Happy Halloween

This park has everything. Many homes and the Clubhouse are all decorated for the day.

We had a big Halloween party and dance in the Ballroom tonight which seats 450 people. There were many amazing costumes and lots of fun.
Here's our neighbours. They were great.

Folk Fest at Eagle Crest

We went over to Chuck and Barb's beautiful complex and listened to music on the lawn outside their clubhouse.It was a great day and the moon rose over the lake on the golf course as we were there.

Love Val Vista

The weather is incredible. It's been 95 F/35C. We find it a bit warm in the coach by dinner time but loving it. We hang out around the pool and have those chesterfield beds with shade canopies to get out of the sun.

Tuesdays and Thursdays there's a band on the patio with great music. Most enjoyable.

Rancho de Tia Rosa

Where Mexican Cuisine Becomes a Work of Art. That is the promise of this local restaurant and it is popular. We went for lunch today and it is delightful. I loved the decorating, the authentic artifacts and all the separate rooms and patios.

Even the entry to the Banos was pretty.

White Rock Friends

Can you imagine? Today is our 30th wedding anniversary!
We had our WR friends over and spent a lovely day by the pool with a band and food served on the patio.

One thing about the desert, you have the most beautiful sunsets.

Val Vista Village, Mesa, AZ

We arrived here Sunday and I am pleasantly impressed with this park. It has all the facilities you can think of and lovely heated swimming pools. Not every park heats their pools here.

We visited Chuck and Barb and saw their beautiful new home. It is so nice to be sitting outside in lovely warm weather as the rains have started at home. 

Sedona, AZ

We drove to Montezuma's Castle, a treasure among cliff dwellings. It is a 5 story, prehistoric cliff dwelling, several hundred feet above Beaver Creek. It is tucked under a limestone overhang and was home to a band of Sinagua Indians from around 1200 - 1400, before their culture migrated elsewhere. It had 20 rooms and was reached by ladders.

Close by is Montezuma's Well. This unusual sinkhole has been home to the Sinagua,  Yavapai, then Apache Indians during the past 1500 years. It is thought that an underground cavern collapsed creating this well. The water comes from the Mogollon Rim high above the valley, passing through layers of sandstone before reaching its destination where 1.4 million gallons of water flows in and out of the well each day.
 Our next drive was through the Coconino National Forest, the largest contiguous stand of ponderous pine trees in the world to Red Rock State Park it is said. 

Above is Bell Rock. There are many rocks named for their shapes. 

All the red rocks are amazing.

This church is called Chapel of the Hole Cross and is open to all denominations. 

The town of Sedona has become a very classy area with many unique shops. This one was roasting these peppers and had garlands of them hanging everywhere.

We stopped in the Old Town of Cottonwood, which started building their town between 2 smelters under the large cottonwood trees in 1915. Once famous for it's bootlegging, feeding the miners and filming movies it is a best kept secret.

Through Flagstaff to Camp Verde

We woke to pouring rain and a terrible wind but it let up and off we went. Next there was a dusting of white on the roadside, then rainy snowflakes on the windshield for 1 minute.A roadside sign said ' Winter Driving Conditions'. Well that would make me think of our Coquihalla but here the speed limit is 75 MPH and they can't figure out to slow down. There were 12 different vehicles in the ditches in a 2 mile stretch.

You really feel like you are on top of the world, as you descend down from 7000' into the Verde Valley and see our first cactus.

I drove into Campe Verde, the town and the visited the original 1871-1891 Fort Verde, a Military Post from the Indian War period. It was fascinating to walk through this piece of history. The  Indian scouts were very valuable to the army, as they say the white man couldn't find their way around or where the water sources were. Various soldier caps and uniforms were displayed as well as the example of the original construction of the walls, made from clay, water and straw dried into bricks by the hot sun.

The Grand Canyon

We used the Shuttles to all the different areas and saw so many different views. Here's Mather Point. 

This is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and now I know why. When you walk up to your first viewpoint and look out, your jaw just drops. There is a ton of information on how the 12 basic formations, from the Vishnu Basement Rocks in the Grand Canyon Supergroup, pushed through the Paleozoic rocks, causing the Colorado Plateau to rise and and the Canyon was carved during the last 5-6 million years.

