New Mexico and Arizona

Mar. 16

We move north to Albuquerque and our campground is off of historic Root 66.  We are parked on top with a nice view of the mountains. 

Mar. 17

Sunny and it is going to be 80 degrees today.  After breakfast we go to the Petroglyph National Monument.  It is located on the edge of Albuquerque.  The petroglyphs are on basalt boulders broken away from lava caprock.  Lava flowed from a large crack in the Earth's crust.  Next we drove to Albuquerque Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum.  It is named after the two men  balloonist from Albuquerque who completed the first manned crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1978.  Their gondola named Double Eagle was on display.  They landed in Miserey France which was close to the spot where Charles Lindbergh successfully ended his own momentous crossing 50 years earlier.  There was also a capsule that went to the edge of space.  Next we went to Old Town where there are lots of shops.  We had lunch at a good Mexican Restaurant, Cecilia's.  Dick had seen it on Diners, Drive-in and Dives.  One thing about New Mexican food is they cover it in red or green chili sauce.  The red is too hot for me and the green is even hotter.  I always asked to put the red chili sauce on the side and ordered more salsa to eat with my meal.

Petroglyphs

Balloon in museum

Capsule that went to edge of space

Double Eagle

Mar. 18

Today we drove the Jeep south to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.  There is a string of three pueblo ruins that people lived in 300 years ago before leaving the area in the 1670's.  We visited two pueblo ruins, Quarai and Abo.  Quarai is pretty much original with only 15 % rebuilt.  We had a great New Mexican lunch at an old hotel in the town of Mountainair.  The hotel is haunted and has been featured on the TV program Ghost Hunters.

Quarai

Abo

Mar. 19

Today  we pretty much stayed around the campground.  We did some shopping and just enjoyed the day.

Mar. 20

It's sunny and nice today and we stayed in the campground all day.  We watched some NCAA basketball and Dick watched Nascar race on TV.  Late in the afternoon Dick tried to fix our step into the motor home.  It hasn't been working very well.  It took both of us to put it back together and it seems to be working.

Mar. 21

 Sunny but very windy.  We were going to leave today but because of the high wind warning for New Mexico and Arizona we decided to stay one more day.  We went into town  and did a little shopping and ate lunch at Rudy's which is a southern chain restaurant.  The food was good and even took a pound of brisket home. 

Mar. 22

Cold and cloudy and a little snow in the night.  We can see it in the mountains across from the campground.  We head into Arizona to the little town of Sun Valley which is by the Petrified Forest National Park and will stay for 2 nights.  After getting set up we go into the town of Holbrook and visited the petrified wood store.  They sell all kinds of things made out of the wood even tables made out of large slabs of polished petrified wood which are for sale for over $10,000.  Their outside lot was full of petrified logs. 

Mar. 23

Sunny and nice today and after breakfast we drove to the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert.  We made a lunch to eat along the way because there are no restaurants.  We stopped at the visitors center and saw a movie about the parks.  There were lots of logs outside of the visitors center and walked around the trail.  We stopped at the pull-outs along the road.  At Newspaper Rock we could see petroglyphs etched into the large rocks below the lookout.  At Puerco Pueblo there were ruins of a 100 room pueblo built about 1250 and may have housed 1,200 people.  Spanish explorers found no one here in 1540.  In the Painted Desert the vistas of the varied colored landscape were breathtaking.  We stopped at the Painted Desert Inn which is a National Historic Landmark.  The inn is no longer in use as a place to stay and eat but is open for tourist to see the inside and enjoy the view.  There are many beautiful Indian paintings on the walls.   When we got back to camp the two couples by us, one from British Columbia and the other from California, came over and we enjoyed coctails and conservation.  That is what I love about traveling and staying in campgrounds, we met so many wounderful people.

