Apache Junction Arizona 20 Dec 2024 - 2 Jan 2025

ahschneid
Jan 2
8 min read

We met lots of people in Congress and left having made new friends. On the pickleball court we met new friends: Pris, Debbie, Linda, Lorrie, Paula, Melissa and Jim, Dee and Dwight, John, and of course our teacher, Keith. We had also met Jim and Rose, who are also full time travelers, on the pickleball court. We went out to dinner with them on their last night before they left the park. At church we met Mark and Kathy, Mary and Sue. In our last week, we met Kevin and Maria and we went out to dinner with them on our last night in Congress. They’re a nice couple from Minnesota. They had taken pickleball lessons while we were there.

When we arrived at our home for a month in Apache Junction, we found the people to be extremely nice. Before we were even set up, we had met Carolyn (Reflection owner), Mike (neighbor behind us), and Marty and Vicki (neighbors). Marty and Vicki invited us out to have pizza at a place they know that night we arrived.

We drove 110 miles from Congress AZ to Apache Junction AZ on 20 Dec 2024. With arriving as Christmas festivities were beginning in the campground, our first couple of weeks went by rather quickly. We enjoyed the Christmas Carol sing-along on 22 Dec, an appetizer potluck and gift (up to $10) exchange on Christmas Eve, and finally a potluck Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. Anita got lucky and ended up with what we thought was the best gift at the party. It’s a mug with the campground sign on one side and a picture of the cougar shadow that appears on the Superstition Mountain twice a year, in March and September. We won’t be here to see it, but now Anita has a picture of the cougar on a coffee mug! Here’s what the Internet has about the cougar shadow: Just east of Mesa, Arizona, the Superstition Mountains are home to one of nature’s rare and awe-inspiring spectacles—the Cougar Shadow. Occurring only twice a year, this natural phenomenon draws visitors and locals alike to witness the mountains take on the majestic shape of a crouching cougar as the sun begins to set.

The Superstition Mountain Cougar Shadow is a unique event that happens twice annually, around the third week of March and September. These dates coincide with the equinox, making the sun’s angle just right to cast the shadow of a crouching cougar on the western face of the Superstition Mountains. The Cougar Shadow typically becomes visible between about 30 minutes before sunset between 5:30 and 6:00pm, Timing is crucial, so plan to be there early to catch this elusive phenomenon.

Chorus singing Christmas Carols 22 Dec 2024

The tall lady in front row with red sweater went to the same Waterloo Iowa high school as Steve, but a couple of years before him

22 Dec 2024

Gift Exchange 24 Dec 2024

There are four pickleball courts here, so we’re getting to play quite a bit. Most days two courts are playing with a couple of folks waiting so usually the most tired sits out for those waiting to get on the court. The pickleball regulars here are Dave and Carolyn, Louise, Bob, Bill, Dan, Rod, Dave and Darice, Ron and Chris, Mark and Jennifer, Gaylen, and Bryan. Most of the players are better than we are, so we’re excited to learn and become better players.

Our church while in Apache Junction is St. George Catholic Church. It's a huge congregation and home to Rev. Monsignor Domenico Pinti. Monsignor Pinti celebrated the Christmas Eve mass we attended and we found him to be down to earth and involved with the parish. The church itself has several statues inside and is beautiful in a modern presence, with no stain glass windows. The parking lot is huge and we heard that the church is considered a "resort church" because it serves the over 50 winter resort (55+) communities in Apache Junction.

St. George Catholic Church - Apache Junction Arizona

St. George Catholic Church - Apache Junction Arizona

St. George Catholic Church - Apache Junction Arizona

St. George Catholic Church - Apache Junction Arizona

Cacti alongside the church

St. George Catholic Church - Apache Junction Arizona

Bloom on one of the cacti alongside the church

St. George Catholic Church - Apache Junction Arizona

St. George Catholic Church - Apache Junction Arizona

Monsignor wanted statues of the popes of our time

L-R Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict

Costa Hummingbird in our campground Apache Junction AZ

Pickleball courts

On a walk around the campground

Letters "ICe" on Superstition Mountain After a game of pickleball one morning someone showed Steve and he later showed Anita

Sunset from our campground

We signed up for a two-hour nature walk at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior Arizona on 27 Dec 2024. There were seven of us on this outing and after the walk, we had a nice lunch at Bella’s.

There are lots of activities to sign up for, so we keep an eye on what’s available to do while we’re here. We signed up for a 7-mile bike ride on 30 Dec. The group was meeting at 10:30am, so we played pickleball from 8:30am – 10am. It was a nice leisurely bike ride, so Anita’s fear about having bitten off more than we could chew with pickleball AND a bike ride was allayed.

We’ve signed up for a trivia night on 9 Jan. There were two people who needed two more to make a team, so we put our names there. Teams are 4-6 people.