2007 Chuck Plake Trips

A Night at the Arizona State Fair

2007-10-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Last night Bob and I went to the Arizona State Fair. If a person goes to the fair before 5:00 p.m. on Fridays, admission is only $5--thanks to CBS. Being on fixed incomes, we have to watch for specials.

We first walked through the petting zoo and saw many extraordinary animals, i.e. animals that can’t be seen in the Valley of the Sun. We saw an animal from Australia that resembles the folkloric jackalope, an antelope, zebra, giraffe, dromedary, buffalo, ostrich, emu and several other animals.

We walked through another barn full of cows and other animals common to the area. The first animal was a Clydesdale horse named Major. What a beautiful specimen. Another barn had several cages of unusual and beautiful pigeons. Some of them had tails that fanned out like a turkey. Others had colorful feathers providing beautiful coats. One sheep was getting its wool sheared and many others had been sheared wearing manmade coats to keep them warm.

Periodically, I had to stop and rest my weary bones. Carrying my weight is too much for this 71-year-old body. I am working on solving this problem.

While we were resting, we watched two stage shows that were performing simultaneously and actually facing each other. The noise from one show hampered the audio of the other show.

Bob wanted to ride the Ferris wheel but afraid of the effect on my health, I declined. We walked around the rides wishing that we were young again so that we could ride.

After splitting a sausage on a bun that was longer than a foot long hot dog, we toured the crafts and collections exhibits and the fine arts and culinary arts exhibits. I picked up a book that tells how anyone can be part of the Arizona State Fair. Maybe in the future, I will enter some of my recipes and/or collections.

At the end of venture, I thirst for a beer. Bob and I walked back to the midway where I bought a beer. As I drank the beer, we watched some young people break dancing. It looked like a lot fun but looked dangerous to an old fogy.

Business Trip to Palestine and Rusk

2007-10-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Bob Jones and I traveled by Amtrak to San Antonio, Texas on a business trip to visit Palestine and Rusk, Texas. Palestine is the location of the bed and breakfast we want to purchase. In San Antonio, we rented a Chrysler 300--what a mistake that was. We were charged taxes for some strange things, such as Texas Reimbursement Fee, Airport Access Fee (two times), Texas Motor Vehicle Fee and Bexar County Sports Venue. If you watch your dollars like we do, rent a car away from an airport.

The purpose of this trip was to become acquainted with Palestine and Rusk with regards to the purchase of 911 N. Sycamore, Palestine and to visit Thomas the Tank Engine at the Texas State Railroad. We gathered information about banks, mortgage companies and businesses in the cities of Palestine and Rusk. Since the Texas State Railroad is a major part of the Palestine tourism, we visited the Rusk station to take pictures of Thomas the Tank Engine and to gather information about the show.

Our first visit was the unique Tourist Information Center to ask the directions to Davey Dogwood Park. The center is located in a Restored Historic Depot. The agent gave us a map of Palestine and an attractive booklet, entitled Relax & Rejuvenate Getaway to Palestine!

We drove through the Davey Dogwood Park, which covers more than 200 acres. The park is featured during the annual Texas Dogwood Trails Festival during the last two weeks in March and the first week in April.

We toured the Anderson County Courthouse, a neo-classical architecture with a double-spiral staircase. The dome encases a beautiful stained glass montage. Admission is free. The courthouse is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We drove around Palestine to look at some of our competition. We saw Apple Annie’s Bed and Breakfast, Little Bear’s Big Green House, The Naylor House and the Fig Tree Manor Bed, Breakfast and Bistro. We also drove buy Dyerwood Inn, which is the Bed and Breakfast we offered to buy.

Our intentions were to have lunch at the Fig Tree Manor Bed, Breakfast and Bistro but it was closed for construction. Instead, we ate lunch at the Ranch House. We were pleased with the food at the Ranch House. Located next to the Ranch House is Old Town Palestine, pictured on the left of this paragraph.

