Derek and Teresa's Desert Wanderings

Living in Keremeos, B.C. Canada

2009-12-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

Well it has been awhile. We are now the proud parents of a little girl and we moved back to B.C. from Saskatchewan. Lord willing, we will travel again- Israel or Mexico would be two of our choices, dry and warm. Keremeos is located in a milder (for Canada) semi-arid climate so we are happy here. Blessings to you in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach.

It will have to wait......

2008-12-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Our plans to go down to Baja Mexico this winter will have to wait. We found out that we are going to be parents next year and we also purchased a lovely piece of property in rural Saskatchewan. Our beloved dog Keda (seen in this blog) passed away Nov.7 at 15 years - we feel so blessed to have had the time with him last year in the warm southern climate.

Until next winter....

2008-04-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the end of our Desert Wanderings for this year. Join us next winter as we head out to discover Baja California! Come with us while we make our way from Mortlach Sk to the wilds of Mexico - narrow roads and all. Adios!

We are home Mortlach, Saskatchewan, Canada, EH !!!!!

2008-04-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Well there are no palm trees but it is warm and the tree buds are ready to break into the first signs of growth. We brought the heat with us , it was 28 C today (82.4 F) but it will be cooling down for a spell. We are setting up our sweet shoppe for another season of business.

End of our journey in the great USA

2008-04-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

We stopped into the town of Fort Benton on the Missouri river for a bite to eat. What a cool town!
We ended up staying one more night in Montana because we found another hotspring. We stayed at their rv site and soaked in the pool, ahhhh we love hotsprings. It is called Sleeping Buffalo Hotsprings and the people there are very friendly and helpful. Check out their site at sleepingbuffalo.blogspot.com for pics and info.

Boulder Hot Springs

2008-04-11T22:26:00.001-07:00

Butte, Montana

2008-04-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

Montana scenery

2008-04-11T22:21:00.001-07:00

April 11th

2008-04-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

Montana! The second last day of travel after 3 days on the road. We are getting a bit road weary since we have been pushing through.

This morning we left Arco, Idaho headed east and then north on I15. Lots and lots of Albertans and even Saskatchewanians on the road - all snowbirds we suspect.

We saw a really good movie filmed in Butte a few years ago - cannot remember the name at the moment - so decided to check it out. We stopped at the visitor's center and then headed to the historic downtown. Butte is based on mining and has a lot of it's old buildings intact. The problem with downtown is that it is a bit rough looking with many of the buildings empty. We strolled around a bit and then headed back to the rig and back on the road.

Just up the road we stopped in the scenic town of Boulder. Realizing that it has a hotsprings - and since Derek has been talking about nothing but finding a hotsprings - we decided to go in search for the resort. After grabbing a really good pizza in town we drove the 3.5 kms to Boulder Hotsprings. We enjoyed a soak - males and females are separated - a first for us. We enjoyed the heat immensely since our bodies are still trying to get used to the much cooler temps - my apologies for keep bringing that up but you have to understand that we have been completely enjoying the southern climate. Palm trees, oh do I miss palm trees...

Back on the road we have made a late arrival into Great Falls. This is our 106th and last night away from home. Tomorrow we will do some last minute shopping in GF and then head home. Unless of course we find another place to stop along the way. You never know.....

In the shadows....

2008-04-10T22:08:00.001-07:00

Shoshone, Idaho

2008-04-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

Twin Falls, Idaho

2008-04-10T22:06:00.001-07:00

April 10th

2008-04-10T21:54:00.001-07:00

Hello - day number two on the road to home.

After a good stay at the Thunderbird Hotel we spent the morning walking and shopping in the historic part of Elko, Nevada. We really like this town and all the people we met were very friendly. We started the morning right with a good cup of coffee from Cowboy Joe's - www.cowboyjoecoffee.com - a great shop with great coffee and stuff. Needing a bite to eat before we started shopping we headed over to the Stockmen's Casino and Hotel. We left stuffed for $12.

We stopped at a few shops and found somethings to buy. In particular we want to tell you all about J.M. Capriola Co. - www.capriolas.com. A great western shop with great people - if you need western wear or equipment this is the place!

By 1:00 we were back on the road headed east to Wells, Nevada and then north to Idaho. Another windy day and some snow showers. Thankfully, the sky looked a lot worse then it was.

At Shoshone we stopped for dinner at the Manhattan Cafe - a neat place. Then headed back on the road east to Carey and on. We just managed to see the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve as the sun was setting. A neat geography created by a volcanic eruption.

Tonight we are in Arco, Nevada on our way to Montana tomorrow. Almost home!

Cowboy Country Nevada

2008-04-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

Elko, Nevada - Our Hotel

2008-04-09T23:41:00.001-07:00

Back on the Interstate

2008-04-09T23:40:00.001-07:00

Cattle Country

2008-04-09T23:38:00.001-07:00

On the Loneliest Road in America, Nevada

2008-04-09T23:37:00.000-07:00

Eureka, Nevada - Stopped for gas and late lunch

2008-04-09T23:36:00.001-07:00

On the road in Nevada

2008-04-09T23:35:00.001-07:00

Scotty's Castle, Death Valley

2008-04-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

Mesquite Springs, Death Valley

2008-04-09T23:17:00.001-07:00

On the way north... Death Valley

2008-04-09T23:16:00.001-07:00

Dunes, Death Valley

2008-04-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Salt Creek, Death Valley

2008-04-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

Furnace Creek, Death Valley

2008-04-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

April 3rd to 8th

2008-04-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we enjoyed our week in Death Valley. We stayed 4 nights at the Sunset Campground at Furnace Creek. The weather was delightful - temps of high 80s low 90s - almost too hot! We enjoyed relaxing at our site and walking over to the Furnace Creek Ranch resort for ice cream and sitting on the grass under the date palms. We were not alone however, a coyote was enjoying eating the dates on the ground.

