Week 4

Sunday, May 23rd: No specific plan other than to tour somewhere about Tucson and surrounding area. We got to Old Tucson Studios before it opened at 10:00and stayed til it closed at 4:00. Over to Saguaro National Monument, East Section afterwards. Back to Catalina S.P.

Monday, May 24th (the Queen's Birthday): Again, no specific plan except to tour about Tucson area. We did go west to the International Wildlife Museum, all of which is inside. Next stop, the Arizona-Senoran Desert Museum -- most of which is outside, in the heat. It is hot here. Laer in the day we visit the Old Tucson Artisants in the old town area of Tucson. Back to the campground in Catalina S.P.

Tuesday, May 25th: Another day with no specific plan. We drive over to Sabino Canyon and take the shuttle service part way up the mountain. Walk back and find stream to wade in. Back to the shuttle for rest of journey down. Next stop is the road up Catalina Mountain further east. We get half way up. Road closed. Blasting up ahead. Found some bargains at a discount mall and then at a regular mall.

Wednesday, May 26th: Plan is to go north to Globe, Arizona -- not on the interstate, but via back highways. Then the next night to drive a long way around to end up northeast of Phoenix. Instead, we go all the way to Fountain Hills, north east of Phoenix. We camp at McDowell Mountain Regional Park. It is flat and wide open. A few trees are outnumbered by sparse cactus. We are almost alone here. The route to campground is a revision to the plan. We go thru Globe and continue to Mesa and up to Fountain Hills and on to the campground.

Thursday, May 27th: No specific plan. Just take a couple of days to sitesee around greater Phoenix area. First plan was to do a mall or 2 and maybe the zoo. We did 4 malls and old town Scottsdale. No zoo. It was stinking hot. A/C in the malls was a welcome relief.

Friday, May 28th: Nothing specific planned here either. We decide to pick up some of what we missed the other day on our path to Phoenix. South east to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, lunch in Coolrige (which is anything but cool) to Florence, Miami, tonto National Monument, Roosevelt Dam. Then 22 miles of the gut-wrentchingest, teeth clenchingest, hair straighteningest, toe curlingest, white knuckle drivingest stretch of dirt road that I have ever done. Twisty-turnies, up hill and down, switchbacks, on the edge, no guardrail, and sometimes not even two lanes wide. I didn't know if there would be a pickup truck or sunlight hitting me as I wound around blind corners, sometimes down to 5mph. Never have I driven an automatic transmission in low gear so much in such a short drive. And most of it in 4-wheel drive just-in-case. I am told that this was a most scenic drive. What I saw of it, was.

Saturday, May 29th: No plans. Just to tour about. We have to do laundry. Took hours to find a place way north of Phoenix in Cave Creek. A few hours later we are south and some where on the north side of Phoenix and in a mall. For dinner we have reservations at Rawhide for a western cookout; where they filmed the Rawhide TV series. Great dinner.