It was an easy drive from Tombstone to Saguaro National Park, a park split into two sections about 30 miles apart: one on the east side and one on the west side of Tucson, Arizona.  The park is part of the Sonoran Desert and it is filled with many different varieties of cacti.  But the one after which the park is named?  Well, who has not seen photos (if not the real thing) of these majestic plants?  The saguaro (pronounced “sa-WAH-ro”) cactus, the one that looks like a person except taller and more handsome, has an ideal habitat here, below the sloping hills of the Tucson mountains.

Saguaros grow slowly at first, about an inch per year for the first six to eight years, and it may take 70 years before they sprout branches or arms (although some never grow arms).  They reach full height, 40 – 50 feet, at about 150 years.  The tallest can go up to 75 feet.  They are the universal symbol of the American west and they grow almost exclusively in the Sonoran Desert.

Saguaros collect water through their shallow roots that can reach as far as they are tall, which is how they survive in the desert.  Flowers appear in early summer: bats, moths, honeybees, and some doves feed on the nectar; doves, bats, javelina, and fox eat the summer fruits.  Birds find homes in the saguaro cactus as well – woodpeckers, for example, make nest holes in the trunks and larger limbs.

In 1933, after pressure from conservationists, a 62,000-acre section of the Rincon Mountains was set aside as a national monument (this is the eastern side).  From 1933 to 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC – remember them?) constructed picnic areas, roads, and water control dams in the park.  Saguaro became a national park in 1994.

We chose to visit the eastern side of the park, the Rincon Mountain District.  It is the larger and older of the two districts and has the most mature plants.  We spent a good part of the day driving the scenic eight-mile, one-way, Cactus Forest Loop Drive, stopping at every overlook, as well as hiking two different trails, dressed in our sweatshirts and jackets – but at least it wasn’t raining or snowing.

What we saw were saguaros, old and young, as well as prickly pear cactus, and other desert plants.  Every national park we visit has something special.  And seeing these magnificent cacti, “the monarchs of the cactus world,” it is easy to see why the U.S saw fit to protect them.

Lost Dutchman Sate Park – February 20 – 21, 2019

We liked the name, Lost Dutchman, but did not know the legend behind it.  As the story goes, the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is a rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States, generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, Arizona.  The mine is named after German immigrant Jacob Waltz (Deutsch in German, thus Dutchman), who – some say – discovered the gold mine in the 1870s and, before he died, told his caregiver the location of the mine.  She sold maps of the site location, and over the years (till recent times) people have searched for the mine.  It has never been found.  There are many who believe the mine never existed; some say there is some basis to the story as, after Waltz’s death, a small amount of rich-quality gold was found under his bed that was not characteristic of gold found in any other known mine.  But the legend continues, and the searching continues; unfortunately, some searchers have died in the unforgiving mountains. 

And there is a second legend at play here: How did the Superstition Mountain range get its name?  Legend (again) says that the farmers of the area heard from the Pima Indians stories about “strange sounds, people who disappeared, mysterious deaths, and an overall fear of the mountain.” 

A little more about the Pima Indians legend:  according to their traditions, their god (who happened to be the butterfly, as a butterfly can lead you to water in the desert) saw that the people were becoming selfish and greedy.  It decided to drown all the evil ones – but first gave a warning, telling them that a flood would come if they would not repent.  Only a prophet and a few of his followers listened; they took refuge at the top of Crooked Top Mountain, and for two moons the rains came and covered the land with water.  Again, their god spoke, and said that all people should return to the desert valley to till the soil, but any evil ones who remained will be turned to stone.  Interesting.

We spent two nights and one day at Lost Dutchman and loved every minute.  It was cold at night, but nice during the day, allowing us to take a couple of easy trails in and around the campground.  Mostly, we just chilled.

Every state park we have been to on this trip (Abilene, Davis Mountains, Lost Dutchman) has been great.  Lost Dutchman, about an hour from Phoenix and two hours from Tucson, is a jewel.

A long drive through the flat desert of three states, Texas – New Mexico – Arizona, and we arrived at a town that all Americans of a certain age can relate to: a town that lives in the memories of all of us who grew up watching cowboy TV shows and movies – Tombstone, Arizona of the late 1800s. 

Founded in 1879 in what was then the Arizona Territory, Tombstone became one of the last boom towns in the American frontier. This was Apache land, and its chief was the famous Cochise, a key war leader during the Apache Wars against the U.S. government from 1861-1872.  But people from the eastern states came, drawn by the discovery of silver, and the town grew significantly in the mid-1880s.  In fact, it was the fastest growing city between St. Louis and San Francisco and, in its prime, it boasted a population of 15,000-20,000.

