Out West Adventure: Part 1--Tucson (Thu.-Sat..)

(Thursday) Breakfast was simply cereal today but we took our coffee out in the sun and spent a long time reading the Lansing State Journal on our tablets because the Hotspot was working well. While I finished up, Marv packed a lunch for us and then we drove across the valley to Sabino Canyon. We arrived just in time to buy tickets and get onto the Tram, which, since 1978, is the only kind of transportation that is allowed to go up the road into the canyon. It was a stunning day with an incredibly blue sky and the temperature was just perfect for hiking. The informative driver told us about the canyon as we rose up to the circle drive of Stop 9 at the end of the road. Marv and I got off there and began our hike. The start of the trail had 5 switchbacks in half a mile to get us higher up the canyon wall. At the highest point we stopped and ate our delicious avocado and turkey wraps and enjoyed the amazing view. From there the trail leveled out a bit and we hiked another half a mile. The trail was narrow and rock covered but was easy to follow. We saw a handful of other hikers, a few coming towards us, and were even passed by two separate people who were running the trail. OOPH!! Then the trail descended for .7 miles and we rejoined the road at Stop 7. Within the area we walked we could see three distinct biomes, evident even to untrained eyes like ours. We saw some birds and butterflies but otherwise little wildlife. We could have gotten a ride back down on the tram at any point but we opted to walk the whole way down, taking many stops to get photos of the spectacular scenery. The creek nearly always has water running above ground. During rainy periods it rushes down and the bridges are made to funnel extra water over the top without damage. During very dry periods water is sometimes not seen above ground but it is always running beneath the surface. It was really the perfect way to spend this perfect day. On the way home we stopped to get some hardware and at a McDonald’s to update the blog. Spanish Rice tasted great for dinner and we slowly recovered from our 4.6 mile hike in Sabino Canyon.

Marv way up there on the rocks with a great view

Marv on a different, not so high perch

Tram Ride

The trail we hiked

Sabino Canyon

Sabino Creek

(Friday) This was supposed to be our day to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Before we left Marv had contacted them to find out how we could help out and was told to call when we got to town and they’d tell us where we were needed. When we did so, we were told they had all the volunteers they needed and couldn’t use our help. L That left an open day in Tucson so we decided to go right after breakfast to The Desert Museum, just a few miles north of us. We have visited it every time we’ve come to Tucson, but it is always enjoyable to see. It was a sunny, breezy, cool (high 60s) day and the crowds were not what we have sometimes encountered. We were just in time for the Raptor Show, which we enjoyed even though the Ferruginous Falcon didn’t cooperate and perform as hoped. Afterwards we wandered up to a presentation on desert animals one can see in one’s own Arizona backyard. It was amazing to see a hooded skunk, ringtail, porcupine, parrot, quail and others calmly walk the winding “runway” at the front of the auditorium. It was more enjoyable than expected. From there we were enthralled by the hummingbird enclosure where we saw three sitting on nests along with many others whirring around in the trees. Walking the desert path we saw a coatimundi, a coyote, and 5 or 6 javelinas and were introduced to the Dr. Seuss-like Ho Ho Boojum. We also explored the cave and geologic history area and pretty much every display they have, more than we remember seeing on other trips. It’s all so well done and you really feel like you are just out walking in the Sonoran Desert. Fences and netting are subtle and nearly invisible. At the end we walked through their brand new aquarium (opened Jan. 8) which focuses on the marine life of the Sea of Cortez, which is surprisingly included in the area of the Sonoran Desert. We were pretty tired and ate a 2:00 lunch back at the camper, where we relaxed and did some reading for a while, until it got too cool even sitting in the sun. At 5:00 we went for an evening/sunset hike from the campground to part of the Brown Mountain Trail to the Coyote Trail and back. It took an hour and a half and the sun was down by the time we returned but we had been treated to many lovely angles of the sunset for Marv to get cactus silhouette shots. We finished up the grilled salmon with avocado salad and a rice mixture for dinner and then watched a DVD of “Joyous Noise” before going to bed.

