A Weekend in Yuma

Lil' Red had her first road trip of 2015 this past weekend when she headed to Yuma for the S*W*A*G #12 Mega Event, as in geocaching. This was our 3rd Yuma Mega Event and each one is more fun than the last. A mega event means more than 500 people pre-registered, planning to attend.

We got to Yuma on Friday planning to collect some caches along the way and in Yuma before attending the first of 7 weekend events or gatherings of geocachers. The first event was a flash mob. This year our instructions were to arrive at the shopping mall, near the theater just before 5:30 pm with our cell phone and a banana. We were to set the alarm on our phones to go off at 5:30. When all the alarms went off, we were to pull out the bananas and yell, "Can you hear me now?", changing positions and continuing to shout. Then music would play and we were to begin dancing (and stop shouting), waving our cell phone and banana through the playing of 'Shout.' When the music stopped, we were to hide our phones & bananas and disperse quickly.

some of the cachers who attend my hosted events

gathering nonchalantly near ground zero

ground zero, near the theater

dancing with the bananas

CV friends

Hubby and I ate our bananas; we were hungry!

We got in our vehicles and traveled about a half mile to the next event. Most people did not stick around, but the 4 of us had some refreshment and food, after the crowd thinned.

Saturday, day 2 of the weekend Mega Event, had us heading to the Barry M. Goldwater Range, with our permits, to find hidden 'treasurers' in the desert. The 1.05 million acres of range is controlled and managed by the Air Force, the Marines, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Services, each having it's own region. The BMGR is east and south of Yuma. The permits are free and give specific guidelines for using the government controlled land. Besides staying on the designated roads and leaving nothing behind (common sense), this is also listed in our reading material: 

"A portion of the Sonoran Desert National Monument contains the danger of property damage and permanent, painful, disabling and disfiguring injury or death due to high explosive detonations from falling objects such as aircraft, aerial targets, live ammunition, missiles, bombs, etc. There are also physical injury and health dangers from ground and aerial LASER and other electromagnetic emissions. ...injury or death due to the presence of expended, but still live bombs, rockets, cannon rounds, flares, and other types of warheads lying on the ground partially or completely buried. There are also old mine shafts and other openings or weaknesses in the earth, natural or man-made  which are too numerous to recite therein." In other words: STAY ON THE MARKED ROADS.

this is a marked road

this part of the Sonoran Desert was an ocotillo forest

with other desert shrubs and grasses

a few of the ocotillo were in bloom (tipped red flowers)

The temperature was in the mid 80s last weekend. We walked and drove and walked and walked and were quite pooped after about two hours. We attempted to grab some lunch as did the other thousands of snow birds that descend on Yuma this time of year, and headed back to the hotel to rest before the evening's event.

We made plans to meet Sherry, our Black Hills caching friend and now CV winter resident, and her friend at ground zero. While waiting for them to arrive, we met some other CV geocachers and joined them at their little table.

Nothing like a cold drink with good friends and 'war' stories to make the day complete. Lute's is a fun, Yuma experience. We remembered eating at the casino with our 'back home' neighbors, Donna & Maynard, when we visited them in Yuma in 2007.

I think Lute's is a Yuma icon

yah, we have no necks

We chose not to eat there and instead went across the street to a fabulous Italian restaurant, wonderful food with good company. The perfect ending to Day 2. 

We arrive back at CV, Monday evening. We unpacked and hit our recliners. More weekend fun to come...

La Posada Hotel

La Posada Hotel, the Resting Place, is a Winslow AZ landmark. Last month was our third visit to Winslow and our first visit to La Posada, a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

the last of the great Fred Harvey/Santa Fe Railway hotels

"In 1927, the Santa Fe Railway and the Harvey family decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona. La Posada, 'the Resting Place', was to be the finest in the Southwest. Construction costs exceeded $1 million in 1929. Total budget with grounds and furnishings was rumored at $2 million, about $40 million in todays dollars."

