Salt River Canyon

On March 13 we took the scenic drive to view Salt River Canyon.  We picked up US Hwy 60 east of Phoenix and drove through a variety of landscapes.  High Desert, with cactus and mesquite trees changed to rocky spires and mammoth boulders doing balancing acts that defy gravity as we approached the city of Globe. From Globe to the peak we climb to an elevation of over 6000 feet and the scenery changed to ponderosa pine and snowbanks.

     From the peak it's all downhill!  The highway decends quickly into the 2000 feet deep canyon following a series of hairpin turns and switchbacks to the bridge crossing the Salt River.  The multi-colored layers of exposed stone on the canyon walls are amazing.   The nickname "Mini-Grand Canyon" seems appropriate.

Comet Panstarrs

On March 13th and 14th Kathy had the luck of viewing comet Panstarrs (C/2011 L4) as it made its way across the Northern Hemisphere sky.  The comet is said to be making its closest path to Earth, but is still 100 million miles away!
     In order to see the comet, an unobstructed view of the western horizon was needed. I went to the far western part of our RV park, where there is only desert and very few homes or streetlights...started my observation at sunset, and finally located the comet (with the help of binoculars) about 45 minutes later.  It was just as described, a bright ball facing down toward the horizon, and a short stubby tail pointing upward toward the moon.  Considering the awesome vastness of space, I felt truly honored to be an observer of this rare comet!

Quartzsite Arizona

The end of February we took a day-trip to Quartzsite, Arizona.  This little town of approximately 3500 permanent residents, located at the western edge of Arizona at the intersection of I-10 and US Highway 95, is a popular RV camping area for winter visitors.  Gem and mineral shows, huge swap meets, and RV shows attract thousands of visitors annually during the months of January and February.  For the adventuresome camper, Quartzsite offers "wilderness sites" where you can drive out in the desert, find a sandy spot that supports your RV or camper, and call it home. There is no furnished electricity, water, sewer, etc...you must be self-supporting.  For the not so adventuresome, there are parks which have those utilities available.  As you approach Quartzsite by car, you crest the mountain and  see parked RV's stretching for miles around the small town.
    Quartzsite also is noted for being the burial place of Hi Jolly, a man of Greek-Syrian parentage, who played an important part in the US Camel Corps.  In 1856 Jefferson Davis, as secretary of war under President Pierce, approved a plan to experiment with camels for freighting and communication in the arid southwest.  33 camels were procured and shipped through Texas; their caretaker was Hadji Ali, whose name was changed by the US soldiers to Hi Jolly. The camel caravan successfully opened a wagon road across Arizona to Fort Defiance California in 1857.  But after that the war department abandoned the camels; they were set free to roam the Arizona desert.  Some survived, and lived in the area for years...however, we did not see any camels while we were there.

February Activities

February activities centered on events here at the park.  Kathy helped with "States & Provinces Day" on Feb 2nd.  Each state or Canadian province was offered a table to set up displays about our "other home"...displays included maps and pamphlets about recreation activities, places to visit, sports events, etc.. Most tables served some food items popular to their state. At the Minnesota table we served samples of wild rice soup, Spam, Schwann's Ice Cream, and small Pearson's Nut Roll candy bars. 
   In February Kathy was attacked by the flu, or some such virus, which had her homebound for a couple weeks.  Gene continued to attend our regular weekly activities. Friends began to ask where Kathy was...rumors were that she had either gone back to Minnesota or was lost in the desert!  Neither was true, and she eventually returned to good health, to appear in public again.
   Near the end of the month we traveled to Tuscon and Mesa to visit with friends and relatives who are also Arizona snowbirds.  Everyone agrees this winter has been one of the coldest and wettest in memory; our friends in Tuscon even had an inch or so of snow one day!

January Entertainment

January has been entertainment month at the RV park... "Elvis" tribute artist Jim Westover started it all on Friday, January 11th with a high energy show featuring songs made famous by Elvis during his 1970's concert years. He is local, from Mesa, Arizona, and has performed shows all around the country. He brought with him a younger "Elvis" who did the first part of the show...with a whole lot of shakin' going on!
   The next  Friday evening (January 18) we heard Gene Gebo perform his tribute to "Johnny Cash: The Man in Black".   He comes from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; has been singing since age 5, and playing guitar since age 13.  His love has always been country music and he sounded very authentic as Johnny Cash. He even resembled him in physical features and the way he dressed.
    On Friday, January 25th, the show was presented by Sarah Getto, a young woman who was born blind and with a severe cleft palate.  She has worked hard to overcome her physical handicaps, graduated from college with a degree in music education, plays keyboard and fiddle, and sings. Her show was a mix of pop, country, and gospel; performing songs by Karen Carpenter, Anne Murray, the Supremes, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and others. This was also an excellent evening of entertainment.
    Then, to end the month, we attended a Bluegrass Festival held January 25-27th at the Pinal County Fairgrounds, just east of Casa Grande.  They had two stages, (one indoor and one out) with a different bluegrass group starting each hour on each stage. It was open seating, so one could wander between the two stages and listen as long a you wanted to each group. We heard lots of good fiddlin' and banjo pickin' at this event!

Holiday Activities

Even though there was no snow or evergreen trees, residents of the RV park did lots of decorating and made the holidays festive. We enjoyed a potluck dinner on Christmas day with about 80-100 of our newest old friends.  A New Year's Eve party is also planned.  And, there's a rumor that Elvis will make an appearance to entertain us in January!

Dairy in the Desert

Shamrock Farms Farm Tour near Stanfield, AZ was our first planned field trip for this season.  Started as a family business some 90 years ago with 20 cows and a model T milk delivery truck, the dairy farm is now home to approximately 10,000 cows and delivers 47,000 gallons of milk per day. We went by tram around and through the dairy operation, seeing the cattle feeding lots, the milking parlor, and the "nursery" for newborn calves.
The feeding areas were designed with ventilation and huge fans to keep the cows comfortable, even during the hottest months. The milking parlor was in full operation while we were there: they milk about 8000 cows twice a day, 200 cows at a time. We watched the cows enter single file and find their stanchion.  Workers cleaned the udders and attached the milking machines.  Once 4 gallons of milk was collected from each cow, the milkers fall off, the cows are released and leave the parlor.  Then another group of cows enter...the collected milk is cooled and hauled out in large tank trucks.  Processing, pasteurizing, and bottling is done at another site.

Shamrock Farms is one of the only dairies in Arizona to offer organic milk. A separate group of about 2000 cows are maintained following regulations for organic production. One requirement is that organic milk producing cows must roam and graze in pasture.