We had a short drive to Kartchner S.P. where we will be meeting up with Brett and Nadia. After lunch in our new site, in came Brett and Nadia, pulling their restored, 20-foot, vintage trailer. They had spent the last two years laboring on their project and it was finally on the road. With its many unique features, it immediately drew the attention of the other campers. After they settled in, we were invited over for an inside tour. It has a warm, cozy feeling that is scattered with more vintage features, a hammered copper sink, woodburning stove, tin tile backsplash, homemade curtains, and wood ceiling and floor.

Both their dogs, Pogi and Arrow, and our dogs needed some exercise, so we found a trail to hike. Brett volunteered to cook supper, so the Flying Hams spent the afternoon relaxing. 

Nadia made our favorite, rice with coconut milk, cooked on top of a layer of crispy potatoes. Brett prepared a large pot of the yummiest lentil soup.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Imagine flying in a jet through a bad storm. The turbulence has you and the jet bouncing uncontrollably around. At 3:00 this morning a wind storm woke us. Between the RV rattles and the constant motion, we were unable to go back to sleep. We nervously lay there for hours thinking that the Ham might flip over on the next gust. At sunrise, I tried to convince Carol that she had a lower center of gravity than me and it would be safer if she took the dogs out in this wind. She conveniently couldn’t hear me, so I got out of bed. Knowing that the wind would rip the outside door from my hand, I tied a dog leash from the inside handrail to the door handle. It proved to be a good decision. As I slowly opened the door, the wind jerked it from my hand and sucked me and Christy outside. Leaning against the door, and with all of my leg strength, I was able to close the door. Dodging tree limbs, leaves and trash, Christy and I staggered around until she did her business. When I bent over to pick up after her, a huge gust of wind knocked me forward. While trying to recover my balance, I was able to circle around and bag the prize in one motion. I did a little poop dance and returned to get Lucy. Getting inside, while hanging onto the door, took nearly all of my strength. I got Lucy and went outside for round two. The wind had increased and Carol had to help pull me back into the Ham. From late morning on, the wind speeds kept increasing – from 35 mph to 45 mph, with gusts to around 70. There sure were a lot of gusts! With all of the crazy motion, Carol had to take Dramamine to keep from getting sick. At 3:30 pm, the winds subsided and we were able to move around the cabin again. Our 12-hour, eventful flight was finally over and we hadn’t moved an inch.

To celebrate our survival, Brett made both chicken and beef tacos, and Carol made beans and rice, and bread pudding.

Wednesday, Feb. 22

There was an aftershock of our wind storm through the night. It wasn’t as strong or long, but it did keep us awake for a few hours. This morning is cold, breezy, and wet. We were all tired from our lack of sleep, so we stayed in our RVs and laid around all day.

Thursday, Feb. 23

This park is next to a skeet and shooting range, so we got to listen to gunfire all morning. We all moved to a different RV park that was about ½ mile from the border wall. Nadia had made some waffle batter for breakfast that we didn’t have time to eat before moving. Waffles for lunch tasted very great, especially when covered with fresh fruit and real whipped cream. Brett and Nadia went into Bisbee for the afternoon, while the Flying Hams hung out in the Ham and finally did laundry.

Brett made both chicken and beef chili tonight for the 1st annual ½-Mile From The Border Chili Cookoff. He won a blue ribbon for both the chicken and beef categories, spiciest chili and best overall chili.

Friday, Feb. 24

Our plan for the day was to do a walking tour through Historic Bisbee and then have lunch. Just before entering the downtown area, we drove up Erie St. in Lowell, AZ. It’s a ghost town of the 1950s that was very cool. We parked the Ham and left the dogs and Lois inside to protect it. Historic Bisbee was built around 1900. It reminded us of some parts of New York City. Full of restaurants, shops and galleries, tourists filled the streets. We bought lunch and returned to the Ham to eat. The food was wonderful. On the way home, we stopped for a view of the famous Bisbee copper mining pit. The pit and its history were pretty incredible.

Click here for Bisbee pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/SfEQE3aqiJnjooGk7

Click here for Copper Pit pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/tD9njFXDacDLUYnu7

Brett and Nadia went shopping later this afternoon, Carol and Lois played on their tablets, and I biked to the Wall. I think I have the plan to get over the Wall (magnet boots), but I really don’t want to go to Mexico.

Saturday, Feb. 25

This morning was the Bisbee Farmer’s Market. We loaded everyone in the Ham and went shopping for tonight’s supper. The locals and visitors filled the city park full of vendors. A band added to the fun of the weekly event. Brett and Nadia bought salmon from a local livestock farmer, I couldn’t figure that one out, and some corn on the cob. Carol couldn’t resist the freshly baked focaccia/rosemary bread, so we were set on our menu. On our way back to the RV park, we drove to the wall for Carol and Lois to see.

The day went from cloudy and cool in the morning to sunny and pleasant in the afternoon. When I stayed with my Grandmother as a kid, she always told me to, “Go outside and blow off your stink”. Not wanting to be stinky, I went out and played. Maybe that’s why I slept so well when visiting Grandmother. This afternoon, I went outside to blow off my stink. I biked up a long incline for about 3 miles at a fast pace. The hard work up the hill was going to be rewarded when I turned around and got to coast down the hill. When I reversed my course, the wind blowing up the hill was so strong that I couldn’t coast. It was harder to pedal downhill than it was up the hill. Hot and sweaty back at the Ham, I don’t think I blew off any stink. I’m sure going to sleep well tonight though.

Lois visited Brett and Nadia’s trailer and absolutely loved it!

Grilled salmon with cucumber-dill sauce, grilled corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, and toasted focaccia bread made for quite a feast.

We initially were going to start back east this morning, but the incoming weather changed that. High winds started during the night and as we sit here eating breakfast, it’s snowing. Let me look outside again. Yep, it’s #!@$&* snowing.

Everyone that we have talked to that lives here in Arizona has never lived through the cold and rain that this winter has brought. We hear it was 70 back in Ohio.