Chapter 12 - Utah - Woohoo!

Tuesday, September 21 - There is something about state parks that makes people do odd things. Yesterday, we saw a 70+ yo guy jogging in the heat. He looked miserable. Today, there is a 50+ yo woman making loops around our loop - jogging with hand weights. It's 89! And screw the dry heat.

I was outside from 8 to 10 using the vacuum to remove some of the four months of accumulated dust from the carpets in the Jeep and KoKo. I had to quit. Too damn hot in the sun. 

We vegged and read the afternoon away. Dorothy was just too tired to do anything.

She cooked perfect eggs, with potatoes and English muffins for breakfast. She fixed my normal birthday lunch of meatloaf, creamed potatoes and English peas. And sweet tea - the first we have had the whole trip. [She also got bacon the other day - another trip first] For dinner she is making fish tacos.

I have lost 30 pounds in the last four months. Some due to diet. Probably more due to Leukemia. Had to punch a third extra hole in my belt.

Tomorrow, we will head north to Winslow and stay at Homolovi SP. We have not been there since 2008. This time we will go on the Indian Reservation looking to photograph some of the painted desert that adjoins the Painted Desert NP. 

We have had hookups more on this trip than any other trip by a wide margin.

134 nights total - so far

33 nights in RV parks

68 total nights with electricity. (Includes staying with friends, COE etc)

It's been hot folks.

Wednesday, September 22 - I spent an hour this morning cleaning windows. Damn, they were dirty. The front window on KoKo was filthy in slant light.

The fire smoke was barely noticeable today.

We headed east to Winslow and Homolovi State Park where we stayed our second night in KoKo in 2008 on the way home from California. This time to try to get a few decent images of the Painted Desert.

We stopped along the way at Walnut Canyon NM. I had no idea what it was. It was another Indian Ruin as described much like Mesa Verde - farming on top with living below the rim. There were 267 steps, so we passed. We had lunch in the parking lot.

We have been watching The Sopranos, Southland and The Wire for the last month or two. One episode a night. This time we have subtitles on The Wire so we don't have to guess what was said.

Dorothy cooked a pot roast with carrots and potatoes. She had been wanting this dish for some time. It takes a while, even in the pressure cooker. The heat from the stove challenged the ac. I think the stove won. The roast was quite tasty.

Anyway, dinner put us a few minutes late getting to an overlook for the painted desert, 13 miles north of us. Still managed to get several images in the last minutes of the golden hour.

My fav. I like this formation better than the like ones on Cottonwood Road, John Day, and a few other places.

Thursday, September 23 - We did the tourist thing in the morning. We went into Winslow ( Dorothy did stand on the corner) and people watched. Had a lousy Tex-Mex lunch and came back to KoKo for a nap. At 4 we went back to the painted desert looking for mesas with some color. We found none and returned to the canyon we photographed yesterday. Today we were there at the start of the golden hour and got some decent images. A massive gray storm cloud then obscured the sun and that was the end of that.

UTAH

Friday, September 24 - We made it to Utah, barely. Lone Rock is just across the state line. The reports are true, there not much water in the reservoir.

See the brown line? That full pool.

We wanted to stay at an RV park on the reservation near Tuba City and photograph a canyon that was supposed to be Bryce-like but with different colors. The RV park must have folded. No signage. There was a nasty road. I did not want to take KoKo down it just for fun. We could see there was a canyon. But there was no place that I felt comfortable leaving KoKo while we explored. So we returned to US89 and returned to Page.

We got to Lone Rock around 2pm and it was not uncomfortably warm. By 4pm I was quite warm. The sun ball dropped at 6:30 and it was quite pleasant.

Saturday, September 25 - It was cool enough until noon, then quite warm until after 9. 

We had a sunset that lasted an hour. First, it illuminated the clouds in the east - about 120 degrees of pink clouds. Then we got a light show in the west. I did not bother to take pictures since the colors the camera captures are never the same as what I see. 

Sunrise at Lone Rock

Sunday, September 26 - We headed west on one of our fav roads - US89 where it cuts through a portion of the Vermillion Cliffs. Some of the best scenery in the country. I gave up trying to take pictures of it because you would need a wide-angle lens - at least as wide as what the eye sees to capture it. And then print it about 12 feet long and 8 feet high.

We know every road that turns off 89 and call them out before we get there. All too soon you get to the sorry roadside town of Colorado City. Then Gooseberry Mesa comes into view followed by peeks of the towers of Zion.

Our destination was much less scenic - the sandhills of Sand Hollow State Park. This park must account for 25% of the state budget. It's a money machine. Thousands come on the weekends for the lake, several hundred more on all manner of sand vehicles.

