While we were in Phoenix, AZ, for the month of November we took several side trips exploring the area. We drove scenic route 89 from Wickenburg to Prescott, along a beautiful winding road with great views of the mountains and valleys as we climbed higher in elevation. Prescott is at 5,367ft and it was much colder than Phoenix. We went shopping on Whiskey Row for warmer clothes. The main street was originally known for the establishment of many saloons, gambling parlors, opium dens, and houses of prostitution. The town-site of Prescott was officially founded in 1864, as the Territorial Capital of Arizona. Many of the old wooden buildings on Whiskey Row were destroyed in “The Great Fire” of July, 1900, and replaced with more permanent concrete, brick, and stone buildings which are still intact today and give the town a very old-western appeal. While shopping we were told to visit the Superstition Meadery, founded in 2012. Needless to say neither of us had tried Mead before so we were ready to sample it. Their mission at the Meadery is “To Reintroduce the World’s Oldest Fermented Beverage to Mankind”, and we wanted to sample the range of craft beverages, many of which are the top rated in the world. Oak barrel aging is the secret to many of the products they make at Superstition Meadery. The flight of Mead and Cider we tasted was excellent and we even bought a bottle to go. We stayed the night at the historic Hassayampa Inn, opened in 1927, with on-site bar and restaurant and very stylish rooms. We went for dinner at the El Gato Azul, a friendly, quirky little restaurant in walking distance from the Inn. Continue reading
Category Archives: Arizona
’69 Mets 50th Reunion, Phoenix AZ
On Monday, November 11th we checked into the Sonesta Suites Scottsdale situated in the heart of Scottsdale’s exclusive Gainey Ranch neighborhood for three nights. It was the celebration of the ’69 Mets 50th Reunion, and 9 Engineers from the Metallurgical Department at UBC along with their wives arrived for Happy Hour on the patio greeted by our hosts Alex and Karen Currie and the reminiscing began. Then it was a short walk to dinner at the Famous 48 Restaurant. The Famous 48 Local Kitchen & Bar gives a nod to Arizona, the 48th state, and we all enjoyed the American classics and favorite Arizona dishes prepared with the highest quality and freshest ingredients in season. Continue reading
Flagstaff, Arizona
Arrived in Flagstaff, AZ and staying at the J and H RV Park just north of Flagstaff for a few days. Spent a fabulous day driving to the Grand Canyon East Entrance from Cameron along the Desert View Scenic Drive. The views along the way were beautiful and we stopped at several lookouts before arriving at the historic Watchtower. The Indian Watchtower at Desert View, is a 70-foot high stone building, and the four-story structure was completed in 1932. The tower was designed to resemble an Ancient Pueblo Peoples watchtower. The main space is the Kiva Room in the base structure, and features a fireplace with a large picture window directly above where the chimney would ordinarily go. The tower is decorated by bold murals by Fred Kabotie. The small windows in the tower’s shaft let beams of light into the space as we climbed up the small staircase. The upper floors serve as an observation deck from which we can view the eastern portions of the Grand Canyon. The views were spectacular from this vantage point. Click on thumbnail to view image Continue reading
Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu City was our destination for two last weeks in October, well known because of the famous London Bridge linking an island in the Colorado River with the main part of Lake Havasu City. We stayed at the Islander RV Resort on the island. We had a beautiful site looking out onto Lake Havasu. London Bridge was built in the 1830s and formerly spanned the River Thames in London, England. It was dismantled in 1967 and relocated to Arizona. Robert McCulloch purchased the bridge and he had exterior granite blocks from the original bridge numbered and transported to America to construct the present bridge in Lake Havasu City, established in 1964. We played pickle ball every morning with a fun group of mostly Canadians. Went out on a boat for cocktail hour exploring Lake Havasu and walked the streets of Lake Havasu City. Continue reading
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Spider Rock
We packed up all our camping gear in the back of the jeep and left to drive the 3 hours to Canyon De Chelly in Arizona and camp there one night. On the way we stopped at the Four Corners Monument in Arizona, which marks the quadripoint where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. The Navajo Nation maintains the monument as a tourist attraction, and it cost $10 to enter, there is nothing to do there except wait in line to get your picture taken on all four states, or buy from the Navajo vendors set up around the monument. It wasn’t very busy so we were able to get in and out fairly quickly.
