Sunday, March 21 - Day 11
From Columbus, NM to Tucson Mountain Park, Tucson, AZ
A rooster near the campground did his thing at 5:45 AM and that was the end of my sleep. Prepared a substantial breakfast and fed the crumbs to a dozen quails that were picking over the grounds outside the camper. Was on the road by 8:15. During the night the temperature had dropped to 37F, but had already climbed to 56F at departure time. It would climb to 85F by the time I arrived in Tucson.
Took NM 9 going in a generally western direction. A well-paved and comfortable road, but not exactly heavily traveled. Counted 9 oncoming vehicles during the 90 minutes I was on that scenic road. Nice mountain range views, especially between Hachita and Playas, passing through the Playas Valley. Between Hachita and Animas I crossed the Continental Divide at 4,520' ASL. NM 9 ended at US/NM 80, which continued to take me through the high desert, altitude fluctuating between 4,000' and 4,500'.
The Chiricahua mountain range was beautifully profiled against a deep blue sky as I crossed into Arizona. Passed through Douglas, AZ on AZ 80 and cruised around downtown a few times to take in the sights of this turn-of-the-century mining town. Then on to Bisbee, both an eyesore (because of what open-pit mining does to scenery) and a pleasure (because of building restaurations and many artsy-crafty stores and artifacts.)
Next stop was Tombstone, AZ. Had hoped to see a historic preservation site, but found a tourist trap. Had planned to spend the afternoon learning about the Wild West, but decided to get out of town instead. Really didn't want to spend the rest of the day watching fake gunfights in the saloon, Japanese tourists being photographed in Western gear, or overweight men being fussed over (for the camera, at $5.00 a click) by fake saloon ladies, who - I venture to guess - would have been considered "beautiful" only by cowboys who had been out on the range for a very long time. Still, took a few photos:
Picked up AZ 82, a good scenic road through the desert, range land, canyons, and some attractive Western towns such as Patagonia. Couldn't get a campsite at Patagonia Lake State Park, so continued to Nogales, AZ (not worth a visit) and then picked up I-19 to Tucson. This interstate is quite scenic, and it has a split personality - all distances and markers are in kilometers, but the speed limit is posted in miles per hour.
Dropped off I-19 just before it merges with I-10 and got on Ajo Road (AZ 85). Found my way to Old Tucson, the Tucson Mountain County Park, and the Gilbert Ray Campgrounds that are part of the park. Paid $6.00 for a nice spot, with a pretty view
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One real advantage of the campground is that it is close enough to Tucson to have good TV reception. Got to watch the news and 60 Minutes! Grilled a steak for dinner. (The second half of the meat I bought in Ft. Davis.).
Was on the road for 7 hours and drove 344 miles. Didn't need to fill the gas tank, but from what I could see, my days of paying less than a dollar are over. Absolutely hate it when the $ indicator of the pump moves faster than the gallon indicator.
Monday, March 22 - Day 12
From Tucson to Morena Regional Park, San Diego County, CA
A fun day, and only saw I-10 from the distance! As I checked out of the campground at 8:30 AM two very friendly bicycle riders were commenting on my van, so gave them the grand tour, including popping the roof. It's really amazing how well suited the GTRV-Westy is for a specific group of people - individuals (like me) traveling alone and wanting certain comforts without the width/length problems of a class A or C, couples who can tolerate being together in a somewhat confined area, families with children where the kids enjoy being outdoors in a tent and consider the van "the mothership." But, I digress. It's just that I am so very pleased that I found and acquired my home away from home.
During the night the temperature had dropped to 47F but already was reaching for 60F when I got under way. Reached a high in the lower 80s before dropping back down to barely 50F when I set up camp. Drove 436 miles, was on the road for 8 hours, and gained an hour when I crossed time zones. Filled the gasoline tank near Tucson at $1.029/gallon and topped off in Yuma for $1.179. Averaged 18.3 and 21.5 mpg. The highest altitude was 4,200 at the Crestwood Summit on I-8 near the Cleveland National Forest in California, the lowest was 0 - sea level - at the western side of the Imperial Valley.
Avoided I-10 by taking the Ajo Road, AZ 86. The road goes through the desert and one sees lots of tall Segura cacti - they look human to me, with arms stretched out in all directions. About two hours out of Tucson is Kitt Peak, the famous observatory.
Continued driving through the desert (with impressive mountain ranges to my right and left) through various Indian reservations to the mining town of Ajo - which is making an effort to become a tourist attraction. Incredibly many RVs parked in and around town -- I guess Ajo is a jumping off point for RV trains in and out of Mexico. Passed through a small settlement called "Why" and will probably spend the rest of my traveling days looking for a place called "Why Not." You got to have a positive attitude!
AZ 86 comes to an end and it's AZ 85 through some very pretty high desert country to Gila Bend and I-8. This interstate is reasonably attractive, few billboards or frontage road eyesores. Ultimately made it to Yuma, and that city is something else! Seems that every RV owner in the US goes to Yuma for the winter to be stacked/cramped into huge RV parks. I understand there is a park with over 2,000 sites!
Obviously not the place for me to spend the night. Moved on to California. At the CA border inspection station was asked about produce and drugs. I told the agent that I did not carry produce and that the only drugs she would find in the van were of the prescription type. She took my word for it and welcomed me to California.
The Imperial Valley is lush and green and the proper origin for all the veggies we consume. But while you're driving through it, a mountain range looms ahead, the Coyote and Jacumba Mountains. The road climbs from 200' to 4,200' in nothing flat, and the scenery of the Devil's Canyon is simply breathtaking. I-8 is a "scenic highway" from here to San Diego, so it's not covered by my rule "avoid interstates whenever possible." Followed signs to a campground near Jacumba, only to discover on getting there that it was a "Clothing Optional" facility. I didn't think I'd be comfortable there with being 20 lbs above my ideal weight and the temperature already dropping into the sixties. Frankly, it was the latter rather than the former that made me get back on the interstate. Then happened upon an absolutely lovely campground, Morena Regional Park ($16.00 for electric and water hook-up, altitude 3,200'.) Ranger Fay let me use the FAX line to upload and download, and as a special treat gave me a lakefront site.
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How is that for a view?
Noticed an oversized van with German license plates in the campground and chatted with the owners, a German couple. They are on a 12 months trip around the States. Started in October in Baltimore, then went up to Maine, wintered in Florida, Texas, and Baja California and are now heading up the Pacific Coast. A fellow camper at Seminole State Park in Texas had predicted that I would eventually run into them, since they were also planning to visit for San Diego.