Bone Scavengers

A portion of the Mojave Airport is referred to as an airplane boneyard. In 1990 Eastern Airlines asked to store some planes in this dry desert air that makes it safe from corrosion. Soon other airlines chose this site for their surplus and over 200 planes were stored here. Some of the airliners were older planes that did not meet noise standards, or needed new engines; a few were new Boeing 747's awaiting British Airways' need overseas (which never materialized). Most became scrap and are now cannibalized for parts. The Mojave Airport is also a renowned civilian flight test center and home to some unique aircraft such as the Rutan Voyager (record for nonstop unfueled flight around the world), the Proteus (high-altitude telecommunications relay), and SpaceShipOne (first private manned spacecraft). Hollywood has come calling many times to shoot movies here such as Speed, Waterworld, Flight Plan, Die Hard II, and others.

Crystal Cathedral

As a great fan of Robert Schuller and The Hour of Power, the Crystal Cathedral was a "must see" of mine. It's amazing to think that Dr. Schuller started this church at the Orange Drive-In in 1955, and became known for his walk-in/drive-in services. The first structure that was designed and built kept this in mind and had a raised pulpit and glass walls, so people in their cars could see Dr. Schuller while he preached. Out of those humble, but popular beginnings, rose today's 10,000 window Crystal Cathedral, fully paid for when opened and dedicated in 1980. It is designed to withstand an 8+ earthquake, and it's 900 strategically placed operational windows create natural air conditioning--years ahead of its time. The 13-story Tower of Hope was built and opened earlier (in 1968) to house the first church-sponsored 24-hour suicide and crisis prevention hotline, which is still operational today. Atop the Tower is a 90-foot high neon-lit cross that can be seen for miles across the valley. On the tenth anniversary of the Cathedral (1990), the Bell Tower and Spire were dedicated. Housed inside this structure of highly polished stainless steel prisms, is a 52-bell carillon. Everything on this magnificent campus is well done and truly is "to the glory of man for the greater glory of God."

San Diego Zoo

How can you be in Southern California and not go to the San Diego Zoo? We spent the afternoon at the 1800-acre Wild Animal Park, strolled the two-mile Kilimanjaro Safari Walk, and saw wonderful wildlife in as natural a habitat as California can accomplish. Being that it's springtime, there were lots of very cute babies, from giraffes, to lions, to elephants. San Diego's not-for-profit Zoo is devoted to the conservation of endangered species and research work around the globe. Our experience reinforced that they do a wonderful job.

Hotel Hopping

The Phoenix and Scottsdale area has some very posh resorts, so we went in search of some of them--not to stay at, but to ogle. The Boulders Resort (actually in Carefree, AZ) is hard to pick out among the huge granite rocks that appear precariously perched. Enlarge the picture and see how many buildings you can find! There are 48 Pueblo-styled villas, two championship golf courses, and the Golden Door Spa on the property. A beautiful place to just meander around. Further up the road we had a late lunch at the Four Seasons Resort, at Troon North. The food at the China Moon was scrumptious and a nice ending to our hotel hopping trek.

In Plane Sight

Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson has over 200 acres, more than five giant hangars, and over 275 aircraft on display. As the largest non-government aviation museum and with 125,000 artifacts, there's hardly another place like it for exploring military, commercial, and civil aviation heritage. From the popular B-24 Superfortress, SR-71 Blackbird, and rare WWII German V-1 "buzz bomb" to the smallest airplane, the "BumbleBee" (pictured), the giant PBM-Mariner seaplane (pictured) and more recent Kennedy/Johnson Air Force One (pictured), this museum has something for everyone. We took the outdoor tram tour with a very knowledgeable guide who provided insights into a vast array of aircraft, such as what it was used for, any well-known figures who had flown it, what the pilots thought of the craft (sometimes not very highly!), what some pitfalls were, etc. Pima Air has a few planes that are one-of-a-kind, for example, a F-107 designed and built for the military by North American to travel at Mach 2, but which lost the bid to Republic's F-105 due to a slightly better design. While we were at the museum, also touring were a group of former Tuskegee Airmen, who were America's first and only all-Black military aviators.

