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Sunday, March 31, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Buyer Beware
Mar 14 - 27, 2013 Desert Trails RV Park - Tucson AZ 85735
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DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! It is addicting.
FOOD PRODUCT REVIEW:
Philadelphia Indulgence, Milk chocolate
My rating 5 out of 5
Oh------my-----gosh!!!!! This is absolutely delicious!
While I was food shopping alone, that's how I get in "trouble". I was looking for yogurt, a healthy snack. Why or why did I have to spot this in the dairy cooler section also! As I was checking out, the female checker about my age asked if I had tried this. I said no, but look forward to it. She went all googly eyed and said it was heaven.
And right she is! I have been just having a spoonful here and there right from the container. I refuse to look at the calorie and fat count. Ignorance can be bliss.
This product also comes in Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, White Chocolate, and Dulce de Leche. Oh Boy!
From the comments on the Philadelphia Indulgence site "...When you run out of ideas, spread it on your hand and lick it off!!!!
Question: Besides crackers and fruit, anyone have any good idea to use this product in or with? I don't really need the ideas, just my spoon is good enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RV LIFE:
Haven't felt like blogging lately, so here is one big post on our Tucson stay.
We have had a nice two weeks here. Decent RV park and we did get a decent site. The weather has been beautiful. Mostly cool over night and 70's during the day. Even when the temps rise to 80's, we have a shady site and it is very comfortable in the shade. I've spent most days sitting outside, enjoying the company of our dogs.
Scott has been hiking on his own and has found 7 geocaches within walking/hiking distance of the RV park. He rode his bicycle along the trails a couple of times.
We've had a really nice balance of activity and relaxing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PETS:
Devin has been having a pretty good time here at Desert Trails. He's found a few friends to play with.
This is Izzy, a Mexican Hairless dog. Or it's official breed name is Xoloitzcuintli pronounced "show-low-eets-queen-tlee," or more commonly called the Xolo ("show-low")
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SIGHTS:
Arizona-Sonoron Desert Museum $15.00 per person
Our rating 4.5 out of 5
I've been reading about this place on many RV blogs. Many RV'rs are in the AZ area for the winter months. I've read over and over how great this Museum is. Well, I agree.
This is a well run "attraction". It is not only very educational, but also entertaining for kids and interesting for adults. This is not a typical museum that you just view items on display, but this is a living museum.
There were water fountains readily available to keep us hydrated since we are out in the open under the desert sun for most of the day. Also, sunscreen is supplied in all the restrooms.
We took the walking tour and our guide was very knowledgeable. We learned so much about the desert and the plant life. Being from NJ, the desert is definitely a foreign land to us.
We saw the Jojoba plant. Ladies, you've heard of Jojoba. It is used in moisturizers and make-up. This is used in place of whale oil, and is thought by many to be superior.
The Raptor show was highly recommended. It was a unique show in that the birds are trained to fly out quite a distance, fly near the crowd and then perch nearby. So even with a very large crowd, we all were able to appreciate the beauty of the birds.
There is a hummingbird aviary which is really cool! We saw nesting hummingbirds and even saw a baby hummingbird! Fascinating.
Mission San Xavier del Bac Free
My rating 2 out of 5 for the church
My rating 4 out of 5 for the grounds and fry bread vendors
The bad: This church has been restored and is quite gaudy, as I find many Catholic churches to be.
The bad: And then we come up to this!
Oh my gosh! Freak me out! I'd have nightmares if I were a kid! At first I thought it was a mummified "saint". Ends up it's wooden St. Francis. Either way, still creepy.
The bad: Loose UN-ALTERED dogs. The mission was built by Papago renamed in the 1980's to Tohono indians. This mission is on the Tohono reservation. We saw at least 5 loose dogs. They looked to be in reasonable shape and all were fairly friendly. I'm sure they belonged to the reservation, but to see those male nuggets hanging down really drives me crazy! This just leads to more dogs needing homes.
The good: Beautifully landscaped right around the church itself. Cactus were just beginning to bloom.
Quite nice to sit on a bench and enjoy the cactus gardens and give a dog a pet and snack.
The good: Seeing this adorable little creature amid the garden area. He was not afraid of us big humans at all. He seemed to be posing and waiting for us to take as many photos as we pleased.
We thought he was a Pack Rat, but looking on the internet, he is not. I don't know what he is. Any ideas?
**Update 3/30/13: PRAIRIE DOG! So cute!
Thanks to
Tammy from It's Good to be Us
Susan from Travel bug
Judy from our motorcycle days.
They all suggested Prairie dog, which I believe is correct.
The good:
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Fry bread! Even though this isn't really a restaurant, it's a great place to stop for a casual lunch.
Since this mission is on Native American land, there were aboutf 15 fry bread stations set up. We've read about fry bread, but never had the opportunity to try it. To be honest, the ONLY reason I wanted to come to this mission, was because I was told about the fry bread for sale on the weekends! So many to choose from and all offering basically the same thing. We chose a happy looking couple. He gave us a sample of their green chili. Delicious. Scott opted to get a combo fry bread taco. This taco included beans, tomatoes, lettuce, chili, cheese, and probably more items I forgot. Delicious!!!
I opted for the cinnamon fry bread. Which I would not get again. The bread itself was good, but not enough sweetness in the fry bread. I would recommend the honey and powdered sugar fry bread. Similar to a funnel cake, just not as fluffy.
PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM: $15.00 per person
Our rating 4.5 out of 5
I would rate it less, but that's because I'm not that interested in planes. But for military veterans, and airplane enthusiasts, this is a great place to visit. Would have been rated 5 by Scott, if we could actually have seen INSIDE more planes.
First off, it is a huge museum! Plan ahead for an ALL DAY visit. There is a great guided tour and the volunteer was very informative. You could tell he loved to talk planes. Scott would whisper in my ear about a certain plane and next thing, the tour guide would say the same thing. Wow, I got to hear info I don't really care about 2 times, like an echo! I definitely went here for Scott. I think he would have had just as good or a better time if he went alone. I brought a book along, so he could take as long as he wanted. If I got bored, I'd read. I heard another woman tell her husband she was going to go sit in the car. It's a guy thing.
There is also a shuttle tour that is about 50 minutes long. That costs $6./per person extra. The volunteer who took us on the tour was a former fighter pilot! I was in awe. His talk was really interesting. Well worth the extra money. I didn't open my book to read during the whole shuttle tour. There is also a plane "bone yard". Huh? Scott was very excited. That was an extra $7./per person and fills up quickly. You do not have to pay the $15. museum fee for this tour. Just the $7.
Between a couple of hours looking at planes and an hour shuttle tour, I was done. I just couldn't visit the "bone yard". Scott would have to come back another day to see it.
KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY Night Observing $48.00/per person
Our rating 5 out of 5
I have been itching to go to an observatory. I can't say I'm really into star gazing, but to see it through a telescope is a different story. We missed out on going to observatory somewhere earlier in our travels because of "party pooper" Scott. We had plans, but he didn't feel like it that day. So I stupidly agreed, that we could go after the weekend and then forgot about it. This time, I TOLD Scott, this is the night I'M going. If you care to join me fine. I made reservations on line for their Nightly Observing Program. There were only a couple of slots open by the time I made reservations. Cool beans! We're in!
We had to first drive up to the Peak. A 12 miles hairpin turn ascent! I was not happy. I had memories of Pike's Peak. By the time we got to the top, I was slightly carsick, so had a massive headache.
We had to arrive at the peak by 5:31pm, which was before sunset. Upon arrival, we were given a box lunch for dinner, included in the tour price. Then a lecture of introduction to astronomy, about the history and present day observatory and the many telescopes. We then go outside for sunset. Our tour guide was great. While waiting for sunset, we walked around the peak and the different scopes were explained to us. Did you know there is such a thing as a solar telescope?
The odd inverted v-shape is to diffuse the incoming sun.
The tour guide's enthusiasm for the night sky was catching. He explained the different coloring of the sunset and what it means (of course I forgot).
It was a very special moment as we saw the sun go lower, and lower and then disappear.
Being on this peak, we were able to view the sky beautifully all the way around/360°.
Back inside and were handed flashlights with a red light. The red does not interfere with viewing of the telescopes. If we used a regular flashlight, we could only have it light completely face downward. We were also loaned a planisphere & were taught how to use them. Who knew? Not me! If I had known these existed, I may have been more interested in viewing the night sky.
These devices make the mess of the sky into a readable map. We picked up two for $6.50 each. One for the upper US and one for the southern US. After figuring out this ingenious device, we were loaned binoculars to view the sky & try to find various stars and planets. Very very cool!
Our final stage of the tour was to actually look through one of those huge telescopes. But right beforehand, we were invited to one of the building where there were students actually tracking a comet. They were viewing the image on a computer screen. Ahhh technology. No more looking through the eye piece. The telescope sends the image to the computer where it can be saved and easily documented. These 4 students and their professor would be there all night observing. Now our group goes on to a "normal" or what we lay people consider normal telescopes. The roof opened and swung around for the telescope to view the night sky. We each had our turn in viewing the M42, The Great Orion Nebula, the M3, globular cluster, the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. An unforgettable evening!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
PRODUCT REVIEW:
Tucson Book of Fun Attractions Passport $15.-$18.
If you go to 2 more local attractions, this coupon booklet is worth it. Desert Trails RV park sold it at their office for $15.00, which is $3.00 cheaper than other places.
We only used it for 2 places, but it still was a savings.
Desert Museum $14.50 each. Buy one get one free
Pima Museum $15.50 each. Buy one get one free
Total saved $15.00 after cost of coupon booklet. And that was just two attractions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RESTARUANT REVIEW:
Coyote Pause Cafe Tucson, AZ
Our rating 3.5 out of 5
We found this place on the way to the Desert Museum. Not much else on this road. We decided to stop here for breakfast since there wasn't anything else close and the cafe had good reviews.
We arrived at 11am. Breakfast is served until noon. Upon arrival, we saw the chalkboard lunch specials. Damn! Lunch looks good, but I want breakfast.
COYOTE HASH: Very good. Huge pile of corned beef mixed with cubed potatoes, green peppers, and onions. Melted cheese on top. Two eggs on the side.
WHEAT BREAD: Yes, this will get it's own rating. Wheat bread on the side. This is not just wheat bread that seems to be just colored white bread. This is whole wheat bread. I don't know if they bake on premises or order from a local bakery. It was excellent! I normally don't bother with the bread, but I HAD to eat this. I will crave this bread.
MESQUITE PANCAKES: Don't bother. I don't think the pancakes were bad because of using mesquite powder, I just think it wasn't a good recipe. Too thick, too heavy and no sweetness.
