I really enjoyed reading this piece written by a friend and accomplished writer who also grew up in Murdo, SD. I learned Judy Dykstra-Brown had a blog called Lifelessons, after I began blogging my stories about growing up in Murdo.
Judy’s blog covers a wide variety of subjects. I could certainly learn from her about organization. She has also written several books. If you haven’t already read Judy’s work, you’re about to discover what a talented writer she is.
Enjoy!
Traveling full time would get my vote, but a month on the road is all she wrote.
There’s still so much out there to see and do, and new adventures to wake up to.
God’s country has so much to explore. Each day is different from the one before.
We have an old RV and a Jeep to tow. Our 3 dogs and the cat all get to go.
And no matter where we roam, we have all the comforts of home.
When we need more supplies we can always venture, to the nearest Walmart Super Center.
We wear a mask and social distance and use sanitizer with much persistence.
During the day we’re usually outside. We let science and sense be our guide.
We have noticed something, we’re sad to say…when people throw their masks away,
They often throw them on the ground like cigarette butts, they’re all around.
Forgive me …for I digress. Our trip has been a great success.
We had a good time…the pets, Kip and me. Thanks for coming with us, albeit, virtually.
I guess you could consider this an epilogue to our big rock viewing adventure.
We took highway 40 from Flagstaff yesterday and then dropped down to 180 at Holbrook. When we saw a sign that said the Petrified Forest National Park was only two miles off the highway we decided to go for it. As my Aunt Ella would say. “We made the right decision.”
The photos I took don’t do these beautiful petrified trees in the Crystal Forest justice. The forest ranger told us that contrary to popular belief, very few of the fallen trees had been taken or stolen. You will notice that it looks like some of them have been cut into perfect sections. The question was, “Who cut them?” The answer was, “No one.” They break into perfect pieces when they fall.
My photos don’t adequately show the variety of beautiful colors in the sparkling interiors.
The forest stretches between highway 40 and 180. Kip and I only saw the quarter mile trail that we walked, but what we saw was awesome.
We spent the night in a little town by the name of Springerville and woke up to much warmer temperatures. Turns out from 6 to 16 doesn’t make much difference. It’s times like these that our dogs wish they were Dollie and wouldn’t have to venture outside.
We’re in New Mexico now and our goal is to make it into Texas before the end of the day. We might make it if we don’t come upon some interesting rocks.
We ended our rock viewing marathon on a high note. You can’t get much better than the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. We’ve actually been to the west and the north sides, as well and this was our second time here.
We woke up to a daunting 19 degrees this morning, but we loaded the dogs up in the Jeep, and hoped for the best. The wind didn’t blow and the sun was out some of the day, so we ended up enjoying ourselves.
I took these pictures on the drive to the park. You will notice we got a little skiff of snow in some places.
The Grand Canyon…
It’s an extraordinary experience to walk up a sidewalk and suddenly, these breathtaking scenes come into view. Humans have not touched these huge rocks. We only get to look at them.
We got up early this morning, but we moved slowly. When one of the dogs, or all three tell us they need to go out, we both hope the other one feels generous that morning. We also realize that the poor things can’t wait forever. They had to wait a little longer than usual today because the frost was killing the pumpkin. In the end, Kip took Lilie Dale out and I took Pattie and Sammie.
We did make it to Jerome this morning. As we drove to the town that was a copper mining town from 1876 until it finally closed down for good in 1953, we were amazed by how steep the mountain is that Jerome was built on. I’ve never seen anything like it. Houses appeared to be hanging on a very steep slope.
The picture below was taken on the way up.
Kip went through the mansion that James Douglas built above his Little Daisy Mine in 1916. It’s now a museum dedicated to the Jerome area and the Douglas family. Kip learned that it had a billiard room, marble shower, steam heat and even a built in vacuum system. It was built of adobe bricks that were made on site. He really enjoyed the movie they showed and the other historical displays. I stayed in the car with the dogs because I wanted to call Gus and see how he was doing.
After leaving Jerome, we stopped in Cottonwood and had a fabulous lunch at Jack in the box. Actually, we ordered at the window and ate in the car. They have yummy salted caramel iced coffees so I was happy.
Next, we stopped at a big field where Camp Verde is building a sports complex and let the dogs run free of leashes. Lilie especially loves to run. For a thirteen year old dog she is incredibly strong.
We had great day. When we got back, I took a few pictures of Distant Drums RV Park. Tomorrow, we’re going to drive the short distance to Flagstaff and spend two nights there. Monday, we’ll drive to the Grand Canyon, and then start making our way back home on Tuesday.
It still feels surreal to me that we can ride all day in this house on wheels, park it somewhere that night, hook it up to water and electricity, put the slides out and it turns into our home. I love traveling this way for several reasons.
We can take all of our animals with us. There would be no way we could or would be gone this long without them. It’s also really nice to have your own things around you.
We still have to cook some, clean some, and do laundry. Yesterday. I made banana bread and ham and bean soup.
This morning, Kip took the Jeep to a carwash and detailed it while I cleaned house. This afternoon, we drove to Sedona, an artsy town in a beautiful setting. Just before you get there you drop down into a canyon and begin to see these incredible rock formations. Some of them have names. None are named nor do they look like Abe Lincoln, however one does resemble Snoopy lying down.
I didn’t get very many or very good pictures of the downtown area. It has lots of expensive boutiques and hotels. There are also a lot of places to rent four wheelers and Jeeps to get around in. The hills are steep and there are many trails to explore.
Today was overcast and on the chilly side. Tomorrow is supposed to be bright and sunny. We’re going to try to get an early start and go to the ghost town built on a hill. The name of the town is Jerome and I hear lots of ghosts still visit the place. We were there four years ago, but there was a lot we didn’t see.
