Yesterday was awesome but today was awesomer. I know, i know. It’s not a real word… but today is my birthday so its my rules. All. Day. Long.

We woke up bright and early because it was time to say good-bye to the always fabulous Shady Dell.

And if you wake up early on your birthday, you get more birthday! And breakfast too. The Bisbee Breakfast Club was just a hop, skip and jump away from The Shady Dell. Which we of course discovered on our last day there. Why does that always happen? Why can’t we discover local favorites on the first day?

Good-bye Bisbee. You are a sweet little town.

Good-bye Bisbee Mine. Your copper hillsides reminds of lucky pennies even though you kind of scare me.

Today was mostly a driving day since our trip is quickly approaching its end. We have set our daily max to around 200 miles when driving during the day in order to keep our toddler and cat sane. And we like to add at least one sight-seeing stop along the way too. That way, Ava and I can chit chat about where we are going or where we just were.

While we are sight-seeing, we place Yoda in the Airstream so she can refuel and potty. While driving to our destinations, Yoda sits in a large enclosure that holds a smaller carrier, a blankie and her favorite cat scratching pad. She does well in it for the most part. But if we keep her confined in there for more than two hours at a time, she starts to meow and tries to claw her way out of there. So that is another reason we like to take a lot of stretching breaks.

Our stop of the day was the Kartchner Caverns. None of us (including David and Carrie) have ever been there before so it was going to be an extra special treat for everyone.

As soon as we paid for our tickets, they informed us that all of our belongings needed to be stored in a locker. Jackets, sippy cups, food, purses, scarfs, cameras, and even emergency diaper supplies. This was a huge surprise for us. We did some research online but didn’t notice any restrictions on the websites we visited. The tour of the cave we chose (the Rotunda Room) was going to be 1.5 hours long. With no extra diapers on hand (or water) I was a bit apprehensive but I am a rule follower so I followed the rules. No diapers. No exceptions. If they wanted to chance a leaky diaper in their cave, I could too.

According to the Friends of Katchner Cave website, the “Kartchner Caverns is a stunning limestone cavern system in Southeastern Arizona discovered in 1974 by two amateur cavers from Tucson. The cave was kept a secret for 14 years to protect it from vandalism and exploitation and to ensure the survival of its delicate ecosystem. Kartchner Caverns is a wet living cave into which water still percolates from the surface above and calcium carbonate features are still growing. It has an unusually wide variety of brilliantly colored cave formations, including the longest known Soda Straw stalactite formation in the world.”

In summary, it was AMAZING! You have to go there if you are near Tucson. Seriously. The Rotunda room is open year around. The Big Room is only open during certain months of the year. They close it during bat migration season so the bats nor the babies that will be born there won’t be distributed by anyone… which makes the cave even more AMAZING. The respect they show the cave and its inhabitants leaves you with a good taste in your mouth. Sometimes things work out perfectly for both sides. Yeah.

The cave is super humid and really sensitive due to its location. Thus, the rules for storing all of your “stuff” while on tour. As soon as we entered the cave through a series of protective steel doors, we got gently sprayed down with misters to keep the lint “on” our clothes. The temperature change is drastic and immediate. And in case you are wondering, Ava did well on the tour. As soon as we entered the cave, she kept repeating “it’s hot” and made the guide and the guests giggle. And when we entered the Rotunda Room, she immediately started to whisper. The entire time. She did perfectly. And didn’t have a leaky diaper neither. Thank goodness.

No pictures of the cave, obviously… but Ava did get to play in the little kids area of the Visitor’s Center.

And she wasn’t the only one enjoying the little kid’s area. Hehe.

We decided to spend the night in Gila Bend, Arizona. It’s a small small town but it was about 200 miles from Bisbee and had a few RV parks. We decided on Augie’s Quail Trail RV Park for the night. And how couldn’t we. They claim to be “the friendliest folks around”. There were numerous snow birds there. Lots with huge rigs that made us pale in comparison.

Augie was kind enough to park us at the edge of the RV Park in order to be closer to the restrooms, WI-FI and vast openness of his 44 acre parcel.

