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Posts from the ‘Arizona’ Category

In Search Of Relaxation and Improved Showers

Home for the next two nights

Home for the next two nights

Following a hearty breakfast with Gene and Sandy, Kelly and I begun what will be a week-long crawl back towards home base in Half Moon Bay.  This past week with Kelly parents and their respective spouses was great and we both are definitely glad we made the long drive this way.

One upside of this lengthy journey is that our location now affords ample opportunity to visit places new to us and even better – not overrun with hustle and bustle one will find elsewhere.  In fact, based largely on the glowing reviews of our pals over at WeaselMouth, we’ve gone out of our way to be out of the way … stopping for two days at the BLM campground Painted Rock Petroglyph.

Our destination today is only about 100 miles southwest of the hustle and bustle metropolis wherein we awoke this morning, but the area lies squarely in the midst of nowhere – just about perfect for our wants at the moment.  If you ever decide to visit the area, you’ll know you’re getting close once you pass the Space Age Lodge in Gila Bend, AZ … about 11 miles away.

Hotels rooms are out of this world

Hotels rooms are out of this world

Our campground is nothing more than a huge chunk of land – probably a few hundred acres in size and offers no amenities, less a picnic table and fire pit.  For many with RV’s this types of dry camping is not appealing, but for Kelly and me (and a few others here), these primitive campsites are just what we need to recharge – both mentally and physically.  Of course it helps that our Airstream is pretty self-contained, equipped with just about all the necessities to make for a more than comfortable stay.

Site #6

Site #6

Once we were set-up, we took a little walk – nothing major, but enough for Lilly to stretch her legs a bit and poke her nose into endless holes in hopes that she might come across a critter or two along the way.  (she came away empty-handed)

Lilly, waiting for me

Lilly, waiting for me

Upon returning, I had a simple modification to complete  — replacing the shower head.  I continually hear high praise for the Oxygenics BodySpa shower head and its magical abilities to deliver a quality shower with stingy water usage, so I figured this week in the desert would make for a fitting field test.

Our new shower weapon of choice

Our new shower weapon of choice

Swapping out the previous unit with this new one is about as easy a task as one could expect.  As per my usual cheap frugal self, I opted to save $10 bucks and went with white, not polished, so the new head unit doesn’t match the non-replaced hosing and bracket, but I really don’t care about the fashion of it all.  Rather, I’m far more interested in the water flow – something I’ll test tomorrow.

Function over fashion

Function over fashion

Once the “work” was complete for today, I set my attention towards more interesting matters – like watching the sunset in this beautiful area … Mother Nature’s Fantastic theatre in the sky.

Another fabulous desert sunset

Another fabulous desert sunset

Winding Down In Sun City West

Late this afternoon, I coaxed Kelly’s dad and his wife (Sandy) into a picture with Kelly and me.

Sandy, Kelly, me, & Gene

Sandy, Kelly, me, & Gene

Once the glamour shots were completed, Gene and Sandy hosted two other couples for dessert and a night of dominoes.  Having never played before, my skills were quite lacking, however I did manage to win one round.  That said, I also managed to finish another with 123 points.  Pathetic really.

Anyway, dessert was fabulous as was the evening overall.

A night of dominoes

A night of dominoes

This is our final night here in Sun City West (and civilization generally).  Tomorrow we depart for a week of dry camping in the Arizona and California desert, which should be awesome.

The House Of Joy

As I was tootling around Sun City West yesterday, I happened to stumble across a residence draped in an abundance of holiday cheer.  I knew right away I had to go back at night and view the display in full glory.

IMG_7033 - Version 2

The neighborhood attraction

While I was taking a few pictures, I thought it would be good to get a closer look at the details of the yard-art masterpiece.

As I approached, a few cars arrived and those exiting gave me no more than a glance before entering the house.  Interestingly enough, they didn’t seem to mind that I – a complete stranger – was milling around with tripod in hand, snapping pictures as I pleased.

Everyone is a bit more welcoming during the holidays.

Following this brief encounter, I snapped a few more pictures before deciding I should leave before causing some sort of scene.

That, and I was creeped out by the caroling manikins.

sing, sing, sing

sing, sing, sing

Deep Thoughts

Pondering

Pondering

Quick quiz … In the above picture, Kelly’s father (Gene) is thinking:

a)   If I added up all of the Snicker bars I’ve eaten, I wonder how many total calories have been consumed?

b)  I just kicked-ass on the golf course … damn I am good.

c)   Who’s cooler – the Lone Ranger or the Green Hornet?

d)  Why in the hell is that Airstream blocking my entire house?

Parked in Sun City West, AZ

Parked in Sun City West, AZ

(While each of these choices are easily plausible, the answer is B)

Today we left Tucson (and our hosts Barb & Steve) and drove to Sun City West in order to spend a few days with Kelly’s father (Gene) and his wife (Sandy).  As illustrated by way of the picture above, we have unhitched Mabel in front of Gene & Sandy’s home during our stay.

Things are pretty quiet around here, so I do not think the neighbors will mind  that our Airstream is occupying so much of the curbside parking.

Empty streets

Empty streets