We aired down to my normal 18 pounds. And quickly found that was too much pressure for the extremely fine and dry sand. So I went to 12 pounds. And that did the trick.

I am too much of a dinosaur to understand how to download maps so I can follow trails on the iPhone. There were no other vehicles to follow being late in the day. A few sand buggies and I know better than to try to follow them. So I winged it. Started out climbing the dunes. Got to the top, but I was chicken to descend as I might not be able to return up the steeper slope. So we found a few rock ledges to play on. Saw some that were for buggies only.

Monday, September 27 - Did the dunes again. Had a long ride on a sand road, but stayed away from the steep rock ledges. Saw one guy studying a way up one. He was still studying it when we came back a half-hour later.

My fav. I like the way the green bushes glow against the sand.

We ate lunch at a place we are familiar with Costa Vado. Then a trip to Wally World for provisions. Dorothy fixed baked chicken with asparagus for dinner.

Tuesday, September 28 - We made a trip to Costco. Then went an hour north to Cedar City to stay with friends, Geran and Patty, who we met in Silverton. 

                                         Mooch Docking

Cedar City is 3,000 feet higher than the lowlands of Hurricane and fall is here. It got to 42. And we are headed higher.

Wednesday, September 29 - Geran and Patty gave us a tour all around Brian's Head. I got some decent pictures of the Aspens sporting their fall colors.

There must have been 500 sheep, two sheepdogs, but no shepherd

Cedar Breaks

Thursday, September 30 - Brrr. It was 35 this morning. We headed north to Beaver and then into the Tushar Mountains. We found a parking spot along Kents Lake Road. We drove a counterclockwise loop following Kents Lake Road back to 183. Partly scenic. Aspens galore. 

Friday, October 1 - 35 again this morning. I had the furnace going, the Wave 3 on high, an extra blanket, and my long johns. Double Brrr.

We continued north on I15 and then turned back south on UT24. After driving two hours, we wound up about 30 miles from where we were parked yesterday. It would have been shorter to take the rough dirt road, but painfully slow at 10mph. We are parked overlooking Cathedral Valley (the seldom visited section of Capital Reef NM) 

We are at 9,400 feet. We can see not only Cathedral Valley but all the way to I70 in the north and to the main area of Cap Reef on UT24 to the south.

We stopped for lunch at a rest area on UT24 and meet a Lazy Daze couple from Spokane - Pat and Maija. We jawed for an hour. Nice folks. The only problem is they choose the blue color and they make reservations. They even have a spreadsheet detailing their trips. I should work on converting them to No Reservations style.

Saturday, October 2 - It was warmer this morning, only 37. While I was chilly in my nest Friday, last night I was warm and toasty. What was the difference? I think it was me.

We descended to the valley, 2000 feet below. I managed a few decent images. This was our third trip. 2010, 2018, and this year. The first time we accessed the valley from UT24. Somehow we discovered the northern entrance. In 2018 we saw exactly one red truck above the valley. This time we have seen several rigs. There are only 2/3 places where you can park with a view of the valley. They were taken this year. But, we saw a dozen ideal, flat places with trimmed grass no less. It's been discovered.

Cathedral Valley - A place most will never see

Missing Puzzle Piece?

California smoke - It was clear Friday when we arrived, but I messed around and did not try for a picture until the sun was less than ideal. I figured the next day would be good. Wrong! The valley was filled with smoke Saturday. I used two images from prior years to illustrate the area.

Sunday, October 3 - We elected to head south with no particular destination in mind. We had 1/3 tank of gas in KoKo and Rubi was nearly dry. I knew I was not going past Torrey without a fillup. We filled up with $4.09 a gallon gas and parked to surf. I found a boondock place just east of Torrey. It's been there forever, but someone has lengthened the road so there are a lot more parking places. We

parked in a u-shaped super-sized red rock place with a view of the red bluffs to the north. Dorothy said she would not stay for longer than a week or ten days here. 

This is a good place to end this chapter.

Chapter 11 - New Mexico and Arizona

Quick now. Which state was the 47th admitted?

August 29 - September 1 - We came down from the mountains and stayed at a county RV park in Bernalillo, NM. Nice place, W&E, and great wifi for $25. We ate at a New Mexican restaurant called Arbulita's. Small place, good food. We got there at 11:20 and got the last parking place.