The perfect backdrop for present opening. Yes! I got lots of cool gifts… with bird themes. I have a thing for birds, in case you didn’t know. And I got a slice of coconut pie too. Thanks David and Carrie!

Dan and Ava got me this cool bird pop-up book that displays the different birdscapes of our country. And low and behold, the very first one in the book is of the Sonoran Desert. What a coincidence!

After settling in, we hit the town gas station to get our fill of cheap diesel, mint chip Thrifty ice cream and dinosaur rides.

And then we were off to get at bite to eat at Little Italy to enjoy some authentic Italian food and to celebrate MY BIRTHDAY!!! Cheers!

the end,
marlene

Today was one of the most fun days ever… as you can tell by the picture above. I’ll get to that soon enough. It was our second morning waking up at The Shady Dell and it was as beautiful as the first. The morning light was filtering into the living room perfectly, as if we were on a movie set. Ava and Yoda were hanging out on the couch, waiting for the campground cat to make its morning rounds. All was well with the two of them until I mentioned to Ava that we were going to Tombstone… The Town too Tough to Die.

They both started to channel cowboys from the past. Doc Holiday and one of the Clanton brothers, I believe. And in no time at all, we had a wild wild west showdown on our hands.

I needed to get one of them out of the trailer. Quick. So after a quick game of roshambo, it was determined that Ava would be the one of join us. I’m totally just kidding, of course. It wasn’t roshambo. Yoda prefers head or tails.

Our first stop in Tombstone was Big Nose Kate’s Saloon for some lunch. The building was previous a hotel. There were several destructive fires over the years and one of those fires burned down the second floor where the extracurricular activities took place. When the current saloon was built about 30 years ago, the charred ceilings remained as part of their decor. Here is Ava entering the saloon like a bad ass gunslinger.

With full bellies, we all donned fake mustaches and starting shooting a movie all around town. I think we got a lot more attention in town than a lot of the old west re-enactment actors, especially Ava. She had the best ‘stache in the bunch.

As you can see above, we took a cool stagecoach ride around town and got to see where Wyatt Earp and the gang lived… and died.

We will be premiering our Tombstone video once we get back home and have a few more hours to spare. I can’t wait. Some of the scenes we filmed of Ava will make you pee your pants. At least a little. I promise.

One of our last stops of the day was the Bird Cage Theater. It stood as it did over 100 years ago. Its doors closed way back in 1889 and it now stands as a museum. The curtains on the stage are still the originals. They second floor where the ladies of the night sold their “talents” are still there. And the original poker table that Doc Holiday played at is displayed on the gambling floor.

Dragging Ava around town to saloons, gambling halls and brothels was probably not the smartest idea. And the sheriff agreed. Please tell my mom to send us bail money. I think I saw a Western Union around the corner. We’re innocent, I tell ya!

the end,
marlene

It never fails. Whenever we start a road trip, we can never get the inside temperature just right while we are sleeping. It takes us about three days to finally settle on a temperature that is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right. We sound like the Three Little Bears every morning. Once we all agreed that 65 degrees was just right, Yoda began being a bit happier. A bit like her old self. She even started bird watching outside of our bedroom window. She can now officially add the Gila Woodpecker to her Bird Life List. Whaaat? I’m not the bird dork. Yoda is!

Our first stop of the day was the historic Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson. The hotel is famous for its authentic 1920s beauty and for the fire which led to the capture of one of the country’s most notorious criminals — John Dillinger.

It’s also famous with those interested in a bit of ghost hunting. There is supposedly a woman smelling of roses that graces the lobby and stairwell…

…and a man on the second floor that was killed in a gunfight over a card game gone wrong. I asked Ava if she saw a man in the hallway and she pointed to this male statue lamp. How could I not agree? She was obviously correct. Let’s try this again. We then walked the halls with her and I asked her if she saw a man. Her answer was “yes”. I then asked if he was wearing a hat. She answered “No yes”. And shoes? “No yes”. And then I heard someone say “You’re leading the witness.” And then I said ” Shut up Dan”.

