Mesa - Weeks 3 and 4

On January 19th I played my 4th ARCIS club, Raven.  It is one I had played on a prior trip, when it was quite new.  It was designed to look like a course in the Carolina's, so not typical of Arizona.  I played with Dan, convincing him that we go there instead of going back to Superstition Springs, which was his plan.  It is a bit of a drive across to the other side of Phoenix so we met and car pooled.  The day was overcast and it sprinkled off an on for our warm up period and the first 4 holes or so.  I wasn't very happy about paying big bucks for the round and playing in less than perfect conditions, but I sucked it up.  We were paired with a couple of guys, one who was a bit better than me and one who was a bit better than Dan so it worked out well.  Dan enjoyed the course and was glad I had suggested it.

That evening was the monthly Canada/US Cribbage dinner and challenge.  I was unsure if I was actually going to get to play, but went and found out I was.  Because of my uncertainty I hadn't prepared the sandwiches I had signed up to bring, but fortunately as is the case with most of the events, the others had brought enough food for everyone and then some.  I played well and Canada won the overall night.

The weather has turned cool, overcast and rainy again so I'm avoiding golf and doing other activities, like Pickle Ball 3 or 4 mornings a week.  

Friday morning I had to go to Chandler (a bit south of Mesa) to pick up my stuff for the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC of Scottsdale.  I feel for my $40US volunteer fee I did very well.  I got the "straw hat," a logo ball cap, a white logo golf shirt, a very nice zip up jacket in green, two clear tote bags (legal to carry into the event) and a cane/stool.  I will be training during the Pro Am on Wednesday and then working on the Friday (cut day) and Sunday (final round) of the tournament.  I also got a badge that gets me in all days.  I'm looking forward to helping out at "the greatest show on grass."  My job will be to shuttle hole marshals to their holes that are too far to walk to using a 6 or 8 seat golf cart.  I will be busy first thing in the morning and then at the end of the golf.  In between I can watch and hopefully meet up with some of the PGA tour employees I have worked with at my 4 prior events.

Saturday night they had a performance of Dancing with the Stars, featuring a professional dance troop and 6 residents of the park.  One of the ladies from pickle ball, Cheryl was in it.  She placed a solid 2nd.  The first part of the program was the competition and afterwards the pros put on quite a show, which in itself was worth the price of admission.

Sunday I had Carol and Mike over for dinner scheduled for half time of the second  NFL Divisional Championship game.  As it turned out both the games were disappointing from a competitive perspective.  I was in the mood to make my Crock Pot Lasagna and was grateful to have people to share it with.  I substituted rice lasagna noodles for regular pasta to suit Carol.  It didn't make any difference in the overall taste.  We all enjoyed it.

Tuesday and Wednesday January 24th and 25th I was supposed to play golf with my friend John Sharp.  Monday he informed me he wouldn't be able to play Tuesday, because he had been asked to referee a golf tournament in Scottsdale, which didn't upset me too much because the weather was still bad.  Then on Tuesday he informed me he had to cancel for Wednesday.  That really upset me, but life goes on, so instead I arranged to play the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club.  I found a deal in TeeOff.com for playing the Adobe course.  As it turned out the place was not very busy.  I went out by myself and played 18 holes in just over 2 hours, not rushing, seeing as I didn't know the course.  I decided to see how busy the Links course was and found it also empty so went around it in similar timing, skipping the last hole as to not be that last one in.  There were no starters so no one questioned me about being out there.  The older Adobe course is surrounded by very large homes, with high fences and signs warning about security systems and not to trespass.  The holes for the most part aren't very interesting, the greens are fairly small.  The links course has some good holes (185 yard par 3 from a cliff) 

and some bad (par 3 tucked next to some commercial buildings, with a concrete sewer pipe running across the fairway).  It is the newer of the courses as was very obviously laid out in such a was as to afford them as many golf course view/backing housing lots as possible.  Both courses are in pretty good condition, though the greens were on the slow side.  The regular green fee is around $140 at this time of the year.  I paid $60 and then got 35 holes for that.  After that I didn't figure on needing to play golf on Thursday, and Friday turned out cold and very windy. I played Pickle Ball both mornings and got caught up on my travel planning and computer work, including the Blog.

Saturday I went out to the Swap Meet for breakfast and a bit of shopping and then played golf at The Arizona Golf Resort.  

I played with three guys.  One was a very good golfer, the other two not so much.  The course was busy, so the pace of play was a bit on the slow side.  The day was cool so not much fun sitting around in the cart. The course was o.k. It is an older one built among modest homes.  You would think the name would suggest a swanky place.

