dam. Went to one of the Arizona Indian casinos, with motel at the back and quite an extensive water park inside the casino. Ended up at Lake Havasu to see the fireworks (after stopping by Walmart to buy another inverter for the car -–we seem to be relying a lot on the Streets & Trips computer program on the laptop). Fireworks were good, but we could never get close enough to see all of them. Cars lined up on the highway for probably 10 miles either side of the best vantage point.
Picture included here of a view of Quartzsite after we climbed up the "Q" mountain to take an aerial view.
On Sunday we took off in the car (left the motorhome at Quartzsite) to see my Aunt Bernadine and cousin Roy. Spent the day with Bernadine looking around Scottsdale. Saw the tallest fountain in the world in Fountain Hills, saw Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural creation built out in the desert and another spire he designed in town; went down to "Old Scottsdale" to walk around…saw a working artist (Neal Porter) who uses only ink pens of .25 mm or .165 mm size to draw pictures which take him around 140-300 hours to complete. Went to see Phoenix-Open Golf Course (FBR now)(seating still up from January tournament). What a classy place that was – not anything like the club houses I have been in. Hasn’t rained in over 130 days in Arizona, but the golf courses look as if they are surviving very well.
Monday we took Bernadine and headed to Sahuarita AZ, south of Tucson, to visit Roy in his home which is 10 miles off the interstate (3.5 miles on a dirt road). What an experience to hear the coyotes howling at night, to see the sunset in the desert, and spending the night so far away from anyone or anything. On the way down we tried to get a look at the Biosphere 2 in the desert north of Tucson, but it was situated so it was impossible to see much of it. Took a side road to look at an "active adult community" – off the road 5 miles. When we rounded a corner, there were hundreds of houses with wide roads, all having a lane on each side for golf carts – must have been a favorite "tee time", because golf carts were appearing from everywhere as we drive around the community.
Back to Scottsdale on Tuesday morning and then headed back to Quartzsite – will appreciate getting back to our "home on wheels".