Day 135 - USA Tour - Albuquerque, NM

Sightseeing Mileage in Santa Fe area: 20
Starting Mileage Santa Fe: 11,203
Ending Mileage arriving Albuquerque: 11,266
Miles Driven: 63
Avg. MPG: 10.1
Gas Price: $3.25--Albuquerque, NM

Overnight: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque KOA

The drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque was a short one. The terrain is still very desert.



It wasn't long before we hit congestion on the freeway. We were wondering why so much traffic, as it was 10 AM when we came through. But, soon found out it was lots of construction.

We settled in at the KOA (this is the same place we stayed in March). This KOA is one of the most expensive we stay in, but the facilities are just average. No extras or fancy facilities. This time, we had to pay extra, extra for two of the nights because the balloon festival was to start the day we left. Now, that makes sense, right?? We couldn't even arrange to stay an extra day because they will be full, so we plan to leave Friday. Quick, short visit.



Beverly (Dave's sister) and Jerry drove over to meet us at the campground. We all then went out for lunch at The Range. The last time we were here, the restaurant was a small place in a strip mall. But, now they have moved to a building the size of a Denny's. The food was as good as I remembered. Their chimichangas are huge. And, their deserts are to die for. I had "Death by Lemon" cake. It's really more like a cheesecake. They have cinnamon ice cream that is out of this world.

After lunch, we drove over to their house and visited for a while. It was good to see their four-legged babies (Magellan and Piccolo [Dachshunds] and Muffy). These pictures are from last March. The Dachshunds are a little more hefty than this picture now shows. But, I forgot to take a new picture.





After our visit, we headed back to the RV to nap and chill out for the evening.

Day 134 - USA Tour - Santa Fe, NM

Overnight: Santa Fe, NM
Sightseeing Day

Today I am still not feeling well, more intestinal upset. But, one must persevere. So, we found our way to the Old Santa Fe area.

We parked on the street and didn't have enough change to fill the parking meter at the time. So, we decided to come back after eating our breakfast. As we were seated, we realized that is was lunchtime. Dave and I both ordered bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwiches. While we were waiting for the lunch to arrive, Dave walked next door to the bank to get change for the parking meter.

Because Santa Fe is a very touristy area for jewelry sales, and quite expensive on the downtown square, I asked our waitress where we could find bargains.

So, after our yummy lunch and we walked back to fill the parking meter. Now armed with directions to bargain shop, we headed off down the street--window shopping as we walked. After walking quite a while, I stopped a local and asked how far the shop was. It turns out that it was quite a distance, so we turned around and trudge back up the slight hill--again, window shopping as we walked. We did step inside a few shops, but nothing tickled our fancy enough to part with our funds.

We drove to the bargain shop, which WAS quite a distance from the old town area. We were pleasantly surprised at the nice jewelry they had for a decent price. I bought a few pieces and Dave was able to get a few conchos for his belt (screw-on silver decorations).

I thought you'd get a kick out of how consistent the town is in maintaining the adobe architecture. Check out this McDonald's.



After our jewelry shopping spree, we drove to the state capitol building. I took a couple of pictures, but it was difficult to see the architecture.



We headed back to the RV where we sort of collapsed. I was still was not feeling well, but doing slightly better. We nibbled for dinner. Tonight's TV selection consists of some new-season shows. So, I'm all ready, sitting in my Lazy Boy with my blanket on lap and my Coke in hand.

Day 133 - USA Tour - Santa Fe, NM

Sightseeing Mileage in Raton area: 0
Starting Mileage Raton: 11,007
Ending Mileage arriving Santa Fe, NM: 11,183
Miles Driven: 176
Avg. MPG: 7.9
Gas Price: $3.49--Santa Fe, NM

Overnight: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Trailer Ranch RV Park
Travel Day

This morning after filling up with gas, we were off and running. No breakfast--just breakfast bars.

At our first rest stop, which had limited parking, we noticed an RV from Indiana that was stopped in front of us. (More on this later.)

The terrain today was mostly downhill again until we got closer to Santa Fe.



Neither of us felt very well today, so we decided to stop and a roadside picnic area and fix some soup for lunch. This roadside rest was very desolate and we were the only car there. We were somewhat nervous because you never know if someone will pull up and decide that we are an easy mark. Dave brought his switchblade knife with him to the RV, so we felt a little safer.



As I was cooking the soup, the RV from Indiana pulled in to eat their lunch as well. They left before we did because we were into detailed food preparation!

