Catalina State Park

On Friday we headed to Catalina State Park for some hiking.  Most of the trails are dog friendly so Charli accompanied us.  First hike in almost 2 years so we picked a trail without too much of an elevation change.  Hopefully we both remain healthy this year and there will be many more hikes to document.  I recorded our hike in All Trails, a hiking app, however I haven't been able to figure out how to get a map of our hike out of the All Trails program and into my blog.  I know its possible as I have seen other blogs that have done that.   I will have to do some research and it may be that I will have to purchase the Pro version.  I did get it into Facebook so some of you may have seen it there.

Here are the stats from our hike.  We took the Canyon Loop trail up to the point where dogs were not allowed and then branched over to the Sutherland trail, again up to the point where no dogs were allowed.  While the trails are dog friendly within the park many of the trials extend outside the park itself into something called Big Horn Sheep Management Area.  No dogs are allowed there.  Our hike was 3.3 miles with an elevation change of 325'.  Our moving time was 1hr36min and the total time was 2hr19min.  Lots of gawking and picture taking.   A couple times Lori had to come back and find me as I wandered off the trail and down to the creek bed.


We have been to Catalina State Park before and as we traversed the trails some of the scenery was familiar.  Daily admission is $7. and we decided to buy an annual membership for $75.   Between here and the Phoenix area we will probably get in enough hikes to make it worthwhile.

Must have had lots of rain here this fall as the hills are very green. 

Much of the hike was along a creek bed.
I love the water shots.  Such a nice contrast with the dry desert. 

This guy was traveling along side us.
He dove into the bushes a couple of times looking for dinner but came up empty.  

A Saguaro forest. 

Some nice contrasting colours with the leaves turning

Deserted bird nest

New camera lens gets down to 24mm so the low wide shots are pretty neat. 

Lots of green creeping up the mountainside. 

Often Saguaro's have one or two arms.
Most of these were like an octopus. 

A few more low and wide shots.  

Bought a couple Camel Back packs a couple of years ago.
Carry lots of water and plenty of room for extra clothes, lunch and,
most importantly, extra camera equipment. 

Following the hike we made a stop at Total Wine.  Its kind of like a Costco for liquor but without a membership requirement.  Our inventory of Merlot and Zinfandel was running dry and there is no shortage of choices at this store.   I keep trying different wines and if I can narrow it down to one I may pick up a case and bring it home.  Will have to pay duty but it will still be cheaper.  About the only thing thats cheaper down here is liquor, gas and certain foods.  Given a 35% exchange rate the day of buying cheap in the US is long gone.   Even with the $ at par many items are priced the same here and at home.

We have been having problems with the furnace in the RV and had arranged with an RV repair service to diagnose the problem.  He arrived at 5:00 and within about 30 minutes had figured out we needed a new Limit switch.  He didn't have one in his inventory as he said these switches very seldom go.  Just our luck.  He was out of town on another service call on Saturday so I went to a nearby RV parts store and purchased the switch.  He came over to our place on Sunday and within half an hour we had a functioning furnace.  $90. for his service call plus $25. for the part and we have heat.  I'm hoping that this will solve the problem.  We do have an electric fireplace and an electric space heater however at .13 cents a KWH its a bit expensive to run them.  Although the Propane furnace is a beast when it comes to using propane and also uses electricity to run the fan.  Propane is about 50% more expensive down here than at home so I'm not sure which is the most cost efficient to run.  Overall its not a big cost as we usually only need heat for an hour of so in the morning till the sun heats up the skin of the trailer and perhaps a bit at night when we are watching TV.  

The last few days I have been up on the roof of the trailer washing and repairing some separating seams.  By noon its a bit warm up there so I probably have another morning to apply the UV treatment for the rubber roof and then clean the roof of the slides.  Then its time to wash and wax the sides.  Its $3-400 to pay someone to do this so we will see if my commitment to doing it myself remains or if I make a phone call.

We have also been to a few movies the past week or so and those on Facebook have seen that I have learned how to "check-in".  So far Fantastic Beasts gets 3 stars, The Mule gets 4 and Bohemian Rhapsody gets 5 out of 5.  Lori's ratings may differ.   We finally hit Texas Roadhouse for dinner after many recommendations from friends and it certainly lived up to its billing.

Thats it for now.  We are planning a few more hikes before Christmas and will be taking Mark & Jan to the airport as they are flying back to Utah for Christmas.

Mount Lemon - Its the journey, not the destination.

Wednesday, Dec 12 we took a drive up to Mount Lemon.  At an elevation of 9157 feet we wound our way up the mountain side almost 7000 ft above Tucson.  We left the desert behind and were soon surrounded by Pine and Spruce.  The views were spectacular.  When we left the desert floor the temperatures were in the mid-sixties and by the time we got to Summerhaven, about 1000 feet below the peak of Mount Lemon, the temperature had dropped to a refreshing 45 degrees.  Summerhaven is a small ski town with a permanent population of 40.  There are numerous chalet type residences hanging off the mountain side and I'm sure once the ski season begins there is a little more activity than what we experienced.  We had a nice lunch at the Sawmill Run restaurant and then headed back down.  There is a Sky Center observatory a little higher up the mountain however the day we were there the gate was closed.  I have since discovered that they do have Astronomer Sky Nights but tickets have to be purchased in advance and at $75. per person we will probably pass.  On the drive up we passed numerous pullouts, picnic areas and hiking trailheads.  Lori and I will probably return to check out some of the hiking trails but as far as another trip to Summerhaven, I think we'll pass.   

