Week one...gone

Every day I find a heart love offering somewhere.

I'm feeling like I'm on the bullet train of life.  I don't even have a job and can't seem to accomplish as much as I would like to in a day and the days keep clicking by.

We've had a big rain day and two big wind days.  The temps have been all over the place. 

In this post I'm just going to share some pictures from around the RV park and the desert on our walks.  There's so many varieties of cactus and desert plants all over in the park and many are blooming right now.  

These sandy washes are good leg muscle builders.

This is a giant Argentine cactus.  The flowers were enormous.

This slate fountain at the clubhouse is stunning.

You have to be observant to see the flowers sometimes.

Sacred Thorn Apple bloom, wild

Lots of cool, brain looking rocks

Gracie and Larry looking at the southwestern prickly poppy on the edge of the trail along a big wash.

 

Landed in Benson, AZ

My view while posting Sunday's blog

We got quite a lot of rain in Tonopah on Sunday afternoon and right up until about sundown.  Yesterday morning we decided to take the time for a last desert walk with Gracie.  It was so clean and bright.  

Awesome color as the sun set.

daily heart

We pulled out after breakfast, after 9 sometime.  We took a detour to Buckeye to our dentist for one last adjustment to our crowns.  Getting three at once creates all kinds of problems getting your bite adjusted so you don't have pain from your teeth hitting wrong.  You zip a bit off here and now over there needs a bit off.  We're really tired of our teeth hurting.  We've been back a few times.  This last bit as we left should be it...we need to just let them all settle down.  Teeth shift all the time, so once the major discomfort and reactionary pain quits, we should be good.  
 






 
















It being Monday and as we were drop ins, we had to wait at the dentist a bit, but we were on the road from Buckeye around 11:10.  We bypassed Phoenix by dropping down to I-8 via highway 85.  I-8 is beautiful, not a lot of semi-truck traffic, not much civilization and you go through beautiful areas of Saguaros, then the choyas start showing up.  I think it was south of Tuscon that we started seeing a lot of prickly pear.  It was a beautiful day to travel.
 

Clouds over RV park in Benson

We arrived at the Benson SKP park about 3:30.  We loved it 11 years ago when we were here during our full time RVing years and it's still wonderful.  It's so peaceful and the views of the Dragoon mountains are stunning. The park is just so well kept and the people so friendly!

Yay!  No freeway noise and no chickens!  Our first evening.

Different this morning.  It was still raining.

It was pretty cloudy by sunset.  This morning we were awakened before 6 by thunder and lightning and then heavy rain.  It was right over us for quite awhile and very slow to move out.  There are still quite a lot of thunderclouds floating about in the sky today, every once in awhile blocking the sun.

Wet rained on cactus flowers.

 

There are cactus blooming everywhere!  Here in the park on the ones that have been planted and outside the park, the wild desert cactus are blooming.  Amazing flowers everywhere.  

We walked about in the park today and took a short desert walk where Gracie got to chase a rabbit.  She never seems to see where they take off to.  She won't be getting the desert walks she has been getting.  It's hillier here, not my favorite terrain.  

Until later! 

 

Last night here in Tonopah

Wow, the three months here have flown by!  Even being sick the entire month of February, which ate up a third of our time here, still so quickly gone.  We didn't go anywhere much.  

We won't miss the chicken smells.  Fortunately it's not 24/7, mostly the mornings and evenings, but can waft through at other times.  One night I walked out to take Gracie potty before bed and it smelled exactly like a dirty pit toilet room...ACK.  At times it'll make your eyes burn and mess with your breathing.

Larry with my friend, the giant old Ironwood tree.

Since my post on Tuesday, we've been to Buckeye twice, to the dentist and while there, to Walmart to shop.  Finished up all of our computer work while here too...woohoo!

One of my traveling orchids is blooming!

Today we're just getting everything put away and cleaned up, doing laundry etc. for hitting the road tomorrow.  It's been raining off and on today.  It rained for an hour this morning and we got about 1/3 inch of rain.  Right now there's really black ugly clouds moving over and the drips are starting.  Just as I was thinking about getting over to the activity center and the good wifi to upload my pics and get this post posted.  I think we might get some good thunder.  

Larry & Gracie on our morning walk

We decided to go to Benson, Arizona.  We were there about 10 years ago and there's some stuff we didn't see and do, so we decided to hang out and have some fun there before heading up to Mancos, Colorado.  The nights up there are still really cold and we're liking not freezing and a month either way isn't going to matter.

Day before yesterdays clouds.

Yep, thundering and pouring.  The night before we leave, our wifi internet here at the trailer is working the best ever!  Did all this from the comfort of home...jeez.

Steam rising from Palo Verde nuclear plant

I'm leaning against the trunk of the giant tree looking up into its canopy.

Every single day I spot a heart in nature somewhere. 

This is a cactus blooming in the RV park

Incoming bee

Getting our walk in quick this morning before it starts dripping.

My daily trail heart rock.

Gracie watching for Larry to come along the trail.

Big rain today

The End.  Pooped out Gracie.

More Desert pics

This is a Mesquite tree, an oldie

We've been warming up every day.  Today is overcast but hit 92.  Every morning we take our desert walk.  We've been going earlier to beat the heat.  Gracie might be wearing out.  She's slower and closer to us most days now.  Then there are other days when her nose is sniffing away and she becomes a deaf, stupid dog.

I love these old ironwood trees.  It's amazing how they look half dead but are alive and going strong.  The dead parts are for the beasties and the nutrition of the dirt.  They bloom in May and sadly we'll miss it.

Young Mesquite.  The blooms are those dangly long thingys.

We've seen lots of dead barrel cactus.  Maybe they don't like wet winters?

Beautiful Ironwood texture

The Ironwood canopy, way above me

I wanted you to have perspective on the size of this old, giant Ironwood.  Larry added his finger...hahaha.

Even those upper branches are the size of large trees

This is it from a distance.  I may have to take another one with Larry out there so you can get a sense of its great height.

This crazy baby horned lizard is only a couple inches long, but fierce.  It throws its head back, mouth opens wide and hisses when threatened.

Another old Ironwood

And another. :)

This wash had beautiful blooming Palo Verde trees still blooming.  They are mostly done.

This silver choya reminded me of a little Christmas tree for some reason.