Tucson, Scene 4

This will be my last blog from Tucson -- at least for this year. I thought about calling it simply, "Hot." It was. That wasn't the case all week because we had some rather chilly days but yesterday and today it really felt like Arizona. We went to church at The Road. Yes, that's the name of the church. It's a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church -- Joyce wanted to touch her roots. The church was planted about 4 years ago and is slowly growing. After a quick lunch at Carl's Jr. we went to the Tucson rodeo. That's where it was hot -- probably about 85 where we were sitting. But it was great. Great weather, great rodeo, great time. Today was also hot -- or at least warm. Very nice.

Did you see the eclipse of the moon Wednesday night? Wasn't it fun? We saw most of it. Joyce P. has an 8 inch telescope so it was really neat looking at it. Only one problem. Clouds! Yes clouds in Arizona. I told them I could do this in Oregon. So when the eclipse was full, we couldn't see it. But we did get to see part of it. This picture is when it is almost full. The other is a picture of Saturn taken a few days before. Can you see the rings? Both of these were taken by just putting my camera lens on the telescope lens -- not very scientific but it worked. The Saturn picture is a little blurry.

On Friday, Jim and went to the Pima Air and Space Museum. I'm not all that excited about seeing a bunch of old planes but this place was good. They have a B-29 which flew in WWII. A guy who actually flew in that plane was there to tell us some war stories about it. Pretty neat! Do you know the SR-71 Blackbird which flies at over 2,000 miles an hour at 80,000 feet actually expands 6 inches because of the heat buildup? I didn't. It's one of those planes with a long fuselage in front of the wings so it looks like a goose flying. It was used as a spy plane.

Tomorrow we leave Jim's and Joyce's and head down Tombstone way. Maybe get into a shootout at the OK Corral. Here is a picture of where we have been for the past 24 days. To the left of this picture they have a beautiful view of the Catalina Mountains. So this is our world. It is marvelous. How's yours?

Tucson, Scene 3

It is Sunday evening at Mumau's Alpenlite Abode. All is quiet and cool with promises of a nice warm week. We had snow Friday but it was only a few minutes of great big flakes and didn't stick. The Catalina Mountians just to the east of us have snow on the tops. It did rain most of the day so Joyce and I went into town to see how Tucsonians handle the rain. Answer: the same as every where else. We stopped to eat lunch at a neat little sandwich shop next to the University of Arizona campus. It's called the "Which Wich." You place your order by marking what you want on a small paper bag. There are about 10 varieties such as turkey, traditional, grinder, and so on. Pick the bag you want -- then mark the particular kind of sandwich, kind of bread, cheese, and condiments. Take it to the counter, pay your money and in a few minutes your sandwich is in the bag ready for you. But I digress. We saw people braving the weather in rubber boots and flipflops, in heavey coats and tee shirts, with hats, umbrellas, and bare headed.

We were in that part of town to tour the Arizona Historical Museum and the Arizona State Museum. We only saw part of the latter because we spent so much time in the former. But we'll get it another time -- maybe next year. We're thinking of coming back but more about that another time.

The explanation for this picture is that we went to Tubac this week. It is an old historic town which they have turned into a tourist trap -- err, I mean an eclectic artist community selling lots of expensive stuff and a little affordable stuff -- paintings, jewlerey, pottery, basketry, and so on. It is the site of one of the first forts (presidios) in the area. We toured the remains of the original presidio and part of that area is an old school. So scholarly Joyce sat for a quick lesson in posing for the camera.

The other big thing we did this week was go to Biosphere 2. If you can remember back to the early 1990s, there was this big thing about building a self contained, sustainable colony. The result was a huge structure (actually a series of structures) made of glass and steel -- kind of like a giant hot house. They locked 4 men and 4 women inside for two years. They had lots of problems but they made it. A second group of 8 only made 6 months before outside circumstances (politics and money!) halted that effort. The place has been sold a few times but right now the University of Arizona owns it and are conducting plant-life experiements there. It is open to the public for tours so we went. It was really interesting because I remember the news media telling about these people -- they call them biospherians. Oh, we also had a two-for-one coupon. If you ever come to Tucson, be sure to buy the Tucson Passport -- only $15 and if you go to only a couple places you have your money back. I digress again. This obviously is Joyce with part of the biospere in the background. Why Joyce all the time? Because I'm taking the pictures and the ones she takes have too many pixals to work well in this blog.

Today I went to Casas Church with Jim. Joyce P is having some high blood pressure problems so Joyce M stayed home with her. It is a good church even if it is Baptist! They have a great mission mind-set. So we get set for the week ahead. God will be present. Will he not?

Tucson, Scene 2

Yes, indeed! The snow has passed, the rain is gone, the sun is out, and it is warm. Warm! Like short sleeve shirt warm. But that won't last. After all it is still winter at 2700 feet elevation. We had a great week getting acquainted with Tucson. Two biggy things were on our agenda plus a lot of little things.