Tepees Area

Puerco Pueblo

Desert Inn

View from the Desert Inn

Painting on the wall

Celing in the Desert Inn

Mar. 24

Today we move further west to the area of Sedona.  Dick fought a terrible wind going across Arizona.  There had been a snow fall in the Flagstaff area early this morning.  The road was clear but there was snow along the road and in the mountains.  We arrived at the campground before noon.  After lunch we drove to the little town of Cottonwood and the the Tuzigoot National Monument.  This is a very impressive ruin.  It is two stories high in places with 77 ground floor rooms.  It's on a ridge overlooking the Verde River.  This pueblo was once a thriving Sanagua community built around 1125.  These people left the valley by 1400. 

snow along the road by Flagstaff

Tuzigoot

Mar. 25

Today we go into the town of Sedona.  We stop at the visitors center and get some information and maps of the town.  The red rock cliffs surrounding the town are awesome.  We stopped at some of the shops and ate lunch at the Cowboy Club where we had cactus fries with our lunch.  That night we wondered if we were on the right time as Arizona doesn't observe daylight savings time.  We finally decided we had spent the last 4 days on Mountain time and should have been on Pacific time.  That is how it is when retired.  We are never sure what day it is and not worried what time it is. 

Mar. 26

It's partly cloudy and windy today as we head to the little town of Jerome.  It is built on the side of a high mountain.  The road there winds up the mountain and the view from the top is of the Verde Valley.  The town was once a copper and gold mining area and 15,000 people once lived there.  The population is now only 400.  The town of full of shops and lots of tourist are shopping and looking around the town.  There are stairs between the streets to get around on foot.  We ate lunch at Haunted Hamburger out on the deck with a great view of the valley below.  Next we drove to Prescott and were surprised how large it is.  We came back through Sedona and by coming on a different road saw lots of beautiful red rock formations.  We drove up to the airport to get a good view of the town below. 

Jerome

View of Sedona from the airport

Sedona red rock

Mar. 27

It is a beautiful day today with a clear blue sky and no wind.  We are riding the Verde Canyon Railroad which goes from the town of Clarkdale to the ghost ranch of Perkinsville and back.  We packed a lunch to eat before getting on the train which left at 1:00 and won't get back for 4 hours.  The train took us through the Verde Canyon and followed the upper Verde River.  The canyon is spectacular with the red rock and basalt cliffs.  We had two cars to be in, one inside and an outside car where you stand along the railing or sit in the middle.  It was such a beautiful day we chose to be in the outside car where I could take many pictures of the scenery.  We had a great day seeing beautiful country.

Train in the station

Train winding up the canyon

Red cliffs

Mar. 28

It's a sunny and beautiful day as we leave to drive to Las Vegas.  We are going to stay here for two weeks and wait out the bad weather north.  Our campground in on the east side of town and only 6 miles from the strip.  We get settled and sit outside and enjoy the good weather.  We will leave here on April 11th and head north towards home.  Definitely Happy Travels, Barb

Texas and New Mexico

Mar. 4

Sunny and nice today.  We stayed around the campground most of the day but in the late afternoon we went into town to do some grocery shopping.

Mar. 5

It is windy and cooler today but the sun is shinning.  Around 2 in the afternoon we went into San Antonio to visit my cousin, Dick and his wife Janet, who moved here about 2 years ago.  He is my age and we were together at family things as a child.  They moved here to be near their children and grand kids.  We had a nice visit with them.  For dinner we drove to Texas Pride which is clear on the other side of San Antonio.  There was a line clear out the door but the wait was worth it.  They have delicious BBQ and we even bought a pound of brisket to take home. 

Mar. 6

Cloudy in the morning but it burned off and had a nice sunny day.  Jean, who we met at ice cream the other day stopped by on her bike.  We sat outside in the sunshine and visited with her.   In the evening we went over to George and Jean's to see them before they leave in the morning.  We saw pictures of their travels in California, Arizona and Nevada.  They are doing the reverse of our trip so we exchanged information on places to see.  We had a piece of apple pie that came from a well known restaurant a little north of here and said our good-bys.  We might run into them again someday. 

Mar. 7

This is our last day in this campground.  It is a nice sunny day again.  We have had such good weather here in Texas.  We stayed around the campground today and I did my laundry.  In the afternoon we went for a bike ride.  Drove into the cowboy town of Bandera for BBQ dinner.

Mar. 8

It is overcast but warm today as we leave Medina Lake.  We spend the night in the town of Brackettville.  It is a very small town and the campground in on an old cavalry fort.  The fort closed in 1946 and is now privately owned.  There is an entire community here on 1600 acres and gated with houses, condos, motel, campground and golf course.  Some of the old fort buildings are being used and there are all kinds of activities going  on.  After lunch we went into the larger town of Del Rio which has a very large Mexican population.  The Border Patrol was vary evident there and all along the highway.  We went to a potluck dinner at the campground and met some nice people.

