Organ Pipe National Monument

It is summer and we are off on more adventures.  Our first stop was  Organ Pipe National Monument in Southern Arizona.  This is a very magical place to visit.  There are miles and miles of Saguaro & Pipe Organ Cactus as well as many other desert plants.  There are so many different shapes that remind you of sculptures.  It is natures Art Gallery.

We took a 19 mile drive that loops through the park.  It took us about 2 hours and we had lots of photo ops along the way.  The road is mostly gravel and many spots were very rough so leave your fancy car at home.
We saw many different varieties of Cactus which some were new to me including the Chain Cactus.  We saw beautiful mountain views as well as desert landscapes that you would expect.

Here is a link to National Park Service's web page for the Pipe Organ National Monument:
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm
The first night we stayed at an RV Park in Why, Arizona called Hichiwan.  It is just a few miles from Pipe Organ National Monument.  The park was nearly empty which gave us a lot of privacy.   We had a visit from some Wild Burros which was a treat.  They have learned how to turn on the water in the park so you have to keep the handles inside.  The other treat was a nice sunset that night and great meal courtesy of my Hubby.

Today's Thought For The Day:
"Everyone has two sides, good and evil.  How you treat me determines which side you will see."  Anonymous
Next stop is Benson, Arizona.  Stay tuned!
Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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May Musings

Happy Saturday everyone.  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.  It has been a while since my last blog post.  I have been busy with my travel clients as well as hosting our guest, my sister in law, Sheila.
We took a trip over to the old Route 66 in Kingman and then on to the Hackberry General Store in Hackberry, Arizona.   We were joined by a large group from Germany who were doing a Motorcycle Tour on Route 66.    For more information about Hackberry click on the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackberry,_Arizona
Here is a link to the Hackberry General Store website:
http://hackberrygeneralstore.com/

If that gets you inspired to go out and photograph some abandoned buidings or ghost towns, this article will give you some pointers on how to get the best shots.
http://www.unique-photography-concepts.com/ghost-towns.html
After shooting some photos and doing some shopping we drove back to Kingman then up the the mountain to the Hualapai Mountain Resort for lunch.  Because of the elevation the terrain quickly changes and it looks like you are in the mountains of Colorado.  We had a lovely lunch and enjoyed the cooler weather up there.  For more information check out the link below:
http://www.hmresort.net/

We are starting to get ready for our summer road trip.  My husband fired up our smoker this week.  He did smoked sausage, chicken, ribs & pulled pork.  I made homemade backed beans and lasagna..  We then portion it all out and use our Food Saver to package it up and freeze it.  That way we have easy meals when we are traveling in our motor home.  Our plan is to first go down to Tucson and do some sight seeing and connect up with some friends who live near there.  We will then head Northeast to Colorado to visit some friends there and then on to Minnesota to attend our Granddaughter's Graduation party and visit with friends and family.  After that we are not sure what direction we will go but we are thinking maybe out to Seattle and go down the coast.  Stay tuned for more details as the summer goes on.
If you are planning your own summer road trip, this article will help you plan it out and give you some photography tips as well.
http://www.thecoolist.com/making-memories-how-to-photograph-the-ultimate-summer-road-trip/
The Thought For The Day is:
"All of life is an experiment.  The more the better."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/26332264@N03/sets/

http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess
http://fineartamerica