Tuesday, March 14, 2006
On to Moab...Wagons Ho!!
We had planned to make several more stops on our way to Moab, beginning with two or three days in Farmington, NM. From there we had planned to visit the Four Corners Area. This is the only place in the US where you can actually be in four states in one time, as it is the junction of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado.
After that the plan was that we would go into Colorado to visit The Canyon of the Ancients. You'll have to Google this place...it's awsome! But anyway...that WAS the plan...it is not what happened.
We left Farmington for the short drive through the Navajo Nation to the Four Corners Area. After what seemed a very long drive, we began to wonder why we weren't seeing any signs for Four Corners....or at least crossed the state line. I got out my trusty map only to find that we were driving in the wrong direction! By the time we figured out where we were there was nothing else to do but to drive on to Gallup, NM and head back.
Thankfully, we were able to deduce that by skipping over into Arizona and heading North we would be able to make the state line by dark. Not being sure whether we would be welcome to state overnight on the Reservation, we opted for making it into Utah and off the Reservation before nightfall. This meant that we were not going to be able to go to the Four Corners Area, but we figured we could catch it on our way out of Utah in the summer.
By the time we got to the state line it was again beginning to snow. We had decided to try to drive into Blanding, Utah, where we hoped to find a place to camp for the night and make the last 70 or 80 miles into Moab the following day.
But the closer we got to Blanding the more it snowed. The weather reports were predicting even more snow and freezing rain over night, and since we were unsure of the road leading into Moab, we decided to go for broke and make the entire trip that day. This meant that what was originally intended to be a 2 or 3 hour drive ended up being a drive of nearly 9 hours!
We made it into Moab about 30 minutes before nightfall. We only took enough time to hook up the necessities, before calling it a night. I think we were so road weary by then that we didn't really take in much of our surroundings.
But that made it all the more magical the next day. Even with the snow...and there was plenty of snow in the first few days we've been here...it's so beautiful. Here are a few pictures I've taken in the few days we've been here. I don't think pictures can really do this place justice. The way the rocks look at different times of the day...with the sunlight changing the way everything looks..is just awe inspiring. I can't wait until we have more time to explore this area.
This is called Church Rock; pretty cool, huh? It's actually several miles away from Moab, but I had to have a picture...I thought y'all might like it, too.
We also passed this ridge on the way into Moab and I couldn't resist taking a picture of the snow accumulating on the rocks. You can notice by the blur of tumbleweeds beside the road that Mark was really hurrying along toward our campsite!
This group of rocks is called The Portal, hence Portal RV Park, where we are staying, which is right in front of this view! I can't wait to see what it's a portal to!
These are the LaSal Mountains, which you can see just by stepping outside our front door. I love this!!
Just another lovely view from the campground! Utah..or at least Moab...is incredibly beautiful.
This is a picture of the cabins at our campground. They are really rustic and kind of wonderful and of course there's that view!
After that the plan was that we would go into Colorado to visit The Canyon of the Ancients. You'll have to Google this place...it's awsome! But anyway...that WAS the plan...it is not what happened.
We left Farmington for the short drive through the Navajo Nation to the Four Corners Area. After what seemed a very long drive, we began to wonder why we weren't seeing any signs for Four Corners....or at least crossed the state line. I got out my trusty map only to find that we were driving in the wrong direction! By the time we figured out where we were there was nothing else to do but to drive on to Gallup, NM and head back.
Thankfully, we were able to deduce that by skipping over into Arizona and heading North we would be able to make the state line by dark. Not being sure whether we would be welcome to state overnight on the Reservation, we opted for making it into Utah and off the Reservation before nightfall. This meant that we were not going to be able to go to the Four Corners Area, but we figured we could catch it on our way out of Utah in the summer.
By the time we got to the state line it was again beginning to snow. We had decided to try to drive into Blanding, Utah, where we hoped to find a place to camp for the night and make the last 70 or 80 miles into Moab the following day.
But the closer we got to Blanding the more it snowed. The weather reports were predicting even more snow and freezing rain over night, and since we were unsure of the road leading into Moab, we decided to go for broke and make the entire trip that day. This meant that what was originally intended to be a 2 or 3 hour drive ended up being a drive of nearly 9 hours!
We made it into Moab about 30 minutes before nightfall. We only took enough time to hook up the necessities, before calling it a night. I think we were so road weary by then that we didn't really take in much of our surroundings.
But that made it all the more magical the next day. Even with the snow...and there was plenty of snow in the first few days we've been here...it's so beautiful. Here are a few pictures I've taken in the few days we've been here. I don't think pictures can really do this place justice. The way the rocks look at different times of the day...with the sunlight changing the way everything looks..is just awe inspiring. I can't wait until we have more time to explore this area.