Sunset Sky

Horned Owl

Red Tail Hawk

Hooded Skunk

Ho Ho Boojum

Coyote

Saguaros at sunset

Sunset on Brown Mountain Trail

(Saturday) The forecasted rain came through in the early morning and the temperature dropped so we woke to see snow on the mountains around us. We made oatmeal and then did all the dishes that had accumulated. We won’t be making many dishes for the rest of our time here. It was still only about 47° when we left the campground and drove to San Xavier Mission. The next tour was in 20 minutes so we looked around on our own before a really knowledgeable volunteer docent led us on a 45 minute trip beginning in the 1500s through the history of the Jesuit and then Franciscan missionaries from Spain to what was first New Spain, then Mexico, then the USA, and nearly always exploiting the native people. The mission church was built in the late 1700s and was severely damaged by the earthquake in 1883, which left its impact all over the area. Although abandoned for 33 years when the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico, it is again an active parish and they are slowly renovating the building and returning it to its Baroque glory as the White Dove of the Desert. The tour ended after 1:00 so we bought Indian Fry Bread with beans, meat and cheese at a stand in the church yard which made a hearty lunch. Calling Ken to talk about their cruise this week made the drive shorter back to town as we made our way to the University of Arizona campus. We drove around a little bit then parked by the Science Museum. We opted against exploring it though and instead walked a few blocks down and around The Old Main, an original 1891 campus building that is closed for renovation, then to the Arizona State Museum, housed in the old Library building. The Museum has a wonderful display called The Trail of Life, which teaches about the 11 aboriginal tribes of the Sonoran Desert region. It compares creation stories, village life long ago and today, language bases, religious ceremonies, masks, pottery, baskets, and more. It is a very comprehensive exhibit and actually proved to be a little overwhelming after a while. When we felt like we had absorbed all we could, we quickly looked through their extensive and world-renowned basket and pottery collections before returning to the truck. We made a quick stop for berries, wine, and whipped cream and then drove on to Judy Sawyer’s house. Don left this morning for a meeting in Phoenix but we had a nice visit and a great dinner of roasted broccoli, pork loin, and salad (with our berries for dessert). It was so good to see Judy again and it was around 9:00 before we made our way back over the mountains to the chilly camper. Along the way we found out that MSU had beaten Purdue in Lafayette in basketball, putting themselves alone in first place in the Big Ten, a half game ahead! The temperature dipped into the thirties as we worked on pictures, writing, and doing some clean-up to be ready to leave Tucson Sunday morning. 

San Xavier Mission after the earthquake in the 1880s

Chancel of church

Old Main Building

Arizona State Museum

San Xavier Mission

Out West Adventure: Part 1--Tucson (Mon.-Wed.)

Feb. 4-9: (Monday) We managed to get up, eat breakfast, close-up the camper, drive to Tucson with two short stops along the way, get a campsite at Gilbert Ray Campground in Tucson Mountain Park, and set-up, all before 11:30! We loved Gilbert Ray last time we were in Tucson and hoped we could get a campsite, since they don’t accept reservations. We again got a site on the outside of the farthest loop (A) so there is no one across from us and behind us is only Sonoran desert filled with Saguaro cactuses. After some reading and relaxing in the sun at our campsite and a two mile bike ride around the campground, we ate wraps in the camper and headed a few miles north to the Saguaro National Park— Tucson Mountain District (West). We went to the Visitors Center first to stamp our National Park passport and to watch their video about the history and resources in the park. It ends with a spectacular opening of the curtains behind the screen showing the splendor of the desert through giant windows. It’s very impressive! From there we took the 5 mile, unpaved Bajada Loop Drive, stopping to take the .8 mile Valley View Overlook trail and the .5 mile Signal Hill Trail, which allowed us to view the ancient petroglyphs on the rocks atop the hill. We had done the same trails on our last visit, but they were still enjoyable. We took a different drive back to the campground and spent the evening at the trailer, using up the grilled chicken with instant mashed potatoes for dinner. Marv set-up the TV but it only gets CBS and METV. For being so close to Tucson, we have pretty poor TV, phone, and 3G reception. Apparently the key is that we are west of the Tucson Mountains. At least we could watch the news and get weather, to find out that the rest of the week will be in the seventies and sunny with a cold front coming Saturday to cool things off by nearly twenty degrees.

