Belle Starr, who is the little lady owner of Silverado Ranch. She broke her hip last year so she rides the range on her motorized chair. Our new neighbors, 
Chuck & Learae told us about her. They work a couple of hours each day 
to help her out. She has chickens, donkeys, horses, ducks and other animals. She has lived here about 15 years and allows campers to come in to boondock in her 
back forty or to have hookups. If you want to see more pictures at the ranch click on http://www.bellestarraz.blogspot.com/ We drove into Douglas and headed for the border. After a minor detour we found the public parking in Douglas and walked across the border. The parking lot attendant told us it wouldn’t be what we see in other border towns and sure enough it wasn’t. We walked three blocks and only found three pharmacies and no liquor or cigarette stores. We bought our prescription medicines and headed back to Douglas a little disappointed. This town is larger than Douglas and doesn’t cater to the gringos. We visited our neighbors then cooked breakfast for supper. Yum! Thursday, March 24, Chuck & Learae thought going to the San Bernardino ranch home of Sheriff Slaughter was a good idea. So they joined us. It was 16 miles east of Douglas on a gravel road. It paralleled the border and we saw several border patrol cars. Slaughter, from Texas, bought the land grant in 1884 to establish his cattle empire. The ranch headquarters was lush with many artesian ponds, 
giving it a green look compared to the ride over. We watched several segments of a Walt Disney serial about Sheriff Slaughter and his family. It reminded us of all the old western movies we have seen. We stopped in Douglas on the way back for a late Mexican food lunch. Then after dropping Chuck & Learae off we drove into 
Bisbee for a little sightseeing in their shops. We saw lots of hippies, young and old. With its quaint charm, has quite an appeal to hippies – old and new. Friday, March 25 we left the Silverado Ranch and our friends and headed north to 
Chiricahua National Monument where Cochise and his band of 39 Indians were captured by 400 soldiers. These mountains were formed by volcanoes, and then uplifted many years ago. Unusual columns, “totem poles,” and balanced rocks resulted from continuing erosion leaving many strange formations, including
Cochise’s head,
a ship captain
and organ pipes. After driving around in this part of the country we have seen all the rocks the cowboys used to hide behind in the old westerns.
Faraway Ranch began in 1886, by the 1920’s it had become a guest ranch for visitors to explore the scenic canyons of the Chiricahua Mountains. The Erickson’s were instrumental in this area becoming a national monument. Their daughter names the homestead Faraway Ranch because it was so “God-awful far away from everything.”
Biosphere 2. This is the location of an experiment to survive in the future. Two teams lived for a year with the plants and animals in this enclosed atmosphere. We toured the living quarters and five different atmospheres. The
The rain forest was first and the plant life had grown tremendously since the early 1990’s. The
living quarters were attached in white buildings. The ocean
Chiricahua National Monument where Cochise and his band of 39 Indians were captured by 400 soldiers. These mountains were formed by volcanoes, and then uplifted many years ago. Unusual columns, “totem poles,” and balanced rocks resulted from continuing erosion leaving many strange formations, including 
Cochise’s head, 
a ship captain 
and organ pipes. After driving around in this part of the country we have seen all the rocks the cowboys used to hide behind in the old westerns. 
Faraway Ranch began in 1886, by the 1920’s it had become a guest ranch for visitors to explore the scenic canyons of the Chiricahua Mountains. The Erickson’s were instrumental in this area becoming a national monument. Their daughter names the homestead Faraway Ranch because it was so “God-awful far away from everything.” The campground was restricted to 29’ rigs, so we couldn’t stay. We drove on to Wilcox, via Dos Cabezas, where we later found out Phillip Pelt’s sister Charmaine has a bed & breakfast. Too bad we found out about 30 minutes too late or we would have said, “hello.” We found a Passport America spot on the west end of Wilcox and went to bed early.
Saturday, March 26 we drove into Tucson, stopping at the Pima County Fairground on the south east side of town. The three places we looked at were on the west, north and this one on the south. All are about 30 minutes to Daniel on the NE side of town. After setting up we went to Daniel’s and watched Arizona vs. Uconn vi for the final four and the US vs. Argentina soccer game. He, Resa and we made plans for Monday and Tuesday. They both had to work all day Sunday.
