Desert Gardens RV Park or bust (Week 3)

We are up and meeting the guide for a great day in the desert at 7:30am.

The ride over to our meeting place is so different that I have ever imagined.

Seems it is ok to ride your RAZR's on the streets and roads in Arizona.

There are trails that run parallel to the highway, so it is fairly easy to ride just about anywhere.












Our guide (Murphy) seems really nice, and tells us we are going to see a whole lot of Arizona scenery today.
Murphy has lived in the area for a few years now, and he just likes to go out and explore the area.





He seems to be quite knowledgeable about the Saguaro cactus....and his real love is the Crested Saguaros.

I for one had never heard anything about the crested, so of course I had to google it.
If you would like to know more about them, here is a link Crested Saguaro.
Seems they are very rare and we just happen to be in the area that has quite a few of them.
Murph told us that the birds make the holes in the Saguaros and make nest, and the process callouses the cactus and they call that a boot.
The trails were fun and dodging the cholla cactus was just part of it.
If you want to know about these crazy cacti  you can read here Jumping Cholla
Seems the chollas were attaching us all.
Murph carried a large long saw like utensil to flick the chollas off.
Diana got one attached to her shoe, and Murphy rescued her.
He said if he didn't remove the cactus, it would continue to embed into her shoe.
I tell you they are really mean....and we all ended up getting cholla-ed during our visit.  :(




We even got to explore a few entrances to some abandon mines in the area.
The area is full of rock formations....so if you are a rock hound or not, you just can't help but pick some of the beauties up.











We stopped for lunch and as we stood and talked, Chuck looked down at our borrowed RAZR and noticed a bolt that attaches the bottom swing arm had almost worked its way completely out.
So glad he noticed it, as it would have not been a fun thing to try to repair it if the bolt had worked its way completely out.
Chris attached his winch to the RAZR and tilted it up, so the bolt could be put back in place.
Murphy happened to have a couple of nuts so this little repair was taken care of.







We ride the rest of the day, and see all the beautiful rocks, and streams and cacti in the area.
Murphy was a very good tour guide.




















The whole day was so much fun and we ate a lot of Arizona dust...cough, cough!
We got to see a lot of land up close and personal.
Our day of riding would end with the evening sunset.


Tired but hungry, we decide to go and find some dinner.
We get a briefing from our neighbors that are across the road from us about how our Bronco did today.
Bonnie & Randy had offered to watch Miss Bronco while we were gone.
Our report didn't surprise us.
She was a good girl, and when they would come over to walk her, she would take care of business and then want to go back into the trailer.


There isn't a whole lot of places to eat in Florence, and we attempt to eat BBQ.
Seems they are already closed, so our next stop was a little Mexican place called LB's Cantina.
They had a really nice outdoor area to eat, so we decided to do just that.
Sure wish I had brought a jacket, because as usual, as soon as that sun is gone, it cools down quite a bit.
Our day was now coming to an end, and I can really say I truly enjoyed every bit of it.


A few things I learned today:
I have never seen so many Saguaro cacti in my life...up close and personal.
Jumping Cholla are really mean!
The Salt Creek Cedar trees are really beautiful.
Four wheeling in the desert is a fun thing to do.
If you ever are in Florence AZ and want to see the desert up close and personal here is the guy to make it happen.
High Desert ATV Rides LLC is on Facebook ...tell him we sent you.  :)

Tuesday....
The guys are going to go ride with Murphy again.
They will be exploring Box Canyon and are only taking one of the RAZR's.
Diana & I planned on doing some retail therapy today, but seems she isn't feeling well, so it is just going to be a day for me to chill.
I need to catch up on some laundry, so it is fine.
Fast forward to later in the afternoon, and the guys come back in.
They have had another fun filled day...seems they did a bit of rock crawling today as well.
I think they had a great day.
Since Diana was under the weather I fixed dinner at our place and they came down.
Another nice warm day in Arizona.

