Down (New) Mexico Way

All the earth colours of the painter's palette are out there in the many miles of badlands... (Georgia O'Keeffe)

March 20, 2014

The wind stopped blowing!  I spent the entire day inside the visitor center yesterday, but no regrets. I enjoy being docent even for such a short time.... I think. Today, an extended stay has arisen. Highway, one of the other volunteers (talked about him in a previous post) has taken a job in Deming as a RV campground host....free housing, and pay. However, I don't think we should stay any longer...maybe a few days to help out Gabe, the ranger here. We really do need to see more of New Mexico and the next two state parks promise warmer nights. I've covered all the trails here. Time to cover new ground.

March 23, 2014

Our last night at City of Rocks. It's been a grand time. Hard to believe it's been 2 weeks. We decided to move on. Tomorrow we will head to Truth or Consequences and to River's Bend Hot Springs. They have rv sites on a first come first serve basis. We heard they currently have 4 spots open. I am so looking forward to pampering ourselves. Our trajectory changes constantly. We don't expect to head north any time soon. Keep hearing about the cold nights and cool days up around Santa Fe. It's just starting to warm up in Southern New Mexico. Seems like we should spend most of April down here. 

Last night, a professor came out and had a star party. They have a major telescope in the park. We were able to see Jupiter and all 5 moons.  The camp sites here are named after constellations. The constellation is directly above each site. A volunteer put all that together once upon a time. Learning about the stars out under the milky way was absolutely fascinating!

Tonight we built a fire and Highway came over with 3 guitars and we just sang old songs and drank wine.... A wonderful way to close out our time here.

Angel From Montgomery

The forecast says there will be no wind tomorrow ...a great day to pull the trailer. We will do all back roads.

March 25, 2014

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah. What more can I say? Oh I guess I could say heaven.  On the shores of the Rio Grande, we found a slice of heaven. We afforded ourselves two nights at Riverbend Hot Springs. The RV spots are literally a parking lot; however, they have full hookups including wifi and cable.

hot springs on the Rio Grande

 a nice 108º

The public pools consist of five pools that cascade from one to another, creating a different temperature in each one. Temperatures usually range from around 100-108 degrees. They are situated around a shaded river deck and include a cold shower for cooling off, as well as our large shaded patio with chaise loungers, mist fans (in the summer), dining tables and chairs, and a barrel sauna. The river pier offers the most amazing vistas of the Turtleback Mountains.

even Sitka had his own spa bed

Tomorrow, we will pull up stakes and venture only 10 miles down the road to Elephant Butte State Park. We hope to settle in for a week or more. We will have electricity and water and wifi. We will have to hook up and move the trailer to dump at the dump station within the park. We have been spoiled as we have had full hookups the entire time we have been gone. We need to be situated in our new site by 2pm when some wicked winds are suppose to start up.
This week we will need to take the time to attend to some RV failures. The latch to our refrigerator door was broken. And just as we were leaving City of Rocks a (major) rivet busted out of the door latch for the bed.

bolted together latch

what the latch is suppose to look like

Thank Goddess for Highway, he gave us some bolts that got us at least this far. Otherwise we would have had a 60 mile round trip before we could even have started out yesterday. Everything is under warranty so we are good. You meet such great people, like Highway and Susan who we met at the Star party. She told us about Riverbend and is in fact, parked right next us here. She gave me the numbers of two RV repair guys in Elephant Butte. Hopefully, the manufacturer can get new parts shipped here instead of waiting to get to the Albuquerque area.

Not sure if Gerard will want to sell OZ when we get back. I don't think he likes towing it. He is convinced we need something bigger to tow... he's not liking how it feels behind the Saturn. It is something we need to get use to. I do think he likes the lifestyle or maybe he is just humoring me. We will see. He sure is enjoying the temps, especially as we hear the weather reports from home ... with the latest snowfalls and frigid temps.

