Leaving the Desert

Today we left the desert and drove through the White Mountains to Holbrook, AZ. After two and one-half months in the desert, we felt at home as we drove through juniper and pine and on curving, steep roads. The Salt River Canyon is really impressive—both the scenery and the road grades. We are so grateful for our heavy duty Chevy diesel truck and for the fact our trailer is not overloaded. We were able to use cruise control the whole way and had no problem with overheating. So often we read about other RVers having those problems.

As we prepared to leave this morning, we had to check out the inside of our trailer kingpin—we had seen finches flying in and out recently. Sure enough, I pulled out a small nest with maybe four or five tiny baby birds. We couldn't leave them in the hitch—they would starve since the parents wouldn't stay there as we drove. I placed the nest in a tree. I sure hope the mom and dad find their babies. This made us very sad. Next time we park for a long time, we will cover the kingpin opening.

Yesterday the community of Coolidge held a sunrise worship service in the picnic ground at Casa Grande Ruins. We attended and enjoyed watching the sun come up after a day and half of rain (we received ¼ inch, the first in nearly two months). The music was provided by local country and western artists. Pastors from the Methodist and Presbyterian churches led the worship. Youth from the Church of the Nazarene did a liturgical dance.

As we drove through Globe, the streets were lined with brightly blooming orange poppies. They are so beautiful. Since this picture was taken from a moving car, it is blurred, but at least you can see the color of the flowers.

We are spending two nights in Holbrook and will visit Petrified Forest National Park tomorrow. We aren't the only people on our way to the RV rally in Albuquerque. When we checked in—we had made reservations—the manager said the park was almost totally reserved for the night. People are heading to the rally. For over an hour this afternoon, we watched a continuous line of four or more RVs waiting to register. Since there are still lots of empty spaces, we should see more lines a little later.