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Driving to Picacho was uneventful which is
always appreciated, especially when towing a trailer filled with bikes. We keep the shade on the big window up enough
to see the bikes...easy to a quick visual check when we stop. On the way out Zeus' tie downs loosened a bit which allowed
the faring to lean into the sink counter.
No damage but Kim came up with a different tie down system. It’s
working because the bikes have stayed in place even though we’ve encountered
some good bumps.
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The area right around Quartzsite seems to be a little lean on saguaro
cactuses. Saw plenty of other types but
not the saguaro. Eighty miles down I-10
we took the route known as the Phoenix By-pass Route...AZ 85 South to US 8
East. It was on this route that the
saguaros started popping up again. Made
me smile to see them dotting the landscape, making the distant hills/mountains
look like they have whisker stubble and striking such crazy poses with their
many arms. I’m really looking forward to
wandering through Saguaro National Park again.
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Strangest road name seen today...Sore Finger
Rd. It was an overpass on I-10 and I was
sure I couldn’t be the first person to wonder how it got its name. I tried several Google searches which were
informative but not specific to this road name; then I thought that maybe I
should just keep it simple. Typed in Sore Finger Rd and bingo! I found two separate
articles on the site azcentral.com
written by Clay Thompson in 2015. In the first article he
basically said his research got him nothing and asked his readers for input. This
is the follow up article:
Now, remember a few weeks ago when we discussed
the mystery of Sore Finger Road? That route crosses Interstate 10 about 90
miles west of Phoenix and a reader asked for the origin of its name.
I consulted with some of Arizona’s finest minds
on this one. I also consulted with some of our dimmer bulbs.
The upshot of all that research was that no one
seemed to know where the name came from. It was one of those unsolvable
mysteries that gives Arizona its unique character, such as why we keep electing
knuckleheads to various public offices.
Anyway, after many nights of tortured sleep,
tossing and turning under the heavy burden of guilt I felt for not knowing the
Sore Finger answer, the dawn broke, the fog lifted and there was my new hero,
Herbert Winograd.
And who is Herbert Winograd?
He’s the reader who knows how Sore Finger Road
got its name.
Writes he, “As one drives west on I-10,
reaching that designated road, a look to the south presents a rock formation
with a pointed outcrop that can be imagined to resemble a sore finger. It's
that simple. Whenever we drive to California we slow down momentarily to
see the "sore finger” formation. Next time just look to the left as you
speed by.”
So
that’s that.
Well, that’s not as quirky as I thought it’d be...and I wish I’d known this before encountering Sore Finger Road because it’s a sure bet I would have been looking for that rock formation.😎
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The section of I-10 that goes past the
Picacho KOA has been under construction that past two years we’ve been out
here. Last year we discovered that they
had moved the westbound lane to the
north a bit and were in the process of constructing the eastbound lane to
follow suit. The underpasses with
awkwardly placed stop signs were being torn out...a lot of jackhammering going
on but it was interesting to watch. So I’ve
been really looking forward to seeing the finished product. Wowza! The change is dramatic!! The traffic noise is still evident but it’s quieter
but what’s really different is the look...where there were overpasses, there’s
flatness! The highway used to be maybe 150 yards from the campground...now it’s
closer to a ¼ mile away. (Kim think’s that a generous estimate.) And did I mention it’s now flat from here to
there?! Also the frontage road going
past the campground has been moved slightly and resurfaced which it sorely
needed.
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It was so fun to walk in the campground
office and see Felicia and Ryan standing there with smiles on their faces,
welcoming us back. Turns out the highway
isn’t the only thing that had a makeover. Ryan did some major renovations to the office
area that dramatically changed their set-up...taking over part of the clubhouse
area enabled them to expand their check-in area and store. And there’s still plenty
of room to lounge, watch TV, have potlucks or play Bingo. They’ve also done some cosmetic stuff to the
landscaping...trimmed the overgrown hedges, gotten rid of some of the
ornamental grasses
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We set up camp and then made a quick trip to
Casa Grande to get some items we needed...and on the way back remembered some other
things that we needed. That’s usually
how it goes for us. Oh, well, that gives
us an excuse to go to the IGA in Eloy tomorrow.
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Kim has been so looking forward to getting
his telescopes out but it was getting on dark when we got back and the sky wasn’t
exactly clear anyway. So hopefully he’ll
get it going tomorrow with some imaging tomorrow night.
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We’re in a different spot than previously
because our type of trailer has changed.
We only needed water and electric with the bike trailer; this trailer qualifies
us for a full hook up site...meaning we pay more but have the convenience of using
our own bathroom/shower. We had made
reservations for our favorite site, # 35, when we left last year. Called to see about changing sites shortly
after we bought the trailer. For the
next month we’re calling site #59 home. And
it’s just a long diagonal from #35 so we’re still in a very familiar part of
the campground. I’ve already suggested
to Kim that we reserve this site for next year.
It’s one of three lots in an outside corner. The new full time employee is in site #61, we’re
in 59 and 60 has been blocked off because it’s narrow...it’ll only be used in
an extreme overflow need. So this site
is a bit larger than most and more secluded because of the hedges along the
side and back. Cool!
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It was a pleasant surprise to see familiar faces tonight. Wesley and Sandra, a couple from Minnesota that we met last year, were out walking their dog, saw Kim in front and stopped to talk. They’ve been here since Tuesday and plan to stay through March 26th.
It was a pleasant surprise to see familiar faces tonight. Wesley and Sandra, a couple from Minnesota that we met last year, were out walking their dog, saw Kim in front and stopped to talk. They’ve been here since Tuesday and plan to stay through March 26th.
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The full time employee (whose name I don’t
know yet) has a son who was outside their trailer as we were hooking up our
water/sewage lines. He’s 9 years old and
his name is John. As John was getting ready for some secret mission that he and
Ozias (Ryan and Felicia’s son) were setting off on, he looked over at the bikes
and asked, “Are you guys cowboys?” What
I wanted to say was “No, we’re not cowboys...we’re bad ass bikers” but I played
by the rules and simply said, “Cowboys? No, we are not cowboys.” Not as much fun but probably more
appropriate and safer. 😏
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