The Wright Stuff

Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture has always been my favorite and today we got a chance to tour Taliesin West, his winter residence or "camp" from 1937 to his death in 1959. Wright believed that architecture is life taking form. His designs integrated buildings with their surroundings, drawing inspiration from the nature and materials of the setting--appropriate to "time, place, and man," according to Wright. Of the 100 buildings listed in The Architectural Record as the most significant in the world, 11 were by Wright. Taliesin West was built entirely by Wright's apprentices as a "learn by doing" exercise. Apparently, he was a master of "the deal." Although he could be very difficult, opinionated, and stubborn, Wright was very patient with and good to his students. Taliesin West continues as an educational facility under the accredited Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

No Ho Ho's

This four-story structure is the largest known from Hohokam times. The Casa Grande (Great House) remains have been protected from sun and rain by a steel canopy erected in 1932. Hohokam means "all-gone", and such is the mystery of these people who can be traced back to the year 300 but not after 1400. During the time this village was alive and active, these industrious people dug over twenty miles of irrigation canals to water the fields, hand made beautiful shell jewelry, wove intricate cotton textiles, and created colorful pottery. As technology continues to become more sophisticated, perhaps one day the mystery of what became of the Hohokams will be solved.

Museum Safari

On the western edge of Tucson, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum contains a natural history museum, zoo, and botanical garden. We had a delightful lunch at the upscale cafe there, then spent the afternoon strolling the grounds. All of the birds, animals, and plants on the property are indigenous to the area. Our favorite shots are posted above.

Relating to The Roadrunner

Okay, okay. So I said I was glad to see green again, and then I go right back out in search of cacti. But how could one pass up seeing the wondrous Saguaros? (The Roadrunner made them famous!) Each one can live for about 200 years, can weigh a couple of tons, and doesn't grow "arms" until age 70 or so. They get so tall they can dwarf me and Drew! And Saguaro National Park (near Tucson) has a forest of them. Pretty awesome. Beep. Beep.

It's Good to be Green

Ahhhhh. After what seems like YEARS of sagebrush and dust, we've finally returned to grass. Of course, it's transplanted to here in the desert, but we'll take it! We arrived in Casa Grande, Arizona, and are at a beautiful resort. The off-season is beginning here, so we got a two-night for one-night rate, complete with $12 greens fees. Although we could see what we want in Tucson and Phoenix in a few days, we may stay a few weeks and just kick back, catch up on our walking, golf, and hot-tubbing. Who knows? That's the beauty of being retired.

Sand in My Shoes

You'd think that being a native Floridian and spending most of my life in Jacksonville Beach, I wouldn't seek out SAND. But 275 square miles of pure white gypsum sand ringed by mountains, is a bit different. We went to White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico and were awed by the tall, tall dunes (some up to 60-feet high) and the mesmerizing patterns created by the prevailing winds. This area is also home to White Sands Missile Range and is where the first atomic bomb test took place in 1945. We weren't the only ones enjoying the clear, sunny day; kids and adults alike were "sledding" down the dunes on plastic discs (similar to a garbage can lid!) available at the visitors' center.

On a Mission. . .

. . .to see the Missions. Today we followed the Mission Trail to see some beautiful old churches that are still active today. All three that we toured were built in the Rio Grande river valley and all three had to be rebuilt after major floods in 1740 and again in 1829. Now that's faith! Mission Ysleta is the one with the beehive-shaped dome bell tower and is the oldest continuously active parish in Texas, the first Mass being held in 1680. Mission Socorro has the flatter-shaped bell tower and dates back to 1691 when it was comprised of sixty Indian families and fifteen Spanish families. San Elizario Chapel is the one with the rounded, multi-bell tower. It was established around 1789 as a post chapel to support the fort named after the French patron saint of soldiers. Thanks to the commitment of local communities, historical societies, and individuals, these Missions are still here for us to visit and enjoy today.

El Paso and Juarez View

A scenic drive takes you high above El Paso where you can see well into Mexico. We had wanted to walk across into Juarez, but due to the recent uprisings along the border, we decided not to. But we got a good view from our mountain elevation. In the picture, Mexico can be seen in the hills rising beyond the downtown area (the area of yesterday's blog and our historic walking tour). If you enlarge it, you can see a couple of the bridges. In the gap between high-rises, you can see the backup of cars [look for shiny objects!] waiting on the bridge to clear customs and enter El Paso. The Rio Grande separates El Paso from Juarez.