Acker Night in Prescott - lots of great - and free - entertainment and a chance to help develop young musical talent

Imagine a country town, like something from a Courier and Ives print, with the streets and stores decorated for Christmas.  Now imagine musical groups performing in each of the stores and restaurants in the town center.  Sound magical?  Indeed it is.

This is Acker night in Prescott Arizona, a 30 year tradition that's one of Arizona's lesser known treasures.  Vicky and I drive up and book a room in the Springhill Suites downtown.  The choice is easy as we know the chain is comfortable and since it's a short 2 block walk from the Courthouse Square, we won't have to struggle for parking.  It turns out to be particularly inspired since the Lutheran Church Bell Ringers are performing in the lobby, and the hotel has laid on hot chocolate with all the fixin's, and gingerbread cookies.  But this is just the start!

For 30 years, on a Friday in December, Prescott has kept alive the dream of James S Acker, a local store owner and real estate agent who, at his death in 1955 left  the balance of his estate to the City of Prescott "to be used for parks and for promotion of music, particularly for children."  In 1988 two local residents spearheaded a project to mesh music and the Christmas celebration and celebrate Mr. Acker's legacy.  That year 8 groups performed in 8 stores.  This year, the 30th, features over 100 groups in 100 stores.

This is our first Acker Night so we have an early dinner / late lunch at Prescott Station, one of our favorite restaurants, so as to be ready when the event kicks off outside the courthouse at 5:30pm.  Although the meal is great we needn't have bothered since there's plenty of food at the festival itself.

We miss the mayor's welcome but arrive in time to enjoy the local high school students, clad in tuxedos (boys) and long dresses (girls), singing familiar and not so familiar holiday songs in Courthouse Square.  The kickoff ends with a community sing-along of Handel's "Halleluiah Chorus".

We have 3 hours (or until we run out of steam) before the entertainment ends so, armed with a list of who's performing where that we got from our hotel (also available on the event website) we search for jazz, blues and classical, our 3 favorites.  A chocolate shop is advertising a classical pianist. We arrive to find it's a very small shop and they only allow a few people in at a time.  (The only place we found with this restriction!).  It doesn't take long for us to get in, and while the young lady on the piano is mostly being ignored, we enjoy a free sample of 57% organic dark chocolate with sea salt.  This fulfils its intended purpose as we leave with a 7oz bag of said chocolate.

Right across the way we find a cute emporium with guitar music, and Vicky ends up with a pair of gloves.  I won't bore you by listing all the music we heard, but let's just say that, whatever your taste in music from hard rock to mellow Christmas songs, you'll find it in one of the stores or restaurants in downtown Prescott on Acker night.  You'll also be able to complete (or start) your Holiday shopping, and even have a meal.

But you don't need to buy a meal if you like sweet candies or cakes as they're in abundance along with hot chocolate, coffee and apple cider, all around town.  One place worth mentioning is the city offices, where they have all of the above, plus a warm welcome and entertainment from an enthusiastic singing group of hearing impaired individuals from the local Lutheran Church.  Just up the road in the historic (and supposedly haunted) Hotel Vendome, we find  a musician performing Elvis songs (and even sounding live The King), without the usual "look-alike" makeup and clothes.

Is this just an opportunity for local musicians to perform in public?  Or an excuse for stores to stay open late one night during the Holiday shopping session?  No, it's an opportunity to fulfill the wishes of James Acker as expressed in his will.  While there is no pressure to contribute, in every store and restaurant there's a large bag where you can make a donation.  Those high school students we listened to earlier are also on the lot too warm streets with more of these bags.   All of the money contributed goes to fund scholarships.  .These are awarded to elementary and high school students based on their teacher's recommendations and are used to fund private tuition to help the students develop their skills in the performing arts.

About 8:00 we're tired and return to the hotel to listen to the bell ringers and enjoy a good night's sleep.  The following morning we come down for breakfast to find Santa Claus and his wife not only welcoming kids but also singing Christmas songs for us.  They don't forget us big kids and we leave with candy canes.

We're already booking our hotel room for next year (December 13, 2019) and ope to see you there.  While the event is world famous in Prescott, it's not well known outside the town, but it's well worth the trip.  Traditional American Christmas celebrations are still alive, especially in the old territorial capital of Arizona.

Of Servals and other Cats

As always, our main reason for visiting San Diego is the Zoo, right in the center of town in Balboa Park.  It's over 100 years old but always expanding and always working to improve the habitats for its living collection.  We arrive with no problem and check out the activity schedule for the day.

There's an encounter involving Tasmanian Devils coming up in an hour, so we head though the Australian section of the zoo to its new "Africa Rocks" area.  It's too early for the Devil activity but we stop by anyway and are rewarded with great views of one of the residents.  I'm even able to get a photo of him showing his huge mouth and teeth - Vicky calls him the crocodile of the mammal kingdom.

