By now you are probably aware of our dislike for Interstates. In a moment weakness we decided to take I-10 from Phoenix to Tuscon yesterday. We hadn't been on it 10 minutes before all 4 eastbound lanes came to a halt. There was a traffic accident ahead. We opted instead for an alternate non-interstate route to Tuscon.
It worked out better because we got to stop at the Casa Grande National Monument. This was a Hohokam Indian settlement occupied around 1300 A.D. They hand built over a hundred miles of canals to bring river water to their crops. They had to dig
through caliche which is a hard rocky clay material. Today we use ditch digging machines and backhoes to remove caliche. They did it with their hands and stone digging utensils. They then used the removed caliche to build their homes and lodges.We had a really good time visiting with Andy, Sabina, Johnny and Christina in Tuscon. We spent the evening catching up and talking about family items. We wish we could spend more time, but we have to hit the road. Keeping in touch with family is important.
After we left Tuscon this morning, we had to avoid most of I-10 around Tuscon because of a huge road widening project. This meant most of the entrance and exit ramps were closed.
We wanted to see Chiricahua National Monument. So we had Nomad (our computer) plot us a route from Wilcox, Az to the Monument and on to I-10 without backtracking. So we took our 35 mile detour off of I-10 and spent 2 hours at the monument.
Chirichahua is home to Faraway Ranch and rock formations like Bryce Canyon. We plan on coming back when we can spend more time.As we got ready to leave we checked the onward route Nomad had planned for us and discovered it was all dirt roads. We prefer not to travel dirt roads in Roadie. We asked a park attendant which the best way to get to I-10 and she said back the way we had come. We really hate back tracking but there was no choice.
We made it to Demming, NM where we'll spend the night. On to San Angelo tomorrow.
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