Sing a Song of Wyoming for Me

There is nothing like a running
stream through the mountains.

As we moved from Colorado to Wyoming we needed to make an overnight stop because where we were headed was too far for a one day trip for us.  We stopped at, what turned out to be an RV park on a bison ranch.  We learned one very big lesson...you don’t want to live in the same place as a herd of Bison.  Bad weather with lots of rain and wind didn't help since they just enhanced the mud that we were parked in.  We actually ended up having to stay an extra night because the weather was so nasty, but that actually led to the highlight of our trip.  We decided to go into Cheyenne to the Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant..we tend to go there as our “safe” place because they have a great beer selection and we love playing the trivia games together.  As we sat playing, the manager came over to make sure everything was ok.  We got into a conversation with him and found out that he was from our hometown and his brother went to High School with our daughter.  It’s hard to explain, but things like that make you feel like you just found the prize on a treasure hunt.  He kept coming back and talking with us about familiar things and gave us an evening of feeling we were closer to home.  It was definitely the high point of that stop, but we were very ready to move on the next day.

Our welcoming committee

Then we arrived in Buffalo,Wyoming and all thoughts of the Bison Ranch disappeared.  We knew immediately that we were going to love it here.  Most people, when camping, like shady treed spots.  Since we were one of the few who like wide open areas for our satellite reception, we basically got the whole back section of the park to ourselves for most of the stay.  It was surrounded by a stream where the people in tents can stay, but very few did while we were there.  We were greeted the very first day by 3 beautiful deer resting under the trees right across from us.  It was one of those times where you have to look twice because you aren't sure that what you are seeing is actually there.  We hoped, and were right, that they were a great sign of what the next few weeks would bring us.

"Excuse us, but could
you please move"

The main aspect of our stay in Buffalo centered around being outdoors.  The scenery was incredible and they make it very easy to hike or even just walk from place to place.  There was even a nature trail that went from our campground right into the center of town so we could walk in whenever we wanted.  As we started on that trail, we realized that it was actually 10 miles long and led all the way to the foothills  of the mountains.  We decided early on to make that our goal..to walk the whole trail..just not all in one day.  Over the next few weeks we did just that – choosing a section of the trail to do on certain days and going out and exploring.  The nice thing was that each section had something different to offer.   One was along a beautiful running stream where we could rock hop and just sit and enjoy little waterfalls along the way.  Another went through a very wooded area where several times we could stop and see a bunch of deer grazing or resting under the trees.  Another section was a bit more open, through fields and meadows and they had exercise equipment along the way so we could stop and do sit-ups or pull ups or whatever else Cliff wanted to do.  The interesting part about that section was coming across a huge herd of cows..some grazing on one side of the trail, others wading in the water on the other side, and the rest standing smack dab in the middle of the trail.  Not being farm people we didn't know how to graciously ask them to move, so we stood and watched them until they decided to go on their way.  Believe me, a mother protecting her calf can stare you down far longer than you can stare at her.  In the end we were happy to say that we completed the whole trail...and even went back more than once to some sections.

The Hills Are Alive

On our first motorcycle ride in this area, we took a ride up into the mountains.  For me it was one of those "aha" moments in life.   You know those moments where it just takes your breath away and you wish you could feel that way all the time. The fields went on forever with purple and yellow flowers with a few of my dad’s favorite flowers, little blue forget-me-nots, thrown in for good measure.  And the back drop to all the colors was the awe inspiring snowy mountains climbing up behind.  I felt like we had been transformed into Austria, and being a huge Sound of Music Fan, I felt like I had been dropped into the opening scene.  It definitely required a stop with a quick run through the fields, twirling in circles and singing "The Hills Are Alive".  Fortunately, Cliff was the only one there to witness that...I hope.   It also gave us the chance to have our first snowball fight in a very long time!

Fun with the bartender

Another ride took us through the beautiful red rocks of the Big Horn Mountains.  Sometimes it is just amazing how you can ride up one side of a mountain and feel like you are in the Alps and come down the other side and be immediately transformed to what feels like the Grand Canyon.   We found a great little town called “10 Sleep” named because it would take 10 nights  or “sleeps” to get from there to each of the main Indian camps in the area.  We also came upon a tiny place called the Antler Inn.  Nothing unusual for that part of the country.  As we talked to the owner he asked if we would like to see why they actually call it that.  Of course, we said yes and his wife took us to their house next door.

Antler collection

  They have another business that takes them deep into the woods on antler searches, collecting  them and creating things out of them to sell.  It was incredible to see the all of the things they made, along with piles and piles of antlers just waiting to become some piece of art.  We often see antler lamps and chandeliers and other antler artwork, but we never thought about who made it or how it got there.  What gracious people they were to bring us into their home and share their story with us.

