It only took 1 1/2 hours to drive from the mountains to Douglas, at only about 40 mph.  Before anything else, I filled my gas tank and propane, which had lasted for ten days of freezing nights.  I thought that was pretty good.  That Wave 3 catalytic heater is perfect to leave on at night, it is silent, puts off good heat, and uses no power.  I am glad that I didn’t get it permanently installed so can move it to the bedroom at night and back to the dining area in the mornings.  I’ don’t feel cocky, since I know all the mistakes I’ve made so far, but at least I’m learning.

I asked about a flat place in town to sleep overnight, and was advised to go to the now-closed Safeway store.  It apparently went out of business when they opened the Walmart store nearby.  I parked next to the Border patrol, and not far from several semi trucks.  The border patrol here uses bicycles, and I noticed that they change shifts about every six hours.  They were very friendly and always parked their 4×4 nearby.

I walked over to take pictures at the famous Gadsden Hotel, where it still feels like some famous gangster from the 1940s might walk in any moment.

I spent a lot of time on the phone with AT&T arranging for cellphone minutes and data time for my tablet that would work in Mexico.  It only cost $30 for each, and even if nobody calls me I’ll be glad to have it and can check my email.  The next morning I checked the oil in both engines and added a quart to each.  To replace my supply, I walked over to Walmart and bought three more quarts, and also a car charger for my old cellphone.  Then… yes… I followed the road around behind Walmart and straight to the border crossing!  I hadn’t actually known I would do it, but suddenly I was at the USA Customs, saying goodbye.  I had no idea what to expect, nor exactly where to get my permits for the motor home and car, nor how much they would cost.  I didn’t plan to travel past San Carlos so would stay in the “free zone” which meant I could drive the car and go by myself without a permit, but I was sure the motor home would be a very different story, and I was right about that.

I decided to take suggestions from other travelers and go visit the Chiracahua Mountains.  It is a National Monument with a small campground where my motor home would be the largest possible that could fit in the campsites.  I’m so glad I went there.  Finally I could camp in the woods and not feel as if I was in a trailer court.  It was all I could hope for, and even the chilly nights and shadows from trees did not diminish the electricity I could get from my solar panels.

This campsite was just big enough for me to squeeze my car in behind the motor home.  To get there, it was necessary to drive down through a flash flood gully, and when I left I should have ignored the one-way signs and gone out the way I came in, since I scraped the bottom again. Good thing I have tough equipment!

It’s especially nice that these national reserves accept my senior citizen lifetime pass, and I pay lower camping fees, a big $6 each night!

I drove all the way up to the top to see the interesting rock formations.  This is the country where the valiant Indians Cochise and Geronimo made their last stand.  It was eerie to be there.

While I was peacefully camping here, I realized that I was very close to the Mexico border, and although I didn’t actually plan to drive down there, I thought I’d go to Douglas and check out the border crossing.  I’ve spent a lot of time in Mexico over the last almost 40 years, and driven alone in a camper van several times.  But I’ve never done it in a motor home and wondered if it would be seen as a target in this more dangerous time.  Last October it was no problem to drive down into Baja, so I just wanted to see things for myself.