This is the Hopi House, a gift store with lots of native handicrafts.

All viewpoints were spectacular. You can spot the Colorado River way down at the bottom very far away. The South Rim is 7000 above sea level. The whole Grand Canyon is 277miles/446kms river miles long, up to 18miles/29km wide and a mile/1.6km deep. It is a unique combination of color, size and dazzling sculpted rocks.

We found these funny little train cars at the train station. Railway buffs have bought these old track repairs cars, refurbished them and plan special excursions. They arrive in Williams, drive these, 2 people per car, (dodging the Grand Canyon Railway schedule ) up the same track to the Grand Canyon, a 2 1/2 hour trip. They stay for a couple of days in the canyon before going back.

We headed down to Tusayan to the Imax Theater. Grand Canyon - the Hidden Secrets, started with the Native American inhabitants, then Spanish explorers, the first Europeans to discover the Grand Canyon. Next was Major John Wesley Powell on his journey down the Colorado River in 1869. How he made it and the film crew made this, is beyond me - a white knuckle raft ride. It conclude with flights over majestic cliffs. This is a replica of the boat he used.
 

Williams, AZ

This little town is delightful. It was the last town to be bypassed by Interstate 40 in 1884, sort of stranding it in time. They have preserved its history very well.






 This is the World Famous Sultana Bar and Theatre, a 1912 saloon, billiard hall and silent movie theater.The first 'talkie' in Northern Arizona was shown here in 1930.|During prohibition, liquor and gambling were by invitation only.

Here's Bennett's Auto, a gas station built in the heydays of Route 66. The rounded corners and striped canopy show the Strealine-Moderne Style. Gas sold for 16 cents a gallon.

Elvis lives outside a store.

The Whiskey Alley Saloon, circa 1910 was constructed by Chinese laborers. It had a flop house upstairs for travelers and local workers. Another in 1897 was a Saloon and Bordello with 8 cribs for the ladies, an elegant parlour and a 2 story outhouse. There was whiskey, pool and poker tables on the ground floor,and a Chinese restaurant and opium den at the back. Another building constructed in 1936 accepted homeless families passing through from the Dust Bowl States on Route 66, the Mother Road.

This original engine from the Grand Canyon Railway sits on the tracks in front of the Fray Marcos Hotel built by the Sante Fe Railway in 1908, now the headquarters for the Railway.

From Parump, CA to Kingman, AZ

We passed Vegas and headed down the 93. Here we are heading for Lake Mead, created when they built Hoover Dam. It straddles the mighty Colorado River, which forms the border between the states of Nevada and Arizona. Considered to be the world’s largest dam and an engineering marvel at the time of its construction in the 1930s, Hoover Dam brings much-needed water and power to the Southwest.

We didn't do the tour of the dam but it is a magnificent creation. It is 726 feet tall and 1,244 feet long. At its base, Hoover Dam is 660 feet thick which is 60 feet longer than two football fields laid end-to-end. Combined with its top thickness of 45 feet, there is enough concrete (4.5 million cubic yards) in Hoover Dam to build a two-lane highway from Seattle Washington to Miami Florida. Or imagine a four-foot wide sidewalk around Earth at its equator.
We reached Kingman, which is part of the old Route 66, the first highway to cross the U.S.

It's 95 degrees, hot. Off to Williams Az. tomorrow and the Grand Canyon after that.

Death Valley, Nevada

The valley itself is 130 miles (210 km) long, between six and 13 miles (10-21 km) wide and is surrounded by steep mountain ranges. It's three million acres of wilderness and rich cultural history make it a lifetime's work to explore all that the valley has to offer. 
The first non-Native Americans arrived in Death Valley in 1849 looking for a shortcut to the California gold fields. Although only one member of their party died, the name Death Valley was given to the area. Various mining operations used the valley afterwards, most notably for borax mining.

 They say hottest, driest, lowest place in North America. In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes.

We spent a day at the Furnace Creek Interpretive Center and it was amazing. They had a museum depicting everything about the Valley and educational movies on every thing in the Park.