We also couldn’t resist visiting San Xavier Del Bac Mission just a few miles from downtown Tucson. It is said to be the finest example of mission architecture in the entire U.S. of A. I’m no expert in mission architecture but it made a believer out of me.

The interior will take your breath away. As soon as you step past the massive wooden doors, you are struck by the graceful blend of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance architecture. It’s truly amazing.

As soon as Ava walked into the mission, she got a twinkle in her eye. You know, the kind that will get her, and all of us, in big big trouble. She was a split second from screaming the word ECHO into the domes above with all of her might. I got down on my knees and started praying for forgiveness told her that this was not the time for echoing but a time for whispering. And by golly, it worked. She spent her entire visit whispering and putting her finger over her nose. Hehe. She has yet to master the shhhh. But I find her version much cuter if I don’t say so myself.

We ended up dropping Carrie off back at Hotel Congress to meet a friend after our mission visit. The city of Tucson decided that it was a good idea to close all of the freeway ramps on Interstate 10 for a 20 miles stretch right next to downtown without any warnings on the freeway on-ramps. We drove over 10 miles each way up and down the freeway before we were able to find an exit near downtown!

Carrie and her friend from Tucson were going to pick up my brother David from the Greyhound station that night so he could join us for the second leg of our journey. So it was back to Catalina State Park for Dan, Ava and me. With all the wonderful site seeing we tried to cram in just a short few days, we really didn’t have a chance to enjoy the park’s surroundings as much as we would of liked. It was nice to have a free afternoon to do just that.

After dinner, we noticed that our gray water tank was almost filled to the brim… which meant that we no longer could wash dishes in the trailer. Damn! So it was off the the facilities to use their sink. On our dark and spooky walk to wash dishes, Ava decided that she didn’t want to walk close to us. I casually mentioned that she had to stay close because there might be coyotes lingering about. Oh man was that a bad idea. She bolted up into Dan’s arms before I could even recall if she even knew what a coyote was in the first place.

Doesn’t our Mali Mish look divine in a desert sunset? We were one of three Airstreams at the park.

Alright. Yoda is trying to rush me off of the computer so she can steal my warm seat.

the end,
marlene

over and out,
dan

We took Yoda to the vet a few days ago to prepare her for traveling with us around the country. We had a long list of Yoda To-Do’s that needed crossing off, which included yearly blood work, vaccine boosters, microchips, and health certificates.

We actually traveled with Yoda when we took our old T@b to Arizona last January but did not have any documentation with us when we got stopped at the California-Arizona border. It would have been really bad news for Yoda if not for the fact that when asked if we had any pets in the car, Dan answered ‘no’. But he didn’t intentionally lie. You see our first road trip started of like this but ended up like this. We were beyond exhausted and somehow forgot we had a cat in the car with us. Sorry Yoda.

When we settled into one of the rooms at our veterinarian’s office, Ava started to cry. Not sure why. She usually doesn’t do that… not even at her pediatrician’s office… well, not until she gets her ears checked.

After explaining to her that this is Yoda’s doctor and not hers, her cries turned into smiles. Neneer Neener neener. You’re getting shots and not meeeeeee!

Our old vet and I decided to stop giving Yoda rabies vaccines a while back. I had her vaccinated years ago when I was working as a wildlife rehabber for mammals. But when I solely focused on rehabbing songbirds, there was no longer a need for it since birds can’t carry the rabies virus and since Yoda was an indoor cat. Since the vaccine is needed for travel, we decided to add it to her yearly regimen once again. We also decided to start giving Yoda yearly blood tests in order to catch anything that might harm her in the future, as we wished we did with our dear old dog Rudy.

On top of that, we also had Yoda microchipped in case she ever got lost during one of our trips. The vet injected a small rice-sized microchip between her shoulder blades. If Yoda ever gets lost, almost every shelter and vet is equipped with a scanner that will transmit Yoda’s unique code. The microchip company our vet used was HomeAgain. After the injection, we took Yoda’s unique code and registered it on their website, along with her picture and other required stats.

Even though Yoda was pissed off at us and the world for the next 12 hours or so, she is back to old self now and is ready to travel the world… with her new microchip.

the end,
marlene