Steve's RV Travelogue

Gone Fishing

2011-12-15T09:34:00.001-07:00

I have to apologize for going on blogcation without giving a notice. People have been inquiring about me. Comments, emails, even personal visits. I appreciate the attention! I’m sorry to create such concern.

Whenever I get to Tucson for the Winter, I go into a non travel mode. I’m having a blast. I’ll be on blogcation until the middle of January. I’ll give a good update then.

Sometimes I just need to be a bit irresponsible and just hang!

Steve

Tucson, it feels like Home!

2011-11-06T09:21:00.001-07:00

I’ve been busy this past week. I have arrived at my usual wintering spot at Justin’s Diamond J RV Park. I signed up for a three month rate. Since I am going to be in one spot for such a long time, I made sure the set up was a correct as I could get it.

The rig is as level as possible. I put out the patio mat, the furniture, the bird feeders, and all the little things that make a stay comfortable. It is also time for my once every two years roof inspection.

I took care to wash the roof using soap and water. I scrubbed all the roof putty with a brush to remove as much of the road grime as I could. I found areas of dry putty, showing extreme cracking. Not much though. It is apparent mostly along the seam of the front and rear end caps.

The grime and gunk ended up on the side walls. I took the time to scrub them with soap and water too. There is an area near the end of my left side panel that is showing signs of delamination. I noticed it when I was in Minnesota. It was so humid and rainy then, the only thing I could do was to put some clear duct tape over the suspected leaking seam, as a temporary fix.

I know from experience when I get into the southern states with the dry heat that the delamination blisters will shrink back to almost normal. That’s what indeed happened with this problem. I have to look closely at the right angle to see the tell tale wave in the panel.

I had the rig spotless, ready to do the roof fixes and tackle the delam when the weatherman reported a huge dust storm, cold front and rain headed to Tucson. It figures! It only happens when I do an extra careful job with cleaning the rig.

With that on hold, I took a spur of the moment hike out in the desert behind the park. I was so into it, I got into exploring tell-tale trails I never noticed before. One of them took me through the heart of the Justin Hills to a mine I’m sure hasn’t been visited in years. Then to the top of a hill I never noticed before.

That’s not haze clouding the mountains.

When I got to the top, I could see the storm coming in the distance. The dust was blowing. It was just beginning to obscure the mountains to the west. That jogged something in the back of my mind. I didn’t shut my door. I left the screen door open to air the rig out. Now I had to make a mad dash two miles back to the park to close it.

The storm came a went. It wasn’t as bad a predicted. I think I am far enough south to have avoided the worst.

I did manage to get my rock tumbler on line. I sorted through all the carnelian I found. I got some instruction for using the tumbler from a site on line. I stretched my extension cord from the pedestal to a compartment in the front of the rig. I put the tumbler in there. There is where it will stay for the next number of weeks, tumbling 24/7.

Tucson feels like home to me. It is good to be home.

Desert Candy

2011-10-31T09:16:00.001-07:00

I’ve been occupying my days with rock hounding. The desert around the RV park is a great area for looking for carnelian. It is a very popular semi precious gem. Actually a type of agate.

My swage of carnelian.

I came across this poem written by Goethe:

"Carnelian is a talisman,

It brings good luck to child and man;

If resting on an onyx ground,

A sacred kiss imprint when found.

It drives away all evil things;

To thee and thine protection brings.

The name of Allah, king of kings,

If graven on this stone, indeed,

Will move to love and doughty need.

From such a gem a woman gains

Sweet hope and comfort in her pains".

With as much of it as I’ve found, I should be blessed with all kinds of good luck!

An average sized piece as it appears on the ground. It’s easy to see why rock hounders call it “desert candy”.

I made three separate forays out in the desert. The owner says it is all over the rolling hills anywhere to the east. Actually, you have to venture out at least a mile and a half before you begin to find nice sized pieces. Most likely due to the nearer locations being picked over.

I at least now have an ample amount of stones to tumble. That will be next week. I can hardly wait to do it.

A baby horned lizard.

I combined the hunting with a failed try at finding a grouping of petroglyphs. The owner told me they are all over the place out there. When I tried to get some specifics of where they are, things began to get confusing. I couldn’t get a reading on how far out they were. Then I couldn’t get a read on if they were near the desert floor, or on a ridge.

I found an out cropping of basalt with a great amount of desert varnish. But, no matter how hard I crawled over it and looked, I couldn’t find them.

I made another, different excursion out to the top of a nearby mountain. The locals don’t call it a mountain. They call it Goat Ridge.

On the trail to Goat Ridge.

I was surprised to find a developed hiking trail out to it. Most all the people in the park appear to be ATVers. I think when the snow birders get here, the hikers will appear.

The trail vanishes at the base of the mountain. If you want to go up, just pick a spot and start climbing. That’s what I did. About half way up, I got an ear full of the craziest sounds.

I looked up and saw a flock of about 25 sand hill cranes. They circled and chatted above me, trying to form a formation. I watched them as they disappeared from view. They are very entertaining to watch.

Hidden Valley RV Ranch from Goat Ridge. It gives you an idea how far in the boonies this park is.

I enjoy this RV park. It is one of my favorite. It has a big disadvantage, though. It is a very long drive on a dusty dirt and gravel road. The vibrations are not good for any vehicle, let alone an RV.

The owners are too stingy with water. They should allow you to at least rinse the dust off of your rig when you get settled. They do have an air compressor to blow the dust off your rig. But when you’re coming during a cloud burst, like I did, air won’t do. I just went ahead and hosed my rig down, knowing I’ll get my butt chewed – and I did!

Now it is on to my wintering site in Tucson.