Sunday, March 27 we found a UMC in the town of Sahuarita, south of Tucson. We were shocked to find NO Methodist churches in Tucson on the UMC website, but later we found there were 14 UMC churches in town, just not on the Methodist website. We arrived late, but heard a good sermon, then ran some errands including a trip to Best Buy to figure out the problems with Microsoft Outlook. Seven intelligent adults have given up transferring Olivia’s email addresses into this new program. Now the Geek Squad gave up too. Something is rotten in Austin! Or wherever they are.
Monday, March 28 Daniel and Resa were at our trailer at 8:30 for an excursion to the north of Tucson. We drove to Catalina and on to Oracle, where we turned off 
to visit the
to visit the 
Biosphere 2. This is the location of an experiment to survive in the future. Two teams lived for a year with the plants and animals in this enclosed atmosphere. We toured the living quarters and five different atmospheres. The 
The rain forest was first and the plant life had grown tremendously since the early 1990’s. The 
living quarters were attached in white buildings. The ocean 
including beach and wave action sustained the fish and plant life, 
the desert, completed the atmosphere part. We were taken behind the 
scenes to the heat, cooling, 
water circulation and
lung for the whole project.
the desert, completed the atmosphere part. We were taken behind the scenes to the heat, cooling, water circulation and 
lung for the whole project. Our next destination was Mt Lemmon and their mail box to retrieve our mail. When Olivia picked out our “little” town post office she was not aware that Mt Lemmon was actually a ski resort on TOP of Mt Lemmon! She also thought there was a road from Catalina to the top. WRONG! But we asked Daisy on our GPS and sure enough she directed us to Oracle and on to the Mt Lemmon road. This 20 mile trip ended up taking us THREE HOURS! The road started out paved, then a wide gravel road, and then it narrowed and narrowed and became rougher and rougher. At one point we met graders and a sign of "Recovery America." Fred said he sure was glad Obama was at work on this
road. At least it broke the tension in the car. No one liked the rough road, but it was an “Adventure” we won’t forget. We hope Resa forgives us and Alaska roads are better than this one. We were able to retrieve our mail at the small post office, and then headed down the south side of the mountain on a beautifully paved road through the
Saguaro National Forest. Back at the trailer, we fed Resa and Daniel told them goodbye and they headed home. We planned to head on to Mesa the next day.
wisteria blooming in our back yard and bluebonnets on the highway. We have missed both of those in the last three years as we travel.
road. At least it broke the tension in the car. No one liked the rough road, but it was an “Adventure” we won’t forget. We hope Resa forgives us and Alaska roads are better than this one. We were able to retrieve our mail at the small post office, and then headed down the south side of the mountain on a beautifully paved road through the 
Saguaro National Forest. Back at the trailer, we fed Resa and Daniel told them goodbye and they headed home. We planned to head on to Mesa the next day. Tuesday, March 29, best laid plans often go astray. At 5 am Fred’s sister, Anna Kay called that their mother had been taken to the hospital with pneumonia. Two hours later her husband Don called that Lillian had passed away. We started making plans to leave the trailer and make plane reservations. Fred was able to make arrangements to leave the trailer in the fairgrounds at no charge for the week and Olivia worked on packing and reservations for flights. We left the fairgrounds by 11:00 am for a 1:00 flight. Arriving at the airport we realized the reservations were for Albuquerque instead of Tucson. Fortunately we were still able to fly at the designated time, but to go through Las Vegas, then Albuquerque before arriving in Dallas four hours later than planned. Angie and Bobby picked us up and we went to Anna Kay’s for a brief visit before going home. Fred lit the fires, turned on the water and we went to bed.