This is called Church Rock; pretty cool, huh? It's actually several miles away from Moab, but I had to have a picture...I thought y'all might like it, too.
We also passed this ridge on the way into Moab and I couldn't resist taking a picture of the snow accumulating on the rocks. You can notice by the blur of tumbleweeds beside the road that Mark was really hurrying along toward our campsite!
This group of rocks is called The Portal, hence Portal RV Park, where we are staying, which is right in front of this view! I can't wait to see what it's a portal to!
These are the LaSal Mountains, which you can see just by stepping outside our front door. I love this!!
Just another lovely view from the campground! Utah..or at least Moab...is incredibly beautiful.
This is a picture of the cabins at our campground. They are really rustic and kind of wonderful and of course there's that view!
Alburquerque, New Mexico...And Not a Moment Too Soon!
By the time we got into Alburquerque we were so stressed! And by "we" I mean, Mark, Pepper, me, AND the motorhome!
The first thing we did was find a place to get new tires on the motorhome. A couple hours (and several hundred dollars) later, we found a comfy WalMart and made ourselves comfortable for the night.
The next morning we drove out to The Enchanted Trails RV Park where we had a reservation for the next couple of nights. Once we got there we found out that a new Camping World would be opening up right next door to the campground on Monday, so we extended our reservation for one more night. This gave us 3 days to laze around and catch up on our rest. Yeah right!
We did spend the first day at the campground just lazing around. Mark had a doctor's appointment in town that afternoon, but that is about the most strenuous thing attempted that day.
The next day we went to The Fiery Foods Festival, where we had hoped to try some fiery foods. Unfortunately, this festival is more about sauces than food so there was very little in the way of actual food being offered. I did find a salsa mix and a BBQ sauce that I had been looking for, but other than that we simply tasted a few of the hot sauces and called it a day.
On Sunday we headed for Old Town, which is not to be missed should you ever find yourself in ABQ. I cannot believe I opted not to bring my camera as this was one of the most scenic places we visited.
We saw re-enactments of gunfights in the streets, a group of Civil War re-enactors who put on a show in the town square. The church, which was closed for renovations, was beautiful and we were able to walk through the grounds.
We had an excellent lunch at The High Noon Cafe, which is located in Old Town. After visiting a few more of the local stores where we were told by one very nice store clerk to beware of buying turquoise from anyone who is not either a jewler or a Native craftmen, as there were many fake turquoise stones out there. To be honest, at the prices asked for the real stuff (which was not unreasonable), I'd still have to be madly in love with a piece to pay that kind of "jack" for it!
I will be forever sorry that I did not have photos to share from our time in ABQ. It's a lovely city and well worth another visit at some time in the future.
The first thing we did was find a place to get new tires on the motorhome. A couple hours (and several hundred dollars) later, we found a comfy WalMart and made ourselves comfortable for the night.
The next morning we drove out to The Enchanted Trails RV Park where we had a reservation for the next couple of nights. Once we got there we found out that a new Camping World would be opening up right next door to the campground on Monday, so we extended our reservation for one more night. This gave us 3 days to laze around and catch up on our rest. Yeah right!
We did spend the first day at the campground just lazing around. Mark had a doctor's appointment in town that afternoon, but that is about the most strenuous thing attempted that day.
The next day we went to The Fiery Foods Festival, where we had hoped to try some fiery foods. Unfortunately, this festival is more about sauces than food so there was very little in the way of actual food being offered. I did find a salsa mix and a BBQ sauce that I had been looking for, but other than that we simply tasted a few of the hot sauces and called it a day.
On Sunday we headed for Old Town, which is not to be missed should you ever find yourself in ABQ. I cannot believe I opted not to bring my camera as this was one of the most scenic places we visited.
We saw re-enactments of gunfights in the streets, a group of Civil War re-enactors who put on a show in the town square. The church, which was closed for renovations, was beautiful and we were able to walk through the grounds.
We had an excellent lunch at The High Noon Cafe, which is located in Old Town. After visiting a few more of the local stores where we were told by one very nice store clerk to beware of buying turquoise from anyone who is not either a jewler or a Native craftmen, as there were many fake turquoise stones out there. To be honest, at the prices asked for the real stuff (which was not unreasonable), I'd still have to be madly in love with a piece to pay that kind of "jack" for it!
I will be forever sorry that I did not have photos to share from our time in ABQ. It's a lovely city and well worth another visit at some time in the future.