The rest of the visit with Diana & Chris involved us showing them a few places we had found, and we even ventured out a little more and headed towards Apache Junction.
I had googled ghost towns in Arizona, and the Goldfield Ghost Town had good reviews, so we headed there.
Just another tourist trap, but it was kinda fun.
Check it out. Ghost Town
The view of the Superstition Mountain was beautiful from this little town.









We had lunch there and of course we had a prickly pear Margarita.
Part of the reason we are even here.  :)
I think this area is prime for motorcycle riding, and look forward to exploring it on the back of the bike next time we are here!









All the signs say Tortilla Flats isn't far, so we make our way down the road and are there in no time.








Gosh, this place is packed!
Cars and people everywhere.
Reminds me of Meers, OK.
Guess people come from everywhere to have a burger there.
Glad we had already eaten, so we didn't even get involved in the craziness!





The road has now turned into dirt.....
Well, this can't be very far, as we see people pulling boats, and people riding motorcycles, and RV's....so we continue.
We continue for 30 some odd rough miles, actually 38 miles to be exact.
Didn't know if we would ever see civilization again....LOL
Wasn't too bad, but when you are riding in a dually, and the roads are washboards...well, you get the idea.
We did see all the beautiful lakes, and the dam.

Our short day has turned into a pretty long one, and we make our way back to the trailers in time to cook some dinner.














Was a fun filled day exploring the area with our friends.
Hate to see them pack up and leave tomorrow, but they  have to get back to the real world.
Their visit was awesome, and just wish they could have stayed longer.
The sunset was great as usual.










Friday...
We are up and saying our goodbyes to the Biggs as they make their way back to Oklahoma.









I had ordered something on Amazon for the trailer (screen for outside)  and it is supposed to be delivered today via UPS.
Later in the day, the UPS truck drives by but doesn't stop.
I look at an update on the phone and it shows the package has been delivered.
It is signed by someone and I have no idea who it is.
Chuck and I walk across to Bonnie and Randy's and they tell me the person that signed for it is up at the front office.
I get in the RAZR and go up there.
Long story short, they accepted the package, and then turned around a refused it.
Seems the package has no ones name on it. (note to self for next time we order from Amazon)
I call UPS and they tell me I can come to Casa Grande and pick up my package between 5-7pm.
We adjust our evening  (no card bingo for us tonight)and head towards Casa Grande.
When we get to the UPS hub, I am told our driver wont be in until around 8.
To pass time, we go and eat some dinner, and make a return visit to the hub at 8pm.
Again the guy apologized and says the driver will not be here until around 8:30.
At this point in the game, we just sit and wait.
The truck rolled in at 8:25, and I went to get the package.
I was informed at that time that it was a good thing I picked it up tonight because since it was rejected they would have sent it back to the sender.
Golly what a mess...and all because my name wasn't on the darn box!
I hope this screen is worth it...time will tell.

Saturday
People are moving around in the park.
Looks like they are having a garage sale!
If you know me, I can't resist.
I have to say I got a few goodies.
Bronco even got something....she got some new dog bowls.
The egg basket I got was so cute.
Chuck....well, he didn't get anything....but he was there to pay!!!
Thanks Honey!





We did get the screen put on the trailer, and looks like it is going to be a nice addition to the awning.








During this garage sale we got to walk the whole area, which has 262 sites, and meet a lot of very nice people.


Sunday they had a hot dog social for all the people in the park.
Since I hadn't made anything for the pot luck dinner we went to last week, I wanted to contribute.

I took Paula Deens Banana pudding recipe, and I have to admit it was a bit challenging to prepare in the trailer.
Seems I need a few things...like a larger bowl, and oh, a mixer!
There was nothing left of my pudding....and one lady was hoping I wouldn't pick up my bowl (Ree Drummond) and she would be able to take it....LOL
!link


Things I learned this week.
When ordering from Amazon, make sure the place you purchase from puts your name on the box they are sending to you, not just the RV Park.
Prickly Pear Cactus Margaritas are pretty darn good!
We will have a lot of roads to explore on the motorcycle when we come back in the Fall.
Bonnie our neighbor weaves some really nice baskets.
And all the things I learned about the cactus and riding in the desert with our new friend Murph.