Sunday I exchanged a pair of sports shoes I had purchased for Pickle Ball that were wearing out too fast for a pair of proper tennis shoes.  Then I had a great lunch at a Mongolian Grill Buffet Restaurant, which offered lots of seafood options and sushi that I came across while heading to a Dim Sum place I had gone to a couple of weeks ago.  The buffet also had some dim sum and with everything else was a much better value than dim sum alone would have been.  After that I went to Western Skies to practice my short game a bit because the weather was quite nice.  Much better than the preceding few days.  In the evening I worked on the blog extensively and was serenaded by the Karaoke singers in the next room of the clubhouse. 

Monday morning I played Pickle Ball and the new shoes worked well.  I did a few errands, like getting some diesel fuel and propane, utilizing my $0.10 a gallon discount from Safeway, which was going to expire at the end of the month.  (Wow, 2017 is already almost 1/12th over.)  I also took my bicycle to a bike shop to purchase a kick stand and get it installed.  I had bought one at home but it was not the right design for my brand of bicycle.  There was a nice path next to the store, so I went for about a 60 minute ride just before sunset.  In the evening I played Mexican Train dominoes, but didn't have much luck.  I never got to start a round or go out and my team lost the night 8 - 5.

Finally the blog is back up to date.  Sorry to my loyal readers for falling so far behind. I have had challenges with internet connections and I've been having so much fun it is hard to sit down at the computer.  Now if I could only get the pictures back into the posts. (Finally resolved March 17th.)

Mesa - End of Week One

My first full day in the park I worked on getting situated and learning my way around the park and the immediate neighborhood.  I needed a bank, some propane and a few other items.

Banking has been a bit of an issue.  This park only accepts cash and checks/drafts.  I thought my investment advisor would be able to send me a draft to give them, but then I was told they can no longer make drafts out to third parties, due to recent frauds.  That changed since I was at Loyola 2 years ago. I don't have a US$ checking account so I had to get cash.  Before leaving Canada I was told if I changed my primary account for the ATM to my US$ account I could withdraw the funds with no issues.  That turned out not to be the case.  I am only able to withdraw money from my usual Canadian $ savings account and have to pay the going exchange rate. : - ( That account doesn't usually have a very high balance, so I had to arrange a transfer.  I am also limited to withdrawals of $500 Canadian per day, so needed 3 days to get all the funds I needed. I don't like to carry a lot of cash so this whole thing was concerning.  Before leaving Tucson, I made the first withdrawal of $300 US from the bank machine.  It gave me all $20 bills.  I didn't want to carry that big a wad around with me so immediately went into the branch to get it changed to larger bills.  The teller gave me a hard time about doing it without having an account with them, sheesh.  I said I just got the money from their machine out front.  She said the rules had to do with money laundering.  I asked if I looked like the type that would be doing that and she said no.  Eventually she gave me 3, $100 bills.  On my way to the park on Tuesday I got another $300 and didn't mind the $20's because they weren't in my possession very long.  On Wednesday I got the balance, but I also wanted to exchange some rolls of nickels and dimes I had picked up in Tucson thinking I would play poker there but didn't and I needed quarters for laundry.  The first bank I went to wouldn't do it without having an account with them, though they were fine charging me a $3 fee for using their ATM.  I said, fine I'll open one.  They said I would have to wait 30 minutes to speak with a banker to do so, and that I shouldn't open it just to get the change.  We're talking about a $20 transaction here folks.  I gave them a piece of my mind and then went to another type of bank.  They said they would do it happily so long as the amount was under $100.  I left there happier.

Wednesday evening I tried playing poker.  They have a $2.00 buy in and play Hi/Low.  A 7 card stud type game, I am not that familiar with.  I tried to learn with little success and left my contribution.  The gang plays petty much every night from 5:00 to 9:00, so if there isn't anything else going on I might try again some other night.

Thursday I played golf at Trilogy at Power Ranch. I got a good deal on Golf Now.  I was paired with a guy named Dan from the northern US, who happens to be staying at Monte Vista the place I had stayed my first two times in Mesa. He also has a 5th wheel and a truck very similar to mine.  We were also playing with a couple who were celebrating their 37th wedding anniversary.  I wouldn't have been able to stand being with the guy for a week.  He never touched the flag, smoked cigars, spat and had a few other quirks that put me off.  She was very nice.  The course was enjoyable to play and in good condition. 

Thursday evening in the park is movie night, but the one showing held little interest for me. 

Friday I played Painted Mountain.  I vaguely remember playing it on a previous trip.  I was paired with an older lady, who is a USGA rules official, and course rater from Washington State.  We took a few extra putts of most greens in order to stay comfortably behind the foursome ahead of us.  We discussed various aspects of golf and had a nice round. 

