We made our first visit to the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch (GWR) on Tuesday. Friend and fellow photographer, Dan Olson of Hot Springs Village, was kind enough to provide us with the names of several great places to bird/photograph in southeast Arizona. This was the first he mentioned. The GWR is a 110-acre wetland and wildlife sanctuary having 7 ponds along hiking trails, one recreational urban fishing lake, and one floating boardwalk. It was dedicated on October 9, 1999. It is located in the City of Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix. It is a birding and photographer’s paradise. Many species of birds either winter here or stop on their migration route. It was an awesome place!

Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort is different from other RV resorts in which we have stayed—more populated, way more activities, very clean—but for me somewhat removed from photo taking opportunities and cycling, having to drive significant distances to do either. 

For the three days covered in this entry we attended a Club Expo, RV show, chapel in the resort; Kay played pickleball and line danced, and I attended a Photography Club meeting (about 50 people there). We played in a golf scramble among HSV couples wintering here, with pizza afterward, and attended a happy hour with HSV couples—quite busy if you ask me, leaving very little time for television (not a bad thing).

After Kay played pickleball on Friday, we drove to Ironwood Forest National Monument, about an hour south of Casa Grande and just north of Tucson. Named because of the largest concentration of Ironwood in the US, Ironwood Forest supports many varieties of cacti as well. What was impressive, and not in a positive sense from our way of thinking, was the Silver Bell Mine. It was huge, sprawling adjacent to the national monument for seemingly miles. The low grade copper mine is part of a Mexican conglomerate. Just over 3 years ago, they petitioned Trump to rescind Federal protection of the area, but thus far have been unsuccessful. Many of the roads into and through the national monument were closed, so there is very little ability to traverse the area.

As it was approaching 4 PM when we finished touring Ironwood Forest NM, sunset awaited us at Saguaro NP, Tucson Mountain District. We found a spot to set up the tripod/camera for sunset photos; rapidly cooling temperatures “forced” us to remain in the car until near sunset. However, a Loggerhead Shrike kept returning to a nearby tree, so I reluctantly got out another tripod/camera combination with long telephoto lens to make a picture of the bird. With photos of the Loggerhead Shrike and cacti in the setting sun, we returned to Palm Creek for the evening.

Another busy week here at Palm Creek Golf and RV resort. While Kay played pickleball Wednesday morning, I walked about the park, photographing Anna’s Hummingbirds and Acorn Woodpeckers. Wednesday evening we attended a show by the Edwards Twins. They are identical twin brothers, one of whom impersonates male singers while the other is a female impersonator. Their dress, hair, makeup, prosthetics, and voices were incredible, mimicking Sonny & Cher, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Tom Jones, and others.

Our Palm Creek Golf and RV Resort weekly schedule includes many activities revolving around current and former Hot Springs Village residents who winter here.

I played golf at Ahwatukee Golf Course near Phoenix (not near as nice as ours are in the Village) on Thursday.

Enough energy was summoned this morning to haul the camera and monopod out among the palm, olive, and other berry trees in an attempt to capture a few bird photos. The birds cooperated with at least 4 “new to me, aka lifers” species were photographed. (I have developed a slight tremor in my hands, and though the monopod helps, it is still no replacement for a tripod; thus, the number of quality photos is far less than desired.) 

This afternoon, Kay and I participated in the resort’s first “Nine and Dine” golf tournament, a “Lone Ranger” game where three scores out of the foursome are recorded for each hole; one must be the player using the Lone Ranger ball for the entire hole. Kay and I and our partners, Jean and Dennis from Washington, squeaked out second place, winning a free 9-hole round of golf and prize money. I shot a 32 on the difficult par 27 back nine. Are we living the good life or what! Dinner was fish and chips, with iced brownies. Of course, Arnold Palmer was the drink of choice (50/50 mix of iced tea and lemonade).

After sleeping too late for church, we joined Don and Ann Aitchison, Canadian friends from Bentsen Palm Village in South Texas for 18 holes of golf. Don played light’s out; he may be ready for the tour! Neither Kay nor I played all that well. But, we had a really good time—Don and Ann are so much fun, and active! 

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to describe the number of activities and participants here at Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort in Casa Grande, AZ. Pickleball reigns supreme, and many residents come here specifically to play; the resort hosted the National’s for three years, before it moved to a larger venue nearby. Softball is huge, with games taking place every morning, all morning long. Pottery is also huge as is lapidary and silversmithing. Golf is very popular as well. There are numerous exercise and dance opportunities, first class entertainment, and cafes and grills. I attended a Photography Club meeting Monday AM and about 50 people were in attendance—they meet three times a week with various classes and field trips; Kay did Line Dancing. It’s tiring to even write about all that is happening here, and this doesn’t include all the national monuments and parks nearby!

