Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Oct 1 thru Oct 17, 2010
We wound up staying at the casino for the remainder of our time in the Albuquerque area. The next day we rode the bike into town and saw most of Old Town Albuquerque (I need to establish an abreviation for Albuquerque!). Many shops with their arts & artisans, some old buildings, an old church; many tourists milling about...we stopped for lunch at a nearby Wendy's then rode over to the Balloon Fiesta Visitor Center. We bought tickets for Saturday morning & Thursday evening (includes shuttle bus ride) and after telling the clerk that Thursday is Sue's birthday, he only charged us for 1 set of tickets! From there it was over to the Walmart near our casino for groceries and cheap imitation Albuq. balloon t-shirts, then back home for the night.
After a 3 o'clock false-alarm-clock snafu we got up at 5:30 a.m. then boarded the shuttle bus over to the Balloon Fiesta. Saw an amazing mass ascension including: Darth Vader, cactus, clown, (3) bumblebees, Smoky the Bear, the Wells Fargo stagecoach, duck, rooster, goofy face, heart, kitty cat (may have been "Felix"), many others. Came back home after buying a cheap ballcap, then went over to the casino for dinner. Had a terrific prime rib dinner then went back home; expect storms tomorrow, gusty winds tonight...
Since we don't take much stock in the crazy weather forcasts in this part of the U.S, the next day we left home on the Honda bound for Tinkertown, a little east of Albuq. After a lunch stop at KFC we set out on the shortest route around the mountain. Alas, the short-cut road became a dirt road, so we turned around & took the long way: NM 165 to Tramway Blvd (yes they have a long cable tramway up to the top of the mountain that overlooks Albuq.) to I-40 east to hwy 14 north to NM 536. Tinkertown is a hobby/collection of old nostalgia--turned into a museum of sorts. Well worth the effort to get there; some of the old toys & artifacts really take you back to childhood and they have amazing miniature displays of circusses. We left there & decided (i'll never know why) to stay on 536 to the (dirt) 165--bad idea! Very bad, nasty, potholed, rough winding road that I would hesitate to drive a Jeep on..10 white-knuckled miles later we survived to get back home & watch t.v, as it began to rain. A little later we walked to the casino for play cards, which should get us discounts at the buffet.
Monday we went over to the casino to have a discount lunch buffet with neighboring r.v couple Fred & Delores from Wisconsin. After a long chat-filled lunch Sue & I broke away and spent 2 and 1/2 hours plus $25 in the casino playing video slots. Later we went to a nearby McDonalds for drinks & wifi, before retiring for the evening. Tuesday we went on the Honda exploring toward the Fiesta grounds; observed some balloons landing off-site in fields near the road. Looked for & found a motorhome for sale--too old. Continued into Old Town Albuq. & went over to the New Mexico Museum of Natural Science. Toured the facility then watched movies in the Planetarium--one on telescopes and one on stars in the universe--very cool giant panoramic screen & videos! Came home & later I rode the bicycle over to McD's for wifi, then home for the night.
On Wednesday we didn't do much other than scratching our heads wondering why the batteries weren't charging. Thinking it might be the alternator, I tried to remove it to have it tested but as fate would have it, you have to take the radiator out to get the long bolt of the alternator out. So, I put it all back together and tried some other ideas, leaning toward the many connections that come with having 4 batteries...The next day, Sue's birthday, we went over to the casino to play around a while. Wasn't much winning going on, so Sue moved over to the Texas Tea game, playing and winning steadily for over 3 hours! When time became a concern we left the casino, went home for lunch then got on the bus to the Balloon Fiesta. Saw the chainsaw log-carving event, walked around some exhibits then sat on the chairs we had brought along, eating corndogs while waiting for the "Glow-deo" to start. During this down time we got to meet "Mar" from RV Basics group, who is travelling south for the winter; it's nice to put a face to the person behind the keyboard. Thanks, Mar, for a nice visit! Much to our dismay the event was cancelled due to high winds, but we stayed anyway for the fireworks show due in an hour or so..the fireworks were surprisingly great and afterwards we bussed home, where we enjoyed Sue's birthday cake. Note* since the Glow-deo was cancelled, our tickets would get us into the Fiesta any other day!
