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We crossed the border into the USA at Nogales, AZ on Saturday, February 24. We traveled I-19 to Sahuarita then turned east to Benson, arriving at the Cochise Terrace RV Resort around 5:30. It had been a really long day but I was so happy at the thought of an American grocery store that I immediately went to Safeway (Gosh, I miss Safeway in Little Rock!) and spent almost two hours loading up on familiar products.

Sunday morning, we awoke to frost again – where is the warm weather for which Arizona is famous??? We treated the fresh water tank with bleach, just to be on the safe side (even though we never put untreated water in the tank while in Mexico) and Jerry changed the two water filters. We went to KFC and had fried chicken – ah . . . welcome home.

After lunch we headed for Duncan, AZ to spend a couple of nights with Jerry’s middle brother and his wife (Bill and Jackie). To get there, we took I-10 east to US 191 then north to Safford where we turned east on US 70 to Duncan. On the way, I checked my emails, thanks to our trusty Verizon air card, and learned that my oldest brother’s wife had died that morning – shocking and saddening news. So, I spent the rest of the afternoon making plans to fly to Atlanta for the funeral. I left on Monday, driving over three hours to El Paso to the airport. The engine on the truck overheated on the way and the trip went downhill from there. My luggage didn’t get to Atlanta until after the funeral. Thank goodness for my sister-in-law from Memphis who loaned me clothes and shoes. Leaving Atlanta Wednesday morning, my flight arrived back in El Paso around 5:30 and I drove four hours in high winds to get back to Duncan. It was a hard trip, emotionally and physically, and I was glad to be back to Jerry and Bubba.

The next day, the four of us took a day trip north on US 191 to the Apache – Sitgreaves National Forest and the White Mountains. We stopped at Blue Vista, about 10,000 feet in elevation, a beautiful overlook that still had quite a bit of snow. There were lots of quaking aspens, one of my favorite trees, and big pine trees. At Hannagan Meadow, we passed a neat old lodge and resort but, unfortunately, it was closed. We continued to Alpine for lunch then turned south on US 180 into the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. We ended our big circle by taking AZ 78 west to AZ 75 south and, finally, back to Duncan. It was a beautiful drive on a beautiful day.

Friday was a "down" day – I washed and ironed (one of my favorite pastimes) while Jerry and Bill played with REVO, Jerry’s radio-controlled monster truck. They later went into town to buy provisions for our farewell dinner together. We had a lovely visit and we are glad we had the time together.

Saturday morning, we drove back to Benson to Kartchner Caverns State Park. We made a side trip through Willcox, hometown of Rex Allen, one of the original singing cowboy movie stars of the 40’s and 50’s. The Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum pays tribute to him as does a bronze statue in the city park across from the museum. A bronze heart imbedded in the statue at Allen’s request represents his enduring love for his hometown. Willcox is also known as the place where Wyatt Earp’s brother, Warren, was killed at the Headquarters Saloon in 1900.

We checked into Kartchner Caverns State Park and settled into a lovely site at the foot of the Whetstone Mountains. Around 9:00 a.m. the next morning, we drove to Bisbee where we would tour the old Queen Mine. It was about a 50-mile drive through a beautiful desert landscape. However, as we neared Bisbee, we entered a more mountainous area with lots of trees.

Bisbee is a great story of survival and the determination of its citizens. Founded in 1880 and nestled in the mile-high Mule Mountains of southeastern Arizona, Bisbee was once a booming mining community with one of the richest mineral deposits in the world. Once the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, Bisbee bustled with miners, shopkeepers, rollicking nightlife, and even its own stock exchange. However, once the mining boom was over, the town fell on hard times but, thanks to the ingenuity of those who live in and love Bisbee, it is once again a bustling town. Today the city attracts tourists from around the world, reflecting old world charm and culture, as well as good times from a bygone era. History clings to the hillside as the well-preserved Victorian architecture reflects both copper mining lore and western history. Many of the Victorian buildings now house antique stores, art galleries, cafes and restaurants, while Brewery Gulch retains its boisterous character and old time saloons. There are eight festivals and fairs held throughout the year to make sure the tourists keep coming. As we drive around Bisbee, we are reminded of our own Eureka Springs with its similar narrow and winding streets.