Thank goodness for a new year. The last couple have proved quite challenging.

Golf was on the agenda for New Year’s Eve, played on Palm Creek’s 18 hole executive course (we only played 9 holes). The evening was spent visiting with Steve and Mary Seitz, also of Hot Springs Village. Internet was installed on New Year Day, allowing us to be fully “connected”. I have been spending most waking hours “cleaning” up Lightroom (photo editing software) and the thousands of photos stored on the computer’s hard drive and 3 external drives—what a mess! Today, January 2, Kay and I played golf (Kay played 9 holes and I played 18) after which Kay had a group pickle ball lesson.  Palm Creek is widely recognized as a pickle ball haven; the 32 courts have a constant waiting list. If I can ever get sleep patterns organized, desert sunrises and sunsets want to be photographed. More to come.

High on our list of things to do this winter was a visit to Saguaro NP near Tucson. The national park, 92,000 acres, consists of two separate areas: the Tucson Mountain District about 10 miles west of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District about 10 miles east of Tucson. Its purpose is to preserve Sonoran Desert landscapes, fauna, and flora, including the giant saguaro cactus which only grows naturally in the Sonoran Desert.

Upon entering the Tucson Mountain District area of the park, one’s breath is almost taken away upon seeing the giant saguaros everywhere, even stretching to the horizon, surrounded by other varieties of cacti and desert vegetation. Virtually every color was represented.

Driving east, the Rincon Mountains loomed on the horizon. The Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro NP was the initial protected area, designated as such by President Herbert Hoover. Here, the cacti are larger, i.e.  more rotund, because of more rainfall in the area. Again, saguaro and other cacti grew as far as the eye could see, even up the mountain side. Occasionally a bird would dart among the tops of the tall cacti—our target bird was the Gila Woodpecker, and one posed briefly along one of the trails.

A brief visit to a very crowded Costco in Tucson preceded the hour drive back to Palm Creek.

Another cold morning greeted us, 31°. Walmart beckoned for a few items forgotten, bicycle tires aired, and we continued to “settle in” for the long haul. Needing some outdoor activity, several routes were driven in an attempt to find Casa Grande Mountain Park (a city park) in order to hike one of its several trails; no such luck as every route seemed to end with a dead end, flooded road, or never never land.

We opted to tour Casa Grande Ruins National Monument from which Casa Grande gets its name. The national monument consists of the ruins of multiple adobe structures surrounded by a compound wall constructed by the ancient people of the Hohokam period. These people farmed the Gila Valley in the early 13th century. Evidence strongly suggests that the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built the Casa Grande Also developed wide-scale irrigation farming and trade routes which lasted over a thousand years until about 1450 C.E. Casa Grande, aka the “big house”, refer to the largest structure on the site, which is what remains of of a four-story structure thought to have been abandoned by 1450. The large house consists of outer rooms, three stories high,  surrounding an inner structure, four stories high.

While the ruins were impressive, so were the cacti surrounding the compound—a photographer’s haven.

We awoke to very cold weather, at least for us, 27°. In addition a smattering of snow fell during the night, but did not affect road conditions. Though the forecast called for heavy winds again, we did not feel any, nor experience any problems. Snow covered the desert floor in many places, and the expanse of pecan orchards was mind boggling —pecan trees as far as the eye could see! Neither of us had ever seen even a tiny amount of pecan trees compared to these humongous orchards. Passing through Tucson, we turned northward and rolled into Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort in Casa Grande, AZ, our place of residence for the next couple of months. Coincidentally, we pulled into the check-in lane beside Steve and Mary Seitz, also from the Village. Apparently, we had traveled the same route at the same time since leaving AR.

Check-in was smooth, and we were escorted to the site, with Canadians on either side of us. Set-up was uneventful.

Why we (I) chose this to be our longest driving day is beyond logic—significant gain in elevation, over 4,000 feet, and 25 mph headwinds for the entire day.  Fortunately, we did not experience any heavy cross winds, though Kay did drive in freezing rain for several minutes. Again, taking turns driving, we made great progress on this western trip, covering 455 miles. Though the wind made driving difficult, we again took turns, and the day passed quickly; gas mileage was horrendous!

Surprisingly were the number of pecan orchards in West Texas, particularly considering the arid climate and near desert conditions. Acre upon acre of trees occupied the otherwise barren environment; most had been recently pruned. Neither Kay nor I had ever seen so many pecan trees! 

Near the end of the day, we crossed into mountain time zone, giving us another hour. We overnighted at Dreamcatcher RV Park in Deming, New Mexico. After setting up and socializing with other guests, Kay and I had a delicious Mexican meal.