One of the biggys was goint up to Kit Peak. This is a mountain top with 26 telescopes on it ranging in size from quite small to 4 meters across. My cousin Jim's wife is a docent there so we got a private tour on Tuesday. Her name is Joyce so I'll refer to her as Joyce P. to minimize the confusion between she and Joyce M. We didn't get to actually look through any of the telescopes because that is a special thing that requires lots of advance planning and money-- and darkness. But we were able to see inside some of them. Many of the telescopes are owned by universities around the country and some by private companies. There was snow on the ground as you can see by this picture. The elevation is almost 7,000 feet. Here you can see 3 of the 26 telescopes. The center one is for looking at the sun and the sloping side is for the light beam to travel way down into the ground, then back up about half way, then straight down to where it is viewed in the control room. The "donut" that Joyce and I are standing in front of in this next picture is a dummy lens made of concrete. It is about a foot thick and is 4 meters across. While they were setting up the telescope, adjusting everything, and making sure it would all work, this was used instead of the real glass lens. If something went wrong this was cheaper to replace! After it's career as a "dummy lens" it was set up for people to see how big the real lens is. It was Joyce P's idea to have an artist paint the scenes on it so... I don't know, so it would look nicer, I guess.

Saturday we took my uncle Ken to the Arizona Desert Museum. We had a lot of fun walking the paths looking at desert flora and fauna. We ate lunch there, watched the birds, prairie dogs, wolves, and big horn sheep. And I should add, etc., etc. My uncle Ken is my mom's little brother. Here he is with Joyce. He was a Free Methodist minister -- for many years in "interracial" evangelism in Louisiana, Texas, and Virginia. Interracial evangelism is what they called ministry to the black population back in the 40s and 50s. Then he served as a pastor in South Dakota and Oregon. After his wife died he moved to Tucson to be near his son and grandkids. We had lunch with him at the retirement home he is living in. You actually order off a menu like in a restaurant. Some items are the same each day, some are new. We had a choice of about eight entree items plus a soup, salad bar, dessert, and drink. Really, really nice living conditions. The Lord is blessing him for his years of faithful ministry. He is 92 years young and followed Joyce and I around like a kid. If only I can do this well.


Today we took Ken and went to the Tucson Free Methodist Church. Only it isn't in Tucson anymore. They relocated to Vail -- out in the desert. In fact their name is Footprints in the Desert. Too far to travel on a regular basis. After church we stopped at Colossal Cave for lunch (Mexican food on the patio) and a look at the museum and gift shop. Joyce and Ken didn't want to tour the cave but they let me go while they waited. It was "okay" -- not spectacular but some interesting things to see. We managed to make a full day of it.


So my world continues to be Tucson and it's neighbors. What size is your world? Take care and take notes.

Tucson, Scene 1

We now sit at my cousin's house on the northwest side of Tucson. Actually he doesn't live IN Tucson but that's his address. This is Jim and Joyce Park I speak of. He is my uncle Ken's son. Not only are we sitting here at his house, we are sitting here in the snow. Yes, snow! Well, not very much of it but enough to definately call it snow. Rather slushy and mostly gone by now. The hills across the little valley are covered. The storm will be gone by tomorrow and the weather guy says it will be 71 degrees by next weekend. Hope so.

We arrived in Desert Hot Springs a couple weeks ago in a strong wind and left a week ago in a strong wind. It sort of blew us in and blew us out. We traveled down the east side of the Salton Sea to an RV place called the Fountain of Youth. That would have been the place to hang out all winter and get youthful again but we looked around and the people didn't look very youthful so figured it didn't work very well. They had a few nice hot tubs and pools and we did our best to make use of them. They have an interesting system -- no reservations. You either get there early in the snowbird year or you wait in the overflow camping until a vacancy comes up. Every afternoon at 2:00 they have vacancy call in front of the office. We knew we weren't going to stay that long so we didn't bother but were told it could take 4 or 5 days to get a spot with hookups. We worked our way down to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in the very south of Arizona -- south of Ajo. It was fantastic. They have a big campground with level concrete pads right in the middle of all the cactus. There were no hookup but we only paid $6. One time we paid $45 for a place that wasn't even close to being that nice (except it had hookups).

We drove a 21 mile loop road that show-cased the most beautiful scenery with jillions of different cactus. Organ pipe cactus is 4 to 8 feet tall and grows in a bunch from the base. It is mainly in Mexico and this is the only place where it grows in the US. If we had known it would be so much fun we would have planned to stay longer. But had plans to be at Jim and Joyce's by early Saturday afternoon. One of their granddaughters was celebrating her birthday at a steak house called Pinnacle Peak. It is in a small western-themed "town" (off one of the main streets in Tucson) with street entertainment going on in the evening. It was fun and the food was good. And the sherrif caught the bad guys.