Tucson Mountain Park

Petroglyphs

Campsite with desert behind

Saguaros

(Tuesday) Marv made great scrambled eggs full of vegetables for breakfast. Then he made turkey wraps while I made spaghetti sauce in the little Crockpot to leave for the day. Today was our day to explore Saguaro National Park—Rincon Mountain District (East), which we had never made it over to before.  It took about 45 minutes to drive there. Our first stop was again the Visitors Center, where we got the passport stamp for their District and watched a slide show that covered more of the history of that side of the park. Then we took the 8 mile, paved Cactus Forest Loop Drive, stopping many times to read interpretive displays and enjoy vistas and overlooks. Towards the end, we stopped at the Loma Verde overlook to enjoy our lunch, perched on rocks at the edge looking down at the expanse of dry wash that is sometimes a raging torrent. We got back to the Visitors Center just in time for a hike with a volunteer naturalist named John. He seems to really enjoy his retirement “job” of volunteering part-time here and part-time at the Desert Museum near our campground. As near as we could tell he is in his mid-eighties and still going strong. He loves to talk and shared numerous stories and lots of information as we slowly made our way on the two mile Freeman Homestead Trail.  Only one other person was on the hike; a woman named Ann who works for a U of M research group but in Buffalo, New York, where she lives. It was a very leisurely hike but the day was sunny and in the low seventies so we thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw the foundation and the well for the Freeman Homestead and learned more about the many varieties of cactus. We saw Cactus Wrens, Gila Woodpeckers, Gilded Flickers, and a soaring Red Tail Hawk. John told us many signs of the drought they are experiencing including how thin the paddles of the Prickly Pear are and the scarcity of birds and other animals. It was after 4:00 when we finished so Marv and I drove back towards the campground with a long stop at a McDonald’s to use the WiFi, a car wash so Marv could wash the truck, and to fill-up with gas at $2.99. The spaghetti sauce was ready when we got back so we cooked whole wheat spaghetti and I made an avocado salad for a really great dinner. Writing, reading, and a West Wing DVD filled the rest of the evening.

Lunch with a view

Gila Woodpecker (or Gilded Sapsucker?)

Mother Nature's Cactus Garden in a protected niche

(Wednesday) After pancakes for breakfast, we drove about half an hour away to meet Barb and Joe across from a Trader Joe’s. The four of us rode our bikes nearly 18 miles on the Rillito River Park Loop Trail, along the wide but dry bed of the river. There were many hummingbirds along the way, nearly every hundred yards or so, each clearly commanding their own territories. There were also lots of little ground squirrels or pack rats or something in burrows dug in the soft sand beside the wide, paved trail. It was an easy 8 miles out but when we returned out we realized there was a steady breeze that was now a head wind which made our return trip a bit harder. About a mile from the end we stopped at a deli to order sandwiches which we ate sitting at a table outside in a large, quiet patio area. It was a great way to recover from the ride. From there we returned to our respective vehicles and parted ways. Marv and I stopped at the Trader Joe’s to get a few things then went to the Community Center where we could get showers (the campground doesn’t have showers). Back at the campsite we relaxed a little bit in the late afternoon sun while listening to the MSU/ Minnesota basketball game. At halftime I made salads while Marv grilled salmon to put on them. As the sunset it cooled off quickly, so we ate in the camper while listening to the second half. We missed about the last minute or so of the 11 point win for MSU because we rode our bikes back to the gatehouse to attend a “Stargazing Party” led by two volunteers and someone very knowledgeable who came from town but didn’t introduce himself or explain his expertise. They had two telescopes through which they showed us Jupiter, several nebulas, and lots of stars. They also encouraged us to look with our binoculars. It was really interesting and enjoyable. We finished the evening with reading, doing the dishes, and watching the news.