Sue's pills ran out the next day, and since the online meds haven't arrived yet, we had to call her doctor in Houston for a refill. We then went to McD's for wifi, then next door to Wally World to pick up the pills. Later we walked to the casino where Sue once again mastered the same Texas Tea machine & I didn't master any machines...later on we got on the shuttle to the Balloon Fiesta, using yesterday's tickets. Got our pictures taken at the interesting Texas on Tour display, used video-enhanced glasses to drive a kayak on a Texas river and after many killer glowing balloons, fireworks and a good funnel cake we took the bus back home. Saturday morning was colder--in the 40's--but warmed nicely to the 70's. After a trip to Mcd's for breakfast & wifi we went back to Sue's casino (she seems to "own" it now). Once again she played the same machine for a long time before finally crapping out; we then had a late lunch/early dinner buffet before going home for the night.
Sunday morning it was cold, in the 40's again. We unhooked the trailer & drove the motorhome to Conoco, where we dumped the tanks & filled the fresh water. I discovered the alternator IS working, just a bad connection somewhere as I had been suspecting. Later we rode the Honda to McD's for wifi (thank you McDonalds) then over to Skip & Marlene's (my brother Keith & his wife Penny's relatives) house to touch base with them, as we don't have their phone number. Alas they weren't home, so I wrote a note & left it at their door...from there we went home for the night. Monday it was cold again. Another day, another problem with the batteries; i'll get to the bottom of this some day...we went to the Post Office for info, but of course they were closed because of Columbus Day. Later we went to the casino again to kill some time & eat lunch at the buffet (it's a wonder we're not 300 lbs apiece). Skip called us in the afternoon to say the package is at the Post Office but it is too late today, so we stayed home for the evening.
Tuesday we packed up our travelling circus & drove thru town to the Post Office. Since the order came in 2 packages, we only got 40% of what we ordered on this shipment; the rest would come sometime later. With time starting to become a factor to our future plans, we decided to leave Albuq. without the other 60% of the meds. Headed east on the I-40 to Tucumcari, NM where we ran out of fuel. My estute calculations did us no good, as the faulty engineering of the fuel tank and filler tube let us down. Had $300 of mechanic work done basically for nothing (but a lesson learned) plus $135 for a wrecker tow. Stayed the night outside the shop, and had dinner across the street at the Pow Wow restaurant on Route 66. On Wednesday after the work was completed on the motorhome we decided to get the right front tire replaced, as it was bubbled & shaking. From there we continued east on the I-40 into Amarillo, Texas, where we stayed the night in a Home Depot parking lot.
The next morning we went on Loop 335 to hwy 1541 south to hwy 207, then on Park Rd 5 into Palo Duro State Park. We drove thru to see the canyon, stopping a couple of times to get out & look. Didn't see the formations we had hoped for--turns out you have to hike several miles through the canyon to see the "good stuff". Went back to Amarillo & stopped at the Big Texan Steakhouse (because you have to). Cool buildings and decor, but not good food. Got back onto the interstate to US 287 south toward Wichita Falls. Arrived at the Walmart off US 281 south of town and were later picked up my cousins Maggie and Linda. We met Maggie's husband Greg and cousin Vincent at a local steakhouse. We had a good dinner and visited a long time (not long enough) trying to fill in the gaps of 30-some-odd years of no contact...afterwards we were brought back to our r.v, where we said our goodbyes.