BROCCOLI SOUP: We ordered this "to go", from the chalkboard lunch specials. Fabulous! It was probably a bunch of left over ingredients, but who cares if it's delicious! Thick soup without a lot of cream. Just a touch. It was mainly finely chopped and pureed broccoli. Diced smoke bacon, carrots, and other stuff that made this absolutely delicious.
Another reason for blogging...if I didn't blog, I would bother looking up what mesquite pancakes were. I found out they are made from mesquite flour. Well how do you get mesquite flour? From mesquite pods, silly! I didn't know mesquite trees had pods until now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOOD PRODUCT REVIEW:
Philadelphia Indulgence, Milk chocolate
My rating 5 out of 5
While I was food shopping alone, that's how I get in "trouble". I was looking for yogurt, a healthy snack. Why or why did I have to spot this in the dairy cooler section also! As I was checking out, the female checker about my age asked if I had tried this. I said no, but look forward to it. She went all googly eyed and said it was heaven.
This product also comes in Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, White Chocolate, and Dulce de Leche. Oh Boy!
From the comments on the Philadelphia Indulgence site "...When you run out of ideas, spread it on your hand and lick it off!!!!
Question: Besides crackers and fruit, anyone have any good idea to use this product in or with? I don't really need the ideas, just my spoon is good enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RV LIFE:
Haven't felt like blogging lately, so here is one big post on our Tucson stay.
We have had a nice two weeks here. Decent RV park and we did get a decent site. The weather has been beautiful. Mostly cool over night and 70's during the day. Even when the temps rise to 80's, we have a shady site and it is very comfortable in the shade. I've spent most days sitting outside, enjoying the company of our dogs.
Scott has been hiking on his own and has found 7 geocaches within walking/hiking distance of the RV park. He rode his bicycle along the trails a couple of times.
We've had a really nice balance of activity and relaxing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PETS:
Devin has been having a pretty good time here at Desert Trails. He's found a few friends to play with.
This is Izzy, a Mexican Hairless dog. Or it's official breed name is Xoloitzcuintli pronounced "show-low-eets-queen-tlee," or more commonly called the Xolo ("show-low")
SIGHTS:
Arizona-Sonoron Desert Museum $15.00 per person
Our rating 4.5 out of 5
I've been reading about this place on many RV blogs. Many RV'rs are in the AZ area for the winter months. I've read over and over how great this Museum is. Well, I agree.
This is a well run "attraction". It is not only very educational, but also entertaining for kids and interesting for adults. This is not a typical museum that you just view items on display, but this is a living museum.
There were water fountains readily available to keep us hydrated since we are out in the open under the desert sun for most of the day. Also, sunscreen is supplied in all the restrooms.
We took the walking tour and our guide was very knowledgeable. We learned so much about the desert and the plant life. Being from NJ, the desert is definitely a foreign land to us.
We saw the Jojoba plant. Ladies, you've heard of Jojoba. It is used in moisturizers and make-up. This is used in place of whale oil, and is thought by many to be superior.
The Raptor show was highly recommended. It was a unique show in that the birds are trained to fly out quite a distance, fly near the crowd and then perch nearby. So even with a very large crowd, we all were able to appreciate the beauty of the birds.
Mission San Xavier del Bac Free
My rating 2 out of 5 for the church
My rating 4 out of 5 for the grounds and fry bread vendors
The bad: This church has been restored and is quite gaudy, as I find many Catholic churches to be.
Oh my gosh! Freak me out! I'd have nightmares if I were a kid! At first I thought it was a mummified "saint". Ends up it's wooden St. Francis. Either way, still creepy.The bad: Loose UN-ALTERED dogs. The mission was built by Papago renamed in the 1980's to Tohono indians. This mission is on the Tohono reservation. We saw at least 5 loose dogs. They looked to be in reasonable shape and all were fairly friendly. I'm sure they belonged to the reservation, but to see those male nuggets hanging down really drives me crazy! This just leads to more dogs needing homes.
The good: Beautifully landscaped right around the church itself. Cactus were just beginning to bloom.
 |
| Never knew they came in purple! |
Quite nice to sit on a bench and enjoy the cactus gardens and give a dog a pet and snack.
We thought he was a Pack Rat, but looking on the internet, he is not. I don't know what he is. Any ideas?
**Update 3/30/13: PRAIRIE DOG! So cute!
Thanks to
Tammy from It's Good to be Us
Susan from Travel bug
Judy from our motorcycle days.
They all suggested Prairie dog, which I believe is correct.
The good:
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Fry bread! Even though this isn't really a restaurant, it's a great place to stop for a casual lunch.
Since this mission is on Native American land, there were aboutf 15 fry bread stations set up. We've read about fry bread, but never had the opportunity to try it. To be honest, the ONLY reason I wanted to come to this mission, was because I was told about the fry bread for sale on the weekends! So many to choose from and all offering basically the same thing. We chose a happy looking couple. He gave us a sample of their green chili. Delicious. Scott opted to get a combo fry bread taco. This taco included beans, tomatoes, lettuce, chili, cheese, and probably more items I forgot. Delicious!!!
I opted for the cinnamon fry bread. Which I would not get again. The bread itself was good, but not enough sweetness in the fry bread. I would recommend the honey and powdered sugar fry bread. Similar to a funnel cake, just not as fluffy. 
This was delicious!
PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM: $15.00 per person
Our rating 4.5 out of 5
I would rate it less, but that's because I'm not that interested in planes. But for military veterans, and airplane enthusiasts, this is a great place to visit. Would have been rated 5 by Scott, if we could actually have seen INSIDE more planes.
 |
| Some kind of fighter plane flying overhead |
 |
| This plane below is some kind of stealth, under the radar type plane. |
Between a couple of hours looking at planes and an hour shuttle tour, I was done. I just couldn't visit the "bone yard". Scott would have to come back another day to see it.
KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY Night Observing $48.00/per person
Our rating 5 out of 5
I have been itching to go to an observatory. I can't say I'm really into star gazing, but to see it through a telescope is a different story. We missed out on going to observatory somewhere earlier in our travels because of "party pooper" Scott. We had plans, but he didn't feel like it that day. So I stupidly agreed, that we could go after the weekend and then forgot about it. This time, I TOLD Scott, this is the night I'M going. If you care to join me fine. I made reservations on line for their Nightly Observing Program. There were only a couple of slots open by the time I made reservations. Cool beans! We're in!
We had to first drive up to the Peak. A 12 miles hairpin turn ascent! I was not happy. I had memories of Pike's Peak. By the time we got to the top, I was slightly carsick, so had a massive headache.
We had to arrive at the peak by 5:31pm, which was before sunset. Upon arrival, we were given a box lunch for dinner, included in the tour price. Then a lecture of introduction to astronomy, about the history and present day observatory and the many telescopes. We then go outside for sunset. Our tour guide was great. While waiting for sunset, we walked around the peak and the different scopes were explained to us. Did you know there is such a thing as a solar telescope?
The odd inverted v-shape is to diffuse the incoming sun.
Back inside and were handed flashlights with a red light. The red does not interfere with viewing of the telescopes. If we used a regular flashlight, we could only have it light completely face downward. We were also loaned a planisphere & were taught how to use them. Who knew? Not me! If I had known these existed, I may have been more interested in viewing the night sky.
These devices make the mess of the sky into a readable map. We picked up two for $6.50 each. One for the upper US and one for the southern US. After figuring out this ingenious device, we were loaned binoculars to view the sky & try to find various stars and planets. Very very cool!
Our final stage of the tour was to actually look through one of those huge telescopes. But right beforehand, we were invited to one of the building where there were students actually tracking a comet. They were viewing the image on a computer screen. Ahhh technology. No more looking through the eye piece. The telescope sends the image to the computer where it can be saved and easily documented. These 4 students and their professor would be there all night observing. Now our group goes on to a "normal" or what we lay people consider normal telescopes. The roof opened and swung around for the telescope to view the night sky. We each had our turn in viewing the M42, The Great Orion Nebula, the M3, globular cluster, the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. An unforgettable evening!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
PRODUCT REVIEW:
Tucson Book of Fun Attractions Passport $15.-$18.
If you go to 2 more local attractions, this coupon booklet is worth it. Desert Trails RV park sold it at their office for $15.00, which is $3.00 cheaper than other places.
We only used it for 2 places, but it still was a savings.
Desert Museum $14.50 each. Buy one get one free
Pima Museum $15.50 each. Buy one get one free
Total saved $15.00 after cost of coupon booklet. And that was just two attractions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RESTARUANT REVIEW:
Coyote Pause Cafe Tucson, AZ
Our rating 3.5 out of 5
We found this place on the way to the Desert Museum. Not much else on this road. We decided to stop here for breakfast since there wasn't anything else close and the cafe had good reviews.
We arrived at 11am. Breakfast is served until noon. Upon arrival, we saw the chalkboard lunch specials. Damn! Lunch looks good, but I want breakfast.
COYOTE HASH: Very good. Huge pile of corned beef mixed with cubed potatoes, green peppers, and onions. Melted cheese on top. Two eggs on the side.
WHEAT BREAD: Yes, this will get it's own rating. Wheat bread on the side. This is not just wheat bread that seems to be just colored white bread. This is whole wheat bread. I don't know if they bake on premises or order from a local bakery. It was excellent! I normally don't bother with the bread, but I HAD to eat this. I will crave this bread.
MESQUITE PANCAKES: Don't bother. I don't think the pancakes were bad because of using mesquite powder, I just think it wasn't a good recipe. Too thick, too heavy and no sweetness.
BROCCOLI SOUP: We ordered this "to go", from the chalkboard lunch specials. Fabulous! It was probably a bunch of left over ingredients, but who cares if it's delicious! Thick soup without a lot of cream. Just a touch. It was mainly finely chopped and pureed broccoli. Diced smoke bacon, carrots, and other stuff that made this absolutely delicious.
Another reason for blogging...if I didn't blog, I would bother looking up what mesquite pancakes were. I found out they are made from mesquite flour. Well how do you get mesquite flour? From mesquite pods, silly! I didn't know mesquite trees had pods until now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Engagement in Seattle: Groom Wanted\Bride Wanted by Debbie MacomberMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHERE WE'RE GOING
Mar. 28 - Apr. 10, 2013 Dead Horse Ranch State Park - Cottonwood, AZ
Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ
Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ
Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ
NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
RV PARK REVIEW: Desert Trails - Tucson, AZ
RV PARK REVIEW:
Mar 14 - 27, 2013
Desert Trails RV Park - Tucson AZ 85735
Site#52 $27.50/day
Our rating 3.5 out of 5
SITES: Most sites very close together.
