AZ, NM, TX, LA – Oct 2024

Well, nothing like having the entire campground to yourself!  This was taken in the KOA in Picacho, AZ and that’s me all by myself there in the background.  I think there were only 2 or 3 other campers in the entire place while I was there.  Apparently, this campground closes during the hot summer months (Jun, Jul, Aug) while the owners themselves do some traveling.  It had only been open a couple of weeks when I arrived, and has its busy season during the winter when all the snowbirds show up.  Really nice campground though!  So, I’m now on my mad dash back to my FL home base, making relatively short stops along the way.  Still, lots to see and friends to visit with, so read on for all the details.

Wikieup, AZ

My first stop in AZ takes me to the small town of Wikieup.  This town, roughly halfway between Las Vegas and Phoenix, has a whopping population of 135 as of the 2020 census.  As you enter the town from the north on US Hwy 93, you are welcomed here with this Snoopy and Woodstock riding a rocket along the side of the highway.  It must be a Snoopy theme as south of town on the same road is a pile of rocks affectionately known as Snoopy Rocks.  As you can see from both the distant and close up photos, these rocks form a beagle-style character keeping a watchful eye over the highway.  Pretty cool!  Also south of Wikieup is the town of Nothing, AZ.  Literally, there is Nothing there!  Some time ago a former pig farmer reportedly purchased 6 acres of desert land in the middle of nowhere, built a small market, and put up a sign advertising Nothing.  Apparently it was a stopping point for awhile, but alas the lack of traffic and hence visitors did the place in.  So, the abandoned building and the Nothing sign are all that remain of the town.

Picacho, AZ

I liked this town name and was so looking forward to visiting here.  Well, it turns out the town name is NOT pronounced like the Pokémon character Pikacho.  I’m an avid Pokémon Go player, so this was a bit of a disappointment.  But, I went ahead and mispronounced it anyway the entire time I was there.  Just too much fun!  The town name is Spanish meaning “peak” and was derived from the mountain (at right, top) having the same name.  Sadly, the population of the town is in serious decline.  It was 521 in 2000, to 471 in 2010, then an almost half loss in 2020 down to 250.  I imagine if the campground fills up during the winter as suggested by the owners, that would mean the population likely doubles or triples during the snowbird season.

There were a few things to do and see in the area, though nothing directly in Picacho.  Nearby Casa Grande, AZ had a few things to check out.  First was this really cool place known as Neon Sign Park.  It was a literal park in the middle of town, filled with various historical neon signs.  I imagine it would be even more interesting at night when the signs are all lit up.

Also in downtown Casa Granada is this building shaped like a ship known as the S.S Blinky Jr.  It was built in 1946 by area car dealer C.J. “Blinky” Wilson, who reportedly had it designed by a state prison convict.  It served as the home to his Lincoln-Mercury dealership Wilson Motors location through 1981. He reportedly used the ship styling in honor of his son who at the time was in the Navy.  Further east of downtown was this historical landmark.  Literally a landmark “X” or better yet a Maltese Cross, was one of 272 such markers – each 60 feet across and organized into a 16-by-16 mile grid.  The Army Map Service leased 100×100 foot parcels and built and maintained these markers from 1959 thru 1972.  Some believed these markers were used to calibrate the CIA’s Corona spy satellite program.  Others claim that to be false, and rather were used by aircraft as reference and calibration points and for aerial surveys.  Either way, a pretty cool historical site to visit.

Just 20 miles to the north of Picacho was Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.  Spanish for “Big House”, this is the largest structure that was part of a complex built by the Sonoran Desert People and dates back to the 13th century. Proclaimed Casa Grande Reservation on June 22, 1892 by President Benjamin Harrison, the 480 acres around the ruins became the first prehistoric and cultural reserve in the United States. It was later re-designated a national monument by President Woodrow Wilson on August 3, 1918.  It was quite the structure and it’s amazing that it has survived the harsh desert climate for all these centuries. In 1932, a roof structure known as a  ramada was built to shelter the ruins from weathering by Boston architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.  Interestingly, it was Frederick Olmsted who also developed the city plan for Lake Wales, as well as having designed the local Bok Tower.  He sure was a busy and prolific guy!