A winding road with sheer drop-offs however its got a nice wide shoulder and a guardrail.
 

Not a bad view.  

Definitely engage the parking brake.  

Not a very big resort.  No skiing yet and no evidence of snow making equipment.
Must be a very short season. 

As the song says: you can see for miles and miles and miles.

A few days earlier we had placed an Amazon order and on Wednesday our new steps arrived.  Our factory stairs only have 3 steps with about a 9 or 10" rise.  They are suspended from the frame of the trailer and are not grounded so they bounce a bit when you walk up and down.  That slight vibration plays havoc with my knees and ever since I saw the aftermarket steps that Morryde makes they have been on my wish list.  With 4 steps the rise is only 8" which is much closer to the residential standard of 7.5" and with the legs resting on the ground they are very stable.  They aren't cheap but $311. delivered is the best price I have seen.  

The instructions and u-tube video that I watched said that they can be installed in about 20 minutes.  I set aside the whole day fully expecting things not to go well with numerous trips to Home Depot required.  To my delight, unlike many of my projects, everything went as outlined in the video and we now have sturdy new steps. 

Our old steps.  Very bouncy and wiggly.
A nightmare for an old man with wonky knees. 

Nice and sturdy.  They fold up into the doorway during travel.
Easy as pie.  

Got the 4 paws approval rating. 

Next up we are off to Catalina State Park for a hike.  

Tubac

On Saturday, Dec 8, we headed south to Tubac to see the lighting of the luminaries.  Tubac is a small town just north of the Mexican border and is home to many shops and galleries selling the wares of local artists.  2 days each year, Dec 7 & 8th this year, they have the "lighting of the luminaries".  We were here 4 years ago and were quite taken with the town, the shops and the luminaries.  This year, as we have found out with a few other repeat stops, it didn't seem quite as amazing the second time round.  Still a neat little town and worth a visit if your in the area.  

Before we stopped in Tubac we visited the National Historical Park called Tumacacori.  It was the home of a Spanish mission built in 1691.  It is similar to the Missions that we saw in San Antonio although smaller and not as well preserved.  This one was originally built by Jesuit priests however in 1751 King Charles III banished the Jesuits from all the realms of Spain after which time the Franciscans took over.  In 1800 the construction of a larger church was started to replace the original buildings however it was never finished and the mission was abandoned in 1848 and fell into disrepair.  

Less you think its all sun and blue skies we do have
the occasional adverse weather days.
No snow though.

The brick bell tower on the right was never finished.  

The Sanctuary.  The sandstone bricks don't hold up so well to the weather. 

Some of the walls still have outlines of the original paint.

Tubac.
Lots of colour 

Lawn and patio ornaments a plenty. 

A very pretty setting for a very pretty town. 

Wind chimes anyone. 

The bags with candles inside are everywhere.
Must have been thousands of them in front of the stores and lining the sidewalks
They started lighting them at dusk.
Created quite the effect.

It took about an hour to get back to the RV Park including a stop at the Border Patrol checkpoint.  They had a number of officers stationed beside the road, all armed.  Kind of like driving through a gauntlet.  They also had a drug sniffing dog running up and down the road and in-between cars.  Their handler was dragged along holding on to the leash.  

Then something interesting happened.  One of the dogs took a special interest in one of the cars in the next lane.  It didn't just sniff a couple of times and move to the next car.  It kept on going back to the car, one side then the other, again and again.  The officers pulled the car over to a holding area and last we saw the occupants were getting out.  Would have loved to have stayed to see what the outcome was however I don't think that would have been looked at too favourably.  

Next up a trip up Mount Lemon.  

Tombstone & Bisbee

Tuesday, Nov 27, Mark and Jan headed out at 8:00 so they could stop at White Sands for a short visit.  We left about 9:00 and met them on a pullout in front of the WS Visitors Centre.  We had a long drive to Benson, Az ahead of us. 

About half way through our drive we pulled into a rest stop for a bio break and Mark noticed that our truck was smoking hot.  And not in a good way.  I got under the truck and saw smoke coming off the DPF filter and part of the underside of the truck was coated with fluid.  It looked and felt like Diesel fuel however it was hard to be certain given all the road grime.  We carried on with Mark following close behind to warn us of any issues.  Like flames shooting out the back.  