Later in the afternoon, we checked-in at the Best Western located on Palestine Avenue. For dinner, we had Italian food at Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant. While we thought the Ranch House food was better than expected, we believed that Giovanni’s food tastes were below expectations. We will reserve the right not to refer our customers to Giovanni’s.

The next morning we traveled Highway 84 toward Rusk to the Texas State Railroad where we saw Thomas the Tank Engine.

Day Out with Thomas at TSRR

2007-10-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Since 1881, the Texas State Railroad (TSRR) has been a Texas Treasure. The Railroad dates back to the late 1800's when the Texas Prison System opened the East Texas Penitentiary in Rusk, Texas.

By 1896 prison officials realized that transporting timber and iron ore by horse and wagon was impractical. It was decided that a railroad was necessary to provide the foundry with enough raw material to operate efficiently. Construction began on five miles of track, built in a southwesterly direction from the institution.

The Texas State Railroad is now being operated by American Heritage Railroad Company. The Texas State Railroad offers both steam and diesel train excursions reminiscent of days gone by. Passengers may board excursion trains at either the Rusk or Palestine depots where they will find Southern hospitality. The train operates weekend excursions year-round plus expanded spring, summer and fall service.

During two weekends in October, the Railroad sponsored a Day Out with Thomas. Bob Jones and I attended the event to take pictures. A few of the pictures appear below:

Meadows Manor 2007

2007-10-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

For three days and four nights Bob and I enjoyed an enjoyable vacation at Meadows Manor aka Loleen’s property. Cindy was very thoughtful in relinquishing her bed to Bob and Loleen let me use her couch for a bed.

After Michael’s and Christi’s wedding we hightailed to Lokie’s house. Naturally, we engaged in conversation catching up on all the family news. I was glad to hear that Darla and Leandro had gotten back together again; Joey matriculates at Kilgore College; Vernon is doing much better after his stroke and so is Loleen.

Loleen is able to work in the kitchen now rather than suggesting what needs to be done to the girls. Cindy is real happy about that (Just kidding Cindy). She races her wheelchair whipping wheelies and chasing the kids around the house (Just kidding again). Actually the kids love her to death. They all want to sit n her lap. Cindy and Carla resemble their mother in their mother in that respect, i.e. holding their grandkids in their lap.

On Monday night, we watched Dancing with the Stars. We all picked Wayne Newton to be eliminated. Side note: Wayne Newton lived behind Loleen on 10th Street in Phoenix when he was a kid. She saw him taking out the trash occasionally in the alley. He was already famous with the song, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Oh yes, Loleen roasted a hunk of beef in her slow cooker.

On Tuesday night, John, Lucy, Cindy, Bob, Loleen and I ate catfish at the catfish place in Longview. Mmmm…muy good. We hurried home to see Wayne Newton eliminated from Dancing with the Stars. John and Lucy joined us for more family talk.

On Wednesday night, we ate enchiladas at Cancun Dave’s in Kilgore. Bob hosted Cindy, Carla, Vernon, Darla, Alicia, Jonathan, Loleen and me to dinner. Bob and I had planned to leave on Wednesday morning, but instead, we imposed on Meadows Manor for another free night of boarding. Thank you Loleen and Cindy!

More photos:

The Daniel and Christi Courade Wedding

2007-10-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Bob Jones and I attended the wedding of Daniel and Christi Courade. It was a beautiful wedding in a small church on the Roseland Plantation in Ben Wheeler, a small town near Tyler, Texas.

Roseland Plantation was built in 1854 by Mr. Burrell Hambrick. It was originally a 3300 acre cotton plantation. The plantation was the first recipient of the Texas Restoration Award, and is now available to the public for special occasions.

The plantation has a chapel, a 1850s ballroom and a bed and breakfast. The couple was married in the chapel. Because the ballroom was too small, the reception took place on the plantation grounds.

