Greetings from Tucson

Greetings from Tucson. Yes, I’m taking another short trip, figuring that I might as well take advantage of timeshare deals while I still can drive distances, and also remembering my long winter siege. I’m staying in southwest Tucson at a golf resort in the mountains with a lovely view of saguaro-covered rugged mountains and a golf course. No, I won’t play golf but will take advantage of the less steep walking paths, swimming pool and fitness center.

As I write a parade of javelinas — papas, mamas and babies — just passed my patio door. When I opened my patio shutters this morning a large boar stared back at me. When Vern and I visited this resort in 2010 the javelinas always were outside our patio door. Until today I hadn’t seen any, feeling the increased housing meant they had gone other places.

Interstate 40 was my highway on this trip. Historic Route 66 is a dominant feature of the highway, with several exits so you can travel the original road which has been repaved. Barstow is proud of their relationship with Route 66, mentioning it in several places. I stayed at a motel where I parked right in front of my unit. Yes, it was originally on Route 66 but fortunately modernized. It had a grass courtyard and an adjacent Mexican restaurant which also boasted Route 66 origins.

Interstate 40 does have more mountains and is a little slower than Interstate 10, but the scenery makes up for everything. Traveling through much of Mohave National Monument you see sharply spired mountains to the south and more gradual ones to the north.

Thickly grown

Joshua trees were in several sections

— ironically, quite a few more than in Joshua Tree National Park.

At Needles I drove south on Highway 95 to the junction that goes to Parker, Ariz., Yuma or Desert Center. This is a two-lane road with many trucks and RVs so one has to have patience and enjoy the scenery. The view is more desert hills and interesting rock formations — but no residences or evidence of humans — only cars on the road.

At the junction of 95 and California 62 I turned east toward the Colorado River and Arizona — another straight desert road with few interesting features except for three burros just before the river. Home to a huge herd of burros, this area stretches from Parker to Oatman.

Arizona Highway 72 was my choice east from Parker to Vicksburg then south to Interstate 10. The highway had scattered homes throughout the drive and a few RV resorts (I use the word loosely) with only RV parking spaces, a few trees, no other amenities and one market along the 34 miles. The one amazing item was a huge dairy when traveling south from Vicksburg to 10. I was amazed at this dairy farm that stretched almost the entire distance with cattle in new structures on the right (west) and hay structures on the left (east). I’ve heard some

California dairy farmers are moving to Arizona and this was proof.

Buckeye, Ariz., was my second stop (I take it slow these days!). It seemed only a spot on the road when Vern and I first went through in the late 1980s. Now it’s a suburb of Phoenix with hundreds of houses and new shopping areas.

The next day I went south on Arizona Highway 85. When we first went this way it was two lanes and used by both truckers and RVers to avoid Phoenix. Now it is four lane.

After settling into my villa, I needed items for my larder so traveled to a Super Walmart. Alas, it was a Saturday with the gigantic parking lot full. I dreaded what I’d find inside, then was pleasantly surprised. Who knows where the people were — not in groceries! What polite and lovely people I met from those in the aisles to the checkout stand. The women ahead of me thoughtfully moved their items so I could put mine on the checkout belt. They chatted with the associate (Walmart term) and then said good-bye to me as they left. The young couple behind me, who had two darling little girls, chatted with me and weren’t upset when the associate took longer with my items. And they waved good-bye as well. Not like some of my shopping experiences in California.

While Phoenix is hectic, Tucson seems to be more laid back. The citizens seem to enjoy where they live and want to keep it more pristine, more like the past. Yes, people have flocked here to live as well as the rest of Arizona but Tucson has retained an atmosphere from the old Mexican West of yesteryear.

Have a story? email me at durlynnca@gmail.com or call 209-912-4053.