Quartzsite Desert

Yesterday we drove to Quartzsite, parked the RV in a parking lot and drove the Jeep around to scout for the perfect site to camp in the desert.  West of town was a popular area according to some blogs John reads but we could still see the interstate and it was a rocky, rough area. North of town was nice but a lot of other people thought that too.

So we  parked in our tried and true area east and south of town.  We felt we had the perfect site, situated close to some willow trees that blocked the southern winds but still got some sun. Turns out we are on a short cut along the main south road so about 20 cars a day drive past us. According to John that is a “super highway”!  Ha!

We spent most of the afternoon researching solar panel and satellite dish installations.  After talking with a couple of installers then doing some research on the internet John decided that Quartzsite is not the place to have that work done. Then while riding our bikes today we found an RV service place that has portable gas heaters for RVs. Since it was the gas furnace that was taking all our power and got us to thinking we needed solar panels, supplementing our heating with a portable heater may prevent us from needing the solar panels. And its less than half the price. Unfortunately they can’t install the gas line until Wednesday so we will be here a while.

We spent a lot of this morning riding our bikes around town but on the way back to the RV we butted heads with a 30 mph southernly wind.  Enough of that kind of work! For a while this afternoon the wind was really strong & we were forced to close up the RV and turn on the generator to run the AC otherwise the entire RV would be full of dust.

It was supposed to rain this afternoon and evening so we planned on eating out.  So far only one short shower at 8:30.

White Tank Mountains

We left Mesa yesterday and drove a whole 65 miles from the east side of Phoenix to the west side of Phoenix.  The dividing line between the Phoenix Basin of the Salt River Valley and west AZ Hassayampa Plain is the White Tank Mountains west of Sun City and Luke AFB.  We are still in Maricopa County and staying in their White Tank Mountains Regional Park.  This is a very large park with lots of hiking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds and horse riding trails but only 40 campsites.  Luckily they just recently added electricity to each site and people haven’t learned about it yet so we were able to get a very nice site.  

The giant saguaro guarding our campsite.

Yesterday afternoon John rode his bike all over the park while I hiked a short 1.5 mile trail out of the campground.  This is a very pretty desert area with lots of cacti, desert bushes and flowers. We especially enjoy  the humming birds buzzing John’s orange shirt and mocking birds serenading us as the sun is setting and illuminating the Phoenix valley.

Today I convinced John that we could hike an 8 mile loop trail.  We geared up with back packs and hiking poles but probably didn’t bring enough water.  It was a fairly arduous trail that went up over 2,000 foot elevation.  We hiked around Mesquite Mountain and along Willow Canyon.  No water, lots of cacti and brush, rough path in places and quite a few people.  According to my hiking app on my iPhone we hiked 8.2 miles over 3. 45 hours ( with rest stops and lunch it was over 5 1/2 hours) with a pace between 21 minutes per mile to over 30 minutes per mile the last three miles.  Imagine that!

Val Vista Village

VVV is where John’s mom spends part of the fall, all winter and part of the spring, its nice and warm or at least warmer than in Missouri.  It’s a nice retirement community with spaces for RV’s of all sizes as well as park model homes like the one Marje owns.   They have lots of outside planned activities such as card clubs, arts and crafts classes, computer club, golf, tennis, shuffle board and pickle ball and the list goes on.  There are three pools plus one indoor pool, spas, massages, exercise rooms, hair salon, cafe, and daily music at the courtyard gathering place.

Being in the middle of Mesa we were able to take care of the small repairs and purchases needed in an RV.  Plus we enjoyed being with John’s mom as well as enjoying the warm weather and warm atmosphere of the park.  We took daily walks and bike rides, ate out a few times and shopped at REI.  A very relaxing 5 days.

City of Rocks

We opted to take four days to get to Mesa so we stopped early on Tuesday at City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico. As we drove over the hill towards to park entrance we saw how the park got its name. 

 

Look close on the left & you will see our RV parked right up against the rocks.

 

Once we got the RV nestled up against a rock we explored the area some before supper. The night sky was gloriously full of stars, the air clear and cool and the night sounds lulled us to sleep.  Wednesday morning found us geared up for a 5 mile hike around the perimeter of the rock formations in dry, winter desert. 

Towards the end of the hike we decided to shower and then move on down the road a ways to Roper State Park in Arizona so we would have a short drive into Mesa on Thursday.  We have stayed at Roper before.  It's located on a small lake stocked with trout, has a couple of hiking trails and a natural hot spring spa. 