Friday we left Wichita Falls heading south on US 281. Arrived in Stephenville, Tx. and contacted Aunt Teeny & Uncle Danny, who picked us up after we found parking refuge at a closed-down Piggly Wiggly. Later we all went for a drive thru town and stopped for ice cream & wifi at Mc Donald's. That evening we watched the Texas Rangers play versus the N.Y. Yankees, then my uncle took us back to the r.v. for the night (they offered for us to stay at their house, but we declined). The next morning we left Stephenville on the US 377 north toward Fort Worth, then I-20 east to Dallas. Got on the familiar I-45 to find the Texas State Fair. Found the grounds and after some circling around found an old church to park at (for $20, the others wanted $45). Entered the fair and saw a dog stunt show, new car exhibits, butterfly garden, Big Tex & rode the Skyway cable car from one end to the other. Also attended a cookbook writer's demo (she gave us samples, which we carried home) and (had to!) eat some fried butter, which was pretty good. Satisfied, we left the park & drove to the Flying J, I-45 at I-20, to park for the night.
ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 17TH, THE LAST DAY OF OUR TRIP we left Dallas heading south on I-45 toward Houston. Stopped in Madisonville at McD's, but no wifi there. After fueling up (for the last time?) we drove down to the rest area near Huntsville, but no good connection (par for the course). Continued into Houston and found parking readily availible in a vacant lot behind Discount Tire, behind Almeda Mall. NOT A WALMART...
After a 3 o'clock false-alarm-clock snafu we got up at 5:30 a.m. then boarded the shuttle bus over to the Balloon Fiesta. Saw an amazing mass ascension including: Darth Vader, cactus, clown, (3) bumblebees, Smoky the Bear, the Wells Fargo stagecoach, duck, rooster, goofy face, heart, kitty cat (may have been "Felix"), many others. Came back home after buying a cheap ballcap, then went over to the casino for dinner. Had a terrific prime rib dinner then went back home; expect storms tomorrow, gusty winds tonight...
Since we don't take much stock in the crazy weather forcasts in this part of the U.S, the next day we left home on the Honda bound for Tinkertown, a little east of Albuq. After a lunch stop at KFC we set out on the shortest route around the mountain. Alas, the short-cut road became a dirt road, so we turned around & took the long way: NM 165 to Tramway Blvd (yes they have a long cable tramway up to the top of the mountain that overlooks Albuq.) to I-40 east to hwy 14 north to NM 536. Tinkertown is a hobby/collection of old nostalgia--turned into a museum of sorts. Well worth the effort to get there; some of the old toys & artifacts really take you back to childhood and they have amazing miniature displays of circusses. We left there & decided (i'll never know why) to stay on 536 to the (dirt) 165--bad idea! Very bad, nasty, potholed, rough winding road that I would hesitate to drive a Jeep on..10 white-knuckled miles later we survived to get back home & watch t.v, as it began to rain. A little later we walked to the casino for play cards, which should get us discounts at the buffet.
Monday we went over to the casino to have a discount lunch buffet with neighboring r.v couple Fred & Delores from Wisconsin. After a long chat-filled lunch Sue & I broke away and spent 2 and 1/2 hours plus $25 in the casino playing video slots. Later we went to a nearby McDonalds for drinks & wifi, before retiring for the evening. Tuesday we went on the Honda exploring toward the Fiesta grounds; observed some balloons landing off-site in fields near the road. Looked for & found a motorhome for sale--too old. Continued into Old Town Albuq. & went over to the New Mexico Museum of Natural Science. Toured the facility then watched movies in the Planetarium--one on telescopes and one on stars in the universe--very cool giant panoramic screen & videos! Came home & later I rode the bicycle over to McD's for wifi, then home for the night.
