Two days to Tecopa, California

It took a couple of days to reach Tecopa, California, 417 miles away. Here we would meet up with Alpine friends at the Tecopa Palms RV Park, stay two nights then continue on to Death Valley together where we would spend the next week. 

The first leg was from Gold Canyon to Kingman.  

We left the Arizonian on a bright, blue-sky day heading west along I-10 and 60W through Phoenix. It took over an hour to get through this sprawling city. Eventually we left "civizilation" behind and faced the familiar flat desert ahead of us. 

Joshua Forest Scenic Parkway

We continued along Rt 93, also known as the Joshua Forest Scenic Parkway, and one we had not yet traveled. It was every bit scenic with its interesting topography and forest of Joshua trees, a Mojave Desert native that grows between elevations of 2 and 6,000 feet. 
We descended, the Joshua trees disappeared and saguaros reappeared. 
It happens that quickly. 
Elevation gain or loss makes a difference to vegetation.

saguaro reappear

Next came a long, ear-popping ascent followed by a long gradual 6% downgrade. The grandeur of the scenery was riveting as we drove through a landscape of saguaro, palo verde and creosote surrounded by mountain peaks and canyons. 

We crossed Burro Creek with its spectacular deep canyon. The creek was bone dry except for a hint of a patch of water reflecting in the sun. I wondered whether this creek ever filled up.

Burro Creek below the bridge we crossed

Eventually we hooked up with I-40 to Kingman. 
Kingman, a half-way point to Tecopa, was also a convenient stop to re-fuel and have an oil service at Speedco located less than half a mile away from our RV Park. 

All Alpine servicing completed, we pulled into our site at Blake Ranch RV Park, set up, went for a quick walk, had dinner and headed for a night's rest after a long day.

The following morning we were up and out to Blue Diamond Truck wash where the undercarriage got a thorough cleaning, finally getting rid of the anti-icing salts and crud from the Texas roads. We were lucky as there were only 3 trucks ahead of us, so we were back on I-40 within the hour, heading to Rt 93 and several miles of more spectacular scenery. We were driving along the tops of the mountains.

sweeping view from the front

We caught a glimpse of the Colorado River snaking its way through the canyons. 

that spot of blue among the hills is the Colorado River

Next we drove down a 6% grade for three miles until we saw the turn-off to Laughlin and continued on route 93. 


We passed Hoover Dam, crossed from Arizona into Nevada, then passed Lake Mead, places we explored the same time last year. 

Mike O'Callaghan Memorial Bridge across Hoover Dam

Lake Mead

Route 215 took us through Las Vegas.

approaching Las Vegas with snow capped mountains

red rocks 

We continued on Route 160 all the way to Pahrump.  
Just past Las Vegas the road took us through the Lake Mead Recreational area with more mesmerizing scenery and signature red rocks. We toured the Red Rock Canyon over a decade ago now. 



Next came a section of the Spring Mountains Recreational Area with more Joshua tree forests populating the valley we were driving through.

Joshua tree valley

We approached Pahrump, which appears to have expanded substantially since we were last there a decade ago. My question remains the same: why would folks choose to live here and what do they do here? Apparently there must have been some reason to be drawn to this remote desert spot today which is not apparent to me.


We left Nevada, entered California, and were on the final stretch of today's 194-mile remaining journey to Tecopa. 

The scenery once again was quite picturesque, despite its barren and mostly bare terrain. I find the mountain folds fascinating, and typically try to envision how this topography was formed eons ago. This volatile area of previous volcanic activity and turbulence along the earth's crust left us this legacy of upthrusts and interesting rock colors and formations which are today a playground for us retirees. Other than recreational opportunity, there isn't much else for which this barren expanse can be used. But it certainly is pretty to look at and photograph. 

approaching the Shoshone Valley and Tecopa

you can see the salt deposits throughout the area

Tecopa is mostly known for its hot springs. Numerous natural hot springs emerge from a small range of hills in ancient Lake Tecopa, the remnant of a Pleistocene or ice age lake. This site supported one of the largest native American populations in the entire Death Valley region when Europeans first passed through the area. The town was named in honor of the local Paiute leader in the late 1870's, although Tecopa himself actually lived in Pahrump Valley. Originally the area attracted prospectors and as mines developed nearby, Tecopa served as the settlement.  The town was established by two Brown brothers in 1875 and named Brownsville. Jonas Osborne bought out the Browns and renamed the town Tecopa. 