Ft Cummings

2011-10-28T10:45:00.001-07:00

One of the things I like to do when I get to a place is to check out the Geocaches online. I’m not into finding them actually. The novelty has worn off, I guess. Every once in a while though, one of them will lead you to a hidden gem. It may be a place an event or a little history, usually obscure to most.

When I got to Deming, I looked for any Geocaches I haven’t hunted up before. I came across a cache called “The Old Fort”. It got my curiosity.

Ft Cummings, a completely enclosed, adobe walled pioneer fort.

After I’ve been in town a few days, stocking up on groceries, hiking the area and just hanging out, I looked into the old fort. It is an Civil War era western army fort located 20 miles north of Deming. The BLM manages the property. They have built a road to it and placed interpretive signs on the site. I had to go.

I drove the road from Deming to Hatch. At the 14.5 mile mark, I turned onto Cooke Canyon Road. A county dirt road. A mile along this road, I turned left again. This time on a two track unmarked rough road. I followed this road for 5 miles out into the boonies.

The fort was originally painted in white wash.

The same photo today.

Then, placed in the wild, I came on a fairly new government sign greeting visitors. I couldn’t see anything else. I looked to my left and an interpretive sign caught my eye. It explained the origin of the fort. With a picture taken from the position of the sign. I took my own picture, matching the original as best I could.

The Butterfield Station

Commemoration plaque from the DAR.

The adobe walls surrounding the fort and most of the buildings have completely melted with time. Only a couple of building walls still stand. One of them was the Butterfield Stage Station. This station, and the one I saw at the Guadalupe Mountains, were in operation for only a year or two. Then the stage line moved farther south to the string of forts in western Texas, Ft Davis and Ft Stockton, I visited a few weeks ago.

What’s left of a wall encircling the cemetery.

On a nearby hill is the cemetery. I think all of the abandoned forts had the cemeteries moved to a more permanent location. This fort moved their dead to Ft Leavenworth, KS, according to the informational sign.

This is the only monument left in the cemetery. The inscription reads:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
Thos., Ronan aged 49 | L. S. Hunter aged 33 | Chas. Devin aged 28 | Thos. Daly Aged 26

LATE PRIVATES OF
CO. C 1st VETERAN INFANTRY CAL. VOLS.
KILLED
BY APACHES AT OAK GROVE N.M. JAN. 17, 1866

If only the ruins could talk. I walked around the site for over an hour.

It was built near a spring, which has a unique history of itself. The fort guarded a pass through the Mimbres Mts. The Apaches were fierce here. One of the mountains is named Massacre Mountain. Not for any single incident, but for several.

A fireplace poking through the dissolved adobe.

The fort was abandoned at the beginning of the Civil War, when Texas seceded fro the Union. It was reoccupied after the war when the Apaches were raiding wagon trains and settlements.

Since the water source was nearby, I’m thinking this hole in the ground was either a privy, or a sewer.

The nearby spring, was called Cooke’s Spring. Named after the Commanding Officer of the 1,100 man Mormon Battalion. He and his battalion came here while blazing a trail from Council Bluffs, IA, to San Diego, CA, in the 1850’s.

The Spring House at Cooke’s Spring. The BLM restored the roof in 1987.

In 1881 the Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe RR built a structure enclosing the spring which survives today. They ran water from it by gravity to the train station 11 mile away. The spring is no longer running.

Near the Spring House is a stone corral. It must be built at a later date. There are concrete water troughs that must have been filled with running water diverted from the spring.

It was another interesting day in the desert.

Heading West

2011-10-27T09:03:00.001-07:00

Signs of Winter are beginning to set in. Colorado had their first snow. It even snowed in Santa Fe. The winds have picked up where I’m at. I have to turn the furnace on in the mornings now to cut the chill. Soon, I’ll be running it in the evenings. All the tell tale clues are thee to tell me to head for my wintering grounds in Tucson.

I turned the trailer to the West. Before I left Carlsbad Cavern, I checked out nearby Guadalupe National Park. I thought I could stop here for a day or two and do a hike. It’s only 30 miles from Carlsbad Cavern National Park.

It is a different National Park. There is only a visitor’s Center and a camping area for tents. RV’s use the paved parking lot. There are flush toilets, but no showers. There are no hookups for RV’s and no dump station. Odd.

I stopped by the roadside turnouts to visit the Frijoles Ranch and the old Butterfield Stage station. They are neat roadside stops, to be sure.

With no dump station and a rather crowded, tight parking area I chose to move on.

I’m now in Deming. Deming is a stop off point for most snow birders coming from the east. With 17 RV parks in town, it is also a popular place to winter. Once you get to know the area, there are a lot of things to do. I enjoy cross country hiking while rock hounding. A lot of people bring their ATV’s. There are miles of back roads on BLM land to explore.

Mexico is nearby. Palomas is a relatively tame border town. Not totally though. The Pink Store is the big shopping store for tourists. I might make a trip to have an authentic Mexican lunch.

I plan on a week’s stay.

Carlsbad Caverns

2011-10-25T08:39:00.001-07:00

Carlsbad Caverns was more than I expected. I would rank it along side of the Grand Canyon for a look at mother nature at her most awesome.

I’ve been through caves and done the tours before. I enjoy looking at the stalactites and stalagmites. But after a while, they all begin to look alike. You don’t get that in this cavern!

I was lucky to get to the cave before 10:00 am. Later than that, the amount of people increase logarithmically.

There are two entrances. The natural entrance and an elevator ride to the big room. I chose to walk down by the switch backing trail in the natural entrance.

I got the impression the trail ends shortly after the entrance. Not so. It goes on for another 75 stories! I walked the entire great room area. It is over a 1 mile walk in a single room! The cave itself goes on and on. There is an overlook into the bottomless pit and the lower cave, both closed off to the public.

I just took pictures of everything I could see. They don’t do justice for what you see live. Lights focus on all the major formations. They really do a great job.

