Travel N Dreams

Year is lining up nicely

2012-02-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

Last few days I have been on the internet checking available jobs for workampers. So far I have a volunteer position lined up for April and May working in a CARE center in Livingston texas. This position only offers free space so I will not be getting paid but will not be putting out any money for rent either so it is not a bad deal. Next year I will try to do this in Feb. and March to allow for better chance at a job that pays.

Second position is at The Ranch at Ucross - Clearmont, WY, Not sure what I will be doing yet but have been hired to start June 6th until the end of Sept. This is a resort type of place that I normally would only be able to read about and not stay at. By working here I will be able to use the on-site amenities on my off days, I am hoping to go river tubing hiking, fishing, swimming, and just some relaxing. For more information about the Ranch see the URL below...

http://www.blairhotels.com/ranch_ucross.cfm?id=51

Currently working on a position with Amazon.com from Oct to Dec in Campbellsville Ky. Sent in paper work today and now waiting to here back. So all in all it is looking like the rest of Feb and most of March belongs to me to play..

Hoping New England Patriots win the Super Bowl... Guess I am like teams from Ma. did live in the state for first 19 years of my life..... Gooooo Pats!!!!!

Day out

2012-01-30T12:58:00.000-08:00

Been doing nothing but hanging out at the RV Park, doing my best not to spend any money. (went way over my budget in Dec. and Jan. ) But today I had to go food shopping and then went to visit a state park. After all is said and done, shopping was the best part of the day. I guess one reason I do not find this area interesting is I lived here for a few years and have already seen most of it. Will be staying here until Feb. 9th or so then back to NM.

I am looking forward to the super Bowl... People here are talking about getting together and that could be fun..

How it looks today

inside

Streets of Tubac

Street in Tubac

Only Titan 2 missel site not destroyed

2012-01-22T14:12:00.000-08:00

I was running low on a few items such as drinks and soap so went into town this morning. As long as I was in town I topped off my gas tank using my FRY's VIP card and saved $0.10 a gallon. Had to do it before the first of Feb when all points zero out. Also cashed my coins in at one of the coin counting machines for $32.76 used to get most of what I needed.

After shopping I figured as long as I was close I might as well visit the Titan Missile Museum, it is the only site that was deactivated an not blown up. Instead it was turned into the museum and has the training missile ( inactive warhead ). Sorry but for more information I suggest you go to the web site...

http://www.titanmissilemuseum.org/

http://www.titan-ii.com/

I will not try to repeat what was said, more then likely I will get it wrong. Instead I will show photos and tell what I recall i the captions. What made it most interesting is that when I was in the Air Force I tried to get assigned to a site in AZ or AR, never going to happen was my answer. Who knows I might have stayed in had I been assigned to one. So today I guess I sort of fulfilled a long ago quest.

When the site was active none of the equipment seen here was out unless it was in use.

The missile eng.. Web site does a better job of detail then I ever could

Top view of the missile, long way down...

Control room, looks like something out of an old movie. Sad part is it also looks a lot like the computer I worked on in 1975.

Tour guide, he served on a site for four years so had first hand knowledge

If you can read it, targets were programed by paper tape.

Lights blinking showing simulated launch of missile

Forget the correct name for this long as underground tunnel. It went from the control room to the missile silo.

Best I could do, to close for a full shot.

Now just how dirty does one need to be before a shower becomes an emergency??

I would have added kiss A$$ goodbye

Walls are 4ft thick doors are reinforced ... Told site can withstand a force of 300 to 1000 pressure per sq inch.

Might have been able to see some of this when site was active.

Now that is a hydraulic arm!!!!!

Photo taken for patch

That is a real jeep.. LOL...

Main item that could have been seen when driving past, during the active days of the site.

So ends the tour.

Update for what it is....

2012-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

Nothing exciting to write about really. Last few days spent seeing a friend from my school bus driving days. Had a nice lunch one day then I spent some time at her house for a visit.

Carola does love animals, here are two of seven birds.

Carola with a good bird, does not scream all the time.

She also has several cats and dogs, amazing how well all of them seem to get along. I do believe we had a good visit and hope to see her again before I head back to New Mexico.

Only other thing I have done was to get Spencer a booster shot for kennel cough in order to get him into a groomer. I had lost control of his matting and should have had him done before leaving Ky. Now I am mainly sitting around enjoying the warm weather and doing my best not to spent any more money. I have gone way over my budget for the month, will have to cut back for at least next two months to get back on track.

Do you think he knows he is cute?? Has more energy now that the fur is short.

Fun day in AZ

2012-01-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

Made it to Arizona Wed. the 11th, staying at a so so RV park in Amado AZ. Staying here so I can see some friends, visit the Desert Zoo, try to visit my sisters if I can make contact. The area I am in is not very good for photos so may not get any.

Today Friday the 13th renting a car, will have to visit a bank to take care of some business, then it is off to see the Zoo. Tonight I will have dinner with an old friend here in Green Valley.

Rented my car, but first had to wait for the young man to find me. Had to call the office three times, each time I was told he was on the way and that it took at least 20 min to get to me from the office. Funny how it only took ten to get back to the office once he found me. I figure he was sent to the wrong address even if I did tell them how to get to me, the address, and the name of the park. What ever once I got the car the first thing was to find a Wells Fargo bank to first deposit a check ( kay see if you have it ) and to get a money order to pay for my registration on the RV. This is turning into another expensive month. Then to a post office to send the check to SD so it will get done asap. Good thing is I can get mail at this park so should have it before I leave.

So now I have a car, what should I do??? Lets visit Mareda Canyon and see what it looks like. drove around for about an hour and noticed that the camp sites for RV/tents are just the right size for my but not the big guys. Only problem is the price of $20 a night, do not think I will be staying they any time soon, shame because it is really nice. Four photos below taken in or around the Canyon.

Next stop was a place I have driven past hundreds of times when I lived in GV.

San Xavier del Bac Mission just off the I-19 about 9 miles south of Tucson. It is a nice mission, but nothing great. It does not compare to the ones I have seen in Mexico but it did have one feature I do not recall seeing before. One of the statues of the saints had the features of a native American. For more information about the Mission click on the url below.

http://www.sanxaviermission.org/History.html

I think the cross on the hill is because a cemetery is located behind it.

Entrance to the cemetery??

Zoom look at entrance

Mission

Alter section of the mission

Notice the center stature

Donation center

After my visit to the church/mission I went and had a really good fried bread, OMG was it good!!!!

On my way back to Green Valley to meet a friend for dinner I had to stop and look at the new Fry’s shopping center. That was a major mistake because all the things I love that I have not been able to find for months where all there. My favorite hot dogs, Sushi, Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves (Koupepia) , and ground lamb. As the saying goes fest or famine, for now it is fest.

Last thing I did before returning to the rv was meet Carola for a nice dinner. We spent over an hour just catching each other up on what is going on. Hoping to get together again this Sunday..

Did see a cool sunset tonight, turned things red...

Nice sunset

Last day at Low Hi

2012-01-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

Lots of birds here at the moment.

Notice the T-shirt the waiter has one. LOW = Loners on Whells

Love it lunch in Mexico and under $5.00USD

Even entertainment...

My stay at the Low Hi park comes to an end after tonight. Been a fun stay, played cards, did some work, went to Mexico for lunch, and did the pot luck dinner. Found new friends and got to see some from before. Tomorrow I head out for my next stop over, this time it is a RV park between Green Valley AZ and Mexico. Current plans are to make this my HQ for a month and visit places around.

