On the road....
A first on this trip....we "camped" at a truck stop and also at 2 casino parking lots - great price (FREE) and lots of fellow campers for company! Notice the truck snuggled up next to Rose - the truck pulled up next to us during the night. What a surprise we had in the morning when we looked out the window and all we could see was the side of a truck!
The weather has been absolutely fabulous – sunny every day and thankfully it is still cool! Can’t imagine being here in the summer when it’s 110+ degrees…. A view from the casino in Palm Springs
One of our many border patrol inspections...
We've seen some beautiful desert sunsets while driving and at the "campground"
Highlights:
Tombstone
• The authentic western town from the mid 1800’s with all of its “colorful” history
• Re-enactment of the gunfight at the OK corral and other historical events in Tombstone
• Boot Hill
Saguaro National Park
• Seeing the giant cactus ( Like you see in the movies!)
• Learning about the Sonora desert and how the animals and plants adapt to the harsh environment
Tour of the “ Boneyard” at the Air force base in Tuscon and the Air and Space Museum
• Seeing ALL of the 4061 military planes that are “parked” in the desert ( including MANY F4s that Gary used to fly!) and a great display of all kinds of aircraft - Gary was in heaven!
Titan II Missile Silo and Rocket – the only one remaining after the SALT treaty with Russia
• Tour inside the silo with the Titan missile
• Simulation of a nuclear attack on the US and what the officers at the missile site were trained to do
Visiting Biosphere 2
• Learning about how the Biosphere2 facility ( Biosphere 1 is our earth) where 8 researchers lived in a completely sealed environment for 18 months to simulate if it would be possible to sustain life on Mars
Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs
• Learning about the Mojave desert and the Joshua trees
Next stop: The Pacific Coast from Morro Bay to Monterey! It’ll be great to see a lot of green trees, nice green grass and the pacific ocean ( thankfully the tsunami warnings have been canceled!)- my favorite color is green! Molly can't wait to have nice soft green grass again to "do her piddles" - she just can't get accustomed to the crunchy straw and dirt! Our plan is to drive around Los Angeles..Rose gets claustrophobic in big cities and we all prefer the countryside ( Gary and I have both been to LA and don't need to see it again) !!!