March 27, 2014

Such a beautiful sunrise to wake up to on Elephant Butte Lake. This is the view from our bed this morning. This state park is only 5 miles from Truth or Consequences. This reservoir is the 84th largest man-made lake in the United States and the only place in New Mexico where one can find pelicans perched on or alongside the lake. We are set up in this campsite through Sunday night. Long beach walks, jewelry making and browsing in shops in T or C will fill these next days. Monday, we may move then to another site without hookups where we can leave the trailer and do an overnight to White Sands. We decided we can take the tent rather than take the trailer back over roads we have been down already. We are only getting 10 miles to the gallon! We have yet to pull the trailer more than 100 miles at a time. Soon enough we will have to make the long trek back, but today, as I understand, Duluth is in the middle of a blizzard. I am in no hurry to move north

Sitka and I walked the beach for 3 hours this morning

Roadtripping

March 14,

2014

Ah but to do nothing and go nowhere.  A four mile hike around the park this morning, that is the extent of it. Catching some sun and reading a book from cover to cover...today's perfection.

Yesterday's trip to Deming included a hike at Rockhound  State Park at the base of the Florida Mountains.

Hiking the Jasper Trail

Rockhound State Park

Winding path up a mountain side bordered by prickly pear cactus and lesser nighthawks soaring above us. A quick stop at St. Claire Winery. Grapes grown in the Mimbres and Pyramid Valleys of Southwest New Mexico supply many of the wineries across New Mexico, Arizona and West Texas. America's first wine grapes were planted in 1629 by Spanish monks. I grabbed a bottle of Pinot Noir and a Cab-Zin. A little treat after a dusty day on the road.

St. Clair Winery

Possibly, tomorrow, we'll pack a picnic and take the Trail of the Mountain Spirits, a national scenic byway.

March 15,2014

Trail of the Mountain Spirits is a national scenic byway... We traveled Highways 61, 35, 152 through the Mimbres valley, down Sapillo Creek and over the Pinos Altos Range. Leaving camp we started the opposite direction on Highway 61 taking us along the Mimbres River- a river with water in it and trees leafing out in spring.

budding trees along the Mimbres River

Leaving the valley and climbing into the mountains was beautiful, awe inspiring and cold!!! 44 degrees at 7000 ft elevation.

Last time we were here it was June and glorious. High winds today and I am wind whipped. We took a picnic but could find no place to be sheltered from the wind or a place warm enough. However, the scenic drive afforded sitings of mule deer and elk, miles of mountain roads wrapping the canyons like a ribbon.

The tiny mountain town of Pinos Altos is where judge Roy Bean once lived. The town hasn't changed since the 1880s.

Pinos Altos Opera House

On Highway 152 is the Santa Rita open pit mine. The largest and longest continually working copper mine. It is 1.7 miles across and 1000 feet deep!

Santa Rita Copper Mine

Returning to camp with our picnic lunch for supper, we will settle in with our books and hope and pray our trailer doesn't land in Kansas with these ferocious winds.

March 16, 2014

yep.... the very top we will go

top of Tabletop... see the tiny little camp below?

We stayed put in camp and tackled the hike up Tabletop Mountain.... 5.25 miles and another 1000 feet up. The silence was unimaginable. I could not capture the raven and hawk playing together. They entertained us for a good portion of the trail up. Gerard and I both enjoyed the hike together.

The temps are starting to come up. I am hoping for 70s soon!

March 17, 2014

Highway 152 through Emory Pass

Woke up this morning and there was ice in Sitka's bowl. I guess the low was 29 degrees. Today, another road trip- took Highway 152 up and through Emory Pass. 60 miles of hair pin turns and I white knuckled it all the way up 8,100 feet and down. Speed limit was 15mph most turns and top speed was 25 mph. Ooh, I did the speed limit!

 I have this thing with going over a cliff in a previous life... I just can't seem to get past it. Gerard is very patient with me. We left very early this morning, so we didn't have anyone riding my bumper.

29º

At the top, the temps were in the 20s but later we would experience 80s! When we came down the other side of the mountain we landed in the little town of Hillsboro, an artist, mining and ranching community.

