Biosphere 2

Biosphere 2 (Earth is Biosphere 1) was built as a self contained, experimental project with a rainforest, ocean, wetlands, grassland, a desert, and an agricultural area plus living quarters and work spaces for eight people. The project was meant to test the viability of a closed system and to gain knowledge that would be beneficial for survival on another planet. 

The eight people, four women and four men, entered the biosphere on September 26, 1991 and stayed for exactly two years. But all was not well. The crew had to break into their emergency food supply because the crops weren't growing fast enough and some plants and animals died. They did manage to produce 83 percent of their food but all crew members lost weight. The most serious problem was lack of oxygen caused by microbes in the soil that produced carbon dioxide faster than the plants could produce oxygen. Sixteen months into the experiment pure oxygen was pumped into Biosphere 2 to protect the crew who suffered from a decline in physical and mental health from the lack of oxygen. 

A second crew entered the biosphere in 1994 but that experimental lasted for just six months due to management disputes. Although the projects are often considered failures much was learned about sustaining plant and animal life a totally enclosed system.

Starting in 1995, the biosphere was used for research by Columbia University. The University of Arizona took over in in 2007 and eventually purchased the site. Today research projects include studying the terrestrial water cycle and how it relates to ecology, atmospheric science, soil geochemistry, and climate change.

Tours of Biosphere 2  are self-guided with a phone app that must be downloaded before starting the tour. The tour lasts about 75 minutes and covers about a mile. There are two guided tours but neither is accessible.

         Airlock door                               Living quarters

This is one of the most interesting things. There are two "lungs" that were designed to accept air from the biosphere as it expanded during the hotter parts of the day. Without the lungs the glass panels would have popped out.

We were very impressed with the amount of planning done to make the self-guided tour as accessible as possible. After we bought our tickets we were given directions to the accessible path and were met at each stop when necessary to receive more specific directions. Back tracking was necessarily at several spots. A small elevator used only by wheelchair visitors and a lift up a short flight of stairs provide access to two areas. There's one long switchback ramp. The kitchen, dining area, and I think one of the ecosystems were not accessible due to steps. 

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Biosphere   32.57734, -110.85084

RC Airstrip State Trust Land

There are three types of public land in Arizona where dispersed camping is permitted - BLM land, National Forest land, and Arizona Trust land. Camping on BLM land and NF land is completely free but Arizona Trust land has a small yearly fee. The time limit is different too. While all of them allow 14 day at one location, Arizona Trust land allows only 14 days for the entire year. This can be split between locations but it's still just 14 days in total. 

We've stopped for quick overnights on Arizona Trust land a couple of times without getting a permit, risking a fine, but since we planned to stay at this site for several days we decided we better do it legally. The permit is easy to get by applying online, then either printing out the receipt or saving a photo of it. 

The RC Airstrip was originally the Catalina Mountain School, a boy's juvenile correctional school, that was in operation from 1967 until 2011 when the boys were transferred to other facilities. All of the buildings were removed leaving parking lots, foundation slabs, roads, and large trees intact. This gives campers an option of places to park. There's a large paved lot near the entrance and a large dirt lot a little farther in. The slabs vary in size from room for one vehicle to large enough for a group. There are also spots under the trees if you want shade. The roads around the slabs are in fairly good condition but the outer edge roads have some rough patches. Walk them first to be safe. The entire area is about 200 acres so there's plenty of room for everyone. 

We really liked this spot for the beautiful scenery and the roads that made good walking/rolling trails. It's also very clean and quiet except for the traffic noise from Oracle Road. Grocery stores, Home Depot, Walmart, a free dump station and fresh water, and almost anything else that could be needed or wanted is within ten miles. 

