Monday, March 29.

I am back . . . there were a couple interruptions and I had to publish my post, thinking that I could come back later and edit it. However, that was not the case. Approaching Safford I snapped the mountain capped with snow. That was getting too close for comfort. Safford is a farming community. We didn't stop in Safford because it is "hurrying to Moab" we be!

It was a beautiful drive from Safford to Clifton. Around every corner were fields of Arizona poppies running wild across the fields. Our plans were to continue up Hwy 191 into Utah, but can plans change fast.

Doug & Phyllis were a fair ways ahead of us when we turned at 3 Corners, the place there Hwys 191, 78 & 75 meet. There was a sign advising poor, icy roads 80 miles ahead. Also a sign advising nothing longer than 40' allowed past Clifton. Doug had to go to Clifton because their alternator had quit and he needed parts, so we followed. We are 61' with Truck, 5th Wheel and quad trailer. Guess we should have paid attention to the town's name. Clifton is a copper mining community. See the photo of the side of the hill. It was a bit steep getting into town and then the streets were winding and narrow. We talked with a local fellow and he said he got sick to his stomach when he took his car over 191 north of Clifton and wouldn't recommend trying it with the RV.

So . . . we drove up out of Clifton the same way we came in, heading back to Safford and then NW on Hwy 70 thru Thatcher where we saw the new Temple soon to be dedicated, to Peridot and onto Globe. At Globe we caught Hwy 77 NE. All this time we were travelling on one Indian Reservation or another.

Just when we thought we were sailing smoothly we came upon the Salt River Canyon. There are a couple of pictures on the earlier blog. It was a spectacular drive, but Gordon didn't get to see much of it as it needed all his attention to keep us on the road, as it was climb and decent and twist and turn and then climb and decent and twist and turn. We were all stressed by the time we reached Show Low. Ate supper at Arby's and spent night in the K-Mart parking lot. Not a good day, even though we saw some beautiful sights.

Monday, March 29, 2010

This is what our spot looked like when we woke up this morning. There were five of us where there had only been the two of us the day before.

In our walk around the SKP's park we saw this railroad in someone's yard. We thought Dex would enjoy it. There was another one down the street, but the wind had blown the train over and so it didn't look as nice.

We pulled out at 7:50 am in the sunshine. Took I10 east to Willcox and took Hwy 191 North to Stafford. When we took 191 we had to stop for a photo shop of the golden Arizona poppies.

















Monday, March 29, 2010

Today we left SKP's park in Benson at 7:50 am

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Today was truly, "A DAY OF REST" Church started at 9:00 am, so I was home by 12:15. Spent the remainder of the day working on the blog. We got new neighbors today. One rather large motorhome is parked close enough to us that we could share suppers if she put out her slide. There is another one on the side of her and then next to Doug a big rig pulled in this afternoon. Oh well, we are leaving early in the morning and I would imagine our neighbors are also, as she has not unlooked her "toad" (tow vehicle).

It is sunny and about 75F and the wind is a gentle one.

Tomorrow we are taking 191 north and hopefully we will reach St. Johns before nightfall. Doug and Phyllis have never been on this highway, so we are all blind!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

This morning we left campsite around 9:30 for a day trip to Willcox. Driving east on I10 we drove thru the Texas Canyon. We didn't stop to get good shots of the rock formations, but it was very impressive from the highway.

We arrived at the Rex Allen Museum in Willcox around 10:15 am. Rex Allen was born in Willcox, and for those of you too young to remember, he was a famous singing cowboy of records, movies, television and a Disney film narrator. Rex had a 35 year careeer recording for Decca Records. The Museum has a complete collection of Rex's records. His hit songs were "Crying in the Chapel", Streets of Laredo", "Don't Go Near the Indians", "Money, Marbles and Chalk" and "Tiny Bubbles". I don't remember Don't Go Near the Indians and Money, Marbles and Chalk.

Rex starred in 19 movies for Republic Pictures between 1950 and 1954. His horse, KoKo received equal billing with Rex in all movie publicity. There certainly was lots of things to see and read. They were even running an old Rex Allen movie. I could have sat and enjoyed the entire movie if I'd had the chance.

He is also well known for the TV and radio commercials he did for Purina Dog Food, Ford trucks, Tony Lama boots - Tony Lama made all his boots - and others. There were several of his outfits including boots on display. My, were some of them glittered up.

Rex was born in Willcox in 1920 and passed away on December 17, 1999.

Next door was The Friends of Marty Robbins Museum. Rex Allen, Jr. invited the Friends of Marty Robbins to bring the Museum to Willcox, and helped them find a permanent home.

Marty Robbins was born September 26, 1925, five minutes before his sister Mamie, in Glendale, Arizona. He was the son of John G. and Emma Heckle Robinson. He was the seventh of nine children born to Emma and was one of two sets of twins. His grandmother (I think that was it) was a Mormon. His mother married a non-member when she was fourteen. At 17 Marty went into the US Navy. It was while he was in the Navy that he taught himself to play the guitar. He entertained the troops while he was on break from the action. He could always sing and most of the time he made up songs as he went.

His grandfather, Bob Heckle was a story teller, Texas Ranger and a Medicine man. He had a great influence on Marty at an early age, telling him about the old West as it was in Texas Bob's days. The stories his grandfather told him came out in the Western Ballads that made him the first Country Entertainer to receive a Grammy. He received two, one for El Paso, and one for My Woman My Woman My Wife. He went on the Grand Ole Opry in 1951.

He and his wife, Marizona Baldwin were married September 28, 1948 in Parker, Arizona. They had two children, Ronald Carson born July 16, 1949 and Janet in January 1959.

Marty was the last to play at the Ryman Opry House, the first to play at the new Opry House, the first to receive a Golden Guitar Award, the first Man of the Decade Award. He received the Country Music Hall of Fame Award October 1982, less than two months before he passed away.

All the time we were in the Museum we were hearing Marty sing. What a pleasure that was. The Museum is hoping to have his movies playing as well in the very near future.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Today was to be a down day, a day for relaxing and doing laundry and in general catching our breath. The SKP park has laundry facilities which I took advantage of, so we are all clean again. However, Gordon just couldn't sit still, so after lunch the four of us drove to St. David, just a short drive from Benson, to visit the Holy Trinity Monastery. It was very windy today, but wasn't so noticeable as we walked thru the Trinity Bird Sanctuary down to the San Pedro River, where we actually saw a bit of water. There are three lakes on the Monastery property.

Today was our day for seeing all kinds of huge trees, some looking like they had been dead for years, but if you look close you will see live branches sticking out of them somewhere. It was so amazing to see trees of this size out here in the desert.

The Monastery totals 160 acres and has two priests and four monks. The bulk of the work is done by volunteers. There are about 25 campsites for volunteers that spend the winter. It costs $350.00 per month and you must put in two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon five days per week.

There are 150 pecan trees on the property, which they harvest, around the end of December, process and sell. The picture with the white and red machines is the processing room.

They have several buildings for retreats and Meditation area which includes the pond which have the fish in it.

The large cross shows up from a great distance away.

I was told that the Mormons founded and settled St. David but were driven out by the Apache. There is a Mormon Battalion sign on the church in Benson.

There were several years in the Douglas area where the annual rainfall was 19.83". Then, after a few years following the ranchers arrival the rainfall fell to around 12", which was not enough to keep the large ranches going, so many of the settlers left.

I was so looking forward to visiting the Texas John Slaughter Ranch, but it was closed by the time we arrived. Maybe another year.