Dougles, Arizona (five Blogs for the price of one!)

Our motorhome home is still parked at Belle Starr’s Silverado Ranch…13 miles west of Douglas, Arizona.

Yesterday was a busy  day for us. So today you get five Blog entries for the price of one!

Blog #1 – John Slaughter Ranch

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a cattle baron in Arizona in the late 1800′s? We did…so we went to find out.

To  read all about the Slaughter Ranch, click this link…
http://www.slaughterranch.com

First we drove the 13 miles to Douglas, Arizona. Then we continued on this dirt road for another 16 miles. Since we were so close to the Mexico Border…we saw a  Border Patrol vehicle about every one mile along the way…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

Here’s a Google Earth image of the ranch house area where we visited.The Mexican Border is only 600 feet away…

Here are five other photos. Whenever you can see a brown-poled fence…that’s the Mexico Border…

To see the other 43 photos that I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/JohnSlaughterRanch

We spent a very enjoyable 2.5 hours wandering the grounds.

Then we once again drove the 16 dusty miles back to Douglas, Arizona for…

Blog #2 – The Gadsden Hotel

To read about the Gadsden Hotel, click this link…
http://hotelgadsden.com/

Here are some photos that I took….

To see the other 22 photos that I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/TheGadsdenHotelDouglasArizona

We spent an enjoyable hour wandering the hotel and eating lunch in their fancy dining room.

Then a few blocks away to

Blog #3 – It’s The Only Place In The World That You Will See this!

At least according to the visitors brochure for Douglas, Arizona. Church Square is the only block in the World that has a church on each corner! Here’s a Google Earth view…

E is for Episcopalian……

B is for Baptist…

M is for Methodist…

P is for Presbyterian…

It’s always fun to see a one in the world thing!

Then a few blocks to…

Blog #4 – The Big Disappointment…

In 2004, at the end on my 16,000+ mile RV trip through Mexico and Central America…we re-entered the United States at Douglas, Arizona. We went to the local Safeway to shop for groceries and quite by accident parked under the Safeway sign which we took as a blessing that we had managed such a long journey without any major mishaps and returned safely to the United States. We asked a passing woman to take our photo…

Since we plan to depart Douglas tomorrow morning…I thought it would be fun to park our current motorhome under the Safeway sign and take a similar photo. But surprise…the sign and Safeway are gone! Something that was not there in 2004, across the street,  A WalMart SuperCemter, has apparently run them out of business. So much for nostalgia!.

Here’s an interesting aside. The way the crow flies…presumably in a straight line…it’s a little more than 2,500 miles to Portebello, Panama…the furthest southern point reached during our journey. By road the most direct route…add about another 1,000 miles. Here’s a Google Earth image to give you some perspective…

Then just five blocks away to…

Blog #5 – Agua Prienta, Sonora, Mexico...

Mary wanted to add to her list of border crossings into Mexico. So we walked across the border and down a few blocks of the main drag and we were back in the United States in 25 minutes. Not much going on a Sunday afternoon in this rather lackluster border town. Here are some photos that I took…

Another full and fun day in the RVing lifestyle!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Bell Starr’s Silverado Ranch, Arizona – Part 1

Yesterday Mary and I drove the motorhome the about 35 miles from Sierra Vista to Belle Starr’s Silverado Ranch about one-half way between Bisbee and Douglas, Arizona.  The way the crow flies…presumably in a straight line…we are only four miles from Mexico. Bisbee is about 5,500 feet and Douglas is about 4,000 feet in elevation. Being about one-half way between the two…I’m guessing we’re at about 4,750 feet in elevation.The below Google Earth images show our location…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

Here’s a closer view of the ranch. We’re parked where I’ve marked in yellow…

Looking in from the entrance gate you can see our motorhome in the distance…

Once inside the gate you see this sign…

And the donation box…

A closer view of our parking spot where we have an electrical hookup…

Here’s the view from our dining room window…

This 40 acre unique property is owned by an 85-year-old woman every bit as unique as the property she owns.

I’m going to save telling you and showing pictures of her and her unique property for a very near future Blog. Enough for now…

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

MY FIFTH BORDER CROSSING

Thanks to Arizona Ranger, Ed Suckley, I had my fifth border crossing. We had heard horrible tales about how dangerous this crossing was and Jim was reluctant to go there with  the recent drug wars and problems. Ed put him at ease and assured us that a tourist  crossing into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico for an afternoon was as safe  as in Nogales, AZ, US. He even recommended a nice restaurant. Ed had a Boston accent and I got a kick out of listening to he and Jim reminisce about familiar experiences back in Massachusetts. And Ed’s story of how he came to be an Arizona Ranger after living pretty much all of his life on the East Coast? He was still kind of stunned it seemed that he and his wife had made an enormous change in their lives, were warned about living in an “awful” place like Nogales, and they both love it.