We arrived at Val Vista Village shortly after lunch. The first order of business will be to wash the RV!

Here We Go Again

A family tradition when camping was to eat hamburgers and baked beans on our first night out.  Now that it is just John and I the tradition has change to steak and a good wine on our first night out.  Granted, we left home last Thursday and have been visiting our daughter and family for three days but now we are on the road headed west.  And the wine and steak are really good!

Thankfully the weather is very nice for Feb. in Texas so grilling outdoors was pleasant forJohn.  We are camped in a city park in a town near Lubbock. Just as John is about to finish the steak our ancient neighbor comes over to borrow a pair of pliers so he can unhook a stuck connection and depart. Note: Never, never ask a 75 year old man how he is doing!  He will tell you more than you really want to know!

Cry for me Argentina

Or better - I’m crying because I have to go home! Thursday was our last day in Buenos Aires and we all agree that we have enjoyed visiting this lovely city and we would like to come back and explore more of Argentina.

It poured down rain most of the morning so we stayed in, played bridge and read books. Lunch was at a small cafe around the block from the apartment and across the street from the fine restaurant where we dined last night. John had seen news crews with cameras on this street a few days ago so he asked the owners, who speak English, if they knew why. Three men tried to rob the restaurant but one of them got punched in the face by a waiter. The owner laughed and said she thought it must have been a very slow news day!

Susanna and I went shopping as we both wanted to buy souvenirs or remembrances for ourselves or our daughters. Since it is nearing the end of summer in Argentina there were lots of sales on summer clothing so we found some really nice bargains.

The check out from the apartment went smoothly and our ride arrived on time; the drive to the airport went faster than we thought it would during rush hour so we had lots of time to get checked in and then to wait. Our flight left BA at 9:30 pm and arrived 10.5 hours later in Atlanta, two hour layover, then a 2 hour flight to KC. The flight attendant welcomed us to “Alaska!” As cold as it is, it sure feels like we flew past Missouri!

Jack and Mary picked us up at the airport with a sign reading “Sedalia Four” like we were greeted in all the airports on our trip. The drive home seemed to go quickly with all the talk about our stay in BA and all the fine memories we shared of the early parts of the trip.

We have had a great experience in South America and John and I would have no problems traveling with Susanna & John or Mary & Jack in the future. But for now we can’t wait to give our kids and grandkids a big hug and then take off in the RV to warmer climes!

MALBA

Stores and museums do not open early in BA. I guess because everyone is up late at night! So a leisurely morning, walks around the neighborhood, and a bank run filled our time until the museum opened at noon.

Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) was a highly recommended museum by almost every tour book I read.  Modern art is so strange sometimes. And the artists description and reasoning for their work is highly confusing.  But we spent the requisite two hours looking at the art.  

 

It was a very hot and humid day so the walk back required us to stop for beer.  We love the corner bars and cafés. 

 

The rest of the day was spent napping, finding a place for dinner and playing bridge.  And the place we found for dinner was the perfect place for our last dinner in South America. We shared several seafood small plates which rather confused our waiter but we had fun and enjoyed our food without being stuffed.  On the way back to our apartment we stopped for a drink at an tiny eclectic bar. 

Recolota Cemetery and Tango!

Hey no rain today!

On the top of my list of places to see in BA is the Cementeria de la Recolota (Recolota Cemetery).with over 4,000 crypts there are a lot of famous Argentinians buried there but the only name I recognize is Eva Perón.   All of the crypts are above ground and one can look inside many of them to see the caskets, even the caskets below the floor of the crypts which is still above ground.  The crypts are very large and elaborate, some in black marble but most white marble, granite or even clay and brick.  Greek, Roman, and Egytian styles, modern and ancient, a pantheon and many other domes, lots of angels and personal busts.  

After leaving the cemetery we stopped for a cold drink and I realized my reading glasses were gone!  I think I dropped them in the taxi so I will never see them again. It's really hard to read indoors with prescription sunglasses!

Our next cab driver ripped us off with a meter that ran up too fast.  What should gave been a $6 ride cost us $12!  But we didn't have to walk to get to the Botanical Gardens. John had no interest in looking at trees and flowers so he walked back to the apartment while Susanna & John and I strolled through this quiet park.  It was a short walk home. 

