Here we are in Albuquerque, NM

We left Fools Hollow campground this morning. As it turned out, we never did get a neighbor and so had that great big site to ourselves. Nice! We did not do much of anything yesterday (Saturday) - the weather turned cool and rainy and so we just relaxed and caught up on a few chores.

Entering New Mexico

This morning, we took the scenic route from Show Low to Albuquerque, and it was an absolutely gorgeous drive despite the rainy weather. We went along Highway 60 for about 200 miles before turning north at Socorro. This route runs through the White Mountains, rising and falling from around 5000 ft to over 7000 ft above sea level. We passed through the Gila National Forest and the Cibola National Forest - this is all "high desert" county and is lovely. Highly recommended!

Part of the Array behind the car

A few miles west of Socorro, still on Highway 60, we came upon the Very Large Array - one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories. I pulled over and took a few photos but, unfortunately, could not  capture the immensity of this antenna complex. Sometime around 1997, I toured the VLA when I was in Socorro on temporary duty with my Air National Guard unit. It is impressive!

We're now settled in the campground at Kirtland AFB, and like it. We ended up in one of the newer pull-through sites which are huge, but unprotected by any trees or foliage.

Newer part of Kirtland AFB Campground

The wind can blow pretty hard here this time of year and so, in hindsight, it might have been better to choose a site in the older area. The older area has smaller back-in sites that are protected by trees and hedges. Kirtland AFB campground has an off-leash dog park so I know Sydney and Barley will love it here!

We have a long "To Do and See" list for the next five days in the Albuquerque area, thanks in part to suggestions from friends.

Stay tuned!

Settling in at Desert Eagle FamCamp, Nellis AFB, NV

We left California today after almost 8 weeks of meandering along that beautiful state, from San Diego to the Bay area, and southeast through the Mojave Desert.

When we got ready to leave campground this morning, the front leveler jacks made groaning noises as they retracted and the driver side front jack did not retract all the way. I'll need to make time sometime soon to work on this issue. Other than that, today's drive eastward to Nellis AFB was uneventful, just as we like it!

Some may disagree, but I do not find the Mojave to be as interesting as the Sonoran or Chihuahuan deserts: there seems to be less variation of foliage, mostly stunted Creosote bush. We did pass through, however, a few areas with Joshua Trees... a nice sight in otherwise plain surroundings.

We ran into some traffic going through Las Vegas but it wasn't too bad and Lynda was able to get a few photos of the Strip from I-40. See some photos below.

We spent a couple nights at the Desert Eagle FamCamp in 2010, and we're glad to be back. This is a great campground, one of the best we've stayed at since we began RVing six years ago. The sites are spacious and well laid-out, the office is manned by several very pleasant volunteers, and someone always answers the phone when you call during office hours... none of that "Out to Lunch" stuff we run into at many other military campgrounds.

Tomorrow we'll go over to the base ITT (Information, Tickets, and Tours) office to get our tickets for one of the Cirque du Soleil shows (probably "O"), do some grocery shopping, and maybe go  into Vegas... this strip is only a 25 minute drive from the FamCamp. How nice is that?!

Settling in at Laguna Seca Recreational Area, Monterey, CA

After a very relaxing 12 nights at Camp San Luis Obispo, we left today and made our way to the Monterey area. Central coastal California is a gorgeous area and we really enjoyed the drive northward on US-101, passing through rolling hillsides, vineyards, cow pastures, and other bucolic scenery.

Our destination was Laguna Seca Recreation Area which, it turns out, is scattered across steep hillsides forming a half circle around the Mazda Racetrack. It was tricky navigating the motor home, with car in tow, up the 17% grade and around some narrow tight curves. When we found our campsite, we discovered it is at the top of a hill - with no apparent safe way to park the motor home and unhook the car. Soooo, down we went to the bottom, where we used a wide pullout to drop the towed (unhook the car). Then back up the hill to then realize this is a nose-first campsite (unusual). Doh! We could've driven the Dolphin into the site and then unhooked the car. Well, you live and you learn.

We made a trip to the Presidio of Monterey's Commissary to stock up on groceries (and beer and wine), and are now settled in and looking forward to the next six days of sight-seeing and enjoying the area.

Stay tuned!

Settling in at Camp San Luis Obispo, CA

The drive from Riverside to San Luis Obispo was a mixed bag: the first half from Riverside to Oxnard was stop and go traffic, but after Oxnard the traffic became lighter and we were actually able to drive continuously and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the coast. Next time, if there is a next time, we will take a route that goes much further out and around the LA area.