If you ever go to Death Valley and camp don't expect great campgrounds. Sunset is a parking lot - 720 sites! But at $12 a night what can you say - plus it is close to the amenities.

Monday we headed to north Death Valley. We stopped in at Stovepipe Wells for gas and then took a walk into the Dunes. We also did this two years ago when we were last in DV - but what is a trip to DV without a dune walk. The poor lizard we spotted became our photo subject, we must have scared him chasing him around the bush for a good picture.

We then headed up to Mesquite Springs campground. A much higher elevation of 1800 ft so much cooler than Furnace Creek. However, the campground is much nicer with individual sites and native plantings. On Tuesday we went for a bit of a hike and took some nice pictures.

Today, we left Death Valley stopping at Scotty's Castle on the way out. We headed into Nevada on the 95 to Tonopah where we headed east and then north up the Big Smokey Valley. Imagine in a few days we went from 93˚F to 39˚F - burrrrrrrrrrr! We are definitely not used to these temperatures and dare I say a bit wimpy now.

The trip through Nevada was windy and we had a few patches of blowing snow. Ah the white stuff - it has been awhile. For anyone (like me) who thought that Nevada was a desert - not true. Mountains, mountains and more mountains. We found some beautiful country along the 278 at Pine Valley just south of Carlin. Most of the pictures I took were in the truck - while we were moving. Why stop and freeze when you can just point out the window.

Tonight we are in luxury staying at a hotel in Elko, Nevada - way to cold to camp. We haven't had TV and a real bed since December when we were headed down south. My how time flies...

Now for something different...

2008-04-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Here is something different for those of you who have stuck with the blog since the beginning and have withstood our ramblings.

In our spare time, well - all of our time has been spare time, but we do try to be productive at times, here is what we have come up with.

TOP 5 STATE PARKS (amenities)

1. Goose Island SP, Texas

2. Guadalupe River SP, Texas

3. Seminole SP, Texas

4. Pancho Villa SP, New Mexico

5. Fort Davis, SP, Texas (#5 due to really cold shower room)

Honourable mention - Brantley Lake SP - great staff and view but awful showers.

Also, we were in only one Nevada SP which was Cathedral Gorge - not sure where to put it but we were impressed with the cleanliness and showers - good pressure and heated!!

TOP 5 STATE PARKS (scenery)

1. Picacho Peak SP, Arizona

2. Rockhound SP, New Mexico

3. Anza Borrego Desert SP, California

4. Salton Sea SP, California

5. Big Bend Nat. and SP, Texas - but horrible amenities

TOP 5 RESTAURANTS

1. Drug Store, Fort Davis, Texas

2. Red Diner, Rockport, Texas

3. Red Ocotillo, Borrego Springs, California

4. Chile Pepper Cafe, Study Butte, Texas

5. Crystal Palace, Tombstone, Arizona - great Blue Cheese Burgers - and we don't even like Blue Cheese.

Honourable mention - Penny's Diner in Alpine, Texas - mainly for atmosphere.

TOP 5 SHOPPING EXPERIENCES

1. Trader Joe's California - groceries

2. Tombstone Arizona - everything western

3. Silver City - New Mexico - window shopping - we like the Ol West Western Store

4. Boerne Texas - home decor shops

5. Fort Davis main street - just because we liked the feel of this place!

TOP 5 PLACES WE STAYED THIS TRIP

1. Bouse BLM, Arizona (Derek)

2. Salton Sea Rec Area, California (Teresa)

3. Lajitas Resort, Texas (Derek)

4. Goose Island SP, Texas

5. Hotsprings BLM, Holtville California, for the hotsprings and canal walks

What we have learned so far...

2008-04-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

- We LOVE chicken fried steak - the best tasting has been at the Country Kitchen in Bouse, Arizona owned and operated by Joe and Dawna Santo, the cheapest is the all you can eat just outside of Rockport, Texas - $1.75.

- Texas prices are by far the cheapest - for everything - from gas to food to clothing - boy do we miss those days of $2.85/gallon gas. California is the most expensive - by far!

- Texas State Parks have been the best in comparison to those we spent time at in New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah and Nevada.

- Arizona and California State Parks have been the worst in terms of amenities and cost.

- There are wayyyyyyyy to many people in California and it shows! 38 million.... and growing.

- But, California does have inspiring scenery and a great climate.

- We LOVE the grocery store Trader Joe's - great products and super prices - if only they would come to Canada!

- Boondocking is by far the cheapest way to go - however, the locations and scenery are not always the most inspiring. Just outside of Bouse, Az has been our favourite so far.

- We know one thing for sure - stay clear away from Javelinas - we call them devil pigs which may be a bit harsh but hey we took on 20 of them at our site in Fort Davis.

- We highly recommend the Star Party at the Mac Donald Observatory by Fort Davis, Texas.

- U.S. National Parks are not the greatest for camping facilities and that is being nice.

- Americans are very sensitive about their right to bear arms - best not to discuss this issue.

- New Mexico Pinon Coffee is the BEST coffee - take it from us we are coffee connoisseurs.

- Date shakes are yummier than they sound.