Mar. 9

Today we go to Big Bend National Park.  It is another sunny day and we drive almost 300 miles to the campground.  Along the way we stopped at the small town of Langtry where Judge Roy Bean was the "law west of the Pecos".  He became the first Justice of the Peace on Aug. 2, 1882.  The original buildings still stand, the combination saloon/billiard hall and courtroom that Judge Bean call the "Jersey Lilly" after the famous English actress Lillie Langtry.  He never met his idle but wrote her many letters hopping she would come to Langtry to perform.  Our park is 48 miles from the entrance and right on the Rio Grande River.  We can't see the river from the campground but it is a short hike.  When we get settled we drive to the river.  Not much water and not very wide.  We drive to Boquillas Canyon Overlook and the Rio Grande is just below the parking lot.  There are two Mexicans on horseback selling their copper figures and painted walking sticks.  I bought a copper and bead roadrunner for $6.  The Mexicans were not concerned they were across the boarder illegally.  They had walkie-talkies and I'm sure lookouts.  Across the river on the hillside we could see the village of Boquillas where they had come from.  They live on the money they make from selling their crafts.  Next we drove to the Hot Springs and walked a mile to the spring.  It was full of people.  A school group of 8th graders were in the water.  They say the water stays at a constant 102 degrees.  A wall was built to catch the spring water and it was like a giant hot tub with the Rio Grande River was right beside it. 

Saloon/billiard hall and courtroom of Judge Roy Bean



Inside saloon/billiard hall and courtroom of Judge Roy Bean

Mexicans selling their crafts

Rio Grande River

Mar. 10

Sunny and warm today with alight breeze.  We left the motor home around nine and drove to Chisos Basin.  This is in the Chisos Mountains.  The drive there was pretty with dessert and then climb to higher elevation and trees.  There is a lodge and campground there.  Next we drove to Castalon area which is right along the Rio Grande.  We took an unpaved road which was very rough for 12 miles and drove out of the park to the town of Terlingua.  Five miles further is the Terlingua Ghost Town.  We stop for lunch and then drive through the town.  There are adobe ruins everywhere.  Some have been fixed up and people are living in them.  We stop at the old cemetery from the 1900's.  There are not many headstones and chimney like rock formations built over the graves.  The cemetery is still being used for burials.  On the way back to the campground  we see Javelins which are from the rat family only larger.  That night we went to the program on rattle snakes in the park. 

Javelin along the highway

On the way to Chisos Mountains

Cemetery in Terlingera Ghost Town

Mar. 11

Sunny and nice today as we leave for Carlsbad New Mexico.  Saw a roadrunner fly across the road in front of us and land on the shoulder of the road and ran into the brush.  I love seeing roadrunners but they are so fast you can't get a picture of them.  They are the official bird of New Mexico.  As we drive to Carlsbad we past enormous pecan orchards.  They grow lots of nuts in New Mexico, pecans, almond and pistachios.   We also past irrigated circles but I don't know what they are growing.  On the highway into New Mexico there are dips in the road for flood water to cross the highway.  They have foot gages beside the  highway to show how high the water is.  There is no rain today so we don't have to worry.  We stop at Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas just before we cross the border into New Mexico.  We saw a movie about the park and there are no roads to drive in the park, only hiking trails.  On top of the mountain there is a dense forest of pine, fur and Aspen.  The forest in especially lush in the Bowl, a two-mile wide depression atop the Guadalupe Mountains.   Also in the highland wilderness are deer, elk, wild turkey, mountain lions, black bear, golden eagles and falcons.  As we go by Guadalupe Mountains we change into Mountain Time Zone.

Mar. 12

It is sunny and nice again today as we head to Carlsbad National Park and Caverns.  We have tickets for the Kings Palace tour, which I bought over the Internet two week ago.  As we enter the park boundaries the desert landscape changes and it is a beautiful desert as the road climbs to the caverns.  Lots of cars are already in the parking lot so I am glad I bought my tickets over the Internet.  We pick-up our tickets and have time to go to the bookstore and gift shop.  This is the fourth cave we have been in on this trip.  Carlsbad Caverns is definitely the best cavern we have seen.  As soon as you enter the caverns, the entire trail there are all kinds of formation to see.  It is so spectacular that it is hard to describe.  Ev everywhere we looked there were stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, soda straws, flowstones, columns, popcorn and pools of water that was so clear you could see the bottom.  The decorations of Carlsbad Cavern with an incredible variety of formations began over 500,000 years ago.  It happened slowly, drop by drop. when water dripped or seeped down into the limestone bedrock and into the cave.  The tour lasted 1 1/2 hours and then we explored some of the Big Room route which is self guided.  We spent over 2 hours down in the cavern.  There is a large bat population in the cave but they migrate to Mexico for the winter and don't return until early spring.  The tours don't take people to where the bats live.  If you ever want to see a spectacular cavern, visit Carlsbad.