Our site was one of the nicer ones. A permanent structure on one side, natural fence behind and our truck in front made for a fairly private site & spacious site. (#52)
HOOK UPS: FHU
BATHROOMS: n/a
LAUNDRY: Several laundry buildings throughout park. The one I used felt like I was in a basement, but units seemed clean. Laundry line outside to hang clothes to dry if preferred.
PETS: Pets welcome. 2 dog limit. 2 dog parks, 1 for small and 1 for large.
Dog park is enough for dogs to get a decent run and play. No poop bags provided. Water hose available. Outdoor dog wash.
WIFI: Free with several connections throughout park. Worked decent
VERIZON INTERNET: Worked great.
SPRINT INTERNET: Good
VERIZON PHONE: 5 bars
AT&T PHONE: 4 bars
BOOK EXCHANGE: Yes. Nice building with books sorted nicely by author alphabetically. Small selection of DVD movies. Chairs to sit and read.
MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: Yes
AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: About 10 miles from the main shopping. 3 miles from small convenience store. Plenty of things to do in downtown Tucson.
This park received good reviews from RV Park Reviews, but I'm disappointed. VERY CROWDED and closely spaced sites. Plus there seems to be no order to the sites. The roads curve, some sites at right angles to each other so the back window of your 5th wheel is looking into the side window of another. Look at 1st photo at the bottom left for example.
But, the staff and residents are very nice. Many residents are snowbirds and have being doing so here for many years.
We do not rate higher for organized activities. But if that is what you like, then you would like this park. They have a rec. room with musical performances, jam sessions, pot lucks. There is an "Oasis" room which just seems to be a public living room with TV, coffee, sofas, etc. Heated pool, and hot tub. Bocce Ball, miniature golf, but that is not kept up with so full of debris, craft class, quilt & sewing get togethers, aerobics, hikes to geo-cache.
*Drive 200 feet past Desert Trails to Justin Diamond's RV Park. No frills, but still FHU, larger sites, vegetation for a natural fence between sites, and cheaper.
Mar 14 - 27, 2013
Desert Trails RV Park - Tucson AZ 85735
Site#52 $27.50/day
Our rating 3.5 out of 5
SITES: Most sites very close together.
HOOK UPS: FHU
BATHROOMS: n/a
LAUNDRY: Several laundry buildings throughout park. The one I used felt like I was in a basement, but units seemed clean. Laundry line outside to hang clothes to dry if preferred.
PETS: Pets welcome. 2 dog limit. 2 dog parks, 1 for small and 1 for large.
Dog park is enough for dogs to get a decent run and play. No poop bags provided. Water hose available. Outdoor dog wash.
WIFI: Free with several connections throughout park. Worked decent
VERIZON INTERNET: Worked great.
SPRINT INTERNET: Good
VERIZON PHONE: 5 bars
AT&T PHONE: 4 bars
BOOK EXCHANGE: Yes. Nice building with books sorted nicely by author alphabetically. Small selection of DVD movies. Chairs to sit and read.
MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: Yes
AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: About 10 miles from the main shopping. 3 miles from small convenience store. Plenty of things to do in downtown Tucson.
This park received good reviews from RV Park Reviews, but I'm disappointed. VERY CROWDED and closely spaced sites. Plus there seems to be no order to the sites. The roads curve, some sites at right angles to each other so the back window of your 5th wheel is looking into the side window of another. Look at 1st photo at the bottom left for example.
But, the staff and residents are very nice. Many residents are snowbirds and have being doing so here for many years.
We do not rate higher for organized activities. But if that is what you like, then you would like this park. They have a rec. room with musical performances, jam sessions, pot lucks. There is an "Oasis" room which just seems to be a public living room with TV, coffee, sofas, etc. Heated pool, and hot tub. Bocce Ball, miniature golf, but that is not kept up with so full of debris, craft class, quilt & sewing get togethers, aerobics, hikes to geo-cache.
*Drive 200 feet past Desert Trails to Justin Diamond's RV Park. No frills, but still FHU, larger sites, vegetation for a natural fence between sites, and cheaper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHERE WE'RE GOING
Mar. 28 - Apr. 10, 2013 Dead Horse Ranch State Park - Cottonwood, AZ
Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ
NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014
Monday, March 18, 2013
Food Trucks in Tucson
Mar 14 - 27, 2013 Desert Trails RV Park - Tucson AZ 85735
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RV LIFE:I believe I failed to mention that we met Howard & Linda last week, from RV-Dreams. We noticed they were in the same town as we were (Deming, NM). We invited them to stop by our park to check it out because we love it so much. We are not really entertainers. Our RV is set up for just the two of us. 2 easy chairs, no couch. So even though we invited them over, we were not prepared to entertain. We didn't even have extra lawn chairs out. Luckily, when they arrived, they brought their own water and chairs. Thank you!. I tried to offer them some alcohol. I'm much more sociable after some alcohol. But they were fine with water. At first, conversation was difficult, but eventually we had a nice time talking easily. Linda heard our African Gray Parrot in the RV and her eyes lit up. She loves birds. Swayze (parrot) did a some entertaining with his little conversations with himself and imitating a cockatiel. Linda came in the RV to say hello to our bare naked parrot (he plucks his feathers out). Of course Swayze just stared at her and kept quiet. Linda being a bird lover, expected as much.
