Sequaro National Park 6/15/2009

I have been having trouble with tense when updating this journal. It's due to the fact that they are often days old when I finally get some computer time. From this point froward I am going to pretend that each update is typed up the same day they occurred.


We said goodbye to Monzanos campground and Silver City today. We're going to miss both of them.

We lost a lot of altitude early on the drive. it was gradual but consistent down hill run from around 6000 to 4000 feet to I-10. We continued west on I-10 and it was along this section that I recall driving my truck east with for some reason it was not obvious that we were. I could easily imagine that my father. It seemed at the time we were gradually climbing a hill butwe were really going down a hill. Of course this goes on for well over a 100 miles. Distance is something different here and I think that it is this that makes the climb so difficult to discern; there is no backdrop to see the ascent against. It's gradual change altogether lost to the distant horizon.




On this trip changes in elevation have been much easier to track. GPS. Kat pushed for one real hard. I felt paper maps were just fine. No zooming or scrolling needed, all the info is right there on paper. Big picture or little, all there. Paper maps don't have altimeters, though. GPS does, and it has been VERY useful. The drop in elevation on I-10 going into Phoenix is real even if not visible. I can watch the numbers slowly tick down.



If we are in a town and it occurs to us that we need a Wallmart we can search for it on the GPS. Often they are only around the corner and would have been missed without the GPS. Nervous about gas? Hit the gas button and the nearest listed stations pop up. I have also taken to using the speedometer that is on the GPS. It tells me my speed within the first 10 or 15 feet pulling off from a stop! 3 MPH! That is detail! It shows the route we have taken, our highest speed,our total trip length, time stopped, time moving and even changes the clock with the change in time zones including whatever goofy time Arizona keeps. The only bother is that I know it won't be long before the government will want access to all this info. There is no need for a cop to write up a personal speeding ticket when they can get all that info from your GPS.






Before entering Phoenix we stopped in at the Saguaro national park in Tucson. We drove through the gate with a flash of out park pass and drove straight to the picnic area where we....didn't picnic. Construction. We began to drive the loop and take in the desert. Cacti and more cacti. Many were in bloom. We drove down a dirt road and found anther picnic area and ate sandwiches. One of the nice things was the temperature in the low 80's. We have been fortunate in that regard on this trip. With the exception of the drive to El Paso the temps have been low. Nice





We then drove on toward Phoenix which I liked very much from the interstate during dusk. After dark we made Cottonwood Arizona and set up camp in the Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Another nice Campground (and as of writing, the last time we had electricity for the past week)...