Pictures inside the cavern

Mar. 13

Today we move north to Alamogordo New Mexico.  It is sunny and warm today  and the campground is nice.  The owner is very helpful and tells us of places to visit.  After we got parked we drive to White Sands National Monument.  We can see the white sands and the mountains behind from our campground.  The Tularosa Basin lies in a mountain-ringed valley and in the hart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders, the white sands of New Mexico.  Dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and it is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.  The gypsum that forms the white sand was deposited at the bottom of a shallow sea covering this area 250 million years ago.  The area has miles of dunes and a road goes in and around the dunes.  The wind blows the sand so the roads are plowed daily.  People slide down the dunes on saucers, snow boards, and sleds.  There was a lot of people on the dunes the day we were there.  Some places plants grow out of the sand.  Further into the dunes there were no plants growing, only giant sand dunes.  It was fun to walk on the dunes. 

Pictures of White Sands

Mar. 14

After breakfast we drive up into the nearby mountains to the town of Cloudcroft.  it is a small mountain town with lots of interesting shops.  The town dates back to 1898 when the railroad decided it needed to put a railroad line into the Sacramento Mountains in order to bring timber out for railroad ties.  They also built a pavilion for tourists to get away and enjoy the mountains.  We spent a couple of hours there and ate lunch before going back down the mountain.  On the way back to the motor home we stopped at a couple of nut stores and bought some Cinnamon coated pistachios.
Mar. 15

We leave early today to go to the town of Capitan to visit the Smokey Bear Historical Park.  We have been collecting Smokey Bear pins since we bought our first motor home in 1997 so we had to go visit this place.  Smokey Bear was rescued from a devastating fire in the Capitan Mountains in 1950.  He was just a cub and his mother was killed in the fire.  He became the living symbol of fire prevention campaign and lived at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.  Upon his death in 1976 his remains were returned for burial in the town of Capitan, close to the mountains he was found in.  We drive to Fort Stanton but it was closed up.  There are lots of original building there and they are going to start restoring the fort.  It is only open on weekends.  Next we drive to Valley of Fires Recreation Area.  This is Bureau of Land Management area with a campground and very interesting landscape.  It is a 125 square mile lava flow which is 160 feet thick near the center that occurred about 1,500 to 2,000 years ago. 

Statue of Smokey

Smokey's grave

Lava flow at Valley of Fire

Tomorrow we go further north to Albuquerque for 4 or 5 days.  We are slowly going north towards home but don't plan on being in Colfax until the first week in April.  We are hoping the weather will be warmer by then.  Definitely Happy Travels, Barb





Texas, San Antonio

Feb. 24

It is sunny and nice today in Texas.  We stayed around the campground today and in the afternoon went over and had ice cream in the rec hall.  We sat with the people camped next to us from British Columbia and met another couple from Missouri.  That is why we love traveling and staying in campgrounds.  We have met so many wonderful and friendly people along the way.  After dinner we went over to the music jam session in the rec hall.  People from this campground and other campgrounds nearby come and play music and sing.  We enjoyed the music.

Feb. 25

We are having another sunny and warm day.  After breakfast we drive into San Antonio and follow the Mission Trail along the San Antonio River.  This chain of missions were established along the river in the 1700's by Spain to extend its dominion northward from New Spain (present day Mexico).  Collectively they form the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America.  These missions were first established in East Texas along the Rio Grande as way stations between these and other Franciscan missions in New Spain.  The friars transferred a failed mission to the San Antonio River in 1718 that is called the Alamo.  The other four missions were transferred  along the San Antonio River which helped form the foundation for the city of San Antonio.  American Indians living in the San Antonio missions came from several hunting and gathering bands know collectively as Coahuiltecans.  In exchange for labor and conversion to Catholicism, Indians received food and refuge in the missions.  These mission churches remain active centers of worship.  We also stopped by the Acequia System which was a 15 mile network of 5 dams and several aqueducts along the San Antonio River that irrigated about 3,500 acres of land.  We visited four of the missions today, Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan amd Espada and will visit the Alamo another day.  We had a great lunch at a Mexican restaurant along the mission trail.