Eventually, though, the mineshafts began to be dug deeper and the mines flooded when the water table was struck at 520 feet.  The town was able to pump water out of the mines for several years using a railroad tanker car of oil per day to run the pumps, until one day the tanker car was unknowingly filled with salt water and ruined the pumps.  Mining began to slow to a halt and people started to leave.  In the early 1930s, there were about 150 people living in Tombstone.

But Tombstone calls itself the “town too tough to die.”  It saw two major fires in the 1880s that nearly destroyed it, but managed to quickly rebuild both times.  Today, approximately 1,500 people call Tombstone home.

It was fun spending a day in old, historic Tombstone.  The main street, Allen Street, has the original buildings – very well-preserved – that are now home to stores, restaurants, and saloons.  We could not resist watching a humorous, tongue-in-cheek-reenactment of the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral – possibly the most famous gunfight in American western cowboy history – between the lawmen: Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday and the cowboys: Frank and Tom McLaury and Ike and Billy Clanton.  The fight lasted about 30 seconds and about 30 gun shots, but its fame in western folklore has been the subject of many books and movies.

We followed that with an interesting 25-minute show on the history of the city. And, of course, as we walked the streets, we just had to stop into the stores.

On a side note (literally), Tombstone is also the home of the Tombstone Flute Company where Bill bought a beautiful native American flute.

The next morning, we woke to find a layer of snow covering the ground and the RV.  Snow in Tombstone Arizona, go figure! At least we can now say we really have winter camped.

Texas has a little-known treasure, Big Bend National Park, a place many have never heard of and even fewer have visited, even Texans.   As we traveled hundreds of miles, through mostly flat desert, there was barely another car on the road.  Our destination, Big Bend National Park, is in such a remote part of southwestern Texas that there is zero cell phone reception anywhere near it.  Gas stations and grocery stores are few and far between and the park strongly recommends you stock up on supplies at either of two nearby (it is all relative) towns, Marathon or Alpine (Alpine is 80 miles away, Marathon a bit less) if you are staying in the park.  Is it worth it?  Unquestionably, yes!

Big Bend National Park was established in June 1944 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, just days after D-Day.  The majestic beauty of Big Bend is as unique as its natural environment.  Three totally different ecosystems come together to exist side by side: desert, mountains, river. 

Big Bend lies in the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert, the most easterly and southerly of the North American deserts, where summer ground temperatures can reach up to 140 degrees F at mid-day. 

Big Bend’s Chisos Mountain Range is the only mountain range entirely within the boundaries of a national park.  The drive through it was stunning.

And the river: 118 miles of the Rio Grande River runs along the park’s southern boundary and separates Mexico from the United States.  The name, Big Bend, refers to the U-turn the river makes, defining this boundary.

Among the park’s animal inhabitants are the Mexican black bear (which are making a comeback in the park), panther, coyote, golden eagle, and the road runner (beep, beep).  But animal life is very diverse in Big Bend, and the park hosts nearly 450 species of birds, 75 species of mammals, 67 species of amphibians and reptiles, 40 species of fish, and a host of insects.  The desert is full of plants that have adapted to the climate; wildflowers bloom after a rainy period and many plants remain dormant until a rainfall comes.

We entered the park through the northern entrance; after checking out the Visitors Center, we got back in the van and drove a few minutes to a fossil exhibit of prehistoric animals.  Though the archeologist in charge of the project for exhuming the fossils found at Big Bend wanted to display his discoveries where he dug them up, the display location had to be changed due to thieves helping themselves to his team’s discoveries. They are now displayed in glass exhibition cabinets.  The exhibit was interesting, especially (but not only) if you are into dinosaurs and other such creatures; seeing actual skeleton parts (just the heads were huge) was fun.

We camped just outside the western entrance to the park, near a town called Terlingua.  The campground does not have a lot to brag about, but the surroundings (mountains all around and spectacular sunsets) were breathtaking.

The next day we took two outstanding hikes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  The first was to the Boquillas Overlook and Canyon Trail.  Each turn of the trail provided a beautiful view of the Rio Grande River.  On parts of the trail we were so close to the river we could wash our hands in the water, and we did.   

An interesting side story is that Mexicans who live on the other side of the river come over, display their works of art on rocks, and leave an empty jar for people who would like to make a purchase.  (This works on the honor system.)  We have heard that for a small fee they will also row you across the river (to Mexico) where you can walk or take a mule ride to the local village and have a meal.  The return trip is included but don’t tell the border patrol (we’re sure they are aware of this system of commerce since it has been going on for years).

