It was an easy 150-mile drive from Yuma to Goodyear, eastbound on I-8. The stretch of highway took us between the Yuma Proving Grounds and Goldwater Air Force Range. We passed the Mohawk Valley and several mountain ranges: the Gila, Mohawk, Crater, and Gila Bend mountains ridges flanked us on each side.
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| a green desert in winter |
At Gila Bend we turned north on route 85 towards Buckeye, then drove another 40+ miles to Goodyear, Arizona.
Because of the hard rain we had this past weekend, the desert was green and lush, a stark contrast to the previous travels through typical desert terrain. We drove past miles of cactus, palo verde, sage brush, and yellow flowering brittle bush. The normally dry and brown ocotillo were green, several with their bright red flowers in bloom.
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| statuesque saguaro, my favorite cactus |
By early afternoon we arrived at Cotton Lane RV Resort in Goodyear to join our Alpine buddies for the ACA pre-rally to the FMCA Convention next week.
Thirty one coaches registered for the 5-day rally (not all Alpine coaches, though this time the once-Alpiners corrected me that they are known as the FAO’s rather than the SOB’s, a much nicer acronym: Former Alpine Owners.)
Our hosts, the Grindstaffs and the Polks, organized a great rally, providing ample opportunity for socializing together as a group, spending time with individual friends, and having free time to scout out the area or simply relax and enjoy the sunshine.
With the good weather, we gathered for breakfasts outside every morning and the wonderful spread awaiting us by 8 AM was an incentive to get out of bed: boiled eggs, yogurt, fresh fruit and muffins with OJ and coffee.
The Happy Hours and planned dinners provided a great opportunity to socialize as a group in the RV park's activity center. To make sure that we mingled and mixed without gravitating to the same folks we know, we drew cards which determined which table we sat at and those who drew the same number sat together that evening. We already know a lot of the Alpine Club folks but there are members we have not yet met and others we have not yet got to know. Drawing cards for table assignments worked very well to encourage socializing with others we knew less or just met, and at the end of the evening, there was a drawing (using cards) for a door prize for the winning table.
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| Happy Hours and dinners in the activity center at Cotton Lane RV Resort |
There was one separate gal and guy planned secret outing. The morning of the outing we were given driving directions with an address only. For us gals, it was a pretty drive through a very green desert, dotted with plenty of saguaro and ocotillo cactus, as well as very lush and full palo verde. Forty five minutes later
we arrived at our destination at the Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek. Some of us did wonder what was in store for almost 30 ladies arriving at a saloon known for its live bull riding, among other events held there. Based on the address, our smart phones and Uncle Google provided some information as we were driving to the secret venue. It turns out that this saloon/restaurant began in 1951 as a feed store and on thanksgiving Day 2015, suffered a catastrophic fire. The restaurant was rebuilt and reopened just recently. Thankfully the iconic bison on top of the roof escaped damage and once again adorns the newly rebuilt building.
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| lunch at the Buffalo Chip Saloon |
I needn't have been concerned that we were in for an afternoon of bull riding. In addition to the large bar area with a large dance floor (there is line dancing here in the evenings), there is a pretty-ish outdoor seating area where we all gathered for lunch.
I noticed that the bull pens were empty (phew!) and that this restaurant is also a venue for weddings. There is a chapel façade very similar to the one at Desert Bar in Quartzsite.
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| chapel at the Buffalo Chip |
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| a multi-event restaurant |
After lunch we headed over to the Town Dump, an aptly named antiques-and-everything-else shopping area across the road. The sheer number and scale of items was mind boggling. Most were displayed outside but there were many more items for sale inside. For shoppers and antique hunters this must be paradise.
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| one person's junk is another's treasure |
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| you can spend hours searching for treasures here |
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| we had a good chuckle over these funky bar stools |
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| this one would make a great lectern for a lecturer! |
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| one of the many life-sized metal sculptures |
Set up as a frontier town, the small touristy town of Cave Creek is a worthwhile stop if you enjoy shopping for metal sculptures and antiques. It also boasts many bars and saloons, as well as other restaurants.
The secret outing for the guys was to lunch at a Mexican restaurant followed by a visit to the Martin Auto Museum. I know Michael enjoyed the museum, but what I noticed the most was the chatter among the guys afterward about a certain very accomplished server who never batted an eye when 30-some mature guys walked in expecting to be seated together and asked for individual checks. She kept all 30 orders straight and never once appeared flustered. Obviously she made quite an impression.
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| riding Phoenix Metro transit |
The second organized group outing was to the Heard Museum which coincided with the 59th Annual Indian Craft Fair featuring native American artists and their work. The metro transit into the city gave us a mini tour of downtown which to me appeared well laid out and very clean, with broad streets.
Our docent at the museum gave good background information about the Native people of the Southwest.The gallery featured cultural artifacts, baskets, jewelry and an amazing collection of over 500 Hopi katsina dolls.
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| Chiricahua Apache |
I especially enjoyed seeing the native hoop dances. One was performed by a 9-year-old girl, the other by a high school male who just won the hoop dancing championship title, the youngest dancer ever.
I was intrigued with their stamina as each performance was at least 10 minutes long and their feet never stopped moving. While stepping from one foot to the other, the dancers scooped up each of the 8 hoops on the ground. Each hoop they added created an image or shape which told a story. Sometimes the hoops were connected along the back to resemble the wings of an eagle, at other times the dancer was a rearing horse and one of the hoops a lasso.
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| 6 hoops spread out as wings... incredible foot and arm work by the current champion |
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| Dineh Tah' Navajo Dancers dancing a prayer dance |
We browsed through the many booths set up outside. The various crafts were almost overwhelming in number, including jewelry, textiles, art, sculptures, and intricate bead work.
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| browsing the booths |
Back at the RV park, quilting opportunities come up whenever we can squeeze in an hour or two between scheduled events. One afternoon the two Debis (Johnson and Lacy) and I went off in search of a quilt store. Debi L will be a first time grandmom later this year and it didn’t take long to encourage her to try her hand at quilting and select fabric for a baby quilt. So when we next had some free time Debi J started the 'how-to' process and before we left the rally, Debi L had stitched up a quilt top. It looks like we have added a new quilter to our group.
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| teacher and student |
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| ta-daa... a baby quilt in progress |
The rally ended on Saturday. Sunday morning by 9 AM we lined up nose to tail in convoy to start our trip to the FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Convention. It was quite a sight to see us all in line and will remain a special memory. Several folks in the park came out to watch the whole event.
By 9:30 AM we made our way to the highway heading east on I-10 through
Phoenix and on to Chandler and the Rawhide Convention Center.
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| the line snaked way back and around the corner, mostly Alpines and a few FAO's... Jeep and our Alpine with door open |
