Missouri & Iowa with the Stocks

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November 12, 2011 Day 53 Willcox, AZ

We got a knock at our door shortly after we opened up our drapes.  The manager of the RV park, John, said his wife made a mistake when calculating our rate, and he had come to return $1 to us.  I was impressed that he would make the effort for such a small amount.  I really like him a lot.  We have seen all the RV parks here in Willcox, and they are not ?resorts?, but they all look well-tended, and I would definitely stay here again.

We hit a homerun today!  I worked about 3 hours last night trying to wade through websites and pamphlets, only finding vague directions on to birding sites in the area.  I had only a very gross map of Cochise County as an aid.  If anyone is interested, I will send you my much more complete directions, which still need work.  Anyway, hard work does pay off!

We went to the Apache Station Wildlife Area, which I had successfully mapped.  This area, also called Sulphur Valley, is the #1 crane wintering area in the US.  We learned from the signboard that there are 3 subspecies who come here, and they range from 6 lbs. to 14 pounds and stand from 2.5? to 3.5? high, but they all have wingspans from 6? to 7?.

As we approached the birding area, we heard loud continuous bird calls.  We saw little black blotches way way up in the sky, but when I got to the top of the observation deck I expected to see a sea of birds on the ground making all the noise.  Imagine my surprise when there was nary a one.  All that noise was from those little guys up so high.  There were two wonderful telescopes on the deck.  After about 30 minutes of winding their way down from the sky, zigzagging just like we do when we come down a mountain, the sandhill cranes started landing.  Wave after wave came in, until there were over a thousand on the valley floor. (Picture 1) Two Ross?s snow geese (the white birds) joined one flock and landed with them.  I couldn?t understand why they always landed in the interior of the flock, never on the perimeter. I guess those already there saw someone new coming in and just moved out of the way.  There were still more flocks in the approach pattern when a golden eagle appeared, and they all took off.  (Picture 2)  The sky was black with birds.  We were told by the local birders that the cranes have several predators, and they have seen them killed by eagles, bobcats, and coyotes.  We watched them fly, sometimes directly over our heads (Picture 3).  Eventually, we lost sight of the eagle, so we think all the cranes survived.

We apologize for our pictures.  They don?t do the cranes? beauty justice.  We had two problems?we haven?t been able to justify buying a long enough lens (several thousand dollars), and we had majorly thick clouds as a background.  I had to brighten the pictures considerably so the birds weren?t just black blobs.  But, we have great pictures and memories in our minds! 

We came back along Kansas Settlement Road, which I had worked hard mapping, but I?m not sure we did it right. I think we may have gone the wrong direction on the road. We were supposed to see the cranes feeding on the fields where the farmers have picked their corn crop.  Apparently there is a lot of waste corn left, and that?s what the cranes eat.  We only passed two corn farms, and they didn?t have any cranes.  We got lucky and ended up in Historic Willcox at the ?train? where we had barbecued ribs.

Next, we went to ?the viewing area by the golf course?, which I also successfully mapped.  There were hundreds of ducks, but most were pretty inactive or huddled together (Picture 4).  We could see the rain coming, and we could feel the cold wind.  I wanted to see ducks, and we saw several varieties, but not my hoped-for wood ducks.

I had mapped another site 50 miles away, probably the one with the biggest variety of birds, and wanted to do it tomorrow.  However, rain and cold are projected, and we have to be home a few days before Thanksgiving, so it will  have to go on my ?Next Time List,? as are several other places.

At the back of our RV park there is always a group of quail (Picture 5).  I think the manager here may be putting out some seed for them.

Staying at Fort Wilcox RV Park?50 amps, FHU, cable, WiFi in the office (I think), $36.40/2 nights with Passport America, no maximum number of nights, quail running around at the back of the property.  John, the manager, gave me a ton of literature about places to go here, as well as specific oral directions. 
 

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There are 10 stations with diesel under $ 3.70 today in AZ.

The lowest is $ 3.51 at QuikTrip, 2836 N 27th Ave & W Thomas Rd, Phoenix

Next, $ 3.56 1459 N Dysart Rd near E Van Buren St, Avondale

The next 8 are in Tucson or Marana.

