Flagstaff AZ

We drove past the Petrified Forest and the Meteor Crater on our way to Flagstaff. We are in a commercial campground that resembles a retirement community. Since we're retired I guess I should feel right at home. We do have the only car with a couple of kayaks on the roof and 2 bikes on the back. We also don't have a Chihuahua. I will not conform to the accepted standard. I needed a pic for today's post so I took a pic of myself. After careful review it was determined that picture was not up to davejennyjournal standards. Here is Jenny doing dishes.

El Malpais NM & Ice cave

I had a primo bike ride this morning up Zuni canyon. After I returned we went to El Malpais Nation Monument. It's an area of cinder cones and lava flows. We did a pretty interesting hike and I did the skree thing. I looked up at that slope and couldn't resist. Next up was a privately owned cinder cone called Bandera crater. It was really cool. It erupted a mere 10,000 years ago. Also on the property was a lava tube that due to some peculiar circumstances has a 20 foot deep ice cube in it. It never gets above freezing in this hole. There was a long staircase that descended into this cave. At a certain point the air was 85 and after a few more steps it was 31. The 2 pics are of the ice. (It green because of some Arctic algae) and Jenny looking into Bandera crater.

Boys will be boys

Watch "Dave skrees the volcano" on YouTube

Grants New Mexico

We didn't really move a lot of miles today. We wanted to be closer to a few attractions that will take some time to see. On the way to Grants we left the interstate and drove a few miles out of our way to visit the Acoma Pueblo. It's called "Sky City". It's built up on a mesa top. It is the oldest continuously occupied city in the U.S. First settled in 1150 AD. The guide was an Acoma indian. He told us about the Spanish Conquistadors and how badly the natives were treated. Very interesting and well worth the price of the tour. We then parked the RV and drove to El Morro National Monument. This is a pour off pool of water at the base of a large sandstone escarpment that has been a stopover point for travelers for centuries. The monument was established to protect the inscriptions that were left by early travelers. The Spaniards left many long inscriptions written in Spanish. The oldest date is in the 1500s. The trail guide translates the Spanish into English. This stop was a highlight.

Petroglyph national monument.

This place is billed as the largest concentration of prehistoric rock art that can be accessed without an arduous trek into remote areas. That's a quote. There are 3 separate parts. The petroglyphs are etched into basalt rock. You walk along the rocks and just look around. There are supposed to be 20,000 etchings. After that it was Walmart. I got some stuff that should greatly decrease my bike flat tire problem. We leave tomorrow for points west.

Day II Albuquerque

Got the valve stem problem fixed. I can now actually check the tire pressure and add air if needed. I don't really think it was outrageous to expect to be able to do that when I took delivery. I suppose I'm just being whiny. I should try harder to chill. We did do a nice bike ride on a paved trail along the river. 15 miles in just under 2 hours. It took an extra 15 minutes because I got a flat and had to change the tube. This happened to me yesterday too. 2 days, 2 flats, 2 tube changes. I have no more spare tubes. Walmart tomorrow.  We visited Albertsons. Here's what we bought.

Rio Grande River Trail

Watch "Jenny rides the trail" on YouTube

Albuquerque NM

After some discussion we have determined that our extended stay in SA used up a few of the days that we needed to accomplish some our more bold planned adventures. We need to be at The Grand Canyon on the 1st, so we're not going to push it. We'll be here maybe 3 nights. There are quite a few interesting diversions near here that we didn't know about. When we leave we should be qualified tour guides. I am working on one problem. I have been unable to check the tire pressure on the inner dualie tire. The valve stem is absolutely not accessible. There are flexible extensions that can be installed but I don't think I'm up to the task. If I can get this done I will have satisfied all of my frustrations. Maybe tomorrow.

NRAO--VLA

Watch "VLA (Very Large Array)" on YouTube

Magdalena NM

We had a little trouble figuring out where we were going today. I've always wanted to visit The National Radio Astronomy Observatory. I've flown over it a bunch of times. It was used in the movie 'Contact' starring, Jody  Foster. We did a walking tour. Jenny is now an expert on inter stellar electromagnetic radiation. When we left Silver City, we drove past the oldest copper mine in the country, The Santa Rita mine. It's a hole in the ground 1600 feet deep. Our ability to modify our environment is apparently unlimited. We do need copper so holes will be dug.