Ed’s partner, Ernesto, explained to me how the Rangers work and how much they enjoy this volunteer job.  The rangers were formed in 1901 to combat cattle rustling and wild lawlessness. They did such a good job, they were abolished in 1909. This small museum in the Old County Courthouse is where they preside.

Today, the rangers, reformed into a volunteer group in 1957, still carry colts like those the old-timers used. Between 1901 and 1909, the official rangers only numbered 26 men,  a grizzly bunch who preferred to go about their business operating as cowpokes. Her is a description of them from a newspaper article in 1942:

A colorful part of the old west is now a colorful part of the new west. The current rangers are a legal law enforcement assistant organization. Ernesto explained that their volunteer services probably save the State of Arizona a million dollars a year. When they are not called upon to help the Border Patrol, the Sheriff’s Department or other law agencies, they hold two major fund-raisers that raise money for charities that benefit children.  They are deputized and legal law enforcement assistance.  There is a lot of history in this little room. They have a website at with several short links at :    http://www.azrangers.us/

 

We left the Courthouse and stopped in to the Pimeria Alta Historical Society Museum. The building is chock full of good stuff. A large collection of wonderful old black and white photos. All volunteer run, no charge, they ask for (and need) a donation. The highlight here was the docent who explained how the local Indian lands stretch across the border but she now has to have a passport to enter her native lands on the other side of a fence. It was quite an education to learn that the names applied to Indian peoples, such as Pima, Yaqui, and others I didn’t retain, all mean nothing or nothingness. When invaders arrive in your land, you tell them nothing. Eventually, they are working on getting their true Indian tribal names changed.

Herman “Ace” Lawson, a Nogales resident, was a Tuskegee Airman and wrote a book about his experiences. He was scheduled to speak at the Museum but we left before he arrived, headed for the border.

This is the only crossing I’ve made where you can actually see Mexico and the fence that divides residents that used to move freely between cities as neighbors. It serves its purpose of keeping aliens from crossing but also keeps animals that one time used territory in both countries from crossing. It seems offensive to me, like the Berlin wall.  I haven’t read the link about this fence but Jim has a link to it in his blog.

We walked through the gates. I’ve crossed at Tijuana, San Luis, Algodones, Las Palomas and now Nogales.

Normally,  we eat at a hole in the wall “joint” when we’ve visited Mexico, so this was quite a change.  The beautiful lobby of the Hotel Fray Marcos De Niza.

The food was good and economical, and the comfort was more like home. But, we kind of missed the charm of  the hole in the wall “joints”.

Nogales, Sonora is a much more “westernized”  city; obviously more affluent. The town is huge and is the major port for truck shipping into the U.S.

We stopped and looked into this 122 year old church.

A beautiful stained glass window.

And yes, the boulevards were modern, but we still found those junky alleys with all that fascinating “stuff” I like to see.  I love doing it, but never buy since we have so little room to carry anything in the motor home.

 

 

A fun day.

Dos Nogales

Dos in Spanish means two.

Yesterday Mary and I drove the Bronco about one mile from our parking spot at the VFW Post #2066 in Nogales, Arizona to the border with Mexico. In old town Nogales, Arizona we visited the old court house, an Arizona Ranger archive room and a museum. We then walked across the border into Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. There we went to the fanciest hotel in the city and had a great inexpensive meal. Afterwards we wandered around the curio shops that cater to the tourists. We were in that Nogales about two hours before crossing back into the United States.

Nogales, Arizona has a population of about 22,000. Nogales, Sonora, Mexico has a population of about 220,000. Nogales in Spanish means “walnuts”. This area was so named because of the many black walnut trees that were in this area many years ago.

To read all about Nogales, Arizona, click this link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nogales,_Arizona

To read all about Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, click this link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nogales,_Sonora

Here are some photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

The old court house lobby in Nogales, Arizona…

Inside of the old court house, the Arizona Rangers maintain a small archive. One of the Rangers as seen in the below photo grew up in Lynnfield, Massachusetts…just a few miles from where I lived in Revere from ages 10 to 18…

The Primera Alta Historical Society Museum had the two old city jail cells…

Preparing to cross into Mexico we could see a portion of the fence that separates the United States and Mexico which is on the right in the below photo. To read about this highly controversial fence, click this link… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_%E2%80%93_United_States_barrier

Here’s where you enter Mexico…

which deposits you on this pleasant plaza…

We ate lunch at the Fray Marcos de Niza Hotel because it was highly recommended by the Arizona Ranger. This is the hotel lobby…

This was our view during lunch…

After lunch we wandered around the local curio shops…

To see the other 48 photos that I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/DosNogalesTwoNogales

It was another enjoyable day. The visit into Mexico was somewhat disappointing for me as it is such a large city. Nothing like my past experiences during my Mexico and Central America trip in 2004. No old world flavor is left in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico….at least near the border

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

It Doesn’t Happen By Accident…

Back in the sixth grade I had a Jewish manual training teacher who offered this piece of wisdom about life…”Plan your vork and vork your plan”. With his accent, the word work…sounded like vork. It seemed like good advice. Later in life I became an engineer and an ability to organize was an asset.