Biking with Barb and Joe 

Rillito River Park Loop Trail

Listening to MSU/Minnesota on Spartan Radio as the sun sets

Out West Adventure: Part 1--Patagonia Lake (Sat. and Sun.)

(Saturday) Today was cleaning day, so after oatmeal for breakfast we vacuumed the camper and the front mats of the truck, wiped down the bathroom, did dishes, and I washed my hair. Marv also greased the right wheel of the camper that has seemed to leak a bit of grease. We relaxed for a few minutes and read before Barb and Joe Wohlfert came down from their winter home in Green Valley to spend the day. Their GPS had taken them the same crazy route ours tried to take so they were a bit frazzled and worried about being late. But we were just in time for the 11:30 History Tour of the lake by pontoon boat for which we had reserved 4 of the 9 seats available. It was a low key, pleasant trip around the west end of the lake that got us into some of the canyons and inlets we hadn’t been able to see or explore. We didn’t see much wildlife but we did learn that a group of ranchers in the area had conceived of the idea of damming the creek, making a reservoir, and selling lakefront lots as a way to make money in 1968. It took until 1971 for the lake to fill and then they couldn’t make enough money to support the venture so they gave the lake and some land to the State. Back on land, showed them the camper and chatted for a bit before deciding to go into Patagonia (the village) to look around. First we had a great lunch at the Velvet Elvis (named for the “art form”, not for the King). The four of us split a great Specialty pizza with spinach, tomatoes, fresh basil, and feta on a whole wheat crust. And each couple shared one of their wonderful salads. Everything is homemade, organic, and delicious so we were very happy with our choice. We wandered the small town, stopping in the many little art galleries and shops along the main street, across from the historic railroad depot in the center of town. One shop was having a “Love-a-thon” sale day and they had a great spread of hummus, pita chips, olives, wine, desserts, and chocolates, but we were too stuffed from lunch to have much interest. When we had exhausted the block of shops we drove to Patous’ Bird Sanctuary, at the edge of town. The Patous were known worldwide for the wonderful birds (particularly hummingbirds) that were drawn to their modest backyard sanctuary and their many feeders. The couple has since died, but the Audubon Society is keeping the place up and continuing to feed the birds. There is a small shade awning set-up with chairs underneath it and people come from all over to sit and watch the birds. We saw many lesser goldfinches and a slew of Gamble’s Quails as well as a beautiful Pyrrhuloxia (a relative of the Northern Cardinal). I spoke with a knowledgeable young man there who was very excited about the Northern Cardinals there and he was surprised to know that they are so common back in Michigan.  There were no hummingbirds today and they don’t stock the feeders in the winter because the only hummers present now are Anna’s hummingbirds. After a while we drove to a nearby Conservancy but felt we didn’t have time or the inclination to do it justice for the $5.00 per person entry fee, so we returned to the Coffee Shop in Patagonia to people watch and talk for a bit more. Finally we returned to the campground to chat some more until around 5:00, when the Wohlferts headed back to Green Valley. We took the kayak out for one last paddle at sunset and got some nice pictures. It was cooling off and growing dark as we got back. So Marv made a batch of cornbread and we heated up the rest of the chili for dinner and had another quiet evening in our cozy camper.