The Occidental

The village of Buffalo was unique all in itself.  It had an incredible hotel/bar called the Occidental Saloon which is one of the most famous western hotels in Wyoming. Wild Bill, Calamity Jane and Teddy Roosevelt are some of the people who often stayed there.  There are still bullet holes in the wall, and since Wyoming is an open carry state, people still walk around with guns on their hips.   It was old and comfortable and you felt like at any moment the Sheriff was going to ride up on horseback and come in thru swinging doors. Being that we could walk there from the RV we may have spent an evening or two there  Buffalo is actually the town that the TV show Longmire is based on, a show that we really enjoy.  It was fun to see the places that they refer to on the show and see how the people love being a part of it.  The week after we left was going to be Longmire week where the stars of the show actually come stay in the town and just hang around with the residents and become part of the culture.  Apparently it has become one of the biggest festivals around, and if we wanted to stay longer we couldn't have because the RV parks were booked a year in advance.  It's always fun to come on little bits of pop culture as we travel around.

Our first houseguest

While staying in the area we met some really great people.  One of the first nights we were there I asked a man if he had any advice about fishing in the area.  If it’s going to be worth it, Cliff likes to get a fishing license where we are, but we ask around to make sure he would get use out of it.  When I asked this man about it he immediately offered for us to come to his ranch and fish in his pond there.  There are many parts of the country where you would think the worst of an offer like that, but we knew he was genuine and just wanted to see us enjoy ourselves.  We didn't end up taking him up on it….but I just love people like that.  We also met a couple from Canada who were travelling for a few weeks and on their way home.  They were going through South Dakota on their way home, stopping very near to where we would be going next.  There is more to that story…but I’ll leave you guessing until my next blog to see how that story ends.  And on a very exciting note, we had our first official guest in our RV.  We were sitting by the stream in the rv park when a motorcycle pulled up and the guy said he was tenting and this was the site he was supposed to be in.  Cliff realized immediately that he had the same bike that we do, so they immediately hit it off.  The more they talked the later it got, and he needed to go get something to eat.  He had been travelling alone for several days and was on his way home to Colorado.  Instead of him getting back on his bike and going out to find dinner, we invited him to join us for some burgers and beers.  It was really fun to just hang out at home with someone who had so many of the same interests that we did.

After so much hiking, great motorcycle roads, lots of geocaching and meting so many great people, it was difficult when it came time to leave Wyoming.   There are some places that we go where we feel like we have done everything in the area, or we need to move on to something different.  Buffalo wasn't like that at all.  We were so comfortable there and felt like we could be there forever and never get sick of it.  I guess that means a return trip someday.

Our First Year in Review

One Year

13 States that we've “lived” in

25 States that we've visited

22 Campgrounds

22,388 Miles on the Truck

5,566 Miles on the RV

7,877 Miles on the Motorcycle

2 new air conditioners, 2 punctured tires, 1 new windshield, 3 New Motorcycle tires

1 evening in a shelter for a tornado warning

0 items broken in the RV during travel (Hoping we don't jinx ourselves by mentioning that)

And.....11,073  Pictures taken.  (Thank God we don’t have to pay for film anymore.)

Trips to

Walmart  -  44 

Subway - 11

Advanced Auto Parts - 8

Bass Pro Shops - 8

Harbor Freight - 8

6 different club memberships to various supermarkets

Bars visited?   We'll leave that to your imagination

201 geocaches, 6 shooting ranges, 13 high points climbed, tons of museums, historic sites, National & State Parks, Natural Wonders and countless small towns, festivals, fairs, concerts and rodeos.

We have seen thousands of head of cattle, hundreds of deer, antelope, elk and buffalo, a few Moose and one cow in the middle of the interstate.

Friends we’ve met – Sheryl&Jeff – who gave us the courage to go on that very first week; Daryll - who rescued us on the side of the road when our motorcycle tire got punctured; Kim&Christie – who we only knew for a few days, but trusted everything to while we went away; Lon&Barb- our first “repeats” who we have seen in more than one place; John&Veoletta-who made us feel so at home in their campground and who were from upstate NY, so they totally understood us; Phil&Jackie, Jennifer&Brad, Bonnie&Scott, Gary&Kathy, Wilf&Joyce and Mike, our first official dinner guest in our RV.  And that doesn't even begin to cover all the kind and genuine people who have shared their experiences with us, or been so interested in our journey or just wanted to talk and hang out and have fun with us.

