SCOTTSDALE
We traveled to Scottsdale a little earlier this year and we almost came too early since it actually snowed there a week before, as everyone there kept telling us. The players hadn't gotten in much work and looked rusty as a result. It was still great fun and our 'road trip' to the Maryvale park to see the Giants play the Brewers was a special treat.The Brewers' American Family Park had just re-opened after renovations and everything about the place was just perfect. The Brewers' fans were in a good mood and weren't even too upset that the Giants won the game. That's probably because they have high hopes for the coming season since the team missed going to the World Series by just one game last year. It also helped that they were there in Arizona instead of Wisconsin.
We spoke with a family that had been there since December but they were still well aware of the Polar Vortex that had just swept through their home area and were quite knowledgeable about the second one that was due there shortly (more on that in a bit).
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| Even the Milwaukee Sausages Come South for the Winter |
We always have a good time in Scottsdale and everywhere we've stayed there has been great in it's own way, but the Best Western Plus Sundial is the most fascinating place I've ever stayed in. It's well-located in downtown Scottsdale, just by Fashion Square, but that's the least of it.
I was quite taken with the over-all design and it didn't take long to realize why. I think it was the Sprite reproductions that greet you as you step off the elevator that really tipped me off.
We were treated to dinner by Nancy's cousin and his wife and the good conversation continued later into the evening when they returned us to the hotel. We made ourselves comfortable in the lobby and, certainly for me, this made for a great way to finish the visit.
Later, I finally read the hotel's self-description as "a 54-room contemporary boutique hotel designed in the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright." This is a place that had to be built in Scottsdale and I'm happy Nancy found it.
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| Reproductions of FLLW Sprites |
CASA GRANDE RUINS NM
From Scottsdale we headed south. There are a number of National Monuments along the way, but the Casa Grande Ruins are easily the most impressive. It's a little surprising to see an adobe cliff dwelling out in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.Built between the Salt and Gila Rivers, the complex included major irrigation projects and supported an extensive population of Ancient Puebloans who built a walled compound that included the four story great house that is the only structure still standing today.
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| Tour of Casa Grande Ruins Begins |
TFOB
We continued south to the University of Arizona and the Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB). I'm not sure what we expected but it was a major gala that really needed more time than we had alloted for it. In this era of e-books it was somewhat surprising that there were so many people there. Even the National Park Service had two major venues. |
| Sunny Saguaro, Mascot of Saguaro National Park at TFOB |
TOMBSTONE
From Tucson we headed farther south to Tombstone, AZ. This was the first of several kitschy tourist stops on this trip. Tombstone struck me as a larger version of Virginia City, NV, but to give credit where it's due, they do try to be somewhat historically accurate.Even though the gunfight is re-enacted three times a day, it does take place in the proper location. I must admit that I would also feel the need to shorten "The Gunfight at the Vacant Lot Across the Street from the OK Corral" to something a little simpler.
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| The Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday Prepare to Do Battle |
We then headed west and then north. As we drove up from the Texas flatlands to the mountain pass, we saw that second Polar Vortex coming toward us. It was a very eerie experience. The vortex itself was just cold Arctic air but when it mixed with the ground moisture it created a freezing fog. The road was clear and dry but the most of the trees and bushes were coated in ice.
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| Polar Vortex Being Held Back by Guadalupe Mountains |
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| Guadalupe's El Capitan and Polar Vortex |
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| Entering the Cold |
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| Ice Blossoms from the Polar Vortex |
GUADALUPE NATIONAL PARK
CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK
Guadalupe National Park is in Texas and Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in New Mexico but both are in the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupes are actually a marine fossil reef (400 miles long and the largest in the world, living or dead ... this is Texas after all) and Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas (8,751 feet).I thought Guadalupe Peak might be for Texans what Crater Lake is for Oregonians: a must do. But, while the hike back up to the rim from Crater Lake is tough, the hike to the Peak is described as a "seriously strenuous climb" that takes between 6 and 8 hours round trip. When I read that people who climb it say that "it's worth the effort," I knew they were lying.
. . .
Mammoth Cave may be the longest cave in the world, but the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns is the largest underground chamber in the United States. (It's only the 5th largest in North America and 31st world-wide, but still.) We opted to take the quick elevator (750 feet in 1 minute) rather than the mile-long hike through the natural entrance.
Carlsbad is my kind of cavern. I only had to duck once as we explored the mile and a half self-guided tour.
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| Walkway Through Cavern was Built Before CCC Came to Town |
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| The Great Room |
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| Detail View of Stalagtites and a Column |
From Carlsbad we headed back south into Texas across the Chihuahuan Desert. Texas west of the Pecos river is famous in song and story but the cowboy era ended a long time ago. And traveling through Marfa, Texas, you might think that the Texas oil days are over as well.
Marfa is most famous for being the location of the Reata Ranch in the 1956 movie (and 1952 Edna Ferber novel) Giant. The story covers the period when oil wildcatting changed west Texas, but today there is no sign of oil production there as Marfa has become an artist community famous for its art installations of a Prada store front, a Playboy emblem, and the 'Giant' billboard cutouts recalling the film.
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| Plywood Billboards - Note the Support to the Left of James Dean |
But while west Texas oil gushers may be a thing of the past, a drive on the road south into Pecos, Texas takes you through the middle of the new shale-oil era.
