Gilbert Ray Campground, Sonoran Desert Museum, Saguaro National Park, and who broke our door?

Driving to Gilbert Ray Campground northwest of Tucson was quite a ride. 

Read my earlier post about getting lost and then add this story to it! 

We came in from the north.  We took W Avre Valley Rd from I-10.  Went west on it and then turned south on Sandario Road.  That goes for 10 miles or so until it reaches Mile Wide Road where we turned left.  That brought us past the Sonora Desert Museum and to the second entrance to the McCain Loop Rd where we went right to get to Gilbert Ray Campground. 

Let me go back to Sandario Rd.  It is so full of dips!  I was following Shae who was driving the truck pulling the camper.  I saw our things flinging up and down as he traveled somewhat slowly down the long road.  I just prayed the Lord would put angels to hold our things in place.  One of the hard things about traveling full time is that we got rid of most of what we owned.  We either gave it away or sold it.  I still have some in a storage trailer in our friend's cow pasture but not much.  I was always reminding myself that "I can't take it to heaven".  There were days that were more difficult than others as I saw things that I liked leave my home.  It was very character changing for me.  So, as I saw our things getting tossed around in the camper driving down the awful road, I had to keep reminding myself that it is just stuff.  I can't stress about it or worry.  It is a constant choice to keep things in perspective.  Yet, I know that we are to be good stewards of what God has given us.  Shae works hard to make the money that pay for everything we own.  So, I pray for God to protect our things from breaking, yet know that if I do lose something it is not the end of the world.

Shae was the first to go into the camper.  Things weren't terrible in the front.  The back was a mess.  Stuff had been tossed everywhere, but thankfully nothing was broken.  After about an hour of cleanup, the camper was back to normal.

There was a nice concrete pad at our site.

My teens do sword fighting for exercise in our campsite at Gilbert Ray Campground.

Gilbert Ray Campground is very nice.  I didn't ask if they had a shower house, I just assumed they did since they didn't have full hook ups.  I won't make that mistake again.  There is no shower house.  We planned on taking showers the day we arrived, so instead, we continued to stink.  Sink baths only last so long, so we did eventually take turns having showers outside.  I washed the girls hair with the outdoor shower.  One night, I went out after dark and started my shower.  The wind was so cold and I kept screaming quietly when the air would blow on me.  I found out there was a star gazing group just through the bushes.  I am sure they had a good laugh as they heard me freezing. 

The cactus were in bloom, so hikes were beautiful.  The bad part is that the rattle snakes were coming out and being found all over the campground.  That makes it hard with the kids running everywhere.  I had to be watching out all of the time.  There are also a lot of mountain lions in Arizona, so we had to watch the kids on any hikes we went on.  It makes it difficult with so many little ones.  I don't know how many times Gabriel almost fell into a cactus.  The spines on those things are huge!

We stayed in campsite C1, which is the biggest site in the campground.  They gave it to us since we had so two vehicles and two trailers.  It was nice to have some privacy.  It used to be the camp host site.

Of course, we loved the Sonora Desert Museum.  We bought a family year pass, so went 4 times in a week.  Josie loved all of the bronze animal sculptures.  She kissed them over and over.

There is so much to do there for everyone. 

The Saguaro National Park was just a few miles down the road.  It is amazing to drive through so many stunning cactus.  They have a great Junior Ranger Program there.  We always have Josie do the programs, even though she is a little young, at 3 yrs old.  But, it would be hard on her if Gabriel and Naomi always got badges as she didn't.  So, Shae took her and read her the questions and helped her find the answers.  When we went back inside to get their badges for completing the book, the Ranger at the counter looked unsure about a 3 yr old actually completing the older kids booklet.  She took Josie's book and began to ask her the questions to see if she could really do such a difficult book.  Josie answered every question correctly!  The Ranger told me, "I was sceptical that a 3 yr old could actually do this program, but I was wrong!  She did great!" 

We went for the drive around the scenic loop.  Shae stopped the van so we could look at the holes made in the ground by animals.  I opened the side door so the kids could see them.  As I went to close it, Shae told me he would do it by driving forward and then putting on the brakes.  Then, the door would slide forward and shut.  This is something he and I have done for years with different vehicles.  So, I sat back as he pulled forward, but he slammed on the brakes!  Wow!  We flew forward, thankfully in our seat belts.  The door rushed forward and smashed into the lock.  Well, it closed, but we were all a little surprised at the force of it.  He just cringed and kept going.  We enjoyed the rest of the drive down the terribly bumpy dirt road.  We were almost out of gas and I had read the map wrong.  I thought the scenic drive was a lot shorter than it really was.  So, when we arrived back at the visitor's center, we were very low on gas and now our sliding door wouldn't open!  The door jammed when Shae put on the brakes too hard!  The kids and I went back inside and left Shae alone to fix it.  I have learned over the years to leave him be when something like that happens.  We try not to bother him when he is fixing broken items.

He did fix it, though.  I was not surprised, he can do just about anything.  That is what is nice, if he can break it, he sure can fix it!

All in all, we had a wonderful time in that area.  We shopped at a grocery store that made me feel like we were in Mexico.  It was fun to try to figure out what to do with all the different foods they sold there.  We left the area ready to get to a new state and maybe some trees!

