April 22 - Gallup to Scottsdale

Woke up to an unexpected as well as unwelcomed surprise this morning - snow on the truck, trailer, trees and grass. It was only 28 degrees! I didn’t see that coming. We did our best to quickly pack up and get on the road.

The drive was awesome along highway 60 through the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. It took us through the towns of Show Low and Globe. As we approached one of the mountain passes, the sky opened up and started dumping huge snowflakes on us. Thankfully it only lasted about fifteen minutes. The drive took us through and across the amazing Salt River Canyon.

Arrived at Bubba’s place in Scottsdale and get settled in his drive. Touched base with friends around the area. Met up with Ian Wilson.

April 21 - Gallup

High wind advisory has been issued for the area I’m in and need to drive through. I decided to stay put today because of the wind and since I can. It rained off and on. I read tourist brochures and did a lot of staring at the map in an effort to determine my route to Phoenix and where I may head from there.

April 20 – Canyon de Chelly

Drove to the Canyon De Chelly National Monument in NW Arizona today. It’s located within an Indian reservation which made for long, scenic, desolate driving. Along the route we passed the Hubble Trading Post, National Historic Site. It’s the oldest continuously operating trading post in the Navajo Nation. Trading began here is 1876.

Life seems a little different on the Indian reservation. For instance there were what appeared to be wild dogs running around. At one spot there were two in the road eating some sort of carcass. Not at all what I’m used to. Also livestock seems to be unrestricted, even within the National Monument. We saw several horses and a burro, all of which appeared to be wild.

The Canyon holds many clues to the ancient history of the area. Great views of the cliff dwelling remains, which are quite obvious in some places, and riverside farming plots along the river in the canyon bottom. Very cool views and look back in time. Overall another great day trip for us.

April19 – Painted Desert and Petrified Forest

Went to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park today. The Painted Desert is a large area with a lot of red rock. In the middle of the day with the sun high in the sky is was not all that impressive. I understand at sunrise and sunset the colors are amazing. There are several buildings and trails in the area which further demonstrate the incredible construction completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, including the Painted Desert Inn. There are prehistoric ruins and petroglyphs to be found. The most spectacular at a place called “Newspaper Rock.”

Petrified Forest was very cool. It’s still hard to believe that wood can turn into stone. It’s also hard to believe there was ever a forest out here in the middle of this desert! Surprisingly many of the petrified ‘logs’ are broken into lengths which appear to be perfect for putting into a fireplace! It’s a fairly long but scenic drive through the park. We walked a couple paths which gave us an up close look at the desert and petrified wood. Great day trip and Sunny was worn out.

April 18 - Santa Fe to Gallup

Very foggy on this morning’s walk on the nature trail which made it extremely serene. On this morning’s walk we talked with campground neighbors who had Florida plates and are traveling from Clearwater.

Headed out for a rather long drive back through Albuquerque and then west to Gallup NM, about 15 miles from Arizona. It’s still relatively high at an elevation 6440. Crossed the Continental Divide on the way. There is definitely a large Native American influence around Gallup.

Went to the El Rancho Hotel for dinner. The hotel has hosted countless movie stars though the years. It severed as the accommodations for the stars during filming of primarily western movies in the surrounding area. There are probably a hundred autographed pictures of movie stars in the hotel’s lobby, many dedicated to the El Rancho. I ate in the dining room where John Wayne sat…

April 17 - Santa Fe

Rainy day. Weather reports said it was snowing where we drove yesterday. Did some necessary tasks in trailer. We took a walk when the rain let up and could really smell juniper trees. Saw a couple rabbits on the walk and those, as well as the crows, seem extraordinarily large.

The folks at dinner last night had highly recommended this really little restaurant nearby called Bobcat Bites. It was named for the cats which historically came to the back door for a snack. Due to its popularity and possible reduced number of cats, they haven’t had one stop by in several years. Only 24 seats in the whole place. Great burgers and a big picture window with bird feeders and a view of the mountains directly behind the counter where I sat.

Returned to camp, worked a little on the blog, walked Sunny and met five couples from Finland, each with their own motor home, here on vacation. They really liked Sunny.

