Today The Rain Stopped

We have been in Phoenix now since the first of the year with blue skies warmish temperatures. Gayle said that the weather here is like a Canadian summer, warm days and cold days but nothing really hot. Last week we had planned to have a morning hike and then lunch at Cotton Lane the friends Paul and Gayle from Edmonton. Yesterday and the day before the rains started so we just did lunch instead. We had over and inch of rain which filled some of the low areas here at the park.

When the rain did stop Lorraine went of a walk and I hopped on my bike, camera in hand. First stop out side the park was an open area to the east. No fences or RVs to block the view. We haven't seen big fluffy white clouds like these for a while.

To the north along the fence line of the park, we can gain access to the canal that boarders the park on the north side.

On Lorraine walk she found a pond where there wasn't one two days ago. She tried to walk a sand trial on the number 1,3,5,7, and 9 hole. See we only have two holes and the second is the 2,4,6, and 8 hole. There is a lot of riding in circles to play 9 holes on a two hole coarse.

 

The canal runs east to west so in the late afternoon there are reflections to photograph. The year is good here in Goodyear when the rain stops and the sun come out.

So until next time remember to "Discover It and Live It"

Phoenix Trotting Park

The Phoenix Trotting Park, a horse racing track, was originally built in 1964 in Goodyear, Arizona. It opened in 1965 and was run for about two and a half seasons. The large, futuristically designed structure gave an optimistic look for the 1960s.

Originally planned to be built for a cost of about $3 million, the facility ended up costing around $10 million. Various incentives during the events that were held, such as free parking and admission did initially lead to decent attendance. However, a variety of factors led to the inevitable closing of the track. The hot weather of the desert caused events to be uncomfortable to attendees. The location provided limited means to control rain, leading to floods that caused accessibility problems. The park is also located about 20 miles outside of Phoenix and was built long before any major roads made the area easily accessible to those in the city or its suburbs.

The main building of the park was used in the 1998 Charlie/Martin Sheen movie No Code of Conduct. Part of the feature involved a large explosion occurring at the track. Despite the original assurances by the production staff that no animals would be injured, hundreds of the birds occupying the abandoned structure were killed and injured when the effect went off.

The park is a popular venue for photographers who document urban decay. Although abandoned, the park is surrounded by fencing and "No Trespassing" signs, and the Goodyear Police Department keeps a close watch for trespassers. As with any abandoned structure, there are multiple hazards within the structure that can easily injure or kill those who are not careful.

Rolling in the Goodyear

January 1, 2013 - It was a cool 3ºC and sunny on New Years Day as we took our time preparing for our trip to Cotton Lane RV Resort in Goodyear AZ. 

The Rose Parade from Pasadena had started at 9:00 am so Randal taped as much as he could before 10:30 am. We got to see Donate Life Float that my cousin Larry's daughter, Julie Humeston was involved with. It was pretty impressive.

We left Holiday Palm RV Park at 11:00 am and headed east on I-10. We noticed that the terrain had “blowing dust” signs, for the loose find sand. There appeared to have less cactus and no black varnish weathered rocks. The desert along the highway was fenced in. The Harquahala Mountain Range was seen in the distance to the North.

It was a 120 mile drive to Goodyear, East of Phoenix As we entered Maricopa County at Tonopah. We could see bellows of smoke off to the South, above the mountains. A sign saying “Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station” is a nuclear power plant located in Tonopah, AZ about 45 miles west of central Phoenix. It is the largest nuclear generation facility in the United States. Located in the Arizona desert, Palo Verde is the only nuclear generating facility in the world that is not situated adjacent to a large body of above-ground water. The facility evaporates water from the treated sewage of several nearby municipalities to meet its cooling needs.

We passed over the dry Hassayampa River, an intermittent river, the headwaters of which are just south of Prescott, AZ, and flows mostly south towards Wichenberg entering the Gila River near Hassayampa , AZ. Although the river has only subsurface flow for much of the year, it has significant perennial flows above ground within the Hassayama River Canyon Wilderness.

There are cotton fields in the area. We arrived at Cotton Lane RV Resort, Goodyear, Maricopa County, AZ. www.arizonaresorts.com at 1:00 pm. The sites are very wide so there is a lot of room to park the truck and still give us room to spread our mats. Right away our neighbours introduced themselves. The are from Wintson Salem NC. The Resort is a large one with over 400 sites. It is only half full. And very open. The office is closed today so we will register tomorrow.

After we set up, had a lunch, Randal connected to and paid for a months internet service with Jabba Communications, for $29.95, We now have a very good WIFI, the best for a long time.

We went for a drive around the Resort and down Van Buren Street into Goodyear ans Avondale. We found where the business section was. The housing developments and golf courses look very recent.

Goodyear was established in 1917 with the purchase of 16,000 acres of land by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire threads. World War II was important to Goodyear in the 1940's as the current Phoenix Goodyear Airport was built, but after the war, the economy suffered. Goodyear became a town on November 19, 1946. At the time, it had 151 homes and 250 apartments, a grocery store, a barber shop, beauty shop and a gas station. In January 1965, a harness racing track opened. At the time, there was no Interstate 10 or any major roads from Phoenix to Goodyear for access to the track. It closed under two years later, but still stands, and has not been used since then. The town became a city in 1985. In the 1980s, the remaining 10,000 acres of the original Goodyear Tire acreage was sold for future development. The Phoenix Goodyear Airport was renamed to its current name in 1986. Throughout the 1990's and 2000's, new homes and communities brought the population increasing rapidly. Goodyear continues to grow as more communities and homes are continuing to be built.

We could see the beautiful sunset this evening from our dining-room window. We have a good view of the sun rise from the office window tomorrow. Not obstructions.

How better can that get and what else is possible?