Prescott is where Arizonians (Arizonans?) head in the summer to escape the sweltering triple-digit heat of the south. We met a gentleman who is a snowbird within his own state. He spends his winters in Phoenix and his summers in Prescott. “I can deal with the high ’80s and even the low ’90s, but once … More Prescott: Mile-high city with down-to-earth attitude
We first heard about Quartzsite from a couple of brothers we met while traveling through British Columbia last year. They spend their summers working for one of the provincial parks and their winters boondocking in southern Arizona. They appeared to be in their 60’s, in good health and good spirits; far from destitute or desperate. … More Quartzsite: Boondocking bonanza or land of broken dreams?
Driving the Apache Trail was high on our list of must-do Arizona activities. This twisty hairpin road, billed as “best scenic drive in Arizona” was originally a stagecoach route called the Tonto Wagon Trail. You tend to think of things like stagecoaches when you’re in southern Arizona; it is a state that straddles the past … More Driving one of the world’s “dangerous roads.”
Twenty-seven million years ago, eruptions from the Turkey Creek Volcano spewed ash over 3100 sq. km. in this area or the Chiricahua Mountains and created layers of grey rock called rhyolite. Weathering by ice and water erosion enlarged cracks and formed spires and balancing rocks. The Chiricahua Apache called them “standing up rocks” – a … More In the Magical Land of the Standing Up Rocks
There are numerous tourist sites within an hour’s drive of Bisbee; all of them uniquely fascinating. We began with Tombstone; a small town that has developed into a walloping tourist destination by capitalizing on the infamous Shootout at the OK Corral. This gunfight took place on October 26, 1881; a showdown over control of Tombstone … More From shoot-outs to sandhill cranes to spelunking
This open pit copper mine is one of the first things you see as you drive into Bisbee and this is the exact view from our trailer. We do have a 6-foot fence that prevents us from rolling down the hill into the bottom. We are camped out at Queen Mine RV Park for a … More Sleeping 900 feet above a copper mine
A week ago, we drove back to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, seeking refuge from the snow and sub-zero temperatures that were forecast just about everywhere else in Arizona. What we got instead was rain – torrential rain that poured for hours and hours and created flash floods and turned dry arroyos into treacherous creeks … More Snow in Arizona – it’s a beautiful thing.
First of all, I strongly dislike the term “snowbird” and the image it portrays. Older folks fleeing snow and cold and then huddling in groups for safety and comfort. There is little diversity in campgrounds and RV parks – this is the playground of senior retired white people in protective hats and three-season activewear. And … More The Snowbirds are freezing in Tucson
Sometimes certain realities take longer to sink in than others. With the exception of distinct regional accents, I never thought of Americans and Canadians as being that different from one another. Most Americans comment on the fact that we don’t sound “Canadian”, so I guess we blend in. We’ve been to the U.S countless times … More Defending the border in southern Arizona
Well, sooner or later, it had to happen. We have driven throughout Mexico three different times, for a total of nine months and for more than 25,000 km. We have been pulled over for speeding and waved off with a warning. We have had a police officer in Michoacan (a cartel state) shake our hands … More La Mordida – the Bribe
Leaving Ourselves Behind 