Friday evening in the park is Euchre night, one of my favorite card games.  I was looking forward to playing, but because of conflicting information about the starting time I arrived a few minutes after they started and couldn't be fit in.  I stayed to watch for a while in order to figure out any nuances that were different than I was used to.  They deal the cards 2 and 3 at a time vs one at a time like I prefer.  They play 8 hands and then switch tables.  If the decision about trump gets back to the dealer, they must make it, rather than folding in the hand.  I hope to arrive at the right time and get to play next week.

Saturday I played at Superstition Springs with Dan, who I met at Trilogy.  He had purchased one of the ARCIS cards I had decided I didn't want to get.  He used his one 20% bonus discount card for me to play there.  I had taken lessons there on my second trip to Mesa.  I had forgotten that I didn't really like the course because too many of the holes are contrived and there are a lot of bird droppings on the course.  We played with a couple from Edmonton, who had the fancier card than his, which gives them free breakfast and lunch with their round.  They skipped the 18th hole in order to get in for a late lunch before the offer expired that day.  In the evening there was a live band playing in the club house.  I bought a ticket, mostly to listen to the music and watch the others dance.  I sat with some two couples, who were avid dancers but did take some breaks to speak with me.  A fellow invited me to dance to the last song of the night, which I accepted.

Sunday I took a ride on the bicycle path next to the canal nearby.  I goes for some distance and I feel safer riding along off the streets.  I went about 7km north and then back. 

On Monday I played Desert Sands, an executive length course that I walked.  I played with one fairly young guy and two older ones.  The course is quite flat with small elevated greens like turtle backs, which made keeping the ball on the green challenging on approach shots and putting was a challenge as well.  I got a great deal, $10.00 on golf now, including the cart which I declined.

Monday evening in the park is Mexican Domino night.  They play for fun and a few rules that are a bit different than at Tucson Meadows.  I prefer Tucson's way partly because in Mesa they only count rounds as wins or losses, no counting dominos or marks on them, so it can be mathematically impossible to win but you feel obligated to play out the game.  I suppose it is more fun than sitting at home alone in the evening, but not much.

The park is well located close to Hwy 60, and all the necessary stores are fairly close by. 

That summarizes a week in Mesa.

Moving on to Mesa

After spending a very enjoyable 5 weeks in Tucson, I was a little leery of heading to Mesa.  Mesa was on the itinerary because I had been there twice in the past and enjoyed it, though I new the traffic would be heavier and the golf more expensive.  I would have gone there first, but a person I had met at Loyola who lives in Tucson said they like the weather there best in December, so I decided to go there first and then go to Mesa afterwards.  I had expected to meet up with this person, but they cancelled our plan of 10 days, two hours before we were scheduled to meet up and then never contacted me to re-schedule despite promising to do so.  I should have clued in, when I had asked if they could check out the park for me before I made my reservation, despite it only being 2 miles from their home (a pleasant coincidence) they didn't go by to check it out at all, given a week to do so.  (One less Face book friend on my list.)

My reservation at Orangewood Shadows is for 6 weeks, from January 2nd to February 15th.  I found the park randomly online, but it looked good, and had won best park of the year in 2015.  I was attracted to it because of the location (central Mesa), being pet free, and allowing the residents to pick and consume fruit from the citrus trees on the property.  It was the only park I came across that would didn't require a two month stay if you wanted any part of February.  It is also on the smaller side as compared to the mega RV parks in the area.

The check in process was easy, however getting situated on the site was a bit difficult, though a little easier than in Tucson.  The fellow supposedly helping to direct me in wasn't the best at it, but with patience we got the job done.

As I was still setting up, I met a friend of my future next door neighbors, a fellow golfer from Edmonton.  He filled me in on one of the golf discount cards available in the area, however, I decided that it wasn't for me as the courses didn't have very good ratings and most were quite some distance from the park. 

I arrived on a Tuesday night, which in this park is Bingo Night so I decided to go and see how they would play and meet some people.  I sat with 5 ladies.  They play with the cards with the sliding windows, instead of paper and dabbers.  Cards are $0.50 each for about 12 games.  Prizes are in the range from $15 - $35.  I took 6 cards.  They have a flip chart that shows what the current game is.  They play some interesting patterns.  At intermission they sell ice cream treats (drum sticks, sandwiches, Klondike bars) for $1 each.  Unfortunately all of them have chocolate, so I couldn't have any due to my caffeine intolerance.  There were about 100 players that evening.  I didn't come close to winning anything.

