Off we go into the wild, wild, west again! We left Tucson Tuesday morning and just took a short 2 hour jaunt a little north to Mesa, AZ. We had a nice send off by getting together with our group of neighbors before everyone started leaving until next year.
Mesa is mostly made up of suburbs and is about 20 miles east of Phoenix and is the 3rd largest city in AZ. Guess most people want to be in the city or close to it rather then way out there in the wide open desert by themselves! We are at the Desert Vista RV Resort and far enough away from Phoenix that we don’t get into all the traffic that is part of the reputation of Phoenix. So we are settled in for the next month and it is going to be HOT! Next week takes us into the mid 90s. I am going to miss those few cool days we had. We took the same route to Mesa from Tucson that we took 2 years ago when we spent the winter here. Below, I took the same picture of the same mountain through the windshield 2 years ago!
The history of Mesa dates back at least 2,000 years to the arrival of the Hohokam people. The Hohokam, whose name means "All Used Up" or "The Departed Ones", built the original canal system. The canals were the largest and most sophisticated in the prehistoric New World. Some were up to 90 feet wide and ten feet deep at their head gates, extending for as far as 16 miles across the desert. By A.D. 1100 water could be delivered to an area over 110,000 acres, transforming the Sonoran Desert into an agricultural oasis. By A.D. 1450, the Hohokam had constructed hundreds of miles of canals many of which are still in use today. Amazing! After the disappearance of the Hohokam and before the arrival of the early settlers little is known, as explorers did not venture into this area. By the late 19th century near present-day Mesa, U.S. Army troops subdued the Apache, opening the way for settlement. There is a scenic drive called the Apache Trail and the loop takes several hours to drive but takes you through some beautiful countryside of cacti and mountains, and past some really pretty lakes. There are also some ancient Indian ruins you can hike up to. These pictures were from 2 years ago and I will add new ones because we want to take part of the drive again.
Our first order of business after parking and setting up was a trip to Tom’s BBQ! Some the best BBQ there is ! Yep, it was still delicious! So we spent the first few days driving around town to the doctor for prescriptions, made dental appointment, shopped and walked at the local big enclosed mall, oil change on the truck, craft store, 2nd small mall and book store, breakfast at a local café we liked, credit union, called a good friend to get together with who spent the winter here, sports store, Sprouts grocery (great fresh veggies), and, last but not least, Wal-Mart! Do you think we are trying to do everything all at once?!? Yikes, what will we do the rest of the month!? Will keep you posted…….
The "mountain" you passed was Picacho Peak. It was the site of the most western conflict in the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jan. That is interesting since I am a Civil War buff. Many people climb to the top but I understand it is VERY steep and you have to use chains! Not for me!!
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