We arrived in Tecopa at Tecopa Palms RV after mid-day. The Johnsons, then the Vosses and the Barrows joined us soon after.

set up for a couple of nights at the Tecopa Palms RV Park, enjoying a
gorgeous sunset over the glowing pink mountains 

Tecopa Palms RV Park was as we remembered it from a year ago. 
(https://alpine36adventures.blogspot.com/2017/01/tecopa-hot-springs.html)

We enjoyed soaking in the private hot mineral pools and the next day we explored family owned and run China Ranch Date Farm and Bakery tucked away in an oasis among the mountain folds and badlands. We sampled various dates, each with its unique color, texture and taste, enjoyed a delicious date shake, and stocked up with home-baked date bread. 

My boyscout hubby climbed up to the top of the hill to take a picture of the gift shop and bakery with the date tree farm beyond, the only spot of green in this otherwise barren landscape.


We wandered along the China Ranch Creek behind the gift shop that gives life to this hidden oasis, and then through the date grove, intrigued by the clusters of dates and the net bags used to harvest them. 

If you are wondering how dates came to be grown in a dry, unforgiving landscape that is now riddled with abandoned mines, the China Ranch website has a great overview and also tells the story of how this farm came to be called China Ranch: 
http://www.chinaranch.com/category_s/25.htm

Alpines lined up across the street from the Crowbar Cafe

Monday morning we stopped in Shoshone, about 8 miles away, for breakfast at the Crowbar Cafe before continuing into Death Valley. 
We also made a quick stop at the museum next door, now housed in an old gas station. We found out all sorts of facts about this remote and sparsely populated spot close to Death Valley.






This crazy quilt was in a display cabinet. I wondered if perhaps Charles Brown was related to the two brothers who established the town.


This 1906 White sewing machine belonged to Nona Rosenberg. She and her family lived on the T&T railroad when her husband was bridge foreman in charge of bridge maintenance along the route. He and his crew lived in box cars on sidings along the railroad wherever bridge repairs were needed. One of their favorite stops was Shoshone. It would appear that no matter the era, women on the road bring their favorite tool along! Thankfully my sewing machine is far more portable.


The 60-mile drive in to Death Valley was even more spectacular under today's clear, bright skies than a year ago. 



We drove straight to Furnace Creek where we pulled in at the Visitor Center for information about ranger programs and maps. 

Alpines lined up at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center

From Furnace Creek to our campground at Stovepipe Wells is 25 miles. 
I took over the wheel, and drove the rest of the way, happy to discover that, like riding a bicycle, driving the Alpine all came back to me and my confidence improved. However, I am not quite ready yet to exchange the quieter less-traveled roads for highways and will leave those to my seasoned bus driver. For a while longer anyway.

driving a 36-foot bus, towing a Jeep - Yikes!

phew! made it and parked it today

Today's driving lesson included starting up and negotiating my way out of the parking lot and on to the road. And it included pulling into a pull-through site, avoiding the electrical post and faucet, while leaving enough space for the room and closet slides to extend. With the Jeep still attached, one can't back up so it's preferable to get it just right the first time. 

The Smiths and Archers were already at Stovepipe Wells when we pulled up. This year we were 6 coaches (we missed the Collinses and Hassmans who sadly could not make it this year.) 

set up and ready to explore Death Valley

Life at the Arizonian RV Resort

For the next 10 days, site 267 was home at the Arizonian RV Resort in Gold Canyon, located about 45 miles east of Phoenix. 

home is where you park it  - in site 267 for 10 days

 This was our back yard:

Superstition Mountains and the desert

Michael found this park on our Good Sam software, and it turned out to be a great choice. It's your typical snowbird retreat with the added bonus of having direct access to the desert for our walks and runs. And it's pretty scenery.

exploring the desert in our back yard on a morning hike

The Superstition Mountains provide a glorious backdrop and I especially enjoyed the different hues of the rock at daybreak and at sunset. At times the mountain glowed a deep pink, at others a purple-blue. In fact, I found the scenery quite mesmerizing with its tall saguaro, creosote bushes and forests of dense cholla.

evening glow

In addition this park offers other amenities like a pool, pickleball courts, shuffleboard, horseshoes, a quilt/sewing room, lapidary room, ceramics room, pool tables and card room, library, computer room, and a large ballroom.  