It’s really helpful in my RVing life. Researching an area prior to a visit is almost as much fun as going there.

Today we leave our RV Resort where we have been parked for the last ten days visiting friends and Mary’s relatives (another cousin yesterday) and head for southern Arizona. For about the next month we will be exploring much of the rather remote area basically south of Interstate Highway 8 and Mexico. A rough rectangular area of 150 x 50 miles.

Because of the remoteness…finding potential safe camping sites and places where we might empty our waste-water tanks became a concern. For the last several days, searching maps and books, but primarily searching on the Internet…I’ve managed to find some of those locations. With the help of Google Earth I’ve put this information in a manner which will help me find these locations while in the area. You may click upon the below image to see it in a larger view…

I’m not going to explain the codes to you…suffice it to say I know what they indicate. With this information available, as we explore the area for the about next month, it will greatly enhance our visits in that area. In other words…it will make me a happier camper! 

It ain’t easy being an ex-engineer…I just cannot help myself! 

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument – Day 4

Yesterday Mary and I started our day with a pre-sunrise walk on the Sonoran Desert here in the park. We walked about two miles not far from our campsite. Our outing lasted one hour and fifteen minutes. Because the sun had not yet broken the horizon…I ended up with a lot of silhouette photos. It was a nice change doing photography without the bright harsh sun overhead.

To see a map of the park, click this link…
http___www.nps.gov_orpi_planyourvisit_loader

Here are a few photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

In this first photo of the day you can see the lights of the United States/Mexico Border on the right…

To see the other 25 photos I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/APreSunriseWalkInTheSonoranDesert

Yesterday completed our last full day of our visit to the monument. A most enjoyable visit it was. Over the last four days we’ve seen thousands of cacti…however none were as big as this one I came across during my 1998-99 Winter in Baja California Sur, Mexico. It was Muy Grande!!!

Today we will move on…uncertain at this time where we will spend tonight.

You can find out all about the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument by clicking this government link…
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm

You may also click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_Pipe_Cactus_National_Monument

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona – Day 1

We arrived here yesterday after about a 40 mile drive from Ajo, Arizona. The way the crow flies (presumably in a straight line), our campground is only 4.2 miles from Mexico. In the below Google Earth image “X” marks our campground and “B” indicates the border crossing…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

This is the border crossing that I used for my 2004, 343 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip through Mexico and Central America. See my previous blog entry by clicking this link…
http://wp.me/pDCku-3sb

I have crossed into Mexico over the years three different times at this border crossing, but have never taken the time to stop and enjoy Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument…but this year is different. I’m expecting we will be here for a four-day stay.

Approaching our campground area…

Our campsite is delightfully pretty, peaceful and quiet…

After we got everything set up, we went to the visitors center about 1.5 miles away…

During two hours there we saw a hawk in a nearby tree…

I took this photo of a photo of a Gila Monster as I do not expect to see one in person…

In addition we watched nice 15 minute video about the Sonoran Desert and enjoyed an informative 20 minute talk by a park ranger…

We found out the Sonoran Desert is in excess of 100,000 square miles and relatively young at about only 10,000 years old. Also the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is 516 square miles.

Here’s last night’s sunset photo…

After it got really dark, we sat outside for a while and stared at a few million stars. Really neat! The weather forecast for the next several days is for sun and temperatures in the mid to low 70′s. really neat!

Today we will begin our exploration of the monument.

You can find out all about the Organ Pipe Cactus National monument by clicking this government link…
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm

You may also click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_Pipe_Cactus_National_Monument

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

A Touch Of Nostalgia…

Yesterday Mary and I drove the about 65 miles from Painted Rocks Historic Park to Ajo, Arizona. Along the  way we passed through Gila Bend, Arizona where we started south on Arizona highway 85 towards Mexico.

It was the first time I’ve driven this highway since January 2, 2004…the first day of my 343 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip through Mexico and Central America. Gila Bend, Arizona was our meeting-up and kick-off point…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

That’s me in the blue vest and white hat just to the right of center. 17 people in 11 rigs started the trip. Only two people in separate rigs went the full pre-planned route. Myself and Bud Kuball (then new friend and now good friend) fourth from left.