Montezuma's Well and Montezuma's Castle

Montezuma's Well

Montezuma's Castle

We had an absolutely wonderful visit to Montezuma's Well and Montezuma's Castle. 

We headed up I-17N out of Phoenix.  The traffic was awful.  Tons of construction, too.  We drove our van and left our camper behind.  Thank goodness, it would of been a long trip if we had pulled it behind. 

Montezuma's Castle is a great place to visit.  It is about 2 hrs north of Phoenix, maybe less depending on where exactly you are.

We enjoyed the Visitor's Center where my kids got their Junior Ranger program.  They have a wonderful workbook for all ages.  There was even a little check off sheet for my two year old.  She had to look for different animals, plants, etc.
                                                    



Enjoying a talk with the Park Ranger at Montezuma's Castle.  We got to scrape cactus leaves to make a twine and rope.  Gabriel loved doing the activity.

Naomi had her Josephina Amerian Girl doll along

The adobe castle is beautiful.  It sits back in a very high cliff.  The natives had to climb ladders to get in.
I especially enjoyed the river that flowed in the valley under the adobe homes.  My heart is refreshed everytime we visit one of our countries many beautiful waterways.

As we were leaving the castle, the Park Ranger came up to me and commented on how happy he was that we stayed a long time.  He said most people see it in half an hour, but we spent closer to two hours!

For us, we typically like to go slow.  I would rather really enjoy a sight then go super fast and see a little of a bunch of places.

Montezuma's Well

After leaving there, we went to Montezuma's Well, which is our favorite place of the two.  There were less people and it is more remote.  The Park Ranger there told us they had seen a mountain lion right where our van was parked, not too long ago.  It was a good reminder that those terrible and stately animals roam that land.  I kept my eyes open.  I looked up above us to make sure none were in the trees over us.

The water canals built by the Indians are stunning.  The water is also quite warm.  We did a lot of hiking and picture taking.  We truly enjoyed our day.

The Badlands of South Dakota and Buffalo Gap Grasslands

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

I wasn't sure what to expect. We have been in the Badlands of New Mexico, but thought South Dakota's Badlands would be different, and they sure are! We all thought they were a cross between the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert, both in Arizona. It was beautiful, yet so seemingly dead. The colors were gray, brown, and a layer of red here and there. The peaks rose sharply in the sky and deep ravines dug into the earth.

This is a fossil mine; yet I was disappointed to find out the fossils you see on the Fossil Trail are fake. We were hoping to see the real ones.

We went on a Saturday and brought our ATVs. We found numerous sites online that told us we could go off roading in the Badlands. We were excited as we drove east out of Custer, where we stayed, through Custer State Park then north towards Rapid City and onto Badlands National Park. We would have gone what seemed a shorter way through the Sioux Indian Reservation, but two people told us not to. They said the crime is horrible. That if we broke down, we would come back to our vehicle stripped down to nothing. I used to live on an Indian Reservation in northern Wisconsin. Yes, there is crime, but there is everywhere. I hope these people were not just prejudice against these Indians. I know many nice Indians, or maybe it is more politically correct to say Native Americans, I'm not sure. Where I grew up, they were called Indians and proud of it. It is a subject that I could avoid in my posts. Prejudice is a serious word. Some would say that different prejudices are earned while others are passed down.  Either way, we try to teach our children to be open minded and judge fairly - lest we be judged.  (off my soap box now)

First, we entered the Buffalo Gap Grasslands. It was pretty with the Badland Buttes in the background. We saw lots of prairie dogs, deer, and a few people. There are a few motels, but all were booked up for the night.

We went to the Visitor's Center on the Park. One ranger said we could ride our ATVs on the Badlands National Park and the other Ranger said we couldn't. They didn't seem to get along either! So, to play it safe, we stayed off the National Park and road in the Buffalo Gap Grasslands just to the south. It was amazing. Riding on our 4 wheelers is a great way to enjoy the scenery. There aren't all the people and cars. Just us and the land. We road for a long time while the guys enjoyed the hills and buttes.

The rocks there are so smooth. We figure from the constant wind blowing the sand over them. 

There was a prairie dog ghost town. We found out the prairie dogs have the plague! Yes, the actual plague! Signs are everywhere that tell people not to get out of there cars at the prairie dog towns. We stayed well clear of those, or at least most of us did, but that is another story.

We bought a map at the Visitor's Center that showed the grasslands boundaries. There is a lot of room to ride. Shae and Cody enjoyed the berms and hills. We rode for hours and had a wonderful time. We decided we wanted to come back the next day but like I said before, we couldn't find a motel, so we headed home. The next morning we drove back and the guys rode some more. Shae was pretty sore so didn't want to ride all day. I guess he is getting old...he he he. The kids and I went to the Visitor's Center and did Junior Ranger.

Then onto the beautiful scenic drive. The buttes go up so high and down so low. We took a couple pictures of the butte cracks in a few rocks for the guys...ha ha. They thought we were funny. The kids and I didn't get to ride, just Shae and Cody.

When we got back to the riding area a wind storm hit and we had to get in the van. Sand was flying everywhere.
We had such a wonderful time. It was an amazing experience. I definitely recommend you go to this place and bring your ATVs, dirt bikes, and UTVs!
Sheri