What a wonderful breakfast and the best coffee. Our waitress said it is the water.

they're serious in this town!

Our next order of business was to check out the campgrounds around Truth or Consequences. We were not impressed with Caballo Lake or Percha Dam State Parks. We expect to do a number of days at Elephant Butte and explore the Rio Grande. I think the campground there is not bad, most sites look over the water. You know me and water.

Elephant Butte State Park

Our next campsite

We think we can road trip from there. We have yet to go to White Sands National Monument. We were going to stay at a park near Alamogordo, but it is probably more economical to day trip rather than haul the trailer west and back. I guess we will have to see where these New Mexico winds blow us next.

From There to Here

Southwest New Mexico

March 9, 2014

Oh where do I begin? Have I not learned not to have expectations? When things are frustrating, they just are. We knew we were in for a steep learning curve, but now, the trailer is securely behind us and we are almost to the New Mexico border. We will settle in to our last two days of our 4 day reservation at City of Rocks State Park. We lost the first two days as the trailer wasn't ready to go on time and last night when we finally did get going, we hit high winds just 120 miles out of Tucson. We were advised at a gas station (with gas at $4.59 a gallon) to go the frontage road another 13 miles to overnight at a truck stop in San Simon, New Mexico. Grateful we wer

e to be settled in next to a junk pile and no longer fighting the wind. To go further may have meant  dust storms with nearly zero visibility. I can't say we are thoroughly rested, semi trucks pulled in all night and trains went by every 30 minutes. The junk pile this morning afforded us a couple of bricks for a hitch block and a barn owl that exited a building vent and swooped a couple feet over our heads. Awe inspiring. It is 45 degrees on this Sunday morning.

So...the trailer. It is 1920 lbs dry weight. Pretty light right? However, I think the Saturn really feels it, but what do I know, we've never pulled anything more than a utility trailer. Right now the gas that we are sucking is alarming. Can we afford to be on the road? I hope in the next week, the romance of this lifestyle will start to woo us or I fear Gerard will want to sell The Land of  Oz when we get home. Yes, the trailer revealed its name- We'll just call it OZ for short ... O (Ostos) Z (Zimney). It will take some time before I can really weigh in on this company- Kick in' Kampers out of Tucson. The trailer-OZ was still in finishing phases when we arrived. I think we really would have appreciated knowing it wasn't ready to go.  Our vehicle needed equipment installed and then there were the glitches. Wrong wiring harness, needed extension mirrors, the table was not adjustable, the new swaybar installed too tightly and we lost all the bolts right out of the gate. Still next to all the trailers I looked at, this by far is the lightest and prettiest. I am amazed at how much we are able to fit in this rig and we are now officially on the road. Well, on the road is an overstatement. We're only going another 120 miles or so from our truck stop overnight.

truck stop San Simon, AZ

I wonder if we will be able to stay out as long as we want. I'm not sure the money will be there. Our initial out lay and unexpected expenses are more than I anticipated. We have to get a new mattress or topper now This one is just not cutting it!

March 10, 2014

new staff at City of Rocks State Park

So much can happen in 24 hours. I have new classroom. The interpretive center at City of Rocks State Park in Faywood . We are here for the next two weeks. I was absolutely blown away by what a gem this park is. In the middle of nowhere there are these wild an beautiful rock formations. They are actually ash from a volcanic eruption 35 million years ago that hardened and has been sculpted into these pillars and boulders with the erosion from the elements and time. While talking with other campers and a couple of camp hosts, we found out they were short staffed until another host couple comes in at the end of the month. So we looked at each other and said what if we stayed? Thinking we could have a couple of days to get acclimated.... We were tossed right into the deep end.. I was to be trained in this very afternoon and to work the interpretive center by myself the very next day.  I needed to learn geology, local New Mexico history, the state park reservation system, how to get from here to there, local wildlife including all these rattlesnakes, all overnight. Aaaah wish me luck. Gerard was off working trails and climbing to the top of tabletop mountain this very afternoon.