We camped in the dirt lot. If you chose that location, park along the long sides and leave the ends open for the old guys that come every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning to fly their remote control planes. The trust land is also used by horseback riders, walkers, and occasionally kids on dirt bikes and ATVs. Camping  32.47014, -110.92091

Route 79 Pull Off

This large pull off is good for a quick overnight spot. I think it's BLM land but it's close to the road so it's not a place were we would stay for days. If we come this way again I'm going to check out Freeman Road which is about 1.2 miles north on the opposite side of the road and travels through BLM land for about a mile. This a very pretty part of the Sonoran Desert, overflowing with various kinds of cacti, trees and bushes.  

 Hard packed ground makes rolling fairly easy.

The pull off is large enough for any vehicle. BLM  32.76311, -111.15012 

McFarland State Historic Park

 McFarland State Historic Park is an historic museum is housed in the 1878 Pinal County Courthouse. Originally the sheriff's office, the courtroom, the judge's chambers, and the jail were all in the courthouse. The park, created in 1979, was named after Ernest W. McFarland, the governor at the time, who bought the building and helped fund the renovations. 

Museum exhibits include local history on sheriffs and criminals, details about the local WWII prison camp for captured German soldiers, and an exhibit about McFarland's important contributions to the state of Arizona and the country. 

All exhibits are on the first floor. A ramp provides access to the porch, the first museum gallery, and gift shop. To access the other galleries a member of the staff must unlock an additional door farther along the porch.  The threshold at this door is slightly high. 

The parking lot is too small for RVs but street parking is available. Park  33.03618, -111.3881

 

Gila River | Wild Camping

Sandwiched between farmland, canals, and mountain foothills, this patch of land is popular with ATVers. I don't know who manages the land but it's obviously well used. The camping area is huge so we parked far away from a large group and closer to a single fifth wheel. As it turned out the large group was quiet and the kids camping in the fifth wheel were the ones buzzing around in the dirt for several hours. :D This was during the week and I'm sure weekend will be pretty noisy with a lot of activity. 

The ground is hard packed so rolling is fairly easy.

The area is large enough for any vehicle, The road down to the camp area is rough with large rocks but should be navigable with any vehicle. 

Camping     33.08068, -111.31207

Casa Grande Neon Sign Park

 A very nice collection of restored neon signs from defunct Casa Grande businesses have been erected in a landscaped lot donated by the owners of the local newspaper. The neon shows up nicely at dusk. We stayed later for the full night effect but I'm not very good at taking night photos.

The site is accessible with paved paths circling around all  of the signs.

The main lot is gravel without a ramp to the paths but there are three paved lots and street parking that can be used. I recommend the lot behind the Covenant Church for easy wheelchair access and RV parking. Vehicles longer than 40' should be parked in the gravel lot. Park   32.87821, -111.75401 

Dwarf Car Museum

 I was poking around on Google maps looking for boondocking spots when I noticed the Dwarf Car Museum icon. The museum is out in the middle of nowhere and even after looking at the museum website I wasn't sure what to expect but since we stop everywhere, off we went!

What an unexpectedly interesting stop! Ernie Adams started building wheeled contraptions with scavenged bicycles parts and appliance motors when he just a kid. At 22 he built his first dwarf car using old refrigerator sheet metal and simple tools,. 

There are about a dozen cars in the museum, each built on a 11/16" scale with everything but the engines and transmissions made by hand. The attention to detail is amazing especially considering that many of Ernie's tools have been made or modified by him and one of the most used tools is a hammer. Watch at least part of the movie that runs in a continuous loop to see construction details. 

 

The museum walls and shelves are filled with antiques and memorabilia. Visitors are welcome to roam the grounds where old metal appliances and other scrap metal is stored for future projects, although, at 82 Ernie is probably not going to do any more building. He is, however, on site most days and willing to answer questions. I spoke with him briefly and wanted to take a photo of him but unfortunately he went home before I got the chance. 

Make sure to check out Ernie's original workshop. 

 

The museum is accessible. There are several ramps where visitors using wheelchairs may need assistance and the grounds are rough in spots. 

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Museum  32.89585, -112.13603