September 2-6 - We moved to an RV park in Albuquerque that we have used almost every year. One of the reasons we came to Albuquerque was to pick up our mail that I had shipped here. I usually have it sent General Delivery to a town that has only one PO. Very convenient, no hassle. I thought since we would be here for several days I would have it sent to the RV park. Well, they were doing a little road work on the interstate exit and the carrier did not want to deal with it, so he quit delivering mail to everyone on the road for two weeks. Several businesses, homes, and an RV park. Complaints that the road was open fell on deaf ears, the kid did not have the through rain and sleet and snow creed. He finally relented today. Government worker and did not get fired!

Another reason to be here is to eat at three New Mexican restaurants. I am not sure what the term New Mexican really means. One thing is that every dish is offered with either red or green chile sauce. Being that NM is the chile capital of the US, the sauces are damn good.

Still up in the air about staying out or heading home. The last few days have not been bad. Could it have been the altitude - we were above 8,000 for over a month. Maybe my misshapen red blood cells had problems with the altitude?

You folks back east have probably long forgotten about the forest fires in California. We see smoke every day, sometimes as dense as a bad pollution day in Birmingham in 1960. 

We seldom stay in RV parks. This year has been the exception. First for the heat dome, now because I wanted to descend to a lower elevation and that meant electricity for ac. 

We get a kick out of the newbies setting up after they park. A couple in a new Airstream took over an hour to hook up. Almost two hours to get ready to leave.

We have noticed that almost all the new 5th wheels and trailers are gray, black, and white. Camping World next door to where we are staying has no other color schemes.

In other RV observations, we are seeing more than a few B+ rigs on the Mercedes chassis. The owners opt to spend $50,000 more to "upgrade" from a Ford chassis. What do they get besides prestige? I suspect the handing is suburb. I know the cost of maintenance is several times what the Ford would be. I suspect the reliability is poor like most every MB made.

I decided this morning to continue the trip and continue west Tuesday. I have been doing OK the last week. And who knows if I will be able to travel next year.

Tuesday, September 7 - Dear Blog, we got away by 9 and headed south on I25 turning west on US60 headed for Datil Wells. This place had been on my list for years. There is nothing there. But people go. I decided I wanted to go just because. Besides, it was a new way to get to Arizona and it was through some mountains.

Dorothy drove for a while and I used the time to study the large-scale New Mexico map. My eye was drawn to a road with many switchbacks. I noted there was a campground at the base of the mountain. So I plugged Water Canyon into our route. It seemed an agreeable place, so Dorothy fixed lunch and we had a nap after our long 2.25-hour drive. After lunch, we drove the seven-mile many switchback road up to 10,500 and had a great view. Not picture-worthy due to it being another California fire smoke day.

So why the road? What's on the top of the mountain? It seems that back in 1980 some professor at UNM convinced Congress to fund building an observatory and atmospheric research facility. It was not open, but what is these days? I suspect smoke from fires might have some effect on stargazing.

Wednesday, September 8 - We got away a 7 to drive to the highway to get cell service so we could surf. Dorothy made breakie while I checked mail. We paused at the Very Large Array. A sign noted the VC was 4 miles down a dirt road and it was closed. 

We continued 10 miles to Datil where there is a really great BLM CG. Three sites have electricity. The camp host said it is experimental. We have a large level site with ramada and juice for $2.50. The downside is no usable cell signal, even amplified. The CG even has a small VC. But it is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Isn't everything?

History lesson. In the later part of the 1800's the route US60 traces was a cattle/sheep driveway from Springville, AZ  to Magdalena, NM, where the stock could be loaded on a train. About every 10 miles there was a well. Datil Wells was one of the wells.

We did the tourist thing and had lunch, a green Chile cheeseburger, at the gas station, general store, RV park, and restaurant complex. It turned out that the restaurant served pretty good food.

We noted that many of the gas customers were in camo. It was opening day for Elk taken with a bow.

Thursday, September 9 - Based just on a remark made by a guy at the restaurant yesterday, we went a little out of our way to Arizona by way of Reserve. It was a rewarding drive with an ever-changing landscape. There were vast flat plains, probably ancient lakes, now used by grazing cattle and elk. The forest floor south of Springville in the Luna Valley is beautiful.

Only in New Mexico

No passing areas have the usual yellow lines, but also signs on both sides of the road announcing No Passing. The zone is terminated with a single sign Pass With Care. So three signs every time. I wonder how many thousand signs there are in the state? Locals ignore the signage.

Vehicles used in highway construction, ambulances, etc. have red and blue emergency lights. LEO vehicles use red only. I think NM is the only state to use those color combinations.

Pull offs are rare, road shoulders are narrow.