We arrived at the small town of Chinle, AZ, and went to the Visitor Center first to find out where to go and what to see here. Canyon De Chelly National Monument, established in 1931, includes two large canyons, Canyon de Chelly, (pronounced “d’shay”) to the south and Canyon Del Muerto to the north. Canyon de Chelly got its name from the Navajo word Tseyi, which means canyon or “in the rock.” Canyon Del Muerto, Spanish for “canyon of the dead,” was named when remains of mummies were discovered on an archeological expedition in the 1880s. Canyon de Chelly is entirely owned by the Navajo Tribal Trust of the Navajo Nation, and approximately 40 Navajo families live in the park. We decided to do the North Rim Drive first and walked to the overlook of the Antelope House Ruins. We were in awe as we viewed the canyon from the overlook and its 1000 feet walls of red, black and orange. The Antelope House ruins were nestled on the canyon floor under an alcove. We used our binoculars to see the ruins up close. Continue reading
Tucson Arizona
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Mission San Xavier
We finally left San Diego and heading east to Tucson to have service done on R SHRPA. We are staying at the Voyager RV Resort until everything is finished. We dropped off the coach at Freedom RV Service center early Thursday, April 21st, and drove out to the Mission San Xavier, to explore this National Historic Landmark, founded by Fr. Kino, the Jesuit pioneer and explorer, in 1692. This Franciscan church is still a working church, built between 1783 to 1797. The church is so well preserved that when you enter the church it is like walking into the 18th century. Statues dating to the 1750’s, vivid late baroque altars, and original paintings adorn the interior. In 1783, the Franciscans borrowed 7,000 pesos to begin the church, and from 1790 to 1815, artists from central New Spain worked to complete the interior, earning double pay because of the threat of Apaches in the area, but in 1797 funds ran out. The church was left incomplete to this day, the east tower was left with no dome or lantern, the choir loft and baptistery paintings were left unfinished. We took a very interesting tour throughout the church and discovered all the things that were left undone when the money ran out. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading
Casa Grande Arizona
We are finally settled into our site in Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort and are surrounded by Albertans arriving here for the winter. We are going to play a lot of pickle ball and learn more about this game of golf. We both signed up for 4 lessons at Mission Royale Golf Course from the pro, Ryan. Most days started at 7:30 am with challenging games of pickle ball with Thor, from BC, and Chris, from Seattle. Then onto golf in the afternoon, either a lesson or the driving range. Trying to get better at golf so I can keep up with Alex and Karen Currie, great golfers, when they came to visit us for the day. After playing golf with Alex and Karen on the Par 3 golf course in Palm Creek I realized that I have a long way to go before my golf is up to their standard. Continue reading
Sedona Arizona – Birthday Celebration
“Happy 70th Birthday Bruce Kahn!!”
Home of the Moscow Mule
We arrived in Phoenix on Monday, October 5th, staying at the Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort & Country Club for a week. The timing worked out perfect. As we are so excited to be able to help Bruce celebrate his 70th birthday in Sedona. We drove D Beast (jeep) to Sedona on Saturday and met Karen Moyer and Bruce for lunch at Tlaquepaque(pronounced T-lockey-pockey) Arts and Crafts Village. Nestled beneath giant sycamore trees on the banks of the Oak Creek, Tlaquepaque is the most distinctive shopping complex to be found in the Southwest. Then we drove to the house that Bruce rented for the week to spend his birthday with friends and family. What an exceptional house set on a hill with wonderful views looking west over Sedona and the red rocks. We started the weekend off with Moscow Mules sitting around the pool and hot tub with Karen, Bruce and their friends, Rick and Barb Johnsto. Then we ate a wonderful home-cooked dinner sitting outside watching the sunset. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading
North Rim of Grand Canyon
Mt Hayden-Grand Canyon
The North Rim offers a serene and enthralling Grand Canyon experience, more remote and less developed than the South Rim. It was a 2 hour drive from our RV Park in Virgin, Utah to the North Rim and it’s 40 miles from Jacob Lake to the North Rim Visitor Center. After we arrived we hiked to Bright Angel Point, a one mile round trip hike with a grand view of the canyon. We ate a wonderful lunch at the Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge with breathtaking views of the canyon from our table. The Lodge was built in 1927-28 with the Main Lodge building, 23 deluxe cabins, and 91 standard cabins. It was constructed of native Kaibab limestone and peeled Ponderosa pine logs, designed to harmonize with its rocky and forested setting. The Grand Canyon Lodge is the only complete surviving lodge and cabin complex in the national parks. I would highly recommend a visit to this beautiful, peaceful and remote setting in a magnificent park. On our way out we drove to Point Imperial, at 8,803 feet, it is the highest of the North Rim overlooks, with different panorama views of the Grand Canyon. Great views of Mount Hayden, and Boundary Ridge and Saddle Mountain to the north of Imperial Point. Click on thumbnail to view images Continue reading
Lake Powell and Rainbow Bridge
We saved the best for today a cruise on Lake Powell to the Rainbow Bridge Natural Arch. Lake Powell, named after John Wesley Powell, is 186 miles long and backs up into more than 96 major side canyons, and is the second-largest man-made lake in the US. Today we are going to take the cruise boat 50 nautical miles from the Wahweap Marina to Bridge Canyon where the Rainbow Bridge was discovered in 1909. The lake’s crystal clear blue water, more than 500 feet deep in places, is wonderful to explore as we cruised through narrow waterways, past sandstone cliffs and buttes, including the well known Tower Butte. Continue reading