It was around Oxnard that we first noticed shepherd hooks with bells spaced out along the roadside. Click here to learn the background about these historical markers.

We found Camp Luis Obispo with no difficulty and check-in was a breeze.

The campground is small but the sites have full hook-ups and are spacious. The weather is cooler here than in Riverside: 70sF during the day and 50sF at night.I think we're gonna love it here!

Here are some photos of the base:

Our Campsite

Part of the Campground

Chapel

WWI Memorial

Japanese Tank

Bataan Death March Memorial

Grizzly Academy Cadets

The Italia Rock

CH-19 Chicksaw Helicopter

CH-34 Choctaw Helicopter

CH-34 Choctaw Helicopter - Inside

San Diego, CA - Settling In

We made it safe and sound to San Diego by around 1pm (Pacific Time) today. We got an earlier start than planned because rain clouds were rolling in at Gila Bend when we woke up. So we hustled to pack up the Dolphin and hook-up the car before the rain started.

We decided to go as far as El Centro before stopping for gas. Turns out there aren't any gas stations off the interstate in El Centro (weird) and so we kept going, planning to stop in Ocatillo or Jacumba to fill up. We sailed right past Ocatillo because the one and only gas station there (Chevron) was charging $3.80 a gallon. Hell no! Well, when we got to Jacumba both the Chevron and the Shell were also charging $3.80 a gallon. We sucked up our indignation and pumped $195 worth of gas into the Dolphin - after paying an average of $2.45/gallon for the past several weeks, this stung a little. We got back on the road and passed a Casino about 10 miles west of Jacumba was selling gas for "only" $3.30; oh well, who knew?

Aside from gas prices, this drive proved to be really beautiful. A few minutes outside of Yuma, we found
ourselves driving through the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. These are the largest mass of sand dunes in California and they were formed by windblown sands of ancient Lake Cahuilla. This dune system extends for more than 40 miles in a band averaging about 5 miles wide. We saw LOTS of RVs, dirt bikes, ATVs, and dune buggies - people definitely enjoy this area.

As we approached Ocatillo, we came upon a wind farm  - there must be around 100 turbines clustered on the hillsides.

Continuing westward, we drove up and over several mountainous areas, including parts of the Laguna mountains, the Cuyamaca mountains, and the Jacumba mountains. It was beautiful, with long inclines going up the mountain sides, and 6% grades coming down the other side.

What was not so lovely was the gusting wind that was doing its best to push us off the mountain roads. There was
also dense fog in some places and wind-driven rain.

Shortly after getting gas in Jacumba, we were toodling along and suddenly heard a loud BANG! I pulled over on the shoulder, got out and checked the motor home, the car, the bikes, and the towing gear. Everything looked fine. I also checked the tire pressure in all 10 tires and that was fine. Hmmm..? the only thing I can figure out is that the gusting wind sucked the window awning out on the driver side of the Dolphin, and then the awning snapped back into place.

Then the rain stopped, the sun came out, and the wind died down as we drove through the rolling mountain hills of the Cleveland National Forest, Alpine, and down to El Cajon. Very pretty areas.

Once we got into San Diego, I was relieved to find that the Saturday traffic was not that bad. We found the Mission Bay RV Park easily enough and check-in was very efficient. This RV park is nice... luxurious even, compared to the Gila Bend FamCamp!

We are settled in and ready to begin our San Diego visit.

Big Bend to El Paso, TX - Worse Drive Yet

Yesterday's drive to El Paso, Texas from Big Bend National Park was far more exciting than I care to experience. In fact, it was like a nightmare come true. That may sound a bit dramatic but you have to understand that my biggest anxiety regarding driving the motor home is that it will start sliding and we run off the road, or a mountain side. 13 tons sliding and rolling. Oy!

And let the record show I had vowed *never* to drive the motor home in wintery conditions.

Never say "never."

Yesterday was rough from the time we got up - the wind was howling and gusting like crazy. The occasional raindrop zipped past, but the park gets so little rain per year I wasn't worried about rain. It was not easy or pleasant hooking up the car in that gusting wind.

We agreed to leave for El Paso anyway, windy conditions or not. Lynda went into the campground store to check out and she asked about the weather. The clerk did not know much but a fellow visitor overheard Lynda's question and said, "There's snow in Alpine".

I could not believe it. Had to be a joke.


So we decided to go to El Paso via Fort Stockton instead of Alpine. According to Weatherbug, it was 34°F in Fort Stockton (it had snowed there also) and warming up faster than Alpine. For sure by the time we get there, the snow will have melted. Right?