On Wednesday we didn't do much other than scratching our heads wondering why the batteries weren't charging. Thinking it might be the alternator, I tried to remove it to have it tested but as fate would have it, you have to take the radiator out to get the long bolt of the alternator out. So, I put it all back together and tried some other ideas, leaning toward the many connections that come with having 4 batteries...The next day, Sue's birthday, we went over to the casino to play around a while. Wasn't much winning going on, so Sue moved over to the Texas Tea game, playing and winning steadily for over 3 hours! When time became a concern we left the casino, went home for lunch then got on the bus to the Balloon Fiesta. Saw the chainsaw log-carving event, walked around some exhibits then sat on the chairs we had brought along, eating corndogs while waiting for the "Glow-deo" to start. During this down time we got to meet "Mar" from RV Basics group, who is travelling south for the winter; it's nice to put a face to the person behind the keyboard. Thanks, Mar, for a nice visit! Much to our dismay the event was cancelled due to high winds, but we stayed anyway for the fireworks show due in an hour or so..the fireworks were surprisingly great and afterwards we bussed home, where we enjoyed Sue's birthday cake. Note* since the Glow-deo was cancelled, our tickets would get us into the Fiesta any other day!
Sue's pills ran out the next day, and since the online meds haven't arrived yet, we had to call her doctor in Houston for a refill. We then went to McD's for wifi, then next door to Wally World to pick up the pills. Later we walked to the casino where Sue once again mastered the same Texas Tea machine & I didn't master any machines...later on we got on the shuttle to the Balloon Fiesta, using yesterday's tickets. Got our pictures taken at the interesting Texas on Tour display, used video-enhanced glasses to drive a kayak on a Texas river and after many killer glowing balloons, fireworks and a good funnel cake we took the bus back home. Saturday morning was colder--in the 40's--but warmed nicely to the 70's. After a trip to Mcd's for breakfast & wifi we went back to Sue's casino (she seems to "own" it now). Once again she played the same machine for a long time before finally crapping out; we then had a late lunch/early dinner buffet before going home for the night.
Sunday morning it was cold, in the 40's again. We unhooked the trailer & drove the motorhome to Conoco, where we dumped the tanks & filled the fresh water. I discovered the alternator IS working, just a bad connection somewhere as I had been suspecting. Later we rode the Honda to McD's for wifi (thank you McDonalds) then over to Skip & Marlene's (my brother Keith & his wife Penny's relatives) house to touch base with them, as we don't have their phone number. Alas they weren't home, so I wrote a note & left it at their door...from there we went home for the night. Monday it was cold again. Another day, another problem with the batteries; i'll get to the bottom of this some day...we went to the Post Office for info, but of course they were closed because of Columbus Day. Later we went to the casino again to kill some time & eat lunch at the buffet (it's a wonder we're not 300 lbs apiece). Skip called us in the afternoon to say the package is at the Post Office but it is too late today, so we stayed home for the evening.
Tuesday we packed up our travelling circus & drove thru town to the Post Office. Since the order came in 2 packages, we only got 40% of what we ordered on this shipment; the rest would come sometime later. With time starting to become a factor to our future plans, we decided to leave Albuq. without the other 60% of the meds. Headed east on the I-40 to Tucumcari, NM where we ran out of fuel. My estute calculations did us no good, as the faulty engineering of the fuel tank and filler tube let us down. Had $300 of mechanic work done basically for nothing (but a lesson learned) plus $135 for a wrecker tow. Stayed the night outside the shop, and had dinner across the street at the Pow Wow restaurant on Route 66. On Wednesday after the work was completed on the motorhome we decided to get the right front tire replaced, as it was bubbled & shaking. From there we continued east on the I-40 into Amarillo, Texas, where we stayed the night in a Home Depot parking lot.
The next morning we went on Loop 335 to hwy 1541 south to hwy 207, then on Park Rd 5 into Palo Duro State Park. We drove thru to see the canyon, stopping a couple of times to get out & look. Didn't see the formations we had hoped for--turns out you have to hike several miles through the canyon to see the "good stuff". Went back to Amarillo & stopped at the Big Texan Steakhouse (because you have to). Cool buildings and decor, but not good food. Got back onto the interstate to US 287 south toward Wichita Falls. Arrived at the Walmart off US 281 south of town and were later picked up my cousins Maggie and Linda. We met Maggie's husband Greg and cousin Vincent at a local steakhouse. We had a good dinner and visited a long time (not long enough) trying to fill in the gaps of 30-some-odd years of no contact...afterwards we were brought back to our r.v, where we said our goodbyes.