With time to kill before the keeper presentation we continue into "Africa"  and find the serval exhibit.  Servals are highly intelligent cats, known for their problem solving ability.  They also have an unusual look, with the largest ears of any cat and a sleek orange body.  We're rewarded with views of a mother serval sitting right at the front of the exhibit, and her offspring, who is moving around.  Finally we have to tear ourselves away and after enjoying views of cute rock hyraxes, return to Australia for the Tasmanian Devil encounter.

We learn that the highly contagious face cancer that has decimated the native population is still not eradicated, but that efforts, including one here at the zoo, are helping keep the species alive.  The keeper talks about the devil and its history, and explains that, as behavior enrichment, his food - mice and some fish - will be scattered around the exhibit.

The cute male devil makes short work of the fish, and then goes searching for his other food.  Their eyesight is not very good but they hunt by smell.  He demonstrates this by several times walking right past a mouse in plain view (to us) on a low branch, but eventually does find all the hidden prey.

We return to Africa where there is an animal presentation scheduled and arrive just as it's about to begin.  We're delighted to find it's another serval.  This one demonstrates their amazing leaping ability.  In the wild they can jump several feet to catch their prey, and this one demonstrates by leaping for a stuffed animal on a stick held by a keeper, always being rewarded with something to eat.  Another delightful experience!

Next on the agenda is their daily "Animal Ambassador" show in the amphitheater.  This features a Eurasian Eagle Owl, one of the largest of owls but still weighing only 5-6 lbs, as well as a macaw and a number of video presentations showing off the zoo's work in global conservation of nature.  But the highlight for us is a beautiful cheetah, brought out along with his companion, a golden retriever.  Always our favorite cat (except for Quill and Cosette), the elegant specimen doesn't disappoint.

After lunch, time for more felines.  The fishing cat, as always, is hiding but we do get to observe the tiger, who is sleeping, and a couple of beautiful Amur leopards, who watch us as we watch them.  Unusually, the mountain lions are nowhere to be seen and (more usually) neither is the jaguar.  But two lions sleep for us in full view.  Of course, there are other animals, but on the way back to the car we stop for another visit with the servals, finding they've gone in for the night.  Not to worry!  It's not far to the animal ambassador area where one of the cheetahs is hanging out with his canine buddy, and we chat to a volunteer about these amazing animals.

Tomorrow we'll visit the Safari Park and instead of driving back to Pio Pico we stay at our favorite hotel in Old Town San Diego.  It's a little too cold for our usual walk through the original settlement area, but we make it as far as Jack and Giulio's, an intimate Italian restaurant we've enjoyed in the past.  We take the waiter's suggestions.  All their pasta is home made.  I enjoy a dish of pasta stuffed with meat and cheese, an unusual flavor complemented by a meat sauce, while Vicky opts for green spinach pasta with vegetables.  It's a short walk back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

Wednesday morning after leaving the rush hour to local commuters, it's time for our day at the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park, 30 miles north in Escondido.  Our day here starts with time at the animal ambassador area, where we meet a beautiful American kestrel, rescued from the illegal pet trade, as well as a monitor and a huge python who requires 3 keepers to carry him out!

In the tiger area we enjoy a keeper talk and find the cats are generally active, a bonus due to the cool weather.  We observe two handsome males and also Debbie and Cathy, two 3 year olds who we met as young cubs along with their brother Nelson a few years ago when Vicky treated me to a behind the scenes tour for my birthday. 

The Safari park's new Australian area features a walkabout area where we get close to kangaroos and wallabies, including a mother with her joey in her pouch.  The Australian "tucker" appeals for lunch, but they're out of everything we want, so we find a sandwich and salad instead.

After lunch we decide to take the Africa tram, a 35 minute journey through the open areas where many species roam wild, just as they do in Africa.  But before this we have to visit the cheetahs, and arrive there just as an animal encounter is about to start.  To our delight, we meet two more servals, one of whom demonstrates her leaping ability while the other, new to public exposure, carefully investigates the area.  As Vicky puts it, "I'm beginning to love servals".  I always did!  They're unusual looking, but in their own way elegant, and certainly smart.  We do see the cheetahs - two males who are more interested in looking out into the African bush area than at us - and then board the tram.

We see many species of antelope, along with rhinos, zebras and Somali wild asses, all living in harmony, as they would in Africa.  The only things missing are the predators, but as Vicky and I discuss, while the predators would enjoy being there, it wouldn't be long before they were alone!  We end the day watching the cheetah run, where a cheetah is able to reach his full speed (70mph) in a few seconds.  Very impressive, and as an extra bonus they bring out a caracal, another African cat with great leaping ability, to show off what he can do. 

Back to Pio Pico with a drive through the countryside followed by slow driving in the rush hour.  In the village of Jamul we find a TGI Friday's restaurant, a source of great joy to me.  This chain was always one of my favorites but they long ago closed all their restaurants in Phoenix and we haven't found any on our travels - until now.