A day at Low Hi RV Park

2012-01-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at Low Hi was a busy day. Started off with walking Spencer and getting to know the other dogs currently in the park. Next spent an hour or so on the internet sitting in the laundry room because that is the best for my system. From 10am until noon worked with others taking down the Christmas decorations and sorting out the storage area. At noon we sat down to a very nice lunch and talked with some of the other members.

Next door camper

Cleanup day

Time to eat yet?

The afternoon was really fun, I got to clean my rig. Cleaned all my bedding, rugs, floor, and all counters. Next I went and found several items I have not used in the year I have been living in the rig so put them on the free table. Now have a bit more room in the rig and thinking about what else I can toss.

Day was topped off by playing cards in the evening and even winning one out of three. So yet another day came to an end..

Drive across Texas to Deming NM

2012-01-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Well folks I have made it to the Low Hi park in Deming NM. Staying here until Jan 11, then it is on to Green Valley Az, and a visit to Family and friends in Phoenix and maybe even further north if I can make contact with them.

Once sight that I liked was this look alike. But notice no green anywhere.

After the first RV park on the East side of the State this one was a shock. Still no rain to speak of and it has been almost a year now.

You can see there once was green but now all dust and gravel.

Even desert plants are having a very hard time to survive, Texas needs rain..

Thoughts that went through my head as I drove across Texas. I can not count how many times I have driven or rode across Texas on I-10, but this was the first time ever that I can recall not seeing a single Deer, rabbit, or any-other animal. Everything was black or brown, not a speck of green in the western part of the state. The other thought that I kept having was, when will I get OUT OF TEXAS. ????????

CW likes to make her nest in the overhead as we drive down the road.

Stopped at a tourist trap gift shop, made a god place to walk Spencer.

Low Hi RV Park at last, rain needed here too..

So now that I am here what will I be doing? Guess you will have to come back and see.. Today I plan to help take down holiday decorations. It is a way to meet people...

Back in Texas

2012-01-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

Second day on the road on the way to Deming, NM. Was able to make 306 miles today before I felt it was time to call it a day. Unfortunately that means a long day tomorrow, next best place to stop is all the way to Fort Stockton Texas 366 miles from here. It is ether a long day tomorrow or Thursday so will do my best to get "R" done tomorrow. If I am on the road by 7am should pull into camp around 3 or 4 pm, that will leave around 340 mile to get to the HiLow camp Thursday.

Found a nice place to sleep tonight it is just off the I-10 exit 628 ( RiverBend RV Park )

Checkin Had to wait for owner to come back from a late lunch.

Swim??? Ah where???

I think Spencer is drinking on the beach.

My camp all alone once again.

Fish and release pond. Do not see the point, if I fish and catch something I want to eat it..

Next door to the park, a small horse training ranch

Not sure what this one is doing

Not messing with him

For the most part this park looks to be used by Snowbirds and or some workers. Most plates show Northern states.

On The road to New Mexico Then Arizona

2012-01-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Could not take waking up to the same thing each day. After exploring all the hiking trails and having the rig fixed, I decided it was time to hit the road. Headed for Deming NM first to spend some time at the Low Hi camp, maybe play cards and go to Mexico on Tuesday. Then it is off to visit friends and Family in Arizona. Hoping to find a place at an rv park just south of Green Valley, ( once lived in G.V. ) That is the current plan anyway.

At the moment I am staying at a small park just East of Texas, next two nights will be in TX... Not much else to report today.

The year 2011 comes to an end

2011-12-31T09:11:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time I was still working for Western Geco, traveling to and from the boat was a big pain in the ass. However that was not the main reason I decided it was time to leave, I did not like the boat I was assigned to and had the distinct feeling that I was "NOT" a welcome member of the crew. Always felt like everyone was avoiding me and never could find out why. I believe it was because I was American and most of the crew was not. So I started a new chapter of my life as a working gypsy or otherwise know a workamper.

So far this first year has been okay but not great, I found work for only three months out of the year, my goal is to work six to nine months of the year. I need the work because of my age 57 and the fact that it will be 5 to 8 years before I can collect on anything including my 401K.

Other then work this has been a great first year, have traveled to a lot of places in the good old USA that I have always wanted to see. Have made new friends from all over the country some I see on facebook others I just miss. I am hoping this year to see some old friends as I head West and make some new ones.

The expense of living this life is cheaper then a house or apartment but still not cheap. Example is what I have spent in the last year to get my rig in the best shape I can, it is an older motor home so take a bit more care to insure it is running right. Spent $900 on new tires, $4000 on Transmission, $1800 on turn-ups (2) oil change (2) Transmission checkup (1) and replacement of belts and hoses, $440 on brake repair. So what does that come to for the first year??? $7,140 ouch!!!!!! But if living in an "AVG" apartment paying rent of $600 a month that alone would be $7,200 a year plus all the utilities. So I figure I broke even this first year, hoping the second year will be better.

Following Photos are my Favorites of the year 2011 enjoy and Happy New Year...

Tucson Az

Wills Point TX

Wills Point Tx

Yellowstone Park Wy

Yellowstone Park WY

Someplace in the West on a back road.

Breakfast with Kay in NM

On of the New Mexico State Parks

Two Pals Shelby and Spencer

Palo Duro Canyon Texas

Petit Jean Park AR

Friendship, Campbellsville KY

RV picnic Campbellsville Ky

RV Camp Campbellsville KY

At camp in Saraland Alabama

Last day of 2011 started off foggy, Saraland Alabama

LazyLife on the road

2011-12-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

Not much excitement going on at the moment. Taking long walks in the woods? Reading or maybe it is napping, seems like I read a chapter and fall asleep. Playing with Spencer and CW. The following photos were all taken today.. See what you think..

Nice day to walk in the woods, but wait what is that sound??

Why, it is an 18 wheeler going by.. LOL.. Part of the park borders I-65..

CW was not happy with the harness I used to put her outside,

For the second time in a year I get to use my grill..

Cooking on the grill outside, enjoying the sun.

Here is my toast to all hoping we all have a great New Year.

CW escaped the harness and would not come in. Just have to wait and see if she comes back.

To end my day I think I will take a nice long shower, NO CW has not returned at this time...

Busy day doing what I have to get done.

2011-12-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

Today is a get it done day.... First on my list was taken the rig into a garage to get the breaks fixed, the rear ABS and emergency break lights came on when I was driving down here and never went off. The drivers manual said it was still safe to drive but have checked out as soon as possible. Took rig to a Trax Tires that I found online, the place can do it all. Today was the day for break repair, main cylinder on both rear breaks was leaking fluid causing the problem. The leak was so bad both break drums were soaked and had to be replaced. ( yes I looked at them when being removed ) If not replaced could have caused a lock up later when I used them. ( true, looked it up online )... This little adventure took all morning....

Look real close and you can see the old break drum... Soaked!!!!

Once all was well with the breaks ( going back Friday for turn-up and transmission check. ( transmission was replaced in June and I want to be sure all is okay )... I went to Wal Mart just down the street for food and a few other supplies. On the way back I stopped at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. Friday I think I will try Wintzell's...

Made it back to camp with a pocket of quarters so doing my laundry... Only $1.00 a load so one wash one dry = $2.00... Not bad...

This could take some time...

Think I have found a home .... Hee Hee...

2011-12-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

I love this park, ( Chickasabogue Park ) it has over 11 miles of hiking trails, a sports field, a river and beaches, laundry room, good shower, I get phone connection, television, and computer works. This is one of the best if not the best parks I have ever been to and it only cost $85 a week. At the moment I have paid until Dec 30th, but thinking about extending until Jan 6th 2012..