The second hike was the Santa Elena Canyon Trail that follows the Rio Grande into a gorge with high rock walls on either side.  The drive to get to the trailhead took an hour along very twisting curves; the trail itself had ups and downs and it was one of the best hikes we have taken.  The silence of the Santa Elena Canyon makes it easy to forget that the Rio Grande is an international boundary.

Big Bend has entered our list of favorite national parks (Glacier, Yellowstone, Acadia, Carlsbad Caverns (Sima), Canyonlands (Bill), and now Big Bend.  It is 800,000 acres, and the park headquarters is more than 100 miles from the nearest highway, hospital, or shopping mall.  Big Bend National Park is beautiful and quiet and remote, and the mountains and sky seem never-ending.

Davis Mountains State Park – February 15 – 16, 2019

We left Big Bend in the morning and drove to our Shabbat location, Davis Mountains State Park, a beautiful state park about 1-1/2 hours away.  On the way we met up with Border Patrol which is stationed just before Alpine, Texas, about 80 miles north of the park; they were stopping all cars with the usual questions (from where, to where, U.S. citizens?).  

We decided to do laundry in Alpine in the old section of town which also has a number of interesting stores: a lovely independent bookstore (you almost don’t see them anymore) and other boutique/gift shops.

We arrived in Davis Mountains in early afternoon – another park built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

We have become more and more intrigued by the Civilian Conservation Corps in our travels, as so many of the U.S. state parks we have visited were built by the CCC.  As mentioned in our last post, the CCC was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 by executive order and as part of his New Deal.  The purpose was to provide work – manual labor – to unmarried, unemployed men.  The work included planting nearly three billion trees to help reforest America, constructing trails and lodges, upgrading parks – including state parks – and updating forest fire fighting methods.  The CCC can be said to be the first instance of public awareness of the need to protect the natural resources of the United States.

Such was the desperation of so many people in the 1930s that within three months of its founding, over 250,000 men signed up.  They were provided with three meals a day, work clothes, medical care, and training.  The enrollees were paid $30. a month, $25. of which was automatically sent to their homes, thus providing their families with the means to buy food and necessities.  The minimum time for enrollment was six months, and many young men stayed for several years.

The CCC was phased out in 1942, after Pearl Harbor.  Most of the men who enrolled in the CCC were drafted; although they did not have military training, they did learn things that benefited them in the military and in life – discipline, hard work, and learning to live with others.  During the nine years of its existence, over three million men participated in the Civilian Conservation Corps. 

We cooked and set up for Shabbat in a very nice campsite at Davis Mountains.  There are some short trails just near our campground which we were able to do on Shabbat; the weather was great, and the surroundings were lovely.

Rain, Rain, Go Away – February 10, 2019

Saturday night at Hot Springs, Arkansas – it started raining and didn’t stop.  On Sunday, we began driving and, like the rain, we did not stop.  We were headed towards Abilene, Texas; since it was a Sunday and there was very little traffic, we drove all the way through Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth (it seemed like one big city).  We stopped for the night at another KOA, not as attractive as the one at Hot Springs, but it did have full hook-ups and, in the cold and rain, we really appreciated it.

Abilene State Park, Texas – February 11 – 12, 2019

We arrived in the rain but it stopped (finally) in mid-afternoon and, after settling in at our campsite, took a walk through the park.  Out of season, it is very quiet; maybe half a dozen other campers in the whole park.  In our area of the campground there is only one other RV, a lovely Texas couple that makes us look young; we hope we keep going as long as they do.  The air was fresh and the walk was invigorating.

Abilene State Park is beautiful; 529 acres of woods, open areas, and a stream running through it.  As with many of the parks we visit, much of the early development of the park was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a public work relief program that operated in the U.S. from 1933 to 1942 for unemployed, unmarried men.  The CCC put a lot of people to work in those years, and this is the result.  Some of the structures are still standing; note the beauty of the water tower (not in use now) in the photo.

Day 2: A walk in the morning and another in the afternoon, totally surrounded by nature.  The day was beautiful, about 14 degrees C, with lots of sun. We saw a couple of deer and took pictures of a cardinal.  Lots of river water and standing water after the recent rains.  And all along we kept saying, this is why we are here.  We like driving and seeing the scenery, exploring new places, living the small RV life and – most of all — finding the peace and quiet in nature.  And, once more, we realize how much we like the state parks of America.

1:00 am (February 4), the cab picks us up at the house, an hour’s drive to the airport, five hours on a cramped KLM flight to Amsterdam, two hours to find our next flight, more room, much better food, two movies and very little sleep on Delta for 9-1/2 hours, only one of our suitcases made the plane, an hour’s ride to the RV storage facility, and we are finally at our RV home. 

