White Sand and Little Gems

Location: Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, NM

First stop this morning was at "New Mexico's Best Rated Farmer's Market." Turns out - not so much. The market is held on Wed. and Saturdays. The Saturday one is 7 blocks long and has lots of fresh produce vendors. Today's was mainly craftsmen. While it was fun to see their wares we were more in the market for fresh produce. We did manage to pick up some fresh spinach and pecans, a local favorite around here. There are many pecan groves that dot the surrounding area. Next in order was a trip to White Sands National Monument. We didn't have high expectations for this field trip and gosh were we wrong! The visitor center is adobe style and built by the WPA in the mid 1930's. The exhibits and film were really interesting and got us excited about exploring the dunes. Several people were buying sleds to slide down the dunes. We seriously thought about it, but opted instead for the one mile hike that led us over several dunes and through an interdunal area. We were amazed that we had the "trail" to ourselves until we figured out that it was high noon and 94 degrees in the blazing heat. (The ranger warned us against taking the 3 mile and 5 mile hikes, you'd think we would've had a clue). The saving grace was the wind. It was blowing so hard that we didn't notice how hot it was - at first. This hike was absolutely fascinating! We saw tracks from lots of different animals, learned about the flora and fauna in the area and got a close up feel for the amazing beauty of these gypsum sands. What I found most interesting was that the sand is not hot at all. I kept expecting it to feel like the beach when you are hopping on one foot to the other and yelling, "ouch, ouch, ouch" as you get to the ocean. Here the sand is rather cool. Turns out that there is water at approximately 12 in. under the sand! When you bury your hands in the sand it actually feels quite cool. I was goofing off and pretending that I had been crawling across the desert in search of water (yes, Ned documented this) and was quite surprised at the cool, moist feel a few inches below the surface of the sand. We continued to explore the park and enjoyed watching some others sledding. The picnic areas in the midst of the sand dunes look surreal and like a science fiction movie. Turns out this park is quite the little gem.
Leaving the park and heading East we assumed we would be traveling through more of the same arid landscape as is so much of New Mexico. Instead, we drove over the Sacramento Mountains, to an elevation of 8400 feet, and were delighted with the town of Cloudcroft. This scenic drive had cherry farms and apple orchards, lots of interesting rock formations and tons of coniferous trees. We were so fascinated by this little gem that we did a little research on it. Turns out Froders rated it in 2002 as the number 3 most overlooked and underrated destination spot. We concur! Unfortunately, after leaving the Sacramento Mountains we were again greeted by parched landscape and dry hot winds. We passed through a little town called "Hope", which actually seemed quite hopeless. We expected the same when we drove into Artesia. Much to our amazement it had a thriving downtown and we thought there must be a university there when we spotted the football stadium. Turns out the Artesia High School Bulldogs have been State Champions 25 or so times. This town takes their high school football very seriously. Go Bulldogs.
Our final destination, Lake Brantley, was supposed to be an oasis in the desert. Hmmm. The lake has all but dried up and instead of having a campsite on the water it's a good mile away. (See one of the pics). This however did not deter us from attempting to cool off from the parching 95 degree sun. We rode our bikes to the boat ramp, inflated our floaties, and plopped ourselves in the mud puddle. The wind thwarted our attempts to go more than a few feet offshore. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all.