Use this link to chart your diesel purchases:

from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgasbuddy.com%2F&ei=L_S_ToDTOIGLiAKF3KyjAw&usg=AFQjCNEEZRVkHR74BIRqS_w3YSt4JE0RRQ
 
Remember, in  AZ "truck" diesel has 8 cents more tax than "car" diesel. Some truckstops will give you the 8 cents as a credit, but not most. FJ/Pilot use give it at the truck islands with the RV card, I haven't check with their new system.

Truck = vehicle over 30,000lbs or 3 axles or more.

Plus Truckstops in AZ always seem high on diesel even account for the 8 cents.

Since I am "truck" (40k and 3 axles) I use truckstops. But two have given me the discount (via a signed exception form) even when I tell them I have three axles. One guy said nobody's taking pictures and they (AZ ) just look at the exception form to see that your a motorhome.

ken
 
I've had to use the RV pumps at the Flying J and Pilot stations in the Phoenix area since they no longer rebate the truck tax at the truck pumps. The tax is imposed on vehicles over 26,000# GVWR. The problem with using the RV pumps or lower cost stations like Fry's or Circle K is the small nozzle pumps and lower purchase limits on credit card purchases. You have to go to the cashier to get the pump to not shut off at $75 or $100.
 
When you travel tell your bank you need a larger limit on the card for fuel they can raise it over the $75.00. The bank controlls it and it is there for your protection. All it takes is a phone call.
 
mnmnutswer said:
When you travel tell your bank you need a larger limit on the card for fuel they can raise it over the $75.00. The bank controlls it and it is there for your protection. All it takes is a phone call.

I'm not sure that is correct. I've been in a number of stations using my Amex card and have had between $75 and $150 as the cut-off limit. If the card set the limit, the cashier wouldn't be able to override it.

I just called Amex and they confirmed that it is the fuel company that sets the limits, not the credit card company.
 
November 13, 2011 Day 54 Tucson, AZ

We drove through showers but had good road and courteous drivers.  I had spoken with the manager of El Molina RV Park and she had said to just come on in.  It is a Passport America Park, and we have been very pleased with them.  Our $44 annual membership has saved us over $300 on this trip, and all the parks have been well-maintained and have had FHU with 50-amps.  We couldn?t find the office, so we called and got no answer, drove around, found the tiny RV spaces that looked more like storage spots, saw many really run-down mobile homes, and decided to move on since we hadn?t made an actual reservation.  As we exited, I saw the office in the distance, and Dean went over to it, but no one was there.

Meanwhile, I had looked in the ?Trailer Life,? and found Desert Trails RV Park.  All spaces are $26, with $3 extra for 50-amps.  We love it here.  The spaces are large, the other campers are the nicest we?ve met on the whole trip, and they have put out lots of bird feeders. Wildlife abounds.  I put it on my ?Go Back To? list.  I like it much better than ?RV resorts.?

It was too wet and too late to go anywhere tonight, so we went to see ?J. Edgar? and got a quick cup of wonderful clam chowder & cornbread at the Claim Jumper.

Staying at Desert Trails RV Park?50 amps, FHU, $29 total, helpful managers.

Thanks for all the gas tips.  I will pass them on to Dean, and I will use the website.  I love the info I get from you guys and gals.
 
November 14 2011 Day 55 Tucson, AZ

This morning as we headed out to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, our RV park managers gave us a coupon for a free admission with a paid admission, saving us $14.50.  I LIKE these people!  They also gave us a very complete map of the Tucson area.  They have free ice, free mini-golf, pay phones with free local calls, and they recycle!

As we entered, a docent stood with a gorgeous female barn owl perched on her hand. (Picture 1).

We hadn?t eaten breakfast because I remembered that the ASDM had a good caf?.  On our way to eat, we stopped their gift shop which has high-quality everything you could want to decorate your home, or to read, or, in my case, a sun-protecting hat.

