teardroptravelin'

After a very restful night, we both woke up around 6:30 — very early for us.  It was a beautiful, clear, calm morning and we got up and walked around a little.  Then Diana decided she would take a walk around the campground while I got things ready for breakfast.  Just as she was leaving, the wind started to blow.  Not a breeze.  Not a zephyr.  Serious, flag-snapping, tree-slapping, screaming like a banshee blowing!  In less than a minute, the temperature dropped 10 – 15 degrees and we quickly made the decision to dive back into the teardrop and pull the covers over our heads!

Some time later — OK, it was nearer to 9:00 — we woke up to discover the wind had stopped and the day was once again calm, clear and balmy.  It should also be mentioned that the few other campers that were here last night had vanished.  We were ALL ALONE in the camp!

We showered (Note: should you find yourself at this campground BEWARE!  The showers are designed to conserve water by spraying lukewarm water at very high, stinging velocity for very short periods of time.  The experience is not conducive to relaxation, comfort or extended, detailed cleanliness.).  Then after a delicious breakfast of leftovers from several restaurant dinners (veggie burrito, re-fried beans and fried potatoes) we broke camp and headed into unknown territory.

In just a few miles we entered Texas.  Interesting, there was a large, brown brick sign in the middle of the freeway bidding us goodbye from New Mexico, and a very small sign on the right side of the road stating, Welcome to Texas — Drive Friendly.

We arrived in Amarillo, stopped to stretch our legs and then pressed onward.  We observed that there are very few rest stops in Texas.  They have “Picnic Areas,” and “Parking Areas,” both without restrooms or any other facilities.  Finally about 20 miles from the Oklahoma border there was a rest stop.  A very nice one with a visitor information office (closed at 5:00 p.m.) and interesting information on Route 66.

Between the restrooms was a small, interior room with no windows.  It was prominently labeled with a sign which read, “Tornado Shelter.”  Note Diana’s reaction in the photo at the bottom of this page.

We continued eastward into Oklahoma and were surprised to find the landscape changing from prairie to greener, agricultural scenes.  We were going to stop at a motel in Elk City, but didn’t like the looks of the motels, and drove on to a KOA campground alongside Route 40 about 10 miles further.  BTW, this is the first KOA we’ve stayed at in more than 35 years!

This is a nice campground, although the sites are very close together and the sound of the highway is about all we can hear.  It will save us some money over a motel stay, and we’ll be on our way easily in the morning.

Goodnight from Canute!

Tornado Phobia Strikes!

We started the day by jaunting to Hobby Lobby where Diana picked up some beading items, then hooked up the trailer, dropped by the post office (which we had a very hard time finding — our GPS didn’t know where it was) to drop off an important birthday card for a very important person — our daughter-in-law Jacqueline.

After these important items we drove down Highway 285, a wonderful two-lane road to the southeast and connected with I-40 again.  The wind is still blowing in New Mexico, by the way, but fortunately we have had a tail wind most of the time.

At Tucumcari we turned onto Highway 54 and drove northeast to Logan and onward to Ute Lake State Park.  The ranger’s office was closed when we got there, but we found the self check-in kiosk and soon were ensconced in a nice space with a water view.  The wind was still blowing strongly, so we picked a spot where we could face the kitchen away from the wind.  It wasn’t hard to find an appropriate space because the campground was almost completely empty!

After dinner the wind slacked off and we enjoyed watching the stars come out.  New Mexico skies on clear nights are astonishingly full of stars.  I was also surprised at the number of planes crossing the skies and had fun trying to guess where they were headed and where they came from.  Later, as the moon rose, high-flying jets left ghostly contrails glowing in the dark sky.  Beautiful.

We crawled into our teardrop (we must really come up with an official name for our faithful traveling companion – suggestions anyone?) and drifted off to sleep in a very quiet New Mexico campground.

All alone in the campground

After a good rest and a hearty breakfast complements of Quality Inn, we drove to a different section of Santa Fe, an area called the Railyard.  In addition to an impressive display of rolling stock, there are a range of shops and stores with an emphasis on antiques.  Unfortunately, most of the stores were closed on Sunday.

Diana spotted an REI in the middle of all this, and we made a beeline for it.  Serendipity steered us toward a replacement canopy, this one made of tent material and very light and compact in its carrying bag, but 11’ x 13’ and 72” high when assembled.  It seems like it will complement the look of our teardrop and add to our “green living” goal.  AND the $259 item was on clearance too, so we grabbed it for $119!  SCORE!!