The most common questions we are asked by strangers:

Where did you get that swivel wheel trailer?  How does that trailer work?  Where can I get one of those trailers?  We knew our trailer was unique when we bought it, but I can honestly say we have not been in one campground that someone hasn’t come up to ask Cliff about it.  We are asked in rest stops all of the time, and have even had people slow down on the highway to take a picture of it.  I think it’s time we become official reps for the company.

Our biggest surprise about being on the road?
We never expected to use our truck as much as we do.  It is much bigger than anything we have ever had and it can be tough to negotiate on narrow roads and parking lots.  But we find that New York is different from other states because they pave most of their roads.  I can’t tell you how many surprises we have had on the motorcycle where a perfectly fine, normal road all of the sudden becomes dirt and gravel and takes the fun out of it.  Cliff has learned that his new best friend is Google Earth, where he can check out the conditions of the roads before we decide what vehicle to take.  He has also become the king of parking a long-bed, extended cab dually.

Our biggest challenge on the road?

We both agreed immediately that the answer to this one is easy.  The Weather.  I guess when you live in an area your whole life, you don’t realize how much the weather varies around the country.  I think the biggest surprise is the wind.  The scariest moments we’ve had as far as weather goes, is sitting listening to the wind howling outside.  In the beginning, it took me several nights of wind to convince myself that the RV wasn’t going to blow over (don’t laugh).  Since then we have sat many nights with the TV turned up loud, hoping to drown it out, or even a couple of nights where we pulled in our slideouts to protect them.  We have even changed travel plans because the wind was too much.  We have also learned that we can’t predict the weather, and no matter how many weather sites you look at, you will always get a different answer.  We have been in some pretty hefty rain storms, been covered in ice and hit some pretty hot temperatures.  When we first started out, the first question of each day would be “What should we do today”, but we discovered quickly that the first question we need the answer to is “What does today’s weather look like?”

And finally…our most frequently asked question from friends.

Do you miss Home?

This is a difficult question and not easy to answer.  It all depends on what you consider “home”.  We lived in our home for 26 years, raised both of our kids there and made the majority of our lifetime memories there.  It was filled with love, and life and good times.  But once the kids left, it was different and I knew it would never go back to the days of little feet, and waiting for school busses, and family “fun” nights.  It absolutely amazed me how quickly this little 384 sq. ft house became our home.  It truly is who and what you surround yourself with that makes a structure feel like a home to you, and after only a year, I feel like this has been our home for ages.  We have our “comfy” chairs to sit in, when we can’t find something, we know it can’t be far, and most importantly, however we spend the day, we spend it together.  When we first downsized we used to say "This is all we've got" now we say "Look at everything we have".  Subtle differences can be enormous. 

 So, as far as the house goes, we don’t miss the maintenance that goes along with an aging house, or the yard work or the upkeep, and while we do miss the memories, we are enjoying and looking forward to making new memories in our little house and in our kid’s own homes. 

               

 We certainly miss the people we left behind.  As often happens, it wasn’t until we were leaving that we truly realized how lucky we are to have the people in our lives that we do, and we are forever grateful for modern technology that have kept those friendships going, perhaps even making them stronger.

 But here’s what we really have discovered.  When you call one place your home for a long time,  that instinctively becomes what you compare everything else in the world to.  When we say “it’s hot here” our brain is really saying “it’s hotter here than in NY”;  Texas and New Mexico were “dry” because they didn’t have the lakes and streams that we are so used to; and Iowa was “beautiful” because it was green and hilly and reminded us of where we grew up.  Our definitions of how things should be are embedded in our brains and that is where we make our comparisons.

So, while we certainly do miss the past,  and sometimes think things should be more like NY, it’s the discovery of how different things are that make being on the road so much fun.  This “road trip” is something we worked all of our lives for.  In reality, the United States is our home and we are just now getting to realize how awesome it is to be able to say that.

And how are we going to celebrate our first anniversary? 

We are going to look at the thousands of pictures Cliff has taken, listen to all of the music that has made us smile thru the past year, enjoy the fact that we love being together and appreciate that that hasn’t wavered for a moment.  Then tonight we are going to drink champagne, eat Subway sandwiches and watch Lucille Ball's “The Long, Long, Long Trailer” – the same thing we did a year ago..and we are going to  celebrate, and laugh, and probably cry a little and remember and be grateful for each other and for such an incredible year. 

Then we will get up tomorrow and see what Missouri has to offer.

Colorado Rocky Mountain High

Perfect Kayaking

The first word that comes to my mind when I think of Colorado is “majestic”.  We only had a few weeks there, which was only enough time to scratch the surface, but what we did see was just gorgeous.