Still in Silver City

I loaded my bike on the car and let the GPS steer me to some coordinates I got off the internet. It was supposed to get me to a trail head. Well, I ended up on a series of smaller & smaller dirt roads. Finally the bitch told me to turn left onto a game trail. I gave up. When I got back I found some good trails near the KOA. Does this story have a moral? Maybe change the GPS voice to a male? After that fiasco we went into town to eat at the Mexican place that was closed on Sunday. I badly needed a haircut so I got one. More on that later. This afternoon we visited Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark. This place was a hospital since 1866. It was abandoned in 2010. It looks like everyone Just up and left. There's still furniture in the old hospital. It's spooky. OK, I apparently haven't had a haircut in 25 years. What I had today was a haircut. Here's a pic.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

This place was the only thing on our agenda today. We drove to the monument on Hwy 15. It is part of the "Trail of the mountain spirits national scenic byway". The drive was exceptionally cool. The road was narrow, steep, and curvy through thick pine forest. It took 2 hours. We had a picnic at the trail head and hiked up to the ruins as the weather was starting to look iffy. There are 6 caves along one wall with dwellings in each one. There was a retired couple giving us information at the ruins. It started raining a little, while we were there, so the trail was closed. We had an hour to pick the brains of the volunteer couple, mostly about long term RV living. We took a different route home and had leftovers for dinner. Tomorrow is a visit to "city of rocks state park".

Really, really bright

Watch "WSNM NM" on YouTube

Silver City NM

On our way here we stopped at White Sands Natl. Monument. The sand is really white. Really, really white. We did the loop drive and I climbed a few of the dunes to get a look around and take some pictures. It was blindingly bright even with my cool shades. We pulled into the KOA around 2 ish and decided to find a restaurant in old town. Today is Sunday, they were all closed. We did find a place eventually. Tomorrow we will spend the day touring Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument.

Alamogordo NM

We got going pretty early because we were just a few miles into the mountain time zone. I needed some exercise so I decided on a bike ride. I left the park and turned left. It was all down hill. I was flying. I failed to take into account that my ride was going to be an out and back. When I finally turned around at the Mckittrick canyon entrance road I had 9 miles of up hill to get back. I had told Jenny I would be back in an hour. It took me nearly 1 and 1/2. I'd call that bad judgement. We're here because we needed to do laundry. Jenny's idea of dirty sheets is way different than mine. There is a pistachio farm across street. It's also a winery. We bought some pistachio wine and a bunch of different flavored nuts. This pic is a female pistachio nut tree with a lot of fruit.

Guadalupe Mts. National Park

This is deja vu. I was here not too long ago with my sisters. Things are green, the wind is pleasant, and the temp is moderate. We are boondocking. No hookups. I filled up on water and emptied the waste tanks this morning. I wanted to do this some, to see how long we could last. We'll only be here one night so this isn't a fair test. We rode our bikes to park HQ so that we could use their wifi and maybe figure out where we might go tomorrow. We're thinking Cloudcroft or Alamogordo MN. We will need to do laundry sooner rather than later. We struggled quite a bit climbing up here. Pat and Steve can attest to the steepness of those last miles. Weather looks threatening and we're on our bikes.

McDonald Observatory

Busy, busy day. I wanted to ride the only designated mountain bike trail. I got going after my, 2 cups of coffee, breakfast. The trail was near my difficulty threshold. A double black diamond. The return trip was mostly down hill and my hands were cramping because I was having to brake so hard. It was a blast. Next was the 11:00 tour of the McDonald Observatory. They have several large telescopes. Our tour guide was really good and I got answered some of the questions I have had concerning the cosmos. We ate lunch at the park hotel "the Indian lodge " drove into the small town of Ft. Davis for a couple of doodads and then toured the actual fort. It has been restored and is maintained by the NPS. It was one of several forts that were built in the mid 1800s to facilitate travel along the San Antonio - El Paso road. Ft Stockton and Ft Lancaster are a couple of the others. Tonight we're driving up a steep park road to a lookout to listen to a lecture on the night sky. It doesn't get started until 10. The night sky around here is supposed to be some of the darkest in the US. I'll post this from the lecture site. There should be good coverage up top.