Marv, Peggy, Barb and Joe at the Velvet Elvis

"Downtown" Patagonia

Sunset kayaking on Patagonia Lake

Black-Crowned Night Heron

(Super Bowl Sunday) Since we had a reservation at an RV Park near Green Valley we didn’t have to hurry much to leave Patagonia Lake in the morning. This was good since we needed to deflate and put away the kayak. But after a quick breakfast of yogurt and bread with p.b. we got everything packed and were on the road by about 10:00. It was only about an hour down to Nogales and then north on I19 to our exit. We set up in the RV park and made turkey wraps for lunch. Then we made sure everything was in the truck that we would need and we drove to nearby Madera Canyon. It is a National Forest site in the Santa Rita Mountains, nearly directly west of where we were on Patagonia Lake. On a nearby peak is the Wipple Observatory, which is accessed from this side but we could see clearly from the State Park. Starting from 2900ft. we drove steeply up into the canyon as our mileage dropped to 9mpg. Our first stop was at the lodge where John and Mary Ann had told us there were many bird feeders with interesting visitors. While we were there we saw many Wild Turkeys, Mexican Jays, and a rare Acorn Woodpecker. We also saw two fat and furry coatimundi who enjoy the easy pickings under the feeders. The temperature had dropped from the high sixties to 60° and there was a bit of drizzle in the air. There were also small snow packs along the edge of the roof that were melting in rivulets over the porch. The narrower and narrower road ended with picnic areas and trailheads at 5400ft. We opted to take part of the Old Baldy Trail, which climbed steeply up the hillside and afforded wonderful views down the canyon to Green Valley and up to the mountains surrounding us. Twenty-five minutes of strenuous climbing seemed adequate for us and so we made our way back down to the truck to drive back the road we had driven. Partway down we explored the small Bogg Spring campground. We had thought we would camp there for a night or two but had been discouraged from trying it by the Ranger at Kartchner Caverns, who thought it would be too cold. We were sorry to see that it would have been fine with their nice sites, level pads, and water at each site. The campground was about half full and it would have cost us only $5 with Marv’s Golden Eagle Pass. Oh well, next time we’ll know! Coming down from the Canyon we went miles before we had to accelerate and got the maximum 99.9mpg. It was good enough to bring our daily mileage from Patagonia to over 19mpg. We mailed a letter in Green Valley and did some shopping at Frye’s (which is an affiliate of Kroger’s) and then went to Barb and Joe’s home for a delicious deep dish pizza and salad, and to watch the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in a close Super Bowl Game. While we were there we did two loads of laundry. What great hosts! We drove back to the RV Park before 10:00 and Marv showered while I wrote this blog. Tomorrow it’s on to Tucson! 

Acorn Woodpecker

Santa Rita Mountains

Coatimundi

Looking down through the Canyon to Green Valley

Out West Adventure: Part 1--Patagonia Lake (Thu.-Fri.)