Many friends and relatives attended the wedding. Daniel’s father, Frank, flew from Northern California. He has attended Becky’s, Michael and now Daniel’s weddings and also all of their graduations. Matt, David Chappell’s son, flew from Washington. He was in Daniel’s court and his son, Kayden, was supposed to be the ring bearer but was too timid.

Because there were no ushers, the seating was mixed. It is my understanding that the bride’s family and friends sit on the left side as you are entering the chapel and the groom’s family and friends sit on the right. This caused me to miss seeing Aunt Gertie, Harmon Chappell, Nina and others.

Because Bob and I had traveled all the way from San Antonio to Ben Wheeler we opted out of the reception.

Below are a few of the pictures taken at the wedding:

National Parks and Monuments

2007-08-29T12:07:00.001-07:00

For 2007, my vacation plans were to visit as many national parks and other sites in Arizona. During the weekend of August 24th, 25th and 26th, I visited my friend, Kirk Klamar, in Northern Arizona and toured as many of the National Monuments and National Parks as possible.

I purchased the Golden Age Passport, which is a lifetime admission permit to visit all National Monuments and Parks, a couple of years back. The pass is issued to any citizen or permanent resident of the United States who is 62 years of age or older. It also admits accompanying passengers in a vehicle. On this trip, I traveled alone. There are other lifetime admissions available. Check them out here.

The Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest National Parks are two of over 380 parks in the National Park System. For more about parks and National Park Service programs in America’s communities visit www.nps.com.

On Friday, I visited Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments before arriving at Kirk’s trailer near the Grand Canyon.

Saturday morning, Kirk and I walked around his one-acre property to look at the terrain and to look for wild animals. He has a beautiful view of mountains. We toured his ranch in Four Hills later on in the morning. And in the evening, we went to the Grand Canyon for dinner.

On Sunday morning, I headed for Walnut Canyon, the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. Because it was so late, I stayed at Days Inn in Holbrook.

On Monday morning, I drove back to Phoenix.

Montezuma Castle National Monument: Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot are both located in the Verde Valley. First, I visited Montezuma Castle, which is on the East side of I-17.

The castle is located near Camp Verde, Arizona in the beautiful Verde Valley. It features well-preserved cliff dwellings. They were built and used by the Sinagua Indians around 1400 AD. When European Americans discovered them in the 1850s, they reported native traditions that they had been built by a divine hero named Montezuma — whose name may have been connected with the well-known historical Aztec emperor of Mexico, Moctezuma II, and accounts in Spanish as early as 1694 reference them as the "Casas de Montezuma". Some of these accounts have led to a mistaken belief that the Spanish or Americans themselves had named them after the emperor.

The five-story stone and mortar dwellings contain 20 rooms and once housed about 50 people. A natural overhang shades the rooms and shelters them from rain. Another part of the cliff wall bears the marks of an even larger dwelling, which has not survived.

Tuzigoot National Monument: Second, I toured the ruins at Tuzigoot. Tuzigoot, near Cottonwood, Arizona, preserves a 2 to 3 story pueblo ruin on the summit of a limestone and sandstone ridge just east of Clarkdale, Arizona, 120 feet above the Verde River floodplain. The National Park Service currently owns 58 acres, within an authorized boundary of 834 acres.

Tuzigoot is Apache for "crooked water", from nearby Peck's lake, a cutoff meander of the Verde River. Historically, it was built on a hill by the Sinagua people between 1125 and 1400 A.D. Tuzigoot is the largest and best-preserved of the many Sinagua pueblo ruins in the Verde Valley.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument: In the afternoon, I drove to Sunset Crater Volcano and took several pictures. A path around one side of the base of the monument is available for hikers. But since I was short on time, I did not walk the one-mile journey.

Over 900 years ago, the volcano, now 1,000 feet high, erupted, spraying high into the air from a crack in the ground. It solidified, then fell to Earth as large bombs of small cinders. As periodic eruptions continued, the heavier debris accumulated around the vent. The lightest, smallest particles were carried the farthest by wind, dusting 800 square miles of northern Arizona with ash. Perhaps as spectacular as the original eruption were two lava flows: the Kana-a and the Bonito. They destroyed all living things in their path.