Lastly, the town of Florence, AZ located to the northeast, is home to a couple interesting Roadside attractions.  First is the Pinal County Courthouse – an elaborate and ornate brick structure built in 1891 to project the towns prosperity.  Apparently, they bit off a bit more than they could chew, and blew the construction budget.  To save money, in lieu of real clocks, they created fake clock faces on each of the four sides of the tower – each set to 11:44.  The reason for that specific time appears to have been lost in history, but the local museum docent that I chatted with believes it to represent an “always open” philosophy, suggesting to visitors to the town that it’s not quite lunch time, so come on in.  What makes this a bit more interesting is that in 2012, the courthouse was completely restored at a cost approaching $6 million – nearly 20 times what it cost to build originally, but still not having enough money to install real clocks.  Too funny!  Also in town, I made a visit to the Pinal County Historical Museum.  Part of the museum’s charm was its displays of the towns prison history.  Florence is largely a prison town – home to several federal, county, state, and private prisons.  The museum’s display included a two-seater gas chamber chair (at right, top left), and a collection of hangman’s nooses (at right, top center).  It also features a living room set made of cactus.  When I read about the latter, I was thinking who would want to sit on furniture made from cactus?  It would seem to be kinda prickly (at right, bottom right)!  But I later learned that the inside of a cactus has a strong root-like structure from which the furniture was actually made (at right, bottom left).  Who knew?

Lordsburg, NM

Next, I would zip through New Mexico, making my only stop here in Lordsburg.  Another small town with a sadly dwindling population (3,300, in 2000, 2,800 in 2010, to 2,300 in 2020 – for a 30% drop over 20 years) and having little areas of interest.  So, I spent most of my time hanging out in the RV and working on this blog.  I did make a trip out to the local grocery store, and had a couple of chuckles from some of the things I saw there.  First up was this blast from the past sign that was sitting atop the store.  I remember as a kid licking and posting my mom’s S&H green stamps in those paper collection books.   Ah, the memories!  Next, on the door leading into the store was this sign proclaiming that firearms were permitted on this property.  I’ve certainly seen signs that prohibit firearms in certain places, but this is the first time that I’ve seen a sign allowing and presumably encouraging them.  Too funny!

Boerne, TX

Ah, my third visit here over the past 5 years, and my third visit with this dear friend and her family.  I’ve known Brenda since back in my Air Force days, and have enjoyed spending time with her and her sisters, her niece, and other extended family members each time I pass through her area.  And this time was no exception.  I also got to meet her two new beagle puppies (and her sister’s beagle from the same litter) along with her existing two adult dogs.  So, I certainly got my dog fix in while I was there.  On our first day together, she asked if I would be interested in joining her and her sisters and others to attend a Christmas bazaar.  Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to spend a day with a gaggle of women! 😂  We started out with an excellent lunch featuring an excellent country fried steak, then went off to the bazaar.  The girls did their best putting a dent in their respective bank accounts buying really cool shirts and various holiday wreaths, while I kept my credit cards in my wallet and just walked around taking in all the really nice holiday crafts and treats.  It was a really fun day – thanks Brenda!

The next day we headed out to a new pizza restaurant that had recently opened that featured wood fired brick oven pizza, and is surrounded by 80s nostalgia and movie memorabilia.  Owner Michael Hawes, an avid Star Wars fan since he was 7 years old, has one of the world’s largest private Star Wars collections.  So, he created this venue to feature elements of that collection, in addition to a host of items created specifically for this restaurant.  It was really cool with Superman flying up in the ceiling, Marty and Doc with their DeLorean Time Machine, and walls covered with all sorts of movie props and collectibles.  It was certainly a time travel adventure.  And, the pizza was really good too (well, maybe not the pickle one).

After the pizza, we got into a hyper competative game of Golf.  Brenda’s sister Carol was the big winner – thanks to my strategic play that forced a 20 point loss on Brenda.  Oh well – no friends at cards!

