Mohave Flowers

Bright Angel Trail

From Holbrook to Needles

From Holbrook to the Grand Canyon

Left Holbrook on the 5^th. Was not the greatest day in the world. Somewhere between Holbrook and Flagstaff some folks pulled up beside us and started pointing. Pulled over and found out that we had a tire on the camper coming apart. Fortunately it was on the passengers side and I was not in danger while changing it. An unlike last summer, the spare had enough air in it. It was also an extremely windy day. Fought that all the way to Flagstaff. A gust of wind would hit us and move us to the right. Traffic was heavy. Just a taste of what it will be like when we head home. My plan is to take I40 most of the way home. Stopped in Flagstaff and found a tire. Now have a new one for the spare. Good to go til next year I hope.

Left Flagstaff and headed north to the Grand Canyon. Arrived in Valle, Az and decided to camp at the Flintstone Campground. Truly a Fred Flintstone theme. Not much to look at, but just 25 miles from the entrance to the park and only $14 per night. Ended up staying in this campground for 4 nights. And anyway, if you are not going to be at your campsite much, why worry about what it looks like as long as it is quiet and safe.

I won't bore you with all the details of what we saw. But the pictures and TV programs you see are nothing like seeing it yourself. We did a lot of walking along the rim trail. I hiked down into the Canyon about a mile on the Kaibab trail. Also, if you are ever here, make sure you see the Imax movie by the National Geographic. Unbeliveable.

We left on the 9^th of April and headed to Las Vegas. On the way over we stopped for gas and a 'pit-stop'. Heard one of the cashiers tell someone else that it was snowing in the Canyon. While I am glad we did not get caught in any snow (it was cold enough and nasty windy), it would have been neat to see it snow covered.

Arrived in Vegas mid-afternoon. Checked in to Boulder Station Casino and Hotel. Room reasonable but not posh. It was clean and comfortable. Washed some of the Road Dirt, Camping grime off and went for dinner.

That evening we played the slots. I lost two dollars and Joyce came out ahead $30.00. Twice now that I have lost and she has won. Good thing gambling really doesn't do much for me.

Left Vegas this morning. Drove down the strip on the way out of town. What a place!!! Towering hotels and casinos. Ones going up and others coming down. And yes, they do look like the ones on CSI and Las Vegas. Drove west on I-15 to Baker, Ca and turned south through the Mohave National Preserve. About a 60 mile drive thru the center of the Desert. Took our time( about 4 hours), stopping along the way to check out the flowers. The desert there is really quite spectacular when in bloom. We saw about 32 new flowers along the way.

We are now in Needles, Ca. 2200 miles from home and heading east. I am so ready to be home. I miss my family, my friends,my bed and my easy chair. Not sure how long it will take us, but certainly not as long as it took us to get here. I checked the odometer and we have driven over 6000 miles on this trip already.

Holbrook, AZ

It has been awhile since I updated this. We had lunch at a little diner in Sanders, AZ at the Route 66 diner and Joyce's lunch did not agree with her, so tonite we are staying in a motel. After the last couple of nights we deserve it. We stayed at a BLM campground at Datil, NM. Lovely little place, quiet and the price was right. $2.50 per night using the old peoples card. But the downside is that there were no electrical hookups. No electricity means no heat. We were at 7400 feet, and let me tell you, it was cold the last two mornings in the camper. 26 and 32 degrees when we woke up. A very rude awakening, I must tell you. But we survived it and now have the tale to tell. Below I have listed the places we have seen on the way here to Holbrook, AZ. We will make for the Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Under each of the places I will try to remember the highlights and the date.

Sitting Bull Falls & Dog Canyon—March 31, 2008

Water fall in the Lincoln National Forest. Springs up a canyon and then drops 130 feet. Cave behind the waterfall but need special permission to go in it. We then drove to Dog Canyon in the Guadelupe National Park and did a short hike. The park is in Texas at the end of the road.

White Sands National Monument—April 1, 2008

Left Brantley Lake State Park and headed west. Crossed through the Apache Indian Reservation, tho we saw no real signs of it and stopped in Cloudcroft, NM for lunch. A ski town at a little over 9000 feet with dire warnings about the steep grades down into Alamogorda, NM. I have been over higher pulling the camper and down steeper. Just take your time. As we came out of the mountains we looked to the west at what we initally thought were white clouds. Not so. It was a nice view of White Sands.

