Granite Reef Recreational Area, AZ
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
1M ago
  Near our park is another wonderful stunning natural landscape located in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. A mere 15minute drive from our park we find ourselves in the Granite Reef Recreational Area.  The area is best known for its access to the Salt River, where we often see people picnicking, kayaking, or fishing. The river is always flowing giving us an ideal place to escape our citified enclave or the Arizona heat. We generally bird/hike one of the several trails within the park most often choosing the riverside ones..Across the river ..read more
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Some things we see and do here...
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
1M ago
  Rather than post some stories about our routine winter life here inMesa AZ I think I’ll post pictures with small stories about interesting and unique things we have seen and or done during our stay. Expect anything from seeing photos of birds, critters, scenery, dancing events and anything else we found fun, interesting or quirky. I’ll start with a few bird pictures. The first is of a Cooper’s Hawk who we saw simply chilling in a stream at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve. This super chill bird simply sat in the water for at least 10 minutes while we watched and clicked photos. It wasn’t ..read more
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The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert AZ
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
2M ago
Vermillion Flycatcher The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is a 110-acre wetland and wildlife sanctuary in Gilbert, Arizona made solely by utilization of recycled effluent water. Seventy acres are part of  the seven water recharge basins which are filled on a rotating basis with most of this water allowed to percolate back into the aquifer for future use. Coopers Hawk With over 4.5 miles of trails in this preserve and nearly 300 species of birds which have been identified there, it has become our favorite hiking and birding site. We vi ..read more
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Starting a New Year in a Familiar Place…
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
2M ago
We certainly enjoyed our brief stay in Tucson Arizona but it became time to go. If Tucson wasn't a little bit cooler in the winter than Mesa I could see us staying there for the season. However those extra 5° of temperature on the cold side keeps us away. We arrived in Mesa earlier than expected and as a result we had to go to a different site. Someone was in the one we had reserved starting January 1st. Since we arrived December 22nd we picked a site across the street from the one we had reserved. It was a bit tricky getting in since it was beside a park model but we made it in j ..read more
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Tucson AZ, a hiking and birding paradise…
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
3M ago
After our short stay in Benson AZ we headed west to Tucson AZ, a town we have always enjoyed. Once again we opted to stay at Rincon Country West RV Resort. Why? Well it is a Passport America park and even at $37.00 per night it is the least expensive option in Tucson. Tucson has quite a bit of traffic congestion so staying closer to town was important so as to spend less time in the car and more doing ”things.” The weather during our stay was perfect with highs in the 70’s nearly everyday. Tucson has several breweries that we love and is close to many hiking and birding opportunities. Our f ..read more
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Hola Mexico v Nuevo Mexico…
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
3M ago
Heading west from El Paso our journey took us to the historic Pancho Villa State Park.This is a place we have visited before close to the Pink Store which we wanted to visit again. Pancho Villa State Park is located in the border town of Columbus and this state park is a historical gem. They have a nice on-site museum, where exhibits tell the story of the infamous 1916 raid by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. The park's natural setting, dotted with artifacts and memorials, offers a cool glimpse into a bygone era.The RV sites are spacious and nicely landscaped. It was also entertaining to ..read more
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Out in the west Texas town of El Paso…
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
3M ago
Our next stop on our westward trek was for an overnight stop in Van Horn, Texas. We don’t often stay for just one night but we have been to Van Horn many times and there really is much worth revisiting in this area so we didn’t even disconnect the CRV. The next morning we drove into El Paso and over to the Sunalnd Casino. The casino has 8 first-come first-served RV sites with water and 30/50 amp service and we were hoping to snag one for an extended stay in El Paso. Lucky for us there were several available so we hooked up and went into the casino to pay. Wow, only $15 per night to stay here ..read more
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Art in Marfa Texas…
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
4M ago
Ballroom Marfa is a contemporary art museum located in Marfa, a town of less than 2,000 people. Free and open to the public it gives artists and musicians the opportunity to engage with the public.On display while we were there was an art piece by Guadalupe Maravilla who proclaims to be a transdisciplinary visual artist, choreographer, and healer. The massive piece on display is called Mariposa Relámpago. We stopped by to check it out and it is indeed a “WOW” art piece. This is the ultimate bus conversion and this piece has a story to it as well. Go to this link to hear what the artist has t ..read more
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Marathon Texas and a Hike in Big Bend NP
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
4M ago
Marathon, Texas, our next stop, is a place we have been before. Marathon is a small town located in the Chihuahuan Desert, about 40 miles from the north entrance to Big Bend National Park. It's is a perfect stop for exploring the breathtaking natural expanse of Big Bend National Park. Marathon is best known for the iconic Gage Hotel, a historic hotel built in 1927. The hotel has a beautiful lobby with a large fireplace and the White Buffalo bar near its lobby is a great spot to end any day visiting Big Bend. Also nearby is the Big Bend Brewing Company, which brews a variety of craft beers ..read more
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Birding Fort Clark Springs and Hiking in Seminole Canyon State Park, Tx
On the Road of Retirement
by heyduke50
4M ago
We left Canyon Lake mid-morning and headed to Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, TX. This long drive we took last year would be longer this year due to construction on loop 1604 in San Antonio. As it turned out the longer drive was a great way around the congestion in San Antonio.The trip through Boerne and Bandera TX via Texas 46 was a very scenic and enjoyable drive. We decided to never drive through San Antonio from Canyon Lake ever again! We eventually made it to Brackettville which is home to Fort Clark. Once a frontier fort in the mid-1800’s it is now a 2,700 acre unincorporated com ..read more
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