Monday, March 13, 2006
The Road Less Traveled
This morning finds your intrepid travelers camped at Fenton Lake SP. We are in a hurry to get started on the final leg of our trip which will take us away from Jemez Springs and back to the main route...mostly because we woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of freezing rain and snow on the roof. Mark wasn't too concerned, although I'd begun to have a small melt-down due to the steep grades and the amount of snow and ice I'd seen on the way to the state park.
Besides, it was only 17 more miles of gravel road until we got back to the paved route....how bad could it be? Well, it could be so bad that it took us 3 1/2 hours to drive the 17 miles of paved road. Thankfully, the grades on this portion of the road were not very bad at all. And the scenery was magnificent! Here are a few snapshots of the road we were traveling and some of the surrounding scenery.
After this, we had one more portion of very steep grades where we were once again forced to make numerous stops in order for our brakes and tires and transmission to cool down. We have reached the expensive conclusion that when we get to Albuquerque we are going to have to replace the tires on the motorhome. And it won't be much longer until we will need new brake linings, but that is something we may do ourselves since every place we've called wants hundreds of dollars to do it.
Besides, it was only 17 more miles of gravel road until we got back to the paved route....how bad could it be? Well, it could be so bad that it took us 3 1/2 hours to drive the 17 miles of paved road. Thankfully, the grades on this portion of the road were not very bad at all. And the scenery was magnificent! Here are a few snapshots of the road we were traveling and some of the surrounding scenery.
After this, we had one more portion of very steep grades where we were once again forced to make numerous stops in order for our brakes and tires and transmission to cool down. We have reached the expensive conclusion that when we get to Albuquerque we are going to have to replace the tires on the motorhome. And it won't be much longer until we will need new brake linings, but that is something we may do ourselves since every place we've called wants hundreds of dollars to do it.
Jemez Springs, New Mexico with The Chosen One
This is pronounced hay-mus...kind of like, Hey! Mus we go here? *g*
Again, this was a gray road. But we really wanted to visit the hot springs at Jemez Springs; maybe have a soak and perhaps even a massage. Then, we thought we'd have an early dinner at Los Ojos (which means The Springs), and retire for a relaxing night at Fenton Lake State Park. This plan went awry before it ever got off the ground. But that's why they call it an adventure, right? *s*
First, we stopped by the visitor center at Jemez Pueblo, and find out that the gray road we had planned to travel was 20 miles of paved road..."twisty, but not steep", and 20 miles of unpaved road. Depending on who you asked the unpaved part of the road was either "washboard rough" or "not too bad at all". We decide what the hell, we're gonna go for it...'cause that's just the kind of thing you do when you don't know any better.
Our first stop was the Bath House at Jemez Springs. We were expecting this huge natural hot spring that we could soak in together...even if we might have to share it with a few other folks. But what we got was two huge, deep bathtubs in a room together!? Ok..the water was really hot and relaxing. But I wasn't expecting to pay someone $20 for a bath! And since we weren't able to get a massage, so we opted for a short soak and trip across the street to Los Ojos for a burger and beer.
Los Ojos was really cool. It looked as though it had been there for ages. We chose seats at a booth next to the fireplace, rather than at the bar where the so-cool barstools looked as though they'd been rough-hewn from tree trunks. The burgers were excellent and the beer was so cold...just perfect.
I have to mention that during our meal we were joined by a very (and I mean VERY) inebriated Native American, whose name was Francesco...yep...Francesco. He stared into Mark's eyes for a moment and pronounced him "The Chosen One". Then he stared into mine and mumbled something I couldn't understand and he wouldn't repeat. Then he wobbled back to his own table for more tequilla shots.
We decided to drive on to Fenton Lake State Park for the night and finish up our Jemez Springs trip (the unpaved section) in the morning. Fenton Lake was small but beautiful; very wooded and secluded. And it was on the way to Fenton Lake that we began to see snow and ice-covered creeks for the first time along this trip.
Again, this was a gray road. But we really wanted to visit the hot springs at Jemez Springs; maybe have a soak and perhaps even a massage. Then, we thought we'd have an early dinner at Los Ojos (which means The Springs), and retire for a relaxing night at Fenton Lake State Park. This plan went awry before it ever got off the ground. But that's why they call it an adventure, right? *s*
First, we stopped by the visitor center at Jemez Pueblo, and find out that the gray road we had planned to travel was 20 miles of paved road..."twisty, but not steep", and 20 miles of unpaved road. Depending on who you asked the unpaved part of the road was either "washboard rough" or "not too bad at all". We decide what the hell, we're gonna go for it...'cause that's just the kind of thing you do when you don't know any better.