The Kindness of Strangers New Mexico Style

Location: Siesta RV Park, Mesilla, NM

The campground fairies only made a brief stop to Canyon Lake Marina Campground. In other words, they left tp, but the showers were still locked up. I know people love to bash the government and praise free enterprise, but in our many years of camping nothing beats the State and National Parks. I want to publicly thank the 48 states we've camped in for their campground aesthetics, professionalism and cleanliness. (As an aside when we asked one of the private campground workers about the locked showers the response was "Complain at the office, I'm f***ing done." ) Soooo, we moseyed on down the road to Lost Dutchman State Park and asked to use the showers. Let's just say the experience was close to nirvana:)
After finally getting cleaned up we made it to Roper State Park much sooner than anticipated. Again, with the temp being in the 90's, we weren't in a hot springs state of mind. We decided driving in an air-conditioned car listening to an audio book of Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi" was much preferred. All the other state parks were either too far or too soon so we finally opted to end our day in Mesilla, New Mexico right outside of Las Cruces. Six years ago, on our first road trip across the U.S. we drove thru Mesilla and loved the quaint town with its chill vibe. We found a private RV park (it is what it is), unloaded our bikes and explored the town. A Mexican restaurant patronized mainly by locals was recommended to us. We were out front, on our bikes, still "on the fence" when a really sweet elderly couple came by and told us we should definitely try it. The woman started describing in detail the signature dish (stacked enchiladas with green sauce and an optional egg on top) and we decided to give the place a try. No sooner had we sat down and ordered drinks when an appetizer appeared at our table. It was compliments of this cute couple!! Now, how wonderful is that?! We held up our drinks and said to them, "California thanks you." They responded that they used to live in Long Beach, but NorCal was okay too. After dinner they stopped by, wanted to make sure the dinner met our expectations, and gave us other recommendations in town. This is why we love traveling so much. Your day can start out with a grumpy, burned out employee and end with a kind act from a stranger. Tomorrow we hope to check out a farmer's market in town and visit White Sands National Monument. We love to eat local food so we are really looking forward to tasting the local, fresh fare.

Looking for Mr. Wright

Location: Canyon Lake Marina Campground, Apache Junction, AZ

Last night was pretty magical. We decided to sleep on the top bunk of Winnie, partly for the cool breeze and partly to see the incredible night sky. Light from the campers' fires danced on the canyon walls, the stars were brilliant in the sky and the moon shone brightly down on everything. The sun woke us up this morning and the desert continued to amaze us. Bunnies were hopping around, the birds were serenading us and the moon still shone brightly in the sky. Who knew the desert could be such a vibrant place! Reluctantly we left Joshua Tree National Park and headed towards Phoenix. Our original plan was to stay at a hot springs, but the thermometer was pushing the 90's and soaking in 104 degree water no longer seemed appealing. Instead we decided to check out Taliesin West in Scottsdale. Years earlier Ned and I had toured Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Oak Park, Il and did a walking tour of the homes he designed. We were wowed by the architecture and fell in love with his style. We really thought we were in for a great treat today. We took the 1.5 hour tour which ended up being close to 2 hours. Unfortunately, we were a bit underwhelmed with the experience. Our illustrious guide, Don, spent most of his time being put out by us mere mortals who couldn't possibly comprehend the greatness of this institute.
What we did learn is that Taliesin West is a working architecture school and foundation that continues Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy. The actual architecture itself is not nearly as impressive as what we've seen in Oak Park and Sedona. I enjoyed some of the art sculpture created by artists in residence, but the craftsmanship of the buildings and furniture was pretty crude. If you're in Scottsdale I recommend doing the tour for the historical significance, but don't get your hopes up for the architecture.
Since we blew off the hot springs our next goal was to find a place to camp for the night and, better yet, a place to cool off. Never fear...I had a back-up plan! (Yes, my blue book itinerary contains such contingencies. Ned is laughing as I type this.)
We drove through Lost Dutchman State Park but the idea of camping in blazing heat among the cacti didn't look that appealing. We drove another half hour to Lake Canyon Marina. It's a private campground and not nearly as nice as State Campgrounds, but it has a lake! We are parked pretty much in a road, but our campsite is right on the lake. We didn't waste any time blowing up our dollar store floaties and cooling our heels. Our entertainment has been watching John Q. Public wading waist deep in the water with coolers, chairs and towels and sneak around the cyclone fence next to the boating ramp in order to avoid paying the day use fee. This place looks like a war zone after the Memorial Weekend. The ladies room has no tp and the showers are locked, but I'm still hopeful the camp fairies will visit in the night and straighten things out. It's a far cry from our magical desert night, but I ain't complaining! I'm sitting near a cool lake with my honey in the mountains of Arizona. Life could be worse...

On Our Way!