Friday we left Wichita Falls heading south on US 281. Arrived in Stephenville, Tx. and contacted Aunt Teeny & Uncle Danny, who picked us up after we found parking refuge at a closed-down Piggly Wiggly. Later we all went for a drive thru town and stopped for ice cream & wifi at Mc Donald's. That evening we watched the Texas Rangers play versus the N.Y. Yankees, then my uncle took us back to the r.v. for the night (they offered for us to stay at their house, but we declined). The next morning we left Stephenville on the US 377 north toward Fort Worth, then I-20 east to Dallas. Got on the familiar I-45 to find the Texas State Fair. Found the grounds and after some circling around found an old church to park at (for $20, the others wanted $45). Entered the fair and saw a dog stunt show, new car exhibits, butterfly garden, Big Tex & rode the Skyway cable car from one end to the other. Also attended a cookbook writer's demo (she gave us samples, which we carried home) and (had to!) eat some fried butter, which was pretty good. Satisfied, we left the park & drove to the Flying J, I-45 at I-20, to park for the night.
ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 17TH, THE LAST DAY OF OUR TRIP we left Dallas heading south on I-45 toward Houston. Stopped in Madisonville at McD's, but no wifi there. After fueling up (for the last time?) we drove down to the rest area near Huntsville, but no good connection (par for the course). Continued into Houston and found parking readily availible in a vacant lot behind Discount Tire, behind Almeda Mall. NOT A WALMART...
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sept 18 thru Sept 30
We took off this morning (Sat) on the Honda headed up the 64 towards Grand Canyon Nat'l Park, South Rim. We parked at the visitor center & took the shuttle bus to most of the stops along the rim, including some on Desert View Drive at the eastern end of the park. Had spaghetti lunch (it was surprisingly good) at the cafeteria between stops..left the park later on, arriving back in Williams at sunset. We have come to realize the $80 annual park pass will easily pay for itself after 4 or 5 parks!
The next morning we attempted to leave Williams but instead stopped at "Bearizona", Arizona's new wildlife park. Although still under construction, they let folks in for half price ($11 ea.). Very nice large drive-thru facility where, after a 15 minute burros-in-the-road delay, we proceded thru to view buffalo, bobcats, bighorn sheep, black bears, grey foxes & wolves. They also have pens with young bears, bobcats & the foxes. Afterwards we took off eastbound to Flagstaff, where we found parking at N. Arizona University. We then took off on the bike a few miles east to Walnut Canyon Nat'l Monument, a beautiful canyon which houses many Sinagua cliff dwellings. After descending about 250 feet using 240 stairs we saw the interesting dwellings built into the cliffs & overhangs, then huffed and puffed our way back up to the visitor center (note* Nat'l monuments are also on the annual parks pass), then walked over to another pueblo on the grounds. After that we headed back to where we were parked for the night.
On Monday morning we left Flagstaff heading north on US 89, stopping at Sunset Crater Nat'l Mon--where a volcano spewed ash & lava 1,000 years ago. Then, on the same loop saw the Watashi Ruins, a three-storey adobe house built high on a sandstone formation and the pueblo village, with it's many rooms, a ballcourt & a "blowhole" which at this time of year blows out cool subterranian air! Next we got back on the 89 to the Navajo Nat'l Monument headquarters, close to Utah border. The Tsegi Canyon houses an historic Ranger Station & the Betatakin Ruins--a large pueblo community built into a huge arch/cave feature on one wall of the canyon. It was a 1-mile walk over to the viewpoint; while we were gone the visitor facility closed on us. So, we left from there & continued on the 89 to Kayenta, Az where we parked near the McDonald's parking lot. Many Indian (native Americans don't mind being called Indians!)bums accosted us at that location asking for food or money..later we had Chinese fast food & called it a night. Fortunately, a guard of some sort ran of the bums.