So, about those rattlesnakes. I need to take Sitka to the vet and get him vaccinated ASAP another large expense we hadn't expected. The Mohave and sidewinder snakes, types of rattlers, are particularly aggressive and deadly.

This opportunity has afforded us a chance to learn this trailer and the surrounding area in a very intimate way. In he next couple weeks we will have no cell service much less internet access. When you do read this, we will be in Silver city or Deming for the day, for a long cup of coffee and some wifi. You just won't believe the view from our bedroom window.

March 11, 2014

Let me tell you about Highway... Not the road but a man we met. He's another camp host who also works the visitor center. He is a nomad to be sure. He has lived an incredible life, doing amazing things and humble to boot. Highway alerted me to needing to get Sitka vaccinated. He is a walking Wikipedia about so many things: wildlife, plants, music, motorcycles, and an extraordinary photographer. He is arapahoe, motion picture wardrobe designer, studio musician, rode with Hells Angels, and all around good guy.  If his tales are stretched into elaborate lies, which I think they are, he is harmless. He'd give you the shirt off his back. His home is in Sturgis, SD, but he just travels with his dog , Chelsea and his motorcycle In his toy hauler., teaching guitar. He brought me a guitar to play and we both picked out a couple of tunes. Now, I'm working on chord progressions, if I could only remember the tune I use to play. I am off to practice, more tomorrow.

March 12, 2014

Slow down, slow way way down. It's just not happening yet. Today was better. I took a long walk around the park. Too cold for rattlesnakes, but I was still nervous until I got Sitka to the vet today for a vaccination. He keeps sticking his nose in rat holes. If he were to get bit now, he wouldn't die. We have to carry Benadryl with us wherever we hike in case. The vet said it would be best if it happens to bring the snake in too.... I don't think so!!! We have a booster injection in the refrigerator to give him in 4 weeks. Just found out that the prairie rattlesnake is also extremely aggressive, who would have ever thought that one would be happy that a western diamondback wouldn't be so bad. Here's to not seeing any at all!

Headed into Silver City. Billy the Kid was born here. It feels a little more rough around the edges than the last time we were here 7 years ago.  It so makes me appreciate Duluth. Gerard wanted to move here once upon a time, but no longer. The downtown area I like. It is filled with art galleries and boutiques. We did laundry today. The laundromat has the best wifi, but still I didn't get these blog entries posted. Got the mortgage and credit cards paid, hopefully, when we make another town run.... Deming possibly. Windy as all get out today. The skies were filled with dust. With the wind, the mercury felt downright chilly.... 50s is all we saw today. I hear it was 57 degrees in Duluth yesterday. Tonight it will go down to 32 degrees. We will need to unhook our water supply. Grateful for the sun each day. Altitude hit Gerard pretty hard. His volunteer stint has been park maintenance and at 5250ft with sunshine and exertion, his face blew up like a balloon. Is there a vaccine for altitude sickness? (J/k). He's better but feeling a little worse for wear. It will take a few more days to acclimate.

Planning another slow morning tomorrow. Pancakes and bacon on the menu. Maybe a hike up to the top of tabletop mountain ... 5.25 miles. Up to 6000 ft. Maybe just read a book.  I could also go for a long soak in the hot springs that are two miles down our entry road. I hear there is a woman from Stillwater working there.

March 13, 2014

Deming, New Mexico 

We can't seem to find the right topper for our mattress, so an electric air mattress will have to do for now. The only consistent wifi we can find is in mc Donald's. We'll finish our online business and take Sitka hiking at Rockhound State Park today. Today we will also be in the 60s.  Trying to check in with folks. Have only been able to leave a message with Erin. Good to talk to Chaz. He is feeling better today. He was in a lot of pain yesterday and so frustrated with all he can't do. He had knee surgery Monday. So this mom is feeling a little helpless.

So long post.... It will be awhile again before I can get back to you all. A wandering we will go.