The Garden of the Gods

The park we stayed in was the Garden of the Gods RV Park.   We knew it was near a State Park with that name..but  we had no idea what it was or how close we were to it.  The whole area is made up of these huge red rocks rising up out of the ground.  Some of them are just protruding right up out of someone’s front yard, but there are also the parks themselves with hiking, biking and climbing trails  The actual “Garden of the Gods Park" was privately owned land at one time, but the man who owned it gave it to the City with the conditions that it be kept up for visitors and they could never charge people to get into it.  I can’t believe I never even knew this place existed, it is simply breathtaking.

Pikes Peak from our Park

I did know that Pike’s Peak existed and was so excited when we could see it from our campground.  Of course I realized later on that it is so prominent, you can see it from almost anywhere in the area.  But there was something so nice about waking up in the morning and doing my “coffee walk” with a view of Pike’s Peak.  We considered taking the motorcycle up to the top, but since it was still covered in snow,we opted to take the truck.
 It had just snowed the day

It was very cold on
top of Pikes Peak

 before and it was very, very cold up there, but the views were certainly worth it.  What I didn’t know was that Katherine Lee Bates wrote the words to America the Beautiful after she spent the day up there.  There is a statue of her in the city looking up at the mountain right near the spot that she sat and wrote the lyrics.  City law now states that no one can ever build a building between the statue and the peak that will block her “view” of the Mountain.  I love learning little tidbits of information like that.

1,000 feet underground

Getting into Colorado we quickly learned that we were in “Gold Rush” country.  There are so many interesting stories out there and the people just love being part of such colorful history (especially the tourism industry).  We decided early on to go to the Molly Kathleen Mine in Cripple Creek.  Although it was obviously a tourist attraction, it seemed like a good place to get a real feel for what went on back in those days.  We didn’t regret our decision at all.   There was so much that we learned  in that mine that made it easier to understand the whole process in other places that we visited.   The first thing they did was squeeze 7 of you into this tiny little elevator that went 1,000 feet under the ground.  It just took a couple of minutes, but by the time you got to the bottom of the mine you felt like the person next to you was no longer a stranger. They did it that way so you could get a feel for what it was like for the miner’s every day -  it was their version of rush hour.  The set up in the mine was great – they did actual demonstrations of what it was like to work down there.  In the early days they were in the dark, or just had candlelight to work by, the noises were incredibly loud and overwhelming (and they couldn't cover their ears like we could)  and the dangers that they faced every day were unbelievable. 

The donkeys of Cripple Creek

 One of the great stories that we learned was the story of the donkeys down in the mines.  When they first started mining, they brought donkeys down in the elevators to do hauling and other “donkey tasks”.  It was too difficult to bring them up and down every day so they made pens for them to live in and kept them down there all the time.  The problem was, there was no light down there and eventually the donkeys went blind.  The President declared that it was cruel to treat the animals like that and they were forced to bring them above ground and find other ways of hauling and packing underground.  The neat thing is that since then, donkeys
have become honored animals and they just roam around the town, some of them descendants of the original ones from the mine.  It is very strange to drive around town and have to stop while a herd of donkeys cross the road, or to be in a shop and hear the “donkey alert” - announcing where a group of them are gathered at the moment for people who want pictures.  While we were in one shop we heard the announcement – “they are at the High School on the 30 yard line”.

Modern Mining

While we were in Victor, another mining town right near Cripple Creek, we were looking at our information to decide what to do next.  A local woman asked if we were interested in seeing current mining.  She gave us directions to a much lesser known spot where we could sit on top of the hill and look down on the huge equipment mining right there.  It was so interesting to be able to see in the same day, the differences between where it all started and how far it has come.

I have mentioned before how sad it is, the long lasting effect that natural disasters have on a community.  In 2012 there was a huge forest fire just outside of Colorado Springs – The Waldo Canyon Fire.  When we first got there we didn’t know anything about it, but we noticed that people would often mention “the fire” or “the burn” in conversation.  We went to the town museum where they had a whole display of just how devastating it was.  If you don’t live in an area where forest fires are common, they are one of those things that you see on TV and you think “that must be scary”.  When you get up close and see displays of toys melted together in an unrecognizable mass, or the remains of family picture albums, or furniture disintegrated into tiny fragments, you get a feel for just how much of an impact it has on a town.  It was also interesting to watch the local weather where they would always give “the burn” forecast because there is so much potential for mudslides and floods in the area where the vegetation hasn’t grown back yet.  It’s no wonder the sadness and fears stay with people for years to come.