The road is a nightmare. More than 90% of the traffic is either oil tankers or heavy equipment being moved to the next location. The road has to be the most littered in America and on either side are oil derricks and oil pumps and flare pipes burning off the excess gas.
In addition, road crews are trying to build an expansion to handle the never-ending traffic but manage only to make it worse. It's an industrial scene right out of Blade Runner or perhaps Pittsburgh in the '50s.
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
There are three climate zones in this massive park. There is the Chihuahuan Desert, the Chisos Mountains, and the Rio Grande valley.The Chihuahan Desert is not really an attractive place. There are no Saguara cactus or Joshua Trees and the dominant plant is the creosote bush, a dark, ugly thing. There are also four species of rattlesnake and one of copperhead as well as scorpions and tarantulas. Fortunately for us, it was early spring at the border and Texas bluebonnets lined the roadway and the yucca were in full bloom.
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| This Scene was Repeated Time and Time Again |
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| Burro Mesa Pouroff and a Blooming Torrey Yucca |
The Chisos Mountains are completely inside Big Bend National Park and when we drove up above the desert floor we could see why the name was applied. There are two schools of thought on what the word means, but I'm going with the Castilian source. These are the Enchanted Mountains and the the Chisos Basin is the center of it all.
The road leads up into the mountains and then descends into the basin where there's a lodge and Visitor's Center. We ate lunch there and watched and listened to the birds. This is the migration season and the Chisos are a major stopping place. The views of the peaks behind the lodge and the desert view through the "window" were quite enchanting, indeed.
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| On the Road into Chisos Basin |
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| View Through the "Window" at Chisos Basin |
We visited the Rio Grande Valley area and it was obvious that we just missed the wet season there. The mud flats hadn't dried up completely and we had to be careful where we stepped. And I have to say the "Great River" was a little disappointing.
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| The Rio Grande in March |
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| Also the Rio Grande in March |
It's actually possible (and legal) to walk through the shallows of the river into Mexico at the Boquillas crossing but most people opt to take the $5 rowboat. Then it's another half mile to the village up on the ridge.
We weren't really up for the adventure. Years ago we walked across the border to Tijuana but we didn't have to show our passport to get back. (Although, Nancy did have to prove that she wasn't smuggling a parrot in her purse.)
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| Border Crossing to Mexico - Note the Ferry Rowboat to the Left |
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| From the Crossing, It's 1/2 Mile to Boquillas del Carmen on the Ridge |
We did cross the Rio Grande twice on this trip, as well as several other times over the years. In fact, anyone who has driven Route 66 through New Mexico has crossed it. That's because the Rio Grande begins in the mountains in southern Colorado and flows south through New Mexico completely bisecting the state. The Rio Grande is an international border only between Mexico and Texas.
ROSWELL, NM
I didn't know that Roswell is the county seat of Chaves County nor that it is the home of the New Mexico Military Institute as well as a Federal District Courthouse. What I did know is that a high-altitude spy balloon operated by the Army Air Force crashed there in 1947.I am now informed that I also didn't know what really happened back then. According to the folks at the International UFO Museum & Research Center, the actual space craft and its occupants were spirited away and replaced with the fake balloon crash items.
Far from being a top secret Cold War event, this was our first contact with extraterrestrial life and it is still being kept secret today.
Only slightly tongue-in-cheek, all of this is well-presented and done with great effort, so, who am I to question it all? I mean, there is actually an extensive library and research center there.
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| One of the Exhibits at the Museum |
HEADING HOME
Apparently, we exited Texas just in time. Everyone there was bracing for the onslaught. It seems that all of the schools in Texas take their Spring break at the same time and all camp sites, hotels, and recreation areas within driving distance are overrun. We didn't experience any difficulties ourselves, but when we stopped for gas at Clivens Corners just before getting on I-40 West, we got a glimpse.I think every school-aged Texan who was going skiing for the holiday was there. Vans full of college students pulled in and all headed for the convenience store. Inside the store, an entire Boy Scout troop was working its way through the crowd and large families were blocking the aisle, talking animatedly in their Texas draws about the plans they had. Everyone was in a good mood since school was out, but it was a bit overwhelming.
ROUTE 66
Since we have driven this route so much, we decided to get credit for the effort. Arizona issues a Certificate of Completion for people who get there AZ66 Passport stamped along the way. We collected stamps in Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams, and Kingman off I-40 and Seligman, Peach Springs, and Valentine on Old Route 66 to qualify. We're submitting this and looking forward to getting our certificates.In Winslow, the Visitors Center was closed(?) on Sunday so we stopped at La Posada Hotel to get stamped. We had never heard of the place since it wasn't operating when we first came west.
The hotel was a Fred Harvey railroad hotel and depot that closed in 1957 and restored and reopened in 1997. Today it is operating as a beautiful hotel and Amtrak station in the heart of the historic district. We may have to come back for a stay.
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| Route 66 Entrance to Los Posada Hotel - The Main Entrance is on the Railroad Side |
Just down the street from the hotel is the Standin' On The Corner Park. Originally it had a statue that is said to somewhat resemble Jackson Browne and a mural that looks like the reflection of a blonde in a red truck. A real truck has since been parked on the street and a statue of the late Glenn Frey (who co-wrote the song) has been added to the tableau.
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| "Take It Easy" |
For a few more pictures, go to: Spring Training 2019
