Back to Apache Junction for a Month

I've spent the last month at the Apache Junction, AZ Elks lodge. The desert flowers are in full bloom.

The lodge has a gorgeous view of the Superstition Mountains.

This suburb of Phoenix is real Arizona, with horses going by often.

I went to Lost Dutchman days, but didn't take any pictures except for the cute wild horses and donkeys up for adoption.

West of us is a property with old airplanes and rusty plows, among other things. Of course, I had to stop and take pictures.

Lots of flowers here, but they weren't poppies. I'll find them later...

One night, 4 of us went to see December '63, a Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons tribute group. They were great!



Why are they called December '63? The answer is in this clip.



I tried to limit my videos to just a couple, but I am totally addicted to the Four Seasons, so I couldn't narrow it down.



So if you are as addicted as I am, you will really enjoy these short videos.



WOW!

Cactus in Lava!

We did a lot of fun stuff while in Puerto Penasco. This is the final blog post on this great area.

One day we did a driving tour of Cholla Bay, then stopped off at JJ's Cantina for a drink right on the water.

There were a lot of pelicans here waiting for a handout.

I just love the 40X zoom on my camera!

On another day, Bart, one of our members who is very familiar with the area took us on a real estate tour. The area seemed pretty empty, because most of these are vacation homes. Americans are not allowed to own real estate within 50 miles of the water in Mexico, but of course there are ways around that.

Afterwards, we went to a lecture at CEDO, the Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans.

The room we were in was decorated with colorful painted tiles, not all from around here, since I recognized the Blue Footed Booby from the Galapagos Islands.

Outside is a skeleton of a Fin Whale. We saw Fin Whales the other day on our boat trip.

Our last big trip was an all-day driving tour of El Pinacate, aka The Biosphere.

There's a beautiful Visitor Center, where you can see cactus growing up out of the lava!

Right at the entrance station to the park is a very tame Red Tail Hawk. You could even pet him!

We then drove the loop shown in the map above. It starts out with the normal beautiful desert views -

But then changes to lava rock!

We made several stops and did short hikes. The first was to the top of the El Elegante crater. This is a "maar crater," which means that the bottom of the crater is lower than the ground around the crater. It's so big I had to put two photos together.

Hi there!

We also stopped at the Cerro Colorado crater, a "tuff cone." Here's one side -

And the other. It has a diameter of almost 1/2 mile!

That's it for Mexico! Now back to the real world...

There's So Much to See Here!

While in Puerto Penasco, we met every morning and afternoon in front of Paul's rig. Paul is the host for this gathering.

One morning, many in the group went kayaking. Note the shrimp boats parked in the background.

The tides here are extreme. One morning we went out at low tide to see what we could see.

We were looking for "walking clams," but didn't see any. But we did see quite a few Hermit Crabs.

And lots of these spiral sand clusters. Anyone know what they are?

Nearby, an osprey kept an eye on us...

One night, Mike did a Karaoke night. Dancing and singing - does it get any better that this?

One of the big trips we took was a combination whale watching/sunset boat trip. Leaving the harbor, we went by these cool old boats.

And we're off!

We saw several dozen Fin Whales - very large, but difficult to get a picture of.

And quite a few dolphins!

On our way back, we had a beautiful sunset.

And even got to dance a bit!

On Valentine's Day I got a big kiss from someone - I don't remember who...

And then there was another gorgeous sunset!

Looking Around Puerto Penasco

Life on the beach here in Mexico has been wonderful. Not only are there beautiful sunsets, but sunrises as well. (If I get up early enough...)

Walking around the cute little town of Puerto Penasco is also fun.

The malecon is a short distance from where we are parked.

There's a statue here of a fisherman sitting on a giant shrimp. They do have big shrimp here, but not quite that big...

The birds like him -

And all the other statues too!

There are some beautiful murals in town, and I like the cute little trailer.

And this mosaic is just gorgeous!

Of course like all Mexican towns, there are lots of unfinished buildings with rebar sticking out of them. But there is also some interesting architecture.

I don't think these palm leaves are fooling anyone...

And of course there are stores galore, but this was my favorite. Three stories full of stuff.

You had to go to the top floor to find the rusty stuff. It was hard to resist...

And of course there are plenty of restaurants too. We ate out a few times.

Up on the hill next to the port is a lighthouse, but you can't go up it.

Next to the lighthouse was a gorgeous restaurant with a view of the harbor. I didn't get there this trip, but maybe next time.

But I did get to Lucky's for breakfast. If you buy a $5 drink, you get a free breakfast!