(Thursday) Before breakfast, we walked our coffee up to the gatehouse to register. Imagine our relief when the ranger said we could stay right where we were the whole time. Phew! Returning to the camper we made scrambled egg roll-ups and ate them with an orange for a hearty breakfast. While I browned hamburger and made chili to leave in the little Crockpot all day, Marv straightened up the back of the truck and gathered all the recycling stuff we had been saving the entire trip and deposited it in the bins at the park. When we were both finished we walked over to the Visitors Center where a helpful Volunteer answered all our questions and gave us plenty of information about the park. We signed up for an 11:30 pontoon boat ride on the lake Saturday when Barb and Joe Wohlfert will be with us. We also got two of the (only) thirty free passes given for the day to hike in the Sonoito Creek State Natural Area, just outside the park gate. Before walking back we took their guided plant walk around the Center to reacquaint ourselves with the Arizona desert plants. Then we put together our bikes and rode all around the campground loops and down to the picnic and beach area, a little over a mile. We could see that there are some sites we might have preferred, particularly if the campground fills over the weekend, but it’s still nice not to have to move. Back again at the camper, we made turkey wraps and veggies, packed them with a Diet Root Beer in a backpack, and drove to the Natural Area to hike. First we climbed 300ft. up Lookout Hill where we could see all around and over the entire reservoir that is Patagonia Lake. The hillside was covered with mesquite, fish hook barrel cactus, rainbow cactus, sotol, century plant, and, mostly, ocotillo. There were high clouds and it was breezy up there, and the temperature had risen from 34° overnight to the upper fifties. We were surrounded by many similar hills and several were topped by low, attractive homes, mostly in the Sante Fe style, and all with breathtaking views. We sat on a bench at the top and ate our lunch before returning to the parking lot. Then we hiked the other direction and down about 300ft. to the spillway (dry this time of year and especially because the lake is down about 2 feet from normal because of drought) and across the dam. It was interesting to stand on top of the earthen dam and look to the left at Sonoito Creek as it continues its journey about 100 feet lower than the lake level on the right. There are still vestiges of the old New Mexico and Arizona railroad that ran up the creek side and the remainder of the railroad now lies at the bottom of the Lake.  There were only two boats that we could see on the lake and it was really peaceful and pretty out there. We could see cows grazing up the steep hill in front of us, which made me wonder who owns the cattle that are everywhere and how often they are rounded up. It must be quite a feat to find them in all the canyons and ravines in this wild, rolling landscape. On our way back to the truck we saw two white tail deer and tracks of what we are guessing were from the elusive but present mountain lion. We got a good picture which we will show to a ranger to see if that is indeed what it is. Altogether we hiked 3.3 miles but because of all the climbing it seemed longer. It was around 3:00 by then so we drove the 12 miles to Nogales to a McDonalds where we could use their WiFi to update the blog and do some needed communicating. There is hardly any phone or 3G signal at the campground. At a nearby Walgreens we printed some of our pictures to use as Post Cards and set out to find the Nogales Post Office to buy stamps and mail the cards. Our trip took us right down to the border crossing, where we saw for the first time the famous “Wall” that Arizona has constructed to cut down on illegal entries. I was surprised to see that, at least where we were, the wall is more of a high fence that one can see through to the Mexican side. When we found the Post Office we were disappointed to find that they had no lobby area where we could buy stamps after hours. We started to have the GPS take us to a Post Office a few miles away then decided to just return to the campground and get stamps tomorrow. That threw the GPS for a loop and it took us deeper and deeper into neighborhoods until we were on dirt roads in the dark that ended nowhere. We had to retrace our steps and finally found our way back to 82, which would take us back to the campground. The whole thing took about an hour but the good thing was that we had a strong signal for my phone so we listened to the second half of the MSU/Illinois Basketball game. As we turned off 82 we pulled over to the side so we could hear the final 30 seconds of what turned out to be a win for MSU. The chili was hot and ready for us and tasted really great since it was well after seven by then. We both slept very well that night!

View from Lookout Hill

Great Blue Heron

Wednesday evening sunset

Climbing Lookout Hill

Atop Lookout Hill

Rainbow Cactus

 (Friday) The temperature got down to about 40° but with clear skies and a bright sun it warmed through the day to the mid-seventies. This is what we drove all the way to Arizona for! A quick bowl of cereal and a bit of coffee, sprucing up the camper and doing the dishes, all had us ready to bike over to the Bird Trail along Sonoito Creek for the 9:00 guided hike. Friends from Edgewood Church at home, Mary Ann and John Baumgartner, came down from Tubec, where they are staying for a week, to join us on the hike. John is past president of the Michigan Audubon Society and really knows his stuff, as does Mary Ann. It was a large group of 22 people from as far away as Maine and Alaska. Many were there in hopes of seeing the rare Elegant Trogon, which nests in the area and is often viewed. The weather warmed and we walked, stopping often to look for whatever birds we could see. Many of the people were quite skilled and knowledgeable so, although John, the guide, couldn’t get to everyone, it was easy to find an expert to point birds out to novices like Marv and me. Although we never did see the Elegant Trogon, we eventually identified about 35 different birds for our list, including a Screech Owl and several Ladder-Backed Woodpeckers. There was also a small hear of mule deer which we saw on our way out and on our way from the hike. With the Baumgartners, we went about half a mile further after the group turned back. We got back to the camper about 1:00 where they ate their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Marv and I enjoyed turkey wraps sitting at our picnic table, chatting and filling out our check list for birds sighted, with John’s help. Then the four of us went to Visitors Center, down to the lake, and up over the high arched bridge that leads to a picnic area further down the lake. The Baumgartners left about 4:00 to go to a Nature Conservancy where a volunteer had told us one can see many hummingbirds near Patagonia on their way home. We opted not to accompany them, instead wanting to take our inflatable kayak out on the lake since it was still sunny, seventies, and not windy at all. It was lovely to paddle around our end of the lake amongst the coots and grebes. On the far shore we got very close to a Great Blue Heron and a patch of trees where a half dozen Black Crowned Night Herons were roosting.  We also saw a tree full of cormorants and a mule deer calmly munching the fruit from the top of a fishhook barrel cactus. As we came back up the lake it was getting cooler and the sun was low so we returned to the camper to relax a little bit before grilling chicken thighs to go with the rest of the Red Beans and Rice from the other night. We were really dragging after our full day of exercise so we spent a quiet evening and went to bed early.