Today, cinders from the eruption cover the ground and lichens begin breaking down rock into soil. Pink penstemon and scarlet gilia grow in the volcanic cinders. Beautiful wild flowers are everywhere.

Wupatki National Monument: About 22 miles from Sunset Crater is the Wupatki National Monument. The explosion from the volcano caused the lava to flow and debris to rain down on the Wupatki Pueblo area.

Homes in Wupatki ranged from one-story single-family structures to Wupatki Pueblo, a multi-level, high-rise. This largest dwelling in the area had about 100 rooms. The environment provided materials ideal for the construction of freestanding masonry dwellings. Sandstone slabs, limestone blocks, and chunks of basalt set with a clay-based set with a clay-based mortar yielded sturdy buildings that, despite weathering and vandalism, remain partially intact more that 700 years after their owners departed.

Kirk’s Ranch: Kirk's ranch is located on a canyon that is a tributary of the Grand Canyon. It is located about 40 miles south of the Grand Canyon. And is for sale.

Kirk’s GPS instrument indicated that an ‘excellent’ time to see wildlife is between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and a ‘good’ time would be between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. At 11:00 a.m., we toured Four Hills, where his ranch is located and saw very little wildlife—a few birds, one jackrabbit and one prairie dog. Our luck was better in the ‘good’ time, we saw burros and deer.

Grand Canyon National Park: After visiting Kirk’s ranch, we went back to his trailer to take a nap because he had to work the night audit shift at the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Lodge. Besides, I was pooped. At 5:00 o’clock, we headed for the Grand Canyon to have dinner but had to drive south to fill-up with gasoline. On our way, we saw five wild burros grazing on a hillside near the freeway. And at the Grand Canyon, we spotted several deer roaming throughout the park.

The Grand Canyon’s rocks that are exposed in the canyon range from the fairly young to the fairly old. Kaibab limestone, the caprock on the rims of the canyon, formed 270 million years ago. The oldest rocks within the Inner Gorge at the bottom of Grand Canyon date to 1,840 million years ago. For comparison geologists currently set the age of Earth at 4,550 million years.

While the rocks are ancient, the canyon is relatively young. Geologists generally agree that canyon carving occurred over the last 5-6 million years—a geologic blink of the eye.

Walnut Canyon National Monument: I had never heard of Walnut Canyon. I wish I had. This visit was the most treacherous of all. I would have taken water to prevent dehydration. But thank the Lord, the day was cloudy, and by the end of the walk, light rain cooled me down.

As I entered the visitor’s center, a female ranger told me there would be 240 steps down to the ruins. I knew that I could handle it by taking my time and resting several times on the way back up from the depths of the canyon. I was concerned about dehydration.

There are two paved foot trails beginning at the visitor center. The Island Trail (hard one), a 0.9 mile loop, passes 25 cliff dwelling rooms and takes you through different plantlife zones. I took the hard one. Next time it’s the easy one. The 0.7 mile Rim Trail (easy one) overlooks the canyon and passes the ruins of rimtop structures.

A word of caution: If you decide to go the hard one, drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. I was concerned about my visit on the hard one, but I am glad that I conquered it. The cloudy skies and the rain at the end of the climb saved me.

Meteor Crater Natural Landmark: The Meteor Crater is privately operated. My Golden Age Passport was not valid for admission into the crater. So, I had to pay $13 for a senior citizen ticket.

Strictly speaking a meteor is a small space object that burns up in the atmosphere; if it actually reaches the surface it is referred to as a meteorite. For this reason the crater is somewhat misnamed.

Meteor Crater lies at an elevation of about 5709 feet above sea level. It is about 4,000 feet in diameter, some 570 feet, and is surrounded by a rim that rises 150 feet above the surrounding plains.
The center of the crater is filled with 700-800 feet of rubble lying above crater bedrock.