We visited the monument and drove out the loop. Blinding white. Hard to believe. Just think of a Virginia snow on a sunny day. That white. But the best part was hiking away from the road. Never say anything like it. I have a couple of pictures I am going to post with this.

Valley of Fire-April 2, 2008

Left Alamogorda and went north. Were looking for Valley of the Fire and found it. This is a lava flow that came from a vent, not a volcano and spread 195 miles before it stopped. Had a nice walking trail thru the lava field with nice signs explaining the different features and the plants and animals that could live in such a place. These lava fields are the same type as in Hawaii.

San Antonio, NM.

Other than having to take an 11 mile detour to go six blocks, the most remarkable thing was when we crossed the Rio Grande. It was muddy, high and fast. Results of snow melt in northen New Mexico and southern Colorado.

Bosque del Apache-April 2, 2008

My friend Jenny had told me about this wildlife refuge. Sandhill Cranes over-winter there so we decided to take a look, even tho I was sure the had already headed north. Sure enough, they had. But we drove thru the refuge on one of the tour roads and saw plenty of ducks, comorants, turtles and a great white egret.

Datil, NM (2 nites)-April 2

Located campground, decided to stay. See remarks at beginning. One thing I did not mention is how bright the stars are out here. Also were seranaded by a pack of coyotes. We were able to have a campfire both nights and pinon makes a really hot fire with a great bed of coals. Perfect for marshmallows.

This campground is on Rt. 60. Yes, Rt 60, the same one that comes thru WV, Lexington, Buena Vista, Sprouses Corner, etc. Isn't that something. Was actually the first Coast to Coast road in the USA.

Very Large Array Radio Telescope-April 3

Not an optical scope but a radio telescope. We crossed what we thought were railroad tracks on the way to Datil. This morning we visited the VLA. Those tracks are what they move the dishes on. These things are huge. They are laid out in a Y with each arm 13 miles long. The dishes can be positioned at what ever distance they need, thus increasing the power. A very nice visitors center.

Navajo Indian Reservation-April 3

Joyce wanted to see an Indian Reservation so we inquired and found that they did not resent tourists coming in. Not much to see, but a school, health clinic and houses that look like what we would live in but not nearly as nice. Also saw a fair amount of old cars and trucks around. Also no grass in yards, but no one has grass out here. Too dry. We did find an Indian Craft Store with authentic indian jewelry and such. Made a couple small purchases and left. Drove thru the reservation and took a road on the other side. Wasn't even on my map, so I thought. Drove out a while and turned back. We still had 70 miles to get back to our camp. Looked more closely at the map later and discovered the road was there and would have taken us to Albuquerque. Good thing we turned back.

Pie Town, NM April 4, 2008

Left the campground and headed toward the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. We had heard about this little town and they really make pies here. Almost a wide spot in the road, but we found the cafe. Was only 10:00 in the morning but we stopped for pie. If you are ever in Pie Town, do not fail to stop. The pies are that good.

Rt. 66 Diner-April 4, 2008

Took the wrong turn coming out of St. Johns, AZ. Ended up in Sanders, AZ about 50 miles from where I had intended, but it worked out. Stopped at an original diner that was on the famous Rt. 66. Food was overpriced but you know, the experience. But it turned out OK. We took I-40 west for 22 miles and got off at the exit for Painted Desert and Pertrified Forest.

Painted Desert-April 4, 2008

The Painted Desert is really like the badlands of SD, ND, etc. Same colors and types of materials. The park closed at 6 p.m. Therefore we did not get the benefit of the evening light for pictures. But it was only a 6 mile section of the park

Petrified Forest-April 4, 2008

The next 22 miles were kind of neat. Places where you could stop and view Petrified Trees and trails where you could walk thru them. Also an excavated Pueblo and lots of Petrographs. Barely made it out of the park by 6:00.

Holbrook, AZ—April 4,2008

Spending the night. Shades of Nebraska. Trains and loud whistles!

UFO Capitol of the World--Roswell

Having been such a SciFi buff all my life, there was no way we could pass up a trip to Roswell, NM.