There are names for just about every formation. I can’t remember a single one of them.

At the end of the day the park gives a talk about the bats in the cave, in the amphitheater at the top of the trail to the natural entrance. At 6:00 they began to leave the cave. No pictures are allowed. Bats swirled in a continuous corkscrew into the sky. It was a kick to watch.

No bats roost in the rooms tourists are allowed. They reside mostly in a part of the cave closed off to the public.

It was a great time during a long day. I slept well.

A Stopover in Ft Stockton

2011-10-22T07:59:00.001-07:00

I overnighted and added a day at Fort Stockton. I took time to get my meds refilled at the Wall-Mart here. I also did laundry. That chore was long overdue.

The Largest Roadrunner in Texas.

I did a quick tour of the town. Ft Stockton was one of those pioneer forts that formed a chain of protection with Fort Davis and others. There are only a few buildings remaining. The town has done a great job with restoration work on them.

Before I left the Stillwell Ranch to travel here, I visited the Hallie Stillwell Museum located on the ranch property. The museum building also serves as the clubhouse for the RV park.

Hallie was quite a lady. She came out here in the early 1900’s to marry the love of her life. She grew up on a cattle ranch, so she knew hat she was getting into. The Stillwell Ranch was over 200,000 acres in size at that time. It is about two thirds that size today.

Months would go by before seeing another soul. There wasn’t a neighbor for 45 miles. She held many titles in her life. She was a Justice of the Peace, a Postmaster, a Texas Ranger, a teacher among others.

The Big Bend area has a lot to see. I only saw a tiny bit. I’ll be back for a longer visit, for sure.

I’m on my way to visit Carlsbad Caverns.

Dog Canyon Hike and a Mountain Lion?

2011-10-19T14:51:00.001-07:00

I had fill up on diesel before I left the park yesterday. There are no gas stations within 50 miles of the RV park, except for the stations inside the National Park. Stillwell Ranch sells gasoline, but not diesel. I knew the price of diesel would be higher than what you could get somewhere else.

I almost choked at the price: $4.37 per gallon. That’s almost $.60 per gallon higher than in Alpine! Gimmee a break!

That put me in a mood to not drive as far as I have been. I chose to hike a trail near the park entrance; Dog Canyon.

I didn’t know anything about it. I stopped at the Visitors Center to talk to the Ranger on duty. He told me it is about a 5 mile hike. The first part is rather hot as it courses across the desert. The canyon itself is almost entirely in the shade all day. It is much cooler there. The winds can howl through it.

The trail head and Dog Canyon, the crease in the mountain.

He told me a bit of the geology too. The mountain on the north side of the canyon is the last mountain of the Rocky Mountain chain. The canyon is a fault line. No river formed it but it is part of a huge drainage system for the area which caused it to erode the way it has.

He also told me to look for a mountain lion kill. Three weeks ago he was part of a survey of the canyon before opening it officially for the tourist season. They came upon the mountain goat carcass. It was brought down and fed on periodically by a cougar.

The lion scat, the kill, its location to a cave, indicates a lion used the canyon as a den during the summer. There is no evidence of him living there now, but it is a part of his territory. So be aware!

The hike was pretty much as he told me. It was a scorcher during the first mile. Then the desert portion ended as the trail entered a wash. A sign pointed one way to Dog Canyon, the other way to Devil’s Den. Devil’s Den? No mention of that trail on my map or any of the park info I had!

I turned left to Dog Canyon. I’ll have to look into Devil’s Den. The canyon came up suddenly. The wash is rather deep and flanked with all kind of brush, making it tough to see ahead. By the way, the butterflies were all over the place. There were thousands of the small white butterflies flitting in colonies among the mesquite trees.

It was a cool place. The mountain and canyon just seemed to appear straight out of the desert floor. I was surprised to find the entire gap is less than a half mile from one end to the other.

I began to look for the lion kill. The mountain goat carcass. Boy, if you had to define an ideal place for a mountain lion to live, this would be it.

I found the scat on the north side of the canyon, up out of the wash. There was a ton of it. I thought cats buried their stuff! There was so much of it, in three, or four areas, that undoubtedly, a lion had to be living here.

Not far from the scat, at the base of the canyon wall was the carcass. It was splayed out in front of a small cave. Once I found it, I didn’t hang around long. I heard stories of solo hikers coming across a mountain lion.

I didn’t want to become one of those stories.

It was an ideal hike with a lot to tell.

Tomorrow is my last day in Big Bend. My prescription meds are due to be refilled. I’ll have to get back to civilization. I’m going to miss this place.

More Park Exploration

2011-10-18T14:43:00.001-07:00

I took another drive today. I went to see some more historic buildings in the park. There was once a spa on the banks of the Rio Grande. A small community sprang up catering to tourists called Hot Springs. It had a few Winter homes from people living in Alpine and Marathon. There was a post office and store and a motel. In those days they were called motor courts.

Hot Springs Post Office and General Store.

Hot Springs Motor Court.

The community lasted until 1952, the year I was born. It’s unclear to me what happened to cause it to decline. The buildings are fairly well preserved.

The ruins of the bath house at the springs.

The road to get there is rather harrowing. It is one of those dirt roads that is too narrow for two way traffic. Then it splits into two narrower lanes. One of them heads down along the wall of one side of a small canyon. The way up is on the opposite wall of the canyon. My truck is the largest allowable vehicle on the road.

RV’s and doolies and larger vehicles have to park at the top of the canyon.

The spa shares the site with prehistoric pictographs and petroglyphs. They have been heavily vandalized. There are only a few of them left.

I left the spa and drove to Boquillas Canyon. A step gorge cut through limestone by the Rio Grande. A short walk put me at the mouth of the canyon.