I had seen this site in the early sixties. I did not spend a lot of time because I had the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert to see. As I was getting into my car, I spotted two little creatures that looked like chipmonks.

Petrified Forest National Park: When I approached the town of Holbrook, I followed signs directing traffic to the Petrified Forest. The highway leading to Petrified Forest is a back road through the desert with very few signs of civilization.

When I reached the entrance gate to the park, I asked the ranger, “Where is the Painted Desert relative to here?”

“Continue north about 28 miles on this road,” he responded.

After stopping at the visitor’s center to view several specimens of petrified wood, I continued north on the road though the park. In the park are several stopping points to view petrified wood and Indian ruins. For the sake of time, I only stopped at the ones alongside of the main road. The main road through the park provides parking areas for access to hiking trails, picnic areas, and the designated wilderness.

There are three visitor facilities in the park. Painted Desert Visitor Center has a 20-minute orientation movie and exhibits. Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark is a Pueblo Revival-style structure with cultural history exhibits. Rainbow Forest Museum has exhibits about petrified wood, geology and paleontology.

Over the 225 million years since the trees lived, the continents moved to their present positions, and this region was uplifted. As a result the climate changed, and the tropical environment became today’s grassland. Over time, wind and water wore away the rock layers exposed fossilized ancient plants and animals. The hills will yield more fossils as weathering sculpts the Painted Desert’s soft sedimentary rock.

Petrified wood’s varied colors came from minerals in the silica-saturated waters. Iron, carbon, manganese, and sometimes cobalt and chromium produced patterns and blends of yellow, red, black, blue, brown, white, and pink. Petrified wood is surprisingly heavy weighing nearly 200 pounds per cubic foot, and its hardness is seven on a 10-point scale.

Paleontologists have studied fossils in the park since the 1920s. Their important finds include skeletons of crocodile-like phytosaurs; one of North America’s earliest dinosaur fossils, nicknamed “Gertie,” and most recently a skeleton of the aetosaur Stagonolepis, a large, heavily armored plant-eating reptile.

The Painted Desert: The Painted Desert is located inside the Petrified Forest National Park. I passed several colorful hills that I thought was the Painted Desert, but as I continued on the highway through the park, I stopped at one of the points. The sign read, “The Painted Desert”. The 28-mile park road offers overlooks with long-distance vistas of the Painted Desert and parking areas for access to hiking trails.

After my day was over the clouds darkened and the rain came and left creating a beautiful rainbow. I captured the picture from my hotel room in Holbrook, Arizona.

God is quite an artist. He paints with a breath-taking stroke.

The picture below was selected for the Super Bowl XVII Countdown:

Houston to Kilgore

2007-05-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Houston about six hours late. We had reserved a car from National Car Rental to go to Kilgore, Brenham, Palestine and back to Houston.

We chased storms from El Paso to Houston, only seeing the water that the rain had left. Being Arizona boys, we wanted to see rain. When we left Houston, the rain followed us all the way to Kilgore, which is about 200 miles from Houston.

Thank the Lord for cell phones. I was able to keep my sister, Loleen, apprised of our whereabouts. We reached Kilgore around 4:00 p.m. We sat and talked with Loleen until dinner time. Bob and I helped her and Cindy cook tacos. After dinner, we watched the finals of Dancing With The Stars and American Idol. Our favorite, Apollo, won Dancing With The Stars. Tonight, May 23, we will find out if our favorite, Jordin Sparks from Glendale, Arizona, wins American Idol. (Later note: she won.)

Loleen's house never lacks visitors, John, Lucy and Candi, stopped by to say, "Hello." Darla was in and out of the house. She brought her son, Jonathon, with her. Joey and Cindy now live with Loleen. Joey will be staying with his father while Bob and I are visiting. Thank you Joey.