Unfortunately, the caf? was closed.  But their ?fast food? place had wonderful Mexican food (I had fish & shredded beef tacos and the best Mexican rice), beautiful-looking salads, and Dean loved his hamburger.  They had a TV screen with ?Planning Your Day?, which showed a Docent-led tour leaving in about 15 minutes. 

We were the only people on her tour, which is supposed to last about 1.5 hours.  Ours lasted 4 hours.  Barbara Burns talked almost non-stop, and I?m sure she knew 3 times as much as she was able to tell us.  We met two other docents at exhibit booths, and they were also very knowledgeable.  I will come here every time we are in Tucson; it was fascinating.

There are 4 major biomes in the Sonora Desert, each well-represented at the ASDM.  As we entered the Arizona uplands biome, the highest and coolest of the Sonoran Desert, an American kestrel, AKA as a sparrow hawk, was being taken somewhere, and the docent stopped to talk. (Picture 2)  He eats insects, reptiles, small birds, and rodents.

I have taught about the desert and read a lot, but I didn?t know 10% of what Barbara shared.  The ASDM has beautiful saguaros, and it is amazing that saguaros exist at all.  The pregnant Mexican lesser long-nose bat is the only one who pollinates the nectarines way down deep at the base of the saguaro flower.  When the fruit ripens, it has 2000 poppyseed-looking seeds.  Out of the 150 years of the saguaro?s life only 1 seed usually makes it to replace the adult.  They get squashed by feet, both human and animal, get eaten, or get too dried out from the sun.  The white-wing dove eats the seed and poops it out.  The saguaro has shallow roots 4?-6? below the ground, but the roots keep it very stable because they are as wide as they are tall.  One saguaro can take up 2 tons of water.  The ribs expand, and occasionally burst.  The saguaro can live on that stored water for 2 years.  The holes in the flesh are caused by flickers and woodpeckers.  Screech owls nest inside saguaros. That outer skin is so good that the temperature inside a saguaro only varies by 15? from the coldest winter day to the warmest summer day.  They live 150 years.  Lightning strikes them or they blow over because the older root system weakens.  The Tohono O?odham believe they are sacred.  When I?itoi was creating the desert, he wiped his brown, and each drop of swet from his brow that fell to the ground created a saguaro.

The Papago Indians, also known as the Tohono O?odham (? Spelling), harvest the saguaro in June.  They get the fruit when it is pink and before it bursts.  The edge of the flower acts as a built-in knife, with its hardened edge.  They put the pulp in a bucket and cook it for 4-5 hours.  They use the syrup to make ceremonial wine.  The fruit sustains wildlife in June, and the coyotes and birds especially enjoy it.  The Tohono O?odhams also pick the prickly pear fruit (tunas), take the thorns off, and blend it in a blender until it is syrup.  But, the saguaro fruit has the sweetest, most wonderful flavor.

She showed us the jojoba, whose beans make oil and are used in cosmetics as a great emollient.  There are 4 males for every female.  Most desert plants have green-gray leaves, which sit up on edge, so they have a minimum part exposed to the sunlight.  We saw the cactus wren (Picture 3) bobbing between the desert plants. He is the largest wren and Arizona?s state bird.

They had a terrible frost and 15? temperature on February 15, and it did major damage to the plants they weren?t able to cover.  Saguaros cannot tolerate any frost.  When you see one with a sagging, drooping arm, that is caused by frost damage.  The constrictions on the cacti (Picture 4) look like someone tied a strong around them is due to previous frosts.  This time we could see where the ends of cacti had turned black and were dead.  The groundskeepers, scouts, volunteers, and docents spread blankets over as many plants as possible, and they put syrofoam cups over the ends of the saguaros to protect them. I got so wrapped up in her talk, I didn?t write the name of this bird who flew among the cactus (Picture 5).

In the desert grasslands, ranchers are raising cattle and horses.  These animals have spread mesquite seeds, so there are too many mesquite trees.  The ranchers planted bufflegrass because the cows liked eating it.  However, they didn?t realize it would burn so much hotter than native grasses, which burn quickly and is then gone.  Buffelgrass kills saguaros.  They are working to eradicate it.

The native Americans used the soap tree yucca?s roots for soap because it has sapinen, which is a surfactant.  They also grew Pima cotton, native cotton, which is still prized today.

