Who says Arizona deserts are dry?

What might the odds be of traveling 4,500 miles through the western United States before finding a “real thunderstorm”?  Diane and I have now been through the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, Washington, usually wet Oregon, California, and were finally poured on by Mother Nature in the Sonora Desert outside Tucson, Arizona.  In a trailer, heavy rains and hail sound like being inside a popcorn popper, only louder (though that’s by conjecture).  Oh, and we experienced another hailstorm (in the sunshine) up in the amazing rock formations of Chiricahua National Monument, near tiny Willcox, AZ.  By the way, did you know Wyatt Earp’s brother, Warren, was killed in Willcox following the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone?  Amazing what nuggets of history are out lying around, waiting to be rediscovered.

Yesterday was a day of exploring after a long 440 mile trek from San Diego (we have no plans of duplicating that drive, unless we have to cross Nebraska).  We visited Saguaro National Park in the early morning, seeing a coyote, deer, and numerous birds enjoying the fresh water coursing down the hills.  It’s easier to understand flash floods after a rainy night like we had.  In the afternoon we drove to Willcox and toured Chiricahua and its unbelievable geology.  Pictures can never capture the immensity and balance of these columns and spires.  Jaw dropping views are around every corner; Diane commented it was like hitting the fall colors from New Hampshire all the way home to Minnesota a couple of years ago.  Every turn brought up the camera with another “That’s worth a picture”.  I’m just happy we have digital photography now; Kodak processing would have made a killing on us!

We are now at that point in a trip when the maps are showing us closer to home, rather than further.  We’ve still got a couple of thousand miles to go, as we meander through New Mexico, Texas and points north.  Our original estimate of 5,000 miles will be off by quite a bit; none of the extra ones wasted.  The country we’ve seen and the folks we’ve met will give us memories to cherish for time to come.

The next few days will reveal whether I can watch “The Martian” while in Roswell, New Mexico (I think that will be a blast, others say I need to get off the road awhile).