So we headed toward Marathon for gas, with the intention of going on to Fort Stockton and then El Paso.

The good news is that we left the wind gusts behind as we made our way up to Panther Junction in Big Bend. But by the time we passed Panther Junction, it was raining pretty hard. I think the park may have received at least half its annual precipitation that morning. I don't care about driving in the rain, but it was strange to see all that water coming down in the desert.

While we were gassing up in Marathon, a car pulled up with about 8" of snow on the roof. "Where did you guys just come from?" I asked. "Fort Stockton," the driver replied. He said the snow was heavy.

Crap.

So, we decided to go by way of Alpine after all. It was a more direct route and surely the snow will melt before we get there.

Nope.

It started about 7 miles west of Marathon and continued until about 7 miles west of Alpine: slushy nasty snow on the highway, and pristine beautiful snow on the desert around us. Lynda did a great job coaching me and helping watch for ice.

I drove 30 miles at around 35 MPH with my stomach in a knot and my foot no-where near the brake. The one thing that brought me some comfort was that a snow plow and salt truck were ahead of us, clearing the way somewhat.

Anyway... see some pictures below.

We made it through the snow safe and sound - the rest of the drive was rainy and overcast, but that was fine by me.

The only other issue was that, when we stopped for lunch, we discovered the stairs were stuck in the deployed position and packed hard with snow. Once Lynda cleared the snow out with a cooking spatula (a handy tool for the job) and I dried off the sensor in the door, the stairs retracted and we were able to continue our drive.

One thing of interest we passed was an Aerostat Radar System tethered near the highway, a few miles outside of the town of Marfa. That was kinda cool.

I slept like a rock last night.

Big Bend National Park, TX

We made fairly good time from the Del Rio area to Big Bend National Park, staying on US-90 until we hit Marathon. Then we turned left and took US-385 south to the park.

This is our second visit to Big Bend; our 2010 trip was cut short due to the heat, and we decided then that we would return one day.

From Marathon to the entrance of Big Bend is a driving distance of 40 miles. And from the entrance of the park to the Rio Grande Village RV Park is another 48 miles. Big Bend is huge and encompasses more than 1200 square miles. The park is bigger than many countries, bigger than the state of Rhode Island. You definitely need a motorized vehicle to properly enjoy Big Bend.

The vastness of this area offers up an amazing variety of flora, fauna, geology, and climate. From the Sierra del Carmen mountains in the east, across and up through the Chisos Mountains (contained entirely within the park), and south west to the Santa Elena Canyon, this amazing area offers rivers, desert, and mountains.

On the road between Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village

The abundance, diversity and complexity of visible rock outcrops in Big Bend is staggering, especially to first-time observers. From 500 million year old rocks at Persimmon Gap to modern-day windblown sand dunes at Boquillas Canyon, geologic formations in Big Bend demonstrate amazingly diverse depositional styles over a vast interval of time.It is a geologist's paradise, or maybe a nightmare.

If you're lucky, you might see a glimpse of the diverse wildlife such as a Mountain Lion, a Mexican Black Bear, a band of Javalina, or a lone coyote. And the bird life is equally as rich, including Vermillion Flycatchers, Golden Eagles, Roadrunners, Mexican Blue Jays, and Woodpeckers.

We arrived Monday afternoon and left Thursday morning. We would have preferred to camp at the Rio Grande Village campground but it was pretty full and I wanted to be sure we had a place to stay when we got there. I was able to make reservations at the Rio Grande Village RV park, which is essentially a parking lot with hook-ups - but still, it is in Big Bend and surrounded by the great outdoors.

One thing I really enjoy about Big Bend National Park is that it is never crowded. You can be alone in the park. No lines, no traffic, no noisy groups. It is serene.

After we arrived and got settled in, I decided to assemble the new bike rack. This proved to be easy enough, and then we loaded the bikes onto the new rack. We wanted a day or so to drive around with the new rack before disposing of the old one, to be sure it is tough enough for our bouncy driving.

When we entered the park, Lynda went into the gateway Visitor Center to check in and she picked-up several pamplets. One of them was about the town of Glenn Springs, which had been established next to Glenn Spring - a natural source of water. The town of Glenn Springs was long gone, having been dissolved in 1946, but we thought it would be fun to go and look at the area and whatever remnants of the town that might still be visible.

Ruins off Hot Springs Primitive Rd

We looked at the map of Big Bend and decided to go to the site of Glenn Springs via the Hot Springs primitive road - our Honda CR-V has all-wheel drive and a fairly high clearance. So off we went. We made it about 2 miles before we had to stop because there was a very deep trough in the road and I was afraid the car would get hung up. Then we realized the road was blocked with boulders.