Friday, September 10 - We drove around to see what was around us. We had heard about a restaurant in Greer that serves prime rib. It must be really swell beef as they want $35 for the small prime rib. It will be a cold day before I pay that much. We buy it on special at home for $6.99 a pound. Dorothy ages it for 10 days and we enjoy it. The grand dog gets the bone which she enjoys for the 15 minutes it takes her to pulverize it.

We found a fine dispersed camping site and moved our home. We are parked in a meadow with yellow and purple flowers. We now have sun for charging the batteries, can run the genset before 8 to make waffles and save $12 a day. That said it was a superb Forest Service campground.  

Our afternoon entertainment was being in a cattle drive. Two cowboys with two cattle dogs were moving a herd of about 100 beeves down the road. The beeves preferred the meadow to the road, surrounded us, and mooed loudly and for a while resisted the cowboys whoops to move along. I thought Oh Boy Prime Rib!

After finding that Page, AZ will be in the high 90's for the next 10 days we have changed our plans. We will hang in the Arizona mountains between here and Flagstaff until it cools off some.

In other news, we have been above 8,000 feet for the last four days and I am not experiencing the low energy days I was having two weeks ago. Perhaps the elevation was just a coincidence.

Saturday, September 11 - Yeah, it's that day again. It was 46 this morning. 

We needed a few groceries and I wanted to check out the Casa Malpais Museum, being only one letter different from my name. Malpas is bad pass or bad step. Malpais means badlands.

The museum, named for a nearby pueblo, was more than expected. While the few artifacts from the dig were interesting, the rest of the museum was of more interest to us. Art and history.

Springerville and Eager adjoin. There is a marked difference between the two. We guessed due to LDS. Turned out that a Springerville resident believed that Mormons could not be killed due to their sacred underwear, so he shot one. That led to the town of Eager being founded by LDS.

Sunday, September 12 - It was warmer this morning, a low of 50. We took a short drive on 273 seeking scenery. We got it, but it was all the same. We went up a thousand feet and were on a vast flat plain. Spent the afternoon reading and vegging.

Monday, September 13 - File under what you don't know can mess you up. We left our pleasant boondock near Greer and headed west in search of new vistas. I did not know we would be losing so much elevation - the natural ac. By the time we got near Show Low, we had lost 1,200 feet. It was warm and we needed electricity.

The other thing I did not know was that we would leave the rural forest and be in a tourist destination. Miles and miles of stores along the highway from Lakeside to Show Low.

There were fields of these flowers for several miles

My outdated guide to public campgrounds led us to a campground that has been closed since 2017. We wound up in the Show Low city park. That would not be so bad, but it's managed by RRM which has to be the absolute worst concessionaire going. I know the owner Warren Meyer, by reputation. This is our third or fourth experience with RRM and they have all been dismal. Mr. Meyer must have a talent for only hiring pompous assholes to manage the campgrounds.

Tuesday, September 14 - Today I learned that just because it's called Rim Road does not mean you will peer over the Mogollon Rim. We entered the Rim Road on the east end and drove past summer home after summer home until we saw a dead-end sign, which was followed by some mega-mansions and finally a gate to even more homes. Perhaps some of these homes were on the rim. I will never know. I decided to try the west end of the road. After driving miles, we came to another gate. This time it was the Apache that promised we would be stretched out over an ant bed if we proceeded. So much for the Rim Road near Show Lo.

Show Lo was named because the two owners of a ranch decided it was only large enough for one of them. To decide who would take control of the ranch they played cards. The game was not decisive. So one of them said if you can show low you win. The player flipped over the deuce of clubs, the lowest ranking card, and won the ranch. There is a street named the Deuce of Clubs.

Wednesday, September 15 - We moved west an hour and parked in the largest Forest Service campground I have ever seen - Canyon Point. There are 100 sites widely spaced. Most are pull-throughs with enough room to park several RV's. Great campground except, like most Forest Service campgrounds, there are too many trees to allow enough sun to reach the solar panels.

We checked out two other FS CG's in the vicinity and several boondock areas. We found one dispersed area on another Rim Road that has a few sites that should allow us enough sun.

We found one place where we could look over the rim. We could see nothing but trees all the way to the horizon. Well, trees and California fire smoke. It looked like the Blue Ridge mountains. 

This is the Rim. Not Much Huh?

What we saw from the rim looking out 25 miles - Smoke from California

The next day - an improvement

Thursday, September 16 - We moved to a place on the rim where we have 1) Sun, 2) an overlook over the rim, if we walk 50 yards to the rear of our site and 3) interesting neighbors.

1,500 feet of wind hits the rim wall and is forced up providing a cool breeze.