We did have a little uphill drive when we neared Santa Fe. In those hills, we were amused to see many cars parked along the freeway with their occupants crawling under nearby tall bushes, known as Pinon trees. It seems that the Pinon nuts are ready for harvest. I was surprised that they could just stop and park along the freeway without getting ticketed.



As we neared Santa Fe, we began to see the Southwestern Adobe styles houses in proliferation. I know this type of house fits well in the Santa Fe area, but they are just not our cup of tea. If you have never seen them in abundance, here's a couple of pictures.





We arrived at the campground about 3 PM. I had called ahead and obtained the last full hookup site available. It was quite crowded, but there were no children milling about as this is a "55+" only park.



As I entered the office to check in, a woman was finishing her check-in. She turned to me and said, "Aren't you the folks from Georgia that we have been playing leap-frog with all day today?"

Of course, we were. And, would you believe they were our next door neighbors in the campground! Small world.

This campground offers a service called the "marriage saver." While one person is checking in at the office, the driver of the rig is escorted by a staff member who completely directs the driver into their site. So, after I finished checking us in, we were already parked. Kind of a unique service.

Dave and I rested and napped this afternoon. We will tackle downtown Santa Fe tomorrow. I was looking forward to some Southwestern Mexican, but knew our tummies would object!

Day 132 - USA Tour - Raton, NM

Sightseeing Mileage in Denver area: 15
Starting Mileage Littleton: 10,782
Ending Mileage arriving Raton, NM: 11,007
Miles Driven: 225
Avg. MPG: 8.7
Gas Price: $3.78--Raton, NM

Overnight: Raton, New Mexico
Raton KOA
Travel Day

This morning as we were preparing to leave Chatfield State Park, we looked upward and saw a couple of ballooners going upward. Three tried to get up and two made it. But, one was too far away to capture on film.



As I was pulling in the slide-out, I noticed that only one side was moving inward. Not a good sign. So, Dave checked it out and realized that a bolt had broken underneath. He was able to fix it temporarily. But, we'll have to stop somewhere on the way and get a couple of replacement bolts.

Between the balloons and the bolts, we got a late start, which was not good because we have over 200 miles to drive today. But, we'll get to our next stop, eventually!

We drove by the Air Force Academy where Dave said that Josh Clements (from our Arbor Pointe Church) attended. As we were driving by, I took this shot of their stadium. And, then I looked up to see a row of sky divers coming down. I guess they were on a training mission.



The terrain was mostly flat and downhill today with a lot of dessert fauna. We saw lots of pronghorn antelope with babies in tow. Many of the "families" were co-mingled with grazing cattle.





We stopped in Pueblo, CO, to eat at Black-eyed Pea. Most have closed down throughout the country, so I was glad to eat at one again. I think they have great food, so not really sure why they didn't make a go of it--not that my opinion is the end all for fine foods!

Coming into New Mexico, we spotted this sign. Not one you see in Georgia, that's for sure!



Heading into New Mexico



After our lunch, we drove to Lowe's to get some bolts for the slide-out. I hope it won't be too difficult for Dave to re-inset a bolt.

We arrived at Raton, NM, for our overnight stay. They parked us in one of two sites that seem to be in the middle of the road. But, I insisted on good WiFi, so this was supposed to be the best spot.



When I logged on, Dave's laptop would not accept their settings because of some security settings that didn't match. I was able to log on with my laptop, so I wondered if this was a VISTA issue. I called the office and they sent over their "expert." The expert was unable to workaround the error. After he left I tried different options and finally got the WiFi to work. So, I called the office with my findings so if anyone else had this problem, they could reset their laptop to work with their settings. I felt accomplished!

I am still not feeling well and wondering if it was something I ate or the affects of altitude sickness. Just not sure. I'm just icky with intestinal upset.

We just nibbled for dinner as we were still full from our lunch.

From now on, I'm going to have to make sure we have good TV reception. All the new shows will start this week. Well, it's off to bed for me. Did a lot of crocheting today and now it's time to read more of The Shack.

Day 131 - USA Tour - Littleton, CO

Overnight: Littleton, CO
Visiting Day

This morning Dave and I went grocery shopping for the BBQ we are having at the RV with Stephanie and her family.

When the girls got out of school, Kim drove everyone to the campground's entrance. We met them at the gate. On the way back to our campsite, would you believe there was a mommy and baby elk right at the road's edge. We pulled over and watched for a while and out from the woods comes this huge buck with several other female elk in tow. But, the other females mostly stayed at the wood's edge. The buck came all the way to the road's edge to join the mommy elk and baby. In a few minutes, he moseyed on back to the woods. The other two continued to eat along the road's edge for about 15 minutes. Of course, my luck, I didn't have either my camera or phone with me to take a picture as we were just going to the park entrance. But, the girls took pictures on their phones, so I am hoping that their dad will send the pictures to me so I can share them with you. It was soooooooo cool to see them that close.

