We must be grateful for the much-needed rain

Right after I wrote the previous post, where I talked about dry creeks, it started raining in Tucson. Yesterday, on our journey from Tucson to Mexico, we noticed a difference in the infrastructure in Arizona compared to where we (usually) live, in Niagara Falls, Canada. Without a structured drainage system, water sometimes isn't diverted off the road surfaces. On the opposite side of the road on one interstate, traffic was blocked because of the creation of a beautiful waterfall cascading off the mountain directly onto the road. Unfortunately, I missed a great photo op as I was too stunned by the sight itself.

The view today from our window in Mexico. Just below the power line is
where the sea meets the sky ... no blue skies or inviting sea for us today!

Confused Canadians cross a dry creek looking for pack rats!

As we move from one location to another, we're experiencing living environments that are different to our Canadian lifestyle. I could write a whole blog comparing recycling programs, but I'll resist for now at least.

Bathroom etiquette. In a public washroom in Arizona, near the Mexican border, a sign said "put toilet paper in the toilet". Seems like an obvious to North Americans, but for those more used to needing to NOT flush it because of inadequate sanitary systems, it's not so obvious. This reminded me of signs in many countries warning tourists not to flush toilet paper. Reverse scenario here.

Driving to Mexico is on Greg's bucket list

This post will be short and oh-so-sweet. We started out on this house sitting journey with very few plans and even fewer expectations. We're doing our best to care for the pets and homes of others, and we hope we will be appreciated. This week we have been touched by the warmth and generosity shown by homeowners who are our next booking.

We are booked with a couple for February 6th for 10 days. As well as having a home in Phoenix, they also have one in Mexico. They've generously agreed to lend us their home in Mexico to fill the gap for the week before we do their housesit. So, Friday we're off for a week to Rocky Point (Puerto Peńasco), which is about an hour's drive from the Arizona border. It will be great to be by the sea as I do so miss it!

Where's Waldo?

Sign at the visitor's centre

Today, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, Greg and I made our way to the nearby Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. It's listed on TripAdvisor as the #4 thing to do in Tucson (yesterday's air museum is #3). With an estimated 1.25 million visitors annually, it's obviously worth seeing. It lists many outdoor activities, including strenuous hikes up rocky mountains, but we were there primarily for the Sabino Canyon Tour.

Trains, planes, and automobiles

By this photo you can see that today we visited the Pima Air (and Space) Museum. Rain was forecast so the timing was good for this visit.

What uses can you find for a dead Saguaro cactus?

When we first arrived in Arizona, Greg suggested that we take photos of the various cactus, but I soon realized it would be overwhelming. However, here in Tucson I am taking an interest in the Saguaro that are all around us. In reading the Saguaro National Park factsheet, I've learned that this cactus only grows here, in the Sonoran desert. I found the details fascinating, including that on average they live 150 - 175 years and only grow to 1.5" in their first 8 years of life.

The old adage of "red sky at night, shepherd's delight"

The homeowner mentioned that we might see some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Well, we haven't been up early enough to see the sunrises, but we were treated to a beautiful sunset yesterday. I took many photos, but I'll just share a couple here.

When we first started watching the sunset

A quiet day at the casita

We're comfortably settled into our new home. Last night I enjoyed a glass of wine by a nice fire built by my lovely husband. Today we woke to temperatures not much above freezing. Brrr!

We didn't venture out today, other than to spend some time on the patio. There are bird feeders here, and the homeowners left us some bird books. Who knows, I may even improve upon my limited knowledge of birds. Today we saw a male and female Gila woodpecker, and some American goldfinches. Well, more birds did visit, but those are the only ones I can identify so far!

Our latest home, in the Catalina Foothills

Before meeting our next homeowner, we took our vehicle in for an oil change. With time on his hands, Greg can get into some mischief! Here he is, trying to trade in our vehicle for a brand new Corvette. Not a hope! Besides, where would we put all the stuff we have with us?

The Yuma sand dunes are beautiful

We did the second half of our journey to Tucson Arizona today. This was our first experience of driving in an area that borders Mexico. I found it quite strange to see a ramp off the freeway that just said "Mexico".

Soon after we entered Arizona, we were a little taken aback that all vehicles on the freeway were being stopped by border control officers with sniffer dogs. We were asked if we were U.S. citizens, and when we said Canadian, and I went to pull out our passports, we were just waived through. I wanted to take a photo for the blog, but I didn't want to get in trouble!

Sand dunes near Yuma, contrasting with the dark mountains behind

Bye, bye, California

So, with just over 4,000 land miles covered so far, and 2820 nautical miles (the equivalent of 3245 land miles), we left Los Angeles Tuesday and headed off towards Arizona.

For our friends who like to wear Harley-Davidson t-shirts,
here's another option we saw at the market in Mexico!

Our cruise – the Mexican ports of call

The remainder of our ports were all in Mexico: Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loreto, and Puerto Vallarta. The two ports in the Sea of Cortez, La Paz and Loreto, were the only places we hadn't visited before.

I loved this early-morning sky in the Sea of Cortez

Our Mexican cruise - first port of call, San Diego

Our ship, the Crown Princess, docked in San Diego

The first port of call on our 10-day Mexican cruise was San Diego, United States. We've spent enough time there in the past that we've done the tourist things that interest us. We therefore chose to go for a long walk around the downtown area and harbour front, where you can see this 25' statue.

Our house sitting schedule is evolving

As you may know, we started this journey December 8th, based on a two-week Christmas house and pet sit in Peoria, Arizona. Other than a scheduled New Year's visit to the Los Angeles area, the rest was unplanned. Our main goal was to stay away from the cold Canadian winter.

A little bit of Denmark in Southern California

Today we saw african violets growing outdoors;
a good sign that we're in a warmer climate now!

We travelled from Santa Barbara to Solvang today, a journey of 35 miles. The majority of that journey (24 miles) was on the San Marcos Pass, which goes through the steep Santa Ynez Mountains. We travelled a range from sea level to 4800 feet above sea level, and back down to almost sea level again at Solvang. The San Marcos Pass is designated as a daylight-headlight highway, apparently because of frequent accidents. I don't have any photos of this road to share with you as I was too busy watching the road, and holding on at times!

Another sunny day in Santa Barbara

Today's weather was a repeat of yesterday, only warmer. We reached the high 70s today, which was perfect. I even sat outside for a while with my feet in the swimming pool. Apparently, Santa Barbara gets about 300 days of sunshine a year. With hedgerows of flowers like this to greet us at the hotel, what's not to like here?

Enjoying California's Pacific Coast Highway

After a laid-back weekend, we hit the road again this morning. Blue skies, sunshine, and a high of 72ºF - now that's an improvement!

We again took the scenic Topanga Canyon Rd down to the Pacific Coast Highway. We travelled through Malibu, and planned to take the coastal road up to Santa Barbara. Greg keeps mentioning what a great road it would be to ride his motorcycle. Ironically though, we see very few motorcycles here.

A day at the beach

The weather warmed up today, so it was a great day to explore the area. We took the Topanga Canyon scenic road to the Pacific coast.

Check out this sign at the beach. Hmmn.