A Mexican vendor set his stuff up along the river bank. He also provided entertainment. Along this part of the Rio Grande, Mexican locals simply wade across the river. They are not allowed to do this, but they do it anyway. This guy was the only person I saw that was bold enough to be with his goods.

A local unmanned craft display. Selling wire formed scorpions and painted rocks.

Locals returning to Mexico after setting up their display.

Most just set up a small display with a placard for prices and a jar to put your money. They use this honor system. When the coast is clear, they wade back across the river, collect any money they accumulated and restock their display.

I understand the park will open an official boarder crossing this year. It will be policed as all crossings are. Then a crack down will happen on this type of activity.

I made it back to the rig with enough time to take a nap before dinner.

Glenn Springs

2011-10-17T15:33:00.001-07:00

As I was driving to the park to visit the Glenn Springs ruins, I came across a group of three Javelina crossing the road. They were milling about in the morning sun. It is rare to see them in the day light. I had to come to a complete stop about fifteen feet from them. I waited for them to cross. They must have very poor eyesight. They weren’t aware I was there. Then one of them looked up toward me.

From then on it looked like a cartoon clip. That guy’s eyes that looked my way suddenly bugged out, his ears turned up and his mouth hung down. At the same time he stiffened and grunted. They scurried off into the desert before I could get my camera out of the back seat.

I tried not to interfere with their routine. But I still have to chuckle when I think about that Javelina’s look when he realized I was there. It reminded me of the look Wiley E Coyote gets when he realizes things won’t go his way.

I got directions and advice from the Visitors Center about Glenn Springs. They assured me the dirt road is drivable with my truck. They gave me a brochure about its history.

You have to look very closely for any traces of buildings.

It was a village of about 60 people in the desert. The income stream came from a candelilla wax factory. I’ve found candelilla is a desert plant rich with wax. When I was rock hunting near the RV park, stems and twigs from a plant would stick to my socks and shoes like Velcro. It was very greasy to peel off with many small greasy seeds. I had to ask what it was. That was candelilla.

The brush is almost impenetrable near the head of the springs.

The Springs were a place the natives visited and lived near for of 1400 years. A natural spring is still running there. It was settled for only five years. A raid by Mexican bandits destroyed it in 1916. The US Calvary occupied it for two more years until the Poncho Villa era ended.

Six graves on a small hill mark the Mexican laborers’ cemetery.

Today almost nothing remains. It’s eight miles from the paved road. The remains of a coral is visible from the road. It is the only hint that you have arrived. If you miss it, you might not ever find the place.

Old glass contains minerals that turns it purple from the sun.

I walked around, explored and imagined what it would be like to live out here back then. It was a peasant 77 degrees. The sun is so harsh, I was sweating in no time. I wondered about the Summer. How do you keep cool?

An old horse drawn wagon.

On a hill opposite the cemetery, on the other side of the village, I saw an odd shape. I hiked up to see what it was. It was a lone grave with a modern marker. Somebody still comes out to pay their respects to their ancestor who was laid to rest in 1917. It was the only grave I could see on this hill.

I turned the truck around and headed back. It was a neat day.

Lost Mine Trail

2011-10-16T15:50:00.001-07:00

I posted my last entry using the Chisos Mountain Lodge Wi-Fi. I since have learned I can sit on the porch of the Stillwell Store and get a great signal. That puts my mind at ease because I won’t have to take the PC into the park with me. There have been incidences of cars getting broken into at trail heads. I found that out when I asked one of the Rangers if there was a Wi-Fi hotspot in the park.

A lone grave and the last remnant of one of the Big Bend homesteaders.

I underestimated the vastness of this park. It is over 50 miles from the RV Ranch to the Chisos Mountains Basin. That’s where most of the trail heads start. I think I am going to disregard any planning I have done and just free wheel it. There is no way I am going to even scratch the surface of all the things to do here.

Approaching the Chisos Mountains.

My first little adventure was to hit the Lost Mine Trail. It is a 5 mile, out and back trail to the top of one of the mountains near the Chisos Basin. The trail head parking lot was full of cars. There was a man at the start point waiting for his party to return. He had a bum knee and was just hanging out, enjoying the day.

I talked with him for a while. He returns to this park every year. He recommended a back road drive to Glenn Springs to see some of the history in one of the ghost towns. I think I’ll take him up on that.

A view across the canon to Emory Peak, the highest point in this mountain range.

The hike was great. I’m a little off with my conditioning. It will take a while before I ‘m back in form. It wasn’t too hot. The sun was out. The scenery was awesome. Simply tremendous. The mountains are very dramatic.

I was expecting to see the remnants of an old mine. There was none. This trail appears to have been built by the CCC. There are some extensive rock construction, blasting and what not, typical of the old CCC doings.

The view at the top.

It was about a three hour hike. My feet could feel it. It is a popular trail. I met a half dozen, or so, people on the trail. The views were stunning.

The next day, I stayed at home. Like I said, my feet aren’t used to it. They were recuperating. I did a little rock hunting on the ranch property, did laundry, read a little, watched TV.

Tomorrow I’ll be back in the park.

Stillwell RV Ranch

2011-10-14T13:29:00.001-07:00

I’ve been without Wi-Fi for a few days now. I’ve moved to the Big Bend Park area. I’m at an RV park called the Stillwell Ranch. It’s a remote ranch on the Northeast side of the park. They have Wi-Fi, it’s just not working right now. Their goal is to get it going by November, the start of the busy season.

I found one last trail to hike while I was in Alpine. It’s in a natural reserve called Madera Canyon. It was a rather easy two and a half mile walk through a sky island in the Davis Mountains. It was a beautiful walk through pinion pines and desert cedar.

The weather has been perfect. I took the chance to do the Big Bend park at this time because of the temps. It does get into the 90’s. I figure if I stick to hiking the Chisos Mountains, it will be in the mid 70’s.