Following pictures are of this mornings walk, still overcast and on the cool side but warm enough that my heater is off and my door open. :-)

Road down to the Marina

Fishing dock and small boat launch area

Nice view of the river

Does anyone know what type of mushroom this is? Never seen one like it before.

Keep looking for a Smuff

View seen walking the beach loop trail

Could not read it so took a photo.. LOL...

Inland that has the sign.

This place has it all.

Field for the kids to play..

Old Cemetery, told some graves go back to the 1700's
I could not read most so I will just believe..

This is the grave Spencer went to first, sat and looked and the right side.

Spencer only paid respects to the ladies. Never tried with the men.. Strange..

Looks to me like the son died in WW2 Dad followed soon after. Just a guess.

Wish this one was not busted.

Entrance to the Cemetery, at first Spencer did not want to go in, dragged his heels at first, then jumped up and ran to a ladies grave.

Came back to camp and did some cleaning, and setup my Christmas stuff..

Merry Christmas to all...

Back on the road after Amazon

2011-12-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first day back on the road since starting work at Amazon. Took a few hours the night before to get ready, but with a little luck all went well and I was able to pull out early. Unfortunately the weather did not hold and I had to find a place to get off the road.

At times rain was so heavy I could not see past my own rig, wind was also helping me change lanes even when I did not want to.

After driving about 50 miles more then I wanted I found a RV park. Pulled in and called it a night, glad I did..

Today it was still overcast but the rain and wind was not around. First thing I did was fuel up for $297 a gal, cheapest I have seen in a long time.. Then started driving goal for the night was now 347 miles down the road, so a long day was ahead.

Overcast but still pleasant for driving.

Made it to the campground of choice at 3pm... In my site by 3:30pm and not driving again until next Friday. Will then move down the road about 200 to 250 miles and sit until Jan 3rd. I like this camp and think it will work out great. I have internet connection, phone connection, and even get about 8 TV stations... Lots of wooded hiking trails to walk and play with Spencer... He can even be taken off lease... LOL...

My camp...

Hiking trail..

Spencer off leash on trail.

Later folks..

About Amazon.com work

2011-12-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hello anyone,

I have completed my commitment to Amazon.com and now have time to update my blog. For three months I was getting up at 0400 ( that is 4 in the morning ) so that I could take spencer out for a walk, have something to eat, make something for lunch. Then at 05:45 I met friends that I rode to and from work with. This allowed me to leave my small rig hooked up for most of the time I was there. Work was ten hours four (4 ) days a week for the first two months, six days a week at the end. Same same each day packing the items that customers ordered, would not have been bad except the boss was on the PA system from the start of the shift to the end... The count downs to breaks, lunch, and time to go home about drove me nuts. I was wearing ear plugs until my right ear became infected and I had to stop so it would heal. So went home with a headache instead.

The fun part all took place before Thanksgiving when trips were made to different places to eat of just look at things. Did check out two Distillers of Bourbon. Ever got a Single Barrel 20 year old bottle. Do not like the 7 year old, 12, year old, or 18 year old.... But the 20??? Niceeeeee....

Ruthanne and Jody on our girls day out to the distillers.

Bourbon museum

Me getting on the trolley for the distillery

Lots of Bourbon

One of the many barrels.

At this stage it taste like oatmeal

Ruth at one of the tastings.

My bottle...

We also had a very nice Thanksgiving at the camp ground. The owner of the camp opened up a game room that really belongs to his son and is just a short way from the camp ground. Did a pot luck type of dinner at a time when we knew everyone could make it. Was the last time we had the time and energy to do a get together. Fun was had by all..

RV Life as it should be

2011-10-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

Completed my first full 40 hour week for Amazon.com and it really wiped me out. Not used to doing this type of work anymore, nice thing is the time does pass fast. The best thing is the people, here at the RV Park I am staying at we had a Get together Saturday when most of us did not have to work. The food was great but the best thing was just sitting around and getting to know each other. We also had a few games going on that we had fun at even if no scores were known..

This is more along the lines of how I had hope RV life was like but have only seen a few times. This is a small Park run more on the honer system then a rule book, we have come to know each others dogs and the one young girl. The "rule " about leashes is not upheld unless the dog has shown that it does not obey voice commands, it is great to walk Spencer and never have to use the leash, I carry it just in case but so far he has been allowed to run and enjoy himself.

Amazon.com Campbellsville Ky

2011-10-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hello out there...... I have not been doing any blogging due to working at Amazon.com. This is my second week at my new job in the inventory department. I go from bin to bin counting how many items are in each enter it in the scanner then go to the next and do it again. For ten hours four days a week that is all I do. Have not had the energy to go anywhere for photos or anything else. Hoping this weekend I will feel better and find something to do.. Later all

Ohio County Fair, In Hartford KY

2011-09-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

Carney folks started dropping off gear Sunday the 18th, Fair is to run from the 22nd to the 24th of Sept.
Watching the drivers drop the equipment had me recalling the days when I was with Ringlings Bros. I used to drive the Bus from the train to the site the show was at, and then when we moved to a new city drive one of the trucks overland.

Monday the 19th... Carney workers have started to set things up even in the rain. Today is wet, gray, and cool. We are all hoping things are nicer by Thursday..

Tuesday the 20 and it is once again raining, seems like it has rained at least part of the day for the last week. Run my heater for part of the day not to get warm but to get the clamminess out of the rv. Hoping to see some sun later today, would be really nice to have a night without rain so I could sleep for more then a few hours, sound of it hitting the roof wakes me up... Some progress has been made setting up the rides and a new water thing was installed. ( right behind my space )

Wednesday 21st.... Fair starts tomorrow and it is raining once again. The Carneys have finished setting up the rides so now have to see if the rain lets up or will it be a wash out?? As far as any Motor homes the place is still on the empty side...

Kentucky visit

2011-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Been back in old KY for just over two weeks and have falling into a rut of sorts. I get up early and take Spencer for a 3 mile walk around the park using the bike/hiking trail. Then it is time for breakfast and relaxing with a book or maybe even taking a nap. As soon as I sit down I have a new friend sitting in my lap, funny thing is Spencer does not seem to care.

Have already taken my drug test for working at Amazon.com come the 2ed of Oct... In a strange way I am looking forward to working for a few months. Not sure if I will like it or not but it will give me a small buffer to make up for the losses I had over the summer due to cost of maintenance on the RV.

Not much else to report at this time, I am just hanging out doing very little.

Petit Jean State Park Ar.

2011-08-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Spent several days exploring Petit Jean State Park in Ar. Day one when I first arrived I stopped at the Cedar Falls overlook. Seeing that it was late summer not much in the way of water was flowing over the falls.

Day two Spencer and I took a long walk to the Pioneer Cabin, and did the Cedar Creek Trail. Still can not believe 9 ( nine ) kids were born/lived in the small cabin. The trail itself was not hard but was above easy. Big difference from doing a canyon hike in the desert.

The third day did not go well, as far as hiking goes. Started out early planing on doing one of the longer trails, only to get caught in the rain. Had to turn around and go back to the rig, we both got soaked to the skin... LOL... Did find a lot of history lessons at this park..

Day four found us hiking to Bear cave, and around turtle rocks. Spencer was not real happy with walking along some of the cliffs, I think the sound of the wind in the trees and running water below made him nervous.