Next day we got on the US 163, heading north toward Monument Valley. Many large monuments, buttes & spires along the way. Stopped at the Navajo Mon. Valley visitor center (US parks pass not accepted) after turning down $65 each tickets for a pickup truck tour--to features we could clearly see where we were standing! The view was good at the headquarters and there was alot of info and artifacts. After the walk-thru we exited the park, driving through magnificent scenery on the way to Hwy 191, which runs south toward the I-40. We stopped at the Canyon de Chelley Nat'l Monument, with it's many overlooks and views of Anasazi pueblo villages from 700-900 years ago. Nice visitor center. From there we continued south to Ganado, where we stopped alongside a gas station for the night.
Rained all night and all day Wednesday, but we plowed on to the 40 then went east to Gallup, NM. Bought 2 used tires (front end ate up my new tires) then drove to Walmart for supplies. Had dinner at Golden Corral before going back to Walmart to park for the evening. Thursday we got on the Busn 40/Route 66 then headed south on hwy 602 to hwy 53, east to El Morro Nat'l Mon. Did a 1/2 mile hike up the steep steps & walkway to an ancient pueblo ruin, and another 1/2 miler over to the mountainside where over 2,000 people have left there names and/or messages dating back to Don Juan, 1605! Also a run-off pool which provided the only fresh water for miles & miles..had lunch then drove a few miles down the road to the Bandera Volcano (one of over 20 cones in the region) which last erupted about 10,000 years ago. We hiked up the side of the cone & looked into the cool crater. Also on the property are many collapsed lava tubes, one of which formed a large cave which has ice in it all year round! This privately-owned property is part of the El Malpais Nat'l Monument, a scenic volcanic area of the state...From there we hit the I-40 at Grants, NM, staying in a vacant lot (or so we thought) next to train tracks.
After hearing many trains racing back & forth blaring their horns relentlessly through the night we awoke and hit the road running arriving later at the Dancing Eagle Casino/ RV park to take advantage of a cheap rate we had heard of. But, with no one there to take our money, we instead hooked up to electric & water for a few hours, taking a shower, dumping the tanks & getting some a.c. before taking off again. Our intention was to get to Albuquerque & wait for the Ballon Fiesta; since we were early we would find somewhere to go to kill some time. Since we coundn't find a place to park off the 40, we got on the I-25 south & drove to Los Lunas, where we parked for the night at the Walmart.
On Saturday we continued southbound on the I-25 to the US 60 west in Socorro, over to The Very Large Array Radio Telescope. What else can I say? Huge! 27 units, ocassionally all moving in unison as directed by someone in a control center..nice, informative visitor center and a killer video, too. Left that facility headed back to Socorro, got on the US 380 eastbound, passing thru the lava beds of the Valley of Fire Recreation Area. That evening we stopped at a vacant lot in Carrizozo, NM to park. No t.v., (been happinin' alot lately) had to watch dvds...Next day we continued east a few miles to the town of Capitan, where they have a great museum & tribute to Smoky Bear (born near there, buried there). Nostalgic artifacts, video, nice garden, even the gravesite. After doing laundry (right next door) it was off to Lincoln, where they have the Lincoln (town) State Monument--many buildings & an adobe fort from the 1800's. From there we picked up the 70 to Roswell, NM, then south on US 285 to Carlsbad. Stayed the night in a vacant lot on the main drag. Monday morning we headed south on the Honda to hwy 7, to Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l Park. Took a self-guided tour of the Big Room (really huge--the size of 14 football fields). The elevator taking you down seems to go on forever..After having lunch in the cafe we left the park & went back to Carlsbad, packed up & drove north to Roswell, where we stayed the night in a Sear's/Dollar Store parking lot.