We then followed signs which led to an “Artisans’ Fair” located in a building usually used for the farmer’s market.  There were many items displayed and artists in booths happy to discuss and explain their work.  We particularly enjoyed the art of a Native American artist, Dominic Arquero, who does paintings and murals.  What enchanted us were the gourds he paints to resemble Native American pottery.  They are spectacular!  We hope we will be able to acquire one of his works in the future.

Across from the Artisans’ Fair was a building marked with large black and yellow signs which read, “The Flea!”.   We drifted into a large warehouse filled with booths.  The booths were stuffed with things, some pedestrian, some tacky, others fantastic.

I struck up a conversation with a guy in one of the booths and as I was looking around his stuff, my eyes caught sight of a beautiful, well-worn Martin D-18 guitar.  When I asked if I could look at it, he said it wasn’t his; it belonged to Jerry.  That’s Jerry Faires, the song writer/singer and he was in the booth, too!  Needless to say, I had a great conversation with these guys and Jerry ended up singing and playing me his most successful song.  The title is either “The D-18 Song,” or “Thank You Mr. Martin,” and tells the story of how he acquired this 1953 beauty and how it affected his life.  I also got a command performance of “Pancho & Lefty” with both Jerry on guitar and singing and Freddy Lopez (the other guy in the booth) playing the harmonica.  I was in heaven!  And, of course, I managed to walk away with CD’s from both gentleman.  That’s Jerry’s CD cover at the bottom of this post with his note and autograph — very cool!

Meanwhile, Diana toured the building and scored some interesting little items which I’m sure she will tell you about.

We grabbed lunch at a interesting little place near the Flea, and then returned to our motel after a stop on the plaza for a scoop of the devastatingly delicious Hagen Daz Deep Chocolate and Peanut Butter ice cream.

We will be leaving Santa Fe tomorrow, but will carry the memories of our visit with us always.

The market had many different things than those found in California.  Most of the items were Native American and regional. Some of the items seemed expensive, but I just didn’t know.  An older couple of people, transplants from Citrus Heights, were very nice.    What I always find interesting are the people, like me, who inherited things they need to part with and the others who collect things and can’t stop, like my mom.  It is funny when I see an “antique” item I still use, like the old cupcake baking tins I saw today.  I realized how pretty they are.  Anthropologists must have fun at flea markets! 

I’m a little uncomfortable about leaving the safety of New Mexico for the tornadoes and storms of the Southeast.  Maybe we will camp one more time before we enter Texas and Oklahoma.. . .

Jerry Faires CD Cover (an autographed copy!)

We awoke, warm and cozy, to bright sunshine and bird songs.  There was no snow, but if we had been near a pond, I suspect we could have done some ice skating.

Diana and I had decided the night before that because of the chilly weather we would break camp early and eat in town.  We also had a room reserved for tonight at a Quality Inn.  So, after bidding Rick farewell and good luck, we drove back down into Santa Fe.

It was warmer in town, but not near summer temperatures.  We parked in a city lot near the plaza. Before we could get out of the lot, a man came up to talk about the teardrop (we gave him a brochure) and the lot attendant had to call his boss to see if we could park in two spaces.  We could.

We walked across the street and ate a killer breakfast at the Hotel St. Francis dining room.  Then we strolled around old town and enjoyed people watching and the range of street musicians and performers who were out in force.  One of the performers — playing an indian flute — turned out to be the gentleman who was interested in our trailer.

Feeling tired, we checked our hotel, had a power nap and then returned to old town for more atmosphere absorbing.  Diana had lots of fun in a shop filled with rocks and minerals but managed to keep from buying 200 – 300 pounds worth to take home with us.

Whenever we think of Santa Fe we think of Seret and Sons, an architectural importer-salvage place of awe-inspiring magnitude and variation.  They appear to get most of their objects from India and the Middle East.  Almost everything wooden or stone is carved. There are carved wooden doors, chests, columns and tables in all shapes and sizes.  Carved stone statues of Indian gods are outdoors and inside, too.  There are carved and painted frames for whole rooms and table tops of beautiful inlayed colored stones.  Then there were the marble slabs carved with fish and a beautiful relief design; we could not imagine where to put those if not in huge ponds.  We didn’t even go into the rug room this time.  We gasped at all the iron work in doors, windows and gates. People wander around saying phrases such as,”Where would you put that?”  Obviously people with a lot of money figure it out.  There were pieces with names of buyers and locations all over the US.  We just let our imaginations delight in the whole exuberant inventory.  They don’t allow pictures inside, but Steve managed to take a picture of our car outside by one of the bronze elephants which I believe would be perfect for my garden.

