We had planned to make a quick long weekend getaway

to Picacho Peak State Park a week earlier, but we had

out of town Airstream guests, so our plans got set back.

It worked out well, though … work  and hosting

schedules cooperated and the timing was right for us to

go this week instead. So Thursday, 12 March we took off for our old well-worn stomping ground, Picacho Peak. We hadn’t been there since just after New Year’s when we caught the tail end of the Four Corners Unit New Year’s Rally on our way home from our Califonia winter trip. It was very cathartic and served well to give us much-needed R&R.

We had called on Wednesday to see how busy the park was. They told us we shouldn’t have trouble getting in on Thursday. Friday would be different. We also asked how the spring flowers were doing, and they said there were some plants in bloom, but they hadn’t received enough rainfall, then they had  unseasonably warm temps, so everything was a bit dried out. I guess we can’t expect an outstanding spring bloom every year! Besides, if the bloom was spectaclar, it would have been “crazy busy.” As it was, it was just “busy.”

We go out the drive about 12:30 PM and were driving into the park about 1:30 PM. The new visitor’s center building looked like it was pretty much complete,

                               but it was not open to the public quite yet. The staff was

                                      using it for checking in campers and day trippers,

                                          however, so we got a peek inside. It’s really nice …

                                          a huge improvement over the old ranger station which

                                         was very small with hardly room for a couple of

                                          visitors at a time. The new building is not huge, but it

                                            is nicely designed with open areas and a high bank of floor to ceiling windows that face the mountain. There’s a great view of the Peak from inside. Can’t wait to see it fully functional. And we can sense the excitement in the staff as well. It’s been under sonstruction since last summer, so we are sure they are ready.

We circled the two electric loops to see what was available. Loop C was the least busy, but one of our favorite sites was open in Loop B … the very same site that Louis & Sergio had taken when we camped at Picacho with them in December ’08. We decided to take that one. Key to a good site this time of year is getting one situated so that the trailer’s shadow shades the curb side “patio” area in the afternoon. If you’re facing the other direction with the afternoon sun shining toward curb side, it can get pretty warm very quickly ... and with the sun is so low in the sky, an awning doesn’t help much. This site does just that … and faces one of the minor rock formations in the park, away from the rest of the loop. This makes it fairly private with a wonderful view of both the small formation and the Peak.

We settled in and took the Girls for their “arrival walk.” The ranger had been right … the flowers were not popping out all over, but the brittle brush bushes were in full bloom with their black-eyed-Susan-like flowers, as was another flowering plant (which we remember the name of) with its solid yellow blossom. The purple salvia were going good, too, and the “fiddle plants” with their curly stems covered in tiny yellow flowers were partially blooming. There’s a low-lying plant that has sticky cork screw type stems that just love to cling to the Girls’ hair, too. At least they were still green, as they become much more of a problem when they are dried out. So there were good signs of spring … just not the explosion of color that we’ve seen in years past. Temps were in the 70s so it was shorts weather, but as soon as the sun began to get low, it began to cool off. It was perfect weather ... plenty warm but no need for AC.

This was also the weekend that would normally have been

the reenactment of the western-most Civil War battle at

Picacho Pass. However, because of budgetary restraints

it was cancelled this year. Too bad. It’s a hug attraction

for the park. We would have never gotten into the park

this weekend had that still been happening, however. It’s

booked solid for this event every year.

We decided on a Black and Cayenne décor for this trip using a wool blanket on the bed with a bear and a forest scene on it. It’s a great combination. It seems like some of our favorite combinations involve Cayenne. It’s such a great red. Since the weather is getting steadily warmer we thought we’d better make use of the wool blankets before it gets too hot!

Speaking of red … Terry had been wanting Greg to make a picnic table cover, so we brought along the red vinyl we wanted to use, as well as the sewing machine. He set up outside to make it. It fits a standard picnic table, hanging over the two long sides about 5”. There are 4 grommets along both sides, so the small bungee cords can be looped through them underneath the table surface to secure the tablecloth. It works great! We designed it so that the end can be folded underneath itself to leave the end of the table clear for those times when we use the small charcoal grill at the end of the table.  The grill is on legs and it doesn’t get hot at table level, but just to be sure we though it prudent to not use it on top of the table cloth!

And while he was at it he made a set of cozies to store some of our glassware in to prevent it from rattling around when we’re traveling. He’s going to do the

                         same thing for wine bottles, too. He’s so darn handy with a

                              sewing machine, as some of you know.  Terry loves his new

                                 picnic table cover! A nice addition to the gear

             

                                We were celebrating  the completion of the new table cloth

                                  with home made chocolate chip cookies when suddenly Greg jumped and put his hand to his mouth. He’d bit down and a piece of a tooth had broken off. It was a tooth with a filling, and the side of it had sheared off. No pain, but still ... So it looks like Greg will be seeing the dentist when we get back to town. A new crown willbe n order no doubt. Nw his cookies are nice an chewy and soft, so don’t get the wrong idea. The tooth had probably been ready to break for a while. He was in no pain, but majorly bummed … just what he wanted to do … go to the dentist when we got home! Poor guy.