To make things even better, we're in time for their "steak and lobster special" which is great, and only $15.99, and then I find our "rewards" account is still valid and we have enough for two free desserts.  A great ending to a great day!

Tomorrow rain is forecast, so we'll stay at the resort.

San Diego here we come

On Sunday morning we attend devotions at Desert Rose, an inspiring session of Baha'i readings and prayers in the company of some of the people who attended the weekend program as well as members of the local Baha'i community.  We leave, pack up the RV, and take to the road again.

We're spending 4 nights at Pio Pico RV Resort near Jamul, California, which is in a valley about 30 miles east of San Diego.  It would be easy to drive there in one day in the car, but since it's over 350 miles and we're driving the RV we choose to break the journey.  I'd found a place for free camping (boondocking) just over the AZ/CA border and the original plan was to overnight there.  But some folks we met at Desert Rose told us of a place a little further on where there is a free hot spring and free camping.

The "little further" turning out to be about 40 miles, just east of Holtville but it's still early and driving along I-8 is easy.  We find the place with no problem.  The hot spring is indeed free to use, but the campground is a long term camping place that would cost us $40.  This would be good for up to 14 nights of camping but it's expensive for one night.  The campground host tells us of a place for free camping and gives us detailed directions.  It's not far but he warns us that there are two "soft spots' on the road.  He says no RVs have got stuck there but "It'll scare you!".  Given this info, we decide to give it a miss and instead spend the night 10 miles further down the road in the (surprisingly quiet) parking lot of the Walmart in El Centro.

We're only 100 miles from Pio Pico now, so next morning we jump on I-8 and prepare for the mountains.  We love the ascent through the rugged uplands - at this point they could be the Southern terminus of the Sierra Nevadas or the Coast Range, but they're spectacular and beautiful with little plant life but lots of large boulders.  We reach the first summit at Jacumba, leaving I-8 to continue its way to Tecate Summit, instead following CA 94 West along the border with Mexico.  This is a more scenic route, a little twisty at first, but easy enough for the RV with the car in tow, despite signs warning against vehicles over 40 feet in length.  We travel through farm and ranch country and through several small towns.  We have constant views of the mountains along the border, and even the infamous wall, in places.

Finally, just as advertised, we find Pio Pico (named for a governor of Baja California, which at the item included this area).  The people at the resort are welcoming, and we're able to find a pull though site with a full hookup, and settle in for our 4 night stay.  We pick up a puzzle from the activity center and are able to complete it before turning in for the night.

Tomorrow we'll complete the trip into San Diego by car.

On the Road Again

Day 1 - Wednesday

We're off on a 10 day or so trip.  Today we leave Peoria and head for Desert Rose Baha'i Institute in Eloy, Arizona, halfway between Phoenix and Tucson.  It's not a long drive but it's the day before Thanksgiving so there's a lot of traffic on the road, and we have to go through the middle of Phoenix.  We take I-17, the so-called truck bypass, but it's still stop and go traffic and it takes us 2.5 hours to reach our destination, which we do safely.

A pleasant surprise is getting re-acquainted with John and Susanna, who we first met in Macau when we had just arrived for our time in China.  They were very welcoming then, and now is no different.  They help us get the RV set up and we settle in for our stay.

Day 2 - Thanksgiving

We've volunteered to help with the preparation and serving of Thanksgiving dinner here at Desert Rose, so we head over and meet some new people and some old friends.  Preparations are well in hand and they won't need us until it's time to serve dinner after 4pm, so we make a trip to fill up the car with gas and check out a new route to I-8, which will save us some time when we leave.  It turns out to be OK for the RV.

Later we attend a devotional program, then get to serve, and later enjoy a traditional dinner of turkey with cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, vegetable and gravy followed by a choice of pies.  It's good to spend time with Baha'is, especially Polly and Rex, our friends from Sun City who have also come down for the weekend.

Days 3 and 4 - Winter School

We've really come for the special program held every year at the Baha'i Institute on Thanksgiving weekend.  This year's speaker is Dr. Steven Phelps, a Baha'i who is a physicist specializing in cosmology as well as a scholar who has translated some of the Baha'i writings from Persian and Arabic into English.

Over the 2 days he challenges us, sharing quotes from the writings of Baha'u'llah and The Bab, the twin Manifestations of God who were the Founders of the Baha'i Faith.  Some of these quotations are new to us, and make us rethink the purpose - and practice - of prayer.

Steven also draws parallels between some of the concepts of modern physics, s[specifically relativity, complementarity and symmetry, and the principles of religion.  Everything he says makes sense, but it will take some time to realize the full implications.

In addition to the talks, we're able to get to know more Baha'is, and enjoy the atmosphere of friendship and mutual service.  The program ends before dinner on Saturday.  We head into the nearest town (Casa Grande) to stock up with groceries ready for our next journey, which will take us into California again.