April 16 - High Road To Taos

Took a (long) scenic drive on the High Road to Taos today. Passed some impressive mountains, quaint little towns and even found a leftover snow drift for Sunny to play in at one roadside stop in the Carson National Forest.

10 miles Northwest of Taos is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It is a cantilever truss bridge and at 650 ft above the Rio Grande, it is the fifth highest bridge in the United States. The road over it is a two lane highway with 5 foot walks on both sides. There is a parking are and rest stop on either side of the Gorge so pedestrian access is encouraged. Sunny and I walked far enough onto the bridge to see the full depth of the gorge. It was quite windy. With the narrow walks and other people as well as the uneasiness I felt from being 650’ up, we didn’t waste any time out there.

We took ‘low road’ back to Santa Fe which is a more direct and expedient route. Very cool skies and clouds as a storm rolled in towards us. We were both ready to get out of the truck by the time we made it to the trailer.

April 15 - Santa Fe (Pecos National Historic Park)

Walked Sunny on the camps nature trail. Went to the Pecos National Historic Park to tour the ruins and learn more about the history of the area. Pretty amazing to overlook the ruins and fields imagining the structures and hundreds of people trading and living.

Returned to camp then went out to run some errands around Santa Fe. Found discount tire, Pet Smart and Target. While driving to REI I found myself looking at the store from a street in an adjacent residential area. Unfortunately for me, the streets had recently been permanently blocked to keep the commercial traffic from the residential area. So after a small tour around the neighborhood we found our way to the Railroad District where REI is. It appears the area can be a lot of fun.

Needing dinner we headed for Harry’s Roadhouse which was featured on Diner’s, Dives and Drive-ins, and happened to be just down the road from the campground. Very popular and busy place. I found a seat at the counter right away and had a nice conversation with a couple who own a custard shop downtown Santa Fe. They couldn’t say enough nice things about the area.

April 14 - Albuquerque to Santa Fe

Got up and on the road in hopes of avoiding the winds which seem to pick up in the afternoons. Travel went smooth. Stopped by an RV dealer who carries Shadow Cruisers to inquire about a couple unusual things. The guy I spoke to was useless.
Ran into a service guy on the way out and he offered a couple constructive suggestions.

Made it on to Santa Fe and the campground. It’s a couple miles out of town at an elevation of 7200 feet. There’s a very nice path through the woods around the campground. We ran into a rabbit which sunny was VERY interested in…

Went to the square downtown. Saw the Loretta Chapel which has an amazing wooden spiral staircase which was mysteriously constructed without a center post or any metal fasteners. Pretty impressive woodworking. The original did not have the rail on the outside of the stairs, it was added years later. Went to the New Mexico Museum of History which was quite interesting.

I had gotten a dinner recommendation from someone at the campground for a place called the Pantry. Went there and had a great, inexpensive dinner. There were a few sprinkles of rain tonight but nothing to hinder our evening walk on the campground trail.

April 13 - Albuquerque

We went on a hike in Rinconada Canyon this morning. The canyon is part of the Petroglyph National Monument located in the hills on the west side of Albuquerque. We saw around 75 drawings. Amazing to think they could have been there for a thousand years. Unfortunately there is evidence of more recent activity as well; most notable is a spot two signatures dated 1919. Saw a pair of roadrunners hopping around on the rocks. Another first for me.

There was no shade at all on the hike and we were pretty worn out by the time we made it back to the campground. I worked on the computer and researched trip options and destinations. Sure does take a lot of time just to find out what’s around.

April 12 - Ruidoso to Albuquerque

Up early and on the road for what may be a long drive. Saw some elk in the same area as a couple days ago.

A few miles west is the Valley of the Fires, one of the youngest lava flows in the country. As I approached from the hills to the east, the lava flow was visible for a long distance before arriving.

There is an amazing diversity of life on lava which is completely different than the area without lava immediately adjacent. There’s a nice paved pathway about a mile long through the field. It was hot with the sun beating down and black lava all around. Sunny sure can pant. We rested in the one spot where there is a shade shelter and cooled down as much as possible before finishing the walk. Sunny was most definitely ready to get back into the truck and AC!

