USA October 2011

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Photos are Angel Peak/Kutz Canyon Badlands and the view outside my window near Santa Fe almost everyday.....the sunrises and sunsets here in New Mexico are phenomenal!

On the road again starting 11 October!

31 October 2011 Monday (Chula Vista/San Diego CA)
A bit of shopping to prep for my overseas travels such as new case for my new camera and a bigger card since it takes bigger photos (more pixels!).....thought I was in Mexico since everyone here is speaking Spanish and the signage is also in Spanish! Overnight at the Chula Vista KOA on the Sweetwater River....no views of the water but more trees and garden. Free grande mocha at Starbucks (for my birthday)....found card in my mail from Lynda.

30 October 2011 Sunday (Chula Vista/San Diego CA)
Lazy day by the pool for a few hours then sorted through the mail that Lynda delivered to me (I am having my mail forwarded to her here in San Diego since I will be in and out of here for the next few months). Long walk to West Marine to see if they sold CB antenna but they do not but they did recommend a place in the area. And yes, another gorgeous sunset on the water!

29 October 2011 Saturday (Chula Vista/San Diego CA)
Saturday morning coffee and juice and donuts at the RV Resort. Met my friend Lynda for lunch at the South Bay seafood grill next door for some fresh mahi with fabulous views of the water and boats. Then spent afternoon visiting with folks in a Pleasure Way van from Fairbanks and found that we had some mutual friends! Another beautiful sunset.

28 October 2011 Friday (Potrero to Chula Vista CA)
A very winding route 94 west to Chula Vista....now camped on the Bay at expensive RV resort but found coupon for stay two nights and get third free......walk on the waterfront marina for a beautiful sunset!

27 October 2011 Thursday (Cuyamaca to Potrero CA)
Drove to Julian (former mining town of 1880's) but the pie place was not open yet so filled with petrol (at $4.09) then headed south on the S1 Sunrise Highway....just gorgeous with views of Sawtooth Mountains and Anza Borrego. Stopped at Lake Moreno where I had camped two years ago but too busy for me so continued on to the Potrero county park which was quite empty except for a fellow from MN on his way to La Paz (he had totalled his motorhome hitting a cow in Mexico and he now sleeps in his truck with his dog).

26 October 2011 Wednesday (Phoenix AZ to Cuyamaca CA)
Back on the road heading to San Diego CA....but going slowly.....maybe be there by the weekend! Long day of interstate driving then just east of San Diego I headed north to Cleveland National Forest and camped on Lake Cuyamaca.

19-25 October 2011 (Phoenix/Chandler AZ)
Visiting with my friend Christine for a few days and getting more stuff done on the RT like an oil change and two new tires and fixing the van heater blower again! It has been very hot and sunny!

18 October 2011 Tuesday (Cottonwood to Phoenix/Chandler AZ)
Up the hill to the historical ghost town of Jerome and then over Mingus Mountain (winding steep road for 12 miles) to Prescott and onto the big city of Phoenix! Already missing the coolness of higher elevation.

17 October 2011 Monday (Sedona to Cottonwood AZ)
Early morning drive on route 179 to visit Village of Oak Creek and the Chapel built into the rocks and to take photos of sunrise on all the red rock formations. Continued south on route 89A to Cottonwood and decided to stay overnight at Dead Horse Ranch AZ State Park.....lovely park with one loop in the trees (where I initially stayed and enjoyed walk along Verde River) and another loop on the hill with no trees but beautiful night sky (where I moved at sunset when several big rigs with several loud gabby women and their barking dogs moved in to have a hot dog barbq right outside my window). That is my biggest complaint in that I find the perfect spot and then folks show up and bring the big city with them!

I also spent morning visiting Tuzigoot National Monument(ancient pueblo built by Sinagua) and the train station at Clarkdale where the Verde Canyon train takes you on four hour ride through the Verde River canyon.

16 October 2011 Sunday (Sedona AZ)
Another gorgeous sunny day. Joined Dave and Dianne, Roadtrek folks from Vancouver Canada, for five mile hike up and down the Huckaby trail along Oak Creek with views of Midgely Bridge. Returned for invite to lunch with my neighbors from California....quite a lovely day!

15 October 2011 Saturday (Flagstaff to Sedona AZ)
Happy Birthday to me!
Drove to Walnut Canyon National Monument and hiked the Island Trail down to the cliff dwellings......about 300 steps down....and then up.....amazing how these folks built these homes into the sides of the rocks.....then hiked the very easy rim trail. Drove Oak Creek Canyon road (route 89A) down to Sedona.....very busy for a Saturday with beautiful views and changing colors. Now camped at Rancho Sedona in Sedona, probably for two nights.....great peaceful RV park with trees so close to Sedona yet so far away from the hustle and bustle....and surrounded by the red rocks!

Met another couple in Roadtrek from British Columbia....she was driving to Basha's grocery which is a few miles from here (no market in downtown Sedona) so went with her to get fresh salad and fruit and veggies. I then walked from campground to downtown Sedona....heaps of stores with nothing for me to buy but was fun to walk through once!

