Willcox, Arizona

I was up by 4am with very cold feet. I didn't sleep much after that.

At 7:40am I got out of the van to walk the dogs on the same route as the night before. Lynda was already awake and wanted to go with me, so together we walked our dogs on leash for 3.15 miles. I was now able to see what kind of stuff was along the route I had walked at night. The path goes right past the solar panels now along Wilmot Avenue, and behind a military housing area.

We didn't leave the FamCamp until 10am, when Lynda's friend Betsy (whom she met years ago when she was in the Air Force) joined us for breakfast. Betsy and her retired husband are year-round RVers originally from Texas. They are staying at a resort RV park off base because they like the outdoor activities the RV park she is with offers its RVers. Betsy is an avid hiker but has no dogs.

We had a nice breakfast/early lunch at Joe's Pancake house off Kolb. It's an old diner with old decor. We walked in and every table was occupied, with two other small groups waiting to be seated. By the time we were seated, we all knew what we wanted to order. Betsy and Lynda ordered breakfast; I had a gyro sandwich. What I really liked about the meal was the full-bodied coffee. Our server, Pat, said it was a new Colombian brand. The coffee made my average-tasting gyro exceptional. We chatted a bit. We all are women of the road, sharing our experiences across this country. Maybe someday I, too, will have a small RV, but that will come when I have fewer dogs and cats to tend to.

We finally got on the road by 11:20am, a rather late start. I was on Lynda's time,though, since I knew I couldn't go much farther than Las Cruces, NM with her, depending on how far we'd go tonight. After she gassed up, we were on I-10 going eastbound, with Lynda in the front as her Vanagon can't go as fast as my Dodge Caravan. Traffic was light and skies were clear.

We didn't get very far. I wanted to show her Texas Canyon and the hoodoo rocks off the rest stop, which was closed! I had to pee so I did so behind a parked road grader. We could see a dust storm coming from the Willcox playa and winds had gotten stronger. This scared Lynda as her van is too top-heavy to handle gusting winds well. I understood her concerns, so I suggested we stop in Willcox to wait out the duststorm. We ended up staying. Railroad Avenue impressed Lynda, as this is the kind of stuff she envisioned small western towns were like. We walked the dogs a bit on Rail Road Avenue, much to the chagrin of one pink-collared boxer who followed us a bit. The homes here were small and fenced with chain-link. Yard were cluttered with all kinds of once-useful items. We rested in the shade of a large cottonwood and chatted some more. I stayed with all four dogs at a bench in the shaded park while she went to an antique store.

That's when I realized I had locked my keys in the van. DOH! That's a first. I had locked them in the van when I went to get bully sticks for the dogs. Luckily I called AAA right away and within 20 minutes a local locksmith came by and was able to get the door unlocked. He was a grizzled older man perhaps my age, with tanned, leathery skin that has seen too many Arizona summers. I didn't realize it was that easy to break into a locked vehicle. At least we didn't loose too much time and a disaster was averted. By now Lynda must think I'm really scattered-brain with my keys. I admit, I am!

Lynda now wanted to get a room for the night. We stopped at Motel6 where a local man, David, sold us a room for $47.99, a deal off the marquee's lighted $79.99 for two people. We didn't say we had four dogs, just "cute" dogs. The first room was accidentally already occupied so we walked in on a sleeping couple and a gurgling scream. Oops. The second room was better. This room, room 110, had no carpet and instead a tile floor that was peeling off in sections, stained bed covers and a missing air vent in the bathroom. While superficially clean, this is the kind of room that would not earn even three stars, but we didn't care. It was perfect for dogs! Less hair on the carpet! It was 4:20pm and I wanted to show Lynda Massai Point in the Chiricahua National Monument 40 miles away. This is a scenic overlook with clear views west of Sulpher Valley. We piled up in my van and took off through the dust storm.

Oddly, the dust storm stayed over the playa. Once out of that, the sky was clear again. There was hope to see the sun set from Massai Point and see the hoodoos glow a golden red. That was not to be, as the road to the point was closed to road construction. No cars or hikers were allowed on the road past the barriers. We had no options but to turn around.

The only option here was a short walk along Bonita Creek, one of the few trails were pets are allowed. Lynda has bad knees, though, and wanted to quit at a 1/4 mile. We had already walked over 4 miles today and I was OK with a short hike. I had come to the Monument to show her the vista and a short walk along a dry creekbed was a meek alternative.

The dust storm coming back had intensified. The light grey was now a dark grey and blocking off the low run. Dust was packing up against the Chiricahua foothills as the sun was now glowing its last rays by 5:45pm. We ate dinner at Isabella's in the Historic old town as darkness enveloped the town. Service here once again was slow as one server waited on the entire tables. I never got a refill on my Diet Coke and getting more chips also took a while.

Winds were not bad yet, but tomorrow's forecasted high winds (thanks to Storm Kayla) concerned Lynda. We returned to the hotel room, now getting ready for the night. We both were on our laptops while we watched the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards. Half the actors were people I didn't recognize. I turned the lights off after the 10pm news. Thirty-four Mexican drug cartel members were arrested crossing into Arizona from Sonoyta, Sonora. The other big news, which concerned us more, was the powerful winterstorm and freezing temperatures for southern Arizona. A deep freeze is now in effect for Sunday night and Monday night. Flagstaff may get another ten inches of snow.