Davis Mountains State Park

This place is not far from Alpine TX. Alpine TX isn't really close to anything though. I rode my bike this morning for an hour on the frontage road to I 10 west of Fort Stockton. We got going around 10. Jenny got behind the wheel of the 'big rig' and got a feel for truck driving. I sensed a lack of enthusiasm. Once we got established in our site I hatched a plan. I drove the car to the end of a trail and rode my bike back to camp. We walked to the car on a fairly challenging trail and then drove home. We've had 2 rain storms so far since our arrival. Our hike occurred between them. This is Jenny at the wheel.

Ft Stockton TX.

We got started this morning not knowing where we were going. This is sort of a weird deal for me. Planning is my thing. Being clueless isn't. We want to see some places we haven't seen so that is sort of a plan. Our next stop, tomorrow, is Davis Mountains State Park. Tonight we're in a commercial campground. We went to Walmart for a few things. I need a socket wrench to let me lower the spare tire to the ground in case of a flat. There is an Ace hardware here. It's kinda strange because they don't sell hardware. They sell furniture and electronics and they have a garden center but very little hardware. I didn't find what I needed. We have a short day tomorrow. Maybe 2 1/2 hours. I might try and ride my bike tomorrow morning. If I rode now I'd be blown into a ditch. This is Jenny talking to Seth, who is in California on a business trip.

Lindsay's birthday

Jenny absolutely "HAD" to call and wish Lindsay, happy birthday, today. We've got no cell service, no pay phone and no idea which direction to go to get said service. We literally drove 70 miles so that Jenny could leave Lindsay a message on her phone I was apoplectic!  Lindsay, don't let this happen next year. Tell your mother "NO". After that adventure we went for a very pleasant 5 mile hike on the "west" trail. Good workout, very scenic. I cooked our lunch on the picnic table (grilled veggies & coucous) I went for an afternoon bike ride and we are currently sitting outside under the awning. I'm doing this and Jenny is writing in the trip log. We've no idea where we're going tomorrow. We're leaving here and going somewhere. This is a hike picture.

Lost Maples State Natural Area

Alan & Donna came over this morning to scope out the "bus" as Alan calls it. I had to run them off because I think they were having too much fun and, anyway we had to get moving. This place is deep in The Hill Country. No TV, no cell service, no radio stations that I can find. Strictly iPod and reading for electronic entertainment. The sabinal river flows through the park and it is lined with thousands of Big tooth maple trees. Fall colors are the big attraction in the fall. Since it's mid July there apparently isn't much attraction. 5 of 30 sites are occupied. Tomorrow will be hiking and biking. It's raining at the moment so its drinking and ----- thinking. Drinking mostly.

We're crossing our fingers

We got our house on wheels out of hock yesterday. Things appear to be in working order. We decided to do a short distance trip to get the ball rolling. We'll be spending the next 2 nights at lost Maples state park. There will be no cell coverage. Today in addition to trip prep Seth, Court, the girls and I did a float down the Guadalupe river. Jenny and I ate dinner with Alan and Donna.

Screeeeecccchhhh

Spinning our wheels. Waiting. Hoping for the best. Put up some shelves in Seth's garage and watched Aubrey roller skate. Jenny thinks I shouldn't make a blog post if we don't do anything. Anything is a relative term. I did lay on the couch and read my book. Is that nothing? That's one of those "if a tree falls in the woods " questions. I will ponder it.

Heavy metal maintenance

We got up early and drove the RV to Boerne to the dealer that Coach-Net suggested. Before we left the house I got a call from a Rep of the company that makes the major components of the slide outs we have. Someone I had complained to must have given him my mumber. He assured me any needed parts would be supplied gratis. I appreciated the call but I doubt if I'll need any parts. Today is Monday. His estimate for a fix was Friday. I had a 9 item list in addition to the slide out problem. We figured since it was in the shop we might as well get everything looked at. The other HUGE deal today was that all 3 of the girls got haircuts. Jenny and I linked up with Courtney and the girls at the "salon" for the event.