What was interesting was the technology involved in tracking the luggage, knowing immediately that it made a later flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta, being informed by Delta that it has arrived, and following its way on a map (via computer) to our RV (we got delivery at 9:00 pm the same day).  In a combination of what can be called Uber and the post office, Delta utilizes a service called Roadie which matches things that need to be delivered with folks who just happen to be driving that way.

The weather was very nice during the two days we spent at the RV center while we got over our jet lag and stocked up on supplies.

February 8^th, 2019 – It is so Cold in Hot Springs, Arkansas

As we needed an extra day in Atlanta to rest and finish a few projects on the RV, we made a two-day trip into one on Thursday, covering 578 miles.  It’s supposed to be an 8 ½-hour drive according to Waze but with stops, not traveling over the speed limit (which we’re convinced Waze assumes you do when it estimates travel time), and a very heavy downpour of rain, it took us 11+ hours.  We were glad that we took the advice of our neighbors in the 43-foot RV next to us and left Atlanta really, really early.  Out at 4:00 am, we missed all the traffic of going through downtown Atlanta, gained an hour crossing the Alabama state line (from Eastern to Central time), and missed rush hour in Birmingham.  Both Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas were easily traversed.  We stopped at about 7:00 am at a gas station/rest stop in the middle of nowhere to fill-up, daven, and eat brunch.

The bad news but mostly good news:  At a gas station (somewhere else) our RV had a minor disagreement with a guard post pole; it only dented a piece of trim which should be easily repaired.  We ended up (at the end of our long ride, but still mid-afternoon because we were smart (?) enough to leave at 4:00 am) at a beautiful KOA (Campgrounds of America) in the middle of the woods with full hookups, electric-water-dump connections, and plenty of space between campsites.  We will be here for Shabbat too.  However, the weather dropped by almost 40 degrees F in one day (so we were told when we arrived at the park), to -5 Celsius at night. The really good news – so far, our furnace and cold weather options on the RV are keeping us comfortable and preventing the water hoses from freezing.

Day 2:  A Visit to Hot Springs National Park

We took a campground shuttle to Hot Springs National Park, and were introduced there to a bit of Americana.  Hot Springs National Park is unique; unlike most of the national parks, which we usually think of as being fairly large and totally in nature, Hot Springs is in an urban environment.  It is a geological wonder: rainfall seeps into the rocks, travels deep into the earth where it percolates downward, and increasingly warmer rock heats it at a rate of about 4 degrees F every 300 feet.  Eventually, the hot water, at an average temperature of 143 degrees F, travels up through faults leading to the surface to form a hot water stream.

American Indians, the Spanish who first came to the area, settlers, and tourists have found that bathing in the natural, pure hot water to be relaxing and beneficial to health problems.  In 1803, the U.S. acquired the area in the Louisiana Purchase from France, and in 1832, the government set aside this parcel of land to protect it as a natural resource, calling it the Hot Springs Reservation.  It was declared a national park in 1921. On a side note, there was an ongoing debate with Yellowstone as to which was the first actual national park. It was settled as such: Although Yellowstone was the first declared national park, established in 1872, Hot Springs claims the first area ever set aside by the U.S. government to preserve its use as an area for recreation.

A city was built around the streams for travelers seeking the benefits for what ailed them.  Bathhouses were built, and through the 1940s Hot Springs was a sought-after destination for people with health problems of all kinds.  The waters were thought to be a miracle cure for almost any ailment. Today, there are two bathhouses/spas that are open, a third was turned into the park’s Visitors Center, a fourth into a brewery (the only brewery in a national park), and a few other buildings are undergoing renovation.

We spent the about five hours at the park – taking a tour of the Visitors Center, a former bathhouse which is also a museum in which many of the original rooms have been preserved, visiting the bookstore/gift shop, walking down the Grand Promenade, and taking a hike through some of the surrounding area (the park has many short and longer hiking paths).

We also filled our water bottles from one of the fountains that are found in the park.  People, we are told, come from all over with empty bottles (we watched a few fill up gallons and gallons of water to take back with them); the water is that good and it is free.  The park collects about 700,000 gallons of water a day for use in the bathhouses and drinking fountains.

Returning to the RV in early afternoon, we prepared for Shabbat. Did we say it was cold in Hot Springs?  For the last three days the temperature has dropped to below freezing at night and just above freezing during the day.  This is called winter camping, and we survived.  The van stayed warm and the pipes did not freeze.