That was the end of day one in Mesa.

Mesa - Week 2

Tuesday of my second week I decided to give Pickle Ball a try.  I had played a bit in Kingston a couple of years ago.  I feel that I could get to like it, and be good at it based on my squash and ping pong experience.  I played a few games and the others complemented me on my play, though I need to refine some of my technique.

Later in the day I played my first round of golf with neighbors Mike and Carol and their friend Ewold.  We went out in Ewold's truck to play Western Skies.  The course was pretty nice but there was nothing spectacular about it.  Their tees are horse shoes and hole markers are part whisky barrels.  I was the best player in the group, but everyone had a good time.

Despite being a little stiff from Pickle Ball the day before, I played a fairly early round at the Ocotillo Golf Resort.  From my last trip I had sworn not to return to this course because it seemed like golf at Disney World, very contrived, with motes around the fairways to keep the golfers out of the residences back yards.  They were concrete lined.  They have 27 holes and it seems this time I played one nine that isn't designed that way and one of the nines that was, which I would have played on my previous visit.  With some aging, it doesn't look quite as contrived.

That evening they had a steak fry dinner and musical comedy show about life in an RV on stage at the park.  I signed up for both events.  The steak fry was a bit disorganized and I was rushed to finish my dinner, so they could transition the room for the show, which was quite entertaining.

My friend John from Tucson came up to Mesa for a few days.  

Friday afternoon John and I went to play Kokopelli.  We were paired with a man and his son in law.  The son in law, studying to be a lawyer isn't much of a golfer.  They decided to quit after about 12 holes, which allowed us to manage to finish at dusk, somewhat in the dark, but we got all 18 holes in.  This the second of the ARCIS courses I have played.

The weekend was rainy and cool, which was fine because we were interested in watching the NFL Divisional playoff games.  Saturday night there was a DJ playing dance music in the Club House, which we attended.  John managed to get me up on the dance floor a few times.

Monday morning I played Pickle Ball, so John could see what it was about.  I didn't play my best with the audience.  Monday evening was the monthly street pot luck party.  John made deviled eggs as our contribution to the event.  We chose that because Carol doesn't eat gluten and we wanted to make sure she had something she could eat.  They are one of her favorite things.  There was all kinds of great food and additional neighbors to meet.  Carol baked a gluten free spice cake with white frosting. 

Tuesday, my neighbors, John and I went to play Stonecreek with Mike's ERCIS discount card for up to 3 players. 

One of my new golf outfits.

It was still one of the more expensive rounds I have played and the furthest drive.  It is in Phoenix about a 45 minutes from "home."  It was great that we could all fit in Mike's car.  The course was pretty fun to play and in good condition.  The pace was a little on the slow side as the course was busy.  We all enjoyed the round.

The last day of John's visit, Wednesday January 18, the two of us played Ahwatukee Country Club.  

I think it is my second favorite course I have played in the Mesa area so far, after Trilogy.  It is built in a community, but the homes are far enough back to not come into play much.  Many holes are framed by mountain peaks in the background.  There were some colorful plantings around.  We played with another couple who mentioned they are volunteering at the Waste Management tournament as I am, but they are working different days. We had dinner at Old Chicago Pizza and Tap room, a franchise place we had gone to a couple of times in Tucson and really liked.  The one in Mesa didn't disappoint.

Tucson, Arizona, Summary Part 2 (Everything About Golf)

I found golf to be a great value in Tucson, with the City Card discounts and the holiday food bank collection discount ($5 off with two cans donated), award points, the quantity/variety of courses, availability of tee times and course conditioning it was very enjoyable.

In addition to playing the 5 city courses, each one more than twice, but some more often than others, once I had my preferences determined, I played only one other course.  It was called Fourty Niner Country Club.  My friend John, that I met at Randolf thought I would like it.  I played there with one of the fellows from Tucson Meadows, who the others said was one of their best golfers.   From my perspective he was just average.  I wasn't that impressed with the course.   It was considerably more expensive than the city courses and was in no better condition.  It was surrounded by homes, which the city courses aren't.  It had some blind shots so playing again would help my score, but I'm not that keen on returning.

My ranking of the Tucson City courses is as follows:

#1 Fred Enke, because it was the most like a desert course and happened to be close to where I was staying.  It has some elevation changes and interesting holes.  I think it is a very fair test of golf and requires you to play every club in your bag. I had a round in the 60's there playing on my own.  I like most everything about the course except the cart paths could use some smoothing out. 