Location: Joshua Tree National Park, CA

We spent three glorious days in Arroyo Grande with a Russell-Nelson-Duni family gathering. Molly was able to join us, which made the weekend all the better. The highlight, of course, was playing with our 3 great-nephews who are 4, 2 and 5 months old. Luke, Sam and Zach kept us entertained, in-stitches and well occupied. My favorite activity with them was playing superheroes while jumping on the trampoline. We toured the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival and enjoyed the "Something Ridiculous" Jugglers, the belly dancers and lots of people watching. Molly convinced me to buy a coin sash and I practiced my best untrained belly dancing moves walking around the streets of AG. The great thing about being on vacation is that you leave all your inhibitions at home. Ned and I got the best send-off EVER! As we were leaving this morning the entire crew came out to the driveway and serenaded us in four part harmony with "Happy Trails To You." Eric - the baritone was particularly robust! It was much appreciated gang and I'm sure we will be hearing your voices and keeping that image with us for many states. (p.s. Molly, thanks for the cutest shoes ever!! Wasn't quite sure how I was going to fit in the SEVENTH pair of shoes for the 6 week trip, but don't worry I managed.)
After a long drive along the coast and through LA we arrived in Palm Springs. Neither of us had a memory of being there so we decided to play tourist and ride our bikes around the main drag of town and check out all the movie star homes. The downtown was buzzing, but the residential area of all the mid century homes was pretty chill. We particularly enjoyed the several sculptures of Marilyn Monroe. What a hoot. After an hour or so of peddling we had a picnic in the park then headed for Joshua Tree National Park. We toured the visitor's center and took a drive through the main area of the park admiring all the blooming Joshua Trees. An interesting fact we learned was that when a Joshua Tree blooms it creates a new branch. If you see a Joshua Tree straight up, with no branches, it has never bloomed. We're camped at Indian Cove campground snuggled against a crop of rocks. For our 9th Anniversary we gave each other a new awning for Winnie. It's kinda fun sitting out of the sun, under the awning, drinking a cold glass of Viognier waiting for the chicken to cook on the barbie.
I'd call this a pretty good first day on the road. We are looking forward to the desert night and what it will bring. It should be gorgeous with the near full moon.

The Long Trek Home

After a late night watching all the election returns we still managed to get up early. We had some decisions to make, mainly are we heading home north thru Colorado and Utah or taking the southern route. A quick review of accuweather cemented the decision for us. The Southern desert route it is! While were hoping to get in some more hot springs, we were not willing to risk driving thru snowstorms in the Rockies and Sierras. So we begin our long trek home.
Yesterday was a pretty uneventful 11 hour drive in the car. How do you know you have a good marriage and are with a great partner? Well, let's just say when a certain know-it-all woman behind the wheel claims she can make it to the next gas station and is oh so short by a mile or two, and her husband just laughs it off, things are pretty solid. Plan B was a spontaneous picnic lunch on the side of the road as we waited for AAA. As my hubby and I now say, "We'll always have Flagstaff." Check out the picture of me eating crow...
Early last night we pulled into Shady Lane Rv park in the beautiful outskirts of the crossroads of Barstow. The highlight of the evening was a gorgeous sunset. We conked out immediately and slept 9 hours! Today as we are driving in the deserts of Southern California we are so glad we decided to take the southern route home and not risk the mountain passes. We stopped at Murray Family Farms in Bakersfield and were amazed at how much the temperature had dropped and the winds picked up. Looks like that storm is going to happen. Knowing that we had empty cupboards at home we stocked up on pluots, persimmons, avocados, pomegranate juice, dried pears and mango, and some popcorn, of course. Old habits die hard.
We drove thru a lot of precipitation going up the valley. When we finally reached the foothills of home we were greeted with fall colors, cold and wet weather and lots of chimneys going. Yep, summer is officially over. At home there was a package waiting for me from Megan. It was my birthday present (a t-shirt saying I climbed half dome). What a perfect way to end my birthday road trip! Time to build a fire, curl up with my honey and embrace the change in seasons.

Old Santa Fe Inn, New Mexico

Ned, being the romantic he is, booked us a private soaking pool last night. It had a kiva fireplace, starlight sky and was situated underneath beautifully lighted cliffs. Wowza! It's going to be kinda hard to top that one. Needless to say I slept like a log last night. Ned says it was his secret strategy to get me calmed down before all the election craziness begins. Well, it definitely worked.
This morning we had the usual early morning hour or so soak before we headed for Santa Fe. Ned, once again in his infinite wisdom, booked us a room at the Old Santa Fe Inn. He knew that this political junkie needed her fix and a spotty cell phone connection in a campground was not going to cut the mustard.
We had a fun afternoon riding our bikes around Santa Fe and exploring some fun shops then settled into our hotel room getting ready to soak in the election news.
What a crazy fun night texting & chatting with my kids and friends over all the election results. Late night, I think we are sleeping in tomorrow.

Ojo Caliente - Day 2

Today's agenda: eat, soak, chill...repeat.