Hiking in Sedona!

March 14, 2018 - Tucson Mountain Park, Tucson, Arizona

Took a getaway trip up to Sedona last week.  The hiking and scenery were just wonderful.  Overly crowded, tourist mecca, covered w/resort hotels otherwise.  Home to Spiritual energy vortexes and other stuff.  Here are some snaps from our hike up this wonderful box canyon, Boynton Canyon, home to an energy vortex said to balance Yin and Yang energy.

Enjoying a snack and a drink at the head of the canyon

And other hikes on other days, above and around town.

Overlooking town.

And in a different direction

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Red Rocks Everywhere!

Skeletons in the Desert

February 23, 2018 - Organ Pipe National Monument, near Lukeville, AZ

Even in death these cacti bring beauty to the desert.

Organ Pipe Cactus, still w/skin

Organ Pipe Cactus blown over

Chain Fruit Cholla

Saguaro woody ribs

Saguaro still with arms

Saguaro standing tall

Saguaro trellis

Slumping Saguaro

Nature and the Xmas spirit in the desert

January 1, 2018 - Tucson, AZ

Now that we've landed in our new campsite at Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson Mountain Park, Tucson, AZ had to share some nature shots from the last week, and a Xmas event at Tumacacori National Historical Park (about an hour south of here).

Parking the R-Pod at Site A-44

Connie in the desert

Senor Dancing Saguaro

Rare Crestate Saguaro off the Yetman trail, Tucson Mountain Park

And if you're really paying attention Baby Saguaro

Cholla on the trail

Black throated sparrows at our water bowl

Took a day to run up to Phoenix for a quick visit with the Cooks

Cool moth!

Weather has been so warm (15 deg above normal) snakes are coming back out.

Wanted to do something on Christmas Eve.  Ended up visiting Tumacacori National Historic Park for a neat Luminaria event, the park, and the historic Mission there were lit up with thousands of Luminaria.  Pretty impressive!  All that and hot chocolate and cookies afterwards!

Waiting in line with 500 of our closest friends!

Luminaria in the Mission

Making our Way to Arizona

January 1, 2018 - Tucson, Arizona

Well, we've been back at the Gilbert Ray Campground for 1-1/2 wks now after having a relatively pleasant crossing.  First, thanks to the Rugg-Tuttle family for putting us up on night one in Central NY.  Great to visit with Lyn, Steve, Caleigh, and Ryan (dogs and cats too!).

We had support along the way from our guardian Tumtugubas:

While we played with our bigger road friends:

Our first "destination" was to get to Minnesota and see Tom in his Senior Dance Performances at Gustavus Adolphus College.  Just wonderful, and thanks to my cousin Allison and all of the Johnsons (Brad, Maddy, and Tyler - shout out to Teddy and Aunt Sal too!) for hosting us on our stay in MN.

Breakfast at Perkins in Mankato, MN

Christmas Gift Giving (Gustavus Rocks!) w/Tom

Next leg had us headed for Denver, CO and a visit with my Bro and niece Kristin:

Dinner w/Kristin in Denver

Washing the truck and R-Pod in the snow in Lafayette, CO

Breakfast at Lucille's Creole Cafe, Longmont, CO

And finally made our way back into Arizona to start another season of campground hosting!

Dragon Cement Company

October 5, 2017 - Owls Head, Maine

Well, it took me 58 years, but I finally got a look inside the Dragon Cement company, as opposed to just driving by.  Looming over the mid-coast landscape since 1927, and I've been looking at it since 1960 the Dragon Cement company, straddling Route 1 in Thomaston, is the only primary producer of Cement in the Northeast US.  Currently producing 500,000 tons of cement (used in the production of concrete for all types of construction) they ship throughout the eastern US.  A long time ago it was a Martin Marietta division, sold to the Passamaquoddy indians, then owned by a Spanish firm, and now owned by a Mexican conglomerate Elementia.

Looking NE from 10 stories up, atop the tower) overview of the South Pit and North quarry pit  bisected by Rt. 1

The active quarry on the North side is currently quarrying rock at 200 ft. below sea level!

Looking E, Rockland Harbor is in the distance (if you look real close there's a huge Cruise Ship on the southern end of the harbor)

I participated in a 2 hour tour with the Thomaston Historical Society, led by the plant manager to see all operations of the plant.  Quarrying the limestone, crushing and pulverizing, Lab and Quality Control operations, kiln firing the limestone to turn it into cement.

There is a hundreds of millions of years old limestone seam, that tilts 30 deg from South to North running through the site.  They've got at least 30 more years of proven reserves (and probably more than that).

Drilling for blasting

150 Ton rock-hauler

Lake on the W edge of the South pit

Driving through the tunnel underneath Rt. 1

Pretty cool tour through and through.  Great 360 deg views from atop the tower, looking to the Camden hills, coastline, and Weskeag and St. George river watersheds.  Loved it!

St. Andrews by the Sea, NB, Canada

September 9, 2017 - St. Andrews by the Sea

Made a gorgeous run up the Downeast coast of Maine yesterday all along Route 1 from Owls Head to Calais, ME, then over the border into St. Stephen, New Brunswick and on to St. Andrews.   An old place here, first settled by Europeans (ancient home to the Passamaquoddy of course) in 1604, and then a refuge for loyalists fleeing the US revolution, with many re-settling from Castine, ME.

Depiction of the first English settlement on nearby St. Croix Island

Town is only a 10 minute walk away from the Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground where they pack you in like sardines!

But there are plenty of fine restaurants in this seaside tourist town.

Trifecta!  Beer, Poutine and Mussels at the Red Herring Pub

And the town and campground are right on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay on the Bay of Fundy.  Featuring one of the world's most amazing tides and shifting 100 Billion Tons of seawater every 6 hours and 13 minutes (from Low to High, or High to Low tides).  Over 24 Feet of tide today:

Before (Low tide)

After (High Tide)

Had a great Whale watch (3 hour tour) aboard the motor sailer Jolly Breeze.  Saw birds, many seals, dozens of Harbour Porpoise (loved hearing their "breaths"), 3 different Finback whales (the 2nd largest of the whales behind Blues) one of which was enormous 70 feet!  and a couple of Minke whales thrown in.  Great adventure!

Seal rookery

Jolly Breeze, dockside at low tide

Ever hear of a lighthouse with no light?  Come to St. Andrews!

Capt. Dave taking us home