#2 Randolf Dell Urich, I like the contouring on the course, it adds to the appearance and helps direct slightly wayward shots back to the fairway.  There are some nice views of the mountains.  Most of the holes were interesting and some required course management/risk reward choices.  There is a pond with a $1 million (1996 cost) wall around it.  (The good news is it is still in very good condition.)  The Randolf complex was the next closest to where I was staying and closest to John's house, so it was easy to meet up with him there for rounds.

#3 Randolf North, the oldest of the city courses having been built in 1925.  It has hosted a number of professional events, both on the PGA and LPGA tours in the past.  It has suffered a loss of trees similar to El Rio and the holes are a little more boring than the preceding two courses.

#4 Silverbell was the furthest from where I was staying, and seemed to be a favorite of John's friend George, so we usually played it on Friday's with him.  It is somewhat similar to Randolf North but a bit more challenging.  There is a ruin of an adobe building on the course.  I really feel the designer missed the mark when he as laying out the holes.  I may have played it more if it was situated closer to where I was staying.

#5 El Rio is old, tired and a little less well kept.  It was the 2nd furthest from where I was staying.  Most of the city courses had the tees, fairways and greens over seeded, but not the rough.  El Rio was the exception where I don't thing the fairways were over seeded, but rather just spray painted green, and I didn't particularly like the shade they chose. There are a lot of back and forth holes.  The first time I played there was a party going on in the nearby park and all you could hear was their music and announcements.  It was a major distraction from an enjoyable round of golf.

Tucson, Arizona, Summary Part 1 (Nothing About Golf)

When I first arrived in Tucson, I noticed something unusual about the traffic pattern.  Specifically when it comes to turning left at large intersections, instead of the advanced green turning lights I am accustomed to, in Tucson they have delayed left turn lights.  It sees quite strange at first, but now that I am used to it, it seems to make some sense.  It might be something they should adopt in Toronto.  It isn't like that at all intersections but most of them.

Another different thing I noticed was that to advertise garage/yard sales, instead of posting fliers on light posts, people post them on the sides of an empty box, like from the liquor store, and put a rock in the box to keep it from blowing away. They position them on the medians at the stop lights.  Rocks are readily available in the desert and I guess with the primarily dry weather the boxes last.

Other than golfing, park activities, dining out and checking out a few bars (for World Junior Hockey games and live music), I did three other things while in Tucson.  One day I went to Biosphere 2, which was a closed environmental experiment back in the 1990's.  It is now an open environment but is still being used for scientific experiments, mostly about how soil, water and plants interact.  It was interesting. 

Exterior Walls of Biosphere.

In the rain forest section.

Current Experiment on Growing in Water.

Main Growing Section from Exterior.

Another thing I did was to go the Mission San Xavier with my golf friend John, as my local tour guide.  It was founded in 1692 by Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Fracisco Kino (the same order, who founded Loyola), who was spreading Catholicism among the indigenous people in Mexico and the south west U.S.  Since 1978 concerned citizens have been working on preserving and restoring the church.  There is a video about all the work they have done and what is left to do.  

Outer Courtyard to Mission Grounds.  Fountain previously used for Baptisms.

Front facade, note the unfinished tower.

Ornate main entrance to church.

They have done a remarkable job as the church and its treasurers had fallen into disrepair.  The church is at the base of a small mountain, which we hiked part way up and having expended a few calories we indulged in American Indian Fry Bread with cinnamon sugar topping, that was for sale next to the parking lot, once we were back down.   

The last thing I did was go out on my bike and ride on the off road trails starting near where I was living a few times.  I enjoyed riding next to the "washes," a term new to me earlier on this trip, areas where rain floodwaters will run during stormy periods, but which are generally dry.  I would have liked to have done more riding, perhaps driving the bicycle to a different part of town to observe different scenery.  The city has an already extensive, but still being expanded and improved, trail system complete with maps.  Much of the terrain is flat, which allows me to ride greater distances with little effort.

While at Tucson Meadows, I made friends with some of the other campers.  I was invited to a pre-Christmas parade through the park featuring a lighted fire truck. 

Prior to the parade, I finally got around to decorating my trailer for the occasion with the lights I selected as my prize from the Mixed tournament at Brantford Golf Club in early July. So they went from this: 

to this:

                  
The parade was a bit disappointing after seeing other park parades with golf carts decorated and also lighted boats in Punta Gorda.  The parade was only one cart and the fire truck, which was running late and went by very fast.  

We had a little party outdoors with a campfire and snacks.  I took a crock pot with meatballs in Kraft BBQ sauce.  They went over well. 

Additionally, I was invited to a Christmas Eve Mexican Dinner and a Christmas Day Dinner, along with John, with whom by this date I was spending quite a bit of time. 