Back at the RV, we snacked on veggies and played a wee bit of Canasta. The girls were quickly bored with that, and I felt bad that we didn't have a better "game" planned.

Stephanie loves horses and has done some training and competition. So, we shared with her the pictures I had on the computer that we had taken at the Wild Mustang ranch in South Dakota.

We then stoked up the fire for dinner. As you can see, Dave is providing some deeply intense instruction to the girls about cooking hot dogs--such a gourmet!



The hot dogs were yummy and then we fixed 'smores. Kimberly got them all set up to receive the marshmallows. The kids and Dave roasted the mallows. Those sure were yummy. I haven't had one since my kids were young.

Dave and I went to bed really early. I couldn't believe I was in bed at 8:30 PM. It was a wonderful day spending time getting re-acquainted with Kim, Stephanie, and Emily and getting to know baby Thomas.

Here's a picture of us with the family.



All best to all of you. We are heading to Albuquerque to see Dave's sister in a few days. Sleep tight!

Day 130 - USA Tour - Littleton, CO

Sightseeing Mileage in Breckenridge area: 6
Starting Mileage Breckenridge: 10,647
Ending Mileage arriving Littleton, CO: 10,767
Miles Driven: 120
Avg. MPG: 7.9
Gas Price: $3.59--Littleton, CO

Overnight: Denver, Colorado
Chatfield State Park
Travel and Visiting Day

We were up early this morning so we could get to the state park and obtain a site. We spent most of the drive going downhill.



As we arrived in the Denver area to visit our granddaughter, Stephanie (age 11), and her family. As we looked out across the valley, we were shocked at the amount of smog in the area. I always think of Denver as having crisp, clean air. Not that day!

Very soon after we arrived into the Denver valley, we were at Chatfield State Park area. We had to drive quite a distance to enter the park at an entrance that didn't have a building overhang under which we had to drive.



We arrived at the check-in at 10:30 A.M. and obtained the last full-service site available. It had a great view of an open field. The site had an easy pull-in and plenty of room to park and play. We had a nice picnic table and fire pit. Surprisingly, the state park had WiFi service; but unfortunately, we were so far out from the booster that we couldn't get a signal that was strong enough to log on to the Internet.



Note that we have our awning out. This is only the second time we have put it out.



We called Kimberly (our granddaughter's mother) to let her know we arrived and made arrangements to go to her home later in the afternoon.

We arrived at Kimberly & Tom's beautiful home around 2:30 PM. We visited with her, Thomas (their 9-mos. old son) and their dog (a yellow Labrador retriever named Sandy). At 3:30, we left to get the kids from school. Met Emily (age 7) as she was riding her bike home. Then, off to get Stephanie.

After the kids ate their snacks, we visited for a while, they showed us how to play Wii, and they opened their birthday presents. Stephanie's birthday was in August and Emily's was the day before we arrived.

Later, Stephanie played her cello for us.



Stephanie is so grown up and quite a special young lady--as is her sister, Emily. Note: The pictures that I took in the house of Emily and Thomas were out of focus and not flattering. So, see tomorrow's blog to view pictures of them.

We all went out to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and enjoyed having more time with the kids to get re-acquainted. Tomorrow is a school day (albeit half-day), so we were back home about 7:30 PM so the kids could get some homework completed. They'll be over to the campsite tomorrow after school.

Dave and I headed for bed fairly early, after making the grocery list for tomorrow's cookout with the kids at the campsite.

Day 129 - USA Tour - Breckinridge, CO

Overnight: Breckenridge, CO
Chill Day

Today we didn't really do much of anything. I think I am suffering from altitude sickness, just a little bit. I am having trouble breathing and just feel sick at my stomach. Also, the pizza did not sit well with either of us last night. Dave said he feels light-headed and sick at his stomach, too. Fine pair we make today!

Late last night Dave went outside and unhooked the water hose just in case the temperature dipped below freezing. We sure didn't want the hose to burst. I filled 2 cups with water for our morning coffee before I went to bed. Gotta have the go-go juice on a frosty morn.

And, yes, it was really cold last night. Burrrrr. We cranked up the heated mattress and ye ol' furnace and made it through. It certainly was cold this morning. I am not even sure we didn't get a little more snow on them thar hills.

After we thawed out a bit, Dave hooked the hose back up. The little water that was left in the hose, was frozen solid. So we were glad that we had thought to disconnect it.

