Are we scofflaws?

We are domiciled in South Dakota for our residency - which means our vehicles are registered in the state, our Drivers Licenses are from the state, our mailing address is in the state, and our voter registration is in the state.  One would think that would make us full residents of South Dakota, right?  Think again.  We got a phone call yesterday from Brandon with the South Dakota Hunting and Fishing Department advising us that we were not entitled to the resident fishing licenses we got last year and as such broke the law.  What? Why?  Apparently, South Dakota's residency requirements for hunting and fishing licenses is stricter than that for normal residency.   We meet all residency requirements EXCEPT one: "A domicile is a person's established, fixed, and permanent home to which the person, whenever absent, has the present intention of returning".  Bottom line, we broke that law and that we could be prosecuted and/or fined.   Brandon said we were being given a warning because it was understood that we are full-time RVers and not someone who was living in another state trying to get a hunting and/or fishing license in South Dakota.   We were flagged because of our mailing service.

We discussed with Brandon that we are returning to South Dakota again this summer and would like to fish.  That is fine but we will have to get non-resident licenses.  Ok . . . .but when we present our South Dakota Drivers Licenses to the agent, what do you think is going to happen?  The agent is going to want to give us resident licenses.  Sheesh!  We are suppose to advise the agent to override the system and charge us the higher non-resident fees.  Crazy isn't it?  We've already decided we are going to take the warning notice we are being sent along with the page from the Hunting/Fishing Handbook to back us up when we want to get our fishing licenses.  John's take is that this probably isn't unique to South Dakota but that we would encounter this situation with any state with regards to their hunting and fishing requirements.  Who knew?  I guess this is the price one pays for living outside the box, being a square peg in a round hole, or being a full-time RVer.

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

It rained overnight and was overcast this morning.  We decided the cooler temperatures would make a visit to one of our favorite places in Tucson a great outing for today.  If ever you plan a visit to Tucson, this is a definite must stop.  It is part botanical garden, part living history museum, and zoo . . . everything desert related.  Our first stop was the Hummingbird enclosure.  What fun watching these beautiful little birds buzz by within inches of you - zoom, zoom.

We were also treated to seeing three occupied nests.

If you look closely in the picture below, you can see the remnant of an egg shell and the long beak of a newly hatched hummingbird.  Mom was already feeding the little darling nectar.  It was pretty amazing that the nests we noticed, were located rather low and within easy viewing of everyone.

Next up was the Raptor Free Flight.  We loved the show last year as raptors are some of our favorite birds.  This time around, the woman discussing the birds was not very articulate and was rather boring.  We did get a nice picture of a Harris' Hawk.

We left before the program was over and decided to walk some more of the grounds.  There are warnings to be on the lookout for snakes but we never saw any that weren't part of an exhibit.  We did, however, run across our first tarantula, alive and not part of any exhibit.

We didn't really see anything new from last year other than the tarantula.  Click here to go to our blog entry from last year if you are interested in seeing more pictures of our visit here.  We did have some occassional sprinkles but it was a lovely day to spend at the museum.

Once we were done, we headed into town to do some shopping.  By the time we headed home it really rained at times.  Thankfully, it waited until the groceries were unloaded from the truck and into the rig before it opened up.  Whew, dodged that bullet.

Downtown Tucson

We attended the weekly meeting here at the park this morning about the planned happenings for the week.  Things are beginning to wind down as the snowbirds are starting to leave for home.  We had a conversation with someone who recommended eating at the downtown location of El Charro as well as the neat walking tour of downtown.  Sounded good to us.  We had eaten at an El Charro location in Marana last year and enjoyed it.  We were wanting to go downtown anyway so this was as good a reason as any to go.  If you are into Gringo food, don't waste your time here.  The flavor and presentation of the food is wonderful.   Another good indication is their salsa - both their red and green salsa were very good..    Here is a shot of the outside of their downtown location. 