My posts ill most likely be short. I’ll publish them as I find Wi-Fi hot spots.

The West Texas Area

2011-10-01T16:37:00.001-07:00

Did you know that monarch butterflies migrate? It was news to me. That’s what is going on right now. They are coming through Alpine, headed to someplace in Mexico. There are butterflies everywhere. It’s cool to see.

That makes two types of bugs that migrate that I learned about during my time on the road. There was a time in Columbus, NM, when miller moths where getting into the trailer. Hundreds of them, every night. I read they were doing their annual migration to the mountains.

The moths were a nuisance. The butterflies are neat to watch.

I drove to Big Bend National Park this week. It isn’t a short drive. It was over 110 miles, one way, to get to the Visitor’s Center. I got some maps and info on the park. There are miles of hikes there. I invested in an annual National Parks Pass for $80.00. It’s always a good investment.

The temps are still in the upper 90’s in the park. I think they will come down to a more livable level when I get down here in the middle of October. In the mean time, the highs in Alpine are in the mid 70’s. Perfect for me.

Pioneer cemetery near Ft Davis.

I’m making plans for at least a weeks stay in an RV park near the gate. There are full hookup sites inside the park. I checked them out. They are on an asphalt parking area near the Rio Grande. They would be good for a night or two. But not much of a park feel for more than that.

How’s this for a classic Western courthouse!

I took another hike near the Davis Mountains. It was only 3 miles out and 3 miles back. I really did enjoy it thoroughly. It was through Hospital Canyon, then up on the ridge, over to Davis Mountain Park and to the CCC overlook building I photographed last week.

Marfa Lights observatory.

I visited the towns around Alpine too. There are four towns that make up this part of Texas. They are all within 35 miles of each other. There is Marfa, Alpine, Marathon, and Ft Davis. Some people argue that Valentine is one of them too.

Marfa has the distinction of the Marfa Lights. They are mysterious lights that appear some nights out in the desert. Nobody knows exactly what they are, or what causes them. I drove out to the viewing area to see them twice. The parking lot was full. All kinds of people were out to see them. Both times I was there, no luck! They didn’t appear.

A prominent mural in town.

Alpine is the home of Sol Ross State University. The Alma Matter of Dan Blocker, Hoss Cartwright, on the old TV series Bonanza.

Museum of The Big Bend

The University has an excellent museum of the Big Bend area. They are heavy into archeology and the preservation of prehistoric sites in the area.

Gage Hotel

In Marathon is the old Hotel for the Gage Ranch. The biggest building in town. It was the prominent ranch in that area. Gage lived in the Hotel he built. It’s a very small, sleepy town that is the turn to one of the three entry gates to Big Bend.

In between these little excursions, I’ve been laid back, taking it easy. Got to love it!

Agates, Hikes, Food and Down Time

2011-09-23T09:50:00.001-07:00

It’s been very quiet, peaceful and relaxing here in Alpine. I learned something about Texas I never knew before. There are very little public lands areas. Very few BLM and National Forest lands. Just about everything is privately owned.

Being in the Texas Alps, I’ve asked people about hiking to a particular mountain. There is Castle Mountain, south of here and Mitre Peak, north of here. There is no access to either. They are privately owned. Because of liability issues and the hassle of rescuing stranded hikers in the past, no one is allowed.

That limits my choices, considerably. I chose Davis Mountains State Park earlier in the week to do a hike. They have several trails. Most are 4 miles or less. I took the only long hike into, what they call, the primitive area.

It didn’t seem that primitive because the first mile was along the highway. The second mile was in seclusion on a gradual incline along a small mountain side. Once I got over the ridge, I was in sight of the Prude Dude Ranch, with its many buildings and guest cabins. I could even see the McDonald Observatory one mountain away.

Davis Mountains Park is one of those out of the way parks originally created by the CCC in the 1930’s. Several structures built by them still exist. The large Lodge, hotel and restaurant was originally built by them too. It has recently gone through extensive restoration.

Yesterday, I drove 16 miles south of town to the Woodward Ranch. There is a lot of rock hounding places in this region. You have to know where to go and ask permission from the land owners to be ale to look for rocks. The Woodward Ranch is open to the public for three days a week. For a $5.00 fee, you can hunt for rocks all day long. If you decide to keep any, it is another $2.00 a pound.

The ranch is over 20,000 acres in size. You can access anyplace on it. You have to sign a liability waiver along with a promise to not use any mechanical means to dig, and not to use dynamite.

I was given a hand drawn map and was directed to several spots where I could find agates. The roads were very rough. I had to use four wheel drive over most of it. But, eventually, I got to an area recommended. There was only one other vehicle there. I was glad there was somebody else out there. It confirmed to me that I found the right place.

It takes a while for my eyes to adjust to seeing detail in the stones an the ground. After a while, I began to see collectable gems all around me. I was very particular to pick up only stones I thought would tumble polish easily. If a stone is too jagged, or broken, it most likely won’t polish up well.

After two hours, the temps took a dip, the wind picked up and the sky was getting dark. It is time for the routine afternoon shower. It’s what is expected this time of year. This part of Texas was hit by the drought too. It seemed to have survived better than the rest of Texas.

I used my Thermo cooker this week. It turned a perfect stew in four hours. I’ve had the cooker since I hit the road, but only in the last few months have I gained enough confidence to use it more often.

Now, just taking it easy.

Fort Davis

2011-09-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

Twenty two miles from here is the National Historic site of Ft. Davis. I love these types of things. I couldn’t resist. I drove to see it as soon as I could.

The town of Ft. Davis is a very small, cool looking town. It’s geared toward tourism. I think it has seen better days. There are three historic Hotels on the main drag. It’s actually about a block long on both sides of the street, at the intersection of highways 118 and 17.

