Exploring near Casa Grande

We’re continuing to enjoy life in Casa Grande. We’ve added line dancing to our busy schedule this week, it will be at least a couple of weeks before we stop falling over our own feet!

We made a couple of trips out, one to Gilbert AZ to pick up a new car radio for the RV. The old one was a CD/Cassette player with a multi CD changer. When it worked it was OK but the display was too dim and it wouldn’t always work. Now we have a CD/USB/Bluetooth setup that will play our iPhone music and allow phone calls to come thru the speakers of the rig.

Biosphere 2 the Library Tower

There are 3 "habitats" rain forest

Ocean and Desert

Crawling around in the utility tunnels

Biosphere 2 near Tucson is an interesting place. Currently managed by the University of Arizona it is a totally enclosed environment designed to study the effects of changes in atmospheric conditions on various habitats.

The Biosphere was used to see if it was possible for humans to survive in a totally closed system back in 1991 when 8 people entered the chamber and it was sealed behind them. After 2 years they emerged. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2

Dome

Along the way we saw signs for a Tom Mix monument. Tom Mix was almost single-handedly responsible for Western Movies. He starred in over 200 in the early years of Hollywood. Only 9 were “Talkies” however and the advent of sound finished his career. In 1940 he was driving near his hometown of Florence AZ at high speed when he came upon a bridge under construction. He swerved and the car overturned into a dry wash killing him. Today there’s a bullet riddled monument and the dry wash is called “Tom Mix Dry Wash”.

Bullet riddled horse

The Tom Mix monument

Tributes left at the site

Also near Tucson and visible from I8 is Pinal Air Park. If you are an airplane nut, or you wondered here all the commercial jets go to when they get old, this is the place. There are hundreds of them from little DC-9’s to big 747’s all parked along the runways. A company recycles parts for them and converts some for other purposes. There are about 8 Grumman amphibians parked in one area. You can’t get really close to any of the planes but it’s only miles from the I8 exit and there’s a picnic area if you’re looking to break your journey somewhere. 

Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jets" 

Hundreds of commercial airliners

Grumman Amphibians in the desert

There’s an even bigger place than this in Roswell NM where several hundred aircraft are stored, but I neglected to take pictures when I was there.

A trip to Mesa to see the Doctor Who Christmas Special let us wander around, see the statues and sample some beer.

Virgil Earp and Doc Holiday

Twisted Mural

 

Beautiful Statue

Bears

Good Brew Pub on Main Street