We drove some of the rim roads and found a great spot to park, but it's too far down a rough road for KoKo. There are hundreds of dispersed places. Most are marked "Park Here". There are even Forest Stewards that drop by and advise you on forest rules, like fires only in fire pits. Never encountered that before.

Friday, September 17 - We did a short drive on the west rim road. Frankly, the views from Shades Crest Road in Birmingham are better. I am sure the view would be greatly improved without the California smoke. I am calling the Rim not worth seeing after looking so forward to it. 

This place is popular with the Phoenix crowd. Phoenix is only two hours away. 111 degrees there. 82 here.

At the campground, they had a dump and trash disposal. There was a volunteer couple collecting money to dump $7 and for trash $3. We had a soccer ball size trash bag. I passed on paying three bucks. I can not imagine having my RV parked at a dump and standing up all day collecting cash.

Saturday, September 18 - We read our books. The sky changed from overcast to full sun several times during the day. There were sprinkles of rain a few times.

Sunday, September 19 - We descended from 8,200 to 3,500. Oh yeah, it's warmer. We want to drive a trail near Sedona. Hope we will not roast.

We stayed at Dead Horse Ranch SP in 2007. $30 a day for W&E. The park has several loops that make it seem not so crowded.

Monday, September 20 - I made blueberry pancakes this morning since we had electricity. We got away to Sedona to drive the Schenbley Hill trail. The trail was scenic and rough. Getting on the trail before 8:30 we missed the traffic. Just a few of the Pink Jeeps that make a living hauling fat cheesy tourists at double the speed I drive, 5mph, on such trails.

Around Sedona

We did not go the entire trail. As we exited the red rock area I decided the fuel gauge indicating empty meant we should turn around. I had to drive 8 miles once we got back to Sedona to get to a gas station. There are only a few in town. No room for them due to restaurants.

We had lunch at an Indian restaurant. We thought it was the same one we went to in 2007. It was good and quite expensive.

Tomorrow is my birthday - again.

One of a pair on a private drive

Chapter 9 - Northern New Mexico

My computer is back! It turned out that only the bent connector on the power cord was the problem due to Dorothy dropping it. Thankfully the computer missed my toes - buy only by milli-meters.

I always wanted washboard abs. But I also always seem to want some baby back ribs. Washboard abs are hard to get. Baby back ribs are $8.99.

Thursday, August 12 - Over the last week, I spent several hours trying to figure out where I wanted to go. I never settled on a route. I knew that driving to Durango and shopping would consume half a day and that is enough activity for us. I noted the Sky Ute Casino was just 30 minutes SE from Durango. I could do with some pampering after boondocking for the last month. And pampered we will be. Full hookups, wifi, and a pool for $25.

Friday, August 13 - I washed KoKo. Dorothy cooked. We went to the pool. Relaxed. I sat in my chair and fiddled with my memories.

Saturday, August 14 - Washed the Jeep. Dorothy made pork chops, turnip greens, and sweet potato casserole. Went to the pool. Relaxed. Went back to the pool while the laundry tumbled.

Sunday, August 15 - We were quite enjoying the Sky Ute, but I thought it was time to move along. Just not too far. We drove 45 on CO 151 enjoying the pastoral scenery. The speed limit was 60, so there was a bit of passing the old folks from Alabama. We stopped at Chimney Rock NM. It kinda resembles a chimney, but I really doubt the Ute call it a chimney. They are constructing a building there, but work is stopped. Quite a few people were in the area where you can get a guided tour. The chimney is about 3/4 mile from the parking area, so I figured a good mile up a fairly steep slope. Well beyond our abilities. I read a few signs about how the tribes in this area were part of the larger Chacoan culture.  

Chimney Rock

Dorothy was not feeling that great this morning and I am having a low energy day. So that was the reason for only driving an hour. The Southern Ute CG on Lake Capote offered electricity, I opted to pay for it. No wi-fi, no pool, no pavement, but still $25. No usable cell signal either. We are the only ones here. The CG is only open Thursday-Sunday. The guy asked it if was for one-night, then followed with "You will be leaving in the morning". Assured that was the case he said he could accommodate us. And said the gate might appear to be locked in the morning, but it would be a fake lock. Guess I passed his smell test.

A word about the Southern Utes. They are like no other tribe we have encountered in the US. The casino is a huge property. Makes the ones in Las Vegas look like poor cousins. The homes are well kept. The farms are productive. They have a three-story glass building to house the workers that manage their mutual funds. 