We toured the Queen Mine, operated by the City of Bisbee, complete with tour guides who once worked in the mine. The mine is owned by the Phelps Dodge Corporation but is leased to the city for $10 per year and is showcased as a tourist attraction. Our first step on the tour was to be outfitted with slickers, hard hats, and carbide lamps. We then boarded one of several old mine rail cars pulled by an engine and into the mine we went. We stopped about 100 feet inside to allow our eyes to acclimate to the darkness and to let anyone off who felt claustrophobic. We continued our trip into the darkness until we were about 1,000 feet into the mine. We learned that there are over 800 miles of tunnels on five different levels in this complex which produced over 8 billion pounds of copper during the 100 years it operated. The shaft was a constant and chilly 47 degrees and contained much of the original mining equipment and supporting timbers.

We then backtracked to Tombstone, "the town too tough to die", and perhaps the most renowned of Arizona’s old mining camps. During a 30-minute presentation on the history of Tombstone, we learned that when Ed Schieffelin left Fort Huachuca (Wa-choo’-cah) to prospect, his comrades told him that he would find his tombstone, rather than silver. So, in 1877 Schieffelin named his first claim "Tombstone" and rumors of rich strikes made a boomtown of the settlement that adopted this name. Over the course of seven years, the mines produced millions of dollars in silver and gold before rising underground waters forced suspension of operations. And fires swept through town twice but the citizens rebuilt. Hence, the reputation that it was "the town too tough to die". Days of lawlessness and violence in Tombstone climaxed with the infamous battle between Wyatt Earp and his brothers against the Clanton brothers, fought at the rear entrance to the O.K. Corral.

Many of Tombstone’s historic buildings are along the main street, Fremont, which is still dirt with wooden sidewalks. Among the notable buildings remaining are the Crystal Palace, one of the most luxurious saloons in the West, and the Tombstone Epitaph building, where the oldest continuously published paper in Arizona is still being printed. There’s also the Bird Cage Theatre which was built in 1881 and is virtually unchanged. A combination theatre, saloon and dance hall, it was once known as the wildest, wickedest nightspot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast. In its nine years of operation, this lusty den of iniquity was open 24 hours a day. Before its operation ended in 1889, it was the sight of 16 gunfights. The 140 bullet holes that riddle the walls and the ceilings are evidence of just how wild this place was. The Bird Cage was named for the 14 bird cage crib compartments that are suspended from the ceiling overhanging the gambling casino and dance hall. It was in these compartments that the prostitutes (or ladies of the night, as they were called) plied their trade. The refrain from the song "She’s Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage" was inspired by this opera house saloon. It’s interesting to note that Wyatt Earp met his third wife, Sadie Marcus, at the Bird Cage. The famous cribs remain today with their original red velvet drapes and trimmings. Needless to say, the ladies of the town, and there were a few, never entered the Bird Cage – or, for that matter, even walked on the same side of the street. The Bird Cage was boarded up for almost 50 years but was declared a Historic Landmark of the American West in 1934 and was opened to the public. It is Tombstone’s only historic landmark that is still in its original state.

After lunch in one of the restaurants on Fremont, we walked to the location of the famous gunfight where we would see a reenactment by locals. The amateur actors played out several scenes from days gone by culminating with the famous gunfight between the Earps and the Clantons. It was hokey but we enjoyed it just the same. We especially liked the fact that all the actors were volunteers and all proceeds go to support the local animal shelter. They were very proud of the fact that their efforts support a "no kill" shelter and we were happy to contribute to the cause. The actual gunfight took place on October 26, 1881. Police Chief Virgil Earp deputized his brothers, Wyatt and Morgan, and Doc Holliday to help him disarm the cowboys who were waiting to confront Doc when he returned to his rented room. When the shooting started, unarmed cowboy Ike Clanton ran and was unharmed. In the next 30 seconds, nearly 30 shots were fired. Billy Clanton and Frank and Tom McLaury were dead. Virgil and Morgan Earp were badly wounded, while Doc suffered a superficial hip wound. Only Wyatt walked away unscathed. There is still controversy over whether it was a fair fight or whether the Earps committed murder.

We made a stop at the Tombstone Courthouse but learned that they were about to close for the day. Designated a State Historic Park, the courthouse is a museum filled with the glitter and the guns of those who tamed the territory. Tax licenses for operating a brothel along with an invitation to a hanging can be found on display here. Sorry we missed that!

We then visited Boot Hill which contains 300 marked graves including some of the town’s famous and infamous residents. This is reportedly the first cemetery to be called "Boot Hill." It was very interesting to read the markers as we walked through the cemetery and pondered what life must have been like in the wild, wild west.

