Prescott, AZ

The view from our 'patio'.  This is our 2nd location in Point of Rocks Campground, 4 miles north of Prescott.  The first location was noisier, not as scenic and swarming with ants, so we strolled around the campground to see what we could find.  This one is much better, well worth the hassle of moving and setting up again.

It's pronounced press-cut, by the way.  We'll stay here 2 weeks before returning home to LHC.  This area has had a lot of growth in recent years, being fairly close to Phoenix and a great scenic location for escaping the summer heat of the lower elevations.  Including Prescott Valley and other nearby urban areas, it boasts a population of 100K.

Above pix are of our wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer components - our 5th.  One was faulty: the outdoor sensor had a voracious appetite, ate a set of batteries every 6 days.  The other 4, well ..... the outdoor sensors jumped ship, are spread along the highways from AZ to AK and Nova Scotia to New Mexico.  When we stop for the night we hang them on the back side of the shroud that covers the propane tanks, attached thereto with velcro.  Problem is, we've got CRS, can't remember to remove them and place them inside the trailer before we head out.  I'm working on a permanent place to mount the outside sensor; buying a new one every few weeks is getting old.  Dumb, too, huh?

Eagar, AZ

Eagar and nearby Springerville, combined population of 6000, were evacuated for 10 days in June due to the huge Wallow fire.  The fire came within 3 miles of the towns. The setting here is appealing, a lush green valley nestled in the mountains at 7000' elevation. It's a great location for escaping the summer heat of lower elevations. Wouldn't want to be here in winter, though, cuz it snows; we don't do snow.
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Trish was reading one of my recent blog posts, the one where I used the term 'KIA' in reference to the flies I'd swatted.  'What are KIAs?' she asked.  'It means Killed In Action.' I responded.  It just so happens, the make of Trish's car is KIA.  She finds that unsettling.  Also unsettling: many religions and cultures have your soul living on after death: it goes to heaven, hell, purgatory, the happy hunting ground, wherever.  Guess what model of KIA Trish owns?  A Soul.  She'll be a super careful driver going forward.  Going backward, too.
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I find it interesting to note the 'origin' of fellow RVers in our campgrounds.  License plates can be misleading because many fulltimers register their rigs under a 'flag of convenience' - meaning whichever state gives them the best tax advantages.  Regardless, I was surprised to discover that in our Maine campground, Florida plates were second only to Maine.  In our Ruidoso, NM campground, 95% were from Texas; guess there's not much for high country in TX, places to escape the heat.  All those Texas gents talked kinda s-l-o-w and had a drawl; the place sounded like a convention of Larry the Cable Guy impersonators.

Ruidoso 3, NM

Above and below: Hubbard Museum sculptures, one each for appaloosa, paint, Arabian, quarterhourse, thorougbred. 

Serapes.

Main museum building, used to be an ice skating rink.

Second generation chuckwagon.  No Tupperware, no Seal-a-Meal, no fridge; plenty of grit, flies, sand, and rancid lard.  Those were the days!

We're outta here this AM, overnight in Eagar, AZ - which is in the huge area burned by the Wallow Fire.  Had a thunderstorm last night that dropped the temp 25 degrees in 15 minutes.  This is where Smokey the Bear came from so there's about a dozen places along the main drag where they sell chain saw-carved bears, any size you want.

Ruidoso 2, NM

Ruidoso Downs horse race track.  Billy the Kid Casino, restaurant and bar are under the stands.

You know what comes with horses?  Flies.  Beaucoup - as in a whole bunch.  We moved from our first campsite cuz the place was crawling with 'em.  Second location where we are now is better but there are still plenty - less the KIAs: my trusty fly swatter and I are a deadly duo but we're badly outnumbered.  We booked 5 nights here and that will be plenty.
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We had planned to tour several neat places in southeast AZ but high temps and August monsoons put us off.  So we're headed to another neat place that's been on our hit list: Prescott.  Elevation there is 5400' and high temps are in the mid 80s.  Perfect!  That will likely be our last stop before we head for the barn.  If we really like it, we may stay in Prescott for some time cuz LHC average highs are 106 in August.

The Hubbard Museum of the American West, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, is here.  Larger than life horse sculptures of the major breeds are staged on the museum grounds, plus this pair of fighting stallions at the entrance.
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Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War is part of the colorful history of this area.  The Kid's home was Lincoln, NM, for many years the most lawless, deadliest place in the country.  President Hayes called the road through Lincoln 'the most dangerous street in America'.  Don't take your guns to town, Bill.  Oh ..... another thing, Bill: when you're in the saloon, order whiskey, not sarsaparilla.

Ruidoso, NM

These 3 pix are of Lake Dardanelle S P, OK.  Great setting and view but too damned hot and humid to enjoy it.  Cower inside the EDGE with A/C on max.

We’re back in the high dry country and it feels great!  We'll take a break of 5-7 days after many hot sticky days on the road through PA, VA, WV, TN, AR, OK, and TX.  We didn’t spend more than one night in any one place since we left Gettysburg, never unhooked, never went out for dinner.  So, going out tonight!

