2006 RV Trip Diaries - Tucson, AZ

                                                                                                                                                                                    

9/12/06 - Tuesday

As so many Juneauites' vacations do, our first day was unexpectedly spent in the airport.  The plane was supposed to leave Juneau for Seattle at 2:20 PM.  Due to mechanical problems, Alaska Airlines finally decided at 7:00 PM to have another plane sent up from Seattle to pick us up.  We arrived at our motel room in Seattle at 2:00 AM and exhausted.  While waiting in Juneau, Karen had our tickets changed to give us a day in Seattle to rest so we will leave for Tucson Thursday morning instead of Wednesday.

On the positive side of our wait in the airport though, Frank and Helen were also waiting for the flight to Seattle so we had lots more time to visit with them.  That was nice.

9/13/06 - Wednesday

Garrey woke up at 6:30 AM to call Jay and Kaye in Tucson to tell them we would not be at the airport there until the next day.  Then we slept the rest of the morning away.  Had a nice lunch at the Clarion motel and went for a walk.  Karen stopped on the way back to get a haircut.  We rested, watched some TV and went to bed early.

9/14/06 - Thursday

Today our Alaska Airlines flight was about 45 minutes late leaving Seattle due to another mechanical problem.  Jay and Kaye were waiting for us in Tucson and they drove us to the lot where our RV had been stored for the past 7 months.  Ford Motor's Road Service truck met us at the lot and gave us a jump start as the truck battery had died.  Other than that, all was well with the RV and we drove to Catalina State park (one of our favorites) to set up camp with the temperature over 90. 

A quick trip to pick up some groceries then back to camp to crank up the air conditioning for a few blessed hours of cooler temps.  As it does in the desert, the temp. dropped during the night and we had to get up to close the windows and dig out our blankets.

Catalina State Park

 

9/15/06 - Friday

We woke up early the next morning and went to get our recalled tires changed on the truck at a place in a mini-mall.  We enjoyed a nice breakfast at a bakery there and Karen had a pedicure since her feet and toes are now exposed in sandals.  Garrey got the truck washed because it was sandy looking having been parked for 7 months, we went shopping for more supplies, then puttered around the campsite.  We had fine dinner at Jay and Kaye's house.  They have a very nice patio on the edge of the desert.  Many birds and animals visit the area including coyotes, deer, bobcats, and the ever present quail shown below.

Jay, Karen, and Kaye enjoy the patio before sunset

 

9/16/06 - Saturday

Garrey repaired the radio in the RV and later we looked for RV equipment with not as much success as hoped for.  After being in Juneau with very few shopping and selection options, here we are overwhelmed by all the possibilities.  We did get some things for Sunday dinner and invited Jay and Kaye to share it with us at the campground tomorrow.

9/17/06 - Sunday

We have needed a sturdy step for the RV entrance since the built in steps are too high for a comfortable step up.  That meant a trip across Tucson to Camping World where we stocked up on various things including holding tank chemicals, an entryway step, citronella candles, and clips to hold our table cloth on picnic tables.  We enjoyed the late afternoon conversing and "dining" with Jay and Kaye.

9/18/06 - Monday

Today we drove north to the Arizona Pioneer Living History Museum and RV Park.  The big event of the day was driving through Phoenix.  This time Phoenix traffic on the freeway was much less intimidating than last year and we made the trip in good time.  Unfortunately the museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday so we washed clothes and set our sights on tomorrow's trip to Sedona.

9/19/06 - Tuesday

After an easy drive we parked at Rancho Sedona RV Park.  It's a pretty place on the banks of Oak Creek with red rock mountains and peaks surrounding the area.  Lots of trees including Ponderosa pines and the weather is cooler since we're now up at 4500 feet.  We listened to some music and visited some art galleries at Tlacquepacque square and had a beer and onion rings at Oak Creek Brewery and Grill.  We drove up to a vista on Schnebly Hill Road  absorbing the amazingly beautiful colorful mountain scenery.