Jim and Joyce attend Casas Adobes Baptist Church so we went with them Sunday. It is large but they are attracted to it because it has a very active missions program. Jim and Joyce were Wycliff Bible Translaters in Surinam South America and are still working for Wycliff in the US. One of the ministries they have is serving lunch after church so we stayed for the meal. For $7.50 for the two of us, Joyce and I had a great meal of more than we really needed. I'm sure it is a lot of work to pull this off every Sunday but it is also the food venue for the school Casas sponsors.

So we are here in Tucson for awhile, come rain or snow or sleet or gloom of night. Unless there is too much snow!!! Our house has wheels you know! This where our world is expanding to. How about yours? Maybe it is the pastor in me but I notice churches everywhere we go. While we were driving through all those cactus in Organ Pipe I noticed there is even a church in the desert. Check out the next blog.

The Church in the Desert

It's amazing what one can find in the desert! Even a church. Have a look.

We're Still Here

Yes! She did it. Aren't you proud of Joyce? Saturday she got in one of these tram cars (below) and traveled to the top (almost the top) of Mt. San Jacinto. She doesn't particularly like heights or being on the edge of high things -- like the edge of the highway overlooking a steep drop off, or a tram car! But she decided she wanted to see the top so we did it. There had been clouds obscuring the view all week and a big rain storm predicted for Saturday evening but about noon the clouds mostly went away and up we went. You can see some clouds behind Joyce. Down on the valley floor is Palm Springs, or maybe it's Rancho Mirage. There was about 8 inches of snow up there and people going up to play in the snow -- sled, toboggan, snow shoe, and even ski.

Earlier in the day we went to the biggest street fair I've ever seen. The College of the Desert in the town of Palm Desert hosts at least 250 booths selling practically everything -- clothing, hats, belts, food, jewelry, nick-naks, car stuff, cosmetics, games, etc. etc. We were there about 3 hours looking, eating, and buying a few things. Weather was perfect.

Wednesday was the day we drove up to Joshua Tree National Park. It was a little cold, especially in the wind, but otherwise a great day. We drove thru the park, ate a picnic lunch, took pictures, and enjoyed the funny looking trees. We also hiked through a place called Hidden Valley. On Tuesday we visited the Living Desert Gardens and Zoo. It was so large and interesting we spent most of the day there. They have giraffes, camels, different kinds of deer, some African cattle, and a lot of smaller animals.

We did get rain last night and today so we decided to stay here another day. We worshipped at the Christian Center of Desert Hot Springs and then I took Joyce to a brunch at the Miracle Spa and Hotel for being so brave about the tram. Tomorrow it is on to places unknown.

God has made a beautiful world. And he made beautiful people. Some have retained that beauty but, sadly, some have let it be tarnished by other things. Let the beauty shine. This is my world. Love to hear about yours.

Traveling On

Things change and we let the wind blow us along. Originally we were to to leave Jana and Korak's today and go to Desert Hot Springs for a week. As things progressed we decided to leave Thursday. We made a reservation at Desert Pools RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs for 4 nights. At the beginning of last week the weather people were predicting Santa Ana winds for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. So we changed our plans, left Wednesday morning and headed east on I-10. We beat most of the wind; during the night there were winds high enough to blow trees over in one of the cities we passed through. It was windy where we were but not too bad.

So let me tell you where we were. Flashback: At the RV rally in Redmond last summer I entered a drawing for a new pickup. In October (or there about) I received a phone call that I won -- not a pickup, but 4 nights at an RV resort. Of course, it was one of those sales things; all we had to do was listen to a sales 90-minute presentation. The company is Western Horizons and they have quite a few locations so I chose the one that would help us on our way to Tucson. Well, to make a long story a little bit shorter, our dates got mixed up so I was going to pass on their offer. I had already made reservations at Sam's Family Spa and RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs for the week after we left the kid's in LA. When we decided to leave early, I called Western Horizons and they were delighted to host us (and try to impress us) for 4 nights. Then, because of the wind, we showed up a day early. They accommodated us, made their presentation, and almost made a sale. What they offered was really good but just not for us right now. So we stayed at their expense Wednesday night through Sunday morning, then moved 1/2 mile up the road to Sam's. Easy.

Sunday we attended 8:30 worship at Grace Church about 2 miles down the road, then moved the RV and watched football games. I'm bummed because neither of my teams won. I really didn't expect San Diego to win but really thought Bret Farve could do it. I don't really care about the Packers but I like Bret. So the Super Bowl will only be interesting to see if New England can remain unbeaten.