Sonoito Creek

Ladder-back Woodpecker

Screech Owl

Picnicking by the camper

Kayaking on Patagonia Lake

Out West Adventure: Part 1--Crossing Texas, New Mexico and Arizona

January 28-30: (Monday) I had to get up to visit the bathroom at 7:00 this morning so Marv got up too and started the coffee. Therefore, we had an even earlier start than anticipated. By 8:30 we had eaten yogurt and bread with peanut butter and closed up the camper, needing only to dump the gray water before we hit the road. Going up I37 to San Antonio we got over 18mpg! San Antonio is at 700ft. altitude. Taking I10 west from there our mileage dropped to just over 15 as we rose to 3000ft. There is a whole lot of nothin’ west of San Antonio but there was little traffic and we listened to 2 disks of Jill Connor Browne’s Sweet Potato Queen’s American Thighs, and one disk of David McCullough’s 1776, both read by the authors. We also heard almost all of Earl Robinson’s last “Sports Talk” streamed live from WKAR on my phone, all the while wondering why he was taking his sudden retirement. Time passed fairly easily. We made very few stops only pausing to eat, to stretch our legs, and to fill the tank before we hit the stretch where we knew from last time there would be few gas stations. We saw gas for as much as $3.49 so were happy to pay $3.09 and $3.19 instead. Along the way we saw the miles and miles of wind turbines we remembered from that last trip. Sometimes they co-exist with active oil wells, which is an interesting mix.  Marv was very happy to make it all the way to Balmorhea, where we got snowed on in 2010. Today it was as warm as the low eighties as we drove along and was still in the sixties when we got to Balmorhea. There were only a handful of other campers there and the office was closed since it was after 6:00. After setting up without unhitching (we know we’ll only be here one night), we walked over to the Cienaga (Spanish for pond) and then to the spring-fed pool but it had closed at sundown so we couldn’t get in to it to feel the warm water. We’ll probably stop tomorrow on our way out. We had a late dinner of salad and the leftover Dirty Rice then journaled and watched our first “Northern Exposure” of the trip on the computer before going to bed.