The courthouse has been restored. It’s the neatest building in town. The fort is on the North end of town, about a half mile from city center.

It was originally established in 1854 to defend pioneers traveling the San Antonio to El Paso Road. Their attackers were Comanche, Kiowa and Apache tribes. Whites were settling this area or were headed to the gold fields of California. It was abandoned in 1861 because of the Civil War.

Officers Row. The foundations to the right are the older enlisted men’s barracks. One was built along true North, the other along magnetic North.

Commander’s House.

Commander’s parlor.

A second fort was built when it was reoccupied, after the war, in 1867. A lot of restoration work is being done. What really impressed me is how modern looking the buildings are, once restored. With plaster interior walls and stucco over the adobe exterior walls. The buildings have the look of being completely modern. It must have been a great luxury out in the middle of the frontier.

Restored enlisted men’s Barracks. It’s not that different from the barracks I lived in in Ft. Sill, OK.

By 1891, the fort was abandoned. The Army declared that it outlived its usefulness.

Officer’s quarters undergoing restoration.

The houses aligned to make officer’s row reminded me of Ft. Dodge, outside of Dodge City, Kansas. It had a similar layout. However, it can’t be toured. It is still in use as retired military housing.

Commissary. What was once a 160 ft. long building. Only the office area was restored.

I was fascinated by it all! A small museum is at the Visitor’s Center. Archeologists sifted through the rubble prior to each restoration. Under the floor of the Commissary, they found over 20,000 artifacts.

Hospital.

I walked the grounds for over four hours. Davis Mountains State Park is only two miles away. I’ll have to come back and look into a hike.

Let it Rain

2011-09-15T17:37:00.001-07:00

I was so disgusted with my dirty trailer, the next day I hitched it back up to the pickup and drove the few hundred feet to the wash slab in the park. There, I labored for over three hours until I had it clean enough to call home for the next month.

When I initially set up, I was careful to make sure the trailer was absolutely level. I had it that way. This time, I took the same care. I parked in exactly the same spot. I used the same blocks under the same wheels. Now, I’m finding the fridge door doesn’t close as easily as it should. The shower doesn’t drain as efficiently as it should.

The outside bubble shows level. I put a carpenter’s level on the floor. Yup, not level! I must have bumped the bubble when I was washing. I think I’ll deal with it on another day.

I found the Alpine Chamber of Commerce. Boy, there is a ton of things to do in this area. Big Bend is just one of them. It’s obvious this area will require at least a month to explore. I’ll take my time.

It rained last night and on into most of today. It did that because I just washed the rig! It allowed me to do a laundry day. Find the grocery store. I found a Barber Shop too and got myself a buzz cut! I used to be worried about going bald. I always had a receding hairline. Now it doesn’t matter to me. A short haircut feels good. I like the feel of air moving around my ears!

Next door to the Barber Shop, was a convenience store with a Redbox movie rental machine outside. I got a movie for tonight.

Let it rain.

My New Home for a Month!

2011-09-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

I’ve been without internet for the last two days. I was in an RV park half way between Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX. It was a dead spot for Verizon. The Wi-Fi in the park didn’t amount to much.

People who expect to function on the road with only Wi-Fi as their internet connection, I think, should consider alternatives. Wi-Fi on the road is not dependable. Not at all! I rely on a Verizon air card. It has served me very well. I use Wi-Fi when it’s signal is better than Verizon’s, which is very, very, seldom.

I’m now in my new temporary home, Lost Alaska RV Park in Alpine, TX. This park was recommended to me by a friend of mine. This will make a great location for exploring the area around me. As I drove into town, I was amazed with the mountain scenery around me. I had no idea there are these kind of mountains in West Texas.

I will be here a month. I will take my time getting settled. I have to wash the rig. It is getting to be icky to open the door! They only allow a bucket and a brush to wash rigs in here. You can’t hook up the hose to wash rigs. I don’t get that!

Oh well, it’s home!

Pics in Rock

2011-09-10T08:55:00.001-07:00

It’s been over two months since I got my last delivery of snail mail. I haven’t been expecting anything, so I‘ve been forgetful to notify my mail forwarding company to send it to me. This week, I got the usual 10x12 envelope that, to my surprise, was very skinny.

There wasn’t a single thing in it that was important. No bills, no letters, no cards, no subscription renewals, nothing! Just about everything I do now is on line. It makes me wonder what the future of the postal system will be?

I found myself at Petroglyph National Monument. It is very near the city limits of Albuquerque. It’s a large reserve on an old lava flow that protects over 24,000 petroglyphs.

Millipedes are common this time of year.

I’m into anything ancient or historical. I had to see what was out there. The Visitors Center and all the petroglyph viewing trails are all at separate places. A car is needed to drive to each trail. They are not connected. I got my directions, the little descriptive pamphlets, and headed to the sites.

I was expecting large concentrations of them. I had in mind the concentrated Three Rivers Petroglyph Site near Carrizozo, NM, I visited two years ago. These glyphs are scattered, here and there, over Large areas. There are three primary trail areas for viewing them. I visited two.

Some of the images were damaged by gunshots, some of them were defaced. There was the graffiti scars, old and more recent. It is good this park was founded to protect them from further damage.

The hills are actually the lava flow, covering sand hundreds of feet deep.

The largest viewing area is Rinconada Canyon, two miles South of the Visitors Center. The trail is a two mile round trip among the basalt boulders scattered about the cliffs of the lava flow.

The mask has a 3-D effect from two rock surfaces.

The farther up canyon you can get, the better the images are. The people who carved them obviously traded with tribes farther South. The glyphs of parrots are frequent.

The next day, I drove to the far side of the Monument to see the volcanoes that made the lava flow. I found the unmarked, paved parking area with three hills in the background. The hills are the Three Sisters. The name given to the lava vents along a five mile fissure.

Two of the three Sisters.

I spent several hours hiking the trails that join them. The nearest volcano was busy with a dozen tourists. The farthest volcano, only a mile from the first, had absolutely no one on it. It was a quiet walk out on the flat, prairie like, lava flow.

I enjoyed the time I spent out there. I loaded a couple of Geocaches on my GPS before I went out. The caches are Virtual. That means there is nothing planted to find. Instead, they usually inform you on an aspect of the area, or the geology.

This Geocache lead me to a lava tube.

That will wind down my adventures in the Albuquerque area. I’m setting my sights farther South for the next few days.

A Hike, Finally

2011-09-07T17:05:00.001-07:00

Part of getting to know a new area is just driving around. It was Labor Day Monday, I drove down the frontage road in front of the RV Park I’m in and found myself in Old Town Albuquerque, six miles later. I had no idea I was located so close to the downtown area.

I took the opportunity to park and just wander around. Again, this area reminded me of those other areas in historic places that have preserved the old flavor by renovating and replacing the old buildings with similar styles.

I did my tourist thing. I had a quesadilla lunch near a Native American band in a plaza square. They were playing music with melodic flute tones. It was sort of mesmerizing.

I finally was able to take a long overdo hike yesterday. It was up the Pino Canyon trail near the Sandia Mountains, East of town.

I didn’t know how long the trail was. I just knew I needed to take a hike. It’s been a long time since I did a hike. I chose an easy to moderate trail. There wasn’t any large climbs on this trail. It was a constant, gradual hike higher, and higher into the canyon. I turned around when my GPS measured 3.5 miles. That would give me a seven mile hike. I didn’t want to push my limits.

This trail had a good canopy all the way.

I was glad I did it that way. I didn’t have any strains or sore muscles. My feet do get tired. I have flat feet. My ankles and tendons in my feet feel it the most. I felt it today.

The trail is appropriately named for the pine trees all along the way. It was over two miles before I could get to a location that had enough of a clearing to see the view back down canyon.

Wild Honeysuckle on the trail.

There was very little sun, with temps in the low 70’s, it made for an ideal hike. I called it an end at the right time. Shortly after I got back to the truck, the clouds opened up and it poured.

It has been a relaxing but eventful last three days. Today I took the truck in for an oil change and to have my brakes checked. My front brakes were at the change point. Gosh, it’s expensive for these big trucks. But, it’s now done. I won’t have to worry about it any more, for a few years.

Tomorrow is another day!

Play it by Ear

2011-09-04T13:26:00.001-07:00

I was looking forward to a visit to the Puye Cliff Dwellings only a short 14 mile drive from my park. I looked their site up on the web before I planned on leaving the trailer. They are also closed. Flooding must have been extensive in this area.

That resigned me to watching golf on TV. I did a quick smoked Amana bratwurst on the grill for dinner. It’s too bad I didn’t look into the parks here before I chose to stay the week. Knowing what I know now, I would have traveled a little farther North, into Taos close to the good hiking grounds.

Today, I moved on to Albuquerque, a short 85 mile drive. I’m at the High Desert RV Park off of I-40. I’ll spend another week here. I haven’t looked into any of the sights to see yet.

I’ll just play it by ear.

Taos and an Old Pueblo

2011-09-02T09:15:00.001-07:00

I drove to Taos earlier in the week. A 35 mile drive along the Rio Grande river. I made a stop at the Rio Grande overlook. A rest stop built by the BLM. I stocked up on hiking maps. The Forest Service and BLM have great maps here. This is the first time I’ve ever seen such good hiking maps.

They have a map of, I believe, just about every hike in this area. One side of the map is a trail description, the other side is a full color GPS generated Topo map of the trail. The paper it’s printed on is that tough stuff that you can fold several times before tearing. I wonder if this type of map/trail guide is unique to this area, or it is part of a National effort to provide top quality info about hiking on Government lands? I hope it’s the latter.

I explored the old part of Taos for a couple of hours. I took a self guided walking tour using a handout giving info on what I was looking at. The old part is almost completely rebuilt. There are a few older places that are restored, or in the process. Most everything is converted into shops and galleries or art museums. The area has the flavor of old Taos. It reminds me of the Amana Colonies and Tubac Arizona in that way.

Kit Carson’s home and museum.

On my way home, I stopped at a roadside produce stand and picked up tomatoes, cherries, chilies and pears. All locally grown.

Yesterday I went back to White Rock to explore the old native pueblo of Tsankawi. It is a part of Bandelier National Monument but is located far enough away from the park that it wasn’t affected by the fire this Spring.

Cavettas and chiseled evidence of buildings.

It was a 275 room pueblo on top of a mesa with cavettas, or small caves carved out for living on the cliff sides. Most cavettas had a living structure built of adobe and rock, in front of them. There hasn’t been extensive archeological work on the pueblo. It remains as it was found, virtually a pile of rubble.

The walk around the site was on a trail, worn into the soft tuft over hundreds of years. In some places, the trail is worn so deep, you’re almost waist high to the edges.

Petroglyphs are all over the place. They are sprinkled with early Spanish graffiti. It’s amazing to see the same symbols as I’ve seen in other places of the Southwest. The spiral shaped symbol is common where ever I go.

A ladder next to an ancient staircase.

The trail leads you to several levels. The ancient trail lead to these levels via carved stairways. Today, the parks people uses ladders to keep people off of the fragile path. All the farming was done in the canyon below the mesa.

It was a very cool place to see.

Today, and maybe tomorrow, are domestic days. My laundry is piling up. The trailer is in need of a long overdo cleaning. I also need to make a big grocery run.