Last day at the park I did a visit to the grave and overlook for Petit Jean.

Now ends my Petit Jean visit, I did learn a lot about some history...

Travel without internet days.

2011-08-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Palo Duro Canyon State Park Texas

Aug. 15, 2011

Moved east about 130 miles and decided to check out Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas. First off it was easy to find, just wish it was priced like New Mexico, costing me $55 for three nights using the discount from the park pass. Still to hot to not hook up to power to run the AC. Will be here until Thursday, then off to OK. Will wait until tomorrow to take a hike and get pictures, can not take Spencer because it will be a 10 mile round trip and that would be too much for the little guy. Doing my update for the time here using Mac pages ( lot like word ) because I have no internet, phone, or television here. Will bring everything up to date when I next have connection.

Just so you all do not have to look it up ( and I am bored ) ...Palo Duro is 120 miles long, 800 feet deep, and is the second largest canyon in the US. It has ten hiking trails ( if I do three in the next two days I will be happy. First on my list is the Lighthouse Trail, will attempt it in the morning when it is cooler.

Aug. 16, 2011

Started our hike at 07:01am hiked 10 miles round trip to the lighthouse formation along with two other sites, and back. Had planed to leave Spencer behind but at the last min decided to take him along, might not have been best idea.

He did an excellent job going up and made it back the first 3 miles, but then with the sun overhead and no shade the poor guy just gave out.

I ended up carrying him the last two miles or so on the way out. Seeing how the temp was 75 at 0700 and 105 by noon I think he did good. This was not an easy hike, most of it was in direct sun. Did I mention I took 1.5 gallons of water with me, and still ran out 2 miles from getting back, must admit I was happy to see the trailhead and a water facet. I think doing three trails all in the same day even if they did cross was to much. Did the Lighthouse Trail, Capital peak, and Castle Peak. Made it back to camp around noon, turned on the AC and now waiting for the body temps to come back down.

Crazy..... Outside temp is over 100f and my AC keeps overheating and shutting off. best I can do is to run the fan until nightfall and things start cooling off ( I hope ) may move on tomorrow instead of Thursday. A note to anyone that stays at this park at the Hackberry Camp area..... DO NOT stay at site #10 when it is hot, no shade from the time the sun comes up until it sets... Time to call it a day, 10:30pm and outside temp still at 92 Degrees F. At least the AC is working again and we are cooling down...

Aug. 17, 2011

Temp was still 82 F at 0700 this morning before sunrise. Do not think I can stand another day with this heat. First things first, took my morning walk with Spencer got to see deer and turkeys. After the walk pulled out of camp and drove around a few of te places I could not walk to yesterday. Left the Park at around 10am.

Arrived at Lake McClellan National Park at about noon, ( only about 60 miles down the road ) hope it is cooler here and we can rest up for next few days. Not in the mood to do any hiking today, may check things out tomorrow morning if it is cool enough. ( at least it is below 100f at this time ) Must be my day to see deer, during evening walk saw some but had wrong lens for any good shots. Still no TV or internet, can get phone service off and on..

Aug. 18, 2011

Took our morning walk around the park before it got hot, lots of deer at this place. Also it looked like the lake has plenty of fish but not a soul out fishing.

I only counted 9 campers here and that includes two at the host site. ( no sign of a host yesterday or today so far. This would be a great place to stay for a week or two if and when the day time temps top out at 75 to 85 f... Wish I had a small boat to take out on the lake and do some fishing.. Maybe some other time.. Feet still hurt from hiking the canyon Monday, so I think today will be a day of reading and napping..

WOW place is filling up with weekenders, glad I am pulling out in the morning. Also time to start thinking about were I should spend the Labor day weekend.... Not that far away and sure places are filling up..

Walking around Tucumcari On old Route 66

2011-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last night at dusk I thought I would walk around and see if any neon lights would be working. After a 90 min walk ( with Spencer ) it was time to call it a night. There were a few lights working but over all doing the walk once in my life will be enough.

This morning I walked around the city ( with spencer ) until it started to get too hot. This time I was looking to see how many murals I could find. I have a map that shows at least 25 murals scattered around the city. Today I was able to find ten on the list a few that are not listed..

The Legendary Road

Old West Town

Daylight Train

Second half of train, ( middle was blocked by parked cars )

Bus

Where's My Horse #1

Where's My Horse #2

Welcome To Tucumcari

Quay County

In Memory of Moynihan

Pilot

The Dodge & The Cowboy ( one of the oldest )

Waterfall

66 Eyes on Route 66 ( under construction)

Not listed

Not listed ( outside a tattoo shop )

Not listed

After my walk and update I check my ires and again it looked like a low tire.. Loaded up and took the rig to a tire store only to find nothing could be found wrong, so check and aired all tires to correct PSI. Went to KMart and purchased a good Digital tire gauge so I can keep a better track of my tires. As long as I was just across the street I went into the Rockin Y roadhouse for lunch and to see the mural.

2nd St & Route 66

Tucumcari NM

2011-08-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Was scheduled to stay at Santa Rosa State Park until tomorrow, however.... Last night around 7pm I noticed one of my back tires looked low, so I did a complete check of all systems and found three tires low on air. The one that looked low was at 45PSI, should be between 65 and 80 psi.. With that in mind I decided I should leave today and get it looked at ASAP.. Stopped at a tire center and had it checked, the man could not find anything wrong, back on at 75PSI and will check it tonight and tomorrow morning to see if it maintains the pressure or not.

Next stop was The Blue hole in Santa Rosa NM ( the city ) not a real big deal if you ask me. Took a few photos and that was that..

Once in Tucumcari I stopped at the dollar store and picked up a few items, and found out I was low on cash. So off the the bank, good news they is a Wells Fargo here, bad news all the servers are down so could not get any cash. Found a LOW'S food store and stocked up on food supplies, and across the street a bank ( not WF ) that had an ATM that allowed me to get some cash.

Now at RV park doing laundry, and cooking up a chicken chili, beef and pork stew, and a Lasagna. Will freeze individual servings of each so that I will not have to cook again for a spell...

Plan to walk around tonight and tomorrow when it is cooler ( now 102 ) and see how many of the 35 Murals I can find...

Santa Rosa Lake State Park New Mexico

2011-08-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have moved camp to Santa Rosa Lake, thinking it may become a desert if rain does not come soon. Really not much to see at this park, if not for the lake it would be nothing but high desert. Took the shore line hiking trail, and the photos below will tell the tail. Will camp hear with electric due to the heat, 95f in the day. Want to go north, but all the parks are closed at this time due to fires this summer... Not sure were I go from here...

Sleepless Night

2011-07-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Unable to sleep, tried reading, tried Television, now thinking. Staying at State Park in New Mexico. BlueWater Lake is a nice enough place but it is nothing like being able to get into the back country. I find I miss when I was backpacking and able to walk into places that seldom saw other people, and was never crowded with other campers. I know I am not young enough anymore to be able to carry the weight of a full weeks worth of supplies to be able to go to the places I dream about, but maybe I can find a way to get into some areas that fewer people go to. Miss camping under the stars, with only Mother nature for company.

On the bright side, my buddy Spencer makes a good little hiker. Took a two hour hike yesterday and he did the hike without any problems.

On a different note, I have heard from Amazon.com and my state date is for Oct. 30th. So I will be spending Nov. and Dec of this year in KY. Looking forward to seeing some friends I knew when living in Ky. Just hope the winter in Ky is very mild this year.

Return to El Morro

2011-07-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

El Morro National Park

July 22, 2011

Left the RV park in Grants early so I had time to stop at Walmart to pick up a few needed items . Had a surprise, the Walmart in Grants does not stay open 24 hours, it is open from 7am to midnight only. So had to wait to do my shopping and get some cash.

Then it was off to El Morro Park to do the second trail. It was good excises and interesting in its own way. Hike only took a little over an hour, then I found a dispersed camp at El Morro for $5 a night. Will spend two nights then head over to see the wolfs on Sunday.

Holy shit!!!!!! I do not believe my luck... I am at a park that has no hookups and the only camp near me is for handicapped ... so what pulls in??? Three vans loaded with kids!!!! Had to shut myself inside close all door and turn on the generator before I could not hear them yelling ..... 1.- none are handicapped, 2.- not supposed to have more then two cars or 6 people per site, 3.- bet your life I paid as much for myself as there did for all 20 .... So much for a peaceful night.....

July 23,2011

Good morning to all, 0630 at least two of the van horn alarms went off. How long? long enough to wake me, and I was dressed before there shut off. Just to top off the morning I could hear laughing from them about it. Took Spencer for a walk and told the “adults” what I thought of them... The group started packing and taken down tents Holy shit!!!!!! I do not believe at 0700, maybe today will be nice..

Turned out to be a great day, even if all I did was read, and play with spencer. Very peaceful and relaxing day. Tomorrow I go see the wolfs.. Oh did I mention I have no internet or phone service in this area? not a clue when I will get any of this on my blog..

July 24, 2011

Pulled out of El Morro early hoping to find a place to eat breakfast. Everything along the way was closed on Sunday until I reached the Wild Sprit wolf park. Then found a place that will open at 0900 and I can eat. This place was not easy to find even with directions. No signs showing the way to the place until you are almost there. Last 4 miles are on a gravel road from hell, felt like the rig was going to be shaking apart. If I could have turned around within the first 3 miles I would have. But here now so hope the trouble of getting here will be worth it..

I am not going to try and go into what the Wolf sanctuary is all about, would take me to much time and I would be sure to get some of it wrong. So I will just give you the URL for the site that was build to explain... http://www.wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org/index.php

All I will do is post the photos I took today, and say it is worth the price. Hoping to come back and schedule a photo shoot without the fence in the way. If all goes well I think I may return in Feb. of 2012... We will see...

That's it for today, heck of a storm is brewing and internet is slow...

El Morro, Ice Cave, Bandera Volcano, and El Malpais

2011-07-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

First stop today was El Morro National Monument in NM.. There are two paths available to see here, Inscription Rock Trail and The Headland Trail. I only had an hour or so today so went on the Inscription Rock Trail in order to check out the Petroglyphs. Hope to return Friday and do the second trail, it is said to take at least two hours...

Lets start with the surrounding area before getting to the bluff.. If my bad spanish is close I think El Morro means "headland" or "The Bluff" ??? Not really sure...

First look at the trail when leaving the visitor center.

Land around the bluffs

I really like this shot..

When walking up to the trail one of the first thinks I noticed was the fresh smell of the Juniper trees that surround the area. Unfortunately in recent times due to over grazing and fire suppression for the last century. The park systems are trying a variety of methods in an effort to restore the environment to what it once was, high elevation grassland, dotted with rabbitbrush and saltbush.

So why did so many people stop at El Morro? The answer is very simple, a fresh water pool, it is fed by rainfall in the summer and by melting snows. There is no spring so the water level goes up and down as weather changes. The pool is never empty and can hold 200,000 gallons of water when full.

If you can read this it explains things better then I could.

The pool

The Petroglyphs cover American Indian, Spanish, and Anglo travels. Both men and women stayed at El Morro when passing through the area. The following are only a few of the inscriptions that have been left as reminders of past visits to the pool.

When I noticed this sign I thought it was interesting. What would have happened if this sign had always been up? Now the future will not know that I was there on July 20th, 2011. Just to top it off I could not even get any water from the pool.. :-(

Will not try to explain each photo, some are in English others in Spanish.. Nothing from current times..

Next stop along the road today was the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano... First thing you see when you pull up is the Old Time Trading Post. The post was built in 1930's with a saloon and dance hall. At the time the logging industry and Zuni RR was in full swing. The saloon sold cold beer kept cold using ice from the caves. It was not until 1946 that the ice caves were turned into a tourist attraction.

The trees that grow on the lava face a special type of problem. This lava flow is

rich in iron content, this draws lightning strikes to the trees growing in it.

The tree pictured below was struck in July, 1992. Lightning strikes are a common

cause of forest fires.

This type of lava formation is called a spatter cone. Spattercones are formed when minor vents form in the molten lava. A surge of hot air rushes through the lava forming surface tubes and minor vents. When the air breaks through the surface, lava will splash out forming a type of blow hole that you see here.

According to the information given out at the trading post, this is a good spot to see a variety of wildlife that inhabits this area. Most likely to be seen are chipmunks, squirrels, lizards and birds during the day. In the mornings and evenings you might spot deer and elk. Occasionally a bear or a mountain lion will wander through. During the summer it is not uncommon to see a bull snake on this trail. The only thing I saw was a few lizards..

There are a number of other volcanoes that make up the El Malpais region. There are 29 volcanoes in this area. Some of the ones that can be seen from the trail are15 of them. Starting from your right, southwestern side, there is Bandera's twin, Cerro Bandera (the largest, closest one). Moving to the East, the closest ones are: Arizona, Comadre, Americana, Rendaja, Leonides, Hoya De Cibola, Hueto, Lost Woman, Twin Craters, Lava Crater, El Calderon and Candelaria Crater. Good luck finding them from the photos... I am not sure I can..

This volcano is a cinder cone. The volcano began as the earth started to swell. Eventually a

crack broke open and high pressure lava began spraying out. The molten rock hardened in mid air and fell back down to the ground as cinders. Photos below shows the various sized cinders that make up this mountain.

Bandera Crater is the largest volcano in the region. It erupted around 10,000 years ago. There were two stages of the eruption: first the cinder cone developed, then a massive lava flow broke out. The molten lava reaches temperatures above 2,000 degrees

Fahrenheit. Bandera's lava flow is nearly 23 miles long. At the end of the eruption, the lava suddenly fell back down the main vent making the bottom of the cone deeper than the outside lava flow. This crater is nearly 1,400 feet wide at the top and roughly 800 deep. Over time, erosion and gravity take their toll on the crater and it is slowly filling up as cinders and rocks fall down into it. This makes for a very fragile environment.

The trees growing in lava find it hard to establish deep roots. The results are that the trees grow to be twisted and gnarled. Also, the shallow roots fail to support the trees in strong winds. You can see several fallen trees along the trails. Yet the lava protected many

trees from the loggers in the early days. The tree off the trail with the yellow ribbon is believed to be among the oldest living Douglas Fir trees in New Mexico. It isapproximately 700 years old.

The Ice Cave

The temperature in this cave never gets above 31 degrees Fahrenheit. As rain

water and snow melt seep into this cave, the ice floor thickens. The floor of the ice

is approximately 20 feet thick. The deepest ice is the oldest and dates back 3,400

years. The green tint is caused by an Arctic algae. The back wall was formed in the early days when ancient Indians and early settlers mined the ice. In 1946, ice removal was stopped at which time the ice wall was nearly 12 feet high. Since then, the ice floor has risen

relative to the back wall. The rate of ice accumulation varies with annual precipitation. The cause of original formation of ice 3,400 years ago is uncertain. However, its perpetuation is due to a combination of existing conditions that make a natural ice box: 20 feet of ice in a well insulated cave shaped to trap frigid air. The Ice Cave was known to the Pueblo Indians as

the Winter Lake.

Anyone still reading this??? If so I still have one more stop for the day..

El Malpais National Monument..

This is were all the caves and lava tubes are.. Unfortunately all caves and tubes are closed due to the problems with a virus killing the bats.. So did not get to see a thing.. LOL...

Good news found a RV park with full hook up including cable for 17 a night.

So ends todays blog... Bye bye...

Enough already!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Had planed to stay at Navajo Lake for at least 10 days, but after just after 5 days I could not take it anymore. The weekends I understand will be lots of noise, but when I get woke up at 0400 by the sound of loud music from three sites down...... AHHHHHHH... Could not talk to them because it was six ( 6 ) teenage boys, ( maybe early 20,s tops ) hanging out and drinking beer.. The camp site looked like it was hit by a beer truck that turned over... This was day three with them and when I checked the permit it showed them staying until the 25th... So I packed up my stuff ( lucky I had not paid ) and headed down the road next stop unknown..

Good bye Navajo Lake

I put Gallup NM in my gps hoping to find something down the road, if not was going to check out what was on route 66... Then head east on the 40.. As luck would have it when I made it to Gallup I noticed a sign for " Red Rock Park " thinking it was either a State or National park I followed the sign.. Bit of a surprise when I arrived, it is a city park run in partnership with the navajo nation. Plan to spend two nights here before moving on to ?????? As of now I am the only RV in the place. Will find out more later but I think it is mostly for events, like a fair ground..

Could this be why it is called Red Rock Park??

Above the convention center

Only one of the two paintings I liked

Reminds me of a picture My granddad painted.

Motor Home clean up

2011-07-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Seeing that I will be here for two weeks, I have decided to clean out some of the junk I carry around but do not use. Today I filled up half of a black trash bag of junk... will do more each morning until it is time to move down to the next camp site.. Currently dry/dispersed/ boon-docking , next camp will do a week with full hookups. Have reserved a site at Blue-water Lake starting July 27th to Aug 3rd..

Using solar power to cook lunch today..

Solar panel set up in lower right.

Battery, controller, and cooker

Hot dogs inside cooker.. Same type used when driving trucks.

Hot dogs are a cooking

Walked Spencer down to the main camp looking for a ranger or camp host, wanted a map of this park.. No luck could not find a ranger or a host.. Spencer did have to take breaks, temp at 80F at 10:30... Will relax and read for remainder of day..

Several photos of the lake.. it is too big to fit one photo..

Spencer likes to take breaks in the shade on long walks. Being black I guess he get hot fast..

Looking for the next shady place to take a break..

Spencer's Ride did good

2011-07-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

What a day!!!!! Started at 0600 thinking I could do 360 miles in about 8 hours without any problems. Guess what??? I was wrong, it took me over 10 hours. First I had to deal with just about every road being repaired or improved... Then I hit a mountain pass that you could not get over 25MPH ( speed limit ) due to the curves and steepness. The pass was so bad that my MPG dropped from an AVG of 9.87 to 7.20 for the day. Also did not help that my GPS went crazy on me three times and had me going the wrong why, had to make corrections on my own and find my why back on route. Then to top things off they are no signs for Navajo Lake until you arrive, makes for a fun drive when you are not sure if you are on the right road or not.

Backup number one, single lane road due to resurfacing half of it at a time. Had to wait 30 min, before our side could go.

Slowdown due to shoulder work, speed set to 25mpg.

Delay #2 this time road was torn up and only a single lane of dirt was open. Waited 45 min this time.. Made myself a cup of coffee.. LOL...

Oncoming traffic waiting for us to clear..

The dirt road we had too use..

Did stop a few times to get photos and had to walk Spencer...

Taken just below the summit. Red Mountain..

Once I made it to the lake I drove in looking for a visitor center or at least a camp host. Could not find a center, did find the sites for two host, but nobody was around at either site. So drove around got lost, found a map on a board, drove around some more and found a camp site. So far have not seen anyone else, just lots of campers and boats..

Set up camp and just going to chill for the night.. My hanging garden did not travel very well, hope it recovers...

Solar is set up, now to see if it works.

Plants look sad... did not travel well.

Flowers do not look like they will make it..

Long drive through Wy.

2011-07-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Only planed on doing 200 to 250 miles today, problem was that when I reached 180 miles I could not find a place to pull over for the night. Passed several old RV parks that had closed and a State Park that had the road to the campground closed. Just had to keep going and going until I found a place in Craig Co. no discounts but after 410 miles I just wanted to stop. Good news I have cable so can watch television, big deal.

I took photos during the morning, but by afternoon I did not want to stop to take photos. As things worked out I started at 06:15 this morning, stopped at 15:30 this evening. Might try to make New Mexico tomorrow depending on how I feel, still 360 miles to go before I get to Navajo Lake...

Parked at the river, once again I had the place to myself.

Wish I could recall the name of the river, it is on a reservation.

Not exactly a modern tunnel system..

Right side tunnel is for the trains, yes it is still in use.

Had to stop for this one, a Dad and his two sons doing it the old fashion way..

If you can read the sign in back it says, See America Slowly.

Yellowstone Park Third time around..

2011-07-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today makes three times I have been through Yellowstone Park. I have to say each time was better then the last. First time I did not really enjoy it very much, too many people and did not see but one Bison. Second time was much better not as many people and got to see some nice sights along with a few Bison.

This time I hit the park at 06:30 AM and had it all to myself until around 10AM when other people started showing up. Large numbers of folk did not arrive until after 11AM, then it was time for me to get away.

Took me just over eight hours to drive 180 miles today, so you know I did a lot of stopping. The following photos are a handful of what I took.

Gibbons Falls

Parking lot for Gibbons Falls. I had the first three place I stopped all to myself.

Can just see the trail through the stream from hot springs.

I only did a small fraction of the trail

Run Off.. River is still in flood

Runoff

Looks more like a forest fire the a hot spring..

Herds of Bison in the North part of the park.

Back on the road after the 4th

2011-07-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

After a nice sendoff from friends in Iona Idaho, I am once again on the road. This time it is just me and my sidekick Spencer. Kay is staying over in Iona for a little longer, not sure when we will hook up again. My current plans are to see the upper part of the Yellowstone including old fort Mammoth. After that I will just head to New Mexico and hang out, maybe do some fishing..

Tonight I stopped about 13 miles from Yellowstone, hope to get an early start tomorrow and beat the rush into the park. Can it be done??? Let you know tomorrow. Tonight will be laundry night and a movie, after walking Spencer one last time..

Good laundry room. but park not worth the price.

WOW... I filled up in Ammon Idaho for $3.36... THAT is 57 cents less then it is here.. Why????

Not much to look at here, a movie is in order for the night..

RV Garden

2011-07-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

Started a garden here in Iona Idaho. Used a Topsy Turvy thing I have seen on TV to start some tomatoes and herbs. Also a small pot with what I hope will be flowers some day. I have always loved to grow things whenever I could so this will be interesting to see what happens. If it survives the trip from here to New Mexico next week then I just might get a second and plant some other things..

Topsy Turvy with tomatoes and herbs. Will ride in the shower when going down the road.

Small pot on left has flowers, maybe. Rides just inside passenger door on floor.