Monday, August 16 - I was ready to dive into New Mexico. I screwed up again and drove 7.5 hours from Chimney Rock to Questa. I was not able to force Glenda into showing the direct route. She wanted to take us south to Santa Fe and then north. Eyeballing it, it did not seem so far. Like I said I screwed up again. Dorothy is still not feeling all that good, so I did not impose on her to drive. On arrival, I was barely able to stand.

The High Road to Taos.  I know the phrase refers to a route from Santa Fe to Taos. But the route we took from Tierra Amarilla must also qualify. US64 gradually climbs to 10,500 and then runs along the crest of the mountains for miles where several shades of bright green, mostly aspens and spruce, and lush green meadows. There are a few pullouts where you could park, but I did not stop. Bad decision. It's one of the few smooth road surfaces in the whole state. However, it goes back to bumpy when you get down on the east side. 

BTW, smoke from distant fires remains. This is now the third month of smoke.

We made it to Wild Rivers, a familiar haunt to us. Our first visit was on the trip home when we picked up KoKo in 2007. They are doing road work and closed the CG where we usually stay. We landed in Montoso. It has four sites and two are for RVs. It's on the rim of the Rio Grande gorge. Not bad for $3.50 a day. 

Tuesday, August 17 - We drove to Red River to eat at one of several suggested restaurants. I wanted New Mexican fare. Only one offered that and it was not open for lunch. Dorothy had a too large Rueben and I had a too large Hatch Chile burger. Good, but overpriced food in an almost sleazy tourist town. The dining experience could have been better, they had the windows open so you heard all the street noise competing with the too-loud music playing. Then a Harley guy fired up his machine and he and his gf took turns taking pictures of each other while the engine rumbled. I turned around and gave him the evil eye and they left. Harley's louder than a rice bike should be crushed.

Woke up from my nap hot and it got worse. I set up a fan on the table and that provided some relief. Our neighbors joined us for a bottle of vino and good conversation soiled by 4,756 flies who all bit my ankles. I killed several dozen.

When we came in to escape the flies it was 92 inside, so we collapsed under our fans. Neither of us got to sleep until 10.

Wednesday, August 18 - It masks up in New Mexico. The last time I stopped in Taos was in 1994. I was the only straight male in town. We passed through a few years back on our way to Eagles Nest. The traffic was horrible. We came today to eat. It was a decent meal. We had shrimp tacos at Guadalajara Grill. There was one other white couple there -  a good sign.

New Mexico is a poor state. The roads are mostly in serious need of repair. The businesses and homes along the highways are in a sad state of decline. We drove through one of the residential sections of Taos. The road was a goat trail and homes looked like places where goats would not be happy to live.

I looked and looked online for a place to park that had hookups. I found nothing. Nothing! OK, then we saw two RV parks along the road near Questa. I would be ashamed to stay in them.

It was warm when we got back. 87, but surprise at mid-afternoon the wind picked up and it dropped to 76.

Thursday, August 19 - It was a day. After much back and forth we decided to leave Wild Rivers for Abiquiu. It would allow us to fill the larder before going to Chaco canyon and eat at the Mexican restaurant favored by our friends. Abiquiu is the only place known to us in the area to park.

An hour after we left we got a text from some friends, who only decide where they are going a few minutes before starting the engine, that they had arrived a Wild Rivers. Well all they do is hike and there are numerous trails there, so they don't need us, but we could have some Happy Hours with them.

I tried several times to make reservations at Abiquiu, but I could not find the button to reserve a site. When we got to Abiquiu, we saw a sign that you could not come in unless you had a reservation. There was a woman in the booth and a man standing outside next to a park attendant car holding a handheld radio. Never a good sign.

We were sent to the dump to turn around. I decided to dump while I was there. The Nazi campground attendant came down in his car to inform us that only registered guests could dump. I said no problem, as I had already dumped. There was another guy at the dump and he asked him his site number and name. He then radioed to verify the information. [Keep in mind, you had to have reservations to get in] These kind of people never had any authority in their work-life and want to flaunt it in retirement.

We proceeded west on a near-deserted road. We found a fine boondock site on a Forest Service road near Coyote. The landscape had Carmel and Estrada sandstone exposed. It looked just like the Arizona Strip. We had four hot bars.

View from our boondock site

Friday, August 20 - We backtracked east to Espanola to get groceries and eat at a recommended restaurant - Rancho de Chimayo. The food was excellent. We had to wait an hour as we did not have reservations and there were several dozen in an Airstream party. [Dorothy and I are usually the best dressed in t-shirts. Not so with the Airstream crew. They were bespoke, many with newly acquired woven Indian vests) We had a margarita while we waited and Dorothy lost her fingerprints halfway through hers. We both had the same diner. I finished mine. Dorothy brought half of hers home.