We learned that the palo verde tree (those trees with the green bark) drop their leaves in drought, and if it continues, they start dropping branches, all to maintain the main structure.  They photosynthesize through their bark.  We saw desert mistletoe (Picture 6) growing on them.

I was thrilled to see these beautiful bighorn sheep (Picture 7).  We missed seeing them when we were in Colorado.  The male (on the right) was obviously very taken with the female and chased her around their enclosure.  A bighorn?s head can weigh 60 pounds.  Both sexes retain their horns all of the time; they don?t shed them.

There was a lot of variety in the aviary.  We enjoyed the bright colors of the Western tanager (Picture 8).  They have a separate aviary for the hummingbirds (Pictures 9, 10,11, 12).

We are heading to San Diego and the S. D. Safari Park, and then home.  This will be my last post, but I will look back on for a couple of days.  Thanks to everyone for your replies, help, and information (think gas?that website will save us money).  We didn?t get enough time in Arizona and New Mexico and plan to return in January or February.

Staying at Desert Trails RV Park?50 amps, FHU, $29 total, helpful managers.
 

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More pictures
 

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Another tidbit on saguaros; if you transplant them, the compass orientation of the plant must be retained. As the saguaro grows, the skin facing the sun toughens. If you replant with the other side facing the sun, you could get a sunburned saguaro and it will die. When we landscaped our house, each of the two saguaros we had planted had north identified on the plant.
 
We had driven to Vegas years ago but I don't remember seeing  all the cactus.  I know we drove a different highway at that time.

They really are beautiful in the desert and you have to wonder how they manage to stay alive.  A real wonder of nature.

 
Isn't the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum a fabulous place? Definitely worth visiting any time you're in the area. Don't know if they still have it, but when we were there, you could buy a discount booklet that had a whole bunch of 2-for-1s including the Desert Museum and Pima Air Museum. It was well worth the purchase price.

Wendy
 
Another wonderfully interesting description with beautiful photos.  Linda, I'll miss your travelogue and will await another one in the future.  Thank you both, Linda and Dean.

ArdraF
 
I would like to thank both of you for your wonderful postings and pictures.  I love reading about your journeys and will be anxiously waiting for your next journey.
 
workingtorv said:
I would like to thank both of you for your wonderful postings and pictures.  I love reading about your journeys and will be anxiously waiting for your next journey.

Thanks so much.  I'm glad you enjoyed the log.  Our next big journey will be to Alaska this summer.  We loved it last time, but we know new experiences beckon.  I especially love the wildlife up there.
 
ArdraF said:
Another wonderfully interesting description with beautiful photos.  Linda, I'll miss your travelogue and will await another one in the future.  Thank you both, Linda and Dean.

ArdraF

And, I enjoy your extra tips on places to go and historic facts.  We didn't get as much time as we would have liked in Arizona, so we MAY (not will) do a mini-trip in the January-February timeframe.  Dean wants to add it on to Quartzite, but I really don't want to spend a week to 10 days in "The Armpit of the Earth."  I LOVE seeing friends and meeting the new people, but I hate the place, and the strong winds we had last year did not help me like it any better.  I know I'm but one voice (not even my husband agrees), but has anyone ever considered a more civilized place like Tucson?  It has lots of hiking areas, as well as nice, inexpensive parks.
 
Wendy said:
Isn't the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum a fabulous place? Definitely worth visiting any time you're in the area. Don't know if they still have it, but when we were there, you could buy a discount booklet that had a whole bunch of 2-for-1s including the Desert Museum and Pima Air Museum. It was well worth the purchase price.

Wendy

Yes, it is a gem.  I loved it!  There is a discount booklet that I found by googling "discount coupons in Tucson" when we were there.  We will investigate it further when we are in Arizona for a longer time.
 
I know I'm but one voice (not even my husband agrees), but has anyone ever considered a more civilized place like Tucson?  It has lots of hiking areas, as well as nice, inexpensive parks.

Linda

There is the "unhosted" New Year's Frally at Catalina State Park between Christmas and New Year's.
 

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