Underwater Bowling

There was just so much to do in Colorado Springs. We got to go kayaking, which we hadn’t done in ages in the drought worn southwest.  We celebrated Cliff’s Birthday in an airplane restaurant – a restaurant that was built completely around an airplane, with the seats converted to booths and the cockpit open for you to play and explore on the controls.  We found a really fun bar in a closed down school.  It was really unique to have a beer in the principal’s office and deal with short little toilets in the ladies room.  We toured a great motorcycle museum and had a gorgeous picture-taking day at the Air Force Academy.  I think my favorite “playday” was at the bowling alley in Bass Pro Shops.  Everything was meticulously decorated to make you feel like you were underwater.  The details were awesome, right down to the bowling balls that were painted like underwater creatures.  It was a great place for a fun date night (or 2).

No matter how high we
go, he always has
to get a little bit higher

What people will do for a laugh

Every place we turned, the mountains outlined our view and the red rocks just popped out of the scenery.  Some of it was great for motorcycling, challenging for Cliff and awe inspiring for me.  I just love the feeling of driving through a  carved out mountain, surrounded by stone on both sides and as far up as I could see.  The whole time we were in Colorado we stayed on the East side of the Rockies.  I can’t wait to get back someday to see the Western side and do more exploring.   It’s one of those places that you know, no matter how many times you go there, you could ever get enough of the beauty surrounding you.

New Mexico - Part 3 - Raton

I have some catching up to do on my blog.  Something I've learned in the past weeks is how the brain (or at least my brain) works.   I have learned on the road that I love writing.  My favorite pastime is riding on the back of the motorcycle, taking in the scenery and thinking about how I want to write about it.  Since May, when I found out that my sister was sick, my brain took a whole different direction.  Fear and concern took over the whole creative side of my brain. Since she passed away we have felt such an outpouring of love and  I have been so very touched by all the people who have asked me where my blog has been.  So I’m not making excuses, just giving an explanation and hopefully I can do some catch up now, because there is so much that we have seen and done.

"The boys of Raton"

Raton,New Mexico was another one of those places that we were just supposed to stop over on the way to Colorado.  We only booked a week there..but it was such a great week, I thought it deserved its own story. 

Return from the
Oklahoma Highpoint

Our main goal in stopping in Northern New Mexico was so that Cliff could do the high point of Oklahoma.  Really, who knew that you could get to the high point of Oklahoma from New Mexico?  Another lesson in geography learned.  It was a great day – another one for me to hang out in the truck and read and go for walks while Cliff went and did the hard part.  On the drive back to New Mexico we had our first run in with Bighorn Sheep.  Literally, almost a run in.  We came around the corner and there they were standing there in the middle of the road.  It took a couple of minutes for them to cross, but then we realized there was one straggler who was either afraid or didn't think he could make it over the fence to get across.  All the others stood and looked back at him, waiting patiently, while he thought about it and made several attempts to do it.  Having no other choice, we waited patiently too.  By the time he did make it, we realized we were no longer impatient to get going on our journey again…we were just genuinely happy for the poor sheep and cheered him on as he ran in front of us to join the others.  We all need a little encouragement to do things we are afraid of, right?

It was very cold
on the top of the Volcano

We got to explore another volcano while we were here.  We could see it off in the distance whenever we drove down the road.. and were really excited to find out that we could climb to the top of it, and then climb down inside it.  Again, one of those things I didn't know about this land…that so much of it was formed from volcanoes.  I never imagined that I would be able to climb around on lava that had been formed millions of years ago.  We met a great young couple there from Canada.  They had taken the summer off from work and were motorcycle/tenting around the United States.  And it turned out that they were also staying in the same campground that we were, so we got to see them again afterwards.  The interesting thing for me was to see this couple who had planned for so long and were making such a long journey just to see the United States.  I feel like we are so fortunate to really be able to explore all of the things that brings people from other countries here.

One of my favorite memories of our travels happened that same day.  It was very simple and may seem silly but it brings a smile to my face every time I think of it.  We were out geocaching, driving along a fairly major road in the pickup truck.  Cliff saw a great opportunity for a picture and pulled off the side of the road.  Not being farmers, we didn't realize that in these modern times, cattle out in the fields are fed by the farmer driving his pickup truck out to them.  Unfortunately, they can’t differentiate between the sounds of the trucks, and to them, the sound of a diesel engine means food is on it's way.  At first I said to Cliff –“ look at those cows looking at us”…and then…”listen – all those cows are mooing at the same time”…and then… “Oh crap! They think we are the farmer”.   For as far as we could see, there were cattle running from the fields, gathering right in front of us.  Every size and shape cow you can imagine in one deafening “mooing” chorus.  Fortunately, it was a major enough road that there was a fence between them and us.  I’m glad no one had a video camera on us as we hightailed it out of there, but I must say, we felt bad that we left behind so many very disappointed cattle.