On Wednesday morning, Angie, Jack, Cassidy and Trey came to visit. Darla was back again. She is in the midst of divorcing her husband. I go to the Randolph C. Watson Library on Kilgore College's campus to use their wireless Internet connection, which is free. I took my laptop which has the ability to connect with wireless connections. I checked my emails several times during my stay in Kilgore. Across the street from the library is the museum of the famous Kilgore Rangerettes.

During the day, Bob and I run several errands, we shop at Brookshire's to buy ingredients for Bob's potato salad. Loleen had requested his potato salad. She had eaten it previously and raved about it. Bob wants to make it on Thursday; let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to infuse the flavors; and serve it on Friday night at Joey's graduation party.

Wednesday night is enchilada night at Cancun Dave's. Bob and I treated Carl, Jr. and his family, Cindy, Joey, and Loleen to enchiladas, beans and rice. When I am in Kilgore on a Wednesday night, it is a tradition to eat enchiladas at Cancun Dave's.

On Thursday, we go to Joey's graduation. Loleen had to take her wheelchair because she is unable to walk very far due to her knee replacement. It was a fun evening. Joey's last name is White and the diplomas were awarded in alphabetical order. He was one of the last to receive his diploma. Candi, my nephew John's daughter, plays in the band so it was necessary for her to go. She graduates next year.

Swearing Off the Sunset Limited

2007-05-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Amtrak does not stop in Phoenix anymore. If you want to ride the train, one must catch Amtrak at Maricopa, AZ, which is about thirty miles from Tempe or at Flagstaff, which is about 160 miles away. Since Bob and I are headed for Texas, we catch the Sunset Limited line in Maricopa.

Harrah's, a casino in Maricopa, will allow you to leave your car on their parking lot for nothing, but for five dollars each day, the valets will watch it. We opted for the five dollar deal.

I swore I would never ride the Sunset Limited again. The line is usually late because Union Pacific, the owner of the tracks, disregards their lease with Amtrak. By the time the train reaches Maricopa, it is running about 3 ½ hours late.

Bob and I rented a roomette, which is a small room with two seats that convert into a bed. Another bed folds down from the ceiling. Bob slept in the upper bunk the first night. He had a hard time sleeping because of his claustrophobia. I tried to sleep in the top bunk the second night but had difficulty sleeping too. We decided to undo the bottom bunk and sleep in the seats. It was uncomfortable We don’t think we will get a roomette again since neither of us care to sleep in the top bunk. The coach fare is less expensive.

The main reason for getting a roomette is that meals are included. But we feel obligated to eat. Dessert comes with lunch and dinner. It is difficult to decline dessert when it comes with the meal. I usually gain weight when I eat three full meals each day.

The fun thing about eating the meals is that you share a table with other people. We met a 78 year old lady who is an evangelist. She knew many of the famous ministers that my Dad knew.

Riding the train, allows you to see the beautiful scenery that you may not be able to see from an airplane or driving a car. Much of the terrain between Maricopa and East Texas is desert. But some of the spectacular sights are crossing over the Rio Grande and Pecos rivers. Near the rivers is a dam called, Amistad Reservoir, It is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Del Rio, Texas, USA. Unfortunately, the time of day we crossed these sights was not conducive to picture-taking.

Other sights to behold are the sunsets and sunrises.

By the time we reach Houston, the train was running about six hours late. I called National Car Rental to notify them of our late arrival. The reason Bob and I decided to come to Houston was that I had not seen Houston in many years and Bob had never seen it.

Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, it had a population of more than 2 million. The city covers more than 600 square miles. Houston is the county seat of Harris County and part of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of more than 5.5 million.

Phoenix Zoo

2007-05-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Today, I was an alternate for my friend, Jim Beaton, to tour the Phoenix Zoo. He belongs to the Tempe Diplomats who tour various businesses throughout each year.

The Phoenix Zoo, opened in 1962, is the largest non-profit zoo in the United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the zoo operates on 125 acres of land in the Papago Park area of Phoenix. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.

The zoo has approximately 1,400 animals on display, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of walking trails, and other attractions. It was founded by Robert Maytag, a member of the famous Maytag family.