Mesas in Texas

I10 in Western Texas

Wind Turbines

The Eastern sky at sunset at Balmorhea

(Tuesday) It got down to about 47° overnight with occasional strong gusts of wind but they weren’t consistent. Once the sun rose, the wind began to really howl. Marv made oatmeal while I took at quick shower. (And I do mean quick. The showers at Balmorhea are very draughty and they have one big button to push for 8 seconds of warm water. This makes it extremely difficult to wash thick, curly hair.) No sooner were we on the road than we started getting some light drizzle, which soon mixed with snow, and then turned into whiteout snow squalls. We were headed directly into 50mph gusts, the temperature dropped below freezing, and we were climbing eventually to 4700ft. so our mileage was a miserable 10.2 mpg for a while. Luckily there was very little traffic so we just kept plugging along. By El Paso the snow had stopped and the temperature was in the upper thirties but the wind continued to howl and visibility was nearly as low as in the snow, but this time it was a yellowish fog of sand and dirt obscuring everything. There were tumbleweeds blowing furiously across the road all along and we narrowly avoided one nearly 4 feet across. We got off for gas and lunch and happened to be right at a Sam’s Club so we got gas for $2.92, a few groceries, and a piece of pizza before getting back on the road. We had thought we’d go back to City of Rocks in New Mexico before stopping for the night. But conditions there looked even worse with the temperature at 30° and dropping to 22° overnight. Instead we opted for getting out of the wind and low mileage at Las Cruces, NM for a night in an RV park. We set-up quickly and didn’t even hook-up the water. We had put water in the tank, thinking we would be camping without electricity or water at City of Rocks. We wiled away the rest of the afternoon with email and some internet searching, enjoyed BLT wraps for supper, and headed to a local cinema to watch Lincoln. On the way back we bought a pint of ice cream to eat back at the camper after we took a walk around the large Sunset RV Park in the beautiful moonlight and fierce wind.

Whiteout conditions in the snow east of El Paso

Snow on the desert near El Paso

"Yellow out" conditions in the blowing sand and dirt west of El Paso

Sunset over the Black Mountains at Balmorhea
(This should be up with the other Balmorhea pictures but it won't let me move it!)

(Wednesday) As forecast, the winds died overnight and the temperature dropped into the twenties. But we stayed cozy with a wool blanket, an electric blanket, and a quilt bedspread. The movie the night before had gotten out too late for us to do some needed grocery shopping so we decided to take the time to get the oil changed in the truck and get groceries before leaving Las Cruces. We hadn’t made good use of our time there the day before and, as it turned out, we did no better today. We dropped off the truck for the Express Oil Change that was supposed to take fifteen minutes when they finished with the one car in front of us. So we walked down the road a couple of blocks to Dick’s to get some breakfast while they worked on the truck, thinking they’d call while we ate to say the truck was ready. Alas, no call. We walked back and waited about 10 minutes in the waiting room before Marv went up to see what the problem was. They said they were just finishing up. When we finally got the truck it had taken them an hour and ten minutes and cost over $40.00! Sheesh!! Oh well, it was taken care of. We went to a local grocery store to get a few items and returned to the camper, where we had a date to Skype with Analyn, who had requested talking with Boppa. After talking, making a picnic lunch, packing up the camper, and stopping for gas (at $2.99) we were finally on the road at 11:15, a good hour later than we had hoped. But today’s driving was as good as yesterday had been bad. Immediately west of Las Cruces we came upon several 15 mile long “zones” cautioning drivers of gusting winds and dust storms, with instructions to pull over and turn off the lights if caught in one. We could only imagine what we would have found had we not decided to stay the night in Las Cruces. The skies were crystal clear, there wasn’t significant wind, the temperatures climbed to and stayed mostly in the high 40s and the air was dry, dry, dry! We made good time across New Mexico and stopped at the first Rest Area in Arizona to eat our BLT wraps and stretch our legs before continuing on through the pass at 5000ft. where there are huge rocks scattered everywhere and then dropped about 1500ft to get off I10 and go south, eventually arriving at Patagonia Lake State Park, only about 10 miles from the Mexican border, just north of Nogales. Our mileage, which had ended up yesterday at 12.4, improved today to end at 15.4mpg. Patagonia Lake is a dammed creek forming a reservoir which attracts many birds and has even more this year because of the cold temperatures which are driving the birds even farther south than usual. Because the ranger had just shut down her computer we were told to take a spot and hope that it wasn’t reserved for the weekend. Moving would be a pain but this appears to be a beautiful park that we’re eager to explore over the next few days.

(Top 2) Rocks along I10 in eastern Arizona

(Bottom 2) Sunset at Patagonia Lake State Park