The next day we headed north on the 285 to hwy 20--the bumpiest paved road we have encountered on this trip (or any other trip)--to Fort Sumner.Visited the Billy the Kid Museum, memorial & gravesite; very interesting & informative. After lunch we got on US 84 to santa Rosa, along I-40 west, then back on 84 northbound to I-25 north to Las Vegas, NM. Stayed overnight in the parking lot beside Comfort Inn. On Wednesday we headed south on I-25 to Santa Fe. After an exhaustive but sucessful search for fuel we continued into San Felipe Indian Reservation, where we found the San Felipe Casino & it's RV park. You can stay for free with no hook-ups; we lucked into a space with an unlocked electrical panel. Wifi was availible on a limited basis..note* free, pirated wifi is hard to come by in UT, AZ, NM.
Thursday we rode the Honda toward Albuquerque looking for a closer place to park the r.v. while in the Albuquerque area. Discovered the Santa Ana Casino in Bernalillo, which just happens to be a park-n-ride location for the Balloon Fiesta! Came back to San Felipe & packed up, filled up, dumped out, fueled up everything then drove our train down to Santa Ana Casino, where we parked for the ? evening?
The next morning we attempted to leave Williams but instead stopped at "Bearizona", Arizona's new wildlife park. Although still under construction, they let folks in for half price ($11 ea.). Very nice large drive-thru facility where, after a 15 minute burros-in-the-road delay, we proceded thru to view buffalo, bobcats, bighorn sheep, black bears, grey foxes & wolves. They also have pens with young bears, bobcats & the foxes. Afterwards we took off eastbound to Flagstaff, where we found parking at N. Arizona University. We then took off on the bike a few miles east to Walnut Canyon Nat'l Monument, a beautiful canyon which houses many Sinagua cliff dwellings. After descending about 250 feet using 240 stairs we saw the interesting dwellings built into the cliffs & overhangs, then huffed and puffed our way back up to the visitor center (note* Nat'l monuments are also on the annual parks pass), then walked over to another pueblo on the grounds. After that we headed back to where we were parked for the night.
On Monday morning we left Flagstaff heading north on US 89, stopping at Sunset Crater Nat'l Mon--where a volcano spewed ash & lava 1,000 years ago. Then, on the same loop saw the Watashi Ruins, a three-storey adobe house built high on a sandstone formation and the pueblo village, with it's many rooms, a ballcourt & a "blowhole" which at this time of year blows out cool subterranian air! Next we got back on the 89 to the Navajo Nat'l Monument headquarters, close to Utah border. The Tsegi Canyon houses an historic Ranger Station & the Betatakin Ruins--a large pueblo community built into a huge arch/cave feature on one wall of the canyon. It was a 1-mile walk over to the viewpoint; while we were gone the visitor facility closed on us. So, we left from there & continued on the 89 to Kayenta, Az where we parked near the McDonald's parking lot. Many Indian (native Americans don't mind being called Indians!)bums accosted us at that location asking for food or money..later we had Chinese fast food & called it a night. Fortunately, a guard of some sort ran of the bums.
Next day we got on the US 163, heading north toward Monument Valley. Many large monuments, buttes & spires along the way. Stopped at the Navajo Mon. Valley visitor center (US parks pass not accepted) after turning down $65 each tickets for a pickup truck tour--to features we could clearly see where we were standing! The view was good at the headquarters and there was alot of info and artifacts. After the walk-thru we exited the park, driving through magnificent scenery on the way to Hwy 191, which runs south toward the I-40. We stopped at the Canyon de Chelley Nat'l Monument, with it's many overlooks and views of Anasazi pueblo villages from 700-900 years ago. Nice visitor center. From there we continued south to Ganado, where we stopped alongside a gas station for the night.