Dave sat outside for a bit early this afternoon at this nice sitting area. He found some sun and took a cat nap facing those beautiful mountains.



Later in the afternoon, we drove into town and filled up the car with gas and we took a peek at the township. It was upscale, as we assumed it would be. But, had some interesting shops. I think if we had felt better, we would have stopped to do some window shopping.

Back to the RV to rest of from the short drive--ha ha. Tonight, Dave drained the hose even better--it's only supposed to get down to 37 degrees tonight, as opposed to the 34 degrees last night.

We had soup for dinner as both of our tummies were still acting up.

I filled our coffee cups with water again, so we are ready to roll in the a.m. We need to scoot out of here quickly so we can get to Denver to the state park and get a site for a couple of nights. Over, out, and chillin'.

Day 128 - USA Tour - Breckenridge, CO

Sightseeing Mileage in Grand Junction area: 10
Starting Mileage Grand Junction: 10,449
Ending Mileage arriving Breckenridge, CO: 10,641
Miles Driven: 192
Avg. MPG: 8.8
Gas Price: $3.79--Breckenridge, CO

Overnight: Breckenridge, Colorado
Tiger Run RV Resort
Travel Day

The drive this morning was very scenic. The terrain ranged from the desert to over the river and through the woods!









You can see the solid rock mountains that we had to go through. We drove through 4 separate tunnels to get through these mountains.



We decided to stop in Glenwood Springs for gas and lunch. We had a difficult time navigating this resort town with its narrow streets to find a place to park so we could eat lunch. During our search, we passed by their famous hot springs. Sulfur. P.U. I guess you'd get used to it, but it was truly nasty. A resort with an aroma--would you call that--"to die for" or "...of"?

We found a shopping center on the hill on the opposite site of the freeway in which we could park. We ate at Quizno's. It was OK, but nothing to get all excited about.

We continued to see changing terrain.



We drove through Vail. I looked for Trista & Ryan and their son, Max, but no luck. (For those The Bachelor or The Bachelorette fans, you'll know who that is!)

You might be able to see the ski lift on the left slope. If not, the next picture is a close up. Check out those beautiful Aspen trees changing color.





The closer we got to Breckenridge, the more rugged the mountains.



And, then we saw snow on the mountains in the distance.



After we got all set up in Breckenridge, we just chilled. We didn't even drive into town. We had come through a quaint town called Frisco. So, we were camped between the two cities.

The campground was really upscale.



It had few spaces for RVs because many of the lots have park model RVs on them. Park models are a cross between small mobile homes and large RVs that do not get towed behind a car and are set up permanently. But, they have marine-type toilets like and RV. These park models all look like mini-log cabins.



This campground is also a "buy your own lot" facility (like we had in Lake Hartwell). Owners can rent out their RV spaces to help offset the cost of the lot.

We had a nice space on a little river with a sitting area. So, this made Dave happy as he could sit and listen to the water. But, I must admit, it's very cold here.



I sent out for some pizza and salad for dinner. I was told it was quite good. At least we added to the economy of the city. It was good.

The temperature is supposed to dip tonight, so I hope we are warm enough!

Day 127 - USA Tour - Grand Junction, CO

Sightseeing Mileage in Moab area: 72
Starting Mileage leaving Moab: 10,326
Ending Mileage arriving Grand Junction, CO: 10,439
Miles Driven: 113
Avg. MPG: 7.6
Gas Price: $4.09--Green Springs, CO

Overnight: Grand Junction, Colorado
Junction West RV Park
Travel Day

This morning we didn't have far to travel to get to Grand Junction, Colorado; but we were out of the campground by 9:30 AM. We stopped at McDonald's for a quick breakfast to eat on the road as our next stop was Walmart to pick up a few essentials. Of course, I needed nourishment for that jaunt. I shopped while Dave played chauffeur for me so I didn't have to walk as far. Else we would have to park at the far end of the parking lot.

The terrain was mostly desert with a few sand-packed hills. Again, the color variations are truly beautiful and unexpected.







We saw more antelope today and one group had a buck with a huge rack. Too bad I didn't have the camera posed.

We arrived at the campground at noon.



So, I made tuna fish sandwiches for lunch instead of going out. Dave was in shock!