Wednesday, March 30 we started making funeral arrangements and picking up Daniel at Love Field Airport in Dallas. Sorting pictures to make a slide show, writing obit, and visiting at the funeral home were on the agenda. Friends came through again for food and loving support. We noticed the
wisteria blooming in our back yard and bluebonnets on the highway. We have missed both of those in the last three years as we travel.Thursday, and Friday were a blur of funeral arrangements and a few hours for all our girls and Fred to have a
pedicure.
pedicure. Saturday April 2 was Teenya’s birthday and the funeral visitation that night. There was a constant and large support for this wonderful lady and one of few remaining “old Duncanville” residents. As the crowd thinned a strong odor started. The funeral home had roofing workers during the day and we thought the tar smell was sifting through, when all of a sudden the room was filling with smoke. The attendant, a former fire man and police officer John Cole called 911 and it ended up being a two alarm fire. The family had already moved out because of the smell, and then the attendants and Don Maples started pulling the two caskets from the viewing rooms out the front door. By then the fire trucks had arrived and the firemen wouldn’t allow the staff to remove the two in the back. We stayed and watched as the 
back of the funeral home was torn and searched for the source of the fire until the hearse was retrieved from the garage and Lillian was taken to another funeral home. The next day we saw it on YouTube.
the Harrington siblings pose together. In the limo Olivia snapped a picture of
Fred’s brothers. At the cemetery, someone in the family had the idea to go to El Chico in honor of Granny, since that was her favorite place to eat. Word spread through the family and all moved to DeSoto to eat. It was a
a nice tribute to our lovely, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. We will miss her.
honoring Tom Mix. He was Olivia’s daddy’s favorite cowboy, abd Cecil was addicted to attending the Saturday morning movies to see the next in his serials. Tom was killed along this highway on his way home from a night of heavy drinking and gambling. The marker reads, “In memory of Tom Mix, 1880-1940, whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old west in the minds of living men.”
back of the funeral home was torn and searched for the source of the fire until the hearse was retrieved from the garage and Lillian was taken to another funeral home. The next day we saw it on YouTube. If you want to see the excitement click on below.
Back at the house we ate a very late supper supplied by our Waxahachie friends.
Sunday, April 3 the day of the funeral. We met the family at the Church for a delicious lunch provided by the First United Methodist Church of Duncanville. As time neared for the funeral we were so glad some of our friends came in to say hello. The chapel was packed with friends from Duncanville, Waxahachie and all around. It was heartwarming to see so many paying tribute to Lillian. Linda Grounds, Donna Kay, Teenya, Andy and Logan all told stories about “Granny.” Pastor Marie gave an excellent sermon. Don Maples even said, “If Marie was tired of being a Methodist, they would love to have her at their Baptist church.” Now that’s a compliment! Teenya was successful in having the
the Harrington siblings pose together. In the limo Olivia snapped a picture of 
Fred’s brothers. At the cemetery, someone in the family had the idea to go to El Chico in honor of Granny, since that was her favorite place to eat. Word spread through the family and all moved to DeSoto to eat. It was a 
a nice tribute to our lovely, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. We will miss her.Monday, April 4, we took care of business and delivered Daniel to the airport. Patti spent the night on our couch so she could deliver us to Love field for our return trip to Tucson.
Tuesday, April 5, We arrived tired pups and found the trailer safe and secure, with the refrigerator cold with our goodies. Thanks to all who fed and helped us through this funeral and trip.
Wednesday, April 6 we moved north into Mesa, AZ stopping at a rest stop honoring
honoring Tom Mix. He was Olivia’s daddy’s favorite cowboy, abd Cecil was addicted to attending the Saturday morning movies to see the next in his serials. Tom was killed along this highway on his way home from a night of heavy drinking and gambling. The marker reads, “In memory of Tom Mix, 1880-1940, whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old west in the minds of living men.” In Mesa and we found our friend Renee working her last shift at Val Vista park. We checked in and briefly visited with her, then called Betty Brinkerhoff, Olivia’s cousin on the Burton side. We visited them in Oregon four years ago and again when they came to Texas. Nelson had a stroke in January, but fortunately it didn’t affect his speech, right hand or brain. He visited with us while Betty prepared a wonderful meal. It was good to visit with them both and wish Nelson a speedy recovery.