Phoenix Zoo Website

Kartchner Caverns State Park

2007-04-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Because were unable to take our cameras into the cave, the photos were scanned from a group of photos I purchased in the gift shop.

Kartchner Caverns began with a drop of water--a shallow inland sea covered this area 330 million years ago, and deposited layers of sediment that hardened into limestone. Mountain building or an uplift dropped the limestone thousands of feet below the earth and below the mountains forming a hidden cavern.

Kartchner Caverns was discovered by two brave souls Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts in 1974. I try to imagine what it would be like discovering a big cave in total darkness. The discoverers squeezed though little tiny openings and chiseled for hours at a time to make some openings larger so they could discover the whole cave.

Then to protect the cave, Randy and Gary had to keep the cave a secret until they were sure it would be protected. At first, they thought the land was owned by the State of Arizona, but after research, they discovered was owned by the Kartchner family. They researched information about the family to see if they would work with them in preserving the cave and in February 1978, told the property owners, James and Lois Kartchner, about their discovery. The Kartchners did not have the funds to develop and protect the cave but were willing to work with Randy and Gary.

After inquiring about Federal and State Funds, they learned that Arizona was interested in establishing State Parks. They approached the State with the preservation conditions. The cave’s existence became public knowledge in 1988 when its purchase was approved as an Arizona State Park. $38 million later, the project is at its current state, a beautiful cavern with a variety of colors and formations.

Two tours are available in the winter months: the Rotunda/Throne Room Tour and the Big Room Tour. On April 15 of each year, the Big Room is sealed off so that the myotis bats can mate. During the summer months, the cave’s Big Room serves as a nursery roost for over 1,000 female cave bats.

My friend Alex and I toured the Rotunda and Throne Room. We are briefed before entering the cave—no pictures and no clothing or accessories that can fall off can be taken into the cave. We are not allowed to touch the walls or rocks. After the briefing, we are carted by a tram to the man made opening of the cave. On the way up the mountain, the driver showed us the very small opening that Randy and Gary entered.

Upon entering the cave, there are two sets of doors. The first door opens and everyone enters into a small room. That door is closed before entering the second door.

The State has installed lights to project the beauty of the formations hanging from the ceiling and extending from the walls and floors of the two rooms. The floor is covered with mud, which the discoverers preserved by using the same trail over and over again. Even today, workers use the same trail that Randy and Gary used.

Visit Friends of Kartchner Caverns...

Matzatzal Casino - April 5

2007-04-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, my friend, Bob Jones and I traveled with about 45 other seniors to Mazatzal (pronounced like "mad as hell") Casino near Payson for a one day trip. We previously registered with the Pyle Adult Center over the Internet. The trip cost $11 but when we arrived at the Casino, we registered to become a club member and received $10 in cash. For only $1, it was a great trip.

I enjoy traveling through the Arizona desert, especially in the spring when the wild desert flowers are blooming. On the way up to Payson, the desert wildflowers were blooming and the Arizona sun was beating down on the desert causing the temperature to climb to 92 degrees. When we reach the Casino, the weather was a cooler 80 degrees.

After signing up for our membership, Bob and I eat breakfast. The special of the day - a cheese omelet with home-fried potatoes and toast for only $2.99.

Bob sits at the one-arm bandits. I play blackjack. After a couple of hours, we meet in the lounge, have a couple of drinks and brag about our winnings. The tales about our winnings were not 'fish' stories. Neither of us won big, but we were happy that we were ahead of the game.

In the lounge, I played triple poker with deuces wild at the machine in front of me. I put $20 in the machine and was about to lose everything when I suddenly hit on all of my three hands. I hit a royal flush, a straight flush and a straight. Since I was only playing with quarters, I didn't win a lot, but I was happy that I was still ahead.

Before you report me to the IRS and after all is said and done, I ended up spending $20 on the trip after expenses. But I had a good time.

Matzatzal Casino Webite