Dozens of discarded spray paint cans litter the area.

Staged shot.  I picked up an empty can of paint.

Above pix are of Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.  I thought it was an old whorehouse-museum when we saw it on the map - like Chicken Ranch in the movie.  But no, it’s 10 Cadillacs planted nose down in a field back in the early 70s.  I’d seen pix of it, don’t recall when or where.  They’re hardly recognizable as Caddies anymore, having long since become a venue for spray-paint messages and bizarre art.  Still, it gets lots of visitors - including us.

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Trish wanted to drive through Roswell to see the many alien-themed signs and such.  She took several pix; I didn’t take any cuz I was driving, didn’t think they’d be blog-worthy in any case.  Your garden variety Roswell alien sign has them looking like the aliens in Close Encounters: green, hairless, delicate, large slanted oval eyes.
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We picked Ruidoso cuz of its high altitude.  We weren’t aware that there’s a major horse racing track here, Ruidoso Downs, and also a large winter ski area.  It’s an odd mix of chic and hoity-toity alternating with poor and shabby, with not much in the middle.

Foss S P, Foss, OK

It was 109 degrees when we pulled in at 4 PM, park ranger said the temps were 10-15 degrees above normal and had been for 30 days.  We’re thankful we’re just passing through - also that the humidity is much lower than we’ve seen in several weeks.
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Signs we saw along the AR/OK drive:
In Arkansas.

            1.  Toad Suck Park.  About damn time, too; haven’t had a good toad suck for God knows how long,

            2.  Pig Trail Park.  Oink, grunt and snort if you’re a Razorback.  It’s a popular ride with Harley riders for obvious reasons.  Oh, it’s not obvious?  Harleys - or Harley drivers, not sure which -are sometimes referred to as hogs because of the Harley Owners Group (HOG).  Some would say there are other similarities. 

            3.  Pig Out Palace.  Don’t know but assume it’s a restaurant.  Yeah, I can do that.

In Oklahoma.

            1.  Pottawattamie.  Gotta look on backlog of blog posts: weren’t these guys in Iowa or Maine or somewhere?  What are they doing down here?  And why did they come for cripes sakes?  This place sucks.  Just ask the toads.

            2.  Kickapoo.  Ever read the cartoon strip ‘Lil Abner’?  They often talked about Kickapoo Joy Juice in the comic strip.  I thought the Kickapoo name was made up, turns out it’s a real Native American tribe.  I was sorely tempted to stop and ask them to fill my water bottle with Joy Juice.  Back to ‘Lil Abner’, I thought Moonbeam McSwine was HOT.  Never mind that she slept with the hogs; hot is hot.

            3.  Roman Nose Park.  A memorial to Jimmy Durante?

            4.  Chisholm Trail & Garth Brooks Blvd.  These two signs were back to back along the freeway, near OK City.  We’re talking major time warp here.

            5.  Last but not least, a sign on OK City outskirts stating that the shopping cart was invented in OK.  Holy crap!  I envision a fantastic new theme park in OKs future, rivaling Branson, and Dollyville: Shopping Cartville!!!  There’ll be a 5-star hotel in the shape of a shopping cart, shopping cart drag races, shopping cart roller coasters, shopping cart loading contests (separate prizes for highest, widest and heaviest), shopping cart demolition derbies, huge shopping carts that seat 6 tourists - pulled by Clydesdales (eat your heart out Budweiser).  The possibilities are endless!

Natchez Trace S P, Lexington, TN

We’re at Pin Oak Campground on Pin Oak Lake.  It’s a totally awesome campground with full hookups overlooking the lake.  Hard to believe there’s hardly anybody here!  There’s nobody at all in our loop besides us; it’s just us the trees and the lake, so welcome after the many recent sardinesque private campgrounds. 
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Pin oak: ever heard of ‘em?  I never had so looked in my Audubon Field Guide tree book.  Pin is short for chinkapin, a type of oak that grows only in the southeast, so named because the leaves resemble those of the chinkapin tree - never heard of that either.  Several species of oak have leaves of that shape, an elongated toothed oval that bears no resemblance to the traditionally shaped leaves of my prior acquaintance.
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On more reflection, maybe I have heard of pin oak, and maybe you have also.  Think on it for a minute: does it ring any bells?  How about if we add a ‘y’, making it pin oaky, does that help?
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Got it?  No?  Okay, here’s the last clue: add an ‘o’ after the y.
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That’s right!  Pinocchio!  Now we know what he was made of and how he got his name.  No, no - no need to thank me.  I consider it an honor, broadening the knowledge of the masses.  Hey, somebody’s gotta do it.
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Pix below are of our campground, with Trish giving Ranger his 3rd haircut with the new doggie clipper.  She gets a little braver each time, takes a little more hair off, hoping to help the Dude Dog keep his cool.

There was an armadillo rooting around in the grass when I went outside this morning.  Funny little critters, they are, with their waddling, hopping gait.  This guy (gal?) came to within 10’ of me; either it never realized I was there or just didn’t care.  They’re a lot like opossums, just add body armor.