May 4, 2013 - Mogollon Rim Drive

The Mogollon (pronounced Mug - e - oon) Rim is a beautiful drive all though it is dangerous in spots - no guardrail and sheer drop-offs , 41 miles along a gravel forest road, there are many vantage points to see the pine forest below, we encountered many campers and vehicles. we averaged about 15 mph for the 41 miles. After a beautiful drive we drove on to Payson where we had a wonderful meal at Tiny's, we also were able to put down a couple bets on the Kentucky Derby, didn't win...

Apr 1, 2013 - April Fool's Day

Everything went like clockwork this morning. The engine started right up, the slides came in and the jacks came up without a problem. The first shutdown was perfect. Tom came to drive the rig to storage and Kathy, his wife , was to follow in their car so I wouldn't have to drive him back to the park ( my car is loaded and I doubt there was room for him to sit). Tom put the key in the ignition - nothing. He tried again and it made a funny noise but started so off we went. Tom parked in my assigned spot at the covered RV place and then he...

Nov 3, 2012 - Here, there, and everywhere.

I better write something, before I forget everything. As some of you know, I have a horrible internet connection, so am never sure what is getting out. We went up, and I do mean UP, to Jerome the other day. It is an old mining town that the "hippie, artsy people have taken over. IT IS WONDERFUL! All kinds of neat things to see, and do. Not to mention the views. There is an old run down building for sale in town. It is only $395,000. Wow. We also went to Tuzigoot Ruins (two-see-whoot). So much history to explain. You will all just have to do...

Oct 29, 2012 - Montezumas Castle, and Forest RD 300

Well, we talked with a fellow in the park, and he told us some things to do. He worked for the search and rescue here for 12 years, so he knew all the "good spots". He told us to go up the Forest Rd. along the rim of the Mogollon Canyon. The first 5 miles were hairpin turns up the mountains. It was VERY rough, and we considered turning around. But, we kept saying, "lets give it one more mile". We are so glad we did. After about 7 miles, we were on the top of the rim. It was 8,000' up. And what a spectacular view. He told us he thought it...

Jun 23, 2012 - Mogollon Rim Country

We reached Payson, AZ, on Thursday - after an emergency trip to the vet for one of the dogs in Prescott. Rosie was having back pain and is now under meds for a bulging disk. Luckily, we packed all the current (home) vet info for both dogs! And our friends' vet in Prescott was wonderful. Anyway, back to Payson. We are now traveling along the Mogollon Rim which is a portion of the massive Colorado Plataeu. Getting here along Rt. 260 meant the RV was mostly in down-shift, tow-drive and/or braking. Gary is doing a great job learning all the...

Oct 31, 2009 - Payson, AZ

The drive from Heber-Overgaard only took about 1 1/2 hours, dropping down out of the "Rim Country" into the valley of Payson, AZ. Payson is a nice town nestled 2000 feet below the Mogollon Rim which rises above 7000 feet. The Mogollon Rim and the Grand Canyon are said to be Arizona’s two most spectacular landforms. Formed 600 million years ago, the 200-mile long “Rim” was named after Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollon, governor of New Mexico in the early 1700’s, when the area, which then included Arizona, was under Spanish rule. Rim Country sits...

Aug 10, 2009 - Birds and Buns

I am embarassed to say that I didn't know how the tow feature worked, after all I have sold cars and trucks for 15 years. With one caveat, the very few big diesel trucks that I've brokered for clients were replacement trucks and the buyers already knew the features. When we pulled horse trailers in my youth we never ventured farther than the flat snaking roads of south Arizona. No need for the towing gear and frankly I don't think it had been invented yet. (No need to regale me with information regarding the origins of the modern towing...

May 19, 2009 - Driving North in Arizona

Today we left Tucson, after a nice visit with my brother and his family, and headed for Sedona. We made a stop in Chandler, Arizona, and enjoyed lunch and a wonderful visit with my friend, Heavenly. It has been a long time since we’ve seen each other (although we have kept up via phone and email) so what a treat it was for me to be able to give her a hug in person! She is still as kind and beautiful as ever. After our visit with Heavenly we climbed back into Clyde and headed north. We didn’t make it to Sedona today, as planned, but ended up...

Jun 14, 2008 - HOME SWEET HOME…

Saturday, June 14, 2008 We traveled a total of 2,900 miles and found our way back to Payson, AZ. The final day seemed long but once we got to the top of the Rim and headed downhill – it was no time at all before we drove through town and on to HOME! Chandler was so glad to be in his own backyard – the squirrels will be “barking” at him tomorrow because they’ve had the run of the yard without him chasing them up a tree. We hope everyone had fun traveling along with us each day. I think I will use a different blog or go back to the one I used...

May 26, 2008 - Packing Up - Getting Ready to Hit the Road

Today we are loading up more stuff into the RV getting ready to leave on Saturday morning. I've got all the clothes sorted out - taking cold/hot weather clothes so we can layer - depending on the weather. Hot days and cold nights is what we're expecting. Everyone is getting excited about the trip. We're the only ones in our small group that have been on extended trips - not just weekend trips like the others mainly do. We're be traveling with FOUR dogs plus any others when we arrive in Colorado Springs and see how many others are traveling...

Apr 18, 2008 - Tonto National Bridge State Park

We drove up to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. The park is about 10 miles north of Payson. The water and rock have worked together to create the worlds largest natural travertine bridge. We went into the cave, and the further we went we started to get wet. I guess water was seeping through the ceiling rock and raining down into the ponds. It was a beautiful spot and again we were surprised we found this in Arizona only a couple of hours from the desert. To walk down the trail to go under the bridge is steep and rough. We were told to...

Apr 17, 2008 - Towards Flagstaff via Chiricahua

Up early this morning and on the road by 8.00am. Decided against having breakfast at hotel, not included as is usual, and what was on offer wasn't very appetizing. Today Chirachua NP was on the itinery. Stopped at the Visitors Centre where we looked around the shop and purchased some cards and a book about the National Parks of Arizona, Utah and California. Then up the winding road to Sugarloaf Mountain Trail. Here we parked and then took the trail to the top, a height of 7000 ft and a mile from car park. At top were another couple who got...