We ate dinner near our hotel at a place recommended in Yelp.  The ratings were accurate, and we went to bed with happy tummies and a whole new bunch of experiences to store away.

In Front of Seret & Sons

After a very relaxing night, we ate breakfast and Diana spent some more time in Old Town while I did some business at the bank.  The main Wells Fargo bank here is in a big multi-story building and the staff were very helpful.  I felt right at home.

We took off toward Santa Fe with the wind whipping around us again, blowing dust clouds up into the air and obscuring the beautiful mountains.

Arriving in Santa Fe, we decided we would try spending a night at the park the ranger recommended — Hyde Memorial State Park.  As we were driving through town, I plugged the address into our GPS and was surprised to see the altitude here is over 7,000 feet.

It was about an 8-mile drive to the park, through pine covered hillsides, up a fairly steep road.  We arrived at the campsites and were amazed to discover we would be spending the night slightly above 8,500 feet!  We set up camp and then took a drive continuing up the two-lane road which was surprisingly busy.  Finally, after reaching 9,677 feet, we turned around and returned to camp where we had a new neighbor — a young guy with a Subaru, all by himself.

He had a campfire going so we asked him where he got the wood.  He had purchased it in Santa Fe, but told us he had seen wood at the closed National Forest campground just down the road.

Diana and I “liberated” some cut wood that was piled up at the empty facility as well as a couple of big logs.  Back at camp we gave our neighbor some of what we had gathered and I loaned him our axe so he could split a big log.  He did a masterful job of using the axe and then offered us some of the split wood.  Soon after that he was in our campsite using moss and flint (!) to start our fire.

We started talking and found out he was a server in Santa Fe, and currently living out of his car since he and his girlfriend had broken up.  (Do you know that he gets paid $2.18 an hour plus tips, which in this economy is awful.  Servers even have to split tips with the bartenders.)  We spent the rest of the evening together enjoying the fire he had built and listening to his story.  When the fire was dying down and we began to get cold, we said goodnight and slipped into the teardrop.  It was cold enough that we kept our clothes on!  The forecast said it might drop to the high 20’s and I believe it was accurate.

I can’t type under the covers, so aloha from high in the New Mexican mountains!

On the way out of Gallup, still hungry, we stopped at a place we had been seeing billboards about over many miles — The Hotel el Rancho.  It did look like a fairly old building, and the lobby was a wonderful mix of lodge and inn with a 1930’s feel.

We had a great breakfast and as we ate, the dining room filled up with a large number of people, all at one time.  Most of them ordered apple pie al a mode.  We noticed British accents, and when we spoke to the couple at the next table, they said they were part of a tour and were on their way from Chicago to Los Angeles.  Their tour guide had recommended the apple pie!

After breakfast we gassed up, got some ice for the ice chest, and set off toward Albuquerque.

Along the way we stopped at a very nice New Mexico Information office and had a pleasant chat with the ranger there.  He recommended a state park in the mountains above Santa Fe that we filed away for future reference.

Back on the road we encountered even stronger winds which at one point were filling the air with so much dust that the highway patrol slowed us down to about 25 mph and escorted us through the worst part.  Surprisingly the teardrop tracked behind our Forester very nicely and I rarely felt any effect from the cross-wind.

We arrived in Albuquerque in mid-afternoon and because of the continuing winds we booked a room at a Quality Inn (we’re a little gun shy of RodeWay Inns right now), unhooked the trailer, and explored some of Old Town.  We met a silversmith there.  Diana asked him how he got started.  He had gotten into the art many years ago when he tried to steal a ring for his girlfriend.  He was caught and when a friend’s father bailed him out he told him, “Don’t be stupid.  If you like that stuff, I’ll show you how to make it.” So he was taught how to become a silversmith as a teenager and has been one ever since.  He  was a nice man and a great example of how lives can be changed by thoughtful, caring people.  He is never out of work and well-respected in town.

We had dinner at a wonderful establishment, the Church Street Cafe, which had been recommended to us by a friendly lady at a shop on the plaza.  The food was wonderful and very different — true New Mexican cuisine.   Five stars from us!

