A Day Spent Playing In The Snow

Steve Throwing a snowball at me.

We Spent Thursday at Mt. Lemmon Ski area just 30 miles outside of Tucson.  Not to much snow but enough for us to have a little fun.  No Skiing they had to stop that last Monday for lack of snow.  No snow is made here because of the water shortage.  The Ski area only opens after a good snow fall and when it’s gone they wait for the next snow.

The road going up the mountain, lots of switch backs. 

 

We rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain

9,153 feet at the top.

Sandy and I at the top of the mountain.

As you can tell from this picture not enough snow to ski. 

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Steve and Sandy coming down the lift. 

Oh and a cat picture.  Her name is kitty and she lives and works at the ski area.  She is their mouser and chipmunk catcher.  

It was a beautiful day at the top nice and cool.  We got back to Tucson and the temps were in the high 80s.  I may spend the rest of our time in the area skiing.

Wash Day!!! And Games

I set the alarm clock last night for 7:00 am., only the second time since we left MN.  Mike wanted to get the laundry done before it got to hot out.  He’s going to wash the roof of the MH today.

We have blue jobs, those are Mikes and we have pink jobs they are mine.  I thought the roof would be a blue job, but it seems it’s a purple job.  I have to fill the gallon jogs with water put them on a rope, so Mike can heft them up to rinse the soap off the roof.  I forgot to tell you laundry is a purple job.  Maybe that’s why he thinks the roof should be purple too..  After filling 9,000 gallon jogs I think the roof is done.

In the afternoon we played Mexican Train (a game with dominos) with Steve and Sandy. 

The game will have to be continued, it got dark before we finished.  Sandy Allgire is in the lead at this time.

Mike and Steve are making fire.

 

 We invited another couple Nora and Bill, from Wilmington Ohio, to join our fire tonight.  What a wonderful life, we meet new people just about everyday. 

The temp was in the high 80s again today, sure wish it would cool down just a little. 

According to the news Tiger Woods is in Tucson playing in a golf tournament. 

A Day At The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

Monday we went on another outing. The Desert Museum is a zoo , natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place.  Within the museum grounds, there are more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths in the 21 acres of desert.

Be sure to click on the picture to enlarge it. 

Not many flowers were blooming but enough to make the landscape very pretty.

The owl greeted us at the entrance to the museum.

 

Mountain Lion

 

Mexican Wolf

 

Stormy’s favorite bird the Road Runner

The Bobcats.

 

Forgot what this was called. Another forgotten animal.

A Hummingbird in her nest.  (This one is for you Donna)

One of my favorites the little Fox.

Lots more animal pictures but that’s enough for the blog.  We didn’t stay to late at the museum the temps reached 93 today.

After our trip we stopped at a small out of the way Mexican restaurant with the best food, and the prices were really inexpensive.  Didn’t have to cook dinner again tonight.  Love that, it was very warm in the MH, and cooking just heats it up that much more. 

 

Lazy Day Sunday

We pretty much take it easy on weekends.  No site seeing.

Mike and Steve went to camping world in town,  Sandy and I did some grocery and bead shopping.  Nothing to interesting. 

The weather has been getting very warm in the high 80s and maybe 90 on Monday.  Oh no I hate the heat.  No humidity so maybe it won’t feel so bad.  Yea right hot is hot.

Monday we are planning a trip to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. 

A sunset at Snyder Hill beautiful don’t you think.  We are so lucky we see this sunset just about every night.

One more week and we will be heading north to Laughlin, and Las Vegas, for a couple of days then onto Death Valley. 

A Day At The Strip

 Ok ,you all thought that Sandy was writing this and the blog was about to get kinky. Sorry, Sandy gave me the keys to the car and its my blog for the day.

I did some research and found that there was going to be a N.H.R.A. drag race in the Phoenix area.

I haven't been to a drag race since I went to the Nationals in Indianapolis, IN. in 1969. So Steve and I decided to have a guys day.

We left Tucson at about 9 am and made our way toward Phoenix to the drag strip. We got there about 11 am and went inside.

From here on there will be a lot of speed reading, by that I mean pictures, as I remember being told that a picture is worth a 1000 words and the end of my typing finger is getting a callus on it.

I will add some captions so you can tell what you are looking at.

Here's a Funny car in the pits without its body getting set up for racing.

Here's some back yard mechanics working on a fuel dragster.

This is a fuel dragster doing a burnout. Look at the weird shape of the back tire.

