Stepping back in time...

New to Yuma? Passing through for a few days? On your way to another southwestern city or town as you escape the increment weather (read freezing cold and/or snow) of your hometown? Been here before but haven’t yet fully explored the surrounding areas? Bored? Looking for something interesting to do in other than watch broccoli grow? Interested in local/state history? Old cars and farm equipment?  

Just outside Yuma about 10 miles, in the midst of broccoli, lettuce and cabbage fields is a unique collection of autos, farm machinery and a small assortment of earlier transportation methods. Plus a whole slew of old radiators, hubcaps, car parts and old glass jars and the odd bicycle or sleigh.

 Welcome to the Cloud Museum -10 miles north of Winterhaven (Exit 172 on I-8).  “ situated on over 2 acres, affords visitors a unique opportunity to tun back the clock and view real American that includes over 120 Model T’s and Model A’s…”

Admission is a $5/pp, it’s open 7 days a week and if you call in advance you can have Johnny Cloud, Owner, provide you with a guided tour. Jack and Jill, friendly Border (mix) Collies were never far behind him, while looking for a head scratch from visitors too.

Hours can be spent wandering the buildings and discovering hidden treasures, including extensive old glass bottles, cast iron skillets, meat grinders, kitchen tools, and small applicances. There is even an entire section of farm machinery.

Take a tour of the property via the short film and enjoy a step back in time.

Ciao~

Life inside a glass house....

 

After touring Bioshephere 2* we determined that it would be like living inside a gigantic bottle...and yet a group of scientists did just that. They signed the contracts and went inside for a 2 year tour of duty....along with 45 species of animals/insects. It now belongs to the University of Arizona, but that only happened recently....original facility became a human-inhabited laboratory back in the early 90's.

*[ Constructed between 1987 and 1991, it was used to explore the complex web of interactions within life systems in a structure that included five areas based on biomes and an agricultural area and human living/working space to study the interactions between humans, farming and technology with the rest of nature.]
 

 h

 

Tours start at the lower level of this building, which is another level down.

 This building is the size of 3 football fields long.

  

 

 

Rain-catchers designed from children's hands dot the landscape.

Water conservation is a large part of the recycling program built into the facility. Originally, the inhabitants had no paper products - yes, that included NO tissue, toilet paper or paper towels.

 

 

 

 

One of the biomes included an 'ocean with coral reef'....Pacific Ocean water was trucked, as was the sandy beach located at the bottom end of the photo (not visible here but we were standing on it).

 

   

 

This is a huge expansion bladder aid in the distributing of heat generated with all the glass. Heat has  to go somewhere, thus. this Dupont rubber bladder with its 40 year warranty,and it is still manually checked each morning. We got to yell "Hello" once inside this room - as it acts like an echo chamber.

 

 

 

I'll close with a piece of sculpture, one of several on the grounds. There are also additional photos in a separate slideshow to the right of this piece. The tour we took was educational in the scientific as well as a social/cultural commentary on communal living, it was worth every penny of the entrance fee and half of that is tax decuctible!

 

~ Ciao

 

You want FAIR? ...then find one near you



 

As a kid growing up in Seattle my parents would answer my "that's not fair"  with the phase, "you want fair?"- with - "we'll go to Puyallup in September"....(when the county fair occurred). Now as an adult I can go to any street fair that I happen upon and this weekend we found ourselves in the midst of the Tucson 4th Avenu Winter Street Fair where they close off almost 1 mile of the street near the University. And with 400 booths we spent most of the day exploring those booths.  Oh, darn - Sun and art in December...can't get better than that.

Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair - Winter - is this weekend, however March 22-24, 2013 is the date for the Spring Street Fair if you want to mark your calendar.  I found 3 of my favorite

 

   Food

 Music

 

 

and some really amazing artists....

Dona Calles 

 

I collect "faces" in art form. Ceramic masks, mixed media (wood/paper/shells etc), and have needlepointed several myself. These copper figures (very light weight) called Ancestors caught my eye....she sells them on Etsy - in addition to the "Ancestors" she also has some amazing photographs, nightlights and other art she has created. Check her out!

 

this little piggy
 

metal musician

  hookah anyone? shop on 4th sells them.

For a day activity this had it all; music, food, arts, and exercise.

~Ciao

 

 

3, 2, 1....Launch -

 

Ok, as many of you know, due to my spouse's interest in anything 'aerospace' related, I have spent quite a bit of time in airplane/space museums, floating aircraft carriers, etc., if it has a plane, helicopter or rocket we see them - and there are quite a few of those around the country. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours touring the Titan Missile Museum, near Sahuarita, AZ, 25 south of Tucson - it was fascinating! 