On our final day together, we ventured out to Camp Verde for brunch at their signature restaurant.  It was a fabulous meal even though I forgot to get a picture.  The town of Camp Verde is actually what once was an Army camp that in the mid 1800’s was tasked with figuring out if camels could be used by Army personnel in lieu of horses.  It was a multi-year experiment that was eventually scrapped when the camp closed in 1869.  The original general store and post office still exists today, and is popular tourist stop that also features the signature restaurant.  On our way to the restaurant, we passed this interesting figure (at right, bottom right) that was located outside of a town art gallery. Known as Miss Forest, this 25 foot tall art piece by famed Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, represents love, whimsy, and playfulness.  Cool art piece!

Brookshire, TX

Next, I make a pit stop in Brookshire – just west of Houston. There were a couple of interesting places to check out in this area.  First up was the corporate hq and manufacturing home of Igloo.  Known for their coolers and similar products- most notably the Playmate cooler.  So much so, the entrance guard shack was designed and built in the shape of the Playmate, and a VW bus was converted to also represent the Playmate cooler.  Very cool!  The other place I visited was the nearby Buc-ees.  Besides having all the normal Buc-ees amenities like bountiful fuel stations, a giant store, and lots of bathrooms, this particular Buc-ees has a unique claim to fame.  This 255-foot automated car wash is the world’s longest.  The grand opening ceremony was held on Nov 16, 2017 where Guinness World Records was present to confirm its world record status.  It takes five minutes just to ride through this massive cleaning machine, and ends with blow driers that themselves are believed to be the world’s most powerful.  Sadly, they could not accommodate my dually big-boy truck, so no record length wash for me.

Ponchatoula, LA

As I continue my trek to the east, Ponchatoula is my next stop having something interesting to see.  The world’s tallest Ronald Reagan statue is my first stop in nearby Covington.  Despite having been a Democratic stronghold city for more than a century, and the fact that Ronald Reagan had never even visited the town, its swinged Republican in 2003.  A local town councilman along with Patrick Taylor, a Louisiana tycoon, owner of Taylor Energy Company, one of the 400 richest men in the world, and good friend of Reagans, committed to building the largest memorial to his friend after he passes.  Despite Taylor himself passing away just a few months after Reagan in 2004, his Foundation came through and in 2008 this statue was dedicated.  Next, I visited a little community playground known as Nose Park which got its name from the 3 foot tall concrete and rebar nose created in 1996 by Al Ormsby.  Sadly, the nose is not aging well, and in need of some plastic surgery!  Last, I visited a place called the Abita Mystery House – also known as the U-C-M Museum (e.g. You-See-Em Museum).  A definite quirky roadside attraction built behind a 1930’s gas station.  It’s made up of several buildings housing a vast junk collection of stuff (hundreds of paint by number works of art, a collection of slide projector carousels nailed to the ceiling, and several dioramas depicting various lifestyles from long ago).  The owner and eccentric artist was actually inspired to create this place after having visited Tinkertown in New Mexico (I visited and wrote about that place HERE).  While the inspiration might have come from Tinkertown, this place fell quite a bit short of the mark trying to replicate it.  But, it was certainly an interesting and enjoyable stop along my travels.  One of the more interesting exhibits was the 32-foot alligator – shown at right, top and center right.  Too funny!

Final Thoughts

As I wrap up this edition of this blog, I’m watching various Florida news and national weather channels keeping an eye out on hurricane Milton.  Fortunately, my travel plans have put me here in Pensacola during this event – keeping me high and dry and away from this storm.  I’m hopeful the west coast of Florida fairs well in what appears to be a historical storm.  Similarly, the track will take this storm right past my community in Lake Wales, then off to the east coast while still maintaining hurricane status, where I have many friends and relatives.  So I’m also hopeful that they too will fair well through this nasty event.  So, to all my friends and family anywhere within the reach of this hurricane, stay safe and I wish you the best possible outcome.  Till next time, safe travels!

I only show a sampling of my adventure pictures here in the blog, and do so mostly in collage format for brevity and ease of reading. If you want to view an album containing individual full fidelity and hi-res images of all my travel pictures related to this specific blog, click the image below. Enjoy!