- Stay off - we repeat - stay off the Interstates whenever possible.

- Although the US economy appears be in a downward spiral - there are A LOT of very nice big rigs on the road - some people have way too much money.

- And.... the US economy seems to be roaring along even with reports of a slow down based on all the housing and shopping centers being built - what slowdown?

- It is possible to live in a 21' travel trailer for 3 1/2 months with 5 cats.

- We have met some really really wonderful people along our trip and want to thank them for their hospitality and sharing of information.

Hot,Hot,Hot - Death Valley, CA, USA.

2008-04-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

Cold trip from Delta , Utah and Great Basin Nat. Park, NV

2008-04-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Cathedral Gorge State Park Nevada

2008-04-02T21:04:00.001-07:00

Derek's Update April 2 extra

2008-04-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to take a try at doing the blog instead of Teresa. We are now at Death Valley CA. My opinion is that Death Valley belongs in Nevada, more in character with that state. Nevada is one hell of a gorgeous state! The whole reason we are here is because I whined as soon as we hit cold weather and flurries in Utah through the Bryce canyon area. I did not expect it to be so dang COLD that far south, but those mountains are high. Zion was beautiful but rainy and crowded , ohhh so crowded!!!! I had a touch of a cold so it made a real bit o' hell for poor Teresa. We ended up scrapping our north bound trip at a town called Monroe, Utah. We headed west off I-15, south of Salt Lake city, onto route 6 and 50 through Delta then down 93 south. We started to get into some warmer temperatures at Cathedral Gorge state park, NV. The park is inspiring and very well kept, thanks to the hard work of the young men from the correction centre nearby, thanks boys. This park is part of the Great Basin , high elevation desert. Most snow birds are heading north as we have observed on the congested north bound biways ... poor saps;P.We are now back in the warm zone with a forecast of hot, hot, hot 93 f this Sunday yaaaaaaah baby!!!!!! Well folks I am one satisfied pilgrim right now. I have a very patient wife.. Thank you Jesus. Happy Birthday to my nephew, Tylar who is now 11 !!!!!! Love ya!!!!! :)

Zion National Park, Utah

2008-04-02T10:12:00.001-07:00

Lake Mead Rec Area

2008-04-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hoover Dam

2008-04-02T10:03:00.001-07:00

Mt. Tipton BLM - Big Wash Rd.

2008-04-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

This photo dedicated to Chris Z! Edmonton, AB

2008-04-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Kingman, Arizona

2008-04-02T09:59:00.001-07:00

Weird house on side of interstate

2008-04-02T09:58:00.001-07:00

Buckskin Mountain State Park, Arizona

2008-04-02T09:57:00.001-07:00

More from Bouse BLM

2008-04-02T09:54:00.001-07:00

April 2nd

2008-04-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Again! sorry for the wait - wow we haven't written since Mar. 22nd. We have been on the road and wifi has been tricky to find.

We are on our way this morning leaving from Cathedral Gorge State Park at Panaca, Nevada. We arrived here yesterday around lunch and spent the afternoon taking a 4 mile loop walk to see the rock formations.

Since we last wrote we left Bouse, Az and headed north to Parker where we spent two nights at the beautiful Buckskin Mountain State Park. A really really nice park on the river. Temps were great at 88F or 31C. $20 a night though so couldn't stay long. We enjoyed sitting along the river on the beach and as you can see from the photos Derek and Keda cooled off in the river.

After Parker we headed north again to Kingman Arizona. We were here two years ago and so were retracing our steps again. We really like the historic area of Kingman part of the old Route 66 - they have a great Visitor's Center. We also stopped and took photos of the train and water tower - again. This time we had lunch at Mr. D'z - a 50's style diner. Yummy burgers, onion rings, sweet potato fries and root beer floats. ugh - we were stuffed!

Back on the road we went north a bit and then pulled off into the Mt. Tipton BLM lands and spent the night along the Big Wash Road. The next morning back on the road to Lake Mead Rec area. This route takes us back through Hoover Dam. This was our second time through the dam, not as busy as last time but still packed. Again - we didn't pull over, just took photos as we went through. So - we have never actually 'seen' the dam - people everywhere!

After Hoover Dam comes the Lake Mead area - we headed in and took the senic route that wraps along the north coast of the lake. Along the way we stopped and had lunch at the summit pull out. After we ate we hiked to the top and took some photos. Back on the road we headed to Stewart's Point where we camped for a few days. Since Saturday night was so windy we headed out Sunday morning.

The weather got progressively worse on Sunday and was raining when we got to Zion National Park Sunday afternoon. Since the weather wasn't great and Derek did not feel to well we camped at the Watchman Campground at Zion. The next morning we headed out after deciding not to take the shuttle into Zion. Thankfully our trailer is 93" wide and not 94" or we would have had to pay an extra $15 and have the tunnel shut down in order to go through. To get through Zion we had to do a switch back and then the tunnel which is more than a mile long. Very nice scenery and great tunnel.

Sorry for the quick synopsis - I am sitting out side and my fingers are getting cold. We are on our way to Death Valley today - I see temps are in the high 70's low 80's - can't wait to hit some warmer weather. We will try to update again there! Enjoy the photos!

Bouse Arizona BLM

2008-03-22T10:08:00.001-07:00

Sunset at Salton Sea - Wings

2008-03-22T10:07:00.001-07:00

March 22nd

2008-03-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Finding wifi right now is a bit more difficult. As mentioned on our last posting we came to the Parker/Quartzsite area. We actually are just south of Bouse on BLM land - wandering the desert. We are happy to say that we now have a fancy new solar panel that we are just over the moon about - free electricity! We are now official 'boondockers'! Free camping - yaaaaa!

Not much new as we stay at the site most days enjoying the hot weather. Highs right now are about 30C average with lows at night at about 7C - cold nights in the desert. The scenery is beautiful - surrounded by mountains and saguaro cactus. We also found a prickly pear cactus in bloom on our walk a few days ago - we will go back and take a photo for you - the blooms are beautiful!

Well - we do have a story for you! Everyone has been mentioning to us that the snakes are starting to come out! but we're thinking to ourselves - what are the chances - right? apparently pretty good! We went for a walk a few nights ago minding our own business when we pretty much stepped on a SIDEWINDER RATTLESNAKE - yup! he must have been a sleep because he only gave us about 5' warning and he was up with fangs exposed ready to strike. Our hearts must be strong as neither of us suffered a heart attack. Let's just say we haven't been walking as much and when we do we scan really well for any movement! What a way to be introduced to our first snake in the wild!!

We will be here until next week - after the long weekend and spring break. Then we will head to Valley of Fire just north east of Las Vegas - yup - headed home - sort of! We will stretch it out as long as we can. It pains us to think that we have to leave this hot weather for the cooler weather come Utah and north. We love Sask - but the weather leaves a little to be desired at this time of year.

We are celebrating the Passover with remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins - we are thankful everyday that we have such a loving God. We have been so blessed - in our life and on our trip - we and our animals have remained safe and healthy. God is Good!

Anza Borrego State Park

2008-03-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

Mar. 10

2008-03-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

What did you do today? This is what we did!!! Anza Borrego and Borrego Springs!

Today we headed out to Anza Borrego State Park and the town of Borrego in the middle - surrounded by the park. A beautiful day - a hot day! The area is on the east side of Salton Sea so it was a 45min trip to the area from our site.

We started the day off right with breakfast at the Red Ocotillo - excellent food out on the patio in the sun, in Borrego Springs.

We had a great day! Enjoy the photos!

Desert Flowers

2008-03-08T16:53:00.001-08:00

Mar. 1 to Mar. 8

2008-03-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well a week later.......how time flies.

We thought that we would stop sunning ourselves and let you know what we have been up to for the last week! Well - not much - but we have taken a lot of walks and have read many books!

Yesterday we took a quick drive up to Joshua Tree National Monument since we heard that the desert flowers are in bloom. The drive up to the park is just off the interstate so it was very busy! From our site we drove north over the Chocolate Mountains which we have forgotten to mention in either blogs. The Chocolate Mountains are aptly named and are a neat mountain range.

Enjoy the photos of the flowers. Here at Salton Sea Rec Area there are also flowers mostly the yellow variety - related to the sunflower.

As you have guessed we quite like this area - we are still here! Daily temps are high 70sF - mid to high 20sC.

More Sunsets - Salton Sea Rec Area

2008-02-29T19:46:00.001-08:00

Palm Springs

2008-02-29T19:41:00.001-08:00

Oasis Date Gardens

2008-02-29T19:39:00.001-08:00

Feb. 27 to Feb.29

2008-02-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

Back again! Unbelieveable but someone around us - which is amazing because no one is around us - has wifi without a password! We thought that we would update the blog now since we have come to the end of February - two months on the road now! Plus - never know when the wifi will disappear!

The last two days have been quite busy. Wednesday not too bad, we took a trip to the Oasis Date Gardens. A few days earlier when we went to do our laundry we stopped in at the Indio Chamber of Commerce. Amariah was nice enough to provide us with two coupons for free date shakes at the ODG. It is about 20 mins north of us between Mecca and Coachella. Very nice stop - great gift shop. We shared a cheeseburger was very good - under the palms. Then enjoyed our date shakes immensely - way better than they sound - didn't taste like dates at all. Even Derek was sampling the free samples and of course we had to take the a box of the chocolate covered ones with us. Sorry about the flower photos - can't help ourselves.

Yesterday, as mentioned, we headed out to Palm Springs. From Salton Sea Rec area we took the 111 to PS. This road goes through all the urban built up area from Coachella to PS - through Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and Cathedral City. A very busy road. If only we could show all of you what it was like - beautiful! Lots and lots of palm trees, flowers, lawns - very ritzy after Indio. It smelled just like summer.

With frazzled nerves due to the stop and start traffic we pulled into a Starbucks to get a coffee and rest a bit just before Palm Springs. Low and behold I spot a Trader Joe's grocery store which I had seen on the internet during my research. What a find! If you ever have a chance go to one do it! The items are great and really good prices. Derek and I decided to buy lunch there - among many other things. We decided to also get dessert because we spotted one of Derek's favourite items as a kid - frozen chocolate bananas - unfortunately there was 4 in the box so we had to eat 2 each - what a bummer!! :)

Rested, we headed back into the traffic onto PS. First stop was the building where Derek's friend had a business. We asked around but the shop has been closed for 7 months and no one knows where he went - so we did not find Derek's long lost friend.

We headed next to the Visitor's Center on the west side of PS close to the road up to the tramway. We were going to go up in the tram until we found out that it costs $21.95 each - a bit steep so we passed. Instead we headed downtown to stroll Palm Canyon Drive - the 'strip' in PS. Thankfully we found a parking spot really close and in the shade! Have I told you how hot it is here yet - about 30c.

We strolled along looking at the shops - lot of fun - well for me anyway. Went into See's Candies as per the photo - this is one of the candy places I have looked at on the internet. So we haddddd to go in to do research of course - yummy. For a snack we went to Ruby's Diner - a 50's style restaurant. We enjoyed floats and frings (fries and onion rings) out on the patio.

Since we still had time to kill before Villagefest we continued our stroll. Along the way an older fellow who had stopped his van on the side of the street asked us when the evening festival started. As we were walking away after we told him what we knew I looked back to see that he had a Saskatchewan license plate! We turned back and spoke with him and his wife - also letting them know where to park. Nice couple from Moosimin staying in Desert Springs for the winter.

Villagefest was lots of fun - the Palm Canyon Drive is closed off from traffic for about 5 blocks and is filled with vendors - almost anything you can think of plus food and music. It is just packed. We enjoyed this for about an hour and since it was 7:00pm decided to head home.

After a close call to an accident on the interstate on the way home because of a really really bad driver we were happy to be back at our lake front site. The Palm Springs area is nice but we wouldn't want to live there or even visit again - once was enough.

Salton Sea State Recreation Area

2008-02-26T17:08:00.001-08:00

Cornerstone Community Church, Holtville

2008-02-26T17:07:00.001-08:00

Dateland, Arizona

2008-02-26T17:06:00.001-08:00

Gila Bend

2008-02-26T17:05:00.001-08:00

Picacho State Park

2008-02-26T17:04:00.001-08:00

Feb. 17 to Feb. 26

2008-02-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

Finally here we are back to update the blog. BLMing is great on the pocketbook but without electricity and regular wifi we can't update the blog very often.

We were back on the road yesterday - didn't go to far just north up the 111. We said goodbye to Holtville and the friends we met there after our 10 day stay. We really enjoyed the hotspring there but have gotten a little hotspringed out - just a little though.

A hi and a goodbye to the great folks at the Cornerstone Community Church in Holtville. We enjoyed two Sundays there and found that the Holy Spirit was in the House! We would attend this Church if we lived here. Pastor James Porterfield's sermons were inspiring - we particularly enjoyed last Sunday's discussion on Ephesians ch. 4 verse 29. Thanks to James and Anne Porterfield and the others for their hospitality. God Bless you!

We missed some photos from our trip through Arizona between Tombstone and Holtville so we will include them here. After Tombstone we stayed at the Picacho State Park Arizona just off of Interstate 10 just past Tucson. A really nice park but expensive at $20 a night with just electricity. It would be nice to go back some time since there are many hiking trails. We then kept heading west though to Yuma. On the way we stopped in Gila Bend - one of our favourite stops two years ago when we stayed at the Space Age Lodge. It is a Best Western designed by a NASA space engineer. We don't have a photo of the great pool and hot tub under the palm trees.

Just before Yuma we stopped in at Dateland. We are including a photo of Derek under the date palms. A short stop - gas, photo and yummy prickly pear milkshake - tastes like strawberry. We opted out of the date shake that time - but here at Salton Sea we may give it a go.

After our quick stop in Yuma to visit our friend Marvin we headed to Holtville.

Now in Salton Sea we are enjoying the hot temperatures - 86 F today 30 C! Wowwy! We have a great site at the Salton Sea Rec area - after turning down the electric sites to head for another spot the camp host told us about a little spot at the group area that we could park! We have beach front property all to ourselves for $7 a night! We love it! Salton Sea has quite the history - we recommend that you google it - a salt water lake. The best of both worlds water surrounded by the desert. Lots of agriculture in this area - we are 228 feet below sea level.

Thursday we are off to Palm Springs to find an old friend of Dereks and to visit the great open air market/farmer's market that someone told us about. We will be in this area for a week or so and then will head off to between Quartzsite and Parker Arizona - back to BLMing! We are going to get ourselves set up with a solar panel there - we seem a bit out of place in a BLM without one!

All for now - enjoy the photos! Drop us a line - we enjoy hearing from everyone!

Hotsprings LVTA - Holtville CA

2008-02-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Tombsone

2008-02-16T18:21:00.001-08:00

Feb. 9 to Feb. 16

2008-02-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all - we are here in Holtville California BLMing it! We are going to make this short as our laptop battery is running low!!

After Silver City we went to Tombstone Arizona - we were there two years ago and thought we would go back. We stayed in Tombstone at Stampede RV. We enjoyed Tombstone a lot - got Derek outfitted for his Ranger role in Mortlach this summer! We met a lot of nice people there as well!

Then on to Picacho Peak State Park - a very beautiful spot we highly recommend it to all you RVers out there. BUT - it is expensive $20 a night for just electric hook up - water is available at the dump station though!

We then went on to Yuma. I could spend the rest of my life trying to figure out why snowbirds cram themselves into Yuma and along the highway - packed in like sardines! Wowy - we couldn't get out of their fast enough - we did stop in and visit our friend Marvin though! Thanks Marvin!

Anyway, now we are at Hotsprings LVTA - a great BLM. If you want to spend the 6 months here it cost $180 - cheap cheap cheap. We paid $40 for two weeks - still cheap! No hookups but you can park where you want. Most RVs are outfitted with solar panels and generators. Water is easily available in Holtville 8 miles away. Everyone brings the hotspring water to wash dishes at their site. We are been soaking in the hotsprings - surrounded by palm trees! The canal is from the Colorado river - watering the huge carrot fields - this is an agricultural basket area - amazing to see green fields this time of year! 75F tomorrow - we are basking in the sun!

All - for now. You probably won't here from us for a week or so since we will hang out here for a while. On the 28th we will head up to Salton Sea - the Rec park there has WiFi - so we will update you then!!

Silver City New Mexico

2008-02-09T14:12:00.001-08:00

Rose Valley RV Ranch

2008-02-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

Rockhound State Park

2008-02-09T13:57:00.001-08:00

Palomas Mexico

2008-02-09T13:56:00.001-08:00

Pancho Villa State Park

2008-02-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

Mtn close to Columbus

2008-02-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Guadalupe Mountains and area

2008-02-09T13:50:00.001-08:00

Feb. 5 to Feb. 9

2008-02-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hello from Silver City New Mexico!

We are at the Rose Valley RV Ranch on the outskirts of Silver City. SC is a city of 55,000 nestled in the mountains - well - high hills. We were here 2 years ago and liked it so much came back. The historical downtown is filled with quaint shops, antique shops and art galleries. It also has a 'Big ditch' - a series of floods took out the main street and all it's buildings between 1895 and 1906 - today it is 55 feet to the bottom and is now a park. The only building to survive is the Warren House (see photos). Today, Bullard Street is the main street. We arrived here yesterday and will stay until Sunday. We are enjoying our time here at the Rose Valley RV Ranch - a private park with a western theme. A little more expensive but free wifi and laundry.

Backing up - we left Brantley Lake SP at Carlsbad on Feb. 5 driving through the Guadalupe Mountain pass and onto El Paso arriving in Columbus. It was quite the drive - very very windy and cold. There were flurries through the Pass and the elevation climb was steep so a slow drive in some parts. The photos show the extreme change - once over the pass the sky went from black to blue but still windy. On to making our way through El Paso which went ok until we needed to find highway 9 to Columbus on the west side of the city. A bit difficult - we took a right when we should have gone left. Once we hit Vinton we realized our error and turned around. We went for a couple of miles not finding #9 but took 178 instead because hey - it was going west. Turns out it was the right road!!! Number 9 to Columbus is a nice drive - a small road running along the US/Mexico border. We happily arrived in Columbus just before dinner.

In Columbus we stayed two nights at the Pancho Villa State Park - this was the location of the Pancho Villa raid on Columbus in 1916 - they have a great Museum with footage and items from the raid. We went to Palomas Mexico the next day. We were told that this one of the best places to border shop - it isn't large but it is safe. There is a parking lot at the border so that you can just walk into Mexico. We went to the Pink Store - the main store with Mexican items and a restaurant. It was great fun. I got an eye exam and new glasses for $120. Seniors go for the pharmacy, dentists and optical.

We left PVSP Thursday morning headed for Rockhound State Park southeast of Deming. An easy drive an hour north. A really nice park but not many sites. Good thing we were only planning on staying one night because we could park in a reservation site - a really nice site. RHSP is situated nicely at the base of mountain. People are allowed and encouraged to take 15lbs of rock away. We decided to go on a hike on the trail which then turned out being a climb to the top of the mountain. Boy were we sore 3 hours later when we got back to our site. A great hike though and a wonderful view of the area from the top. We even managed to find some great rocks.

Early Friday morning we left Rockhound for City of Rocks - also a short drive of about an hour. City of Rocks SP is also nice but without hook ups and 30 miles from Silver City we decided not to stay. So - on to Silver City. We went straight to the downtown since there is good RV parking at the Visitor's Center right beside the historic downtown. We spent a few hours hanging around the downtown going back to our favourite places from the last time.

Today, Saturday we headed back downtown for a couple of hours. Now we are relaxing back at the site doing laundry as we will be back on the road tomorrow! A beautiful day with blue skies and a temp of 20c. Not bad - what is the temp in Canada! ha ha sorry couldn't resist - again.

Carlsbad Caverns 2

2008-02-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

Jesus is Lord!

2008-02-04T15:21:00.001-08:00

Living Desert Museum and Zoo

2008-02-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

Brantley Lake State Park

2008-02-04T15:01:00.001-08:00

Feb.2 to Feb. 4

2008-02-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Just a short note to update the last few days. I am sitting here on a bench at the washroom/shower building on the internet as the park host is near by and he was nice enough to give us his wireless password. A lot of RVs have satellite dishes to get internet - most have passwords so we can't use them. One trick we found yesterday was driving through town with the computer on - as soon as we get a link we pull over. Seems to work well!

Saturday morning we went to the Living Desert Museum and Zoo. It isn't big but nice to see the animals, reptiles and succulents. We got as close to a rattlesnake as we ever want to - behind a piece of glass. Still a bit nerve raking since he was rattling and staring at us. Maggie the bear who is a painter wasn't to be seen except for the wood carving we are standing beside. It was a nice day to stroll around the grounds.

Yesterday we went back to the Caverns as we mentioned. Just as impressive the second time. We forgot about the fact that Sundays would be busier. However, most people seem to take the elevator down to the Big Room which is 1/2 through the tour. The first part is a little more work because the path is quite long and steep - however we had the place to ourselves. We took more photos - photo taking in a cave seems to be a fine art so only about 1/2 or so work out which is a bit frustrating.

On the way through Carlsbad we were riding beside the motorcycle fellow in the picture. We were happy to see the writing on his jacket - Disciple - Jesus is Lord. Amen. We thought about our motorcycle friends back home. Helmets must not be mandatory here no one seems to wear them.

Today we are just hanging around the park. It is a warm day - about 72F - 22C - but it is really windy so not very nice to sit out - but the trailer is really hot. Tonight we are going to the Fiesta Drive - In to see Sweeny Todd - fun fun! www.fiestadrivein.com

I forgot to include photos of Brantley Lake State Park in the last batch so here they are.

Tomorrow we are on the road again. We were planning on going north through Artesia and then west to Alamogordo and then through to Los Cruces. However, we hear that there is a steep elevation gain after Artesia to a town called Cloudcroft where they are calling for snow. SNOW! eckk! so we will go south instead back through Texas to El Paso and on to Columbus New Mexico to Pancho Villa State Park.

Carlsbad Caverns

2008-02-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

Fort Davis National Historic Site

2008-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

McDonald Observatory

2008-02-02T13:28:00.001-08:00

Alpine, Texas

2008-02-02T13:26:00.001-08:00

Jan. 29 - Feb. 1

2008-02-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay everyone - we have been on the road again!

Last Monday we spent the day in Alpine - we were expecting a bit more since we heard that it is being overrun by artists. It is still pretty small and quite and not much to do. We did go to a few shops and met some nice people. Ivey's Emporium was one of the nicest shops and we did find a great metal Texas sign at Texas Treasures. Leaving the downtown area we went in sure of some Western Wear. We went to two shops on the outskirts of town but didn't find anything. However, on the way back into town we found Penny's Diner. Couldn't pass up a chance to have lunch in a 50's style diner. Charbroiled burgers, fries and Derek having a real malt and I had a vanilla cola. The manager sat and chatted with us a while - nice guy. Penny's Diners are around the US so we may find one again.

Tuesday was a very cold and windy day but we headed up up up to McDonald Observatory. We went during the day for a guided tour of the telescopes. First we watched a video about the sun which was fascinating. After that the group goes up to the top of the hill for a tour of the telescopes. One of them is the fourth largest in the world. Interesting but a bit dry because it is about the mechanical workings of the telescope. The best part was at the 'Star Party' that night. The first part is in the amphitheater behind the visitor center. Also a bit cool but the wind had died down. The guide points out and discusses the constellations and big stars in the sky. Then we went around to different telescopes to look at nebulas, supernovas and planets. WOW - how can one deny there is a God when you see such beauty. Following that we saw another short film that shows how far the stars really are from earth and the earth's relationship to the sun. We were truly blown away by that evening. We highly recommend this experience.

Later in the week we went to the Fort Davis National Historic Site. The site has a great history from the mid to late 1800's. It was the site of Apache Indian activity and the base for Buffalo Soldiers (Black Soldiers) and is restored very well. We watched a video and then walked around the site. A very windy day but the history and buildings are interesting.

We bid Fort Davis adieu on Thursday having spent 6 days at the Fort Davis State Park. We were NOT sad to be leaving the Javelina. As we mentioned earlier it is a nice place with very friendly people. If you go through Fort Davis we highly recommend eating at the Drug Store - big portions and great food. We also enjoyed very much meeting some local residents - Greg and Myra Mead and the good folks at Twin Souls Coffee Shop and Gallery. We found a large size Texas Flag which we will be happy to fly at home - we are leaving Texas but not in our hearts. We enjoyed our month in the Lone Star State and cannot wait to return. Thanks Texas!!

Thursday afternoon we arrived at Brantley Lake State Park just north of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Not a bad drive - just a few hours. This is another nice park - a treed area set amongst the desert and water reservoir.

Yesterday we headed to Carlsbad Caverns. We have included a few pictures but have to say that neither our description or pictures could do any justice to the truly awesomeness of the caverns. If you have never been we HIGHLY recommend it - it was one of the best experiences of our lives. Because the $6 entry fee ticket is good for three days we are going back tomorrow as well. Wow is about all we can say. The caverns are huge and take your breath away. We were there for about 4 hours. Strange but true (and perhaps only in America) there is a snack bar down in the cave - 750 feet below ground. A bit trippy because the counters etc are from the 50's or 60's. Being in the caverns gives you the feeling of being on another planet - something out of a sci-fi movie.

Today we went to the Living Desert Musuem and Zoo. After the Caverns tomorrow we are going to the Fiesta Drive-In in Carlsbad which should be fun, neither of us have been to a drive in in a very long time.

Devil Pigs - aka Javelinas

2008-01-28T15:22:00.001-08:00

Bailey and the Buck

2008-01-28T15:19:00.001-08:00

Photos from Hike

2008-01-28T15:15:00.001-08:00

Church of Christ

2008-01-28T15:13:00.001-08:00

Fort Davis State Park

2008-01-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Road Stop

2008-01-28T15:07:00.001-08:00

Road West of Lajitas

2008-01-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Lajitas Resort

2008-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

Jan. 25 to Jan. 28

2008-01-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Here we are - in Fort Davis!

We left Lajitas last Friday - wow what great scenery from Lajitas to Presidio. However, a few tense moments - who knew that there is a stretch of steep roads. Good thing that we aren't longer than we are - for a few minutes we were going so slow I thought that we would start going backwards. The steepness up wasn't as bad as down - going over a hill where you can't see over is a bit nail biting. Derek handled it well and soon we were on to the straighter stretch and our heart rates returned to normal. Still - beautiful country side!

Once in Presidio we stopped at the Fort Leaton Historic Site a large adobe fort and travel center. After that we head to Los Palmos RV park. We decided to stay for the night as we thought that we would go over the border into Mexico here taking a bus to Chihuahua City. Los Palmos is typical of private RV parks - flat and pretty boring. Mainly a park for Snowbirds (Winter Texans) who don't seem to mind being parked in like sardines. The park hosts were really nice and it gave us a chance to do some laundry. Not much to Presidio - a bit rundown with few services. We looked around a bit - we couldn't find out about the bus as the tourist info was closed. In the end we decided against going down to Chihuahua and will wait to see if we go to Mexico from New Mexico or Arizona. On to Fort Davis!

