Razor Ride

The other day I got a cool opportunity in that I was invited to go with Rick, one of our QV RV friends, on a Razor ride into the mountains that surround Queen Valley to the north. I know little of this area and even less of Razors, so I jumped at the chance. Wow, these vehicles are FUN! They can go almost anywhere you point them and climb hills I could never hike up. 

Our group consisted of three Razors, four humans, and one dog.  Bob and Star, his dog, led the way followed by Barry and his brand new Razor, with Rick and his newest best friend, Me! At this point, I would love to tell you where we drove, but I have no clue.  All I know is that we drove about 50 miles on 4X4 roads.  Stopped at an old jail made out of rocks that were used to hold prisoners during the stagecoach days, and finally, we climbed up to the top of some mountains. I had a great time and took as many photos as I could.

Selfie of Rick and I in his Razor.

Barry and his brand new machine.

The old stage coach jail house.

Barry, Bob and Star, and Rick.

Our Days Go By

 As the days go by, Linda and I get more and more settled into daily routines. We hike, walk and Linda runs. Both of us have started playing pickleball, a new obsession. We have had a few cloudy days where the sun avoided us, but it is definitely better than freezing cold temperatures and snow on the ground. 

Just Looking Around

Rolly Jurgens picked me up in his Razor and we did some looking around.  He showed me the route up to a starting point for a hike that would take me to an old Indian village site.  I decided to wait until Linda could accompany me before I hiked up that trail. Then we drove down to a wash and went exploring at a place that was said to be part of the wagon train watering stops.  There were several old building foundations that made us wonder exactly how the place was used back in the day.  It was fun looking around at all the junk left behind. 

Pickleball: A New Obsession

I returned to QVRV and walked up to find Linda and Jeannie playing pickleball.  It looks like Linda has a new sport to add to her fitness program.  We have actually bought paddles to play with so look out all you local pickle ballers. We are coming for you. 

Short Slot Hike

Wednesday, Linda and I joined three other folks, John, Irina, and Sherry, on a short slot canyon hike located just south of Superior, AZ. The hike followed a stream bed into the rocks and up a short waterfall. There was very little water in the stream at this time so we mostly just scrambled up the rocks.  It was a very nice hike and we enjoyed talking to our fellow hikers.  As it turned out, Sherry is from Montana and she had been on several canoe trips with two friends I knew from NIC many years ago. Just another small world moment in our lives.

Casa Grande

It was laundry day and I also needed to get a couple things for maintenance on the camper so Linda and I grabbed old Stinky Jeep and headed into the nearby town of Coolidge.  As Linda loaded the clothes into the washer, I walked to a nearby Farm Tractor Store and found the two items that I needed.  Then I went to the nearby Walmart and exchanged my propane tank and filled up with gas.  All this took about an hour and a half and when I returned I helped Linda fold the clothes and we were off to explore.

On the north side of Coolidge, the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is located at the corner of Hwy 87 and 287. This ancient building was built by the Hohokam people and was completed around 1350. In the 1800s scientists worked to get the structure protected but that took about 92 years for our government to make it happen. In 1992 Casa Grande became the nation's first archeological reserve. Information on this structure and its history can be found at www.nps.gov/cagr.

After we explored the monument site we had lunch in Florance at a small Mexican food eatery called Grace Place. We both had burritos and we took them to go and ate in a nearby park.

View of Queen Vally RV from a hill to the south.

Climb Every Mountain

If you look at a Google map of the Queen Valley area in Earth view, you will be able to spot the RV park and the surrounding geographical features of the Valley. To the west of the park is a ridge that runs north and south. On top of one of the peaks on that ridge is a tall rock outcropping. Some of the RV Park residents have placed an American flag and a light to illuminate it during the night. I hiked up to the top of the ridge and got a picture from that area of the east side of the ridge, the west side of the ridge, and a selfie at the top of the rocks.  It was a good hike and it took me about an hour and a half to climb there.