Rained all night and all day Wednesday, but we plowed on to the 40 then went east to Gallup, NM. Bought 2 used tires (front end ate up my new tires) then drove to Walmart for supplies. Had dinner at Golden Corral before going back to Walmart to park for the evening. Thursday we got on the Busn 40/Route 66 then headed south on hwy 602 to hwy 53, east to El Morro Nat'l Mon. Did a 1/2 mile hike up the steep steps & walkway to an ancient pueblo ruin, and another 1/2 miler over to the mountainside where over 2,000 people have left there names and/or messages dating back to Don Juan, 1605! Also a run-off pool which provided the only fresh water for miles & miles..had lunch then drove a few miles down the road to the Bandera Volcano (one of over 20 cones in the region) which last erupted about 10,000 years ago. We hiked up the side of the cone & looked into the cool crater. Also on the property are many collapsed lava tubes, one of which formed a large cave which has ice in it all year round! This privately-owned property is part of the El Malpais Nat'l Monument, a scenic volcanic area of the state...From there we hit the I-40 at Grants, NM, staying in a vacant lot (or so we thought) next to train tracks.
After hearing many trains racing back & forth blaring their horns relentlessly through the night we awoke and hit the road running arriving later at the Dancing Eagle Casino/ RV park to take advantage of a cheap rate we had heard of. But, with no one there to take our money, we instead hooked up to electric & water for a few hours, taking a shower, dumping the tanks & getting some a.c. before taking off again. Our intention was to get to Albuquerque & wait for the Ballon Fiesta; since we were early we would find somewhere to go to kill some time. Since we coundn't find a place to park off the 40, we got on the I-25 south & drove to Los Lunas, where we parked for the night at the Walmart.
On Saturday we continued southbound on the I-25 to the US 60 west in Socorro, over to The Very Large Array Radio Telescope. What else can I say? Huge! 27 units, ocassionally all moving in unison as directed by someone in a control center..nice, informative visitor center and a killer video, too. Left that facility headed back to Socorro, got on the US 380 eastbound, passing thru the lava beds of the Valley of Fire Recreation Area. That evening we stopped at a vacant lot in Carrizozo, NM to park. No t.v., (been happinin' alot lately) had to watch dvds...Next day we continued east a few miles to the town of Capitan, where they have a great museum & tribute to Smoky Bear (born near there, buried there). Nostalgic artifacts, video, nice garden, even the gravesite. After doing laundry (right next door) it was off to Lincoln, where they have the Lincoln (town) State Monument--many buildings & an adobe fort from the 1800's. From there we picked up the 70 to Roswell, NM, then south on US 285 to Carlsbad. Stayed the night in a vacant lot on the main drag. Monday morning we headed south on the Honda to hwy 7, to Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l Park. Took a self-guided tour of the Big Room (really huge--the size of 14 football fields). The elevator taking you down seems to go on forever..After having lunch in the cafe we left the park & went back to Carlsbad, packed up & drove north to Roswell, where we stayed the night in a Sear's/Dollar Store parking lot.
The next day we headed north on the 285 to hwy 20--the bumpiest paved road we have encountered on this trip (or any other trip)--to Fort Sumner.Visited the Billy the Kid Museum, memorial & gravesite; very interesting & informative. After lunch we got on US 84 to santa Rosa, along I-40 west, then back on 84 northbound to I-25 north to Las Vegas, NM. Stayed overnight in the parking lot beside Comfort Inn. On Wednesday we headed south on I-25 to Santa Fe. After an exhaustive but sucessful search for fuel we continued into San Felipe Indian Reservation, where we found the San Felipe Casino & it's RV park. You can stay for free with no hook-ups; we lucked into a space with an unlocked electrical panel. Wifi was availible on a limited basis..note* free, pirated wifi is hard to come by in UT, AZ, NM.
Thursday we rode the Honda toward Albuquerque looking for a closer place to park the r.v. while in the Albuquerque area. Discovered the Santa Ana Casino in Bernalillo, which just happens to be a park-n-ride location for the Balloon Fiesta! Came back to San Felipe & packed up, filled up, dumped out, fueled up everything then drove our train down to Santa Ana Casino, where we parked for the ? evening?
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