Nice to meet you Howard & Linda. Maybe we'll try to go to one of your Rally's in the future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BROWSING THE WWW://
The the pending demise of Google Reader has given me the opportunity to review the blogs I follow. So far, I am very happy with Bloglines. I don't seem so overwhelmed. It looks very similar to Google Reader, but somehow its "cleaner".
I have caught up on all my RV blogs. I have only started looking at the crafts blogs, then the food, blogs, then the dogs blogs and will it ever end? Yes it will. Remember, if it's on the internet then it "must be true"!
Here's the last page of the internet. LAST PAGE
And here's the end of the internet. INTERNET END
I keep a spreadsheet of all the blogs I subscribe to. That way I can somehow begin to familiarize myself with future friends I may meet. I also do my own rating system. On my Bloglines reader, I edit the title of blogs to give them a 4 tier rating.
- Bad Read last
/ So-So Rarely read, if I have time
CAPS Good Read regularly
+CAPS Very good/Excellent I'm a follower and must keep up with.
For blogs that don't really keep me interested...yes they are out there. Sorry, I'm not interested in your outings with your grand kids, or endless touristy stuff.
Sample: Bad
-RV'ing to visit Grandkids. See that minus mark? Those with this mark are the last I read, if I have time. Eventually if they continue to not pique my interest, I'll unsubscribe and
Sample: So-So
/100 parks in 100 days. The slash mark means so-so. On my spreadsheet the font is gray. These I rarely read and usually eventually downgraded to minus and unsubscribe.
Real link: Good
+Beluga's excellent adventure I have only started reading this blog and I like his writing so far. So he gets a plus sign. As I continue to follow Beluga, I may upgrade to must read. These good blogs are in bold on my spreadsheet.
Real link: Very Good-Excellent
+IT'S A COZY LIFE These blogs I find interesting. They usually cover more than just RV'ing, but have other interests that I relate to. These blogs are people I would really like to meet because I already feel I know them and would have a nice time around the campfire. These blogs I check every day. They are in Bold & larger font on my spreadsheet.
I move the + blogs to the top on my alphabetical list, above the A's on my Bloglines reader. They are the first in the list and the first I read. Probably too much detailed info. Sorry.
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BROWSING THE WWW:// continued
As mentioned above, I just started following Beluga's excellent adventure. I'm still finding out about their personalities and what they like to do. They are FT & have 2 larger dogs (play date?). They also are birdwatchers. I found this very interesting.
From Beluga's Excellent Adventure post of 3/17/13
On our way back from our last "Crane walk" we stopped by the Great Horned Owls in the barn. I wanted to find an Owl pellet to dissect and Mr. Owl happily obliged. I picked up my prize with a kleenex and we took it back to share with Paul and Nina. After flooding it with water, we discovered a few tiny bones, lots of fur and a cool little skull with its jaws and teeth intact! Once again, small pleasures. I didn't take any pictures, didn't want to gross you out......
I found that very interesting! Like checking the stomach contents without cutting the animal open. I think I would have had to keep that little skull and maybe made a pendant out of it.
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PETS:
Although this park is dog friendly with large and small dog parks, our neighbor seems to be more of a cat lover.
The left sign says, "Here lies Mr. Cooper. He didn't use the pooper scooper.
The right sign says something like, "Here lies Cold and Hard, the last dog who pooped in this yard."
They may like dogs, but not dog poop in their yard. Very understandable. Our neighbor is a permanent in a small manufactured type home the size of an RV. We see her cats looking at us from their perch on the window sill. When I say "we", I mean myself and Devin. Oh crap! Devin sees the cats. All hell breaks loose. He's barking, yelping pulling on his tether to try to get to them. He's fixated! We have to resort to the mean, scary spray bottle.
It's been many weeks since our dogs have had a bath. Ya really got to be a dog lover to put up with all the dirt dragged in by them, not only in the RV, but also in OUR bed. Of course they sleep with us!
Desert Trails RV park has a dog washing station. Oh thank you so much! After a romp in the park dog run, I gave Devin a bath and then Lyla. Devin was such a good boy. He climbed right up the steps onto the grooming table and just let me soak him down, suds him up and rinse him off. Lyla on the other hand refused to climb the stairs, so "Mom" had to bend over and wash her while she was just standing. My pants got soaked of course, but it was better than washing them in our little shower in the RV. We do have an "outside shower" with hot & cold water, but these sites are so close together, I'd be washing the dogs in our neighbor's site.
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| I may be clean, but I'm not happy. |
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RESTAURANT REVIEW: sort of...
Our rating 4 out of 5
We headed to Himmel Park in Tucson, AZ for a Food Truck Roundup. When we got there at 3pm there were about 6 trucks present. There could have been more earlier in the day. Food trucks are known to run out of food early and depart.
This was quite a drive from our RV park, but we've never been so wanted the experience.
Smokin' Hot BBQ Since it was St. Patty's day, they also offered Corned Beef. Scott had a Smoked Reuben and I had a Malarkey or something like that. Very good corned beef that was smoked! Yum! My sandwich had corned beef, provolone, slaw on roll. The roll was very fresh and delicious. Great corned beef. I didn't taste the cheese at all. Over all a great sandwich for 8 bucks.
You Sly dog was a cool hot dog truck. Each hot dog combo had a cute name with a dog (canine) pictured.