Concepcion

Fireplace outside on the grounds of Mission San Jose

Dick walking by San Jose

San Juan

Espada

Alter in Espada

Acequia System

Feb. 26

There is a drizzle of rain falling this morning.  After breakfast we drive about 20 miles to the town of Bandera which is known as the cowboy capital of the world.  At noon there is a Marti Grau parade and many people are dressed to celebrate Marti Gras.   Got lots of beads that were thrown from the floats.  It was a fun parade were many different types of vehicles were decorated.  Had a great BBQ lunch at a local restaurant.  We walked up to 11th street where the gumbo cook-off was being held.  They were busy cooking all morning and now gumbo samples were being sold.  We were too full from lunch so didn't have room for gumbo.  Went to the 11th Street Cowboy Bar and listened to the live band.  There is an outdoor stage and area for sitting and dancing.  The place was full and we finally found a place to sit and have a beer and listing to the music.  There was a contest for the best Marti Grau costume.  It was a fun day.  When we got back to the campground they were having a BBQ dinner so we had brisket sandwiches and potato salad for dinner.  We stayed and listened to the jam session music for awhile.

Marti Gras parade in Bandera

Costume contest

Outdoor stage at Cowbow Bar

Feb. 27

Today it is sunny and hot.  There is no wind and we notice the humidity.  After lunch we go into San Antonio to a new flea market.  This market is very large and is built with concrete floor and separate garage like rooms for the vendors.  There are rides for the kids and food vendors also.  On each end a large covered area is for vendors to set up with tables.  We didn't buy anything but it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

Feb. 28

Today it is my birthday so we go into San Antonio to the famous river walk.  The weather is sunny and not as warm as yesterday.  We first go to the Alamo and the grounds are beautiful with the giant live oak trees with the limbs almost touching the ground, red bud trees and flowers.  We spend some time just walking around the ground before going into the Shrine.  This year is the 175th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.  On Feb. 23, 1836, Santa Anna's army nearly caught the Texians and Tejanos by surprise.  The defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army.  William Travis, the commander of the Alamo, on the eighth day of the siege, asked for help from other communities in Texas.  A band of 32 volunteers arrived bringing the number of defenders to two hundred.  These men saw the Alamo as the key to the defense of Texas and were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their  position to General Santa Anna.  Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie and David Crockett.  The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged  and headed for the Alamo's walls.  Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks.  The Mexicans finally scaled the walls and rushed into the compound.  They turned captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors.  By sunrise the battle had ended and Santa Anna surveyed his victory.  People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.  The Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty. 
Next we walked down some steps to the river walk and enjoyed the many shops and great feel of the area.  Had lunch at one the the restaurants out on a patio along the river.  What a great place to spend my birthday!  We took a half hour boat ride around the river were our driver pointed out the buildings and facts about the river walk area.  Before leaving the river walk we stopped at a restaurant and had margaritas on the patio.  For my birthday dinner I chose Olive Garden where we had a very good dinner. 

Alamo

River Walk

Mar. 1

Sunny and nice again today.  We stayed around the campground and I did laundry in the afternoon. 

Mar. 2

We are enjoying another sunny day and after lunch go into San Antonio to the Mexican Market.  This is on the other side of downtown from the river walk.  It's two large buildings where booths are located and sell stuff from Mexico and South America.  I bought a small clay decorated sun and a bunch of corn husk flowers.  It was fun going through the shops.  It is too dangerous to go across the boarder into Mexico with the drug wars going on so this is a good alternative.  We stopped at Costco on the way back to the motor home.  For dinner tonight we drive to Bandera  to the 11th Street Cowboy Bar and they have a steak BBQ.  There are large BBQ's set up and you bring and cook you own steaks and they sell sides for $5.  We have a good time talking to people from all over the country and listening to the live music.  It was a great ending to a fun day. 

Steak night at the Cowboy Bar

Mar. 3

Cloudy in the morning but the sun came through before noon.  We are staying around the campground today so I can catch-up on my blog.  In the afternoon there is ice cream in the rec hall.  We met a couple from Everett WA at the rec hall today and are going to dinner with them tonight.  Definitely Happy Travels, Barb