Things Going Well

We are so blessed and protected! We ran down to Sierra Vista Wednesday to have a couple of little projects done on the Suzuki, only to learn that our front brakes were shot and the back ones needed some work. So that got done before we started on our long trek to Oklahoma, Arkansas and wherever else.

We called several places about getting the motorhome’s leveling jack repaired. The first place said they could help us in late April. One suggestion was to call a dealer in Oklahoma City and make a reservation for when we would get there! La Mesa RV in Tucson said, come on in Thursday, we have a time slot available, and we also have the exact hydraulic cylinder you need in stock! We’ve dealt with La Mesa’s service department before with excellent results, so that was great.

The trip to Tucson was pleasant, as we got to see more greening and flowering in the desert than we have in Benson.

Tucson is lower than Benson, and warmer, so spring is more advanced. The ocotillo are leafed out and display their bright red flags, pink and yellow wildflowers dot the landscape, and even some cactus are blooming.

La Mesa was running behind in their scheduling Thursday, and one of their lifts wasn’t operating properly, so we had some spare time on our hands. Since Mission San Xavier del Bac is only a few miles south of Tucson, we decided to visit that historic church on the San Xavier Indian Reservation.

Mission San Xavier is often called the White Dove of the Desert. It’s also called the Sistine Chapel of North America because of the intricate paintings on the interior walls and ceiling. The 200-year-old structure, blending Mexican Renaissance, Moorish and Byzantine architectural styles, is recognized as one of the finest examples of mission architecture in the country.

The old church, still serving the Tohono O’odham (Papago) community, is undergoing a restoration process, and one of the two towers is sheathed in scaffolds and netting while being repainted the dazzling white of its reputation. (A website declares proudly that the scaffolding would be taken down in February and replaced in May, so that March and April would be an ideal time for photographers. Not!!)

Under a palapa shaded by ocotillo branches, we bought Indian fry bread tacos for lunch.

Three Tohono O’odham ladies leisurely prepared the food for a small swarm of us tourists.

One lady patted rolls of dough into flat tortillas, then lay them carefully into a pot of boiling lard set on a primitive grill over a wood fire.

Once a tortilla was cooked, another lady spooned an excellent red chili over the surface. She then chopped fresh lettuce to spread over the good beef chili. The third lady, the one who was taking orders and collecting cash payment, then scooped a handful of chopped tomato over the lettuce, grabbed a napkin and plastic fork, and handed each taco to its eager purchaser.

Spicy hot, but delicious.

Upon our return to La Mesa RV, we learned that nearly everything we had requested was complete, except for a lube and oil change. Because of the faulty lift, they hadn’t time to finish it that day. Joseph, our service advisor, offered to let us stay the night in their facility hooked up to electricity, but cautioned that they would be locking the gates at 6:30pm. His second offer was to split the cost of a one-night stay at an RV park directly across the street. We took Joseph up on that offer, not liking the thought of being locked up overnight.

Beaudry RV is a major dealership that has expanded to include a very large (and reasonably expensive) RV Resort, plus a Camping World retail store. The RV park has palm trees for decoration, and each site has an orange tree, fragrantly blooming this time of year. The resort offers a half-price arrangement under one of our memberships, so our night cost a total of $23, of which Joseph would reimburse half. Not too shabby.

Friday we awoke early, each with a mild case of Montezuma’s revenge from that spicy chili. Back at La Mesa we waited while Joseph and his team completed work on the motorhome, including a much-needed wash job, offered at no cost in light of our needing to wait overnight for the work to be done. Most of the work was covered by an extended service contract, so we came out pretty well. That's Joseph, our service advisor, pictured handing off our serviced motorhome to Suzy.

Not a bad way to spend a small part of … Our Life on Wheels!