Day 25 - Life is SOOOOOO Good!

I just want everyone to know that Ken and I have this very, very, spacious Motorhome.  There is room to open the bathroom door and the refrigerator doors COMPLETELY, and when sitting at the table we are not within a foot of the sofa!  It is amazing!  I don't know how many times I got "penned" in the bathroom while Ken had either the pantry door or a refrigerator door open. Plus, Ken doesn't have to walk "sideways" in the hallway.  We can even see the LR from the BR.  I guess having something not working for 70 days really gives you a new appreciation.  All that said, Lazydays here in Tucson did a great job, getting the slide fixed in about 5 hours and there was no damage to the floor or anything else.  We had camped 70 nights in Waldo without this slide working, so we really are excited to have it fixed and get back to "normal living" in Waldo. Waldo goes back tomorrow morning to have some cabinetry work done above the driver's seat that is under warranty.  We really appreciate the cooperation we experienced between Sam at Lazydays in  Tampa and Kristen here in Tucson.  They worked through some frustrations they had to deal with to make all this happen and we are grateful.  Life without a slide has been somewhat trying, but fortunately, doable.  

Enough about that, let's talk about our great 1st day here in Tuscon.   We unhooked Waldo and had him at the service bay by 8 AM.  We were hoping the slide would be fixed when we returned.  Ken drove the 4 of us to Saguaro National Park about 30 miles from the CG.  What a beautiful drive to the park. There were so many saguaro cacti along the way and many were blooming. 

The saguaro cacti were everywhere!

Some have very unique "arms"

The blooms can come out on the top, end of the arms, or
sometimes even on the side!

We stopped at the Visitors Center and had a very informative Park Ranger.  We also watched the 20 minute film, which was okay, but not extremely helpful with info on the area.  We decided to take a dirt road loop where we would be able to hike 3 relatively short trails that were recommended by the Ranger.  The Desert Discovery Nature Trail,  was only .5 miles but got you close to the beautiful saguaro cacti.  The 1 mile Valley View Overlook trail was a phenomenal setting for eating our packed lunches.  The trail was terrific too.  The last trail was the Signal Hill Trail where you were able to see ancient petroglyphs that were 800 years old.  We really enjoyed our day in Saguaro National Park.

Love this adobe buildings that are the visitor's center!

A glassed display at the visitors center!

Some of the prickly pear cacti were blooming too!

Not sure what this cacti is called, but it gets very red flowers! 

This is a family of "huggers"!

This is a nursery school of saguaro cacti.  None of them
got their arms.  They need to be older.

I went by this area very quickly!

Here is just a little info about those cacti and a chart that talks about their growth - (just click on it to enlarge)

     
Saguaro flowers are creamy-white and bloom from late April  to June.  Each blossom opens after sunset and by the next afternoon, the flower has wilted and the brief period of bloom has ended.  As many as 100 flowers bloom on each saguaro.  Saguaro that live 150 years or more attain the grandest sizes, towering 50 feet and weighing 16,000 pounds or more.    Their huge bulk is supported by a strong but flexible cylinder-shaped framework of long woody ribs.  Just a few facts about the amazing saguaro cacti!

The flowers are so beautiful!

The birds have to take those seeds and the pollen quickly, for
each flower only blooms for 1 day!

The woody inside of the saguaro cacti is fascinating too!

When we returned to the CG Ken and I headed to the service department of Lazydays to get Waldo.  THE SLIDE WAS FIXED!!!!  It took them about 5 hours and all new tracks and a new motor, but it was working!  We drove it back to the CG, hooked up and put out the slide.  Amazing to have so much room!  We were thrilled!!!

The sites at this KOA are spacious and have cement patios
and very nice tables and chairs.  Note:  the slide is out!!!!

Wanted you to get a good view of the slide in the
OUT Position!!!!

After dinner, the 4 of us went to the clubhouse to play another round of foosball (the men won!) and then headed to the pool for a Cinco De Mayo Party!  They were serving margaritas, salsa and chips.  Ken has discovered on this trip how much he likes margaritas, having never had one before.  Neither Chuck nor Ken are dancers, but before we knew what was happening, they were dancing around the pool with the ladies.  Later, Ken and Melissa participated in the chicken dance.  Wow!  I just took it all in!!!!!!

We take our game playing very seriously!

The men were proud of themselves for winning this round!

Fiesta time - let's party!

Just was in the party spirit too!

Look at those boys go!!!!!!!

Time to rest between those dances!

It's hard to tell, but that is Melissa and Ken dancing the chicken!

Back to their motorhome to play some games and the women had a victorious night.  We were all very tired and by 9:30 we were back to Waldo.

Another great adventure day!