Day 19 Wed Nov 27
ARIZONA SOUTH (Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma)
I stopped in Quartzite hoping to fix my pigtail connection but no RV store had 7-wire cable (and Quartzite was a pretty depressing place with no data connection) so I continued to Phoenix and an RV dealer with the cable. It was dangerous driving with no brake or signal lights especially in a traffic jam before Phoenix.
I luckily found an empty lot next to the RV place to park, used my jacks to raise the camper, and found the pigtail completely detached. It was an easy fix.
After a week of continuous problems, I had finally fixed them all.
Day 20 Thur Nov 28 American Thanksgiving
I took the day off for a much-needed rest.
Day 21 Fri Nov 29
PHOENIX
Phoenix Art Museum. Exhibits include Charles Gaines and his four methods of producing art, Philip Curtis (Arizona scenes) and a good exhibit on American Art. $28, $25 reduced
Heard Museum. Showcases First Nations art – Indian sculpture, photography by Merle McMaster, a Canadian photographer, beaded shoes, creation stories, boarding schools, and many great baskets. $26, $21 reduced
Arizona Capitol Museum. In the old state legislature, interesting exhibits in blacks in the armed forces called Buffalo units, the USS Arizona (great silver). Free
ON Parking lot of the Arizona Capital Museum. State Troopers kicked me out at about 4 am.
Day 22 Sat Nov 30
The Town Lake Pedestrian Bridge, Tempe has four spans, each 228 feet long, and connects Town Lake’s north and south shores for pedestrians and bicyclists at the Tempe Center for the Arts. It is lit in vibrant blue hues after dark. It is 12 feet wide and 34 feet tall. 32 metal cables suspend its arches. In total, there are 128 steel cables, which crisscross each other and add to the bridge’s distinctive shape.
A dam next to the bridge across the Salt River produces Town Lake. An Indian Holiday Market was being held in the Tempe Centre.
Arizona Biltmore Resort is a historic resort that opened in 1929 (Clark Gable and Carole Lombard often stayed in room 1201 (now known as the Clark Gable room) which was right next door to the Mystery Room. Their room had a secret passageway to the Mystery Room. The room is now used for meetings and conferences. The Tequila Sunrise cocktail (tequila, Crème de Cassis, freshly squeezed lime juice and Club Soda) was invented there.
The Gold Room has a gold leaf ceiling and two murals on the walls by Maynard Dixon. The Aztec Room was the original ballroom and has a gold leaf ceiling and copper beams and was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Catalina Pool was Marilyn Monroe’s favorite.
Hotel San Carlos. Built in the Italian Renaissance style and opened in 1928. Over the past 43 years, Melikian and his family have owned, operated and lovingly restored the San Carlos Hotel to its original splendour. Celebrities include Mae West, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Marilyn Monroe and Gene Autry. There are reportedly ghosts.
CHANDLER
Chandler Museum. Great art by a Marvel illustrator, Alex Ross, the Tumbleweed Xmas Tree, Indian residential schools. Free
I visited my cousin Lonnie and his wife who winters in Chandler.
ON Outside a Burger King on Highway 10.
Day 23 Sun Nov 1
Picacho Peak State Park. A great desert park showcasing Sonoran botany – Sajuaros, palo verde, cholla cactus (and much more). It was the westernmost conflict of the Civil War. A great video in the Visitor Centre. The Hunter trail ascends 1.6 miles to the top of Picacho Peak. The Sunset Vista Trail is 2.6 miles and more moderate.
TUCSON
Tucson Museum Of Art. A very good museum especially the exhibits on American West art, art of the Ancient Puebloans, Pueblos of New Mexico, Hopi, Mesoamerican and folk art of Peru. A great sculpture garden. $15, $12 reduced
Sosa-Carrillo-Frémont House is a historic adobe house built in the 1870’s. It is one of the oldest buildings in Tucson located in the downtown area and was built following the incorporation of Tucson in 1871 by the Government Land Office. It is a prime example of Sonoran and Territorial architecture with thick adobe walls. It is named after three of the home’s most prominent residents. The museum showcases what life and culture were like in 19th-century Southern Arizona) It is known locally for its association with John Charles Frémont, former Territorial Governor of Arizona, the name reflects the building’s association with several important families in the region’s history. Free
The house was originally listed on the National Register as the John Charles Fremont, Casa del Gobernador, House in 1971, but the official listing name was later changed to Sosa–Carrillo–Fremont House to better reflect the building’s association with several important families in the region’s history.
Jewish History Museum. Jews first settled in the Tucson area in the 1880s and this is in the Emanual Synagogue built in 1910. Watch videos of the history of Jewish settlement in south Arizona, pews and a lecture, nice stained glass (not original). The separate Holocaust museum has the usual history, many photos with vignettes. Free
Rattlesnake Bridge is a 280-foot (85 m)-long footbridge over Broadway Boulevard between Iron Horse Park and Aviation Bikeway. It looks like one of the area’s endemic rattlesnakes. An artist named Simon Donovan designed the bridge, which cost $2.5 million to build in 2002. The snake’s eyes originally lit up at night, and the south end of the bridge has a huge rattle that makes a sound as travellers exit. The interior of the bridge is lit at night.
