Heading South in November
From Illinois we trekked through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and into New Mexico. The road signs were intriguing...would you believe we passed Frankfurt, Versailles, and Paris on the way? The history of these areas must have included many immigrants that wanted a memory of "home". How about this photo...after entering Texas, there is the Oklahoma Grain Growers Elevator :-)!

Now does this photo give a giant hint of why we were headed south to Arizona?

In Tijerus, New Mexico we met up with Rich, Debi, Jim & Penny. One day's activity included a trip to Santa Fe to experience the ambiance of this southwestern city.

A city tour included viewing this expansive bronze sculpture titled "Journey's End". History in this region goes back extensive years and is evidenced in the culture of the area.

While in Tigeras, we spent some time involved in our hobby of gold prospecting in the surrounding hills. Jim and Penny check out their "finds" for the day.

We ventured on south to Hillsboro, NM which is the site of earlier gold seeking activity. Here Rich and Debi are dry washing on this hillside. They found the largest nugget of the day!

Joanne checks out the Parsons gold pan; we were impressed with the color that was found in about 8 buckets of dirt!

Driving on south we again are always fascinated by the change in the scenery. East of Tucson one goes over a "hill" (definitely not a northwest style mountain) in which there are gigantic rocks strewn along the road for a short distance. What happened here? Why didn't we pay more attention in geology class?

Upon arriving in Arizona City, we have enjoyed connecting up with our friends and family. Since some are heading out for Hawaii, Orlando, and CA, we celebrated Thanksgiving early. Now can you imagine what is so intriguing on the TV just after turkey dinner? (Hint: The ladies are thankful their men aren't in the running for President!)