Since we have been here we have toured the area a little. It is not at all like I imagined. All these communities run together -- sort of -- and generally between Highway 111 and I-10. This includes Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and couple others. Desert Hot Springs is an exception; it is set apart from the others, north of I-10. We have to drive 12-20 miles to get to anything we want to see. I always thought this area would be real swanky. It does have it's spots but it also has lots of plain ole down home places, too. When you look at a map, one of the things that stands out is the number of golf courses. I haven't counted them, but there must be 30 or 40 -- from the private county clubs to the public courses. Green fees run from about $65 and up. And I mean UP! Glad I gave up golfing.

Saturday we drove up to Churaco Summit about 40 miles east of here to see the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum. For anyone interested in history this is a must-see. The reason for this location is that near the beginning of WWII General Patton set up a desert training center there. The history of that whole area is very interesting. But mostly we have been enjoying the hot tubs. Both of these RV parks have hot mineral water feeding these tubs and pools. It's supposed to be very healthy to sit in. I don't know about that, but they sure are nice.

A word about the weather. Temperatures have been rather cool and, I'm told, cooler than usual for this area -- in the 60s during the day, 40s at night. When the wind blows and your swimming suit is all wet, cool isn't the word for it. It is just plain cold! But then, warmer than Grants Pass. This week is supposed to be even cooler and maybe a little rain. We'll see.

So this is our new world for a few days. Just to let you know.

The Elation

Boy, it seems like this week has gone fast. We took a 7-part trip this week with the middle part being the biggest (and the reason for all the others). But, before I go into that I feel I need to make a disclaimer. All of these things I tell about are not to brag. This is simply a way to report what is happening in our lives. We feel so blessed to know the Lord is leading and maybe rewarding. Sometimes we do a lot and sometimes it's not very different from the usual hum-drum. The travel is fun for us -- well for me anyway. Joyce just kind of tolerates some of it. Throughout our lives together we never traveled very much. I went to the Holy Land once years and years ago. We made a couple of trips to the midwest and went to seminary in Kentucky. But other than a few things like that, we stayed pretty much at home. As time went on our grandkids lived in LA so that became the destination of choice. Others were taking vacations in Hawaii or traveling to England or visiting missionaries in Africa. We vacationed on the Oregon coast. So now we have the opportunity to do some traveling and we are enjoying it. So this is simply a report and our thanks to God for his blessings.

So what about this 7-legged trip? Last Monday Jana took us to the Greyhound bus terminal. We caught a bus for San Diego; took a taxi to the cruise ship terminal and boarded the Carnival Elation for a five day cruise. What a blast! Of course, Joyce wasn't so sure. She doesn't like boats and tends to get sea sick but she is a trooper and went along with it. So, what do I think of cruising? Not too bad! Not too bad, at all. On the negative side (I'll tell that first so we can end on the positive) -- if you like to gamble, the casino is always open. If you like to drink, there are multiple bars and at least one is always open. If you like to dance and party, something is going on every evening. And if you like to eat, there is food everywhere all the time. Actually that one is a positive because the food was really good. In our dining room on formal night we had lobster and shrimp. Other nights, steak, salmon, chicken, etc. A buffet was open most of the time, ice cream and pizza all the time. Delicious. Too delicious. We won't talk about the pounds I gained.

Our boat only visited two ports: Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. Of course we had been to Ensenada many times with the church work team but never from this point of view. Cabo was new to us. We did not do any of the special shore trips but we did walk into town and bought some tee shirts. There was lots of time for relaxing, reading, sitting in the sun (if you could find a spot out of the wind) or enjoying the hot tub -- which was really a warm tub. The evening revue shows were really good. We went el cheapo and asked for an inside cabin. What we got was an outside cabin with two port holes for windows -- not the larger window of a regular outside cabin. However it was in the bow so we felt more ship movement. The first night was rough and Joyce got sick. I survived but just barely. After that she did okay. She wore the patch and we bought her the bracelets -- all this helped.

The ship returned to San Diego Saturday. Another taxi ride, bus ride, and Jana ride. Those are the 7 legs of our trip. Would we cruise again? Yes, but not for awhile. Joyce even says she would go again. Next time we would try another cruise line just to see the differences even though we have no complaints with Carnival. Even going el cheapo, it all adds up to costing money. The whole experience -- basic cruise, tips, stuff we bought, bus, taxi, etc totaled about $1,000. I know that isn't too bad compared to some cruises that are longer but it is still big money to us. And we could easily have doubled that if we bought a lot of drinks, gambled, played bingo, or spent a lot in the shops.

And so it goes. Our world floats sometimes. In fact, it feels like we are still floating. The older I get the longer it takes to get my land legs back. So float along with us. This week we head to Desert Hot Springs. Stay tuned.

This is the Elation tied up to the pier in Ensenada. If you are able, can you see the row of little port holes that run to the rear of the ship starting between the words Carnival and Elation. They are in sets of two. Our cabin was the fourth set toward the back, just before the big windows.