Ruby’s Big Milestone: From Rescue Stray to Lap Cat
After finally leaving our Phoenix Airbnb and reclaiming our motorhome after two weeks of repairs, we bounced between Benson, Tucson, and Casa Grande, seizing the chance to explore the deserts that lie between. We had lunches beneath towering saguaros, wandered Trail Dust Town’s dusty boardwalks, and even found comfort at a sunny cat lounge. We meet a different Ruby, one that warms our hearts!
Barb transforms the bedroom into a digital playroom, tapping away on her tablet while guiding Ceci’s avatar through a colorful Roblox world. Despite the miles between them, Oma’s laughter fills the motorhome as they navigate virtual adventures together. Opa’s job is to ensure there is a stable internet connection or the world may come to an end! (or at least pause at the wrong time!) Oma is trying hard to maintain a connection over the Internet with our fast growing “baby” granddaughter who will soon turn six!
Visitors from the East
After a great dinner at the Pinnacle Peak Saloon, Jason and Barb posed with longtime friends Linda and Danielle, who were visiting from Manassas, Virginia. We feel so blessed when our paths cross with friends wherever we are in the country!
Established as a replicable in the 1970’s, the Trail Dust Town feels like a living movie set: creaking board walks and wooden facades under the desert sun, a tiny steam locomotive puffs smoke as it goes around the village, and rustic stores beside a “century-old” opera house. Wandering past leather shops and an open-air amphitheater with live Western skits, you’re firmly planted in Tucson’s western grit at the Catalina foothills.
We wander into a bit of the Old West at Pinnacle Peak’s brightly painted storefronts—cowboy boots optional but by no means are out of place. The painted saloon facades and vintage lampposts feel straight from a any western movie, while storm clouds gather behind at the mountains over Tucson.
Hunter’s Kitten Lounge, Tucson
Since the loss of our two boys, Barb has been sending Jason every cat cafe she can find between Maine and Arizona, we finally made it to a special place in Tucson Arizona. Hunter’s Kitten Lounge gave both of us an opportunity to reset our “inner purr” with some special little animals. Fortunately, we were able to provide a service to one special kitty and not have to leave with any either!
At Hunter’s Kitten Lounge, Ruby finally gave Jason the full-on lap treatment—her first real show of trust since being rescued off the streets. Her foster family was there, eyes wide in amazement. Ruby’s rough past was written on her: a crushed pelvis that healed incorrectly, a missing tail, and partial paralysis that demands round-the-clock care. For her foster family and for Jason, this small moment marked a giant leap in Ruby’s socialization journey.
Operated by Southern Arizona Cat Rescue, Hunter’s Kitten Lounge is a non-profit cat café in Tucson dedicated to socializing and rehoming rescue cats in a home-like setting. Admission fees fund medical care, foster programs, and community education aimed at reducing feline overpopulation.
Located at 5319 E Speedway Blvd, the lounge is open Wednesday–Sunday from 11 am–6:30 pm (closed Tuesdays). General admission is $15 (+fees) for an 80-minute cat session; a $45 monthly membership includes four visits. Special event and private bookings are available by reservation.
Barb reclines on the couch at Hunter’s Kitten Lounge, providing some comfort to a tuxedo cat off of the streets, that melts into her arm. The kitten’s blissed-out purr seems to say, “Yes, this is the life,” while Barb soaks up every kitty snuggle possible.Just before their last day in the area, Jason and Barb made one final stop at Hunter’s Kitten Lounge. Ruby showed zero interest in leaving her warm window perch to mingle with the spastic kittens racing around below. But she couldn’t resist a special nose massage from Jason!
Saguaros Everywhere!
Barb settles in under a shaded picnic table, surrounded by prickly pear and saguaros stretching toward the sky. Jason has unpacked lunch from our new refrigerator in the back of the Jeep. Together, we pause their trek to savor a simple lunch among these towering desert sentinels, proving that even a sandwich tastes better when it eating it in a National Park!Tucson is flanked by the Saguaro National Park, the East side park has an asphalt loop that takes a little over an hour to go through. There are also numerous other state and city parks that feature the icon saguaros in the area.Rubi pauses for a moment on the dusty backroads on the East side of Redington Pass, Arizona. Framed by towering saguaros reaching skyward, Ultimately, the winter sun had already fell behind the mountain and we got back to the campground in complete darkness. Going up from the Tucson valley over the West side of the pass was through several potential camping locations in the state park.
Two More Arizona Encore Parks
We returned to our Encore park in Benson and tried two additional Encore parks. Since all three are covered by our Thousand Trails Trails Collection package, each stay is “free” for up to 21 days under our annual add-on. There are several Encore options around Casa Grande and one just south of Tucson across the interstate. We’d happily return to Tucson’s Voyager Resort & Hotel anytime, but next time we’ll pick a different Casa Grande park.
The sites at Encore Casita Verde (Casa Grande, Arizona) are very odd. Every site has your vehicle parking on the “back side” of your RV. Those palm trees also do not give much shade!Our site (#11-213) Voyager RV Resort & Hotel (an Thousand Trails/Encore Property) was really spacious. Plenty of area for us to test out the new “Jeep Tent” on Rubi. Plenty of room for hiding from the bugs in the screened area and then plenty of living and sleeping area off the back of the open tailgate of the Jeep. We have lots of ideas for remote overnights on trails in mind!
Powerful Arizona Dust Storms
On March 1, 2025, a deadly multi-vehicle crash occurred on I-10 near milepost 88—roughly 95 miles west of Casa Grande—claiming four lives and leaving several others injured. Investigators believe blowing dust contributed to drastically reduced visibility, triggering an initial collision that set off a chain reaction involving six semi-trucks, four passenger vehicles, a van, and an RV towing a trailer. As the sandstorm swept eastward into Casa Grande, winds howled through Encore’s Casita Verde park where we were hiding from it. It left the park flag in tatters and descended on the campground in a haze of swirling dust. We all hunkered down inside, listening to what sounded like an “ole fashioned Wisconsin blizzard” outside.
National Weather Service alerts warned of the incoming sandstorm—much like Wisconsin’s winter blizzards, but with dust instead of snow. From our window at Encore Casita Verde, desert winds whipped the Encore flag into a frenzy as dusty gusts raced past dried dessert shrubs. We hunkered down in the motorhome, grateful for the RV park’s shelter while the open wash behind us where the open path created a fast moving sand blasting zone.