As I drove south on Route 85 it was fun to reminisce those days of a little more than eight years ago. We had not a clue of what we would see and experience. It turned out to be much better than my best pre-trip imaginations. A true life experience!

Here are three photos from yesterday’s trip on Highway 85…

To help celebrate my nostalgia… (remember these photos were taken with a film camera and developed along the way…)

If you’ve got the courage and the time…

You can see 468 photos from the Mexico portion of the trip by clicking this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/Mexico2004

And 60 photos from Belize…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/Belize2004

And 208 photos from Guatemala…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/Guatemala2004

And 97 photos from Honduras…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/Honduras2004

And 117 photos from Nicaragua…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/Nicaragua2004

And 41 photos from Costa Rica…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/CostaRica2004

And 4 photos from El Salvador…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/ElSalvador2004

And 136 photos from Panama…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/Panama2004

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

We’re parked at VFW Post #3570 and just in time for the chili cook-off today!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

My “Stagnant Mode” Has Come To An End…

“Stagnant Mode” is the best phrase that I could think of to describe the time when I’m not out seeing and doing new things.

Mary and I arrived back at her home in California on October 10, 2011 where I spent the about next seven weeks cleaning and doing preventative maintenance on the motorhome and towed Ford Bronco II. After Thanksgiving I headed out for the warmer weather. On to Palm Springs and Slab City, California and then to the Yuma, Arizona area where I hung-out for about one month while waiting for Mary to rejoin me. All places I been to numerous times before…mostly dictated by good weather.

Mary re-joined me on January 18th and after taking care of her dental needs in Los Algodones, Mexico the day before yesterday…my “Stagnant Mode” has finally come to an end! It’s time to get out on the road and returning to seeing and doing once again!

After a few miscellaneous stops in Yuma, Arizona yesterday morning…we finally got out of Dodge! We only drove about 30 miles and ended up spending the night in the small town of Wellton, Arizona. We parked at the VFW Post #6790.

As always you may click upon a photo to see and enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

About one small block away the VFW has a courtesy RV site with electric and water. That’s where we actually spent the night.

No matter it’s along the road…wasn’t that much traffic!

For everything you could ever want to know about Wellton, click this Wikipedia link…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellton,_Arizona

No…it’s not quite the Grand Canyon…but at least we’re seeing and doing new stuff once again.

Today’s planned destination is the Painted Rocks Petroglyphs…about 80 miles distant. In the next few coming days we will kind of be out in the toolies and may not be able to pull in an Internet signal. So if you do not see a daily Blog from us…don’t worry. We’ll be back with a new entry soon.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

We Return To The Scene Of The Crime…

Last night we parked at American Legion Post #19 in Yuma, Arizona…the place where about one year ago Mary had her bicycle stolen If you missed my Blog about the event…here’s the link… http://wp.me/pDCku-18L

When her bike was stolen we were parked at the end in the back packing lot of the legion along the street where there was little lighting. Last night we parked in their side parking lot bathed in night lighting and this morning our bicycles were still there!

In other news…yesterday was kind of a harried day for us. Fortunately we have very few of those kind of days. First business of the day was to arrive at Mary’s dentist office in Los Algodones, Sonora, Mexico for her second appointment. She had her first appointment last Friday. If you missed the report…here’s the link… http://wp.me/pDCku-3n0

As always you may click upon a photo to see and enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

While there I took a couple more photos of her dentist’s office. A beautiful brand-new building…right next to a junkyard! But…that’s Mexico!

Here’s the waiting area…

What got me started taking photos there was this brick travel trailer in the junkyard…

Directly across the street from the dentist office was this long line of cars. That’s the line for vehicles entering the United States about one mile away…

We had an appointment for 1:00 PM in Yuma, Arizona…about 1/2 hour drive…to have our motorhome and Bronco washed an waxed. Knowing we had at least a 1/2 hour wait standing in line to get back into the United States, at 11:45 AM I left Mary to finish her appointment and went to get into that line. By time Mary joined me and we got back to the motorhome it was 12:32 PM. Being close to being late for our appointment we decided not to take the time to hook-up the Bronco to the motorhome. I drove the motorhome and Mary followed me in the Bronco. Along the way Mary got a ticket for failing to stop for a stop sign…only her fifth ticket in all her years of driving.

We arrived at the appointed wash and wax atop at 1:20 PM…and no washers and waxers were there. They did not arrive until 2:30 PM!

Two hard-working Mexicans got the job done in two hours and did a good job.

We arrived at the American Legion Post #19 just before 5:00 PM.

After some miscellaneous stops this morning we will finally depart Yuma, Arizona to begin the Great Adventure. What is the Great Adventure? Click this link to find out… http://wp.me/pDCku-3pp

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust