Catalina State Park -Tucson Arizona

Tuesday November 16th 2010

Last night Liz was talking with a couple while doing laundry.  Yes Liz talks to everyone.  The couple was telling her about their life and told her that we have made the right decision to travel while we still can.  Their life started out east and now they reside near Silver City NM, they were full time RVers now they only camp for a month at a time.  This couple was very encouraging as they retired at 55 and are now 75.  They are living life to the fullest.   Liz was given a good luck gift, a crocheted Mexican Chile.

What a wonderful day to travel, the sun is out and some wind but nothing like yesterday.  Lots of motor homes and fifth wheels traveling today.  Guess everyone is heading out to get situated for the holiday weekend.  Not sure where we will be for Thanksgiving.  Sort of feels weird when thinking about Thanksgiving and Black Friday.  This will be the first year in about ten years that we will not be joining the shopping frenzy.  But one never knows.

Driving through Arizona is really beautiful.  Lots of rocks, mountains and foothills.  Really enjoying the scenery.

Liz has finally admitted that the Ipad has really been helpful.  Directions, maps, and navigation has been terrific.  Sure has made getting around easy!  No arguments surrounding the how do I get there?  Which way to turn etc.

We traveled to Tuscon Arizona.  We are at "Catalina State Park".  What a beautiful location.  Surrounded by mountains.  Totally unbelievable!!  Lots of hiking trails.  Can hardly wait to venture out tomorrow.  Camp host (Robert) stopped down to say hello while he was still working.  They are from Ely MN they will be the hosts for seven months.  Robert was off to the store on his bicycle to pick up a box of wine for dinner.  A person has to utilize whatever mode of transportation they can to get to the liquor store.

November 17th thru November 21st

It has been a few days since we have posted anything.  Catalina State Park has been terrific stay.  We spent lots of time hiking and bike riding.  Dubbie has been a trooper while hiking as long as we hiked he kept up with us.  Weather was terrific - sunny and warm.  The last two days the wind picked up.  Sure glad we were not out on the roads.  Life here felt just like being home.  The camp hosts Bob and Laurie, stopped over on Thursday to see if we wanted to join them Friday night for happy hour.  As you can imagine our answer was yes.  What a great evening, talking and playing dominoes.

Saturday we hiked about 15 miles.  We took so many pictures it is really hard to decide what to post.  At one point on the trail, Karol jumped.  She heard the rattler on a rattlesnake.  Boy were we tired.  Laurie stopped by and asked if we wanted to join them for a potluck and campfire on Sunday night for the full moon.  You are right, we said that we would love to join them.

Sunday led to a much quieter day.  We went for a ride to go to the grocery shop.  Karol was what they call "Scubby Dooed".  What is that?  She came out of the stored, I asked her if she had bought the light bulbs? Yes was the answer, but she did not have that bag she had all of the other ones.  Back inside she went. Checked with the cashier, no bag.  Off to customer service, video surveillance was reviewed.  The guy behind her in line took her last bag.  Cops were called etc.  Store sent Karol off to go and pick up the items. Back to the campground for the pot luck and campfire.  What a great evening!  Met quite a few people, camp hosts mainly.  Sure are a lot of people from MN here.

Monday November 22nd 2010

On the road again.  Only today we are off to the park where we are staying for the winter.  Weather is supposed to get cold so we decided to head to Gold Canyon Arizona.  Drive was beautiful and of course there was wind.  We met up with Karol's folks.  Plan was to have them take the trailer until we got set up in the park.  We have met another family from MN, Chuck, Susan and Candi (another yorkie).  So far everyone in this park seem very friendly.  While we were getting the trailer positioned the couple from MN invited us to watch the sunset and enjoy a glass of wine or whatever is our beverage of choice.  Karol's mom was grinning from ear to ear.  And we were told to behave ourselves!  We think she was shocked.  All in all a great day!    

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Sunday November 14th, 2010

McKittrick Canyon

Today we took a motorcycle ride to Guadalupe National Park.  Liz got another stamp in her book for this park.  Dubbie wasn't our normal good trooper today.  It was a bit windy riding and he was very restless.  After getting the book stamped and looking around we headed on back down the road to McKittrick Canyon.  We were going to take a hike but Dubbie couldn't go so Liz went down the trail for a ways while Dubbie and I hung out and walked around. 



Rattlesnake Springs - Yes we saw a crayfish in the spring

 Then we headed on down the road to Rattlesnake Springs.  We drove back in there and saw a flock of wild turkeys and a herd of deer on the way back in there.  We saw a crab in the water coming out of the springs and the water was so clear you could take a picture of the crayfish and it turned out good. Of course to get back in there we were on a gravel road again.  By this time the sun was starting to go down again so headed on back to the motorhome.  Gave the motorcycle a quick wash and loaded it in the trailer.  Called it a day and grilled some burgers........While watching the sunset.......

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Traveling south on Hwy 180/62

Our plan was to drive back up and do some hiking around McKittrick Canyon but woke up to some strong winds.  Liz had a headache going on from the wind the day before and didn't think her head could handle the wind again today on the bike and hiking in this wind would not have been much fun.  Decided to just pack it up and head on down the road in the wind.  Today was the worst day Karol had driving the motorhome.  Liz sat nice a quiet.  They said the wind was gusting up to 35 mph and driving thru the mountains you had to make sure you had both hands on the wheel because you didn't know if you were going to get a cross wind or not.  Didn't want to get caught off guard.

Salt Flats - This is our snow

Drove thru Salt Flats and the ground looked like snow again but it was really fine white sand.  Got into El Paso, TX and then headed to Deming, New Mexico where we found a great campground and got off the road for the day.  Karol was so glad to be done driving today that she sat down and had a beer and just chilled out.  The camp site that we have looks out at a mountain in the distance.  We scoped out a few things for tomorrow but it all depends on if the wind is blowing again or not so will just have to wait until morning.......

Neither wind or dust will stop our travels

81 Palms RV Resort

Carlsbad Caverns and Lincoln National Forest (New Mexico)

November 13th 2010

What a fun filled day.  Off to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  We finally got our first stamp for our Passport to Your National Parks binder.  We hiked two self guided routes.  The first route we hiked was called the Natural Entrance (1.25 miles) and then we continued onto the Big Room (1.25 miles).  In order to get started, we had to hike down into the cavern, the descent was about 800 feet.   Liz has never seen a cavern before so needless to say she was really slow!  She thought she had to take pictures of everything, at that pace we would have never completed both routes.  She finally learned to enjoy what she was seeing, continuing hiking, and limit the amount of picture taking.  The temperature in the cave was approximately 56 degrees.  We hiked for about 4 hours.  Towards the end everything started to look the same.  We have so many pictures it is really hard to decide which ones to post.  Here are just a few:

Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns

If this was not enough for the day, off we went on the motorcycle to the Lincoln National Forest.  The forest was about 45 miles from where we are staying.  We were off to see "Sitting Bull Falls".  The roads leading to the falls were very windy and hilly and rather interesting but at least these had some pavement on them.  There were signs to indicate that there were cattle.  On these roads the cattle walk wherever they feel like it.  Yes that means along the side of the road, on the road etc.

Sitting Bulls Falls

Sitting Bulls Falls

I believe that we all will sleep well tonight, today was a great day!

Ballinger, Texas & Whites City, New Mexico

November 11th 2010

Started out heading towards Ballinger Texas.  Sky has a haze/fog and a bit humid, looks like it could rain but according to the weatherman the sun is suppose to come out and get warmer.  We will see if the weather man will get it right.  Still windy in Texas, Karol is fighting a cross wind from the south.  Looking at how the trees are growing, the wind must always come out of the gulf.  It almost feels like we are traveling through Iowa, terrain is flat and there are lots of fields.  Terrain has changed back to hills and ranches. We are starting to see oil wells along the road.  Feels like we are getting into more of the desert area, we are starting to see cactus along the road.  Weather man is right the sun has come out.

Today can be chalked up as the most interesting.  Our plans were to stay at a city park. Needless to say, not what we expected.  We would have been parking what looked like a field.  Talked to a local, she suggested that we head out and park at Ballinger Municipal Lake Campground.  She told us that it was just like camping at an army corp of engineering campground.  So we followed her directions.  What an adventure!!!  Dirt roads, nothing marked as far as which way to go..right or left at the T.  Yes we picked the wrong way.  Well we finally located the campground.  No one here except the care taker and us.  Everything got dusty..we rinsed the motorhome off since we just got done washing it the other day.    

Only a minor view of the dirt roads

4  Wheeling with a 40ft motorhome

After all of the fresh air and walking yesterday, Dubbie is very content just sitting in Liz's lap.  He is becoming a hog, Dubbie wants the whole navigator seat, Liz is not giving in.  Dubbie needs to learn to share.  We keep waving at motorhomes and fifth wheel vehicles, it seems as though those in motorhomes wave back and fifth wheelers do not.  Maybe it is because they cannot see us, the drivers are lower to the ground as opposed to those driving motorhomes.  Sounds good and makes sense to us.

Day ended with another beautiful sunset.

November 12th 2010

Off and traveling early today.  Plans are to travel about 300 miles today, end goal is Whites City New Mexico.  Sure hope the weather is in our favor, sounds like we might be in for some rain.  Here's to hoping the weather men are wrong.

Ballinger Municipal Lake Campground

The Municipal City Lake Campground turned out to be okay.  The only thing that was weird was how dark it really was outside.  Campground had no lights, we could really see the stars.

No it is not snow, it is cotton

Oil well in the middle of a cotton field

It almost seems like were are in MN, all you see is white, no it is not snow it is the cotton fields.  Looks like we have driven out of the possibility of rain, but we still have the wind to contend with.  Sun is shining, blue skies everywhere you look.

We made it, goal has been achieved.  We are settled in.  Campground sits right outside the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  While talking with the camp hosts they mentioned to walk by the section for those camping with tents.  They told us that they feed the deer, sure enough there were about ten or so.  The deer here are not brown in color like they are at home.  The deer are actually grey in color, this way they blend in with the terrain here. 

Tomorrow we are going to explore the caverns.