On Monday, March 5, we toured Kartchner Caverns discovered in 1974 by two young cavers. They were so in awe of what they found that they kept it a secret for 4 years to protect it. However, in 1978, they realized that this special place should be preserved and shared so they contacted the owners of the land about their amazing discovery and, in 1988, it was purchased by the Arizona State Parks. Covering seven acres, these caverns are one of the world’s few living wet caves open for viewing. The caverns are divided into two sections – the Rotunda/Throne Room and the Big Room. We toured the Big Room and were amazed at the extraordinary precautions that have been taken during development and operation to protect the cave’s natural environment. The Parks Department took seven years and spent $35 million to build the infrastructure within the cave to create this experience. It is filled with colorful formations growing for more than 200,000 years out of the limestone beneath the Whetstone Mountains. Among the most noted is the 54-foot-high column, Kubla Khan, the world’s second longest soda straw formation. We found the cavern to be beautiful and amazing.

Tuesday morning, we drove east and south to Sunsites where we took a gravel road to the Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains. As we walked along the short history trail, we learned that this rugged natural fortress was, for some 15 years, the home and base of operations for the famed Chiricahua Apache Chief, Cochise, and 1,000 of his followers. Sentinels, constantly on watch from the towering pinnacles of rock, could spot their enemies in the valley below and sweep down without warning in destructive raids. No man, woman or child within a hundred miles was safe from these attacks.

Born in present-day Arizona, Cochise led the Chiricahua band of the Apache tribe during a period of violent social upheaval. In 1850, the U.S. took control over the territory that today comprises Arizona and New Mexico. Not hostile to the whites at first, he kept peace with the Anglo-Americans until 1861, when he became their implacable foe because of the blunder of a young U.S. Army officer, Lt. George Bascom. In that year, Cochise and several of his relatives had gone to an encampment of soldiers in order to deny the accusation that they had abducted a child from a ranch. (The boy was later proved to have been kidnapped by another band of Apaches.) Cochise and his followers were ordered held as hostages by Bascom, but Cochise managed to escape. Bascom ordered the other Apache hostages hanged and the embittered Cochise began a guerrilla struggle against the American army and settlers. In 1863, he became Chief of the Chiricahuas.

The U.S. Army captured him in 1871 and prepared to transfer him to a reservation hundreds of miles away, but he escaped again and renewed the resistance campaign. The following year, after negotiating a new treaty with the help of Thomas Jeffords, his only white friend, the band was allowed to stay here in their homeland. Cochise is reputed to have been a master strategist and leader who was never conquered in battle. He eventually retired as chief and died peacefully on the newly formed Chiricahua reservation in 1874. Upon his death, he was secretly buried somewhere in or near this impregnable fortress. The exact location has never been revealed or determined.

We then made a stop at Fort Huachuca, founded in 1877 and still an active Army post. The Fort Huachuca Museum was established in 1960 to tell the story of the U. S. Army on the Southwest frontier. The old post area was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Two interesting facts about the fort: Garden Canyon, just south of the fort, is the only known place in the U.S. where potatoes were found growing wild; and, Fort Huachuca was the home of the Buffalo Soldiers, America’s first African-American troops.

On Wednesday, March 7 we headed for Tucson via the east district of the Saguaro National Park at the foot of the Rincon Mountains. We parked Bubba and unhooked the truck to take the eight-mile Cactus Forest Drive through this section of the park, where many of the saguaros are more than 150 years old.

Saguaro National Park was established in 1933 under President Hoover. It consists of two districts: Saguaro West and the much larger Saguaro East, where we were. The two areas, separated by the city of Tucson, are about 30 miles apart. Together, they preserve 91,327 acres of the life and landscape of the Sonoran Desert, including the park’s namesake – the saguaro.

The saguaro has become the symbol of the American Southwest. America’s largest cactus, the saguaro’s imposing stature and uplifted arms give it a regal presence. Many call it the "desert monarch." But it must work hard to survive as only one in 250,000 seeds will produce a plant. Man is the saguaro’s worst enemy. I have to admit that the desert is a fascinating place. It is very inhospitable with summer midday temperatures about 100 degrees and fewer than 12 inches of rain a year. Yet plants and animals survive in this environment, with adaptations specially designed for desert survival. For example, the saguaro can soak up as much as 200 gallons of water during the rainy season - enough to last the plant for a whole year. And the kangaroo rat can go through an entire lifetime without fresh water, manufacturing moisture from the dry seeds he eats.