I hope you all have a great weekend.
Tombstone was fun, but it was the dirtiest place I have ever been. Those cowboys who came to town must have been covered with the fine dirt that you can’t walk through without kicking up a cloud of dust. The RV park, though as nice as any in town, was void of even a sprig of grass. Nevertheless, as I said, it was fun and full of rich and interesting stories about the characters who lived there and the mining days.
We learned while visiting Boot Hill, that most disputes were decided by who had the best aim. Others died in explosions or other accidents in the silver mines. The miners used cans with seams sealed with led. They used the same can over and over again and the led made them go crazy and eventually killed them.
Kip took the silver mine tour. He was the only person touring and he said his guide was great! I shopped around and ended up buying three kinds of honey sold by “the killer bee guy.” The Luscious Lemon is wonderful in tea. You can buy it online http://www.killerbeeguy.com they would make great stocking stuffers.
Yesterday, we got up early and drove the 280 miles to Camp Verde which is 20 minutes from Sedona. It’s a super neat, though touristy, town. We were here 4 years ago and loved it. (We didn’t go to Cattail Cove because it was full.) We’ll have plenty to do for the 4 days we’ll be here. It’s supposed to stop raining at 1:00. I have to do laundry, anyway. We stayed at the Distant Drum RV Park last time, too. It is the prettiest and nicest one we’ve been in. Definitely a higher quality of dirt.
On another note. Thank you all for keeping Gus in your prayers. He has tested negative for COVID! Bill and I and the whole family couldn’t be more grateful.
Why does that pretty angel fly so close to the ground? Why does she fly in circles instead of up or down?
She has a broken wing you say? Now how could that be so? I know she must be grateful her halo’s still aglow.
Can her broken wing… be made as good as new? Has she tried a sling? How about super glue?
I saw her seated at a piano… playing with one hand. A nice young man played with her,and together they were grand.
This angel sang in church before covid came around. Her voice is magnificent. I miss that pure sweet sound.
To heal that broken wing. You must not over do it. You’ll soon be flying high again like there’s nothing to it.
You’re the Angel of fun and laughter. Your kind soul sets you apart. You’re an inspiration to others and your smile warms every heart.
Prayers for healing sweet friend…love, MG
Tombstone is a fun place to visit if you have an interest in the old wild west, which we do. One of our favorite movies is Tombstone. There have been many movies about the town of Tombstone over the years. Another one you might remember is Wyatt Earp. Both movies tell the story of the fight at the OK Corral.
On October 26, 1881, a brief but deadly shootout between the Earp brothers and the “cowboys” at OK Corral resulted in three dead and three wounded. It has since become one of the most famous gunfights of the American Wild West. There were approximately 25 shots fired and the fight lasted about 30 seconds.
My favorite character in the movie Tombstone is Doc Holliday. In the movie and in real life he was a charismatic, rather lackadaisical guy, with a dry sense of humor and his own slang. I read an old newspaper report that the real Doc Holliday used the words “Huckleberry,” and “You’re a daisy if you do,” or “Your not a daisy, you’re a fighter.”
Basically “I’m your huckleberry” means “Name the place, and I’ll go with you,” “Name the job and I can do it,” “I’ll oblige you,” or “I’m your man.”
Other quotes from the movie are below. If you haven’t already seen the movie, you’ll have to watch it for the context of the lingo.
“In Vino Veritas.” (Under the influence of alcohol, a person tells the truth.)jhn
“Why Johnny Ringo, You Look Like Somebody Just Walked Over Your Grave.” .
“I’ve Not Yet Begun To Defile Myself.”
“Johnny I Apologize, I Forgot You Were There.”
“There’s No Normal Life There’s Just Life.
“My Hypocrisy Goes Only So Far.”
As it turned out, we had to stick pretty close to home today as Sammie, one of the cockers, had diarrhea, and Dollie the cat, was throwing up. We think it’s because even though we have a water filter, they aren’t used to drinking water from so many different sources. We bought some bottled water, and they seem to be doing better tonight.
We did manage to take a stagecoach tour around town with a driver who was an excellent storyteller. In the second picture, you will see the stairs they rolled up to the stagecoach for us to use to get in. I told the cowboy that they didn’t have anything like that back in the day. He quickly told me they didn’t get sued then, either.
We’re grateful that we have another full day to spend here. Kip wants to see the silver mine and we both want to go to Boot Hill. Since we have been trying to stay as safe as possible, we are spending most of our time participating in outside activities. We’re grateful that with the exception of one day, the weather has been great!
I took my mask off for the picture with Doc and to eat the fabulous breakfast at Moe’s. We sat at the round table. Kip got a cinnamon roll to go and I forgot to take a picture of it. He said it was wonderful…
It was nice to have a day when we weren’t traveling, setting up, tearing down, or seeing the sights. We had a leisurely morning, and then took the dogs to the dog park.
I got my hair cut. I would show you a picture but before and after look the same. When I got into the Jeep after my cut, Kip said, “Do you want to go to another place and see if they can work you in?”
Later, we decided to drive up to the Franklin Mountain State Park. We stopped for gas and as we were leaving the gas station the GPS lady said, “The park might be closed by the time you get there.” We’re usually pretty careful about checking times, but she was right. It was closed.
We changed our plans a little. Today, we’re driving to Tombstone, AZ. Yes…we checked and it’s open. The RV park is within walking distance of all the action. With masks, social distancing and mostly outside activities, we should be okay. Here are pictures of the scenery on the drive there…tumbleweeds. I saw one that looks like George Washington.
Those 70ish Girls 