Back to the Quality Inn for a restful night.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Teardrop At Hotel el Rancho

After a restful, quiet night we awoke to bright sunshine and a continuation of the fairly strong winds we have been experiencing for the last couple days.  After breakfast, Diana rode her bike 1.5 miles while drove to ruins site 1 and we walked through the remains of a fairly large village alongside the Little Colorado River.  There were mounds of debris which used to be structures, and many potshards on the ground.

Feeling like archeologists discovering a site for the first time, we drove to site 2 which has been partially excavated with some of the walls and other structures left visible.  Site 2 had a population of 700 – 1,000 people at its zenith before it was abandoned in the early 1400’s.  It is speculated that part of the reason the people left was flooding of the river combined with a lot of mosquitoes.

This park is very interesting and worth a visit if you’re in the Winslow area.

Finishing our stroll through the past, we drove on to Holbrook where we made a quick stop at Dairy Queen before heading for the Petrified Forest National Park.

We entered the park and spent time at the visitor’s center and took a walk through petrified trees, some of them up to 80 feet long.  They vary in color with reds and yellows predominating.  This mass array of rocks, most of them agates, provided much cheer and no little temptation for Diana.  Of course, taking any pebble is against federal law, so that tempered her delight.

We drove through the park, stopping at the many locations along the way which highlight the unusual formations and colors of the surrounding hills and plains.  At the north end of the park the Painted Desert really was vivid and stunning with its range of colors and patterns.

We also enjoyed the beautiful Painted Desert Inn, a structure built in the 1930’s by the CCC.  Gorgeous southwestern style, planted at the edge of the Painted Desert with spectacular views out of all the windows.  It reminded us of the Mission Inn in its look and feel, although on a much smaller scale.  Beautiful!

As we drove eastward, the wind continued to blow strongly and with night approaching, we decided we would get a motel for the night.  We usually use the Choice Hotels Website which shows us a range of member facilities in an area.  We have been staying in RodeWay Inns this trip and been happy with the inexpensive but clean and comfortable accommodations.  So when I found a RodeWay Inn in Gallup, I booked it.

Driving up to the place we realized we were in for an “adventure.”  It looked, well, run down is a kind term.  I entered a darkened lobby and a very nice young woman came out and checked me in.  We parked and walked into a room that had a very used appearance. a bed which, to put it kindly, had very little support left in it.  The phone didn’t work and had bare wires hanging out of a connection box lying on the floor.  The thermostat controls were non-existent with fragments of the temperature control still visible.  We also discovered trash under the bed the next morning.

If we hadn’t been so tired, we would have left, but resilient travelers that we are, we decided this was part of the experience.  We spent the night serenaded by the toots, whistles and clatters of the big train yard adjacent to our motel.

The bathroom was old but clean, and we left the next morning after showering with plenty of hot water.  Oh, this establishment also promised “free breakfast” but we discovered that consisted entirely of coffee, a pile of well-shuffled white bread, and one, mini muffin which we discovered was stale.

It WAS a memorable experience, and one I intend to share with Choice Hotels.

The saga continues tomorrow!

After a pleasant night at the Flagstaff (got it right!) RodeWay Inn & Suites, refreshed and showered, we drove east about an hour to Meteor Crater.  This is a place I’ve (Steve) always been interested in. In fact, my visit meant I got check off another box on my bucket list!

We looked around the very detailed museum, touched the largest remaining piece of the original meteor which made the crater, and then joined the walking tour along the crater’s rim.

Our guide has been doing this tour for over 20 years and provided colorful details of the early history of the discovery, ownership and definitive identification of the cause of the crater. We only got to walk around a quarter of the crater, but it was an hour well-spent.

We had a late lunch at the on-site Subway sandwich shop and perused the commodious gift and rock shop before we finally dragged ourselves away from this phenomenal natural attraction. If you are ever in the area, budget a few hours for a visit — you won’t regret it.

As we began to motor east we realized that it was really too late to pay the petrified forest a visit today, so Diana looked in our old “Best RV & Tent Campgrounds in the U.S.” book and found a listing for the Homolovi Ruins state park located just two miles east of Winslow. It sounded interesting, and has a campground, so after about 20 miles, we turned off at exit 257 and entered the park. After checking in with the ranger and paying for a space, (“Lots of available spaces — take your pick!”) we took a hike around a petroglyph site before choosing space 43.