After lunch, we took a stroll around the downtown area and ultimately landed at the Visitor's Center where we picked up some information on the sights around town.  The building architecture is very 1950's along with some more modern designs.  I sure like the cloud formations in this shot.

The downtown area is loaded with history, has a lot of green lawn areas, pedestrian footbridges that go over the busy streets so getting around without having to stop at every corner is nice, and uniquely colored buildings.  A mixture of old and new and rather eclectic - we enjoyed the feel of downtown.  While at the Visitor's Center, one of the items we picked up was a brochure on The Presidio Trail.  The brochure details a historical walking tour of downtown.  We would like to take the trail but today it was just too warm and too late in the day to start. 

One building we thought was unique is the Pima County Courthouse.  It was built in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.  The eye catching mosaic-tiled dome is impressive as you are looking at it from the back.  The front has a very nice courtyard.

Behind the courthouse is a large park with memorials listing all the citizens of Tucson who lost their lives while serving their country.  Always a very sobering reminder that freedom is not free.

We took this shot from one of the footbridges.  We think it is a nice view as you are looking towards the mountains towards the west and I-10.  Also, can you see the wooden boats on one of  the parked vehicles?  We built a tandem (double) kayak in 2001 so we have much appreciation for the amount of time and hard work that goes into building one.  What we want to know is where are they going to use the boats around here?

Census

The other day I emailed our mail service in South Dakota to inquire about the Census forms.  I was told that they hadn't received any and weren't sure if they would.  I had read somewhere that if you didn't have a "physical address" you would not be sent a Census form.  I then read an email from the Escapees RV Club where they informed everyone that they would NOT be receiving Census forms for their mail clients.  Escapees advised all who could to come to the headquarters in Livingston, TX to complete the Census form or wait until a Census employee came by your campsite to count you in person.  Yeah right, like that was going to happen.  John and I had resigned ourselves that we would be one of the many uncounted citizens of this country just because we don't have a permanent address.  Our address in Madison, SD is our permanent address in our book but I guess the bureaucrats in Washington have other ideas.  I digress.  Anyway, we were sitting outside our rig today enjoying a lovely afternoon, when we were approached by two Census employees.  Go figure.  We were asked the important questions and therefore were counted.  Unfortunately, the way this Census is working is that Arizona will benefit from our count but not the state that we are residents of - South Dakota.  How screwy is that?

Enjoying our stay in Tucson

My how time flies as we've been here in Tucson for two weeks now.

The first week, we had storms that rolled through with wind and strong downpours.  When  the  storms  passed, we were treated to rainbows, sometimes double rainbows.

 There is something about rainbows that just makes me happy.

We decided to join in on the guided hike into the desert on the 11th to see the 48 or 56  (depends on whose counting) arm Saguaro cactus.  This was suppose to be a 3 mile hike but the guide told us that he was planning on a 5 mile hike and that if we didn't want to continue on with him, we could return the way we came once we got to the Saguaro cactus.  Sounded fine to all of us.  Well, we got to the multi-armed cactus and with all the turns this way and that way, no one wanted to risk getting lost in the desert so on with him we hiked.  Here is a picture of the multi-armed Saguaro cactus (actually they are more like nubbins than arms):

Got to admit that I was a bit disappointed as I expected the Saguaro to be large like the ones we saw in Catalina State Park last year.  After our morning walk/run plus the five mile hike, my right knee was being a real pain by the time we got home.  I was more than ready to get home.

With all the rain the area has had, the desert is very green.  Here is a shot of a bright green Ocotillo and a close up of its beautiful bloom.

We took a ride with Rick and Y up to the ski area of Mt. Lemmon (approx 8,200 feet) which is about 60 minutes from where we are located to see the snow.  Mt. Lemmon is a very popular place in the summer as it is 20-30 degrees cooler than Tucson.  The town of Tucson can be seen at the top of the first picture.  Second picture was taken in Summerhaven, a small town that sits below the ski area that locals use as summer homes to escape the heat.  We saw a lot of families playing in the snow.  Third shot is of a small waterfall.