A few of the attendees.

Christmas Day Luncheon

Tucson, Arizona, Days 6 & 7

Sunday I played golf at El Rio, one of the older of the city courses.  It as built in the 1930's.  It is quite similar to Ladies' in design, but the topography is not as interesting.  It has long par 3's, very small greens, and lots of green-side bunkers, which aren't in very good shape.  Over the years they have reportedly lost quite a few trees to various storms, old age, and disease, and have not bothered to replant so it is quite wide open.   

Monday I played golf at the 5th and final city course, Silverbell. It is the furthest from where I am staying.  I feel that the designer didn't visit the site prior to laying out the course.  Although it is basically surrounded by mountains, it isn't until the 17th hole where it is visible behind the green.  

17th at Sliverbell, Par 4

Many other holes could have been enhanced by aligning the green with the mountain peak in the distance by changing the angles only slightly.  I as told though that the designer was a local. 

Monday evening is Euchre.  The euchre players are a mix of Canadians and Americans, with the main difference being the way they deal the cards.  Americans tend to pass out groups of 3 and then two, whereas Canadians deal single cards around 5 times.  Once again this is just for fun as opposed to a tournament with an small entry fee that I am more used to happening at RV parks.  The losers change tables and partners at the end of each game to 10 points.  There is some waiting around until the other table(s) finish their games, unlike cribbage, where the first table finished determines when the end is declared and the movement happens.

This wraps up a typical week at Tucson Meadows.

Seeing as I am so far behind in posting to the blog I will write a couple more to summarizing the following 4 weeks of my stay there as of this writing I have already moved on to Mesa.

Tucson, Arizona, Day 5

Saturday around noon I went out to do a few errands.  I found a Mexican grocery store with in house butcher shop nearby.  On the weekends they have a BBQ going and will cook your meat for you.  I took advantage of this offer and purchased some marinated steaks.  I haven't purchased a BBQ yet and the George Foreman grill is just not the same.  One of the shop keepers offered me samples from their steam table.  Rice, beans, shredded meat and cubed tongue.  The tongue was close to what my mother used to make.  I would consider going back for an order of it.  On this visit I took the steaks and a container of Mexican rice, figuring my purchases would cover two meals. 


When I returned to the trailer, I found a note on my door from one of the ladies who I had played cribbage with.  She was inviting me to her home to play a board game that evening, with her and some other people.  I felt privileged to be included, and seeing as I had no better plan in mind, I accepted. 

There ended up being 6 of us playing a game similar to the one I played near Peterborough this summer, but a bit different.  I caught on quickly and won the second of the three games we played.  It was a nice opportunity to get to know some more of the parks residents. 

Tucson, Arizona, Day 4

Friday I played Fred Enke for the first time.  It is the course closest to where I am staying.  It is also the most typically "desert" course the city owns. The course wasn't busy, so I played on my own. 

Giving a wide birth to the Coyote crossing the fairway.

Dormant fairways, over-seeded tees, collars and greens.

On the way to the course you drive along side the US Air force base, specifically a portion where they have a phenomenal number of old aircraft and other pieces of equipment stored outdoors.  I was told the relatively dry environment is good for preserving them.  I was thinking how much money was tied up in it all.  If they are no longer suitable for the US military's use, perhaps they could be sold to other countries or just sold for their scrap metal value.  It seems like a real waste.  I wonder if President Elect Trump is aware of these assets? 

The weekly activities in the park are only scheduled on Monday's through Thursday's, so I sought out and attended the evening service at the nearby Reform Synagogue, Congregation Chaverim.  The regular service was more poorly attended than usual because slightly earlier the same evening they had held a family service, catering to families with young children.  None the less, I enjoyed the service, conducted by their female Rabbi.  There were enough congregants that I had a chance to chat with a few people at the desert kiddish following the service.  I was made to feel welcome and plan to return.

Tucson, Arizona, Day 3

Last night I was encouraged to attend Thursday morning coffee and donuts.  It is a weekly event where there is discussion about what is going on around the park and outside activities residents might be interested in.  As well it is a good time for the new arrivals to introduce themselves to the others. It starts at 8:00 a.m. so I had to set the alarm to be sure I was up and ready to get there.

There are a few other formalities that I had not been forewarned about, like it starts with a religious invocation and prayer, and ends with the pledge of allegiance.  I stood politely and quietly for the later.  Part way through the program I was asked to stand up and introduce myself to the group.  Later in the day I ran into people who remembered what I had said and introduced themselves to me.  I have so many new names to remember, I am making a concerted effort to retain them all, something I am notoriously bad at, but am working on. 