We pulled into another rest stop and there was no more smoke and didn’t look like there was any fresh fluid.  We kept going.  I slowed my speed a bit and tried to keep my RPMs down on grades.   Got into Benson without any further issues although thats not to say our problems were fixed.  Over the next few days I talked to a few Ford dealers trying to determine what the best course of action was.  Drive it into Tucson about 40 miles away or arrange a tow for the truck and 5th wheel.  More on this later but first a couple days of sightseeing. 

First up was a drive to Tombstone on Wednesday.  This is our second time to Tombstone, sight of the Earps famous Shootout at the OK Corral.  It was a pretty slow day in Tombstone, tourist wise.   It is typical of these old western towns with gun fight reenactments, men dressed in cowboy garb and women dressed in dance hall garb, stores with old western fronts but filled with souvenirs and t-shirts for sale.   Tombstone does have a very interesting graveyard though and you can’t say that about every old west town.   None of the Earps or Doc Holiday are there but plenty of Clantons and other characters with interesting stories.   

A sense of humour, even in death

Stage coach rides available up and down Main St.  

The cemetery has quite the view.  
Not that the permanent residents can enjoy it.  

Lori outside the saloon we chose for lunch.
Going from memory but with a population of 5,000 in its hey day
they had 120 saloons and 50ish gambling halls.

Waiting for a gunfight to break out.
Not today.
It ok, seen one gun fight seen them all.

Hey Bruce.  Look.  Dirt Shirts.

Inside Big Nose Kate's.
Our watering hole of choice. 

Had lunch at Big Nose Kate's
She was a "lady of the evening"
Claim to fame - she was Doc Hollidays girlfriend.
From pictures she was certainly no "looker"
Limited supply in a mining town, much like too much liquor,
can make a man less discerning.  

Thursday we took another drive (Mark’s driving as our truck remains stationary).  This time past Tombstone and on to the mountain mining town of Bisbee.  This town made its bones, as they say, with the mining of Copper, Turquoise and other minerals.  The mountains are mined out now however it has become a tourist attraction with plenty of old restored buildings housing hotels, restaurants and quaint little shops.  We had an excellent lunch at a very small local restaurant.  Also found a shop selling hats of every style and with everyone telling me how good I looked in a particular hat I broke down and am now the owner of a cowboy hat.  When we left home I told Lori that the last thing I needed was any more T-Shirts or hats (mostly I have baseball caps).  So now I have purchased 3 t-shirts and a cowboy hat.  So much for my self restraint.  Still not sure where I’m going to wear this thing when I get home.  

Lots of restored buildings matching the red rocks of the mountains.

The patio outside one of the main hotels

Original post office still in operation. 

Arizona sunset.
The first of many. 

Friday, November 30.  We decided to leave Benson a day early so we could get into Tucson on a Friday and drop the truck off at a Ford dealer.  I had made a number of phone calls to the 2 Ford dealers in Tucson and both were booked up for weeks.  They need more Ford dealerships in Tucson.  One of them, given our circumstances, seemed willing to squeeze me in.  We set out at 1:00 with the plan being to drive slow, keep the RPMs down, and check into our Lazydays KOA campground at 2:00.  Most RV Parks have a designated checkin time however most will let you in early as long as your site is empty.  This KOA was going to charge us an extra $25. to check us in before 2:00.  RIPOFF.  

We got checked in and I set off for the Ford dealer to drop off the truck.  Mark picked me up so as of right now we are set up in the trailer waiting for the word on what’s wrong with the truck.  In the meantime I’m catching up on this blog, doing some M&R on the trailer and Lori is cleaning and washing clothes.  Its actually been a nice couple of days with good weather and a chance to recharge our batteries.  I have also set up an appointment to get the trailer into the neighbouring RV service centre as I think my pin box needs some adjustments and our furnace is only working sporadically.  Always something.   

Update.  Dec 9.  Truck is back and fixed under warranty.  A seal on the rear of the transmission was leaking and they squeezed me in and a week later we have wheels again.  I'm pretty sure I know exactly where the seal blew.  One of the truck's features to assist with downhill grades is a combination of engine brake, tow/haul mode and cruise control.  Set your speed and when coming down a hill the truck automatically downshifts and with the combination of engine brake and tow/haul its supposed to keep you at your set speed.  Works fine till the grades get to 5-6%.  At that grade the transmission, already down to 4th from 6th, will shift to 3rd throwing the RPMs from 3,000 up to 3,500.  If I know a steep grade is coming I take off the cruise at the top of the hill, apply brakes and downshift manually, keeping the RPM in the 3,000 range (red line is 4,000).  I just don't like the huge and sudden boost in RPM when I let the truck handle it even though they say the truck is built to withstand it.  Turns out I was right.  Unfortunately there was no sign posted on this grade saying it was much steeper than the rest and when the 4th to 3rd downshift happened I heard a change of tone in the engine.  I looked over at Lori and said "that doesn't sound good".  Turns out I was right.   I will be controlling both my ascent and descents manually from now on.  

We are sitting in Barnes & Noble using their lightning fast wifi and Lori is now finished her browsing so time to wrap up.  Turns out the wifi at the KOA is not able to handle blogs so more trips to B&N in our future.  

Till the next time.