Lightfocus: Travel Log: 2003, the Second Year
Cold and overcast today. William even had the heater on this morning. Day before yesterday, we were running the AC. Interesting place, New Mexico.
We are thinking of meeting Will's brother in Yellowstone. We started talking about it last summer and now it looks like it will happen. If we take it at 100 miles a week, we could be there in late summer.
We were able to buy a 3 month pass to New Mexico state parks for 99 bucks which covers basic camping and day use. If we want electricity, we can pay 4 dollars a day. Can't beat that! We plan on visiting a number of New Mexico's State Parks.
Visiting Las Vegas, NM. This is where my parents lived a few months before I was born. Interesting how someplace you have had pictured in your mind holds no resemblance to "reality". Even the ambiance is different.
The dish is not working. All plans are on hold until we find out what gives. Quick trip back to Albuquerque to see if our installer has any magic for the problem.
Still in Albuquerque. Seems that Hughes is upgrading the software and our particular transponder got caught in the fray. Somehow that doesn't impress me.
The dish is working at the moment. Knock wood, cross your fingers, etc...
Yesterday it finally dawned on me that it is Memorial Weekend. The annual calendar has little meaning, somehow, when we travel this way. The normal rhythm of the seasons is missing and instead, each day comes into individual focus.
We are in Fenton Lake State Park in the northern part of NM. In the mountains and cool- a blessing in itself. We got in tired last night and when we couldn't get the dish to find the satellite, (too many trees!) we said to heck with it and went to bed. This morning we pulled up stakes and are now on a wide spot off the road where the trees are not blocking the business at hand.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that new technology will simplify your life.
Will hasn't gotten his newsletter finished or out on the ether yet so that is another tick for the tension meter.
We moved again. Hope to stay here awhile. "Here" is the El Vado State Park - even farther north in New Mexico.
We drove thru some absolutely beautiful and scenic parts of the state.... about 20 miles of it on dirt/gravel roads :) With the dish (I have to come up with a name for that thing - I was going to call it Dudley when it didn't behave properly. Now it is working I don't want to give it any ideas.) Anyway, with the dish, we are not confined to the more populated areas where cell phone towers are so have more freedom to explore the back country. 100 miles took us 4 hours. :)
Found a new fun perk of having broad band internet access. Radio on the internet! Dozens of broadcasts are available. Everything from VOA to old time radio shows. Tonight I listened to an old Cecil B DeMille radio theater production of Jane Eyre starring Loretta Young and oh heck, I forget his name. He was best known as a director. Anyway it was from the "Lux Radio Theater". Great fun.
One of the details that needs attention when camping in the boonies is that the tanks need regular attention. Some holding tanks have to be emptied. Some have to be filled. And the corner grocery is out of reach. Tomorrow we will pull stakes and take care of those little details. We have another week available before we have to vacate this park so we can return here.
We picked up a package of mail that our friend collected for us and sent to General Delivery. Had it sent GD as we were not anywhere we could receive mail. I believe it was the only general delivery package they got at that post office this year!
Getting in the cab and heading to town tickled us both in the same place... the need to "travel". All plans of returning to the same park evaporated as we began to roll.
Currently we are in Farmington, NM. Long story. I will write more about it tomorrow as I am tired tonight. It was an enchanting day.
Still in Farmington. We stocked up on groceries for a couple or three weeks and did 5 loads of laundry! I'm pooped. It is hot here so we look forward to a higher elevation.
Part of the adventure of getting over here yesterday included blowing out a tire (one of the dualies) (sp?). We were on a lesser highway and happened (!) to be near a small settlement. The only buildings not a house was the Catholic church (locked) and a metal building next to it with a sign indicating it was a school. I walked into the school (a door was standing open), yuhooing as I went, and found a young woman in the office. I explained our problem and asked who I could call.
She arranged for her brother-in-law to help us out and then said" This is St. Francis School. No one arrives here by accident. There is always a purpose." Then she went on to explain that all the teachers in their school are volunteers. The state waives the need for a teaching certificate if the volunteer has a college degree and enrolls in correspondence courses. She was intent on my volunteering to teach at their school. I didn't for a bunch of reasons, not the least being I am unable to be "upright" for more than an hour or two at a time!
Anyway, this part of New Mexico is an exquisitely beautiful place but it seems to be a poor area too. So much of the state is either tribal land, National forest, State land, whatever. The roads, mostly, are rather like the ones in Greene County (IN). For whatever reason, tourism hasn't really caught on. Hard for me to understand since it has spectacular scenery. Is it still true that my countrymen can't grasp that New Mexico is a state and not part of the country to our south?
Well anyway, back to the tire. The young man came and helped. After much trial and error, he and Will got the spare on (ever tried to jack up a 30' rig) and I gave the guy my reserve 20 bucks. (We carry very little cash with us.)
So today we had to buy another tire. That makes 3 out of the six that are new, now.
That is part of the story. It is very hard to describe how the landscape affects us... it changes so often and is always a "wow" experience. Maybe because it is so very different from what we are used to. No, I really do believe this part of the country is enchanted.
We took all day to get the chores done. OK, we didn't get started until noon :) So we came back to the same little RV park in Farmington. Sort of a folksy place that is part boat repair and part RV park. Now, we have to decide where to head tomorrow.
We are just north of Durango, Colorado this evening. We had thought we would wander around here for awhile but are suffering from "sticker shock". The price of gas went up 20 cents the minute we crossed the border, the cost of a state park campground is 20 bucks for no water, electric or nuthin'. We paid $4 a night in New Mexico with our pass for water -and- electric. We are in a private campground paying $30+ for full hookups. We inquired about monthly rates since this is a pretty place.
$900 dollars a month!
Holy biscuits, brother!
Tomorrow we are making our way north to Wyoming where the mountains are just as pretty and the rates are a good amount less.
We drove past Mesa Verde today, thinking we would be in the area for awhile and could come back to visit. Now we are going to have to catch it some other time.
No cell phone out here but dang , we have broad band internet!!
We did, indeed, head north but stopped short of Wyoming (for now). We are in Montrose Colorado in a pleasant park with trees and grass.
Grass is a new sight, recently! Leah, having spent all her life in the desert (we think), is not sure what to make of it. She makes a cute picture tiptoeing across the green lawn.
If things work out, we may be here a month. I rode today's hundred miles stretched out on the couch. It was a good thing I was not in the front seat as, once, when I woke up, I could see down the mountain to the next three switchbacks in front of us. I am not fond of narrow mountain roads with several tons of rig pushing us downhill. It is another kind of adventure.
We are set up to stay here for a month. We have had such a good time traveling the past 4 or 5 weeks, seeing places and soaking up the country side. But, as Will says, it is hard to drive and program at the same time. We both have a list of things we have let slide while on the road
Beginning to make some progress on the long list of "stuff" I need to catch up on. Will is too. He's doing 16hours/ 7days again. Guess we are both feeling some pressure of getting caught up after our weeks of exploring. Always a balancing act...
BUT, I am taking my 'puter outside to work in my lounge chair today. Who says there aren't perks to my job!
Working... one project after another.
I joined a new email list for knitting for charity. Has inspired me to do more knitting.
© 2003 Mari Bontrager