In the afternoon I went to play the south course at Randolph also known as Dell Urich.

Thursday evening is cribbage.  Depending on the number of people present they play either 3 or 4 handed, with the losers moving to another table the hand following when the first table has completed their game.  There is no charge for cribbage, so no prize money, it is all just for fun and sociability.  It had been a few years since I last played, but it came back pretty quickly.  (Fifteen 2, Fifteen 4, a run of 3 and 1 for knobs.)

Entrance to club house at Tucson Meadows decorated for Christmas.

Tucson, Arizona, Day 2

My body is still a little mixed up with what time zone I am in.  It has been a bit of a problem since we switched to daylight savings time and as I have been traveling west loosing more time along the way.  Tucson is in the Mountain time zone, so regularly 2 hours behind Toronto. As as result I have been waking up early for here, but have gotten into a routine of checking things out on the internet with my phone before getting out of bed. 

The plan for the day is my first round of golf in Tucson, on the north course at Randolf, which I visited yesterday. I picked up my Tucson Players card, so my round was free, well $59.00, but I will negate that with all the discounts I will get while I am here.  

Check out the unusual cloud formation.

I don't think I will tire of the mountain views all around Tucson. 

I played the front 9 with a relative beginner, a college senior attending University of Arizona.   On the back 9 I joined two older local guys John and George, who were quite good players.  It was an enjoyable round.

Wednesday night at the park is Domino night.  A group of ladies play Mexican train starting at 5:30.  It turns out one of them, Doris, is a fan of Survivor, and she was cordial enough to let me go back to her home to watch the episode she had recorded on her DVR.  Another group came in to play the same game at 6:00.  They are a mixed group, from the RV section of the park, and mostly Canadians.  If I can find a man who will play as my opponent I will be able to join that game starting next week.  The timing works better with my golf schedule.

Tucson, Arizona Day 1

I arrived as scheduled at 2:00 p.m., November 28th at the destination of my first long stay of the winter trip, Tucson Meadows Mobile Home and RV park.  I was nicely greeted by the attendant at the security gate and directed towards my site.   Once in that vicinity I was met my the park hostess and a couple of nearby neighbors who were outside enjoying the lively day.  This is a back in spot and I tried to do it myself,  but then one of the neighbor men offered to do it so I let him.  It took him a few moves to get it perfectly positioned am aligned, so I don't feel like I was doing that bad a job.  Everyone involved wanted it to be perfect because Sarah-Anne'll be here for 5 weeks.  

We had agreed that once I was pretty much set up I would go to the office to do the final registration and make payment.   This park accepts credit cards so it is easy.

I was give a nice welcome package of information including some maps, coupons, all the rules and the monthly newsletter with all the activities listed. 

My readers about golf in the area indicated that there were 5 city courses that were a good value and had pretty good ratings.   They offer a discount card and points card.  I figured seeing g as I was planning on playing 5 or 6 rounds a week that if the course we're acceptable buying one would be a good investment.   I also knew the price was going up the following day so I headed to the location with 36 holes and checked it out.  The pro shop staff let me take a cart out for a drive about because there wasn't enough time to play.  I quickly determined that the course design and conditions were more than acceptable and I was going to buy in.  One of the cart guys said that I should purchase it online and then pick it up the first day I was going to play.   That way I would get the lower price and my first round free!  Doing the transaction was a good test for the WiFi at the park.  It worked just fine. 

I arrived on a Tuesday,  Bingo night.  Though I'm not really that big on Bingo,  I figured it was the first opportunity to meet people.   Their regular price is $3 per row of 3 cards for 10 games each with a prize of $20 or $30.  After that there are 3 special game for which the cards are $1 for 3, each.  For starters I just went with 6 cards for 10 games.  I met two people and felt I was being checked out by everyone else in the room. I didn't even come close to winning a game.

All in all day 1 in Tucson was very successful. 

Eagar and Globe

From Sky City I headed to Eagar, my first stop in Arizona.  On the way there though I needed some propane.  My route was on smaller roads than the interstate so there were fewer large service stations available.  As I entered the town of Quemado, New Mexico, I stopped at the general store and gas station.  The attendant there who was sporting a rather large gold nugget on a chain around her neck suggested I go to Sierra Propane when I inquired about the fuel as at this location they only exchange BBQ tanks.  

Sierra was just about a mile down the road.  The ladies who were working there were very nice and provided excellent service.  The price was very reasonable.  I highly recommend this outfit.  They have 6 locations, 3 in New Mexico and 3 in Arizona.  Besides quickly filling my tank and processing the payment for it, they offered me a wall calendar for 2017 and a cap for my tank.  (The cap will come in handy as I didn't have one and some places (one in London Ontario) are sticklers for them.)  I left there one very happy customer.  