My next task was to color my hair. So, that meant I had to rinse it out at the campground's showers. I had the entire shower facility to myself because it was early afternoon. And, it was a good thing, as it turned out. I got all set up with my towels, floormat, change of clothes, soap and shampoo, etc. I got all undressed, stepped into the shower and turned it on. To my horror, the showerhead was broken and it produced a dribble along the wall. Great! So, that meant I had to abandon that stall and move everything to the next stall. Of course, I was in the buff, so I was quite nervous someone would walk in as I'm shuffling from stall to stall in the hallway. And yes, I did test the new showerhead before I moved. I no sooner got all organized in the new stall, when a man opened the main door and wanted to know if anyone was in there. Of course, I was so relieved he had not opened the door a few minutes earlier. It was the owner, and he wanted to remove a "floor wet" sign as he had cleaned the facility an hour previously.

I called our granddaughter's (Stephanie) mother (Kimberly) to arrange our arrival day to visit with their family. Wednesday is Stephanie's sister's (Emily) birthday so we will arrive on Thursday.

I then called the campground near their home. The campground is a state park, so we were required to make reservations 3 days prior to our arrival. Because we had not done that, we will have to hurry in to Denver and hope that we can snag an available spot. We were, however, told that there are no vacancies for Saturday night. So, we may only be able to stay Thursday and Friday nights.

Tonight was the first show of the new season of Dancing with the Stars. So, I got all settled in to watch the new "stars." I did a bit of crocheting in the car todasy and continued to do so while watching TV tonight.

We didn't seem to do too much today, but we were very tired. So, after my shows, it was nighty night.

Day 126 - USA Tour - Arches National Park

Overnight: Moab, UT
Sightseeing: Arches National Park

Dave invited me out for breakfast this morning. We tried our hand at the Pancake Haus, which we thought would have quite a variety to choose from. Wrong. After waiting 30 minutes (standing, I might add), we were finally seated. The restaurant turned out to be VERY small, which we couldn't see from the waiting room. But, it also turned out to be interesting for Dave. Our waitress had worked at Airgas in Salt Lake City. So, they have a few things to chat about. We left with them both agreeing: there is life after Airgas.

As we were leaving, I walked under a tree and was "initiated" upon by a bird. Yuk. Dave kindly got the mess out of my hair. Yuk, again.

We have met up with the Colorado River again, here in Moab. It has a lot of silt from the constant erosion in this area.



Our next stop was the visitor's center at Arches National Park.

On the road leading from the entrance to the visitor's center, we passed a sign that stated "Bighorn Sheep Crossing." Needless to say, this got Dave very excited at the possibilities of spotting wildlife. We inquired at the Ranger's desk as to where we might spot the sheep, and we were told that there were only 60 in the entire 2,000-acre park. So, our chances were practically nil. But, leave it to Dave, he found this one!



We watched the overview video, which was very informative, as they usually are. This film not only covered Arches NP, but also the Canyonlands National Park.

We started our drive at noon and climbed quite rapidly. Here's a shot looking back toward Moab.



Quickly, we were quite overwhelmed, once again, by the beauty of this great land. Our first view was called Park Avenue. And, what an appropriate name for the landscape. It was rich with beauty and vastness.



Again, I am providing the best of the best pics that I took. I will describe those that have a little story to tell.

So, is it the precarious balance that keeps this top rock from falling?



This is a picture of the beginning of creating an arch. First chunks fall out from underneath, and then the rock above continues to erode.



Here's a picture with some cars (teeny-tiny in the center) to give you a perspective of how very tall these cliffs and arches really are.



Balancing Rock--This rock is about a hundred feet tall.



Various Arches









Window Pane Arches



Delicate Arch--to get to this arch, it is a 1.5 mile walk--so this long-distance shot is the best I could do!



Colorful Landscape



Dave is off to retrieve some very green rock/silt for me. I can't get over the deep green color. Dave now has a nice rock collection to bring home. We feel like Lucy and Desi in "The Long, Long Trailer" (if you saw that movie, you know what I mean!)



Water erodes down between cracks in slabs of sandstone. The water then separates the sandstone and creates these thin ridges.



This is a picture of a rock that is a favorite among climbers. You can't see the climbers in this first picture, but one is halfway up the rock. In the next picture, you can see him up close. There were actually two, but one is not visible in this close-up.





This drive took us four hours to complete. There is only one road in, and you come back out the same way. I took over 250 pictures. Each turn in the road gave us a unique angle and different perspective. So, I was busy snapping pictures all day.

After taking this drive, we worked up quite an appetite--Dave avoiding cliffs and other sightseers, and me jumping in and out of the car to take pictures. So, off to a local Mexican restaurant. It was pretty good. But, not nearly as good as the one in our old home town of Sylmar.

This evening we watched some TV and then dozed off fairly early. We had kicked around staying another day to go to the Canyonlands NP, but we have had enough red dirt sightseeing for a while. So, we are headed to Colorado to see our granddaughter and her family within a few days.