Fried green tomatoes

I had a smok'n bike ride this morning. There is a park a few miles from here that you can get to via the Salado creek Greenway. I have ridden out there alot but I didn't have a mountain bike. It is covered with great trails. Today, since I have my bike, I sampled some of them. Yesterday, Larson picked the rest of his tomatoes. Quite a few of them were still very firm and green. Today for lunch I made a batter and fried a bunch of them. They were good. Late afternoon Jenny and I visited with the girls at Seth & Courtney's house.

A working Saturday.

Today Jenny and Larson went to the river house. I stayed home and contemplated our situation. Some phone calls and an email saw some positive response. We will take the RV to a Coachman dealer in Boerne on Monday. We're hopeful. They can handle big jobs apparently and fixing the slide out seems to little ole me to be a pretty big job. This pic reflects my mood.

Jenny cranks it

Today started good. Jenny & I rode around her old neighborhood on our bikes and she reminisced about her childhood when she rode on dirt roads. That was the highlight. The day deteriorated steeply from there. We're still having trouble with that slide out. Our attempt to fix it caused more problems than it solved. It needs to get professional help. Tomorrow is Saturday so we will have to wait. I'm hoping this s*#t will end soon because I'm not having fun yet. This pic was taken this morning.

San Antonio

We got a late start today. One of the slide outs wouldn't slide in. The problem could have been user induced but maybe not. The fix involved finding the "reset" button. Turns out it's the size of a pin head and the only way to see it is if you're standing on your head with a mirror and a flashlight. Lesson learned. The late start insured we would hit loop 410 in SA at the peak of the rush hour. Sweet. This pic is papaw's driveway.

Lafayette LA

There are a number of things that you should pay particular attention to when you are driving a 45 foot long rig on the interstate. I learned a few lessons today. I won't forget them. I'll just say that I have a new found respect for truck drivers. We are in a KOA just past Lafayette LA. This is the kind of place I didn't have in mind when I bought the motor home. There is a putt-putt golf course for Christ sake. We pulled in around 3:30, got all hooked up, and set up and had hamburgers for dinner. The grownup girls took a shower in the campground facilities and the day is winding down. Today is the 4th of July. I'm unsure of the local rules concerning fireworks but looking at the clientele of this facility I doubt if rules matter. This pic is our hamburger dinner.

First day

I sorta wanted to get going by 8. Wishful thinking. It was closer to 9. The 8 hour trip was as uneventful as, being locked up in a large closet with 3 young girls, can be. Courtney was doing the heavy lifting backed up by Jenny. The drive through Atlanta and the periodic tropical downpours we're cake compared with what had to be done in the back. We are camped at a COE campground near Montgomery AL. I think it's called Gunter Hill. I grilled sausage and boiled water for Mac & cheese. Jenny made a salad. It was really good. We did have one small bit of excitement at camp. I got a bottle of champagne from one of the RV storage lockers so that Jenny could have a beverage. When she opened it it exploded on the dishes she had just washed. Sounds funny huh?  It wasn't. This is our campsite.

The day prior

We are leaving on a 3 month trip tomorrow. We have been thinking/preparing for tomorrow for weeks. Inspite of all our planning we were still very busy all day. There were several trips to Walmart and trips to the drug store and the important liquor store. Courtney had to corral the girls while Jenny and I did the foot work. I think we have 99% of the things we need. The Forrester is loaded. We have backpacking and kayaking trips planned so there is a lot of varied gear in the car. It was hot today so we had fans blowing everywhere. I took a pic of Stella and Caroline standing in front of the garage fan.

Back to Tega Cay

Took us awhile to get our ducks lined up but we finally got the 3 girls in the RV and we got on the road at 11. Seth & Courtney left Wilmington around 10. We drove straight through filling up once when we got close to home. We are now focusing on the 3 day drive to S.A. and the 2 month trip that follows. No one was too interested in cooking tonight so we all went out for Mexican food. This pic is Stella sampling the chips & dip.