We spent a little time at the Santuario de Chimayo church. It was built in 1813.

I have no idea. A doll in a wooden box

There are no RV parks in this area. We were too tired and a little tipsy to return to the spot we had last night, so we are in a casino parking lot with the generator running for ac for two hours. It cooled off and we had nice breeze by 5:30.

Gasoline is $2.94 here. The last time we saw it under $3 was two months ago in Great Falls.

Saturday, August 21 - We headed back to Abiquiu Lake. Stopped for lunch at an overlook. Dorothy made tomato and onion salad and our new recipe of sautéed cauliflower, spinach, zucchini, onions and yellow squash. We took a short nap and continued west through red rock country.

I found an RV park in Cuba. Filling the water tank was my prime objective. However, Teresa's Beauty Shop and RV Park was full. Not much of a place. About 10 long-termers in sites jammed together. Teresa made two calls and found us a place in La Jara. I have no idea the name of the place. It has a small sign on the road that says RV Parking. The park mistress told us on the phone the gate was closed because the horse was out, but to come on in and find a place and she would be back around 6. All the sites are sloped, but I managed to get the front end up enough to be comfortable. The power pedestal has two 50amp and two 20amp but no 30amp outlets, tho one breaker is labeled 30 and there was a 30amp outlet on the ground in the weeds. One water hydrant and a 100-foot hose to serve everyone. I guess I will disconnect the hose from the RV it is connected to in the morning and fill our tank. Then somehow position the rig close to one of the clean-out tubes. The park mistress lives in a mobile home that is covered with a tin roof and has a porch. I can't wait to find out how much this is going to cost. ($20) PS The horse, Shorty, is 27, but still handsome.

The RV park with no name

Sunday, August 22 - Headed to Chaco canyon. Managed, with great difficulty, to make reservations at Chaco. See Chapter 10 for Chaco.

I watched a couple haul endless items to their tent site. I remarked to Dorothy that the woman had two small dogs. I call them foo-foos. Bacall said she had an ugly dress. I observed that the dress matched her and that he did not look like Tom Selleck. Bacall retorted "Of course not or I would not still be here". 

PS, fire smoke continues.

Chapter 10 - Adventures in New Mexico

August 12- 21 Chapter 9 is temporarily lost due to Dorothy breaking my computer! So here is Chapter 10.  Don has his version of the broken computer and I have my version.

Sunday, August 22 - We made it to Chaco canyon. The road was not as bad as I imagined it would be. It took us an hour to drive the 21 miles from US550 to the park. 8 miles on bumpy asphalt, the rest on washboard gravel at 8 to 18mph. A ranger told us the road was in the best condition of the year.

I was disappointed in Chaco. No artifacts are on display. They are all locked up at the U of NM. Only vetted archaeologists get in there. While all artifacts are photographed, you have to pay $18 an image to get a digital copy and a minimum of a $40 research fee. I may be a skeptic, but I think the natives have the park service over a barrel and don’t want any white eyes seeing any of the artifacts. And that’s also the reason for the washboard road. They don’t want people coming to their sacred site. Maybe it’s time to return it to them?

Chaco is the largest of the several (13?) pueblo sites and has the pueblos. Most of them have not been excavated and you only see mounds of dirt. Chaco was built to impress the thousands who made the pilgrimage to trade and see it.

Over 50,000 pieces of turquoise were found in one small room. Since turquoise was highly valued why would something so transportable be left behind? Can this be the same mindset that Navahos today live in squalor, always on the government and tribal dole. That refuses to work. Do things so desired in the white world have no meaning to Natives?

The ruins are the only thing you see in Chaco. We toured Pueblo Bonito, the largest one and the one that required the least walking. It was interesting, but we saw nothing new. It’s just bigger than at Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, etc.

The message they want you to get at Chaco is that it is not a ruin but it is still alive for the Natives. OK, fine, if that was what you are brought up to believe.

One last word. If Natives find a shard of pottery they will grind it up and use it to make new pottery. That’s why they would love to get their hands on the collections at the Smithsonian, and at the U of NM.

The Whites named this Fajada Butte. Don't know what the Natives called it. It can be seen from over 10 miles away. Certainly, it was a navigation aid to Chaco.

Part of Pueblo Bonita - The largest of the excavated ruins. They think it was 3-4 stories

Think your stonework would stand for millennia?

In this section, numerous rooms were interconnected.

Having seen all we could physically see at Chaco, we left a day early.

Monday, August 23 - We headed south to Cuba and turned east on NM136, and came to rest at Clear Creek FS CG. The drive was through some of the best mountain forests we have seen in NM. The CG has paved sites, but no other amenities. We got the only site that offered some sun for the solar panels.

Dorothy caused my computer to pulled off a table and drop on the power cord bending it so it will not charge. No tunes, no pictures, and my blog for the last two weeks poof. Maybe it can be fixed in Albuquerque? I would enjoy torturing the Apple folks who design the power cords. They had a good idea with magnetic ones, but the cords on those deteriorated in less than two years. More dollars to the bottom line to replace them. They discarded the mag attachment in favor of a plug that can be easily snagged and bent.

The GPS is near broken. When the power cord is inserted the screen goes dark. It still charges, but to use it, you have to unplug it and let it run on its short-life battery. I can get another GPS, but I can not replace the file that has all the public campgrounds. It’s no longer sold.

Tuesday, August 24 - We took the Jeep east on 126 to evaluate the road as a shortcut to the Jemez area. There is a section of dirt with extremely fine dust which roils up behind vehicles and another section of one lane not wide enough for KoKo. So we will be taking the long way around the mountain.

We did find an ideal open meadow boondock site just three miles from Clear Creek. [35.97197, 106.78457 on NF264F east of Cuba in NM126] While Clear Creek was a fine CG, we were not going to fully charge due to shade from trees and the bozo across from us ran his Chinese generator from 8 to 8. You could not hear it inside, but outside it was like a buzzing bee.

Last week a young couple pulled into the CG almost dark. I heard him tell the park mistress that he just could not drive another hour. He snared me when I went outside and wanted to tell me he was from New Orleans and they had driven here in three days. Three Days! They were on their way to Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and then back home. All in two weeks. He was quite proud of his travel accomplishments. I hope his brand new Forest River camper stays together until he gets home. Tho I have my doubts. The next morning I was entertained by his putting all the stuff he put out back up. The folding chair had him puzzled. After several minutes he hit on folding the seat.

My Love Is Here To Stay sung by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald just popped on. [I copied iTunes from my last backup to Dorothy’s laptop) That song, for me, will forever be linked It was not spontaneous, but it was not rehearsed. Maybe Johnny boned up on the lyrics that afternoon. It was a sheer joy to watch. He had enough natural talent to get him through it with some grace. Fucking no talent rappers.

Can you tell by all the words that we are boondocking without a cell signal?

Wednesday, August 25 - We headed south on US550 and hooked back north into the Jemez area. Our friends, Betty and Terry had texted us yesterday they would be at Jemez Falls CG. Just as we passed Redondo CG we got another text saying they were at Redondo instead. I think Redondo is much better, not crowded, and no reservations.

This was my worst day on the trip. I was headed downhill after lunch and by 3:30 I could no longer function, so I went back to KoKo to lay down. I stayed down and slept over 12 hours. 

Thursday, August 26 - I woke up feeling much improved and we drove Valles Caldera. We knew about the place from 2007, but it was not federal then and we did not see much of it. It is a large ranch in the basin of the caldera. The last owner put in his will that he wanted it to be preserved as a working ranch. The exterior scenes of Longmire at his ranch were filmed at the ranch foreman’s cabin. If you recall the view from the porch looking out over the meadow in the caldera you know the beauty of the place.

Longmire's porch. It was built in 1918 for the ranch foreman.

View from Longmire's porch

Another view from Longmire's porch

We are at 8,200 feet and the temp has been great. Our site has sun in the front for the solar panels and shade in the rear. The trees “cut off” the sun on the panels in mid-afternoon and we have to run the genset to get the batteries back to close to full charge.

Friday, August 27 - Laundry day. We went to Los Alamos to do laundry, get some internet and fill the freshwater tank. It’s always something. Getting the batteries charged, filling/dumping the storage tanks, making sure we have propane, getting all the electronic devices charged. I was remiss in coming here without topping off the water. I didn’t think we would stay for four days, but it’s a very pleasant place and we can visit with our friends.

The GPS repaired itself!

Saturday, August 28 - Nothing much happened today. I still having “low energy days”. Pulse is always in the mid 90's. Normal for me is high 60's. Stay out another two months or head to Alabama and see what the doctors say. Will I ever be able to travel again?

Sunday, August 29 - We went down the hill, from 8,200 to 5,700 feet. Viva la warmer. We parked in a nice county park in Bernalillo. Full hookups for $25. Hope to find a power cord for my MacBook and that the bent connector is the only problem. The ac should shut off by 6pm.