The gorge

Interrupting the Bighorn's lunch

We took a drive to Taos, which most people have heard of because it is a famous ski area.  It was a beautiful drive but when we got there it was quite busy and it was very tricky trying to find parking for the pickup.  We tend to navigate to more remote areas so we kept driving a bit farther out to Rio Grande Gorge State Park, which is just what it sounds like.  An incredible gorge with a long bridge over it and walking trails around it.  There were a lot of people around doing the “touristy” stuff..the gift shop and all the photo ops.  We decided to do some geocaching.  What I love about geocaching is it takes you to different, more remote areas that most people don’t even know about.  We did the walking trail for a while, but there was a point where most people turned around and we kept going.  It was an amazing trail along the rim of the gorge.  After we walked for a while I found a bench where I sat and just enjoyed the scenery.  Cliff went off to take some pictures, and shortly I heard him quietly calling me and pointing just a short distance away.  Again…the Bighorn sheep.  A whole group of them just having their lunch and taking naps within a stone’s throw of us.  We have always been “wildlife” people and grew up watching for deer, or Moose or any other big wildlife you might find in the Northeast.. so having a group of Bighorn Sheep so close was like hitting the jackpot.

The DJ doing his thing while
we did our thing in the bar.

  As we usually do, we had done some homework on what kind of interesting bars there might be in the area.  We found this awesome one that was right in the middle of the local radio station.  As we, and bunches of other people sat around the bar enjoying ourselves, on either side of us were DJ’s enclosed in soundproof booths, one doing a talk show and the other one playing music.  I love it when business owners think of creative ways to get people into their place – it was so much fun.

Raton from "The Hill"

Mother’s Day fell while we were in Raton – and of course, it was my preference to go to a local pub for dinner rather than a fancy restaurant.  OK., truth be told…there was no fancy restaurant and there was only one pub, so that’s where we went.  We met a couple of locals there who took us in like they had known us forever.  They told us stories, introduced us to people, and it seemed like every time we went back they were there waiting for us.  That probably has to do with the fact that they rarely left their bar stool, but I like to think they were waiting for us.  They told us about a road that only locals know about, through a neighborhood and around the corner and up the back of “the Hill”.  It was the place where everyone who ever lived there snuck up to with their girlfriend, or their six pack, or whatever else they might sneak up there with.  We find, as we drive out west that the towns all have their name in big white letters at the highest point that you can see…much like the Hollywood sign in California.  This was where their sign was.  We sat up there for the longest time looking out over the town, imagining the stories that could be told by what people saw from that vantage point.

 Naturally, being on the road we sometimes get nostalgic for home…the familiar places and places where we made memories together.  When we find a place like this, especially because the locals felt close enough to share it with us…it makes missing home a little less lonely and makes us realize that we can be at  home wherever we go.

New Mexico Part 2 - Albuquerque

As I have already mentioned, New Mexico was a great surprise for us.  It was one of those places we thought we would drive through to get somewhere else and ended up spending almost 2 months there.  We just found so many things to do, so much history and so much to learn about the makeup of this country.  I never had a good head for geology, but now being up close and personal with so many types and colors and sizes of rock formations some of it is starting to make sense to me.  That being said, it still never ceases to amaze me.

The tent rocks

We went to a place called the Tent Rocks – it’s hard to explain what they looked like except this huge area of rocks worn away to look like giant tents.  They were awesome to see from the road, but it was so much fun to get right in and climb up into them.  I have to admit I have a fear of heights and sometimes I just freeze and can’t go any further.  I am trying very hard to get over it…but these were just a little too high and too steep for me to do…so I graciously sat in the shade and waited so Cliff could get to the top.  We also went to a place called the Land of Fire and Ice.  If you take the path to the right you start heading up into the mouth of a volcano.  It’s amazing to see the path that the lava took as it came out and flowed down the hill.  If you turn left on the path it takes you down into a cave where the temperature never rises above 31 degrees.  It was so interesting to see the stark difference between the 2 temperatures in such a short walk. Also an interesting tidbit...there used to be a lodge built nearby and they used the cave as their walk-in cooler.