Mary Elizabeth Jane Coulter (1869-1958) "worked for the Fred Harvey Company from 1905 until her retirement in the 1950s. Although famous for her magnificent buildings at the Grand Canyon, she considered La Posada her masterpiece. Here she was able to design or select everything from the structures to the landscapes, furniture, maids' costumes, and dinner china. Many people considered this the most important and most beautiful building in the Southwest."

La Posada opened its doors on May 15, 1930 and closed them in 1957. "The original hotel had seventy guest rooms, three dining rooms, fancy lounges, restful arcades, splashing fountains and museum quality furniture. It was surrounded by acres of beautiful gardens with their own greenhouse, tennis courts, and a train station. It was the finest hotel on Route 66. Thousands of cars came by the front door. All passenger trains from Los Angeles to Chicago stopped at La Posada. Everybody stayed at La Posada "from Howard Hughes to John Wayne, Bob Hope to Dorothy Lamour, Albert Einstein to the Crown Prince of Japan. Winslow was the big town, bigger than Flagstaff and Sedona until the 1950s." Charles Lindbergh designed the Winslow airport, which is operational today. Click here for a list of all the famous guests.

After 27 years, La Posada closed its doors to the public in 1957 and was nearly torn down. "The museum quality furnishings were auctioned off in 1959. In the early 1960s, much of the building was gutted and transformed into offices for the Santa Fe Railway. Several times over the ensuing 40 years, the building was nearly demolished, as recently as 1994 when the railway announced its plans to move out for good."

"The National Trust for Historic Preservation found out about La Posada's peril and added it to their endangered list where it came to the attention of Allan Affeldt." He visited the hotel in 1994 and decided to help local preservationists save it. Although La Posada was never for sale, Affeldt negotiated for 3 years with the railroad resolving various legal, environmental and financial obstacles.   He and his wife moved in April 1997 and began the daunting task of a $12 million restoration, which continues today.

Some of the guest rooms have balconies. Some overlook gardens. Some rooms look out to the trains. There are 54 guest rooms ranging in price and amenities from $119 to $169 plus tax. "Guest rooms are all unique with antiques, full baths, and beautiful views over the gardens. Well behaved pets and children are welcome." 

fountain on the Wedding Terrace

a kitty getting a drink

a place to watch the trains

the Amtrak Station

on the lawn overlooking the tracks

location of one of three geocaches

donkeys welcoming guests

one of several wrought-iron gates

one of many displayed paintings

a piece of metal-work art

La Posada, the Resting Place

Winslow AZ

Wind Farm

Wind Farms are not a new site for the two of us. For years we have passed or met the trucks and their pilot cars carrying blades and tower pieces through SD. We have also observed a large farm expand along I 29 as we travel back and forth to see the G'Kids. We have geocached on the county roads amongst the huge wind towers. For years my father relayed data regarding wind on the tallest hill east of our farm. So seeing a wind farm in Kansas was not a big deal, but reading the informational signs and learning a bit more about the towers was interesting. (Again, this was a stop because of geocaching, otherwise we would have driven by without noticing.)

From the time we noticed the first wind tower and until we arrived at the sign and the last towers, the distance traveled was 11 miles.

The top 20 states for Wind Energy Potential was listed on the board and the cause of an interesting discussion between the two of us. Hubby knew the #1 state before we arrived and the standing of several others. I could not/did not understand WHY he would know something so trivial and did not believe he was correct. He was. (He said he read it in the Fargo Forum about 8 years ago. Then why can't he remember what I just told him yesterday or an hour ago????)

The colors on the map show the annual energy potential measured in billions of kilo-watt hours. The lighter the color, the less the energy produced by wind. The numbers after each state are the billions of kilo-watt hours probably from the year 2000. (Maybe the standings and numbers have changed in 15 years.)

I am surprised that CA is #17 on the list. There is a HUGE wind Farm along I 10 that stretches for miles and miles! The wind towers are placed on the sides and tops of hills. The towers are also of various heights, short to super tall. (When I look at the colored map, I realize the blue area is quite small.)

