Yarnell, AZ

With Larry driving, the six of us got in their truck and headed up to Yarnell, AZ to visit The Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains.  Larry and Geri discovered this  gem while staying near Congress, AZ.  On a nondescript road in a small Arizona town lies a sanctuary in a shaded grove of oak trees and granite boulders.  The Shrine is built as the Stations of the Cross that have been hewn out of rock.  I couldn't possibly give a better description of the Shrine than you can find here.  We are so glad that Larry and Geri not only told us about this place but shared the trip with us.

What a beautiful moving experience.

After visiting the the Shrine, we loaded up and headed to the Ranch House for lunch.  Not only were the portions huge but the food was very tasty.  John once again surprised everyone with the quantity of food he eats as he not only ate his huge burrito but most of mine as well.  John has been riding from the RV park up 89A up towards the mountain summit just above the town of Jerome.  From 5,000' foot elevation to over 7,000' feet so I guess he can eat whatever he wants :)  Here is proof of his accomplishment: photo taken from John's cell phone.

We then drove over to North Ranch (Escapee Park) outside the town of Congress where we got a tour of the grounds and stopped in to met Mike and Pat McFall.  Mike and Pat were distributors of the Pressure Pro System that we and the Dyers purchased several years ago.  The Pressure Pro System allows us to keep track of the tire pressures on our trucks and trailers and to alert us to problems.  Neither of us had met Mike and Pat so Larry and Geri took the opportunity to stop at their house.  Unfortunately, Pat was not at home so we didn't get to meet her.  Mike was very gracious and gave us a tour of their beautiful home.  I was even able to give some loving to their Angel kitty - Megabyte.

After we got home, we hopped on our bikes and took a short spin around the park and down the dead-end road.  Then we all sat outside and chatted some more.  What a nice day.