Our first stop was the Bath House at Jemez Springs. We were expecting this huge natural hot spring that we could soak in together...even if we might have to share it with a few other folks. But what we got was two huge, deep bathtubs in a room together!? Ok..the water was really hot and relaxing. But I wasn't expecting to pay someone $20 for a bath! And since we weren't able to get a massage, so we opted for a short soak and trip across the street to Los Ojos for a burger and beer.
Los Ojos was really cool. It looked as though it had been there for ages. We chose seats at a booth next to the fireplace, rather than at the bar where the so-cool barstools looked as though they'd been rough-hewn from tree trunks. The burgers were excellent and the beer was so cold...just perfect.
I have to mention that during our meal we were joined by a very (and I mean VERY) inebriated Native American, whose name was Francesco...yep...Francesco. He stared into Mark's eyes for a moment and pronounced him "The Chosen One". Then he stared into mine and mumbled something I couldn't understand and he wouldn't repeat. Then he wobbled back to his own table for more tequilla shots.
We decided to drive on to Fenton Lake State Park for the night and finish up our Jemez Springs trip (the unpaved section) in the morning. Fenton Lake was small but beautiful; very wooded and secluded. And it was on the way to Fenton Lake that we began to see snow and ice-covered creeks for the first time along this trip.
What's a GRAY ROAD?
By definition, the Atlas says that gray roads are: Other roads, conditions may vary; local inquiry suggested. Oddly enough this is the same definition used for unpaved roads!! This is also a very important piece of information we did not possess when leaving Riudoso.
The gray road leaving Riudoso in the general direction of Albuquerque is beautiful; the views are spectacular. Unfortunatly, we were offered this view while going downhill on an 8% grade towing our pickup truck and hauling all our worldly belongings. Not a pretty sight!
By the second big downhill grade, we were forced to pull over and give our smoking brakes, transmission, and tires and chance to cool down. By the third and last set of grades and curves (on THIS road), our brakes gave out completely and we were fortunate enough to be able to pull into the grass in order to get ourselves stopped. I will forever be impressed with Mark's skill and stoic cool-headedness as I squealed all the way down the mountain!
Here is a picture of us setting on the side of an 8% grade while we cool our wheels. Notice how close we came to the end of the berm before running into the mountain? That was how long it took our brakes to get us stopped. I did not have the presence of mind to take a picture at the bottom of the mountain when our brakes quit working and we were forced to hit the grass in order to come to stop. I was too busy being glad we survived!
Long before we reached Moab, we had learned to dread the appearance of the following sign.
The gray road leaving Riudoso in the general direction of Albuquerque is beautiful; the views are spectacular. Unfortunatly, we were offered this view while going downhill on an 8% grade towing our pickup truck and hauling all our worldly belongings. Not a pretty sight!
By the second big downhill grade, we were forced to pull over and give our smoking brakes, transmission, and tires and chance to cool down. By the third and last set of grades and curves (on THIS road), our brakes gave out completely and we were fortunate enough to be able to pull into the grass in order to get ourselves stopped. I will forever be impressed with Mark's skill and stoic cool-headedness as I squealed all the way down the mountain!
Here is a picture of us setting on the side of an 8% grade while we cool our wheels. Notice how close we came to the end of the berm before running into the mountain? That was how long it took our brakes to get us stopped. I did not have the presence of mind to take a picture at the bottom of the mountain when our brakes quit working and we were forced to hit the grass in order to come to stop. I was too busy being glad we survived!
Long before we reached Moab, we had learned to dread the appearance of the following sign.
On to Riudoso...Charge!
After we made plans to visit Riudoso, we were really unable to quite decide WHY we wanted to go there. I had heard that the area around there was beautiful, so I know that was one of my reasons. And it's true...Riudoso is a beautiful town. Very quaint and scenic, it's a ski town as well as boasting a casino and horse racing. But we don't ski nor are we huge fans of horse racing, and we were being very careful about visiting casinos. We'd also read online that there was a cafe in Riudoso that made truly amazing pizzas, but again...was that a reason to detour? Well, frankly, yes...yes, it is!
That said, we did find this awesome set of sculptures entitled Free Spirits in Noisy Water. The exhibit consists of eight massive bronze horses. The sculptor's name is Dave McGary, and these beautiful sculptures, were well-worth the short detour to see them first-hand. (And of course, there was the pizza.)
Mark couldn't resist trying to pick up one of the smaller ponies, which ended up making the other horses angry and one trampled him! Let that be a lesson!! *g*
The pizza we'd heard so much about was at Cafe Rio, which is a small, eclectic little cafe on the town's main tourist route. It's one of those places where you can entertain yourself for quite a while just trying to take in all the things hanging on the walls and from the ceiling.