Thursday, April 7 we went to a much recommended Superstition Market. We bought lots of fresh veggies and fruit. After storing the produce we explored the area driving east toward
Superstition Mountain. OK, put on your thinking cap and remember back to early days of TV and the old western movies. This is the home of the Lost Dutchman mine. He spent time on this mountain and when he came down he was ill. He never returned. He gave a lady who cared for him, 19 clues. She and another spent the rest of her life hunting for the mine. Many others have followed suit. The gold he returned with was 99% pure. No other gold is that pure. It is on display somewhere nearby, but we can’t remember where.
On a little further we entered the Tonto National Forest, named long before Jay Silverheels. At the superstition Mountain Museum we had a great opportunity to capture the 
Cholla cacti and Saguaro Cacti in one shot. Next we roamed the
Goldfield Ghost town and more cacti and
great views of Superstition Mountain. Close up we could see how rugged it is. On over the pass we found
Canyon Lake. We both commented on how hard it would be to roam this territory. If you slipped and grabbed something for support, it would be cacti! Ouch!
Cholla cacti and Saguaro Cacti in one shot. Next we roamed the 
Goldfield Ghost town and more cacti and 
great views of Superstition Mountain. Close up we could see how rugged it is. On over the pass we found 
Canyon Lake. We both commented on how hard it would be to roam this territory. If you slipped and grabbed something for support, it would be cacti! Ouch!Returning to town and at LaGail's recommendation we visited the
gardens at the Morman Temple. It was a treat to see all the flowers in the desert.
Returning to the trailer we cooked a veggie meal for Renee and enjoyed her visit. She is going to a park in Montana for the summer, then return to Denver to settle down.
Friday, April 8 we packed up and headed north-west. The weather was turning cold and sprinkling rain. We drove along the 
Joshua Tree parkway and Olivia read about this tree. It is the largest of the yuccas and symbolizes the Mohave Desert. The Mormon pioneers named this species Joshua, because its shape mimics a person praying with uplifted arms or gesturing wildly, referring to the Biblical leader pointing the way to a Promised Land. Indians made meal from the seeds and a dye for decorating baskets from the reddish rootlets. Red-shafted flickers drill holes in the branches to make nests. We stopped early at Burro Creek BLM Park. As we returned to the pay station, they were closing the rest rooms and turning off water because of Government budget impasse. It did not bother us as we are self-contained and weren’t planning on using the facilities. We drove across burro creek and shot this
Joshua Tree parkway and Olivia read about this tree. It is the largest of the yuccas and symbolizes the Mohave Desert. The Mormon pioneers named this species Joshua, because its shape mimics a person praying with uplifted arms or gesturing wildly, referring to the Biblical leader pointing the way to a Promised Land. Indians made meal from the seeds and a dye for decorating baskets from the reddish rootlets. Red-shafted flickers drill holes in the branches to make nests. We stopped early at Burro Creek BLM Park. As we returned to the pay station, they were closing the rest rooms and turning off water because of Government budget impasse. It did not bother us as we are self-contained and weren’t planning on using the facilities. We drove across burro creek and shot this 
picture of the creek, campground and Highway Bridge behind us.
It rained all night and we awoke to a partly cloudy blue sky. We will move into Las Vegas ending our stay in Arizona. While we have enjoyed all our experiences and visits we will be glad to move on out of this desert and into another. In fact, we will be glad to eventually get out of the desert and let our skin restore its moisture. But Wait! The next morning we saw
snow on the mountains as we drove north to Kingman, and after we turned west and into Nevada we had
snowballs on our windshields! Yes, pea size snowballs. They are the dark spots on the windshield. It soon became ice, but it stuck to the bushes. Go figure. Fred heard a conversation where one man said,"well there’s rain, snow, sleet and hail, but I never seen anything like that!” We agree.
snow on the mountains as we drove north to Kingman, and after we turned west and into Nevada we had 
snowballs on our windshields! Yes, pea size snowballs. They are the dark spots on the windshield. It soon became ice, but it stuck to the bushes. Go figure. Fred heard a conversation where one man said,"well there’s rain, snow, sleet and hail, but I never seen anything like that!” We agree. Please let us hear from you. Tell us about what’s going on in your life or just say “HI.”
You may contact us at: Olivia@bobheck.com or fredharrington@yahoo.com
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