There isn’t anyone within 100 yards of us, and the noise of I-40 is a very faint woosh that we prefer to think of as the ocean. The sites come equipped with electricity and water, luxuries our campsites don’t usually include, and feature hot and cold running water in the bathrooms which also include showers.

After an al fresco dinner, we spent the evening catching up the blog — which we hope you are all enjoying — reading, and watching a delicious, subtly colored sunset.

Tomorrow we’ll explore the Anasazi ruins near our campsite. In the meantime it’s off to bed safe and comfortably out of reach of the “venomous reptiles and insects” that evidently share our space here.  I’m shutting the door now. Goodnight!

Teetering on the meteor crater rim

We were up early this morning with everything stowed and the teardrop hooked up and ready to go before breakfast.  We bid adieu to the lake and campground, stopped to snarf up some eggs and coffee at Mickey D’s, topped off the fuel tank and started driving.

We went west for about 12 miles on I-40 before taking exit #1 onto old Route 66 for a 22 mile jaunt to Oatman.  This is a very touristy little old west town with an amusing difference.  When the miners abandoned their efforts, they left their faithful burros behind.  The burros, hung around and multiplied.  Today the main street, (well, the only street) is littered with burros big and small, all of them with a healthy appetite for carrots.  They expect every soul who enters town to come equipped with a nice, fresh bag of carrots just for them.

We had heard of this deep burro desire, and came prepared with a big bag of the tasty morsels.  Diana was soon surrounded by the cute, fuzzy, pot-bellied creatures who crunched her offerings with loud delight and immediately expected more.  She was soon empty handed and made a quick exit before the burros realized what had happened.

We sashayed up and down main street, managing to resist the temptation to purchase a slogan filled t-shirt, watch the fake gunfight or succumb to the many beautiful, handmade items available in the better (cough) shops.

We continued north on Route 66, stopping along the way so Diana could search for the elusive “Fire Agate” rumored to be available in this locale.  She did find some pretty rocks and that is better than no rocks at all.

When we reached Kingman, we rejoined I-40 and skedaddled east.  We paused at Seligman for a 30 minute nap in the teardrop and then drove on.  I had set our GPS to display our altitude and we were surprised to see the readings climbing steadily.  Small skiffs of snow started to appear alongside the road, and by the time we reached Williams (the turnoff for the Grand Canyon) there was about a foot or more of snow covering the ground and trees all around us.  Before we reached Flagstaff our altimeter topped out around 7,200 feet — about the same height as Echo Summit south of Lake Tahoe.  Amazing!

Note:  Diana and I both had trouble recalling the exact name of Flagstaff.  I was trying to type it to search for a place to stay and called it, “Flagpole.”  Diana’s slip of the tongue renamed it “Falstaff.”  We decided it was better to laugh at this jumble and did — quite a lot!

With snow also on the ground in Falpole, um Flagstaff, we opted to spend the night in a motel and that’s where I’m updating the blog, courtesy of the free wi-fi.  Tomorrow the adventure continues.  Stay tuned!

Burro Feedin' time

After yesterday’s disaster, we decided to spend one more day here and take in some of the sights we missed.

First, we rode our bikes to the boat racing venue and strolled around the nice displays of racing boats and boating toys.  There was a fairly large crowd and many beautiful watercraft to ogle.  We enjoyed the sights and managed to avoid buying that particularly tempting all-wood Chris-Craft replica at a mere $360,000.00.

We rode back to camp and drove to the London Bridge.  It was fun to look at and realize that it used to cross the Thames.  It is a graceful structure and doesn’t seem too out-of-place in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

After a walk along the canal with a little people watching thrown in, we snacked on some shave ice and then drove over the bridge and around the island beyond.

Back at camp we enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere (peaceful, that is, when there weren’t any LOUD motorboats snarling around the lake — which wasn’t all that often), napped, and prepared a pasta feast which we devoured while sitting at lake’s edge.

This was a day which was throughly relaxing and a fine example of what we hope the majority of this trip will be like.

Diana’s Comments:  I would like to compare the London Bridge at Lake Havasu to part Dubai (the very expensive boats and tanned over-testosteroned men), part Santa Cruz (the students and shops), Part Venice (the canal), and part London (the bridge and octogenarian in a cod piece and nary else). Steve thinks I need to explain.  I don’t think so.

The London Bridge & Us