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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 13th, 2018, 6:16 pm
by Xatlatc
A few other shots of the area.

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 15th, 2018, 6:16 am
by SMan
Xatlatc wrote:SMan, yes we met Ted and his lovely bride while in Benson. I’ve met three people from this forum so far. It’s too bad what’s happening in the PNW so I better experience the area before it gets worse.
Glad you got together with Ted and his bride. Again I have really enjoyed the pictures. The desert pictures have me longing to get back to AZ.

Well despite my disappointment with the Seattle area there is a lot to see in the PNW. The Oregon and Washington coasts are beautiful. A drive around the Olympic Peninsula and the Rain forest is also very scenic. A ride I used to do every year on my motorcycle was the North Cascades Highway which is closed in the winter and usually opens by Memorial day. The Tulip festival in the Skagit valley in the spring is beautiful to see with fields of colorful flowers but can get crowded. (This is near where we currently live) Mt St Helens and Mt Rainer are both beautiful but closed in the winter (although being mountains can still be viewed from a distance). My wife and I have spent many Christmas mornings at the campground at Kalaloch on the Washington coast (a bit isolated but why we like it). If you are a fan of Dams and Hydroelectric power there are many you can tour on the Columbia river especially in Eastern Washington which is more desert like. Many trail heads and forests along with most State Parks in Washington require a "Discover Pass" which is $5 per day or $30 per year. In Oregon both the Tillimook Air Museum and the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum (home of the Spruce Goose) are worth considering. Multanomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge is also beautiful and popular. The Maryhill museum and Stonehenge replica are also in the Gorge.

I hope that gives you a few things to google. Looking forward to more pictures. :)

BTW the Snow Geese are visiting the Skagit Valley right now...

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 18th, 2018, 4:03 pm
by Xatlatc
SMan, excellent suggestions and information for me to study. I would really like to see the tulips in April if we’re still in the area. Thanks.

FYI, I stopped emailing myself smaller picture sizes to post and started using Airdrop from IPhone to iPad to post. Much larger but that’s the way Airdrop works and it’s much faster.

I found a spot for the night in Coolidge, Az and visited the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument ( I’ve never heard of it either ) on the way out of town towards Phoenix. The people who built this big house were desert farmers who leaned how to irrigate from the Gilda River. The roof was placed over the ruins in the 1930’s and is in great condition. Stagecoaches stopped at the ruins and people started writing and drawing on the walls. This was the first National Monument in the United States from what I read. Father Kino was an Italian priest that started several missions in the Tucson area ( San Xavier del Bac Mission ) stumbled upon the these ruins in 1694.
Picked up a cancellation at the Lost Dutchman State Park for two nights plus scheduled a steamboat ride on a nearby lake. All suggested by our Arizona forum member Rokrover.

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 18th, 2018, 4:10 pm
by Xatlatc
Covered parking at Walmart.

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 19th, 2018, 10:25 am
by Rokrover
Here’s the sweeping vista from the summit of Picacho Peak on a finer day. Here's hoping the rain will dissipate soon for the rest of your Arizona journey. Cheers,

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 19th, 2018, 11:45 am
by SMan
Rokrover wrote:Here’s the sweeping vista from the summit of Picacho Peak on a finer day. Here's hoping the rain will dissipate soon for the rest of your Arizona journey. Cheers,
That's incredible!

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 19th, 2018, 1:56 pm
by Rokrover
Steve, is your nostalgia for Arizona sufficiently fueled yet for the return visit?

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 19th, 2018, 2:40 pm
by Blue~Go
Probably doesn't take too much fuel in Washington in February :lol:

('Course they get their turn to :twisted: in July...)

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 19th, 2018, 3:29 pm
by SMan
Well here is a view of my Chinook yesterday. The power was out in our neighborhood and a foot of snow fell. So yes Ted and Blue my nostalgia is fueled and Arizona is on my mind. (We had planned to be in Tucson in November but had just bought a house and had listed our old place so we just couldn't justify it) Glad the new place came with a nice Honda generator!

Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Posted: February 19th, 2018, 4:36 pm
by Xatlatc
Great view from on top Ted. Thanks.
We’re staying in Apache Junction for the next two nights then off to The Lost Dutchman. While passing through the Mesa area I spotted another Chinook loaded down on the front and rear of the rig. Maybe a motorcycle on the back. While waiting for a break in traffic to make a left turn, a guy in a white truck stopped on the road and gestured for me to put my window down ( while cars behind him were having to stop ) and I heard him yell “ Hey, you wanna sell that Chinook ? “ Ha. Not yet.
The main roads/freeways around here are six lanes or more. Nice.
Btw, we stayed at Gilbert Ray County Campground outside of Tucson where I woke up at 0530 and went outside and I heard coyotes howling/ talking/ singing. Very cool. Check that off my list. I went back to bed.
Turned 9k miles today on this journey.