Green Valley to Phoenix

After our wonderful visit to Tucson Mountain Park, it was time to head down to Green Valley (about 25 miles south of Tucson). My parents live there, so this was the perfect opportunity to sit still for a few weeks.

We once again stayed at the DeAnza RV Resort, same place as last year. It’s convenient to the parents and has some killer views.

The view from our campsite. Those are our shadows at sunset.

The view from our campsite. Those are our shadows at sunset.

The area has some wonderful Mexican Restaurants. So we forced (hah!) Janelle to visit some with us. Our favorite is Widsom’s Cafe, south of where we were staying. Watch out for those margaritas! They are STRONG.

2 for 1 Margarita day!

2 for 1 Margarita day!

Margaritas, chips and salsa.

Margaritas, chips and salsa.

Mexican food at it's best.

Mexican food at its best.

Cell service near the campground is iffy. To get a strong signal, you need to put the phone in the window of the RV. But not for much longer. Check out this new cell tower being installed near the campground. It’s, um…different.

This is a new Verizon cell tower near the campground! It holds ZERO water.

This is a new Verizon cell tower near the campground! It holds ZERO water, it’s just disguised as a water tank.

Immediately east of Green Valley is Madera Canyon.  We hadn’t been up there since Janelle was 1 1/2 years old.  Since I no longer have to carry her around, I was game to visit it again.  The canyon is located between two steep mountains.

Arizona has trees if you are at a high enough elevation.

Arizona has trees if you are at a high enough elevation.

Wait, is that the sound of running water?  That is very unusual to see…at least for us Springtime visitors.

Look what we spotted going up Madera Canyon! Yes, that's a skunk.

Look what we spotted going up Madera Canyon! Yes, that’s a skunk.

Another view from Madera Canyon.

The view from Madera Canyon.

The view from Madera Canyon

Another view from Madera Canyon

We celebrated Janelle’s 22nd birthday just before she left at the end of her break week.

The parents helping to celebrate Janelle's Birthday.

The parents helping to celebrate Janelle’s Birthday.

Happy 22nd Birthday Janelle!

Happy 22nd Birthday Janelle!

Janelle's Birthday...not the unique, custom made, wrapping paper on her gift.

Janelle’s Birthday…note the unique, custom made, wrapping paper on her gift.

We got some pool time in at the parents.  Their community has more pools than you can imagine.  This is my favorite.

Pool time at the parents.

Pool time at the parents.  I happened to be there alone at sunset.  You want to talk about relaxing!

The moon over the Santa Rita Mountains...this was our view from the campground.

The moon over the Santa Rita Mountains…this was our view from the campground.  Make note of the peak on the far right.  That is Mt. Hopkins which I will mention later.

MY dinner at In-N-Out burger.

We had to hit Costco again, which just happens to be near the In-N-Out burger.  This time I did get a picture of my Double Double burger.

Easter Sunday our last full day in Green Valley.  Jim and I decided to take a drive.  Remember how I mentioned Mt. Hopkins?  We decided to take a drive up the access road to the Whipple Observatory at the top.  When the kids were little, we took the official bus tour to the top.  We decided this time to see how far we could get up the road in our Jeep.

Whipple Observatory on top of Mt. Hopkins.

Whipple Observatory on top of Mt. Hopkins.

One lane dirt road to the top.

One lane dirt road to the top.

The view from halfway up Mt. Hopkins.

The view from halfway up Mt. Hopkins.

Up Mt. Hopkins.

Up Mt. Hopkins.  Yup those roads get narrow.

Alas, we didn’t go all the way up. We were crunched for time.  We got just far enough to see  those wonderful views.

We also took a drive around the copper mines in Green Valley.  You can’t see much of the mines, but we did spot a sign for the Caterpillar Proving Ground and Training Center.  Why did we never know this was here???  If they give tours, we are so going next year.  I would just have to keep Jim off the equipment.

Caterpillar training center sign!

Caterpillar training center sign!

Happy Easter!  We had a nice ham dinner with the parents.  I also did a bunch of laundry at their place.  Callie totally got a chuckle out of me taking my laundry home to the parents to get it washed.  It sounded awfully familiar!

The parents waving Hi!

The parents waving Hi.

Mom saved a bunny ear for me.

Mom saved a bunny ear for me.

It was now time to head to Phoenix.  We had a gift certificate for 3 free nights at a Cal-Am RV Resort there.  We had stayed at one of the Cal-Am properties last year and enjoyed it.  We thought we would give them another try.  And Free is FREE!!!

Jim likes to avoid the Interstate when at all possible.  This drive was no exception.  Welcome to the Pinal Pioneer Parkway.

Nice 2 lane road.

Nice 2 lane road.

The main claim to fame of this highway is that it is where Tom Mix died. Tom Mix was a famous movie star/cowboy during the silent picture era.  He died in a car accident…it was his own fault seeing how he was going 80 miles per hour at the time.  Someone thought him worthy of a memorial at the scene of his death.  It made a convenient stopping point for us for lunch.

Tom Mix Memorial

Tom Mix Memorial

Tom Mix Memorial

Tom Mix Memorial

The Tom Mix Monument and rest area.

The Tom Mix Monument and rest area.

That brings us to our current location, the Val Vista Villages RV Resort for our three free nights.  Like I said, we enjoyed a sister-resort last year.  This place is completely the opposite.  If you like being SQUEEZED into a campground with 1600 RVs and Park-homes, this is the place for you.   It’s NOT the place for us.  But Free is Free, and their pools are nice. But we will leave it at that. I’ve heard the phrase “camping at the dump station.” It could apply in this case.  You stop just long enough to dump your tanks, take on fresh water, and then move on to more scenic spots.

What a terrific view...NOT.

What a terrific view…NOT.

We’ve spent the few days here getting caught up on mail, paperwork, a conference call with our tax accountant, etc. Life doesn’t stop just because you are in an RV on the road.

The one thing this resort does have is a Fiber Arts Center. That means it has a HUGE room full of quilters and a place to set up your sewing machine and leave it there!

The "Fiber Arts Center" at the campground in Phoenix.

The “Fiber Arts Center” at the campground in Phoenix.

I spent a very enjoyable morning yesterday working on a Block of the Month that I was two months behind on. I was sandwiched between two nice ladies from Washington state. It was a nice change to be among fellow stitchers.

I'm caught up on my Nancy Zieman's Block of the Month!

I’m caught up on my Nancy Zieman’s Block of the Month!

That sums up the past two weeks. We are off next to Yuma, Arizona to get some solar panels installed on the roof. I see some serious boon-docking in our future!

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