We had a big evening with a steak dinner at a place in San Telmo Barrio before attending a Tango performance at El Viejo Almacèn, the oldest and most traditional tango show in BA. Sitting in the balcony we had a great view of the stage and not many other people around us.  These dancers are so impressive with wild kicks, fast moves and sexual inuindo.  Had a great time!  Remember I've mentioned the late nights in BA, well dinner was at 8:30 and the show didn't start until 10:15 pm.!

Barrio Norte, Retiro and Puerto Madero

It rained again this morning but stopped about the time we were ready to go exploring.  Today's tour was a walking tour of Barrio Norte, Retiro, and Puerto Madeo.  This is the very center of BA with lots of traffic, shops, restaurants, bars, colleges, and sky scrapers.  We saw old churches, palaces now used for offices, and lovely, shaded parks.  Plaza San Martin has a statue commemorting General San Martin who is to Argentina as George Washington is to the US.

We lunched beside the Rio de la Plata (La Plata River) and enjoyed the old wood ships and odd shaped pedistran bridge named Puente de la Mujere.  Its form supposedly reminds one of a male dancer pressing into his female partner in homage to the tango.  I don't see it!

We probably walked 5-6 miles before grabbing a taxi back to the apartment for naps.   It didn't help that we drank two bottles of wine with lunch.  Our new favorite white wine is called "Torrontes" (tore- rrrr-ron-tays).  Susanna and I are ready to ditch the guys and go shopping soon!

San Telmo

San Telmo is an area of Buenos Aires that was considered the first suburb of the city and was built along the river.  It was originally settle by sailors and those in the fish industry but the rich liked the area too and built big houses and mansions there.  In 1871 a Yellow Fever outbreak devestated the area, lots of people died and many more moved away from the river and into newer districts like Barrio Norte.  It wasn't long before the abandoned mansions were converted into tenement housing for the poor.  Today it is seeing a revival.  Artists, antique dealers, restoration of old homes, tango and tourism is helping to renew the whole area without taking away its charm and curtural identity.

Today, it again started out with pouring rain that cleared up in the late morning.  But because of the rain, our first stop was the Museo de Modern Arte.  Some pretty weird stuff showing.  We then wandered around for a bit and took in the San Telmo Antique Fair on Plaza Dorrego before visiting the indoor Mercado de San Telmo where we found fresh fruits & vegetables next to leather coats and antique/junk shops.  When we came out of the building, the vendors on the street had increased in number as well as the number or tourists.  

After lunch we toured El Zanjón (Spanish for creek) which is a 1840's mansion that was built by a rich family, then turned into a tenement house for 23 families then sat empty for 30 years.  When a gentleman bought the house, he was going to restore it as a home until tunnels were discovered running beneath the foundation.  These tunnels were built to cover unsanitary creeks that ran through the area and then these were used as foundations for homes.  The restoration of the house and tunnels took almost 20 years but they now have this great representation of what life was like 150 years ago.

We dined at La Cabrera, just below this apartment, then watched the Bronco's succumb to the Seahawks with the sound muted as we didn't understand the Latino talking heads.

City Center Sites

Shortly after we got up this morning the rain storms rolled over and it rained until shortly after noon.  That didn't stop us from taking off walking and exploring the city although we didn't leave the apartment until after 11 am.  It was a good morning to catch up with blogs and video chat with the grandkids.

We walked 10 blocks in rain to the closest subway stantion only to discover that it was closed for repairs.  A local said to take the bus but we opted for a $6 (60 peso) cab ride to Plaza de Mayo which is near government buildings and commemorates the Argentine liberation from Spanish rule on May 25, 1810.  We visited the La Catedral Metropolitana and entered Casa Rosada where the president holds meetings.  The reception was a gallery of photos of past Liberators of South America and Argentina.  The National Bank and Edificio la Inmobiliaria are also near the plaza.

We wondered around and made our way to the Avenida 9 de Julio, the grandest of Latin American avenues which is 12 lanes wide and takes at least two crosswalk cycles to cross.  This is where we saw El Obelisco which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the city's founding.  

Susanna and I talked the guys into touring Teatro Colon, one of the world's top opera houses.  It was completed in 1908 and refurbished in 2010 at a cost of $60 million.  This is where the locals come to see and to be seen during the opera and ballet season (April - Dec.).  Much of the architectural detail was designed by Italians using mostly Italian marble with accents of gold leaf, massive chandeliers, and stained glass domes.  The accoustics in the La Sala (auditorium) are considered perfect.

As it nears 8 pm we will walk around our neighborhood in search of a good place to eat dinner.