14 October 2011 Friday (Shonto to Flagstaff AZ)
And a gorgeous sunrise on the canyon and at Elephant Feet rock formation this morning! Spent three hours touring Wupatki Indian Ruins and and Sunset Crater....only 36 mile drive but did all the half mile walks to the ruins. Stopped at the visitor center and asked if they would sell me my Golden Age pass even though tomorrow is my birthday....and they did....yeh!!! Unfortunately, I had planned to camp at Sunset Crater Bonita campground since their website stated that they were open through this weekend.....but it snowed there last weekend, so they shut down the campground early....so ended up a KOA in Flagstaff instead.....hot showers and internet!

Timezones are confusing here since AZ does not do daylight savings so when I entered from NM, I thought that the time would be one hour earlier....but not true.....because the Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations are on daylight savings! The time changed at Cameron just north of Flagstaff!

13 October 2011 Thursday (Farmington NM to Shonto AZ)
More wonderful rock formations heading west on route 64/160 (Shiprock) and visited the Four Corners Monument. Overnight at Navajo National Monument which is free admission and free camping and did heaps of walking to view the canyon and cliff dwellings and gorgeous sunset.

12 October 2011 Wednesday (Jemez to Farmington NM 196 miles)
Morning walk to Jemez Falls then beautiful drive down route 4 then route 550 northwest with stupendous rock formations. Drove gravel road (very washboardy) to Angels Peak (only six miles but over an hour there and back....badlands of Kutz Canyon with more wonderful rock formations. Heaps of oil and gas activity in this area.

11 October 2011 Tuesday (Santa Fe to Jemez Creek NM)
Joined the hiking group for our hike on East Fork Box Canyon Jemez Creek...camped overnite at Jemez Falls Campground (thought about heading further south (and down 2000') to Vista Linda where it woul be warmer but was fine here....except for the grazing cattle that showed up at sundown.....with a few frisky calves! And I decided to pay the half price for Seniors ($5) since I will turn 62 on Saturday! Then will drive west and south to Four Corners then Navajo Monument then Sedona then Phoenix by mid October.

10 October 2011 Monday (Santa Fe NM)
Rosa and Gary return home today.....a gorgeous autumn day.....cool and clear.

9 October 2011 Sunday (Santa Fe NM)
Busy cleaning van and cooking food and getting ready to be on the road again....afternoon walk after it warmed up a bit.

8 October 2011 Saturday (Santa Fe NM)
Still cold but clearing.....more fresh snow on the mountains from last evening storm....and the ski areas are opening in southern Colorado. Had my last visit for genealogy research at the LDS church....then to stock up at Trader Joes and Whole Foods and Farmers Market at Santa Fe Railyard.

7 October 2011 Friday (Santa Fe NM)
Drove to Vantastic Van in Albuquerque to have work done on my van then to fill up with gas at $3.01 per gallon! Returned to a chilly afternoon of pouring down rain....brief visit to the Friday Farmers Market for fresh veggies and fruit from Colorado.

6 October 2011 Thursday (Santa Fe NM)
Walked to yoga class but found that it was cancelled....had free flu shot instead! Finally made it to the Jambo Cafe, famous for great African and Caribbean chow! The owner is from the island of Lamu (which I visited about eleven years ago), off the coast of Africa. Weather today is cooler and very windy.

5 October 2011 Wednesday (Santa Fe NM 195 miles)
Road trip to scout out campgrounds for next week cos with yesterday's rain, there is now snow on the mountains (and several campgrounds are closing for the season)! Drove the Jemez Mountain National Scenic Byway and visited Coronado Monument, Zia Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo, Jemez Springs, Jemez Monument, Soda Dam, Battleship Rock, Spencer Hot Springs (this area if full of hot springs), Fenton Lake, Jemez Falls and Valle Caldera.....long day but heaps of fun!

4 October 2011 Tuesday (Santa Fe NM)
Hike to the caves created by Cave Creek off Panchuela Creek in the Pecos Wilderness (four miles/600' elevation). This is near Horseshoe Meadow which was once a hiding place for horses stolen from ranches in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos. Beautiful changing colors of the trees along the trail and we returned just in time before the heaviest rain we have seen in the past month.

3 October 2011 Monday (Santa Fe NM)
Looks like colder days ahead! Great walk to yoga class this morning.

2 October 2011 Sunday (Santa Fe NM)
Watching the balloon fiesta on television this morning but just not the same as being there! One thing I could not see from the field but can on television is the splash and dash, where the balloonists touch down briefly onto the Rio Grande River then continue upward! I have heard of this festival for years but never considered attending.....but I am so glad that I finally did.....well worth it!

1 October 2011 Saturday (Santa Fe NM)
On the road south at 4am for ascension of over 600 balloons in Albuquerque for start of balloon festival! I met Germaine near Santa Fe and she drove the fifty miles to the 40th annual Balloon Fiesta.....and we did not realize that we would see so much traffic at 430 in the morning but all was pretty well organized and we ending up parking quite close and walked down the hill just as the Dawn Ascension and the Balloon Glow (lighted interiors of balloons) was happening.....absolutely wonderful. And just a short time later, all of the balloons were rising into the clear sky with the sunrise coming up over the Sandia Mountains. No need for viewing stands....you just walk right out onto the 80 acre launch field and become part of the action. Quite a few of the balloons are "special shapes". Check out the website http://www.balloonfiesta.com!
and the shapes at
http://www.balloonfiesta.com/pilots-and-crew/special-shapes-directory

After the launch, we went over to the RV park to visit the Roadtrek Rally where we met several folks that we knew in addition to meeting some new folks. And then a funnel cake before our drive back to Santa Fe!