Soooo.... plan B. We back-tracked to the main road and went toward Panther Junction to turn left onto the Pine Canyon primitive road. Long story short, we finally made it to Glenn Springs, although we weren't sure at first because there was no marker or exhibit. We confirmed with a ranger later that afternoon that we had, indeed, found the old town. Anyway, that drive was quite an adventure... It took us more than two hours round trip (approx 20 miles). I don't think Honda intended the CR-V to do what we did with it that day. Hahahaa!  And the new bike rack held up just fine.

After our off-roading adventure, we went to the Panther Junction Visitors Center and checked out some of the exhibits. Then we made our way to the Chisos Mountains Basin to enjoy the views and have lunch at the Chisos Mountains Lodge restaurant.

Going up to the Chisos Mountain Basin

 

Old phone booth in the Lodge store

View from restaurant

Finally, we returned to the motor home  to see how our four-legged friends were doing, and they were fine - I must say that Sydney, Barley, and Celia are very well-behaved traveling companions.

We were just taking a break and puttering around when Lynda found a fellow RVer who was happy to get our old bike rack, so we did not have to throw it away after all.

Sunrise and Sunset in Big Bend are S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G.  We decided to go up to the Boquillas Canyon Overlook to enjoy the sunset - this is only about 10 minutes from the RV park.

Golden Sunset on Sierra Del Carmen

The Rio Grande looking East

The Rio Grande looking West

Just as we had encountered in 2010, there were two sets of "offerings" of handmade articles at the Boquillas Canyon Overlook, each with a note listing prices and a jar in which to place your money. These items are left by Mexicans from the other side of the Rio Grande for tourists to buy on the honor system. We know they really need the money, but it’s illegal to purchase these items and the border patrol is very serious about enforcing the law. We left everything untouched.

Earlier in the day, I had been saying to Lynda how great it would be to see some Javalina... that spotting a band of these peccaries would be the "cherry on top."  Well, we were driving back to the RV park from Boquillas Canyon and what should we see? A band of nine Javalina crossing the road right in front of us! Yeah! Unfortunately, it was dusk and we could not get decent photos.

Later that evening, when it was fully dark, we watched the stars. I cannot adequately describe the night sky at Big Bend, other to say that it is beyond anything I've seen before. Because there is essentially no ambient light at Big Bend, every star jumps out at you from the night sky. I could even make out the Milky Way. Amazing!

On Wednesday, we got up early to drive over to the other side of the park by 9:30AM - we wanted to attend a two-hour "Geology 101" program. We met the volunteer Interpreter and other interested visitors at the Sotol Vista Overlook and enjoyed a very nicely presented introduction to 500 million years of geology in Big Bend.

Then we drove to canyon overlook to learn more about the effects of rivers on erosion and canyon formation.




After that, our group went to Tuff Canyon for a closer look. It was a very interesting time.

After the "Geology 101" program was finished, we made our way to Santa Elena Canyon. Along the way, we stopped to look at ash hills, formed by volcanic ash.

Then we made a stop at the Castolon Visitor Center for lunch - a sandwich and potato chips from the store. Then on once more to the Santa Elena Canyon.

Santa Elena Canyon - 1500ft Cliffs

The majestic Santa Elena Canyon is perhaps the most impressive in Big Bend National Park - it is visible for over 10 miles away, as the Rio Grande changes direction abruptly after following beneath the straight Sierra Ponce cliffs for several miles and heads due west, cutting through the mountains via a deep, narrow gorge - the cliff walls are approximately 1500 feet high. This sharp bend in the river was formed by movement along the Terlingua fault zone that crosses the park.

Sierra Ponce Cliffs

Lynda looking westward, into the canyon

Looking from the canyon towards the east, into Big Bend

During the two full days we toured around Big Bend, we put more than 230 miles on the car. Visitors sometimes forget how vast this park is, and poor planning can result in running out of gas. After this busy day, we were low on gas by the time we got back to Panther Junction and filled up.

We were pretty tired out by the time we got back to the motor home this afternoon, and have just been relaxing.. We leave tomorrow for El Paso, where we will spend a couple days on our way to Arizona.

I highly recommend a visit to Big Bend National Park. Best timeframe to go is November through March, otherwise it is too hot for most people to enjoy. Check the park's website for information about places to stay, eat, get gas, etc. Big Bend is not a developed park such as Yosemite or Yellowstone and so you need to plan ahead.  You also might enjoy this video: