Grand Canyon – South Rim

We spent an enjoyable few days at the Grand Canyon and made the most of a scenic drive easterly toward Desert View. The east entrance was closed this year as well as the shuttles. The parking lots were virtually empty and, all I can say, is wow — imagine what the crowd would have been like otherwise.

To use our time wisely, we stayed at a full hookup RV Park within the park. We had cable hookup in RV Park, and were able to watch a program detailing the construction and preservation of Desert View Watchtower (closed at this time). That was the highlight of having cable TV. Our primary focus was getting out and enjoying sunset and sunrise.

We must have taken a hundred photos, and reviewing which ones to keep was difficult. Not that the photos, themselves are spectacular, but the experience was bigger than you can capture in pictures. In person, everything is three-dimensional.

There was such a different feel between the warmth of the waning sun each afternoon, as the light illuminated off the canyon walls, and the morning sunrises, where a hazy, almost mystical, feel lingers over the ridge lines.

Early morning.

Sunrise at Yavapai Point.

I tried to photograph the Bright Angel Trail, but it was too far in the distance for my camera. I can say it is a steep trail full of switchbacks, just like it was described in the 1953 childrens’ book ,’Brighty of the Grand Canyon’, by Marguerite Henry (more info on Wikipedia).

Watching the afternoon sun go down.

At the opposite end, the Grandview Trail drops off the edge, headed downward 2,440 feet to Horseshoe Mesa, where in 1890, copper-rich ore was mined in small quantities at the Last Chance Mine for several years. Each load took several hours to haul by hand and hoof up the three mile trail to the top of the rim. A hotel also stood along the south rim in this area, that once hosted travelers who dares to endure a 14-mile long wagon trip from the east entrance to see the Grand Canyon.

The river is down there somewhere.

Prior to our stay within Grand Canyon Village, we stayed at Ten-X NFS campground, approximately 10 miles south of the Rim. The park is very convenient and makes a good base to get around. The park has a variety of sites, and our particular pull thru site was large enough to accommodate eight cars. Getting up early to take Ellie out, I was quite surprised to see someone had pulled in behind us, and set up a tent in the night. After realizing it was a mother, grandmother and small child, we said oh well, no harm done, as they quietly packed up n the morning.

We enjoyed our first experience seeing Elk. Several young males wandered the park and not seem bothered by barking dogs, as they searched for water. A park ranger indicated this year has been very dry and all the animals are looking for water. We watched two young males remove signage off the water spigot as they tried to open the valve. Even bees and crows gather around whenever people use the water faucets.

Elk roaming the campground.

Our trip was just great. Perfect weather, meals prepared in advance to enjoy more time exploring the rim, and magical twilights.

White Mountains, Arizona (Greer)

Traveling US-60 from Socorro through Datil and Pie Town was a very scenic drive through open meadows and rolling hills of Juniper. We stopped near the Very Large Array (VLA) at the rest area to get a glimpse of the radars.

It is hard to get a complete photo, even looking sideways, of the twenty-eight radio telescopes. They are 975 feet large and arranged in a Y-shap; built to study astronomical events such as black holes and such.

Very Large Array

We are staying cool at over 8,000 ft in the Apache National Forest. We are surrounded by tall ponderosa pines with little understory – very clean woods. The weather has been superb, and no bugs.

Given the time change, I am now awakened shortly after 5AM each day to trek a couple of miles each morning before coffee. Having a energetic dog really keeps me active.

Fortunately, across the highway is a day-use area spanning a few miles with three reservoirs. The water is quite low in each lake, but people are out fishing or enjoying kayaks on the water, even in early daylight hours.

Neat structure.

A few days ago, I was amazed as I watched one of these big birds, (Possibly a crane) swoop overhead with a fish in its talons. Hopefully it was not off someone’s fishing line.

Waiting for breakfast.

At one end of the River reservoir there appears to be an old fish ladder, downstream of the earthen dam.

Outflow of the Little Colorado River.

At the inflow side of the lake, the river is just a trickle now, as the humidity is dropping to 15 percent and everything is extremely dry. As I recall when looking to the west at the barren mountaintop, I recall there was a fire in the White Mountains, years ago.

River reservoir inlet, top right is barren.

The Wallow fire in June 2011, was accidentally caused by campers in a wilderness area 25 miles southwest of Alpine, AZ. It grew to over half a million acres and took down over 22 homes in Greer. Several surrounding towns were also evacuated while fire crews fought the blaze, that crossed over to New Mexico as well.

Looking at that barren mountainside is a reminder of how long it takes a forest to grow and how quickly it can be destroyed. I want to continue to enjoy these beautiful forests with the wind whispering in the treetops. Let’s hope people think twice and use all precautions posted out there regarding fire safety in these dry conditions.

Have a great Fourth of July!

Westward toward(thru) New Mexico

After leaving the park in SE Texas, we stayed at various COE parks while making our way thru Texas.

We actually found the place where no 4G cell or data worked in a quiet part of west Texas. It was a nice area with smaller, but vibrant towns, and gentle rolling hills with some Juniper and plenty of Mesquite.

We were heading toward the higher elevations of NM waiting for the opportunity to use the remainder of our annual camping pass for New Mexico States Park, slated to open in June, so we shoot for Cloudcroft.

We settled into a NFS campground at 9000 feet under tall pines and easy temperatures near 78 degrees.

Forest road within the park.

The park is close enough to Texas, that the majority of visitors are from Texas.  Cloudcroft has winter skiing, and many quaint shops, that at the present time, we pass on. A couple of popular restaurants showed no signs of social distancing. Who knows the real statistics on any of that virus, but we are not ready to throw caution to the wind.

In the meanwhile, we continue to be creative for new dinner-time meals.

Crispy Prawn Tacos.

Our time at a NFS Campground has been enjoyable, while Ellie and I average 1 to 2 miles per day on the forest service roads and woodsy trails that border each campground loop.

She turns into a different dog altogether the minute her feet leave the pavement.

A view from our site in Saddle Loop.

As the anticipated NMSP opening date nears, wouldn’t you quess, they have delayed the opening a third time.

Oh well, we need to stay cool so we are going to the White Mountains of Arizona.

While traveling thru the small town of Carrizozo, NM, we see flashing lights ahead everywhere.

We slow down to gain perspective, and see wide-load warning vehicles, on all corners of the four-way stop.

in years past, I once saw the arm of a wind-farm tower going down the road, but never up close and in slow motion.

They cut the corner, thru the back side of a large gas station to navigate the four way intersection.  There were three of these truckers pulling one blade each. What a job!!

The horizontal blade appears to be eight lanes wide (100 ft).

Another car follows closely to watch the tail of the blade does not take out nearby buildings.

As we settled in last night near Socorro, we were thankful when the sun finally set and temps cooled off from the 101 degree high.

We look forward to reaching cooler temps by midday.

 

 

 

Weathering Texas

We have been sheltering in place at a beautiful corps of engineer park in south east Texas, and learning how to endure the threats of severe weather in recent weeks.

It has now been 47 days since we landed here, and we feel fortunate to have a place to stay, with all the basic amenities. How often have you wanted a lake all to yourself (aside from one other family and volunteers overseeing the place)?

The lake is beautiful, although not one for swimming, unless you like alligators.

Some mornings, it is almost surreal with the mist lifting off the surface.

Nighttime activity varies as much as sunrises, with some nights so quiet, you feel like you are the only living thing around, then other nights tree frogs or some other creatures sing to their hearts content in the woods.

We never know what wildlife we will see from day to day. I spotted a huge bird flying over head last week, and did not have my camera handy. It turned out to be a swallow-tailed kite. We have often seen swallowtail butterflies, but never a bird.

Another time, while we were at a rest Area in Mississippi, I saw a huge mud pile with a hole in the top large enough for a mouse, and my first thoughts were hornets. Now I come to find out it was the freshwater crustaceans I crave in an ettouffe.

Traveling really does broaden ones’ experience. This experience has been very different, and during the downtime and social distancing, we have gone back to the basics of making bread at home, doing all the laundry by hand, and taking the time to maintain all those things that no longer have an excuse for putting off.

We have tried to be respectful and not disturb our guests.

We get anxious to be on the road again, but are also blessed with the opportunity to be here and safe.

Rosedown Plantation

Rosedown Plantation (circa 1835)

It was late January, when we detoured off the interstate to explore some regional history, and go visit a southern plantation.

Along “River Road”, a term referring to the great Mississippi River, is the small town of St. Francisville, Louisiana in West Feliciana parish.

Many plantations existed within proximity to the River, as a means of transporting crops and other merchantable goods. Goods sold down River in New Orleans  usually meant the seller returned home with a pocket full of “Dixies” – the local bank note issued by the Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana. Dix being the French word for ten, hence a $10 dix. This note is one of the multiple theories on why the south is referred to as Dixieland.

Rosedown spanned upward to 3,455 acres at the height of it most productive years before the civil war, primarily planted in cotton, and had about 28 acres of formal gardens.

The plantation had as many as 450 slaves that were responsible for the construction of the main house, outbuildings, gardens and overall operations.

The perimeter drive.

Driving down the country lane you start to feel embraced by the Spanish moss and white rail fencing, that leads to a formal gate and inner drive leading to the front of the main house.

The main house.

We explored the gardens, while waiting for the tour to begin, and can imagine the extent of labor required to build and care for every square inch of the gardens.

One of several garden spots.

The grounds include statues, fountains, greenhouses, root cellars, formal hedges and several seating areas to enjoy plants when in bloom. Only a few azaleas and camellia bushes were in bloom in late January, but the many paths to wander the grounds were impressive.

Glazed wallpaper panels and painted floors adorn the foyer.

The workmanship of this period was exquisite, especially the hand-turned mahogany banister. The remarkable condition of the property is in part attributable to 10-year renovation by a subsequent owner, but also the Cypress wood used in construction that was cut from nearby swamps, as it is known for its longevity.

Every bedroom displays elaborate quilts, ornate furniture and incomparable wood work and moulding.

The bedrooms originally had hand-hewn wood floors, covered in a woven fiber, kind of like a rush wall-to-wall mat.

Square Grand piano keys were less likely to stick based on the horizontal string and hammer arrangement.

The piano was in the music room – a small room that seated the family and was a good choice of instrument based on the room size. We were very impressed with the knowledge of our guide, and lucky to enjoy her sharing a piece on the square grand piano.

Incredible to imagine the full-course meals churned from this hearth.

A Punkah (shoo-fly) hangs above the dining room table and operated by servants using ropes.

The tour was both fun and educational.

For more virtual travels, you may visit the following sites while you enjoy staying at home during these unusual times.

https://www.louisianatravel.com/articles/River-Road-plantations

http://stfrancisville.us/16-monthly-articles/96-st-francisville-s-rosedown-plantation-state-historic-site-story-of-survival

Corpus Christi and Padre Island

 

Corpus Christi looks small on the map, but after getting our bearings, it is really quite big, but easily navigable. Texas Hwy-358 (South Padre Island Drive) forms one of the main arteries for east-west travel.

The frontage roads are one-way, and it can get confusing to know the correct exit when trying to get to one of the local businesses along the frontage roads. Fortunately, you can weave back through local neighborhoods to loop back.

A long drive along Ocean Drive near the bay was typical of the historical areas in San Francisco (out near Pacific Heights) or Ocean Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Expansive stone homes of different architectural styles on large lots.

Driving over the causeway, south to Padre Island you will enter a time a way from it all. The surf is gentle at the moment, and the little treasures on the shoreline vary day by day. The National Park has 70 miles of undeveloped grass and barrier land for all to explore.

We chose to stay at the ocean-side Malaquite Campground a 100 yards from the surf, as the beach access roads on Mustang Island were subject to high surf and flooding.

I like the thought of being on solid ground better than hard-packed sand.

The first day there were no shells or sea plant material. Just some clear jelly-like things that may have numbed one of my toes.

The next afternoon, there were more shells, and the Portuguese Man-of-War. In fact, there were several scattered along the tide-line.

The size ranged from one inch to five and some were still moving.

Tentacles under the float.

Cool looking colors.

The literature describes this creature not as one thing, but a ‘colony of hundreds of animals that live and work together’, including the ‘float,tentacles, and stinging cells’.

Another unexpected find, I gave to the visitor center. The volunteers showed me a 1/2 piece of shell and we identified it as the Calico Box Crab. They said my find was the largest they had ever seen (about 2”).

At first I thought maybe it was a turtle egg shell.

This is what a Calico Box Crab would look like.

Likewise, the park volunteers were eager to bestow upon us some of their finds. We left with a seabean. The Sea Heart seabean is just one of many shapes that originate from forest and tropical shores both near and far.

Various seabeans.

If we were to stay longer, we might come upon more unique things to the island. We see the tracks of the white-tail deer that inhabited the island along the path to the beach – spotted a buck munching on the plant matter on the beach.

One of the things we did not expect to see, was the controlled burn the Park Service is doing to prevent serious damage from lightning strikes. Yesterday, from noon to four, when we returned from town, they had flash burned more than 7K acres.

It was amazing how fast they could do so much in such short time. It was a partly cloudy day, and today is wet, so all is good on the fire front.

We are off to our next adventures.

Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument

We started our day before sunrise to reach the Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument by the 9AM opening time. The suggested travel time was 90 minutes, and it was more like two hours along NM-15.

Fortunately,  we only passed a few cars going the other direction. This road was definitely the Non-RV route, trekking up into the ponderosa pine wilderness.

After many miles of tight, blind curves there were some winding road signs posted. Now you tell us? I guess it was going to get even more wild ahead along with hairpin turns.

The last 20 miles included seven miles up a steep mountain ridge to descend seven down the other side.

After that, it mellows out to a nice valley dotted with Junipers and hot springs, and some campgrounds and roaming horses.

On our way up into the area I noticed all creek beds were completely dry. I guess the early inhabitants may have found the caves after searching for a year-round water source.

The West Fork of the Gila River runs near the caves and was flowing gently in a river plain lush with vegetation.

The path up to the caves is well maintained, and not too difficult unless carrying water from the river or a days worth of foraged food.

Once we arrived at the first cave, it all became so real (from reading the Earths Children  series by Jean Auel – The Clan of The Cave Bear.)

Walls of rock and earth.

It is estimated that between 10 – 15 families made these caves their home and built out 46 different rooms within the five caves.

Navigating between rooms.

Room along the edge.

The ceiling shows evidence of cooking with the blackened surfaces as smoke rose.

Several plant remains showed a diet of wild edibles such as grapes, pinon nuts and berries.

Of the several phases of the Mongollon culture over several hundreds of years they went from semi-subterranean earthen dwellings to cliff dwellings.

Canyon View

There was no evidence of attacks wagered at these cliff dwellings, and they would have had a vantage point with visibilty down the canyon.

Our descent down the opposite end of the canyon revealed several types of rock left from the volcanic activity that formed these caves over 28 million years ago.

A Crevice Spiny Lizard poses along the trail.

On our way back to Silver City we took the alternate route for a longer meandering drive through National forest lands past Lake Roberts, a scenic area with multiple campgrounds.

Caballo to Hatch, NM

Yesterday was a windy day here at Caballo Lake State Park, and not too many people were out for most of the morning.

But today, things have shaped up nicely from the early morning low of 39F.

We watched the lift off of balloons on TV while enjoying hot coffee and fresh baked rolls at home. No crowds, and,  nice and warm.

Albuquerque balloon festival televised.

Going the opposite direction is the quiet town of Hatch, NM. On a recent day trip to the chile capital of NM, we stopped at the highly rated burger joint in town —Sparkey’s for lunch and were quite surprised, when our meal arrived. It looked like a disappointment.

Looks are most deceptive.

The portions were ample, but quite honestly I could have eaten two burgers- they were that good (loaded with chiles and cheddar cheese on a fresh baked bun.)

Hatch is a small community surrounded by acres of chile fields along with some cotton, onions, and pecans crops. There must have been 20 or more chile processing facilities along NM-187. Something you do not see from I-25.

Fields of red and green.

In town is a decent super market with tons of local flavor. I am not sure how these are used, but there were pork tails and turkey tails available in the meat department. Interesting!!

Along the two short blocks of downtown are shops roasting large bags of chiles curbside. The aroma is heavenly.

A batch of roasting chiles

On the trip back to Caballo, we spot some chile plants up close. Some plants had been broken off and will probably go to waste, but I could not chance picking up the stragglers. I can imagine the headlines, woman caught red-handed stealing green chiles.

Some like ‘em hot.

Back at the State Park, it is a pleasant place and comparable to Elephant Butte. EB has more varied vegetation and closer to shopping and restaurants, and more boating activity.

Whereas, Caballo is 30 minutes away from everything. It has excellent rock lined walking paths with the occasional quail and rabbits. This has been a bonus for Ellie to round every corner in search of bunnies.

Looking for jack rabbits and bunnies.

Maybe it was just timing, but Caballo did not have the same population of gnats either. That is always a plus.

Chile season will be coming to a close soon, and we are hoping to get some before the end of the season.

 

Villanueva State Park – Villanueva, NM

Setting far back from interstates is this quiet little Park on the edge of the historic town of Villanueva. The town was originally called La Cuesta for the gentle sloping hill it is built on. After petitioning for a Post Office, it was renamed Villanueva, as most signatures on the petition were from the Villanueva family.

We toured the village, and agree with everyone we have spoken with at the park – the townspeople are the most hospitable. We stopped by the general store on the north side of town, and had a wonderful chat with the owner. While we did not need any supplies at the moment, we did donate one heavy cookbook to the ‘take a book – leave a book’ shelf.

A neat little store carrying most basic supplies and super organized.

On the south side of town is a second store that has many more supplies and the ‘Frito Pie’.

Frito Pies seem to be popular.

I am not sure if this is just a New Mexico specialty, but we also discovered from the camper next to us, there are also unique tools for cooking New Mexican cuisine.

The discada (also known as plow disc or cowboy wok, in some parts) is a favorite for outdoor cooking. The couple next to us were putting together one of the brand name units (Firedisc) and said many make their own.

New Mexican style cooking.

The park has quite a few trails, too rocky for the pup with watching our step and for reptiles. One trail led to a historic Spanish ruin from the turn of the century.

Hike to the Spanish ruins.

It described the area as a windy bluff part way up the 200 ft sandstone bluff where wheat was threshed and winnowed by horses held contained by steep rock walls.

Historic wheat threshing floor overlooking the valley.

Both sides of the park are surrounded by tall cliffs, and I was frequently climbing the 100 ft quarter-mile distance to the one particular campsite that had a cell signal in the El Cerro (hill) Loop.

 

The early explorers passed thru this area and it appears there is considerable history involving land grants in the territory, and special rules that existed to  be awarded property, and other conflicts in property ownership. See ‘San Miguel del Vado Land Grant’ for an in-depth read.

Seeing the highways along NM-3, it is something that these small communities survive, given the toll the rains and high water of the river sometimes takes on the surrounding area.

Pecos River and red clay.

It is interesting to see how much rain occurs upstream by watching the daily changes in opaqueness of the River.

Although the park has been busy with family reunions and school outings, I think people come here because they want to enjoy the quiet peaceful beauty of the area. It certainly has been great during our stay.

 

Storrie Lake SP – Las Vegas, NM

The drive from Santa Fe to Las Vegas along I-25 is a quiet drive to Storrie Lake State Park.

We get oriented with the park. There are three separate camping areas, plus two large primitive camping areas. We finally decide on an open cabana site closer to the lake.

Within minutes we drop the jacks, level up, put out the slides and lay out the outdoor mat.

Across the lake, some clouds hover, somewhat dark, but I do not think too much of it until  filling the fresh water tank. Just a  few claps of thunder in the distance and a stray streak of lightning across the lake.

And, then out of nowhere, it begins!

The storm is here.

It could not have been more than another 15 minutes and we are placing rocks on the mat and closing all the windows. The next couple of hours we witness a significant afternoon storm roll  over the lake. Literally spraying pellets of water across the lake surface, whitecaps, 15-20mph  gusts, and some hail.

Afternoon thunderstorms.

After three days of repeated tunderstorm fun, we next enjoy two days of unrelenting heat (no shade in the  lakeside spot). As the weekend crowd moves out, we move to a different loop with shade trees — what a relief.

View from Site 4S

 

Cabana shelters.

We are enjoying the area and slowly exploring the town.

Indigo Theatre opposite Borracho’s.

Historic Las Vegas At Plaza Park.

There are numerous historic homes and buildings – some with potential to be super great!

Where are my tools????

Well…….. – if we were so inclined to put down roots, gather some tools, and build……Not yet.

For now, we’ll enjoy the local flavor, being mesmerized by the seasonal roasting of New Mexico’s Hatch green chiles.

There seems to be multiple locations to buy fresly roasted Hatch green chiles in Las Vegas, and we have been able to find one particular vendor selling approximately 5-lb quantities. More manageable than the 25-lb box.

It has been fun experimenting with ways to use these little beauties in various dishes.

Before the season ends in the next few weeks, we will stock up the freezer to capture that wonderful flavor, at least for a couple of months.

If you are interested in more details about the park or recipes, leave a comment.