I have to say one of my favorite places that we went was El Morro National Monument.  It is actually just a giant rock formation coming up out of the ground from nowhere, but when you get up to it the history is amazing.  Before there was gps, or maps or even roads, people traveled across the country and somehow knew how to get from one place to another.  I never really thought about it  before…but on their journeys they needed to find water and shade and safe places to stay.  Since this formation is so big and out there by itself, it was an easy landmark for people to head to on their way out west.  This, along with a natural source of water and trees nearby, made it the perfect “rest area” for weary travelers.  The cool thing is, many of them “autographed” the rock when they stayed there.  There are petroglyphs from Pueblo Indians, inscriptions

The first "rest area"

from Spanish conquistadors dating back to 1605, and messages from pioneers who started arriving in the 1850s.  It is almost surreal to stand there and know that you are not looking at a replica of this in a museum…but that all of these people actually stood there and carved their mark into that actual rock.  We were able to take the trail to the top, where again my fear of heights took over, but with Cliff’s patience and his hand holding mine, I was able to make it the whole way.

One of Cliff's "fun" pics
My hair on a very windy day

 We stayed at a great park in Albuquerque, lots of space, not far from town, but far enough and we met some great people.  Our first night there we went for a walk around the park – it had just started getting dark and it all felt so new and fun.  All of the sudden we heard a noise that I can’t even begin to describe.  It was a howling, screaming, shrill spooky noise.  We decided that somewhere in the park there were a group of teenagers trying their hardest to scare people..until we saw other people coming out of their RV’s and the park manager racing down the road.  They were all of the opinion that it was a pack of coyotes just on the other side of the fence, letting everyone  know they were there and not to be messed with.  I thought I knew what a coyote sounded like, but I will never forget that spine tingling sound, and I guarantee I will never mess with them.

Had to love going to "The Library"

For Breaking Bad fans
"The Laundromat"

Being beer lovers, I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to Albuquerque for their amazing beer culture.  We were very excited and a little bit nervous when we realized just how many brewpubs there were surrounding us. For those of you who understand.. imagine how excited we were when we went to the chamber of commerce and one of the first things they handed us was the microbrew trail map for the area.   Fortunately we made a plan right from the beginning to spread them out throughout the month we were there so we could safely get to as many as possible.  Of course, it was all for educational purposes, and we came away with a vast knowledge of just what we like, what we don’t like, and what  we think makes a great brewpub.  They take it very seriously and it was fun to see just how many different combinations they can come up with.  For anyone who is a “Breaking Bad” fan, we were certainly in their territory.  We got to see some of the bars where they went, the Laundromat and the carwash.  It’s big business there..they even have a  tour where they drive you around in a “meth-bus”  to see all of the landmarks.  We didn’t go that far…but it was fun to see what we did see.

One of my favorites..
Rock, Paper,Scissors

Sculptures in Santa Fe

We had a beautiful, sunny day the day we took the train up to Santa Fe for the day and it was awesome.  They make it very easy, with several trains going back and forth each day.  Santa Fe is an easy city to walk around so it was nice to have that freedom of not having to ride the motorcycle back on the highway at night and not having to find parking in the city for the truck.  We “accidentally” ended up in the arts district and it ended up being one of our favorite things.  It was like a giant, eclectic outdoor art museum that you could just walk the streets and take in all of the different types of sculpture and artwork.  We are not really "artsy" people, but we were like little kids checking everything out, not to mention the great picture taking opportunity it was for Cliff.

The view "before" the bliizzard

The view on the way back down

Albuquerque was still very dry, but we had a huge weather surprise the day  we took the tramway up to the high point in the city.  We knew it was a cold day so we dressed appropriately.  We wandered around the top a little when suddenly it became a blizzard up there.  I was very grateful that Cliff had checked the weather and we weren't one of the people up there in shorts and flip flops.  It was definitely a strange experience coming back down on the tram..with zero visibility.  It was  a leap of faith to step through that doorway and trust that the cables were going to hold us in the winds.  But then as quickly as the snow started – the tram pulled out of the blizzard and we could see the beautiful, sunny city out ahead of us. 

I know it has been a long time since I last wrote.  Sometimes, although being on the road seems like a "dream", the reality of life never leaves us.  In the time since we left Albuquerque, my younger sister got ill and passed away this last week.  While we continued to see and do as much as possible she was never out of my mind or heart.  Sometimes the things we do seem very trivial in comparison to the reality of other peoples lives.  But then the big picture also reminds us of how fortunate we are to be able to learn so much, and see so much and meet so many great people on the road.  Albuquerque was one of those places that brought us the extremes..hot and cold, old and new, past and present.  A great surprise that we can't wait to go back to someday.

Loving Las Cruces

"Forget the leaves and branches
Go straight for the flowers"

Even though we lived in NY all of our lives Cliff and I thought we knew a lot of what the United States was all about.  We did well in Geography class, we know people who live in other states and we were able to do some travelling throughout the years.  The biggest thing I am learning on the road is how little I really know.  I always thought of it being cold in the North and hot in the South .. but didn’t know people in most states have to rake leaves in the fall, there is ice in Louisiana and Texas, spring happens in the desert and the wind in the Southwest can pretty much blow you away at any given moment.  I knew people were different in different parts of the country but it is so much fun to really understand the differences in cultures and what has influenced them over the years.  I always thought about there being the Rocky Mountains, and the Appalachians, and of course the Adirondacks, but I never realized just how mountainous and gorgeous so many other parts of the country are.