From the front window you can watch the dough being tossed by hand. It truly was one of the best pizzas we'd ever eaten. The man who tended bar and took our order was very friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks to him we now have two new beers to add to our list of favorites!
That said, we did find this awesome set of sculptures entitled Free Spirits in Noisy Water. The exhibit consists of eight massive bronze horses. The sculptor's name is Dave McGary, and these beautiful sculptures, were well-worth the short detour to see them first-hand. (And of course, there was the pizza.)
Mark couldn't resist trying to pick up one of the smaller ponies, which ended up making the other horses angry and one trampled him! Let that be a lesson!! *g*
The pizza we'd heard so much about was at Cafe Rio, which is a small, eclectic little cafe on the town's main tourist route. It's one of those places where you can entertain yourself for quite a while just trying to take in all the things hanging on the walls and from the ceiling.
From the front window you can watch the dough being tossed by hand. It truly was one of the best pizzas we'd ever eaten. The man who tended bar and took our order was very friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks to him we now have two new beers to add to our list of favorites!
Roswell is Out of This World!
Okay, the truth is Roswell is incredibly cheesy, but it's a good kind of cheesy.
The town seems pretty divided into camps of folks who love the whole alien theme (and of these there are the pro and anti aliens), and the folks who seem to be fed completely up with all the ET bruhaha and refuse to even discuss it. I was surprised to find that the town's sign proclaimed it to be the dairy capital of the world and made no mention at all of UFOs or aliens. (Note the sign to the left of the city sign...seems to be advocating that we should BEGIN speeding?!)
We spent a day walking up and down the main street in Roswell and visiting some of the stores and the UFO Museum. I think things are a lot more lively here during the time of the Alien Festivals...things really had the feel of being "off season" while we were there. I did, however, run into this one alien on the street, and we were able to exchange the universal sign for Peace! Other than that, we had very little success at communicating!
We also visited The Nut House Pecan Company, where they were nice enough to show us how pecans are shelled....we'd wondered how that happened. It was noisy with the all the machinery that cracked and strained the nuts. Then the shelled pecans were sent by conveyor belt to these ladies whose job it was to hand-pick all the small pieces of shells out of the pecans! The ladies there were so nice, but I sure wouldn't want to have their jobs. Next time you wonder why shelled pecans cost so much, just think about all the labor that goes into processing them.
The town seems pretty divided into camps of folks who love the whole alien theme (and of these there are the pro and anti aliens), and the folks who seem to be fed completely up with all the ET bruhaha and refuse to even discuss it. I was surprised to find that the town's sign proclaimed it to be the dairy capital of the world and made no mention at all of UFOs or aliens. (Note the sign to the left of the city sign...seems to be advocating that we should BEGIN speeding?!)
We spent a day walking up and down the main street in Roswell and visiting some of the stores and the UFO Museum. I think things are a lot more lively here during the time of the Alien Festivals...things really had the feel of being "off season" while we were there. I did, however, run into this one alien on the street, and we were able to exchange the universal sign for Peace! Other than that, we had very little success at communicating!
We also visited The Nut House Pecan Company, where they were nice enough to show us how pecans are shelled....we'd wondered how that happened. It was noisy with the all the machinery that cracked and strained the nuts. Then the shelled pecans were sent by conveyor belt to these ladies whose job it was to hand-pick all the small pieces of shells out of the pecans! The ladies there were so nice, but I sure wouldn't want to have their jobs. Next time you wonder why shelled pecans cost so much, just think about all the labor that goes into processing them.
And We're Off!
It's time to hit the road again. This time we'll be going from Carlsbad to our new workcamping job in Moab, Utah. This position is only a 3 month committment, but we have the option to extend it if we choose. Chances are we'll be ready to go again by the end of these 3 months. What can we say? It's just the way we are!
But first, we'll be taking an extended trip from Carlsbad to Moab. We have three weeks until we are expected in Moab, and we are going to visit Riudoso, New Mexico, Roswell, Albuquerque and several other places along the way.
Until I get the travel posts done, here are a couple of pictures of Mark, me and my good friend (and "seester"), Doreen, taken at the campground in Carlsbad a day or two before we left.
But first, we'll be taking an extended trip from Carlsbad to Moab. We have three weeks until we are expected in Moab, and we are going to visit Riudoso, New Mexico, Roswell, Albuquerque and several other places along the way.
Until I get the travel posts done, here are a couple of pictures of Mark, me and my good friend (and "seester"), Doreen, taken at the campground in Carlsbad a day or two before we left.