Cave Falls

2011-07-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Forth of July was spent hiking around Cave Falls. With all the melting of snow, the run off is keeping the rivers and creeks not just full, but overflowing. The river in the photos is normally shallow enough to wade across, and fly fish from without and problems. Now it is running so fast and full I do not believe a person could get two steps in without being swept down stream.

The hike to the meadow would have been a lot more fun without the misquotes that tried to eat us alive, even after soaking ourselves in "off bug spray ".

After the hike we drove to another river site to eat lunch, wanted to eat not be eaten..

Idaho Visit

2011-06-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Currently in Idaho ( Iona Idaho ) visit with friends for a spell. Using the time to cleanup, reorganize, and repair the RV. Today was a shopping days for supplies and food, then came back and cleaned out some items, and found other places to store items I do not often use. Think I will be doing some more purging of items in the future.

Having some high wind gust today and on one such gust a tree came down across the street. Made a nice loud crack, city was out in no time to clean it up...

Do doing something really exciting.....Laundry...

July,1 2011

Today was spent running around for the first part of the day, went food shopping, lunch at the Firehouse Grill, and paid for a gazebo 10X10 ft to use when base camping for more then three nights. Also received my new solar kit to use when base camping. Will take photos when I set it all up.

This evening we had a BBQ of chicken, corn, and salad ... Have a new dressing that I like and can eat..

Kay taken a picture of me taken a picture of me, or something like that.

FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spencer the supervisor

Jerry our cook of the night..

July,2 2011

Late start to go to Teton National Park, this time I was a passenger in the back seat of a car. We left the house at 4pm drove to the park, took some photos, stopped for a late dinner on the way home and back at the house at 11pm. Most of the scenes could not be photoed due to the lighting. Sun washed them out, or it was just to hazy looking. Did get one or two okay shots.

Water fall and flooded river.

Kay doing her posing

All of the lake photos are of Jenny lake.

Stage ride in middle of town. Notice how happy the driver and horses are..

Drive through Yellowstone Park

2011-06-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today was better then yesterday, at least until the end. Another long day, did not get into camp again until after 5pm.

Okay so that is out of the way, for the most part it was a fun day. We drove through Yellowstone Park from the East side to the West. Took lots of photos along the way some came out nice, other made file 13. The ones I am showing are the ones I liked the best of the 36 I kept. Hope you all enjoy, forgive me for not writing more but I am once again exhausted and do not think well in this state.

One of many shots along the road

Yes that is snow along the road, June 26, 2011

Snow and ice at one of the small lakes we came across

Dead trees from the big fire so many years ago.

River running bank to bank, and in parts have overflowed.

One of the small hot springs in the park

Same hot spring

Mountains caped with snow in the background of the lake

Bison walking down the center of the road, holding up traffic

Three adults and two calfs, loved it..

This Big boy was walking along the side of the road as if he was the scout and lookout for the others.

Big boy again..

Long, Long, long day

2011-06-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

On the road from 8:30am until 4PM... Hate long days. Now feel like crap and just want to go to sleep, but it is too early for that. Anyway here are the photos from today..

Spencer's Ride Rolls Again... ;-)

2011-06-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

June 23, 2011

Departed America’s Mailbox, Spencer’s Ride is now in the shop being worked on hopeful that it will be road ready tomorrow afternoon. Big thrill today was watching the men working on the RV park we are at, trying to get it so it does not turn into mud every time it rains.

To help pass the time we checked out an RV store in town that had several things I wanted, a new latch for my door, shower head that turns off, and some small washers to have when needed. Also checked out the fairgrounds to see about the sites, ( no luck ) then went for dinner at a Asian buffet. By then it was time to call it a day so we parked in the parking lot of the shop that is fixing my unit. Fair is fair... I will be paying more then enough to earn a free night .. Both Kay and myself are feeling sick tonight, must have caught a bug.. .

June 24, 2011

Was able to get Spencer’s Ride out of the shop at 11AM, took it to the flying J to use the scale, took paperwork into office to have my Registration changed to SD, back to the J for lunch and fuel, then we rolled down the road. Only went a short distance today due to how we are both not 100% today. Stopped at a National camp site in the black-hills for the night. Around 6PM we had a hail storm, only lasted 5 maybe 10 min then it was over but oh my was it loud. Poor Spencer was running back and forth in the rig scared out of his mind, I had to catch him and hold him on the bed to get him to stop shacking.

Shot from my back window just as the storm started.

What the road next to my rig looked like.

Steam rising from the ground after the storm passed.

Kay's rig

Early next morning, almost looked like fog.

Early next morning

Lake the next morning

This is Spencer, just in case someone did not know.

I wonder how the folks in the tents made out??? Well time to call it a night, will ad this and some photos when I get Internet connection.. Night for now..

June 25, 2011

Headed to see Deadwood SD today then on to Wy.

Did not take long to get to Deadwood, but still it was not anything near what the advertisements had me believing. So what else is new.... Did get a few good photos, and a cheap breakfast for $3.99, coffee included.

Good breakfast buffet for $3.99 (seniors ) $4.99 normal..

Street of old Deadwood

After touring Deadwood drove into Wy. and stopped for the night at a Walmart, needed to get a few supplies. Not sure what tomorrow will bring... want to be off the road before Friday, because of the 4th of July weekend...

Eastern Wy, shortly after crossing into the state on I-90 from SD.

This railroad car was in the middle of a field.

Statue of I do not know who at exit 126 of the I-90W

Been a week in Rapid City

2011-06-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

Now been a week since I took Spencer s Ride into the transmission shop. We are currently waiting parts so who knows how long this will take. Started to come back to the shop at night to sleep in the rv, two main reasons for this. I can not afford to stay at a hotel each night, and my battery for my refrigerator needs to be recharged every 8 hours or so. I have already lost some food trying to save what is left.

Did make a new sign for Spencers ride that looks better then the last.

Spencer's Ride is sick......

2011-06-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Made it to Rapid City South Dakota only to find my RV is leaking Transmission fluid. We are hear to change our state of residency so left my RV at the Flying J and went to the place that is helping us. When I told them about my RV the owner called around and found a place that would take a look at it. It is now in the garage parking lot waiting its turn to be looked at and fixed.

Did as much of the paperwork as possible to change over the registration, but have to wait until I can get the RV out of the shop and weighed before the plates can be done. So went down and change my drivers lic. to SD and now in wait mode for the RV to be fixed.

Friday morning woke up with a tooth ache and decided to see if I could get into a dentist, as luck would have it the third one I called had an opening at 3:45pm. Not having my RV I then called around for a car rental, this was also solved on the third call, three must have been my lucky number that day. Buy 2pm I was in so much pain I drove to the dentist early. Getting in early only helped to get the paperwork done early, still had to wait until 3:45 to see the dentist. Once in everything went fast, got Xrays, Mouth was shot up with a local... ( oh the relief ) and the bad tooth was extracted without any pain. The pain however came back that night after the shots wore off. I did not get to sleep until some time after midnight.

Saturday I felt good enough to eat a bit of food and go to see the Museum of Geology. It is a very interesting place to visit if you are at all interested in rocks or fossils. Problem with it is that it is very hard to find, it is in a building on the campus of the School of mining and geology.

Today Sunday the 19th I feel almost normal, ( whatever that is ) so on a whim took off to see "Custer State Park " This was decided on as we were doing our laundry in town. The drive at first was not great due to it raining, but once it stopped things just came together. The drive had more beauty then I can describe, I did get a few good shots but some of the best was when I could not stop or pull over, but this will give you an idea.