Scott had "The Sonoran". I had planned on getting one of these later in the week, but after one bite of Scott's, that was enough. This is a bacon wrapped hotdog, with beans, tomatoes, onions, mustard, mayo and maybe I forgot what else. I love the mexican rolls it's served in, but it just too much confusion in my mouth.
Scott had the sauteed mussels. Delicious! He sopped up all the broth with the bread.
Truckin Good Cupcakes by the time we finished our main course, the cupcake truck left. I was full anyway.
Very good experience. If you visit Tucson, be sure to check the Food Truck Roundup page for their schedule of where they'll be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BOOK REVIEW:
Heat Wave by Richard CastleMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Recommended by my husband. Good choice.
Suspense, mystery, and some romance...well really some light sexual tension tossed in. The main character is a female homicide detective. She's tough, with a barely visible soft side and a realistic character. Overall good murder mystery.
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WHERE WE'RE GOINGMar. 28 - Apr. 10, 2013 Dead Horse Ranch State Park - Cottonwood, AZ
Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ
NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014
Sunday, March 17, 2013
I am not a Sardine
Mar 14 - 27, 2013 Desert Trails RV Park - Tucson AZ 85735
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HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY
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| Our Ryley 2001-2011 |
RV LIFE:
We arrived at Desert Trails RV Park on Thur 3/14/13 (Happy Birthday little Bro!)On our 4 hour drive here, we stopped at a rest stop for some more water for Scott. As he pulled in, he lost his power steering and power brakes! Oh crap. We called our mechanic in NJ, Ray's Service Center. He has been a great mechanic through our many used vehicles. He said it's probably the steering fluid pump which also pumps fluid to the brakes. Our belts were all still ok. Since we were "only" 60 miles from our destination, Scott decided to take it easy and get to our destination and worry about the truck later. But as soon as we started up again, all has been fine. Huh? What do we do?
It's a good thing we had power steering because there's no way Scott could have maneuvered into our site without it.
Here's Scott account from his Facebook page:
Seems like it's always something. After leaving Deming, NM on our way to Tucson, AZ, another little truck problem. About 60 miles from our destination, I decided to pull into a rest area for a cool drink. As I pull onto the ramp and headed into the rest area, the truck seems to be steering hard. Damn, the brakes aren't working to well either. UH, OH. We pull in and park, I pop the hood expecting a broken belt. The belts look good, fluid levels are fine, no warning lights, I don't know. So, I call our Mechanic, Ray, back in Neptune, NJ and tell him about the problem. The steering pump, which also works the power brakes might be bad. After talking with him, I decided to slowly head into Tucson, straight down I-10. I'd just take it easy and leave plenty of space for stopping.
So, we started it up and pulled out. No problems, everything was working fine and did for the rest of the trip. Now to decide what to do about it.
Desert Trails RV Park is PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES, well worse. At least sardines are lined up uniformly.
This place has sites at all which way angles and very, very close together. They did give us a choice of 3 sites, so we took a walk around and checked them out.
The first site we weren't even sure if it was a site at first. The person next to the site, was using "our" site's picnic table and had their truck parked where our RV would be, right behind the dumpster. The second choice was a fairly easy back in, between two other close RV's. The third was also close, but actually had more room and some bushes in the back acting as a screen to the RV's behind us. So we chose this site. But Scott had to back in at such an angle. I don't know how he did it. I'm proud of him.
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COMPUTER STUFF: Google Reader
The big talk is that Google Reader will be
no more as of July 1st, 2013.
I must admit, I've used Google Reader as my crutch, not even exploring other options, But now I'm forced to. I really don't want to research and research. So I did a quick search and decided on Bloglines for my new feed reader. The transition was surprisingly easy. I downloaded my Google subscriptions with Google Takeout. This automatically made a file of all my Google Reader files. I then registered on Bloglines, clicked add content, then import. Bam! Everything was there. Even my folders. Easy peasy & looks similar to Google Reader. I don't need no stinkin Google Reader!
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SIGHTS:
City of Rocks State Park - Faywood, NM 88034
Our rating 4 out of 5
This rating is just for visiting and hiking the park, not for the RV park. What a cool place! In the middle of all this flat desert, up pops these weird formations.
These are lava flows from 34 million years ago. I cannot understand how they can figure that out. But these columns of lava are layered, so they peel and flake off eventually through the years, forming all these odd shapes. Really interesting. There are all kind of cubby holes to cool off in and have a peaceful afternoon.
There are 20 RV sites with W&E. No sewer and no dump station. These sites are all together but nice spacing in between and all have a sun shade over the picnic table.
If you can do without hook ups, then you're in for a treat! There are some unique sites, some that will accommodate large RV's.
Don't expect the primitive sites to be level, but the privacy given by the lava rock columns is well worth it. If you have a Class C with some solar panels, this is a must place to stay.
Mar. 28 - Apr. 10, 2013 Dead Horse Ranch State Park - Cottonwood, AZ
Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ
NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014
It's a good thing we had power steering because there's no way Scott could have maneuvered into our site without it.
Here's Scott account from his Facebook page:
Seems like it's always something. After leaving Deming, NM on our way to Tucson, AZ, another little truck problem. About 60 miles from our destination, I decided to pull into a rest area for a cool drink. As I pull onto the ramp and headed into the rest area, the truck seems to be steering hard. Damn, the brakes aren't working to well either. UH, OH. We pull in and park, I pop the hood expecting a broken belt. The belts look good, fluid levels are fine, no warning lights, I don't know. So, I call our Mechanic, Ray, back in Neptune, NJ and tell him about the problem. The steering pump, which also works the power brakes might be bad. After talking with him, I decided to slowly head into Tucson, straight down I-10. I'd just take it easy and leave plenty of space for stopping.