By nightfall the park had filled up quite a bit … at least the loop we were in. Terry took the Girls on a long walk around both loops … there were two other Airstreams in the park … one in the non-electric loop and one in the other electric loop. We never did get to meet the owners. One was only there over night and the other there was never anyone around when we walked by.

We settled in for a dinner of cold roast turkey and mashed potatoes. Talk about comfort food! A first good evening to a much needed weekend of rest and relaxation ... just what the doctor ordered.

Then it was Friday the 13th! We didn’t feel unlucky, though, as we were settled into one of our favorite parks for a long weekend, and set up in one of

the best campsites in the park (at least we think so). We didn’t do

much Friday except rest and take walks with the Girls. The weather

was beautiful … warm days in the 70s, a light breeze, and then a bit

of a chill in the evening, but nothing drastic. It was perfect weather. 

By the end of Friday afternoon the entire campground was filled. We had never been to Picacho when all the campsites were full! It was odd because it didn’t seem that people were staying around for the Park itself, but moving on each morning to new places. The spring bloom was sort of minimal, so it wasn’t a big draw either. Perhaps it’s because the park is right on I-10 that it has a lot of overnight traffic. Who knows? That evening we had spaghetti sauce that we’d made ahead of time and froze. It was great, and an easy, no-fuss dinner in camp.

Saturday was much of the same ... you know … rest and relaxation. We did take a short drive over to “Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch” located near the park and visible from the Interstate. We’ve driven past the ostrich ranch a bazillion times, but had never really stopped to check it out. We didn’t go in to feed the ostriches and other critters (for a fee), but we did browse through the souvenirs, etc., made from ostrich egg shells and feathers ... everything from ear rings to feather dusters. While we were there a group of ladies came out of the feeding/petting area with their kids … there are boxes of sanitizing wipes to clean your hands as you come in out of the cages. The ostriches must slobber a lot, at least that’s the impression we got from the ladies. It’s one of those places that kids owuld love. We have seen quite a few ostriches in our travels so the oddity of them was not new for us. We found the people who were visiting and working there much more interesting. It’s fun to watch the kids with their new interpretation of “Big Bird.” Oh ... they have “monster truck” Picaco Peak desert tours you can take, too. Something for everone!

We piled back into the truck after taking a few “we were here” pictures and headed back to the park, stopping on the way at “The Nut House” … a store near the park entrance that is all things “nut.” Really. We’ve been there before, but we usually stop in to see if anything new has developed. It hadn’t.  I guess we just aren’t big on touristy attractions that seem to spring up around interstate exits and parks.

Once again, the park was filling up quickly. We drove through all the loops before we returned to our campsite to see what was going on. There were only 2 sites left in the non-electric loop and there weren’t any left in the electric loop. It was amazing! We just couldn’t get over how busy it was!

That evening we fired up the charcoal grill for a steak and opened a bottle of wine to cook by. It was a pleasant evening. The evening was punctuated with distant campfires and lughter form various campsites. People were having a jolly old time.

Sunday we slept in late, so by the time we ventured out, many of the campers had already left for home or moved on to other places. What had been a 100% occupancy park the night before was probably closer to 60% Sunday morning.  We didn’t mind. We were still enjoying ourselves and just being lazy. The day was totally non-stressful, which is just what we wanted. Before we knew it was beginning to be late afternoon. We’d decided to have a campfire that night … early enough that we could still grill dinner — pork chops this time — and finish off the bottle of wine we’d opened up the evening before. The evening was a bit more quite Sunday night, with many of the campsites emptied out. 

Sunday was our last night for this little get away ... we’d decided to head home on Monday so Greg cold get the wheels rolling on getting his tooth fixed. It had not gotten painful during the rest of the weekend, thankfully, but it was one of those things that we knew we’d need to deal with as soon as possible, and getting home on Monday seemed the prudent thing to do. So Monday morning we got up and began breaking camp. Even more folks had left that morning, moving on to new paces and adventures. We didn’t rush getting out, so by the time we got packed up and to the dump station, it was noon.

At the dump station we met a couple coming in from Lost Dutchman State Park northeast of Apache Junction (one of the 3 Arizona state parks we have not yet camped in … we must get there this year). They’d stopped to fill their fresh water tank before selecting a campsite. We chatted for a while, exchanging Airstream pleasantries. They were from California, and full time and said that they stop at Picacho for a few days every time they are through this area, and mentioned that they have work done on their rig at Oasis RV in Tucson as they pass through each time. It’s getting to be a smaller and smaller world it seems! Theirs made 4 Airstreams in the park that weekend. (We keep track of these things, you konow!)

We hit the road toward Tucson and got home about 1:30 PM. It took us just minutes to get the Bambi backed into its place and behind closed gates, and another forty-five to clear the fridge, bring in the laundry and unload the truck

                      … then it was time to go through the snail mail and slip back into

                         our “home mode.”  We were so pleased that we decided to make

                          this trip and that we just took the time to rest. We both needed

                          the down time and simple relaxation after a month of fairly

                          steady times of being “on”… sometimes it’s good to just be

                           lazy and let yourself recuperate from life ... even when life is good it can be exhausting! We are happy that getting out and camping provides us that release.

Below are some pictures of Picacho Peak ... nothing we haven’t shown you beofre, but somehow every time we go there we get a new perspectie on things. We hope you enjoy ... and we’ll see you down the road!