Some interesting facts about the wind towers at the Gray County Wind Farm:
* Each tower is 213 feet from the ground to the hub
* Each blade is 77 feet long
* Each tower is 12 feet at the base
* The rotors move at 140 mph during typical charging
* One acre of land is needed for each tower and it's service road
* In 2002 there were 170 towers in this 'wind farm', covering 12,000 acres, but we believe there are at least twice that number today

OK. So a bit more research and more current figures shows this: (Thanks to Wikipedia)

* Texas now produces the most wind energy

* California has the largest wind farm (the one along I 10)

* The first municipal wind turbines (5 blades) were in Pettibone, ND in 1940

* The world's first wind farm was in 1980 in Crotched Mountain NH in 1980

* GE Energy is the largest producer of wind turbines

* Today the US is second to China "in installed wind capacity", BUT generates more electricity through wind power than China or Germany

* As of December 2013, the top 5 producing states are: Texas, California, Iowa, Illinois & Oregon (a lot has changed since 2000!) 

* So, Hubby wasn't right after all!

* The top 5 states according to percentage of wind are: Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Idaho & Minnesota

* California, Texas, Oregon & Indiana have the ten largest wind farms

* As of 2014, the wind industry in the USA is able to produce more power at lower cost by using taller wind turbines with longer blades, capturing the faster winds at higher elevations.

That is probably more than you need to know about wind energy. Interesting how much has changed in 15 years.

Our Winter Home

We have been here one week today. It feels like we have come home.

It took a few days to get things put away and to find things we keep here. I still open the wrong cupboards looking for things. The same thing will happen when we get back to 'our real house' as Miss W calls it.

I have made made two shopping trips to the grocery stores. It was very nice to find the cupboards and fridge were stocked with essentials from last spring. (I had left quite a number of non-perishables as I expected to return in 5 or 6 months. I usually don't leave that much.) All was in good shape so I will do that again. The wine and beer was cold. The cans weren't bulged. Chips and crackers weren't soggy like they would be back home; even the opened bags and boxes.

Our KS neighbors had cold beer waiting for us when we arrived. Our first year at CV they lived across the street and were the first people to actually welcome us when we arrived in our little 27' travel trailer. We have lived on the same street or next to each other for 10 years now. Usually we are here first and welcome them. It was very nice to see them in their lawn chairs, waiting for us when we pulled into our spot. Thanks Sondra & Herman.

I went across the road and picked up Chinese take out for dinner that night and had enough leftovers for another meal or two.

The resort had a Sunday brunch buffet before church. It was very good with lots of food choices. Next time I would eat after church instead of before.

SD friends came by Sunday evening and we went out for dinner. On Wednesday we met ND friends who were heading back home at the end of the month. They came to our place for lunch (which I did fix) and a drive to Florence and the agricultural area and then dinner at our favorite burger, steak & ribs place. (Enough food for leftovers. Yippee!) On Thursday SD friends asked us to join them at the same favorite steak, burger & ribs place. More leftovers; enough now for last night's dinner.

Dinner with Joan & Rod at San Tan Flat

You get the idea here. Since arriving, I have cooked very little, but enjoyed some excellent meals! Hubby made pancakes this morning and I will cook tonight. (Saturday)

Being welcomed by those we know and those we don't is what makes this place special. Many people in the resort (population about 1000) knew our health issues' story. I can not believe the number of people (men and women) who have stopped to say "Welcome back! So glad you are here." The number of hugs and handshakes was amazing. Between the Sunday church service and the Monday morning coffee, it was like a family reunion, but better.

Early in our arrival, Mary stopped by to hand-deliver Flat Coleen & Flat Curt. Because of Mary's creative & clever idea, we have enjoyed many resort activities prior to our arrival.

Mary also made this luminary in my honor

for the Time for a Cure luminary lighting

on Wednesday of cancer week activities.

Both items reside by the back door

Nancy created this rubber band bracelet for me

and gave it to me Monday morning at coffee.

It represents the 3 colors for Thyroid Cancer.