 

Born out of the 1960's Cuba Missile crisis, the 54 silo sites were built as MAD or "mutually assured destruction" or deterrants to war.

Missile sites were located in Kansas, Arkansas and here in Arizona....and their were hidden in plain sight. The government wanted our enemies to know that we were serious and could destroy them even in the event that they struck first. Frakly, that knowledge didn't give me a lot of comfort.


Diagram of 18 AZ silo locations

 The guided tour starts with a 17 min video that gives youthe history of  how the silos came to be, the US Air Force stewardship of the program and then the walk-a-bout of  the silo itself. This tour is the bare essentials-tour, one of seven tours offered. There is even a sleep-over program

for those who wish to have a hands-on experience.

 

Part of the tour we took gave me the opportunity to be "Crew Commander"... answering questions about the control panel and assisting with 'launching' the Titan II....selection is by whoever enters the room first.  Anyone can do it!

 

 

A view of the Titan II missile from above....impressive isn't it.

 

 

 ~ Ciao 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Castle & Well...thankfully no Revenge;

of the Montezuma variety~

Over the past 12 years I have spent quite a bit of time in the Cottonwood/Sedona/Jerome area. How I missed these ancient grounds...so glad that during this most recent visit to see friends in Cottonwood we actually took the time to go and take the walks!

Historians believed that the Mexican, General Montezuma had ventured this far into what is now Arizona  only to discover it was really the home of the ancient Siguara people living in the cliffs near Cottonwood and what is now known as Montezuma Castle.  It's embarrassing...the castle is 10 mins from downtown Cottonwood - go visit if you are in the neighborhood - don't wait like I did.

I did have a moment of being truly irritated that I had not gotten a degree in archaeology so I could scamper around inside  the cliff dwelling, alas they have been closed to internal visitors for 60 years.

We learned about Montezuma's Well while at the visitor center and decided to take the drive up Hwy 17 to see it and were pleasantly surprised to find a cliff dwelling, a cave dwelling, AND the nearby ruins of a pueblo dwelling. This part of the park is FREE, trails are navigable, well marked and it offers beautiful views of this country's history.

This 3 minute video captures photos of both the castle and the well - enjoy!

Castle & Well were surrounded with these amazingly old and gnarled Sycamore trees that I just fell in love with - tree here is near the visitor center. 

Sycamore Tree


Tree @ well outlet

Tree surface after shedding bark

The tree just to the left and above takes a decided bend as it grows out from the foot of the stone wall to reach the sun. Truly a survivor...the volunteer ranger "guessed" it was 3200 years old - but no one really knows until the rings are counted....then we would just have old wood chips.

 ~ Ciao

Yuma to Baja

We picked up 10 days ago to travel with friends in a convoy to their winter home on El Coyote Beach - Baia Conception - Baja Sur, Mexico. The road is long, narrow and not for the faint of heart...afterall it is a foreign country; I say this with a smile.


From Yuma we gathered at the Golden Acorn Casino in Campo CA located about 20 miles from the border...given we were the "newbies" at the casino we were given a card loaded with $5 for the slots....and that and patience got me $26 from this winner which brought our dinner.

We departed Campo early the next day so as to get through customs @ Tecate before the rush hour of US employees crossing over to "sew" the clothes we buy at Target/WalMart/Sears. The following 8 hours got us about 200 miles to San Quentin where we stayed at El Papellon RV park for $10 US - on this lovely beach.

 






From San Quentin we drove another 220 miles plus 4 military checkpoints. As intimidating as the checkpoints are, the young men who man them are very friendly, courteous and "doing their jobs". When we indicated that we had "gatos - cats" they were very careful and concerned about 'claws'...which was really sweet.

Stopping at Mario's RV park - another beach front park which boasted a sand floor restaurant - the seafood soup was delicious!

Mario's RV park

 

Sunset @ Guerero Negro

Christmas Palm tree in the restaurant...



Our final leg was approximately 120 miles (still took about 7 hours) - the roads were being "improved" in stretches and we had several more military inspections, plus the crossing into Baja Sur (South) asking us for citrus.....citrus? us....finito! :-)

Our beach is in the background, center of photo....

Our flock of pelicans increases depending on the schools of fish each day, but they are a source of entertainment, along with the turkey vultures, egrets, sandpipers and the odd dolphin or two...

We are having a grand time....always something going on during the day. We will not be bored what with the kayaking, potlucks, hikes, art shows in Mulege, the vendors who arrive all day long to sell us shrimp, sole or scallops, fresh fruit and veggies and the tinkets that only vendors can hawk from the shore here....loving our life right now.

Ciao~