There are over 50 species of cacti in the park including the barrel cactus, teddy bear cholla (choy’-ya), and prickly pear. There were also lots of creosote bushes, mesquite and ocotillo (oh’-coh-tee’-yo). And of course, there are the rattlesnakes and the Arizona coral snake. Jerry characterized the desert by saying that "everything out here is going to stick you, bite you, sting you, prick you or hurt you in some way".

One of our stops on the loop was called Javelina Rocks, a formation of giant boulders. Here we learned a little more about collared peccaries, or javelinas, that we first saw in Big Bend. They receive most of the moisture they need from succulent plants. They bear only 1-3 young at one time, can reach up to 60 pounds in weight, and have scent glands on their backs that they use to fend off would-be predators. Pew-wee!

We checked into Beaudry’s RV Resort near the Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson and settled in for a quiet evening. It was a really nice park with a Camping World store right on the premises (Camping World is our favorite RV supply store). That meant money would be spent here, without doubt.

On Thursday, we visited Old Tucson Movie Studios, "Where Legends Come Alive," built by Columbia Studios about 60 years ago for the epic motion picture, "Arizona". This studio, along with a sister location east of Tucson named Mescal, has since been used for hundreds of western movies starring John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Maureen O’Hara, Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, Audie Murphy, Clint Eastwood, and others. Many major westerns were filmed here including Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Rio Bravo, McClintock, El Dorado, Rio Lobo, Joe Kidd, Posse, and Outlaw and Josey Wales. Newer shows and non-westerns included Stagecoach (Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson); Three Amigos (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short); Young Guns II (Emilio Estevez); Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott, and Val Kilmer); The Quick and the Dead (Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Sharon Stone). Known as "Hollywood in the Desert", this studio was also the outdoor set for High Chapparal, a long-running western TV series in the early 60’s, and has been used as a set for a number of other TV shows.

It was fun to see where some of our western heroes had created their place in movie history. The stunt shows were entertaining, especially the Big Screen Adventure Stunt Show. We also enjoyed the gunfight in front of the Red Dog Saloon. And, of course, seeing the studio’s signature shot of Golden Gate Peak up close and personal gave us something to look for as we tune into our favorite satellite TV station, The Western Channel. This place was heaven for western lovers like us!

Leaving Old Tucson Studios, we continued northwest through the west district of Saguaro National Park where we saw our first snake on the road – ooooooooh! We took the six-mile Bajada Loop Drive, a graded dirt road that provided much better views than the eastern district, with more and larger saguaros.

When we returned to the campground, we found that Carl and Cheryl (our friends from California) had arrived as planned and would be here with us for several days. We had a delightful dinner at the Beer Bottoms Bistro, the campground’s bar and restaurant, joined by one of Carl’s childhood friends from Ohio.

On Friday, we took a bus tour of the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC), commonly referred to as the "Boneyard", where some 5,000 aircraft, worth $27 billion when initially purchased, are stored on 2,600 acres of open airfield. The mission of AMARC since 1946 has been to support the needs of all branches of the military in the areas of storage, regeneration, reclamation and disposal. There are four categories of storage at the Boneyard: Long-term storage applies to planes maintained for extended periods; parts reclamation storage uses aircraft as parts sources for later models still in active service; viable hold storage is for planes kept in active flying status; and excess to department of defense requirements identifies aircraft which can be used for targets, standard display or are to be disposed of.

Many of the aircraft stored here will fly again. Since 1986, 21% of the planes received here have returned to flight status. For that reason, they don’t really like to be called a boneyard since AMARC is often the only place to obtain parts to keep planes flying. It’s interesting to note that the Arizona location was chosen for this site for two reasons: the dry climate minimizes damage caused by corrosion, and the hard-packed soil allows for easy movement of the aircraft without building parking ramps. Jerry loved this place! I guess it’s a male thing . . .

On Saturday, March 10 we visited the only, still fully intact, Titan II missile site just south of Tucson. The Titan II, at 98 feet long and 10 feet in diameter, was the largest missile ever built by the United States. Each two-stage liquid filled rocket had a single hydrogen bomb warhead on top of it equal to 9 million tons of TNT explosives – 700 times more powerful than the bombs dropped during World War II. When fired, the missile rose to a height of about 800 miles before it fell to its target up to 6,000 miles away. In 1963, following the Cuban missile crisis, 54 of these missiles were activated in the U.S. in Arkansas, Arizona, and Kansas Eighteen of the missiles were located in central Arkansas. With the slogan "Peace through Deterrence", they were to be fired only if the U.S. was fired upon first.