With our bird feeders and large seed block that sits on the ground, we have quite the entertainment factor going on.  We have Cottontails, Gambels Quail, Mourning Doves, Harris' Ground Squirrel, Chipmunks, and assorted birds that visit us daily.  Here are some pictures of some of our visitors (1)Cardinal, (2) Harris' Ground Squirrel (sort of looks and acts like a prairie dog), (3) Lesser Goldfinches and a House Finch (red head), (4) Northern Flicker, and (5) Pyrroluxia.

Saint Patrick's Day rolled around with strong easterly winds and the temperature got up into the high 80's (boy, was it warm come the afternoon - almost time to turn on the A/C).  We said goodbye to our friends Rick and Y in the morning as they left to return to the Austin, TX area as their daughter-in-law, who is expecting twins, has developed some complications and the babies may be arriving earlier than planned.  Also, Y is having some issue with her shoulder that needs to be check out.  After hugs and safe travel wishes, they headed out.  We will miss their company and our nightly game of cards and/or Pegs and Jokers. 

Later in the day, we went over to the clubhouse to partake in the Saint Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner ($4 per person - not too shabby for dinner).  They had a good turnout and the food was tasty.  A couple from the park provided the entertainment and lead us in some Irish song singing.  A good time was had by all.  Oh, before I forget, I won one of the three prizes - framed photo and Irish Blessing. 

At the top of the framed picture is the Irish Blessing that most RVers are familiar with.   It goes:  May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, May God hold you in His hands. 

Quite the duded up steer - very cute. 

You have definitely shown diligence to have read this entry all the way to the end!  No guarantees but I'll try not to let two weeks pass before making another entry. 

Justin's Diamond J RV Park - Tucson, AZ

As we know that the afternoon traffic in Tucson is horrendous, we got on the road around 8 a.m. after fueling up.  The drive was pleasant and non-stressful.  We had planned on hitting a rest stop for a lunch break but once we got back on I-10, none were to be found.  So we ate lunch on the move.  Not recommended but what is one to do?

We pulled in to Justin's Diamond J RV Park around 1 p.m.  As we came in to park, we were spotted by Rick and Y.  They waited until we got backed in before coming down to say Hi.  The weary travelers were invited to dinner - how nice was that?  In the row we are in, all of the sites back up to the desert so the views are wonderful.  This is our view from our kitchen window. 

You can literally walk out the back of your site to get on desert trails. 

Here are a couple of shots of our lovely site #10.

 

When we got all settled in, we went down to Rick and Y's site (#4) for visiting and dinner.  We had a wonderful meal of barbecued steaks, salad, veggies, and a "lite" dessert.  All so very tasty.  The best part was the good company.  It was nice getting caught up in person on the goings on in each of our lives and then the cards came out.  We played Shanghai were Rick and I tied on game 1 and Rick won game 2.  By 10 p.m. all of us were yawning so it was more than time to call it a night.   Hope to hear the coyotes tonight as they were pretty quiet while we were in Brenda.

Wrapping up our stay in Brenda

Tomorrow, we head out for Tucson.  So the day was spent putting everything away for travel, doing laundry, and such.  John had to make a run into Quartzsite for lag bolt and washer that had come out during our travels.  The parts cost 60 cents and the fuel cost $4 . . lol.

We were invited by Brenda and Bob to join the Tonopah Gang for their Cajun potluck tonight.  We were told not to worry about bringing anything as there was going to be more than enough food.  Boy, was Brenda right.  The food was plentiful and oh, so tasty.  Jambalaya, dirty rice, beans and spicy sausage, spicy chicken, spicy shrimp kabobs, cornbread, and so much more.   Who knew that grilled bacon wrapped water chestnuts could be so fabulous!  The company was good as the group is quite the lively bunch and the food was excellent.  If the food in Louisiana tastes this good, I think we will really enjoy the area when we get there one of these days. Many thanks to the Tonopah Gang for their fine hospitality.

We've enjoyed our stay in Brenda but it is time to get the wheels rolling down the highway again.