Side by side burnout with fuel dragsters.

Notice the two construction workers leaning on there brooms with a 7000 horsepower dragster about 5 feet away.

 

 

 

 

This picture is for our grandson Ryan, the gal in the center of the picture is typical of the hitchhikers in AZ. You may what to come visit us down here.

This is a series of three pictures of a race where one of the dragsters blows the motor up.

Shows car on left with smoke coming out and the shut, the car on the right still racing.

This picture shows the car finishing the race at over 300mph as the other car slows to a stop.

This shows the flames of the fuel coming out the exhaust as it gets dark.

Two fuel dragster right in front of us.  

Two dragsters at about 250mph.

 

Tour Of The Biosphere 2

We got up early and where on the road by 9 am for the 45 minute drive to the Biosphere.  Luckily Steve and Sandy have a car we can all fit into.  Our little ranger truck is just to small for 4 people.

Here goes another Tour.

    

The Biosphere 2 facility is 3.14 acres, 91 feet at its highest point, 6,500 windows and 7,200,000 cubic feet of sealed glass.  It is sealed from the earth below by a 500 ton welded stainless steel liner.

Back in the early 90s they had a research project that lasted 2 years, were they had 8 people locked inside and lived without any outside food or water. 

It is now owned and operated by the University of AZ, and is used as a research and learning facility.  The Biosphere opened to the public for tours in 2002. 

  

Our first stop on the tour was the tropical savanna.  As you can see from the pictures above it was very humid.  The temp was about 96 degrees and you all know how I love the heat and humidity.  I was drenched by the time we left this area, and I mean drenched.  Never again.

 

I did much better in the desert area not so hot and humid.  Here we met 2 scientist working on a research project.  They gave a little info on what they were up to. 

 

Now this is way better, the ocean area.  When they built the Biosphere they trucked in 1 millions gallons of ocean water from San Diego. 

The Rainforest area, very misty but not to warm.  Some of the plants grow to over 60 feet tall.  This area was gorgeous.

 

The underground area were all the mechanical systems are.

A picture of Nemo.

The end of tour, if you would like to find out more about Biosphere 2 here is a link. Biosphere 2

I enjoyed learning about the Biosphere, it was just a lot to warm for me.  I like a good sauna but this one lasted 1 1/2 hours.

It was a long day, we got home and pretty much did nothing. Oh one game of gin. Mike won it is now 3-2 my favor.

 

 

Oil Change Day

We got up pretty early today, had some shopping and errands to do this morning.  Wal-Mart, Walgreens and propane. 

Came home and Mike changed the oil in the MH.  When he finished he picked up Steve and the two of them went to Jiffy Lube to have the oil changed in the truck.  Now you would think he would do the truck himself and have the MH done.  I guess the MH is much easier then the Truck.

No gin game tonight, maybe tomorrow. 

The temps are going up in the high 70s Thursday and in the 80s over the weekend.  Warm and sunny, oh how I love it,

 

Old Tucson Studios and Friends

Sandy and Steve Allgire joined us here at Snyder Hill in Tucson.  Yesterday the 4 of us spent the day at Old Tucson Studios. 

Old Tucson Studios has been the location for over 300 films and television series.  It was originally built for the 1939 movie Arizona.  the next movie filmed was the Bells of St. Mary’s,(1945) starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. 

During the western movie boom of the 1950s many famous movies got made here.  Gunfight at OK Corral 1957, Rio Bravo 1959 with John Wayne, Ricky Nelson and Dean Martin, just to name a couple. 

Found these two desperados lookin to rustle  up some trouble. 

There is always a gunfight going on someplace in town.  They always get their man.

One of the many TV series filmed at the studios was High Chaparral 1966-1971.  Some others were Little House On The Prairie 1977-1983, Bonanza 1966-1972, and tons more. 

 

One of the attractions is a haunted mine tour, which we participated in, and train ride around the park.

The Cowgirl Up Show, country western singing and dancing.

Miss Kitty’s Can-Can Revue.   Some audience participation  was involved, the two men on stage with the girls were great, really got into the singing and dancing.

Now this is participation, Sandy and I talked Mike and Steve into posing in the coffins. Quick get the hammer and nails.

Many of John Wayne movies were filmed here Mc Lintock 1963 with Maureen O’Sullivan.  Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo.

Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, Kurt Russell and Paul Newman, are just a few of the actors in the movies filmed at the studio. 

We had a wonderful time, so much movie history wish I could write more and show more pictures, but then I would get boring.