Once we reached Custer State Park it was amazing... We had not gone half a mile inside the park before we spotted the first of many Buffalo. At one point we had to stop to allow one to cross the street right in fount of us. I have no clue how many we spotted in all but it far exceeded anything I was thinking. We also spotted other animals along the road as you can see from the photos.

After Custer State Park we drove over to the Wind Cave National Park and took a tour of the cave. This is said to be the 5th longest cave known in the world. For more ( and better ) information about it go online and look it up. Only got a few photos before my battery went dead so that is how the day comes to an end.

This small whole is the first entrance to the cave. It was the only way in until a mine tunnel was made .

So dark that this is the best picture I could get of Kay.

Black Hills National Forest SD

2011-06-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today we made it to South Dakota, was going to drive all the way to Rapid City for the night. However we noticed The Black Hills National Forest was on the way and decided to check it out. Had to go to the Ranger station for a map that shows what roads allow RV camping before we could even start. Once we picked out a road next challenge was finding it... The sign was small and facing the wrong way, the road it was off had a speed limit of 65MPH and we drove past the road the first time and had to turn around and go back.

Main road on right, driving at 45-55MPH looking for road 305.

This is road 305 can you see the sign? How about at 45-55MPH as you go buy.

Once on the road it was just a matter of time and luck to find a spot off the road that we could pull into, as luck would have it we found a spot large enough for both of us.

First thing we did was walk the dogs and check out the area. Love the fact that we have the place to ourself's .. Not another camper within site, only other camper is at least 1/2 mile walk from us. This is the first time I can recall having a place without others around. We can even walk the dogs without a leash.

Kay and Shelby walking down the road

Creek along side of the road

Blast from the past...

Highs and low of Rv road time.

2011-06-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

Left Sugarite Canyon two days ago, already miss New Mexico State Parks. We are headed to Rapid City SD, along the way we stopped at a Campers World to get a few toys for the Rv. Then went up the road to Castle Rock Co. Exit 184 on I-25, and spent the night at a Walmart. This Walmart is located in the same place as many other stores like Pet-mart, Radio Shack, Target, to name a few. Also had a nice park just across the street to walk in.

The following day we drove into Wyoming and stopped at a Flying J ( ex 7, I 25 ) had lunch and because of the amount of work being done to the station decided to move on down the road. Found a State Park not to far so drove about 25 miles the wrong way to check it out. Now I know about the state parks in Wy, I do not think I will stay at one again. Out of state pays $17 for a site that is not level, no water, no sewer, no elect. Park itself is nice ( about like NM ) but not worth the price.

First thing we did after leaving Curt Gowry park was to find a place to have breakfast. We got lucky and found a place called "Luxury Diner" it looks like a converted train car turned into a diner. At first the parking lot looks to small for an RV but if you drive all the way back it has a large dirt section that works for one or two RV's. The food is good and place is friendly.

The inside of the Diner that looks like it may have once been a Train car.

Second view of diner

Kay Julia Arnold

Today we made it to Lusk Wy before calling it a day, staying at Prairie View Campground. Price for the night $13.25 for full hookup and a site that is a lot closer to being level then last night. The camp itself is not that great but the price is right... I can play on the computer, watch TV, or read if I wish...

Sugarite Canyon

2011-06-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sugarite Canyon State Park

June 5, 2011

Departed Storrie early morning, glad to be gone the section we stayed in was way to crowded. Could not even open your blinds unless you wanted to be looking inside the RV next to you. Best part of the stay was this morning when I was able to get photos of a power glider that was flying around the lake just after sunup.

Before heading to our next layover we first had to stop for fuel, and also decided to have breakfast at “Johnny’s Kitchen” at 717 Grand Ave Las Vegas NM. So far we have only eaten breakfast here but if it is any indication of the lunch and dinner then it is fabulous.

The drive to Sugarite Canyon State Park was so easy... Wish all of the drives were this nice. One surprise was when we first arrived, I always like to stop at the visitor Center if possible to get information and maps of to park, could not do so today because it was full of people signing up for some fishing tournament. So went in blind and got lucky. One two of the three first come spaces were open and we jumped on both. So far we have reserved the spaces until Wednesday but thinking about extending until maybe next Sunday..

One minor problem, No phone, television, or internet here so will go into town every other day to check my email and phone. Town is only about 10 miles one way so no big deal...

Had a great dinner of beef ribs, sweet potatoes, peas, and corn. Washed down with a bottle of bear. Had a brief rain storm with pea size hail, only lasted 5 maybe 10 min then it was over and time to walk the dogs.

Took the path that leads to the old coal town of Sugarite, did not intend to go that far but did. Found it to be very interesting, see photos and captions below.. Made it back to camp just before dark, think Kay may have been concerned, she was waiting for me when I arrived. No problem, if she had not met me I was going to check to be sure she was back.. LOL....

June 6, 2011

Today started with a hike (Deer Run trail ) had not intended to go as far as I did because I had Spencer with me. Really did not think the little guy would keep up, but he did great. The trail lead all the way to the Soda Pocket Campground that is closed due to fire hazards at the moment. About a 3 mile hike from the RV, but was more then worth it for the view. Next visit I just hope the camp is open because that is the place I would love to camp. Took photos of the hike mostly on the way up. When it came time to come down we followed the road, I thought it would be faster and easy.. LOL... Faster yes easy no, it is one steep road and if I ever drive it I will be in LOW all the way.

Back at camp and cleaning up Spencer’s Ride. Plan to just sit back and relx the rest of the day..

June 7, 2011

Went into town to get supplies, and Kay needed to get meds refilled. Six hours later we are back in cap but meds were not ready will go back tomorrow and get them we hope.

Just going to relax have tacos for dinner and call it a day. A very expensive day too be sure, but all stocked up again..

Seeing lots of birds around camp, does not hurt that several of us have put up feeders. Have also seen deer and antelope, but not very often when I have my camera ready..

June 8, 2011

Went into Town again today to get Kay her meds, but first we stopped for Breakfast. After driving around and asking a few local folks we found a place. Trinidad Diner at 734 E. Main St Trinidad, Co 81082 is a good place to have breakfast. Only problem is it is closed on the third and fourth Wednesday of the month so watch the calendar. The pancakes may be among the best I have every had, and the rest was good. The back section of the parking lot has a dirt section big enough for a mid size RV, some street parking but not much.

Next we found a Safeway market that carries my fake cheese and other item I like that can not be found at Walmart, so went in and spent more money... When we made it back to Walmart for Kay’s drugs we still had to wait so did more shopping and picked up a new pair of shorts, rechargeable batteries, some odds and ends.

Back to the campgrounds only to find smoke from the AZ wildfire had been blown into the area and we have a haze everywhere. My allergies have been so good for the last two days came back strong today and had to take a pill for the first time in two days. Hope it passes by morning.

June 9, 2011

Wonderful clear morning, took Spencer out for a walk along the lake before breakfast. Lazy morning watching the birds, as I had my coffee outside. Nothing on the schedule today except to relax and enjoy life.

June 10, 2011

Laundry day, have to go into town to get it done.....

Not feeling good today, headache and just plain blare... Just stayed at RV after laundry was done.

June 11, 2011

Last day here, tomorrow we leave to head north. During my morning walk I spotted what I believe was a beaver. Could only see the head as it was swimming so not 100% sure, so I will let you all decided for yourself.

Feeling so much better today, making breakfast of pancakes and coffee today. Hope te day continues to be a good one.

Day ended with a lecture from a park ranger about the history of the area. It has been a good week.