North of Santa Fe and Bandelier

2011-08-29T16:56:00.001-07:00

It was a big job, as it turned out, to find a place to call my temporary home North of Santa Fe. My first RV park was way too old and too small. I parked out in front and walked the park to find a site. The road was very narrow and overgrown with low tree branches.

I did find a site I thought I could fit in. There was no one at the desk and no one answered the phone at the number posted. I decided to give it a try.

I dodged the tree limbs and made the tight corner into the site. It was too small. A tree branch was hovering only inches above the roof. I thought I could jockey the trailer to get a little more clearance. But the front of the site dropped by about four feet over a fifteen foot length. I couldn’t back it up.

I did some white knuckling maneuvering to get it out of the site. The way out was jammed with more low branches. These I couldn’t dodge. There weren’t any heavy limbs, just small branches.

There was another RV park listed on the other side of the small town of Espanola. I drove there to check it out. It was a complete disaster. Totally unmaintained. Rubble everywhere. There was one small, old camper parked in it. It may have been a derelict.

I turned my trailer around and drove 8 miles back the way I came. I passed a place called Roadrunner RV park. It is nothing but an all gravel parking lot with full hookups. But, it is well maintained and in a central location to the area I would like to explore. Daily fee is $45.00! The weekly rate brings it down to $30.00 a day. I signed up for a week.

The first thing I did, once I got set up, was to climb to the roof and check everything out. I didn’t see any sign of damage. No more tight campgrounds for me.

I drove out to Bandelier National Park this morning to check it out. It is only 14 miles away. I only wanted to get some info on hiking and to just see the place. Unfortunately, when I got there, the park was closed. A fire went through the Canyon two months ago. The rains came and eroded the bare ground and created flooding in the Frijoles Creek.

Water damaged the visitors center, camp grounds, and trails. The two waterfalls in the park were damaged as well. Cliffs sides collapsed and the hiking trails on them were decimated. The pueblo ruins were, luckily, untouched. The Canyon is closed indefinitely. Access to many of the back country trails is off limits too.

The only portion of the park open to the public is the mesa top which includes the Juniper Campground, a dry camping area, and a short trail to an overlook. I drove to the trail and walked out to the overlook.

Volunteers stabilizing one of the ruins.

From the vantage point you couldn’t see any sign of damage. I’m sure it is there. There is an unconnected section of the park with a hike to a ruin on the other side of the small town of White Rock. I discovered White Rock has a couple of hiking trails too. I’ll check them out on another day.

It’s too bad. The park will survive. I’ll have to come back another year.

Tucumcari, NM

2011-08-27T14:16:00.001-07:00

I pulled into Tucumcari, NM, yesterday afternoon. The whole town looked familiar to me. I called the Elks Club earlier in the day. They have four full hook up RV sites that can be rented for $15,00 per night, with the second night free. I immediately recognized it when I pulled in.

I stayed here two years ago just after I joined the Elks Club in Tucson. I forgot all about it. Last night I joined them at their Friday night chicken fried steak feed. It was more than I could eat. The steak filled the whole plate. Green bean casserole was the veggie.

Today I toured the town. There are over 40 murals, painted by a local artist, decorating a lot of the buildings. This town still has the flavor of Route 66. Funky neon lighted buildings line the old road. A curio shop has a concrete teepee out front, there is a restaurant with a large concrete Sombrero over the entry way.

When the temps began to clime, I stopped in the Mesas Community College Dinosaur Museum. The displays differ from any other museum because they are cast from bonze. The college has a foundry and teaches casting techniques. The fossils are from the area with a few displays on loan from other museums.

I looked around until I was numb. A large group of kids showed up. The commotion and running around made me shorten my visit. I picked up a T-shirt in the gift shop and headed home. I am planning my next leg. This one, hopefully, will be an extended stay at a place somewhere North of Santa Fe.

Who Changes Plans?

2011-08-25T16:03:00.001-07:00

I was calmly waiting out the heat of the last two days. Then I looked at the extended forecast – more to come. I thought the end of August would be hot, but then be trending to cooler climes. Gumo left a comment on weather at my destination, the Hill Country of Texas. That area is going through the hottest in history. It’s been merciless there.

I looked at my thermometer. Yikes, no wonder its hot in the trailer! The air conditioner can’t be expected to lower the outside temp much more than 20 degrees. It’s been working hard all day.

I changed my plans. I made a right hand turn at Oklahoma City. I am heading for the mountains of New Mexico. I haven’t explored the North Eastern part of that state yet. It was to be on my plan last Spring. Personal issues put that on hold.

Wi-fi and my air card are issues in this part of the country. I am now in Shamrock, Texas. A small town on old Route 66. It’s hard to figure, my Verison Air card doesn’t work here. It didn’t work at my last spot in southern Kansas either. That I could understand. I was way out in the boonies. But, here I am just 2 miles outside of town. A very rare scenario.

This post is chanced by roaming.

A restored 1939 service station in Shamrock

At any rate, Tucumcari, NM, tomorrow.

Sweating it Out

2011-08-23T12:50:00.001-07:00

I messed up a little with my trip plan. I should have dawdled a little longer in the Northern states. I am in Southern Kansas right now. It is 103 degrees on my thermometer. That’s not ‘feels like’ temp. That is what my sensor reads underneath my slide out!

It is supposed to be equally as hot tomorrow. I chose to stay two days in this little RV park, Oasis, near South Hampton, KS, off of I-35. I figure I’ll wait out the heat wave.

I want to be in the Hill Country of Texas. There, I’ll stay for a few weeks. Maybe a month. I understand it is a great place for hiking and exploring.

My last stop was in a Casino RV Park near Mayetta, KS. It was a nice park. With a Player’s Club Casino card, charged with $25.00 of their own money, park fees were only $15.00 a day. No, I didn’t win anything.

Now, I’ll just dry the sweat off of me in air conditioned comfort, and just lay low.