Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Slept In, Perimeter Walk, Sierra Vista Shops, Kartchner Caverns


Huachuca City, AZ
On Tuesday, Dec. 3rd, Bill and I slept in until 7 and so the start to our day was a bit later than usual. It was mild enough at 39F/4C so I dressed accordingly and walked the perimeter of the park. The back section of the park is the Long Term & Mobile Home Resort and that is where I walked today, covering every street, lane, ave. It was a nice walk and I actually caught some of the sunrise as I left our site. I walked by our friends’ ‘home’ as well before heading back towards our Suite.


Nice to catch the sunrise today
A puzzle on the go, I'll have to get in there to lend a hand

And in the clubhouse close to us, I remember
the large selection of books for exchange
in the corner
Back home, I had tea and Bill and I discussed what we were doing today. I texted Bob and Jo-Anne that we were going into Sierra Vista to a few places and asked if they wanted to join us. As it turned out, they wanted to drive on their own and scout things out as well. That works as we can then both go in the directions we need and meet back at camp. We all agreed to go to the Kartchner Caverns after lunch.

Friends we met 2 years ago were still here in their
Mobile Suite but had added a permanent covering
and many more decorations around their place


The park is fuller than we've ever seen
This long trailer and matching tow vehicle is still here too

Yay, bunny rabbits are here too!
Bill and I stopped at the CVS Pharmacy for cash but there was no Allpoints cash machine. We drove from there to Fry’s where we picked up a few groceries, not much, just a few items we were out of. There was a cash machine there  where Bill got cash out and it seems that we didn’t get charged to use it. That is a bonus and a total surprise as we were prepared to pay a fee. We saw our camp mates checking out as we walked in and heard later that Jo-Anne got her Fry’s points card. Instant discounts as well as cheap fuel.


Back clubhouse and pool room

Front clubhouse, the one near us
Next, was Ross’s department store. I love this store as you never know what you’ll find and their prices can be awesome. 

entering Sierra Vista
Kind of like a Winner’s back home, but better. Bill dropped me off and he drove across the street to Lowe’s for more Christmas lights. Hobby Lobby is in the same strip mall so we both ended up there. I found a few gifts for stockings and remembered to use my phone app and got 40% off my most expensive item. Yay!


One of my favourite clothing stores down here
Then home for a quick bite for lunch. We met Bob and Jo-Anne outside around 1:30 and Bob drove us the 10 miles to the caves. We didn’t make a reservation, although we could have, and paid the entrance fee to park at the State Park. Inside, we weren’t sure if we’d be able to get in on a tour and got lucky with the 4 last spaces available on the 1:45 tour. We left our sweaters, jackets, phones, cameras and purses in a locker as they were either not allowed or not needed.



It was 72F/23C and very humid inside the caves but we were prepared. I didn’t think I’d take my glasses off but within the first 5 minutes they steamed up so I tucked them away for the rest of the tour. Celebrity Jim, our trolley driver has over 23,000 volunteer hours at the park. 18 years on staff. They named a bridge after him so he has a stake now in the park. Nice! 



tools of the trade
Our tour guide, Rochelle, was very good and didn’t miss a beat. Throwing in humour and lots of information about the caves and how they came about, she kept us all enthralled.



I can't even imagine the hours put into this chore
And a nice gentleman obliged and took a picture for us
It was an hour and ¾ long tour, well worth the $23/pp entry fee. I’m glad we finally got there, we’ve talked about it since our first year. No pictures allowed though. Back home by 4:30, we said good night and shortly after 5, Bill lit the Weber and grilled bacon cheese burgers for supper. I prepared a Caesar salad and we were all cleaned up by 5:30 so we could watch the Brad Paisley (he thinks he’s) Special. Their words, not mine. It was an enjoyable hour that we watched together.

Supper was great!

This was a great day. I little birdie tells me that there is rain expected tomorrow so our plans for Tombstone may be moved to another day. There is another birdie that tells me we may see someone else tomorrow too. Wait and see! We're excited about that! We reached 65F/18C today and the sunshine was wonderful for as long as we were outside in it.
The sun was slipping as we drove home from the caverns

Thank you for stopping by.

17 comments:

  1. We seem to love all the same stores and places. I could so relate to your shopping trips and Kartchner Caverns tour. You guys will be busy there and I hope for you to have good weather to see it all. Have fun.

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    1. We could have fun shopping together! :)
      This will be a busy week if the weather cooperates, thanks for your wishes! :)

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  2. OOOOOh I can't wait to see who is maybe visiting you!!! And the puzzle...Don't you hate when someone just does the outside and walks away!! Make sure you guys have a bunch of fun where you are!

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    1. You'll know soon enough, Lorne. :)
      Well, the border can sometimes be the hardest so I'd rather it be done than leaving me the box to start the turning of the pieces. :)
      We'll do our best to have fun here. Teehee

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  3. Glad you got in on the tour, we really enjoyed it. Just an FYI Wednesday is seniors day at Fry's ... 10% off for 55 and older.

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    1. Thank you, it was very cool! We couldn't remember when it was and with our Fry's cards we still got discounts.

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  4. Good to see you found a bit warmer location to visit. We sure enjoyed that area and will definitely be back. Sierra Vista is a great place to shop for sure. Easy to spend a few bucks.

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    1. Yes, we are happy for the warmer temps and as George said, we should have booted it down sooner. :) Love Sierra Vista for shopping, lots of choices without going too farr.

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  5. Wow, I haven't seen a jackleg rock drill in many years, but I drilled many a hole as a young man. Jackleg drills are beasts.

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    1. They all look like beasts to me, Creigh! Ha ha, Nice to hear from you.

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  6. Nice that you got to tour the caverns we did them about 10 years ago and really enjoyed the tour , Tombstone is always frustrating , enjoy and think you may be seeing K and K in the near future.

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    1. We loved the caves and glad that we got there too. I know you don't mean frustrating above in your comment as we always enjoy it as you do. I think you are right about the new arrivals!

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  7. That sure looks like a great RV park ... lots of amenities. I haven't been to Kartchner yet, mostly because they don't allow cameras. I do love Sierra Vista for shopping. Take a look at Green Valley too ... it's getting really big! There's a vendor market of sorts there, I think every Wednesday. Check it out on the internet to be sure of the day. They have a lot of cool stuff!!

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  8. Sounds like you got a lot done in the day, between shopping and the caverns! I love Ross! Ken not so much lol. Beautiful pictures and love the one of the four of you!

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  9. It definitely like a great place to be, lots to do and see. I love Ross as well and try to find one everytime I'm in the U.S.

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  10. Kartchner Caverns are on our list, too. Every time we stop there we talk about going, maybe this year...lol Glad I called yesterday to make reservations for February the woman on the phone mentioned how full they are this year. Between the price, how it is kept up, and central location for day trips the word is definitely out about that place. Enjoy your time.

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  11. Is that green chile on the burger? Looks so delicious! What fun adventures- and I like how you schedule in walks throughout the day. Good fitness, muscle stretching and a brief respite from being with the spouse. Cheers!

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