Tucson Botanical Garden. Desert plants with many succulents – saguaro, cholla, barrel – many kinds of yucca, palo verde.
Kartchner Caverns. Tours were booked out on a Sunday. $23
St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church, Sierra Vista. Built in 2006, it has lovely wood beams and ceiling, nice polychromes and coloured bas-reliefs for the Ways of the Cross. The original parish church dating from 1955 is next door.
Fort Huachuca Museum. This is an army base and only accessible if an army member or with special permission.
ON Sierra Vista, Arizona. A great place to park at a shopping centrer (where the don’t wake you up and kick you out in the morning.
I was able to install my Sirius Satellite radio in the camper so now have access to all my favourite news and music channels.
Day 24 and 25 Mon, Tue Dec 2,3
OMG when will the problems stop? On the morning of Dec 3 and 4th, the truck wouldn’t start with the batteries completely drained (10.8 and 9.1 volts) and the camper batteries overcharged at over 13 volts. It is not good for either batter. After jump starting, I was able to get going. I went to an Autozone and the truck batteries were both 100% even after being discharged. I stayed in Sierra Vista both days so that things could be fixed before entering Mexico.
Rather than disconnecting the pigtail every time I stopped, I eventually removed the auxillary wire (12 V) on the pigtail so that I lose the charging when driving and will have to rely on my solar panel.
BISBEE
Bisbee Grand Hotel. In Old Bisbee, this hotel was built in 1906. The saloon (registration desk and restaurant) has the original tintype ceiling.
The Bisbee Seance Room. Some tarot in the front and a comedy/magic show in the evenings on Saturday and Sundays.
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum. A great museum giving a good history of Bisbee and its role as copper mining community. There are wonderful examples of crystal rocks from the mines that were apparently transferred back from the Smithsonian. $10, $9 reduced.
Muheim Heritage House. Open on Saturday and Sunday.
I drove from Bisbee to the crossing into Mexico at Naco. There was no ability to register my vehicle and likely few resources (telephone SIM) in Naco, Mexico, so I turned around and drove to Douglas, Arizona. Arriving at 14:30, I decided to overnight in Douglas and leave for Mexico in the morning so that I could get to Chihuahua during the day.
ON Burger King parking lot in Douglas.
MEXICO NORTH
Day 26 Fri Dec 6
I crossed into Mexico at Agua Prieta early in the morning. There was no Banjarcito at this crossing so I drove east to Douglas. There they would not give a permit for the camper but didn’t explain why. I drove 4 hours east to the Santa Maria crossing just west of El Paso Texas – a great crossing with visa (FMM, 717 pesos), photocopying, banjarcito, bank and Mexico insurance. A banjarcito for a diesel truck can only be gotten a CIITS Juarez, about 35 km south. I went the next morning but they required a registration (not necessary or possible in British Columbia) so I returned to El Paso, renewed my T-Mobile data for a month (US$60) and started to drive towards Tucson.
Day 28 Sun Dec 8
Mission San Xavier del Bac is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Tucson on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino. This northern church or churches served the mission until it was razed during an Apache raid in 1770.
The mission that survives today was built between 1783 and 1797, which makes it the oldest European structure in Arizona. Labor was provided by the O’odham. An outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States, it is a well-known pilgrimage site, with thousands visiting each year on foot[4] and on horseback, some among ceremonial cavalcades or cabalgatas.
Extensive restoration occurred from 1992 to 2021 with traditional mud plaster incorporating pulp from the prickly pear cactus. This material “breathes” better and allows excess water to escape. The interior appears much in its original state, with brilliant colours and complex designs.
San Xavier has an elegant white stucco, Moorish-inspired exterior,[dubious – discuss] with an ornately decorated entrance. Visitors entering the massive, carved mesquite-wood doors are often struck both by the coolness of the interior and the dazzling colors of the paintings, carvings, frescoes, and statues. The architecture is entirely European, with no Piman influence on its Baroque style.
The dome above the transept is 52 feet (16 m) high, supported by arches and squinches. At least three different artists painted the artwork inside the church. It is considered by many to be the finest example of Spanish mission architecture in the United States.
Unlike the other Spanish missions in Arizona, San Xavier is still actively run by Franciscans, and continues to serve the native community by which it was built. The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, who have taught at the school since 1872, continue with their work and reside in the mission convent.
I drove through the reservation to Lukeville, the border crossing to Rocky Point. I didn’t cross into Mexico for several reasons (the high cost of Mexican insurance and mainly because I had decided to not go to the Baja).
ON Parking area for Organ Pipe NM with Telcel reception but no T-Mobile reception.
Day 29 Dec 9
I made an appointment to go to a dental clinic in Algodonas, Mexico to get much-needed dental care and drove to Yumal.
ON Arby’s parking lot in Yuma
Day 30 Dec 10
I parked in the large border parking lot ($10) and at Grace Dental Clinic had the bad molar removed and a bone graft done. It cost US$730 (he cancelled the $30 consultation fee as I proceeded with treatment). Equals about CA$1000, about 20% of what I was quoted by my orthodontist in Courtenay!!
Day 31 Dec 11