And then there is the calendar. I do NOT kid when I remark that we go 'to our real house' to recover and prepare for the next winter season. Planned for this past week was church, Monday coffee meeting, Tuesday geocaching meeting and Wednesday with ND friends.

Unplanned, but wonderful additions, were the two dinners with SD friends, lunch with another friend AND the movie "The Imitation Game", a must-see! We also did some geocaching one afternoon, before going for pizza.

Dianne, the Friday lunch date friend and I agreed to schedule a lunch date every other week. We found our schedules so busy that we cannot meet for lunch until Feb. 19th! She goes home the following week.

I have notified the writers that classes will continue weekly beginning February 16th. (I am too busy to start before that Monday.) Writing Your Life Story classes will be MY only resort commitment this season. I think that will give us more time for socializing and geocaching.

Geocaching will be OUR focus. I have organized an event in February, but will attend several others scheduled in the east valley, including one on Wednesday. We have plans to go to Yuma for 4 days next weekend. We have met so many people through the AZ geocaching events, Wednesday will be very much like a family reunion.

There are a number of good movies to see right now. There are many geocaches we can find without endangering our limbs. And there are many good people to visit. The next two and a half months will be busy! And I love it!

And just so you know our life is not perfect at our winter home, the washing machine is not working (repairman on Monday), the jeep's gas tank sprung a hole and leaked this summer (at the doctor now, parts on Monday) and the MediaCom technician has been here twice; a phone call finally fixed his screw-up.

It is what it is and Life Is Good!

Santa Fe Trail in KS

Driving through Kansas last week, one of our stops was at Pawnee Rock. The community is barely a dot on the map, but is a much bigger dot in the chronicle archives. It is a geological landmark as well as a historical feature.

Rising to the northwest of the highway, the hill of Pawnee Rock was a landmark for the natives living in the area and later for the early settlers traveling the Santa Fe Trail.

The 'hill' does not look very remarkable today, but a couple hundred years ago the hill was much higher. In fact, it was a high as the tops of the two structures now standing atop the earthen dome.

One can climb to the top of the brick structure to view the surrounding countryside, just as the natives and early travelers did in the mid 1800s. One of the posted signs said the hill was a war-free zone for the various Indian tribes living on the plains.

The monument is a tribute to the people who influenced, settled and passed through the area.

There was some red rock showing when we were at the base of the hill, but not like the red rock we see in the western part of New Mexico, southern Utah and northern Arizona. One sign stated, the hill decreased in size as settlers and others used the rock for their homes and buildings.

A headstone for Private Nehemiah Carson, who died in 1846 at age 20 and placed at the base of the hill.

This marker was placed in 1908 by the DAR of Kansas marking the road and hill as part of the Santa Fe Trail, 1822-1872. It was cool to come across this marker. Pawnee Hill was the location of 3 geocaches; well worth the stop and look-see.

Some of the historical things we missed along the Santa Fe Trail in that part of Kansas: Ed Miller's Grave, Durham Ruts, Coon Creek Crossing...

I did learn there was a Wet Route and a Dry Route on the Santa Fe. The wet route afforded travelers with good grazing and water for the large numbers of stock. The dry route was shorter but with limited water supply.

Farther along Hwy. 56 we came across The Cache Site.

"The Caches was a noted landmark and rest stop on the Santa Fe trail. Numerous trail travelers commented on these famous pits dug in 1822 by a trading party led by James Baird and Samuel Chambers. Baird and Chambers set out from Missouri late in 1822 when a blizzard stranded their pack train near this site for three months. They lost most of their pack animals and in the early spring of 1923, they dug pits to cache their goods and proceeded to Taos, New Mexico, to purchase mules. On their return trip to dig up the goods, a war party of Pawnees attacked the men. However, they accomplished their mission and returned to Taos. The pits remained open and became a landmark on the trail for many years, although no evidence of them remain today."

The historical Cache site was located between Fort Mann and Fort Atkinson. Only a roadside marker designates the location today.

After traveling on and reading about the Santa Fe Trail, I am very happy I was in the comfort of our Chrysler van, covering 1500 miles in 3 days.