In one area called The Racetrack, Nasa says -  In a particularly parched region of an extraordinary planet, rocks big and small glide across a mirror-flat landscape, leaving behind a tangle of trails. Some rocks travel in pairs, their two tracks so perfectly in synch along straight stretches and around curves that they seem to be made by a car. Others go freewheeling, wandering back and forth alone and sometimes traveling the length of several football fields. In many cases, the trails lead right to resting rocks, but in others, the joyriders have vanished. We couldn't get there in our low car but the movie was amazing.
   
 Scotty's Castle

Hidden in the green oasis of Grapevine Canyon in far northern Death Valley, the Death Valley Ranch, or Scotty's Castle as it is more commonly known, is a window into the life and times of the Roaring 20's and Depression 30's. It was and is an engineer's dream home, a wealthy matron's vacation home and a man-of-mystery's hideout and getaway. Walter Scott, Death Valley Scotty, convinced everyone that he had built the castle with money from his rich secret mines in the area. Albert Mussey Johnson actually built the house as a vacation getaway for himself and his wife Bessie. Scotty was the mystery, the cowboy, and the entertainer, but he was also a friend. Albert was the brains and the money. Two men as different as night and day, from different worlds and with different visions - who shared a dream.

Badwater Salt Flats

The salt flats in Badwater Basin cover nearly 200 square miles, among the largest protected salt flats in the world coming from Death Valley’s drainage system of 9,000 square miles—an area larger than New Hampshire. This is 282' below sea level, the lowest point in the U.S.
The slat flats, are made of Sodium Chloride ( table salt ) calcite, gypsum, and borax. Salt flats are too harsh for most plants and animals to survive, yet are quite fragile. Delicate crystals are easily crushed and the relatively thin upper crust of salt can break through to the mud layer below, leaving tire tracks and even footprints. For this reason, vehicles are prohibited off established roads in Death Valley.

The vast, surreal salt flats of Badwater Basin change constantly. Salt Crystals expand, pushing the crust of salt into rough, chaotic forms. Newly formed crystals ooze between mud-cracks, sketching strange patterns on the surface of the salt flat. Passing rainstorms wash off windblown dust and generate a fresh layer of blinding white salt.
Floods create temporary lakes that dissolve salts back into solution, starting the process all over again.

As you may have gathered by now, you could spend weeks visiting this vast area.
There is Artist's Palette Drive, a scenic loop through multi-colored volcanic and sedimentary hills.

You would want to see the canyons, sand dunes, wildrose charcoal kilns used in mining, 20 mule team borax area and so much more. 

South on 95 to Beaty, NV

We headed due south and passed 'chain up areas', seemed rather unusual sorrounded by desert but we're high. We met Joe at a rest stop, interesting character going to Death Valley to work for the winter. We paused at Scotty's Junction, thinking of parking and going in to see Scotty's Castle. It was just a paved spot in the middle of nowhere so carried on to Beaty. Good thing we did as that road had been washed out. We passed an 'event' and pulled into a campground where we had to dry camp ( included use of hot springs) as every spot was taken. The event was the Las Vegas Tough Mudder 10.1 mile Obstacle Race next door to us.The camp had set up a hose hanging from a tree to wash off most of the mud but when I checked out the 'baths' I wouldn't have washed my pig in there,  (sorry Bacon)  after these sad souls had a good soak. Interesting crowd though.

More Nevada Driving to Tonopah

We headed down 95, skirting Walker Lake, quite large. We passed salt flats and saw our first cactus, a Joshua.

The highway was really interesting.  It was dedicated as a Veterans Highway and marked with green road signs honoring veterans of WWI right up to present, including current soldiers battling World Terrorists.
In the middle of all this sand we passed the Underwater Warfare Department of Nev. How was that in the middle of a huge desert?

We stopped at Tonapah, elevation 6526', climbing most of the day, you felt like you were of top of the world. We stopped at a Passport America Park for $10/night. Believe me, this one is crossed off the list. A million flies as there was garbage strewn all over. We couldn't even sit out and this is the electrical at the site next to us.

Great sunsets though.