RV Trip Favorite Photo #3

Jim says:

While Mary and I are taking care of business here at her home…there is little “new stuff” to Blog about daily. So I’ve decided to share with you some of my favorite photos from our recent 298 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip around the United States.

Since scenery and people snapshot-type photos require little special photography skills…and being limited by the abilities of my digital camera…I none the less took some photos that I really liked. They are presented in no special order of favoritism.

Today’s photo was taken at the Chiricahua National Monument in the wilderness of southeastern Arizona, January 14, 2010.

Here’s today’s photo…

In other news…
99 degrees yesterday, fortunately there was only 12% humidity. Nonetheless after an early morning walk and a trip to the dump, by 10:00 AM we stayed inside the house, which meant more reading. I began reading the largest physical-sized book of my life. I bought it at the Submarine Museum in Groton, Connecticut in August. It’s about the first 100 years (1900-2000) of the United States Submarine Service. It’s 352, 11×14 pages and weighs 6.5 pounds. It’s so large I couldn’t comfortably read it in the motorhome, so I saved it to read now.

It’s so heavy I have to set it on a pillow in my lap to read. Because of the large pages with large type and many photographs it’s an easy read and I read 105 pages yesterday. In the 1960’s I worked at General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division at Groton, Connecticut and worked on several of the submarines mentioned in this book including the USS Nautilus, SSN 541 the world’s first nuclear powered submarine and the USS George Washington, SSBM 588, the world’s first nuclear ballistic missile submarine.

The forecast is for 101 degrees, so I’ll do lots more reading today!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.

Chiricahua – Day 2

Yesterday Mary and I drove the Bronco from our campground at elevation 5,400 feet to the highest elevation point accessible by vehicle at 6,800 feet. From there we climbed Sugar Loaf Mountain along some snow covered trails to the peak at 7,310 feet.

The Chiricahua Apache Indians called this area “Land Of The Standing Up Rocks” and here’s why…

That’s just one of the 27 photos I took which you can see by clicking this link…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/Chiricahua2010Day2#

Here’s the official website link for Chiricahua National Monument…
http://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiricahua_National_Monument

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com

LAND OF STANDING UP ROCKS

Much to my dismay, I’ve inadvertently erased the rest of my pictures from Thailand. The visit to the elephant camp, poling down the river on a bamboo raft, an alms giving ceremony with monks, sending up a paper balloon in the moonlight to dismiss bad luck, our bus crash, the grand palace, a fish spa with fish nibbling at our feet, and so much more. I’ve contacted fellow travelers in hopes they can help me out with pictures. In the meantime, my partner Jim and I are now settled at Chiricahua National Monument in the motor home. I will proceed from here and when I get pictures, I’ll continue the saga of Mason’s and my trip to Thailand.

Chiricahua National Monument is a mountain Island in the middle of a grassland plain. It sits next to two deserts, the Sonoran and the Chihuahuan. This was notorious Apache Country where Cochise and Geronimo made their last stands against the armed battalions of U.S. Soldiers after a long fought war on settlers and all intruders onto their lands.
Jim and I visited the visitor center and hiked for several hours on the valley floor in the crisp, cold air. He saw two coatimundi and a ring tailed cat. Another escaped the camera while we ate breakfast. The picture below is a picture of a picture, on of the balancing rocks we hope to see as we hike the pinacles today.

Once Cochise and Geronimo were moved to reservations, settlers moved in. In this territory, notably, was Neil and Emma Erikson who first built a fort to fend off indians, then added a cabin, expanding and expanding until a modern looking house called Faraway Ranch remains, now part of the National Park.
President James Madison made it a National Monument. Roosevelt sent in CCC troup 858 to build trails and roads to the best sites.
The last descendant, Lillian Erikson Riggs, lived here until 1970. It was she and her husband who pushed to have the place made into a National Park.

This Erikson cabin was similar to one I lived in as a child.

The Erikson’s daughter Lillian Riggs turned the ranch into a retreat for visitors who came to ride horseback, honeymoon, get married, and always, visit the rocks.

We hiked through dry washes and woods, rocky paths and grassland. The trail led us to site of the old CCC Camp where huge fireplaces still stand against time and weather.

Here we find desert plants mixed with conifers, junipers, maples and oaks, seemingly and odd combination.

The distinctive bark of an alligator juniper.

This photo of H.O.Flipper, the first black cadet to graduate from West Point. He was stationed here with a regiment of Buffalo Soldiers to provide the settlers protection from the Indians. Many of them carved their names in the rhyolite rocks on Madison’s monument, built by the CCC. The monument fell into disrepair and the Erikson’s used it as the mantel in their house. Flipper’s story is a worthy read at: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia

Chiricahua – Day 1

On our first full day at the Chiricahua National Monument deep in Apache Indian Country in remote Southeastern Arizona, Mary and I took a delightful 3+ mile walk. Our campground is at elevation 5,400 feet and the high temperature only reached 58 degrees. We bundled ourselves up in warm clothing for our leisurely 3 hour walk. First we visited the visitors center and then walked to the Faraway Ranch…so named by past owner Lillian Riggs because it was so “Gosh Darn Far Away From Anything!”

The Faraway Ranch is located in Bonita Canyon.

Here’s a link to the 28 photos I took along the way…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/Chiricahua2010Day1

Here’s a Wikipedia information link about the Faraway Ranch…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraway_Ranch_Historic_District

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com

Simply Amazing!!!

We arrived yesterday afternoon at Chiricahua National Monument deep in Apache Indian Country in remote Southeastern Arizona, 40 miles away from the nearest town of Willcox, Arizona. Despite the fact that our campground is located in a mountainous canyon, by using my Wilson Cellphone Amplifier System, we are able to get a cell phone as well as an Internet signal. Simply amazing!!!

We are now in the land of Cochise and Geronimo as seen by Google Earth.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com