Left this morning and a couple hours later we arrived at the front door of the UFO Museum and Research Center. For the price of $3.00 each we were allowed to tour the museum and take as many pictures as we wanted. We stayed there about 1.5 hours. Read all the pros and cons and had our thoughts that our government has been hiding stuff from us reinforced. What's new these days!!(My political rant).

One of my hiking friends had told me that he was stationed at Roswell. (I hope I get the story right) He and some buddies went hunting in the area. They found this little mannequin out in the desert. They went back and reported it to the Air Force and were told it was dropped from an high altitude weather balloon. They have one in the museum and I will include it with this entry.

After that we went to Wal-mart. We always go to Wal-mart. This one has little green men and UFOs painted on it's facade. Bought some souvenirs and headed to camp. Made an early day of it. When we got back there was a fire burning at the base of dam. Seems the wind had sparked a fire from the powerlines. It was under control and electricity was restored to the campground shortly afterward.

Carlsbad, NM

We arrived here at Brantley State Park on the 27^th and found a nice camping spot. Not to expensive and with electricity. Lovely view of a large lake that is the headwaters of the Pecos River. We have now been to the mouth of the Pecos and the headwaters. Arrived middle of the day and got our site and left the camper without setting it up. This campground has reserved and first-come, first-served sites. Since we did not have a reservation and were unsure how long we wanted to stay in this area we booked for two nites.

Then made a run back into Carlsbad(about 14 miles south of us) to the local Wal-mart for groceries, a long sleeve white shirt for me and a new pedometer for Joyce. We finally got the site set up around 4:30. BTW, we are now in the Mountain Daylight Time Zone.

On the 28^th we awoke to a very windy and chilly morning. Not the type of day you want to spend outdoors. So we decided that was the day to investigate the big hole, i.e. Carlsbad Caverns. We paid our fee, nothing for Golden Age cardholders, and headed for the natural entrance. We dropped 750 feet in 1.25 miles. Lots of interesting things to see. Finally made it down the the area where there are bathrooms, and eating area. Had some lunch and then a walk (1.25 miles) thru the Great Room. Words can not describe it. If you ever get the chance you should see this place. Joyce and I took tons of pictures. Some good, some you will never see.

Finished our walk and headed topside. The only way out is by elevator. Crowded but not bad. Ears popped a couple times. After that we headed west to the Guadelupe National Park to hike into a canyon we had heard about. Unfortunately, we arrived near gate closing and only had a little while to hike. Headed back home. We were exhausted, so ate dinner out.

Today, the 29^th, we did laundry, toured the Living Desert State Park on the outskirts of Carlsbad. Ate lunch and got a few more groceries. Back to camp and did very little the rest of the day. Suited me fine. For some reason I have been very tired the last couple of days, but do not believe it is health related. My blood sugars are good, averaging 100 over the last 14 days. Blood pressure is fine. 112/62. Maybe I am just having too much fun.

Fort Davis, Texas

March 26, 200 8

Fort Davis, Texas

As you can see, I have not posted since the 20^th. We left Seminole Canyon on the 21^st and took a slow drive to Alpine where we stayed in a motel for the night. Catching up on the news, grocery shopping and laundry. Showers were good too.

On the 22^nd we left for Big Bend National Park. Not that long a drive, but Joyce and I manage to kill more time along the road than you can imagine. We are not in a hurry. Big Bend is a long way from anywhere. No phones, no electricity in our campground, no newspapers, no internet. The campground was very nice. Pretty quiet. We have done a fair number of short hikes. Some up into large canyons, one to a place called Cattail Falls. On the 25^th , I took a 4 mile hike along the canyon rim from the Hot Springs to the Rio Grande Village. The temperature was 108 degrees. We have had temperature ranges from 39 degrees to 108. Desert weather! One night while asleep (we woke up) a coyote was howling right near our camper.

Last night we had a real treat. The folks camping next to us included an amateur astronomer. He set up his telescope and invited us over to look. Actually got a look at the rings of Saturn. How neat, plus we saw other stars and galaxies. I could get into that. But I would have to do photograpy. Very neat and he was quite knowledgeable.

Cactus are beginning to bloom profusely. Very pretty, but of course you can look, but you better not touch. All for now. Every one take care. We miss you, but are not ready to make the turn for home yet.