As the day wore on, the wind got stronger. For the most part it was a tail wind for us but a few times it was pushing side to side. Keeps you on your toes while driving. The wind kicked up a lot of dust as well. A few places it seriously reduced visibility. The route passed through the Rio Salado Sand Dunes as well as crossing the Rio Grande, which was a first for me. It sure is a muddy, river.

Made it to a campground on the west side of Albuquerque and got set up quickly. The campground is on old Route 66 and I was told how to easily access a part of town called “old town” which is full of shops and restaurants. Went there to get New Mexican food at the Church Street Café. It was a cool atmosphere and very tasty although not busy at all. Dinner consisted of two fresh vegetarian or pork corn tamales hand prepared and smothered in your choice of red or green chile corn tortillas with pork, beans and rice with Sopapillas with honey for desert.

Returned to camp and talked with a neighbor from Alaska. Watched 24 and turned in.

April 11 - Ruidoso

Took the local’s suggestion and went to the Log Cabin Restaurant for breakfast. It’s a very busy place with good food and coffee. After breakfast made some calls to friends and family.

During a walk with Sunny we saw very strange cloud patterns, most likely caused by the surrounding mountains, with the winds coming in strong from the east. Talked for a while with a couple from Roseville and several others in the campground.

April 10 - Lincoln County tour

We have a national program called “America's Byways” which is a distinction given to routes with one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. One is located here in Lincoln county named the Billy the Kid Scenic Byway which loops through the towns of Lincoln, Capitan and Ruidoso. Along the way it passed John Tunstell’s murder site, which was the beginning of the Lincoln County War. I saw about a dozen elk grazing in a field.

The town of Lincoln appears pretty much as it did over 100 years ago and many of the historic structures are a part of a historical park. At the Tunstell store I met a volunteer park guide who was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable of the town’s history. I was one of the only tourists in town so he and I talked for quite a while. He took me into the back rooms of the store, which are not restored or typically open to the public. In the room there some loose floorboards which conceal a small area where Billy successfully hid after being grazed on the hip in one of the street gun fights. The original back door into the room is still usable and it was pretty incredible to know the Kid had stepped on the stone outside the door and passed that threshold.

Another building on the tour is the original store which became the courthouse where Billy escaped from. One display are the leg irons he was wearing and had cut off a few miles away after the escape. Upstairs in the building is a Masonic Lodge built with the original structure, which could only be accessed with a ladder outside the building. Internal access now exists. I was surprised to find extensive explanations of many of the Masonic symbolism and ritual in the room.

Leaving Lincoln the drive goes west to Capitan, where Smokey Bear’s gravesite is located. Along the drive there was a roadside parking area near the Capitan Gap where Smokey was found after the forest fire.

On the drive out of Capitan the road heads towards the mountain peaks and the views are incredible. Tried to head up a national forest road to a scenic overlook however the road was still closed for the season.

Filled up with gas and explored town for dinner. It was surprising dead at 8 pm on a Saturday night. I guess the economy here really is based on seasonal tourism.

April 9 – Roswell to Ruidoso

Up early looking forward to getting out of the flat wide open desert. Only about 60 miles west is a little mountain town at the base of Sierra Blanca which rises to 12,000 feet not far from town. The campground is at 6300 feet. It is SO much nicer here than the last few days in the flat land.
After setting up, we went to the visitor’s center for the Billy the Kid Scenic Byway which was down the road a mile or so. Next door to the center is the Hubbard Museum of the American West which is a Smithsonian Affiliate. They have a collection of over 30 wagons, carriages, carts and buggies, many un-restored in incredible condition from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. There’s also a very large collection of antique firearms, including a pistol reported to have once been owned by Billy the Kid.
It was too late to start the scenic byway drive so we explored Ruidoso to find a quaint little mountain town with one main street having lodges, shops and restaurants. This is closing weekend for the Ski Apache ski area which supports the town in winter so it’s pretty deserted.
Stopped at Wal-Mart and met a local who works with a group called Ecoservants helping youth and building trails. Got some great trips on things to see and places to eat around town.
Returned to campground, on our walk talked with several neighbors including one couple from Grand Rapids. Spent some time writing on blog.