John and Jan, the sewing team

The first day, I went in search of the quilt/sewing room. There are two rooms totally dedicated to sewing. I noticed that there were machines set up on each table and concluded that quilting must be popular here.  What I  found out that is that at this park, park visitors can leave their machines set up on the sewing tables for the entire season together with all their supplies. I have never yet seen an arrangement like this, with machines left set up, and in several cases there were very expensive machines. Typically, quilters bring their machine to the room for a day or a few hours, find an empty spot, and then haul everything back at the end of the day. All the tables here were filled, however they found a spot for me as one of the ladies was gone this month. It's also the first time I have encountered a man in the quilting room. He embroiders on a top-of-the-line Janome, while his wife who sits beside him, quilts on her own fancy Janome.  The room was a hive of activity, with several quilts and other projects in the works, and design boards on each wall displaying various quilts in progress. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and when I mentioned my surprise at leaving all the equipment in the room permanently, the response was that if that were not the case, most folks would leave the park. 

several RZRs off on their desert ride

They specifically come here for the sewing and for the off-road 4-wheeling in their ATVs, which have direct access to the desert right out the back gate of the park. Groups of ATV's gather and go out daily on desert rides. 

watching model airplanes take off and land on the airstrip

For the plane enthusiasts there is an airfield where the model airplane club flies their crafts. 

And for the car enthusiasts, there is a race track where the model car club races. 

There is a also a desert golf course that adjoins the park. This is not a typical golf course with green grass but a natural desert terrain. 

We enjoyed our stay. 
The weather was wonderful, sunny and warm. And the folks at this park are friendly and welcoming, and we got to know several of them. Most come here for a minimum of three months, many stay up to 6 months, and by now have established lasting friendships and community after many years. Some stay in permanent park models, others in their RV's. Most are from Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri - all good places to be away from in the winter months. There are also a number of folks from Canada. 

Life at the Arizonian was good. We perched here contentedly, doing all the usual home-related chores while enjoying and exploring our new location. 
I completed a couple of sewing projects which included place mats and five bags which I forgot that I had cut out several months ago. After weeks of touring it was a nice change of pace to focus on crafts and to hear the familiar drone of the sewing machine. I find the process contemplative, calming, and chi -restoring. 

A few months ago I found a pattern for a reverse applique elephant that I simply had to have. I finally had time to start working on the project and traced the elephant shape on to the fabric. This wall hanging involves needle turn applique and is sewn by hand, a first for me. 

My quilt room buddies looked at me with some skepticism about working on a wall-hanging by hand! It does seem like a lot of work compared to sewing by machine. 

But I am in no hurry to complete this project and since it is a project that I can work on at any time because it does not require a sewing machine, it's perfect for those times whenever we are sitting outside or if we are boondocking (dry camping).

There was a ladies' pajama party one day to which I was invited. We watched the Lucille Ball classic movie The Long, Long Trailer, and had a good laugh. Those of us in our RV's could relate, except that in my case instead of collecting rocks, I seem to be collecting fabrics. We had popcorn and soda and had a good time. Some of the more daring ladies volunteered to participate in a game: they teamed up in pairs, were handed foam rollers and the first one to use up all the rollers on her companion's hair was the winning team. It was a bit of a challenge with our typical short hair cuts! There was a lot of laughter. 

We met up with NoWACA Alpine friends Lori and John Gailey, who spend their winter in Mesa, a few miles down the road from the Arizonian. And we met up with Carter and Patty O'Neill, Alpine friends from Washington, who were spending the winter in Apache Junction, the next town over from the Arizonian. Alpine friends Bill and Sonja Hearsey, also from Washington, joined us all too. I am beginning to see a trend: this region draws Alpines from the northwest! 

Yuengling, America's oldest brewery

And while I remember, we finally got to enjoy a Yeungling beer. Weeks ago I had noticed this beer being advertised on a delivery truck as the oldest beer in the States. We found the beer in a local store and tried it. Not bad.

Ten days vanished quickly and tomorrow we head out again, to meet up with our Alpine group in Death Valley for a week, like we did last year. But first we will gather in Tecopa for a couple of days at the hot springs.