McDowell Mountain Park

It's Friday and hard to believe but we've been in Tucson for 2 weeks

We bumped up against our 14 day limit at Catalina State Park...

 so we had to move on.

What a great area!

I can't say enough about Tucson.

If the fates allow...  We'll be back.

Our journey today to us 120 miles north to the Northeast corner of the Phoenix

Metropolitan Area.  Just over the mountains from Phoenix to the town of

Fountain Hills.

On the way we passed the Tom Mix Memorial and had to stop.

Tom Mix was the original Hollywood Western Superstar.

He defined the genre for those to follow.

He was the King of the Cowboys when Ronald Regan & John Wayne

were kids and his influence on their approach to roles is evident.

He defined the role of good vs evil...  the good guy always winning.

When a football injury caused a young John Wayne to drop out

of USC it was Tom Mix how got him a job moving props for Fox Studios.

Tom was killed in a traffic accident on Oct 12, 1940 driving his supercharged

1937 Cord 812 on Az Route 79 south of Florence Az.

He was traveling at an estimated 80 mph and came upon highway repairs on

a washed out bridge..  swerved, rolled, and was struck by a large suitcase full

of money and jewels that he had in the car and broke his neck.

Our drive to Phoenix today took us past the exact spot - over Tom Mix Wash

and we stopped at the marker to say hello to Tom

Since his birthday is Jan 6th - 2 days after our visit - Kate wished him

a Happy Birthday.

Before a friend mentioned this place I had never heard of Tom Mix.

The point is that when you travel the side roads of this Country, there are so many

small insignificant places that we could pass by at 60 mph in a blur.

But thanks to a mention...   and the wonders of Google...  we learn a little about a

piece of the past that made us all what we are today.

I love Westerns...  They defined a generation...  so thanks Tom.

and thanks Lindsay.

Our drive thru F.H to get here shows another great town waiting for our exploration.

One of the highlights is that right in the center of town is this gigantic fountain

that shoots up in the sky hundreds of feet.

The fountain was built by the same guy who relocated the London

Bridge to Lake Havasu...  more on that later.

Around this fountain is a lake and great park with acres and acres of GRASS!

You see - Grass is a big deal for the Doods.

When we get out to the desert they have a hard time doing their "business" at

first because they are used to feeling Grass under their paws.

Tomorrow we are going to take them for a nice long walk around the park

and let them enjoy the GRASS!!

Here is our home for the next 6 days.

The views from our site are amazing.

We can see forever in almost every direction.

The view out the back window.

The view out the side window.

Where we will sit and ponder life

In the center of the picture you can see the fountain shooting off in

the distance back in town.

It runs on some sort of schedule... not sure yet what that is.

While I wrote this the sun went down.

I had this amazing view beyond the screen of my Mac.

The setting sun first set the Eastern mountains on fire.

 Now the dimming light in the western sky is silhouetting 

those mountains as the days last light surrenders to night.

Slowly as I watch, the fiery hue behind the mountains has been dimming.

Slowly the black mountains are being swallowed up by the dimming light.

Soon it all will be gone and replaced by this inky blackness under 

an amazing canopy of stars.

It's going to be a dark night.