This missile site is the only remaining vestige of the Cold War. All other sites were disarmed and the silos were imploded in the 1980’s. The last Titan II missile site in Arkansas was destroyed in September 1987. After destruction, each silo had to be left exposed for several months to allow Soviet satellites to verify their destruction. This silo, #571-7, was taken off "alert" and inactivated in November, 1982 and, by order of President Reagan, was transformed into a museum. The site and all the equipment is still owned by the Air Force but the museum is operated by the Arizona Aerospace Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

As visitors, we were able to see the massive warhead (now disarmed), tour the launch control center and missile silo, and experience a simulated launch. During our tour, we learned that when these sites were built in the 60’s each silo cost $8.3 million and each missile cost $2.2 million. Seems like chump change these days! Security was extremely tight with four different security levels required to enter the silo. Each four-man crew consisted of two officers (usually a Captain and a Lieutenant) and two enlisted men who were on duty for 24 hours.

If the order had ever been given to activate the missile, the commander would have to call headquarters to obtain the oxygen code that would enable the missile to fire. He would then give that code to an enlisted man who would enter it at a remote console. Then two different officers would insert their individual keys into two different consoles. Once they turned the keys, it was too late because the steps were in motion for a launch. What a scary thought . . . no wonder we had all those Civil Defense alerts when I was in junior high school. If I’d known the facts, I may never have come out from under my desk.

We spent a total of thirteen nights at Beaudry’s RV Resort in Tucson. Much of that time was spent catching up on personal business and giving Carl and Cheryl moral support while their new motorhome spent most days in the repair shop. They even had to spend three nights in a motel! We are so happy that Bubba never had all those problems. We were not impressed with Beaudry’s service center. In fact, Carl began to refer to Beaudry’s as "Boudreaux’s" because they just couldn’t seem to get the problems fixed. But one of the best bonuses for staying there was to witness four days of air shows by the Navy’s Blue Angels. Watching them perform their daredevil maneuvers right above Bubba was absolutely spine-tingling. I could just see Tom Cruise in the pilot’s seat every time they flew over.

We left Tucson on Tuesday, March 20 and drove south to Patagonia Lake State Park, near Nogales on the Mexican border. Carl and Cheryl joined us there. The park was in a lovely setting and we were glad to be away from the city. Nogales was one of the nicer border towns we’ve seen but, typical of most, hardly anyone spoke English. We spent the next couple of days touring the area and enjoyed lunch one day at Tubac, a local artist community. The next day, we spotted Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Nogales and decided we just had to eat there because we all had fond memories of Shakey’s from our younger years. Bad decision . . .

We also made a visit to the Arizona Vinyards (sic) where we tasted such offerings as Rattlesnake Red, Coyote Red, and Grand Canyon White. The winery tasting room was a funky sort of place with an eclectic décor, i.e. full of fun junk. The owner’s wife was the hostess and truly full of herself. The wine wasn’t bad either so we bought a couple of bottles and headed back to the campground.

Thursday evening, we watched the basketball game between Ohio State and Tennessee because nothing gets between Carl and his sports. Of course, he was rooting for the Buckeyes since he’s an alumnus and I was rooting for the Vols since I am a native Tennesseean. I couldn’t believe the Vols let the Bucks come from behind and beat them in the last few seconds of the game by one point. Aaaaargh!

We had a major storm that night - I’ve always heard of desert thunderstorms and now I have experienced one. Whew! I do believe it was wilder than our Southern storms with heavy rain and lots of wind and thunder and lightning. But we survived and at 10:00 Friday morning, we said our goodbyes to Carl and Cheryl and headed out for our 320-mile drive to Yuma via I-10 then I-8 just south of Phoenix. We checked into the Del Pueblo RV Park and Tennis Resort and settled in for a stay of two nights.

Yuma is a nice town that definitely caters to snowbirds (RVers who go south in the winter). In fact, the population of Yuma doubles from 90,000 to 170,000 from January through March. I can believe it because I’ve never seen so many campgrounds or so many motorhomes, fifth wheels and travel trailers in one place in my life! One of the reasons they love it so is that the town boasts that 95% of their days are sunny. We saw license tags from many Canadian provinces as well as Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Idaho and several other northern climes. Yuma is largely an agricultural area but only receives two and one-half inches of rain per year. So, they drain a lot from the Colorado River for irrigation.