Still cooling our heels here in Tucson. We have watched friends leave for all parts of the country and Canada. The park's occupancy rate is down to about one third of capacity with more leaving every day.
I started physical therapy for my knee on the 28th and am learning a lot. Apparently, I have osteoarthritis and was dealing with the pain from an inflamed bursa. I should have attended to that issue several months back and maybe it wouldn't have gotten as bad as it did (lesson learned). Thankfully, that pain has dissipated what with anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and electrical nerve stimulation. Now all that is left is pain in my femur when I walk that Joni (my PT) feels is being caused by the arthritis. When one part of your body is out of whack, you compensate by walking differently which can then cause a flare-up in another area. I have developed a bad habit the past few months that I have to correct. I am really hoping that when we leave here the first of May that I will be pain free.
After my first physical therapy session, as we were headed home our windshield got struck by a rock and we had a nice crack developing. We were able to get to a Safelite location where they were able to do a chip repair. We had to replace the windshield in the truck after a rock hit us while traveling down the Grapevine on I-5 in 2008. That was an expensive proposition so we felt we were money ahead by getting the chip repaired.
We were surprised by a visit from our friends Larry and Geri, former owners of Broken Arrow Campground in Custer, SD. We had been in touch and knew there was a possibility that they would be coming down to Tucson but we didn't know for sure. We were coming back from a trip into town when we recognized their toy hauler and truck parked in front of the office. What a pleasant surprise and they parked in the site next to us so that made for easy visiting. Larry and Geri are new fulltimers as their campground sold in February. Once their commitment to the new owners to help them open the campground the first of May is complete, they will truly be "free" to come and go as they choose. We wish them nothing but the best as they are two of the nicest people you will ever hope to meet.
The second surprise for the day was that Christine, campground owner, had arranged for John and I, friends Ralph and Cheryl, and Larry and Geri to join Doc, campground owner, for dinner at the Indian Casino for their 2 for 1 buffet as his guests. Not at all sure what prompted the invitation but it was very nice of them. Larry and Geri were some impressed that they would be taken to dinner on their first night at the RV Park by the campground owner. We laughed and told them they were more special than us because we had been there 5 months and this was the first time we had been taken out to dinner lol. Good conversation and company was enjoyed by all. The Indian Casino must have changed cooks because the selections seemed better and much fresher than in the past.
With Larry and Geri, we visited the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum (a must stop for anyone coming to Tucson), San Xavier Mission (aka the White Dove of the Desert), and Kitt Peak National Observatory. Click on any of the links for more information if you are interested.
Here is a picture of the four of us at the Desert Museum. It was a beautiful day with a light breeze that made walking the grounds enjoyable.
The San Xavier Mission is beautiful inside and out. We got in on a docent lead tour of the mission that was quite informative.
Our trip to Kitt Peak was interesting for a non-astronomer. The views from the peak looking out towards Tucson were amazing. We tried to pick out the RV park but could only approximate the location. The observatory operates 3 nighttime telescopes, 19 optical telescopes, and 2 radio telescopes.
The observatory offers three tours daily for a fee and we made the 1:30 p.m. tour. The tour was suppose to be of the big Mayall 4m Telescope but it was closed due to some maintenance issues so we were provided with a docent lead tour of the Solar Telescope. I believe 300 feet of the telescope is under ground with 200 feet above ground. The building itself is rather impressive. We got to see some sun spots . . . none of the four of us were too impressed. I guess they didn't look like we thought they should have. The observatory does offer nighttime viewing programs that might be worthwhile if you are an astronomy fan.
We said our goodbyes to Larry and Geri last night as they were pulling out this morning while I was having physical therapy. They have to be up in the Custer area towards the end of the month so they are continuing their slow migration northward by heading east. They aren't in too much of a hurry as it is still cold/snowing and they really like this sunshine in the Southwest. Safe travels you two, have fun, and stay in touch.