Another nice drive from Presidio to Fort Davis. We were really impressed on the way here and now here we just love it. We have decided that this is our favourite place in Texas so far - and most likely will be in all of Texas. Western with a bit of urban. Fort Davis is a small town but has a great feel - great shops, restaurants and the coffee shop we are in now. We are staying at the Davis Mountain State Park just northwest of Fort Davis. The park is really nice as well - lots of trees in the Mountains. Also lots to do here - today we went into Alpine - a place with lots of gallerys. Apparently it is drawing artists from New York and California. We have decided to stay here for a bit.

Sunday we went to the Church of Christ here in Fort Davis. The Church is led by Gregory and Myra Meads - a great couple who were so welcoming. The church service was wonderful and we sang a few hymms. After the service the Meads invited us for lunch. We went to the restaurant that they call the Drug Store and had a great - albeit HUGE Chicken Fried Steak lunch.

Sunday afternoon we went for a hike at the park. A trail leads up to the top of a hill and over to the Indian Lodge - 2.5 kms which was pretty tough because much of it is pretty steep. It was good to get out and do some exercise. The photos show the Indian Lodge which was built by the CCC in the early 1900's. Today it is a hotel and has a restaurant as well.

Once back and relaxing we had a whole bunch of excitement. First, as you can see in the photos, Bailey decided that he wanted to be friends with a buck. The deer at the park have no fear - they mill around at your site and come really close to you. So, off goes Bailey to be friends - he even laid down beside the deer when they came up to him. But he finally did get the message and ran off.

That had us on edge - but things got much worse. A little while later I was inside on the computer with Derek and the cats hanging around outside. Suddenly Derek told me that a Javelina was coming into the site. If you don't know what Javelinas are let me tell you - furry wild pigs with big teeth. We have been warned of them and told that they will eat our animals. However, up to now we have never seen any out in the day so of course we keep the cats in at night. Well, suddenly about 20 were coming into our site. Our cats at first just stood there and stared, but once Derek and I started freaking out and yelling at them they started running in every direction. I grabbed Bailey and threw him in the RV. One Javelina ran after Tuk Tuk who headed way off - Javelinas have not fear of humans - they can't see but can smell really well. Once the Javelinas moved off a bit we were able to get the cats inside. However we had to go and try to find Tuk Tuk. I was really worried but he finally came back to the road where Derek was looking for him! So - now the cats are RV bound and Keda comes with us everywhere in the truck. So - it all turned out fine but we had a real scare! Unfortunately the Javelinas now have the smell of our animals and so kept coming into our site for the rest of the night. We finally put Keda in the back of the truck. We found out from the Park staff that the Javelina is only related to the Hippopotamus.

All for now, we will be here for the rest of the week. Tomorrow we are going to the Observatory for the day and a 'Star Party' at night to look at the planets and stars.

Lajitas

2008-01-24T16:59:00.001-08:00

Terlingua

2008-01-24T16:57:00.001-08:00

Study Butte

2008-01-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Big Bend - early morning

2008-01-24T16:54:00.001-08:00

Big Bend Area - Jan.22

2008-01-24T16:51:00.002-08:00

Jan.24

2008-01-24T16:35:00.001-08:00

Back so soon - we realized that we can get the internet from the comfort of our trailer at the RV site. Not much new to add. We decided to stay at Lajitas for a few days especially since it is a rainy day today. A bit of a scare last night - turns out the they deliver a newspaper at 3:00 am. Since it was the second time they came by and came up to the door I was a bit concerned. However, Derek was not to impressed to be woken up at that hour by me freaking out. Oh well - what are they doing delivering at 3 in the morning anyway!

We took a drive around Lajitas looking at beautiful houses that stand empty. Then we drove back in to Terlingua/Study Butte to look around a little - have some lunch at the Chili Pepper Cafe and get some gas. :)

May head out to Presidio tomorrow or Saturday.

Jan.23

2008-01-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note... we found a gorgeous place!!! Spent a night in Big Bend National Park - very beautiful surroundings but the camping wasn't great - plus no electricity. Plus - reports of coyotes and bobcats strolling around the rv parking!

We are now spending a night or more at Lajitas Resort - The Ultimate Hideout - check it out at www.lajitas.com. Sadly it is a beautiful resort that went bad - the story is that the guy put 120 million in and went bankrupt. It recently sold for 14 million in foreclosure but it has fallen into disrepair. We will show pictures in the future - we are using the resort computer at the moment.

A few years ago they wouldn't have let us into the RV parking because it was built for Class A motorhomes - now there are 4 of us in the park. They once asked $100 a night for an RV - now it is $29 which is still steep but since we almost have the park to ourselves we went for it. Plus the Chihuahuan Desert surrounds us. We cannot put into words how inspiring the scenery is here. We met a couple from Colorado - they have already been scoping out the real estate. Beautiful houses stand empty and unfinished.

After this we are on to Presidio and then north to the Davis Mountain region - we will update again soon.

Another beautiful sunset - at Seminole

2008-01-22T08:30:00.001-08:00

Derek - surprising - smokin and drinking coffee

2008-01-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Seminole Canyon

2008-01-22T08:25:00.001-08:00