So, we started it up and pulled out. No problems, everything was working fine and did for the rest of the trip. Now to decide what to do about it.
Desert Trails RV Park is PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES, well worse. At least sardines are lined up uniformly.
This place has sites at all which way angles and very, very close together. They did give us a choice of 3 sites, so we took a walk around and checked them out.
The first site we weren't even sure if it was a site at first. The person next to the site, was using "our" site's picnic table and had their truck parked where our RV would be, right behind the dumpster. The second choice was a fairly easy back in, between two other close RV's. The third was also close, but actually had more room and some bushes in the back acting as a screen to the RV's behind us. So we chose this site. But Scott had to back in at such an angle. I don't know how he did it. I'm proud of him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMPUTER STUFF: Google Reader
The big talk is that Google Reader will be
I must admit, I've used Google Reader as my crutch, not even exploring other options, But now I'm forced to. I really don't want to research and research. So I did a quick search and decided on Bloglines for my new feed reader. The transition was surprisingly easy. I downloaded my Google subscriptions with Google Takeout. This automatically made a file of all my Google Reader files. I then registered on Bloglines, clicked add content, then import. Bam! Everything was there. Even my folders. Easy peasy & looks similar to Google Reader. I don't need no stinkin Google Reader!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SIGHTS:
City of Rocks State Park - Faywood, NM 88034
Our rating 4 out of 5
This rating is just for visiting and hiking the park, not for the RV park. What a cool place! In the middle of all this flat desert, up pops these weird formations.
These are lava flows from 34 million years ago. I cannot understand how they can figure that out. But these columns of lava are layered, so they peel and flake off eventually through the years, forming all these odd shapes. Really interesting. There are all kind of cubby holes to cool off in and have a peaceful afternoon.
There are 20 RV sites with W&E. No sewer and no dump station. These sites are all together but nice spacing in between and all have a sun shade over the picnic table.
If you can do without hook ups, then you're in for a treat! There are some unique sites, some that will accommodate large RV's.
 |
| This site was a pull thru for big rigs. |
This site would be great for a Class C.
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PET PEEVE: NYC's pending law on sweetened beverages. (Overturned)
This is from Lori Borgman's website | Monday, March 11, 2013
I would really encourage you to check out her website. She is a great writer.
How about some coffee, Sugar?
New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to ban sugary sodas fizzled when a judge struck down the ban. Bloomberg’s restrictions were so detailed that some establishments had already created colorful posters with graphics and pictures to explain to the children, I mean the customers, what they could and could not do.
Mommy Bloomberg, I mean Mayor Bloomberg, planned to institute regulations that would jolt morning coffee drinkers. Servers would no longer have been able to add sugar to large or extra large coffee for customers. Customers would have to add the poison themselves. After adding the sugar, perps would then sit in the time-out corner for 15 minutes, or until they were willing to look Mommy Bloomberg in the eye and say they were sorry.
I’m just kidding about the time-out corner. How ridiculous. A far better idea would have been for offenders to write “Sugar is bad for me” 100 times on a smart phone or a tablet. Perhaps photos of repeat offenders, along with their name, weight, waist size, BMI and home address could be distributed to news outlets.
In addition to banning sugary sodas over 16 ounces and forcing customers to sweeten their own hot beverages, the new regulations further decreed that New Yorkers would be forced to add their own sugar to their iced beverages as well. The same would have been true for sweet artificial flavors. If you wanted a shot of coconut, orange, cherry, hazelnut, mocha or caramel in your drink, it would be by your own hand and of your own doing, or undoing, according to the Mayor’s perspective.
On the up side, potty breaks would still be allowed at the top and bottom of the hour. Rest time would be from 2 until 2:20. Bring your own towel or mat from home.
Many establishments have been forced to change the sizes of their beverages in anticipation of the new regulations. One can only imagine the chaos this would create at Starbucks, where a tall is already a small, a grande is really a medium, and a venti may get you five-to-life.
One thing that would not change? All New Yorkers would still be encouraged to wash their hands after using the lavatory, cover their mouths when coughing, and say please and thank you.
It is hard to fathom where the Mayor might strike next. Alcohol sales restricted to those little bottles the airlines sell? Rationing pizza? Selling carb credits to the golden arches? Labeling chocolate as a controlled substance?
My deepest red, white and blue condolences to freedom-loving, coffee-slurping, soda-craving Americans being treated like imbeciles. It is a nanny state—as well as a very sorry state—when citizens are forced to give up the fundamental liberty of determining what they eat and drink.
Think long and hard before waving the white paper napkin of surrender.
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I've been typing this post outside in the late afternoon in the shade. Even though it is hot, there is a nice breeze to make it comfortable. The sun has now gone down, the temp has cooled dramatically. It is dark all around except for the glow of the computer screen and the citronella candle.
There is a hint of bagpipe music playing somewhere in the distance at another site. What a wonderful life I have. I've got to remember this moment when I start complaining about the heat tomorrow.
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WHERE WE'RE GOING~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mar. 28 - Apr. 10, 2013 Dead Horse Ranch State Park - Cottonwood, AZ
Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ
NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014
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