"Playing in the City of Rocks"

As much as we loved Texas we were ready to get out of the dry, sandy air.  We had thought about staying in El Paso, but wanted to move a little farther so we decided on Las Cruces - and we were so happy that we did; there was just something we loved about it.  It's a good size city, so we had everything we needed, but not so big that we couldn't get around.  And they have tried to keep it authentic, blending new buildings with old architecture and it really works.  We realized right away that there was tons of stuff to do and we wanted to see as much as possible.  There was so much to see and learn about the history of the country, not just recent history, but going back thousands of years.  I have never been really into geology – I have a hard time wrapping my mind around things that are that huge.  But when you are right in the middle of it, after a while it all starts making sense.  One of my favorite days was the City of Rocks.  It’s not a huge place but as you are driving along, you see mountains in the distance and then all of the sudden this outcropping of giant rocks is right in front of you. Formed by lava flow, they are huge and every size and shape you can imagine. The fun part is they don’t put any restrictions on you and you can climb and play all you want.  It truly was like we were little kids running around exploring like we had no grownups watching us.

"White Sands"

There was also White Sands Missile Range and National Monument, where, again you are driving along and suddenly start to see what you think is snow and gradually the land just gets whiter and whiter until you are  completely surrounded by pure white sand.  There are kids “sledding” on it and no restrictions on where you can go.  You can get disoriented very easily though because it all looks the same.  Another amazingly fun day spent like little kids in a sandbox.  

"Thanks for the warning"

I have mentioned before that the dryness of the air and the land was getting to us.  The whole south is in a drought and has been for quite some time now.  We could definitely see signs of it, but none more clear than when we drove through El Paso, expecting to see the Rio Grande separating the United States from Mexico.  We kept looking, and decided we missed it, only to find out that it is virtually gone.  It is so strange to see this dried up ravine where the river used to be.  We headed up to Riudoso NM, which is in the mountains.  We both said we could actually “smell” the water in the air and were so excited to see green trees and grass and deer and elk.  It was like coming home (except for the elk).  And the neat thing is that all of these fun, kidlike experiences were actually making us understand a little better, the history of the land, way back to volcanoes and oceans that we never knew existed.

There was also a ton to learn about military and space history.  White Sands National Monument is not only a fun place to play, but it is where a good portion of the military testing goes on.  They had a great museum guiding you all through the steps of how missiles were developed from the very beginning and there was a whole area where you could walk around the missiles and see them up close.   The Museum dealt with all of the research and development of Missiles throughout the past, and while we had planned on stopping in for a short time to get some pictures, we ended up spending a couple of hours, just fascinated by all that we didn't know.You have to drive through the missile range to get from town to town, and it was just amazing to see the vast amount of land and different types of testing sites and have a little bit of an understanding of what really goes on there.

On top of all that, the cultural history of New Mexico is amazing.  The park we were in was walking distance to the Town of Mesilla a fantastic old town where you feel like you are stepping back in time.  It’s where Billy the Kid had his trial and escaped from and it had great places to hang out. We were right in the middle of Billy the Kid territory, so we made sure to watch "Young Guns", one of Cliff's favorite movies.  It was so cool to watch and recognize lots of the places they showed and to see the scenery which we had been wandering through for days.

We were planning on walking across the border from El Paso to Mexico, but as we talked to people about it, they were very adamant telling us we didn't want to do that.  It turns out that Juarez, the Mexican town on the other side of the border is the murder capital of the world.  We made a good choice on that one.  It was also very interesting, and a little bit scary, that even though we never crossed the border we had to pass through many border patrol stations, some of them 50 miles from the border.  We were nervous at first, but only had to answer questions about our citizenship and let the police dogs circle us, but it was a little more scary having to go through one with the RV and all of our belongings following behind us.  Fortunately it wasn’t an issue.

 

"Having a beer in a
tee-pee bar"

There was a great gun range where we got to play, and we may have found a bar or two to sample some of the awesome New Mexico beers.  Where else can you visit a place called Elephant Butte, visit the chile capital of the world AND see the world’s largest pistachio?  We thought New Mexico was just going to be one of those states that we crossed through to get somewhere else.  We do look forward to getting to a place with shade trees and water in their streams, but Las Cruces was one of those great surprises, with great memories and it is definitely someplace we look forward to coming back to.