7/3/13 - Tucson, AZ

We got almost ½ inch of rain last night.  The nursing home called us at 5:30 this morning and woke us up.  Mom has a UTI and they are starting her on a antibiotic.  We went ahead and got up and made coffee.  We sat outside and looked at our maps.  We decided to leave Naco and go to a couple of  more national sites. 

We drove to Coronado National Memorial. This area is where the Coronado expedition came through on their search for the seven cities of gold in the 1500s. We drove up to Montezuma Pass at 6575’.  We had to drop the Casita at the visitor center.  The drive up to Montezuma Pass is on a narrow, windy, steep road.  Then we walked up a trail to Coronado Peak that was at an elevation of 6864’.  The weather wasn’t too hot so it was a nice hike.  We could see for miles around.  It was right near the Mexico border.   I talked to a couple of border police when we got back to the truck.  They said they were always finding ladders at the border fence.

Then we left and drove to Tumacacori National Monument north of Nogales, Arizona.  This is a Spanish mission which dates back to the 1700s.  We then drove to Tucson and got a site at an RV park we stayed at 7 years ago.  When we checked in they gave us a bag of fresh peaches.  It was 108 degrees while we were unhitching.  After turning on the air conditioner in the Casita we decided to leave and go to Dragoon Brewing, about a mile away.  I took a picture of the head brewer, Eric Green, and the assistant brewer Sean. 

We went to Pizza Hut and ordered a large pizza, and when it was ready they had made a medium.  So they remade it and gave us both of them plus a free order of breadsticks. All for $10.00!  After returning back to the RV park, we moved a picnic table to try to block a light outside the Casita.  I heard a rattlesnake and hollered at Jim to go get a flashlight because I was afraid to move.  It was about 1 ½ feet from where I was standing.  Two men at sites near us heard me and came running.  They took care of the snake.  One couple said they had been here in the park for 9 months and had never seen a rattlesnake.  I will probably dream about snakes tonight.  I still get the chills.