I've finally reached the state which is my final destination for this trip.  
My first night in Arizona is at the Bear Paw RV Park in Eagar.  It is a relatively small family run park on the outskirts of town.  There are quite a few seasonal (summer) trailers here with elaborate decks and patios.  

There weren't any people visible during my short stay.  The site was perfect for me, easy to pull through, level and full hook-ups.  I needed a few groceries so rather than unhook the trailer, after I registered and knew were my site was I drove the short distance into town to do my grocery shopping with the trailer still attached.  With that chore done I returned to the campground and set up, leaving the trailer connected to the truck for the night.  I had a great nights sleep in the quiet setting. 

Having had two good casino RV campground experiences I decided to try a third on, this time just outside Globe, AZ, at Apache Gold Casino.  What attracted me to this one was that it was relatively close to my next stop in Tucson, AZ and had a golf course.  I was hoping to play three rounds during my three night stay.  On the website they offer hotel stay and play packages with meal discounts and other perks.  I was hoping they would offer something similar for RV'ers, but they don't. 

Unlike the two prior casinos registration for the campground is at the on site gas station as opposed to the hotel registration desk.  Here you pull into an empty site that you want and then go into the gas cashier to register.  I felt sorry for the people waiting to pay for their gas and convenience store purchases behind me, because the registration process takes longer than processing their purchases.  They weren't very welcoming and didn't offer the same free or highly discounted nightly rates as the other ones, so it ended up being $30 per night. There were also quite a few trailers that appeared to have been there for quite a while, some in rather poor repair and with clutter around them.  There seems to be little caring here.  The sites and hookups were fine, though the atmosphere is an asphalt parking lot, which would likely be very hot in the summer time.  I rushed to get set up so I could get a round of golf in before dark.  

The golf course, called Apache Stronghold also disappointed.

  
Apparently they had some trouble with their irrigation system during the summer, so the greens were just recovering from getting burnt out, but there were other signs of neglect as well.  There was animal feces around the course, railway ties leaching creosote, palm trees that have never had their dead fronds pruned off, and rough cart paths.  The nicest thing was well stocked ice chests with bottled water at several tees, but the day I was playing it wasn't all that hot so less water was necessary.  The layout was very nice, but it has not been well taken care of, which is sad.  At some point since the course opened they switched the 9's around, so the signage at each hole had the "wrong" number on it.  One round was enough.  

That evening I was in the casino sports bar and met a group of guys from Niagara-on-the-lake, who were on their annual golf trip to the area.  They had noticed the deterioration in the course over the years, with this year being the worst, disappointing them to the point of deciding not to return in the future.  I don't blame them.  I think it will take the course a couple of growing seasons to recover, if it is given proper care.  

With golf off the activity list, I looked for other things to do in the area.  The following day I visited the Old Dominion Historic Mine Park, with a picnic lunch and my bicycle. Admission is free and there are quite a few artifacts on display and interpretive signage.  I knew that mining was a big thing in this area, but didn't really understand how it all was done. This outdoor museum provided some helpful explanation.  It is also a good use for the site of the old mine, which would otherwise be unusable.  

Afterwards I visited a couple of the pubs in the old downtown, which would have been frequented by the miners during the towns heyday. 

Across from the entrance to the casino resort there was a stand set up selling roasted salted Pinions.  I had seen them a few other places in my travels and took the opportunity to find out what they were.  It turns out they are the seeds from a type of Pine tree, so likely the same as pine nuts used in pesto and other recipes, but these are still in the shell.  They only bear fruit every 6 - 8 years and this is one of the years.  As such they are a bit of a delicacy and cost $5.00 for a small bag, about 2 or 3 ounces.  After trying a sample I decided to buy a small bag.  

The following day I visited Besh Ba Gowah, a site of ancient ruins that has mostly been excavated and partially restored.  The site visit begins indoors with a video explaining the life and times when the village was inhabited.  I was the only visitor during my time there.  The employee working there was very hospitable, offering a hot beverage, starting the video and explaining how I should proceed with my visit, both inside and outside.  It reminded me of some sites I saw while in Italy a few years ago.  

Afterwards I went for a Chinese buffet restaurant, which was touted as being very good, but was somewhat lacking compared to the places I am used to in Toronto.  They only had about 20 items, whereas back home they have around 100.  The price was right though at $6.79 for lunch.  They were quite busy with business folks stopping in for lunch, including apparently the local judge. 

I won't be rushing back to Globe.