Other than one day of 98 degrees (yep, air conditioners were running), we have had rather lovely temperatures with the evenings cooling off to make for nice sleeping. Selfishly, we hope it stays that way. We have seen one rattlesnake in the park and have received the warning to use flashlights after dark as one wouldn't want to step on one during their nighttime outing. At the Desert Museum we read that the Mojave rattlesnake has an attitude, will give chase and can slither 7 mph in pursuit. Larry and Geri said they had heard stories and received warnings about this snake as they like to four wheel out in the desert. One other thing that we learned at the Desert Museum was that neither Larry nor John could hear the rattle sound. Oh, oh. I guess having John walk in front scoping out the area isn't a good thing but then again, I don't want to be the one in front either. We may only be able to walk in the desert while the rattlesnakes are underground.
Oh, we did have a dust storm yesterday that provided some really weird sky (could not see Kitt Peak or the mountains to the west of us) for several hours until it went by us.
I guess we've been busier than I thought. Thanks for reading this long blog. Until next time . . .
We were surprised by a visit from our friends Larry and Geri, former owners of Broken Arrow Campground in Custer, SD. We had been in touch and knew there was a possibility that they would be coming down to Tucson but we didn't know for sure. We were coming back from a trip into town when we recognized their toy hauler and truck parked in front of the office. What a pleasant surprise and they parked in the site next to us so that made for easy visiting. Larry and Geri are new fulltimers as their campground sold in February. Once their commitment to the new owners to help them open the campground the first of May is complete, they will truly be "free" to come and go as they choose. We wish them nothing but the best as they are two of the nicest people you will ever hope to meet.
The second surprise for the day was that Christine, campground owner, had arranged for John and I, friends Ralph and Cheryl, and Larry and Geri to join Doc, campground owner, for dinner at the Indian Casino for their 2 for 1 buffet as his guests. Not at all sure what prompted the invitation but it was very nice of them. Larry and Geri were some impressed that they would be taken to dinner on their first night at the RV Park by the campground owner. We laughed and told them they were more special than us because we had been there 5 months and this was the first time we had been taken out to dinner lol. Good conversation and company was enjoyed by all. The Indian Casino must have changed cooks because the selections seemed better and much fresher than in the past.
With Larry and Geri, we visited the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum (a must stop for anyone coming to Tucson), San Xavier Mission (aka the White Dove of the Desert), and Kitt Peak National Observatory. Click on any of the links for more information if you are interested.
Here is a picture of the four of us at the Desert Museum. It was a beautiful day with a light breeze that made walking the grounds enjoyable.
Our trip to Kitt Peak was interesting for a non-astronomer. The views from the peak looking out towards Tucson were amazing. We tried to pick out the RV park but could only approximate the location. The observatory operates 3 nighttime telescopes, 19 optical telescopes, and 2 radio telescopes.
We said our goodbyes to Larry and Geri last night as they were pulling out this morning while I was having physical therapy. They have to be up in the Custer area towards the end of the month so they are continuing their slow migration northward by heading east. They aren't in too much of a hurry as it is still cold/snowing and they really like this sunshine in the Southwest. Safe travels you two, have fun, and stay in touch.
Other than one day of 98 degrees (yep, air conditioners were running), we have had rather lovely temperatures with the evenings cooling off to make for nice sleeping. Selfishly, we hope it stays that way. We have seen one rattlesnake in the park and have received the warning to use flashlights after dark as one wouldn't want to step on one during their nighttime outing. At the Desert Museum we read that the Mojave rattlesnake has an attitude, will give chase and can slither 7 mph in pursuit. Larry and Geri said they had heard stories and received warnings about this snake as they like to four wheel out in the desert. One other thing that we learned at the Desert Museum was that neither Larry nor John could hear the rattle sound. Oh, oh. I guess having John walk in front scoping out the area isn't a good thing but then again, I don't want to be the one in front either. We may only be able to walk in the desert while the rattlesnakes are underground.
Oh, we did have a dust storm yesterday that provided some really weird sky (could not see Kitt Peak or the mountains to the west of us) for several hours until it went by us.
I guess we've been busier than I thought. Thanks for reading this long blog. Until next time . . .
